HERE'S YOUR CHICKEN STEW!
WOW...
HERE, DONG. YOU SHOULD EAT--
OH...
THAT'S RIGHT...
I'LL TAKE THAT, THANKS.
HELLO, GWIYEONG.
HOW HAVE YOU BEEN?
G-GENERAL LEE! WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE?
BARMAID! I'LL HAVE A BOTTLE OF TAKJU!
YOU HAVE ALL THIS FOOD BUT NO DRINKS.
TSK... YOU ARE CLEARLY MISSING OUT ON THE BETTER SIDE OF LIFE.
DO YOU STILL SEE YOUR SISTER?
NO...
NOT ANYMORE...
I SEE.
HAVE A DRINK, GWIYEONG.
YOU MANAGED TO LET HER GO. WE'RE CELEBRATING YOUR FIRST STEP TO ADULTHOOD.
NO... I DON'T REALLY DRINK YET...
EVERYONE KNOWS YOU AND GENERAL CHOI ARE THE GREATEST SWORDSMEN IN ALL OF JOSEON.
WHY DO YOU BOTHER WITH SOMEONE LIKE ME?
I HAPPEN TO LIKE INTERESTING PEOPLE, THAT'S WHY.
I WAS THE ONE WHO LOOKED YOU UP AFTER HIS MAJESTY GAVE THE ORDER.
YOU INTRIGUE ME.
YOU'RE A KID WITH A PROVEN TALENT FOR KILLING ENEMIES...
...WITH A NAME EARNED THROUGH BLOODSHED.
THE GHOST'S SHADOW...
YES! GWI FOR GHOST, AND YEONG FOR SHADOW!
IT'S ONE HELL OF A NAME! HAHAHA!
THE GWI ACTUALLY STANDS FOR PRECIOUS...
HUH...?
...AND YEONG MEANS TO WELCOME...
THE NAME ACTUALLY IS MEANT TO INVITE SOMETHING PRECIOUS INTO MY LIFE.
SORRY.
I'M NOT MUCH OF A THINKER, REALLY.
STILL, DON'T FORGET EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR PAST.
FROM NOW ON...
...YOU WILL START OFF ON A JOURNEY TO MOVE ON FROM THE PAST AND INTO A NEW PATH.
HAVE A DRINK WITH ME, GWIYEONG.
WE ARE CELEBRATING. HERE'S TO INVITING YOUR PRECIOUS NEW LIFE.
SURE...
I WILL JOIN YOU THEN.
WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT?
ONE SIP, AND HE'S GONE...!
WELL, WELL...
THE SO-CALLED GHOST'S SHADOW IS STILL A KID.
AND I WAS READY TO SPEND SOME TIME FOR THIS.
IT WAS ALL TOO EASY. TSK, WHAT A LETDOWN.
LET'S SEE NOW...
...!
REMEMBER WHAT I SAID, GWIYEONG?
I LIKE INTERESTING PEOPLE.
SO IT WOULDN'T BE ANY FUN IF IT WAS ALL TOO EASY, RIGHT?
GO AND HAVE SOME FUN OUT THERE.
BARMAID! DON'T WAKE HIM UP. LET HIM HAVE A GOOD NAP!
HMM...
HUH...?
WHOA... WHAT HAPPENED?
WHEN DID IT GET SO DARK?
I DIDN'T REALIZE I FELL ASLEEP...
DID GENERAL LEE LEAVE WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING?
STILL, DON'T FORGET EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR PAST.
FROM NOW ON...
...YOU WILL START OFF ON A JOURNEY TO MOVE ON FROM THE PAST AND INTO A NEW PATH.
HE'S RIGHT... I'LL NEVER FORGET MY PAST.
THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.
THE MILITARY STARTED RECRUITING TROOPS, JUST AS THE KING TOLD ME.
THEY SAY IT'S REGULAR RECRUITMENT, BUT I KNOW THIS IS A SELECTION PROCESS FOR CHETAMJA.
THE CHETAMJAS ARE AN ELITE VANGUARD FORCE TO BE STATIONED AT OUR NORTHERN FRONT TO FEND OFF THE JURCHEN THREAT.
YOU'LL SEE, DONG...
I WILL BECOME A CHETAMJA AND AVENGE YOU--
?
IT'S GONE...
HIS MAJESTY'S JADE PLAQUE...
I DON'T SEE IT ANYWHERE!!
ARE YOU SURE THIS IS THE RIGHT PLACE? WHY WOULD THEY BE RECRUITING TROOPS IN THE MOUNTAINS?
