Translator: FenrirTL
Editor/Quality Checker: Saphartlantis
Murim Term Consultant: Kopke
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Chapter 353: Your First Sigh
Hwang Seokgyeong was surrounded by martial artists.
“Thank you for everything.”
“If it weren’t for you, Instructor, I wouldn’t have made it through.”
“I’ll definitely come visit you next time.”
Today was the day this batch completed their training at the Alliance Training Center and departed to various divisions of the Unorthodox Alliance.
Among the many instructors at the Alliance Training Center, Hwang Seokgyeong was by far the most popular.
“Don’t forget that you’re the pillars of the Unorthodox Alliance. No matter what hardship comes your way, endure it well!”
“Yes, Instructor!”
Once the martial artists had departed, his colleague, Instructor Cha, approached him.
“As expected, you got the most gifts again.”
Hwang Seokgyeong’s arms were full of gifts given by the departing martial artists. There were even more piled beside him, as he couldn’t carry them all.
The connections didn’t end here. Many martial artists who had left came back to seek out Hwang Seokgyeong whenever they faced difficulties, and each time, he gave them his full support without holding back.
“If I had met an instructor like you, maybe I wouldn’t be living my life as an instructor here.”
“What’s wrong with being an instructor?”
“Aren’t you tired of it? The same words, the same routine, every time.”
At that, Hwang Seokgyeong asked Instructor Cha,
“Do you know how many martial artists have passed through us?”
“Must be a huge number.”
“Yeah, countless people know about us. Aren’t we probably the most well-known figures within the Unorthodox Alliance? What greater power could there be than that?”
“What power? We’re just instructors at the Alliance Training Center. Unless we become Division Leaders or Section Leaders, who’s going to recognize us?”
“Why do you think we can’t rise? Is there a rule that we have to stay instructors forever?”
“Sure, go get promoted. Become a Division Leader, a Section Leader.”
“And even a successor.” 1
“What? Don’t joke about things like that, even as a joke. Anyway, I’m off. Enjoy your vacation.”
Until the next batch arrived, the instructors were on break.
As Instructor Cha left, almost as if it had been waiting, a subordinate’s sound transmission flew in. It was the moment when Hwang Seokgyeong became the Battle King.
―They failed.
At the subordinate’s report, the Battle King’s expression hardened.
―What about the Young Leader? How badly is he hurt?
―He wasn’t hurt at all.
―Then how many of the Thirteen Wolves died?
He had assumed they had thrown themselves to save the Young Leader.
―None of them died.
As the incomprehensible report continued, the Battle King’s tone grew sharper.
―What expert stepped in?
―No one. It was only the Thirteen Wolves present at the scene.
―Nonsense!
The Thirteen Wolves blocked their coordinated attack? Sure, they could’ve been lucky. But no fortune could stop an assassination involving three deployments of Blood Heaven Storm.
The Battle King recalled the previous incident where Pyo Gigwang had survived, and the assassins had been annihilated.
―Someone definitely interfered.
There was no other way to explain this outcome.
―What should we do?
As he paused to think, a panicked sound transmission from a subordinate came flying in.
―The Young Leader is here!
The Battle King's gaze turned toward the man across the training grounds who was organizing the equipment. That man, with whom he had exchanged sound transmissions just moments ago, was none other than Sahon.
Though he performed menial tasks at the Alliance Training Center and lived as if he had only learned third-rate martial arts, no one had seen through his true identity.
Next to the bowing Sahon, Bih Sa-in revealed himself.
Walking with confident strides, the Thirteen Wolves followed behind him. Bih Sa-in exuded a terrifying aura that was as intense as his fearsome impression.
The Thirteen Wolves trailing behind him wore masks, making it impossible to read their expressions.
As they passed by, Sahon subtly lifted his head and looked at their backs. Thirteen in total, and not one of them was injured.
Even he couldn’t understand it. How on earth had they blocked that attack?
Just then, one of the Thirteen Wolves walking at the very end turned and looked back.
Sahon quickly lowered his head to avoid meeting his gaze.
