Chapter 117 :

Chapter 117. The Black Flame Dragon in Golden Robes (2)

"Why have the elders, who should be busy every day drafting laws for the Alliance, come all the way here?"

Moyong Cheong stepped forward in place of Daoist Myeonghyeon, who was already too agitated to speak properly.

"There was an objection concerning how that child, Jin Sowoon, should be handled."

"You are aware of it as well, Chief Strategist, are you not?"

"Not only I, but the Alliance Leader himself recognizes the seriousness of this matter."

"I am on my way here after receiving the Alliance Leader's opinion."

"...!"

If the Intelligence Department and the Alliance Leader's Hall, which divided the Martial Alliance's authority between them, had reached the same conclusion, it meant the matter would ultimately be handled accordingly.

"The central issue in the current situation is whether Jin Sowoon committed misconduct."

"Is that correct?"

"That is correct."

Jegal Somyeong looked over each of the Martial Alliance elders before speaking.

"If no misconduct occurred, he will pass."

"If misconduct is uncovered, he will be disqualified."

He then turned his head and looked at me.

"As you said, the Martial Academy's official examination exists for the future peace and stability of the murim world."

"That is its sole purpose."

"It is not a place that allows itself to be influenced by the interests of any individual or ranks people for someone's convenience."

"If you insult the Martial Academy's official examination again, I will personally imprison you in the Golden Prison."

"Do you understand?"

The atmosphere in the hall grew cold beneath Jegal Somyeong's stern words.

"...I understand."

"Good."

"Explain the most important issues."

The head of the Martial Academy stepped forward holding a scroll.

"There are two main points of contention."

"The first, as previously mentioned, is that he colluded with the heretical faction."

The academy head paused briefly and glanced toward Elder Myeonghyeon before continuing.

"The second is that, regardless of whether such collusion is proven, he received assistance from more than the permitted number of people."

"Those are the two issues."

No matter how one looked at it, that was essentially the same as declaring that I had failed.

It was a perfect checkmate.

Someone who had risen all the way to the Elder Hall amid the schemes and treachery that filled the Martial Alliance could never be an easy opponent.

"If that is the case... there seems to be no room for reconsideration."

When Jegal Somyeong spoke, Daoist Myeonghyeon smiled for the first time.

"You traveled surrounded by the heretical faction's procession."

"Surely you will not say something absurd like claiming that was not assistance?"

At Jegal Somyeong's words, everyone's gaze gathered on me.

Now that even Jegal Somyeong had spoken that way, it was obvious that pretending I had no connection to the heretical faction would no longer work.

"That is correct."

"If traveling with the funeral procession counts as assistance, then I did receive help."

I had no choice but to admit it calmly.

"As expected...!"

"That is right!"

Small exclamations erupted among the elders, despite their need to maintain dignity.

"However, since that has nothing to do with the regulations, it creates no problem with my passing."

"What...?"

"What nonsense..."

"That bastard truly is insane."

"Drag him out immediately!"

When complaints erupted among the elders, Jegal Somyeong shouted sharply.

"Be quiet!"

"If you continue, I will throw you out!"

"Speak."

"You have not forgotten that you stand before the Chief Strategist of the Martial Alliance, have you?"

"I have not."

"As I recall, the official examination regulations state that an examinee may hire or receive assistance from no more than one hundred people."

"The heretical procession far exceeded that number."

"If we judge the matter strictly, not only you but every disciple of the Taeul Sect, the children of the Namgung and Moyong Families, and even the disciple of the Iron Sword Sect must all be disqualified."

I pulled the official martial examination regulations from the library in my mind.

"However, according to those regulations, neither I nor my companions have failed."

"What?"

"Article Three, Clause Seven of the official martial examination regulations."

"An examinee may not receive assistance from allies, wandering warriors, or warriors belonging to the righteous faction as a whole!"

That was the problematic clause.

However—

"The regulations do not state that one may not receive help from the heretical faction, which is officially defined as an enemy."

Jegal Somyeong's eyes trembled.

