Chapter 2: Baek Moo-jin 2

Most applicants expressed their hope that they might at least pass the Eighth Grade.

However, as the days passed, competition grew fiercer and the standards for evaluation gradually rose, leading to lamentations that the contestants’ rivalry was intensifying.

While the majority applied for the Eighth Grade, Baek Moo-jin applied for the Fourth Grade Martial Guest.

The Fourth Grade was the highest rank among talents selected through official examinations, but the martial arts assessment was so demanding that applicants were extremely rare.

Baek Moo-jin, listening to the noisy, jumbled conversation, darted his eyes around.

Just as he resolved to approach someone standing silently like himself, someone called out his name.

“Baek Moo-jin from Seolsan. Baek Moo-jin! Are you here?”

“Here.”

When Baek Moo-jin raised his hand, the man reviewing the documents looked him up and down and said.

“Baek Moo-jin, are you the applicant for Fourth-Grade Martial Guest?”

“That’s correct.”

A momentary silence hung around Baek Moo-jin at the mention of applying for Fourth Grade.

‘Fourth-grade?’

Fourth-grade meant receiving quasi-officer treatment immediately upon selection.

Then, in an instant, the room grew so noisy it stirred the crowd. Some people pushed past others to approach Baek Moo-jin, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

“What? He’s young?”

One person openly sneered and walked away. The others were no different.

‘What kind of greenhorn applies for a fourth-rank position? Fifth-rank applicants are already rare enough…’

Someone bellowed.

“Who applied for the military academy? Did they come from one of the Five Great Families?”

“Hey, keep your voice down. That’s the guy over there. The one in the white medical uniform.”

“That, that greenhorn…”

The one who was about to call him a greenhorn locked eyes with Baek Moo-jin and couldn’t finish his sentence, his words dying on his lips. But his expression was quite something. He looked at Baek Moo-jin, curled the corners of his mouth upward, and spoke.

“Hang in there.”

Baek Moo-jin smiled back and nodded.

“I will.”

People stared intently at Baek Moo-jin as he walked behind the administrative officer. As he gradually grew farther away, most of them let their sarcastic remarks slip out.

“Well, if you don’t know the situation, you might think that. Don’t all look so disgusted. A fourth-rank official isn’t some dog’s name.”

“Who knows? He might be a formidable master.”

“Even if he is a great master, fourth rank is still fourth rank. If he’s fourth rank, who would he fight in the martial arts trial? At the very least, a squad leader would appear, and the squad leader of the North Heaven Alliance isn’t some third-rate warrior from a brothel.”

“How strong is a battalion commander?”

“How strong? Even counting those stationed at branches, there can’t be more than a hundred at the battalion commander level. That means he’s among the top hundred elite within the North Heaven Alliance itself.”

“A top-tier master…”

“How many moves do you think you could land against the Sword Division Commander?”

“How should I know? You have to fight him to find out.”

It was perhaps only natural that people were surprised, since most challengers aimed for the eighth or seventh ranks. A prolonged, mocking laughter trailed behind the vanished Baek Moo-jin.

The administrative officer addressed Baek Moo-jin.

“Don’t mind them. Those applying for the fourth rank always get that kind of talk. This way. The fourth rank screening is held in the annex. By the way, you are quite young. How old are you this year?”

“Twenty-two.”

“The age when the young masters of the Five Great Families take the exam. Which sect are you from?”

“Seolsan Baekga.”

“Seolsan Baekga? Where is that? My apologies. Well, passing the civil service exam is rare, but occasionally calm individuals achieve unexpected results. If you pass, I look forward to working with you. Haha.”

“I should be the one thanking you.”

The man, with his generally round and gentle features, smiled at Baek Moo-jin, his thoughts unknown.

The two left the group entrance exam area and entered a separate building.

2.

“Supervisor, I’ve brought Baek Moo-jin, the applicant for the Fourth-Rank Martial Guest position.”

“Bring him in.”

Baek Moo-jin entered with the administrative officer and found the annex unexpectedly spacious. This was because it was where the martial arts assessment followed the document screening. But what surprised Baek Moo-jin were the supervisors.

