Han Sanghyeok, having parted ways with Seoha, walked toward his assigned lodging carrying a large bundle, lost in thought.
Lee Seoha of the Cheongsin clan.
"Seriously, what a strange bastard."
He said they had met before, yet no matter how hard he tried to recall it, there was no memory of such a person.
The child of a great clan, one that could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Unseong clan, had shown him goodwill.
Suggesting they become friends—that much he could accept.
After all, what harm could there be in becoming friends? Good things were good things.
But offering to pay all of his tuition was on an entirely different level.
Seongmu Academy was a total of three years.
In other words, just tuition alone would cost the enormous sum of 1,500 nyang.
It was absolutely not a small amount.
Small clans often couldn't even prepare the tuition after passing and had to run around borrowing money.
"Why would he do that for me, of all people?"
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't figure it out.
Lee Seoha was acting friendly, but even so, they were complete strangers who had met less than an hour ago.
"Could it be he's trying to get young master eliminated? No, that can't be it. If that were the case, he wouldn't have told me to take the exam properly."
His worries only deepened.
The written exam scores were made public to everyone.
Although they were listed by number so it wasn't clear who scored what exactly, the problem was that Han Yeongsu knew Sanghyeok's number.
If his score came out high on the first day's written exam, he would be branded a traitor and purged.
What if he took that risk and Lee Seoha pretended not to know?
At that point, his life would truly be ruined.
That was why his reason kept screaming that he should refuse.
But the offer was far too good to ignore.
"This might be my last chance..."
Han Sanghyeok was a child the third son of the Unseong clan had brought back from outside.
Because of that, he had been treated as an illegitimate child born of a courtesan.
Still, since he carried Unseong blood, he had lived a better life than he would now.
Then tragedy struck suddenly.
When Sanghyeok was five years old, his father—his only protector—passed away.
Once the roof that shielded him from discrimination disappeared, his life fell lower than that of the servants.
That was why Han Sanghyeok had always thought this.
That within Unseong, he would never escape a life at the bottom.
"Yeah. This is a chance."
Wasn't now the time to stake his life?
Just as he thought that, a shock struck the back of his head.
"Hey, you bastard!"
Han Yeongsu slapped the back of Sanghyeok's head and shouted.
"I sent you on an errand—where the hell did you wander off to?"
"I'm sorry, young master. There were a lot of guests, so I was delayed."
In truth, he had been delayed because of the conversation.
"Tsk. You can't do a single thing right. You're not getting any food today, so remember that."
Han Yeongsu looked down on Sanghyeok, his cousin, like an insect because he was an illegitimate child, and treated him even more harshly than disciples of much lower status.
Rubbing the back of his head, Sanghyeok watched Han Yeongsu disappear with his friends.
"...Yeah. I can't keep living like this."
Someday, he planned to leave the clan for a free life.
Even if all he ate was mixed grain rice soaked in water, that would be fine.
As long as he could live without watching others' moods and train to his heart's content.
He decided to think of it as that time coming a little earlier.
"I'll pass. This exam."
Han Sanghyeok decided to trust that Cheongsin friend.
"Seongmu Academy even has nice lodgings."
After passing through the gate that no one could enter freely, the lodgings appeared right away.
After spending the night here, the written exam would be held the very next day.
I opened the book I had brought.
The written exam basically covered a wide range of fields: tactics, strategy, emergency treatment, reading comprehension, history, law, and ethics.
In other words, you needed well-rounded knowledge.
Of course, I wasn't worried.
After regressing, time was tight just building my body, so I hadn't studied much—but I had my one and only advantage: my memory.
Because I rarely forgot anything I saw even once, I had been able to make perfect plans.
Getting a high score on the written exam was practically a given.
Even so, I skimmed through the book to avoid complacency.
"I can't afford to make mistakes just trusting my memory."
In this life, not a single failure would be tolerated.
Everything had to go according to plan—no, even better than planned.
That was why I had to get a perfect score on this written exam.
Because I wasn't confident I could take first place in the practical exam.
Thanks to my grandfather's murderous training and the power of the ten-thousand-year hasuo, my skills had improved quite a bit, but among the geniuses gathered here, even one mistake could be fatal.
So in the areas I was confident in, I had to secure the best possible results.
"I've done well so far, right? Isn't that right, Jonsun?"
