## Chapter 50 – Life at the Muhak Institute (1)
If you asked me if I knew much about martial arts, I could confidently answer.
No.
I had only read a few web novels that people who like web novels read at least once, and even then, the content was so vast that I only read up to the middle.
Moreover, even those famous works weren’t what you’d call orthodox martial arts.
Sometimes, when I looked at the comment sections, there were pseudo-martial artists who would scold, saying that it wasn’t orthodox martial arts.
As for me, I didn’t know what orthodox martial arts were, but it seemed like there were strict standards.
I was tempted by the reward and entered the world of martial arts, but belatedly, worries flooded in.
Since there were so many different kinds of martial arts, I hoped that it would be one I could understand.
After entering the quest, the first thing that caught my eye was a huge marketplace full of people.
And I was immediately able to experience the effectiveness of the translation skill I had acquired.
“Why are there so many people…”
“Hey, this is a good thing for merchants like us, why are you grumbling so much?”
“Ah! I need a place to set up my mat to sell something!”
“…J-Just go a little further inside…”
I watched two men with large bundles slung over their shoulders pass by me.
It was strange.
Even though it was clearly a language I didn’t know, I understood everything.
I even felt like I could have a conversation.
“At this rate, it’s less like translation and more like—”
Isn’t it closer to interpretation?
Or maybe, since it’s called translation, I can also read or write?
“…”
I’ll find out with time.
I wandered around the marketplace, almost swept away by the crowd.
Martial arts stories are practically centered around China, so this crowd was understandable.
“Oh…”
Even while being pushed around, I didn’t miss the scenery around me.
I’d been on several quests, but this was the first time I really felt like I’d come to a new world.
All the quests so far had been based on the modern era.
A world where I knew electricity and roads existed.
But this was different.
With every step I took, everything I saw was different from modern times.
The cloth clothes and elaborate silk clothes of the people passing by.
Weapons like swords and spears casually tied to their waists.
Even young children were no exception, wearing small daggers on their waists and striding through the crowd.
When I came to my senses, I realized that my clothes were no different from theirs.
There was also an unfamiliar sword tied to my waist.
The huge wave of people passed through the market and headed towards a staircase.
And then, they approached a long line and naturally stopped.
I seemed to have joined the long line by accident, swept away by the crowd.
What was this line for?
I was curious, and I had a feeling it was related to the quest, so I stood in line and looked around.
“Hoo… I’m nervous.”
“Nervous? We’re definitely going to make it.”
As I went up the stairs, the proportion of merchants and women gradually decreased, and the proportion of men with weapons increased.
And when I climbed the stairs, I saw a wide open space and people filling it.
A man sitting at a table, writing something diligently, caught my eye.
He was clearly radiating an aura of ‘I’m tired.’
When the man met my eyes, he asked quietly.
“…Applicant?”
“Pardon?”
“I asked if you’re here to participate in the Muhak Institute entrance exam.”
“…Yes.”
I didn’t know what was going on, but I answered without thinking.
But this must be the right direction.
I was convinced when I saw the applicants standing in the front row of the open space.
Those guys are the main characters.
Not only did they have an atmosphere and appearance different from ordinary people, but they were overflowing with individuality.
It was always like that.
In any story or quest, the protagonist, their acquaintances, and the heroines always had outstanding appearances and personalities.
If that was true in this world as well, then this place, the Muhak Institute, seemed like it would be the main stage of this quest.
But—
“…What is the Muhak Institute?”
The man who handed me a number tag with ‘421’ written on it looked me up and down as if he was dumbfounded.
“…The Muhak Institute is a place to learn martial arts, what else… Next.”
He looked at me pitifully, as if I were a poor soul, told me roughly about the Muhak Institute, and then spoke to the next person.
I attached the number tag to my chest.
It seemed to be a sign that I was an applicant.
A place to learn martial arts.
After hearing that, the huge open space, the old man standing on the high platform in the distance, and the men with sturdy physiques around him all started to look a little different.
They must all be martial artists who use martial arts.
“Ah, attention!”
A sturdy man went up onto the platform and shouted in a loud voice.
The open space, which had been buzzing with noise to the point of being a little noisy, became quiet in an instant.
And all eyes were focused on the man on the platform.
The reason why attention could be focused like this was because of the man’s imposing presence.
If a bear appeared in a cafe, this would be the exact reaction.
Afraid that even the smallest movement or sound would provoke the bear, everyone was unable to do anything and just stared at the bear with a tense expression.
