11.
Although it is absurd, the gates of the Heavenly Martial Academy have closed.
I have already completed my entrance, and my internal energy would not move even if I were to vomit up the Energy-Dispersing Poison I have already ingested.
‘I feel like I could raise my energy if I tried a little harder, though….’
The sensation of my energy refusing to move, unlike just a moment ago, felt awkward, but I did not experiment unnecessarily for fear of vomiting blood.
‘It is fine. This might even be an opportunity.’
This academy uses Energy-Dispersing Poison and medicinal pills as if they were water.
Could there not be another reward for the student who finds the antidote the fastest, or perhaps the most brilliantly?
“Great Hall Master, what is this…!”
Someone at the neighboring table clung to Paeng Jung-geol in vain, but the martial instructor who helped administer the poison in the first place was hardly going to help.
“Hahaha! Go and find it! It looks like this!”
He burst into hearty laughter and held up a red pouch.
The student sent him a pair of sparkling, hopeful eyes, but he merely drew his saber, saying he would give it to them only if they fought him and won.
“Eek!”
As expected, blood ties mean nothing.
The student who had tried his luck retreated in shock.
Thinking positively, he could have told us to walk back and forth to the dorms for over a month without internal energy; is it not fortunate that he is giving us an antidote?
I immediately soaked my nameplate in water.
Perhaps it was coated with a unique substance, as the characters soon appeared in a dark color.
— — —
[Inside the Long Spear Pavilion]
— — —
Just as the Academy Master said, the location was written on the back of the nameplate.
On my way in, I had seen pavilions like the Illusion Sword Pavilion and the Hegemon Saber Pavilion.
If it is called the Long Spear Pavilion, would it be a place where long spears are stored, or perhaps a lecture hall for teaching spear techniques?
“The fourth target at the Dark Moon Pavilion training ground?”
I had thought it was quite kind of them to tell us the building.
So-woon, who had soaked his nameplate after me, recited a much more specific location.
“Hm? It is a different place from mine?”
“Is that so?”
“Mine says to go to the roof of the Pure Heart Pavilion.”
So-woon and Maeng Ryeong-ji spoke of the locations written on their nameplates without reservation.
All three were different, and judging by the fact that they had written text after the names, it seemed each of us had to find our own share.
“A weapon storage? Can a new student enter such a place?”
“My nameplate says to go under the tree in front of the middle gate. Is that easier than yours?”
“Where is the Pure Heart Pavilion located? It is not as if there is an academy map….”
“Did you just say Pure Heart Pavilion?”
I was about to stand up and head straight to the Long Spear Pavilion.
At the next table, one of the students who appeared to be from a clan mentioned a location that overlapped with Maeng Ryeong-ji’s.
“Yes… ah, yes.”
He flipped his nameplate to show the writing.
“Are you also heading to the Pure Heart Pavilion, Miss?”
The man who had been approaching me with a flushed face hesitated when he saw Maeng Ryeong-ji’s terrifying expression.
“Pure Heart Pavilion?”
But before she could pick a fight with an innocent student, someone from the opposite table raised a hand as well.
He wore a Daoist cap, and his robes were embroidered with a Taiji pattern.
He appeared to be a disciple of the Shaolin Temple.
‘Goodness, is this perhaps a group project?’
Just as I had suspected, it was indeed.
The students who discovered that three people were grouped for the Pure Heart Pavilion each shouted the locations written on their nameplates at the top of their lungs.
“Is there anyone for the Archery Pavilion?”
“The tree in front of the middle gate!”
Seeing them form groups of three or four, I thought I understood the criteria for the grouping.
The academy had intentionally mixed children of the clans, disciples of the Nine Great Sects, and those who belonged to neither.
Even just looking at the meal we just had, if we were allowed to sit freely, we would have only huddled with our own kind; perhaps this is a task to foster camaraderie among students of different backgrounds?
“Wudang… Hebei Paeng Clan….”
Maeng Ryeong-ji growled at her group members.
“Gasp. I, I hope I do not become a burden!”
So-woon bowed his head, not knowing what to do.
He had been grouped with four people, including Gu Won-ui, who had ranked high in the entrance exam, and a collateral descendant of the Murong Clan who had spoken to me.
“Long Spear Pavilion! Is there anyone for the Long Spear Pavilion!”
I was able to find my group members without difficulty as well.
“I, I am for the Long Spear Pavilion.”
When I approached the person who had shouted with my hand raised, he flinched the moment our eyes met, even though he was the one who had called out.
He was not as handsome as Eun-hyun, but he was a man of quite sturdy build.
“Nice to meet you, Miss. I am Myeong-gyeong of the Mount Hua Sect!”
Myeong-gyeong soon regained his composure and flashed a grin.
“Mount Hua?”
“Mm.”
“Ah, so two people came from Mount Hua?”
Then again, the Murong Clan had sent several collateral descendants, had they not?
It seemed the Hebei Paeng Clan had not sent just one person either.
But suddenly, Myeong-gyeong’s voice turned sharp.
“Have you… met Eun-hyun?”
Now that I think of it, where is Eun-hyun?
