Chapter 71 - The 'First' Gate of the Hellish Regular Exam (5)

The mental strength of a human exerts an influence no less than that of martial prowess.

Fear of an opponent deeply engraved in one's mind possesses a nature that cannot be overcome simply by improving one's own martial prowess.

"Eldest Senior Brother..."

Right now, the Geum-eun-dong Brothers were exactly like that.

Their fear of Gye Yeonseok, who had reigned over the Taiyi Sect for the past years. That memory wasn't something they could easily escape just because they had learned new martial arts.

"Should we go somewhere else..."

Gye Yeonseok's uncomfortable gaze and Gye Cheolyeong's twisted face. Unable to endure that pressure, the three brothers examined my mood with anxious eyes.

"Why? The guest house here seems fine to me."

"No... well..."

Dongryong, who had been glancing at Gye Yeonseok, quickly averted his eyes.

I spoke bluntly.

"Did you guys do something wrong?"

"... Not really, but..."

"Do you owe them anything?"

"..."

"The Gyeryong Merchant Group took back all the money they previously sponsored, citing Gye Cheolyeong's withdrawal as the reason. With interest added on top of that. They are no longer our creditors."

They clamped their mouths shut, pretending to agree with my words, but they couldn't hide their wavering eyes.

At that moment, someone called me from behind.

"Jin Sowoon."

It was Gye Yeonseung, who had once been our Busaeng Hall Leader.

"It has been a while."

"Indeed it has. Have you been well?"

"..."

The corners of Gye Yeonseung's mouth trembled slightly. It seemed the Gyeryong Merchant Group had not been doing well recently.

That was to be expected, as Gye Yeonseung was ultimately nothing more than a tool to raise Gye Cheolyeong. With Gye Cheolyeong in such a state, there was no way Gye Yeonseung could be doing well.

"The Merchant Group Leader wishes to see you for a moment."

I lifted my head and looked at Gye Yeonseok.

Bloodshot eyes. A raw demeanor full of resentment toward his opponent. It was natural for the still-young Geum-eun-dong Brothers to be afraid.

"Tell him to come down himself if he wants to see me."

"..."

But so what?

To me, they were merely people who had tried to use and throw us away like tools.

"Can't you see we've been through a lot? We were just about to eat."

"... He means for us to have a meal together."

"Why? Is he paying for the food?"

"... I was once the Hall Leader who taught you."

"Hall Leader. The only thing you taught us was to submit to Gye Cheolyeong, wasn't it?"

"...!"

Gye Yeonseung's face crumpled like a sheet of paper. It was fascinating to see that he didn't easily draw his sword even though I was grating on his nerves considerably.

He would have normally drawn his sword by now, rambling about being a lay disciple of the Mount Hua Sect.

"..."

Fidgeting with his fingers, Gye Yeonseung looked at Gye Yeonseok.

Gye Yeonseok, who had been quietly watching us for a moment, nodded his head.

"The Merchant Group Leader says he will treat you to a meal, so let's go up together."

"... Sounds good. Over here!"

I immediately called over a passing clerk.

"Cancel what we just ordered and prepare eight of the most expensive dishes in this guest house. Ah! You heard that the people over there are paying for it, right?"

"... Ah, yes. Understood."

At my words, both Gye Yeonseung and Gye Yeonseok wore expressions full of dissatisfaction.

"Let's go up."

"... Senior Brother, can't we eat down here?"

"I was thinking about our next training. Now that you've mastered footwork, how about walking on your hands?"

"Geumpyo hyung! What are you saying! We can't let Eldest Senior Brother go alone!"

"That's right! I'm disappointed in you, Geumpyo hyung!"

Dongryong and Eunho jumped up, and Geumpyo slowly stood up while looking at the two as if they were traitors.

Gye Yeonseok had rented out the entire second floor.

Free warriors were gathered in small groups, drinking and eating, and on the table where Yeon Chu-ak, Han Geumtak, and Dam Cheolgak sat, the most expensive food and alcohol were laid out.

Before heading to Gye Yeonseok's table, I pointed at an empty table for the three brothers and spoke.

"You guys eat here."

"Ah! Understood! Have a good time! Eldest Senior Brother!"

Geumpyo clasped his fists as if excited.

I sat opposite to where Gye Yeonseok and Gye Cheolyeong were sitting.

"It's been a while."

"... You look well. Did your livelihood improve a bit after abandoning the Gyeryong Merchant Group to act as a parasite on Wangga Manor?"

"To be precise, the Taiyi Sect didn't abandon the Gyeryong Merchant Group; the Gyeryong Merchant Group ran away from the Taiyi Sect of their own accord. And Gye Cheolyeong paid the price for that."