He signaled to the deputy academy head.

The deputy academy head rapidly flipped through the thick book of regulations and showed him the relevant section.

Jegal Somyeong alternated between staring at the regulations and looking at me with disbelief.

While Jegal Somyeong remained speechless, Daoist Myeonghyeon shouted.

"What absurd sophistry!"

"Is it not obvious common sense that a disciple of the righteous faction should not receive help from the heretical faction?"

"Then you should have placed that obvious common sense inside the regulations."

"Is it not the Elder Hall's fault for failing to include it?"

The Martial Alliance's authority was established upon absolute regulations.

Regulations could appear or disappear with the passage of time, but while they existed, they served as the standard for everything.

"The second checkpoint tested whether we could obtain spirit pills."

"By common sense, anyone would assume that the test required examinees to hunt spiritual creatures or demonic beasts and obtain spirit pills from them."

"However, most examinees simply purchased spirit pills and received their second-checkpoint plaques."

"That was because the regulations did not say they had to hunt them personally."

"By that logic, should most of the people standing here not also be disqualified?"

"Among those who passed, anyone who personally hunted a spiritual creature or demonic beast should step forward."

Those who had stood far away from us as though we carried a plague gritted their teeth and glared sharply at me.

"Y-You..."

Daoist Myeonghyeon opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish.

Honestly, even if my argument was strained, their own unreasonable behavior over the years had been far worse.

My small act of sophistry would barely stand out.

Furthermore, I had already warned them about the Demonic Cult and handed them an opportunity to draw the heretical faction into the matter.

Daoist Myeonghyeon might overlook that, but there was no reason for Jegal Somyeong to do so.

I had already won this argument before it even began.

"That is enough, Myeonghyeon."

"...But—"

"Did I not tell you to stop?"

"How long do you intend to continue exceeding your authority?"

"..."

Jegal Somyeong looked at the bowing Daoist Myeonghyeon and muttered as though speaking to himself.

"...Unbelievable."

"To think someone passed the examination in such a manner."

Jegal Somyeong looked toward the academy head and asked:

"It appears the result has been decided."

"Do you have anything to add?"

"...No."

"Do the members of the Elder Hall have anything to add?"

The members of the Righteous Path Association remained silent with bitter expressions.

Moyong Cheong of the White Path Association answered in their place.

"If we dig any further, it seems we will merely expose more of our own faults."

"You may proceed as decided."

Jegal Somyeong nodded lightly.

"I will announce the examination result."

Although he spoke in a low voice, his words spread throughout the training ground and every corner of the spectator seats.

"I announce this in the name of the Murim Alliance Leader."

"The top-ranked entrant in this year's Martial Academy official examination is Jin Sowoon of the Taeul Sect!"

Even if I came from the Taeul Sect, were they not being far too stingy with their applause?

Clap, clap, clap, clap.

From one side of the spectator seats, the great figures of the heretical faction applauded while radiating killing intent.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

Only then did the others begin applauding one by one.

My companions finally regained their senses, burst into tears where they stood, and rushed toward me again.

#

Everyone gathered inside the academy stared with their mouths wide open.

Every one of my companions rushed toward me while shouting.

However, their joyful expressions quickly hardened as they looked around.

No one else was applauding.

"This way."

A maid guided me to a detached residence with a small garden and training ground.

Compared with an inn or an expensive restaurant, the facilities might not have appeared particularly impressive.

However, considering that this was a dormitory, they were astonishing enough to leave one speechless.

I could eat food prepared by a cook inside the residence.

A maid remained on standby throughout the day.

There was also a private training ground and a separate bath for individual use.

It was special housing granted only to the admitted student who entered with the highest score.

"What color martial uniform do you prefer?"

"Does your sect have a traditional style that you normally wear?"

"No."

"I normally wear only gray."

"We provide freshly laundered clothing every day, so you do not need to restrict yourself to any particular color."

They even handled things like this?

"That is fine."

"Gray is comfortable, so please continue preparing that color."

"Understood."