I thought he had been sitting at the end of the same table, but he was nowhere to be seen; perhaps he had set off alone.
“That fellow came on his own accord without even receiving permission from his sect. I am a disciple who officially received a recommendation from the Sect Leader of the Great Mount Hua Sect.”
Hearing Eun-hyun’s name, Myeong-gyeong expressed his displeasure as he introduced himself.
Ah, so that was why Eun-hyun took the exam separately; it was not that he was aiming for the medicinal pill, but that another child had taken the recommendation plaque.
‘Then is he stronger than Eun-hyun?’
I swallowed my curiosity and offered a greeting.
“I only watched the exam for a moment. I am Seol Sool-ryeo of the North Sea Ice Palace.”
I had worried I might have offended him from our first meeting, but the creases on Myeong-gyeong’s face quickly vanished.
“Ice Palace…!”
Myeong-gyeong’s eyes widened in wonder.
“They said the palace disciples of the North Sea Ice Palace were all great beauties and handsome men, but it seems the rumors were actually an understatement.”
Thinking about it, the direct disciple of the Mount Hua Sect Leader I had heard about from my father must have been Myeong-gyeong, not Eun-hyun.
That is right, if his name is Eun-hyun, he has not even received his Daoist name yet.
Is he even a true disciple?
“Did you just say Long Spear Pavilion?”
Just as I was about to tell Myeong-gyeong that I had heard of his reputation as well, a group of women in blue robes approached us.
“You as well?”
They were the ones who had been fussing about looking for the young lady earlier.
The student walking in the lead with an expressionless face clearly looked like the leader.
Two children followed her on either side, and for some reason, the shorter, pretty one was glaring at me.
“Namgung Min.”
The leader flipped her plaque to show it and recited her three-character name in a low voice.
The blue robes were none other than the attire of the Namgung Clan, considered the strongest among the Five Great Clans.
‘A direct disciple of the Mount Hua Sect Leader and a Namgung in the same group? I am definitely going to be carried through this group project.’
I exerted force to keep my rising lips in check.
“Oh, is the young lady a direct descendant of the Namgung Clan? The second child of the Azure Heaven Sword King?”
Myeong-gyeong, true to being a disciple of Mount Hua, spoke to Namgung Min casually.
“How rude to the young lady!”
It was not the girl who had been glaring at me, but the taller one who suddenly shouted.
“Hm…? Where is it…?”
I, of course, and even Myeong-gyeong, did not understand at all.
“My apologies. I do not particularly like being called by my father’s title.”
Namgung Min, the person in question, apologized on their behalf.
It is not a sitcom; we had only just exchanged greetings, so what is this?
The young lady of the Namgung Clan may have followers trailing behind her, but she seems to dislike the modifier of being the child of the Azure Heaven Sword King.
So, Namgung Min is a direct descendant of the Namgung Clan.
The short child standing on the right is a collateral descendant.
And the tall one who called Namgung Min “young lady” must be from a family loyal to the Namgung Clan, or something similar, right?
I wonder if the followers entered by taking the exam like Eun-hyun.
Ah, perhaps the Namgung Clan paid a large donation and had three recommendation plaques.
“You two are not for the Long Spear Pavilion, are you?”
Well, regardless, I had no intention of picking a fight with Namgung Min, who had just become my group member.
One must stay on good terms with the driver.
I asked the followers merely for confirmation.
“…Hmph!”
But perhaps they took it the wrong way, as the girl who had been glaring at me turned away without even answering.
The taller one also bowed her head with a stiff face and followed her.
‘What is with them?’
It was absurd, but unlike Maeng Ryeong-ji or Eun-hyun, who had been quick to anger on the day of the entrance ceremony, I knew my priorities.
I must find the antidote first.
“What is that group? Mount Hua, Namgung, and even the Ice Palace….”
“Is the pretty one in the middle from the Ice Palace?”
“Must be.”
“They have gathered the future talents who will become the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes.”
“They will find the antidote in no time….”
Perhaps because the presence of the Azure Heaven Namgung Clan, considered the best among the Five Great Clans, was so overwhelming, even students from other groups glanced our way.
Is it because they thought I was the strongest among those here, excluding the disciples of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Clans, that I am included in this group?
Myeong-gyeong seemed quite satisfied with this combination, whistling as he became conscious of others’ gazes.
“Let us join forces and find the Long Spear Pavilion!”
He said with great energy.
“It is to the west.”
Namgung Min raised her hand and pointed in one direction.
“Is that so.”
“That is good. Let us go right away.”
I was slightly deflated, but if one knows the location, there is no need to drag things out.
Even if they did not say there was something for the first to arrive, is it not better to find it quickly?
“I saw earlier that other students’ plaques even had the specific target number written on them, but since ours just says ‘Inside the Long Spear Pavilion,’ we might have to search for a while.”
I took the lead and walked in the direction Namgung Min had pointed.
“Hm, that will be troublesome.”
“….”
The two followed me without a word.
Unlike their ambiguous first impression when they appeared with their followers in tow, Namgung Min, though cold, was quite cooperative.
I liked these bus drivers who possessed overflowing skill and reasonably decent social skills.
“Here it is.”
