18
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“What?!”
We were all taken aback.
I had assumed they gave us Grain-Abstaining Pellets because the seniors hadn't arrived yet and there were few students in each dormitory, so we should just make do for the morning.
But we were expected to eat them for lunch and dinner too?
“Then what about the cafeteria? Is the Delicacy Hall only for the instructors?”
“A student may enter once they have accumulated enough merit to earn the right to eat. Well, you might be able to eat my cooking in a year or two.”
I asked in confusion, but the cook answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Those Grain-Abstaining Pellets, they’re good for your body even if they don’t taste like much. Eat one, and if anyone wants to peel onions, come inside. If not, get lost to the Pavilion of Diligence!”
Naturally, no one wanted to peel onions.
A moment later, with a loud thud, the doors to the Delicacy Hall slammed shut.
“No way, we have to work without even eating lunch?”
“This is tyranny!”
“Do you have any idea how much my family donated to this place!”
The children swallowed their Grain-Abstaining Pellets, using the delicious aroma wafting through the door cracks as their only side dish.
They vented their anger among themselves, but not a single one had the courage to go and confront the Academy Master.
“To make us survive on something like dirt, this is preposterous.”
Maeng Ryeong-ji, in particular, gritted her teeth and growled.
So-woon was satisfied enough that we weren't being starved, but Maeng Ryeong-ji declared her intention to sneak out of the dormitory tonight to go hunting.
— — —
* * *
— — —
In the end, we couldn't even eat a proper meal and went to the place called the Pavilion of Diligence.
Honestly, the Grain-Abstaining Pellets didn't seem entirely inedible.
Perhaps because we had expected a high standard of meals after the banquet on the day of the entrance ceremony, a heavy gloom hung over the children’s faces.
“Ah, welcome, new students! Come in, come in! Haha, I don’t know how much I missed you all while you were away on break. I’ve been counting the days until you entered the academy!”
Still, the Pavilion Master of the Pavilion of Diligence welcomed us more sincerely than anyone else since we had arrived at the academy.
“Haha, you look a bit gaunt from not having eaten. Do not worry. If you work diligently at your tasks, you will be able to enter the Delicacy Hall before long.”
“What is this ‘diligent work’? If we do the work, can we eat?”
Hope sparkled in the children’s eyes.
“It is the act of serving the academy and the righteous Murim to accumulate merit! Once you collect enough merit points, you can enjoy luxurious meals at the Delicacy Hall. And that is not all! You can be bestowed with excellent weapons or spiritual medicines, and even borrow martial arts manuals from the special archives!”
They even give out spiritual medicines?
Then I suppose I have to work hard.
“What kind of work do we have to do?”
“Haha, good. Good! You are all so full of motivation!”
So that’s what the diligent work was.
It seemed this place was where they assigned tasks coming from both inside and outside the academy to the students and recognized them like academic credits.
They talk about it as accumulating merit, but in the end, it’s just exploiting labor.
No wonder I had barely seen any workers despite the academy’s grand buildings.
There seemed to be dangerous or difficult requests, but the tasks given to new students were mostly chores like cleaning.
I had expected them to protest, asking how they could make someone raised in luxury do such things.
Surprisingly, that wasn't the case.
“Can we choose? I would like to carry water. Even at the Wudang Sect, I only carried water for three years.”
Some of the kids even showed pride in it.
It seemed that doing chores while receiving teachings from a master was a natural part of the culture in the Murim world.
“Um, but how much do we have to do to be able to eat? If I work today, will I get a proper meal for dinner?”
“A very good question! You only need to collect five hundred points! If you work diligently, you will be able to eat meals by next year, and you will also be able to take on missions outside the academy!”
“…….”
But everyone was left speechless by the required points.
A year? We have to eat Grain-Abstaining Pellets for a year?
The students, who had been asking questions more comfortably thanks to the kind Pavilion Master, fell silent all at once.
Looking at the notices posted on the wall, there were indeed missions to go outside.
