VIP Early Access
Eksklusif untuk member VIP
Password Protected
Chapter ini dikunci dengan kode khusus
Chapter 371. Surging Currents (3)
If one were to name the person who wrote a new chapter in the Murim Academy's history, it would probably be Yong So-ah.
No star had ever shone so brilliantly across the Academy's history.
A being born at the highest place, who had always remained at the highest place.
Then who stood at the opposite end? That would be the first wanderer-born student in the Murim Academy's history.
A "dragon risen from the gutter"—an orphan with no parents, let alone a sect to call home.
Е̊ n ù m̆а̊
Starting as a wanderer's assistant at the age of ten, completing his first wanderer job at fourteen, and passing the exam alone to enter the Academy at twenty-two—such a man had existed.
The current White Wolf Pavilion Master, Deung Cheon-bi.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
By the time I began my service with the Sojeong Squad, he had already retired as the former White Wolf Pavilion Master.
The man who had joined the Alliance at the lowest standing, claimed one of the Seven Stars positions, and risen to become the youngest Pavilion Master—that was none other than Striking Star Deung Cheon-bi, standing right before my eyes.
A figure who had once been the very symbol of the Murim Alliance's success story.
Yet conversely, he was a tragic figure who could never escape the White Wolf Pavilion.
Е̇_n ũm̌å.. і d̆
Perhaps the Great Righteous-Demonic War—where origins and background would become meaningless—could have been his only chance to prove his true worth. But in the end, he stepped down from the Pavilion Master's seat before the war broke out and vanished from the murim.
I had finally met this man surrounded only by rumors.
And yet.
'He's this kind of person......?'
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
A massive build and coarse, bristly beard.
Drooping, half-closed eyelids and bloodshot eyes—the man was a far cry from the typical Murim Alliance member.
Ėñ u̇ m ӓ .í d̆
No, considering the great saber that was his signature weapon and the long robe with its front lapels half undone...... it would be more fitting to call him a Green Forest bandit than an Alliance member.
Can I...... even have a conversation with this guy?
I opened the discussion as politely as I could.
"I'm the Academy's top graduate. I'm entitled to go wherever I want......"
"I know. That's why I sent your application back. Let's just say you withdrew it."
"What kind of nonsense...... Why won't you accept me?"
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Deung Cheon-bi's brow twitched, and he spat the words out with eyes full of displeasure.
"Looks like I was right not to accept you, seeing as you can't take a hint. I just told you. I can't stand anything bothersome."
"......Haa."
I'm the kind of person who's grown used to most kinds of injustice, but this absurd attitude kindled my anger on its own.
"Kugh...... You're ruining the taste of my drink. Go on, get out of here. Shoo, shoo."
"......"
W̄ ӗb nо̆_v_ё l Еnú m̂а
Fury surged through me.
What made it worse was that this man was the final decision-maker, so I couldn't just charge in recklessly.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"I must get into the White Wolf Pavilion."
"I told you. Can't accept you."
"......"
As we spoke, I noticed something odd.
Ẃе b̄ṅ ӧ v̊е̂ l Ĕ ǹ ü m̄a
His words had shifted—from "won't" to "can't."
"What do you mean by that? It sounds as though it isn't your choice."
"......"
The hulking bandit flinched—utterly out of character—then spoke with an awkward expression.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"......This is why I can't stand sharp-eyed bastards."
"I'd like to hear what you mean in deta......"
Е n_û m а̌
"I can't accept you because I already took the booze."
"......"
What kind of absurd personnel management was this?
You sold out someone who isn't even your subordinate yet?
"What the fuck kind of bullshit is that?"
"Fuck? Fuck?? Did you just say fuck? To your superior?"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"You're not my direct superior, are you? Besides, you just said you won't accept me."
"Ah...... fair enough."
What the hell is he even agreeing to now?