"Aeu, au, aeu."

Gye Cheolyeong glared at me as if to kill, continuously drooling as if filled with an immense rage.

"So, does the taste of Wangga Manor's money feel a little different?"

"Did you not know? The Taiyi Sect recently discovered a mine. Ah, we also acquired the Cangqiong Merchant Group's Hefei Branch. Now we no longer need to tolerate people throwing their money around to boss us about like in the past. Though, the Lord of Wangga Manor has a completely different personality from the Gyeryong Merchant Group Leader to begin with."

"..."

"Oh, right, you also must have heard about us recovering the Taiyi Sword Emperor's true inheritance, yes? Haha, you should have waited a little longer. If you had, Gye Cheolyeong might have been able to inherit the Taiyi Sword Emperor's true inheritance and participate in the Murim standard exam himself."

A fervent longing for the opportunity he had missed right under his nose lingered in Gye Yeonseok's eyes.

Even an ordinary person would feel wronged if they were in Gye Yeonseok's position, so I couldn't imagine what a hellish day it must have been for someone as greedy as him.

"Enough of that. Why did you call me here? We aren't exactly on friendly terms to be sitting down and sharing a meal together."

From the moment he dragged his crippled son out to take the Murim Academy standard exam, Gye Yeonseok's desires had all but plunged him into hell. I had no hobby of tormenting someone already living in hell. Let him live like that.

"... The Taiyi Sect owes me a debt."

What novel kind of bullshit was this?

"It was the Gyeryong Merchant Group that reached out when the Taiyi Sect was at its lowest."

The Gye Yeonseok who used to act high and mighty with his money was gone.

The merchant group and its financial power might still be intact, but with Gye Cheolyeong turning out like that, all his set plans for the future were ruined. For Gye Yeonseok, who had to lead free warriors to take the Murim Academy exam, the dignity he had built up with his wealth in the past was long gone.

"The fact that the Taiyi Sect was able to hold Wangga Manor's hand, and that you now possess the mine and the Cangqiong Merchant Group's Hefei Branch, is all thanks to the Gyeryong Merchant Group."

I quietly listened to his bullshit.

"..."

"Just because you paid back the money, just because you paid the interest, the debt doesn't disappear. A debt of compassion can only be repaid with compassion!"

He continued his story as if he were absolutely convinced of it himself.

"Your debt. The debt of your junior disciples. You repay it."

"...?"

The Geum-eun-dong Brothers, who were eating the food that had arrived at their table, stopped their hands and looked this way.

"Join my Cheolyeong. Help each other and enter the Murim Academy together. I have already gathered a hundred renowned free warriors. This will absolutely not be a losing deal for you either. Repay my compassion with this."

"..."

I thought about it quietly. Why would Gye Yeonseok say such a thing to me, someone from the Taiyi Sect he looked down upon, and especially the cause behind turning Gye Cheolyeong into a cripple?

And it didn't take long for the answer to come.

'Ah, it must be because of the Dragon-Phoenix Summit.'

The incident with the Dragon-Phoenix Summit hadn't spread to the outside world.

We had kept it quiet within the Taiyi Sect, and there was no way the Dragon-Phoenix Summit would go around spreading news of their own blunders.

However, if it were someone who had been continuously watching the Taiyi Sect... Someone who was planning to take revenge on the Taiyi Sect someday...

'They'd have no choice but to find out.'

And he likely thought that I, who hadn't backed down an inch against Hwa Jeongsan and Jong Byeokgi of the Dragon-Phoenix Summit, would be helpful to them.

If so, then Gye Yeonseung's attitude, and the patience he had displayed, all made sense.

"Pfft-hahaha."

Laughter burst out of me once my train of thought was organized.

"...!"

I merely chuckled lightly, but the atmosphere on the second floor instantly plummeted and turned cold.

The free warriors sitting with Yeon Chu-ak also paused midway through knocking back their drinks.

The three Geum-eun-dong Brothers put down their chopsticks, ready to draw their swords at a moment's notice.

"If so, you should have shown some genuine compassion."

"..."

"You could have offered a kind word to the kids while sponsoring them, or not skimped on the food when holding a banquet. When Cheolyeong did something wrong, instead of settling it with money, you should have come over and apologized."

"... Aeu, ueu, aaah."

"Owe a debt of compassion? We'd have to be given compassion in the first place to owe it, wouldn't we?"

"..."