Subjugating river pirates, catching wanted criminals, and so on.
The very kinds of requests a Murim warrior would take on.
Does that mean we have to do chores for a year even to do things like that?
“Haha, there is no need to be so disappointed. You can also have your merit recognized through methods other than diligent work. Students who achieve good results in the Ranking Spars can enter the Delicacy Hall in just three or four months, you know?”
I recalled the merit plaque I had found in the Long Spear Pavilion.
So there are tournaments, and they also give them out during class like that?
“It is perfectly fine to wait for the Ranking Spars while eating only the Grain-Abstaining Pellets without working often. The Academy Master says the Grain-Abstaining Pellets are very good for the body, you know?”
The Pavilion Master said that the Heavenly Martial Academy had a very free-spirited atmosphere.
He told us that there were students who focused on their classes while eating the pellets and then did all their diligent work in a rush for a year or two later, so we should feel free to visit anytime.
‘Hmm, so I need to collect 500 points to clear the tutorial?’
There were 100-point subjugation missions on the wall, but chores like cleaning were at most 2 or 3 points.
I only needed to do the 3-point tasks 167 times, but the reason they mentioned a year was probably because it would be difficult to work every day given our schedules.
“My sibling graduated in four years. They said some people spend two or three years just doing diligent work even after completing all their classes.”
Maeng Ryeong-ji, who had an older sibling who had graduated, added.
The merit points required for graduation were a whopping ten thousand.
The structure was such that if you did your chores diligently in the first year and went out during breaks, you could graduate from the academy quickly.
“I’ll clean the Administrative Hall for now.”
“You’re going to clean? You, Seol Sool-ryeo?”
“There’s no reason not to.”
Well, graduation isn't urgent, so I’ll think about that later.
Besides, the only things I can do right now are chores that are all much the same, and the morning classes weren't difficult enough to require reviewing outside of work.
I chose a suitable 3-point task.
I preferred cleaning the teacher’s office when I was in school in my past life; if you get close to the teachers, you’re bound to get a piece of rice cake or something that was brought in as a gift.
“Uh, should I do it with you?”
So-woon said she would follow me.
“……Chopping firewood sounds better.”
Maeng Ryeong-ji grumbled about there being no hunting, but decided to do the task that required the most physical effort, as recommended by the worker.
— — —
* * *
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The Administrative Hall.
As the name suggested, it was indeed the place where the instructors handled their work.
But the instructors weren't exactly gathered here doing paperwork.
The Administrative Hall was a building with a spacious area like a conference room, a lounge with refreshments, and rows of rooms that looked like faculty offices.
It was lunchtime, but it didn't feel like a place that was ever bustling with people.
Basically, the instructors stayed in the pavilions where they taught, so I wondered if they only gathered here for meetings.
“Is anyone here? We’re here to clean!”
There were only two of them, but since there were people, So-woon and I bowed politely and went inside.
“Hmm.”
Just from the energy they exuded, they were definitely, 100% instructors.
A man with a fierce appearance and a scar on his face accepted our greeting with a nod first.
“Nice to…… hmm?”
The other instructor next to him also turned his head.
I was startled when I saw his face.
It was because the man’s face was incredibly beautiful.
My goodness!
Wasn't he a gorgeous, delicate-looking man with long hair flowing down to his waist, exactly my type?
“Elder Sword of Radiant Light!”
But even more surprisingly, So-woon knew this handsome instructor.
If it was the Sword of Radiant Light, it was a nickname I had heard before entering the academy.
‘What…… this person is the Sword of Radiant Light, Kwak Do-cheon? The instructor who gave So-woon her entrance plaque?’
So-woon, who had met him, knew him, and Great Hall Master Baek-woong seemed to know something about Kwak Do-cheon as well.
It was truly absurd.
Why on earth was his nickname like that?
Sword of Radiant Light? It contains no information other than that his sword is fast!
