Episode 152: Return to the Martial Arts Academy

In the main hall of the Inspection Bureau, twenty-one cadets sat at their desks, each facing a daunting stack of documents.

Standing on a low platform, Instructor Sabi Kang surveyed the room and addressed the cadets. “As you learned yesterday, you’re not yet official members of the inspection team. There’s a verification process that lasts ten days. During this time, you must uncover an organization that has embezzled funds and murdered orphans.”

“What? Is there really such an organization?” asked Yeom Jaryang, his face a picture of shock.

Sabi Kang shook his head. “No, it’s just a scenario. Your task is to identify the criminal organization within this setup.”

After explaining the task, Sabi Kang gestured to the piles of documents on each desk. “These are the accounting records for all the buildings associated with the Outer Circle, covering the past month. Review them and report any discrepancies or suspicious organizations. This is your first mission.”

With that, Sabi Kang crossed his arms and took a seat, watching as the cadets immediately began sifting through the papers. Some reached for the abacuses provided to aid their calculations, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of an exam room.

As time passed, focus waned, and murmurs began to fill the room. The first to voice his frustration was Gok Bo-ok, who scratched his head vigorously. “Ugh! This is giving me a headache! I’m terrible with numbers. I’d rather be doing something physical.”

His outburst drew laughter from a few cadets, but Yeom Jaryang shared his sentiment, sighing as he scratched his own head. “Staring at numbers all day feels like I’m about to lose my mind. I’m getting nauseous, and my head’s starting to throb. I can’t concentrate at all.”

“Come here, then. I’ll give you a special massage to help you focus,” someone offered.

“No need. Suddenly, I feel much more focused,” Yeom Jaryang quipped, eliciting more laughter from the cadets.

Meanwhile, Sabi Kang observed the cadets closely. ‘As expected, Yeon Woo-kyung and Mok Dan-hwa are the ones to watch.’

The two had grabbed their abacuses the moment Sabi Kang finished speaking and hadn’t moved from their seats since, fully engrossed in their work.

Yeon Woo-kyung, having just completed a set of calculations, adjusted his abacus and turned to the next page. ‘Next up is Cheonhyangru.’

His fingers flew over the abacus as he continued his calculations, pausing only to double-check his work. There was a slight discrepancy. ‘Could it be here?’

After confirming his suspicions, he set aside the documents for Cheonhyangru as a potential lead. “Phew!” he exhaled, wiping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve. He had processed about half of the documents. ‘At this rate, I might finish first.’

He glanced over at Mok Dan-hwa, who was working at a similar pace. ‘Dan-hwa is fast too. She seems to have about half left as well.’

It seemed likely that either he or Mok Dan-hwa would be the first to report. ‘I can’t lose!’

Yeon Woo-kyung resumed his calculations with renewed determination, his fingers dancing over the abacus. He estimated that another hour or so would suffice to review all the records.

Just then, a voice broke the concentration in the room. “Um… Instructor, I’m done.”

From a corner of the room, someone raised a hand. What? Done already? With what?

Yeon Woo-kyung looked over, bewildered, as did the other cadets, all equally surprised. Sabi Kang was no exception.

“You’re finished already?” Sabi Kang asked incredulously.

“Yes,” replied the cadet, a student named Dam Woo-gi, who had a rather unremarkable appearance and wore glasses. Despite his lack of presence, he had managed to complete the task without even using an abacus.

‘Did he do it all in his head?’ Sabi Kang wondered, deciding to reserve judgment. Finishing quickly didn’t guarantee accuracy.

Maintaining a serious demeanor, Sabi Kang asked, “Alright, tell me. Did you find anything suspicious?”

“Yes, there are three places that seem suspicious,” Dam Woo-gi replied calmly.

“Three places?” Sabi Kang repeated, frowning.

“Yes, Shinwha Inn, Tongmun Pavilion, and Manin Hall,” Dam Woo-gi listed without hesitation, prompting the other cadets to scramble through their documents.

Sabi Kang, furrowing his brow, addressed the cadets. “Don’t be swayed. Woo-gi could be wrong, so continue your checks. If you find something he missed or another suspicious place, you’ll earn even more credit.”

Yeon Woo-kyung and Mok Dan-hwa nodded, acknowledging the advice. Yeon Woo-kyung paused his search to take a deep breath. ‘There’s no way he got it right so quickly. There must be something…’

“No need,” Dam Woo-gi interjected, pushing up his glasses. “These three places are definitely the most suspicious. I’m sure of it.”

Sabi Kang’s eyes twitched. “You little… I kind of like your confidence, even if it’s annoying.”

“Excuse me?”

“Everyone, stop what you’re doing,” Sabi Kang instructed, causing the cadets to halt and look up.

“You heard him. No need to search further. He’s certain.”

