Achievements Immortalized?

“Wow~ It’s gold!”

“Heh heh heh....”

“All this in a single day...”

A hundred gold taels. Neither Heukmyo, Hyeok Gi-rin, nor Sama Yeom were short on money, yet the sight of more than a hundred gold pieces stacked in hard currency was a special spectacle all its own.

“People whose eyes have flipped might try something foolish, so please strengthen the security.”

“Haha, don’t worry about it, Great Hero.”

Heukmyo had already begun stacking the gold into a tower, while Hyeok Gi-rin fretted beside her, terrified that a single slip would send the coins crashing down and dent them. If Heukmyo’s eyes had been visible, they would have sparkled brighter than the gold itself; she looked thoroughly delighted.

It wasn’t that she particularly coveted the gold—she was simply thrilled by the sheer volume of glittering yellow metal.

“Is the work going well?”

“I was hard at it right up until a moment ago. Everything’s ready; all that’s left is to go fishing.”

Heukmyo had once felt like some ominous symbol of the night, but lately she had transformed into the sort of house cat that pokes at things in the corner and startles itself. Only the surface had changed, of course.

She was still the head of the Wolbokdang, so I had to trust her.

The Wolbokdang was no ordinary organization.

How tenacious do you think players are? Developers grit their teeth and hide every last hidden piece and Easter egg, yet players eventually tear every single element out of a game. A mystic secret realm that appears once in a thousand years, the lost manual of a vanished previous-generation master, an unknown secret history of the Murim—what of them? Once a veteran player sets their sights on something, it gets dissected down to the last detail, neatly packaged with a pretty guideline, and sold as a strategy guide.

Yet the Wolbokdang had succeeded in protecting its secrets from the players’ hands. The Mysterious Information Organization Wolbokdang. Plenty of users had dug into that curiosity-baiting name, but not a single player ever grasped the organization’s true form.

That was why I had assumed it was an unimplemented element or a MacGuffin.

There was no need to doubt the abilities of the Wolbokdang or its leader, Heukmyo.

“Come to think of it, I heard the two of you already know about my cross-dressing.”

“You heard? Did Prefect Sama Yeom tell you?”

“Yes. Exactly. I would be grateful if you kept the matter of my gender strictly confidential.”

I nodded, and Heukmyo readily agreed.

“Of course! I’ve already been thinking of Great Hero Hyeok Gi-rin as my same-sex friend, so when it’s just us, drop the male act and relax!”

“Heh heh heh. Understood.”

“Great!”

Heukmyo dashed forward and threw her arms around Hyeok Gi-rin. The impact set the tower of gold swaying.

“Ah—if you move like that!”

Sway!

The gold tower rocked.

“If it falls from this height onto the stone floor, the gold will get dented!”

Hyeok Gi-rin, startled, struck the side of the swaying tower with a fingertip. Whether she had instantly grasped the pulse of its center of gravity or not, the tower that had been on the verge of toppling merely wobbled once before standing perfectly upright again.

“Oh... amazing!”

Clap clap clap!

“Ah, n-no, something like this doesn’t deserve applause...!”

Clap clap clap!

“P-please stop!”

Hyeok Gi-rin squirmed with embarrassment while Heukmyo, finding the sight adorable, deliberately clapped even harder. Hyeok Gi-rin twisted her body tighter under the shame, and Sama Yeom watched the whole scene unfold with his own eyes.

Hmm.

Was it really all right to trust these people and carry out the operation?

“What are the two of you doing?”

Yeo Il-ye, makeup washed away and dressed in plain martial robes, fixed the tower of gold with a cold gaze.

“That is the money Benefactor earned by gambling all night, sweating for every coin! Put it back where it belongs!”

At Yeo Il-ye’s scolding, Heukmyo grumbled and began rearranging the gold. Yeo Il-ye narrowed her eyes, clearly displeased with Heukmyo’s attitude.

“Do you have any idea how hard Benefactor worked to earn that money yesterday? He threw away pride and face alike and scraped it together with single-minded focus. It is not something to treat carelessly.”

“What did Senior do, exactly?”

“He performed the act of trembling in fear of the crowd’s mockery. All night long, no less!”