TRUST ME, OKAY? THIS IS THE PLACE.
JUST LOOK AROUND YOU. IT LOOKS LIKE EVERYONE IN THE AREA DECIDED TO TRY THEIR LUCK.
SO MANY PEOPLE TURNED UP. I WONDER IF WE'LL HAVE A SHOT AT ALL...
WELL, AT LEAST I WON'T BE THE WORST CANDIDATE OUT HERE.
HUH? IS THAT A KID? EVEN THE LITTLE ONES ARE SIGNING UP NOW, GEEZ...
THE ROYAL...
...JADE PLAQUE...
NEXT! STATE YOUR NAME AND ORIGIN.
UMM.... I'M FROM MUCHANG...
MY NAME IS GWIYEONG...
I HAVE TO TELL YOU SOMETHING, SIR...
HMM?
I WAS GIVEN THE JADE PLAQUE, BUT I MIGHT’VE LOST IT ON THE WAY HERE...
THE JADE PLAQUE? THAT’S FOR SKILLED SOLDIERS WHO DON’T NEED TO BE TESTED FOR RECRUITMENT.
SO... THE THING IS...
HIS MAJESTY GAVE IT TO ME.
THIS ONE IS DELUSIONAL. GET HIM OUT OF HERE.
S-SIR...!
I’M JANG KIM, THE SUPERVISOR FOR THE NORTHERN ARMY RECRUITMENT TEST.
YOU ALL KNOW ABOUT THE GREAT BENEFITS ON OFFER. HOWEVER, THE BAR IS HIGH.
THIS ISN’T FOR THE STANDARD TROOPS. THE NEW RECRUITS WILL BE JOINING A NEW COMMAND.
IF YOU MAKE THE CUT, YOU WILL RECEIVE BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION BEYOND THE NORM.
BUT REMEMBER. YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO CARRY OUT HIGHLY DANGEROUS MISSIONS.
IN OTHER WORDS, LUCK AND TRICKS WON’T HELP YOU OUT THERE.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
PEOPLE WHO CLAIM TO HAVE LOST THE JADE PLAQUE AWARDED TO HIM BY HIS MAJESTY...
...WILL NOT SURVIVE THOSE MISSIONS.
NOW, LET'S GET ON WITH THE FIRST PART OF THE TEST.
YOUR TASK IS SIMPLE.
CLIMB THAT MOUNTAIN...
...AND BRING BACK A RED-FEATHERED ARROW FROM THE SUMMIT.
THERE ARE TEN ARROWS UP THERE.
HOWEVER, I SEE 30 OF YOU HERE.
I THINK YOU GET THE IDEA. GO!
HMM?
JADE PLAQUE BOY. WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?
HUH..? OH... I-I FELT STARTLED...
WELL? START RUNNING!!
Y-YES, SIR!!
I KNOW THE RECRUITMENT IS OPEN TO ALL, BUT I NEVER THOUGHT A YOUNG BOY LIKE HIM WOULD APPLY AS WELL...
DARN IT!
I CAN'T BELIEVE I LOST THE JADE PLAQUE...!
THERE ARE TEN ARROWS. THAT MEANS I HAVE TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST TEN TO GET TO THE TOP.
BUT I FELL BEHIND... I WONDER IF I CAN CATCH UP IN TIME.
WHAT HAPPENED HERE?
OH? YOU DODGED IT.
HEY! THAT WAS CLOSE!
THE SUPERVISOR SAID THERE ARE TEN ARROWS.
BUT HE NEVER SAID THERE NEED TO BE TEN WINNERS.
FIRST, WE'RE GOING TO BRING DOWN EVERYONE IN SIGHT...
...AND TAKE THE ARROWS FROM THE OTHERS ON THEIR WAY BACK. IT'S THAT SIMPLE.
WH-WHAT...?
DO YOU GET IT NOW?
ONLY THE FOUR OF US...
...WILL PASS THIS TEST!
HUH...?
GUYS...
HOW DID YOU...
...COME UP WITH...
...SUCH A BRILLIANT IDEA?
While eating chicken stew, Gwiyeong remembers Dong. General Lee finds him and buys him takju, learns he no longer sees his sister, and they talk about the meaning of his name. After passing out from the drink and waking up, Gwiyeong realizes the jade plaque given by the king is gone. He enters the Northern army recruitment exam without the plaque; Jang Kim's first task is to bring back a red-feathered arrow from the mountain. On the way, a group lying in ambush plans to eliminate their rivals.
Spoiler Warning
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