Two boys, looking to be of similar age, were shouting at each other with their faces flushed.

"They started it over there!" "Don't be ridiculous! You glared at me first!" "You? How old are you to talk back like that!" "I'm eleven! How old are you!"

Before we arrived, it seemed they had already had a scuffle, as both of them had torn clothes, split lips, and bruises on their faces.

The inn was a complete mess.

"Do you know who my dad is?" "No! And my dad is stronger! Just wait, he'll be here soon!" "No way! My dad will get here faster! My brother will bring him right after his exam!" "My sister is stronger!"

The childish conversation between the two boys escalated to the point where they summoned their parents and siblings.

I felt embarrassed under the gazes of the onlookers and stepped in to mediate.

"You two, calm down and let's talk this through..."

I truly tried to respond calmly.

"Uncle, stay out of this!" "This is a matter of pride between men! Step outside! It's life or death!" "Fine! My sword has no eyes, so be careful."

These little rascals, not only had they made a mess of the inn, but they also dared to pull out deadly weapons in front of civilians.

No matter how patient I was, I couldn't let this slide.

Right?

"Brother, just hold on. They're just kids..."

My companion, Akyeonho, tried to stop me upon seeing my expression, but I shrugged off his arm and walked toward the two boys.

What life or death? A sword has no eyes? I couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"You two just drew your swords, right? According to the Martial Alliance Law, Article 3, Section 5, anyone who draws a weapon in the city can be forcibly subdued and taken to the authorities by someone authorized by the Martial Alliance. Therefore, I will subdue you and hand you over to the authorities. Do you understand?"

"What...?" "What did you say?" It didn't matter if they didn't understand.

The two boys had given me a reason to act, and I was more than willing to wield the rod of love.

Whack! Whack! Whack! The sound of the beating echoed as the two boys began to cry out, "Ah! Ugh! Ack! Ugh!" After a short but intense session of discipline, the two boys knelt down, hands by their ears, and whimpered.

"We were wrong..."

"Please forgive us just this once..."

At that moment, two men, presumably their fathers, rushed into the inn.

"How dare you touch our sons!" "What have you done to my precious child!" Without even trying to understand the situation, the two middle-aged men, upon seeing their kneeling sons, charged at me with fury.

I was too tired to deal with them, so I pushed Akyeonho forward.

"Akyeon, you handle them."

"What?" Akyeonho cracked his neck and stepped forward, clicking his tongue.

"You raise your kids like this... According to the Martial Alliance Law, Article 3, Section 5! You drew your weapons... You’re dead!"

Look at him skipping the details as if he didn't remember.

Akyeonho began to beat the two men mercilessly.

Whack! Whack! Earlier, he told me to hold back...

It seemed he had a lot of pent-up frustration from work.

A little while later, we had the two fathers tied up and handed over to the authorities.

The officer in charge, Cheongcheon, received the four criminals with a sour expression.

It was the third time I had seen him today.

"... We keep running into each other today."

"With so many outsiders gathering, accidents are bound to happen. Good work. You’ll probably be back again."

As we turned to leave the authorities, Akyeonho poked me in the side and asked, "Brother, is there really such a law?"

"What law?"

"That Martial Alliance Law, Article 3, Section 5. About drawing weapons in the city..."

I looked at Akyeonho with a look of disbelief.

"Where would you find such a law? I just made it up."

"... Huh? Why would you lie like that?"

"How would those little rascals know it was a lie? I just wanted to scare them a bit. And it serves as a warning to the other applicants listening around."

"Wow, you really are clever..."

Akyeonho looked at me with admiration.

What’s so special about that? Anyway, a little while later, we stepped outside the authorities.

But not long after, we heard loud voices again.

"What are you staring at!" "Are you looking for trouble? Want to fight?" "No questions! Draw your swords!"

It seemed another conflict had broken out among the martial artists not far away.

I pressed my temples, feeling a headache coming on.

"Ha..."

"This is driving me crazy."

It seemed today would be a day filled with visits to the authorities.

We both sighed and used our lightness skill to head toward the source of the commotion.

When many people gather, accidents are bound to happen.

Especially when most of them are armed martial artists, it’s not surprising to see bloodshed occurring here and there.

Thanks to that, I was suffering now.

During the entrance exam, the Martial Alliance and the authorities had mobilized a significant force to maintain order in the city, and temporary instructors from the Cheongryong Academy were also involved.

That’s why Akyeonho and I had been patrolling all morning.

"... I didn’t expect it to be this bad."

"Not just the applicants, but their parents, siblings, and friends... Ha. All sorts of people are causing trouble."

At first, we tried to resolve issues peacefully, but it didn’t take long to realize that wasn’t the answer.

"A club is the best way to deal with these barbaric martial artists!" "Whoever gets caught, I’ll make an example out of them!"

As we glared at each other, patrolling all morning, the sun was now high in the sky.

Naturally, we were exhausted.

"... Let’s go eat. What are we doing without food?" "Right. We’re doing all this just to survive..."

With so many people in the city, it wasn’t easy to find an empty inn.

We finally found a shabby inn on the outskirts of the city and sat down.

As we stuffed dumplings into our cold noodles, our hunger began to ease.

After ordering more food, we finally took a moment to breathe.

"Ah, I can finally breathe a little."