"If you require anything else, please call for us at any time."

After saying that, the head maid left the residence.

Alone in the room, I reflected upon everything I had experienced.

"Whew... Have I finally overcome one major obstacle?"

So many things had happened.

There had also been many moments when I had nearly abandoned the examination.

Fortunately, I overcame every trial and reached this place.

"Still, things are proceeding roughly according to plan."

The official martial examination had once seemed impossible.

So had entering with the highest score.

Having accomplished both, my chest swelled with an overwhelming emotion I had never felt since returning to the past.

"At this rate, there should not be much to worry about in the future."

I had never aimed for first place merely to enjoy such luxurious living conditions.

If I maintained the highest rank and continued earning the best results, I would gain the right to choose my assignment after graduating from the Martial Academy.

That was why I had worked so hard.

Most people chose the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, but I had no time to waste playing childish games with them.

I planned to enter the White Wolf Pavilion, prepare to receive disciples of the Taeul Sect, and properly strengthen the defenses of the White Wolf Pavilion's low-ranking warriors.

Those were the plans I had established.

Knock, knock.

Lost in thought, I rose from my seat.

The Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers and the rest of my companions had gone to inspect their assigned dormitories, so there should have been no one visiting me.

"What is it?"

"Have you already finished looking around the dormitory... Who are you?"

Outside the door stood a scholarly-looking man I had never seen before, smiling pleasantly.

Although he was smiling, the dark hollows beneath his eyes made him look rather pitiful.

"Ah, Young Master Jin Sowoon?"

"It has been a long... No, this is our first meeting."

"Pleasure to meet you."

The hollow-eyed man opened the door without permission and entered the residence.

"Goodness, does the Martial Academy use places like this as dormitories?"

"I heard they assign you a maid and cook who handle all your food and clothing."

"Ah... Yes."

"But who are you?"

"How enviable."

"When I first entered the Alliance as a low-ranking civil official, I shared a room with seven other people."

The talkative man continued chattering without pause as he wandered around touching various objects.

"Wait!"

"Who are you?"

"Who gave you permission to enter this place?"

"Uh... You... How could you say that to me...?"

The man looked at me like a parent wounded by his own child's words.

So who exactly were you?

"Do you know whose efforts allowed you to enter the Martial Academy instead of being disqualified?"

What kind of ridiculous nonsense was this?

"It was all thanks to me."

"Thanks to me."

"Haah... I will ask one final time."

"Who are you?"

"As for who I am..."

"Get out."

"I am Maeng Juwon, the head of the Intelligence Department."

My rough hand, which had been dragging him outside, abruptly stopped.

"Maeng Juwon?"

It was a name I could never forget.

He was the person in overall command of the Intelligence Department and the strategist who had long been called Jegal Somyeong's right hand.

"That is correct."

"I am Maeng Juwon."

Another genius who had died around the time I entered the Intelligence Department stood before me, smiling pleasantly.

The name of the Taeul Sect was printed prominently upon the announcement.

Because of this, thrill-seekers throughout the murim world ravenously gathered every story they could find about Jin Sowoon.

"You are asking whether I know anything about the Taeul Sect?"

"Of course I do!"

"This is the very village protected by the Taeul Sect."

"I am close enough with Jin Sowoon that we are practically grandfather and grandson—"

The Martial Alliance officially announced the conclusion of the Martial Academy's official examination and distributed the list of successful students throughout the world.

Beside the name of the top-ranked entrant appeared the name of the Taeul Sect, which had slowly been fading from people's memories.

The entire world was shaken, so naturally the interior of the Martial Alliance also erupted into chaos.

"You idiots!"

"How could you lose first place to some nameless little sect?"

"You bring shame upon the Nine Great Sects!"

"What method did those bastards use for all four of them to enter the academy?"

"Hmph!"

"They must be connected to those heretical bastards, just as the rumors say."

"Will you shut your mouth?"

"Are you denying a matter that the Chief Strategist personally declared free of suspicion?"

"Cough... When did I deny anything?"

