3
6
1. There was no welcome party for
Originally, there was a grand banquet to honor the students after the Grand Tour, the final event of the academy, but such an event was not organized this time.
The atmosphere in the school building, which usually becomes relaxed and noisy at the end of the semester, also remained static.
With graduation approaching, the students felt a sense of bitterness about whose funeral would be held first, rather than looking forward to what kind of invitation they would receive.
Rather than wanting to leave the student center as soon as possible, everyone wished for time to stop right then and there.
Some of the academy students were summoned to the execution chamber.
All those who had served as leaders were summoned, and some of the regular members were also called in.
Perhaps the thorough investigation mentioned by the executive officer last time has begun.
Since all the instructors were being investigated by the inspection office, there were no classes, and I also spent my time in the dormitory.
Shhhhhhh.
The blades unravel and fill the individual training ground.
Great Heaven Sword Technique following Small Heaven Sword Technique.
And even the Twin Heaven Sword Technique unfolding in a chain-like fashion.
Pours out, and pours out again.
Shhhhhh.
He continues to pour out illusionary swords until my eyes feel dizzy. [Ahhh!] [Is this the end…?] [Those damn bastards…]
I swing my sword again and again to try and erase the vivid memories that come to mind.
I know very well that it is a memory that cannot be erased by merely moving my body.
Because this was the very reason I suffered alone in a deep mountain valley in my previous life.
Even in the place I ran away to, I could not be free.
He throws his sword once again toward the demons rushing toward him.
The same sword as back then.
I’ll try something different.
Instead of slashing the charging mines, stab and push them away.
“Damn it……!”
However, people still die.
As the realm of the Taeeul Jingyeong has deepened, the pulsating sensations within memories of past lives have diminished significantly, yet the newly imprinted memories continue to intensify emotions.
Heart pounding
-Try cutting the sword faster.
I try deploying a defensive style, and I also try deploying a crushing style.
However, there are still people dying.
Someone is bleeding and dying again.
Even if I pour out my internal energy, swing my sword, and throw myself, I keep dying.
Although I have reached a level of heights that seem infinitely high compared to my previous life.
I am still incompetent in my memory.
Thump thump thump. He swings his sword once again.
Shhhhhhh.
In the most optimal space, at the most optimal speed.
Little by little, faster.
Little by little, more accurately.
I wonder how much time has passed.
The sun, which hadn’t even fully risen high in the sky, was already slowly setting.
“Haa, haa, haa.”
My internal energy is completely empty inside my dantian, and the hand holding the Red Light Sword trembles uncontrollably.
As I was catching my breath, a voice came from behind me.
“Why are you doing this training so ignorantly?”
It was Hwajungsan.
I knew that he had already arrived three hours ago.
It was impossible not to know, since he blatantly revealed that he had come from that far-off place.
But I pretended not to know.
Because I didn’t want to talk to anyone right now.
After all, as time goes by, we’re going to have to talk until we’re sick and tired of it.
However, our Hwajungsan is rude as expected.
“Hey, are you slacking off?”
“Phew… You really have no sense of tact.”
“What, you punk?”
He approached the training ground, took a spot, and plopped down on the floor.
“If you wanted to warm up, why didn’t you call me? I was planning to show you the newly crafted Divine Plum Blossom Sword.”
Are you saying you want to take out your anger on me, senior?
Hwajungsan wore a stunned expression for a moment, then immediately furrowed his brow.
Are you worried about that? That someone might insult you?
“Sometimes, you need an outlet to pour out your sadness. Isn’t that why you came to see me, Senior?”
“…….”
I didn’t do anything wrong.
Even looking back on it, that was the best I could do.
If they hadn’t been lucky, probably more people would have died.
“I think at least luck played a part.” “Yes, that is certainly the case.” But isn’t it human nature to look for a way to relieve a stifling feeling, even when you know it in your head?
Knowing it’s obvious, yet unwilling to admit it.
Moreover, when I found out that none of my colleagues had died.
That irrational thinking spirals into extremes.
I, too, saw the Taeeulmun sect destroyed.
Because it was exactly the same when I received the warrior orders of the disciples who were at the Murim Alliance.
A voice barely concealing its trembling flies in.
“Jo Gae-ryong is the guy I’ve shared a room with since I was very young.”
He was the guy who boasted that he would show off his drinking capacity.
Suddenly, I remembered the white teeth he had shown while covered in blood and smiling.
