Chapter 122

Chapter 122

Sangsan’s Murim Alliance main headquarters. Muryeon Hall.

“Gwanju-nim. I’ve been in your debt for a long time.”

At the sight of Seomun Cheok bowing his head in farewell, Muryeon Hall Master Yeongun looked at Seomun Cheok with a complicated expression and sighed.

“Are you really going to quit?”

“Yes.”

“Even though you could become a Muryeokdae member just by breathing without doing anything?”

“Yes.”

“Is the salary the problem?”

“No.”

“Then…”

At Yeongun’s question, Seomun Cheok shook his head. He thought it was an understandable misunderstanding.

Murim Alliance Muryeokdae members receive meager pay.

They say corps commanders receive a bit more, but basically, the salary Murim Alliance Muryeokdae members receive is extremely stingy compared to what experts of the same level can earn. It’s so stingy that there are stories about the Murim Alliance exploiting Muryeokdae members.

Whether you work for one year or ten years, the amount you receive is roughly the same. Considering the members’ skill level, it’s not an exaggeration to call it free volunteer work. A small hazard pay and the basic salary—that’s the extent of the benefits given to Muryeokdae members.

However, if those were truly the only benefits given to Muryeokdae members, there would be no one wanting to become one.

Having finished his thoughts, Yeongun quietly spoke.

“Cheok-ah. As you know, the Muryeokdae is the core of the Murim Alliance.”

“After working as a Muryeokdae member for three years, the path to the Murim Alliance’s key positions opens. The longer your service period, the more paths to advancement increase.”

Including himself, Muryeon Hall Master Yeongun, most of those currently sitting in the Murim Alliance’s key positions, excluding a few from the Military Strategy Department, are all veterans who went through their Muryeokdae period. This means that if you wish to succeed in the Murim Alliance as a martial artist, going through the Muryeokdae is indispensable.

And that’s not all.

“Even if you’re not thinking about advancement in the Murim Alliance, after working as a Muryeokdae member for five years, you gain access rights to the Murim Alliance’s Eunbigo. It means you can view without restriction most of the martial arts the Murim Alliance has acquired and possesses.”

“I know.”

“You can also receive elixirs whenever you achieve results in missions. A treasure like Daehwandan… would be difficult, but things like Socheongdan, Sohwandan, or thousand-year Hasuo—you’ll be able to see such things more often than you think. For an unaffiliated martial artist, there’s no better opportunity.”

Crude martial arts, insufficient internal energy.

Becoming a Muryeokdae member is one of the few opportunities to resolve the regrets of unaffiliated martial artists.

Disciples of prestigious sects who aren’t thirsty for martial arts and elixirs become Muryeokdae members for honor, while those not from prestigious sects are attracted by the benefits.

This is the method of recruiting talent that the Murim Alliance has put forward. Benefits most desperately needed by Seomun Cheok, who had lived as a wandering warrior and honed his martial arts alone.

And yet he wants to give all that up?

“How about reconsidering?”

“Such opportunities aren’t common. You’ve already started building a reputation. Not only can you join Changcheon Corps, which your peers want, but if you wish, you could even enter Myeolakdae or the Maengju’s direct Cheonmudae.”

It’s not that he needs results. He’s too old now to care about results or such things. He doesn’t expect to rise any higher either.

He simply hopes that Seomun Cheok, who has outstanding talent, will make the right choice and become an excellent martial artist.

“You could become anything.”

At the sight of Yeongun trying to persuade him, Seomun Cheok remained quietly silent before bowing his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“It seems you have no intention of changing your mind.”

“Yes. I feel apologetic toward Gwanju-nim, but whatever you say, I don’t think my mind will change.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to.”

Seomun Cheok, who had firmly declared this, raised his bowed head and shot a piercing gaze at Yeongun.

“I have no intention of abandoning my greed for martial arts, my desire to become a better martial artist.”

“However, that path isn’t here. I think that to become a better martial artist, I shouldn’t be in the Murim Alliance but should walk the path I want.”

Seomun Cheok knows himself well. He knows that while he has the makings to be called exceptional, he cannot be called a genius.

Innate talent, excellent martial arts, overflowing internal energy.

There was someone who showed him that all those things considered absolute in the murim are actually not that important. Someone who proved it.

“If you’re aiming for something, aim for the peak.”

