Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 237 – The Disregard for the Embroided Uniform Guard (6)

Not long after, the internal energy measurement of all the trainees was completed.

“Hmm.”

Seeing the number of successful and failed candidates, Commander Chae Ho-seong raised an eyebrow and let out a faint groan.

Out of the total 103 trainees, the number of failures was 37.

The successful candidates numbered 66.

Far more had passed the internal energy measurement compared to last year’s selection process.

‘This is unexpected.’

At that time, Chae Ho-seong had participated as an assistant.

Back then, there were 48 successful candidates, but this time, the number had significantly increased.

It meant that the current class had relatively higher skills.

“Interesting, isn’t it?”

At his words, the six Commanders of the Six Offices Officials standing below the platform nodded in agreement.

Even before, outstanding trainees would occasionally appear.

However, this class was particularly different.

Two trainees with martial prowess at the level of a Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander or above had emerged.

‘Mok Gyeong-un, Joo Woonhyang.’

Two individuals with a distinctly different feel.

Neither of them was expected, but they had been hiding astonishing martial prowess.

Moreover, since neither of them were preselected candidates, they were virtually strong contenders for the top scorer (first place) and second place in the Embroidered Uniform Guard Warrior Examination.

While Chae Ho-seong and the Commanders were making similar assessments, only Commander Seo Yerin was observing someone.

It was none other than Mok Gyeong-un.

‘…My senses is warning me.’

If she were in charge as the overall supervisor, she would have judged that he shouldn’t be allowed to pass, no matter the reason.

However, she quickly suppressed that thought.

After all, she hadn’t joined the Embroidered Uniform Guard to enjoy wealth and glory or out of loyalty to the country.

Unless he directly caused trouble, there was no need to pay attention.

Commander Chae Ho-seong looked at the successful candidates of the internal energy measurement and spoke,

“I extend my congratulations to the trainees who have passed the first stage of the selection process.”

“Woohoooooo!!!”

At his congratulations, the successful candidates erupted in cheers.

Becoming a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Emperor’s special guard, was a great honor and glory for them.

Commander Chae Ho-seong gestured for the cheering individuals to quiet down.

As the hall became silent again, he said,

“However, this is just the beginning. From now on, we will officially conduct the Embroidered Uniform Guard selection process for a month.”

The successful candidates focused on his words.

It was an explanation of how the process would proceed.

“Before the second selection stage, we will impart the basic Embroidered Uniform Guard techniques such as the Arrest Techniques, the Gold Silk Hand Methods, and the basic formation of the Embroidered Uniform Guard for five days. There will be no eliminations during this stage.”

At those words, the successful candidates let out sighs of relief.

It meant they would have a breather for at least five days.

Seeing their reaction, Commander Chae Ho-seong smiled and continued,

“Don’t be too happy. During the remaining month, you will undergo the Embroidered Uniform Guard apprenticeship period, and we will continuously assign scores to eliminate failures.”

“Gasp.”

“Continuous eliminations.”

At this, the trainees’ expressions darkened in various ways.

It meant they couldn’t let their guard down except for those five days.

One of the trainees who had been listening silently raised his hand and asked,

“You mentioned an apprenticeship period, so how will it proceed?”

At the trainee’s question, everyone buzzed with murmurs.

They were hearing about the apprenticeship period for the first time.

To this, Commander Chae Ho-seong said,

“This class can be considered lucky.”

“What do you mean?”

“At least before being eliminated, you’ll have the opportunity to experience what the Embroidered Uniform Guard does by going around the palace interior.”

The trainees buzzed at those words.

They didn’t know that the apprenticeship would actually provide an opportunity to experience being a Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Therefore, some trainees couldn’t hide their excitement.

‘Of course. Such opportunities are rare.’

The Embroidered Uniform Guard apprenticeship this time was entirely based on the opinion of the Director-General.

It was a process approved with the consent of the Southern and Northern Commander-in-Chiefs.

Testing the trainees’ practical abilities through an apprenticeship wasn’t a bad idea.

While the trainees were filled with anticipation for the practical field, Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes flickered with interest for a different reason.

‘It’s as Ma Ra-hyeon said.’

It was as mentioned by Ma Ra-hyeon, the masked Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander.

That meant he might have an opportunity to go to the underground prison sooner than expected, as promised.

This was the right opportunity.

