Nano Machine Chapter 7: Ma Fighting Academy Commences (C)

The Ma faction is organizationally comprised of what is familiarly known as the six pillars (the six main clans), their three Grand Lords, and hundreds of small warrior clans.

The Ma Fighting Academy was opened as a way of training and producing, every ten years, the next generation of fighters who will protect the integrity of the Ma faction.

Because the Grand Prince candidates would also participate in the upcoming competition, all the clans referred to that year's showdown as "The Battle for the Princeship."

In light of the fierce competition between the Grand Prince candidates that would ensue in the academy in the coming year, it was also a golden opportunity for the other clansmen to procure a spot under the future Grand Prince.

Young boys and girls from every clan were gathered. A rough head count of the participants numbered about one thousand.

The main training field, or the arena that could be seen as soon as one entered the academy, was so big that it had enough space to accommodate all the participants without a problem.

All the faces of the participants awkwardly standing in the training field showed both nervousness and excited anticipation. The excitement was partly from the fact that on each commencement day, the pride and glory of the Ma faction, the Grand Master, would make his appearance.

Apart from special occasions and high-level competitions, it was nearly impossible to see the Grand Master's face, so it wasn't surprising for everyone to be excited for this golden moment.

Suddenly, the crowd's chattering began to grow louder.

"Look over there! It's Grand Lord West."

"Since the Grand Lord of the East is here, Grand Master's grand entrance can't be too far off."

"I can't believe I'm going to get to see the countenance of the Grand Master!"

From the left of the arena's front stage a man with long flowy red hair walked in as he looked down on all the young contestants with a smirk of contempt.

"How foolish. This year's cohort of participants are truly pathetic. They have not the slightest clue that this might be very well be their last few days on Earth."

This middle-aged man with red hair was one of the Grand Master's protectors. He was officially known as the West Grand Lord or the Lord of the Underworld, but his actual name was Yi Hwa Myeong.

To the Grand Master belonged three Grand Lords who acted as his protective guardians: the Grand Lord of lords, West Grand Lord, and the East Grand Lord—and they only answered to the Grand Master.

All three Grand Lords, from the Grand Lord of lords who always shadowed the Grand Master, to the West and East Grand Lords who carried out all his bidding, had fighting skill levels that placed them in the top ten ranks within the Ma faction.

"Ahh. Are they the six gong jas who will be vying for the Grand Princeship this year?"

West Grand Lord Yi Hwa Myeong's eyes naturally found their way towards the boys standing in the front row.

Every participant who enters the main training field had received a circular badge inscribed with a specific number.

With the exception of the six Grand Prince candidates, all the participants wore the same badge with a numeral on it upon their chest.

"They have quite the spirit despite their juvenility. "

All the participants were standing in rows and columns, but way in front of the formation were these six boys from their respective clans with their posture as straight as a nail and chests puffed out as though they were the undisputed leaders of the entire group.

Instead of white badges with numbers written in black ink, these boys who were the direct descendants of the Grand Master had black badges with their numbers written in red.

Number 1 belonged to Cheon Moo Yeon of Hyeon Ma clan.

Number 2 belonged to Cheon Gyeong Woon of Geom Ma clan.

Number 3 belonged to Cheon Moo Geum from Buk Ma clan.

Number 4 belonged to Cheon Jong Seom from Dok Ma clan.

Number 5 belonged to Cheon Yoo Chan from Do Ma clan.

Number 6 belonged to Cheon Won Ryeo from Eum Ma clan.

Although their badges only identified their numbers, West Grand Lord Yi Hwa Myeong knew all of the six Grand Prince candidates by name.

During the Battle for the Princeship ten years ago there were two female candidates present, but this year the only female candidate came from Eum Ma clan.

Historically in the Battle for the Princeship, a female candidate made it to the top only once and so the expectation on her was quite low.

"I see that all six expected candidates are here, but where is the last one?"

There was one specific candidate who attracted the interest and fancy of the honchos this year because of his non-affiliation with any clan.

Yi Hwa Myeong scanned through the first row to search for him, but he was nowhere to be found.

As his gaze turned all the way to the back row he made an unexpected discovery.

"There he is."

Only after some time had he finally spotted the boy.

If he hadn't worn a black badge on his chest, it would've been impossible for him to be discovered as he was standing absent-mindedly in the center of the last row near the entrance way to the complex.

