At my uncle's words, Grandfather spoke as if it were no big deal.
"Then we'll make a spot."
"That cannot be done. Not only is the martial class already full, but it also violates fairness. There are many children who performed excellently yet were eliminated through relative evaluation. If Seoha, who didn't even take the exam, is admitted, wouldn't that tarnish the honor of Cheongsin Academy?"
Even though I had no intention of entering, my uncle opposed it fiercely.
He was giving reasons that sounded plausible enough, but how could one not see that they stemmed from jealousy?
That was simply human nature—when someone you thought far beneath you rose to an equal position, you'd try to tear them down no matter what.
But I didn't step in.
Judging by Grandfather's expression, it seemed he would take care of it himself if I stayed quiet.
"Fairness? Did you just say fairness?"
Grandfather stared at my uncle with a hardened expression.
He had merely gone serious, yet my legs nearly buckled. If someone like me, who had lived through countless trials, felt this way, others might truly wet themselves.
Well—except for the oblivious Lee Junha.
As expected, my uncle was breaking out in cold sweat, his face stiff with tension.
"W-Why do you ask that?"
"So is that why you pressured the other instructors to look after Junha?"
"That was just a single remark, asking them to keep an eye on him as a parent."
"How amusing."
Grandfather let out a booming laugh.
But there wasn't a trace of mirth in his eyes.
"Do you really think your one remark would be taken as the words of an ordinary parent? Nonsense. Someone who values fairness wouldn't be ignorant of his own position. Don't play the hypocrite in front of me."
"…I'm sorry."
Was this what it meant to stick your neck out and gain nothing?
It was almost pitiful to watch.
So it was time for me to voice my opinion.
I didn't want to keep eating in this icy atmosphere, and I was planning to go to Seongmu Academy anyway.
"Thank you for the consideration, but I—"
Yet again, my voice failed to reach Grandfather.
"Still, Gyeongwon has a point. Then let's do this. Let Junha and Seoha compete, and whoever wins will advance to the martial class. Since it's just swapping one grandson for another, it shouldn't be a big issue."
This was getting troublesome.
A spar had been decided without any regard for my wishes.
And with Grandfather saying it like that, how could I possibly say, 'Actually, I'm planning to go to Seongmu Academy'?
'…Or maybe this is better?'
Thinking about it, this was actually the situation I wanted.
I'd been waiting for a chance to show my skills.
Grandfather's support was essential for my future plans.
And if my opponent was Lee Junha, I could get a bit of revenge along the way—killing two birds with one stone.
But my uncle, who stood to gain nothing, immediately objected.
"Father, Junha's advancement has already been decided. There's no reason to accept this spar."
"If Junha wins, I'll buy him whatever he wants. A weapon, an elixir—if he wants land, I'll buy that too. How about it?"
A bold offer.
Grandfather could be stubborn, but he wasn't a tyrant.
"If you put it that way…"
My uncle nodded reluctantly, as if conceding.
But inside, he was probably applauding and wondering what to ask for.
He was confident his son would win.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" my father asked.
"Of course."
I smiled brightly at him.
"Don't worry. I'm your son, Lee Seoha."
The old me might have felt fear—but now, not even a trace remained.
If anything, I was wondering how to deal with him legally.
"It's decided, then. Gather at the training grounds in one shijin."
Grandfather looked oddly excited, like someone enjoying watching his grandsons fight.
One shijin (two hours) later.
Before the spar began, I loosened my body at ease.
Even so, my mind was racing.
'How do I win Grandfather's favor?'
To earn his support, I had to demonstrate talent.
Simply brawling and winning wouldn't leave any impression.
What I needed now was dramatic staging.
'It has to be overwhelming.'
Should I end it right away?
No—that would be anticlimactic.
He could claim he lost due to carelessness, and the aftermath wouldn't look good.
It also wouldn't be enough to repay all the humiliation I'd endured.
As I was thinking that, Junha spoke.
"Hey, Lee Seoha. Thanks, yeah? I'll get to nourish myself with some expensive elixirs thanks to you."
As always, he was brimming with confidence, and my uncle stood proudly beside Grandfather, busy boasting about his son.
Watching the two of them, my direction became clear.
"Are you ready?" asked my uncle—no, my elder uncle—who was acting as referee.
I nodded.
"This continues until one side surrenders or I tell you to stop. Understood?"