"If he entered to apply for the Murim Academy special admission, he should have at least thought about mingling with the Taiyi Sect. Whose brilliant idea was it to absolutely refuse learning our mental cultivation method, claiming the Taiyi Sect's martial arts would be harmful? You call that showing compassion?"

"..."

"Cut the bullshit. The compassion was shown by us. Gye Cheolyeong. I could have taken his life, but I didn't go that far. Right now, it's the Merchant Group Leader who owes a debt to the Taiyi Sect."

Yeon Chu-ak, Han Geumtak, and Dam Cheolgak stood up from their seats and approached this side.

"Hey, isn't this young friend speaking a bit too harshly?"

"Mind your own business. Free warriors only move when their employer tells them to."

"Hoh, look at this guy."

Gye Yeonseok, who was watching the scene, shook his head slightly, and the free warriors spat and turned back.

"... Do you have no intention of joining us?"

"If you told me I could only enter the Murim Academy if Gye Cheolyeong got in... I'd gladly give up on the Murim Academy."

"..."

The corners of Gye Yeonseok's eyes were trembling faintly.

"I... If my Cheolyeong can't get into the Murim Academy, then I won't just sit still and watch the Taiyi Sect enter it either."

"..."

"Even if I have to throw away everything I have, I will block you and the Taiyi Sect."

Clatter.

Dongryong unconsciously dropped his spoon while eating.

"May I take that as a declaration of war?"

"..."

"I am willing to lay down my life if it's to protect the Taiyi Sect."

I spoke while staring straight into Gye Yeonseok's bloodshot eyes.

"So the Merchant Group Leader should also have that level of resolve when messing with the Taiyi Sect."

I stood up from my seat.

At the same time, Yeon Chu-ak, Han Geumtak, and Dam Cheolgak stood up and glared at me.

"Brat, haven't you heard the Jianghu saying not to make enemies easily?"

"There's also a saying that goes, don't underestimate an opponent just because they're young."

I looked at the three brothers and asked.

"Are you all done eating?"

They had only eaten about half of their food, but perhaps feeling uncomfortable, they nodded their heads vigorously.

"Let's get up."

* * *

Gye Yeonseok's group departed first that day.

We rested for a day after taking a bath as planned, and only finished our preparations to depart by the following morning.

Before departing, I gathered the kids.

"You watched what happened yesterday carefully, right?"

"..."

Perhaps remembering the heavy exchange of emotions, the kids remained in silence.

"Jianghu is exactly like that. Even if I haven't harmed anyone, if I am weak, I cannot protect my precious people."

"We will keep that in mind."

"We will keep that in mind."

"We will keep that in mind."

The eyes of the three brothers shone more fiercely than ever.

I pulled out two wooden boxes from my bundle.

"This is what the Sect Leader bestowed upon us."

"What is it?"

"It is the Daeyeon Divine Pill of the Namgung Clan."

"Pardon?!"

The three brothers' mouths gaped wide open.

"The reason I made you frantically train your moving cultivation with the Taiyi True Scripture until now is, along with the reasons I mentioned before, to digest this spiritual pill."

Unfortunately, the three brothers' internal energy hovered around ten years' worth.

Eunho, who was highly talented in mental cultivation methods, had at least twelve years of internal energy, but Geumpyo and Dongryong hadn't even reached ten.

"Your internal energy isn't at a level where you can withstand the spiritual qi of the Daeyeon Divine Pill. Therefore, the moment you take this spiritual elixir, you will have to circulate your moving cultivation like your lives depend on it, even more so than you have until now."

"... Senior Brother."

"What is it?"

"There are only two, so how do we split them?"

I tilted my head in confusion. The Geum-eun-dong Brothers were normally kids with a strong sense of yielding, to the point of sharing with each other even if it meant skipping out themselves. I wondered if they couldn't help it when faced with a spiritual elixir.

"Since there are four people but only two pills, wouldn't it be better for you to take all the spiritual elixirs, Senior Brother?"

"... How does your math work out like that?"

At Geumpyo's words, Eunho added.

"Geumpyo hyung is right. Even if we ate them, it would take a long time to digest anyway, and we'd just hold you back for no reason. Just take them all, Senior Brother."

"I also think my brothers' opinions are right. I naturally have a constitution that doesn't take medicine well, so I didn't even take tonics when I was young."

Watching the guys spew such nonsense, I split the two Daeyeon Divine Pills in half. Immediately, a pure fragrance filled the room. I handed a half to each of the kids, who were staring at the sight blankly.

"..."

The guys swallowed their saliva at the sight of the Daeyeon Divine Pill, yet they couldn't bring themselves to rashly put it in their mouths.

"I heard you told the Sect Leader you were going to put me into the Murim Academy before returning?"