Before long, we discovered the signboard and flag marked Long Spear Pavilion.
Since it said inside, the antidote must be within the building.
I passed the training ground and opened the door straight away.
“Let us divide the area and search.”
The building was larger than expected, and Namgung Min, who had the same thought, suggested it.
“Good….”
I, and Myeong-gyeong, were about to readily agree.
But before he could even finish his sentence.
*Click.*
With a subtle sound, an indescribable sense of incongruity swept down my spine.
And the very next moment.
*Whoosh!*
With a crisp sound of air being pierced, a spear flew toward us.
"Behind you!"
Namgung Min shouted urgently as he spotted it.
I extended my arm by reflex.
*Thwack!*
A heavy impact traveled through my palm.
The tip of the spear had stopped just a palm and a half away from piercing Myeong-gyeong’s back.
"Goodness, this place is quite dangerous, isn't it?"
I winced and showed the spear I had caught to the two of them.
"H-how!"
"……That is a real spear."
Myeong-gyeong, who had nearly been skewered while off guard, was horrified, and Namgung Min examined the spear as if he couldn't believe it.
It certainly wasn't a toy.
While the blade wasn't razor-sharp, given the speed at which it had flown, it was a weapon capable of inflicting a fatal wound.
"Where on earth did something like this come from?"
"Over there, it flew out from a hole in the wall next to the door."
"This is madness!"
Since this was an event gathering martial artists, I hadn't expected a simple treasure hunt, but I hadn't anticipated spears suddenly flying at us.
Myeong-gyeong was so shocked he couldn't close his mouth, and the eyes of Namgung Min, who was still inspecting the spearhead, were trembling as well.
Are these kids entering a mechanism-filled training ground for the first time, too?
"Are they really expecting us to find the antidote here? Without any internal energy?"
At her question, I gripped the spear firmly and replied.
"Hmm... I suppose this is just the beginning?"
Looking up at the ceiling and scanning the end of the hallway and the walls, I noticed several uneven spots here and there.
Namgung Min also scanned the long corridor and the rooms branching off to both sides before biting her lip.
"To demand we risk our lives the moment we enter the academy is absurd. If it had been other students, they might have been severely injured."
Namgung Min was furious, worried for her followers, but my thoughts were slightly different.
"I don't think the difficulty level is the same for every group."
"……Ah."
*Sigh*, I was happy to have hitched a ride on a reliable bus, but the road ahead is a thorny path.
I reminded them of the fact that among the locations the other students had shouted out, there were many that looked easy, such as under trees or on top of pavilions.
At that, Namgung Min’s face froze coldly.
"In that case, we must either give up on the antidote, or……."
Namgung Min muttered.
She left the rest of the sentence unsaid, but it wasn't hard to guess.
Perhaps she was thinking of having her subordinates hand over theirs or extorting the antidote from other students?
Honestly, I was slightly tempted myself.
"No."
Myeong-gyeong shook his head firmly.
"The instructors must have designated this place, judging that we could overcome it if we joined forces. As a Daoist, I cannot walk a crooked path."
Perhaps because he is a Daoist of the Mount Hua Sect, his way of thinking is different.
"……I didn't exactly mean we should steal them."
Even if one isn't a Daoist, the righteous faction of the Murim generally reveres chivalry.
Since Myeong-gyeong spoke so strongly about how stealing other students' antidotes would disappoint the sect that trusted us and sent us here, Namgung Min couldn't bring herself to run away.
"Rather than splitting up our zones, it would be better if we all stayed together."
*Shing!*
Myeong-gyeong drew his sword with a very determined look on his face.
"……."
Following his lead, Namgung Min also drew her sword and struck a cool pose.
'I suppose I'll be fine since they're here.'
Feeling like I should join in, I drew my sword as well.
The two of them would likely stand back-to-back, but it was ambiguous how the three of us should position ourselves.
"Young Lady Namgung. It would be good if you, who have mastered the sword, could take the lead."
Myeong-gyeong requested of Namgung Min.
"I will guard the rear. I was caught off guard and startled just now, but if we move slowly and keep our senses sharp, we should be able to catch them, right? Surely the Academy Master wouldn't have sent us here to die."
"Very well."
Namgung Min readily accepted the request.
"Young Lady Seol, you must be surprised to have suddenly entered a place like this, but…… do not worry. I will protect you no matter what."
Myeong-gyeong flashed a grin, telling me to rest easy.
Oh, that’s actually quite cool.
The two of them wore serious expressions, like martial artists risking their lives to dive into the lair of the Demonic Cult, and took a cautious step forward.
One step, another step.
We moved forward very slowly, and a moment later, another spear flew at us.
"Ugh!"
Namgung Min, who was standing at the very front, barely managed to block it.
She had tried to deflect it lightly with an indifferent expression, but realizing she had no internal energy, she belatedly braced herself for the impact on her arm.
Given the composition of our group, it seemed we could pass if we tried, but honestly, the difference in difficulty compared to the other students was too much.
I recalled what Paeng Jung-geol had said at the entrance ceremony—that we would soon have plenty of opportunities to fight.
'It seems the intended challenge really is for the students to fight each other and take them.'
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