Seongmu Academy.
In the August heat, everyone was attending classes in light clothing.
As the students returned, the outskirts of the capital where Seongmu Academy was located began to bustle with life again, and the shops grew busy.
"Is it starting again?"
For a week, I ate nourishing food and rested properly.
Another semester.
There was a lot to do this semester as well.
As I was thinking that, someone tapped my shoulder from behind.
"Hey. Long time no see. You came early?"
Arin greeted me with a bright smile.
She was wearing a martial outfit made of thin fabric that clung tightly to her body, clearly revealing her figure.
She was so beautiful that even the colors of the surrounding scenery seemed to change, and for a moment I was completely dazed.
"Well, it's close for me. You're the one who came early."
"I wanted to see you sooner."
The words came out of nowhere and struck my heart directly.
If this goes wrong, I might actually fall for her.
Get a grip.
"Ah… really? I felt the same."
At least Arin seemed to have recovered mentally.
That was far better than seeing her depressed over having Rakshasa blood mixed into her.
"Yeah. But let's wait for Sanghyeok and go together."
I turned my head to look for Sanghyeok.
In the distance, I saw him standing with Han Yeongsu.
What were they talking about after coming all the way here?
"Sanghyeok, what are you doing?"
When I approached, Han Yeongsu flinched and stepped back.
"Why are you so startled?"
"When was I startled? Ahem."
Han Yeongsu cleared his throat and waved at Arin.
"Hey, Arin. You look pretty today too."
"..."
Arin nodded with a stiff expression.
Feeling awkward, Han Yeongsu quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, you got it, right? Let's get along well from now on."
When Sanghyeok didn't respond, Han Yeongsu slapped his shoulder lightly and walked away.
"Sanghyeok, what was that about?"
"It's nothing. Just some nonsense."
After saying that, Sanghyeok forced a cheerful tone.
"More importantly, it's been a while. I've been almost perfectly training Cheonro for the past month. Check it out later. By the way, you two seem to have a good vibe going. Did you make some progress?"
"What progress? You're always thinking about that kind of thing—"
"Yeah. We made a lot of progress."
At Arin's words, Sanghyeok snapped his head toward me.
"…Seriously?"
"No, that's not it. There's really nothing—"
"I completed Cheonro too, and I've also gotten the hang of the Immovable Mind Technique. That means we made a lot of progress, right?"
Sanghyeok and I stared at Arin, who was speaking completely innocently.
Arin blinked as if she didn't understand, then said,
"Aren't you talking about training?"
"Ah! Training. Yeah, training."
"That's right! We've made a lot of progress in training. A huge amount."
Men's thoughts, regardless of age, all seemed to run along the same lines.
Class time with Yakseon.
As I was inserting needles into a wooden doll shaped like a human, I got smacked on the head again today.
"Didn't you miss the spot? I clearly told you beforehand that this patient suffers from paralysis. In that case, didn't I write that you should insert the needle one pun further to the right than the standard acupoint, by one-tenth of a pun, which is 0.03 centimeters?"
"…I'm sorry."
"You wretched bastard. Talent, my foot. No matter how generously I look at it, you're nothing more than an ordinary man."
"But wasn't I quick at memorizing things? Hahaha."
"Don't be arrogant. You only get one chance to save a person. Never forget that you could ruin that single chance."
That is what medicine is like.
A patient has only one chance, and I am the one performing the treatment.
I was starting to feel the weight of medical practice.
"Yes, I will keep that in mind."
"From now on, we'll have to increase the pace of your training. I brought a secret manual."
Yakseon tossed a thin booklet in front of me.
A secret manual?
Was he really giving me something that precious right now?
"It's a copy, so memorize it quickly and then burn it."
"I will remember that."
Normally, secret manuals were something only a family's heir could possess.
I didn't know why Yakseon was giving me so much, but I needed to make the most of it quickly.
He might demand it back as soon as tomorrow, so I had to memorize it today.
"I will gratefully memorize it."
"Continue to build experience. It's a contradictory statement, but a physician grows the more people he kills."
"That's a frightening thing to say."
"It is frightening. You must always do your utmost to save lives, but at the same time, you should experience killing many people. That is the fastest path to growth."
I simply nodded.
I felt sorry toward Yakseon, but I had no intention of doing that.
"I have to be perfect."
If I were perfect, I could grow without killing anyone.
I had to be perfect.
Because I was someone living this life for the second time.
Chuseok was approaching.
This festival, also called the Harvest Festival, was one of the largest holidays in the kingdom.
And it wasn't only about harvesting crops.
Because it also carried the meaning of harvesting promising talents, Seongmu Academy held various events during the three days of Chuseok.
The Seongmu Tournament was the largest of them all, consisting of the Small Seongmu Tournament for first-year students and the Grand Seongmu Tournament for second- and third-year students.
Even Kang Museong, the chief instructor, was busy preparing for the upcoming event.
"Ah, this is so annoying."
Under the scorching sun, Kang Museong spoke with an irritated expression.
"Why the hell do I have to do this? Why, seriously! This is driving me crazy."
The senior warriors shook their heads at the young Immortal and silently continued with their work.
There was a reason Kang Museong was making such a fuss.
It was because of the upcoming expedition.
"When I should be gaining experience, I'm stuck here preparing for some festival."
Meanwhile, his peer Lee Geonha was rising through the ranks without trouble.
Just then, a woman's voice came from behind.
"Ahahahaha! You really are preparing for the event?"
A playful voice.
A woman with a cute face full of smiles approached Kang Museong and spoke.
"Peekaboo! Choi Hyojeong has arrived."
His first love, and his last love.
Choi Hyojeong had come to see him.
