WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 118: The Black Flame Dragon in Golden Garments (3)
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After the results of the Martial Arts Academy regular examination were announced throughout the realm, Hefei in Anhui Province buzzed over the names on the list.
“The Taeul Sect? Was there ever a sect like that?”
“Aren’t you talking about the Taeul Martial Arts School?”
“The Taeul Martial Arts School? You fool! Have you never heard of the Taeul Sect and its proud orthodox heritage?”
“Hey! You think I don’t know you’ve been mocking them all this time, going on about the Taeul Sword Emperor?”
Interest in the Taeul Sect had suddenly surged, but people’s curiosity remained unsatisfied because the sect had taken down its signboard and entered a period of closing one’s gates.
That did not mean the Taeul Sect itself had ignored the matter.
If anything, a fairly grand celebration was held within the sect.
“Khuhuhu, our Sowoon really became the top student.”
“Hall Lord Gang, didn’t you curse Eldest Senior Brother Sowoon all the time?”
“Hey, you brat! That was because I cared about him that much!”
“Then I suppose you don’t care about Senior Sister Soso. You’ve never cursed in front of her.”
“Come here. Have you mastered the Twin Heavens Sword Art yet?”
“Who trains during a celebration?”
All the hall lords and disciples had gathered in one place, and the disciples’ parents had also been invited.
The people who drew the most attention were the parents of the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers, who ran a mill.
“Congratulations. How did you get all three brothers into the Martial Arts Academy? Please tell us your secret.”
“Ah... We only worked hard...”
“Oh my, so the children watched their parents and found their motivation. What exactly did you do?”
“Ah... We just told them to listen to their senior brothers and masters...”
Having been subtly looked down upon their entire lives for running a mill, the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers’ parents could not fully grasp the situation. They only nodded blankly.
“Whew... Since Eldest Senior Brother entered as the top student, the burden on our shoulders will grow even heavier.”
“Hm? What are you talking about?”
Kwak Samnam looked at Wang Soso and Jegal Cheongi, who were eating chicken skewers.
“If future Taeul Sect disciples cannot achieve results like Eldest Senior Brother’s, won’t we be ridiculed?”
“I’m not taking the regular examination.”
“What?”
Kwak Samnam’s eyes widened at Wang Soso’s words.
She had begun learning martial arts later than he had, yet her progress had risen sharply. Her internal energy, in particular, was overwhelmingly powerful.
He could certainly defeat her in swordsmanship and footwork, but whenever she unleashed her immense internal energy like crashing waves, he had never once managed to overcome her.
And she was not going to take the regular examination?
“I’m joining the Martial Alliance through mandatory service.”
“...As a low-ranking martial artist?”
He had heard that Wang Soso was so precious to the Wang Family Estate that they had kept her hidden away in her room all her life.
There were even recent rumors that she had become involved in the estate’s affairs and was bringing in enormous profits. Why would someone like her join the Martial Alliance as a low-ranking martial artist?
“So I can work alongside Eldest Senior Brother.”
“...”
Jegal Cheongi spoke while chewing on a chicken skewer.
“I’ll join as a low-ranking martial artist too. Samnam, quite a burden has been placed on your shoulders.”
“What do you mean... Then I’ll...”
“No! We’re lay disciples. You have to take the regular examination.”
“Where is there a rule like that?”
“It’s right here, isn’t it?”
“Then I’ll send Yuseong in my place.”
“What?!”
Gang Yuseong, who had been serving food to his younger sisters, jumped in surprise.
“You joined the sect later than I did, but your skills are far superior to mine.”
The Taeul Sect disciples who had gone to the Moyong Clan as exchange disciples with Paegeom had returned with vastly improved skills.
Gang Yuseong had begun practicing the Taeul True Scripture later than the other disciples, yet he had already reached a level where he could contend with Gang Chaeseok.
Kwak Samnam patted Gang Yuseong’s shoulder.
“You are the disciple who will spread the Taeul Sect’s name far and wide in the next examination. I’m counting on you, Yuseong.”
“No, I... I want to join as a low-ranking martial artist too...”
Yuseong looked as though he were about to cry, while Kwak Samnam, Wang Soso, and Jegal Cheongi exchanged glances and giggled.
A short distance away from the four of them...
“Why are you sitting by yourself?”
Someone spoke to Jin Taesan, who sat alone, unable to blend into the cheerful mood of the celebration.
“Ah, you have come, Estate Lord Wang.”
Wang Geumsan stopped Jin Taesan from rising, then sat beside him and set down a bottle of liquor.
“This is Hundred Flowers Jade Dew Wine.”
Jin Taesan’s eyes widened. Was this not the imperial palace’s renowned liquor, said to be made from a hundred different flowers? A mysterious fragrance already wafted from its narrow mouth.
