2
7.
“……
That’s impossible. Surely… surely… with a 90-90-30 probability…
The scholar begins searching through the other sword tokens one by one while muttering something incomprehensible.
I quickly sent a telepathic message to Il-myeong.
Jump into me.
-huh?
Do you not want the Geumgangju back?
Ah, no!
Il-myeong shouted angrily with an excited look on his face.
“Ji, Master Jin! You are amazing! We really won!”
The bald senior threw himself at me as if hugging me, putting on an awkward act, and I grabbed his clothes and threw him onto the table.
“Tsk, why are you being so creepy and making such a fuss?”
While I was shaking my hands.
The table shattered, and the silver and gold coins that had been placed on it fell wildly onto the floor and rolled around.
The gamblers watching from the sidelines were stealthily sticking out their feet and hiding a coin at their feet.
Although the money he had won was gradually disappearing, the scholar was still unable to move.
I will take this back.
The scholar finally raised his head as I picked up the Diamond Pearl and Black Dragon Sword that had fallen to the floor.
Did you really beat the odds?
Well, as you can see.
“In that case…… you are a really lucky person.”
What a stroke of luck…
Well, if I had been lucky, would I have ended up at Sojeongdae?
Sojeongdae was a place where only the unluckiest guys in Baekranggak entered.
And that wasn’t all. I was so unlucky that unless I tampered with my hands, I would consistently draw the worst possible cards every time I tried to win.
Well, you could say that.
If we consider creating luck as luck as well.
Yeah, I suppose I am on the lucky side.
I glanced away.
The gamblers who had surrounded the area were stealthily slipping away.
Hmm, it looks like everyone has taken a solid share…
It looks like the scholar lost more than half of the money he won. Is he okay?
“How about we take the money first?”
The scholar saw the gold and silver coins scattered at his feet and kicked them away with his foot as if he had no interest in them.
The gamblers, who had been watching the situation cautiously, are now openly glaring and swarming in like a pack of jackals.
The scholar stared blankly at the figure and spoke.
These were not the things I wanted.
“…….”
“Anyway, it was fun. I thought my fortune would be the best. I never expected someone with a better fortune than mine to show up…….”
The scholar looked at me with a complex and subtle gaze.
There must be a reason why the name of the Black Flame Dragon shakes the world.
I asked him in bewilderment.
“You turned the game around in one match, but if you look at the overall win rate, you have the higher percentage, so I don’t think there is any need to be discouraged.”
The scholar shook his head.
“If you cannot win at the decisive moment, winning many games is meaningless. Just like today’s match…….”
The scholar, whose face had been slightly shadowed, soon smiled warmly again and grasped the bow.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced myself. I am Gun Yu-hyeon of the Cheongwanmun.”
“I am Jin So-un of the Taeeul Sect.”
“If fate brings us together again, I hope we can have an enjoyable match.”
Judging by the fact that he participated in the opening ceremony of the Black Alliance, he must be a Black Daoist, but he really didn’t seem to fit in with the Black Daoists.
“Oh, by the way, do you know that?”
huh?”
“I speak of the Five Heavenly Kings Emblem. In fortune telling, it represents great fortune, but…”
Press firmly
He gently steps on the card that fell to the floor with the tip of his foot, then smiles sweetly.
Conversely, it also means the extinction of everything. Isn’t that truly contradictory?
Gun Yu-hyeon says that and turns around to walk away.
Good heavens. That guy.
Judging by that sarcastic tone, he is definitely a Black Sage.
After all, there is no way a decent person would voluntarily throw themselves into the dark martial arts world. #On the way back to the lodging.
I kept searching through my mind for Gun Yu-hyeon.
He is a person with extraordinary talent, and he also has a good understanding of himself.
Moreover, that attitude in the face of money. ‘He’s not an ordinary guy.’ But even after rummaging through the library of my mind, there was no information about him.
Moreover, the Cheongwanmun sect was also a place I had never heard of before.
“Senior, have you ever heard of a sect called Cheongwanmun?”
As I turned my head, I met the eyes of Il-myeong, who was grinning widely while rubbing Geumgangju against his cheek.
What kind of puppy is that?
Il-myeong cleared his throat a couple of times, perhaps feeling embarrassed himself.
