Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Baek Moo-jin 2
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It didn't seem like a huge crowd had flocked to the North Heaven Alliance just to snag some impressive position. No matter how prestigious their affiliations or families were, they couldn't compare to the renown of the North Heaven Alliance.
Most of the examinees confessed that they just hoped to pass even as an Eighth Grade.
But as the days dragged on, the competition grew fiercer, the evaluation standards kept rising, and all that happened was the examinees lamenting how brutal it was getting.
While the vast majority applied for Eighth or Seventh Grade, Baek Moo-jin had applied for Fourth Grade Warrior.
Fourth Grade was the highest rank among those officially selected through evaluations, but the martial prowess required was so high that applicants were extremely rare.
Baek Moo-jin, listening to the noisy mix of conversations, flicked his eyes around.
Finally, he decided he'd have to grab one of the few others standing silently like himself and strike up a chat—when someone called out his name.
"Baek Moo-jin from Snow Mountain. Baek Moo-jin! Is he here?"
"Here."
Baek Moo-jin raised his hand, and the man checking the documents looked him up and down before speaking.
"Baek Moo-jin, applicant for Fourth Grade Warrior, correct?"
"Yes."
A hush fell over the area around Baek Moo-jin at the mention of Fourth Grade.
'Fourth Grade?'
Fourth Grade meant quasi-executive treatment right from the start.
Then, in an instant, the crowd erupted into a buzz loud enough to make the whole gathering stir, with some even shoving their neighbors aside to get a closer look at Baek Moo-jin, scanning him from head to toe.
"What? He's just a kid?"
Some openly sneered and turned away. The others were no different.
'What kind of punk is applying for Fourth Grade? Even Fifth Grade applicants are rare...'
Someone bellowed out.
"Who's applying for Fourth Grade? One of the Five Great Families?"
"Keep it down, will you? It's that guy over there. The one in the white martial robes."
"Th-that greenhorn..."
The one about to call him a fledgling chick locked eyes with Baek Moo-jin and trailed off, clamping his mouth shut. But his expression was a sight to behold. He curled his lip as he addressed Baek Moo-jin.
"Good luck."
Baek Moo-jin nodded with a smile of his own.
"Will do."
The crowd stared daggers at Baek Moo-jin as he followed the administrator. As he gradually moved farther away, most spat out their mockery.
"He might not know better. Don't hold it against him. It's not like Fourth Grade is some dog's name."
"You never know. Could be some hidden master."
"Even a master wouldn't go for Fourth Grade. Who do they pit you against in the martial evaluation for that? At minimum, a Deputy Commander. And North Heaven Alliance Deputy Commanders aren't some third-rate brothel thugs."
"How strong are Deputy Commanders, anyway?"
"How strong? Even counting those out in the branches, there are probably no more than a hundred at that level. They're among the top hundred elites of the entire North Heaven Alliance."
"The Hundred Great Masters..."
"How many exchanges do you think you could last against a Sword Unit Deputy Commander?"
"How should I know? I'd have to fight one."
It was only natural for those challenging Eighth or Seventh Grade—the most common applicants—to be shocked. The jeers toward the vanished Baek Moo-jin stretched on endlessly.
The administrator said to Baek Moo-jin,
"Ignore them. Anyone applying for Fourth Grade always gets that kind of talk. This way. Fourth Grade evaluations are in the annex. You're awfully young, though. How old are you this year?"
"Twenty-two."
"The age when scions of the Five Great Families take the exam. What's your sect?"
"Snow Mountain Baek Family."
"Snow Mountain Baek Family? Sorry, never heard of it. Well, anyway, passing Fourth Grade is rare, but sometimes the calm ones pull off surprises. If you make it, I look forward to working with you. Haha."
"Likewise."
The mild-mannered administrator smiled at Baek Moo-jin for some reason.
The two left the area where group initiation exams were held and entered the annex.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Supervisor, I've brought Fourth Grade Warrior applicant Baek Moo-jin."
"Come in."
Baek Moo-jin entered with the administrator and found the annex surprisingly spacious. It made sense, as this was where document reviews led into sparring evaluations. But what surprised Baek Moo-jin were the supervisors.
'How many are there?'
They sat in a straight line, staring at him with stern expressions.
'Is it always like this?'
The Execution Hall supervisors, skipping introductions, sat side by side reviewing Baek Moo-jin's documents.
The lead supervisor in the center spoke in a low tone.
"Baek Moo-jin?"
"Yes."
"From Snow Mountain Baek Family, so we dug up some old records. There's a note from quite a while back about your family head Baek Woo coming to aid our North Heaven Alliance. No troop numbers listed, so probably just a small group of retainers."
"Yes, my grandfather."
"Frankly, without that one line, you might not have even gotten to take the Fourth Grade exam."
"Is that so?"
Baek Moo-jin replied curtly, matching the supervisors' demeanor, and another spoke up.
"Maybe some elders still remember your grandfather."
The lead supervisor, still reviewing documents, noticed Baek Moo-jin standing and gestured to a chair with his chin.
"Ah, have a seat."
"Yes."
This first-time interview experience was making Baek Moo-jin uneasy for some reason.
Maybe it was the supervisors' stiff, authoritative faces, or perhaps the sheer number staring at him all at once.
Questions poured from the supervisors.
"Why apply to the North Heaven Alliance? Be honest. No matter what you say."
The questioner asked nonchalantly, as if routine, but few were more crucial. Answers varied wildly, revealing character and ambition.
Baek Moo-jin answered.
"The White Path powerhouse north of the Yangtze, checking the Black Path forces like Iron Blood Gang and Nine Heavens Alliance. Disposition is tyrannical... Leaving that aside, my father left words about the North Heaven Alliance."
"What words?"
"The North Heaven Alliance doesn't care about origins. As long as you're not Demonic Path. They gather like that and fight internally nonstop... Sorry. Father's phrasing."
"Continue."
"When big trouble hits, their wills converge on chivalry. A place to realize one's aspirations."
"Chivalry?"
Only one responded.
The other supervisors stayed silent at Baek Moo-jin's words. Some sighed, others wore bitter expressions. Because he'd described the North Heaven Alliance's founding days.
'Chivalry... It's been ages since I heard such romantic talk.'
The old North Heaven Alliance had been like that. It was even called North Heaven Chivalric Alliance back then.
But not anymore.
The organization had grown massive, maintenance costs soared daily, and political infighting had become rampant.
Yet it was turning into a monster, and people kept feeding themselves to its jaws.
For success.
So this seemingly naive youth bringing up the old days left even these mid-level North Heaven Alliance veterans speechless. They answered with silence and moved to the next question. It wasn't talk for a newbie.
"But you're only twenty-two and aiming for Fourth Grade?"
"Yes. Is there an age limit?"
"No such thing."
"I see."
The supervisors seemed to want more from Baek Moo-jin, but he said little. He had no desire to chat idly with smiles.
Most felt the same about him: clean-cut looks, cool expression. What they wondered most was whether this guy was truly strong enough for Fourth Grade.
Amusingly, Baek Moo-jin thought he could qualify for an even higher official grade.
One supervisor asked,
"Who is the current head of Snow Mountain Baek Family?"
"Me."
"What?"
"I'm the Patriarch."
"Ah, I see."
"Yes."
The supervisors exchanged glances. Family heads rarely took initiation exams personally. They figured his house must be in dire straits, but that was their guess.