Chapter 19: On My Future Path
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 19: On My Future Path
As the crowd swelled and the commotion grew, a Martial Alliance official eventually stepped in to disperse everyone.
“The awards ceremony will begin shortly, so please maintain order! Award nominees may now enter!”
Officials from the Mid-Sized Sects, their faces full of regret, turned to leave, but not before urging me to visit their sects and to contact them anytime.
“Well, see you later then.”
Oh Jung-min also entered the awards hall with the Pine Moon Sect members. I took the opportunity to exchange contact information with him.
My parents, who had collected dozens of business cards from Mid-Sized Sects in that short time, looked utterly dumbfounded.
“Good heavens, what is all this…?”
“This isn’t a dream, is it? This is real, right?”
They still couldn’t believe that haughty martial artists had been competing to recruit me.
I had been a notable Rising Star even before this, but until I underwent the Constitution Test, I was merely an unpolished gem. Many teenagers are disheartened by their Constitution Test results and give up on their dreams, or change their paths due to injuries. If my powerful performance at the Competition and my rather good Grade 4 Constitution hadn’t become known, I wouldn’t have garnered this much attention.
‘Even considering that, it’s still unprecedented, though.’
I figured I’d probably collected most of the business cards from the Mid-Sized Sects affiliated with the Martial Alliance, from the last Competition until today. Just for fun, I playfully lifted my chin arrogantly.
“What’s with all the surprise already? The Ki Mu-hyeok recruitment war is just beginning. Don’t even look at anything less than the best offer.”
“You! Don’t get too greedy!”
Mom seemed wary that I might already be getting a big head. Dad, on the other hand, couldn’t control his wide grin and expression.
“I have nothing more to wish for. My son has entered the world of martial artists. Now, if only I could see him go to the World’s Greatest Martial Arts Tournament and win…”
“Aren’t you wishing for a bit too much?”
Despite my dumbfounded expression, Dad continued to enthusiastically spin out his plans and fantasies for the future.
“Honey. Mu-hyeok’s all grown up now, so why don’t we quit our jobs and open a small cafe with our savings? You’ve always wanted to.”
“It’s too early by ten years. We don’t even have any savings right now, what cafe?”
“With our retirement funds…”
I subtly interjected into their conversation.
“I’ll open a cafe for you later.”
At that, both my parents looked at me with skeptical eyes.
“Oh, please, just take care of yourself.”
“We’re not looking to benefit from our son already. Your mom and dad are still spry, you know?”
Despite their firm refusal, a smile never left their lips, as if my words had touched them.
I made a firm vow in my heart.
‘Just you wait. I’ll open a wonderful cafe for you, and I’ll bring home the World’s Greatest Martial Arts Tournament championship trophy too.’
We entered the awards hall, smiling cheerfully, and received congratulations and envious glances from many people. My shoulders puffed up with pride.
‘If this isn’t filial piety, what is?’
The awards hall was spacious enough to be used as an auditorium, and it was quite crowded with High School Division and General Division nominees, as well as their families who came as guests.
‘Invited guests on the left, Mid-Sized Sect martial artists on the right, and the front of the stage… is that where the Eight Great Sects martial artists sit?’
The Eight Great Sects (八大門派) are the eight martial sects that represent Korea, organizations with so much capital and power that it wouldn’t be strange to call them conglomerates. Adding in the Branch Sects that spread out like a spiderweb beneath them, it was no exaggeration to say that the Eight Great Sects’ influence dominated the entire Korean Martial world.
‘The Martial Alliance becoming a mere shell of an organization was also due to the Eight Great Sects’ influence growing too large.’
Knowing the future, I was aware of the bitter truth that while the Eight Great Sects’ power would steadily increase, the Martial Alliance would weaken, suffering various humiliations, including the current Martial Alliance Leader being dismissed.
“There was a time I dreamed of being a hero of the Martial Alliance…”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
While there wasn’t overt discrimination, if you looked closely, it seemed there was an invisible line drawn between martial artists belonging to other sects and those from the Eight Great Sects.
It was while I was sitting with my parents, quietly observing the Eight Great Sects’ side.
“Hey! You crazy bastard!”
A booming voice, as if he didn’t care what anyone thought. It was strangely familiar, so I turned around, wondering if it could be him, and saw a familiar, burly figure striding towards me.
“Shin Kang-heon?”
