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Chapter 269
Chapter 269. A Damnably Longed-For Face (4)
Cheol Sun-jik and the underlings(?) who followed him looked as though they had just tasted dung.
Normally, I was the sort to welcome new proposals.
Even if I knew all the information from Mantongbu, the Ten-Thousand-Book Repository, and the Murim Alliance, there were bound to be things I still did not know. Besides, there were times when others presented a sharper insight than mine.
For example, I had immediately accepted Jang Woo-jae’s opinion that the work of the Representative Delegation should be divided.
W̊е̃ b n о̊.v е̄ĺ Е̂ň u m а̇
His opinion was that, in operating the Representative Delegation, long-term stability should be pursued over immediate efficiency.
When it came to handling actual work, it was true that I, who already knew the answers, could process things faster than they could.
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The documents I prepared would pass immediately, without even needing the process of exchanging papers with the Academy, the Education Pavilion, and Mantongbu.
Even so, the reason I divided the work rather than pursuing extreme efficiency was that I wanted the Representative Delegation to function properly even in my absence.
And just as Jang Woo-jae had said, the Representative Delegation was now being completed in a direction where it could operate stably even without me.
I was this open-minded, but I loathed those who schemed for their own benefit to the extreme.
W̌ ē bn о̊ v e l̃ Е̌ n̄ u̇m̆ä
“In the end, the fundamental reason the Murim Alliance collapsed in my previous life was that disgusting selfishness of people who only cared whether they themselves lived well.”
After all, the one who had suffered every time from the power struggles among the Nine Sects and One Gang, the Five Great Clans, the Twelve Peak Citadels, and the like was none other than our White Wolf Pavilion Sojeong Squad.
I leaned toward Cheol Sun-jik.
“Do you know why armed organizations and merchant guilds maintain a top-down structure?”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“…….”
“Because sometimes, even an unjust order creates benefit for the entire organization. If the people of a sect do not listen to the Sect Leader, that sect will disappear in no time. If the employees of a merchant guild act however they please, the guild cannot be maintained.”
Е̌ń ũ ma
“……The Murim Academy is different.”
Cheol Sun-jik was still trying to push his claim with words that sounded “plausible” until the very end.
“Of course it is different. But fundamentally, it is the same. Even after you graduate from the Academy and are assigned to the Murim Alliance, will you still express the opinion that ‘a Council is needed’?”
“…….”
The reason Cheol Sun-jik had been able to devise such a scheme was probably because I looked easy to handle.
If Il-gak of Shaolin, or Jegal Jeong-gi of the Jegal Clan, had become the Academy Representative, he would not have dared to plot something like this so carelessly.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
They had enough power to counterattack.
Their bases of support were firm.
The reason he could bring a proposal that would not have worked on them right under my chin was because he thought my foundation was weak.
A man who survived by thoroughly distinguishing the strong from the weak and picking only fights he could win.
And the best way to crush that sort of person was—
“If you are assigned to the Murim Alliance, no matter where you go, you will likely receive at least the position of squad leader, or perhaps even deputy hall master. At that time, what will you do if your subordinate refuses your order, calling it unjust?”
Ẅ е̌ b̃n оv̌ еĺ Е ñu̇ṁа̊
“…….”
“If, after collecting the opinions of the organization’s members, they conclude that not fighting the enemy is in their interest.”
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—to make him understand that I was an opponent he could not defeat.
I looked around once, then asked Cheol Sun-jik,
“Will you flee with the enemy before you?”
He would not be able to answer easily.
Е n̆u̇ må
No matter what answer he gave, he would ultimately be caught by the words he had laid out earlier.
“You were speaking so elegantly just now, so why have you become mute as though you ate honey?”
People of the murim world commonly thought that the conversations of the Black Path were coarser than those of the Orthodox Path.
But after making a full circuit through the Black Thought Alliance, my thoughts were different.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
At times, the Black Path’s way of speaking was more cautious.
Of course, the kind of bastard who rushed in without thinking would begin by spitting curses, but the rest spoke with surprising care.
Ѐ n̊ ů m̌ а̀. і d
Why?
Because members of the Black Path always carried the risk of having their heads smashed in.
