The Divine Eye of the Hundred Weapons (7)
Mak Won's eyes deepened, like still water sinking into unseen depths.
Yang Cheon shook his head.
“As the leader of the Black Dragon Department, it’s not something I should say, but I rather like how stubbornly upright you are. Though we had never met before, a short conversation with you was enough for me to understand your character.”
“……”
“You are a good man. You understand righteousness and you understand loyalty. Anyone who grasps those two things inevitably understands the proper way of human affairs. There was a reason the world considered the Hundred Weapons Divine Lord a figure of the righteous path.”
“I…”
“But the reason you earned such an evaluation was because your martial prowess was overwhelming.”
Yang Cheon closed his eyes.
Was he recalling the past? Or pondering Mak Won himself?
“Because you possessed martial arts that could overwhelm everyone, you were able to live well without ever stepping into the uncomfortable corners of the world.”
“I am aware that my experience is shallow.”
“I’m not talking about whether experience is abundant or scarce, deep or shallow.”
“……?”
“You have lived as a martial artist in solitary purity. You helped others and punished evil, yet in the end you only observed the society of this gangho. You never truly set foot inside it.”
“How could the Vice-Lord know such a thing?”
“Because I was not as strong as you.”
“……?!”
Disbelief flickered across Mak Won’s face.
Yang Cheon was one of the Holy Thirteen Seats, an absolute expert counted among the Divine Immortal Sovereigns. In other words, he was one of the ten greatest masters under heaven—one of the ten who could realistically contend for the title of the strongest in the world through martial arts alone.
For such a man to claim he had not been strong? It was difficult to comprehend.
“People assume I am called the King of Combat simply because I fight well.”
“Is that not so?”
“It is. In part.”
“……?”
“I fought because I was weak. In truth, I suffered countless defeats. In the dark path, defeat equals death. In other words, I crossed the threshold of death more times than I can count.”
Yang Cheon let out a soft chuckle. The memory of his former self brought the laughter unbidden.
“To survive in this brutal murim, I first had to taste death again and again. I clenched my teeth and fought desperately until, at some point, victories began to outnumber defeats. My martial arts grew stronger, and I started to learn the art of survival.”
“……”
“Among all the realizations I gained, do you know which one I trust the most?”
“……”
“If you wish to take what belongs to another, you must be prepared to lose what belongs to you.”
“……!”
“That could mean your life, your martial arts, your organization… or even your past.”
Yang Cheon turned his gaze back to Mak Won.
The man’s eyes were as deep as a mountain lake. His expression remained unchanged from before.
“You should have considered it. How exactly we saw through your danger.”
“You must have investigated me.”
“Of course. But during that investigation, did we only see the threat you posed? Why did we specifically choose to save you? Did we only look into the Hundred Weapons Divine Lord, one of the Three Lords? Or did we also investigate the man named Mak Won?”
“……!!”
“You called us your benefactors. Yet you never showed us your own ledger. You have not properly concluded your transaction with Deputy Yeon.”
Mak Won spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.
“No matter how much of a benefactor one may be, I have no obligation to reveal every detail of my personal affairs.”
“Naturally. You are correct.”
“Then…?”
“If you were not the Hundred Weapons Divine Lord, and if the current atmosphere of the gangho were not so precariously on the verge of explosion, you would be right.”
“……!”
The corner of Yang Cheon’s mouth curved upward.
“Didn’t I tell you? You have only observed the world. You never melted into it. If you had ever truly stepped inside it even once, you would not have dared speak such words in front of me.”
“……”
“Ideals should be pursued. But do not ignore reality. Reality is far more merciless and absurd than you believe. The reason you never realized this until now is, as I said, because you were strong.”
“……”
“And I am one of the strongest in this gangho murim—the most vicious and ruthless place in this absurd world—and moreover, the supreme leader of the dark path.”
For the first time, Mak Won’s eyes trembled.
“Then what about Deputy Yeon? Yeon Hojeong is a monster even I, the leader of the dark path, find difficult to handle. He is younger than me and his martial arts are weaker, yet I have never once treated him lightly. No—I have never looked down on him. Because if I did, I would be the one to fall.”
Mak Won’s mouth fell open without him realizing it. He had not expected Yang Cheon to evaluate Yeon Hojeong so highly.
“Do you understand now? While facing both the supreme leader of this absurd dark path world and the monster who makes even that leader tense, you still refused to reveal all your cards.”
“……”
“Now do what you are capable of doing.”
The words carried heavy weight.
Each sentence from Yang Cheon drove itself deep into his chest.
Mak Won was a man of vast learning. While cultivating his martial arts, he had absorbed more scholarly knowledge than most renowned academics and had even created his own unique martial path by applying that wisdom.
Yet even with all that knowledge, he could not refute a single word Yang Cheon had spoken.
That was the difference in the weight of their words.
Books were windows to the world. They were also a form of learning directed at the world.
But Mak Won had only studied the world through books, while Yang Cheon had experienced it with his own body and blood.
Neither was right or wrong. However, in the face of current reality, no matter what means Mak Won employed, he could not make Yang Cheon understand.
On the other hand, he himself had come to understand. He had been persuaded.
If so, he needed to offer what the other party desired. He had to respond according to the other party’s method of transaction. That was the rule of this place.
“It is not a particularly remarkable past,” Mak Won said with a sigh. “It is merely the kind of story one could find anywhere.”
