“Did you really catch all of them?”

The government soldier looked surprised as he watched the bandits, tied together in a line, walking.

“Yes. Please check. And please give me a separate certificate of subjugation.”

“Ah, then may I ask for what reason you are using it?”

“I am a student of the Martial Academy, so it is for confirmation.”

“I see.”

He was easily convinced, as the Martial Academy sometimes had students engage in righteous activities outside.

An academy where you get volunteer points for subjugating a group of bandits. It was truly strange when you thought about it.

What was even stranger was myself, who was fine even after committing my first murder like this. This must be thanks to [Will of the Extreme] assisting my mental part.

“Here you are.”

I took a few 100-nyang promissory notes. Even after catching all these bandits, the amount was only equivalent to a few months’ living expenses. Truly, it was a world where a person’s life was worth peanuts.

‘It’s not like I did it for the money.’

Just as I was about to leave after taking the certificate of subjugation.

“Who was caught?!”

A middle-aged government soldier, who clearly looked like he had come in a hurry from afar, asked. It seemed he was a superior here.

“They are the group of bandits who have been running rampant in the nearby mountains recently. We have also caught their leader, Jo Donchu.”

“What? I told you not to touch them carelessly…!”

He narrowed his brow as he looked at the group of bandits. He seemed to have heard the name Jo Donchu somewhere.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

It seemed like it would get noisy, so I was about to leave after taking the promissory notes.

If only I hadn’t heard a voice grabbing me from behind.

“Hey, wanderer. Did you catch them?”

“So what if I did?”

“…You look young, but you’re short with your words.”

“You’re the one who’s short-sighted. Why do you think I would be like this?”

On the contrary, when I came on strong, the opponent froze for a moment. The behavior of abusive public officials was similar everywhere.

A tribe that ignores you if you look easy, but becomes more cautious than anyone if you look like you have something.

“Excuse me… may I know your name?”

“Ask your subordinate.”

It was already too late to be polite. I coldly ignored the guy and came outside.

Since I had revealed that I was from the Zhuge family during my testimony, he would quiet down on his own.

‘At times like this, the family name is helpful.’

The problem was that the Martial Academy I was returning to now was a place where such a background didn’t work.

My steps towards the academy were just heavy.

* * *

“Do you think this is an inn?”

The place I arrived at after being escorted by the gatekeeper who was guarding the academy entrance was the disciplinary committee.

I was sitting on a shabby wooden chair, listening to the cold reproaches of Namgung Dohyeok, who was looking down at me from a high platform.

“A mere junior student, staying out overnight without permission and even ignoring classes. Did this place look so easy in the eyes of the top student?”

The gazes of the other professors who were looking down in agreement were also cold. A situation where even a person with considerable courage would be nervous.

‘This is bad.’

In a situation like this, I have to lie low. I opened my mouth, recalling the principles of an apology.

“Due to my carelessness, I have violated the school rules by staying out overnight without permission for the past 5 days. Despite receiving the undeserved evaluation of being the top student, I am truly sorry for harming the academic atmosphere rather than setting an example.”

The standard of an apology that is widely used even in modern times.

Saying ‘ah’ is different from saying ‘uh’. Just by cleanly expressing the reason why they had created this place, I could feel the atmosphere softening a little.

No matter how much the background was the martial world, this place was an academy, a place that strictly advocated education.

“Since I have been given this opportunity to speak, I dare to say that I had a situation where I had no choice.”

With that, I subtly took out the certificate of subjugation from my bosom.

“What is that?”

“It is a certificate of subjugation. It is a proof that I have dealt with a group of bandits, received from the authorities.”

“Are you saying you were late because of that?”

Professor Gu Jabeom, who was sitting in the center, asked.

“Yes, powerless commoners were being killed and plundered.”

“So you were delayed because of your bravado. It is the result of acting rashly without knowing your own abilities.”