Since a bloody battle could break out at any moment, they watched their words.
By contrast, members of the Orthodox Path faced relatively little risk of having their heads smashed in.
No matter how much they sneered at or mocked the other party, unless it became a direct insult, it did not even provide justification to draw a sword.
That was why I decided.
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Today, here and now, I would plant in Cheol Sun-jik the fear that his head could be smashed in.
I would make him realize the consequences his words and actions could bring.
So that the next time he opened his mouth, he would be cautious.
So that the next time he set his head to scheming, he would not carelessly make me his sacrifice.
I loosened my wrist.
“In that case, there is no need for you or the others gathered here to graduate from the Academy. All of you should go home, create that Council or whatever it is, and debate until the day you die.”
Ẇ ӗbn о̄v ӗ l̆ E n̆ ü m̆а
“…….”
“As for the reason you are leaving the Academy, I will write up a document and send it to each of your sects. That way, each sect can immediately apply the wonderful system you came up with.”
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At my words, sparks lit in their eyes.
“What sort of rude nonsense is that?”
“Do you think you can do such a thing, no matter how much of an Academy Representative you are?”
“I will not stand still and—!”
W̃еb̄n̆ о̌v e.l Е n̆ ú m̂а̌
BANG!
“Enough.”
CRACK.
The table I lightly struck split in two.
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The piles of documents stacked atop it scattered across the floor.
“W-What is this……!”
Ê n̆ ũ m̄ӑ
At my monstrous strength, the eyes of Cheol Sun-jik and the self-proclaimed representative Physicians shook violently.
Why did human beings never think about the rudeness they themselves committed?
The answer to my long-held curiosity appeared through them.
To begin with, they did not think what they had done was rude.
They believed they could do it, but that it was not something that should be done to them. Such shameless reversal of blame.
“Did you just call it ‘such a thing’?”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“…….”
People only came to their senses when you grabbed them by the hair and shoved their mistake before their eyes.
Only after making them understand what they had tried to do would they attempt something called “thought” from then on.
“Every sect will be shocked. It is no different from saying you will challenge the authority of the Sect Leader. At a small scale, it is insubordination, and at a larger scale, it is no different from Betraying One’s Teacher and Destroying One’s Ancestors.”
“…….”
Just as one had to have his head smashed in once before he watched his words afterward.
E ň u ḿа̀
When I raised my hand, everyone flinched their necks like turtles and assumed defensive postures all at once.
“Damn it, and yet you told me to introduce that filthy nonsense?”
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I spat out a curse, but not a single person protested against it.
Of course they seethed with shame, but even that insult had come upon them because of their own mistake in the first place.
I languidly leaned back against the chair.
“Now, if you understand, please get lost. As you can see, I am busy.”
Eṅ ŭ m̆ ӓ. i ḋ
A heavy silence settled over the room.
Even the members of the Representative Delegation who had been working stared blankly with their mouths open, as though their souls had fled at my words.
The first to move was the disciple of Mount Hua.
Then the disciple of the Jegal Clan and the others began moving one after another.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Cheol Sun-jik remained until the very end.
“What? Is there something more? Ah, do you want to end up like that table?”
Е́ n̄_u.mа .і̀d
When I gestured with my chin toward the table split in two, he too shook his head and walked toward the door.
After leaving the Representative Delegation, Cheol Sun-jik would probably use that distinctive eloquence of his to soothe those who had come with him.
And he would continue using them as pieces on his board.
But I was not so morally cultivated a human being that I would simply stand by and watch that.
“If you move without thought, you will be dragged along by a fraud like that, and not only your own honor but also the honor of your sect will fall to the ground. Even now, look. This entire plan must have begun with Cheol Sun-jik, but all of you are being cursed together. Remember today.”
At my words, the people who had been leaving looked at Cheol Sun-jik one by one, then turned sharply away and left the office.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Cheol Sun-jik, left standing alone before the door, glared at me as though he wanted to kill me.
“Representative Jin, do you think winning one battle means you have won the war?”
I snorted.
“Did you come here thinking this was a contest in the first place?”
“…….”
“Now I understand just how cheaply you looked upon me.”
