Chapter: 843
Murder is ultimately an emotion.
It was literally the will to kill someone, and that combined with the essence of a warrior manifested as murderous intent (殺氣).
The deeper the emotion, the stronger the energy becomes, but energy can be controlled.
That’s a relief.
No matter how much the other person wanted to kill, if they kept oozing out murderous intent, that would also pose its own set of problems.
Among all the energies a warrior possesses, the most distinct is the killing intent, making it a power that requires caution as one’s level of mastery increases.
If one were to unleash it recklessly, the opponent would notice far too easily.
Thus, the higher the level of the warrior, the more adept they were at handling their murderous intent.
Use it only when necessary, and suppress it if possible.
What this means is that murderous intent is ultimately linked to emotion, so it can be controlled to any extent.
I definitely thought it was like that, or at least I should have.
‘This is just ridiculous.’
I had to frown while checking my physical condition.
I clicked my tongue briefly, clutching my chest where my heart beat. Something felt off about my body.
Gugugugugu-!
“Ugh.”
Vibrations surged within me.
A tremendous murderous intent was boiling within my heart. It was so intense that I had to pour out my energy just to suppress it.
‘This is seriously annoying.’
I’m barely holding it in, worried it might leak out. How long that would hold, however, remained uncertain.
But it couldn’t just explode like this.
‘There’s too much of it.’
I could gauge the extent of the explosion when mixed with my energy.
It was enough to engulf not just this place but most of the branch.
Expansive and vast.
If this gets out of my hands and explodes, most of the people nearby would be caught up in it. Considering quantity and quality, the aftermath would certainly be considerable.
I was aiming to stir up a fuss, but taking it that far would be a problem.
At least, not yet.
“Haah….”
Knowing this, I forcibly continued to hold it back.
“Lord Seongryong.”
Right in front of me stood the very person who would have the worst effect on this situation.
“I asked, what is this?”
A man pointed a sword at me while asking.
The leader of the Blue Dragon Corps, Ilcheonggeom, was facing me fiercely.
“Explain the situation.”
“…Haa.”
This was really not good.
Just looking at him made me irritated, and on top of that, why is he pointing a sword at me of all things?
‘Could he be any denser, especially now?’
I was sweating profusely trying to suppress my murderous intent, and it had to be now of all times?
Forcing myself to breathe, I glared at him.
I had to respond, so I suppressed my reaction and slowly opened my mouth.
“…Can’t you tell just by looking?”
At my words, Ilcheonggeom glanced around. His own unit leader lay collapsed, transformed into a bloody mess. The Blue Dragon members were trembling, fear etched across their faces as they watched me.
Even with the curtain I spread out, it was clear that there was nothing good about the situation he could see.
Recognizing this, Ilcheonggeom purses his lips and says, “You can see it clearly when you look. That’s why I’m asking more. No matter how arrogant you are, you wouldn’t do something so thoughtlessly.”
“Wow. I’m flattered that you hold me in such high regard.”
I smiled faintly.
Fortunately, the murderous intent inside was gradually lessening.
It was definitely getting shallower, even if the pace was quite slow.
“If you’re being so kind, then do you know why it came to this?”
“I don’t know. Please explain.”
Sling.
Ilcheonggeom’s sword shook. At the same time, I felt energy seeping into the blade.
“Otherwise, I think it will be hard for me to endure this time.”
“Haha….”
Originally, I would have thought, “What if it’s too hard to bear?” But now, I didn’t even have luxury for that.
To put it accurately, I didn’t have the leeway to do that. If I really took things lightly, the very thing I was trying to keep subdued would explode again.
So right now, it was better to clearly state things rather than nitpick.
“If you want, I will explain.”
After halting for a moment to catch my breath, I created an ambiance of silence before speaking again.
With the tips of my fingers, I pointed at the guy I had previously smashed in the jaw.
“That guy… uh, that Blue Dragon unit leader mentioned he had some business with our squad.”
“…Business?”
Upon hearing this, Ilcheonggeom’s eyes knitted together in confusion. Just looking at his expression, it was clear he didn’t understand what the issue was.
But…
“I’m not sure what the business is, but he insisted he had something to discuss.”
“And what’s the problem with that—”
“Then fuck it, he should come himself! Why demand that I go to him?”
