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5.
Thanks to smoking, the banquet ended.
The members of the Black Dragon Fortress, who had initially glared at the insignificant middle-aged man for picking a fight, soon realized he was my father and bowed respectfully.
“Ah! Was it the Head Loan Master!”
“…….”
For some reason, the father became even angrier and immediately kicked the Black Dragon Clan kids out.
Along with the payment they brought.
Uh oh, look how much all of that is.
I had no choice but to meet the members of the Black Dragon Fortress under the cover of dawn after the banquet had ended.
Did you bring it?
“Ah, yes. Chaeju.”
I told you not to call me ‘Chaeju’.
“I’m sorry, Chae-ju!”
I don’t like being called the leader of the Black Dragon Clan either.
It makes no sense to call him a bandit leader when he wasn’t a member of the Green Forest Bandit Group in the first place.
I have exchanged it for a voucher, just as you requested.
“okay?”
But money isn’t to blame, is it?
I tilted my head as I examined the amount on the slip, suppressing the corners of my mouth from curving upward.
“Huh? There was jewelry too, but you got the full price for everything?”
Ah! He was trying to pull a prank, so I taught him a lesson.
To think you have this level of skill against a battlefield where no one cares about money.
The subordinates I didn’t know and saw for the first time today seemed quite capable.
I actually kind of like these guys.
Ahem.
“Give the order!”
To think you react so quickly even to the sound of my cough.
You like it even more, don’t you?
Listen carefully.
I drew a clear line, just in case they got the wrong idea.
“I am not a person who can be your creditor, nor do I intend to be.”
“What is that…….”
Who am I?
At my question, the men with hideous appearances timidly tilt their heads.
“Black Flame Dragon…… You are Chae-ju, aren’t you?”
“No, not that. I mean, what is my official position?”
“The top student of Murim Academy…….”
“right!”
The Black Dragon Clan is a place operated together with the Green Dragon Clan.
You have to view the two as one. And the leader of this Twin Dragons Club is Bang Du-chil.
I said, clutching the slip tightly in my hand.
“The person destined to be the pillar of Baekdo cannot become the leader of a mountain stronghold.”
For some reason, the Green Forest Bandits looked at my hand once and hung their heads low like puppies that had lost their master.
I added while looking at the back of their heads.
So from now on, send the daily payment directly to me, and exchange everything for vouchers.
“yes?”
The subordinates raised their heads in unison, wearing puzzled expressions.
It would be a big problem if my father found out.
“Hmm… what do you mean? You just said you weren’t the owner…”
Why can’t you understand?
I waved the slip in my hand in front of them.
“Aren’t you trying to give me money?”
They are forcing themselves to give it to me like that, so I have no choice but to accept it.
Rejecting the other person’s feelings is not polite either.
I am not that ill-mannered.
“And while you’re at it, please send it on a fixed day every month. If you send a large sum all at once, there is a possibility that the funds could be traced.”
The Green Forest Bandits somehow looked dumbfounded.
The next day, as planned, we left the Daecheon Merchant Guild to return to the school building.
All the people of Taeeulmun came out to see him off.
“……
I don’t see the Head of the Outer Hall.
Except for my father.
Saryeon looked at me worriedly, so I shrugged my shoulders.
Well, I guess you’re busy.
Just then, Kang Chae-seok approached holding a small bundle.
Take this.
“What is it?”
“Your father prepared this for you last summer. Well… he did put it next to the firewood yesterday, saying he was going to burn it, though.”
Anyway, I told you he’s a son-obsessed fool.
I chuckled and unpacked the bundle.
Inside was the black martial arts uniform I often wear.
“I heard it’s customary for parents to buy clothes for their child when they come in first place, right? Your father heard about it belatedly and asked the best embroiderer in the neighborhood several times.”
Fine patterns were embroidered with silver thread, and the word ‘Taeul’ was engraved on the sleeves.
What a relief that ‘Top Student’ wasn’t written on my chest.
I laughed as I wrapped the bundle again.
Please tell them I’m grateful.
They’ll probably curse at me for doing something useless.
Even so.
The farewell party was short.
Because everyone in the Taeeul Sect was already wary of Jin Taesan due to what happened last night.
Unlike when we came, this time we used a courier service to head to the academy comfortably.
I could clearly feel the weather warming up while traveling from Hefei to Wuhan.
