The morning of the entrance exam dawned.
Condition: perfect.
Supplies: perfect.
"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?"
"Yes! I can find my way there just fine on my own."
Grandfather had offered to accompany me to the Seongmu Academy, but I firmly refused and insisted on going alone.
If Grandfather went with me, the plan would fall apart from the very start.
'I need to stand out as little as possible.'
Right now, I was practically a nobody.
While most talented youths from prestigious families trained together and built reputations, I had spent most of my life in the countryside.
Unless I revealed my identity myself, no one would recognize me.
'Didn't think growing up in the countryside would pay off like this.'
So unless it was absolutely necessary, I planned to act ordinary.
Given what happened at the auction, I also had to be careful not to draw the attention of the Eunwoldan.
"I'll pass and come back."
"If you insist, I suppose I have no choice. I'll come on the day the results are announced, so keep that in mind."
"Yes, Grandfather. Then I'll be off."
I climbed into the carriage.
The exam lasts a total of three days.
The first day is registration and lodging assignment.
The second day is the written exam.
And on the third day, the highlight of the entrance exam—the practical test—is held.
"Well then."
The format of the practical exam changes every year and isn't recorded, so even someone from the future like me had no way of knowing what kind of task would be given.
But I wasn't particularly worried.
"Shall I finally go to the Seongmu Academy I've dreamed of?"
What I needed to focus on were the talents I would meet at the Seongmu Academy.
Among the thirty, they were the top-ranked ones, so they would all pass the exam.
That meant I needed to spend my time thinking about how to protect them, and how to guide them onto the right path.
And before that, there was one thing I needed to worry about first—my exam results.
"Let's aim for the middle. Just the middle. If I stand out, it'll be harder to move discreetly later."
About fifteenth place?
Not someone to be ignored, but also not someone who drew attention—right in the middle.
That was my goal for now.
The Seongmu Academy was located at the edge of the capital.
A special district surrounded by tall walls, with only one entrance—a massive gate to the north.
Only students, instructors, and authorized individuals were allowed inside.
Standing there, I looked up at the main gate bearing the words Seongmu Academy (聖武學館).
Even before my regression, I had looked up at this gate dozens of times.
"I really wanted to go inside. Truly."
At twenty-five, I had barely avoided outright failure and worked as a low-ranking warrior, spending my days on patrols that took me past this place.
Every time, I imagined what it would be like if I could enter this academy.
Fighting magical beasts shoulder to shoulder with the children of great families.
"And now that dream finally comes true."
Escaping a life riddled with failure.
The realization that I could now take the Seongmu Academy entrance exam filled me with fresh emotion.
Shaking myself out of my reverie, I started walking.
When I arrived at a certain spot, I saw a large crowd gathered in chaos.
Counting roughly, there were about three hundred people.
Most were from prestigious families, flaunting their presence with parents and servants in tow.
They were geniuses said to appear once in a hundred years in their respective regions and families, so it was only natural.
But I passed them by without interest.
Unfortunately, the protagonists who would later shine in the war were not among them.
'I'll see them during the exam.'
Thinking that, I headed toward the registration desk.
After waiting quite a while, just as it became my turn, someone casually cut in front of me.
"I am Han Yeongsu of the Han family of Unseong."
Yeongsu, huh.
A friendly-sounding name.
But unlike the warmth of his name, he was a boorish thug who ignored the entire line and cut in.
The problem was that, despite this, no one dared to object.
I knew the reason.
'It's because of his family.'
The Han family of Unseong.
Unlike Cheongsin, which rose like a shooting star thanks to my grandfather's influence, Unseong was an old and prestigious great family, one of the founding merit families.
Even families that prided themselves on strength couldn't help but shrink before Unseong's authority.
Which made Han Yeongsu's behavior even more disgusting to me.
Why did the nation fall in my previous life?
Because great families like Unseong, who wielded enormous political influence, had rotted away.
To be blunt, Unseong was nothing more or less than a bunch of useless trash.
The moment war broke out, they led their warriors and hid in the mountains.
I still vividly remembered that.
Because of that, an already difficult defensive battle became even worse, ending in defeat.
The citizens of the capital were all slaughtered.
'If they hadn't hidden away with their thousands of warriors!'
Thinking about it made my blood boil again.
I decided to say something.
"Hey, can't you see this line?"
