Chapter 27
Entrance Ceremony (1)
The next day, early in the morning.
The Entrance Ceremony, which had been delayed due to the exam, began as scheduled.
All the successful candidates from the temporary lodging—no, the new academy students—gathered in the Grand Auditorium of the Secondary Building.
The Grand Auditorium boasted a massive scale, capable of accommodating up to two thousand people.
The number of new students in this year’s batch was 435.
It was originally 440, but due to the unfortunate incident last night, 5 had been given expulsion.
Although there were twenty fewer people than in previous years, they were all talented individuals selected from tens of thousands of applicants through the entrance exam.
An interesting fact here was that among the applicants who took the exam delayed by Mumu, only 43 were successful candidates.
In the line to enter the Grand Auditorium, Mumu, Jin-hyeok, and Mo Il-hwa were naturally present.
“Wow. It’s huge.”
Mumu exclaimed in admiration as he looked at the spacious and elegant auditorium.
Mo Il-hwa giggled at him and said,
“Hey. Don’t act so rustic.”
“It’s my first time seeing a place like this.”
For Mumu, who had only lived in the mountains with his adoptive father, Yu Yeop-gyeong, everything was a novelty.
Jin-hyeok stared at him silently.
He recalled the incident from last night.
He had wondered where Mumu disappeared to, but shortly after, Mumu reappeared with the Vice-Chief in tow.
The Vice-Chief, who brought the Academy Guards, took the five applicants who had attacked Mumu’s room for interrogation, and they were promptly given expulsion.
‘When did he meet the Vice-Chief?’
Jin-hyeok had been in a state of anxious worry that things would go wrong.
But Mumu brought the Vice-Chief as if he were his backing and easily resolved the incident.
It wasn’t a bad thing for him, but he had no idea what had happened while Mumu was gone, or what he said to the Vice-Chief to make him so flustered around Mumu.
‘This matter may have been wrapped up nicely, but…’
Not everything was cleanly resolved.
During the interrogation, Jin-hyeok had stated that he had been affected by poison or some kind of drug, but according to the physician, no such traces remained.
Thinking they might have evidence, their clothes and belongings were searched, but nothing was found.
They even pleaded their innocence on this matter.
Thus, as no proper evidence could be found, the matter was concluded inconclusively.
‘Who the hell was it?’
Someone had definitely pierced through the door paper and sprinkled a dust powder.
After inhaling it, his body had become temporarily powerless.
‘…It’s a different guy from those five.’
The five who were expelled had attacked him without even knowing who was who.
They couldn’t even properly distinguish between Mumu and himself.
But the attacker was different.
The guy seemed to have been clearly aiming for Mumu.
‘I don’t know who it is, but I’ll definitely catch them.’
He couldn’t be sure if it was poison or not, but it was a guy who dared to use such a bold method within the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy.
There was a high probability that he would try something like this again.
As the situation escalated, he must have realized that he had hit Jin-hyeok instead of his original target, Mumu.
“Hey. Why are you so serious all by yourself?”
Mo Il-hwa said to Jin-hyeok with a smirk.
At this, Jin-hyeok erased his frown and shook his head.
“It is nothing, Young Lady.”
“But you’re surprisingly popular.”
“Pardon?”
“The girls are all staring at you like crazy. Your face is going to get pierced. It’s going to get pierced.”
At her words, Jin-hyeok looked around.
They were on their way to the empty seats of the Grand Auditorium, and a significant number of the new students already seated were giving Jin-hyeok strange looks.
The female new students, in particular, were sending gazes full of interest.
‘Ah…’
Jin-hyeok’s head throbbed.
A large number of the new students believed he was the one responsible for last night’s events.
He had initially tried to clear up the misunderstanding, but thanks to Hong Hye-ryeong, the successor of the Southern Blade Imperial Uncle, it had become completely solidified.
In fact, Jin-hyeok could have cleared up the misunderstanding right there.
But he couldn’t.
‘Why did I do that?’
After seeing her mysteriously beautiful appearance with her reddish-brown hair, the words “this is a misunderstanding” just wouldn’t come out.
