WeTried Translations

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 45: ──────

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The Secret Archives (1)

Changcheon Martial Academy's main building. Vice-Master's office.

"Give me a star mark." "......"

Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu stared at Mumu, who demanded a star mark from him with such shameless confidence. The boy's attitude made it sound like he'd come to collect something he'd left in storage. Dan Pil-hu wasn't so much dumbfounded as he was at a loss for how to respond.

"A star mark......" "Isn't it a bit much to demand it so casually?" "......Can't the Vice-Master just give me a star mark?"

Mumu's voice sounded innocent enough, but Dan Pil-hu's eyes narrowed at it. Others might fall for that face. He wouldn't. This kid was anything but naive or innocent.

"Of course this Vice-Master can give one. But it isn't something handed out just because someone wants it."

The star mark was one of his own privileges. Whoever collected every star mark earned the right to view the greatest treasure Changcheon Martial Academy protected.

'Where in the world did he even hear about this?'

Even he, the Vice-Master, had never laid eyes on that treasure. Only by gathering every star mark and proving oneself at the final gate could a cadet gain entry to the hidden secret archives. Try to sniff out that location and break in without authorization, and disaster would follow.

'Wasn't there something called the Infernal Thousand Calamities Ten-Thousand Transforms Formation that the Master of Ten Thousand Wisdoms and the Jegal Clan's Grand Patriarch spent years building?'

The Infernal Thousand Calamities Ten-Thousand Transforms Formation. Just the name was terrifying enough. He'd heard that no one who entered that place came out alive. Well, that was a digression. Whatever agreement he'd struck with Mumu, the star mark was an entirely separate matter.

"So how do I get one?" "Hmm."

Ordinarily, a Vice-Master or Academy Director gave out star marks during special events at the academy, or as a reward when a cadet's performance stood out. For a first-year to receive one was almost unheard of. That was because these events pitted cadets of every year against each other, all mixed together. Which was exactly why, since the founding of Changcheon Martial Academy, only a single person had ever collected every star mark.

"By the book, if you win something like the academy's kickball tournament or a martial exhibition, a star mark sometimes goes to the standout performer." "Then can't you just give it to me now, since I'm going to enter the tournament anyway?" "......"

Where exactly had this brat left his conscience? He had no idea where a kid who'd just entered the academy had even heard about star marks, let alone come up with the idea of asking for one in advance. Did he think winning a tournament was something you could just decide to do? Dan Pil-hu clicked his tongue and said,

"You barely get one after winning and putting on a dazzling performance, and you want it handed over beforehand? What kind of logic is that?" "I'll win and put on a dazzling performance, then." "......"

There was no getting through to him. He had no idea how he'd ended up in this kind of relationship with this kid. Any normal cadet would look up to him, would be a little intimidated.

'There's just no talking sense into this one. This barely counts as a conversation.'

Dan Pil-hu let out a heavy sigh and muttered out of habit.

"Damn lonely, this is." "Huh?"

Mumu's eyes went round. Dan Pil-hu blinked at the reaction and asked,

"What's wrong?" "The Lonely Genius Inspector's Chronicle of the Martial World!"

'!!!!!!'

The instant those words left Mumu's mouth, Dan Pil-hu bolted for the office door, threw it open, and glanced around to make sure no one was nearby. Then he leaned close and whispered to Mumu.

"W-where in the world did you hear that?" "Just now, Vice-Master. 'Damn lonely, this is,' that's a line from The Lonely Genius Inspector's Chronicle of the Martial World......" "Shh, shh!"

Dan Pil-hu pressed a finger to his lips, urging silence. He couldn't have been more flustered right now. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine the dark chapter of his past he'd buried so carefully would come spilling out of Mumu's mouth. He'd published the book, a sort of memoir, under a pen name, but the plagiarism controversy and the flood of criticism had humiliated him so badly he'd begged the publisher to recall every copy, refund it, and burn the lot.

'Where in the world did he even get a copy?'

He'd thought every single one had been reduced to ash. And yet here was Mumu, knowing all about it.

"You...... read that book?" "I did. Read it as a kid and loved it, but I had no idea it had a secret story like that behind it......" "Quiet! Please, keep your voice down."

If this leaked anywhere else, he'd be in genuine trouble. He was currently the Vice-Master of Changcheon Martial Academy. If it ever came out that he'd written that scandal-ridden book, he'd never be able to show his face again, and if his luck ran out, he might lose his position entirely.

'Hmm.'

Mumu's eyes narrowed slightly. He might come across as a little naive, but he wasn't a fool. Watching Dan Pil-hu's face go beet red, unable to so much as say the word "book," Mumu arrived at a certain conclusion.

"Did the Vice-Master write that book, by any chance?" "...... No."

Dan Pil-hu denied it. But Mumu leaned in even closer and said,

"Right?" "I said no." "I've got that book back in my dorm room, though......" "Give it to me! Please, give it to me!"