It was like that.
Now that I looked at it, the man even looked similar to a bear.
“From now on, when your number is called, come forward to the platform and show off your most confident stance!”
My most confident stance.
Clearly, a stance referred to a movement in martial arts.
And of course, I had no such thing.
I was plunged into 고민 by the sudden difficulty.
Even in that moment, the bear-like man called out numbers 1 through 5.
“Isn’t that the second disciple of the Wudang Sect!”
“I heard he was kicked out of the Cheonmu Institute for impure relationships with women…”
“The Namgung Clan is here too!”
“No, why are people like this at the Inmu Institute…”
“Next to him, the Hwasan Sect’s!”
“…”
I glanced at the two men who were making a fuss, explaining each person one by one.
I’d occasionally seen roles in martial arts novels that made a fuss, saying all the information like that, but I never thought they’d actually exist.
Honestly, I was grateful.
I didn’t know who anyone was, but I could roughly figure it out.
Looking closely, it wasn’t just those two people who were doing that.
Every time people with the called numbers came out, everyone around them would say various pieces of information, as if they knew even one more thing.
And when number 5 was called, the talkative people became quiet.
“That person is…”
“Wow…”
Snow-white skin, white hair, and mysterious blue eyes.
Moreover, elegant movements that even felt dignified.
A sharp, frosty gaze wasn’t a flaw, and silk clothes decorated with gold weren’t an advantage.
It was that kind of beauty.
“Seol Young-nim…”
Someone called her name, and only then did I realize.
That woman was the target of this quest.
“Alright! Start!”
When the bear-like man shouted, the applicants from numbers 1 to 5 brandished their respective weapons.
“Ah.”
Something was different.
I didn’t know anything about martial arts, but I knew that what those five people were showing was not ordinary.
I could feel that they were handling their weapons like they were part of their bodies, and perhaps because of the power of internal energy, I could see deep sword marks being carved into the hard ground, unable to withstand their stances.
Watching them perform their stances made me keep swallowing dry saliva.
Of course, the result was already decided.
“All pass. Next.”
Next, he called out numbers 6 through 15.
This time, more applicants performed their stances at the same time.
Among them, there was a dropout.
Only one person, though.
The problem was the next turn.
“Numbers 16 through 50.”
Now he was starting to call people in bulk.
He probably didn’t even need to look closely.
In fact, only two of those many applicants passed.
After that, there were no passers from numbers 51 to 100.
“I don’t know…”
Will I really be able to pass?
Sometimes, people who seemed like they would fail passed, and people who seemed like they would pass failed.
I couldn’t figure out the criteria.
Maybe internal energy is important.
At least, I don’t have internal energy, and I can’t even feel it.
As my turn approached, my anxiety only grew.
Since the test was conducted quickly with many people showing off their stances at the same time, empty spaces began to appear in the open space in less than an hour.
“Numbers 401 to 450!”
I checked the number 421 written on my chest and went to the front of the platform and stood in place.
On the platform, there was an old man with a white beard that seemed to reach his belly button and a bear-like man, and behind them, the passers and some older-looking adults were staring intently at this side.
“Start!”
With the man’s words, the applicants around me simultaneously brandished their weapons with confident movements.
I also took out my sword.
It was a good sword with a sharp edge.
I never thought the day would come when I would actually hold such a sword.
My most confident movement.
No matter how much I thought about it, I only remembered the movements I had used to cut off the heads of zombies in the past few weeks.
With a feeling of ‘what the heck,’ I adjusted my posture and swung my sword with all my might.
I imagined there was a zombie in front of me and swung as quickly and strongly as possible.
If I swung half-heartedly, the sword would collide with the zombie’s neck bones and make a sound, so I couldn’t be slow.
And no other noise was allowed.
The only thing allowed was the sound of cutting through the wind.
It was my only skill learned in the harsh zombie world.
As expected, the sword felt different from the jungle.
I could feel a sensation like cutting through the air.
And above all, I could feel the synergy of level 3 Swiftness and Strength, and level 4 Weapon Mastery.
Right now, I felt like I could cut off the neck of a bear, not just a zombie.
Suddenly, I looked at the bear-like man with that thought.
The man was looking down at me.
And as soon as our eyes met, I faced reality.
As expected, a bear would be impossible, right?
“Stop. I will call out the passers.”
The man slowly looked around at the applicants and said.
“Number 421 passes. The rest fail.”
Fortunately, I was able to pass.
