Chapter 349: I Never Authorized It
Chapter 349: I Never Authorized It
Bi Sa-in stepped into the long corridor.
To the left and right of the path leading to the Alliance Leader’s Palace stood steel-wrought wolves, poised as if ready to pounce at any moment. Whenever he walked down this hallway, he felt a peculiar, stifling aura—a heavy pressure unique to this place.
Perhaps that was why a certain legend persisted: it was said that if an intruder ever broke in, those steel wolves would spring to life and tear at the intruder’s throat until their body was shredded to ribbons. Walking here, Bi Sa-in often felt that the tale might actually be true.
Passing through the corridor, he pushed open the massive doors. At the far end of the hall stood a man with his back turned. He was of average build—neither thin nor stout. His silhouette was so unremarkable that one might expect to see someone like him in any common marketplace.
But Bi Sa-in knew better. This was a man whose like could be found nowhere else in the Murim.
Baek Ja-gang, the Leader of the Unorthodox Path Alliance.
The greatest master of the Unorthodox Path and the absolute sovereign of the Unorthodox Murim.
Bi Sa-in was Baek Ja-gang’s disciple. Baek Ja-gang had no blood relatives; he claimed that having kin only made one’s heart weak. Conversely, that meant he never showed weakness toward himself, either.
Tense, Bi Sa-in walked until he reached the base of the stairs. As always, standing before the Alliance Leader made his heart shrink with trepidation.
“It looks like it will rain.”
Baek Ja-gang’s voice echoed through the hall. It was deep, carrying a resonant vibration.
“It will be the first rain of this winter.”
Normally, Bi Sa-in would have given a stiff, formal greeting to report his return. But today, he chose to follow the lead of the Leader’s remark.
Though he loathed to admit it, this was Geom Mu-geuk’s influence. Taking the man’s advice to "truly look at people," Bi Sa-in had resolved to view the Alliance Leader differently than he had before.
A different reaction elicited a different response.
“Come up.”
Bi Sa-in climbed the stairs and walked to where the Alliance Leader stood. This was the first time he had been invited to stand beside him at this vantage point, which overlooked the entire headquarters. Only after standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him did Bi Sa-in offer a respectful bow.
“I have returned, Alliance Leader.”
Baek Ja-gang slowly turned his head to look at Bi Sa-in.
His eyes were as tiny as buttonholes—so small they looked like mere dots. Bi Sa-in occasionally wondered if those eyes might one day snap wide open, as if he were merely keeping them hidden. They were truly that small. Because of this, it was difficult to read his emotions. Conversely, the Leader was a man who used those tiny eyes to peer straight into the hearts of others.
“I heard you cleaned up the Black Snake Unit?”
His voice, however, was more magnificent than anyone else’s. Every time Bi Sa-in heard it, he found himself wishing he possessed such a voice.
“Yes. I eliminated the Black Snake Unit Leader and several members of the leadership.”
“The reason?”
How should he answer? If he were to be honest, he would say: Because the Black Snake Unit kidnapped children and committed atrocities.
But that wasn't the "correct" answer. Bi Sa-in felt he didn't know the Alliance Leader well, but he knew enough to realize that wouldn't suffice. He gave the answer he thought was expected.
“The fellow was acting arrogant.”
The tiny slits that served as Baek Ja-gang’s eyes vanished as he let out a booming laugh. His eyes were small, but his mouth was exceptionally large. When he roared with laughter, the sound felt truly immense.
Even if the Leader already knew the real reason Bi Sa-in had dealt with them, this was the answer he had to give. This was the kind of man his master was.
“Since things have turned out this way, I intend to monitor the external reputation and absorb the Black Snake Unit in stages.”
Baek Ja-gang looked satisfied. He was a man who would do anything to make the Unorthodox Path Alliance stronger. And at the root of that drive was the Demonic Cult.
“That man, Geom Wu-jin, will undoubtedly start a war to unify the Murim. We must be prepared for that day.”
He was certain that the current Heavenly Demon would ignite a war.
“When he starts that war, he will strike us first.”
“Why us and not the Murim Alliance?”
“Because the Murim Alliance won't intervene in that fight.”
Baek Ja-gang predicted the Murim Alliance’s reaction with cold certainty.
“They will never step in, hoping that we and the Demonic Cult will destroy each other. Even if they had the mind to help, do you think they would ever hold hands with us?”
Countless elders of the Orthodox Faction would oppose any decision to help the Unorthodox Path. Even if the Murim Alliance Leader wanted to, it was not an issue he could easily push through.
“Even though they know the teeth grow cold when the lips are gone, they will never help us. Even when those teeth are eventually pulled out, they are the type to mumble about 'chivalry' while chewing with their bare gums.”