“Yet when it is a tale between absolute experts capable of shaking the entire landscape of the murim, it becomes something else entirely.”
“It is not an impressive story, but if my rudeness stems from it, then I shall speak.”
Yang Cheon nodded.
“That is how it should be. The world is not divided into black and white, but war is.”
“Black and white…”
Mak Won gave a bitter smile.
“I thought the world was not so simple.”
“It is absolutely not simple. It is never simple. But to live in a world that is not simple, you must also learn to become somewhat simple yourself.”
Of all the things Yang Cheon had said today, those words pierced the deepest.
Mak Won walked over beside him and looked down into the canyon below.
It was an abyssal height. Even a Holy Seat expert would find it difficult to guarantee their life if they fell from such a place.
After staring down for a long time, Mak Won spoke as if throwing the words away.
“You said you viewed this person as upright and decent.”
“I did.”
“I am truly grateful for that assessment. Though it is not something I should say to someone who offered such praise…”
Mak Won turned to face Yang Cheon.
“I believe Vice-Lord Yang is a man of great ambition.”
Yang Cheon answered with a cheerful expression.
“You see clearly. My ambition is indeed great.”
“Just how great? After the war ends in victory, will you gather your forces once more, press the white path righteous factions, and seize the world for yourself?”
If Mak Won had been the one surprised until now, it was now Yang Cheon’s turn to be taken aback.
“You think so?”
“I do.”
“Hmm.”
“And I doubt this thought will change in the future. You do not seem like a man who would abandon his greed.”
What tremendous insight.
Yang Cheon could not hide his inner admiration. Although he had said the man could not melt into the world and had merely observed it, he had never considered Mak Won insignificant.
Still, he had not expected to be seen through so completely.
When he looked at his opponent, his opponent had also been peering into his own abyss.
To be capable of such a thing without proper experience of the world—it would not be an exaggeration to call it a divine eye.
“That is why, although I consider Vice-Lord Yang a benefactor, I do not wish to entrust everything I am to you.”
“Because of my ambition?”
“Yes. I will join hands to overcome the immediate danger, but I have no desire to become a man of the Black Dragon Department.”
“In other words, a comrade-in-arms.”
“Exactly.”
“That is why it is a shame—that you only observed the world.”
Yang Cheon shrugged.
“If you had properly wrestled with the world, you might have been able to understand this ambition of mine.”
“Even if I understood, I would not have agreed. My head has hardened beyond repair. It is too late for me to change my ideology or convictions.”
“Hahaha.”
“Deputy Yeon was different.”
“Hm?”
Mak Won clasped his hands behind his back.
“I did not expect the Vice-Lord to evaluate Deputy Yeon so highly. You must know well abilities of his that I do not. However, I too felt something while watching him.”
“……”
“Deputy Yeon has no ambition. He possesses only conviction.”
“Conviction, you say.”
“Yes. The place where Deputy Yeon’s eyes, his killing intent, and the burning heart of the greatest late-stage genius under heaven are directed—there is only the Three Sects.”
“……”
“I am no fortune teller, so I cannot divine a man’s future. But at least the Deputy Yeon I saw appeared to be the kind of person who, once he succeeded in blocking the Three Sects, would wash his hands of worldly affairs and live a quiet life back in his hometown.”
The more he heard, the more astonishing the insight became. Yang Cheon also knew that the life Yeon Hojeong desired was precisely that kind of life.
Of course, whether he would actually live it was another matter.
“Not everyone needs to be the same. The world grows desolate because of those with greed, and it also advances because of them. However…”
Mak Won gave a small chuckle.
“The current me finds that side of Deputy Yeon quite appealing.”
Yang Cheon’s eyes deepened.
“Then? You refuse to join the Black Dragon Department?”
“I will join the Martial Alliance.”
“……?!”
“Didn’t you say you formed an alliance with them anyway? If so, no matter where I belong, it means you have gained a single fighting force called me. Of course, the Martial Alliance would have to accept me first.”
“Mak Won.”
Mak Won shook his head.
“Do not try to persuade me. It will not work. You already know that, don’t you, Vice-Lord?”
“……”
“We will join forces against a common enemy. Wasn’t that what you wanted? Therefore, be satisfied with my choice.”
Yang Cheon’s eyes narrowed to slits.
“As you said, once the war ends there will be a struggle for dominance between the dark path and the righteous path. In such a situation, I will not be able to treat you—who belonged to the Martial Alliance—with any friendliness.”
“Is that so surprising? If not for the matter of the Three Sects, you would not have worried about my life in the first place, would you?”
“……”
“Ugh.”
Yang Cheon grumbled.
“You really have a talent for complicating a man’s heart.”
“It must be my nature.”
Mak Won turned away.
“Let us go. Call Deputy Yeon as well. I will tell you everything about the Spear King—no, about my senior brother.”
With his hands still clasped behind his back, he began walking down the canyon with leisurely steps.
Yang Cheon let out a long sigh.
“Yeon Hojeong, you rotten bastard.”
Just what kind of charm did that fellow possess?
Why did everyone who met him end up choosing to look in the direction Yeon Hojeong was facing rather than his own?
Of course, Yang Cheon knew the answer. But he did not want to acknowledge it.
Because the moment he did, he would become nothing more than a cunning old monster driven mad by greed.
“Truly, fulfilling even one dream is no easy task.”
Grumbling to himself, Yang Cheon followed after Mak Won.