If there is someone this handsome in the Cangshan Sect, shouldn't it be common sense to give him a nickname like ‘The First Beauty of Cangshan’ or ‘Jade Sword of Cangshan’ instead of grouping him with names like the Five Swords of Cangshan, so that the whole world would know?
“So-woon! What brings you here? Did you have any trouble yesterday? The Academy Master must have made you eat the Energy-Dispersing Poison…….”
Even though they had only met for identity verification before the entrance ceremony, Kwak Do-cheon was very happy to see So-woon.
Seeing him speak with such pity, it seemed not all instructors enjoyed tormenting students like the Academy Master or Paeng Jung-geol.
“Ah, I luckily managed to find an antidote.”
“Is that so? That is a relief.”
He looked slightly surprised, then let out a sigh of relief.
“I was worried deep down. Although I was the one who recommended it, this academy is not such a smooth place. As you spend time here, you will find many things difficult.”
“No, sir. It is an honor to receive such a precious opportunity thanks to your grace. My friends…… helped me, so I haven't had any difficult times.”
So-woon trailed off slightly at the word ‘friends’.
They are friends, so what.
“That is good. Hmm, and you, what is your name…….”
“I am called Seol Sool-ryeo.”
I, who had been staring intently at his face, answered quickly, and when I met Kwak Do-cheon’s eyes, he tilted his head.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Ah…… I apologize, but the moment I faced your countenance, my soul seemed to depart from my body and ascend to the heavens.”
“……Hmm?”
“With skin as smooth as if carved from white jade by a heavenly artisan, and eyes as deep as if they held the Milky Way itself. The ordinary word ‘dashing’ cannot possibly capture your beautiful form, sir. Um, what subject do you teach, sir?”
Wow, he even looks lovely when he’s embarrassed.
Kwak Do-cheon scratched his head, slightly flustered, and the corner of the instructor’s mouth sitting next to him curled up slightly.
“Haha, you are a child with a colorful way with words. That is quite a valuable skill in the current Murim Alliance. I teach Fast Sword as an elective, and I also teach the basic external martial arts class.”
“I will definitely enroll!”
I also kept the Fast Sword in mind. I would definitely take that class.
Speed was crucial in the Long Spear Pavilion as well.
Even if I were to fight an opponent stronger than me, wouldn't being faster allow me to strike first and secure victory?
In many ways, agility was an indispensable quality for any martial artist.
“But, Miss Seol? By any chance, are you the….”
“I am his daughter.”
The smile on Kwak Do-cheon’s face twitched.
Of course, he quickly composed his expression and did not say anything further.
The martial arts instructor beside him also turned his head to check my face once more.
I wondered if both of them had fought alongside my father during the Great War of Righteous and Evil.
“In that case, shall we clear out this room first?”
“Ah, yes, please do.”
Since both So-woon and I were quite adept at cleaning, we finished the task quickly.
If I went straight back to the diligence hall and asked to clean one more place, would they count it as two tasks?
The martial arts instructors had not yet left their seats, so I was about to offer a polite greeting and head out when.
“Wait a moment.”
Kwak Do-cheon stopped us again.
“Do you have any other plans for the rest of the day?”
“None until class time. We had some spare time, so we were thinking of looking around the Academy. Is there something you need us to do?”
Oh, right.
If you come to the faculty office, you are bound to end up running errands for the teachers.
I was more than happy to help, especially for a handsome teacher like Kwak Do-cheon, so I waited for his request with a bright smile.
Seeing my proactive attitude, Kwak Do-cheon smiled even more comfortably and said.
“I was actually hoping to ask you for a favor, so I am grateful. Could the two of you stop by the smithy together? Truth be told, I had a sword commissioned for So-woon, but I was quite worried about sending her there alone.”
However, something about his words felt strange.
It was touching that he had prepared a sword for the child he had invited.
And while there was no particular reason I couldn't accompany her to the smithy, why would he be worried about her going alone?
Was there some kind of trap?
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