Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Even Taking the Exam is Humiliating (2)
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Qi was not used. If Qi had been added to this strike, even a lion, not just a wolf, wouldn't have emerged unscathed.
Twisting his body to load his weight onto the wooden sword was enough. That alone would leave an average person groaning for days. Even if it was just a wooden sword.
And the wolf was no exception.
Ban’s wooden sword precisely stabbed the wolf’s throat.
"Kyaaang!"
It was an unbelievably clean strike. A wolf larger than him had charged in—how on earth could he target its throat in the midst of that? Ikyeong clenched his fist, gazing at Ban with eyes full of admiration.
"As expected of Brother Ban!"
"That ghost-like guy wouldn't lose to some hulking wolf."
"He didn't even seem to use Qi, though?"
The warriors of the Cho Clan chuckled, shrugging their shoulders as if it were only natural. The reason Ban was the object of their admiration wasn't simply due to his genius. He was strong enough to match that genius. He wasn't some fool with half-baked talent who neglected effort.
A wolf? They might as well have brought a lion for this to even qualify as a test.
Ban was the strongest among them.
"……Hmm."
The examiner's gaze, which had been looking at him like a novice, changed slightly. He let out a sigh and stepped into the enclosure, looking down at the whimpering wolf.
"I said endure for one minute, not beat the wolf."
"Ah, should we do it again then?"
"……No need. I don't think that's necessary. Clean technique. I acknowledge it. You'll make for a promising junior."
"Junior……you say?"
"Didn't you hear? All the examiners in the entrance exam are already students enrolled at the academy."
The examiner grinned.
"I'm Camin. If you pass the entrance exam, come find me at the academy. I'll at least guide you around."
"Understood, Senior."
"Kehhehe, what a bold one."
Camin laughed with a cheerful expression and turned to the other Cho Clan members. He looked at them with a provocative smile.
"The start was good, but I wonder just how fearsome the other warriors of the Cho Clan will be?"
Having witnessed Ban's performance, they all wore expressions of boiling blood. They might have thought it was just a fight against a wolf at best, but in a way, this was their first chance to show the world their prowess.
That day, the Cho Clan's reputation did not suffer in the slightest.
Without a single elimination, they all earned the right to take the exam.
§
"Did you see Ikyeong acting all tough, puffing up his shoulders, only to chicken out in front of the wolf?"
"Hey, hey! When did I chicken out?"
"Then what was that? You spent the whole minute just running away."
"It wasn't running away, it was dodging! I just didn't want to torment the wolf, that's all?"
"Oh, so Ban knocking the wolf out was animal abuse then?"
"Why does it always come back to that? You keep ganging up on me? Huh?"
Ikyeong shouted indignantly. In many ways, he was inevitably the perfect target for the group's teasing. Ban chuckled and placed a hand on Ikyeong's head.
"Don't get so worked up. That's why the kids tease you all the time."
"Ugh. Sorry, Brother."
"Look at this guy pretending to be polite only to Ban. Wow, the hypocrisy."
"It's not hypocrisy, it's respect, you barbarians."
"Ptooey."
"……You wanna die?"
Ikyeong flared up again as if he hadn't calmed down at all. Just as Ban shook his head helplessly, a man approached him. Tanned skin, shaved head. It was Hazelrek, evaluated as the second strongest after Ban.
"Ban. Tired?"
"Why? Wanna spar?"
"It's about time your body started itching, right?"
"Real sword? Or wooden?"
"……Is that even a question?"
Hazelrek shot back with a grin. Ban smiled in return and gripped his sword. It was Lucas's shortsword.
Ban carried a total of three swords. Lucas's shortsword, Obun's longsword, and the Cho Clan's slashing-specialized longsword.
In truth, Lucas's iron shortsword was clearly inferior compared to the others. The other warriors around him were puzzled as to why he carried it.
Ban always answered that it was due to childhood memories, but the real reason was different. Lucas's style had mostly seeped into his body over a long time, but that talent was another matter. It could resonate, but not be absorbed.