“…!”
At my words, Ilcheonggeom’s eyes widened. It seemed that now he was beginning to grasp the problem.
“Do we have business with them? They should have business with us. But how dare they order us around? Over a mere unit leader? Ha! I can’t even…”
Walking slowly toward Ilcheonggeom, I added, “Anyone watching might think we’re a subordinate unit of the Blue Dragon Corps. Wouldn’t they?”
“…”
The frown on his face remained, but a difference lurked beneath it.
It was a question of justification.
Do you know what the biggest difference between a righteous faction and an underhanded one is? There are numerous reasons, but the most critical aspect is how they conduct their affairs.
The Righteous Sect cannot display power indiscriminately based on their emotions, but the Underhanded Sect does not hesitate to do so.
Put simply, it hinges on whether or not one adheres to the principle of justification.
And…
“The Blue Dragon Corps came here clearly to provide support. So explain to me how I’m supposed to comprehend this crazy situation?”
Now, I was explaining the rationale to Ilcheonggeom.
Ilcheonggeom was frowning heavily. Noticing this, I couldn’t help but chuckle as I asked him, “Isn’t that so?”
We were of the same rank, not even talking about junior officers, but rather unit leaders.
A second-in-command of each division acting this absurdly was completely out of line.
Moreover, the Blue Dragon Corps was indeed in a supporting position, which made this scenario utterly nonsensical.
‘And by the way,’
I had vaguely overheard the conversation between him and our unit leader. That was a sight to behold.
They were ignoring decent manners at an expert level.
I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
‘Is he brain dead?’
As of now, the Maeng had been putting the Seongryongdae at the forefront. Of course, even if it was merely for appearance’s sake, it stood true.
He should’ve understood that clearly, yet he couldn’t help but act so blatantly dismissively?
‘Humans aren’t this insane.’
No matter how I looked at it, it simply didn’t make sense. This nonsense was especially perplexing coming from someone who had climbed the ranks to deputy master after years of service in the Maeng.
This was definitely not a normal situation. It had to have a cause, or otherwise it couldn’t have reached this level of absurdity.
Whether Ilcheonggeom had commanded it, or if it was personal vendetta, or perhaps some other grudge.
There had to be some ulterior motive, or this foolishness wouldn’t have occurred.
Ilcheonggeom certainly wasn’t oblivious to that.
But…
“Even if that’s the case, does it seem right to threaten a comrade after putting them in such a situation?”
There were also arguments from Ilcheonggeom’s side to counter this.
The point being raised was that they had handled matters excessively compared to the incident’s scale.
That much was accurate.
From the situation alone, there was no necessity for things to escalate this far. If the higher-ranking officer had used his authority to suppress and pressure the subordinate, it could’ve easily ended there with minimal hassle.
“What’s worse is that we’re in a foreign land. We’re in a position where we should be unifying our efforts, yet what is this feet dragging? What the hell is going on?”
Ilcheonggeom’s words stirred up the crowd. Particularly among the Blue Dragon Corps members, tension ran thick. They were feeling pushed too much, and I could sense it.
At first glance, everything he said made sense.
If you really think about it, every word rang true…
“Then you shouldn’t have acted like a jerk.”
It had nothing to do with me.
“…What?”
Ilcheonggeom’s eyes bulged at my reaction. Clearly, this wasn’t the response he anticipated.
“If you didn’t want things to reach this point, perhaps you shouldn’t have been such a nuisance.”
“Lord Seongryong, what kind of wordplay is that?”
“Wordplay? Damn, you really think I’m joking right now?”
I spat out those words and redirected my energy.
Right then, I had to forcefully repress the murderous intent that was on the brink of bursting.
“You’re pretending to be just and right while it’s annoying to hear. My temper isn’t the sort that allows me to counter everything you state.”
To be honest, if I wanted to argue, I could easily do so.
If I put my mind to it, I could twist the atmosphere in my favor right now. But…
“I just did it because it pissed me off. What’s the issue with that?”
I chose to set the puppetry aside and simply say what I wanted to say.
“What…? You call that a phrase?”
“Of course. This too is simply spitting out words, senpai.”
I offered him a slight smile as I continued.
“Do you know what being a unit leader signifies?”
Being the leader of a sword corps—does Ilcheonggeom comprehend what that entails?