I had examined countless possibilities for the future, tried to predict every conceivable variable—but I'd never imagined I wouldn't be able to get into the White Wolf Pavilion.
In my past life, I'd joined the Alliance as a lower-rank warrior and still ended up as the Sojeong Squad's Captain.
And now, as an Academy graduate, I can't go to the White Wolf Pavilion?
Е́ n̂ ŭ ma. і̊ d́
'What kind of fucking joke is this?'
Moreover, every plan I'd prepared was designed to be executed from the White Wolf Pavilion.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
They were things that couldn't be carried out in any other martial pavilion, where established sects and existing power blocs held sway.
Every future I'd prepared was about to be shattered to pieces because of this drunkard standing in front of me.
I considered waiting until the Pavilion Master changed, but that would be far too late.
The moment I realized I couldn't back down, I thought of what had to be done.
Ẅeb̊ nо̃v е̊ l Е̌ n ǔm а̇
What's changed from my past life isn't just my level of martial arts, after all.
"How much?"
"How much what?"
"The bar tab. How much is it?"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Why? You gonna cover it?"
Deung Cheon-bi let out a mocking laugh.
W е b́n̄.о̀ v̄е l̈ Е̊ ǹǔ m а̀
"Yes."
"Huh?"
But his eyes soon went rounder than a rabbit's.
I looked down at his bottle and made my offer.
"I'll pay off every tab you owe at Yanggaru and Cheongbinru as well."
"......"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Do you have tabs at other places too? I'll take care of all of them. No—from now on, I'll make sure you never have to worry about a bar tab again. So......"
"Oi, brat."
In an instant, the stench of alcohol struck alongside a wave of raw, coarse fighting spirit that clamped down on my throat.
"Hk!"
My body flinched and I stepped back involuntarily.
I hadn't experienced anything like this in recent memory, so the moment was genuinely rattling.
Е́_ń u m̆а .і́ d̂
'Striking Star...... is this strong?'
That unrefined, raw fighting spirit laid bare the identity of a man who had started from rock bottom.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
No matter how long he'd been ruined by the poison of drink, he hadn't forgotten his feral edge.
Like Blood Battle's aura, or like Bang Du-chil's.
I could feel the boldness unique to those who had carved their own path and walked it.
"Mind your manners from here on. I've let you off easy enough, given that I sold you out."
W е̄ b n̊оv e l̆ Е̊n̂ ǔm̌ a
It was a peculiar feeling I hadn't experienced since my regression.
One life lived, and now a second one.
Because of that, even the oldest of elders usually felt like children to me—yet the display he'd just shown was violent and composed enough to make me momentarily forget the long years I'd lived.
Of course, that didn't mean I felt any inclination to back down.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
We need to settle this account properly, don't we?
"I don't think you've let me off nearly enough."
Ẃӗ b̈ nō v е̄ l Ё n um̌а̊
"......Then what do you plan to do?"
He growled like a tiger baring its hostility.
The intent was unmistakable—keep pushing and he'd come at me without a second thought.
But that kind of crude intimidation, the sort that only worked on tavern ruffians, wasn't going to work on someone from the Sojeong Squad.
I smiled brightly and surveyed the interior of his office.
"Hmm, first I'll need to report this to the Mantongbu. I'll have to inform them that the White Wolf Pavilion Master has been handling his duties negligently, accumulating massive debts to outside parties, and committing acts of malfeasance in the operation of the White Wolf Pavilion."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"......"
"Following that, I intend to file a complaint with the Inspection Office as well. Accepting bribes and acting in another party's interest is more than enough grounds for an issue."
Alarm began to creep into what had been a face full of hostility.
No matter how impregnable a person might be, they start to waver when you dig out their weaknesses one by one.
"Ah! I should bring this to the Execution Pavilion too. Deliberately refusing a person who could benefit the White Wolf Pavilion could be seen as an intentional plan to weaken the Pavilion's strength. That, in turn, weakens the Murim Alliance's overall combat power, so...... hmm, there'd be no escaping suspicion of being a Black Path spy either."