While the carriage was moving, I listened to the incessant chatter of the priests, and at the appointed time, I ate the food prepared by the attendants of the escort agency.
The biggest advantage of traveling with a courier is that you do not need to stand night watch separately.
I mostly slept at designated inns, but even when I occasionally slept outdoors, I didn’t experience any discomfort.
By the time I arrived at the academy building.
Spring flowers were blooming little by little in the school building.
“Huh? You arrived today? If I had known this would happen, I should have come with you from Hefei.”
Seong Moran arrived at the academy on the same day as us, along with Namgung Seonhwa.
It was so, so, so good!
Eun Seol-ran arrived two days later, looking much better for some reason after returning from her hometown.
“Haa, Brother…….”
Three days later, Moyong Jaehwa arrived, and for some reason, a sword was strapped to his waist.
“My grandfather asked what I would do if I ran out of arrows.”
Although he no longer objected to shooting arrows, Moyong Jaehwa readily agreed to the suggestion to learn swordsmanship in case of emergency.
“Ugh…….”
He said he realized too late that those words were what turned this break into hell.
They say that he trained alone with Murong Jiang without taking a single day off throughout the entire break.
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
When Eunho scolded Moyong Jaehwa for grumbling even while receiving private training from an absolute master, Moyong Jaehwa choked up and looked as if he were about to burst into tears at any moment.
“L-Like this, like this, they just stabbed my neck with a sword, and my flesh was really getting cut… Ugh… I got beaten until I fainted. B-But do you know what was the scariest thing of all…?”
“It hurts so much I feel like I’m going to die, but then the next day I can wake up perfectly fine. And the same day keeps repeating… I really, really wanted to run away so many times…”
Even Eun-ho, who had been scolding Moyong Jae-hwa for his vivid testimony, nodded as if he deeply understood and patted his shoulder.
“Oh, oh, I know. I know that feeling so well—that feeling of really not being able to do it, yet being able to do it again… Yeah, cry. It’s okay to cry!”
But why is that guy staring at me?
Soon after, all the staff in the student center representative office also returned.
How have you been, Mr. President?
I heard about the electric door this time.
As expected of the CEO.
The delegation was abuzz with talk of the electric lamp for a while.
Everyone was busy unpacking their stories, as if they had been waiting for the start of the new semester.
“To think that someone who has mastered the Golden Arts was hiding within the White Path Martial Arts Sect. It is truly terrifying beyond measure.”
As the student spoke while trembling as if creeped out, another student spoke with a serious expression.
Recently, in my hometown as well, a martial arts sect was attacked on suspicion of having mastered the Golden Art.
Starting with his words, similar stories began to circulate among the delegation members.
“Huh? A sect near my gate suffered a similar incident.”
We also had such a sect.
Stories are bursting out from everywhere as if by prearrangement.
And the people who were sharing their stories soon felt something strange.
So many sects have mastered the Golden Arts?
Everyone kept their mouths shut at the absurd situation.
Even if there are many sects that have mastered the Metal Arts, it is not as if their suspicions can be easily uncovered.
“How were so many sects identified in such a short time? Has it already started?” Elimination of rivals.
Considering that most of the reported guilds were competitors of the guilds that reported them, the intention behind this was all too obvious.
“Even without the help of the Murim Alliance, they will strike down the opponent on their own to subdue Geumgong, and even if the charges are not revealed later, the sect that was ambushed no longer exists in the world, so there is no need to even clear their name. ‘They will consider the time until the Alliance Leader’s decree is issued as an opportunity.’ The reports and ambushes will not stop until the Murim Alliance proclaims the Alliance Leader’s decree.”
“Because this is also the best opportunity to expand their power.” “Did delaying it ultimately lead to the same problem?” He thought he had reduced casualties by shortening the Battle of Sichuan, but he never imagined things would escalate like this, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.
I couldn’t even imagine what would happen if those who had mastered true demonic arts began to appear in the world later on.
The Murim Alliance needed to make a quick decision to calm the martial artists who were currently agitated by the appearance of ‘Geumgong’.
It is a relief that at least the elder of our sect has connections with the Inspectorate.
“That is why the sects are trying to establish connections with the Murim Alliance in preparation for times like this.”
“We also need to get assigned properly. If we start our Murim Alliance life haphazardly at a branch office right from the beginning, we won’t get anywhere.”