Since the explanation wasn’t finished yet, Commander Chae Ho-seong continued,

“Do you know why the Commanders of each office in the Six Offices Officials came as assistant supervisors? It’s to provide you with the opportunity to experience each office for five days over the course of a month.”

“Ooh!”

The trainees erupted in cheers at those words.

They were being given the opportunity to experience not just a specific office, but all the offices.

The First Office, which was in charge of the imperial family and the Inner Palace Bureau, was the most preferred office among the Six Offices Officials by everyone.

‘Enjoy it to your heart’s content.’

‘Pathetic bunch.’

‘They don’t know that hell is about to begin.’

At their reaction, the Commanders of each office inwardly sneered.

Although it was an opportunity to experience each office, it could also be a grueling process with the highest elimination rate in the history of the selection process.

Throughout the apprenticeship period, scores would be given as if under surveillance, so there would be a constant stream of eliminations.

“Before the five-day basic Embroidered Uniform Guard training, I will designate the groups for the first apprenticeship office in advance.”

“Already?”

“This is exciting.”

“Please, the First Office!”

“I-I want to go to the Sixth Office.”

Everyone was filled with anticipation at the announcement that the groups for each office of the Six Offices Officials would be determined already.

It was understandable to be curious about which office they would be assigned to first.

The most preferred offices were naturally the First Office, which was in charge of the imperial family, the Third Office, which could be considered another core of the Embroidered Uniform Guard as the intelligence department, and the Sixth Office, where the exceptionally beautiful Commander Seo Yerin, known as the Ice Flower of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was assigned.

‘Even if they rotate according to a set order, they’ll eventually go through all the offices, so it’s just shuffling the cards.’

While the trainees had their hopes, Mok Gyeong-un thought inwardly.

It didn’t matter which office they were assigned to first, as there was nothing particularly good or bad about it.

In the end, they had no choice but to experience all the offices.

Ultimately, the second test was to assess how well they adapted to whichever office they were assigned to and how outstanding their work abilities as future Embroidered Uniform Guards could be.

‘The Fourth Office is in charge of the prisons, right?’

Of course, he hoped to be assigned to the Fourth Office first.

It would allow him to shorten the time even more.

And,

‘It would be nice if the groups were divided.’

The ones he hoped to be in separate groups were Seop Chun and Mong Mu-yak.

Although they had pledged loyalty to him, they strictly belonged to the Heaven and Earth Society.

It was still questionable whether they would readily follow his orders even if they went against the Heaven and Earth Society.

At that moment, Commander Chae Ho-seong, the overall supervisor, continued,

“The groups have been assigned based on the internal energy measurement scores, and the assignment to each office has been randomly determined by the Commanders present here, so complaints will not be accepted. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!!!”

And so, the group assignment announcement began.

Commander Hwa Yeong-in of the First Office came forward first and announced the members of Group 1.

“Trainee Namgoong Chunghyeon.”

At the first announcement, the corners of Namgoong Chunghyeon’s mouth, who had been calm until now, twitched.

It seemed he also preferred the First Office, which was in charge of the imperial family.

Mong Mu-yak, who had approached beside him like Seop Chun at some point, whispered,

“It might be because Namgoong Chunghyeon’s sister, Nam Gung-hye, is a concubine of the Emperor.”

“A concubine?”

“Yes. The Namgoong Clan has had ties with high-ranking officials for a long time, and it seems they had sent the eldest daughter of the clan head to the palace early on through these connections.”

“I see.”

Hearing this, Mok Gyeong-un guessed why Namgoong Chunghyeon showed such a reaction.

It seemed he was happy because the opportunity to meet his sister had come early.

Starting with Namgoong Chunghyeon, the members of Group 1 were announced one by one.

“Yahoo!”

“The First Office from the start!”

“I’m lucky.”

Naturally, the trainees who were assigned to the First Office from the start cheered, unable to hide their joy.

The imperial family’s Internal Palace Bureau was an office that everyone who aspired to become a Embroidered Uniform Guard wanted to be assigned to.

‘Fortunately, I avoided the First Office.’

Unlike these trainees, Mok Gyeong-un had no interest in the First Office.

He only wanted the Fourth Office, where the underground prison was located.

‘Since they said it was based on scores, and Namgoong Chunghyeon, who is in third place, was assigned to the First Office, I won’t be assigned to the First Office.’

There were only five offices left, so there was a 20% chance.

However, there was an unexpected announcement here.

