Chapter 361
Chapter 361
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 361
Chapter Title: Who is Number 1 in the Hierarchy?
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Sword God Baek Mu-hyeon was a constellation.
In other words, he was still strong.
A skeleton body?
Thanks to 'Polymorph,' he could feel his previous flesh exactly as it was, so there was no issue.
Killing the Greed version of Baek Mu-hyeon?
He had absorbed all that power.
And honestly.
Whether he indulged in greed or not.
It was undeniable that both were the same Baek Mu-hyeon.
The power emanating from those two souls at the very end had been evenly matched.
Swish!
And then.
As such a Baek Mu-hyeon let his sword scabbard drop from the Destruction Dragon's sheath.
Kugugugugu!
It was only natural for an overwhelming aura that dominated his entire body to seize control of the space.
However, what was even more astonishing was.
Unlike before, the ground didn't shake or split.
Only the targets precisely at whom the aura was directed felt the pressure!
It was truly an immense level of aura control.
"Huh!"
"...Hup!"
"What kind of...?"
The skeletons who had called him the youngest let out short gasps.
They knew full well.
What the outcome would be if hierarchy was decided by force.
In this Earth, including the Wulin Dojo, was there anyone who could handle Baek Mu-hyeon right now?
Probably not.
Unless Master of All Arts, the teacher of Joo Dong-hoon, showed up— even a dragon wouldn't cut it, would it?
"Kuhahaha! Little bro, hold on a sec!"
Demir urgently stopped Baek Mu-hyeon.
"This isn't right. Drawing swords right away upon meeting fellow comrades? How sad would the Lord be if he knew!"
"I respect the Lord, but I don't respect the situation where you all casually call me the youngest."
Ignoring Demir's words lightly, Baek Mu-hyeon.
Sring!
Finally drew his sword from the scabbard.
"Ha, haha! I was just speaking figuratively! There's no real hierarchy among us, right?"
"Yeah, we just called you the youngest as a joke since you awakened last. Haha."
Demir and Kaden laughed good-naturedly as they tried to dissuade him.
'Damn it.'
'This new guy's a real blockhead, it seems.'
'His power's insanely strong, so his pride must be through the roof! Total lone wolf.'
Of course, their inner thoughts weren't so lighthearted.
Anyway.
Thanks to Baek Mu-hyeon drawing his sword, all nine skeletons gathered in one place.
Arin and Yui-sa, who had been chatting separately, also sensed the gravity of the situation and headed to the center.
"Hmm."
Arin, having roughly grasped the situation, nodded.
'So.'
It was a simple situation.
Originally, troop control and miscellaneous orders had been handled covertly by Sun Spear.
The Professor had separately instructed that Kaden, with his experience, should handle troop control, but everyone had unconsciously acknowledged the first to awaken, Sun Spear, as the senior.
But.
It had become a bit ambiguous since Mugak.
Mugak, Yui-sa, Baek Mu-hyeon.
The power of those who awakened late was far too strong.
And in the midst of that, backlash arose from the customary nickname of [youngest].
"I was Bone One."
Baek Mu-hyeon opened his mouth.
"Strictly speaking, I was the first to serve the Lord. My martial prowess is the same, and my turn was first. Why am I the youngest?"
"Because you awakened late."
Sun Spear answered immediately.
"You're not claiming to be first just because you swung a sword a few times in a state where you barely even remember, are you? The Lord has had many journeys since then. I've served him the longest while in my right mind. No one here can deny that."
'Hmm.'
Arin nodded deeply with a thoughtful expression.
Both had valid points.
What to do.
This was a simple yet important situation.
'These are the Professor's loyal subordinates.'
If they clashed, the Professor would suffer.
As the smart one, she had to prevent that.
'First off.'
Martial prowess as Baek Mu-hyeon claimed?
That wasn't a good method.
This wasn't some Demonic Cult with its might-makes-right mentality.
Instead of cooperation, they'd just endlessly train to beat each other.
More training is good, right?
'Bullshit.'
They already trained plenty, and that was secondary.
The problem was they'd see each other as rivals and refuse to share personal secret techniques or insights.
In other words, no team synergy.
"And what? Martial prowess?"
Sun Spear tilted his head and continued.
He seemed eager to fan the flames in this escalating tension.
Chwaruk!
Seeing his black wings spread high in anger only confirmed it.
"The more I chew on it, the more ridiculous you sound. Deciding hierarchy by force? I won't accept that."
"What will you do if I don't accept?"
Baek Mu-hyeon shot back without yielding.
"Then what? Should I submit to the control of some loudmouth with no skills? In my world, that was called 'unifying the world in one battle formation.' It means utter nonsense."
"Control? When did I say to accept that?"
"Then?"
"Don't misunderstand, Baek Mu-hyeon. I just patted your shoulder and called you the youngest."
"......"
"You're the one throwing a tantrum like some individualistic idiot who can't adapt to group life over that."
Sun Spear curled the corner of his mouth slightly.
"Ah, well. I get it. It can happen when you're just swinging a sword all the time. I've been through it myself in the past, so I understand fully. But."
Whirlic!
