Chapter: 784
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thud-!
As soon as Mukyeon’s words came out, movement was felt on one side.
“What is that…!”
“Master Muk-! What are you talking about-!!”
Two figures. To be precise, Golden Dragon Lord and Iron Dragon Lord kicked the table and got up.
Their expressions were filled with intense antipathy.
“Instead of borrowing from within, you’re bringing in outsiders?”
“That goes against the rules of the Alliance…! How can that be-!!”
Their demeanors were a firm declaration that such a thing was absolutely unacceptable.
Maybe it was disbelief at how outrageous this sounded.
“What on earth are you talking about-!”
A muscular man.
Dongcheon, the Great Master of the Golden Dragon Corps, yells.
His emotions were clearly visible on his face.
But—
“Silence, book-!”
“Golden Dragon Lord.”
“…!”
As Mukyeon looked at him and softly called out, Dongcheon, who had been shouting repeatedly, soon clamped down on his mouth.
Oh.
My eyes widened slightly at that sight.
It was clear that Mukyeon was an ordinary person without any internal energy. Meanwhile, Dongcheon had reached a considerable level in martial arts.
Still, seeing him shut his mouth as if subdued by an old man’s call was surprising.
Was such a sight even possible?
The presence is no joke.
The way Mukyeon carried himself made me think it surprisingly could be.
He was frail and thin, like a delicate old man.
A light tap could probably shatter his body to pieces.
He shouldn’t have been someone to be feared at all, yet—
“Please calm down. The same goes for you, Iron Dragon Lord.”
Mukyeon’s presence made it impossible to think otherwise.
I had no knowledge of that old man at all.
All I knew was his past accomplishments and great history.
Even without fully grasping Mukyeon, I felt he was extraordinary.
I could only imagine how those who had observed even for a moment felt.
“…Wow.”
In fact, not only had the Golden Dragon Lord been furious moments ago, but the Iron Dragon Lord also sat down again with their mouths shut.
That’s amazing.
How could such a presence stifle them?
It reminded me of Cheon Yu-rang-a in his past life.
Wasn’t he just a few who fell weak-kneed at his words?
However, Cheon Yu-rang-a had the Heavenly Demon backing him up, so those against the odds followed his words.
Surely they understood, too.
According to Cheon Yu-rang-a, there was a high chance of victory.
Some had risked life and limb solely because of that. Mukyeon would be no different.
Of course.
If you don’t have strength, you can’t accomplish anything.
A sentiment I found hard to trust.
Though one might say that sort of influence is power, it’s not real power.
In the end, you must have actual power.
No matter how clever or brilliant your mind, in the face of overwhelming strength, it’s utterly meaningless.
My conclusion had always been that way.
Mukyeon’s statement momentarily settled the mood, but it only postponed the inevitable conflict.
“However…, Master Muk, no matter how I see it, what you just said is nonsensical.”
“That’s right! Even for a bookworm, those words are hard to swallow.”
Reactions of absolute rejection.
It was only natural.
It must be hard to accept that you’re being sourced from outside instead of within.
The Alliance consisted of eight major factions.
Some had crumbled over time and no longer held numbers, but even if there were eight factions, not all belonged to the Alliance.
Only the truly elite could enter the official swordsmanship ranks.
Others had to join the Alliance, build skills and stature before they could enter the Sword Corps.
In that scenario, the Daeju had brazenly pulled a young boy from outside to stand in front—
And they were bringing in members from outside, too?
“Isn’t this excessive favoritism?”
To them, it seemed ridiculous.
Reality echoed the absurdity.
“Yes. You’re right. It is favoritism.”
It was blatant favoritism, after all.
“… Sir…?”
Everyone went wide-eyed at the bold assertion. Only Mukyeon and I had indifferent expressions.
“The matter surrounding Seongryongdae is indeed favoritism.”
“Are you admitting that…?”
“There’s no need to admit it outright. Iron Dragon Lord. It was necessary to have the Holy King join as part of the process.”
“How can that be—!”
“That is the meaning of ‘Meng.’”
“…!”
The meaning behind the Murim Alliance.