Dan Pil-hu couldn't contain his agitation. That cursed manual needed to vanish from the world, no, from the memory of every living soul. How had this dark chapter, one he himself had nearly forgotten, come back to haunt him in such an absurd way?

"I-I'm begging you. Please, hand it over." "Heh."

At the sight of Dan Pil-hu practically pleading, Mumu grinned wide. To Dan Pil-hu's eyes, that grin looked exactly like a little devil's. Yeah. This kid was absolutely not innocent.

'......Damn it!'

Fine. Let him have it. Even if he gave it to him, there was no way to use it right now anyway. Neither the Academy Director nor any of the Six Stars of Heaven was going to hand a star mark to a mere first-year cadet. Even handing one over, there'd be no immediate way to use it, so it was better to give it up and get that cursed manual back as quickly as possible. Dan Pil-hu rubbed his hands together and said in his most ingratiating voice,

"So, our Mumu needs a star mark, is that it?"

* * *

"Is it real?" "Huh...... looks real to me."

Mo Il-hwa and Hae Ryang couldn't hide their shock as they stared at Mumu's cadet ID. The cadet ID was shaped like a small notebook, and on the last two pages, a star-shaped seal had been stamped, one on each. In the center of each star-shaped seal sat the names of Dan Baek-yeon, one of the Six Stars of Heaven, and Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu. The seal used a specially formulated chemical that made forgery impossible, or so it was said. Each star also carried a different seal color, so anyone foolish enough to try faking one was asking for disaster.

'What is with this guy?'

Jin-hyeok stared at the cadet ID, utterly dumbfounded. Mumu had said he'd go get one more star mark. And he'd actually gone and gotten one.

"What's your relationship with the Vice-Master?"

Even the day before the entrance ceremony, it had seemed like the man was going out of his way for Mumu. Now he'd handed over a star mark on top of everything else. At this point, the relationship deserved some suspicion.

"Ah, this, the Vice-Master......"

For a second Mumu almost let the story about the book slip, then caught himself and changed course.

"He said he liked me."

He'd made a promise with the Vice-Master. Never to speak of that book, not until the day he died. A promise was a promise, and it had to be kept.

"He just gave it to you because he liked you? That's really the only reason?"

Not just Jin-hyeok, everyone eyed him with suspicion. Did it make any sense that a star mark, something people called harder to get than plucking a star from the sky, would be handed over just because someone happened to like you? Something had clearly gone on between the two of them.

"Did you maybe make some kind of deal with the Vice-Master......" "Hey, hey. Drop it. Whatever it was, what matters is that he got it."

Mo Il-hwa cut off Jin-hyeok before he could keep pressing. Judging by how Mumu had just brushed the question off like that, he clearly wasn't going to open his mouth about it. Pushing further would be pointless.

'I'll just look into it separately later.'

Mo Il-hwa mouthed the words and winked, and Jin-hyeok let out a sigh and nodded. Yeah. Looking into it later, like she said, was probably the smarter move.

"Anyway, let's hurry to the Changcheon archives."

Like her, Jin-hyeok was more than a little curious about the existence of the hidden secret archives.

* * *

The Changcheon Martial Archive. It stood on the north side of Changcheon Martial Academy's main building. Its position was actually more central than the main building itself. What stood out was the sheer scale of the archives building, sprawling across something close to a thousand pyeong. Mumu and the others walked into the archives, built in the shape of a tower.

"Whoa."

A collective gasp rose from the group as they stepped inside. One entire wall was packed with wooden weapons of every kind, and another wall held training equipment: real swords, real blades, real spears, all lined up in rows. Now it made sense why they'd been told to come here and collect whatever they needed for their classes.

"Are those martial arts books over there?"

Another wall was set up like a library, shelves crammed full of books. Every bookcase was neatly sorted by category.

[Fist] [Palm] [Finger] [Leg] [Sword] [Blade]

Beyond that, dozens more categories branched out. Seeing all this, it was easy to understand why Changcheon Martial Academy was called the finest academy in the martial world.

"There's a lot here."

The first floor was crowded with first-year cadets. Roughly fifty of them, by the look of it. Quite a few familiar faces were scattered among them. Even on the very first day of the academy, they were already combing through the archives, a level of enthusiasm that said a lot about them. Jin-hyeok's eyes locked onto the bookcase labeled Leg in the archive's library. Since he mainly relied on leg techniques, his gaze was drawn there without thinking.

"We can check that out later. Let's head over there first."

Being shaped like a tower, a staircase leading to the upper floor sat right at the center, and in front of it stood a middle-aged figure who looked to be the archive's manager, along with a few senior cadets assisting. The middle-aged figure had heavy double eyelids and looked to be well along in years, with not a single hair of a beard and a strangely feminine air.

'This is a lot to take in.'

That was Mo Il-hwa's assessment.

'Something about them...... feels like a eunuch.'

That was Hae Ryang's. Neither of them let it show on their faces, though. As Mumu and the others approached, the middle-aged figure rose and spoke first.

