IBM 23

Final Trial (2)

In an office located on the first floor of the Main Building.

Someone wearing a pure white mask with old-fashioned emblems was sitting in the desk chair.

This person, whose age, face, and gender could not be guessed, was named Baek U-gi.

To martial artists, he was a being called the Ghost-Faced One (鬼面子), and he was one of the six High-Ranking Masters and a member of the Audit Committee of the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy.

Each and every member of the Audit Committee was known to be a hegemon of their region, possessing Martial Prowess on par with the Sect Leaders of the Nine Great Sects.

Thus, due to their high prestige, they were called the Six Stars of the Azure Sky (蒼天六星) in the Murim.

There was only one reason why such incredible figures were not in the Martial Association or the Martial Alliance.

It was because they respected and followed the Four Great Grandmasters who had saved the Central Plains.

‘We will uphold their will and cultivate new, talented people to protect the Murim.’

They stayed at the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy with this strong Sense of Duty.

It was the same for Baek U-gi, who was sitting at the desk.

This year, he had been appointed as the Head Supervisor in charge of the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy’s Academy Entrance Exam.

And for him, a rather troublesome incident had occurred.

“….…”

Across the desk was a large man with his arm broken and neck injured, wrapped in bandages and a splint as if he had been in a major accident.

He was Master Byeok I-mun, who had been assisting with the Final Trial.

As a brief silence ensued, a man in his mid-twenties standing beside the desk spoke in a dumbfounded tone.

“Don’t tell me it’s that guy named Mumu again?”

The man’s name was Oh Seong-yun.

He was the Aide to Baek U-gi, a member of the Board of Directors.

Oh Seong-yun, who assisted him with practical tasks, found Master Byeok I-mun’s request simply absurd.

‘Again?’

Previously, Yeon Nam-gyeong, the Assistant for the First Trial, had requested help, saying the castle gate had been torn off. Then, Dang So-so, the Assistant for the Second Trial, had come to request help, saying the Artificial Lake was overflowing and they couldn’t proceed.

And this was the third request.

“Isn’t this going too far? Director, at this point, that Mumu guy must be doing this intentionally.”

At his words, Master Byeok I-mun frowned and retorted.

“Intentional? What do you mean by that?”

“Master Byeok, were you not aware? All three stages of the Academy Entrance Exam are now far behind schedule thanks to that Mumu guy. Because of that, we’re being flooded with protests from the applicants.”

“Is that truly so?”

This was the first time Master Byeok I-mun, who had been assisting with the exam, was hearing of it.

Just as Oh Seong-yun said, not only was the Academy Entrance Exam significantly delayed, but the applicants and The Various Sects, who could no longer bear it, were continuously flooding them with complaints.

[No, at this point, isn’t this intentional?]

[It must be a ploy to interfere with the other applicants.]

[I don’t know how great that applicant guy is, but this is really not right!]

[Shouldn’t the Exam Organizers issue a Disciplinary Action or take some strong measures?]

[I understand that the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy’s purpose is to cultivate righteous Righteous Persons. If you let this slide, our sect will not stand idly by.]

It was utter Uproar.

The situation had become so big that it was difficult to just let it slide.

Not to mention that the originally planned schedules were being progressively delayed.

Oh Seong-yun clicked his tongue and said to Head Supervisor Baek U-gi.

“Auditor. This is not something we can simply overlook. Although he passed all the entrance exams, if he is someone with a character problem, he might go further astray as time passes.”

“Character…”

“Isn’t the Academy Motto of the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy the Path of Chivalry (義俠道)? If he is an applicant with a character problematic enough to act intentionally, we must either give him a proper Disciplinary Action or even an Enrollment Rejection.”

At his words, Baek U-gi rested his chin on his hand at the desk.

It wasn’t an opinion without merit.

In fact, there had been a few Graduates of the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy who were accepted based on their outstanding Martial Talent alone, only to stray onto the wrong path and walk the Heretical and Demonic Ways (邪魔外道).

There was a time when the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy had suffered a great deal due to the numerous Discords they caused.

“Hmm.”

As Baek U-gi seemed to be contemplating, Master Byeok I-mun said.

“Head Supervisor.”

“Please speak.”

“From what I saw, that child did not seem to have any particular character problems.”

“He didn’t seem to have any problems?”

“Rather, he seemed quite simplehearted.”