“Heeh. And then?”

“Even after winning, he couldn’t dare show open joy and kept glancing around while pocketing the money—it was the very picture of pathetic! I knew it was an act, yet I couldn’t help but marvel at the skill!”

“Ahem... that’s enough.”

“It is not! Only when people understand how thoroughly Benefactor discarded his dignity and made a spectacle of himself to earn this money will they grasp how precious it is!”

“No, seriously, stop.”

Stop releasing my dark history. From the way Heukmyo was snickering, I had a sinking feeling she would gather every eyewitness account of last night’s performance at Seongrak Pavilion, organize it into documents, and preserve it for posterity.

While Yeo Il-ye was still passionately airing my black history and Heukmyo and Hyeok Gi-rin listened with rapt interest—

“The Tang Family’s carriage has arrived.”

The Bicheon Carriage had arrived.

“Nangin Ho. It has been a long time.”

Dang Do-yeon, her face gleaming with healthy oil, clasped her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fists in greeting.

“...Where’s Do-gyeong?”

Without a word, Dang Do-yeon opened the carriage door. Inside lay a single corpse. Tang Do-gyeong had died inside the carriage.

Of course he hadn’t actually died—he was only about ninety percent dead.

“...Uuugh...”

“Come on, Do-gyeong. Get up. Once you’re on your feet and drink some water, you’ll feel better.”

I helped Tang Do-gyeong out and supported him on my back. He finally opened his mouth.

“Ho... hyung... why did you summon me with the Bicheon Carriage...”

Well, because of you I ended up riding this thing too.

You knew what you were getting into, but I didn’t. I genuinely thought I was going to die.

My silence left Tang Do-gyeong waiting for an answer until his head simply dropped. Checking him, I saw he hadn’t fainted—he simply had no strength left even to lift his head.

Heukmyo, bold as ever, circled the Bicheon Carriage. Her trademark curiosity had clearly been triggered. Everyone else kept their distance, warily wondering, Just what kind of carriage turns a Super-Peak expert into rice cake?—but not her.

“Oh? Interested in the Bicheon Carriage?”

“Bicheon Carriage...? It does look fast.”

“Heh heh, of course. It’s a revolution in transportation that can take you from Sichuan to the Tang Family Estate in a mere day and a half. A time-honored vehicle of the Tang Family that has already been in service for five years.”

Dang Do-yeon launched into her usual sales pitch. Afraid that Heukmyo would fall victim to that soul-threshing machine as well, I hurriedly called the two of them over. Heukmyo’s role from here on was critical; if she got threshed, we would be in serious trouble.

I spent the time fending off Heukmyo’s growing curiosity about the Bicheon Carriage and Dang Do-yeon’s determined attempts to stuff her inside. Meanwhile Tang Do-gyeong, having recovered somewhat after circulating his energy, joined us.

“Do-gyeong, how many bandit chiefs do you think you can handle?”

“If the goal is to kill them, four or five is no problem. You gave me an extremely generous supply of hidden weapons for the hidden-weapon battle, after all.”

Tang Do-gyeong patted the pouch of throwing weapons at his waist. The quantity was scarcely different from the days when he had stripped the Tang Family’s direct-line hidden weapons and worn them all himself. Just how lavish had the hidden-weapon support been?

“Do-yeon focused mainly on poisons. If we use them purely for slaughter, the two of us alone could wipe out every bandit on Mount Jeongnam.”

I saw Hyeok Gi-rin and Yeo Il-ye swallow dryly. Well... Tang Do-gyeong had spoken of it calmly, but the power to sweep away an entire bandit alliance with only two people was not something one could casually claim.

That was the terror of the Tang Family.

A martial artist’s strength came from internal energy. Yet internal energy could not be increased overnight. Swallowing a spiritual medicine would raise it in a day, but spiritual medicines were spiritual medicines for a reason—you could not simply obtain them whenever you wished.

There might be differences in height, but there was a limit to what a single martial artist could achieve. The martial artists of the Tang Family, however, stood half-free of that constraint. As long as they were prepared to unleash hidden weapons and poisons without restraint, they could accomplish several times—or even several dozen times—the feats of other martial artists of the same realm.