"What?"
"Get in line, you bastard."
Han Yeongsu glared at me, then spoke to the youths behind him.
"What's this?"
"Not sure. I don't recognize him."
"That's not what I'm asking. Get rid of him."
"Well, that is…"
The ones who looked like Han Yeongsu's subordinates scratched their heads.
Standing in line at registration meant I was an applicant for the entrance exam, which also meant I could be from a notable family.
They couldn't treat me recklessly without knowing who I was.
Then a handsome young man stepped forward.
Slightly curly hair. Round eyes like a deer's. Fair skin and a beautiful smile—a pretty boy.
I knew this man.
The only normal person in the Unseong family.
No—an actual hero.
A bastard child with no parents to protect him, he was treated coldly in Unseong and, after graduating from the Seongmu Academy, lived out his life in the countryside.
Later, while training alone, the war with the Raksha broke out.
Unlike the Unseong family that fled, he stood at the forefront with volunteer forces and fought.
No one believed he would win.
A third-rate warrior with no master.
Yet contrary to expectations, he achieved victory after victory against the powerful Raksha and became a hero.
But a tree without roots is bound to fall someday.
In the end, he met his death at the hands of the Raksha, concluding a turbulent life.
'To think I'd meet him already.'
In my previous life, I had read records about him and imagined countless times.
What if, by some chance, he had met a proper master and built a solid foundation from the start?
Wouldn't he have become the strongest warrior in human history, following in my grandfather's footsteps?
That was why one of my essential plans was to meet and raise that hero.
"Han Sanghyeok…"
I never imagined he would be here.
To meet him this soon.
This was unbelievably good luck.
"What? Do we know each other?"
At my unconscious murmur, Han Sanghyeok looked confused.
Damn it—I'd made a mistake in my surprise.
Of course he'd be startled if someone he'd never even crossed paths with knew his name.
I needed to smooth this over naturally.
"We've met once before."
"Haha, really? Is that so… anyway."
He didn't seem fully convinced, but I'd managed to avoid a crisis.
Han Sanghyeok came up to me, slung an arm around my shoulder, and whispered.
"I'll apologize. Our young master's kind of a lunatic. Could you please be generous and step back just this once? You don't avoid shit because it's scary—you avoid it because it's filthy."
A request from a hero I revered.
There was no way I could refuse.
"Alright. I will."
"Thank you so much. But if that lunatic finds out I bowed my head like this, he'll make a fuss, so I'm going to raise my voice once. Please understand."
"Got it. But after registration, can I ask you something?"
"Of course. But is there really something you want to ask me?"
I nodded in response.
Han Sanghyeok shrugged, stepped away from me, and said loudly,
"You heard him, right? Then back off already. How dare you stand in the way of Young Master Han Yeongsu, the future of Unseong."
With a sigh, I stepped back.
Han Yeongsu sneered.
"You know your place. I'll let you off this once."
Delusion was his freedom.
"I, Han Yeongsu of the Han family of Unseong, and four others. We're applying."
Four others?
Han Sanghyeok was included among them.
'Is that the so-called palanquin-carrying?'
Palanquin-carrying.
It referred to four people supporting one person.
It exploited the rule that up to five people from one family could apply.
The idea was to get at least one person admitted no matter what.
'Tsk. Pathetic.'
The more I saw, the more pathetic it became.
They were stealing spots from those who competed fairly.
'Still, I think he did graduate.'
With a family like that, maybe they stuffed him full of elixirs.
After finishing registration, Han Yeongsu's group left.
Han Sanghyeok, walking behind them, pointed to a restaurant.
That was where we'd agreed to meet.
I approached the registration desk next.
The registrar smiled bitterly.
"You held back well. There's nothing good that comes from fighting people from great families."
It was meant as consolation.
I nodded and smiled it off.
"That's right. I'd like to register. My name is Lee Seoha of Cheongsin."
The registrar's eyes widened in surprise.
"Cheongsin?"
"Yes, Cheongsin. Here's my identification tag."
Taking the tag, the registrar found my name and handed me my number.
"Why did you hold back? If you're from Cheongsin, they wouldn't have dared to move."
No matter how ancient and powerful Unseong was, they couldn't treat Lee Gangjin—the emperor's dearest friend and the pinnacle of martial might in this nation—lightly.
Even so, I'd withdrawn without protest for a simple reason.