"Yes!"
"Then begin."
The moment he stepped back, Junha rushed at me as if he'd been waiting.
I'd expected it, but—
"What is this?"
The words slipped out of my mouth.
It was just that pathetic.
What was that unheard-of stance? And with fists that slow, how was I even supposed to let him hit me?
"Huh, dodging?"
Junha reacted as if surprised, though he clearly couldn't hide his shock.
Of course, I felt the same.
What on earth had he been learning at Cheongsin Academy?
"You idiot. Should I just let you hit me?"
"You little—!"
Junha began loosening all his joints as if unlocking some great seal.
"Dodging my punch? Guess I'll get serious now. You're dead."
Loosening joints didn't create strength that wasn't there, but considering his age, it was understandable.
At that age, kids spouted nonsense about hidden power and awakening through willpower.
But I wasn't kind enough to let myself get hit by such sloppy punches.
'Time to start the performance.'
The setup was simple.
From now on, I would only hit Junha's nose.
Avoid every attack and strike just one spot.
Even hitting the same place ten times was enough to crush someone's fighting spirit completely.
First strike.
Thud!
Junha's head snapped back, blood pouring from his nose.
"Ah! You bastard—!"
Seeing blood, he lost all reason and flailed wildly.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
I ignored it all and kept aiming for his nose.
I checked Grandfather's reaction—he was smiling in satisfaction.
Was there any other grandfather who smiled while watching his grandsons fight?
"Damn it… you're dead!"
After taking four hits in quick succession, Junha staggered back, his nose red and swollen.
The fact that he hadn't completely lost his will yet was commendable.
But in the end, he was still a child.
He threatened me verbally but couldn't approach easily anymore.
In that case, provoking him a bit more was only natural.
"What are you doing? Don't tell me that's all you've got?"
"Like hell it is! You're really dead!"
Junha suddenly ran off somewhere.
'Unbelievable.'
He headed for a corner of the training grounds.
There stood a weapon rack.
Training wooden swords and staffs were lined up.
Junha grabbed a wooden sword, and emboldened, charged again.
The moment he picked up a weapon in a barehanded match, he had already lost.
There was no point in continuing.
By now, my elder uncle should've stepped in to stop the spar—but he didn't move.
"Shouldn't you stop the spar?" my father shouted worriedly.
But Grandfather merely smiled and stopped my uncle.
"Don't worry. I know your son's ability better than you do."
Ah. So that was it.
I understood what Grandfather wanted to see.
Even with a wooden sword, Junha's level was far from enough to touch a single hair on me.
But an ordinary fourteen-year-old would tense up in front of a weapon and fail to show their true skill.
Fear suppressed ability.
'He's testing my boldness.'
This, too, was a test.
Then shouldn't I meet his expectations as a grandson?
"Die!"
Junha swung the wooden sword in a wide arc.
Tsk. What he'd learned all these years surely wasn't that.
The most important thing in swordsmanship was straight and fast attacks.
But he was only fourteen.
And in a state of rage, he'd probably thrown all fundamentals out the window.
So as a senior who had walked the warrior's path first, it was only right to teach him personally.
To show him what happens when you telegraph an attack so obviously.
I lightly dodged the descending sword and punched his nose again.
Thud! Thud!
Struck consecutively, Junha staggered and collapsed pathetically.
I turned my head slightly to look at Grandfather.
As expected, he had no intention of stopping it.
Even after seeing that I could hit exactly where I wanted against an armed opponent.
Which meant there was still more he wanted to see.
Then shall I wrap this up with a final act?
"Tsk tsk. A guy who dreams of being a warrior, dropping his weapon like that."
I picked up the wooden sword Junha had dropped.
I could see my uncle clenching his fists, but he wouldn't move until Grandfather gave the order.
Junha had drawn a weapon first, after all.
Thanks to that, I could calmly approach the boy who was writhing in pain, his nose likely broken.
"Isn't it cheap to pull out a weapon? If this hits, your head could burst. You'd die. Even with a wooden sword, swinging it around like that can do that."
"S-So what? I didn't die, did I!"
Even now, my wretched cousin shouted back.
Words alone wouldn't fix that rotten personality—I knew that well.
"Right. You didn't die. But is that really all?"
"…W-What do you mean?"
"I didn't survive because you were generous or because you're great. It's because I dodged."