Hearing that, the Iron Dragon Lord’s expression darkened.
“It was the Leader’s will and confirmed in an elders’ meeting.”
“Such a….”
“I’ll ask this: Do you have any remaining personnel from other sword groups to create Seongryongdae?”
“…”
No one replied.
What that meant was: Is there anyone who could pull members from their own corps to put into Seongryongdae?
“To be more precise… I’m asking if there is a great lord who can send out personnel of fourth rank or higher.”
“F-fourth rank?!”
The Golden Dragon Lord shouted in disbelief.
Fourth rank. This was the rank bestowed upon joining the Murim Alliance.
The lower the number, the higher the value — the top ranks were designated as one, the lower ranks as three to two.
This meant that a fourth rank meant top elite status.
Certainly, they needed to be above peak level to even qualify.
“It’s preposterous to ask fourth-rank personnel to be sent elsewhere.”
“Yes, I understand it’s preposterous. Thus, I said Seongryongdae would recruit external members.”
“Would it not be possible to send the still-independent members?”
“Iron Dragon Lord, have you forgotten why Seongryongdae was established?”
The Sapa Brigade.
As much as they declared a purge masked as war, they couldn’t just fill Seongryongdae with inept members.
Fourth-grade members were at the peak and unique forces, a rare treasure within the corps.
But sending them to me?
Why would I want to waste them?
No one would send them unless forces compelled them to.
Oh, and for clarity: the initiation of recruitment from outside was my condition.
Mukyeon had mentioned bringing me with conditions, and I had added a few requests.
If I were to take charge, I want the freedom to select the sword members myself.
Those were my ambitions.
They could begrudgingly accept that not everyone would participate in trials, but they had to admit I would choose few members.
Given that context, their opposition was utterly expected.
They’re not concerned with the Alliance’s traditions? With history? Please, spare me!
I’m setting up this corps just as I like it, so hands off, gentlemen!
That expressed my intention fully, and if that happened,
The size of my sword might grow quite generous.
No matter the outcome, there was no way a small squad would come from it.
That’s why they’re passionately opposing it, now, isn’t it?
What will they do if things keep going this way?
If that’s their reaction, how could they endure the next piece of news?
As I contemplated this, quietly observing the situation—
“This part has already been determined and passed. I will not hear any more.”
“Sir…!”
“One more thing.”
No matter how much the Daeju protested, Mukyeon was having none of it. Staring at this, a strange emotion washed over me.
Is it truly okay to act in such a way?
Even though Mukyeon’s status was notably high, wasn’t this somewhat reckless?
Just as that concern grazed my mind—
“Excluding the Cheongryongdae, one of the existing sword groups will assist Seongryongdae in executing their mission.”
Mukyeon added this afterthought,
and that instant the warmth in the room turned frigid.
Everyone stiffened up as if they’d been frozen.
The heat that filled the room dissipated, replaced by a sudden chill.
Had I misheard?
People were only left wondering among themselves with puzzled expressions.
“…Sir.”
In the midst of this, Dongcheon spoke with a stiffened face.
“What does that mean now?”
A heaviness, far beyond earlier, laden his voice, filled with anger and trembling.
Dongcheon, looking like he might burst, struggled to continue.
“Are you telling us to go under Seongryongdae now?”
“No, not beneath, but rather to support-.”
“Isn’t that essentially the same thing?”
Boom-!
He slammed the table powerfully, sending a shockwave through the room.
Kabung-! The table splintered, and Dongcheon glared fiercely at Mukyeon.
This was indeed the reality of the situation.
While they called it support, it essentially meant serving under Seongryongdae.
And that’s what made it unbelievable.
Is that old man losing it…?
How could he say this so openly? I half expected him to be more diplomatic about it. Mukyeon just went right for the jugular with the Daeju.
Supporting Seongryongdae.
This was also a part of my condition.
The main leader of the Alliance was originally installed in their position and granted various commanding powers.
Naturally, their own corps included.
A prime example being…
The authority to mobilize branches.
There were cases where command authority over certain areas was transferred.
Despite the branch heads managing their own branches, they were required to follow the orders from the main leader of the Alliance.