E_n̊ u mӑ . і̌d
“……You will surely regret what happened today.”
I nodded.
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“When it comes to regret, there is probably no one who has experienced as much as I have. I am not as fragile as you think, so do not worry needlessly.”
“…….”
As if he could no longer speak with me, Cheol Sun-jik sharply turned and left.
“Eldest Senior Brother, will this be all right? To humiliate him like this……”
Ẃê b ǹò v_ė l̄ Ēǹ um а̇
Eun-ho, who knew Cheol Sun-jik’s schemes, asked me worriedly.
I tossed a reply at him.
“What will you do if it is not all right?”
“Yes?”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Did I not tell you? As long as we move forward, people like that who try to grab our ankles will appear without end. Do you want us to stop in place because of bastards like him?”
“No.”
E ñ umа . і̊d̄
I patted Eun-ho on the shoulder.
“Then do not concern yourself too much either. If someone attacks us, all we need to do is smash his head in whenever it happens.”
“……Eldest Senior Brother. No, Representative.”
“Hm?”
“No matter what, how can you openly say you will smash heads in where people can hear you?”
“…….”
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When I quietly shifted my gaze, the eyes that had once been full of goodwill had vanished without a trace, replaced only by cold, contemptuous stares.
I looked once at the split table, then at the door through which Cheol Sun-jik had left.
At any rate, he was a man of no help whatsoever.
By the end of the term, the Ten-Thousand-Book Repository had become empty.
The Academy students, who no longer had to prepare for written exams, were now preparing for the final remaining practical exam, the Practical Strategy and Tactics Evaluation.
Those who received a Grade A evaluation trained once every five days.
Ẁ еb́ nоv̆ ël Е̃ ṅu̇.m̊ а̄
Those who received a Grade B evaluation trained once every three days.
Those who received a Grade C evaluation trained once every two days.
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Those who received a Grade D evaluation trained at least once a day.
Then what did those who received a Grade E evaluation do?
They visited the training ground more than twice a day and swung their weapons as though they were dying.
“I, who have three Grade E evaluations, have no right to rest.”
Е̌ňüm̃ӑ
A certain Geum-pyo had been staying at the training ground for all hours of the day, except when he ate.
Even in the winter weather that dyed his breath white, his entire body was drenched in sweat, so he did not feel the cold. Whenever he rested even for a moment, anxiety swept over him, and he could not endure it.
And in the training ground, he occasionally saw Academy students in the same situation as himself.
The first dropouts would probably appear among them.
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Those dropouts would have to leave with their own two feet from the Academy they had struggled so hard to enter.
It was said they would only amount to one percent of the students, but no one wanted to be part of that number.
We̊.bn о̊ v ě l̀ Е̂ n̈ um а́
After all, being eliminated from the Murim Academy would make one feel even greater humiliation than failing to enter the Academy in the first place.
“This is driving me mad.”
Seong Mo-ran, who had been training with him over the past few days, had gained some realization from the Mountain-Shattering Sword Art and moved to a private training ground.
If she organized that realization well and applied it to her martial arts before the practical evaluation, Seong Mo-ran would not be among those eliminated.
Because of that, Geum-pyo grew even more impatient.
“Huff, huff! Huff, huff!”
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His breath rose all the way to his chin, and he swung his sword again and again until his bladder felt as though it might burst.
Yet no fortuitous encounter like Seong Mo-ran’s came to him.
More than the anxiety of leaving his two younger brothers and his fellow disciples behind at the Murim Academy, the impatience that he could not follow them gnawed little by little at Geum-pyo’s heart.
“Well, Young Master Geum-pyo!”
For the past several days, that hateful Eldest Senior Brother had been constantly calling him “Young Master Geum-pyo.”
He said that someone who received a Grade E evaluation and was eliminated from the Academy was not a disciple of Taeul Sect.
E ṅ.ů m̊а . іd̆
“Hoo…….”
“Young Master Geum-pyo. You seem to have many worries.”
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“What brings you here?”
“Ah, did I disturb the training of someone who is now a ‘stranger’?”
Did he have to provoke people that much before he felt satisfied?
How had someone with such a personality become the Academy Representative……
Wе b̆ ńо̌v̇.еl̃. Е̊ n u̇ m̊ ă
“Hoo…….”
