WeTried Translations

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 24: The Final Gate (2)

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The Final Gate (2)

On the first floor of the main building sat a single office. At the desk there, someone wore an antique-patterned pure white mask and sat in the chair behind it. Age, face, gender, all impossible to guess from that mask. This person's name was Baek Woo-gi.

Among martial artists, he was known as the Masquerader, one of the six Special Master Grade instructors of Changcheon Martial Academy, and a member of the examination board. Each member of that board was said to be a dominant force in their own generation, holding martial prowess on par with the head of one of the Nine Sects.

Because of their towering reputations, the martial world called them the Six Stars of Heaven. There was only one reason such formidable figures weren't serving in the martial artists' alliance or the coalition instead. They respected and followed the Four Immortal Masters, the ones who had saved the Central Plains martial world.

'We will carry out their will and raise up new talents to guard the martial world.'

That sense of mission was what kept them at Changcheon Martial Academy. Baek Woo-gi, seated at his desk, was no exception. This year he had taken on the role of Examiner-in-Chief, responsible for the entrance examination. And now a rather thorny problem had landed on him.

"......"

Across the desk sat a massive man, arm in a splint, neck wrapped in bandages, looking as though he'd just survived some major accident. This was Instructor Byeok I-mun, who had been assisting with the final gate's test. In the silence that followed, a man in his mid-twenties standing beside the desk spoke up, sounding thoroughly exasperated.

"Not this Mumu kid again?"

His name was Oh Sung-yoon. He served as an assistant to board member Baek Woo-gi. Helping with the practical work, Oh Sung-yoon found Byeok I-mun's request nothing short of absurd.

'Again?'

Earlier, Yeon Nam-gyeong, who assisted at the first gate, had come asking for help because the fortress gate had been torn off. Then Tang So-so, assisting at the second gate, had come asking for help because the artificial lake had overflowed and the test couldn't continue. And now this was the third request.

"Isn't this going a bit too far? Board Member, at this point that Mumu kid has to be doing it on purpose."

At those words Byeok I-mun frowned and shot back.

"On purpose? What do you mean by that?" "Instructor Byeok, didn't you know? All three stages of the entrance examination have been massively delayed today thanks to that Mumu kid. The applicants are up in arms about it." "Is that really true?"

This was the first Byeok I-mun had heard of it, having spent the whole time helping run the test. Just as Oh Sung-yoon said, the entrance examination had been badly delayed, and beyond that, protests kept pouring in from the applicants and their sects, who had run out of patience.

[At this point isn't this clearly intentional?] [This has to be some scheme to sabotage the other applicants.] [I don't care how impressive that applicant is supposed to be, this is completely unacceptable!] [Shouldn't the organizers hand down some discipline or take strong action?] [I understood that Changcheon Martial Academy's purpose was to train righteous martial artists. If you let this slide, my clan will not stand by quietly.]

It was chaos, pure and simple. The matter had grown so large it was hard to just wave it off. The originally scheduled program kept sliding further and further behind, too. Oh Sung-yoon clicked his tongue and spoke to Examiner-in-Chief Baek Woo-gi.

"Board Member. At this point we can't just let it go. Even if he passed every stage of the entrance exam, if there's some flaw in his character, things could keep going wrong from here." "Character......" "Isn't the founding principle of Changcheon Martial Academy the way of righteous chivalry? If this applicant has a character flaw serious enough to act with intent like this, we ought to hand down proper discipline, or refuse his admission outright."

At these words Baek Woo-gi rested his chin on his hand. It wasn't an unreasonable point. In fact, among the academy's past graduates, there had been a few admitted purely for their outstanding martial talent who later strayed down the wrong path, walking the deviant paths. The chaos those few had caused had put Changcheon Martial Academy through no small amount of trouble before.

"Hm."

To Baek Woo-gi, who seemed to be mulling it over, Instructor Byeok I-mun spoke.