Sun Spear leisurely spun his spear and placed it behind his back.
"This is a group. An organization for the Lord. Not a place to dredge up personal emotions and cause conflict."
Sun Spear's voice was calm.
His attack rebuked the other's folly in trying to solve everything with force.
"Hmph."
Baek Mu-hyeon snorted, furrowing his brow.
"At least you're the last one who should say that, openly showing displeasure every time you see my face."
In his view, there was a contradiction in Sun Spear's words.
Not a place for conflict, he says.
Yet wasn't Sun Spear the biggest source of it?
"Besides, I was called 'youngest' from the start too. Don't shift the point, Sun Spear."
Pajik!
Pajijijik!
Sparks flew from the eyes of the two absolutes.
Silence.
The air in the Wulin Dojo grew unusually chilling.
Without a doubt.
This was the first conflict among the subordinates.
"Oh dear, oh dear."
Eldrin shook his head as if troubled.
"Heh heh."
"What to do about this."
Kaden and Demir were flustered too.
"Kuhahat! Just duke it out fair and square!"
War God Mugak laughed as he spoke.
"Ah, wait. Does that mean you're siding with Baek Mu-hyeon? Ahaha, don't misunderstand. I'm neutral. For real, for real."
You might as well just condemn him outright, Mugak...
Sun Spear's pride crushed, he glared fiercely.
But he couldn't back down.
His devotion to the Lord remained unchanged, but he just hated Baek Mu-hyeon.
He hated Bone One.
You know how it is.
Someone you just openly dislike for no reason.
Someone who rubs you the wrong way without cause.
That was Baek Mu-hyeon for Sun Spear.
'Because he's strong?'
No.
It wasn't that simple.
Claiming to hunger for humanity, regretting his greedy past.
What?
Decide hierarchy by force?
Is that what someone who hungers for humanity would say?
Even if he hated being called youngest.
He should have persuaded with words.
He shouldn't have drawn his sword.
Shouldn't have tried to solve it with strength.
"Hmm."
Arin furrowed her brow.
The skeletons shared emotions to some extent.
Thus, she felt that the rift between Baek Mu-hyeon and Sun Spear was deeper than expected.
Fwoosh!
Arin ignited a flame in her palm.
Alone.
The light of Eloise's fire burned brighter than anyone's, even without being a constellation.
"Both of you, step back."
Arin used the flame to force distance between them.
"Arin."
"What are you...?"
"Sip!"
As Arin inhaled sharply like scolding a misbehaving dog.
"......!"
"......!"
Baek Mu-hyeon and Sun Spear flinched and took a step back.
To reiterate, they shared emotions.
Right now.
In Baek Mu-hyeon and Sun Spear's minds.
They vaguely sensed the inner thoughts of the other skeletons watching.
'Hey, hey, hey. Don't mess with Arin.'
'Arin is Master's most cherished subordinate.'
'Ah, you fools. Do you want to be hated by Master?'
Eloise Arin.
The Lord's most cherished subordinate.
That settled everything.
Essentially, hierarchy number one.
"You both want a scolding? You who've lived long enough, acting this childish?"
The shortest girl.
The youngest-looking girl.
With her red hair fluttering, even as she scolded.
"......"
"......"
Baek Mu-hyeon and Sun Spear couldn't say a word.
In truth, they knew.
That this moment was utterly embarrassing.
But they also knew.
Even if glossed over now, it would erupt eventually.
They had to resolve it definitively here.
"Whew, alright."
Arin let out a light sigh and nodded.
Snap.
Now was her time to step in.
"Then, have a clean showdown, you two."
"...A showdown?"
Sun Spear furrowed his brow.
She's stepping in seriously just to suggest a showdown?
Then I'd lose?
Fwooom!
Baek Mu-hyeon smiled and shook his sword once more.
"I'm ready for a showdown anytime."
His aura crushed the air, as if ready to cleave Sun Spear right then.
"Sigh."
Arin closed her eyes and shook her head.
"I didn't mean fight."
"...?"
"I'll propose a fair, balanced method. Perform the mission accordingly. I'll judge the results. The winner is the big brother, the loser the little brother."
"...?"
"......"
"Honestly, just ask the Professor and it's done, right? If he says 'You're the big brother!' you'd follow it. Right?"
"...Yeah?"
"The Lord's word is absolute."
Baek Mu-hyeon and Sun Spear spoke in turn.
"But is that what you want?"
...
No.
Not that.
They'd obey the Lord's command.
But their hearts wouldn't accept it.
"Besides."
Arin wagged her finger side to side, as if that wasn't the issue.
"Say you ask the Professor. Don't you care about his position? Both are precious subordinates to him—you're asking him to take sides. Should we make our busy Professor feel troubled, or not?"
"...No."
"We shouldn't..."
Like students scolded by a teacher.
They answered meekly.
They had even assumed proper posture by now.
"So."
Arin smiled soothingly then.
"Let's do as I said. I'm getting annoyed too. Got it?"
Arin would assign the mission!
And they'd accept the result cleanly!
"......"
"......"
After a brief silence.
They finally nodded slowly.