“Isn’t it fitting for a day like this?”
“It is... too generous.”
Jin Taesan’s hands trembled as he accepted the Hundred Flowers Jade Dew Wine.
To a drinker, it was an incomparably precious liquor. Wang Geumsan chuckled at the sight.
“Aren’t you happy?”
Jin Taesan, who had been halfway through his cup, froze.
After wondering whether he should finish the remaining liquor or stop drinking, Jin Taesan eventually emptied the cup.
Then, perhaps admiring its fragrance or perhaps lost in thought, he stared at the empty cup for a long while.
“...What father in this world would not rejoice at his child’s success?”
Jin Taesan’s eyes, fixed on the empty cup, were full of regret.
“Still, I can’t help but worry that he has climbed too high, only to fall and be badly hurt.”
A child’s success was tied to a parent’s unease.
The fear that they might fail to become a safety net when their child fell.
The fear that their own shackles might have limited a child who could have flown even higher.
Whenever their child took great strides forward, parents were forced to look back at themselves.
“Isn’t it too soon to worry? He has only just begun to fly.”
“I was the sort of man who worried whether he could even fulfill the role of Outer Hall Lord. That is the extent of my capacity. Yet my son has flapped his wings only once, and the whole realm rings with his name. How can I not feel uneasy?”
It was a ladder one could not climb by ordinary means.
That meant he must have taken reckless chances and gambled everything.
In the gambling hall of life, the only thing one could stake was one’s own life. Jin Taesan did not even want to imagine how many times his son had risked his life to reach that place.
“Is it because of his connection to the Black Path martial world?”
“...”
The Black Flame Dragon epithet was the clearest example.
Jin Taesan smiled bitterly and poured himself more Hundred Flowers Jade Dew Wine.
“Still, isn’t it fortunate? The Black Path’s major figures testified that he had nothing to do with them.”
“Puh!”
“Why did you waste such precious liquor?”
Jin Taesan’s mouth had become fragrant from the liquor he spat out, and he stared at Wang Geumsan in dismay.
What fool would watch that scene and think Jin Sowoon had nothing to do with the Black Path martial world? Jin Taesan himself was wondering how that rotten brat had become connected to those Black Path scoundrels.
“...”
“It was a joke. A joke.”
Wang Geumsan patted Jin Taesan’s shoulder and poured him more Hundred Flowers Jade Dew Wine.
“...”
This man seemed increasingly different from the person Jin Taesan had first met.
He kept making absurd jokes.
His natural solemnity and gravity made it difficult to laugh even when he was joking.
“So Hall Lord Jin only needs to work harder. You only need to become a strong safety net for him, one that will protect him whenever he falls.”
“I hear that if he becomes the Academy Representative, he must form a leadership team. Who would help a boy with neither money nor backing?”
If Jin Taesan sent every bit of income from the mine, Sowoon could form a leadership team with money alone. But that would tear out the very foundations of the Taeul Sect, which had only just begun to find its footing.
“If that is difficult, there is an easier method.”
“What method?”
Wang Geumsan paused briefly as he poured the liquor.
Every time Jin Taesan drank it, he was struck by how extraordinary its fragrance was.
He almost wanted to lick up what he had spat out earlier.
“Have another drink.”
“What method is it?”
“...Drink while you listen.”
Jin Taesan slowly savored the golden, shimmering liquor.
“How about having your son marry into the Wang Family Estate? That should provide a fine background.”
“Puh!!!”
#
“You’re joking, right?”
“...”
I had expected life at the Martial Arts Academy to be difficult.
Still, the semester had not even started, and they were already plotting something this underhanded.
The Martial Alliance and the Martial Arts Academy were clearly rotten to the core.
“That’s not funny. Please give me proper clothes.”
“...This is the outfit.”
“...There’s something I failed to mention. I don’t particularly like jokes.”
“...”
The attendants stood there with expressionless faces. Seeing them made me even more uneasy, because it seemed they were not joking.
“You’re saying this is really what I have to wear to the banquet?”
The clothes the attendants had brought were made of white silk embroidered with golden thread.
There was also a ceremonial crown, a gilt belt, and even white shoes that seemed utterly useless in daily life. I looked like some immortal who had descended from the heavens.
That much was bearable. But...
“Really? You swear it?”
The problem was the enormous golden words, “Top Student,” embroidered across my chest.
No matter how I looked at it, this outfit seemed like nothing more than a punishment. I could not hide my shock when they told me it was the formal attire worn by every top student in the Academy’s history.
“I’ll just wear my martial uniform.”
Rather than wear this thing, I would have preferred to walk around naked.
As I tried to pass the attendants and head to the banquet, the oldest-looking woman, a middle-aged attendant, blocked my way.
“This is the formal attire that every top student in history must wear. Without it, you cannot take a single step out of this room.”