When he raised his head again, the one who had looked back had resumed walking forward.
‘What was that? Did he sense my gaze?’
That couldn’t be. There was no way the Thirteen Wolves could have sensed such a discreet glance.
Sahon pulled his cart and swiftly left the area. The Young Leader was here—no matter who saw it, a menial worker lingering about would only look suspicious.
The Battle King set down the gifts he had been holding and greeted Bih Sa-in with polite formality.
“What brings you here, Young Leader?”
He looked like a startled instructor, surprised by the sudden visit. He really did seem like someone with no connection to the recent events.
On his way here, Bih Sa-in had been curious how Hwang Seokgyeong would respond. He expected him to flat-out deny everything, but he hadn’t expected him to greet him so naturally.
“Instructor Hwang, it’s been a while. When did we last meet?”
“We exchanged greetings briefly at the New Year’s banquet this year.”
“Ah, right, we did.”
Back then, he had never imagined they’d meet again like this. You… are you really the one behind all this? Were you the one who gave those people the orders just now?
“Please, come inside.”
“It’s fine. I just stopped by to see Instructor Hwang’s face for a moment.”
The Battle King's gaze shifted to the Thirteen Wolves who had come along. Geom Mugeuk stood slightly behind the other Thirteen Wolves, carefully concealing his aura.
Because of this, the Battle King didn’t notice that a martial artist of Geom Mugeuk’s caliber had joined the Thirteen Wolves.
‘Not a single one of them is hurt?’
He sensed an inexplicable sense of danger, but the Battle King remained composed. After all, nothing thrilled him more than the rush of danger.
‘The Young Leader came because he believes I’m the one behind it.’
The very fact that he had come here now, after never setting foot in this place before, was proof enough of that.
Is this a probe? Or a declaration of war?
‘Was he always like this?’
The Bih Sa-in he had come to understand wasn’t this kind of personality or type. 2
“What are all these?”
Bih Sa-in asked, looking at the gifts laid out on the floor.
“They were given by the most recent trainees as they left.”
Bih Sa-in picked one of them up.
“May I open it?”
“Of course.”
Bih Sa-in moved to open it, then handed it to the Battle King.
“It seems dangerous.”
“What do you mean?”
“Is there such a thing as a ‘good’ training instructor? Wouldn’t someone hold a grudge and try to poison you?”
At Bih Sa-in’s joke, the Battle King gave a warm, good-natured smile.
“I doubt it. After training, instructors tend to be the ones people remember the most.”
At a glance, Instructor Hwang truly seemed like someone far removed from conspiracies—a kind-hearted man.
“Are you satisfied with being an instructor?”
“I consider it my calling.”
Hearing the conversation, Geom Mugeuk suddenly had a thought.
Why did it have to be an instructor, of all things?
There could’ve been many ways to infiltrate the Unorthodox Alliance and settle in. With the Battle King’s skills, he could have easily risen to the position of Section Leader by now. If it was just to stay unnoticed, then why was Instructor Hwang at the Alliance Training Center such a widely known figure? 3
While Geom Mugeuk was deep in thought, Bih Sa-in and the Battle King's conversation continued.
“There was an assassination attempt today.”
“What? An assassination attempt? Are you unharmed?”
The Battle King looked genuinely shocked.
“Fortunately, I’m fine.”
“Who would dare!”
“I couldn’t confirm their identity, but they used Golden-dragon weapons.”
“Unbelievable! Shameless scum who don’t even understand a warrior’s honor! Utter trash!”
Seeing this man call himself trash so casually, Bih Sa-in realized the man before him was no ordinary figure.
“To dare attempt to kill the Young Leader… they must be captured and publicly executed. The Young Leader is the pillar and future of the unorthodox martial world.”
In truth, Bih Sa-in had hoped for a different kind of meeting.
He expected something suspicious about the man—an odd remark, a strange aura revealed.
You dare try to kill me?—perhaps a confrontation like that. He had even considered what he might say in such a moment.
He thought there would be something unusual. And even if not, he thought he would be able to uncover it.