Spite was spite, but Baek Ja-gang’s judgment was analytical.
“If, by some miracle, a war breaks out between the Demonic Cult and the Murim Alliance, we must help the Murim Alliance. The Demonic Cult will surely try to swallow the Murim whole. It must be the same when you become the Alliance Leader.”
That was how dangerous Baek Ja-gang considered the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and Geom Wu-jin to be.
Bi Sa-in believed the Leader’s strength lay in his lack of useless pride. The Leader never overinflated the power of the Unorthodox Path Alliance. Instead, he operated under the premise that they were a step below the Demonic Cult and the Murim Alliance. Bi Sa-in believed the current strength of the Alliance stemmed from the Leader’s thorough grasp of reality.
“I will keep that in mind.”
You don't need to worry about when I become the Leader. A war won't happen in our generation. The problem is the current era.
Regardless of his realistic outlook, Bi Sa-in knew that Baek Ja-gang also dreamed of unifying the Murim. He had never said it aloud, but Bi Sa-in could feel it. With those tiny eyes, he wanted to look down not just on the Unorthodox Path Alliance, but on the entire Murim. He was enduring and waiting for the perfect moment to strike a decisive blow.
“I have one thing to ask.”
The method Bi Sa-in had chosen for this matter was a direct confrontation.
“Is there a secret organization being raised within our Alliance that I am unaware of?”
“Why do you ask that?”
“I discovered that the Black Snake Unit was providing kidnapped children to the Alliance through the Flowing Sword Sect. If it isn't an organization authorized by the Alliance, then I suspect someone is raising a private force.”
It was a serious matter, but Baek Ja-gang showed no particular reaction. He simply stared at Bi Sa-in in silence.
“If that is the case, I cannot let this matter slide.”
Bi Sa-in did not flinch from the intense, murderous aura emanating from the Leader’s tiny eyes. There is no need to be afraid. He is the Leader, and I am his successor. He met the gaze he once wouldn't have dared to look at with as much composure as he could muster.
“You’ve changed lately.”
Bi Sa-in didn't hide his transformation. There were only two people in the world he felt he couldn't hide his heart from: Geom Mu-geuk and the Leader standing before him.
“During this excursion, I met the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult and the Demon Extermination Squad Leader. They are growing stronger by the day. I must also strive if I am not to be left behind.”
Perhaps satisfied by his confident attitude, a wide smile spread across the Leader’s large mouth. Baek Ja-gang turned his gaze back toward the window. Watching the gathering dark clouds, he finally answered the first question.
“I never authorized such an organization.”
*
Sshhhhhhh!
Geom Mu-geuk and Pyo Gi-gwang were hidden in the brush, watching the pouring rain. They were taking a brief moment to catch their breath after running frantically to evade the assassins.
“Your skills are more impressive than I thought.”
“Didn't I tell you? I’m the one protecting you.”
Pyo Gi-gwang had thought the young man just had incredible confidence, but it seemed it wasn't just empty talk.
“I am the one who protects the Young Alliance Leader. I won't be taken down easily by assassins.”
At the mention of assassins, what Geom Mu-geuk had said earlier flashed through Pyo Gi-gwang’s mind.
— What kind of Alliance in this world sends contract assassins after a subordinate who did their work? In this filthy situation, where is there any room for loyalty?
Sensing Pyo Gi-gwang’s resolve wavering, Geom Mu-geuk didn't miss the opportunity.
“Did he warn you that he’d kill you if you didn't keep the secret?”
Pyo Gi-gwang slowly shook his head. That was the part that stung the most. He was being treated like dog shit on the side of the road.
“If I may be so bold, I think I know why he chose you, Unit Leader.”
“Why?”
“A normal person would jump in outrage and fury, but you are accepting this attempt to silence you as if it’s only natural. He knew. He knew how a man in the depths of despair would react in this situation.”
If that’s why he chose me...
Pyo Gi-gwang’s face flushed hot. It was a devastating blow to his pride. Suddenly, Geom Mu-geuk made a shushing gesture and thrust his sword through the thick grass behind Pyo Gi-gwang.
With a single muffled scream, a corpse slumped forward.
“An entire assassin organization has come. It’s likely because they realized you made contact with the Young Alliance Leader. It shows their determination to eliminate you, no matter how many guards the Young Alliance Leader assigned to you.”
In other words, they were that desperate. The reason the culprit hadn't stepped forward personally was to avoid exposure. No matter how much they tortured this assassin organization, no trace of him would be found.
“Even with an entire organization mobilized, they can't kill me while you’re the only one guarding me.”
“That seems to be the case. Let’s go. We need to move.”
