Chapter 71: Bidding for the Escort Transport (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 71: Bidding for the Escort Transport (3)
Since my regression, I have encountered several superhumans.
Baek Hyang-muk, the First Sword of Wuhan.
Jin Gyun, the Ardent King Hegemon.
Jin Seong-baek, the Merciless Wind God.
Mu Ak, the villain of the previous generation.
Dan Wi-gang, the Blood Breaking Sword Emperor.
Jagyun, the Flash Thunder Sword.
And Sama Chak, the Moon Evil Sword.
If I had to choose the one who sent the greatest shiver down my spine, it would undoubtedly be Sama Chak, the father of Sama Yeong.
Sama Chak is ranked among the five strongest individuals, including both the Eight Great Masters and the Four Great Villains.
Before I faced him in my past life, my father had given me a warning.
[Be careful. That man, the Moon Evil Sword, has likely surpassed the wall within the wall.]
[The wall within the wall?]
My father, the Merciless Wind God, had explained it like this:
Those who surpass the wall within the wall are said to have reached the Extreme Realm.
He said they were on a completely different level from other superhumans.
That warning had been correct.
The Moon Evil Sword, Sama Chak, had not even exerted his full strength against me. Even though I threw everything I had at him back then, I couldn't even touch him.
Yet, the same thrill I felt then was now radiating from this man—the Wolf King, Hyeok Cheon-man—who stood before me like a ferocious beast.
No.
As far as I knew, he wasn't.
The Wolf King, Hyeok Cheon-man, was actually evaluated as the weakest among the twelve superhumans.
And yet, my five senses were screaming at me to be wary of him.
As I stood there, the Wolf King dropped an utterly unexpected bombshell.
"Since when did someone who belongs among the Eight Great Masters start being called a mere 'New Star'?"
'!!!'
The surrounding crowd erupted.
"The Wolf King just said So Woon-hwi of the Twin Heroes is at the level of the Eight Great Masters!"
"Does that mean he's surpassed the wall?"
"What is going on?"
"He's barely twenty, and he's being compared to the Eight Great Masters?"
Like a spreading wave, those nearby chewed over his words and passed them along.
'Ah... what a headache.'
This was beyond awkward.
While living as So Woon-hwi, one of the Twin Heroes of the Orthodox Faction, I had intended to be faithful to that role. I planned to hide my true martial prowess and keep my claws retracted as much as possible, but that entire plan was on the verge of collapse.
It wasn't just anyone making the claim; it was one of the Eight Great Masters.
The repercussions were beyond imagination. Even the escort guards of the Hwangyeong Escort Agency were staring at me with wide, bulging eyes.
I quickly cupped my fists toward the Wolf King and spoke.
"This junior, So Woon-hwi, is utterly bewildered by Senior Wolf King's words. How could I possibly compare to the great seniors of the martial world who are like the very heavens? Please, take back your words."
I expressed my intent as politely as possible.
It was an attempt to signal to the crowd that I hadn't reached such heights. If my fame as So Woon-hwi grew any further, infiltrating the Martial Alliance would become even more exhausting.
The Wolf King stared down at me for a moment before speaking.
"Ah. So you want to hide your skills?"
'...Seriously, this guy.'
He was a more difficult type to deal with than Sama Chak. He just blurted things out without considering the consequences.
Of course, from the Wolf King's perspective, it probably didn't matter whether my prowess was revealed or not, but for me, it made moving around much harder. The heat from everyone's gaze was enough to make my face sting.
"It is not like that. I am truly saying that I fall short of—"
Flinch!
At that moment, I felt a profound surge of energy from the Wolf King's right arm. He looked ready to reach out and strike at any second.
He was one of the Eight Great Masters, not one of the Four Great Villains. Surely he wouldn't just launch an attack without any grievance?
I was agonizing over how to respond when he spoke again.
"We can just prove whether my words are right—"
"Great Hero Hyeok!"
A shout rang out from the crowd.
At the sound, the Wolf King withdrew the energy he had been gathering.
Looking toward the source, I saw a middle-aged man with half-white hair, dressed in blue silk robes, walking through the crowd accompanied by several bodyguards.
The escort guards were making way for him with deep respect.
Hwang Hye-ju, the escort leader, sent me a message via Sound Transmission.
[That is Master Ho Jin-woong, the leader of the Geumhwapyeong Merchant Group.]
So that was one of the five merchant group leaders who held the most wealth in the Central Plains.
As expected of someone who had achieved greatness in his field, he possessed a commanding presence even without martial prowess.
The Wolf King cupped his fists toward him.
"Master Ho. It has been a long time."
It was quite surprising to see him show respect, as he didn't seem like the type to bow to anyone. They clearly knew each other.
Ho Jin-woong spoke to the Wolf King in a friendly tone.
"Thank you for granting this old man's request."