But the man revealed nothing of the sort. He was perfectly and entirely Instructor Hwang. As if to say, You’ve got the wrong person.
How does one confront such a man?
Bih Sa-in realized—he still wasn’t ready. All he could think to say was, You gave the order, didn’t you? But if it had been Geom Mugeuk, he would have said something to steer the situation in his favor.
He regretted rushing in emotionally. He was not Geom Mugeuk.
If the charge was a mistake, then at least the retreat had to be clean.
Bih Sa-in smiled and bid farewell to the Battle King.
“On the day I was bombarded by assassins’ hidden weapons, our instructor was showered with gifts. Makes me think I need to live a bit more diligently.”
* * *
Geom Mugeuk and Bih Sa-in stood side by side on the cliff.
Despite Il-rang's warning to be cautious given the current situation, he had come here alone with Geom Mugeuk.
Was it the power of the place?
When standing here with Geom Mugeuk, Bih Sa-in felt he became a bit more honest. And now more than ever, he felt it was time to be honest.
“I’ll never forgive the bastard trying to take my place. Not just him—every last one involved will die. I’m not the Young Leader of the Unorthodox Alliance for nothing, am I?”
It was sincere. And he wanted to ask Geom Mugeuk something.
“I’m more selfish and wicked than you think. Will you still call me a friend? Just don’t say later that you didn’t know I was this kind of bastard.”
Geom Mugeuk knew exactly where all of Bih Sa-in’s turmoil and scattered words were coming from.
“Do you regret going to see Instructor Hwang?”
After a short pause, Bih Sa-in asked,
“If it were you, would you have gone to see him?”
That was the question Bih Sa-in truly wanted to ask.
“Even if I did, at the very least I wouldn’t have gone today.”
“Can I ask why?”
“Because most of the decisions I made in anger, I ended up regretting.”
“I figured as much.”
The fury of knowing someone had tried to kill him had boiled over and pushed him to go there—but after the fact, he regretted it.
Because nothing happened, he had lost the upper hand.
“Then why didn’t you stop me?”
“Because you needed to experience it yourself to truly feel it.”
To feel how cold reality was. That no matter how much one’s ideals boil like lava, before reality, they may just turn into ashen dreams swept away by ice water.
As Bih Sa-in let out a light sigh, Geom Mugeuk smiled and said,
“That was your first sigh.”
It wasn’t just the first sigh shown to Geom Mugeuk. It was the first sigh shown in front of anyone. Bih Sa-in deliberately let out another long sigh. He showed through that sigh just how close they had become. 4
Geom Mugeuk smiled and comforted him.
“It’s alright. We already know each other well enough. Before a fight, a greeting is only proper. Besides, this visit wasn’t meaningless.”
“What do you mean?”
He said it so casually that Bih Sa-in assumed it wasn’t anything significant.
“I figured out what his objective is.”
Bih Sa-in was so shocked he nearly shouted, What? Are you insane? How could he possibly have figured out the bastard’s goal just from today’s meeting? Had he secretly read the man’s diary or something?
“Did we meet someone else?”
Because he hadn’t noticed anything at all.
Geom Mugeuk pointed out something Bih Sa-in had never considered.
“Looking at that huge pile of gifts, I had that thought. Why is he building up such a reputation? If he’s plotting something from the shadows, wouldn’t it be better to remain unnoticed? Would someone orchestrating a grand conspiracy really go out of his way to treat the martial artists at the Alliance Training Center so well, even at the cost of his energy?”
Now that he mentioned it, Bih Sa-in also found it strange. Deep down, he felt uneasy, afraid that something shocking might come out of Geom Mugeuk’s mouth.
“Over the years, the martial artists he trained have probably started to secure key positions within the Unorthodox Alliance. Some may be squad leaders, others Division Leaders. Those who advanced quickly might even have become Section Leaders.”
Bih Sa-in cautiously asked,
“So what’s his goal?”
Geom Mugeuk stared straight at Bih Sa-in as he answered.
“You.”
For a moment, Bih Sa-in couldn’t say anything. At first, he didn’t understand what the words meant. Then, one thought struck his mind like a thunderclap.
