Chapter 18: Selection Ceremony (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 18: Selection Ceremony (2)
The Unit Leaders were so flabbergasted that they were momentarily lost for words.
The implicit rule of the Selection Ceremony was to distribute talent as evenly as possible. Yet, Hae Ak-cheon was trying to swallow twenty-seven of the top candidates whole, leaving only the bottom ten. His audacity was staggering.
The Lesser Conversation Sword cackled.
Hah!
Even I had predicted he might take four or five at most, assuming the numbers were to be divided. But Hae Ak-cheon had boldly claimed twenty-seven. It was quintessentially him.
The problem, however, was that while these Unit Leaders feared Hae Ak-cheon himself, they were backed by the other Four Venerables and the Seven Blood Stars.
“Elder.”
Sensing the tension, Bloody Unit Leader Gu Sang-ung stepped in to mediate.
“The Unit Leaders here today are acting as proxies for the other Elders and the Seven Blood Stars. If you take all the top talent, the issue of equity…”
“What about equity is the problem?”
Hae Ak-cheon spoke as if he had a face made of iron, completely unfazed. Gu Sang-ung’s expression turned troubled, and he hesitated. Hae Ak-cheon was being so blatantly unreasonable that it was hard to even find the words to counter him.
Shhh.
Seeing Gu Sang-ung struggle, a few other Unit Leaders finally stepped forward. These were men serving under the other Venerables, equals in rank to Hae Ak-cheon.
“Elder. I am Unit Leader Hak Jeong-gyeom, serving the Second Venerable, Raging Demon Lord Seo Gal-ma.”
The Unit Leader serving the Second Venerable spoke up as their representative. By mentioning his master’s title alongside his own position, he was making it clear who stood behind him.
“And?”
Hae Ak-cheon replied dismissively, as if he couldn't care less.
Unit Leader Hak Jeong-gyeom hesitated for a moment, but after glancing at the other Unit Leaders and drawing strength from their presence, he cautiously continued.
“Elder, I speak at the risk of offending you. We were sent to this ceremony as proxies for various high-ranking officials to recruit talent. Until now, we have always distributed recruits fairly through mutual discussion. If you monopolize so many candidates, the other Elders—including Lord Seo Gal-ma—and the Blood Stars may find it… regrettable.”
“He is right, Elder.”
“Please, we ask that you reconsider.”
The Unit Leaders chimed in unison. Their message was clear: No matter if you are one of the Four Venerables, we are here representing other powerful figures. If you try to take everything for yourself, our masters won't look kindly upon it.
It was a direct warning.
It’s because their own results are on the line.
If they failed to secure any talent, they’d be the ones getting chewed out by their superiors. That was why they were pushing back so strongly.
How would Hae Ak-cheon respond now that they were invoking their backers?
“Hmph! And what of it?”
“Pardon?”
“If those fellows find it regrettable, am I supposed to just step aside? Ha! If they’re so annoyed, tell them to come and complain to me themselves. Those who feel slighted should show their faces. What’s all this ‘this and that’ nonsense?”
He didn't give an inch. In fact, as he grew angry, the Unit Leaders became the ones who were flustered.
“Do you think I fear those pipsqueaks standing behind you? Don’t make me laugh.”
“Pipsqueaks? E-Elder, how could you say such a…”
“Shut your mouth.”
“Sir?”
“Hak Jeong-gyeom, was it? If you question me like that one more time, I’ll rip your damn mouth wide open.”
“!?”
Hae Ak-cheon made a crude gesture with his massive, thick hand, mimicking the act of tearing a mouth apart. Unit Leader Hak Jeong-gyeom turned pale and couldn't utter another word. It was a display of absolute, unbridled power.
I had to agree with the Lesser Conversation Sword. Honestly, I thought even Hae Ak-cheon would have to back down if the other Venerables were involved. But I was wrong. Instead, he had simply crushed them with pure intimidation.
If he were a more rational man, the Unit Leaders might have pushed harder. But his reputation as the "Bizarre Hae Ak-cheon" preceded him—everyone knew he was a loose cannon who did whatever he pleased. Thanks to that, no one dared to speak up.
…True.
Seeing this made me realize what it truly meant to possess power. How much pride must one have in their own strength to act like that?
“Does anyone else have something to say?”
“………”
The Unit Leaders could no longer protest. If they pushed any further, Hae Ak-cheon might actually follow through on his threat to rip their mouths open. He was more than capable of it.
“Then the rest of you can discuss the remaining ten amongst yourselves. Now, for the Advanced Warrior Candidates—”
“Venerable One.”
Just as everyone had fallen silent, someone stepped forward. Walking past the students toward the wooden board was none other than the Blood Hand Witch, Han Baek-ha. She had been watching the situation and finally decided to intervene.
“You have taken far too many, Venerable One.”
The eyes of the Unit Leaders, who had been suppressed by Hae Ak-cheon’s momentum, flickered back to life at her appearance. Han Baek-ha was the only person present who could realistically challenge Hae Ak-cheon’s decision.
“Are you stepping in now as well?”
“Venerable One, the number of recruits you have selected is excessive.”
“Excessive? What’s excessive about it?”
“Did you not say during the Revered Star Meeting that building a faction was a nuisance? You publicly declared that you would operate independently. If you suddenly recruit this many people, the distribution cannot be fair—”
“I’m glad you brought that up.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ve decided it’s time I started building my own power.”