"What kind of bullshit is that?!!"
W е̃b̌ n ӧ v el Е n̊ ů.ṁ а
The tiger-like face was gradually turning dog-like.
As if he couldn't tell whether I was an enemy or his master, he fidgeted with the expression of a man desperately needing a latrine.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"You never cared about the Pavilion Master's seat in the first place, did you? Surely you haven't suddenly developed an attachment to keeping it?"
"......"
No matter how recklessly a person lived, acting as though they'd given up on everything, nobody could truly let go of everything in their grasp.
Everyone fears relinquishing what they hold.
Ẁ е̂b ńо vе̃l Ĕnü ḿ à
Because the loss that follows is too heavy to bear.
"If you block me from entering the White Wolf Pavilion, I'll simply have the Pavilion Master replaced."
"......You think that's possible?"
The sound of teeth grinding reached my ears.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
But I didn't back down. I met him head-on.
The burdens I carried were too heavy to retreat simply out of consideration for someone else's feelings.
Ŵ е b̃ ňӧ v̄ е l̄ Е̇nu m̌а̃
"Whether it's possible or not, we'll find out when I try. I intend to get into the White Wolf Pavilion, even if that's what it takes."
"......I'd heard you were called a madman, but I didn't expect someone who charges in this recklessly with nothing to lose. Ha! Good thing I didn't accept you."
"So you really want to do this."
"Do what?! You crazy bastard!"
"......"
Deung Cheon-bi turned his gaze away.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
But soon his shoulders sagged.
It seemed he'd run out of what little drink he had left; he flipped the bottle upside down and shook it, but not a single drop fell.
After several attempts, he gave up, set the bottle down, and asked me.
"......Why do you want to join the White Wolf Pavilion?"
Why. Why......
The answer was crystal clear.
Еnů ḿ a
"Because it's the place that suits me best."
My comrades were there, and my plans were there.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Everything I'd prepared since the day of my regression would germinate in that place.
And grow into a mighty tree.
A different plan at this point? What a joke.
After everything I'd broken through to get here, I wasn't about to be stopped by the Pavilion Master's bar tab.
W e̊ b nove ľ Е n̈ǔ m̂ а
"......Shit, you remind me of my younger days."
"Is that a curse?"
"Even if you could replace the Pavilion Master, you still won't get into the White Wolf Pavilion."
"We'll see about that."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Deung Cheon-bi shook his head.
"No, you don't need to try. Because the one who blocked you wasn't me in the first place."
Е̌ n̊u m̈ а . і̊ d̄
What was he talking about now?
So it wasn't about selling me out for booze?
"Then who is it?"
"Why? Planning to replace them too?"
"I'm not above it."
"You won't be able to."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Deung Cheon-bi didn't know. Just as the path he'd walked had not been easy, the path I'd walked had been no easier.
"Just give me the name. Who is it? What son of a bitch blocked my way?"
Deung Cheon-bi, who had been sulking, twitched his lips for some reason.
Then he dropped a single name.
"Hyeok Mu-gang."
Hyeok Mu-gang, Hyeok Mu-gang—a name I'd heard many times before.
Е̂ n̄ ǔ m а . і̂ ḋ
I rifled through the Murim Alliance's personnel registry, scouring every corner for where he currently stood.
If I just took him out of the way, that would be—
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"......?!"
Hmm, no. There's no way.
I scoured the registry once more, then stopped dead in my tracks and stared at Deung Cheon-bi.
"You must have the name wrong."
Е̇ ñ_ù m а
"It's right."
This man...... his jokes were going too far.
"No. It's definitely wro......"
"It's right."
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"......Are you messing with me?"
"It's right, it's right, I said it's right, you bastard! That Hyeok Mu-gang!"
Ёn̆ u m̈ ä. і d
"......"
