"You know the way, right? You're not even looking at a map."
"I memorized it."
"...."
It had been a half-baked excuse, but Han Sanghyeok seemed to believe it.
"Well, you did get a perfect score on the written test."
Who would've thought a perfect written score would help even here.
I nodded at the satisfied reaction, then turned back and began to feel a slight sense of worry.
I'd left more traces than expected.
Unlike my memory, there was no proper path.
"Well, the situation's different."
Back before my regression, when I used this exit, a path had already been formed to some extent.
That was when everyone was fleeing, so plenty of people must have passed through here.
But now, this was a peaceful era.
That cave was only used for testing.
"I messed up."
I'd briefly forgotten that in this life, I absolutely could not afford to make mistakes.
Even small mistakes could lead to huge consequences.
The one saving grace was that there was still plenty of time.
If I hurried back to the training grounds now, it would be fine.
I knew all the routes anyway.
"At this rate, we'll arrive with time to spa—"
It was at that moment.
From behind, I felt something charging toward us with ferocious momentum.
"What is that? Killing intent?"
It wasn't exactly the same, but it was something similar to killing intent.
Judging by the size and speed of the aura, it was at least Seonin-level.
"Then… is it Kang Museong?"
Was Kang Museong chasing me?
Why?
Why would that guy, who hated annoying things, bother squeezing through that narrow hole to follow me?
There were plenty of wide, comfortable exits.
More than anything, I'd tried my best to leave as few traces as possible.
True, there was no path and lots of undergrowth, so I'd left more traces than expected—but by the standards of other examinees, it was practically flawless.
"He said if there aren't enough traces, he won't chase."
That bastard.
Honestly, I hadn't liked him even back during the war.
A crazy bastard full of nothing but passion, always charging straight in.
"Don't go burning your passion here!"
"What? What's wrong all of a sudden?"
"It's Kang Museong."
"The White-Clothed Seonin?"
"What Seonin. He's just a lunatic."
The words I'd been holding back slipped out.
"For now, run!"
There was no need to worry about erasing traces anymore.
Even so, running away was impossible.
No matter how fast we ran, Kang Museong would catch us eventually.
So I had to think of a way to shake him off.
I recalled the surrounding terrain in my head.
"How do I lose him?"
During the war, Namak had been called the final bastion.
That was because there were so many places to hide.
If I used that well, I could escape even from a Seonin.
And at that moment, a fork in the road appeared.
"You know how to read a map, right?"
"Of course I do. But why?"
"You go right. I'll go left. At least one of us has to survive, don't we?"
First, I save Sanghyeok.
This guy needed to enter Seongmu Academy, train properly, and stand at the forefront in the future war against the Rakshasa.
"Don't worry about it. It's fifty-fifty luck."
"Fifty-fifty? I mean, I—"
"Deer escape like this. How long do you think you could stall him? Against a Seonin."
"...Alright."
He nodded and ran off down the right path.
I pretended to run, then stopped.
Sanghyeok was safe, at least.
Now, let's see if I can survive too.
"Not running?"
Kang Museong landed right behind me and spoke.
"I thought I erased my traces pretty well. Why are you following me?"
"Yeah, I'll admit it. You erased them well. It's not easy to hide traces that well in a place without paths. You've got skill."
"Then why are you still following me?"
"You broke No. 86's arm, didn't you?"
I put on an innocent expression.
"He fell by himself. I offered to help, but he told me to just go. Said it didn't matter since he'd messed up the written test."
"You little shit. No. 86 spilled everything. Just tell the truth."
If you're going to bluff, do it properly, Kang Museong.
Kim Yongho, who'd promised to go to Cheongsin, would never have said that.
"Spilled what? Is it okay for a proctor to lie like that?"
"...Look at this bastard. Either way, if you're caught, you're eliminated."
"I don't plan on getting caught. Try catching me."
The moment I finished speaking, I turned and started running.
If I could just reach the spot I had in mind, I could shake Kang Museong off.
"Just a bit more. Just a bit more and surely…"
I could use something that hadn't been discovered yet.
But that thought didn't last long.
Kang Museong's voice came from right beside me.
"You're faster than I thought. But you seem to have forgotten—I'm a Seonin. Did you really think you could run from me?"
As if taking a stroll, Kang Museong caught up to me.
"…Damn it, seriously."
Looks like I'd overestimated myself.
"Behave and get caught. You'll get hurt."
It was the moment Kang Museong reached out his hand.
"I'm soooooo sorryyyyyy!"
Han Sanghyeok burst out of the bushes.
While running, Han Sanghyeok looked back.
"Haa, haa."