"The Grand Prince candidate who belongs to no clan."

Despite his credential as a Grand Prince candidate, he hadn't been able to make his way up to the front row where all the other candidates stood.

Moreover, it seemed he was being ostracized by the rest of the other contestants as he awkwardly stuck out like a sore thumb in the row of people next to him.

"You are attracting attention in quite the interesting fashion."

For the moment his antics were humorous to watch, but he was just as quickly forgotten.

According to rumors, he hadn't trained himself one bit, and so he was no different than a non-candidate. If that was true, he was on his way to being booted from day one.

"Wow, there sure is a lot of people."

Because Cheon Yeo Woon was standing all the way in the back, he was able to catch a glimpse of all the thousand participants that filled the training field.

Although he hadn't show up late or anything, his entrance was delayed until everyone else got in because the people at the registration booth couldn't find his badge.

As a result, despite the dignified black badge he wore, he couldn't make his way to the front row.

It was obvious to him that it was a jerk move by one of the six candidates, but at this point it didn't really matter.

"I'm not going to gain anything from having friction with those guys right from the get-go anyway."

Cheon Yeo Woon was also more comfortable this way.

They were the same guys who, throughout his whole life, had tried to kill him whenever they had the chance.

If they saw him there it was pretty predictable how belligerently they would have acted towards him.

"Woooooom!"

The sound of a horn reverberated throughout the arena.

There was a loud chattering in the crowd that was exponentially louder than the initial reaction of the crowd when West Grand Lord made his entrance.

The reason became clear when one colossal presence suddenly began to make his way towards the front stage.

"It's the Grand Master!"

"OOHH MMYY…. Yeeaahhhhh!"

Long live Grand Master! Glory to Ma Faction!"

All one thousand or so young contestants in the training complex chanted loudly in one voice.

The middle-aged figure who wore a silky black robe with the character "Heaven" inscribed on it took the seat of honor in the center of the stage.

He was the Ma faction's incumbent Grand Master and the fifth-Level Master in martial arts, Cheon Yoo Jong.

Aside from his obvious social standing, Cheon Yoo Jong possessed such a charismatic and strong aura about him that he was able to overpower any large group of people with just his mere presence.

"I can't even lift my head."

Every single one of the young contestants who were excited about seeing the Grand Master for the first time hung their heads low as they lost all courage to look at him.

Standing right next to the Grand Master was the Grand Lord of lords, the leader of the three Lords, who was also called the Lord of Benevolence, or simply Ma Ra Gyeom. He was always seen with an elaborate-patterned mask on his face, which is why nobody within the Ma faction knew what he actually looked like.

"Hiccup!"

On the right of stage stood one who looked uncouth and was staggering from side to side like a drunkard. It was the last remaining Lord, East Grand Lord, who was also known as the Lord of Light, his actual name being Seop Maeng.

Although his appearance was quite ridiculous to behold, there was no denying that he still ranked in the top ten spots for best fighters in the Ma faction.

"Tsk, tsk."

"What are you looking at?" As the Lord of the Underworld Yi Hwa Myeong stared down in contempt at him, the one who had a gourd bottle full of alcohol in his hand, Seop Maeng, momentarily straightened up and bawled at him with a hint of annoyance in his tone.

Suddenly, the Grand Lord of lords Ma Ra Gyeom stood in front of the crowd and yelled out with all his inner strength.

"Quiet!"

The voice was so loud that even the rearmost row could clearly hear it. The commotion of the crowd suddenly faded as everything fell dead silent.

"Everything is ready, Your Highness."

Ma Ra Gyeom turned around and quietly addressed the Grand Master.

As the arena became quiet, Cheon Yoo Jong stood up from his seat.

The contestants stared at the Grand Master in anticipation of what he'd say as they all held their breath.

"Dear men and women of immense talent who have entered this arena, you are the future protectors of this great faction."

Unlike the loud shouting voice of Ma Ra Gyeom, the Grand Master spoke as though he was having a casual conversation with someone. Nevertheless, his words rang throughout the whole arena in great clarity and pierced into the hearts of all the listeners.

It gave everyone a sense of the inner power that Cheon Yoo Jong, fifth level master, considered the epitome of martial arts, must have possessed.