Jonsun, placed on the desk, just stared at me with an expressionless face.
The next day.
The exam ended without incident.
The test ran for a total of five hours, from Sasi (9 a.m.) to Misi (1 p.m.), and the results were announced the same day at Yusi (5 p.m.).
The idea was for everyone to know their written score before proceeding to the practical exam.
Finding my number wasn't difficult.
At the very top of the notice board.
[No. 88 – 500 points.]
Since 500 points was a perfect score, it meant I had achieved my intended goal.
Right below it, No. 179 had taken second place with 498 points.
'That's a relief.'
Reviewing had paid off.
But I couldn't be satisfied with just this.
'Since I was No. 88...'
Because the numbers were assigned in order, you could roughly tell who the numbers around yours were.
I immediately looked for Nos. 83 through 87.
'Among that group, Han Yeongsu must have received his number first, so he'd be No. 83.'
His score was 410 points.
It was better than expected.
Well, considering he'd been receiving lessons since childhood, maybe it was only natural.
'Then Han Sanghyeok...'
If he had accepted my offer, he would have taken action.
Even if he hadn't received proper instruction, he would have studied on his own, so he should have easily surpassed his previous limits.
Just crossing that line he'd drawn for himself gave him potential.
'Nos. 84 to 87...'
As I lowered my gaze and checked the scores, No. 87 caught my eye.
[No. 87 – 312 points.]
The other numbers barely cleared 100 points, so it had to be Sanghyeok.
Seeing Han Yeongsu glaring at him in fury while Sanghyeok avoided his gaze confirmed it.
'He accepted it.'
Then I couldn't just leave things as they were.
Sanghyeok had worked up the courage, so now it was time to show him a reward worthy of that.
I strode straight toward Sanghyeok.
"You crazy bastard! I told you to score just over 100 points! Huh? What the hell do you think you're doing?! Do you think you're actually going to get into Seongmu Academy?!"
"...I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry—pack your things and go back. You bastard. If you're a whore's spawn, then act like one, huh?"
The enraged Han Yeongsu jabbed a finger into Sanghyeok's chest.
I could see Sanghyeok holding himself back.
Just watching made my chest feel tight with frustration.
I grabbed Han Yeongsu's wrist.
"That's enough."
"What are you?"
Han Yeongsu finally seemed to recognize me.
"What? Aren't you the guy from the registration desk? You know who I am and you're still doing this?"
"I know. Unseong's pathetic trash."
"Unseong's pathetic trash?"
"Yeah, you. Is there another pathetic trash here besides you?"
Han Yeongsu laughed in disbelief and spoke to his lackeys.
"Hey. Kill this bastard."
"You shouldn't throw around the word 'kill' so lightly."
I rummaged around and pulled out my identification plaque, holding it up in front of his eyes.
I'd planned not to reveal it unless necessary.
But this was exactly what power was for.
And if it was to protect someone I truly needed, there was no reason to spare it.
"Say it again. Kill me? You think someone like you can kill me?"
I lifted my chin, maintaining an endlessly arrogant posture.
"Go on, try. If you think you can handle an all-out war with Cheongsin."
Unseong's history was long, and compared to it, Cheongsin was insignificant.
But Cheongsin had Lee Gangjin.
No matter how much Unseong was said to be a pillar of the kingdom, if my grandfather went and danced with his blade just once, Unseong would be wiped out.
Even Han Yeongsu, who had been brimming with arrogance, could no longer stand tall.
"You're Cheongsin?"
"Yeah. I'm Cheongsin. I'll let it slide since you didn't know until now. But now that you do, if you disrespect me one more time, that's when you die. Got it?"
Han Yeongsu took a step back.
The slightly frightened look on his face was pretty amusing.
Time for the finishing blow.
I wrapped an arm around Sanghyeok's shoulder and declared proudly.
"Then I'm taking my friend with me."
"Your friend? That illegitimate bastard?"
"Just a friend? He's my best friend. Isn't that right, Sanghyeok?"
"Huh? Ah, yeah. That's right."
Nice—he was quick on the uptake.
"He's a member of our clan, you know? Who do you think you are, taking him away?"
"That's his choice. What are you going to do?"
"Ah, of course I'll go with you."
"Everyone heard that, right? He decided for himself, so mind your own business now. See you tomorrow, Unseong's leftovers."
"This bastard...."