“Trainee Mok Gyeong-un.”

‘Huh?’

They called his name next.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un raised his hand without showing any reaction.

“With this, the group formation for the First Office is complete.”

‘!?’

Mok Gyeong-un furrowed his brows.

If they had considered the scores, the top six should never have overlapped.

However, the fact that Namgoong Chunghyeon, who was in third place, and himself, who was in first place, were in the same group, was something he couldn’t accept.

That would be the case if he were in seventh place.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un stroked his chin.

‘…It doesn’t seem like it just happened this way.’

Since raising an objection here wouldn’t change the office assignment, Mok Gyeong-un quietly closed his mouth, although he was suspicious.

And so, the announcement for Group 1 ended.

Since there were 66 people, they called exactly 11 names.

“Next, I will announce Group 2.”

Commander Si Wooryang of the Second Office came forward and started the announcement.

The Second Office was responsible for the inspection and security of the internal and external palaces.

It could be said that they had the opportunity to interact with numerous officials in the palace.

“Trainee Seop Chun.”

The first one to be called was Seop Chun.

As the groups were divided, Seop Chun spoke to Mok Gyeong-un with regret,

“It’s unfortunate. If we were in the same group, we might have been able to visit ‘that place’ even faster if we did well.”

At his words, Mok Gyeong-un smiled silently.

It seemed Seop Chun had also realized that there was an opportunity to enter the underground prison more quickly after hearing about the Embroidered Uniform Guard apprenticeship.

However, if they entered together, he wouldn’t be able to carry out the secret mission from the Shadow Clan Master.

This was better.

“Trainee Geum Jong-hyeon.”

The next one to be called was Geum Jong-hyeon, who was in fourth place in the internal energy measurement.

When he was called, he had an unpleasant expression.

When Namgoong Chunghyeon was called, he had also frowned, probably because he was in the same group as Seop Chun, a late-stage disciple from the Heaven and Earth Society.

“Tsk tsk. Who knows if it’s good?”

Geum Jong-hyeon, a disciple of the Zhongnan Sect, belonged to the Righteous Alliance, so Seop Chun wasn’t particularly pleased either.

In the meantime, the remaining trainees of Group 2 were announced.

Unlike the First Office’s Group 1, the trainees didn’t particularly cheer or show signs of being pleased during the announcement of Group 2.

“Next, I will announce Group 3.”

Commander Oh Mu-gi of the Third Office came forward and started the announcement.

Many trainees preferred the intelligence department, so there were quite a few happy reactions here.

Group 3 included Mong Mu-yak and 9 other trainees.

“Next, I will announce Group 4.”

Commander Mak Myeong-ho of the Fourth Office stepped forward.

As soon as they saw him, the trainees flinched.

Among the six offices of the Six Offices Officials, five offices had at least a few who preferred them to some extent, but the Fourth Office was different.

‘The office in charge of the prisons.’

The Fourth Office managed all the prisons and criminals in the palace.

In particular, there was a notorious place, which was the underground prison of the palace.

It housed everyone from traitors to numerous heinous criminals from the Central Plains, and managing them was the responsibility of the Fourth Office of the Six Offices Officials, so everyone avoided it.

‘Please don’t be chosen.’

‘It’s not the prison from the start, right?’

Everyone prayed that they wouldn’t be assigned to the Fourth Office.

At that moment, Commander Mak Myeong-ho of the Fourth Office opened his mouth.

“Trainee Joo Woonhyang.”

‘Yes!’

‘Great!’

The moment his name was called, a few people cheered.

It was Yeom Gyeong from the Huashan Sect and Wi Bu-cheong.

It seemed Joo Woonhyang had more enemies than expected.

‘What a pity.’

Mok Gyeong-un clicked his tongue.

He had wanted to go to the Fourth Office first, but Joo Woonhyang was assigned there.

‘It can’t be helped.’

Now that it had come to this, he could only hope that the next assignment would be the Fourth Office.

“Heh.”

Yeom Gyeong from the Huashan Sect openly sneered at Joo Woonhyang.

Although others didn’t know, Yeom Gyeong had a reason for disliking Joo Woonhyang so much.

That was because, at a gathering of Taoist sects, he had been humiliated in front of the True Persons of the Huashan Sect, the Kongtong Sect, and the Zhongnan Sect because of Joo Woonhyang.

‘Damn that bet.’