"But brother, what do you think about the student we taught this time? I heard if he passes, he’ll get ten nyang."

Akyeonho asked, his eyes sparkling.

Now that I thought about it, neither he nor any of my fellow teachers had ever been to the Baekryongjang.

Heukyeong had requested that outsiders be banned for a month.

It was for the safety of the elder.

"Well..."

I recalled Gongsonsu, who must have just finished the morning exam.

I had done everything I could for him in the past month.

He was full of enthusiasm, but the old man, who had been far from martial arts his whole life, now wore martial attire quite well.

‘If he had learned systematically since childhood, he might have become quite skilled.’ Gongsonsu was born with a weak body, but he had the potential to overcome it.

If he had been born into a wealthy family or a prestigious clan, he would have been a renowned martial artist, overcoming his physical limitations.

What I did was awaken his talent, even if it was late.

Fortunately, his body was filled with the essence of elixirs, and I could help him clear the impurities within.

- He will definitely pass and return with the Cheongryong badge.

I smiled as I thought of Gongsonsu, who had firmly gripped his sword with calloused hands this morning.

"In my eyes, he’s already passed."

"... So you mean he might fail the exam?" I looked at Akyeonho with a bewildered expression.

"What are you talking about? My standards are quite high."

I eagerly reached for the new dish that the server had brought.

Akyeonho also showed off his chopstick skills.

"What about the other one? Wi Jicheon? I’ve heard amazing rumors about him already."

"Cheon? He’s fine. Looking at his skills..."

He’s definitely the top student.

He still has some emotional instability, but that’s something that just needs more time.

‘...

He is a bit unstable, though.’ The mental turmoil caused by the spirit of the heart can either resurface due to some event or be overcome to reach a higher state of enlightenment.

Wi Jicheon was currently in the process of overcoming his turmoil.

The sword within him could become a new sword or, if he faltered, a demonic sword.

"He will become the number one sword in the world someday."

"Yes, yes. You really love your students."

Akyeonho shook his head, thinking I was boasting.

Just wait, you’ll be begging me for an autograph later.

A little while later, we finished our meal and got up from our seats.

"If we’re lucky, we might be able to take the sparring exam, right? They said they would switch shifts in the afternoon."

"That also depends on luck... Hmm?" At that moment, I spotted a familiar face outside the inn.

‘Heukyeong?’ I didn’t see Gongsonsu, Wi Jicheon, or Heonwon-gang around.

Instead, next to Heukyeong was a man I had never seen before, walking silently beside him.

He looked like an ordinary middle-aged man, but my gaze lingered on his gait and his unnatural right arm.

‘A considerable master.

He has learned martial arts like Heukyeong, and his right arm is a prosthetic.’ I instinctively gathered information about the opponent in my mind and scanned the surroundings.

"Brother? What are you looking at? Did you spot a pretty girl? Is it that person in black?" Akyeonho’s keen sense was surprising as he pointed directly at Heukyeong.

This kid is really...

"Akyeon, you patrol by yourself for a bit."

"What?"

"I need to go check something."

"Heukyeong and that man are getting lost in the crowd."

I patted Akyeonho on the shoulder and said, "I’ll just confirm something and be right back."

"If you skip out and get caught by the head teacher... Brother? Brother!" I waved at Akyeonho, who was calling me from behind, and followed Heukyeong and the man from a distance.

‘I have a bad feeling about this.’ Unfortunately, my instincts have never been wrong.

A little while later, the two entered a building connected to the underground.

I hid my presence from afar and observed the building.

Swoosh.

One by one, assassins began to reveal themselves around the building the two had entered.

"... Are they having a meeting in there?" A dozen or so skilled assassins surrounded the building where Heukyeong had entered.

‘No matter how I look at it...’ I didn’t think they would be friendly toward Heukyeong.

"It’s been a while."

"Yes, Master."

Heukyeong replied politely to the man sitting across the table from him.

The man was his master who had taught him martial arts and was once his direct superior in the organization he belonged to.

People called him Muyeong (Shadowless).

"Did the Prime Minister inform you about the contents of the secret letter?"

"I heard that while the elder is heading to the imperial palace, Cheon-Young will be in charge of the escort."

Cheon-Young, meaning "Heaven's Shadow," was an intelligence organization under the Golden Guard.

They took care of infiltration, assassination, escorting important figures, and all the dirty work that couldn’t be documented.

Heukyeong had also been part of that organization until just a few years ago.

"We will move out tomorrow. Are you prepared?"

"Everything is ready."

"With your skills, I’m sure you handled it neatly. I won’t bother to check."

Muyeong, who had been staring at Heukyeong, chuckled softly.

"You’ve improved since I last saw you. You have a lively expression now."

"... Thanks to you, Master."

Heukyeong lowered his head, feeling a bit shy.

Muyeong smiled as he recalled his former student.

"You were the best assassin I trained."

She had talent that surpassed her master, and she had successfully completed numerous missions using that talent.

That’s why so much preparation had been made.

"Right now, you are unqualified as an assassin. But since you are no longer part of Cheon-Young, I don’t want to blame your changes."

"Thank you."

"But I never expected you to become this dull."

"... Huh?" At that moment, Heukyeong felt something was off and stiffened his expression.

His master, Muyeong, was smiling brightly.

"We have decided to kill the Prime Minister."

But that smile held not a shred of emotion.