I didn't feel nervous at all.
The exam grounds remembered from my past were wide and splendid.
But seeing them again now, they felt nothing more than small and rustic.
To think I once trembled just standing in a place like this.
As expected, childhood memories tend to be distorted into something far grander and more magnificent.
As I was recalling those memories, Yang Taesik—alone in a flashy uniform—swaggered over, showing off.
"Well, well, look who this is? You didn't run away?"
I was wondering why he hadn't picked a fight yet.
"Did you practice a lot?"
"Of course. Enough to cough up blood."
"Good. You need to bleed to even follow at the heels. Don't be surprised if the test is really hard."
Yang Taesik was acting childish, as expected of a kid.
"Then again, he didn't even say things like that before."
Which meant he had been grinding his teeth in frustration.
"So he's going to pull something again this time..."
Yang Geumho had increased the demonstration speed during the promotion exam.
Already lacking in skill, I couldn't keep up with the gradually accelerating tempo and was forced to stop midway.
Parents whispered among themselves, and children laughed.
I tried to start again, but perhaps due to panic, my mind went completely blank.
Until the demonstration ended, all I could do was stand there like a sack of barley left out in the open.
Right in the very center.
I became the butt of everyone's mockery.
That memory never faded, not even until death.
Even past the age of a hundred, it still appeared in my dreams from time to time.
"Now, we will begin the exam! Everyone to your positions!"
My spot was right in the center.
It seemed they wanted me to stand out again this time.
In that case, there was no need to refuse their kindness.
When I glanced to the side, I noticed something I hadn't before—Yang Taesik was standing next to me.
'I didn't know this.'
I had no memory of it at all.
Ah, maybe that was only natural.
I'd been too busy staring straight ahead in fear back then to notice.
'This really is new.'
Savoring these details I hadn't known before, I calmly looked around.
Familiar faces came into view.
Unlike Yang Taesik, the other children all looked visibly tense.
How could they not be?
For them, this was the first trial of their lives.
Their mouths were probably dry with anxiety.
Just like I had been in the past.
"It's a good age."
A smile escaped me naturally.
Though today they would swallow a bitter defeat, it would remain a valuable experience for them.
As I enjoyed the pleasure of knowing the future that was about to arrive—
"We will now begin the promotion exam!"
With Yang Geumho's shout, the drums began to thunder ominously.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The children performed the movements in a set order to the rhythm, while five instructors graded them with hawk-like eyes.
To pass, more than eight-tenths of the movements in each form had to be completed.
It was by no means an easy exam.
At least not for fourteen-year-olds.
"Form One! Fist techniques!"
At Yang Geumho's command, all the children thrust out straight punches at the same time.
Yang Geumho rose from his seat and looked at Lee Seoha.
A presence that concerned him even more than his own son.
He had to find fault and make him leave on his own.
The moment the exam began and the movements of Form One—fist techniques—started—
"…What?"
Yang Geumho couldn't help but be shocked.
A straight punch extending from a posture so perfect it could be used as a textbook example.
From Lee Seoha, who had always received failing grades, it was completely unbelievable.
Poets once described the straight punch of a supreme master as feeling like a clap of thunder.
Seoha's punch was exactly that.
The fist shot straight like lightning, and the moment it stopped at the impact point, it produced a loud bang.
"It's too perfect."
"He must've practiced a lot."
The other instructors were also shaken by Seoha's movements.
He stood out unmistakably among the group.
Even with such a simple movement, the power and speed produced from perfect posture clearly distinguished him from the others.
Even Yang Geumho had to acknowledge it.
"…So he really did work hard."
As an upper-ranked warrior, he could recognize the difference all the more clearly.
Perfect posture.
It was undoubtedly forged through grueling effort.
But the more one pursued perfection in a single movement, the less time there would be to learn the others.
No matter how much Lee Seoha had pulled himself together and trained hard, his limits would eventually be exposed.
'If you'd worked hard from the start, it would've been good for both of us, wouldn't it?'
A strong sense of regret washed over him—but only briefly.
There was no intention of nurturing that child now.
Yang Geumho raised one finger.
The signal to increase the speed by one-tenth.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The intervals between drumbeats shortened, and the pace of movements quickened accordingly.
The change became apparent almost immediately.
Despite undergoing special training for a month, the children's postures began to crumble one by one.
Yet even among the increasingly unbalanced children, Lee Seoha maintained perfection.
No—if anything, there was a sense of ease in each segment of his movements.
"Tsk."