"Uh... Well..."

"Ahaha."

"..."

Looking at the embarrassed kids, I spoke.

"I have no intention of entering the Murim Academy alone. I will enter the Murim Academy together with all of you."

"..."

"..."

"..."

I had said something quite touching, but the guys merely looked at each other and tilted their heads.

"Senior Brother, honestly, wouldn't that be realistically impossible?"

"Then is it realistically possible for me to enter the Murim Academy by myself?"

"... If it's you, Eldest Senior Brother, wouldn't it be possible?"

"Yeah. I think it'll be possible."

Just how did these kids see me?

"If so, then trust me and follow."

"... I want to, but we... aren't we honestly too weak? Yesterday, among those free warriors, we couldn't even raise our heads."

"Honestly, I was scared."

It was the same emotion I had first felt when I went out for my mandatory service in the Murim Alliance during my past life.

"Don't worry. By the time you enter the Murim Academy, no one will be able to meet your eyes. I'll make it so."

"..."

The Geum-eun-dong Brothers stood with their mouths open, unable to say a word.

* * *

Even after they had mastered footwork while using moving cultivation, we didn't climb the mountain again.

Instead, this time I made them walk down the official road while unfolding their sword array.

They weren't just unfolding the sword array, but moving alongside it.

At first, they kept tangling their feet, or the sword array would unravel on its own, but slowly the time they maintained the sword array grew longer.

On top of that, as I frequently swung the Black Dragon Sword to strike the sword array, their level of mastery in the sword array began to rise rapidly.

True to the kids who had memorized the sword array with their eyes and ears blocked, their proficiency rose quickly.

"*Chomp, chomp. * Senior Brother. But is it okay for us to travel this leisurely?"

Having just written a letter for Haomun and tied it to the iron hawk's leg while the three brothers ate on the side of the road, I released my killing intent toward the guys.

"... Ugh!"

"..."

"Keuhuk."

Geumpyo and Dongryong made expressions as if they were going to vomit, while Eunho acted as if nothing had happened.

"Haa... Can't we just eat in peace during mealtime?"

"How much of the Daeyeon Divine Pill have you melted down?"

"... About half."

"If a fight breaks out unexpectedly like this, that energy could reverse its flow."

"... Haa, understood."

At least thanks to them learning the Taiyi True Scripture, they were melting down the Daeyeon Divine Pill faster than I expected.

"Senior Brother, at this rate, won't we really fail to even pass the First Gate? How many strongholds are left?"

"They say there are eight hundred ninety-eight left."

Upon hearing the news that the Murim Academy's first exam was bandit stronghold subjugation, the quick-witted strongholds had retreated deep into the mountains, causing the pace of wiping out the strongholds to slow down.

Even so, the fact that three thousand one hundred strongholds had already disappeared in just a fortnight was an astounding feat.

"At this rate, we really won't even get to see a stronghold. It feels like we're spending too much time on our training... Honestly, I don't even know how prepared we are."

I chuckled at Geumpyo's concerns.

"An opportunity to test just how skilled you are will likely come soon."

By now, they showed no signs of discomfort even while using moving cultivation, performing footwork, and unfolding the White Tiger Sword Array.

They had reached a level where they could skillfully block my strikes, even when I used the Twin Heaven Sword Art to continuously strike with feints and real attacks.

"Senior Brother, but what do you mean about an opportunity to show our skills coming soon?"

"After leaving the Geumgung Guest House, I made two requests via the iron hawk. One of them was tracking Gye Yeonseok's movements."

The three brothers tilted their heads, seemingly unsure of what I meant.

"But this morning, a message arrived saying three experts from Gye Yeonseok's group are nowhere to be seen."

The reason I wanted the qualification as a 'Guest' of Haomun, despite knowing all the information regarding the Murim Academy standard exam, was none other than because I needed information on the people moving within it. Though, I hadn't expected to use it this quickly.

"They must have run out of money..."

Geumpyo, who was continuing his words, looked forward as if something was strange.

At the end of the official road, three men stood blocking the path.

A man with a bizarre fishing rod slung over his shoulder stepped forward.

"Why are you moving so slowly? Our client ended up going alone because of you."

Beside him, a man holding a massive axe and a man with long drooping sleeves covering his hands walked out.

"... Why are those guys here..."

Yeon Chu-ak of Yama's Axe, Han Geumtak of the Windless Demonic Rod, and Dam Cheolgak of the Three Hands Returning to Origin, who should have definitely been moving alongside Gye Yeonseok, were standing there blocking the road.

"They must have been waiting for us."