Yeon Woo-kyung stood up, indignant. “What do you mean, Instructor… I mean, Chief! Woo-gi could have made a mistake, couldn’t he?”

But Dam Woo-gi was quick to respond. “There’s no mistake. My calculations are accurate.”

”…So he says. No mistake, apparently,” Sabi Kang shrugged.

Yeon Woo-kyung clenched his fists. How could someone so unassuming suddenly…?

Then again, they had never had a class like this before.

“But if there’s even a chance of a mistake…” Yeon Woo-kyung began, still reluctant to accept it.

Sabi Kang shrugged again. “Well, if it’s for the organization’s growth, finding a colleague’s mistake is a good thing. If that’s your intention, keep looking. And you, come with me.”

Sabi Kang tapped Dam Woo-gi on the shoulder and led him out of the hall. As they left, the cadets slumped back in their chairs, relieved.

“Finally, we’re free.”

“I thought my head was going to explode.”

“But seriously, how did he finish so fast?”

“Isn’t he the one who was the slowest to reach the peak in martial arts among us?”

“Even a slowpoke has its talents, I guess. Who knew he was a natural at calculations?”

As the cadets chatted, Yeon Woo-kyung gripped his brush tightly, trembling with frustration. It didn’t make sense. There was no way he could have done it so perfectly in such a short time. That wasn’t confidence; it was arrogance. Recklessness.

The negative impact of one person’s recklessness on an organization could be enormous. It couldn’t be allowed.

While Yeon Woo-kyung brooded over the documents, the other cadets began to leave the hall one by one. Sabi Kang had said they could stop, so there was no reason to linger.

‘Should I… just go…?’ Yeon Woo-kyung thought, reaching to tidy up his papers.

Rustle.

The sound of pages turning came from the seat next to him. He turned to see Mok Dan-hwa still working, her abacus clicking as she continued her review.

‘Right, it’s not over yet. There must be something we missed!’

Yeon Woo-kyung resumed his scrutiny of the documents.

**

An hour and a half passed.

Thud!

Yeon Woo-kyung slammed the last document onto the table and leaned back in his chair. “Phew.”

He exhaled deeply, feeling as if he’d just finished a grueling martial arts session, sweat trickling down his face from the intense concentration.

“Damn it…” he muttered, unable to hold back his frustration.

He was wrong. No matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find anything beyond the three places Dam Woo-gi had identified. The discrepancy at Cheonhyangru was merely a minor clerical error, insignificant in the grand scheme of embezzlement.

In contrast, the three locations Dam Woo-gi had pinpointed were indeed problematic. On the surface, there were no obvious errors, but a closer examination of the causal relationships and cross-referencing revealed clear gaps. Money had definitely been siphoned off.

Dam Woo-gi had truly identified them all in record time.

Yeon Woo-kyung glanced over at Mok Dan-hwa, who was staring blankly ahead, her documents seemingly all reviewed.

He approached her. “Did you figure it out?”

“Yeah…” Mok Dan-hwa nodded.

Yeon Woo-kyung’s eyes lit up. “Where?”

“Manin Hall, Tongmun Pavilion, Shinwha Inn.”

“What? Those are the places he already mentioned.”

Mok Dan-hwa glanced at Yeon Woo-kyung.

“Didn’t you hear? That genius said there are only these three places. No matter how hard we look, there’s nothing else. He was right. We’ve been wasting our time.”

**

The recent events were unlike anything Sabigang had experienced in his past life.

As a result, he found it difficult to predict how the future might unfold.

However, with the martial arts skills and wisdom he had accumulated over the years, Sabigang was confident that this challenge wouldn’t pose much of a problem.

Last night, after receiving the documents, Sabigang meticulously reviewed them before the cadets had a chance.

He narrowed down the suspicious locations to three: the Shinhwa Inn, Tongmun Pavilion, and Manin Hall.

Among the cadets, he believed only Yeon Woo-kyung or Mok Dan-hwa could uncover these places within three hours.

But then…

“This kid… quite intriguing.”

With an innocent face and a simple demeanor, Damwoo stood before him, having solved the calculations without an abacus and within just one hour.

“This one wasn’t in my past life’s memories…”

Sabigang sat back at his desk and spoke.

“Impressive. How did you find it so quickly?”

“Did I find it quickly?” Damwoo asked, genuinely puzzled.

Which made it all the more…

“Annoying.”

Sabigang took a sip of the tea he had prepared and said, “Yes, quite fast. We haven’t had this type of lesson before, so I didn’t realize your potential.”

“Is this… a skill?”

“An extraordinary one.”

“Oh… okay.”

Damwoo still looked as if he couldn’t quite grasp it.

“He’s definitely an interesting one.”

A slight smile played on Sabigang’s lips.