If one could scatter hidden weapons more expensive than gold as freely as tossing corn to pigeons, then two Super-Peak experts could suppress four Super-Peak experts and five hundred ordinary martial artists.

Of course these two would only play the minimum role required.

After all, they had to remain supporting cast or bit players.

Receiving outside help was unavoidable, but Sichuan’s affairs had to be resolved by Sichuan’s people.

The failure to do so was exactly why the branches of the Nine Great Sects were causing such an uproar by establishing themselves here.

“Hmm. But is it all right to distribute these flyers as they are? Won’t it become obvious to the entire world that the Great Hero interfered?”

Sama Yeom surprisingly voiced concern for me.

“Well, after stirring things up this much, I can hardly keep hiding under a black hat.”

My face was already exposed. In martial arts novels, face-changing arts usually left no one the wiser, but in this Murim Cheonha, face-changing techniques of that caliber ranked among the highest secret arts of the martial world.

Think of plastic surgery and it becomes easy to understand. Even when a specialist pours their entire soul into the work, the results still look artificial; simply kneading a face with internal energy was never going to produce a natural appearance.

Any ordinary face change was immediately obvious. One might get away with a single glance while brushing past, but it could never be used inside a pleasure house thick with watchful eyes.

More importantly, this was not simply about revealing my identity.

At this stage I needed to let Hwanggeum-seon catch a glimpse of my shadow—just enough to sow confusion and rage and cloud his judgment. That was the point.

“Proceed.”

Sama Yeom nodded.

“Haa...”

Jang Sam of the Gwangyang Gate let out a long sigh. The Gwangyang Gate was a sect that still enjoyed a decent reputation in Sichuan. Simply being allied with the Jeomchang Sect—one of the Nine Great Sects—already made it competitive among the sects of this province.

Not every sect in Sichuan had ties to the Nine Great Sects. Unless a mid-sized sect was reasonably solid, the Nine Great Sects would not even make contact. In truth, only about thirty percent of all the sects in Sichuan maintained alliance relationships with them.

That was why he had always been able ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to walk the streets with his chest out and his head high...

“Those damned bastards...”

“They pull that kind of stunt and still stroll around just fine.”

Once the rumor spread that the sects of Sichuan were desperately opposing intervention by the great sects of the province out of fear for their own rice bowls, even walking the streets had become difficult.

In particular, the joint statement from the Five Great Sects had been perfectly suited to fuel the misunderstanding that the rumor was true, and after that statement the gazes of the people had grown twice as sharp.

How am I supposed to live with this kind of pressure...!

If he could clear up this misunderstanding, Jang Sam would have said anything. But what could he do? The bandits’ power was formidable, and the sects of Sichuan were small.

“Proclamation! Proclamation!”

While he was venting his frustration, government soldiers moved through the streets scattering flyers in every direction.

“The Prefect is recruiting a subjugation force to wipe out the bandits! Shortly the Prefect will hold an explanatory meeting on the platform in front of the government office, so take note!”

Bandit subjugation?

Jang Sam regarded the soldiers with a lukewarm gaze. The blunted tips of their tridents could be excused as non-lethal, but even their grip on the shafts was a mess. By martial standards they were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠third-rate at best. How were soldiers like these supposed to solve anything?

The people around him seemed to share the same thought; they watched the soldiers the way a cow watches a chicken. Still, he might as well look at the flyer.

Thinking that, Jang Sam picked up a sheet of paper.

“...What is this.”

It was a flyer that somehow felt like a whirlwind, yet the contents still slammed straight into his head.

“...The Tang Family. People from the Tang Family are joining the subjugation force?”

It was an unrealistic story. And yet... the ones distributing the proclamation were none other than the government soldiers.

As if entranced, Jang Sam headed for the government office. Flyers seemed to have been scattered across the whole of Sichuan; already there was no room to set foot for the sheer number of people. Amid the crowd Jang Sam spotted numerous martial artists. Had they, too, come in person to relieve the same stifling frustration?

“Greetings, everyone. I am Sama Yeom, Prefect of Sichuan.”

Waaaaaah!!

