Chapter 33

Instructor Im Su-pyeong, the teacher in charge of Black Tortoise Class, had been in a good mood lately. Mainly because there hadn’t been any usual trouble at the start of the semester. On top of that, the learning atmosphere among the kids was outstanding. They listened quietly when the instructors spoke and trained more passionately than anyone during afternoon practice sessions. Thanks to that, Im Su-pyeong had become the envy of the other class instructors. More than anything, the top student among the lower classes had come from his own class—and that student was the son of his closest friend and elder brother. Everything seemed perfect... except for two students he just couldn’t stand. Two people who didn’t fit in with the rest of his class. Yeon Woo Jin and Jang Un. The fact that someone of the Martial God Sect’s lowest status was placed in Black Tortoise Class was the only thorn in his side. And the fact that this lowest-status student kept placing first in every single exam only added to his irritation. Yeon Woo Jin. Every time there was a test, he never once failed to take the top spot among the lower-class students. His answer sheets were flawless—there wasn’t a single thing Im Su-pyeong could nitpick. Sometimes, the way the kid phrased his writing was so eloquent that it bruised his own pride. He could understand Jang Un being here—he was just Seon Woo Baek’s toy—but Yeon Woo Jin was different. He was the only student who hadn’t even bothered to come say hello like the others did. No polite introductions, no “please take care of me.” That alone rubbed Im Su-pyeong the wrong way. Normally, the smarter kids struggle with physical training. So during the afternoon training sessions, he deliberately gave Yeon Woo Jin the toughest exercises—but not once did the boy show any sign of struggle. That pissed him off. Some brat, just a librarian’s grandson, making him feel this annoyed? He wanted to wipe that smug expression off Yeon Woo Jin’s face. Of course, if Yeon Woo Jin’s grandfather were to come and smooth things over, he’d be willing to forgive the kid. He had dropped a few subtle hints here and there. But every time, the old man had just laughed it off. That smug bastard. There’s no way a kid that smart didn’t get what he was saying. He was clearly mocking him. But then there was something else that didn’t sit right. He’d casually brought up Yeon Woo Jin to Seon Woo Baek once—and the kid had freaked out. No way the Lower-Class First would be scared of a mere librarian’s grandson. Still, he couldn’t figure it out. So, in the end, he decided he’d personally set the kid up. He was going to humiliate him during the upcoming Military Division Field Trip, crush that smug expression for good. For the academically inclined, the goal was always to enter the Military Division. Those without martial talent, but with brains, saw it as the only path to rise in status within the Martial God Sect. So the lower-class students took part in a Military Division immersion program at the start of the semester. They’d go help with menial tasks and get some firsthand experience. And the Military Division had no shortage of people who owed him favors. He planned to use them to make Yeon Woo Jin suffer. Usually, these field trips were meant to inspire admiration for the Military Division—glorious and dazzling showcases of might. But Yeon Woo Jin? He’d be an exception. “Let’s see how you handle a little hell.” **** “Let me get this straight—you want to screw over Yeon Woo Jin?” “That’s right. That smug little shit thinks being smart means he can treat his teacher like a joke. Someone needs to teach him that the world isn’t so kind.” At Im Su-pyeong’s words, the Military Division scholar across from him chuckled. “You’re not just jealous because he’s smarter than you?” “What? Me? Don’t be ridiculous! I’m doing this for the kid’s own good! He needs to understand how harsh the world can be.” “Hahaha. Sure, sure.” The half-lidded eyes of the scholar seemed to say I know exactly what this is really about. “Ahem!” Im Su-pyeong quickly looked away from that knowing gaze. “So how exactly do you want to screw him over?” “He thinks he’s the smartest person alive—shatter that delusion.” Of course, Yeon Woo Jin had never actually said that. It was all in Im Su-pyeong’s head. “Oh really? He thinks he’s the smartest in the world?” “That’s right.” “I see. In that case... there’s something