Chetamja: The King’s Eyes — Chapter 6

LOOKING FOR THIS?

ARGH...!

HOW'S THAT? IT HURTS, RIGHT?

YOU HIT HIM LIKE A CHILD WHO NEEDS TO BE DISCIPLINED, SO I GAVE YOU A TASTE OF YOUR OWN MEDICINE.

WAIT A MINUTE. BUT IS IT REALLY OKAY TO SAY THINGS LIKE THIS TO A YANGBAN?

STOP TALKING! LOOK BEHIND YOU!

HE WAS TOO CLOSE TO DODGE IT.

COME ON, YOU STARTLED ME...

BUT HE SAW ME SWING AND DODGED IT IN TIME.

THIS GUY...

...HAS QUICK REFLEXES...

...AND FAST MOVEMENTS TO MATCH THEM!

BUT HE'S SLOPPY.

LOOK HOW UNREFINED AND CRUDE HIS ATTACK IS.

WHAT WAS THAT KICK?!

I ADMIT IT. YOU HAVE TALENT.

HUH?

YOU USED AN UNORTHODOX MOVE AND FOLLOWED IT WITH ANOTHER MOVE...

YOU HAVE QUICK REFLEXES AND GOOD MOVES TO BACK THEM UP.

HOWEVER...

...THAT'S NOT HOW YOU DO IT.

YOU FIGHT LIKE A BEAST.

HOWEVER...

YOU HAVE POTENTIAL...

...BUT YOU NEVER HAD A CHANCE TO REFINE IT DUE TO YOUR BACKGROUND.

THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND ME--

?!

UGH!

YOU DIRTY COWARD!!

YOU SURE TALK A LOT...

DIDN’T THEY TEACH YOU TO FOCUS ON THE FIGHT?

THAT’S GONNA GET YOU KILLED...

...BEFORE YOU KNOW IT.

YOU’RE NOTHING BUT A DIRTY LITTLE TRICKSTER.

YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO.

I HAVE MISJUDGED YOU.

I BRIEFLY CONSIDERED GIVING YOU THE ARROW FOR YOUR POTENTIAL.

BUT I CHANGED MY MIND. YOU ARE GUILTY OF MOCKING THE JADE PLAQUE...

...AND DEFILING THE SOLEMN PROCESS OF SELECTING HIS MAJESTY'S SWORDSMEN WITH CHEAP TRICKERY.

YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS.

I SHALL TAKE ONE OF YOUR ARMS.

WHAT THE HELL?

HE DREW HIS SWORD!

GWIYEONG! LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!

THAT GUY HAS SOME SERIOUS ISSUES!!

NO. HE'S DOING THE RIGHT THING.

WE AREN’T HERE FOR CHILDISH GAMES. THIS IS HOW IT SHOULD’VE BEEN ALL ALONG. BUT SINCE YOU DREW STEEL...

...YOU’D BETTER BE READY TO OFFER AN ARM TOO.

STILL COCKY, ARE YOU?

LET’S SEE IF YOU CAN KEEP RUNNING YOUR MOUTH LIKE THAT...

...ONCE I’M DONE WITH YOU.

I KNEW SOMETHING WAS GOING ON BECAUSE NO ONE CAME BACK.

SO IT WAS YOU, YUJEONG. YOU BROUGHT THEM ALL DOWN.

I TOLD YOU CHECK THEIR SKILLS, NOT BEAT THEM ALL TO THE GROUND...

YOU EVEN DREW YOUR SWORD! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?

YOU PUT ME IN CHARGE OF EVALUATING THE CANDIDATES HERE, SIR.

I WAS ONLY FOLLOWING ORDERS.

YES, BUT I DIDN'T TELL YOU TO ELIMINATE THEM ALL!

WELL... I'M STILL HERE THOUGH...

AHH, YES... THE JADE PLAQUE BOY... SURE, A RULE IS A RULE.

BRING ME AN ARROW, YUJEONG.

THIS BOY WILL BE THE ONLY SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE FROM GROUP THREE.

YOU MUST ADMIT HE HAS THE SKILLS. YOU'D KNOW SINCE YOU FOUGHT HIM.

I TOLD YOU, SIR.

YOU PUT ME IN CHARGE HERE.

AND I SAY...

...NONE OF THEM PASSED.