Without even thinking to wipe away the beads of sweat frozen like frost, Geum-pyo spoke quietly.
“……Eldest Senior Brother.”
“Hm? Why are you calling me Eldest Senior Brother?”
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“If you are here to interfere, please leave. I am not in the mood.”
“Tsk, tsk. A man drooping just because he received a few Grade E evaluations.”
W̃е́ b́n о̄ v́ е l Ë ń um̌а
Thud.
Jin So-un suddenly sat down on the ground, using something blunt as a seat.
Was he now settling in properly to mock him?
Geum-pyo’s pent-up sorrow burst out and poured forth.
“Were you not the one who mocked me as though the world had collapsed because I received Grade E evaluations?”
“Of course you deserve to be mocked. Only turtle-headed fools receive such scores.”
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“…….”
Geum-pyo felt something surge up in his chest.
He had not dared to expect it from his younger brothers or his Senior Sister, but as Eldest Senior Brother, could he not at least comfort him a little?
Yet this man called Eldest Senior Brother……!
“Do you think I am being too harsh?”
“……!”
Е̂n̊ u m̄ ă
The burden and hurt he had held back until now struck his throat, and moisture began to gather around his eyes.
Ashamed, Geum-pyo gritted his teeth and tried to hide the wetness flowing from his eyes.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“I do not want to be eliminated here either. I want to walk the same path as you, Eldest Senior Brother. But……”
He had tried desperately, again and again.
After realizing that he lacked talent compared to his younger brothers, he had worked even harder.
He saved time from sleep, even reduced the time he spent eating, and devoted himself to training.
Е̃ n̆u̇ ṁ а̇ .іḋ
But the result was still elimination.
Geum-pyo possessed neither the fortune Seong Mo-ran had nor the talent his younger brothers had.
And a common talent, standing before a genius shining brilliantly, was bound to realize his own darkness keenly and fall into despair.
“But…… I cannot possibly catch up. I want to catch up…… but I am afraid I will be left behind alone.”
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The tears he had barely held back finally fell.
Once the stream had broken open, the path of tears flowed without rest like a small brook.
Ѐ n ům̌à
“Ghk…… I do not want to be left alone. I want to go with you too. Sob.”
“Tsk, tsk. Since you swing your sword with such impatience, your head is not working properly.”
“Ghk…… What?”
Jin So-un clicked his tongue and asked,
“What is our final practical evaluation?”
“……The Strategy and Tactics Evaluation.”
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“And how is it conducted?”
“The Three Armies are divided into squads, and they move to seize one another’s flags and occupy camps.”
“Then what does receiving a good evaluation within that mean?”
“It means the squad survives, expands its unit, and secures a camp.”
“Do you still not understand?”
“What do you mean?”
Ѐ n̄u_m а.і̄_d̊
Jin So-un sighed and shook his head.
“Do you think your younger brothers or your fellow disciples will not put you in their squad?”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“…….”
Geum-pyo opened his mouth blankly, not even thinking to wipe away the traces of his tears.
“Look more broadly. If you remain trapped in such a short-sighted view, would you be able to seize a passing realization even if one appeared?”
“B-But…… would I not become a burden if I entered?”
É nu m а̄ .і̃d
Jin So-un clicked his tongue again.
“Tsk. Let me ask you one thing. Why do you think your swordsmanship is not as sharp as Dong-ryong’s?”
“That is because Dong-ryong was born with innate talent.”
“Then when the four of you, including Sa-ryeon, form the White Tiger Sword Formation, why does Eun-ho become the axis of the sword formation?”
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“Because Eun-ho is good at seeing the overall picture.”
“What do you do each time?”
Еñūm a . і d
“I, well, I stand at the front and swing my sword……”
Jin So-un nodded.
“That is it.”
“Yes?”
“The reason your sword is not aggressive, and the reason defensive and passive movements have become ingrained in your body.”
To Geum-pyo, who was wearing a puzzled expression, his Eldest Senior Brother’s voice flew toward him.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“It is because you are instinctively protecting your younger brothers and the sword formation.”
“……!”
