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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 276: Those Who Break Walls (2)

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The Red Force... no, every Academy student was still struggling to process the current situation.

A single battle could not greatly affect grand strategy.

That was the established doctrine taught at the Academy, and they had learned military strategy in the same way not only there, but also in their sects and clans.

Grand strategy moved the overall balance of power.

That was why those destined to become commanders or rise to the highest positions had always been taught to see the larger picture rather than the smaller one.

Rather than clinging to victory or defeat in a minor battle, they were supposed to seek gains that served the greater strategy.

That was what they had learned and what they would need to keep in mind in the future.

Looking at it that way...

The Red Force should undoubtedly have been doomed to lose.

Every Academy student had their internal energy completely sealed, and they had fought in small and medium-sized groups.

Though this was called a strategy and tactics evaluation, if it was viewed as a small war in which three forces watched and fought one another, then Cheol Sunjik's grand strategy to defeat Jin Sowoon should have played out as intended. The White Force and Red Force would fight until both sides were crippled, making victory for the Blue Force a foregone conclusion.

Yet looking at this mess...

“Ah, my whole body's aching.”

...Even Sun Tzu, who wrote The Art of War, might have risen from his grave and shouted, “Don't be ridiculous!”

The Red Force had sacrificed everything to rout the White Force.

Then the Red Force's surprise unit struck the Blue Force from behind as it moved to capture the Red Force.

That chain of events, impossible to predict even a moment ahead, had ultimately produced an unforeseen result.

‘What kind of exam is this?’

‘Who fights like this?’

‘Those uneducated bastards...’

The words, ‘This exam is fucking ridiculous,’ rose to their throats, but few could bring themselves to say them.

“What are you looking at, you bastards? Lower your eyes.”

Of course, their instincts warning them not to provoke that madman... no, the Academy Representative who had made all this possible were the biggest reason.

“...”

The White Force had been crushed by the outnumbered Red Force, and within the Red Force were countless people who had betrayed their side and now had nothing but retaliation awaiting them.

The Blue Force had at least earned the right to say the exam was fucking ridiculous, but most of its members came from the Nine Sects One Gang. They were overwhelmed with shame that they had ultimately lost to the Red Force.

“What the hell were you doing?”

“You couldn't stop those ten people and ended up losing?”

“Why weren't you guarding the camp? What were you doing?”

Those who had climbed White Mountain poured out furious criticism, but those near the camp had their own arguments.

“Don't you know that bastard Yayul Geuk? Once that mad dog gets his hands on you, he'll break your bones!”

“And is Eunho any different? He's the brains of the Three Iron-Wall Dragons!”

“If you were so confident, you should've crushed the White Force or Red Force yourselves!”

While they blamed one another, the Academy students were not the only ones making a commotion.

The lecturers and instructors, who had to conclude the practical examination and issue their evaluations, also argued without end.

“I cannot acknowledge this. This was never meant to be the kind of examination fought in this manner.”

“What do you mean? The Red Force won in the end, didn't they?”

“This is strategy and tactics, not some mindless brawl.”

“Don't you know that grand strategy can only succeed when smaller battles are won?”

Opinions were sharply divided between those who believed the Red Force's final victory should be accepted and those who believed an exam conducted in such an absurd manner should not be recognized.

“Enough, everyone.”

Buk Wonpyeong finally stepped in to settle the matter.

“Knowing the enemy's weaknesses and exploiting them is also extremely important in an actual war. We never imposed a condition that they had to fight only by accepted principles, and since we allowed the White Force and Blue Force to form an alliance, there can be no issue with the Red Force's victory.”

At Buk Wonpyeong's words, every lecturer fell silent.

After all, their own biased decision to permit an alliance at the beginning had now caught up with them.

“The end-of-term strategy and tactics evaluation... was, without question, a victory for the Red Force.”

As Buk Wonpyeong spoke, the lecturers and instructors all completed the rest of their evaluation sheets.

Watching them, Buk Wonpyeong turned his gaze toward White Mountain.

There...

“Ahem...”

...Jin Sowoon was teasing Ilgak, who had lowered his head with bite marks on his scalp.

‘He truly is an unpredictable fellow.’