Just then, Namgung Dohyeok cut in. It was a sound argument.

Having no choice, I opened my mouth and made a defense.

“That is correct. But I could not abandon them. How can it be called the righteous path if one cannot even save the common people in front of them because they are afraid of disciplinary action?”

The purpose of the establishment of the Martial Academy was martial arts and chivalry.

There was also a mission to resolve the conflicts of the world and protect the weak with a sense of justice.

The part I was pointing out right now was exactly that.

The paradox of trying to punish someone for breaking the rules to realize justice in a place that nurtures talent for justice.

“For a martial artist, what comes first? Justice? Or rules?”

When I asked, Namgung Dohyeok shut his mouth.

If he declared that it was the rules here, it would be a statement that denied the foundation of the academy. It was a tight spot to talk about order or authority.

Of course, if you think about it carefully, there would be a way out, but life is always a real battle.

The moment he hesitated, he had already been eaten in the frame battle.

I asked again with a strong tone, as if driving a wedge.

“In the teachings of the academy, what comes first? People? Or face?”

Justice.

I could feel the surrounding professors being swayed by my statement, which contained the foundation of the righteous path.

“I grew up as a member of the Five Great Families without any lack. I was taught to value honor as much as my life, along with the noble will of our ancestors. And also words like this.”

When I paused for a moment, I could feel the gazes of all the professors focused on me in the linguistic void.

“That honor is always built on responsibility. That revealing the right righteousness under that sacrifice is the true share that a martial artist must bear.”

When my words ended, a silence fell over the venue for a moment. It was a sign that the suffocating silence was gradually rising to a heated fervor.

Finally, Gu Jabeom opened his mouth.

“To discuss the purpose of education with a professor of the academy…”

It was a chiding tone, as if he were arrogant, but the corner of his eye was slightly curved.

“Arrogant, but not bad. Wait.”

And then Gu Jabeom formed a qi barrier around them. It seemed they were going to discuss among themselves.

‘What will happen.’

The speech I had prepared seemed to have worked quite well, but I didn’t know what the result would be.

In the worst case, I would have to return to my family.

‘Then it’s over…’

Right now, in the Zhuge family, there would be more than one or two people who were eager to eat me alive.

At my current level, it would be difficult to even keep my life.

‘Whatever it is, I have no choice but to be prepared.’

After a while, along with the feeling of the qi barrier being released, Gu Jabeom read out the verdict.

“As there is a reason, the expulsion will be suspended.”

A resonant voice filled with authority continued.

“However, the fact that you violated the school rules by staying out overnight without permission for 5 days and being absent from lectures is a reason to show the strictness of the rules. Moreover, even if there is room for consideration through the certificate of subjugation, there are also problems with the response, such as not reporting and taking too long to subjugate…”

I swallowed dryly in the tense atmosphere.

“The top student status of Zhuge Cheonwu is revoked, he is banned from entering the secret manual library, and he is ordered to perform wall-gazing meditation for one week.”

I sighed in relief inwardly. Then, Gu Jabeom’s words continued.

“The wall-gazing meditation will begin today, and all disadvantages that follow the punishment are the student’s share.”

Along with that sentence, Gu Jabeom’s telepathic message came.

[It’s difficult to turn a complete blind eye. I didn’t know you would cause such a big accident. Still, you’ve avoided expulsion, so think of it positively. Of course, it will be tough after that.]

As expected, the one-time accident prevention ticket I had obtained during the entrance exam seemed to have played a big role in this disciplinary action. By the way, what did he mean by it would be tough after that?

‘Wait a minute, don’t tell me?’

My expression hardened as I belatedly understood his words.

* * *

“A grain pill… a cramped space with a waterway flowing on one side, and a window the size of a palm.”

I muttered, facing the stone wall. I was now confined in the wall-gazing meditation building.

“Should I say I’m lucky?”

It was just when I needed to recuperate.