“Simplehearted?”

“That’s right. Because of that simpleheartedness, he does have a side to him where he can’t yet perfectly control himself, but to reject the enrollment of a talented person like this, who passed the Academy Entrance Exam by only training his Physical Body without learning any Martial Arts, seems to be a premature judgment.”

“Then what would you have me do?”

“If you are worried about past cases, how about you meet the child yourself and then judge? If you feel there is a chance he might become a problem and walk the Heretical and Demonic Ways in the future, I believe it will not be too late to make a decision then.”

‘He’s such a promising child, after all.’

Although Byeok I-mun had been taken down by a sudden charge, upon seeing the child’s tremendously trained muscles, he was filled with a desire to teach him.

His own Unique Ultimate Technique, performed by a body trained to that extent.

Just the thought of it was thrilling.

To ostracize such a talented person just because he showed The Makings (of a Heretic) was truly a waste.

In any case, he didn’t reveal these inner thoughts.

The decision was up to Head Supervisor Baek U-gi, who was in charge of this year’s Academy Entrance Exam.

“Auditor?”

At Oh Seong-yun’s question, Head Supervisor Baek U-gi, who had been contemplating with his chin on his hand, finally opened his mouth.

“For now, it seems resuming each stage of the exam quickly should be the priority. I will decide on the Punishment for the applicant named Mumu later through a direct Interview.”

That evening,

at the Temporary Lodging of the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy.

-Squeeze!

Mo Il-hwa, who was wrapping her arms around Mumu’s head and squeezing it tightly.

She shouted in an annoyed voice.

“You bastard, you did that on purpose, right? Right?”

Thanks to Mumu, all stages of the exam had been delayed for several shichen, and Mo Il-hwa had suffered the consequences.

Perhaps because of that, she had thrown a punch as soon as she saw Mumu and was now carrying out her revenge like this.

However, there was no way it would hurt from having his head squeezed like this.

Rather than the pain, her plump, squishy chest was what bothered him.

‘How little has she trained for them to be this soft?’

Mumu genuinely felt it was a pity.

Having been raised under Yu Yeop-gyeong, who was no different from a perfect gentleman, Mumu didn’t have a strong awareness of the differences between men and women.

He was even contemplating whether he should teach her how to build Chest Muscles.

Unaware of this fact, Jin-hyeok inwardly clicked his tongue at the sight of Mumu just staying still in that state, without a hint of shame.

‘…Isn’t that bastard enjoying this?’

He had already turned his head away, feeling embarrassed for Mo Il-hwa, who was unintentionally pressing Mumu’s head against her chest.

He didn’t know how a woman could be so free-spirited.

There was no way of knowing if she was really the Daughter of the Minister of Punishments or some rowdy tomboy.

It seemed he needed to change the Topic of Conversation.

“Ahem. Anyway, are you really okay? I heard they told you to wait here alone.”

There was one reason Jin-hyeok was asking this.

Most of the applicants who received a Certificate of Acceptance were assigned temporary lodging in groups of two or three.

But only Mumu was given a Standby Order to wait alone in this Temporary Lodging.

The specific reason wasn’t given, but there were plenty of conjectures.

‘He made a mess of three entrance exam sites and delayed them, so it’d be stranger if they just let it go.’

If it had been just one place, they might have passed it off as an Unexpected accident.

But it was a whopping all of the exam sites.

Thanks to that, everything was delayed to the point that even the Entrance Ceremony, scheduled for that day, was postponed until tomorrow.

There must have been a flood of protests from the applicants and their guardians from the various martial families and sects.

‘Tsk, tsk.’

He couldn’t help but click his tongue.

Shouldn’t he have used some Power Control?

Even if he were The Academy Administration, if the situation were this bad, he wouldn’t just overlook it.

‘I was dumbfounded that he passed with that absurd monstrous strength, but is he going to be eliminated like this?’

He couldn’t decide whether to be happy about this or not.

If the guy had naturally failed the exam, it would be one thing, but if he were to be eliminated like this, he felt like it would leave a bad taste in his mouth.

Thus, Jin-hyeok said.

“…Don’t just sit around here doing nothing, go and tell the supervisors.”

“Huh?”

“That you didn’t do it on purpose.”

At Jin-hyeok’s words, Mo Il-hwa grinned and said with a mischievous expression.