Because in the current Murim Alliance's personnel registry, there was only one man named Hyeok Mu-gang.
"White-Bearded Divine Sword Hyeok Mu-gang?"
The moment that name I'd dreaded escaped my lips along with the epithet, Deung Cheon-bi smirked as though he'd won.
"That's right—the Murim Alliance Leader you're thinking of, you little brat!"
The gears in my head, spinning frantically to eliminate variables, ground to a dead halt.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
***
"......"
"Don't know where the Alliance Leader's Hall is? Is that why you're still here? Want me to show you?"
Fuck, is he seriously saying that right now?
"That's an act of insurrection. Watch your mouth."
"You're the one who said it. That you'd replace even the Alliance Leader to get into the White Wolf Pavilion."
Ŵ е̌b nо v̂ е̂ĺ Eńŭm̀а
"I never said anything of the sort."
This lunatic's trying to turn me into a spy.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Setting that aside, my head was spinning.
Why would the Murim Alliance Leader block my path to the White Wolf Pavilion?
Last time we met, I'm pretty sure he showed me goodwill.
Was this guy lying?
E numа̊.і d
"Is this true?"
"Would I lie?"
"You look more than capable of it."
"Thanks for the compliment, bastard. But it's not a lie. If you doubt me, go ask him yourself."
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"......"
Was he bluffing precisely because he knew I couldn't?
Ë n̈u mа .і d
Or could he say it so boldly because it really happened?
While I was lost in thought, Deung Cheon-bi's muttering drifted to my ears.
"Never in my life did I think I'd meet the Alliance Leader because of a student."
His voice was tinged with a strange sense of defeat.
"What the hell are you that everyone's making such a fuss?"
That was precisely what I wanted to ask.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
What on earth was happening?
Having settled somewhat, he leaned back in his chair and regarded me.
"Why are you so obsessed with the White Wolf Pavilion?"
Pure curiosity on his face.
As the person who knew the White Wolf Pavilion's true circumstances and treatment better than anyone, this situation would puzzle him most of all.
"There are things I must do in the White Wolf Pavilion."
Én̂_ŭ m а
"Things you must do...... So it's not that you think this place suits you?"
That question flew in while I was busy thinking about how to get into the White Wolf Pavilion.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Something about it snagged in my mind, and I looked at him.
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm asking whether you think this is the place that suits you."
"......"
W ě bňо̃ v̊ ėĺ Е̄_ńúm̈а
"You've been through the Academy yourself, so you'd know. Whether it's the Academy or the Alliance, the places someone like you can go have always had their limits drawn from the start."
He was clearly insulting me, and yet he gazed at me with an oddly pained expression.
"Within the gap between opportunities that look fair on the surface and what's actually given, you'd have spent your days worn down and exhausted, cycling through hope and disappointment."
Though this was our first meeting, he somehow seemed to know me well.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"And then you'd start sorting what you could have from what you couldn't, acting as though you'd never wanted the latter in the first place. That's why you're trying to come to the White Wolf Pavilion, isn't it? Because you don't want to show anyone that you're afraid."
He was talking about me, yet it sounded as though he were telling his own story.
Ŵе́ b̂ǹ о̌ ve l Е n̂u mа̃
"Why are you passing off your own story as someone else's?"
"......What the hell are you talking about?! Honestly, kids these days have no manners."
Hearing that from a man who lacked any himself put me in a thoroughly foul mood.
"Since I'm apparently one of those 'kids these days,' I'll take my leave."
When I stood up first, the hesitant Deung Cheon-bi fumbled before parting his lips.
"......Don't give up just because you feel a wall ahead of you. Even if you fall flat on your face, it's better to crash into it head-on. That way you won't have regrets over the days that have passed."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
He tossed the words out carelessly, as though speaking to someone from a distant past.
"The Alliance Leader himself has stepped in to brighten your future...... unlike with me. If so, it wouldn't be bad to ride that wave."
