Chapter 423: The Price of Fame (3)
Eun-ho watched with mournful eyes as Jin So-un was dragged(?) away by the Alliance’s people, then moved immediately.
‘I need to find a way.’
As a disciple of Taeul Sect who had plunged into the massive organizations that were the Murim Academy and the Murim Alliance, there had never been a moment free of danger.
But the current situation gripped his chest with an even greater urgency.
‘The junior brothers and the elders of Taeul Sect!’
The hardships they themselves had endured were things they could weather and overcome, but the assault Taeul Sect was receiving from the entire murim might exceed anything they’d ever faced.
Eun-ho knew that the time to open the gates was approaching.
But there was a world of difference between opening the gates during a time of peace and opening them in a situation like this.
One wrong move and Taeul Sect could be half-destroyed the instant the gates opened.
‘Of course, with Senior Brother Jin around, that won’t happen, but……’
Which was precisely why the worry was all the more real.
If something went wrong with Taeul Sect, that man — who was already like a colt with its tail on fire even on a normal day — would go on a rampage seeking revenge, and what he might do was beyond imagination.
“Ugh…… No. Absolutely not!”
For the sake of Taeul Sect and the peace(?) of the murim, that simply could not be allowed to happen.
He had to think. Had to use his head. Hmm……
“Isn’t the best strategy always prevention?”
But he had only just been assigned to the Mantongbu and was still learning the ropes. The only work he could do was the menial task of reviewing whether budgets were being wasted across various departments.
So he decided to make use of the connections he had.
***
THWACK.
It was technically the Academy’s training ground, but one so remote it was effectively detached from the Academy entirely.
Even during the Academy’s days, only one person had used this training ground, so now that the Academy had closed its doors, that same solitary person continued to use it.
THWACK.
A crisp sound like a taut string being plucked, and something flashed skyward.
BANG.
Then whatever had soared into the sky burst once, and a single streak of light vanished at even greater speed.
“In the middle of training?”
At Eun-ho’s approach, Murong Jae-hwa turned around with a bright smile.
“Oh! I was just about to go check the target. Want to come?”
Around Murong Jae-hwa, who was practicing archery, there were no targets or stray arrows to be seen.
Massive curtains were strung up high around the training ground like the walls of a building, blocking even the line of sight.
The target could only be reached by going over those tall curtains and then over another mountain into a basin.
‘The person who devises this insane training and the person who follows through with it……’
It was obvious who had proposed this beyond-common-sense training regimen.
Jin So-un.
And Murong Jae-hwa was silently persevering through this absurd training.
They cleared the curtains and quickly crossed over a mountain.
That was when Murong Jae-hwa spoke with effort.
“Eun-ho…… Could you slow down a little?”
“Hm?”
Snapping back to his senses, Eun-ho realized he had been several strides ahead of Murong Jae-hwa.
While he had been running lightly, Murong Jae-hwa had been sprinting for dear life.
“Ah……! Sorry.”
“That’s impressive. Your movement arts have already reached this level.”
Surpassing the movement arts of the Murong Clan by a wide margin.
Eun-ho couldn’t help but be surprised at himself. He’d just realized how far he had come compared to a few years ago.
But alongside the surprise, a bitter feeling welled up just the same.
‘This isn’t enough.’
He was clearly standing at the level he had so fervently admired as a child, yet his strength still couldn’t reach as far as he wished.
Lost in these thoughts, a short run brought them to the basin below the mountain where the target was set up.
From that point, they slowed down and walked while talking.
“What on earth does Eldest Senior Brother have you doing this training for? Is he out of his mind?”
Naturally, the topic of conversation was Jin So-un.
“I was skeptical myself when I first heard about it.”
Skeptical was putting it mildly.
If it had been his own training, he would’ve asked if Jin So-un had perhaps succumbed to Qi Deviation.
“But then he said, ‘An arrow you can see coming is frightening enough — so how terrifying would one be that you can’t see at all?’ and I was convinced.”
Come to think of it, it was truly strange.
Unlike Eun-ho and the other junior brothers, Murong Jae-hwa’s sect wasn’t in any danger, and the Murong Clan itself possessed enormous martial power.
So why was he pushing himself to such absurd extremes in pursuit of martial arts?
At Eun-ho’s question, Murong Jae-hwa answered matter-of-factly.
“Sichuan was so terrifying. For the first time, I realized it. That neither my family’s name nor my family’s martial arts could protect me.”
“……”
Different starting points, yet in the end, the emotions all martial artists felt were the same, it seemed.
When they reached the target area, the landscape had changed dramatically.
Eun-ho couldn’t suppress a gasp.
“Whoa……”
Trees and rocks riddled with countless holes, soil with its innards exposed, and the target area, utterly devastated.
“The accuracy’s still lacking.”
“Isn’t this more than enough?”
Eun-ho raised his head and looked back in the direction the arrows had been fired from.