"I welcome you to Ma Fighting Academy. Train hard and develop your skills here so you may be deemed worthy of being the future protectors of this eternal faction."

That was the end of his speech.

As he turned around to leave the stage, the Grand Lord of lords Ma Ra Gym quietly lauded him,

"Excellent, sir."

With that, Grand Master Cheon Yoo Jong made his way down from the stage as the Grand Lord of lords Ma Ra Gyeom escorted him.

Although no one expected it to be too long, the terseness of his speech put everyone in a bit of a daze. Suddenly, the crowd erupted with chanting again.

"Long live Grand Master! Glory to Ma faction!"

There amidst the clamorous chanting crowd stood Cheon Yeo Woon, looking a bit stunned.

It was the first time in all his fifteen years of life that he saw the face of his biological father.

During his short welcome speech, the Grand Master instantly spotted Cheon Yeo Woon from a mile away, but, far from compassion and love, there was only seen an apathetic, chilly look in his eyes.

"I didn't expect much from him anyway."

Cheon Yoo Jong was MIA even on the day Lady Hwa passed away.

Without expectation, there is also no occasion for disappointment either.

Meanwhile, the red-haired Lord of the Underworld Yi Hwa Myeong began to take center stage as the arena grew quiet again.

"Now that the Grand Master's welcome speech was heard, why don't we all get started."

The students began to chatter again.

"Attention!!!!"

At Grand Lord Hwa Yi Hwa Myeong's eardrum-rupturingly loud shout, once again the clamor died out.

Unlike the regal appearance his flowing red hair and regal outfit gave him, he was no doubt a man of very hot-temper and strong personality.

"I will explain this in very simple terms, so listen carefully."

He was about to lay down the house rules and give a brief intro of what the next four years entailed.

"The academy will run for four years in six distinct stages."

It was common knowledge that the Ma Fighting Academy's program ran for four years.

However, since there was a sizable number of non-elite participants from smaller clans whose parents or teachers have never been involved in the academy before, it was crucial for them to hear West Grand Lord Yi Hwa Myeong's instructions on how the six different stages progressed.

"You can only move on to the following stage after successfully passing each challenge from the previous stage, of which you only get one chance."

The crowd began to panic at the words "one chance."

It meant that they only had one chance at completing a challenge, and if they even failed once it would mean disqualification.

Over their chatter they heard

"At least it seems as though you understand my words. That's right, if you fail to pass the test, you will be ejected from the academy immediately."

There were no second chances here.

Although it might've sounded a bit merciless, getting to the top required the utmost fierceness and personal growth.

In that moment, a boy looking seventeen-years-or-so old with handsome features who stood in the front row raised his hand to make a statement.

"I have a question."

The daring boy was the second-in-line to the throne, Cheon Gyeon Woon, who had a badge with the character "two" engraved in it.

Although his bold interruption in the middle of West Grand Lord's instructional speech betrayed his great insolence, there was still a look of unshakable confidence in his eyes, which all too soon come crashing down in a moment.

"Who told you you could ask questions, young boy?"

"Excuse me?"

Geom Ma clan's pretty-boy Cheon Gyeong Woon's face turned sour.

After living his whole life being pampered and treated by all his clansmen like royalty because of his blood relation to the Grand Master, it startled him a bit to hear someone so casually call him a "boy."

"Oh, I see. You must be offended because I called you a "boy? How would you like to be disqualified from the competition even before it starts?"

Even though Cheon Gyeon Woon felt very angry inside, he couldn't utter a single word back to West Grand Lord Yi Hwa Myeong's sharp rebuke.

He remembered that the day before the commencement of Ma Fighting Academy, his protector warned him.

"Once you enter the academy, all of your credentials as a direct descent of the Grand Master or being from one of the six pillar clans becomes null. And whoever they designate to be the host of this year's program, at all cost, avoid rubbing him the wrong way."

He didn't make much of it at the time, but it was definitely sobering now that he was put under the spotlight.

His opposer was one of the Grand Master's protectors and a Grand Lord who in the world of martial arts was considered to be one of the top ten strongest fighters among ten thousand other masters within the Ma faction.

He would've gained nothing from getting on the bad side of this monster of a figure.

"I apologize, sir."

As Cheon Gyeong Woon hung his proud head down in shame, the other five elite contestants put on a scornful smirk.