The Golden Invitation
Jang So-eo and Seo Ju-hon, seeing the icy expression on Jin A-rin’s face, didn't even bother to see who would kneel first—they both hit the floor with a thud.
"I... I am so sorry!"
"Please... please kill us!"
Cold sweat began to pour down their backs like a waterfall. It wasn't because they had any deep, personal connection to the people they had been harassing. It was because the person they had dared to provoke was the Young Sword Saint, the subject of ominous rumors circulating lately.
The Young Sword Saint (So-geom-seong). A disciple suddenly taken in by the Sword Sovereign, with nothing about her origins confirmed. Rumors abounded that she possessed a hand as cruel as any Demonic Practitioner, just as ruthless as those who toyed with the corpses of the Radical Faction. It was said that in the Sword Family, she had left a disciple of a scheming elder in such a horrific state that the elder had wailed for someone to just kill him. They said she had severed his limbs, cut out his tongue, flayed his skin, and crushed his eyes.
Furthermore, it was whispered that in the Sword Forest, she had severed the right arm of the 'Black Sword Hand' who had insulted her and crippled his dantian. All without anyone's help. Considering that most Black Sword Hands were masters of the Peak First-Class realm, it meant she was at least a master who surpassed the Peak First-Class. In short, while there weren't many rumors about her, the few that trickled out were all terrifying.
As those rumors flashed through their minds, Jin Seo-ah’s inscrutable, indifferent expression became even more terrifying. Even those watching the fight—people who usually didn't care, dismissing it as a common occurrence—widened their eyes at the mention of the Young Sword Saint.
— "Whoa... the Young Sword Saint? Was she such a young girl?"
— "So the rumor about her reaching the First-Class realm was true."
— "Those arrogant bastards. They didn't know how high the sky was... I knew they'd end up like this eventually."
— "Still, it was fun watching them walk that fine line while picking fights... tsk."
Then, Jin A-rin, her expression still cold, drew her sword from her waist and said, "You say you will atone with your deaths? Very well."
As Jin A-rin stepped forward as if she were truly about to sever their necks, the two late-stage juniors were horrified.
"N-no! Please spare us! We will live and atone! Please, have mercy..."
"I... I didn't ask to be killed!"
"W-what is this! Keep your pride as Demonic Practitioners and offer your necks with dignity! Are you not ashamed before your sect?"
Jin A-rin, not expecting them to act so spinelessly, flushed with anger. Just as the two juniors were caught in an internal conflict over whether to run for their lives with death staring them in the face, a lifeline was thrown to them.
"Is there really a need to kill them?"
The source of that lifeline was the Young Sword Saint, the very person the two juniors feared more than Jin A-rin. At those words, Jin A-rin asked back in confusion.
"Eh? You... want to spare them? Why?"
"Well, I'm not saying they did well, but this kind of thing is common in an inn. There's no need to go as far as killing them..."
Jin A-rin couldn't hide her bewilderment at that, but she slowly nodded. "Yes... I understand. If Seo-ah thinks so, then it would certainly not be right for me to say anything more."
""Thank you! Thank you!""
The two juniors shouted their thanks repeatedly at Seo-ah’s unexpected mercy. However...
"But! Regardless, one must atone for their wrongdoings."
Jin A-rin had no intention of letting it slide just like that.
Six days had passed. No major incidents worth noting had occurred since then. Jin A-rin and So-yul had played a total of six preliminary matches, and they had won every single bout. This was possible because most of the cultists participating in the preliminaries were mere chaff.
She had felt a slight worry about what might happen if they encountered a Peak Realm master, but it seemed the officials from the Sun Moon Palace and the Divine Maiden Palace, who hosted the preliminaries, had some flexibility. It appeared they hadn't paired So-yul or Jin A-rin against any Peak Realm masters. After all, martial artists with talent or backing could become excellent assets for the two organizations later on. It went without saying for those who possessed both.
To list a few other things that happened...
"Hey. Water."
So-so’s lazy, delinquent voice caught Seo-ah’s attention. So-so’s rare, unruly appearance made it look like some rich, arrogant brat was bossing around a servant. In fact, it was no different from actually using servants.
"Yes!"
"Just leave it to us!"
The two arrogant juniors had agreed to serve Seo-ah’s group until the main tournament began. It wasn't exactly a voluntary contribution, but rather the result of Jin A-rin’s semi-forced pressure. Fortunately, they didn't seem to have any major complaints. They were quite enthusiastic, actually... and despite So-so’s constant nagging, they didn't show any signs of displeasure.
So-so’s nagging voice rang out.
"No... you idiots! Who sends two people to get water? One of you... go get a dumpling from the chef."
"Hehe... understood!"
The two juniors replied with servile smiles. It was only natural; if they showed even a hint of annoyance, Jin A-rin might have their heads for being insufferable. The two juniors walked out the door with those smiles, and then the twins opened the door and entered the annex.
"Hi-ssi... Sister. There are still people swarming outside. What kind of nuisance is this?"
"Exactly. And we can't exactly cause a scene out there."
Seo-ah replied with a half-enlightened smile.
"Still? Sigh... I guess we'll have to ask them to bring our meals here again today."