As I stood up, Shin Kang-heon said with a beaming, delighted face, “Hahaha! Did you really win an award in the General Division?”
“Did you just call me a crazy bastard?”
“Of course! I’ve never met anyone as crazy as you in my life!”
Why was this guy so excited? Being suddenly called a crazy bastard didn’t particularly offend me. Because among guys, ‘crazy bastard’ or ‘crazy son of a bitch’ is usually a compliment. Of course, a curse is still a curse, so my own response wasn’t exactly polite.
“Aren’t you a nutcase?”
“I get that a lot. Though I don’t think I can compare to you.”
His hearty laugh reminded me of the Shin Kang-heon I’d seen in the future. His constant provocations weren’t so much annoying as they were just absurd. After all, this was the guy who would later be called Korea’s Greatest Swordsman, and he was burning with competitive spirit towards me right now.
“Let’s have a match sometime. What do you say?”
I could feel the surging competitive spirit in Shin Kang-heon’s smile as he glared at me as if to devour me.
I had already been planning to meet him again soon, so I held out my phone to Shin Kang-heon.
“Put your number in so we can set a time.”
“Awesome! I’ll save you as ‘Crazy Bastard’!”
Shin Kang-heon hummed a cheerful tune and saved me as <Crazy Bastard> right in front of me. And just as I was saving Shin Kang-heon as <Nutcase> on my phone…
“Shin Kang-heon! Get over here, now!”
At the voice from behind, Shin Kang-heon, who had seemed fearless, flinched. On the other side, a man resembling Shin Kang-heon was glaring at us.
‘Is that the uncle Bok-ja mentioned?’
—Shin Kang-heon… it seems like his uncle has him on a leash.
It wasn’t a good story, so I remembered it, and it seemed he had come to the awards ceremony today as well.
“Tch. Just when it was getting interesting… Hey. I’ll call you later, so make sure you pick up.”
Shin Kang-heon grumbled discontentedly, turned, and left, and I sat back down.
‘Who’s calling who a crazy bastard? How many people think and act as logically as I do?’
And I tried to wait calmly until the awards ceremony began, but…
“Mu-hyeok! Who told you to make such a promise on your own?!”
“What if you get hurt right before your License Exam next year?!”
“No, that’s not it…”
Until the awards ceremony started, I had to endure a scolding from my parents, who had fire in their eyes.
The High School Division Competition awards ceremony began first.
“The High School Division Gold Medal goes to… congratulations! Shin Kang-heon!”
“Woooooah!”
Shin Kang-heon roared as he climbed onto the stage, fully indulging his attention-seeking tendencies. In his excitement, he tried to hug a judge, who reflexively countered and struck a vital point, leaving Shin Kang-heon comically frozen in dozens of camera shots.
“What an idiot…”
I shook my head at his pathetic antics. The High School Division Competition Silver Medal went to Pi Seung-hwa, and the Bronze to a participant whose name I hadn’t heard before. Kim Hyeon-seung didn’t even attend.
However, even after the High School Division awards ceremony concluded, most of the award winners remained in their seats.
‘Everyone’s just staring at me.’
It seemed they had made bets among themselves about what award Ki Mu-hyeok would win, as my name frequently popped up amidst the hushed whispers.
“Now, the General Division awards ceremony will begin shortly.”
After a few obvious and tedious formalities, Martial Alliance Elder No Gu-cheon, who had served as a judge for the General Division Competition, walked onto the stage. His eyes, scanning the audience, seemed to meet mine for a moment.
A faint smile.
I felt a slight tension at the Martial Alliance Elder’s peculiar smile.
‘He had asked me who taught me my sword technique after seeing it.’
As if that moment were an illusion, No Gu-cheon’s gaze passed me by and returned to the general audience.
“It is an honor to meet the young Rising Stars, the future of Korean Martial, and to present these awards. Without further ado, let us begin the announcements.”
No Gu-cheon paused, then unrolled the award certificate he held and called out the winner.
“First, I will announce the Special Award. Participant Ki Mu-hyeok! Congratulations!”
As I immediately stood up, applause erupted. My parents seemed to be the only ones who hadn’t anticipated my Special Award; their tense expressions, hands clasped together, instantly brightened.
“…My, my son! Hahahaha!”
Dad was beaming, and Mom clapped so enthusiastically it was as if she had motors in her palms.
I went up to the stage, received the Special Award and trophy, and gave a brief acceptance speech.