THAT STUBBORN LITTLE...

UMM...

HERE'S THE RED-FEATHERED ARROW.

WHAT...? BUT HOW?

ANSWER: HE SECRETLY PLUCKED IT OUT OF THE TREE WHILE THE OTHER TWO WERE BUSY FIGHTING EACH OTHER

YOU TOLD ME TO GET THE ARROW, AND I DELIVERED.

ACCORDING TO THE RULES, THIS MEANS I PASS, RIGHT?

AAAGH, YOU CRAFTY BASTARD!

THIS IS WHY I DON'T HANG OUT WITH THE EDUCATED FOLK!

SURE. YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO PASSED IN GROUP THREE...

HERE'S YOURS.

...?!

DON'T YOU REMEMBER? I ASKED YOU TO JOIN ME.

I TOLD YOU WE CAN MAKE THIS HAPPEN IF WE WORK TOGETHER.

DUMOK...!

TWO CANDIDATES FROM GROUP THREE PASS THE FIRST ROUND!

GWIYEONG! DUMOK!

YUJEONG. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS WAS ABOUT, BUT DON'T DO IT AGAIN.

THE OBJECTIVE OF THE FIRST ROUND WAS TO TEST THEIR STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE.

IF YOU KEEP THIS UP, THERE WILL BE NOBODY LEFT.

WE ARE RECRUITING CHETAMJA, AND THAT MEANS WE'RE LOOKING FOR THE BEST OF THE BEST.

NONE OF THEM WOULD'VE MADE THE CUT ANYWAY...

...INCLUDING THOSE MORONS.

MORONS, YOU SAY? WELL, YOU NEARLY LOST AN ARM TO A MORON THEN.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN, SIR...?

!!

WHY DO YOU THINK I STOPPED THE FIGHT?

WHO DO YOU THINK I WAS TRYING TO PROTECT?

THE NEXT DAY

DARN IT... I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE WAS ANOTHER TEST!

IT SEEMS LIKE MANY PEOPLE FROM THE OTHER GROUPS PASSED THE FIRST ROUND.

WE WERE UNLUCKY WITH OUR SUPERVISOR, I GUESS.

SETTLE DOWN!

HUH...? IS THAT GENERAL SUNMONG LEE...?

MY NAME...

...IS SUNMONG LEE!

!!!

SUNMONG LEE? AS IN GENERAL SUNMONG LEE?

YEAH, THAT'S HIM! THE NOTORIOUS TROUBLEMAKER!

THEY SAY HE AND GENERAL CHOI ARE THE BEST SWORDSMEN IN JOSEON!

BUT WHY WOULD HE BE HERE ON RECRUITMENT DAY?

WOW...!!

HE HIT THE TINY PLUM FROM THAT DISTANCE!

NO WONDER WHY THEY CALL HIM THE BEST ARCHER IN JOSEON!

THAT IS SOME DIVINE ARCHERY RIGHT THERE!

YES... AS YOU CAN SEE...

...THIS IS WHAT I'M CAPABLE OF.

THE SECOND ROUND OF THE TEST IS MUCH EASIER THAN THE FIRST.

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS HOLD THIS MELON UP. THEN YOU PASS.

JUST LIKE THAT.

?!

I WILL TAKE YOUR RED-FEATHERED ARROWS AND SHOOT THAT MELON. IF YOU CAN STAND STILL, YOU PASS.

IF I CAN HIT A PLUM, HITTING A MELON SHOULD BE EASY WORK.

SO WHO WANTS TO GO FIRST?

I-I WILL, SIR!

GOOD! THAT'S THE KIND OF COURAGE I WANTED TO SEE.

AND LOOK AT THAT. THE MAN TRUSTS ME.

IF I MUST GO THROUGH IT ANYWAY, I MIGHT AS WELL BE THE FIRST TO DO IT WHILE GENERAL LEE IS STILL SHARP.

HE'S DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO SLIP UP ON HIS FIRST SHOT.

I-I'M READY, SIR...!

....?!

I-IS HE...

...DRINKING?

THE CHANCES OF IT ARE QUITE SLIM...

...BUT I MIGHT MISS AND END UP HITTING YOU.

IN THAT CASE, JUST KEEP STANDING THERE, AND WE'LL CONSIDER IT A PASS.