Kang Museong wasn't following.
He'd deliberately dug up the ground to leave traces, so if Kang Museong wasn't following, there was only one reason.
"He went after Seoha."
Sanghyeok immediately pulled out the map.
The cave's location and each exit were clearly marked.
Thanks to that, he quickly confirmed his position.
"To take the left path from here…"
He just had to push through the bushes and run.
"Let's go. Whew. Don't panic."
Seoha had said at least one of them should survive, but Sanghyeok thought that if only one person could make it through, it should be Seoha.
After all, he was only taking the test thanks to Seoha.
"Don't get caught. Hang in there."
Sanghyeok threw himself into the bushes.
He knocked aside thorny branches with his wooden sword, but they were so dense that injuries were inevitable.
Even so, he didn't slow down.
After running like mad for a long while—
A path appeared, and in the distance he saw Seoha and Kang Museong approaching.
Seoha was just about to be caught.
There was no time to think.
Sanghyeok flew toward Kang Museong, shouting,
"I'm soooooo sorryyyyyy!"
He'd dodge on his own.
He was a Seonin, after all.
Sanghyeok swung his wooden sword down with all his strength.
Why is that kid here again?
Kang Museong was startled.
He clearly hadn't expected someone to burst out of that dense undergrowth, nor for an examinee to attack a proctor.
"Damn it…!"
Kang Museong instinctively twisted his body and tried to counterattack, but then hesitated and fell on his own.
It was to avoid killing Sanghyeok.
If a Seonin failed to control his strength, he could actually kill him.
That bought some time.
I shouted at Sanghyeok.
"Run!"
At least we'd gained some distance.
The problem was that Kang Museong was even more furious now.
Sanghyeok was panicking beside me.
"We're screwed, right? We're screwed, aren't we?"
"Stop whining with that face."
"If I get down on my knees and beg, will he forgive us?"
"No way. Look at his expression."
Seeing Kang Museong charging toward us like a madman, Sanghyeok's face crumpled.
"Can't Cheongsin take me in too? This feels like elimination."
"Don't say unlucky things. I'll bounce him off one more time. Then we've got a chance."
"What chance?"
"Running away. If we keep running, you'll see a huge fallen tree lying on its side. Wait there."
"What about you?"
"I'll have a little internal energy duel with the Seonin."
"What? That's insane—!"
I stopped and faced Kang Museong.
Just a little more.
If I could stall him just a little longer, I could escape.
To do that, I had to take a risk.
"I can do this. I can do this. I can do this."
Think positively.
My judgment couldn't be wrong.
This time, I could win an internal energy duel even against a Seonin.
"It's fine. I won't fail. I'm lucky. It'll work. Believe it."
Kang Museong was being careful about controlling his strength.
You could tell from how he hadn't struck Sanghyeok earlier.
That meant he'd hold back again this time.
"Thanks to the Ten-Thousand-Year Hasuo, my internal energy is top-tier."
I possessed internal energy no fifteen-year-old should ever have.
On the other hand, Kang Museong had to be cautious.
Unlike bones, which could be reset, a mistake in an internal energy clash could twist one's qi and blood, leaving them crippled for life.
A proctor ending a student's martial career?
And the grandson of former Royal Guard Commander Lee Gangjin, no less?
Kang Museong would be even more careful than usual.
"Let's just hope he's not a complete idiot."
I extended one hand forward.
A declaration of war.
A declaration that I was challenging him to an internal energy duel.
"Look at this little bastard. Confident in your internal energy, are you?"
Kang Museong sneered and extended his hand.
He was accepting.
I leapt forward and met his hand.
Our internal energies collided and tangled at our fingertips.
And the moment they pushed against each other—
Kang Museong and I were both blown backward in opposite directions.
"Cough—damn it!"
I spat blood.
I'd almost had my qi and blood twisted.
If I hadn't consistently trained the Gangro, it would've been disastrous.
"That crazy bastard…!"
Once again, I realized Kang Museong was insane.
Sure, he'd controlled his strength—to some extent.
A Seonin wouldn't actually be blown away by my internal energy.
The problem was that for a normal fifteen-year-old, that level would've twisted their qi and blood to death.
"Unbelievable bastard."
Just you wait. I'll pay you back for this someday.
Of course, that was assuming I got out of here alive.
Enduring the pain wracking my entire body, I immediately started running.
Soon, I saw the tilted fallen tree ahead, and Sanghyeok spoke with a nervous face.
"Seoha! The proctor?"
"No idea. I hope he's dead."
Not that it was likely.
I kicked the ground behind the fallen tree.