"Examiner-in-Chief." "Go on." "From what I saw, that child didn't seem to have a problem with his character." "He didn't seem to have a problem?" "If anything, he seemed quite naive." "Naive?" "That's right. Because of that naivety, he doesn't fully control himself yet, but this is a talent who passed the entrance exam purely by conditioning his body, without training in any Martial Arts at all. Refusing his admission now seems like a hasty call." "Then what would you suggest?" "If you're worried about repeating past mistakes, why not judge for yourself after meeting the child directly? If you sense any trace of the deviant paths in him afterward, it won't be too late to make a decision then."

'Such a shame to lose a talent like that.'

Byeok I-mun had been caught off guard by that sudden charge, but seeing the boy's astonishingly conditioned muscles had left him burning with the urge to teach him. A body trained to that degree, wielding his own signature technique. Just thinking about it sent a thrill through him. Casting aside a talent like that over nothing more than the possibility he might someday lean toward the deviant paths felt like a genuine waste. Of course, he kept all of this to himself. The decision rested with Examiner-in-Chief Baek Woo-gi, who bore responsibility for this year's entrance examination.

"Board Member?"

At Oh Sung-yoon's prompt, Baek Woo-gi, chin still propped on his hand, mulled it over a moment longer before speaking.

"For now, getting each stage's test back underway quickly should be the priority. As for what to do about the applicant Mumu, I'll decide after a direct meeting with him later."

* * *

That evening, in temporary lodgings assigned within Changcheon Martial Academy.

Squeeze!

Mo Il-hwa had Mumu's head clamped between her arms, bearing down with all her strength. She snapped at him in an irritated voice.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you? Didn't you?"

Mo Il-hwa had suffered the full brunt of the delays, every single stage of testing dragging on for hours thanks to Mumu. That was probably why the moment she saw him, she'd thrown a punch first and then moved straight into this act of vengeance. Except squeezing his head like this could never actually hurt him. More than any pain, what bothered him was the soft, squishy feel of her generous chest pressing against him.

'How little must she have trained to end up this soft?'

Mumu genuinely felt sorry for her over it. Raised under someone as saintly as Yu Yeop-kyung, Mumu had never really registered the differences between men and women. If anything, he was seriously considering whether to teach her how to build chest muscle. Unaware of any of this, Jin-hyeok clicked his tongue inwardly at the sight of Mumu just sitting there, seemingly without a shred of embarrassment.

'......Isn't this guy enjoying it?'

He'd already turned his head away out of secondhand embarrassment, watching Mo Il-hwa unintentionally smother Mumu's head against her chest. He had no idea what kind of woman could be this shameless. Whether she was really the Minister of Justice's daughter or just some wild tomboy, he honestly couldn't tell anymore. Seemed like a good time to change the subject.

"Ahem. Anyway, are you doing alright? You said they told you to wait here alone."

Jin-hyeok asked this for one reason. Most of the applicants who'd received their certificates had been temporarily assigned lodging in groups of two or three. But Mumu alone had been placed on standby in these temporary quarters, by himself. No specific reason had been given, but there was no shortage of guesses.

'After wrecking and delaying all three stages of the entrance exam, it would be stranger if they just let that slide.'

If it had been just one testing ground, they might have written it off as an unfortunate accident. But it had been every single one of them. Thanks to that, everything had been delayed so badly that even today's admission ceremony had been pushed back to tomorrow. The applicants and the clans and sects backing them as guardians must have flooded the place with protests.

'Tsk, tsk.'

He couldn't help clicking his tongue. Couldn't the guy have held back a little? Even from where Jin-hyeok stood, if he'd been running the academy, he wouldn't have let something like this slide either.

'He passes with some ridiculous, absurd amount of strength, and now he's going to get kicked out this way?'

He couldn't decide whether to be glad about that or not. If Mumu had simply failed the test outright, that would have been one thing, but if he got expelled like this instead, it would leave a bad taste in his mouth. With that, Jin-hyeok said,

"......Don't just sit here doing nothing. Go tell the examiners." "Hm?" "That you didn't do it on purpose."

At those words Mo Il-hwa grinned and put on a teasing expression.

"Earlier you said you didn't care whether he passed or failed, and now you're worried about him?" "T-that's not it." "Sure it isn't. Guess blood runs thicker than you'd admit, huh?" "Ugh. That's not it at all...... stop looking at me like that."