Even if he does, I’m sure what he thinks might differ from my own thoughts.
“It’s simply the head of the group; that’s one way to look at it… But ultimately, that makes you responsible for how things unfold.”
As I held back my energy, I addressed Ilcheonggeom,
“If your subordinate faces some ridiculous ordeal, you should be the first to step up and deal with the opposing party. That’s what I consider a true leader.”
Once you take a seat, you bear responsibility for it. No matter what it is, that’s the rule.
Therefore, I detest holding positions. Too many burdens come with that.
But what could I do?
I had already taken that seat, thus… I must perform my duties.
“But you let our member get ignored right in front of you. So what do you expect me to do?”
I had to take action against him.
“So. You rendered our member like that… Is that your point?”
“Fortunately, you seem to grasp things rather quickly.”
“Hah…”
Ilcheonggeom seems to chuckle in disbelief as if my statement is absurd.
I could see hints of irritation in his eyes.
“No matter how inexperienced you are… you don’t seem to realize what you’ve done.”
Ilcheonggeom’s eyes were sharper now, no longer comfortable.
“What did I not understand?”
“It seems you don’t be aware of how inappropriate it is to jump in and act without properly assessing the situation.”
“What? Hahaha.”
It’s not appropriate? I couldn’t help but laugh after hearing that.
“What’s proper for me, then?”
“Are you completely oblivious?”
“Yes. I truly don’t know.”
It was even more so since I had never experienced any hierarchy in my past life or this one.
“You are the leader of the Murim Alliance and a warrior to boot. It is only appropriate that you act in accordance with that rank.”
“I see… From that perspective, I understand better—”
“Then what, senpai? I don’t particularly need such rank anymore.”
“Huh?”
Ilcheonggeom’s surprise was evident after hearing that response. He attempted to speak further, but my words cut him off first.
“No, that’s true.”
My breathing calmed down. I could finally feel the energy leveling off.
“What title does someone have if they can’t even protect their own subordinates? Enough with the pretentiousness. If that’s status, I don’t need it! You can keep it for yourself, senpai.”
“Holy King—!”
Kuugugu-! Ilcheonggeom’s roar reverberated, causing my skin to tingle with the sound. The power mixed in was quite strong.
“Oh, why are you shouting so loudly? It hurts my ears!”
Thud. I heard the rough sound as his fist grazed past. It felt like he was trying to hold back.
“As I said before, you acted without fully understanding the situation. Do you really not grasp what kind of punishment awaits if this makes it to the main alliance?”
He would face the consequences when he got to the main alliance, and I understood that, agreeing with his assessment. Just as Ilcheonggeom stated, I’d drawn my sword even without hearing the whole story.
The punishment would indeed be severe upon returning to Hanam.
Even apart from that,
“Even if I’m not affiliated, I certainly won’t let this slide easily.”
Ilcheonggeom, sword drawn, seemed far from willing to let this issue rest.
Of course, if he allowed it to stay unaddressed, it would harm his own position.
What would happen if he backed down when his subordinate was treated this way? It was a condition that must never occur for his own standing.
“Your Majesty. Unless you sincerely apologize for this, I too must draw my blade.”
“Hmm… I see.”
He wouldn’t let it slide just like that. I see…
Finding resolve, I took a step forward.
“…!”
Suddenly moving made Ilcheonggeom narrow his eyes, his vigilance on high alert.
The energy surrounding the tip of his blade began to pulse with greater intensity.
“If you don’t intend to let this go easily, what then? Will we fight?”
“If that’s what you desire, I’m all for it.”
“Good. I like a manly response. But let me say this, if you’re going to get all manly about it…”
Thud. As I stepped closer, Ilcheonggeom’s killing intent darkened.
If I got any nearer, he would definitely swing his sword.
But…
“You really shouldn’t have gotten into the poison business.”
Stop! At my words, Ilcheonggeom’s gaze faltered.
Not just his eyes; I witnessed the energy surrounding his sword begin to waver too.
His reaction was so rich that I couldn’t help it.
“Oh, or else…”
The smile vanished from my face. I continued, “At the very least, shouldn’t you have refrained from messing with the Gatekeeper? I can’t help but ponder that.”
As I spoke, silence fell upon the surroundings.
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