“He’s not as good as me… but he was a guy with enough potential to bring glory to the Volcano.”
As I stared at him without saying a word, Hwajungsan lowered his head slightly and bit his lip.
“You are right. I intended to take my anger out on you. No, this isn’t the first time. I wanted to ask you about it at the Ten Thousand Poisons Gate as well.”
Hwajungsan’s gaze was somehow gray, like extinguished charcoal.
“I wonder if Jo Gae-ryong really had to die, or if….”
Swallowing hard, he hesitated several times before continuing.
“I wonder if that child died because of my past actions…….”
Hwajungsan, finding the situation absurd even to himself, bowed his head and let out a mocking laugh.
“That’s a ridiculous thought. It’s not just one or two people who have died…”
Most of those rushing to the Murim Alliance right now will probably have such doubts.
Was it absolutely necessary for him to be his disciple?
Did it really have to be his own child?
“……
The children of the volcano were protecting you. That is why I couldn’t ask.
His eyes are bloodshot, as if he hasn’t slept for days.
Then, as if finding it absurd himself, he lowered his head again.
“But it kept lingering in my mind. Really… whether it had nothing to do with what happened at Taeeulmun.”
Hwajungsan’s eyes were filled with a certain yearning.
As if seeing something beyond my gaze.
I stared straight into his eyes.
Was that true?
“What words?”
“The actions at Taeeulmun. It means I did it on purpose simply because that role was necessary.”
I asked about something I hadn’t heard in my past life, but knew.
I mean that statement that it wasn’t sincere.
Hwajungsan stared intently at me for quite a while.
After intense internal conflict, he slowly opened his mouth.
“No. I enjoyed it.”
An incredibly honest answer follows. No, it bursts out.
As if the levee that was blocking the water had collapsed.
It flowed out smoothly, as if something inside him had burst.
Even if that role was necessary, it was clearly disrespectful
…was. But I was the Divine Plum Blossom Sword of Mount Hua, and Hwa Jeong-san of the Dragon Phoenix Association.
His face contorts, stained with shame and sincerity.
It was okay. That was the reason. Because Taeeulmun was a sect that was allowed to do so.
I probably couldn’t speak more honestly than this.
Was the yearning reflected in his eyes earlier a yearning to hear honest words?
I asked again.
“The matter at Mukrim. Do you need my answer?”
Asking if I could handle it.
I asked if I, or we, could bear the weight we carried in our past lives.
Hwajungsan bit his lip tightly and said nothing.
Hwajungsan’s gaze, which had hesitated for a moment, becomes complicatedly intertwined.
“I’m not the kind of person who understands things instantly like Yong-so-ah or Il-myeong. So… I’d appreciate it if you just told me.”
No more.
Hwajungsan is not a fearful presence to me.
Neither Jeongdohoe nor Hwasan, which he carries on his back, feel like absolute beings.
No, on the contrary, from now on, it will likely become a relationship where we have to wage a fierce battle.
That is why I can speak with absolute honesty.
Because he owes me, and I don’t owe him.
It can make me feel the exact same frustration and despair I experienced in my past life.
but.
For some reason, Jo Gae-ryong’s smile revealing his white teeth flickers vividly in my mind.
That’s why I didn’t want to talk about anything today.
“I know. How many have lost their lives trying to return alive from Mukrim. How irrational it is to resent you. But, but……”
His voice, as he pretends to be unaffected, is heavy with tears.
Jo Gae-ryong was not a child who deserved to die easily in such a place.
Resentment wanders, not knowing its destination.
Stabbing myself, then stabbing the opponent. No matter how much I wander and wander, I do not lose strength and keep moving.
Resentment was originally such an emotion.
And at the root of that resentment, there is likely also jealousy toward me for bringing all my people back alive.
There was no need to convince Hwajungsan of my choice.
I had the authority to give orders, and I simply made the best choice.
He might say nonchalantly, “It is none of your business,” just as he did to me in my past life.
Because I’m already in a tough state myself.
Because I don’t have the luxury to look back on his feelings.
But… [You’ll have to worry a bit about Jin’s drinking pocket. Since Hwasan counts his basic drinking amount in jars. Haha!]
The damned clam dragon kept flickering before my eyes, baring its teeth and grinning.
I raised my head and looked at Hwajungsan.
And, he told me.
The words I wanted to hear from him in the past.
“The affairs of Taeeulmun had absolutely nothing to do with it.”
The words I had so desperately wanted to hear.