perfect. Physically exhausting and mentally painful.” “What is it?” “Clean out one of the underground archives, then organize all the formulation manuals on battle formations by type and trait. Normally a job for new recruits, but with all the chaos around choosing the next Heir to the Little Heavenly Lord, the Military Division’s been spread thin lately.” “I’ve heard. Yeah, that’ll do. Let’s go with that.” Im Su-pyeong looked pleased, while the scholar had a sly gleam in his eye. He’d made up his mind to test the boy that Im Su-pyeong was so obsessed with. If he’s really something special... I’ll bring him under me. The Military Division was always open to real talent. **** At Baegyeong High School, students were assigned their major based on their skills. Most chose the Martial Division, but there were always a good number who opted for Academic Division. Baegyeong had an unusually high number of Academic Division students. That was because many of the scholars working in the Military Division were Baegyeong alumni. Other high schools often mocked Baegyeong, calling it a place for weaklings. But the person who had shattered that stereotype and made Baegyeong strong overnight was Gwak Pyeong. Brilliant mind, striking looks, and born with natural martial talent. He lacked nothing. At first, everyone was confused why someone like him would enroll in Baegyeong—until they found out he was the grandson of the school's headmaster. Where he came from had been carefully hidden. But that had been possible only because the Baegyeong Headmaster was his grandfather. Anyway, both divisions—Martial and Academic—took the same core classes. But the bonus points they could earn differed. Academic Division got bonuses for written and theoretical subjects; Martial Division got them for physical and martial performance. So, in the end, their final scores usually balanced out. No one really complained. Even the immersion field trips were different. Academic Division students went to the Military Division. Martial Division students went to the Combat Corps. So Yeon Woo Jin had to part ways with Jang Un, Seon Woo Baek, Gok Yang-woo, and the rest of his classmates to attend the Academic Division’s trip. Military Division. Being a place full of scholars, even the characters written on its signboard were elegantly excessive. When students arrived, someone from inside would come out to take them where they were needed. Everyone had already been picked up—except for Yeon Woo Jin. While he tilted his head, confused, someone walked up to him with a smile. “So, you’re Yeon Woo Jin, huh?” “Yes, that’s me.” “Come with me.” “Yes, sir.” “Your grandfather is the Librarian of the Infinite Archives, isn’t he?” “That’s right.” “Then you must have read a lot of books.” “Not really.” “Come on, don’t play dumb. I heard it from your teacher. Said you were the smartest among the lower-class students.” “Did he really say that?” “He did. Went on and on about how brilliant you were—I was dying of curiosity. Now that I see you, you’ve got a handsome face too. Bet you’ll have half the girls crying after you.” “You’re too kind.” “Hahaha, pleasure to meet you. My name’s Bae Sang-pil. But just call me Scholar Bae.” “Yes, Scholar Bae.” The place Bae Sang-pil led him to was a dusty, underground storage room. “Sorry to stick you with this kind of work. But since you’ve had experience organizing the Infinite Archives, you’re the only one fit for the job.” “So, I’m cleaning this place?” “I wish that were it. There’s one more thing.” “What is it?” “See those stacks of books over there?” “Yes.” “Those are research materials on battle formations, and other studies. I need you to categorize them by type and organize them on the shelves.” Yeon Woo Jin looked around briefly, then nodded. “Understood.” Bae Sang-pil had expected him to frown or grumble, maybe even refuse—but the boy answered flatly, without emotion. It threw him off. Still, he couldn’t help but smirk internally. This kid thinks it’s going to be easy. Everyone else ran for their lives once they saw the cleaning task. This wasn’t just sweeping some cobwebs. It was clearing a storage room that hadn’t been touched in decades and then sorting ancient martial documents. There was no way it would be easy. He’ll collapse from exhaustion halfway through. By tomorrow, he’ll be begging to be reassigned. “Well then, I’ll leave it to you.” “Yes, sir.” Watching Yeon Woo Jin’s