WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 492: Shadows of the Sunset (5)
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Throughout the journey back to the Martial Alliance, I listened closely to the conversations in every inn and tavern we passed through.
“I’m telling you, when the Black King fell deathly ill and was about to breathe their last, their final wish was to be buried with the Sword Venerable.”
“???”
“That’s why the tomb was called the Sword Tomb.”
There were plenty of stories that abandoned all reason in favor of being interesting.
What was more, plausible theories kept emerging to fill in the gaps.
“Think about it. What kind of figures were the Sword Venerable and the Black King? They were absolute masters who ruled the martial world in their era. Then they vanished without a trace overnight. Where else could their lost true inheritances and treasures have gone?”
The story was gaining more and more credibility, until people began treating it as fact.
After putting together everything I had heard while passing through three villages, it could be summarized like this.
For some reason(?), the two had shared a tomb.
They had not passed down their true inheritances to their descendants because neither had found a disciple they liked.
So they sealed their inheritances and treasures inside that tomb, leaving them there like gifts for whoever proved worthy.
That was it.
My thoughts after hearing that absurd, nonsensical pile of garbage were simple.
‘Fuck, of course people would fall for it.’
It sounded ridiculous to me, since I knew the Sword Tomb was a complete lie.
Still, most of the story was packed with exactly the kind of bait that stirred a martial artist’s heart.
Honestly, people would search for it even if they thought their chances were slim.
If the Sword Tomb truly existed and someone found it, they could become an absolute master capable of reshaping the martial world.
Once maps to the Sword Tomb began circulating, the situation would flare up even further.
As I listened to the rumors, I kept thinking those damned Demonic Cult bastards had come up with an incredible scheme.
Rumors were everywhere, but the number of treasure maps was limited.
Then, just as the rumors began to fade, they would distribute more maps.
Very secretly, too.
When a rumor that should have faded with time continued to spread, people gradually began giving substance to the illusion.
And they had chosen the Sword Venerable and the Black King as the bait.
They were cleverly provoking a clash between the Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance, the two great pillars of the current martial world.
Neither force would step forward directly just yet.
If they responded to every rumor one by one, they would be run ragged.
‘Still, they can’t keep standing by forever.’
The moment their inheritances emerged from within the Sword Tomb, the Black Alliance and the Martial Alliance would enter fierce competition.
A clash between the two forces inside the Sword Tomb would become unavoidable.
I ground my teeth at their viciousness.
Their determination to turn the martial world into a sea of blood was enough to leave me aghast.
The more persistent they were, the greater the rage grew inside me.
“What do I have to do to make them say, ‘This is so fucking awful I can’t take it anymore’?”
“…Benefactor Jin, what do you mean by that?”
Ilgak’s gaze wavered.
Had he heard me talking to myself?
“It’s nothing. Some bastards have spent a long time working toward something, and I’m thinking of making a complete mess of it.”
“…Pardon?”
Thinking of the advice he had given me the night before, I apologized first.
“I’m sorry for releasing killing intent that night. I didn’t want to hear anything then. Still, thanks to you, my confused thoughts have cleared up.”
Even after I apologized, Ilgak looked strangely uneasy.
“I told you not to worry. I’ve made up my mind.”
“…Does that mean you intend to interfere with what you just mentioned?”
“I thought you were just a stupid bald monk, but you’re perceptive.”
Ilgak’s mouth fell wide open.
“I’m going to make them feel like being alive is hell. I’m going to make them spend the rest of their lives cursing and regretting it.”
“…Benefactor Jin, I believe you may have misunderstood what I said last night…”
“Anyway, thanks! I can’t believe how much I regret wasting the past few days acting like an idiot. Hahaha.”
“Benefactor Jin…”
Ilgak wore the expression of someone deeply regretting his past.
#
When we returned to the Martial Alliance, rumors about the Sword Tomb had set all of Hubei Province ablaze.
There was still no evidence of the Sword Tomb, nor did anyone know where it was, yet the rumors continued growing without end, as though someone were constantly feeding them more stories.
That led to plenty of bizarre developments. Some people formed expeditions to search for the Sword Tomb, while one escort agency even launched a sightseeing package that toured places suspected to be its location.
They said all the trial reservations had sold out before half a day had passed.
As though pushing back against the grim rumors of forbidden arts and Blood Cult techniques, expectations for the Sword Tomb rose higher with every passing day.
More and more people began flooding the Martial Alliance with questions about whether the Sword Tomb existed.
Naturally, the Martial Alliance gave them no answers.
Even so, the inside of the Alliance was unusually busy.
“Are they heading off to war or something?” Instructor Danmok asked.
“They’re probably preparing for the Sword Tomb,” Gwak Susan replied.
As Instructor Danmok and Gwak Susan said, the Martial Alliance denied the Sword Tomb’s existence, but it did not seem to believe the tomb was entirely fictional.
When I went to report my return, the Pavilion Masters and Hall Masters were all frantically at work.
I had wondered whether they might pick a fight over what happened with the Mount Mao Sect, but it seemed they had already erased my actions from their minds.
Or perhaps they had simply put them aside for later.
After seeing off the Dragon-Phoenix Association members and Ilgak, who said they were going to rest, I headed straight for the Mantong Office.
“Huh? What brings you here?”
Eunho greeted me with great enthusiasm, so I grabbed his neck and twisted it for a moment.
“Argh! Argh! Wait, wait!”
“Where’s Head Maeng?”
