Chetamja: The King’s Eyes — Chapter 5

D-DUMOK...!!

IT'S A ROTTEN PIECE OF WOOD. IT MAKES A LOT OF NOISE, BUT IT DOESN'T REALLY DO MUCH.

YOU CAME UP WITH AN AMAZING PLAN. YOU SHOULD BACK IT UP WITH A DECENT WEAPON, NOT THIS.

WH-WHAT THE HELL...?

DON'T JUST STAND THERE!

GET HIM!!

HEY! STOP PUSHING!

I'M GONNA BE THE FIRST TO GET THERE!

GENERAL CHOI. I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE HERE.

GENERAL LEE.

GO AWAY. THERE'S PLENTY OF SPACE HERE.

WOW, WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT? THE WHOLE PLACE IS BUSTLING WITH PEOPLE.

WELL, SURE. PASSING THE TEST WILL IMMEDIATELY RELIEVE THEM FROM THE MILITARY DUTY...

AND EVEN EMANCIPATE* THEM IF THEY ARE SERVANTS.

*EMANCIPATION: LIBERATION FROM SLAVERY OR LOWBORN STATUS

HIS MAJESTY SURELY PUT SOME REALLY NICE REWARDS ON OFFER.

IT ONLY SHOWS HOW SERIOUS HE IS ABOUT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHETAMJA UNIT.

LET'S SEE... WHERE WOULD OUR LITTLE GWIYEONG BE?

IS THAT HIM? NO, IT ISN'T...

GWIYEONG? IS HE THE BOY WHO RECEIVED THE JADE PLAQUE FROM HIS MAJESTY LAST WINTER?

THE ONES WITH JADE PLAQUES AREN'T A PART OF THIS GROUP.

SURE, THAT'S TRUE... BUT HE'LL BE SOMEWHERE DOWN THERE DUE TO SOME EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES.

I MUST ADMIT I WAS QUITE CONCERNED WHEN I HEARD ABOUT THAT BOY BEING GIVEN THE JADE PLAQUE.

THE CHETAMJAS WILL BE AN ELITE RECONNAISSANCE UNIT OPERATING IN THE NORTH.

I SYMPATHIZE WITH THE BOY'S STORY, BUT THE JADE PLAQUE IS A PRIVILEGE MEANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE PROVEN WARRIORS.

REGARDLESS OF TALENT, HE IS ONLY A BOY. DOES HE REALLY DESERVE THE HONOR OF THE JADE PLAQUE?

AGE IS NOT A FACTOR. GWIYEONG HAS EXCEPTIONAL TALENT AND PHYSICAL ABILITY.

BUT THOSE AREN'T HIS GREATEST ASSETS.

HE'S BEEN CHASING AFTER BATTLEFIELDS TO SLAUGHTER THE BARBARIAN INVADERS SINCE THE AGE OF 12.

AND SO FAR, HE HAS SURVIVED EVERY ONE OF THEM.

YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT A SOLDIER NEEDS IN BATTLE. NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT...

...THAN COMBAT EXPERIENCE.

HE HAS THAT COVERED, AND HE EVEN HAS RAW TALENT...

WOULDN'T YOU SAY THE HEAVENS HAVE SENT HIM TO US?

AGH!

YOU COWARDLY BASTARD!!

AAAH! MY EYES!!

I'VE GOT YOU NOW!

HA... SEE? I TOLD YOU.

A ROTTEN WOODEN STICK MAKES A LOT OF NOISE...

...BUT IT DOESN'T DO MUCH... AT ALL...

BULLS***.

ALL RIGHT!

HE'D BETTER TAKE BACK WHAT HE SAID ABOUT THAT WOOD! IT HURT, YOU KNOW?!

FINISH HIM OFF!

FINE. YOU WERE RIGHT.

ROTTEN BRANCHES DO HURT JUST AS MUCH.

I GUESS THEY AREN'T REALLY THAT BAD AS A WEAPON.

NOW, SHALL WE TEST HOW MANY HITS IT WILL TAKE TO KNOCK YOU OUT WITH A ROTTEN PIECE OF WOOD?

S-STOP! OKAY, YOU MADE YOUR POINT!

I TAKE BACK WHAT I SAID.

LET'S AGREE TO HAVE TWO WINNERS. THE TWO OF US! H-HOW'S THAT?

WHY BOTHER? BY YOUR LOGIC, I COULD PASS THE TEST ON MY OWN, OLD MAN.

DON'T BE RIDICULOUS! DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN TAKE ALL THE OTHERS DOWN BY YOURSELF?

BUT WE CAN DO IT TOGETHER!

JUST LOOK AT THESE MUSCLES! DON'T THEY INSPIRE CONFIDENCE AND TRUST?

AND I'M NOT AN OLD MAN! I'M 18 YEARS OLD!

HMM...

YOU ARE STRONG, BUT YOU ARE YOUNG AND UNEXPERIENCED. SO YOU'LL NEED A TACTICIAN BY YOUR SIDE.

WHAT IS YOUR NAME, YOUNG MAN?

MY NAME IS GWIYEONG.

GWIYEONG... WHY DOES IT SOUND FAMILIAR?

IN ANY CASE, IT IS A STRONG NAME.

YES... THIS IS THE MOMENT I'VE ALWAYS BEEN DREAMING OF.