I do not let personal feelings get in the way of important matters.
He looks momentarily dazed at my assertion.
Then, he soon nods with a bitter yet slightly relaxed smile.
“Right, I see. I certainly knew you would be different…….”
As if he had expected that answer all along.
However, the childlike worry on his face did not disappear.
Even if I knew the truth, it wouldn’t resolve my feelings.
You probably still won’t be able to completely shake off the death of your comrade from your heart.
Thank you for telling me.
Hwajungsan, barely managing to force a smile as if everything were okay, turns around.
I added a word as he walked away.
“Jo Gae-ryong was…… a true martial artist.”
Mt. Hwajung came to a sudden halt.
“If a person who lays down their life for their comrades is not a true warrior, then what is?”
The word ‘martial artist’ crossed Hwajungsan’s lips several times as he hesitated.
Just a moment.
Soon, he smiled broadly with a refreshed look on his face.
I’m glad I asked. Thank you.
He kept repeating ‘Warrior’ over and over again until the moment he left the training ground. The next day, I was summoned to the Inspection Hall.
It was different from how other students were investigated in the execution chamber.
The treatment was also different from what I had heard.
While the attitude of the enforcement officers was polite, everyone said they felt a rather heavy atmosphere during the interrogation in the room.
Because I was being interrogated in the clan head’s office.
Pitter-patter.
Hot steam rises and the aroma of tea wafts out.
I stared at it quietly and asked.
“Isn’t there a better car?”
The fierce investigator’s face contorts even more hideously.
Come on, if you don’t have it, just say so.
Anyway, look at that personality of his, still the same.
It’s fine if you don’t have it.
Have you forgotten that you came here to investigate?
“The atmosphere was such that it was okay to ask, wasn’t it?”
Friendly guidance and a polite attitude, plus the luxury of having tea during the investigation.
I didn’t feel like I was being interrogated at all.
Ah, of course, except for the fact that the investigator is a villain.
“We have already conducted sufficient investigations. All that remains is the procedure of dispatching investigators to Mukrim to verify the findings.”
I couldn’t help but tilt my head at his words.
There must have been a clear purpose behind the instructors trying to reach the Murim Alliance first.
They surely would have sent messages in all directions to places where they had connections to obstruct the investigation, so why on earth…
“Because Yong So-ah’s report argued an opinion diametrically opposed to that of the instructors.”
Huh, is it Yongso-ah again?
It was good that the problem was easily resolved thanks to Yong So-ah’s remarks, but on the other hand, it made me feel like I was facing an insurmountable wall.
If he happens to express an opinion different from mine, would my opinion even be considered at that time?
Of course, the fact that the students at the academy were in agreement also had an influence.
He tilted his head.
You mean it matched?
Those who aspire to a promotion usually don’t like conflict with their superiors…
“Right. No matter how many people I interviewed, they all told the same story.”
I expected that at least a few of them would tell a story different from the truth under pressure from their seniors or the elders of the sect.
This is touching for no reason…
“huh?”
Suddenly, Ak Byeong-bi’s expression turned menacing.
“It’s all you, Jin So-un….”
“!”
What is this? What on earth is going on?
Wasn’t the atmosphere definitely one of praising me just a moment ago?
What did I do wrong?
Ak Byeong-bi opened his eyes wide as if he had never expected such a reaction.
I was saying that I survived thanks to you. That everyone praised you.
“No… why are you saying that with such a scary face? Honestly.”
Seeing me look so dumbfounded, Ak Byeong-bi slumped his shoulders.
“I was just laughing…….”
Damn, if I laugh twice, my heart will stop.
Akbyeongbi, who had been sulking for a moment, regained his composure.
You’ve worked hard.
Leading colleagues in a situation like that certainly wouldn’t have been an easy task.
“I just… did what I had to do.”
“Why are you so down? You accomplished something no one else has.”
I suppose so.
It was a response made possible because I knew their true identity and how they would react.
But on the other hand, the fact that I was taken advantage of even though I knew everything…
Anger wells up inside me at the fact that I lost it.
My emotions do not subside easily because I can feel their malice.
I take a moment to catch my breath.
However, this stifling feeling weighing down my heart does not disappear.
“When… will the funeral be held?”
The investigation must be finished first.
It looks like it will be held around the time the semester ends.
Because it’s not just death.
As you track down this matter, enemies the Murim Alliance was previously unaware of will emerge.