“I’m simply betting on the possibility that I can rise the highest. Rather than becoming a top hundred expert with a ninety percent probability, I want to become one of the Sipcheon with less than a ten percent probability. Is that not allowed?”

At Seomun Cheok’s stubborn answer, Yeongun, who had been silent for a moment, quietly closed his eyes. And then laughter burst forth.

“Hahaha. Hahahahaha!”

“I was thinking wrong. Yes. For a man, there’s nothing more frustrating than living an unremarkable life!”

Yeongun, who had pounded his pectorals—as large as a human head—with his fist, burst into loud laughter and stood up.

“I won’t stop you anymore. If my disciple has decided to walk that path, as his teacher, I can only cheer him on!”

“Thank you.”

“But I’m curious, so I’ll ask. Where are you planning to go?”

Rather than becoming a top hundred expert with ninety percent probability, I’ll aim for Sipcheon with ten percent.

That’s what he said, but Seomun Cheok definitely isn’t the type to throw himself into a reckless gamble with slim chances. Among the Muryeon Hall members, Seonwoo Gang was the best at improvisation, but the most cool-headed and thorough was Seomun Cheok.

“You’re not planning to return to being a wandering warrior.”

“It’s a battlefield I’ve already left. There’s nothing more to gain there.”

“Then?”

“Uicheonmun.”

Seomun Cheok, who had spoken decisively, quietly smiled on his normally expressionless face and looked up toward the window. The wind blowing from the south outside the window.

“I’m thinking of going there and begging to be accepted as a disciple.”

Seohwa is there, Wangpal is there, Seonwoo Gang is there, and Baek Risan is there. The geniuses Seomun Cheok acknowledges are growing there under Baek Riyun’s guidance.

“If I’m too late, I might fall behind.”

Even if it means following from behind, it’s fine as long as he can walk on the same line. Surely even now at Uicheonmun, extraordinary yet revolutionary training is being conducted under Baek Riyun’s guidance.

“I’ll visit occasionally.”

“Yes. Your peers will be happy too.”

“They will be, if they’re not too busy.”

Thinking of his grumbling Muryeon Hall peers, Seomun Cheok looked toward the window with an expressionless face again. Was it just his imagination, or did the wind feel warm despite winter approaching?

Leaving Sangsan, passing through Shanxi, Henan, and Hubei, crossing the Yangtze River, you reach Hwayonghyeon. Where Uicheonmun is located.

‘There, I can develop one more step.’

Seomun Cheok, having organized his thoughts, gripped his spear shaft tightly.

In the far distance.

Thinking of those who would be training hard at Uicheonmun.

“So, what did you say?”

“Sasuk Baek Risan said he couldn’t live here and ran away with his luggage packed. While screaming.”

“Sasuk?”

“Munju-nim’s master is Baek Ri Family Head, and since he’s Baek Ri Family Head’s disciple, to me he’s sasuk…”

What is this now?

At the news I heard as soon as I returned to the sect, I shook my head. It was absurd news.

“Forget about sasuk, just call him comfortably. But why did he say he couldn’t live here?”

“He said he couldn’t live in a house with ghosts.”

“Ghosts?”

“Yes. Buildings I’d never seen before suddenly rose up in the grounds, and he must have thought they were ghosts when he saw them.”

“…So that was it.”

I nodded at Seohwa’s words and turned my gaze to the side. The status window that I had definitely closed was floating open again at some point.

[Confirmed Munju’s return, updated status window.]

[The sect’s rank has increased.]

[New facilities, Mugak and Jangseogo, have been added.]

[The added facilities’ functions can be unlocked by consuming essence.]

“Mugak and Jangseogo.”

“Yes?”

“Those are the newly added buildings. They seem to serve that purpose.”

“Ah…”

I smiled slightly at Seohwa making a puzzled expression. Since Seohwa still doesn’t know much about the murim, a supplementary explanation would be necessary.

“Mugak is usually a place in sects where they research martial arts.”

“A place for research?”

“Yes. If I explain it as a place that researches which direction is better to develop martial arts, how to classify them better, that would be easier to understand.”

Martial arts develop naturally through martial artists’ contemplation.

Most martial artists would think that way, but the reality is different. If it were an individual’s martial arts, such a haphazard approach might work, but prestigious sects’ martial arts need to have a kind of systematization.

“Jangseogo is a place that stores and organizes the martial arts researched in Mugak. It’s not limited to just martial arts—it’s also a place that stores applicable martial theories and theoretical texts together.”