Many people were also worried about the unprecedented record Jin Sowoon had established.

"I heard Jin Sowoon of the Taeul Sect entered with more admission plaques than Yong Soa."

"Furthermore, did he not complete the examination without leading even a single warrior?"

"I fear this incident may cause our children to be evaluated less favorably in the future."

"Our children should perform perfectly well even without so many warriors."

"Beginning with the next examination, I intend to reduce the number of supporting warriors by half."

Far too many things were changing on a large scale for it to be considered merely the result of one person's actions.

"Whew."

"When I think about how much trouble that bastard caused me..."

At Jegal Somyeong's sigh, Hyeok Mugang let out a hearty laugh.

"Haha."

"Still, it served as a useful shock to the Alliance, so is that not a good thing?"

"You worked hard, Chief Strategist."

"That is why I told you from the beginning to go to the Alliance Leader."

"Do you know how fiercely the master of Four Emperors Peak glared at me while I stood there?"

"Did your conversation with them go well?"

"They said nothing particularly important."

"They merely asked me to take good care of Jin Sowoon."

"They said he would become their own Yong Soa or something like that."

"He nearly failed to enter the academy because of them."

"So it is finally happening."

"The Heretical Alliance."

It was something that would have been created eventually regardless.

The heretical faction's murim had already been torn apart and fragmented by the Martial Alliance.

The chaos within it was only growing worse.

Because the need for a Heretical Alliance had continuously been raised among them, it was something that could be created at any time once a suitable opportunity appeared.

"That is precisely what I mean."

"Does this make any sense?"

"A newly admitted student of the Martial Academy laid the foundation for the Heretical Alliance."

It was a secret known only to Jegal Somyeong and the Murim Alliance Leader.

A matter that had never been revealed to anyone slipped casually from his mouth.

"Still, thanks to him, have we not obtained at least one connection to the Heretical Alliance?"

"I was always concerned that the anti-heretical faction within the Martial Alliance had grown too powerful."

"Under ordinary circumstances, what would there be to worry about?"

"The situation has become unusual, and that is why it concerns me."

Even if the heretical factions gathered, what difference would it make beyond turning the local clashes of the past into large-scale battles?

Even so, they were now hoping to some extent that the Heretical Alliance would be established.

"What have you discovered regarding traces of the Demonic Cult?"

The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

The terrifying demonic practitioners believed to have disappeared five hundred years ago were once again setting their sights upon the world.

"There have been many strange incidents throughout the murim world."

"If we had not known about the Demonic Cult's existence, there would have been more than a few matters we would have simply ignored."

"Was that not truly fortunate?"

"That is true."

"It is, but..."

Jegal Somyeong could not shake an inexplicably uneasy feeling.

The way everything fit together perfectly only made him feel more suspicious.

"Still, surely..."

"What do you mean?"

"Ah, it is nothing."

"In any case, I am concerned."

"This is the first time someone without an established foundation has taken the top position."

"I wonder whether that child can endure it."

"Has there ever been a similar case in the past?"

"The current head of the Martial Academy, known as the Three Pure Peerless Sword, once entered with the highest score."

"How long did he maintain that position?"

"He voluntarily stepped down after half a year."

"That is far too short."

Although the Three Pure Peerless Sword belonged to a sword sect maintained through single-successor inheritance, its symbolic status within the murim world was by no means insignificant.

Even such a figure had been unable to exert much influence.

It demonstrated once again just how powerful the established forces were.

"He endured that long only because he was the Three Pure Peerless Sword."

"In comparison, the Taeul Sect is..."

"Do you think that child, Jin Sowoon, can endure?"

"I do not expect much in that regard either."

"Once he recognizes his limitations, will he not quickly step down on his own?"

"If he clings greedily to the position, he will be expelled from the academy."

"He does not seem like that kind of child."

"...Then perhaps the Alliance Leader's Hall—"

"Ahem!"

"I am busy, so I will take my leave."

The world, which had remained quiet until then, was gradually beginning to shake.