"I was coming this way anyway."
"Don't say that. How could I not be grateful when the Wolf King, who wouldn't move for a thousand gold pieces, agreed to fulfill my final request?"
'Final request?'
His words sounded strangely bittersweet.
Judging by their conversation, it didn't seem like he had been moved by money. Then again, the Wolf King was famous for refusing to move for any amount of gold, whether offered by the Martial Alliance or the Evil Faction, despite being a wanderer.
The Wolf King said to Ho Jin-woong, "Master, please step back for a moment. I still have things to discuss with this friend..."
"We depart around the hour of the Pig (9-11 PM) today. We must hurry with the bidding before then."
"Hmm."
What a relief.
Thanks to the merchant leader, the situation was being brought under control. There was no reason to clash with the Wolf King when there was no bad blood between us.
The Wolf King looked at me with lingering regret.
Ho Jin-woong said to him, "Didn't I say I would give Great Hero Hyeok the right to select the escort agencies? You can talk to him then. Let us go."
'!?'
What was this now?
The Wolf King was going to select the agencies?
Buzz, buzz!
The surrounding guards were in an uproar. The news that the Wolf King, not the merchant leader, would lead the bidding sent everyone into a frenzy. Only the agencies that had brought experts, including the Beggar's Sect, were wearing confident smiles.
As the Wolf King followed Ho Jin-woong, looking disappointed, he threw a cryptic comment my way.
"I will see for myself if you have truly inherited his legacy."
'...His legacy?'
I couldn't understand what he meant. As So Woon-hwi, I was known to the public as a son of the Yikyang So family and the disciple of the Namcheon Sword Guest.
So who was he talking about?
As I stood there wondering, the voice of the Namcheon Iron Sword rang out.
'What? Do you know who he's talking about?'
'Him?'
The Namcheon Iron Sword kept marveling.
'Stop being cryptic and just tell me.'
'Is that the Wolf King?'
'I was about to ask the same thing.'
To travel from the northernmost reaches of the Central Plains to the southernmost tip just to issue a challenge... that was impressive. Especially at that age.
'So that means he fought the Namcheon Sword Guest?'
'Then?'
'Fifteen times?'
Against a master, not some low-level martial artist?
And that man was now one of the Eight Great Masters?
Even I was shocked to hear it. I had heard he surpassed the wall at the youngest age after Killing Fiend Jue Xin among the eleven superhumans, but he truly seemed to possess innate genius.
To be honest, I relied more on luck than talent. I had all of you, and if I hadn't learned the Secret Records of the Sword Immortal or the Life Bright Divine Art, I wouldn't have grown this quickly.
Regardless, if the Namcheon Iron Sword was right, the Wolf King had a history with the Namcheon Sword Guest.
The reason he showed such fighting spirit toward me became clear. He wanted to settle the grudge of never being able to defeat the Namcheon Sword Guest by testing me.
'Tell me about it.'
But he was a different breed than my master. He was closer to the pure essence of martial arts. He was a man who had grown strong by holding onto the memory of his defeats from thirty years ago.
His statement about checking if I had inherited the legacy was essentially a challenge to a duel.
I felt like I had been backed into a corner unintentionally.
'I know, right?'
I had gone through the trouble of lying to become a guest guard for the Hwangyeong Escort Agency, but if I backed out now just because I didn't want to clash with the Wolf King, my identity as one of the Twin Heroes would be compromised.
Because of that, it became difficult to give up on the bid.
As I was worrying, Jo Seong-won's Sound Transmission reached me.
[...Will you be alright? If the Wolf King is leading the transport, it might be difficult to make contact with the Waterway Stronghold.]
Sigh.
That was another problem. I needed to make contact with the Eighteen Waterway Strongholds of the Yangtze River, but the Wolf King's presence might ruin that. If word got out that a monster like the Wolf King was on board, I doubted the pirates would even target the ship. Even if they did, the Wolf King might just slaughter them all.
'Things are a mess.'
I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. My participation as a guest guard was already widely known, so I couldn't just abandon the transport, but staying might end up being a waste of time.
'What?'
'That's not a bad idea.'
It would give me a plausible excuse. No matter how strong I was, if the Wolf King didn't pass me in the bidding process, I couldn't participate in the transport.
However, I felt a bit sorry for the Hwangyeong Escort Agency. They seemed to have come from far away specifically for this mission.
Still, it couldn't be helped. I would just have to fail the bid naturally and then suggest we take on the next largest escort mission together.
Large wooden crates were visible inside the open warehouse.
What could be inside something so big?
It was customary to reveal the contents of the cargo only to the agency that won the bid. Because there were so many guards around, their internal voices had been drowned out, but as I approached for the bidding, I noticed something.
'...Do you hear that?'