"Oh my my. New students, are you?"

'Wait. Why is the voice so high, and why is the speech like that?'

The middle-aged figure's manner of speaking and appearance strongly recalled a court eunuch. Sensing the flustered reactions from Mo Il-hwa and Hae Ryang, the figure smiled warmly and said,

"Ho ho hong. Don't be so surprised. I came up through the Eastern Eunuch corps, so this way of speaking just stuck with me."

'Ah!'

So it really was true, an actual eunuch background. Word had it that plenty of the academy's masters and administrators carried unusual histories, and this figure seemed to be one of them. Jin-hyeok hastily gave a clasped-hands salute and apologized.

"We were rude just now. Please forgive us."

At Jin-hyeok's polite manner, the figure's lips twitched with obvious approval.

"Oh my my. As proper as your face, aren't you. I'm Lim Jeong, in charge of managing the first floor of the Changcheon Martial Archive here."

At the introduction, Mo Il-hwa, Hae Ryang, and the others returned the clasped-hands salute. Mumu followed along, a little caught off guard. Lim Jeong winked at Mumu and said,

"Oh my my. This one's quite the cutie."

Mumu grinned wide and said,

"Manager, your way of talking is really fun." "Ho ho ho hong. Is that so? You're the first one to say that straight to my face like that. I like you."

'......This is exhausting.'

Jin-hyeok found Lim Jeong's peculiar manner of speech more than a little overwhelming. The way the manager talked, overplaying the feminine mannerisms, and yet showed not the slightest sign of embarrassment about it, made it seem like the manager was actually enjoying it. As they stood there, first-floor manager Lim Jeong spoke to them.

"So then, what brings our adorable new cadets to me?"

At the question, Mo Il-hwa cupped a hand and whispered.

"Well, it's just, our Mumu here wants to go to the secret archives." "What?"

Lim Jeong's brow furrowed. Seeing them come find him, Lim Jeong had assumed these were the top scorers of the entrance examination, come to ask about accessing the second floor of the archives. But what came out was something else entirely. Lim Jeong touched a cheek and said, voice lowered.

"How on earth did you new students hear about that?"

The secret archives of Changcheon Martial Academy. Its existence was only properly revealed starting from the second year. From that point on, cadets judged to have earned the qualification through star marks were told about the secret archives. But for someone to bring it up on their very first day, right after entering the academy, that had never happened before.

"We heard it from a few senior cadets who'd already graduated," Hae Ryang answered.

At Hae Ryang's response, manager Lim Jeong looked troubled.

"Did you now? What loose-lipped children. And here I specifically told them not to breathe a word of it, for the sake of the juniors coming in after them."

Truthfully, Lim Jeong had never expected that instruction to be followed to the letter. Most of them probably whispered it to people close to them, or to their own disciples, on the sly. Lim Jeong looked at Mumu with something like pity and said,

"But what a shame. The secret archives can't be reached without meeting a special condition. Sounds like nobody told you that part." "Pfft."

Behind them, the second-year cadets assisting in the archives snickered, barely holding back their laughter. Naturally, since they helped out here in the archives, they already knew about the secret archives. Including that special condition.

"To get into the secret archives, you have to receive a star ma......"

Before Lim Jeong could even finish, Mumu thrust forward his cadet ID, two star marks stamped clearly on it.

'!?'

Lim Jeong's eyes went wide at the sight.

"Oh my my. What in the world is this." "Huh?"

The second-year cadets behind them couldn't hide their shock either. Who could have predicted that a brand-new cadet would walk in with this on the very first day of the academy? Stunned, they broke into murmurs, whispering among themselves.

'No way.' 'He actually got two star marks?' 'How on earth did a first-year manage to get star marks?' 'Nobody's even made it into the first stage of the secret archives among the current second-years.'

Outside of the third-years, this was completely unheard of among the current second-years. After all, the term had only just begun. Special Master Grade instructor Yeon Cheong-ha, one of the Six Stars of Heaven who'd taught the in-depth introduction to internal energy studies last year, had never given a star mark to anyone, which made the opportunity even rarer. Right then, one of the second-year cadets spoke up, voice full of suspicion.

"Isn't that fake, by any chance?" "Fake?" "Yes."

At the question, first-floor manager Lim Jeong examined the star seals closely. Studying them, Lim Jeong's brow furrowed.

"...... No. These are genuine."

Not forged. A real seal. Unmistakably the Vice-Master's and Dan Baek-yeon's. The star seals simply could not be forged, no matter how badly someone wanted to. Mumu smiled brightly and asked,

"Can I go into the secret archives now?"

At Mumu's question, a glint of interest flickered in Lim Jeong's eyes.

'Hmm. Is this a first, then?'

A first-year cadet arriving with two star marks on the very first day of term and heading straight into the secret archives. It was something that had never happened once since the founding of Changcheon Martial Academy.

Footnotes:

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