Kang Museong tried to spring to his feet, but instead fell backward and flailed.
"What kind of Immortal falls backward off a chair? That's hilarious."
Choi Hyojeong's high-pitched voice rang out.
Despite being twenty-five years old, she still had some baby fat on her cheeks. Her pink lips were alluring, and her crescent-shaped smiling eyes were adorable.
As Kang Museong stared at her blankly, Choi Hyojeong helped him up and said,
"Get up. Get up. This is embarrassing. All the senior warriors are watching."
"Oh? Ah, right. Yeah. This is really embarrassing. Hahaha."
Laughing awkwardly, Kang Museong swallowed and spoke.
"But what brings you here? Did you come to see me?"
"Well, I wanted to see the teachers after a long time too. Two birds with one stone."
"Ah, two birds with one stone. Right."
Kang Museong smiled sheepishly and looked around.
Was there something he could say to keep the conversation going?
When they went on missions together, they at least had common topics and talked quite a bit.
"Lee Seoha. That bastard said he'd help…"
He was nowhere to be seen when it mattered.
"And I'm heading out on a mission this time. To the Northern Great Rainforest. You know it, right?"
The Northern Great Rainforest.
It could be called one of the most dangerous places in this land.
This vast rainforest north of the capital served as a major boundary between the continent and the kingdom.
It was where Rakshasas who had lost past wars went into hiding, making it a place filled with monsters, and their numbers had to be culled periodically.
"I knew you were going on an expedition. But the Northern Great Rainforest? Why there?"
"Looks like monsters have started crawling out of the forest. We need to reduce their numbers a bit. Just a routine hunt. I wish you could come too, but you can't this time. You're busy with this."
Kang Museong shook his head with a deep sigh.
"Don't even mention it. It's really sad. How did I end up like this?"
"Kyaahahahaha! Just raise your disciples well and use them later. Think positively. Positively. Positively."
"Is that bastard Lee Geonha going too?"
"Geonha? I don't think he is. Unfortunately."
Choi Hyojeong pouted her lips with a disappointed expression.
Watching her bitterly, Kang Museong said,
"Be careful out there. No matter what, it's the Northern Great Rainforest. Don't let your guard down."
"Of course. Did you forget that I had better grades than you? I was the top student, you know."
When they attended Seongmu Academy, Choi Hyojeong ranked first and Kang Museong second.
Along with Lee Geonha, who graduated from Cheongsin Academy, these three geniuses took first, second, and third place in the military examinations.
Though first place went to Lee Geonha from Cheongsin Academy.
"Then I'll go see the teachers. Good luck with your work. Hahaha!"
Choi Hyojeong patted Kang Museong's shoulder and walked away, and Kang Museong gazed at her wistfully.
At that moment, someone beside him spoke.
"You're being too passive. At this rate, Immortal Hyojeong won't even look your way. You need to be more proactive."
Lee Seoha.
Looking at Seoha, who was a head shorter, Kang Museong smacked his disciple on the head.
"What do you know, you little brat?"
"At least I know more than Immortal Kang Museong."
Seoha said with a smile.
"It's time to start the dating strategy we agreed on."
For some reason, Kang Museong found his smiling disciple oddly reliable.
Kang Museong is hopeless.
I was watching Kang Museong and Choi Hyojeong's conversation from afar.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. They're totally just friends. Friends."
When it comes to starting a romance, it's actually better to be strangers.
Relationships that have lasted as friendships for a long time rarely develop into romantic ones.
Especially with someone like Kang Museong, who is cautious in human relationships.
He was probably thinking it would be nice if they could at least remain friends, and with such timid thoughts, a relationship could never progress.
That's why he only confessed his feelings right before dying and ended up dating then.
That romance-illiterate bastard.
Looks like he needs a bit of guidance from me.
I approached Kang Museong and said,
"You're being too passive. At this rate, Immortal Hyojeong won't look your way. You need to be more proactive."
In the next instant, an impact struck the back of my head.
This bastard.
Judging by how hard he hit me, to the point I couldn't dodge it, he put his heart into it.
"What do you know, you little brat?"
"At least I know more than Immortal Kang Museong."
I've lived long enough—there's no way I'd be worse than that hopeless guy.
"It's time to start the dating strategy we agreed on."
"Fine, let's hear it."
"At times like this, it's important to show Immortal Kang Museong's capabilities."
"My capabilities? I can't even go on missions. What capabilities am I supposed to show?"
"The image of a respected instructor."
"..."
"You become an instructor respected by me, the top student of Seongmu Academy and the future of Cheongsin. Wouldn't Immortal Hyojeong see you differently then?"
Kang Museong looked at me like I was a bug before opening his mouth.
"…I'm an idiot for trusting you. I really am an idiot. What am I even doing, talking to a fifteen-year-old?"
"At least you'd score some points."
I said seriously.
Kang Museong looked at me, then sighed and said,
"So what do you want to do?"
He took the bait.
I said to Kang Museong,
"I'll win the Seongmu Tournament."
"..."
"And then, in front of His Majesty, I'll say this: this victory is entirely thanks to Immortal Kang Museong's excellent teaching. This disciple will follow you for life. Like that."
"..."
"It's a win-win."
"That sounds great, sure."
With that, Kang Museong stood up.
Hey. Kang Museong?
He wouldn't seriously just leave, would he?
"Immortal? Immortal!"
This wasn't even a real plan.
It was a kind of bait—a fake plan.
Come to think of it, even I had to admit it was thrown together pretty carelessly.
I ran after the retreating Kang Museong.
"Wait a second. There's nothing to lose, is there? Immortal!"
This is seriously hard to help with.