When Mumu turned curious eyes on him with a look that said 'Were you worried about me?', Jin-hyeok found the pressure too much and walked straight out of the room. Watching him go, Mo Il-hwa cackled with laughter.

"Ha, what a little brat. Getting all shy." "Il-hwa." "Hm? What? Want me to let go? Not happening yet." "Never mind that, want to try training your chest muscles?"

'!?'

What the hell was this guy talking about right now? Mo Il-hwa froze for a second, then her face went bright red as she shouted.

"You! You! You want to die so ba..."

Knock, knock!

Just then someone rapped on the door of the lodging. The door opened and a young man stepped inside. It was Oh Sung-yoon, assistant to the Examiner-in-Chief. Oh Sung-yoon looked at Mumu with a distinctly unimpressed expression and said,

"Are you the applicant Mumu?" "Me? Yes." "......"

To pull off a stunt like that and then wear such an innocent expression. That look was probably all an act too.

"There will be a meeting with the Examiner-in-Chief. Follow me."

* * *

An indoor training ground lit bright with lanterns on every side. There, hands clasped behind his back, waited the figure in the pure white mask, Examiner-in-Chief Baek Woo-gi. Guided by Oh Sung-yoon, Mumu stepped inside. Taking in all sorts of weapons and unfamiliar training equipment scattered around the space, Mumu's face lit up. He looked just like a child who'd stumbled onto a brand new toy. At the sight of him, something flickered behind the mask in Baek Woo-gi's eyes, visible through the gap.

'Unexpected.'

He'd built up plenty of preconceptions after all the trouble the boy had caused, but in appearance, this was a rare, striking, handsome youth.

'......He doesn't resemble his brother at all.'

Baek Woo-gi had personally taught Yu Jin-sung before. The face didn't match at all, but the eyes carried more warmth than he'd expected. Given that the meeting was meant to check for any hint of the deviant paths, this result, so different from what he'd anticipated, left Baek Woo-gi genuinely puzzled.

Bow!

Mumu bowed his head in greeting.

"Hello!"

At that unpolished, honest greeting, the corner of Baek Woo-gi's mouth twitched faintly beneath the mask. But he smoothed it away quickly and spoke in a flat, emotionless voice.

"Do you understand why your admission has been put on hold pending this meeting?"

At the question, Mumu made an apologetic face, scratched his head, and said,

"I heard other applicants got hurt because of me. I really, really feel bad about it."

Both his expression and his voice carried genuine sincerity. Judging from this alone, it really didn't look like something he'd done on purpose. Still, it was too early to settle the matter on appearance alone.

'I'll be able to tell once I look deeper.'

Studying him closely, Baek Woo-gi spoke.

"This academy, Changcheon Martial Academy, exists to carry out the will of the two Immortal Masters who founded it, raising exceptional talents equipped with righteous chivalry. Did you know that?" "No." "Honest of you. In keeping with that founding principle, this academy has produced many fine talents, and thanks to that reputation, countless applicants wish to be admitted here." "Hm...... I guess that's true."

Mumu agreed, recalling the tens of thousands of people crowded before the fortress gate. Baek Woo-gi stepped closer and continued.

"But contrary to that founding principle, with so many applicants flooding in, there have been side effects." "Like what?" "No matter how properly we teach, it's difficult to completely weed out those harboring the deviant paths within them."

Baek Woo-gi pointed a finger at the center of his own chest as he spoke.

"The deviant paths?" "It refers to those who stray from the righteous way and walk a wicked, unjust path." "Ahh......"

Once he understood the meaning, Mumu nodded and said,

"My father always taught me that a gentleman should keep his conduct and his mind upright. I try to follow that too, but sometimes I mess up by accident."

This was something Mumu himself always felt bad about. It felt like he was going against his father's wishes. At the slightly downcast look on Mumu's face, Baek Woo-gi narrowed his eyes and asked,

"Why does the applicant want to enter Changcheon Martial Academy?"

Baek Woo-gi had interviewed countless applicants seeking admission. Most of their answers sounded more or less the same.