As expected, the mountain blocked everything from view.
Arrows raining down from a direction that couldn’t be detected……
He couldn’t even begin to fathom how one would defend against them.
Beside him, Murong Jae-hwa’s voice carried a mix of sheepishness and quiet determination.
“He said the distance will keep increasing, so I should maximize accuracy while I can.”
“……”
If Murong Jae-hwa’s archery were ever completed, what would happen then?
Would there be anyone who wouldn’t fear his arrows?
Eun-ho found himself thinking that if anyone could shake the world with a single bow, it would be none other than the Murong Jae-hwa standing right before him.
“But did you come just to see this?”
“Ah! There’s something I wanted to ask. A favor.”
“What is it?”
“Your grandfather, Murong Gang. Would it be possible to invite him to Taeul Sect’s gate-opening ceremony?”
“Huh?!”
Murong Jae-hwa, who had been smiling and chatting just a moment ago, froze solid.
“G-G-G-G-Grandfather?”
He repeated the same word over and over, stuttering like a boy who’d seen a Corpse Puppet.
“G-G-G-Grandfather — why him?”
That his usually eloquent friend was suddenly stumbling over a few words made Eun-ho feel rather guilty.
‘Right. He’s absolutely terrified of his grandfather.’
After hearing about Eun-ho and Taeul Sect’s situation, Murong Jae-hwa fell into deep deliberation before declaring with fierce resolve.
“A-A-All right!!! I’ll try to convince Grandfather!!!”
The resolve he showed was spirited, if not exactly confidence-inspiring.
“Hmm……”
Eun-ho found himself thinking that the thing Jae-hwa feared most in the world might be his own grandfather.
“B-But it’ll probably be no use. He’s the kind of person who hates being told what to do by others.”
Of course, there was no chance of that being the case.
***
The energy of the Murim Alliance, as I followed the Alliance member inside, was markedly different from before.
‘Tense.’
It looked drained and deflated on one hand, while on the other, the sharpened nerves lent it a cold edge.
The reason was obvious.
The Alliance had been turned upside down over Dam Ak’s affair.
Every department head involved with the Hall of Repose had been removed, they said.
But the coldness in the gazes directed at me hadn’t changed.
Since the ones who’d taken the vacated seats were ultimately those the former heads had trusted most.
Not that it mattered. This was how the gradual changing of the guard worked.
I need to take the long view, so let me take a deep brea—
“Please compose yourself.”
“Hff…… I mean, they were staring at me all hostile-like.”
When the Alliance member turned to look at them, they all averted their gazes with sheepish expressions.
“Many eyes are on you right now, Master Jin. Please be mindful of your every step.”
“Yes, sir!”
Still, the removal of the Heavenly Eye Pavilion Master was a major achievement.
It broke the exclusive contract with the Beggars’ Sect.
And thanks to the Beggars’ Sect’s blunder, the Hao Gate had also quietly gotten a foot in the door of the Murim Alliance.
Now that the monopoly on intelligence was broken, there’d be no repeat of the previous life’s pattern of critical Demonic Cult intelligence being conveniently suppressed.
‘Right. One change at a time — that’s how it’s done.’
More things had already changed than I’d anticipated.
Before long, I arrived at the Alliance Leader’s Hall.
“You may enter.”
The Alliance member said this, then stood watching me.
“Thank you. You may go now.”
“I’ll leave once I’ve seen you enter.”
“……”
Did he think I was going to make a run for it?
Stepping inside, another Alliance member was waiting for me.
“This way.”
The repeated process of being guided and escorted was starting to build tension.
Environmental factors aside, Jegal So-myeong was someone I’d met often and felt no particular pressure around, but Alliance Leader Hyeok Mu-gang was a different feeling altogether.
‘He’s also the one who kept me out of the White Wolf Pavilion.’
Personal matters aside, Hyeok Mu-gang was the figure who had led the Murim Alliance against the Demonic Cult from the front lines.
My experience and age far exceeded his, but the overwhelming presence seared into my mind wasn’t easily erased.
“He is waiting inside.”
The Alliance member at the door gave me a moment.
A silent signal to straighten my attire one last time.
I fussed with my clothes adequately and waited until the Alliance member opened the door.
“Welcome.”
Inside, Hyeok Mu-gang greeted me warmly, while Jegal So-myeong sat with a sour expression, looking thoroughly displeased about something.
Why was the smiling Hyeok Mu-gang somehow more intimidating than the scowling Jegal So-myeong?
“It has been a while. I trust you have been well.”
When I offered a clasped hands greeting, Hyeok Mu-gang broke into a hearty laugh.
“We’re not strangers. There’s no need for such formality. Come, sit down and make yourself comfortable.”
Hyeok Mu-gang said that, but.
‘As if I could.’
Still, ignoring the Murim Alliance Leader’s order wasn’t proper conduct for an Alliance member.