“Thank you. I will take this as encouragement to work even harder and dedicate myself. And Mom and Dad, I love you.”
As I finished my short speech and returned, Dad, who had just started recording a video on his phone, expressed great disappointment.
“Why did you come back so quickly? You should have spoken for at least three minutes!”
“I wanted to keep things moving. The Special Award isn’t the main event of the ceremony.”
“You rascal! The award you won is the main event!”
“Exactly, so we should move it along quickly.”
“What did you say?”
Instead of answering, I leaned back comfortably in my chair and watched the Bronze and Silver Awards being presented consecutively.
“…Next, I will announce the Silver Award. Congratulations to Participant Oh Jung-min of the Pine Moon Sect!”
And as Oh Jung-min’s acceptance speech for the Silver Award was nearing its end, I whispered to Dad.
“Dad. If you have any Cheongsimhwan left from earlier, take another one now.”
“…Why?”
I wanted to tell my father, who was glum about the short acceptance speech video, and my mother, who was similarly disappointed:
‘The Special Award can be jointly awarded with other prizes, you see.’
But I held my tongue and just grinned.
“Finally, I will announce the Gold Award!”
As the remaining nominees and their families held their breath, my eyes coincidentally met No Gu-cheon’s. He seemed to have overheard my conversation with Dad, as he was trying to suppress a laugh.
“The General Division Under-25 Competition Gold Medal goes to… congratulations. Participant number 42, Ki Mu-hyeok, by unanimous decision of the judges!”
The moment his voice, imbued with Internal Energy, resonated throughout the awards hall, the audience’s astonished gasps and murmurs reached a crescendo.
“Gasp…!”
Dad, eyes wide, was trembling as if he were having trouble breathing.
“Mom. Please stop Dad from making a fuss.”
“Oh my goodness… Mom is barely holding back a scream herself, you know…?”
After squeezing each of my parents’ hands, I ascended the stage for the second time.
The gazes I received were different from when I’d accepted the Special Award. If before it had been a ‘that could happen’ reaction, now most expressions were ones of disbelief.
“…A high school student won gold?”
“Isn’t this the first time in decades?”
“Incredible…”
Even the eyes of the Eight Great Sects martial artists, who had been sitting with bored expressions, finally showed a flicker of curiosity. The eyes of the Mid-Sized Sect martial artists, however, were filled with even greater ambition.
I looked directly at the audience and began my speech.
“It is an honor to receive such an undeserved award. There are truly many people more skilled than me, but I believe my luck and condition were just a bit better that day.”
After giving a smile to Dad, who was hastily restarting his recording, I took my time to deliver my acceptance speech.
“I am grateful that many people have asked about my future path today. Several esteemed sects have given me their business cards and offered kind words.”
At this moment, everyone was focused on me. A Rising Star, a high school student, winning the Gold Medal in the General Division Competition. A shocking event, the first of its kind since Richard Han. But this was only the beginning.
“So, I’d like to take this opportunity to say something.”
I paused and looked at my parents, who were nodding, their faces showing they would support any decision I made. I fully intended to repay their trust.
“Rather than deciding my path right now, I want to focus on the Martial Artist License Exam next year, after I graduate.”
The Martial License is a certification that proves one is a martial artist anywhere in the world. After graduating high school and turning 20, one can take the qualification exam at the Martial Alliance. The exam comprehensively evaluates Constitution, Musculature, and several practical assessments to issue the license. There are three types of licenses: First-Rate (一流), Second-Rate (二流), and Third-Rate (三流). The type of license a martial artist obtains upon entering the martial world serves as a benchmark for their future potential and possibilities. It was also my first goal, aiming for the World’s Greatest Martial Arts Tournament.
“I will obtain a First-Rate License in the Martial Artist License Exam. As for my future path, I wish to reconsider it then.”
At my words, even some martial artists from the major sects, who had seemed indifferent until now, reacted with bewilderment, and some even with displeasure.
“What did he say…?”
“What Constitution Grade is that kid?”
“That’s something even a Grade 1 Constitution couldn’t guarantee…”
“His confidence is excessive.”
After all, there had never been a single instance of a test-taker who wasn’t Grade 1 in the Constitution Test achieving a First-Rate License on their first attempt.
In other words, my words could also be interpreted as:
‘I’ll come back with a First-Rate Martial Artist License, and then we can talk about the terms again.’