As those who had entered the academy, they were well aware that the core of the current situation lay not in ‘Golden Artifacts’ but in ‘power struggles.’ ‘This is truly a dirty affair.’ Those holding high positions in the Murim Alliance or maintaining close ties with it would not be easily attacked in this ‘Golden Artifacts’ incident.
If they were to launch a surprise attack on the sects that have power through connections with the Murim Alliance, they would not be able to easily get away with it by claiming it was merely a ‘mistake’.
After all, the only time you can avoid taking responsibility for a ‘mistake’ is when the other person is weaker than you.
The sight of the sudden ‘Geumgong’ incident boosting the academic achievement motivation of the students was not a very pleasant one. Most of the students returned to the dormitory after finishing their break.
However, the somewhat excited atmosphere did not subside easily.
It was unclear whether this was because the winter break was longer than the summer break, or due to the recent ‘Geumgong’ incident.
In any case, everyone seemed to be making solid preparations for the new semester.
“female.”
I met Cheol-sun-jik before the semester started.
Because I had something to give him.
It looks like it passed without incident.
It seems to mean, “How are you still alive?”
Tsk. Seeing as I immediately understood what he was saying, I guess I have gotten used to his way of speaking.
“If you had been keeping an eye on Jongnam, you would have known, right?”
It’s because I don’t really want to worry about it.
How coy.
“Anyway, did you bring it?”
Cheol-sun-jik tilted his head at my question.
I clearly came here to receive something. I mean, what would I even have to give Representative Jin in the first place?
What? You didn’t bring it?
I stood with one leg bent and extended my hand forward.
“Cheolhwan.”
“You should have brought the recovered iron cannonballs. Think of how much they’re worth.”
Cheol-sun-jik stares intently at me.
Hmm, that expression looks familiar to me.
It is clear that he has a look on his face that says, “What kind of jerk is this?”
“What? You really didn’t bring it?”
Cheol-sun-jik looked around and muttered in a low voice.
“Don’t you know that the full story of a crime is always revealed by the evidence? Of course, I melted it all down and threw it away.”
Why would you throw that away?
You can just make it out of something else and use it.
Surely, just because he was born into a rich family, he doesn’t not know the concept of saving money?
“Tsk, I can’t entrust anything to you.”
I don’t even want to do it.
Watching Cheol-sun-jik suddenly stand up from his seat with a coy expression and prepare to leave, he took a small mother-of-pearl bottle from his bosom and placed it on the table.
Cheol-sun-jik, who was about to head outside, comes to a sudden halt.
I gestured toward the mother-of-pearl vase with my chin.
The one we promised.
I ended up not being able to take the elixir because of this.
Well, since I ate Geumgangcheong, it wasn’t a huge loss, though.
Cheol-sun-jik, who had been sitting back down and quietly gazing at the mother-of-pearl vase, soon raised his head and stared at me.
With a look that still didn’t know what was what.
“Are you really… giving it to me?”
“Then I’d give you the real thing, would I give you a fake one?”
Cheol-sun-jik took the mother-of-pearl bottle and popped the lid open.
Then, after smelling it for a moment, he quickly closes the lid again.
It’s true. The quantity is also more than expected.
Then, he shakes the mother-of-pearl bottle to gauge the amount.
Why are you giving this to me? Even if you had said the quantity wasn’t large or the purity wasn’t high to begin with, there would have been no way to verify it.
“Seriously, they make a fuss even when I give it to them.”
I looked at him and shrugged my shoulders.
“You promised. I just kept that promise.”
“promise…….”
How on earth does he see me?
If you don’t want to, never mind.
As I tried to grab the mother-of-pearl bottle, Cheol Sun-jik hurriedly put it in his bosom.
I smirked as I looked at his face.
“Anyway, our deal is over. You’re an accomplice now. Don’t change your mind later.”
Now that Cheol-sun-jik’s mouth was shut, he stood up and was about to leave.
“Do you know that the martial arts world is currently in an uproar because of the ‘Golden Art’?”
Cheol-sun-jik seemed to want to talk more.
Come to think of it, he doesn’t have many friends either.
I leaned back in the chair again.
“however?”
There is talk that the classes at the school center will change.
“What’s that sound?”
You mean to say that you will change the evaluation method for the student dormitory students.
So what is the benefit they gain?
The Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Clans are each gathering their own power.
I chuckled.
Because it is a well-known fact.
“You’re talking as if you aren’t doing the Twelve Peaks?”
Cheol-sun-jik continued speaking as if he hadn’t heard a thing I said.
All the instructors and bridge heads will be replaced.
Now?
They will be replaced by those who have served within the Murim Alliance at least at the level of a clan leader. There is talk that they all volunteered.
“Are the people who applied members of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families?”
Cheol-sun-jik nodded.
It was an initiative spearheaded by the leaders and elders of each party. They said they intend to change the system that has been entrenched for so long.
Why bother right now?
With a change like this, the preparation itself will take a long time…
You’re changing it in the middle of the semester like this, rushing through time because you can’t even wait for one cohort?
“Isn’t that too urgent?”
Because it’s an urgent situation?
Is there another problem I don’t know about?
What’s the rush?
Cheol-sun-jik stared at me intently without answering.
Why is this guy so quiet?
“Anyway, that is all I have to say.”
In the end, the important thing was Cheol-sun-jik, who didn’t talk about it.
Anyway, this kind of information is classified even internally, so why would they go out of their way to tell me?
Cheol-sun-jik hesitates and lowers his gaze.
They call this the price.
He lightly tapped his chest containing the mother-of-pearl vase with his hand and stood up from his seat. #The day before the semester began.
As Cheol-sun-jik said, all the instructors and bridge heads were replaced.
The students raised objections to the sudden and unannounced situation, but they were not accepted.
The number of people raising objections was overwhelmingly small to begin with.
And so the new semester began.
Thump, thump, thump.
The man entered the auditorium and stood still, looking around the interior.
“Everyone is confused by this sudden situation, aren’t they?”
The man chuckled with a likable expression and continued speaking.
“There must be some regret about not being able to see the instructors they were originally close with… and I hear there are some who have raised objections?”
Does the instructor really know?
What the students who raised objections took issue with was not the sudden replacement of the instructors, but the ‘background’ of the replaced personnel.
“Well, there must have been a lot of talk, just like those ball-less guys over there in Beijing.”
The instructor spoke without hesitation, as if he didn’t care about any complaints.
However, the responsibility for this situation lies with you, this graduating class.
The atmosphere in the arena turns cold at the instructor’s words.
“Since your achievements fall far short of previous cohorts, I ultimately had no choice but to take such extreme measures.”
At the ridiculous slam, a student raised their hand.
What do you mean by that?
These are the students who entered the academy after overcoming the most cutthroat regular admissions in history.
It is a shame that the achievements of these people fall short compared to other cohorts.
At this, the instructor nodded vigorously as if to say it was a good question.
Then, in an instant, he hardened his face.
“If I let you graduate like this, it will cause harm to the Murim Alliance.”
I don’t quite understand.
“Hmm, as expected, is the standard of the jockeys themselves low?”
The instructor shook his head, sighed, and continued speaking.
“It’s like this, for instance. Back when I was young, a student with the skills to barely make it to Baekranggak might be able to go to Jeokryonggak in this cohort.”
“It means there is a significant difference in skill levels. However, do not worry. The new bridgeheads and instructors will raise your abilities and, at the same time, determine where you will be assigned based on an absolute evaluation…….”
“Pfft!”
I had been listening silently to the instructor’s words, but in the end, I couldn’t hold back my laughter and burst out laughing.
This is really funny.
“Cough!”
“……!”
The instructor, who was about to start the class, stops abruptly.
Soon, he began to glare at the students with sharp eyes.
Who is it? Who let out that laugh?
As no one stepped forward, the instructor began to emit a murderous aura.
Starting from the front row, the faces of the students in the dormitory begin to turn pale.
So you’re saying you won’t come out? Everyone, get down on your hands and knees!!!
A booming voice rings out throughout the entire podium.
That useless guilt by association. Anyway, people from the Murim Alliance always make it obvious.
What narrow-minded people they are.
I had no choice but to get up from my seat.
I did. I am sorry.
The instructor who spotted me growls low.
Jin So-un. Do you think the instructor is a joke?
“No, it’s nothing. It’s just that I was thinking about something else for a moment…….”
The instructor cut me off as if he had no intention of listening.
“Come forward.”
The atmosphere in the auditorium became even heavier at the voice dripping with coldness.