He felt that if he did, her interest would vanish in an instant.
‘I must have been crazy.’
Thanks to that, Jin-hyeok spent the whole night reflecting on his actions.
Since there were also successful candidates who had passed after Mumu’s exam delay, he decided that the misunderstanding would naturally be cleared up over time, and he would have to resolve it somehow as he built relationships with the other new students.
However, it seemed like it would be quite a rough road until then.
Then, he felt the interest of the girls who had been looking at him favorably shift elsewhere.
“Isn’t he so handsome?”
“He’s a total pretty boy.”
“I bet he’d look like a girl if he dressed up.”
“Don’t you think he’s way more handsome than Yu Jin-seong’s younger brother?”
“Right. I thought so too. You too?”
Mumu’s looks were receiving the spotlight.
He didn’t want to pay it any mind, but hearing people comparing him to Mumu from all over, he couldn’t help but be bothered no matter how much he tried to ignore it.
‘Strangely, I’m getting pissed off.’
He had never thought of himself as lacking in the looks department anywhere he went.
But he didn’t know why everyone kept using Mumu as a standard for comparison.
Just as he was about to get into a bad mood—
“You punks! Noona will protect you.”
-Pak!
“Huh?”
Just then, Mo Il-hwa linked her arms with both Mumu and Jin-hyeok’s at the same time.
At that sight, sparks flew from the eyes of some female new students, and jeers erupted from here and there.
‘Protection, my ass…’
He had attracted even more attention.
“Look at them seething with jealousy. Klaklklkl.”
However, Mo Il-hwa was secretly enjoying this situation.
It was as if she was showing off that she had monopolized Mumu and Jin-hyeok, whom they were so interested in.
There were eyes watching them as they received so much attention from so many.
It was Vice-Chief Dan Pil-hu, sitting on the podium of the Grand Auditorium.
‘…No one knows that guy’s true nature.’
He had seen Mumu’s true nature.
It was the moment that shattered every bit of common sense he had held throughout his life.
‘A scary bastard.’
That bastard wasn’t a guy who should be in that seat as a new student.
He wondered how many of the masters would be able to take the one punch that guy had shown last night.
He was a guy who wouldn’t be strange to call a monster.
Is it even possible, by common sense, for a person to become that strong just through muscle training?
‘Hah…’
If he had his way, he wanted to announce this fact to someone else.
But he had lost to the guy’s pressure and inadvertently made a promise.
To keep this enormous secret until Mumu safely completed his studies at the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy.
Of course, it wasn’t without a price.
He, too, had gotten a promise from Mumu.
[Ahem. Then, when it’s time to choose a personal master in the middle of your second year, please nominate this Vice-Chief.]
After some thought, Mumu readily agreed.
The reason was simple.
[If I choose you, Vice-Chief, no one will bother me to become their disciple, right?]
It was a reason that made him feel a sense of self-pity, but it didn’t matter.
That guy would absolutely make a name for himself in the future, so there was no harm in getting a piece of that pie.
Until then, he intended to protect Mumu from catching anyone else’s eye.
He had also given the guy a stern warning.
[If you reveal all of that power you have, everyone will bother you. You wouldn’t want that, would you? So, unless it’s a truly necessary moment, do not reveal it.]
Although he had warned him like this, the reality was that he was anxious.
So, he planned to assign one of his own people to him.
So that if Mumu caused even the slightest bit of trouble, it could be dealt with immediately.
“Vice-Chief.”
Just then, someone approached him and handed him a paper fixed to a wooden tablet, which listed the Entrance Ceremony Program.
Looking at the order, he, the Vice-Chief, was first to give the instructive speech and explain the origin and history of the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy. Second, the Head Supervisor would come out to talk about yesterday’s entrance exam and the announcement of the top entrant. Then came the Academy Head’s Welcoming Address, and finally, the official dormitory assignments.
‘…I got stuck with the most boring part.’
Who didn’t know the history or origin of the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy?
Anyway, it was always like this.
That’s why he wanted to reclaim the Head of the Academy position.