Buk Wonpyeong clicked his tongue and laughed as he watched his utterly irreverent senior brother.

#

The end-of-term evaluations came to an end.

Around the time the Gentleman’s Powder they had taken during the final practical examination had fully worn off and the Academy students began readjusting to their bodies, the list of those who had been eliminated was announced.

“Huk...”

“This can't be!”

“Please! Please!”

The Academy students who found their names on the list fell into despair as though the sky itself had collapsed.

There were fewer than ten of them, but considering the sects connected to each individual, their elimination carried no small weight.

Their fellow students wept with them in anguish, as though their hearts were being torn apart, but that did not change the result.

“This can't be! Th-this is a lie!!!”

The person whose elimination caused the greatest uproar was none other than Ak Jupyeong.

Ak Jupyeong was a descendant of the Shandong Ak Clan, one of the Five Great Clans, and had been regarded as a promising talent even within the Ak Clan. No other Academy student had expected him to be eliminated, making the shock all the greater.

Naturally, the person most shocked was Ak Jupyeong himself.

“Yes! Th-this is a conspiracy! A conspiracy! Do you know who I am? Huh?! I'm Ak Jupyeong of the Shandong Ak Clan! I'll speak to my uncle at the Inspectorate and have this absurd matter investigated to uncover the truth!”

Ak Jupyeong lost his mind, smashing the furnishings in the lecturers' office and causing a scene.

He insisted that there was clearly a conspiracy, but the Education Hall was a subordinate organization directly under the Mantong Office. There was no chance of corruption in its evaluations.

Ak Jupyeong's behavior eventually forced the Enforcement Hall to intervene.

“Uncle...! Call my uncle! My uncle is the Third Hall Master!”

He cried out desperately as he was dragged away by the Enforcement Hall, but no one from the Inspectorate came forward.

After the Enforcement Hall began investigating Ak Jupyeong...

Realizing he could not receive Ak Byeongbi's help, Ak Jupyeong eventually grabbed an Enforcement Hall investigator and pleaded his case.

“There is definitely a conspiracy! How could I, a descendant of the Shandong Ak Clan, be eliminated?”

The Enforcement Hall investigator frowned while reading through the documents.

“Five Mu ratings? You call that a record?”

“...Th-that was only because that bastard Yayul Geuk kept harassing me...”

“Come to think of it, there's also a record saying you formed a delinquent group within the Academy and meticulously harassed a fellow student.”

Ak Jupyeong's face turned pale.

“Th-that can't be! I, I...!”

The investigator slammed a hand on the desk and barked.

“This is an investigation report written by your uncle, the Inspectorate's Third Hall Master. Are you still saying it's a lie?”

“What?!!!”

“Ak Byeongbi... he's quite the man. To cut off someone from his own clan so coldly. I suppose that is why he has the reputation of a Third Hall Master.”

“Wh-what do you mean...?”

The investigator's lips curled upward.

“Go ahead and look forward to it. When the Inspectorate is this cooperative, it makes the Enforcement Hall eager to work as well.”

Ak Jupyeong felt as though he had fallen into hell.

#

After the eliminated students packed their belongings and left the Academy first...

The Academy, which had been somewhat subdued, began to regain its liveliness.

The winter break was twice as long as the summer break.

Even Academy students who had been unable to return home during the summer break because of the distance received the Academy's support to return to their sects or hometowns.

“I can't wait.”

Eun Seollan spoke in an excited voice.

It was only natural, since she would be able to return to the hometown she had been unable to visit during the previous summer break.

“I heard the Northern Sea is cold. It's cold here too, so isn't it even worse there?”

When Seong Moran tilted her head, Eun Seollan answered with a smile.

“It isn't that cold! The scenery is so beautiful in winter. Everything is white, and you can see the horizon stretching endlessly. Ah! Why don't you come with me during this break? The people of our Ice White Palace will be happy to meet you too.”

Though Eun Seollan made the offer, Seong Moran shivered.

“I don't even plan to go back to my hometown this time. I'll stay at the quiet Academy and train hard.”

“Why are you telling me that?”

Seong Moran shot Jin Sowoon an aggrieved look.

“Just what have you been eating to get so strong, Young Master Jin?”