Thanks to that bet, Joo Woonhyang was acknowledged as a genius, while he was treated as a mediocre talent.

Because of this, Yeom Gyeong greatly disliked him.

He just wished for Joo Woonhyang to not do well, and amidst that, when Joo Woonhyang was assigned to the Fourth Office, which everyone dreaded, he almost let out a cheer in joy.

‘I heard even the Embroidered Uniform Guards avoid the prison because it’s so difficult, so your assignment luck is bad from the start, Joo Woonhyang.’

Yeom Gyeong openly sneered at Joo Woonhyang.

Then, Commander Mak Myeong-ho announced the next trainee for the Fourth Office.

“Trainee Yeom Gyeong!”

‘!?’

As soon as those words were spoken, Yeom Gyeong’s expression twisted.

‘Damn it!’

He had been sneering at that bastard until just now, so what kind of bolt from the blue was this?

“W-Why is that?”

Yeom Gyeong, unable to accept this, finally raised his hand and spoke.

Then, Commander Mak Myeong-ho frowned and raised his voice,

“Didn’t I say that objections to the group assignments will not be accepted?”

“But…”

“Trainee Yeom Gyeong. You’re starting with a point deduction.”

“What?”

“Let me tell you in advance. During the apprenticeship period, if you receive three point deductions from us, the assistant supervisors, you will be immediately eliminated and demoted to a Embroidered Uniform Guard trainee. Understood?”

At those words, Yeom Gyeong’s insides were boiling.

He raised an objection and immediately received a point deduction. Who would have ever imagined that?

“Any complaints?”

“N-No, sir.”

If he argued further here, he would be the one at a disadvantage.

Yeom Gyeong, who had received a point deduction and the worst group assignment, gritted his teeth and inwardly cursed Commander Mak Myeong-ho.

When the announcement for Group 4 ended, there was one person who was disappointed.

It was Wi Bu-cheong, the disciple of Gwi Sa-man, the Sixth Devil Sovereign of the Demonic Alliance.

‘Tsk.’

He had inwardly hoped to be in the same group as Joo Woonhyang.

That way, he would have the opportunity to interfere with Joo Woonhyang becoming a Embroidered Uniform Guard or do something to him.

However, Wi Bu-cheong soon shook his head.

‘No, it doesn’t matter.’

There was no need to be in the same group.

For a moment, a faint killing intent flickered in his eyes as he looked at Joo Woonhyang.

***

That day, after the group assignments were completed, the basic Embroidered Uniform Guard training began in the afternoon.

The basic training was moved from the Embroidered Uniform Guard Training Barracks to the Embroidered Uniform Guard Training Grounds, and the 66 successful candidates of the selection process were arbitrarily assigned to the dormitories there.

Late in the evening, after the training ended,

The trainees dispersed throughout the Embroidered Uniform Guard Training Grounds.

After finishing dinner, the time after that was free.

They could go to the dormitories and rest, or they could use the individual training rooms in the Embroidered Uniform Guard Training Grounds.

However, most of the trainees chose to train in the training rooms rather than rest for the upcoming Warrior Examination.

In one of the empty dormitories.

-Swish!

The door to the dark dormitory room, where even the lanterns were extinguished, slowly opened.

Through the gap in the door that opened with barely any sound, someone carefully entered.

The face illuminated by the faint moonlight coming through the window.

It was none other than Wi Bu-cheong, the disciple of Gwi Sa-man, the Sixth Devil Sovereign of the Demonic Alliance.

‘As expected, no one is here.’

Wi Bu-cheong lifted the corners of his mouth.

He had guessed that the bastard and everyone else would be in the individual training rooms, and it turned out to be correct.

Wi Bu-cheong, who had entered like this, examined the four-person dormitory room.

Then, after checking the belongings placed on the table next to a bed, he grinned wickedly.

‘Found it.’

Wi Bu-cheong, who had found the place of the person he wanted, took something out of his bosom.

It was a very small and sharp needle.

Wi Bu-cheong took out a few needles that were not easily noticeable, approached the wooden pillow on the bed next to the table, and started inserting them.

‘Hehehe.’

Wi Bu-cheong covered his mouth and reveled in it.

Imagining the owner of this place returning to sleep on the bed, he couldn’t hide his excitement.

If these needles penetrated the back of the neck or the head, everything would go smoothly.