The earth collapsed, revealing a small, well-like hole.
A hidden cave.
The reason the tree was tilted was because the ground beneath it had sunk.
It was an old cave discovered later during the war, but for now, this was the only option.
"This is…"
"We have to get in before he sees us."
"Wait, it looks pretty deep?"
"Just get in, idiot. Why are you so scared? You're a man."
"Wait, let me mentally prepare—!"
I grabbed Sanghyeok and threw him in.
"Aaaaaaah!"
Hearing his scream, I threw myself in as well.
After falling for quite some time—
Splash!
My body was submerged in water.
Kang Museong stared blankly at the sky.
"I lost?"
He'd adjusted his strength to just short of killing.
Honestly, it felt like he'd failed to control it even more than that.
His reason had slipped a bit.
In his agitated state, how much strength had he actually used?
The moment their hands met, a fear had struck him—what if Cheongsin's young master ended up seriously hurt?
But it was already done.
And yet, he'd lost.
No matter how much he'd held back, a Seonin had lost to a mere examinee.
"Wait—are you okay?"
Kang Museong scrambled to his feet.
But No. 88 was already gone.
Even after that internal energy clash, he'd moved immediately.
A complete defeat.
Considering the age and experience gap, it could only be called a complete defeat.
"Ha…"
With a hollow laugh, Kang Museong scratched his head and stood up.
He tried following, worried something might have gone wrong, but No. 88 had long vanished without a trace.
"Where did he disappear to?"
If he'd collapsed somewhere out of sight, even emergency treatment would be difficult.
"This is driving me crazy. He must've suffered internal injuries."
Seeing that Seoha had spat blood, Kang Museong let out a deep sigh.
"Damn it! You idiot! Losing your head against kids!"
Perfect score on the written test. With skills like that, he was talent that appeared once in a hundred years—no, once in a thousand.
That was why Cheongsin wanted him to enter Seongmu Academy.
And that genius had suffered internal injuries?
If this reached Iron-Blooded Lee Gangjin's ears, Kang Museong was as good as dead.
"Ah, damn it. What was I thinking?"
Regret came too late.
Now he had to find a way to turn the situation around.
Kang Museong immediately examined the blood Seoha had spat out.
"He only spat once. That means it's not as serious as it could've been…"
Only then did he let out a sigh of relief.
"Why did they even make someone like me a proctor…"
Muttering to himself, Kang Museong began searching for Seoha.
"Ah, I'm dying."
I had no strength left.
I was sprawled out in the cave.
Thanks to improving my constitution with the Ten-Thousand-Year Hasuo, I'd recover after a good day's sleep—but I didn't have that kind of time.
If I didn't move immediately, I wouldn't make it back to the training grounds by sunset.
"If we exit through this cave and head to the training grounds… will we make it in time?"
This was bad.
Had I failed?
Was I unable to fasten the very first button properly?
If I failed to enter Seongmu Academy, I'd have to revise all my plans.
That couldn't happen. I had to get up and go, no matter what.
But when I struggled to rise, my legs refused to cooperate.
I was done for.
Cold sweat poured down, and my head spun.
Then I heard Sanghyeok's voice.
"What are you doing? If you can't get up, I'll carry you."
I let out a sigh.
Did he think I hadn't considered that?
"If you carry me, do you think we'll arrive on time? No. Even running at full speed from now, it'd be close."
"But if I leave you, you're eliminated."
"At least you should pass. You want to attend Seongmu Academy, don't you?"
"Forget it. Either we both pass or we both fail. One or the other. Why do you think I'm a porter? Carrying a collapsed young master is part of a porter's job."
"...."
It was time to gamble.
"Fine. Let's go. Regret either way—it's the same."
"Then pardon me!"
Sanghyeok hoisted me onto his shoulders.
It wasn't comfortable, but this was how you transported the injured.
"Run gently. Everything hurts."
"Do we have time for that?"
"...Just run and don't worry about it."
"Hold on tight."
According to the original plan, I was supposed to enter calmly and get close to the kids whose acceptance was guaranteed.
What the hell was this mess?
Naturally, my anger turned toward the culprit behind all this.
"Kang Museong, you bastard. If I pass, I'm exposing all your secrets."
"The Seonin has secrets too?"
"He does. I don't usually like revenge like this, but I'll definitely get revenge."
"What secret?"
"Well, you see…"
After hearing the secret, Sanghyeok burst out laughing and sped up.
"Hahaha! But how do you even know that?"
"There's a way to know everything."
"Then we really have to pass."
Exactly.
Just wait, Kang Museong.
The incarnation of revenge who even regressed for revenge is coming.