The two men began running along the mountain path again. More assassins ambushed them. Pyo Gi-gwang didn't realize it, but they weren't actually running away. Geom Mu-geuk was intentionally seeking out the assassins and eliminating them.
Trained only to kill, the assassins knew no fear. However, no amount of courage could bridge the gap in skill that was as vast as the distance between heaven and earth. No surprise attack worked.
Geom Mu-geuk’s methods for dealing with the assassins were so mundane that, in Pyo Gi-gwang’s eyes, it almost looked like the assassins weren't that skilled.
He seems to be swinging so lightly; why can't they dodge? How can an assassin allow such a simple kick to break their jaw?
Yet, the terrifying momentum the assassins showed when they attacked him always elicited the same internal cry: ‘I’m really going to die this time!’
That thought, which he must have screamed in his mind a dozen times, burst out again.
Thwack!
A blade appeared right before Pyo Gi-gwang’s eyes. Blood dripped from its tip. It wasn't the assassin’s sword. It was Geom Mu-geuk’s sword, which had pierced through the back of the assassin’s head.
It looked as though he had hurriedly thrown the sword to kill him, but it was a move that displayed a level of Flying Sword Art superior to any other technique.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“I think we’ve dealt with all the assassins now.”
Pyo Gi-gwang was stunned. Run when told to run, duck when told to duck, pulled along, pushed aside—and just like that, the fight was over.
It’s over? Then... I survived?
With a face full of disbelief, Pyo Gi-gwang stared at Geom Mu-geuk.
Sshhhhhhh!
Geom Mu-geuk was washing the blood from his face and body in the falling rain. Suddenly, he looked like a stranger. He was no longer the youngest martial artist who had been cheerfully agreeing with everything Pyo said.
The way he calmly washed away the blood made him seem like a true warrior who had survived countless battles through mountains of blades and forests of swords. Perhaps that was why he looked somewhat lonely.
“Let’s go.”
“Where to?”
Where was there left to go? But Geom Mu-geuk knew exactly where they needed to be.
“To that man. We have to go and demand answers. Ask him why he handles things so poorly. If he wanted to finish this, he should have come himself instead of sending mere assassins. We have to ask him why he takes us so lightly.”
Geom Mu-geuk was saying exactly what Pyo Gi-gwang wanted to say.
“I believe this matter was not authorized by the Alliance.”
Pyo Gi-gwang flinched for a moment but then shook his head. “That can’t be.”
Since the time was right, Geom Mu-geuk delivered the decisive blow he had been saving.
“If the Alliance Leader had authorized this, he would never have sent contract assassins. I heard once that the people the Alliance Leader hates most are contract assassins.”
“...!”
In an instant, a memory from the past surfaced in Pyo Gi-gwang’s mind. Back when he was the Black Dragon Unit Leader, he had discussed this with his subordinates. He had said that the Leader hated assassins so much that no one from an assassin background could ever rise to power in the current Unorthodox Path Alliance. He had said those words himself.
Goosebumps broke out all over Pyo Gi-gwang’s body. It was something he had forgotten. Getting injured, being forced out of the unit, living like a wreck... he had forgotten everything in the process.
‘If that man was truly carrying out the Leader’s will, he wouldn't have used assassins.’
With that powerful doubt, his past conversation with the man naturally came to mind.
— Is the Alliance Leader aware of this operation?
— Of course. That is exactly why the secret must be kept at all costs.
At the time, he had taken it for granted that the Leader knew. He assumed that was why this man had stepped forward. That was why he thought the Young Alliance Leader shouldn't be involved—because it was a secret operation kept even from him.
Why didn't I ever doubt it?
He knew the answer to the question that rose in his heart. It was because he just wanted to escape his situation. He wanted to escape and brag to those who had ignored him: ‘I’m doing something this important, you idiots!’
“If this was done without the Leader’s knowledge, then this is treason.”
Pyo Gi-gwang’s heart sank. If that was true, it meant the man had dragged him into an act of rebellion. Pyo Gi-gwang was utterly confused.
“Come with me and let’s find out what the truth is.”
Only yesterday, Pyo Gi-gwang had believed the truth was something only he knew. He was a man who wouldn't have listened to any reason. But now, he was asking:
“Can we really do it?”
“You were prepared for death anyway, weren't you?”
Yes, that was right. He didn't know how many times today he had closed his eyes, thinking, ‘This is it.’ He could afford to close them one more time. Pyo Gi-gwang looked at Geom Mu-geuk and nodded.
The situation had changed.
“From now on, we aren't the fish. Let’s become the fishermen and cast the net together. Let’s hear what that fish, who’s been acting like a fisherman all this time, has to say for himself.”