[I came to carry out the will of the Four Immortal Masters and inherit Changcheon's spirit.] [I came to receive the finest teaching at the finest academy.]

Most of them spat out answers laced with pretense, hoping to make a good impression during the meeting. But the truth was simple. Receiving the finest teaching mattered, sure, but most of them were really after the fame that came with graduating from Changcheon Martial Academy. Mumu would probably give some similar answer too, most likely.

"I'd like you to be honest with me." "Honest?" "Yes."

At this Mumu hesitated, looking troubled, then spoke carefully.

"You won't tell anyone else about this, right?"

What a strange kid. What in the world was he about to say? Baek Woo-gi let out a light breath and said,

"You have my word." "Really?" "I'll swear on my honor."

At that, Mumu scratched his head looking bashful and said,

"I accidentally broke the hand of the Minister of Justice's son. So, sort of by accident, I ended up coming here in his place to smooth things over." "......Ha."

At those words Examiner-in-Chief Baek Woo-gi couldn't help but find it absurd. After all that buildup as if there were some huge secret, and the reason he'd come to Changcheon Martial Academy turned out to be that he'd been forced into it, not by his own will at all. Just as he was about to feel a flicker of disappointment at such a shallow reason,

"......That's what my father believes, anyway."

'!?'

What did that mean? Baek Woo-gi couldn't hide his confusion. Mumu pulled out something that had been hanging from his neck, hidden under his shirt. It was a flat, round Jade Medallion. Engraved on the front of the pendant were these characters:

[Mu Mu]

'Mumu?'

The applicant's own name. Mumu turned it over slightly, revealing a strange pattern etched on the back, a triangle crossed with two lines. Behind the mask, Baek Woo-gi's brow furrowed. The pattern looked familiar somehow, like he'd seen it somewhere before, but strangely he couldn't place it. Mumu spoke to him.

"This is what I was wearing, apparently, when my father found me abandoned in a forest while he was living in exile." "......Weren't you the biological son of Scholar Yu Yeop-kyung?"

From the reports, Baek Woo-gi understood him to be the younger blood brother of Yu Jin-sung, who had graduated this very academy as Second Graduate. At this, Mumu shook his head and said,

"No. I'm his adopted son."

'Ahh......'

That explained why he looked so different from Yu Jin-sung, something Baek Woo-gi had found odd before. But to think he was actually adopted. Mumu tucked the Jade Medallion back under his shirt and continued.

"I'm grateful to my father for raising me, and I felt bad about it, so I never told him this, but...... I was just curious." "About what?" "My birth parents." "......" "Having my father is more than enough, really, but you know how it is. When you've never once seen them, you just get curious, and you want to see them."

Scratching his head, looking bashful in spite of himself, Mumu spoke plainly. Something about the way he said it struck straight through Baek Woo-gi's chest like an arrow, leaving his heart aching a little. So, in a somewhat softened voice, he asked,

"What does that have to do with wanting to enter this academy?" "It seems like if you graduate at the very top here, you get pretty famous."

Mumu had always found it strange, the way everyone kept talking about Yu Yeop-kyung's eldest son, Yu Jin-sung. No one had ever actually met him, and yet everyone seemed to know his name. Somewhere along the way, a thought had occurred to him.

"So I figured, if I get famous too, maybe the parents who abandoned me would find out."

Originally, Yu Yeop-kyung had given Mumu the name Yu Jin-hak. But this was the one thing Mumu had ever thrown a fit over with his adoptive father, insisting on keeping his original name. That strange name was the only connection left to the parents who had given him up. Mumu told this rather heavy story with an easy, sunny smile, as if it were nothing at all. Watching him, Baek Woo-gi's face crumpled behind the mask, on the verge of tears.

'This child is far too good.'

How could someone this kind, this pure, ever walk the deviant paths? He felt certain, absolutely certain, that it would never happen. Moved almost past holding it together, his eyes stinging and reddening, Baek Woo-gi forced it down, grabbed Mumu's hand, gripped it tight, and said,

"This meeting is over. Pass! You pass, no question about it."

Baek Woo-gi had made up his mind. If anyone ever dared question this good child's character again, he would protect him however he had to.

Footnotes:

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