And the Murim Alliance will be engulfed in chaos for a while due to the undisclosed identities of the enemies.
“How is the funeral conducted? Will it be held as a group?”
It seems the Mantong Department intends to proceed with appendicitis.
I see. That’s a relief.
We exchanged a brief conversation that didn’t really matter how it turned out.
Ak Byeong-bi abruptly throws out a question.
Are those the guys you saw there?
I didn’t say exactly where it was, but I nodded.
How sure are you?
Is this a matter that requires certainty?
Akbyeongbi could not hide his groan at my answer.
I don’t think a long explanation is necessary regarding just how terrifying those guys I met in the Black Alliance are.
“So, there really are guys here.”
Ak Byeong-bi fell into deep thought for a long time, as if he could not believe it.
Then, a moment later, he murmured in a low, heavy voice.
The martial arts world is going to fall into chaos.
“It probably isn’t very good news for the Master.”
“I suppose so. There is no target as easy to politically exploit as an invisible enemy.”
I sincerely hope that no one else suffers the same injustice as I did.
“Cough. Ahem.”
Akbyeongbi cleared his throat several times, looking embarrassed.
Good grief, you’re acting so embarrassed.
As I give a smirk, he stares at me blankly.
“So, speaking of which… where do you plan to apply after graduation?”
Soon, Ak Byeong-bi clenched both fists tightly with a serious and solemn face.
If you would like to come to the Inspection Hall, I will reserve a seat for you.
What is this guy talking about?
The Inspection Pavilion is truly a place where only the royals among the royals of the Murim Alliance can enter.
While the Mantong Bureau only requires passing the test presented by Zhuge Xiaoming, the Inspection Bureau requires one to possess not only good grades but also family background to enter.
I mean that no matter how good my grades are, a disciple of a third-rate sect like mine is, it is not a place I can just casually enter.
Even if you were to get in, there is absolutely no chance of being assigned a normal job.
Well, I’ll probably end up running errands and eventually get kicked out.
“That’s enough. Doing menial work just doesn’t suit my nature.……”
bang!
“Who said to assign menial tasks!”
Damn it, startled me! Why are you suddenly slamming the table and making a fuss?
Perhaps feeling embarrassed himself, Ak Byeong-bi straightened his clothes and added
Ahem. You know I’ve become the Grand Master, right?
“Yes. It really is the end of the world.”
“This guy… *cough*, anyway, thanks to that, members of the Three Factions each moved up a rank, and a position for the Grand Master opened up.”
I was speechless at the ridiculous remark.
The Inspection Bureau and the Execution Bureau are one rank higher than other job groups.
“In other words, the position of Grand Master of the Inspection Bureau is equivalent to the position of Grand Master in the general job group.” “I mean, does that even make sense?” “Even if you are the top student at the academy, it is a position you are too good for.”
No, it makes no sense to begin with.
I’m not in the mood to joke.
“Why do you think it’s a joke?”
Akbyeongbi made a wicked face again.
“Why are you being so hostile again… Ah.”
I told you that’s a smile.
It was a smile I really could never get used to, no matter how many times I saw it. #On the way back to the school building.
The Murim Alliance was filled with a chaotic atmosphere.
On one side, there were people shedding tears, and on the other, there were people comforting them.
From members who appear to be family and relatives, to those presumed to be members of a martial arts sect.
People of all kinds were heartbroken and furious, stamping their feet in frustration.
A person who faints while listening to the explanations of the allies, and a person who grabs the allies by the collar when enraged.
Sorrow burst forth in various forms from all corners.
As I was walking quietly, I made eye contact with a few people.
There were those who glared as if to kill, and there were also those who looked on in bewilderment.
Among them were even people who bowed their heads while crying.
“Would it be a comfort to tell them that there is still more blood to be shed?” “Of course not.” It wouldn’t be a comfort at all.
Because there is no such thing as a natural death in this world.
On the other hand, I have such a question.
I wonder if those Demonic Cult bastards are grieving by now? Or…
Are they cheering?
They are probably enjoying their majors more than the sorrow of sacrifice.
For some reason, a picture I haven’t even seen pops into my head, and something surges up from deep within my chest.
Once again, I looked around carefully at the people grieving the death of a loved one.
Then, recalling the Demonic Cult bastards one by one from his vivid memory, he makes a vow.
That sadness won’t be ours alone forever.
Someday, you too will experience a somber atmosphere over a sudden death.
I vow again and again that I will definitely make it happen with my own hands.