There were various forms of authority, but none were truly significant.
I had simply requested powers to mobilize a unit as I transitioned to Daeju.
The response was naturally a denial.
He likely deemed it too risky to handle backlash from other Daeju members.
I figured that much.
Still, I did not accept the refusal.
I had declared that I would not accept anything less than that.
Mukyeon proposed to navigate through as Assistants rather than outright leaders.
But—
Is he really going to say this outright?
It’s practically akin to telling someone to be a subordinate, just using different wording!
“I understand that a clueless person like me became Daeju and received special treatment. But how can you treat us like this—!”
A clueless fool.
Hearing this made me chuckle softly.
Isn’t that just what I expected?
Clearly, my arrival was quite irksome to them.
Dongcheon clicked his teeth in frustration, and the Iron Dragon Lord looked ready to storm out in anger.
How will they handle this?
I truly wondered about Mukyeon’s next move.
If he could navigate through this, then he was certainly impressive.
Curiosity piqued, I turned to him.
Huh?
As I shifted my gaze, I found Mukyeon looking directly at me.
Why were Dongcheon and the Twins reacting so hard, yet he was staring at me?
What was he trying to imply by that?
I kept my eyes fixed on Mukyeon.
Uh.
Could it be?
A thought flashed through my mind. Was this linked to the earlier altercation with Ilcheonggeom?
Tap…! Tap. Tap.
Mukyeon lightly tapped the table three times.
“Ha.”
With that, I confirmed that my thoughts had indeed aligned correctly.
That old man?
If I was right, everything from my earlier conflict with Ilcheonggeom to this moment must have been orchestrated by Mukyeon.
Linking it all together, my last conditional request was likely the key.
“…Haha.”
Realizing that, laughter bubbled uncontrollably from me.
“…?”
As I burst into laughter, all surrounding eyes shifted to me.
I tried to suppress it, but it was futile.
“Wow, that’s sincerely something.”
“…What?”
Upon witnessing my reaction, Dongcheon scowled deeply.
“…What’s so hilarious?”
“No, it’s just funny.”
I chuckled lightly and leaned slightly forward. I didn’t want to feel this way, but the annoyances of previous events lingered.
Maybe it was okay to loosen up a little bit here.
After straightening a bit, I turned to Dongcheon.
“Honestly, these worthless little pests are so preoccupied with safeguarding their little bowls… How can I not find that hilarious?”
“…What?”
“What do you mean—?!”
“If you’re getting an assist, you ought to be grateful for even that. Know your place!”
Squeak.
With that, I cleared away the surface in front of me, looking sharply at Dongcheon and the Twin Swords along with the other Daeju present.
“Oh? It seems you’ve got this all twisted. You’re not stepping under me!”
I nodded, fixing my gaze ahead.
“I’m taking in useless folks like yourselves. Why’s that so hard to grasp?”
Kuuung-!!
The moment those words flew, outrage erupted.
It came from Dongcheon standing right in front of me.
“This brat!”
His anger only swelled as he hurled vile insults.
“Do you think the world is yours because I give you support? Watch your words.”
“That’s precisely what I’m saying.”
Step.
I advanced, dismissing the anger.
I wasn’t moving all that quickly either.
“Is it because others cater to you that you’ve lost touch with reality?”
“This brat really…!”
Boom-!
“…!!”
The Twin Sword Master, who had been prepared to draw his sword, now widened his eyes.
His hand barely touched the hilt before it was pushed back.
I had swung my arm to deflect it away.
“Don’t you dare assume. A knucklehead like you wouldn’t have made it to the floor, begging for mercy.”
Clang-!
At that show, the nearby Iron Sword drew his weapon in response.
As he did, I moved another step forward.
Now positioned at the room’s center.
A table was nearby, yet I paid it no mind.
I stood there, facing those who burned with hostility towards me.
“It seems there are quite a few who’re unhappy about someone like me taking charge.”
As I appraised them with a flick of my fingers, a smirk played on my lips.
“Step up one by one. I’ll ensure you leave without any complaints.”
I said this with a cheerful grin, and in that instant—
Graarrrgkk.
A killer intent erupted from all sides.
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