“A while ago, you said you didn’t care if he was eliminated or not, but you’re worried about him, aren’t you?”

“Th-That’s not it.”

“Oh, yes it is. I guess you see him as a brother, despite everything, huh?”

“Hmph. That’s not it… Don’t look at me with that expression.”

When Mumu gave him a look full of Unusual Light, as if to say, ‘Were you worried about me?’, Jin-hyeok seemed to feel a great burden and promptly left the lodging room.

Watching him leave, Mo Il-hwa giggled.

“That punk. He’s so shy.”

“Il-hwa.”

“Huh? What? You want me to let go? Not a chance.”

“More than that, would you like to try training your chest muscles?”

‘!?’

What kind of Nonsense is this bastard spouting right now?

Mo Il-hwa, who had been momentarily dazed, her face instantly turning bright red, shouted.

“You! You! Do you want to di–”

-Knock, knock!

Just then, someone knocked on the door of the lodging.

A young man opened the door and entered. It was Oh Seong-yun, the Head Supervisor’s Aide.

Oh Seong-yun looked at Mumu with a rather displeased face and said.

“Are you the applicant Mumu?”

“Me? Yes.”

“……..”

To put on such a Pure and Innocent expression after causing all that trouble.

That look must be all an act, too.

“There will be an Interview with the Head Supervisor, so follow me.”

In the Indoor Training Hall, lit on all sides by lanterns.

There stood the figure in the white mask, Head Supervisor Baek U-gi, waiting with his hands behind his back.

Guided by Oh Seong-yun, Mumu came inside.

Mumu’s expression brightened as he checked out all the Weapons and training equipment he had never seen before.

He was like a child who had discovered a new toy.

At the sight of Mumu, an Unusual Light appeared in Head Supervisor Baek U-gi’s eyes, visible through the gap in his mask.

‘How unexpected.’

He had a prejudice against him because he had caused so much trouble, but his appearance was that of a rare Pretty Boy.

‘…He doesn’t resemble his older brother.’

Baek U-gi had personally taught Yu Jin-seong.

Their faces weren’t similar, but he could feel a sense of goodness from his eyes, more than he expected.

This was different from what he had anticipated, and Baek U-gi, who had intended to check for any signs of the Heretical and Demonic Ways through the Interview, couldn’t help but be puzzled.

-Bow!

Mumu bowed his head in greeting.

“Hello!”

At the simplehearted greeting, the corners of Baek U-gi’s mouth twitched slightly under the mask.

But he quickly erased it and said in an emotionless voice.

“Does the applicant know why he is on Enrollment Suspension and undergoing an Interview?”

At his question, Mumu scratched his head with an apologetic look and said.

“I heard that other applicants were harmed because of me. I was feeling really, really sorry about it.”

His expression and voice were filled with sincerity.

Looking only at this, it really seemed like it wasn’t something he had done intentionally.

However, it was still difficult to make a confirmation with just this appearance.

‘I’ll be able to tell if I look into his heart.’

Baek U-gi, who was staring at him intently, opened his mouth.

“The purpose of this Changcheon Martial Arts Academy is to uphold the will of the two of the Four Great Grandmasters who founded this place and to cultivate outstanding talented people with the Path of Chivalry. Are you aware?”

“No.”

“You’re honest. In accordance with this Academy Motto, this academy has produced excellent talented people, and thanks to that reputation, numerous applicants wish to enroll.”

“Um… I think so.”

Mumu agreed, recalling the tens of thousands of people who had crowded in front of the castle gate.

Baek U-gi approached him and continued.

“But contrary to this motto, as numerous applicants flocked here, side effects also occurred.”

“What is that?”

“No matter how correctly we teach, it’s difficult to completely screen out those who harbor the Heretical and Demonic Ways within them.”

Baek U-gi said, pointing to the center of his own chest with his finger.

“Heretical and Demonic Ways?”

“It refers to those who walk the unjust and evil path that deviates from the Righteous Path.”

“Ah…”

Understanding the meaning, Mumu nodded his head and said.

“My father also taught me that a Gentleman must always keep his Bearing and Conduct and his mindset proper. I try to follow that, but I sometimes cause accidents by mistake.”

Mumu himself always felt sorry about this point.

Because it felt like he was disobeying his father’s request.

Seeing Mumu’s somewhat downcast expression, Baek U-gi said with narrowed eyes.