“It’s literally a library.”

“That’s right. It’s an essential place if you want to research martial arts in depth.”

What just appeared is probably the aftermath of choosing Daseung Muryu.

Having organized my thoughts, I looked around and asked Seohwa.

“San is one thing, but weren’t the other guys surprised? What about you, Seohwa?”

“We figured Munju-nim must have done something and moved on. I already knew this manor was extraordinary. The disciples also accepted it after hearing the explanation.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. They said there are all kinds of extraordinary artifacts in the murim, right? Divine armaments? We thought it might be a kind of that.”

I see.

I nodded at the beaming Seohwa. It seems they didn’t find it strange precisely because they don’t know much about divine armaments.

Ordinary divine armaments have quite limited and simple abilities. For instance, among the divine armaments in the Murim Alliance, there’s something called Suhoro.

Suhoro is a gourd from which clean water continuously springs, and no matter how much you drink, the amount doesn’t decrease. For those performing missions in remote areas, it’s a treasure-like item, so normally the Murim Alliance manages it and sends it with Muryeokdae commanders during important missions.

Like this, divine armaments are composed of things with relatively simple uses and effects. This means that beyond how good an effect they have, there are no cases where they work as complexly as this Uicheonjang.

Baek Risan, who shares Baek Ri Family blood like me and knows about divine armaments to some extent, probably turned pale knowing this and ran away. But these guys don’t know much about divine armaments, so they just accepted it.

“As you guessed, this manor is indeed a divine armament. However, don’t carelessly talk about it to others. There are plenty of people who covet treasures without knowing their place.”

“Yes. I’ll warn the disciples too.”

“Good.”

I nodded and patted Seohwa’s shoulder.

“San will return before long. In the meantime, unpack and organize things.”

“Yes.”

“When you’re done, let’s have dinner. I bought ingredients.”

“Yes!”

Looking at Seohwa answering cheerfully, I smiled slightly and entered the Munju’s office along the familiar path. It seems Iryang sent someone to manage it while we were away, as there was hardly any accumulated dust.

—I’ll find out about requests right away and send them to you.

“Requests.”

Recalling Iryang’s last words, I sank into the chair. Haomun’s requests, that is.

After all, what’s most needed to accumulate karma is experience different from the ordinary.

That’s why I wanted to receive Haomun’s requests. If you’re affiliated with the Murim Alliance, you just receive missions, but what Uicheonmun, which isn’t affiliated with the Murim Alliance, can do in Hwayonghyeon is limited.

“I hope he brings something good.”

I muttered briefly and then burst into laughter. That sharp-witted Iryang. He’ll know what I want and bring a request after thinking it through well.

So what I need to worry about now isn’t that. I should see whether we can perform the request well.

‘Currently, there are three disciples in Uicheonmun total.’

Seohwa, Wangpal, and Seonwoo Gang are all of Uicheonmun’s disciples currently. I’m thinking about accepting Seowoo as a Uicheonmun disciple too, but since I haven’t officially accepted her yet, it’s three total.

‘Seonwoo Gang is… sufficient.’

Baek Risan and Seonwoo Gang, who would accompany us if we take on a request.

These two aren’t a problem. They just lack experience, but in terms of martial power, they’d be stronger than most Muryeokdae members. You could call them immediate assets.

But what about Seohwa and Wangpal?

‘They’re far from ready.’

In Wangpal’s case, while his understanding of swordsmanship is deep, it’s narrow. It’s natural since he’s still in the process of learning, having only recently encountered high-level martial arts. His internal energy is also insufficient.

Then what about Seohwa’s case?

There’s no need to even mention it. No matter how outstanding Seohwa’s talent is, she’s only been in the sect for half a year. How much of an expert could she have become in that time?

‘A bit more development is needed.’

I nodded after reaching this conclusion. What needs to be done now is strengthening our foundation.

Normally, since there isn’t much time until receiving Haomun’s request, it would be difficult to expect any significant results, but…

‘Now the situation is a bit different.’

Wasn’t it ninety days until obtaining karma?

It will probably be more than sufficient. Because there’s what I’ve accumulated so far. And there’s something I’m thinking about.

Having organized my thoughts briefly, I quietly tapped the table. The translucent window blinking outside my field of vision.

“Shall we organize the current status?”

I smiled slightly at the window shining as if asking to be looked at.

[Opening status window!]

It’s settlement time.