Chapter 18: Selection Ceremony (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 18: Selection Ceremony (1)
I was just as shocked as everyone else by Bizarre Hae Ak-cheon’s bombshell.
I never expected him to reveal the origin of my sword technique right here, in front of everyone. Honestly, knowing his pride, I thought he would keep it hidden. What could he possibly be intending by revealing it now?
One thing was certain: the impact was enormous.
“The Namcheon Sword Guest?”
“That Namcheon Sword Guest?”
The Unit Leaders began to murmur.
Even for these masters who led the Blood Cult, the name of the Namcheon Sword Guest still carried immense weight, even after fifteen years.
While everyone else was staring at Hae Ak-cheon because of the mention of the Namcheon Sword Guest, one person was staring at me.
It was a woman in a white veil, seemingly a disciple of the Blood Hand Witch. Her gaze shifted back and forth between me and the Namcheon Iron Sword strapped to my back.
‘What is it?’
Strangely, the area around her eyes—the only part visible through the veil—looked familiar. Those rounded eyes and long eyelashes were a striking match for the woman with red eyes I had met before.
‘Could it be...?’
‘...I think it’s Young Lady Ha Yeon. No, Baek Ryeonha.’
Even the Lesser Conversation Sword was surprised.
The reason was simple. The woman in the veil, whom I suspected was Baek Ryeonha, had a slender, graceful figure.
The Lesser Conversation Sword doubted my words. It made sense; the woman we knew was quite stout. Yet, in just six months, she looked as if she had undergone Bone Forging and Marrow Cleansing, becoming incredibly slim.
If it really was her, then she must have.
Just then, our eyes met, and she hurriedly looked away.
Seeing her obvious fluster, I was certain. She turned her head toward the distant mountains, doing her best to avoid my gaze.
I wondered what had happened. Had she lost that much weight after taking the Descending Immortal Spreading Snow?
Then, the Blood Hand Witch, Han Baek-ha, spoke up.
“Venerable One... what do you mean by that? The Namcheon Sword Guest?”
Her voice trembled slightly, betraying her shock. Since he had revealed it so suddenly, I was also curious to hear what Hae Ak-cheon would say next. Would he claim he defeated the Namcheon Sword Guest in front of everyone and took his secret treasure? Knowing the old man’s personality, it was entirely possible.
“As expected, you don’t recognize it. Then again, there’s no way anyone here besides myself has ever faced the Namcheon Sword Guest.”
Han Baek-ha fell silent at those words. Judging by her reaction, Hae Ak-cheon was right.
“Ke-ke-ke.”
She remained silent for a moment before gesturing toward me.
“...Setting aside the truth of the matter, why is your disciple practicing the Namcheon Sword Guest’s technique?”
She skillfully shifted the topic. Instead of questioning Hae Ak-cheon directly, she used me as a pretext.
“The Namcheon Sword Guest was not a man of great influence, but he was undeniably a member of the Orthodox Faction. This is something you must explain, Venerable One.”
The Blood Hand Witch wasn’t one to be pushed around. She pressured Hae Ak-cheon by focusing on the fact that the Namcheon Sword Guest was from the Orthodox Faction.
At that moment, Hae Ak-cheon reached into his robes and pulled something out.
‘Ah...’
It was the manual for the Life Bright Sword Technique. He had taken it back from me, but I didn’t realize he had brought it here. Had he intended to reveal this from the start?
“The Life Bright Sword Technique?”
“It is the manual for the Namcheon Sword Guest’s sword technique.”
“How did you come to possess that, Venerable One?”
Han Baek-ha couldn’t take her eyes off the manual. The Unit Leaders were the same. Those who specialized in the sword stared at the manual as if it were a legendary treasure. Since the manual of the Namcheon Sword Guest—a man who had once been a legendary swordsman—was right before their eyes, no one could help but treat it as such.
“The Namcheon Sword Guest is dead.”
‘!!!’
Everyone was stunned by the news of his death. Since his whereabouts had been unknown for fifteen years, many in the martial world, regardless of faction, had been curious about his fate.
I think I see where this is going. Hae Ak-cheon was likely going to say he defeated the Namcheon Sword Guest and took the manual.
The Namcheon Iron Sword erupted in anger. It felt as though its former master’s honor was being defiled. I couldn’t blame it; I’d be upset too.
“The Namcheon Sword Guest is dead? Did you... perhaps...?”
