Chapter 34 : The Condition for Registration
"...Senior?"
Looking at Namgung Il, Ak Simin tilted his head.
Was there such a brat among his juniors?
Such a sense of puzzlement was now evident in Ak Simin's gaze.
"Who are you?"
"..."
"Why are you calling me senior as you please?"
Ak Simin immediately said to Namgung Il.
Although he couldn't remember all the students currently enrolled in the Flying Dragon Academy, he still clearly remembered the faces of some of the more distinctive ones.
Especially, there was no way he wouldn't remember a brat with such a striking appearance.
Even to a man's eyes, Namgung Il's appearance could be said to be quite handsome, so if he had ever run into him at the academy, he would have definitely remembered.
"I am a person who will be entering the Flying Dragon Academy as a new student this year."
"...What?"
Does that mean he's coming to the Flying Dragon Academy through recommended admission this year?
Ak Simin thought so for a moment, but he soon shook his head.
'A brat who's coming through recommended admission wouldn't be in a place like this now.'
The brats who had already been confirmed for admission through recommended admission would come here not today, but for the freshman welcoming ceremony in a fortnight.
So that brat must have come here to enter the Flying Dragon Academy through the entrance exam, not recommended admission.
In other words, he was neither his junior nor anything else.
"Why am I your senior?"
"..."
"It seems you're one of the riffraff here. Don't talk to me so familiarly, okay?"
When Ak Simin said that, the people around flared up.
But as their eyes met Ak Simin's, the people became quiet again as if nothing had happened.
Seeing that, Ak Simin snorted as if it weren't even funny.
'It'll be difficult to find any useful brats through the entrance exam this year as well.'
Just by giving them a little scare like this, he could already guess what level they were at.
But just then, Namgung Il's figure came into Ak Simin's eyes again.
While the other people were cowering in front of his momentum, Namgung Il was still looking this way with a calm expression.
'What is this?'
Why was that brat standing there so calmly?
Ak Simin's eyes narrowed slightly for a moment, and he raised his energy even more strongly.
Woong—!
Ak Simin raised his energy even more and shot it at Namgung Il explicitly.
At this rate, his legs would tremble or some reaction would appear on his face.
Ak Simin thought so and looked at Namgung Il, but contrary to his expectations, Namgung Il did not show any reaction.
Yawn—
He was even yawning.
Seeing that, Ak Simin was at a loss for words for a moment.
'He's receiving my energy head-on and still yawning calmly?'
In this case, Ak Simin could think of two possibilities.
One was that the brat's sense of qi was so dull that he couldn't even detect the energy he was emitting. And the other was that the brat's internal energy was also profound enough to withstand the energy he was sending out.
'Is he so trash that he doesn't even react? Or is it...'
It was then.
Namgung Il, who was yawning, approached Ak Simin.
"...!"
Seeing that, Ak Simin became wary of Namgung Il without realizing it.
But Namgung Il passed by Ak Simin and walked forward.
Ak Simin stared blankly at him for a moment and then hurriedly called for Namgung Il.
"Wait!"
"...?"
"Where are you going now?"
When Ak Simin asked, Namgung Il stopped in his tracks.
"That's because you said it earlier, senior."
"...?"
"It's obvious that I'll be automatically eliminated in half an hour if I stay like this. I can't just wait here, sucking my thumb."
The moment he heard those words, a strange light flickered in Ak Simin's eyes.
Could it be that the brat had realized the true meaning of this registration?
It seemed that Namgung Il knew that an invisible test had already begun, not just simply lining up and registering.
"I am Ak Simin, a third-year student in the Vermilion Bird class."
"..."
"What's your name?"
Ak Simin suddenly revealed his name and asked Namgung Il.
To think that he would ask for someone's name in a place like this.
But in that one moment, Ak Simin had felt a palpitation as if he had discovered a jewel hidden in a rock, so he really wanted to find out Namgung Il's name.
However.
"I'll tell you that when we meet at the academy later."
"What...?"
"Then, good work, senior."
Namgung Il said and turned around without any lingering attachment and walked forward.
Ak Simin stared blankly at him for a while.
Although Namgung Il's attitude just now was an act that could be quite unpleasant, a smile had already appeared on Ak Simin's lips.
"A cheeky junior."
As he said, it seemed he would run into the brat again in the academy later.
Ak Simin had a strong feeling about that for some reason.
* * *
Namgung Il continued to walk forward along the long line.
'How far does this go?'
Although he had been walking forward for quite a long time, there was no sign of the line ending.
With a line this long, even if they registered at a normal speed, it seemed they would never be able to finish in the remaining half an hour.
'Yes, it's strange to line up normally in a situation like this.'