“Hmm… Well, I’m not sure. With my limited insight, I’m not sure.”
Is that so?
“Since the Black Path Night March incident, many Black Path sects that had been lying low have sprung up. It must be one of those sects.”
“hmm…….”
The size of the Dark Path martial arts world has definitely grown larger than in my previous life.
It is a welcome development in that history is changing, but since there are more villains anyway, I wonder if I should really call this a good thing…
“More than that, Jin Siju…….”
I looked at him again at the call of Il-myeong.
“How did you do it?”
“What do you mean?”
“In the final round, I mean.”
“huh?”
Il-myeong lets out a small sigh.
“Master Jin, I am ashamed to admit it, but I, too, am aware of the rules of the Sword Trials. The final showdown was certain to be yours, Master Gun’s victory.”
I guess I was luckier than him.
“With a mere… seven-ri probability?”
“Anyway, there is no such thing as a 100% victory, is there?”
Il-myeong let out a long sigh this time, as if feeling frustrated.
“In that case, it seems Jin Si-ju possesses luck that transcends the standards of the human world.”
Come to think of it, the things in my sleeves were cumbersome, so I took them out.
“Huh?”
Il-myeong’s expression turns comical.
“Master Jin, isn’t that… a sword token?”
I pretended not to know and shrugged my shoulders.
“Ah, come to think of it, I realized it was inside my sleeve before I knew it.”
“yes???”
Il-myeong, tilting his head as if he doesn’t understand.
I explained the situation at the time as if it were no big deal.
“You know, when I got hit by the guy next to me. When I stood up and sat back down, my sleeve felt heavy. I was really lucky, wasn’t I?”
“Then…… did you engage in fraudulent gambling?”
“Hey! What fraud? I’m telling you, I was just lucky.”
Why is this person falsely accusing an innocent person?
I’m telling you, I was just lucky.
Of course, it is luck that I created myself, but anyway, isn’t that still luck?
Just then, the sound of Dang Seo-hui’s sigh was heard from beside me.
“Was it you who was truly scary? I can’t trust anyone anymore.”
Hey, these people are something. I’m telling you, it was really just luck. After making such a fuss on the first day, nothing particularly special happened.
Perhaps the events of the first day were quite shocking for Dang Seo-hui as well, as she did not go out to do anything further. Il-myeong also began facing the wall, saying his spiritual practice was insufficient, instead of spreading the Dharma.
Do you want to face the wall when Akbyeongbi, who drinks day and night the entire time you are awake, is right next to you?
“You bastard…… Hiccup. You are definitely a spy…… Hiccup. ……
all.”
And Ak Byeong-bi interrogated me the entire time he was drunk.
It was a completely non-coercive interrogation and utterly ridiculous, but listening to the same things for three days straight was driving me crazy.
“Hiccup, hiccup……. Surely the spy…… Hiccup. The spy……. Hiccup.”
Did that guy get into the Inspection Bureau because he’s persistent? Or did he become persistent after getting into the Inspection Bureau?
I, too, left the Evil-Medicine Monument behind and sat beside it, facing the wall, and began to study the martial arts I had obtained from the gambler.
The sect’s vision passed down by the gambler pursued only one thing.
The character 狡 (jiao) means cunning or treacherous.
It was surprising that he had developed his martial arts to this extent just to deceive his opponent.
Of course, it is absurd that its use is mostly limited to gambling.
Gyogyo Shingong (嬌狡神功).
It’s seriously ridiculous even thinking about it again. A beautiful scam?
You must be completely insane to give it a name like this.
Anyway, I slowly recalled the Gyogyo Divine Art I had been taught. ‘This is the First Form. Ildudoan.’ A bean-sized energy takes shape in my hand.
The energy spreads in red, then changes to green, and finally turns black.
This is the technique used by gamblers to create and make beans disappear. ‘Two Styles. Songhasahyeok.’ Two energies the size of Go stones appear and swap colors with each other.
I think it was mainly used when playing rigged games of Go with high-ranking officials. A warning(?) to be careful, as a gambler almost had their wrist severed using this.
“It gave up to this point. ‘Three-piece set. Fire, Moonlight, and Water.’ An energy the size of a Go stone scattered and vanished without a trace.”
at that time.