“He’s inside.”
“Is that so?”
Leaving Eunho behind as he held his neck and grumbled, I went inside.
Cheol Sunjik was explaining something to Maeng Juwon, who sat behind a large desk.
“Hm? What brings you here?”
It seemed the new recruits had made Maeng Juwon’s life much easier.
The person who used to look at me and say, “You belong to the Mantong Office!” was now acting as though I were a stranger. It was enough to make me feel slighted.
“I came to pay my respects after a long time.”
Maeng Juwon looked down again and waved a dismissive hand.
“No one comes to the Mantong Office to pay respects. They only come because they want something.”
“…”
Cheol Sunjik, who had finished his report, paused on his way out and stared at me.
“What did you pick up this time?”
“Do I look like some beggar scraping by in the dirt?”
“What on earth are you…? We’ll talk later.”
The dark circles beneath Maeng Juwon’s eyes seemed to have transferred to Cheol Sunjik. It looked like Cheol Sunjik had already adapted completely to the Mantong Office.
He really was capable, wasn’t he?
After Cheol Sunjik left, Maeng Juwon finished processing another stack of documents and tilted their head.
“So, what is it?”
“By the way… I can really feel the authority of the Head of the Mantong Office now.”
“Ahem. The Head of the Mantong Office is supposed to hold a position equivalent to a Great Hall Master of the other pavilions. This is how it should have been from the beginning. Only now am I finally enjoying what I was due, so I have every reason to feel wronged.”
Maeng Juwon ran a hand over their beardless face for no reason, then stretched both legs out across the desk.
They said a person’s position revealed their true substance. Perhaps that was right.
Judging by how awkward Maeng Juwon’s posture still was, acting pompous did not suit them.
“Go on, then.”
“It’s about the Sword Tomb.”
“Hm?”
“Could I participate as the Hall Master of Yuseong Hall?”
Maeng Juwon looked at me strangely.
“You’re certain the Sword Tomb exists.”
Then I realized my mistake.
Maeng Juwon was an irritating leech to me, but Jegal Somyeong considered Maeng Juwon clever enough to entrust work to them.
“On the way here, I saw the combat pavilions preparing themselves, so I thought it might truly exist.”
“Is that so? I see…”
“If there’s such an opportunity, I’d like to devote this body to the Martial Alliance. Something like that.”
Maeng Juwon casually nodded.
“That is not possible.”
“What? Why not?”
“Nothing has been confirmed.”
“Isn’t that what an expedition is for, to confirm it?”
Maeng Juwon continued.
“You are the Hall Master of Yuseong Hall, are you not?”
“Yes?”
“Why would the Hall Master of Yuseong Hall leave the hall and wander around?”
“What do you mean? I was active in the Dragon-Phoenix Association too.”
“That was different.”
Faced with that ridiculous logic, I issued an ultimatum.
“Then I’ll apply for leave.”
“That is also not possible.”
“Why not?”
“You intend to leave before organizing Yuseong Hall? Until you recruit all your members, sick leave and vacation are both forbidden. Shouldn’t you establish a proper organization as soon as possible?”
The situation was so absurd that I was speechless.
I had never even considered the possibility that I would be unable to enter the Sword Tomb.
#
I had made countless plans after hearing about the Sword Tomb, but none of them accounted for being unable to enter it at all.
“There must be something going on.”
What other reason could there be? A talented person like me had volunteered to investigate, so there was no reason to stop me.
Whether there was some hidden reason or not, I had to go to the Sword Tomb. This was extremely troublesome.
“What should I do?”
There was nothing stopping me from secretly going to the Sword Tomb, but after they had even blocked my leave, sneaking off would be no different from insubordination.
They might overlook it if I achieved a good result, but for that to happen, I would have to bring back the heads of about a thousand demonic beings.
Hmm, that was impossible…
“Ah!”
Did I really need to interfere with the Demonic Cult’s plans with my own hands?
“That’s right. There’s always Kill with a Borrowed Knife.”
It had failed against Yong Soa, but it was still an excellent stratagem, famous enough to be written in military manuals.
I headed straight for the Hao Sect branch in Wuhan.
Yang Gunbaek happened to be there and welcomed me warmly.
“When did you get here again?”
“An interesting rumor is spreading around Hubei Province right now, isn’t it?”
It seemed Yang Gunbaek had come to Wuhan because of the Sword Tomb as well.
“Does the Hao Sect believe the Sword Tomb exists?”
“We cannot be certain yet, but we cannot dismiss the possibility.”
“Why?”
“We cannot find the source of the rumors. In addition, unexplained massacres are taking place throughout the country.”
He was probably referring to people like Do Gwangsu and the Dark Fragrance Heavenly Elder fighting over the treasure maps secretly distributed by the Demonic Cult.
“The issue is not whether it exists or not. The real question is who intends to use the Sword Tomb, and how.”
“…”
As expected, the person who had grabbed hold of the crumbling Hao Sect and led it in my previous life was truly exceptional.
“Did Young Master Jin come because you were curious about that as well?”
“No. I came for another matter.”
“Hm? What matter?”
I still did not know whether I would be able to go there myself.
Still, did I need to personally handle every task that involved troubling others?
“How about selling a map to the Sword Tomb?”
“What?”
“Shouldn’t we make a big profit while we have the chance?”
And if I could make money on top of it, wouldn’t that be killing two birds with one stone, getting two gains from one effort, and solving two problems with one move?
Footnotes:
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