I looked down at him indifferently as he trembled in fear.
"So you dodge too. You swung first, so you won't complain, right?"
"W-Why should I? It's fine as long as I'm not hit!"
"Is that something someone who wants to be a warrior should say?"
"…What?"
"Once you draw a sword, someone dies. Did you pick up a weapon without that resolve?"
"T-That's—"
Junha desperately looked to Grandfather.
But nothing would change.
If anyone were going to help, they'd have done so already.
"Goodbye."
"W-Wait! I'm sorry! I was wrong—!"
Ignoring Junha's frantic pleas, I brought the wooden sword down.
"Aaaaargh!"
Junha's scream and my uncle's shout as he finally rushed in overlapped in my ears.
Even so, my eyes stayed fixed on the tip of the wooden sword.
Just before it touched Junha's forehead—
"Tap."
I stopped it right in front of him and lightly tapped his forehead with my mouth making the sound.
No matter what, we were cousins—I couldn't really kill him.
But then—
"Was that too much?"
Liquid pooled beneath him.
The smell of urine.
That much, I hadn't anticipated.
"How dare you!"
My uncle charged at me, hand raised.
No matter how hard I'd trained for four months, dodging an upper-ranked warrior's attack wouldn't be easy.
And yet, I felt no fear at all.
Rather—it felt like there was no need to fear.
Even if I did nothing—
"Lee Gyeongwon!"
Grandfather would take care of it.
Grandfather's indifferent voice struck my frozen uncle.
"Don't interfere in children's fights."
"But—!"
"Junha drew a weapon first. You didn't stop it then, so why interfere now?"
"Father!"
"Shut up and step back."
My uncle clenched his teeth and let out a deep sigh, but he couldn't do anything.
As Grandfather said, Junha had drawn a weapon first, and I'd only lightly tapped his forehead.
Meanwhile, my elder uncle asked my father,
"Sangwon, when did Seoha get that strong? Junha wasn't even a match."
"He suddenly matured."
"If another Immortal comes out of our family, it'll be Seoha. Raise him well. Raising an Immortal isn't easy. If kids go astray halfway, that's the end. If you have worries, ask your older brother. Understood?"
"Thank you, Brother."
Even now, my elder uncle managed to boast about himself.
"Then as promised, the one entering Cheongsin Academy will be Seoha instead of Junha."
"That's absurd, Father! Junha passed the exam properly!"
"Didn't you already agree?"
"But—!"
This time, my uncle didn't back down.
It concerned his child's future.
That was how desperate he was.
So this time, I decided to support my uncle's opinion.
I had no intention of entering Cheongsin Academy anyway.
Wasn't it time to reveal my true goal?
I raised my hand.
"Grandfather."
"What is it, Seoha?"
All eyes turned to me, making it hard to speak.
But I had to say it.
"I'm sorry, but I don't plan to attend Cheongsin Academy."
Silence fell.
Everyone except my father looked shocked.
The first to react was, of course, Grandfather.
"You don't plan to attend Cheongsin Academy?"
"Yes. The place I want to go is Seongmu Academy."
The surprise on Grandfather's face hardened instantly.
"Do you know what that means?"
"Yes. It means I will represent Cheongsin."
Seongmu Academy was, without question, the greatest academy and the hardest to enter.
Because its capacity was fixed.
Out of talents gathered from all over the kingdom, only thirty could enter Seongmu Academy.
Cheongsin Academy selected a hundred each year through internal competition—its acceptance rate couldn't even be compared.
Naturally, even members of the same family had to compete, and only the finest among them could pass through Seongmu Academy's gates.
That was why the entrance exam was used to gauge a family's future.
Simply passing raised a family's standing; failing meant falling into uncertainty.
That was why Grandfather's expression had hardened.
No matter how satisfied he'd been with me defeating Junha, he likely thought bearing the name of Cheongsin was too much.
"I will represent Cheongsin."
But I had no intention of stopping there.
Always think positively.
I had to believe I would pass.
If I couldn't even do that, I had no right to dream of the future.
I met Grandfather's gaze head-on.
Then why was cold sweat running down my back?
As I struggled to hide my burning nerves and stared at him—
"Very well."
"…Pardon?"
Permission fell easily from Grandfather's lips.
I hadn't expected him to agree so readily.
"On one condition. Let's talk inside."
Of course.
He wasn't someone who would give in that easily.