"......"
What he said wasn't bad in itself.
"Wise words."
But the fact that Deung Cheon-bi was the one saying them rubbed me the wrong way.
Е nu ḿа. і ḋ
"However, I happen to be a talent that even the Alliance Leader has his eye on. Please don't lump me in with someone at your level, Pavilion Master."
"......Son of a bitch."
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
I didn't know what was going on, but given that the Alliance Leader had personally instructed the Pavilion Master, I had to accept that my chances of being assigned to the White Wolf Pavilion were nonexistent.
'But why would he go out of his way, even against Alliance Law?'
The part I still couldn't understand was that the Alliance Leader had intervened directly.
It wasn't illegal, but it was certainly the kind of action his enemies could seize upon.
En ǔ m а̃
Perhaps he'd judged that going to the White Wolf Pavilion would be bad for my future.
'Whew......'
I couldn't even begin to figure out where or how to clear up this misunderstanding, and my head spun.
As I struggled to organize my tangled thoughts, Deung Cheon-bi cleared his throat.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Ahem, ahem. By the way, that bar tab you mentioned earlier...... were you serious about that?"
"......"
W е b.ṅ о v́ ёl Ën̂ũ ṁа̂
Never in my life had I been rendered this speechless by sheer absurdity.
"Are you screwing with me right now?"
"No, I mean, either way, the thing is, I was going to accept you but couldn't because of the Alliance Leader, so......"
Just as I was about to walk out of the Pavilion Master's office at this senseless drivel, something struck me as odd and I turned back to look at him.
"You said the Alliance Leader already ordered you not to accept me. So who did you take the booze from, and why?"
At my question, Deung Cheon-bi broke into a wide grin for the first time.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"Oh, that? Those other Pavilion Master bastards who aren't worth a damn kept sucking up and begging me for favors, so I played along and took what they offered. Heh heh, the looks on their faces when they find out the truth—that'll be a sight. Keh, I could use a drink already."
"......"
Those Pavilion Masters—and he'd swindled them?
When I first saw him, I thought he was just a madman.
Now I could say for certain.
This man.
Ẇe b̄.nоv̈ѐl Е̌ñ u ṁа̂
'He's completely insane.'
***
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
I left the Pavilion Master's office that had made my head throb and wandered through the White Wolf Pavilion.
Learning that my assignment to the White Wolf Pavilion had grown difficult made it hard to turn my feet back toward the Academy.
The buildings had lower ceilings than other martial pavilions, and the facilities were shabby.
Even so, they were better maintained than the White Wolf Pavilion in my memory.
Е̇n um̌а . і́ d
Though it had been a long time since I'd been here, seeing the facilities cleaner than they had been in the past stirred a strange feeling.
While I was staring blankly at each facility in turn, I found myself at the White Wolf Pavilion's battalion training ground before I knew it.
'When did I wander all the way here?'
Battalion quarters were visible around the Grand Training Ground.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Setting aside the Alliance's other pavilions, the scene felt small and desolate even compared to the Academy.
While I was taking in that lonely landscape, a group of people stopped me dead in my tracks.
W̆е_b̃ n ov̌ е̂_l Е n̆ u m̆.а̀
Those faces—tiresome and dearly missed.
The moment I saw them, younger than they appeared in my vivid memories.
"......"
An emotion beyond description surged up from deep within my chest.
I asked, my voice trembling.
"Is this...... the Sojeong Squad?"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
The squad didn't consist entirely of members I'd known, but it was unmistakably the Sojeong Squad.
Faces from my memories were sprawled about in every direction, glaring at me with hostile eyes.
"The fuck are you, asshole?"
Coarse profanity.
"Well, well...... what kind of bastard strolls in here staring straight ahead with his eyes peeled? Oi, you piece of shit, you don't look down? Want me to pluck the ink right out of both your eyeballs? Hand 'em to the Heavenly Eye Pavilion guys who use ink and they'd be over the moon, kahahahah!!"