Just as I was about to unfold my legs and sit comfortably—
“I told you to sit comfortably, and there you go again……”
Jegal So-myeong was glaring at me in disbelief.
‘I mean, what am I supposed to do……’
As I hovered in an awkward in-between posture, Hyeok Mu-gang spoke.
“That’s fine. Sit however you like.”
Jegal So-myeong turned his head with an audible HMPH, looking as though nothing in the world pleased him.
‘Now I know why his nickname is “Petty.”‘
Once I was seated, the Alliance Leader himself poured tea — an honor beyond measure.
“I hear you’ve been through a great deal.”
As expected, Hyeok Mu-gang was the same in this life as in the last. He understood how to handle people and knew exactly how to treat them.
“Hardship, nothing. It was the boy’s own doing from the start. And that’s what happens when you don’t file reports!”
“……”
Jegal So-myeong, on the other hand, was too busy nitpicking to care about the outcome.
“What! Got a problem?!”
“……”
I didn’t file the report because of Dam Ak’s request. What was I supposed to do about that?
“That’s enough, Grand Strategist. Just yesterday you were singing his praises, and now this?”
“Ahem! And when did I ever sing his praises?”
The reason I’d been summoned here.
“This is a meeting to settle the past and decide how to move forward, is it not? There’s no need to keep picking at what’s already done.”
“Grr!”
Reward the meritorious and punish the guilty.
“Some may call certain actions foolish, but in the end, the Murim Alliance nearly made a grave mistake, did it not? Resolving a situation that could have plunged the Alliance into a major war is an act worthy of commendation.”
At Hyeok Mu-gang’s fair and obvious words, my head nodded of its own accord.
“It should not end with words alone — the Alliance itself should provide compensation.”
As expected, the man who led the great cause was magnanimous.
Hmm. What should I ask for? The Gold Treasury? The Silver Treasury? No, what I need right now is—
“However, he failed to file reports he was duty-bound to file, acted on his own and caused the entire Alliance to misunderstand, and on top of that, he put the outer complex warriors to sleep en masse, neutralizing the Alliance’s security. That crime must also be answered for.”
“……”
What is this? This petty, small-minded man? Is he really the Grand Strategist of the Murim Alliance, the man who leads the Mantongbu and Sim Hyeon-gak?
“Hmm…… Well, the Righteous Path Association’s pushback is significant right now.”
Excuse me?! Alliance Leader! You can’t just go along with that so easily!
“And that’s not all. Setting aside his demolishing of the Wudang people in Eunhyeon, the fact that he came back to Wuhan and pummeled them to a pulp is not something that can simply be overlooked.”
Wait — that was their fault for starting the fight.
“Wasn’t that Wudang’s wrongdoing?”
“But the response was excessive. Look at him. He came back without so much as a scratch. Even if Wudang was in the wrong, do you think they’ll let this go?”
“Uh, actually…… I have injuries too.”
I quickly rolled up my sleeve to show my forearm.
Jegal So-myeong leaned in to examine it, but.
“Where, exactly?”
Damn — the Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Bear’s energy!
That useless…… of all things, the regeneration had to be good for.
Jegal So-myeong pulled back and slowly ran a hand down his face.
“Let’s settle this by offsetting the merit against the punishment. Keeping Wudang in check is going to take considerable effort.”
“Hmm…… Shall we do that then?”
No — what was this?!
Don’t tell me they’d coordinated this whole act in advance……
The natural flow of the conversation was making me anxious.
After all that trouble. And this was the conclusion?
‘These people — this won’t do!’
If I just sat here, suppressed by Hyeok Mu-gang’s presence, they’d treat me like a sack of rice.
“You have no objections, I presume?”
“No.”
When I answered agreeably, both Jegal So-myeong and Hyeok Mu-gang looked slightly surprised — and a touch disappointed.
Well, considering I’d never once taken things lying down in the past, their reaction made sense.
So I ought to meet those expectations, shouldn’t I?
I smiled and lifted the teacup before me.
“Then I suppose there’s no need to deliver the letter Strategist Dam Ak asked me to pass along.”
“What?! If you had something like that, you should have brought it out ages ago!!! I’ve been waiting for contact and was getting frustrated!”
Jegal So-myeong thrust his hand out, but I shook my head.
“Actually, I lost it.”
“Wh-What?!”
“Well, he said it was a letter about the future relationship between the Murim Alliance and the Black Thought Alliance, so…… if it’s truly important, he’ll write again. Hmm, the tea’s flavor is a bit off today.”
“Y-You…… lost it……!”
Of course, there was no way Dam Ak would send a letter first after everything he’d been through, but.
“You said merit and punishment cancel each other out, so please include this in that settlement as well.”
“Y-You little—?!”
Jegal So-myeong looked ready to clutch the back of his neck and keel over, but what could he do?
I said I lost it.
‘Thank heavens, I didn’t show my cards early.’