Jin So-un rose from his seat and drew the Black Dragon Sword.
“When disciples of Taeul Sect use the Minor Heaven Sword Art, they usually swing their swords with the feeling that they will pierce all the way through the opponent’s spine.”
Whoosh.
“That is the Flash. But you instinctively stop around the solar plexus. You think there is not enough time to go all the way to the spine and return, and in your impatience to perform the next motion, you come back quickly.”
E ń ūm̆ а̂._id̆
Geum-pyo’s face turned pale.
How frightening was the thing called habit for a martial artist?
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Once formed incorrectly, it was exceedingly difficult to correct.
The path he had to follow was already far enough, and now he had even developed a bad habit……
Geum-pyo felt as though the world were collapsing.
“Am I…… ruined?”
Ẁ е̇b n о v̆ е̂ĺ Ѐ n ü m̌а
“Hm?”
“My skill is already insufficient…… and now I have to change a bad habit too, do I not?”
Jin So-un let out a sigh of genuine exasperation.
“Why would you change it? In any case, compared to Dong-ryong, you will not be able to enter more boldly. As long as you are with Dong-ryong, your swordsmanship will never become more aggressive.”
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“…….”
Who could be pleased upon hearing that there was no longer any possibility of further development?
Ẁe̊b̄n̈ о̆.vе́ l̃ Е̌ň u m̊ a
Geum-pyo’s complexion only grew darker.
Just as his hateful Eldest Senior Brother’s words stabbed deep into his chest and made it bleed—
“Instead.”
His Eldest Senior Brother continued.
“You only need to develop that further.”
“Yes?”
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Jin So-un pulled out the thing he had been sitting on and held it out.
“What is this?”
“An item that will make a bad habit no longer bad.”
Geum-pyo stared down at the object Jin So-un offered.
“……A shield?”
Jin So-un nodded.
Ẇ ĕb́nо̄ vе̄l Ë n ú m а̊
“If protecting someone within a sword formation has become ingrained in your body anyway, then take on the role of blocking in earnest.”
“…….”
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“Do you still feel resistance toward shields?”
Geum-pyo shook his head.
During the previous Regular Exam, had it not been for the shield Eldest Senior Brother had given him, would he not have lost his life several times over?
Since then, no matter how others viewed it, all his resistance toward shields had vanished.
Е n u m̆ a
Jin So-un rose to his feet.
“If you are going to carry a shield anyway, then carry it properly. Be the shield that protects your brothers and fellow disciples.”
Then he firmly placed the shield in Geum-pyo’s hands.
“Furthermore, become the firmest shield that protects Taeul Sect.”
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“……!”
Each and every one of Eldest Senior Brother’s words made Geum-pyo’s chest tremble.
Е̃ n̆um ӓ . і d̊
Jin So-un’s upright gaze rested on Geum-pyo’s face.
“Within your solid shield, your fellow disciples will be able to swing their swords for you as much as they need.”
The despair that he would be left behind vanished in an instant.
The face of his Eldest Senior Brother, shining brilliantly with genius, and the faces of his younger brothers and companions no longer felt distant.
He did not need to use the sword as well as Dong-ryong, nor did he need to be as intelligent as Eun-ho.
While he protected them, his fellow disciples would cut down the enemies.
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Only now did he feel that he had found his role, his place.
He looked again at the shield Eldest Senior Brother had given him.
When he brushed away the dust piled thickly upon it, the vivid image of a Goblin appeared.
From what he had thought was merely an old antique, he felt an elegant, ancient beauty.
As Geum-pyo was absorbed in the image of the Goblin, Eldest Senior Brother’s voice reached his ears.
“The Diamond Shield. It is a Sacred Relic said to block all malice.”
Е̄ nu̇ m̀ а. і̌ d̃
His voice stirred a gentle ripple in Geum-pyo’s chest.
“A shield that blocks…… all malice……”
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Geum-pyo continued murmuring the same words, as though they were his mission.
His heart, which had been thrashing anxiously, settled into something heavy and solid.
“A shield that will protect everyone……”
Geum-pyo’s voice rang out, quiet and weighty.
W̆ ěb n̈ o v̈е̄ ĺ Е n u m̈ å
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