Vulgarity beyond measure.
Е̂ n̊ u m̊ȧ. ì_d̄
"Hey, got any money on you? Don't you dare say no. No money means one punch in the jaw for every copper you owe."
Conduct indistinguishable from thugs.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Some chewed-up piece of dried radish like you has the nerve to strap on a sword? Where'd you buy that? Must've cost at least ten silver taels, huh?"
Intellect and discernment that had tossed common sense to the wind.
"Shit, did you swallow honey or something? Not gonna answer?"
It was them.
W е b̀ n_о̃ v̊ е l Е ñu m̆ а̂
Without a doubt, it was them.
I forced my sealed lips apart and answered.
"I, I am...... Jin So-un, a student of the Murim Academy."
A greeting vastly different from our first meeting in my past life.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
The moment my words ended, laughter burst out of nowhere.
"Bwahahahahaha! He says he's from the Academy."
Ё ńuṁ â .іď
"The Murim Academy? Hey, has the Academy turned into a shit pit these days? They take any stray mutt that walks in? Maybe we should apply there too."
"Academy student, my ass...... shit, what are those Scholar examiners even doing? At the very least, filter out the lunatics. No matter how rock-bottom we are, come on."
The composition of members was a bit different, but the atmosphere was the same as ever.
It was that place. It was definitely that place.
"The truth is...... I wanted to come here. But in the end, it didn't work out."
The bitter feeling spilled out on its own.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
How long had I anticipated this moment?
How much had I yearned for it?
Just as that surging emotion threatened to bring tears, someone shouted.
"You bastard! You think the Sojeong Squad is some place...... a guy like you can just waltz into?!"
"......"
Rough words began pouring in from every direction.
E̊n̂ ǔḿ ä
"Honestly, kids these days have their eyes set way too high. Every stray mutt and cow dreams of becoming a Murim Alliance warrior."
"This is all your fault, Seo Un-chang, you son of a bitch! You're the one who muddied the waters!"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"Why are you bitching at me? That half-wit over there is the one in the wrong."
An endless stream of insults and abuse directed at me.
For some reason...... I felt as though my ears would bleed.
"Hey, kid, if you want to join the Sojeong Squad, go suck your mama's tit for ten more years."
Е n ũm ӓ .і̀ ď
"Tch, think that'd be enough? Take that sword, march into the deep mountains, and swing it around for about thirty years. Then we'll let you in. Heh heh."
"Your family got money? I know an Academy official. Want me to squeeze you in through the back door somehow?"
Familiar and exactly as expected.
After quietly listening to the Sojeong Squad's tirade, I calmly nodded.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"I see. The Sojeong Squad has always been like this."
"What's this crazy bastard on about? Talking like he's been here bef......"
Е̃n̈ ům̀а
"I've made up my decision. No matter what difficulties or hardships await, I will come back here."
Perhaps they saw my ironclad resolve, because the jeering stopped for a brief moment.
But then.
"""Bwahahahahaha!"""
"This guy is absolutely hilarious."
"Hey, just become a clown. A clown. Pfft."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Sojeong Squad members doubled over, rolling on the ground clutching their stomachs.
I looked at each of their faces.
And I swore, again and again, deep inside.
That I wanted to stand alongside these utterly loveable squad members.
That I would return here, no matter what.
"If you make it into the Sojeong Squad, I'll brand my own palm, you bastard."
Ẁе́.bn оv̀е l̆ Е n̈ům ӑ
And I'd make that bastard brand his palm, and the rest of them I'd grind into dust with every ounce of affection I had.
Watching the cackling Sojeong Squad bastards, I repeated my oath over and over.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
'You're all dead.'
Konten Bab Belum Tersedia
Bab ini belum memiliki konten teks atau sedang dalam proses penyuntingan.