“Hmm… I wonder why my eyes feel so dry.”
Suddenly, Il-myeong from the seat next to me breaks the wall and rubs his eyes.
My eyes felt dry due to the influence of the Three-Star Formation, Hwajeonwolha. ‘Haa…’ I stopped moving in the middle of performing a martial arts technique, overwhelmed by deep self-loathing.
Anyway, what I needed was to figure out the principle of adding color to these beans.
As if the bloody battle had spoken, as if the gambler had added color.
Because I thought that if I could infuse it with willpower, I might be able to unleash the power of mutual destruction.
The color of the bean clearly changed at will in my hand. It was fascinating how the color of the energy changed in various ways the moment I imagined it.
However, conversely, when it slipped out of the hand, the color no longer changed.
No matter how hard I tried to change the color, it did not change at all and instead disappeared.
The Gyogyo Divine Art, which the gambler was so reluctant to pass on, was not the clue to the Mutual Annihilation Fist.
“It’s difficult.”
What is so difficult about this?
Il-myeong, who had been rubbing his eyes, looks at me and clasps his hands together.
My energy and the energy of nature are not mutually exclusive. It begins with recognizing that the two are not different energies.
“Is there a teaching in Buddhism regarding this?”
“It’s not exactly the same, but there is something similar. It is… the Hundred Steps Divine Fist.”
“ah!”
Hundred-Step Divine Fist that subdues an opponent from all directions from a distance of one hundred paces.
Does that Hundred Steps Divine Fist also not transform the internal energy separated from oneself?
In a way, it is the form most similar to the mutual destruction zone.
The explanation continues.
The first step of Baekbosin Kwon is to combine your own energy with the energy of nature.
I know it in theory.
“Of course. However, knowing something in theory is different from actually feeling it. You can truly say you know when you can genuinely feel the energy of nature penetrating your body.”
I tilted my head at the explanation that captured the essence.
“But isn’t this a Shaolin secret technique? Is it really okay to teach it like this?”
Il-myeong, with bloodshot eyes, smiled broadly.
You should consider this the price for returning Geumgangju.
“Hmm… then I’ll accept it without hesitation.”
There’s no reason to act all high and mighty when I’m offering to tell you. Besides, it’s true that I found the treasure for you, isn’t it?
“By any chance, what should I do to let the energy of nature penetrate?”
“It is not very difficult. After facing the wall for a hundred days and nights, and purifying the heat with only water and salt…….”
How can you say such a scary thing with that calm expression…
“Wait, wait! Please show me a training method that a human can perform.”
Instead, Il-myeong asks back with a bewildered expression.
“Isn’t it something anyone can do?”
Wait, don’t they teach common sense at the Shaolin Temple? The eve of the opening ceremony has been going on for a week, and now the interior of the Black Alliance is packed with people, as if all the dark sectarians in the world have truly gathered there.
On the fifth day, that is, on the fourth day of my interrogation, just before I was about to go insane, I was able to receive a summons from Yeonju.
On the way to Yeonju’s office.
Inside the Black Alliance, there were three times as many Black Daoists as there were on the day we arrived, swarming with alcohol and gambling.
Ak Byeong-bi, looking at Heukdoin with eyes bloodshot from the alcohol poisoning, muttered softly.
All the vermin in the world have gathered here.
Hey old man, I came here to make an agreement.
What do you expect to do with that attitude, seriously?
Il-myeong said to Ak-byeong-bi.
Even so, if this agreement is not reached, blood will flow in the martial arts world.
It’s humiliating, but I can’t help it.
Still, Akbyeongbi, realizing what is important, tidies up his affairs and starts walking again.
Our delegation followed closely behind him.
The place we entered, guided by a servant, was a huge hall.
Looking toward the center, the current leader of the alliance, Cha Seok-du, was seated on an iron throne, and on both sides of the main hall, notorious villains of the Black Path martial arts world were lined up.
I glanced at Ak Byeong-bi. ‘He must be itching to arrest me.’ For Ak Byeong-bi, it was truly a situation where his prey was all gathered in one place.
However, perhaps out of a sense of responsibility for coming as the head of the delegation, he did not change his expression at all.
“I am Ak Byeong-bi, the head of the Murim Alliance delegation. I pray for the eternal prosperity of the Four Black Alliances.”