"You avoid filthy shit. If you mess up, it gets on you."
Unseong was diarrhea-level shit.
After finishing registration, I checked my number.
Number 88.
An easy number to remember—satisfying.
From now on, I'd be called by number, not by name or origin.
That made it easier to remember and judge without prejudice.
'Urgent matters are settled.'
I headed to the restaurant Han Sanghyeok had pointed out, to move on to the next step of my plan.
After waiting a bit, Han Sanghyeok spotted me and walked over.
"Thanks again for earlier. You really saved me. That lunatic vents his bad moods on us."
"Is that so? I'm glad it worked out."
"It's thanks to you. By the way, what's your name? My memory's bad—I can't remember."
Of course you can't.
We've never met.
"I'm Lee Seoha."
"Lee Seoha? Ah, that rings a bell. But which family?"
"Cheongsin."
Han Sanghyeok stared at me, mouth hanging open.
"…Hey! You scared me. Jokes like that. Though, I did hear a rumor that someone from Cheongsin was participating. So seriously, which family?"
"I said Cheongsin. Want to see my tag?"
"Then show me. Sheesh, a lie that'll get exposed right away…"
He alternated between looking at the tag and me, then swallowed.
"It's real?"
Cheongsin (靑申).
There was no one who didn't know the family of Ironblood Lee Gangjin.
After staring back and forth for a while, Han Sanghyeok cleared his throat.
"Thank you for earlier, Young Master."
He suddenly switched to honorifics.
"We're the same age—why are you talking like that? Be comfortable. We're friends."
"A young master of the Cheongsin family being friends with me? That's ridiculous—"
"Why? You don't like it? I want to be friends with you."
I meant it.
In my previous life, even in hopeless situations, he'd thrown away everything to save even one more person.
A person's nature never truly changes.
Han Sanghyeok was someone I could trust more than anyone.
To be friends with such a hero—wasn't that an honor of a lifetime?
Han Sanghyeok glanced at me cautiously, then broke into a wide smile.
"Then I won't refuse. Wow, I never thought I'd be friends with a Cheongsin young master. You never know how life will turn out, huh? So, what did you want to ask me?"
"You're doing palanquin-carrying for this exam, right?"
"Yeah. Kind of like insurance. Our young master may be a jerk, but his skills are decent. Still, it's a bit iffy for him to get into the Seongmu Academy."
"As I thought."
One question resolved.
It was time to get to the point.
"Then what about you? Don't you want to pass?"
"Who wouldn't? Of course I want to pass."
Han Sanghyeok said bitterly.
"But there's no way. They won't allow it. I've been ordered to score just over 100 on the written exam. Well, I get it—they want to eliminate at least one competitor."
Usually, the ones carrying the palanquin were more skilled.
That way, they could adapt to the one riding it.
As part of that, they intentionally failed the written exam.
Even if they scored well in the practical alongside the rider, they'd still be eliminated.
'Alright, I've got a rough grasp of the situation.'
Now I needed to think about how to change it.
This time, Han Sanghyeok had to become a true hero.
And for that, I couldn't let him rot away in the countryside like before.
'Han Sanghyeok is one of the key figures I need to raise.'
Meeting him before the Seongmu Academy entrance exam was an unexpected opportunity.
No reason to kick away luck that rolled right up to me.
'Let's get him into the Seongmu Academy.'
The Seongmu Academy was the greatest institution for nurturing warriors.
There was no better place to raise Han Sanghyeok.
"So how about this—why don't you take the exam properly this time?"
"If I do that, I'll be expelled. Honestly, I wouldn't mind being expelled, but even if I pass, what's the point if I can't get financial support?"
Han Sanghyeok rubbed his fingers together.
"It costs 500 nyang just to attend the Seongmu Academy for one year."
Money an ordinary person could never touch in a lifetime.
Without family support, passing the exam became meaningless.
That was why people had no choice but to abandon their dreams.
At least, until now.
"Don't worry about that."
Now, he had me by his side.
And I had more than enough ability to wipe away that concern.
Strictly speaking, not me—but Cheongsin.
"Just pass. I'll pay it. Your tuition—for life."
Han Sanghyeok stared at me, mouth agape.
I smiled and said,
"I'm Cheongsin. You can trust me."
This time, I planned to spend all the money I never got to use in my previous life.