In any case, he had to do what he was tasked with, so once all the new students were seated, Dan Pil-hu was the first to step forward to the front of the podium.
“Vice-Chief. You can use this.”
An assistant in charge of preparations handed him a strange, funnel-shaped object.
Dan Pil-hu asked, puzzled,
“What is this?”
“It’s called an Internal Energy Loudspeaker, sent by Elder Manbakja. He said that even if you speak with just a little bit of internal energy in your voice, it will spread out loudly.”
“Hoh, is that so?”
To think he created such a useful thing, Elder Manbakja was truly amazing.
He was already tired just thinking about the long speech he had to give with the prepared instructive speech, history, origin, and profile. If the internal energy consumption was low, there was no downside.
Speaking in a Grand Auditorium like this that could hold two thousand people was no easy task.
“Ahem, ahem.”
As a test, Dan Pil-hu coughed into the loudspeaker.
The sound of his cough spread out loudly.
Even though he had mixed in just a tiny bit of internal energy, it spread out so loudly. It was quite a thing.
“Good. Then I shall begin.”
When the assistant gave the signal, Dan Pil-hu imbued his voice with a suitable amount of internal energy and began the instructive speech.
“Dear…..”
-Dear~ Dear~ Dear~
The moment he started speaking, Dan Pil-hu’s voice spread in all directions.
As his voice echoed throughout the Grand Auditorium, everyone’s attention was focused on Dan Pil-hu on the podium.
The effect seemed quite good.
“Students of the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy…..”
-of the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy~ of the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy~ of the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy~
“New students….”
-new students~ new students~ new students~
“all of you…..”
-all of you~ all of you~ all of you~
“on your entrance…..”
-on your entrance~ on your entrance~ on your entrance~
“sincerely….”
-sincerely~ sincerely~ sincerely~
“I welcome you!”
-I welcome you~ I welcome you~ I welcome you~
“From now on, you all will…..”
-will~ will~ will~
At the continuous echoing sound, Dan Pil-hu, who had initially thought, ‘Oh, this is useful,’ now looked at the event assistant with an annoyed voice and said,
“Why is this echoing so much?”
-Why is this echoing so much~ Why is this echoing so much~ Why is this echoing so much~
As soon as those words fell, laughter burst from the mouths of the new students.
Once it started, the laughter showed no signs of stopping easily.
-Crunch!
Unexpectedly becoming a laughingstock because of his echoing voice, Vice-Chief Dan Pil-hu’s face turned beet red as he glared at the new students.
As if conscious of his glare, the new students who had been laughing for a while shut their mouths.
Head of the Academy, Do Jeong-myeong, who was sitting solemnly behind him, quietly covered his mouth and turned his head away.
Unaware of this, Dan Pil-hu let out a sigh and began the instructive speech again.
“In this way….”
-In this way~ In this way~ In this way~
“At the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy…..”
-at the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy~ at the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy~ at the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy~
The echoing sound reverberated.
The new students were in a battle with their patience, trying to hold it in.
Then, in the middle of it all, someone burst out laughing loudly.
“Puhahahahahahahahat!”
The sound was so loud that it rang throughout the entire auditorium.
Unable to bear it, Dan Pil-hu pointed his finger toward the epicenter and shouted,
“You there!”
-You there~ You there~ You there~
“Come up to the podium!”
-Come up to the podium~ Come up to the podium~ Come up to the podium~
Even at this moment, with the echoing sound reverberating, the new students covered their mouths and laughed.
At this sight, Dan Pil-hu, whose rage was soaring, made a decision.
He would make an example of one of them in front of everyone.
‘I don’t know which bastard it is, but to laugh while this Vice-Chief is giving an instructive speech? Today is the day of your death, you bastard.’
He was already in a foul mood because of last night’s incident.
As he rolled up his sleeves, showing that he was thoroughly angry, he saw someone walking sluggishly through the seated new students.
‘!?’
Seeing this, Dan Pil-hu’s eyes widened.
It was none other than Mumu.
‘…Damn it.’