“Welcome. It must have been a difficult journey. Thank you for coming. Was the seat uncomfortable?”
It was a little uncomfortable, but bearable.
Il-myeong and I let out a small sigh at the barbed words of Akbyeongbi.
However, Yeonju was no pushover either.
“Hmm… I suppose so. Don’t hypocrites nitpick over useless formalities? It is only natural to feel uncomfortable in a place where such honest people are gathered.”
I am enduring it.
A fierce verbal battle ensued between the two, and Akbyeongbi looked at Ilmyeong.
Then, Ilmyeong held out the scrolls he was holding in both hands.
This is a congratulatory message from General Zhuge, the Commander-in-Chief of the World’s Greatest Martial Arts Alliance.
Cha Seok-du said, stroking his chin.
“That statement is now wrong. The Four Black Alliance, the greatest alliance under heaven, has been formed.”
That remains to be seen.
The surroundings fall silent for a moment amidst the fierce battle of wills.
A brief silence followed.
Ryeonju nodded once.
“Anyway, since you say you sent a congratulatory message, I will take a look.”
The scroll held in Il-myeong’s hand was passed to Cha Seok-du through the hands of a servant.
While Cha Seok-du unfolded the scroll and read the contents.
I cautiously raised my head and surveyed the figures inside. ‘Black Serpent Gang, Nine Dragon Gang, Blood Tiger Gate, Four Dragon Gate, Demonic Path Gate, Blood Sword Gate, Yellow Serpent Gate…’ All of the Five Gates, Two Sects, and One Peak—commonly referred to as the foremost forces of the Black Path Martial Arts World—were present.
Then, he examined Hwang Bu-sik, who was standing to Cha Seok-du’s left, and the man standing to his right. ‘That man is…?’ Judging by his attire, it was different from that of a warrior.
His sharp features left such a strong impression that I could recall him immediately. ‘Sleeping Dragon Dam-ak! Why is he here?’ In his previous life, Dam-ak was the Chief Military Advisor of the Murim Alliance.
The genius of military strategy who led the Great War against the Righteous and Demonic after Zhuge Xiaoming was assassinated!
I thought the location of the Saheukryeon and the layout of its buildings were unusual.
That was all from the author’s head. ‘What on earth happened?’ Cha Seok-du, having finished reading the scroll in the meantime, let out a long groan.
“Hmm, you’ve brought quite a difficult problem.”
Then, without delay, he looks around Damak.
“Commander-in-Chief, would you like to take a look?”
Damak, who had been staring at us with a sharp gaze that seemed to pierce through us, bowed his head slightly and accepted the scroll.
He read it in an instant, then spoke firmly.
“That is a story not worth a second. An alliance and an agreement, to think of it…….”
At the word “agreement” spat out by Damak, the leaders of each sect began to whisper amongst themselves.
Some were glad to see them, while others scoffed.
After a brief commotion, Cha Seok-du looked at us and spoke.
“Is that so? I think it’s something worth thinking about.”
Damak shook his head and rebutted.
“How much persecution have the Dark Daoists suffered at the hands of the Murim Alliance all this time? Reaching out a hand now is nothing more than an attempt to temporarily escape danger and evade responsibility for past wrongdoings.”
Is that so?
“Furthermore, look at the background of the one sent as the head of the delegation. Unless they intended to insult the Black Alliance, how could they possibly send the infamous Three Masters of the Inspection Bureau?”
“Hmm…….”
Cha Seok-du, who had been nodding at Damak’s story, looked at us again and spoke.
“In any case, that is what our Commander-in-Chief says. It is regrettable, but we cannot form an alliance.”
Then again, from Cha Seok-du’s perspective as the leader of the Black Alliance, it wouldn’t be right for him to suddenly accept a treaty or alliance.
However, looking at what he has said so far, it was also strongly evident that he intended to accept anything as long as there was a justification.
Hmm, if we just break the premise Damak mentioned and make a decent proposal, we might not be able to go as far as an alliance, but we could certainly conclude a peace treaty…
I see. Then it can’t be helped.
Huh? What did you say?
I looked at Ak Byeong-bi in shock at his words, as he seemed to be ending the conversation just like that.
Is this guy still drunk?