Yang Geumho clicked his tongue in irritation.
But the speed had only just increased by one-tenth.
There was still plenty of time.
When the fist techniques ended, he waited four beats and shouted.
"Form Two! Kicking techniques! Begin!"
Because kicking techniques involved larger movements, differences in completeness were even more pronounced.
They were so obvious that even the parents—mere laypeople—could see them clearly, so there was no way the examinees themselves wouldn't notice.
As they continued their movements, the children couldn't hide their confusion.
'What the hell? That guy—why is he so good?'
'Wasn't he supposed to be bad?'
And among them all, the most wronged was Yang Taesik.
What was the point of having a flashy uniform?
He had positioned himself next to Lee Seoha to shine most brilliantly.
Yet he received no attention at all.
No—he was being compared.
'What? What the hell did he do?!'
This wasn't a level that could be reached through short-term effort.
If it were, anyone could enter the military track and become a warrior!
'He must've taken some kind of miraculous elixir! If it's the Cheongsin family, they could easily get something like that!'
Thinking that, he clenched his teeth.
He belittled it as mere luck.
Unaware that his son was being shaken by such stray thoughts, Yang Geumho raised his fingers.
Three fingers extended.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The speed increased by three-tenths.
The children's movements collapsed even faster, yet Lee Seoha's posture remained flawless.
"Wow, that kid in the middle is really good."
"Isn't that the Cheongsin family kid?"
"They said he was bad, but I guess noble blood really doesn't go anywhere."
As admiration from other parents poured in, the children's confusion intensified.
As if unwilling to back down, Yang Geumho spread all five fingers.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Five times the speed they had practiced at.
One by one, the children lost the rhythm and came to a halt.
Already tense from performing in front of their parents, the added pressure of a real exam caused them to collapse.
Now only Lee Seoha and Yang Taesik remained.
While desperately trying to keep up with the speed, Yang Taesik stole a glance at Lee Seoha.
'Damn it! Damn it!'
Anyone could see that the most radiant presence here was Lee Seoha.
'Why is he so good? Why?!'
It was impossible.
He couldn't accept it.
He was falling behind the fool he had mocked and looked down on for so long.
That frustration and rage threw Yang Taesik's mind into chaos.
"Uh..."
In the end, during one of the high-difficulty movements—the spinning roundhouse kick—he missed the rhythm.
By contrast, Lee Seoha executed a flawless spinning kick through the air and landed lightly.
Yang Taesik, frozen in place, stared at Lee Seoha with empty eyes.
"Why...?"
In the promotion exam, missing the rhythm by even a single misstep meant elimination.
Even he—who was considered the best in this academy—had ended up planting his feet firmly on the ground.
So why was that guy able to continue his movements so effortlessly?
How could he shine alone like that?
It was something Yang Taesik's mind could never comprehend.
All stray thoughts vanished once the exam began.
Even the gradually accelerating tempo felt familiar.
I had trained that way from the start.
The scenery flashing past, my body moving freely after grueling training—everything felt satisfying.
But the most satisfying thing of all was the cheers.
'Yes, this! This is it!'
Training wasn't fun.
Neither before regression nor after had it ever been enjoyable.
Enduring it through self-improvement or introspection alone had its limits.
But recognition from others—
That delivered a pleasure like a drug.
An ecstasy that pierced through the entire body and sent shivers down the spine.
Enveloped in that pleasure, I unconsciously continued the movements.
After finishing the sword techniques—direct and deadly in every strike—and the staff techniques—filled with difficult movements but more dazzling than anything else—the exam came to an end.
"Hah… hah."
Ragged breaths rose, making it hard to regain my composure.
No matter how hard I'd trained my body, it had only been a month.
My stamina was on the brink.
As I stood there blankly, staring at the sky and catching my breath, applause erupted from all directions.
I closed my eyes and savored the congratulations ringing in my ears.
'I passed.'
The test for promotion to the military track—and the first trial I faced after regression.
I had also earned the chance to move on to the next stage.
At that moment, Yang Geumho sprang up from his seat and came down to the exam grounds.
Yang Taesik ran to his father with a frightened face and bowed his head.
"Father, I'm sorry. I made a small mistake..."
But Yang Geumho ignored his son and walked straight toward me.
'What kind of reaction will he show?'
Honestly, I could already predict it without even looking.
With everyone watching, Yang Geumho couldn't arbitrarily fail me.
No—if he failed me, there wouldn't be a single student from Dongsan Academy advancing to the military track.