Because the remnants of the elixir still remained in my body like a time bomb.

‘I’ll absorb this into my body.’

It was a time to harmonize my body. I began to condense the energy in my body and circulate it to my heart core.

‘It’s damn tricky.’

As if fighting a street battle, the energy was complexly spread throughout my body, and it was resisting with its own resistance.

“It will take a long time.”

The price of using mana so freely was painful. If it weren’t for the affinity of [Absolute Magic], I would have been eaten by those energies and died long ago.

I used all my strength to subdue some of the energy in the main circuit and circulated it towards the circle in the middle dantian.

Just that alone consumed all my stamina. I was so focused that I could barely catch my breath when my vision turned white.

“I’m really weak.”

I didn’t even have the strength to wipe the sweat that drenched my whole body, and a complaint came out automatically.

This was a problem with my constitution.

To overcome [Time-Limited Life], I have to strengthen [Life Extension].

But the more I push my body to the brink of death to strengthen [Life Extension], the more the debuffs like [Weakness] and [Frail Bones] of my body worsen.

At this rate, no matter how much I try to strengthen my body with the talent of [Limitless Martial Body], it’s just running in place.

‘I set it up as a late bloomer from the beginning, but looking at it like this, there’s no answer.’

The reason I had intended to use magic as my main ability from the beginning was also because of this.

Because in the early to mid-game, my body became a rag in the process of overcoming these major debuffs.

My muscle strength was increasing, but my body was still a glass cannon.

‘To survive, it’s only magic.’

This was the only way to make the most of my innate characteristics. If there was a way to overcome it…

“That physician old man. Don’t tell me he’s not going to run away after taking it?”

Before being dragged here, I had secretly passed the elixirs like the Medicinal Divine Herb to the medical office where Go Wontae was with magic, so he would have made the elixir by the time I got out.

“I have no choice but to hold on until then.”

Time passed quickly.

A day passed, two, three, four, and as I focused on my inner self, the days flew by in the blink of an eye.

Fortunately, the days I had spent focusing solely on my physical condition without any disturbance became the foundation for my growth.

Finally, on the day I had subdued and burned all the elixir energy in my body.

The door of the wall-gazing meditation building finally opened.

“Come out.”

What was revealed beyond the firmly locked iron door was the chief instructor, Jeongmuk.

He looked at me with an indifferent expression and said.

“You will return to your studies from today.”

“Are there any lectures left?”

I asked the question, excluding any expectations.

“Take it.”

Then, Jeongmuk threw a few wooden plaques at me.

“This is?”

“These are the remaining subjects.”

I looked at the wooden plaques. What was written were [Historical Research of Martial Sects], [Introduction to Tactics and Formations], etc. Only the unpopular lectures were left.

‘This is crazy.’

It was a relief that what I had been aiming for was still there.

[Introduction to Tactics and Formations] and [Historical Research of Martial Sects].

Excluding the basic required classes like [Martial Combat Practice], the subjects I would choose were theory-focused lectures.

If I organized my lectures around practical classes, my body wouldn’t be able to hold up.

And since my main focus was magic anyway, it was also true that there was little room for me to learn.

“The class will start soon, so go to the classroom.”

As soon as the delivery was over, Jeongmuk turned his body and disappeared.

As far as I remember, this time was the required subject, [Martial Combat Practice].

It was a lecture where Namgung Dohyeok was the professor.

‘It’s become tricky from the day of my return.’

I headed to the classroom, recalling Namgung Dohyeok who had insisted on the disciplinary action before.

‘Still, it’s only a one-week difference, so nothing much should have happened.’

That thought was a miscalculation.

“Today, as announced last week, is a team battle.”

As soon as Namgung Dohyeok’s words ended, I could see the students gathering together.

A laugh escaped me as I saw the other students who were glancing at my surroundings like a receding tide and then disappearing.

‘Is this a group project for real?’

(End of Chapter)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep