A combination of bitter awkwardness emanated into the thick, humid summer air as Shun had a short glance with the three noble people: one who persecuted him, the other one who confronted him... and lastly, the one whom he did not really know. The young boy shot a quick smile and bowed his head, trying to distance away from the three devils.

"Such a rush, I guess," Jin Ri teased.

Shun turned his head to the right, giving her a sideward confirmation. The Prime Minister and his family strolled again the courtyard, and Shun followed the other boys going to the main training ground. Upon reaching the tall brown wooden gate as sturdy as the fortress, two indigo group hwarangs asked him his registration form. Shun handed the paper to them, and guards let him in.

The hefty walls enclosing the entire wide space, the aesthetic and wide dais at the far end, and the robust hwarangs and guards on the sides, either acting as alert sentinels or practicing their fighting stunts saluted Shun. Impressed. Awed. Astonished.

People continued to fill almost every space of the center grounds. As Shun joined at the crowding young boys, finding himself a perfect, comfortable spot, he heard a eunuch announcement. "His Majesty graces us all!"

"Clear the way!"

The young boys cleared the ground; the vast lake of people slowly separated into two groups. All people genuflected and bowed their heads down. The King paraded down, alongside with Sae Joo, the Prime Minister, and his family, some members of the council, and a few high-ranking hwarang officials. The royal family went up to the dais, while the hwarangs continued marching down to the two sides: left and right.

Jae Joong faced the swarm of young spirits before him. "You may now stand."

All people raised their heads and stood, going back to their positions. The gates closed, formally ending the registration of aspiring applicants. Jae Joong announced, "Hear my words. Today marks a special moment for all hwarangs. Young boys, young spirits, a new force to one of the kingdom's most valued pillar. I wish all of you good luck and may the Heavens guide you on your journey."

Jae Joong walked down from the dais and left the training ground. Dae Wong then stood from his seat and announced, "As of this day, I would like to extend my words of congratulations for each and everyone. All of you are all members of the hwarangs already."

Mixed emotions sprinkled on the crowd. Some smiled, corners of their lips almost kissed their ears, others were confused, and some of them showed skeptical countenances. The young minister continued, "However, not all of you will be assigned in the palace. Only ten people from each of the provinces will be added to the palace hwarangs. The rest will return to your provinces, and you will work as provincial hwarangs. The process and training will be tedious. All of you should be prepared wholeheartedly."

He started pacing the dais as he continued speaking, "For this day, we are going to test your physical and mental acumen—see who among of you are fit to become a palace hwarang. But before anything else, I would like to give the floor to the new head of the hwarangs—Crown Prince Sae Joo." he walked to the right, picked a yellow flag with detailed designs, and handed it regally to the Prince.

Sae Joo cast a quick, tense stare at Dae Wong before he stood and accepted the flag. He walked in front of the dais and cleared his throat, scanning the awaiting faces of the audience. "I... am Silla's Crown Prince, Sae Joo. As... your... leader, I want you to know that being a hwarang is not just a high privilege. It is a big responsibility, not just for..." his eyes moved upward a bit, trying to remember a part from his memorized speech.

He resumed, "... yourself, for your family, but above all, for the kingdom. I want you to give your all—your best starting from today. I wish you all good luck."

All hwarangdos from the perimeter got down on their knees and knelt before the Prince, "Yes, Your Highness!" chanted them. Bit by bit, the crowd followed and all people on the training ground knelt down and acknowledged the Crown Prince as their leader.

Dae Wong smiled at the Prince, and he put in, announcing the formal commencement of the screening. "Attention, hwarang! We will arrange you based on your provinces. Once your name is called, go the particular hwarangdo on the sides, holding the flag of your province."

The tedious process of calling out each of the boy's name began. For every single boy called, a space in the center ground was declogged. Eventually, after some time, the center ground was cleared, and the applicants assembled with their respective hwarangdos.

Dae Wong called their attention again, "Hwarangs, now that you are with your respective hwarangdos, we shall all parade to the training camp to proceed with the screening." all hwarangs bowed their heads and started parading out of the training ground per cluster.

~~•~~

The training camp outside the palace was near the mouth of the woods just a few meters outside the palace. Set in a closed nature's tall, evergreen skyscrapers, the camp was composed of a number of obstacles, such as mud pits with low- cargo net on top, inclined walls, ladders, monkey bars, balancing logs, wall hangers, and more which would test their physical strengths.

Lining in front of the long, knee-level wooden fence enclosing the camp, the hwarangdos in front instructed all the applicants under them to fall in line. Overall, there were fourteen long lines, waiting for the proper signal. Shun, who was at the sixth column, at the middle of the line, peeked through the different sets of obstacles. He felt confident that he could pass all of those—considering that he had trained with his father when he was younger in the inner woods of Myeongju. As he surveyed more, he heard a eunuch announced the arrival of Sae Joo. "His Highness graces us all!"

The hwarangs bowed their heads, and the Crown Prince nodded in response to their gesture of respect. Together with Jung Min, Jin Ri, and Dae Wong, the Prince walked past the railing and made his way to the specially made stage at the far end of the camp, where the final station was placed. As Sae Joo sat on his seat, eyes examining the applicants from afar, he could not help but ask Jin Ri why she was at the screening, "May I know your reason why you are still here?"

"Your Highness, I do not wish to miss this. After all, some of these boys will be our future palace hwarangs."

Dae Wong put in, "Just let her be, Your Highness. The Prime Minister insisted."

"I will make sure that she will not cause any troubles," Jung Min added.

At the right signal from the Prince, the bison horns were blown. Some nangdos crossed through the fence and manned their respective stations. Others went to the perimeters as watchmen and assistants just in case an emergency happens. When everything was ready, Dae Wong went down the dais and strode to the applicants.

"The screening will be simple. This is a test of physical strength and mental focus. Per province, divide yourselves into subgroups with six members each. Depending on your numbers, you will be divided into Batch One, Two, Three... so on and so forth. The goal is just simple. All members of the group should complete the obstacle course from start to finish in an hour... Moreover, all of you should finish the race together. Should one of you falter, then your entire subgroup is out."

There was a tensed silence. The bone-chilling breeze from the tall trees shoved all the way their bodies. "If there are no more questions, divide yourselves into subgroups and discuss who shall be the first batch to complete the course."

The applicants, with the help of their hwarangdos, created their own subgroups. The hwarangdos gave tips about the groupings—in order to be successful, there should be a mixed set of people in terms of height and weight. Shun somehow belonged to a batch with three tall boys, two average-builds, and one rotund. Their sub-group was selected to be the first one to race.

When all the subgroups were made, Dae Wong called the attention of everyone, and Shun's subgroup went in front.

"Alright, all fourteen Batch One's, get yourselves ready! After the horn, you shall cross the fence and start the course. On your mark, get set... go!"

Upon giving the right signal, a loud sound of a bison horn bounced back from the surrounding tree trunks. Shun and his teammates carefully stepped across the railing, making their way in officially.

"Which one should we go first?" the fat boy asked.

One of their teammates—a tall lean boy, wearing an indigo noble robe suggested, "How about the mud pit first since it is the nearest? Look! It is just a yard away."

Shaking his head, Shun respectfully disagreed, "I think that will be a bad idea. We will be wet and slimy before we even reach the ladders, the monkey bars..."

Before he could even finish, the lean boy scoffed, "So, where do you plan to go?"

"We shall go to the dry challenges first. How about the rappel wall?" Shun suggested.

"Fine."

Agreeing with Shun's suggestion, their group ran as fast as they could to the rappel station, northeast of their direction. A tall, broad, caramel-brown wall with six iron ladders going on top. Upon arriving at the station, a green group hwarangdo officially welcomed them, sitting at a small table with a bucket covered with loin cloth on top. "This is the rappel station. The task is just simple—you just need to climb those ladder and rappel your way down to the other side."