In the end, he had no choice.
He wasn't stupid enough to cause a scene in front of this many people.
There was only one option left to him.
"Excellent! Well done, Lee Seoha!"
Yang Geumho spread his arms and embraced me, patting my back.
As if welcoming a beloved disciple.
"Did you all see that? This is why the Cheongsin family chose our academy."
He continued speaking with a proud posture, as though showing off his own achievement.
"As you've seen, advancing to the military track is no easy feat. But Lee Seoha of the Cheongsin family absorbed all of my teachings and proved that our Dongsan Academy is in no way inferior to other prestigious academies."
I knew it would be like this.
He intended to claim everything as his own accomplishment.
Given the situation, it was indeed the most admirable response.
If I were a flustered, praise-struck fourteen-year-old, that is.
"So don't be discouraged if your children didn't pass the exam! Beyond advancing to the military track, they can even pass the military examination itself! With me, Yang Geumho—who always looks toward greater heights—this future is assured!"
I wasn't a kind and naive fourteen-year-old.
I was an adult who couldn't forget the past so easily.
"Thank you for your excellent guidance."
"Yes. Continue to strive diligently and aim to pass the military examination—no, even take first place."
"I fully intend to. However, I have no intention of walking that path together with Dongsan Academy."
If you're wronged, it's only right to repay it.
"Didn't you once recommend that I withdraw?"
Shouldn't unresolved matters be settled before moving on?
The moment my words ended, murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Yang Geumho glanced around nervously, gauging the parents' reactions.
He probably never expected a fourteen-year-old child to be this bold.
"Well, there seems to be some misunderstanding. If it sounded unpleasant, I apologize. But I had no other intention. At the time, I truly said it for your future. Now that you've grown such splendid skill, it seems my worries were unfounded."
Yang Geumho hurriedly continued, trying to shift the mood.
"So, as an apology, I promise that our academy will spare no support. We'll cover all expenses—weapons, medicinal ingredients, everything needed until you take the military examination. Seoha, you can just focus on the exam with peace of mind. And wouldn't it be more comfortable to train here, with friends you've been with for so long, rather than going elsewhere?"
It was a good joke—for once.
Friends?
Were there any friends of mine here? Enemies, maybe.
"The world is wide."
"Seoha, don't be like that—"
Yang Geumho spoke persistently.
But the ship had already sailed.
"No. With this approach, I wouldn't even earn the right to take the military examination, let alone pass it. Prestigious academies conduct promotion exams at two or three times the speed here. If one can't even keep up with that, it would be lucky not to get eaten by monsters while passing by. So I intend to act as a Cheongsin should and move to a prestigious academy. Thank you for your guidance thus far, Headmaster."
A clean ending.
Stopping a disciple who wished to leave the river for the sea would only be disgraceful, so Yang Geumho couldn't say anything.
At that moment, the parents' murmurs grew louder.
"Well, most people who passed the military exam did come from prestigious academies."
"Maybe we should move too. Even if it's late, wouldn't that be better if we want to pass?"
As negative opinions spread, Yang Geumho's expression stiffened as he grasped the reality.
It was quite a sight.
I wanted to savor it a bit longer, but right now, I wanted to see my father's face more.
"Then I'll be going."
When I turned around, Father greeted me with a radiant smile.
"Good work. I'll look into academies for you."
Since everyone had heard the conversation with the headmaster, this was his way of responding.
But I already had an academy in mind.
"No. I have a place in mind."
"Which academy?"
"Let's eat first. I'm starving."
"You must be hungry after the exam. What do you want? Meat? Fish? I'll buy everything. Hahaha!"
"Don't forget what you just said. I'm planning to eat a whole cow today."
"Alright, alright. Let's slaughter a cow. And a pig, and a duck too."
Father walked ahead enthusiastically.
In contrast, Yang Geumho was shouting angrily at his son.
I couldn't hear the exact words, but it looked like he was venting properly.
"I told you to get close to him! What are you going to do now, huh? If you'd been friendly with him, this wouldn't have happened!"
"That's because you—"
"Are you talking back now? Why did you make a mistake? I told you to practice properly! Do you know how humiliating this is?!"
It was something like that.
The children looked on with pity at Yang Taesik, who stood with his head lowered, unable to say a word.
"Pity? Serves him right."
When I turned my head, I saw Father walking ahead as if dancing.
Thinking about it, this too was a blessing.
"Looks like I really am lucky."
Having good parents was also a matter of luck.