“!!!”
At those words, the Unit Leaders’ eyes widened in shock. Han Baek-ha was no different. Her eyes wavered, clearly shaken by the implications of what he had just said.
Exactly.
Even before my regression, Hae Ak-cheon had remained a loner until the very end. Despite being one of the Four Venerables, he was the only one who never built a faction. Now, this man who had survived as a "lone wolf" had declared his intention to build a following right in front of the Unit Leaders of every faction.
…It could shift the entire balance of power within the Blood Cult.
Until now, the ten high-ranking officials (excluding Hae Ak-cheon) had maintained a delicate balance. But with a Venerable like Hae Ak-cheon entering the fray to build a faction, the entire landscape was about to change.
I turned my head to look toward the front of the main hall.
As I thought.
Baek Ryeonha looked stunned as well. The "Crouching Dragon," Hae Ak-cheon, had finally risen. Since her goal was to become the Cult Leader, this must have come as an even greater shock to her. From now on, she would likely try even harder to win him over.
Not necessarily.
In fact, I saw this as an opportunity. If she was this anxious, the other side would be too.
Yeah.
Now that Hae Ak-cheon had declared his intent to build a faction, word would quickly reach the heads of the various factions. When that happened, even that calm, red-eyed woman would have to make a move.
Exactly.
Neither Hae Ak-cheon nor I fully understand the current political landscape. But if this incident forces the red-eyed woman to move, the specific power dynamics of both sides will be revealed.
As expected, the Lesser Conversation Sword was sharp.
I could almost feel the sword shrugging its shoulders. Rather than blindly picking a side, it was better to weigh both options for now. That way, we could get what we needed from both sides and establish a baseline to judge which side would be more advantageous in the long run.
As usual, the Namcheon Iron Sword was no match for the Lesser Conversation Sword in a battle of words.
Just then, Han Baek-ha, who had been frozen in surprise, finally spoke.
“To think the Venerable One would build a faction… There are many surprises today.”
“What’s so surprising about it? Regardless, there’s no longer any need to argue about equity or excess, is there?”
“That is…”
“I don’t have a single subordinate under me, so I was going to take them all. I only left those ten as a courtesy to you lot.”
So that was his idea of being generous. I wondered what the reaction would have been if he had actually tried to take everyone. Han Baek-ha stared at the defiant Hae Ak-cheon for a moment before bringing her hands together in a fist-and-palm salute.
“……I understand.”
With their only hope backing down, the Unit Leaders’ expressions darkened significantly. But they no longer had any grounds to protest. If Hae Ak-cheon was building a faction, he naturally needed to be assigned warriors of the Blood Cult.
In the end, they were forced to divide the remaining ten candidates among themselves. Since those ten were the ones with the least talent anyway, there wasn't much to fight over.
“Jwa-baek.”
“Yes, Master!”
“Take care of the kids.”
“Yes, sir!”
At Hae Ak-cheon’s command, Song Jwa-baek excitedly called over the waiting Intermediate Training Disciples. He seemed thrilled that the task was given to him and not me. He really gets happy over the smallest things.
“Alright, everyone line up over here!”
The disciples, who had been assigned their posts in a daze, lined up in front of Song Jwa-baek with confused expressions. It was a comical sight. Behind the other Unit Leaders, only a single person stood.
Once the recruitment of the intermediate disciples was finished, Hae Ak-cheon hurried Gu Sang-ung along.
“Move it along, quickly.”
“……Understood.”
I didn't know why Gu Sang-ung looked so disappointed. The ones who should be disappointed were the Unit Leaders. Maybe he didn't get to see the drama he was expecting.
“We will now proceed with the selection of the Advanced Warrior Candidates. The six who passed as advanced candidates, please step forward.”
“Loyalty!”
At Gu Sang-ung’s call, six people rose from among the students. The look in the Unit Leaders’ eyes changed as they watched them. They had been forced to give up the intermediate disciples, but since these candidates had the right to choose their own units, the Unit Leaders were determined not to lose them.
As the students stood before the Unit Leaders, Gu Sang-ung spoke.
“Before the applications begin, each Unit Leader will give a brief speech on the benefits of their unit to help the candidates make their choice.”
Right, this was how it went before my regression as well. The advanced candidates would listen to these speeches and then decide which faction to join. Ultimately, it came down to the Unit Leaders’ powers of persuasion.
Just then, Hae Ak-cheon’s voice reached my ears via Sound Transmission.
[Come over here.]
He was calling me suddenly. I thought he was going to handle everything himself again; why was he calling me? Regardless, I walked toward the wooden board. As I approached, Hae Ak-cheon looked down at me and sent another transmission.
[We have to bring all of them over.]
“!?”
He wanted all the advanced candidates too? I knew he was greedy, but I didn't think he’d try to take every single one of them. But don't these guys have the right to choose?
Hae Ak-cheon continued.
[I’m leaving this to you. Use that silver tongue of yours to persuade them.]
[……Me, sir?]
I had a feeling, and sure enough, he wanted me to persuade them. But how was I supposed to do that when I was lower in rank than the Unit Leaders? It seemed better for him to just bulldoze his way through again. I thought it would be better to tell him this was too difficult rather than failing and getting scolded.
[Master, how could I possibly…?]
[Ahem! Are you telling me I should use my own mouth to sing my own praises?]
[………]
I see.
So, you want me to paint a golden portrait of you, is that it?