I could hear the voices of numerous swords coming from inside those wooden crates. Not all of them, but the five largest crates were definitely making noise. It seemed they were transporting weapons. That might be why the Beggar's Sect was involved.
'I'm not sure.'
However, it was hard to guess anything from that alone. As I had decided, it might be better not to participate in this transport. Getting caught up in unnecessary trouble would make it harder to achieve my original goal.
Standing in front of the warehouse, Ho Jin-woong shouted loudly.
"As I mentioned, the overall responsibility for this escort mission will be handled by Lord Jang of the Muryang Escort Agency and Great Hero Hyeok Cheon-man, the Wolf King!"
"WAAAAAAAAY!"
The guards in the plaza cheered. The fact that the Wolf King was the person in charge made them want to participate even more. Normally, that would be the natural reaction.
But I had to get out.
Lord Jang of the Muryang Escort Agency stepped forward and shouted.
"I am Jang Mu-ryang, the Lord of the Muryang Escort Agency. Since this journey may be quite treacherous, we intend to select agencies based strictly on their martial prowess. Therefore, Great Hero Hyeok Cheon-man will personally conduct the bidding evaluation. I hope all the guards from the various agencies keep that in mind!"
As Lord Jang stepped back, the Wolf King came forward.
To be precise, he walked right into the center of the plaza. The guards who had been crowding the warehouse naturally formed a circle around him, creating an open space.
The Wolf King drew one of the swords crossed on his back.
Clang!
With a clear ring, a precious sword radiating a brilliant light revealed itself. That must be Silver Wolf, one of the two swords the Wolf King was famous for.
Taking after its master, it was spewing nothing but violent words.
It was the kind of sword that would be exhausting to be around. Its laughter was eerie, too.
Thud!
The Wolf King thrust his sword, Silver Wolf, into the ground and shouted in a booming voice.
" I won't make this long. Each agency, send out your strongest guard. I will decide whether you pass based on your ability to withstand three of my techniques."
'!!!'
The noisy plaza fell silent instantly.
It was a very simple bidding competition. He spoke arrogantly, but no one could raise an objection. He certainly had the qualifications to back it up.
However, the problem lay elsewhere. The person judging them was one of the Eight Great Masters.
Losing to the Wolf King wasn't shameful, but if one failed to even meet his minimum standard, the agency's pride would be crushed.
"How about the Gangmok Escort Agency goes first?"
"No, you go first."
"Why is everyone hesitating? Don't you want to bid?"
And so, they hesitated, even trying to push others forward. The earlier one went, the more disadvantageous the competition was. It was wisest to wait for someone else to go first and see what level was required to pass.
Of course, everyone was thinking the same thing, so the delay continued. Even Hong Geol-gae, the Back Opening of the Beggar's Sect, was just watching the situation.
"If no one comes forward, I will start picking people."
As the silence stretched on, the Wolf King finally threatened to nominate someone.
And his gaze was fixed directly on me.
Because he was staring so intently, the eyes of every guard in the plaza also focused on me.
'...Dammit.'
In the end, I stepped forward. Before heading to the center, I handed the wooden case I was carrying to Sama Yeong.
The guards of the Hwangyeong Escort Agency cheered for me.
"Great Hero, we're counting on you!"
Hwang Hye-ju, the escort leader, even clasped her hands together and gave me a pleading look.
What should I do? I had no intention of passing the bid.
'I'm sorry, but let's aim for the next mission.'
Of course, I only said that in my head.
As I stepped out, I heard the crowd whispering.
"It's a shame they're only exchanging three moves."
"The Wolf King versus the disciple of the Namcheon Sword Guest!"
"Where else could you see a match like this?"
"But the Wolf King said the New Star is at the level of the Eight Great Masters."
"If So Woon-hwi really is a master who surpassed the wall, wouldn't he be the youngest Eight Great Master in history?"
I had to crush those expectations. The key was to stage a very convincing defeat.
The Wolf King's momentum was growing stronger. He would likely sense my true prowess, so he would probably exert more effort than he would against others.
I would watch the situation, and if a finishing move came out in the first exchange, I would let myself be knocked back after two or three moves.
Shring!
I drew the Namcheon Iron Sword from my waist.
Seeing this, the Wolf King's eyes turned strange. He looked deeply moved.
"The Namcheon Iron Sword."
"You recognize the sword."
"Of course I do. I have been looking forward to this moment."
He was a man with a truly powerful competitive spirit. Unfortunately, I didn't think I could satisfy his expectations.
As I took a Qi Control Stance with my sword, the Wolf King pulled Silver Wolf from the ground.
Then, he said to me:
"Show me his legacy. Junior Brother."
"...Pardon?"
I doubted my ears at his last word.
In that instant, the Wolf King stomped hard on the ground and thrust his sword forward. The tip of his sword was spiraling like a whirlwind.
'The Chasing Return Sword!'