“Hah, honestly. What do you mean, eating? I've simply built myself up day by day through constant training.”

“If you can't say anything useful, don't say anything!”

Jin Sowoon put his hands together as if Ilgak had possessed him, and Seong Moran snorted.

“Hmph. But I heard you've picked up plenty of things from all over the place besides what I gave you?”

“Ahem. I have no idea what you're talking about.”

Eun Seollan eventually stepped in to mediate.

“Come on...! Stop fighting. What about the rest of you? Would you like to come to the Ice White Palace with me this break...?”

“I think we should all return to our sect this time.”

The Taeul Sect disciples, including Jin Sowoon, declined Eun Seollan's offer.

Moyong Jaehwa, however, agonized over it for a while before letting out a sigh.

“I'm sorry, Miss Eun. My grandfather told me I must return this time...”

Eun Seollan, who had made the offer, seemed completely unbothered. Moyong Jaehwa was the one looking at her with regret dripping from his eyes.

“When a thug... no, when your grandfather says so...”

People were always more likely to listen to the person who beat their whole body than the one who merely tugged at their heart.

While most people planned either to return home during the break or remain behind to train like Seong Moran...

“Sunjik, do you not intend to return to the sect?”

Cheol Sunjik continued swinging the newly purchased sword.

It was so cold that white breath poured from his mouth with every exhale, yet Cheol Sunjik's entire body was soaked in sweat as though he had been caught in the rain.

Cheol Hyeonjik watched him with pity before speaking heavily.

“Everyone is waiting for you.”

“...I'm still lacking.”

Cheol Sunjik did not say much, but his older brother, Cheol Hyeonjik, understood better than anyone what he was looking toward.

Cheol Hyeonjik took a step back and comforted his younger brother.

“Yes. I know. But won't it take a long time? Let's take it slowly, show our faces to Father and Mother, and then continue.”

“I don't want to.”

“We've already waited three hundred years. Would it matter if we were delayed a little longer?”

Silence followed.

Cheol Sunjik stared only at the tip of his sword before releasing a hot breath.

“...I'm too ashamed to show them how I am now, Brother.”

“Father and Mother will be happy just to see your face.”

“...”

Silence settled over the training ground again.

Whether they remained at the Academy or returned home, every Academy student carried a great burden of their own.

This break would be an important period, one that decided whether they turned that burden into strength or shackles.

Even so, the break also brought a different kind of excitement.

Especially for the Taeul Sect disciples.

The Taeul Sect disciples had missed the summer break, when they could have returned home in glory and been praised as their parents' wonderful children. More than anyone, they had waited longingly for this winter break.

Above all, they had spent the entire year running without rest, beginning with the regular examination.

Was this not their first chance to take a break that truly felt like a break?

While Jin Sowoon busily considered how to spend this long-awaited rest...

“Senior Brother, this is the travel schedule to Hefei.”

“Hmm?”

Jin Sowoon accepted the itinerary Eunho held out.

“We'll take a carriage from the Yoo Han Escort Agency heading to Zhejiang, then transfer to the Seonghyeon Escort Agency in Anhui. The escort agencies will provide all meals and lodging along the way.”

It was a commonly used group travel package.

It was also a method often used by Academy students returning to their hometowns.

Above all, it was extremely popular because they would not need to keep changing horses or sleep outdoors.

Even though reservations were difficult to secure due to constant sellouts whenever the Academy break approached, Eunho had prepared everything in advance.

Jin Sowoon lowered his brows and patted Eunho's shoulder.

“I feel bad. It must've been hard to get reservations.”

At his senior brother's acknowledgment, Eunho rubbed beneath his nose with a finger.

“Ah, it's nothing. As your junior brother, I should at least handle something like this...”

“Hmm? No, I meant I felt bad for a different reason.”

“What?”

Riiip.

The Taeul Sect disciples could not hide their shock as their senior brother tore up the tickets along with the itinerary.

“W-what are you doing?!”

Jin Sowoon casually dangled the torn tickets and grinned.

“Sorry, but we have something to do, so we can't use these.”

“...”

At their terrifying senior brother's grim smile, the junior disciples could only open and close their mouths like fish, unable to say a word.

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