“You’re saying he’s aiming for the position of successor?”
Geom Mugeuk nodded and said,
“He’s trying to become the Unorthodox Alliance Leader.”
“!”
The idea that Hwang Seokgyeong—that Hwang Seokgyeong—was the one behind all of this, and that he aspired to be Alliance Leader, was beyond anything he had imagined. The distance between instructor and Alliance Leader felt far—far beyond reach.
“The reason he tried to kill you without hesitation is probably because it’s something he’d have to do eventually anyway.”
If it had been anyone but Geom Mugeuk saying this, Bih Sa-in would have burst out in anger, shouting about how absurd and nonsensical it all was.
“Is that even possible?”
Bih Sa-in’s voice trembled.
“This is probably the plan. Maybe not right away, maybe in a few years—he’ll kill you, the successor, and then go on to assassinate the current Alliance Leader. I don’t know the method. But once the position is vacant, he’ll reveal his overwhelming martial prowess and challenge for the leadership. And by then, there won’t be many masters capable of stopping him anymore.”
“Martial strength alone isn’t enough to become the Alliance Leader. The Alliance Masters won’t acknowledge him.”
“Which Masters do you mean? The power-holders he’s already working with? Or the martial artists he’s trained and sent out?” 5
“!”
“The sentiment and atmosphere within the Alliance will back him. Not as some mere instructor, but as a revered figure who reveals his hidden strength and rises as a hero.”
Bih Sa-in felt a chill run through his chest.
“He won’t be able to kill the Alliance Leader.”
“You know how hard it is to stop a hidden blade, don’t you? Especially one that’s been sharpened, poisoned and waiting for a long, long time. Of course, this is just my prediction. It could very well be wrong.”
Bih Sa-in didn’t think Geom Mugeuk’s speculation was far-fetched. After all, they were talking of the man who had tried to kill him—the successor—without a moment’s hesitation.
Bih Sa-in fell into deep thought for a long while. Geom Mugeuk offered no advice. This was something Bih Sa-in had to decide and resolve on his own.
Eventually, Bih Sa-in came to a conclusion.
“I won’t ask the Alliance Leader for help.”
He had resolved to deal with this matter by his own strength.
“If I happen to die, make sure you tell the Alliance Leader everything behind this.”
“I will.”
Bih Sa-in said to Geom Mugeuk,
“Isn’t this when you’re supposed to say, ‘You’re not going to die’ or something like that?”
But Geom Mugeuk didn’t say what he wanted to hear.
“You might die because of this decision.”
He meant it. The opponent was the Battle King. No matter what process unfolded, the future was already set—he would have to face the Battle King in the final clash.
“Why won’t you stop me?”
Because you’ll only grow stronger by overcoming it yourself.
“Because it’s not my life?” 6
Bih Sa-in laughed. The biggest laugh he had let out since they’d met.
“Nice laugh. If you meet a woman, make sure to laugh just like that.”
“Spouting nonsense like that—are you going to watch to the end just to see how tough my life really is?”
“Watching a fight is always fun.”
“The bastard’s efforts to steal my seat were admirable, but at the very least, it seems he couldn’t match my luck.”
Bih Sa-in looked at Geom Mugeuk.
Despite his words about just spectating, Geom Mugeuk had been fighting alongside him from beginning to end. He waited patiently, bore with him, and supported him so that he could be the one to solve it—as the lead.
With fortune like this, with a friend like this, there was no way he could lose to that bastard.
“Let’s go. Who knows about later, but for now, there are still plenty who would jump out of their seats at the idea of an instructor becoming Alliance Leader.”
1 : Careful, your mask is slipping there.
2 : He changed a lot in a short time, and that discrepancy in knowledge will lead you to your end ^^
3 : To influence the younger generations into seeing him favorably, and pick loyal subordinates among them.
4 : Can you imagine the pressure of never letting a sight for all your life till this point ?
5 : This is a very well prepared plan, striking from both sides at once.
6 : I mean, it’s true too. He can’t make the decisions for Bih Sa-in, but he can be there to cover for him.