Since that day, the rumor that Seo-ah was staying at this inn had spread far and wide. As a result, countless people began flocking to the vicinity of the inn to catch a glimpse of Seo-ah, the so-called Young Sword Saint. Most of them were likely approaching out of curiosity to verify the rumors about her, and it was obvious that if she got involved with those who wanted to challenge her to a duel, no good would come of it. After all, even if she beat one or two of them to a pulp, the demonic martial artists were bound to swarm her, thinking they would be different.
In the end, after watching Jin A-rin and So-yul’s preliminary matches on the first day, Seo-ah had suffered from the crowds that covered the earth, and since then, she had been practically confined to this annex. Because of that, she couldn't even enjoy a meal while admiring the scenery from the top of the inn.
'Still, since tomorrow is the last day of the preliminaries, I have to go out, right?'
At the very least, shouldn't she go out to cheer for Jin A-rin and So-yul on the final day? Just as Seo-ah was thinking that, So-yul, with an uncomfortable expression, and Jin A-rin, with an awkward expression, entered the annex.
'They still seem awkward with each other.'
To be precise, Jin A-rin wanted to be close, but So-yul kept her guard up. It was because Jin A-rin was overly welcoming, and So-yul was wary of her and had built a wall. As soon as Jin A-rin stepped inside, she said,
"Everyone. After the preliminaries, Geum-jin-seong-jon’s disciple is hosting a gathering for the late-stage juniors. What do you intend to do?"
She held a sparkling golden invitation in her hand.
You are cordially invited to the Gathering of the Late-Stage Juniors, hosted by the disciple of the Golden Tremor Holy Sovereign.
A young man wearing yellow robes—or rather, robes that looked like gold—knocked on the door of a magnificent pavilion with a plaque that read Hwanyo (Illusionary Specter).
— *Clink.*
With the sound of a light bell, the door opened slowly, all by itself. The young man didn't panic and entered the pavilion. Whether a formation had been set up inside or not, it was so full of fog that he couldn't see what lay ahead.
— *Clink.*
— *Clink.*
— *Clink.*
He simply walked, following the sound of the bell that seemed to be guiding him. The place where the young man arrived, following the bell, was a luxurious residence.
"Hoo..."
As the man took a deep breath and reached out to knock, the door opened on its own. It was his third visit, but it was a sight he could never get used to. What a truly twisted hobby. The young man cursed the woman who had led him here in his heart and entered the residence.
There, a beautiful woman was swinging a silent bell, wearing a seductive smile. The woman set down the bell in her hand and said,
"Seeing you come here again... I suppose you've made up your mind?"
"Yes."
"Seeing you try to join me... I guess the disciple of the Golden Tremor Holy Sovereign didn't treat you well?"
"Didn't I already answer that last time?"
"I want to hear it one more time."
The young man. Yu Il-gwang, the attendant and bodyguard—the confidant—of the disciple of the Golden Tremor Holy Sovereign, sighed, unable to hide his emotions.
"No. He always treats me well for no reason."
"And?"
"It shouldn't be like that. You can't survive in the Demonic Murim with such soft-hearted, righteous-faction-like attitudes. No matter what attitude I show, he treats me warmly, trusts others easily, and gives affection freely... he will eventually be weeded out of the Demonic Murim."
"Hmm... indeed."
The beautiful woman nodded along, barely listening. It was because, as he said, it was a story she had already heard once before. The woman lifted the bell again and shook it.
— *Clink.*
Then, the vitality vanished from Yu Il-gwang’s eyes, and his focus began to blur. The woman asked again,
"What is the reason you betrayed the disciple of the Golden Tremor Holy Sovereign?"
"That guy... is an idiot. He always smiles, always craves affection from others, and tries to give something away. He's good enough to suck the honey from for a while, but he's someone I have to discard eventually. I don't like that he's a demonic practitioner who still weighs right and wrong. To begin with, why did the Golden Tremor Holy Sovereign choose that flower-brained idiot of an outsider instead of me?"
And then... he began to blurt out incoherent words as if he were full of resentment.
"Why on earth did the Golden Tremor Holy Sovereign choose that trash instead of me? Our family has served the Geum family for generations, so what on earth do I have that makes me less than that kind of outsider..."
"Stop."
At the woman’s word, Yu Il-gwang’s mouth shut. — *Clink.* The bell rang again, and focus began to return to Yu Il-gwang’s eyes. Yu Il-gwang, not even realizing what had happened to him, asked plainly,
"Umm... so, will you accept me?"
"Of course. But first, you have to prove your worth, don't you?"
"If you mean... worth?"
"The disciple of the Sword Sovereign, who gained the arrogant title of Young Sword Saint, is participating in the Divine Maiden competition this time, right?"
"Hmm... yes. I've heard."
"I'm already tired of worrying about the disciple of the Snow Flower... I don't know if that outsider called the Young Sword Saint is really as threatening as the rumors say... or if it's just exaggerated, as rumors in the Murim usually are?"
"I will verify it."
"I want to see it with my own eyes."
"...I will arrange a place."
"Good. Prove your worth. Who knows? If you handle the job perfectly... when I become the Divine Maiden..."
You might be my right-hand man. The woman didn't bother to finish the sentence. However, Yu Il-gwang nodded as if he understood and bade the woman farewell.
"I will see you again soon."
"Hmm... yes."
As Yu Il-gwang left the room, the smile vanished from the lips of the woman who had been wearing a seductive expression.
"Variables are not welcome..."
The woman muttered in the room left alone. Time passed... and a golden invitation arrived in front of the woman. It seemed he had carried out her request well.