Han Yeongsu spat out insults in humiliation, but I ignored him and left with Sanghyeok.
After a long while of staring back and forth between me and Han Yeongsu with a dazed expression, Sanghyeok finally muttered to himself.
"...I really crossed it."
"Crossed what?"
"The river you can't go back from."
Smacking his lips, Sanghyeok spoke again.
"You really are paying my tuition, right? I can trust you, right?"
"Trust me. My grandfather will pay it."
"Lee Gangjin, the warrior?"
"Yeah. My grandfather's completely wrapped around my finger."
"Ah, maybe I shouldn't have trusted you so easily."
Sanghyeok shook his head as if he couldn't believe it, but I was confident.
If I got into Seongmu Academy, he'd give not just 1,500 nyang, but even 15,000 nyang without hesitation.
"I told you not to worry. You know how much he likes me."
I was getting intoxicated.
So this was money and power!
"Let's go, best friend. We should eat well, sleep well, and prepare for tomorrow's exam."
"...Yeah. Best friend."
Sanghyeok adapted quickly to my forced enthusiasm.
"Damn it!"
With Seoha gone, Han Yeongsu vented his anger on his unfortunate subordinates.
"Hoo, that Han Sanghyeok bastard—doesn't even know the grace of being raised and dares to turn his back on the clan?"
"What should we do, young master?"
"What do you think? We crush them both."
Han Yeongsu had no intention of letting this slide.
So what if the opponent was Cheongsin?
As long as it didn't get exposed, nothing would be a problem.
"Who wants to teach Cheongsin and Han Sanghyeok a lesson?"
The moment Han Yeongsu spoke, three people raised their hands at once.
All three were warriors of commoner origin training under Unseong.
That was why they desperately tried to catch the eye of Han Yeongsu, who would become the next clan head, and were willing to do anything.
For a commoner to rise in status, they needed a powerful backer.
They also possessed enough skill to serve as Han Yeongsu's palanquin bearers.
"Two of you need to help me—what if all three go? Hey, you. Was it Kim Yongho?"
Kim Yongho stepped forward and dropped to one knee.
"Yes, I am Kim Yongho."
"You're the strongest among them, right?"
"Yes."
"Between you and Han Sanghyeok, who's stronger?"
"Of course I am. I can finish that bastard with one punch."
"Good. Then you handle Cheongsin and Han Sanghyeok and make sure they fail. If you break just one leg, they'll be disqualified."
"I will carry out your order."
Kim Yongho stood up, smiling confidently.
A chance to impress Unseong's future clan head.
No matter what, he had no intention of letting it slip away.
The third day of the entrance exam dawned.
Waking up at Myosi, I turned my gaze to Sanghyeok, who was sleeping on the floor.
I had offered him the bed, but he had stubbornly refused.
'Well, given his status right now.'
Though he belonged to Unseong, he was an illegitimate child treated worse than a servant.
And now a child of Cheongsin had approached him, so of course he'd feel burdened and cautious.
Even if things were close now, he was probably holding onto the fear that he could be discarded at any time.
'I should approach him slowly so he doesn't feel pressured.'
I had absolutely no intention of abandoning him, but if goodwill could be perceived as anxiety, it was better for me to be careful first.
Quietly getting up so as not to wake him, I ate a simple breakfast and began my internal energy training.
To master the Shinro Mind Method, I had to train every single day without fail.
By the time half of Jinsi had passed, Sanghyeok woke up.
"Wow, you're relaxed. The exam starts in half a shijin—are you sure it's okay to get up now?"
"Ah... sorry. It's been a really long time since I slept this comfortably."
I meant it as a joke—why did he answer like that?
Sleeping comfortably meant lying on the floor with a single blanket?
Just what kind of treatment had he been getting?
"S-so that's it? I made breakfast. Eat."
"Breakfast? Really?"
Sanghyeok jumped up, saw the rice balls, and immediately started stuffing them into his mouth.
"Eat slowly. You think the rice balls are going to run away?"
"Sorry, it's been a long time since I even ate breakfast. Um, can I drink some of that tea too?"
"...Drink it. Drink it all. Want some milk too?"
"Oh, milk! I've always wanted to try it. All the stuff that's good for your body, young master... that bastard Han Yeongsu ate it all."
"Yeah, yeah. There's plenty, so eat slowly."
He was more pitiful than I'd expected.