IBM 17

Chapter 17

First Trial (2)

“Why the hell did she open the gate and just stand there? Is she waiting for cheers or something? Total attention seeker.”

Mo Il-hwa clicked her tongue while glaring at Hong Hye-ryeong, daughter of one of the Four Great Grandmasters, Hong Hwa-ryun.

Hong Hye-ryeong still stood calmly after throwing the gate wide open.

“…….”

Hearing Mo Il-hwa speak like a street thug again, Yu Jin-hyeok inwardly sighed.

She was the only daughter of the Minister of Punishments, a high official of Senior Second Rank.

Yet her speech was rougher than common hooligans.

Of course, she herself would proudly say:

“Hey, isn’t being honest more charming than pretending?”

But Jin-hyeok, who had been raised strictly by Madam Jang, could never understand her.

‘She’s obviously jealous.’

Women were impossible to understand.

Meanwhile, Mumu yawned loudly.

“I still don’t get why everyone’s cheering just because someone opened a gate.”

Haeryang from the Haomun Information Sect quickly answered.

“It means their internal energy is powerful, Young Master Mumu.”

“My internal energy?”

“The more gates someone opens, the stronger their internal energy.”

Naturally, Haeryang was only trying to get closer to Jin-hyeok and Mo Il-hwa.

The Sect Leader of Haomun always taught him:

“To secure important clients, first win over the people around them.”

As for Mumu?

‘He’ll fail the First Trial anyway.’

This much effort was nothing.

Meanwhile, Hong Hye-ryeong disappeared through the gate, and the entrance exam continued.

Just as before:

• Around sixty percent couldn’t open the gate at all.

• Thirty percent barely opened the First Gate.

Now Mumu’s group was almost next.

While everyone nervously watched the exam, one boy stood quietly nearby with a cold expression.

He wore a red robe and a black headband.

Something about him felt dangerous.

‘The Southern Blade Imperial Uncle’s daughter…’

The boy recalled Hong Hye-ryeong opening the Fourth Gate.

He had expected her to be talented, but not that talented.

At only seventeen years old, and as a woman, her internal energy was extraordinary.

Still—

‘I must make them feel the pain of losing blood relatives.’

That single obsession had driven his training.

The hellish years spent inside Baeksagok existed only for today.

Everyone gathered here lived peacefully and comfortably.

But that peace would soon end.

‘I, Ha-ryun, inheritor of the Blood Will, will stain this academy with blood.’

“Hey. The line moved. Aren’t you going?”

A sharp voice interrupted his thoughts.

Ha-ryun turned around.

Mo Il-hwa stood behind him impatiently waving her hand.

‘What’s wrong with this girl?’

Pretty face.

Terrible personality.

“What? Why are you glaring? Just move already.”

Ha-ryun’s eye twitched.

He had met many irritating people before.

But women this rude were rare.

Still, he suppressed his killing intent and walked forward.

Revealing himself here would be foolish.

He carried too much responsibility.

“Tch. Acting scary when you were gonna move anyway.”

‘…This brat.’

For a split second, Ha-ryun genuinely considered slicing her neck with a hand blade.

Then—

“Yeong-chun, age eighteen. Disciple of the Eastern River Sword Saint Shin Ui-gyeom. Successor of the Eastern River Sword Sect. I request permission to take the First Trial.”

The entire crowd exploded.

“The Eastern River Sword Saint?!”

“A disciple of one of the Four Great Grandmasters?”

“This year’s batch is insane!”

Everyone stared at the young man in blue martial robes carrying a large wooden box.

Though his face looked gentle, his aura was overwhelming.

At the attention, Yeong-chun’s expression briefly twisted viciously like a demon.

Then he quickly calmed himself.

‘I have to endure it.’

Yeong-chun hated crowds.

He hated attention even more.

His mood swings were so terrible that even his master shook his head helplessly.

Still, passing the exam came first.

Yeong-chun stepped before the gate.

From atop the wall, Supervisor Hakgyu stroked his beard.

“What an expressive brat. Hard to believe he’s the disciple of that dignified Sword Saint.”

Yeon Nam-gyeong curiously asked,

“What’s he like?”

“Mind your own business and focus on work.”

‘…But this is your job.’

Yeon Nam-gyeong quietly swallowed his frustration.

At that moment—

CREEEEEEAK!

The gate shook violently.

Yeong-chun’s internal energy surged.

In an instant, he opened the Third Gate.

Then the Fourth Gate trembled.

Yeong-chun was already using nearly eighty percent of his power.

Seeing the Fourth Gate barely resisting, irritation exploded inside him.

‘If I lose to the Southern Blade Imperial Uncle’s daughter, my senior brothers will mock me forever.’

CRACK!

His face twisted savagely.

Then—

BOOM!

The Fourth Gate burst open.

“WOOOOOOOOAHHHHH!!!”

The crowd erupted.

“The Fourth Gate again!”

“As expected of the Eastern River Sword Saint’s disciple!”

“The Four Great Grandmasters truly are monsters!”

Chaos spread everywhere.

Hakgyu smirked while drinking from his liquor cup.

‘Interesting brat.’

That personality looked troublesome, but talented people were usually strange anyway.

So far, two people had opened the Fourth Gate.

Could anyone else repeat it?

‘Impossible.’

At that age, opening the Fourth Gate was absurd.

Only heirs of the Four Great Grandmasters could do it.

Afterward, more applicants continued.

Murong Clan’s Mo Yong-wol and Nurturing Mountain Villa’s Bae Ui-seok opened the Third Gate, causing another stir.

But no one surpassed that.

Eventually—

It became Mumu’s group’s turn.