‘How many are sitting here?’

They sat in a long row, staring at Baek Moo-jin with stern expressions.

‘Is this how it’s normally done?’

The supervisors from the Executive Office, skipping their introductions, sat side by side reviewing Baek Moo-jin’s documents.

The representative supervisor seated in the center spoke in a low tone.

“Baek Moo-jin?”

“Yes.”

“I heard he’s from the Baek Mountain Clan, so I spent quite some time searching for records. There’s an old entry stating that Baek Woo, the head of the Baek Mountain Clan, came to assist our North Heaven Alliance long ago. Since the number of troops isn’t specified, it seems he came with only a small retinue to help.”

“Yes, that was my grandfather.”

“To be honest, without that single line of information, you likely wouldn’t have passed the fourth-rank examination.”

“Is that so?”

Baek Moo-jin replied curtly, like the other examiners, when another examiner spoke up.

“Perhaps there are elders who remember your grandfather.”

The lead examiner, who had been reviewing the documents, noticed Baek Moo-jin was still standing. He gestured toward a chair with his chin and said.

“Ah, take a seat over there.”

“Yes.”

Somehow, this interview, the first he’d ever experienced, made Baek Moo-jin feel uneasy.

It might have been the stiff, authoritative expressions of the supervisors, or perhaps the sheer number of people staring at him all at once.

The supervisors’ questions poured out.

“Why did you apply to the North Heaven Alliance? I want to hear your honest thoughts. Whatever they may be.”

The questioner asked it indifferently, as if he’d asked it countless times before, but in truth, few questions were more important than this one. The answers varied wildly depending on the person, and those answers revealed a person’s character and aspirations.

Baek Moo-jin answered.

“The Northern Alliance is the righteous faction counterbalancing the powerful black factions north of the Yangtze—the Iron Blood Gang and the Nine Heavens Alliance. Its nature is hegemonic… Beyond that, my father left words about the Northern Alliance.”

“What did he say?”

“The Northern Alliance doesn’t care about your background. As long as you’re not a demonic cultivator, you’re in. Such people gather, and they fight constantly within… My apologies. That was my father’s expression.”

“Continue.”

“When great matters arise, their will ultimately converges toward chivalry. It’s a place where one can pursue their ideals.”

“Chivalry?”

Only one person responded.

The other supervisors remained silent at Baek Moo-jin’s words. Some sighed, others wore bitter expressions. Because what Baek Moo-jin had spoken of was the North Heaven Alliance of its early days.

‘Chivalry… It’s been a long time since I heard such a romantic word.’

That was the North Heaven Alliance of the past. There was even a time it was called the North Heaven Alliance of Heroes.

But not anymore.

The organization had gradually grown larger, the costs of maintaining the North Heaven Alliance grew higher by the day, and it was becoming seriously engrossed in political infighting.

Even as it was becoming a monster, people kept pouring into its mouth.

All for the sake of advancement.

But when this seemingly naive young man brought up the old North River Alliance, the supervisors—who could be considered its senior members—had no other words to offer. They responded with silence and moved on to the next question. It wasn’t something to discuss with a new recruit.

“But you’re only twenty-two now, and you’re applying for a fourth-grade position?”

“Yes. Is there an age limit?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“I see.”

The supervisors seemed eager to hear more from Baek Moo-jin, but he had little else to say. He, too, didn’t feel like smiling and chatting about this and that.

The supervisors’ impressions of Baek Moo-jin were mostly similar. He looked sharp, but his expression was cold. The biggest question mark was whether this guy was actually strong enough to pass the fourth-grade exam.

Ironically, Baek Moo-jin was thinking he wished his official rank were higher so he could take the exam.

One examiner asked.

“Who is the current head of the Seolsan Baek Clan?”

“It is I.”

“What?”

“I am the head of the family.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes.”

The examiners exchanged glances for a moment. It was rare for a head of a household to take the initiation exam personally. They could only speculate among themselves that this must be a family whose fortunes had seriously declined.