The arrogant, attention-seeker teammate sneered, shaking his head. "That simple? Oh, come on!"

"But wait, there is more," grinned the hwarangdo. He suddenly pulled the cover of the bucket, revealing its content—oil.

"All of you must soak your hands in this bucket of oil. Then, you may do your task. Good luck."

Letting out a snigger of disgust, the elite-acting members soaked their hands, closing their eyes—face folding in a grimace like a prune. Upon Shun's turn, he chortled as he dove his hands into the bucket. When all of their hands were wet in oil, the hwarangdo gave the go signal.

"Go!"

The six members grabbed the ladder as quickly as possible and started moving upward. Shun found it easy because his body was light and flexible as a feather, his arms and feet were slick as cold air in the mountains, slipping away from one bar to another. The rest of the team members were relatively fast as well. When Shun reached the top of the wall, ready to grab the nylon rope to rappel down the other side, he noticed that his plump teammate was struggling even to take a single step.

"Hey! What are you still doing there on top?" yelled the other teammates who already made their ways down the other side.

Shun shook his head and sighed, turning back to the poor teammate. He quickly got down the ladder and offered help to the poor boy.

"What is the problem?" asked him.

The chubby boy pouted his lips, eyes trembling in fear and hesitation. "I think I cannot do it. Just leave me alone. Our team will not make it if you wait for me."

"No! This is a group task. We are one. You and I are on the same boat now. Failure of one member is a failure of all... Worry not because I will help you," smiled Shun.

"Now, all you have to do is focus on your goal—that is to reach the top of the wall. Do not look down. Do not falter. Shove all negativity inside you. I will be here to catch you when you fall, alright?"

The boy nodded and released a loud exhale. Grabbing the iron steps, he slowly pushed his body upward while reaching for the next step—slowly yet surely. Every step was calculated timely with breaths in between, thinking also the slippery sensation of the oil in his hands. A technique crossed his mind: wiping his hands off the bar every step to reduce the amount of oil in his hands as he went higher. When he was at the antepenultimate step, a few steps away from the golden victory, his right hand suddenly slipped, his knees rubbed furiously into the iron bars in fast reflex. He yelped as he almost fell into the ground, but thankfully his left hand managed to grab the second to the last step. His stiff, heavy body hanging into the dead mid-air.

"I am scared!" cried the boy.

"Do not be! You are almost there! Focus! Do not let your grip go!" encouraged Shun, his voice reverberating across all stations, seizing the attention of some applicants and nangdo marshals.

With both eyes closed, heavy breaths with the same pace as his heartbeat, carefully, he lifted his legs, groping and landing for the correct step as he carried his right arm over his head, to where his left arm was. When he was stable again, blowing hot air from his shaking lips, he cautiously continued going up. Watchful. Alert. Heedful. After an agonizing experience, he finally made it to the top.

Shun cheered and quickly followed his teammate. When the two boys were on the peak of the wall, they grabbed the nylon rope. A considerable amount of fear was still present inside the stout boy, but he was already confident of himself doing the challenge because of Shun. The two rappelled down the wall with extreme caution, finishing the first station.

"Good job!" the hwarangdo assigned clapped. "You may now proceed with the next station. Good luck!"

The rest of the team expressed their annoyance with the plump boy—a true liability. "Nice work, fatso!" a medium-build boy wearing a periwinkle noble robe teased.

"Just do not mind them," Shun grabbed the paunchy boy's arm and whispered.

"Enough with that! Time is ticking!" expressed the other member.

The team jetted to the next station, then the next one, so on and so forth until they finally reached the final station—the mud pit with a net on top. A red group hwarangdo welcomed them with a sardonic smile, "Easy, right?"

"Anyways, being the last team to finish, I suggest you do this challenge very quickly. Look at those second batch people, rolling their eyes, stomping their feet, waiting patiently for you to finish," scoffed he.

"Yes, we already know that... thanks to this fatso," the tall arrogant team member gritted his teeth and glared at his plump teammate."

The hwarangdo scanned the plump boy head to foot, "Well, I care nothing about that. For this station, all you need to do is to pass through this mud pit. No unexpected twists, unlike the other stations. Questions? None? You only have fifteen minutes left. Alright, go!"

The team discussed for a while on whom to go first. Shun suggested doing by pair to speed up their time. Agreeing with his suggestion, they divided themselves into pairs. As expected, Shun paired up with the plump boy. Their team members told them to be the last pair to dive into the mud pit.

While waiting for their turn, Shun could not help but ask, "What is your name, anyway?"

"Me? Mak Dong. I am Mak Dong."

"I am Shun. It is a pleasure to meet you. Where are you from?"

"From Anju. How about you?"

"I am from Sangju. Err, just... just near Seorabeol," beamed Shun.

Just with the right timing, their finished teammates, who were already soaked with murky water and mud, called them to complete their final task. Shun and Mak Dong walked to the mud pit, planked into the ground, and inserted themselves through the small space between the net and the pit. As the turbid water splashed into their faces, they started crawling and wiggling down the pit. Definitely, it was a challenge for Mak Dong. Pulling his body was not enough problem; his curly, unkempt hair tangled from time to time, making it harder for him to move over quickly.

In the middle of their struggle, Shun heard an ear-bleeding scream. "Ah!"

"What was that?" inquired him, shocked. He looked back, and his mouth paralyzed and dropped as the once murky water turned into reddish-brown. A sudden spread of a red plague.

"Something is on my leg!" cried Mak Dong. His face almost sank into the pit, pain starting to control his entire body. He was paralyzed. Immobilized. Just crying in extreme pain. Shun barked for help as he squirmed his body, trying to solve his teammate's problem. Trapped into that pit hole, despair blackened his entire head, for he as well could not figure out what just happened.

Everyone was alerted, including all the people in the dais. They went down from the stage and dipped their fingers in the situation. "What is happening in here?" asked Sae Joo.

"Your Highness, help us, please! I think he is wounded!" pleaded Shun

Dae Wong immediately ordered, "Cut the net above them immediately!"

The hwarangdo manning the station bowed his head in accordance and cut the net, freeing the two. Mak Dong screamed again. "Help me!"

Two hwarangdos from other stations rushed in to help the poor boy get out from the hell pit. They lifted him together, and everyone was shocked to see his right leg. A long shard of crystal glass impaled deeply on him. Blood flowed excessively to the point that the chubby boy's face lost its color, his eyes shutting down. Shun immediately stood and helped the hwarangdos, his whole face and body covered with mud and red-brown dirty water.

When they had dropped him on the ground, one of them pulled the glass shard slowly, tearing his yellow-brown skin. The boy had lost his voice to react, and he just fainted completely. "Mak Dong, Mak Dong!" called Shun.

Dae Wong's lips pressed into a thin line, and he shouted, "Cover his wounds immediately! You two, get him out of here and bring him to your barracks. Give him first aid and call the doctor!"

The hwarangdos covered his wounds with a piece of white cloth. They lifted the boy and went out immediately. Fear and shock traced down the awaiting applicants while thronging in their lines, just outside the railings.

Dae Wong paced around and asked, "This is the first time that this had happened. I am sure that the culprit is inside this training camp." He scanned the faces of all hwarangdos assigned on their stations and all the first batch participants. "This is clearly an insult to the whole hwarang clan. This case will not be taken lightly. Better confess while I am still talking decently to everyone."

Silence was the only response to his long monologue. Raising his eyebrow, he called everyone's attention for the second time and asked, "No one will really admit?"

In the middle of the hot interrogation, Sae Joo suddenly spoke up, standing up as the new leader of the hwarangs. "I guess they are taking your warning for granted, Minister Dae Wong. Now, hear me all, first batch participants, since no one wants to admit, I have decided to... I have decided... to eliminate all of you in this competition." 

__________