“Ugh. We waited nearly three shichen.”

Mo Il-hwa stretched her shoulders.

Ha-ryun stepped forward first.

“Ha-ryun, age seventeen. Successor of the Nameless Style. Disciple of the reclusive masters of Baeksagok. I request permission for the First Trial.”

The crowd instantly murmured.

“Baeksagok?”

“One of the Three Great Forbidden Areas?”

Even Hakgyu frowned.

Baeksagok was infamous throughout Murim.

A poisonous land ordinary martial artists couldn’t survive in.

Yet this boy claimed he came from there.

‘Strange.’

Still, the academy accepted anyone qualified.

Hakgyu decided to simply watch.

Ha-ryun stood before the gate.

Then he circulated the internal energy of the False Mask Overlord Style.

Veins spread red across his neck like spiderwebs.

“HUP!”

CREEEEEEAK!

The gate moved.

First Gate.

Second Gate.

Third Gate.

The crowd gasped.

Then—

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

His heartbeat accelerated violently.

The Overlord Style temporarily doubled physical power.

The red veins climbed beneath his chin.

BOOOOM!

The Fourth Gate exploded open.

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

The cheers this time were even louder.

Unlike the others, Ha-ryun came from no famous clan.

To ordinary applicants, he represented hope.

Even nameless people could rise this high.

Hakgyu narrowed his eyes.

‘Something about him feels wrong.’

His origins.

His strange energy.

Everything felt ominous.

Meanwhile, Mo Il-hwa stared with shock.

“What the hell? Why’s his internal energy so monstrous?”

Haeryang awkwardly scratched his cheek.

“I-I don’t know either.”

Even the Haomun Information Sect had never heard of Ha-ryun before.

Yu Jin-hyeok also felt tense.

Another monster had appeared.

His confidence slowly crumbled.

‘Can I really uphold Hyungnim’s reputation?’

Then voices shouted from behind.

“Hurry up already!”

Mo Il-hwa quickly stepped aside.

“Jin-hyeok. You go first.”

“Hm?”

“I don’t wanna go right after that monster.”

“…That’s your reason?”

“Of course it is.”

She knew her limits.

She could barely manage the Second Gate.

Being compared immediately after Ha-ryun would be humiliating.

Then—

“Can I go first?”

Mumu suddenly stepped forward.

“Huh?”

“I’m bored.”

Yu Jin-hyeok’s eyes brightened.

Perfect.

If Mumu failed here and returned home, everything would be solved.

“Fine. Go ahead.”

Mumu stretched lazily and walked toward the gate.

Mo Il-hwa whispered nervously.

“Will he really be okay? You said he never learned martial arts.”

“This test measures internal energy.”

Earlier, Haeryang had clearly explained that the gate only reacted to internal energy.

So how could Mumu open it?

Mumu stood before the gate.

Then shouted loudly:

“Mumu! Age seventeen! I never learned martial arts!”

Hakgyu frowned deeply.

‘…What?’

This was the first idiot he had seen all day.

No martial arts?

Then why come to a martial arts academy?

Hakgyu finally spoke directly.

“You there. Did you truly learn nothing?”

Mumu thought carefully.

He had trained using the muscle manuals Vice-Commissioner O Ji-gang gave him.

Did that count?

After thinking hard, he proudly shouted:

“I learned the Muscle Training Style!”

Silence.

Then—

“PFFT!”

“The what?!”

“Muscle Training Style?!”

Laughter exploded everywhere.

Even Jin-hyeok felt embarrassed listening to it.

Still—

‘This isn’t your place.’

Strength alone wasn’t enough here.

Meanwhile, Hakgyu sighed heavily.

“Kid. Stop joking around and leave. There are countless applicants waiting.”

“Why should I leave? I came to take the exam.”

Hakgyu’s eye twitched.

The brat even talked back.

“Get lost before I come down there myself—”

Before he finished—

Mumu suddenly placed both palms on the gate.

Hakgyu nearly lost his temper.

‘Stubborn idiot.’

Without internal energy, opening the gate was impossible.

This gate only reacted to qi.

No amount of brute strength could open it.

Kigigigigigi—

Suddenly the gate trembled slightly.

Hakgyu blinked.

‘Hm?’

Even without internal energy, Mumu’s raw strength actually moved it a little.

Impressive.

But still useless.

Then—

“Hoooo…”

Mumu exhaled slowly.

This was the toughest thing he had ever pushed.

For the first time in a long while—

He felt excited.

‘If I learn here, I can become stronger.’

Mumu rolled up both sleeves.

Then adjusted the dials on his Strength-Limiting Rings.

From Eight.

Down to Five.

‘This should be enough.’

Hakgyu scoffed.

“You fool. Impossible things remain impossible—”

RATTLE! RATTLE! RUMBLE!

The instant Mumu pushed—

THE ENTIRE GATE SHOOK.

“!?”

Hakgyu’s eyes widened.

Not just him.

Every applicant froze.

CRUNCH!

Mumu’s fingers dug directly into the gate.

The supposedly indestructible metal bent like soft copper.

‘Wh-What the hell?!’

Hakgyu stood up in shock.

Then—

RUMMMMMBLE!

The entire wall shook violently.

The gate mechanism connected through the fortress wall itself.

And Mumu was forcibly dragging everything with it.

CRRRAAAACK!

With a deafening explosion—

The First, Second, and Third Gates were ripped completely off the wall.

Silence.

Absolute silence filled the academy.

Since the founding of Changcheon Martial Arts Academy—

No one had ever destroyed the Gate of Measurement.

Hakgyu collapsed weakly onto the wall and muttered blankly:

“…Am I dreaming?”