So Ban would train in the Cho Clan's swordsmanship and other techniques he had already learned while wielding Lucas's shortsword. When the swordsmanship in his mind connected with the talent embedded in Lucas's shortsword……the result always surpassed his imagination in some way.
And.
"Hazelrek. Come at me."
Ban looked at Hazelrek with his sword lowered. It seemed defenseless at a glance, but it wasn't. A Cho Clan swordsman could deliver a perfect slash from any stance.
Even though Ban had explicitly invited him, Hazelrek couldn't charge in easily. He bit his lip.
'No opening in sight.'
His swordsman's instinct was telling him not to approach now. It hadn't been like this before. How had this monster grown even more in the meantime? Was he really living the same time as this guy?
Sweat was already soaking the palm gripping his sword tightly. Ban watched Hazelrek for a moment before speaking in a low voice.
"If you can't come, I'll go to you."
The moment those words ended, Ban kicked off the ground. Even without using Qi, in an instant, Ban's blade was slicing toward Hazelrek's side.
Chaeng!
"Kuh!"
Blocking it was pure luck. But that didn't mean Ban's assault ended. Before Hazelrek could recover his stance, Ban's sword slashed again, and by the time Hazelrek rolled on the ground and looked up, a cold blade was already at his nape.
"…I lost."
"No way. Hazelrek lost that easily?"
"…I've never even beaten Hazelrek."
It wasn't a matter of handling Qi or not. Ban hadn't mixed any Qi into that single assault just now.
It was simply that their skill as swordsmen was on another level.
That was the issue.
"Brother……"
"Look at Ikyeong's eyes. Be honest, you like guys, don't you?"
"…What's wrong with a swordsman admiring a stronger swordsman?"
"That's the problem. A swordsman shouldn't just admire a stronger one—they should want to beat them."
The one who said that was Jeongil, who always bickered with Ikyeong. He licked his lips and muttered.
"Wait. I'll show you what the true spirit of a swordsman is. Ban! Spar with me too! You still have plenty of stamina, right?"
"Come on. Doesn't matter."
Ban shrugged and readjusted his grip on his sword. And moments later, Jeongil went rolling across the ground from a single kick by Ban, without even drawing his sword. Ikyeong snickered as he looked down at Jeongil.
"See? This is what happens when you act cocky."
"…Ugh, shut up."
It was an everyday sight. They challenged Ban and lost. Every warrior of the Cho Clan had been called a prodigy in their youth, but facing Ban made them realize talent was always relative.
After that, a few more warriors challenged him, but none could even graze Ban's clothing. Ban seemed to know perfectly where to position his body and swing his sword at any moment.
Seeing him slip away from their targeted spots before they could even swing made it easy to understand why he was called a ghost.
"…This entrance exam's star will be Ban again, huh?"
Jeongil muttered. Hazelrek replied in a voice mixed half pride, half bitterness.
"Who else could take that spot if not him?"
§
The entrance exam at Citadel Academy in the capital wasn't always the same. It was to heighten selectivity, and also because the exam was seen as an annual festival of sorts in the capital. A festival growing stale was a problem.
Even so, the one thing that hadn't changed in decades was the 'tournament.'
Swordsmen against swordsmen. Archers. Mounted spearmen. Charging at each other, slashing, seizing victory in a bloodbath.
The ultimate festival that set audiences' hearts ablaze regardless of the era.
The format was simple. In the preliminaries, eight groups formed from randomly selected participants fought until eight remained in each group. To prevent friends from teaming up, everyone wore identical armor and masks.
Those who survived were guaranteed admission, but that wasn't the end. Those who reached the main tournament wouldn't settle for mere admission.
There's a saying: Those who enter the academy through the exam have their post-graduation futures decided the moment they take it. It's not just common citizens watching. Wealthy influencers and key figures from the Nine Great Clans watch wide-eyed to see who claims victory.
Ban adjusted the mask over his face. The subtle obstruction of his vision was annoying, but everyone else had the same issue, so he couldn't complain.
'A grand festival. Gotta leave my mark.'
So that every year, the Coliseum crowds would inevitably recall the swordsman named Ban. He gripped his sword.
He was ready.
Ready to be the protagonist of this festival.