“...Then I won’t attend the banquet.”
If I went out wearing that, the social standing I had built up so far would be thrown into the dirt. At the same time, my authority as the Eldest Senior Brother admired by my junior disciples would hit rock bottom.
I would never wear it.
“What are you all doing? The young master is changing his clothes.”
“Hey! Wh-what are you doing?! Let go of me! I’m warning you, I’ve recently gained three gapja’s worth of internal energy!”
I tried to resist, but I could not stop the attendants’ relentless hands.
“There, look. Don’t you resemble a truly imposing man?”
“...”
An attendant proudly held up a bronze mirror.
“I feel like I’ve seen this look somewhere before.”
“Where would that be?”
“In street plays. Foolish princes and the children of noble families usually appear dressed like this.”
The Head Attendant lightly ignored me and nodded.
“Then please enjoy the banquet.”
“I’m already not enjoying this...”
“...Perhaps your mind will change when you see how others look up to you.”
#
“Pfft!”
“Khk!”
The moment Geumpyo and Eunho saw me, their faces turned red as they bit their lips tightly.
See? I told them I would be a laughingstock.
“Are you laughing?”
“N-no. I was only thinking how wonderful it would be if the Sect Leader and the people of the Taeul Sect could see your proud appearance, and my emotions simply... Urgh. Hk.”
Geumpyo made a strange sound that could have been crying or laughing, then turned his head away.
Eunho spoke beside him.
“Eldest Senior Brother, could you lend me a silver coin?”
“What for? Is there somewhere you need to spend it?”
“I need to hurry and bring back a painter...”
“Be quiet.”
Dongryong and Moyong Jaehwa stared at me with blank expressions.
“Is it really that strange?”
I asked awkwardly, but Dongryong shook his head.
“You look exactly like a prince descended from heaven.”
“Brother, I believe those clothes truly suit you.”
“...”
Their words were filled with complete sincerity, which only made me more embarrassed. Geumpyo and Eunho finally burst into laughter.
Unable to bear it any longer, I quickly changed the subject.
“Where are the young ladies?”
“Women naturally take a long time to prepare, do they not?”
Fortunately, the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers and Moyong Jaehwa had been assigned the same room. The dormitories were originally assigned according to examination results, but Moyong Jaehwa, who possessed an Academy Admission Token, had requested a four-person room with the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers.
Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran had both been assigned two-person rooms, though each was sharing with someone else. Since their rooms were not far apart, neither of them was too disappointed.
“What about Saryeon?”
The moment I entered the Martial Arts Academy, I tried to meet Saryeon.
She had shown her face to the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers, but not to me. She had said we should wait until the banquet before meeting, and I had no idea why. Still, since I knew it would not take long, I had waited quietly.
“Senior Sister Saryeon will be here soon.”
“Everyone is late.”
“Let’s go in first.”
“Let’s.”
I could feel the stares of the servants moving around outside the banquet hall. I was the only one shining in an area filled with darkness, so attention was inevitable. Still, the strange smiles that could have been admiration or mockery were more than enough to make me uncomfortable.
A long line stretched from the entrance to the banquet hall.
The students seemed to be waiting to enter one by one under the attendants’ guidance, and none of their clothing was ordinary.
The Geum-Eun-Dong brothers and I wore the formal attire clearly provided by the Academy, while the other Academy students wore expensive clothes bearing emblems that represented their clans or sects.
Their splendor was no less impressive than my own outfit, which was covered in gilded lettering that read “Top Student.”
Since the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers’ clothing did not have the word “Taeul” embroidered on it, it seemed the other Academy students had personally ordered their formal attire.
“At this rate, no one will know who the main character is.”
As Eunho said, I looked like their jester, while they looked like the people who had actually come to enjoy the banquet.
“Are you Jin Sowoon?”
As I waited at the very end of the line, someone who seemed to be a supervisor spoke to me.
“Please come this way. A separate seat has been prepared for the top student.”
“Now I finally look like the main character.”
The Geum-Eun-Dong brothers and I followed the supervisor, ignoring the line as we headed to the front.
The Academy students waiting in the long line all turned to look at us. Their gazes were far from friendly.
“Please wait here briefly. An attendant will guide you to your seats.”
After saying that, the supervisor disappeared again.
Standing at the front, the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers stared blankly at the enormous scale and splendor of the banquet hall visible through the entrance. I too was admiring it without showing it when a familiar voice reached my ears.
“For the Martial Alliance’s foremost educational institution, aren’t the facilities rather poor?”
After confirming the owner of that voice, I suppressed my excitement and spoke.
“...You passed in the end.”
“So it seems. When Young Master Jin took my Gate Token, I thought I had certainly failed. Yet I have barely seized another chance to take my revenge.”
Footnotes:
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