The Beggar Young Master of the Namgung Clan

Cha Yul-ryeong was sitting at his desk, looking through the documents.

Countless numbers were written on the various documents.

Cha Yul-ryeong was now in the process of selecting the final passers by summing up the scores of the written exam and the practical exam.

Creak—

Just then, the door at the entrance suddenly opened.

Cha Yul-ryeong's gaze naturally turned that way, and as soon as he confirmed the person who had entered the office, his impression slightly frowned.

"How about giving a simple notice before entering someone else's office?"

"Don't worry. I'm doing it for everyone except you."

"..."

When Ho Jeong-won said that, Cha Yul-ryeong soon turned his head.

As if he didn't even want to make eye contact with Ho Jeong-won.

Cha Yul-ryeong looked down at the documents and said in an indifferent voice.

"So, what brings you here?"

It was a tone that clearly felt the intention of asking him to finish his business quickly and leave.

As if Ho Jeong-won also felt the same way, he immediately got to the point with Cha Yul-ryeong.

"What happened to that brat?"

"...Who are you referring to as 'that brat'?"

"Don't pretend you don't know."

Thump—

"Examinee number ten thousand. I'm asking what happened to that brat."

Ho Jeong-won said, lightly slamming his hand on the desk.

Examinee number ten thousand.

In other words, Ho Jeong-won was now asking Cha Yul-ryeong what Namgung Il's exam result was.

Swoosh—

When Ho Jeong-won approached and asked, Cha Yul-ryeong's eyes met his again.

"The results will be announced tomorrow. Don't you know that it's a principle not to tell anyone before that?"

"Don't change the subject."

"..."

"You've already told the other brats."

The other brats.

Cha Yul-ryeong was immediately able to understand that he was referring to Jeong Dae-woong and Han Yu-wol.

"...Those two are also quite loose-lipped."

As he had said, those two had also come to see him.

Their purpose was the same as Ho Jeong-won's, to find out whether Namgung Il had passed or not.

He was sure he had told them to keep it to themselves... for Ho Jeong-won to say that meant that they had not kept their promise with him.

"It's not their fault."

"...?"

"I was just testing the waters."

At that moment, Cha Yul-ryeong's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Could it be that he had been deceived by Ho Jeong-won?

Thinking that, Cha Yul-ryeong couldn't help but feel very displeased.

"...I've never seen anything like this in my life."

"That's right. Then will you tell me now?"

"..."

Cha Yul-ryeong silently held out a document to Ho Jeong-won.

Ho Jeong-won immediately snatched the document and quickly checked the names written on it.

"...Wait. Is this really the list of passers?"

"Yes, it is."

"Don't lie."

Ho Jeong-won said and roughly put the document down on the desk.

"Why isn't that brat's name there?"

"Isn't the reason simple?"

"...?"

"Because he didn't pass."

At that moment, Ho Jeong-won's mind couldn't help but go blank.

To think that Namgung Il had not passed.

The fact that Namgung Il's name was not on this list was because he had not passed, as Cha Yul-ryeong had just said... but still, Ho Jeong-won could not understand those words at all.

"That number ten thousand didn't pass? Are you telling me to believe that now?"

"..."

"He's a brat who defeated more than two hundred people in the practical exam! He was the only one I gave a perfect score to!"

That was the reason why Ho Jeong-won could not believe that list now.

The only examinee who had received a perfect score from him.

Since Namgung Il was also the most outstanding in the practical exam, of course, Ho Jeong-won had never even thought that Namgung Il would not pass.

However.

"The practical exam is not the only thing in the final score."

When Cha Yul-ryeong answered, Ho Jeong-won felt as if he had been hit on the head for a moment.

"Wait... that brat, what was his score on the written exam?"

If he had at least gotten more than half of the problems right, there would be no way the brat would fail... Ho Jeong-won was at a loss for words for a moment after hearing Namgung Il's written exam score from Cha Yul-ryeong.

"One point."

"..."

"And that's barely one point because he got the last problem right. You can think of it as him not getting a single problem right in reality."

The last problem of the written exam.

It was a problem at a level where if one wrote anything, it would almost be considered correct.

So if that was excluded, Namgung Il had gotten all the problems wrong.

"..."

Ho Jeong-won was still speechless with a devastated face.

To think that the only brat he had liked had failed the exam because of something like that.

Although he looked quite smart on the outside... to get one point on the written exam was on a similar level to having almost no brain.

'No, in a way, it might be natural...'

Since he had shown such a great talent in the practical exam, it would be a natural flow for the other side to hit the bottom.

Of course, the reality was that Namgung Il had his own personal circumstances, but since Ho Jeong-won did not know that far, he had no choice but to simply think so.

"Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"..."

"If not, please leave now."

"...Wait!"

Barely coming to his senses, Ho Jeong-won shouted.

"Are you really going to fail that brat?"

"Since the result is that, it can't be helped."

"No, but... isn't he too much of a waste of talent?"

The Flying Dragon Academy was surely a place that taught students both literary and martial arts at the same time.

But as long as one was a martial artist, it was somewhat natural for the focus to be more on martial arts.

A bad head could be overcome by cramming education somehow, but as for martial arts skills, there was a clear limit if one's talent did not support it.

Since Ho Jeong-won knew that well, he was now speaking to Cha Yul-ryeong in this way.

"Why are you telling me that?"

"What?"

"The person who set up these guidelines is the president. So if you're going to argue, you should go and settle it directly with the president, not with me."

When Cha Yul-ryeong said that, Ho Jeong-won could no longer say anything.

As he had said, Seo Shinwon valued the balance of literary and martial arts quite importantly.

The reason why the written exam was included in the entrance exam was also because of the instruction of the current president, Seo Shinwon.

"Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"..."

"If not, please leave now."

Usually, if Cha Yul-ryeong spoke in this way, a nervous answer would have immediately come from Ho Jeong-won.

But Ho Jeong-won, who turned back with a listless look without any reply.

Just by looking at him, one could tell how much Ho Jeong-won had liked Namgung Il.

"..."

When Ho Jeong-won left the room, Cha Yul-ryeong looked down at the documents again.

A moment later, a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

"I hate to admit it, but I think so too."

Cha Yul-ryeong muttered and took out a document that he had not shown to Ho Jeong-won.

* * *

The next morning.

A huge notice was posted in the place where the practical exam had been held.

"I-I passed!"

"I failed?"

"Ah... how am I supposed to tell my father about this?"

A lot of people were gathered in front of the notice.

People who were happy and people who were letting out a vain sigh.

People's joy and sorrow were now being divided according to the single character written on the notice.

'I-it's there!'

Jong Seo-eon's expression brightened when he found his name on the notice.

The final eighty people who could enter the Flying Dragon Academy.

The fact that his name was written on that notice meant that he was among those eighty people.

'Wh-what a relief!'

In fact, until he had found his name, Jong Seo-eon's heart had been pounding.

The written exam was one thing, but in the practical exam, he had not won a single victory and had lost to Namgung Il in that way.

Since he had thought that he had naturally gotten a bad score, he had thought that the possibility of failing was higher than passing.

'I really passed by a hair's breadth.'

Jong Seo-eon's name was located at the end of the notice.

To be precise, it was the position right before the very end.

Since that list was now arranged in order of grades, Jong Seo-eon had passed by a hair's breadth.

"Oh!"

Just then, Gwangcheon's cheer was heard from the left.

"My name is there!"

When Gwangcheon pointed somewhere with his finger and said, Jong Seo-eon immediately looked in that direction.

The name located at the very corner of the notice.

Gwangcheon's name was written right after Jong Seo-eon's name.

"Congratulations! You also passed, Young Hero Gwangcheon."

"I just slept during the practical exam, but to pass, this is quite embarrassing."

As he had said, Gwangcheon had really just slept throughout the practical exam.

So that evening, Jong Seo-eon had thought that Gwangcheon would fail, but now that Gwangcheon had also passed together, he was also happy.

"Captain! We both passed!"

Jong Seo-eon said to Namgung Il in a happy voice.

But for some reason, no answer returned.

Jong Seo-eon belatedly realized that Namgung Il's expression was somewhat strange.

'...Why is he like that?'

Namgung Il was still staring at the notice.

Could it be that he still hadn't found his name?

Since he had thought that Namgung Il would naturally have passed, Jong Seo-eon asked without thinking.

"Captain, have you still not found your name?"

"..."

"Your name is likely to be at the front, so you should look there first..."

"...It's not there."

"Pardon?"

"I've looked everywhere... it's not there."

It's not there?

Jong Seo-eon could not understand those words now.

"How can that be? You must have just missed it."

"..."

"I'll look for it too."

Jong Seo-eon said and began to scan the names on the notice again.

But as he read down the list, Jong Seo-eon's expression gradually hardened.

In the end, he had come down to Gwangcheon's name, but he could not find Namgung Il's name in between.

'Don't tell me... the captain failed?'

Jong Seo-eon could not believe that fact.

Even he, who had lost to Namgung Il in that way, had passed, but for Namgung Il, who had defeated him, to have failed?

Moreover, hadn't Gwangcheon passed even though he had been unconscious throughout the practical exam?

Just then, Gwangcheon chimed in from the side without any sense.

"This is something wrong! I just slept and passed, but there's no way the captain could have failed!"

Squeeze—

Gwangcheon's words sharply pierced Namgung Il's heart.

"Y-Young Hero Gwangcheon!"

Jong Seo-eon hurriedly covered Gwangcheon's mouth.

But as if it were already too late, Namgung Il, who was emitting a cold atmosphere, was bowing his head.

Just then, Cha Yul-ryeong appeared before the people.

"Have you checked the notice?"

"..."

"Congratulations to those who have passed, and I express my sincere condolences to those who have failed."

Sincere condolences.

As if those words were meaningless, Cha Yul-ryeong immediately continued with his next words.

"The failures, please go back."

"..."

"And the passers will move along with the guide."

When Cha Yul-ryeong said that, the passers immediately moved their feet and moved.

But the people who were still unable to move like a stone statue... they were all failures.

'Wh-what should I do?'

Jong Seo-eon looked at the moving passers and watched Namgung Il's expression.

Since he was also a passer, he had to move... but because of the fact that he had to leave Namgung Il here, Jong Seo-eon could not bring himself to move his feet.

"...Go."

Just then, Namgung Il said in a low voice.

"B-but..."

"Nothing will change just because you don't go."

"..."

"Hurry up and go."

When Namgung Il said that, Jong Seo-eon and Gwangcheon had no choice but to move.

A moment later, all the passers had moved, and only the failures were left nearby.

'In the end, I couldn't overcome the written exam.'

So hadn't Gwangcheon passed while he had failed?

Hah—

To fail even after defeating two hundred people in a spar... thinking that, it was just funny.

But it couldn't be helped.

Since he had failed due to his own carelessness, Namgung Il was about to accept his defeat cleanly, leaving behind his regretful heart.

'Jong Seo-eon... I'll have to think of a separate way to pass down the Beggar's Staff Style to that brat.'

As he was thinking that in his heart and was about to go back, someone blocked Namgung Il's path.

"Examinee number ten thousand. No... Namgung Il."

"...?"

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Cha Yul-ryeong asked Namgung Il.

The Beggar Young Master of the Namgung Clan