GWIYEONG...

JOIN ME. LET'S WORK TOGETHER.

WELL? HOW DOES IT LOOK, DUMOK?

I DON'T SEE ANYONE AROUND.

THAT'S WEIRD...

THE ONES WHO RAN AHEAD SHOULD'VE REACHED THE SUMMIT AND BE COMING BACK BY NOW...

WHAT DO WE DO, DUMOK?

HMM... SOMETHING MUST BE HAPPENING UP THERE.

IT LOOKS LIKE WE’LL HAVE TO CLIMB THE MOUNTAIN.

WOW... THAT’S A GREAT PLAN, DUMOK.

YOU REALLY ARE A GREAT TACTICIAN.

WE’D BETTER HURRY IF WE WANT TO GET THERE BEFORE THE SUN SETS...

OH SURE. GOOD RIDDANCE...

THAT FOOL MESSED UP ALL MY PLANS...

COME ON, DUMOK!

HUH? ME?

YEAH! AREN'T YOU COMING?

I THOUGHT YOU WANTED US TO WORK TOGETHER!

I CAN'T FIGURE THIS GUY OUT AT ALL...

THEN WHY THE HELL DID HE BEAT ME UP?

AND HOW COULD ANYONE BE THAT STRONG AT HIS AGE?

WELL, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT HE ISN’T VERY SMART.

HE’S JUST A NAIVE KID.

I COULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HIM...

...AND USE HIM AS A WEAPON TO PASS THE TESTS.

WE FINALLY MADE IT TO THE TOP...!

COME ON! WE COULD’VE TAKEN SOME BREAKS...

YOU’RE LATE. ARE YOU THE LAST ONES?

?!

WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? WERE YOU FOOLING AROUND DOWN THERE?

THERE WAS A SUPERVISOR AT THE TOP.

BUT WHAT'S THIS MESS?

HUH...?

YOU ALSO HAVE ONE!

IT'S THE JADE PLAQUE!

DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT THIS IS?

I HAD ONE JUST LIKE IT TOO!

IF I HADN’T LOST IT, I WOULDN’T HAVE HAD TO GO THROUGH ALL THIS TROUBLE...

THEY TOLD ME ABOUT A LIAR AMONG THE CANDIDATES CLAIMING TO HAVE LOST HIS JADE PLAQUE...

SO IT’S YOU.

I DON’T KNOW HOW YOU LEARNED ABOUT THE PLAQUES...

...BUT I DON’T THINK YOU REALIZE WHAT IT MEANS. IF YOU DID, YOU WOULDN’T BE MAKING THOSE BOLD CLAIMS.

THE JADE PLAQUE IS THE MARK OF THE KING’S CHOSEN SWORDSMAN.

BUT YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A FOOLISH LOWBORN. DON’T YOU DARE MOCK THE HONOR IT REPRESENTS.

HEY... THAT’S NOT--

THAT'S HARSH OF YOU TO SAY.

YOUR PRETTY FACE TELLS ME YOU'RE FROM A YANGBAN* FAMILY.

LOOK, I DON'T CARE WHY SOMEONE LIKE YOU IS WORKING AS A SUPERVISOR FOR THIS TEST.

BUT THIS TEST IS OPEN TO ALL, REGARDLESS OF CLASS.

*YANGBAN: A NOBLE, RULING CLASS OF THE JOSEON DYNASTY

SO WHY DO YOU CARE WHETHER HE'S A LOWBORN OR NOT?

THE ONLY REQUIREMENT IS TO BE FIT AND STRONG, ISN'T IT?

TAKE THOSE...

AND ATTACK ME AT ONCE.

WIN MY APPROVAL, AND I’LL LET YOU TAKE THOSE ARROWS.

STAY BACK, GWIYEONG.

THIS IS A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY...

...TO BEAT UP THOSE PRETTY-A** NOBLES WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES!

HOW'S THAT FOR A LOWBORN SWORD MOVE? NOT BAD, EH?

YOU PEOPLE DON'T EVEN HAVE MUSCLES!! WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HARD WORK?

I WILL MAKE YOU KNEEL!!

HYAH!!

I NEVER EXPECTED MUCH... AND I WAS PROVEN RIGHT YET AGAIN.

YOU LITTLE...!

AAAGH!

YOU BASTARD...

IF YOU HAVE HUMBLE ROOTS...

...STRIVE TO HAVE A GOOD CHARACTER.

IF YOU HAVE A POOR CHARACTER...

...STRIVE TO BE HUMBLE.

IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY TALENT TO SPEAK OF...

...STRIVE TO BE PRUDENT.

THAT IS WHY YOU--

THAT'S ENOUGH.

YOU'RE TAKING THIS TOO FAR.

YOU CALL THIS A RECRUITMENT TEST?

YOU WERE ABOUT TO KILL HIM.

WE ALL BELONG TO JOSEON. WHY ARE WE FIGHTING--

YOU AREN’T LISTENING.

IF YOU DON’T HAVE ANY TALENT TO SPEAK OF, STRIVE TO BE PRUDENT--

LOOKING FOR THIS?

WHAT? WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?

I CAN’T SAY MUCH ABOUT HIS CHARACTER.

BUT TALENT? I THINK HE HAS THAT COVERED.