still-composed expression, Bae Sang-pil thought: So this is the expression that rubbed Su-pyeong the wrong way. There was something infuriating about that unbothered confidence. Bae Sang-pil, too, suddenly wanted to see that smug expression twisted in frustration. “Let’s see each other when you’re done.” With that, Bae Sang-pil left the room—and Yeon Woo Jin let out a soft laugh. “So someone’s trying to screw with me, huh?” He looked around again, murmuring. “This isn’t so bad. I could finish it in a day.” Not that he actually intended to. “Battle formation documents, huh... Let’s see what kind of things they’ve been researching.” Still humming to himself, Yeon Woo Jin walked toward the research archives. **** Sama Cheon, head of the Military Division and second only to the Martial God Sect Leader in the hierarchy, was urgently looking for something. “Has anyone seen the materials on the Thousandfold Thunder Array Formation?” At his question, the scholars nearby scrambled in all directions, darting between bookshelves to find the mentioned documents. But no matter how far they searched, the materials were nowhere to be found. Then someone spoke up. “I believe those documents were all moved to the underground archive, my lord. Since the formation was deemed a failure, they were sent there. We’ll retrieve them at once.” “Underground archive? You mean that graveyard of books?” “Yes, sir.” “Never mind. I’ll go myself.” “But sir, it’s a filthy, decrepit place! Let us handle it for you—” “I don’t have the patience to wait for you fools to dig through it. You go back to your work.” “Y-yes, my lord...” Despite the protests, Sama Cheon moved quickly toward the underground archive, muttering to himself as he walked. “I’ve finally figured out a way to complete the Thousandfold Thunder Array Formation. But I need the original failure reports to understand what went wrong.” **** “Huh?” When he reached the underground archive, Sama Cheon paused. He had expected a moldy, dust-choked dungeon reeking of rot. Instead, what greeted him was a clean, freshly organized storage chamber, as if it had just been renovated. “What the...? Did they tear it down and rebuild it?” No, the ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) building above it hadn’t changed at all. Tilting his head in confusion, he stepped inside—and saw someone. “So they’ve finally refurbished the place and assigned someone to manage it.” That made sense. “Even if they’re failed projects, you never know when they might prove useful. Yes! Finally, my subordinates are doing real work.” Assuming it was one of his men, Sama Cheon felt a swell of satisfaction and stepped closer to see who had been assigned here. “Huh?” “Oh?” They both recognized each other instantly. “You’re... Woo Jin? What are you doing here?” “Hello, sir. I came here as part of my field assignment.” “Ah, I see. But why are you alone?” “They told me to organize this place.” “Alone?” “Yes.” “What exactly did they have you organize?” “The documents that were piled up over there. They looked like research on formation arts.” “You... you’ve read them?” “Yes. I had to read them in order to sort them.” “Really? Did any of them stand out to you?” “Hmm...” Yeon Woo Jin paused, thoughtful. “I think the Thousandfold Thunder Array Formation seemed promising.” At those words, Sama Cheon felt his chest tighten with emotion. It felt like fate. He had thought it was destiny when they first met... and now, this boy had just named the very formation he had been seeking. “Hahaha! Is that so? What did you think of it?” “Hmm, with a little refinement, it looked like it could become a solid formation.” “Oh-ho! And why did you think that?” “Hmm... It’s a little complicated to explain in words...” Yeon Woo Jin hesitated for a moment, then stood up. “I’ll bring over all the materials on the Thousandfold Thunder Array Formation. It’ll be easier to explain while going over them.” “Hahaha, please do.” That was exactly why Sama Cheon had come here, and now the boy was scratching that very itch for him—of his own accord. Watching Yeon Woo Jin walk off to retrieve the materials, Sama Cheon felt an overwhelming affection surge in his chest. If he really presents a new solution for the Thousandfold Thunder Array Formation... I’ll make that boy my successor. It had been so long since he’d felt like this. Heart pounding with anticipation, Sama Cheon waited eagerly for Yeon Woo Jin to return.