Only after hearing what Ak Simin had said earlier could Namgung Il be sure.
This was not a simple registration.
Perhaps if his guess was right, there was something hidden in this registration.
'Here it is.'
Only after walking for a long time could Namgung Il arrive at the front of the long line.
Unlike the back, the front was already bustling with something.
Beyond that, a building that seemed to be the registration office of the Flying Dragon Academy was visible, and something huge was placed at its entrance.
'What is that?'
What was placed at the entrance was a huge rock.
And a burly man was sitting on the floor in front of it as if he had rented the place.
Seeing that, Namgung Il could now understand why the line had not been getting shorter.
'Since a brat like that is blocking the entrance, of course the line won't get shorter.'
Moreover, what was with that rock?
It seemed that the man sitting in front of it had moved it, but Namgung Il still couldn't understand what he was doing there.
'If you don't know, you should ask.'
Namgung Il thought so and looked around.
And he found a person who seemed just idle enough and spoke to him.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Let me ask you something."
Swoosh—
"What on earth is that?"
Namgung Il pointed to the entrance with his finger and asked.
"Haaah—I don't know what's what either."
"..."
"A brat named Ma Dongpal suddenly appeared and is blocking the entrance like that... I'm so frustrated that I'm about to explode."
"Ma Dongpal?"
Judging by his tone, it seemed to be the name of the man sitting in front of the rock.
Ma Dongpal. It was a name that somehow suited the man's appearance.
Namgung Il thought so to himself and spoke to the man in front of him again.
"So no one can enter the registration office now?"
"Yes..."
"But you're just standing still? If that brat is blocking the entrance, you should tell him to move."
"What? Oh, I can't do that."
"Why?"
"Look at that build! Who would dare to pick a fight with that brat?"
So you're just going to stand here and suck your thumb?
Although it was a rather pathetic reason, on the other hand, he could understand those words.
Even if all the people here rushed at him at once, it seemed that if Ma Dongpal just swung his arm once, they would all fly away like paper dolls.
Of course, build was not everything in a fight, but he couldn't deny that it occupied a very important part.
Thud— Thud—.
It was then.
A person who came out from among the crowd and was walking towards where Ma Dongpal was sitting.
A monk with a shiny bald head and quite a fancy robe was walking towards Ma Dongpal.
'Is that... a person from Shaolin?'
Just by looking at his clothes, Namgung Il could tell the monk's identity.
In the past, he had had quite a lot of contact with the Shaolin Temple.
Well, although the robe looked somewhat different from the Shaolin robes he had known in the past, just by looking at his overall appearance, he seemed to be a disciple of Shaolin for sure.
"That person... is he planning to challenge Ma Dongpal?"
"A challenge?"
"Several people have already rushed at Ma Dongpal. And only those who received a pass among them were able to pass through that entrance."
A pass?
As if he didn't understand those words, Namgung Il asked the man again.
"What do you mean by a pass?"
"So Ma Dongpal... that man is blocking the entrance and testing people as if he were an examiner."
"A test... you mean they fight or something?"
"Yes, I don't know the exact criteria, but after a fight, he only lets those who have passed through."
"Why would he do such a thing?"
"How would I know? Well... perhaps it's a scheme to eliminate competitors at the registration stage?"
Namgung Il did not answer the man's words.
If that were the purpose, would he let them pass if they passed like that?
In order to surely reduce the number of competitors, it would be more beneficial to just not let anyone in.
"In the first place, a brat who can't even register because of such a problem has no right to enter this Flying Dragon Academy. So it would save both you and me time if you just get lost."
Just then, Namgung Il remembered what Ak Simin had said earlier.
'A brat who can't even register has no right to enter the Flying Dragon Academy...'
Also, the fact that the Flying Dragon Academy was leaving such a brat alone pointed to only one thing.
'That brat named Ma Dongpal must have been brought here by the academy.'
That's why they weren't saying anything even though he was openly blocking the entrance like that.
If this situation itself was intended by the academy, it was all understandable.
'To think they would lower the competition rate like this from the beginning.'
He understood to some extent.
If they didn't weed out the riffraff at the registration stage like that, too many people would flock to the examination hall.
He didn't know how they had registered on other days, but it didn't seem like a bad way to pick out only the real deals.
'Has a lot of time passed?'
Somehow, unlike the Flying Dragon Academy he had known in the past, the wall seemed to have become quite high from the entrance.
It seemed that they hadn't conducted the exam so strictly in the past... Perhaps many parts of the Flying Dragon Academy had also changed with the Righteous-Demonic War as a turning point.
Grin—
'It won't be just boring.'
Yes, it would be more fun if it were a little difficult rather than easy.
Namgung Il walked forward with a smile on his lips.
(End of Chapter)