The Blood Hand Witch looked at Hae Ak-cheon with wide eyes. However, his response was completely different from what I had expected.
He snorted and said, “Hmph! If I had, my long-standing wish would have been fulfilled, but no. Someone else got to him before I could.”
Surprisingly, Hae Ak-cheon told the truth. He could have easily lied and said he killed him, so this was quite unexpected.
“Who killed the Namcheon Sword Guest?”
“Heavens!”
Everyone was buzzing with curiosity. It was a natural reaction to hearing that someone had killed a man once considered a candidate for the Eight Great Masters of the Central Plains.
Ignoring their reactions, Hae Ak-cheon continued.
“This manual is what that fellow left behind.”
He was laundering the story like this. Even if it killed him, he wouldn’t admit he had stolen it.
The Blood Hand Witch frowned and asked, “Are you saying you discovered the Namcheon Sword Guest’s remains?”
“I did.”
“What a momentous occasion!”
“Congratulations, Elder!”
Several Unit Leaders spoke in unison at Hae Ak-cheon’s answer. They were congratulating him on obtaining the manual of the Namcheon Sword Guest, which was a peerless treasure for any swordsman.
“Congratulations? What congratulations?!”
Hae Ak-cheon suddenly snapped. The Unit Leaders who had been trying to flatter him fell silent like mutes who had swallowed honey. One Unit Leader tried to explain himself.
“N-No, that’s not what I meant...”
“Are you saying it’s something to celebrate that I lost the chance to settle the score with him because someone else beat me to it?!”
Everyone bowed their heads, cowed by Hae Ak-cheon’s roar. Seeing the Unit Leaders—who had seemed so high and mighty before my regression—all shrinking back like this, a Venerable was truly a Venerable.
“It is my eternal regret that I could not settle things with him. It is not something for you lot to celebrate.”
After venting his anger, Hae Ak-cheon’s expression hardened. He held up the manual of the Life Bright Sword Technique and said, “This manual was not complete.”
That was true. Strictly speaking, it was because Hae Ak-cheon had stolen it that it was eventually completed into the current Life Bright Sword Technique.
“I clashed with that fellow many times. No one knows him as well as I do.”
The Blood Hand Witch narrowed her eyes and asked, “Does that mean...?”
Hae Ak-cheon smirked and nodded.
“I compensated for the flaws in the sword technique and passed it on to this boy.”
Thud!
Hae Ak-cheon placed a hand on my shoulder.
“This boy can be considered the joint successor of both myself and the Namcheon Sword Guest.”
‘Ha!’
I marveled inwardly. In the end, Hae Ak-cheon had not only ensured that the deceased Namcheon Sword Guest’s legacy wouldn’t die out by creating an heir, but he had also become the man who improved his rival’s technique.
Even the Lesser Conversation Sword had to admit it. In a certain sense, Hae Ak-cheon was amazing. With this, even if someone recognized the Namcheon Sword Guest’s technique, no one would be able to object. At least, not within the Blood Cult.
To describe him as merely eccentric was an understatement; Hae Ak-cheon was a truly cunning old man.
The Namcheon Iron Sword, which I thought would be furious, spoke in a subdued voice. What was for the best?
Come to think of it, the Namcheon Iron Sword was right. Since Hae Ak-cheon had obtained the treasure, he could have claimed the Life Bright Sword Technique as his own. Instead, by presenting me as a joint successor, he left room for the Namcheon Sword Guest’s legacy to continue.
Seeing this, I felt I understood how Hae Ak-cheon had truly felt about the Namcheon Sword Guest all those years.
The Namcheon Iron Sword was satisfied that its former master would not be forgotten.
*
The Blood Hand Witch Han Baek-ha, her disciples, and the Unit Leaders of each faction all headed to the main hall of the Six Blood Valley. This was for the selection ceremony of the new warriors.
Before leaving, Han Baek-ha sent me a message via Sound Transmission.
[Young Master So, you won the bet. Let us meet at the clearing we saw earlier, around midnight tonight.]
Han Baek-ha conceded gracefully. Strictly speaking, since Dam Ye-hwa had also attained the rank of Advanced Warrior, we should have dueled to determine superiority as per the agreement, but it was essentially meaningless. The difference in skill between her and me was already clear.
‘I’m not expecting much.’
I didn’t think she would teach me anything truly useful. Since she probably never expected to lose the bet, she would likely pass on the most trivial of her skills.
More than that, I was curious about Baek Ryeonha. As she walked ahead, she kept glancing back at me with a strange look in her eyes.