Wi Bu-cheong, who was enjoying himself with such imagination, turned his body to leave and tried to take a step.

However,

“The person I was waiting for didn’t come, but a rat showed up instead.”

-Startle!

Someone was leaning against the door with his back turned.

Wi Bu-cheong, who had been staring at him intently, opened his mouth with a surprised voice.

“You… Could it be Mok Gyeong-un?”

The person standing in front of the door was none other than Mok Gyeong-un.

Wi Bu-cheong, who discovered him, couldn’t hide his inner bewilderment.

That was because he had entered after confirming that no one was in the room, and he hadn’t even felt any presence while inserting the needles into the wooden pillow.

But how was this bastard in the room?

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un sniffed his nose and opened his mouth.

“Forsythia fruit, Sambac herb, Goji berry root, centipede venom, and dried opium… You prepared something interesting.”

‘!?’

Wi Bu-cheong’s eyes widened.

He didn’t know exactly what kind of poison was on the needles.

All he knew was,

[Since the poisons that penetrate very slowly into the body and even opium that causes hallucinations are included, this will affect the brain and make him gradually go crazy.]

That was about it.

But he never expected opium to be mentioned from that bastard’s mouth.

However, the problem wasn’t that he had guessed the poison inside.

‘How did he do this?’

How could he distinguish the smell applied to those tiny needles from this distance?

It was impossible without directly putting his nose to it.

But that wasn’t the important thing right now.

The fact that someone had caught him committing this act was a big problem.

At this, Wi Bu-cheong tried to calmly handle the situation.

“Hey. Calm down.”

“What should I calm down about?”

“This isn’t a bad thing for you either. We may all be in a competitive relationship, but the most annoying existence for you would be this guy, Joo Woonhyang.”

The owner of the bed was none other than Joo Woonhyang.

Wi Bu-cheong thought Mok Gyeong-un would also be interested in what he was saying.

“Once we take care of this guy, there will be no one who can compete with you in the Embroidered Uniform Guard Warrior Examination.”

“Oh?”

The guy showed a reaction.

Unless he was an idiot, he would know how beneficial this was.

If things went well, it seemed like he could just let it slide.

“I’ve already laid the groundwork, so forget about the rest and just quietly turn a blind eye.”

“Pretend not to know and let it go. Is that it?”

At those words, Wi Bu-cheong grinned and said,

“Yeah. As expected, I thought there would be something that resonates between you and me. For now, it’s a bit awkward to keep staying here, so let’s go out and…”

-Swish!

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un’s figure disappeared from the door.

Wi Bu-cheong, who was startled, looked around, and before he knew it, Mok Gyeong-un was standing next to Joo Woonhyang’s assigned bed.

‘When?’

He didn’t see it even though it was right in front of his eyes.

While he was perplexed, Mok Gyeong-un extended his palm towards the wooden pillow on the bed.

Then, the needles that had been inserted into the wooden pillow came out and floated in the air.

‘V-Void grasp?’

He knew that Mok Gyeong-un’s internal energy was extraordinary from the first test, but he hadn’t expected it to be profound enough to enable void grasp.

At this, Wi Bu-cheong, who sensed that something was wrong, tried to dash towards the door.

However, before he could even do that,

-Slap!

Mok Gyeong-un suddenly grabbed his hair and pulled him back.

“Ack!”

For a moment, he was about to scream in pain, but,

“Shh. You need to be quiet.”

Mok Gyeong-un warned him.

At this, the flustered Wi Bu-cheong hurriedly said to Mok Gyeong-un,

“W-Why are you doing this?”

“Who knows?”

“Who knows? This isn’t a bad thing for you either. You just need to turn a blind eye, so why…”

-Grip!

“Ugh!”

Before he could even finish his words, Mok Gyeong-un pulled Wi Bu-cheong’s hair even harder, brought his face close, and said with a smile,

“Actually, it doesn’t matter to me whether you do this or not.”

“I-It doesn’t matter, but why?”

“The problem is, a person who has enjoyed something once doesn’t stop after doing it just once.”

“No. That’s…”

“You don’t need to try hard to make excuses. I’m the same way.”

“What do you mean, you too?”

“Once I’ve tasted blood, I can’t control myself.”

‘!?’

Along with those words, the corners of Mok Gyeong-un’s mouth stretched up to his ears.

Looking at that face filled with nothing but malice, Wi Bu-cheong’s pupils trembled like crazy.