“Applicant, what is your purpose for wanting to enter this Changcheon Martial Arts Academy?”

Baek U-gi had interviewed countless applicants who wished to enroll.

The answers of most applicants were almost the same.

[I came to inherit the will of Changcheon by upholding the intentions of the Four Great Grandmasters.]

[I came to receive the best teachings at the best martial arts academy.]

Most of them spouted words mixed with pretense to make a good impression in the interview.

But the reality was simple.

While receiving the best teachings was part of it, most of them were there to gain the fame that came with graduating from the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy.

The probability that Mumu would also say something like that was high.

“I would like you to be honest.”

“Honestly?”

“Yes.”

At these words, Mumu, who had been hesitating as if he were in a difficult position, said cautiously.

“You won’t tell anyone about this, will you?”

What a peculiar child.

What on earth was he trying to say?

Baek U-gi let out a soft breath and said.

“I promise.”

“You really promise?”

“I’ll Pledge on my honor.”

At that, Mumu scratched his head as if embarrassed and said.

“I accidentally broke the hand of the son of the Minister of Punishments? Anyway, that Ahjussi’s son. So I ended up coming here in his place to sort things out.”

“…Ha.”

At those words, Head Supervisor Baek U-gi was dumbfounded.

After building it up as if it were some big secret, the reason he came to the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy was not of his own will, but because he was forced to.

He was just about to be disappointed at the thought that he was trying to enter for such a trivial reason.

“…is what my father thinks, you see.”

‘!?’

What does that mean?

Baek U-gi couldn’t hide his puzzlement.

Mumu then took out something that was hanging around his neck, hidden by his shirt.

It was a flat, round plaque made of jade.

On the front of the plaque, it was engraved like this:

[武無]

‘Mumu?’

It was the name of the applicant, Mumu.

When Mumu slightly turned it over, a peculiar Emblem of two lines drawn over a triangle was engraved.

Under the mask, Baek U-gi frowned.

It was an emblem he felt he had seen somewhere before, but strangely, he couldn’t remember.

Mumu said to him.

“They say this was on me when my father found me in the forest during his Life in exile.”

“…Weren’t you the biological son of Scholar Official Yu Yeop-gyeong?”

From the report, he had heard that he was the biological younger brother of Yu Jin-seong, who had graduated from this Changcheon Martial Arts Academy as the Second Scorer.

At this, Mumu shook his head and said.

“No. I’m his adopted son.”

‘Ahhh…’

He had thought it was strange that his appearance was so different from Yu Jin-seong’s.

But to think he was an adopted son.

Mumu put the Jade Plaque back inside his shirt and continued.

“I haven’t told my father because I’m grateful and sorry for him raising me… but I was just curious.”

“About what?”

“My birth parents.”

“………”

“It’s good enough with just my father, but… you know how it is. If you’ve never seen them, you just get curious and want to see them.”

Mumu, who spoke while scratching his head as if he were embarrassed.

That image pierced Baek U-gi’s heart like an arrow, and his heart softened slightly.

So, he asked in a slightly softer voice.

“What does that have to do with you trying to enter this academy?”

“It seems you become very famous if you graduate from here with the highest grades.”

Mumu had found it amazing how his first son, Yu Jin-seong, was on everyone’s lips.

Even though they hadn’t seen him in person, everyone knew his name.

Then, a thought occurred to him.

“I was wondering if my birth parents who abandoned me might find out about me if I become famous, too.”

Originally, Yu Yeop-gyeong had given Mumu the name Yu Jin-hak.

But for the first time, Mumu had insisted on his original name, throwing a tantrum at his adoptive father.

It was because this peculiar name was the only Connection Point he had with the parents who had abandoned him.

Mumu, who spoke of a rather heart-wrenching story so brightly and nonchalantly.

The face of Baek U-gi under the mask became crestfallen as he looked at him.

‘This child is too kind.’

How could such a kind and pure child ever walk the Heretical and Demonic Ways?

He was certain that would never happen.

Baek U-gi, whose emotions were stirred, forcibly held back the stinging sensation as the rims of his eyes reddened, and snatched Mumu’s hand, gripping it tightly as he said.

“The Interview is over. You’ve passed! You’ve unconditionally passed.”

Baek U-gi made up his mind.

If anyone dared to speak of this kind child’s character, he would protect him no matter what.