It was entirely possible. I had stared at her several times, after all.
“But... Master, why are we going to the main hall?”
Song Jwa-baek, curious, asked Hae Ak-cheon as we headed toward the hall. Hae Ak-cheon chuckled and replied.
“From now on is what matters.”
“Pardon?”
“Because we have to bring back some useful fellows. Ke-ke-ke.”
I think I knew why Hae Ak-cheon was saying this. He had said he was going to build his influence. Since the existing members of the Blood Cult already belonged to various factions, he needed new talent. The key was how many talented individuals he could secure.
The main hall was bustling when we arrived. In addition to the Unit Leaders, the disciples had also gathered. Memories from before my regression came flooding back.
‘Ah.’
On the front courtyard of the main hall, a large wooden board—resembling a bulletin board—displayed the names of the disciples. The names were categorized into Advanced Warrior Candidates, Intermediate Training Disciples, and Low-Rank Warriors.
Before my regression, I had no choice; I was assigned to a post designated by the Valley Master. I was sent to the Blood Wolf Unit.
While the Low-Rank Warriors were distributed evenly across various units, it was different for the Advanced and Intermediate candidates. I remembered the Unit Leaders standing before the list, arguing fiercely to claim them.
Back then, it wasn’t my concern, so I didn’t remember exactly who was assigned where, but I did know one person.
Jo Seong-won, the spy from the Beggar’s Sect. That fellow entered the service of the First Blood Star. I had thought he would join the faction of one of the Four Venerables since he had a choice, but everyone found his decision unexpected at the time.
‘Right.’
His identity was discovered in just six months. He was caught and killed only fifteen days after the kill order was issued.
‘Yeah. That’s true, but...’
What would happen if I changed that guy’s fate? Because of Jo Seong-won and a few other spies, the locations of the Six Blood Valley and several other Blood Cult bases were exposed. I wondered how much things would change if Jo Seong-won joined somewhere else instead of the First Blood Star’s unit. For instance, what if I exposed his identity right now?
“We will now begin the selection ceremony.”
The courtyard fell silent at the shout of Bloody Unit Leader Gu Sang-ung. The ten Unit Leaders from various factions stood before the list. Each seemed to have specific individuals in mind, as they couldn’t take their eyes off the name tags, eager to secure them.
Just then, Hae Ak-cheon stepped forward.
The Unit Leaders were collectively taken aback by his sudden movement.
“Elder?”
“Why is the Venerable One...?”
They clearly hadn’t expected Hae Ak-cheon to participate in the selection ceremony. After all, since he had never built a faction before, their reaction was only natural. One of the Unit Leaders asked.
“Are you perhaps participating in the selection ceremony as well, Elder?”
“Hmph! Since I don’t have any Unit Leaders under me, I have to choose them myself, don’t I?”
Their faces darkened. They never imagined a Venerable would participate in the selection ceremony personally. Even the Sixth Blood Star, Han Baek-ha, had sent a Unit Leader from her faction as a proxy.
“Ahem.”
Even the Bloody Unit Leader seemed flustered, not having anticipated this situation. Hae Ak-cheon spoke to him.
“Do we start with the Intermediate Warriors? Or the Advanced Warriors?”
“...We begin with the Intermediate Training Disciples.”
“Is that so? Good. I’ll go first. No objections, I assume?”
At Hae Ak-cheon’s words, the Unit Leaders nodded with expressions as if they had swallowed dung. None of them dared to say no to a Venerable. Who among the Unit Leaders would have the guts to stand up to the Bizarre Hae Ak-cheon?
“I just have to pick, right?”
“Y-Yes, that is correct.”
Hae Ak-cheon pointed his finger at the section of the board where the Intermediate Training Disciples were listed. There were thirty-seven in total. The names were arranged from top to bottom in order of talent.
“.........”
The Unit Leaders held their breath, their eyes following Hae Ak-cheon’s finger. They were terrified he might pick the talents they had already scouted. His finger moved toward the bottom of the list.
“Whew.”
A few Unit Leaders let out sighs of relief. However...
“Cross off the bottom ten. I’m taking everyone else above them.”
‘!?’
The Unit Leaders stared at Hae Ak-cheon with dumbfounded expressions, completely stunned by his audacity. Hae Ak-cheon, completely unbothered, finished his thought.
“I’ve left exactly ten for fairness, so you lot can discuss amongst yourselves or do whatever you want to take one each.”