At the Prefect’s appearance the people roared. At any rate he had decided to field an army to subjugate the bandits, so they first offered cheers. After quieting the crowd, Sama Yeom began speaking in a clear, ringing voice that was not loud yet sank straight into the ears.

“I had already received word that bandits were running rampant near Sichuan, yet this Sama Yeom, shamefully nothing more than a mere scholar utterly ignorant of the martial path, allowed the days to slip by.”

Sama Yeom’s courteous manner and persuasive voice restored calm to the assembly; they maintained order through silence.

“However, subjugating the bandits with government troops alone would inevitably incur massive casualties. Therefore I have issued this declaration to request the aid of the heroes of this Sichuan.”

Murmur. Murmur.

And that silence shattered at once. Had it not already been concluded that the sects of Sichuan lacked the strength to subjugate the bandits? Why was the Prefect belatedly making a fuss?

Impatient people cursed the Prefect for meddling without understanding reality, yet Sama Yeom continued.

“Being utterly ignorant of the martial path, I cannot take personal command. After much deliberation I reached a conclusion: I would request the assistance of a famous house of Sichuan that holds the rank of Zhongyangjin.”

“...Zhongyangjin is an official title, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. A scholarly house is going to lead martial artists to subjugate bandits?”

“What is this nonsense.”

While the people fell into confusion, a young man mounted the platform. Those who recognized his face cried out in shock.

“That’s the Fighting Dog, Tang Do-gyeong!”

“Then the house that holds the Zhongyangjin rank is the Tang Family?!”

“The Tang Family had an official post? First I’ve ever heard of it!”

“You fool! Have you forgotten the Tang Family is a powerful local clan of Sichuan? Of course they would hold at least that much office!”

“A pleasure to meet you.”

Internal energy gently pressed down the crowd’s murmuring. Confusion still lingered on their faces, yet expectation began to rise. The details were unclear, but at any rate the Sichuan Tang Family was stepping forward to subjugate the bandits!

“At the request of Prefect Sama Yeom of Sichuan, I, Tang Do-gyeong, have been entrusted with full authority over this bandit subjugation. To the fellow travelers of the rivers and lakes, the name Fighting Dog Tang Do-gyeong may be more familiar. The moment I heard that the common people of Sichuan were suffering under the bandits, and then received the government’s request, I raced here with a joyful heart.”

Waaaaaah!!!

Tang Do-gyeong! Tang Do-gyeong!!

“This Tang Do-gyeong believes his righteous spirit yields to no one, yet my single hand and the government troops alone are far too few to cleanly eradicate the bandits. If we force a subjugation and leave embers behind, who can say what will happen later? Thus, after consultation with the Prefect, we have circulated this proclamation.”

“I have long admired the upright spirit of the sects of Sichuan. I had been lamenting that there was no chance for that chivalrous spirit to shine—yet once the situation reached this point, the chivalrous heroes of Sichuan immediately came to mind! Heroes whose chivalrous spirit is more than sufficient, yet whose strength alone is a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠little lacking, so that they could only watch the bandits!”

This is the chance!

Jang Sam clenched his fist. Instinct told him: an opportunity had appeared to clear the misunderstanding piled upon the people of Sichuan.

“In order to match the righteous spirit of Sichuan’s chivalrous heroes, the government has prepared a few modest benefits for the heroes who join the subjugation.”

At Sama Yeom’s words, the ears of everyone in martial robes pricked up.

“First, a Hero Monument recording the exploits of the martial artists and sects who subjugate the bandits will be erected in the very center of Sichuan’s main thoroughfare.”

Jang Sam dug a finger into his ear. He thought he must have misheard. Achievements... would be preserved forever?

Even when one performed chivalrous deeds, at best they became a brief topic of conversation before vanishing without a trace; after only a short time even the truth of the matter became impossible to verify. Yet if one subjugated bandits, those achievements would be recorded as fact and permanently immortalized?

“Furthermore! A victory parade is planned for the chivalrous heroes who capture bandits alive and escort them to the government office.”

A victory parade? They would be able to march down the main avenue with chests thrown wide, receiving the admiring gazes of the people of Sichuan?

After that, various other benefits were listed. Sects that participated could place a plaque of gratitude for contributing to the bandit subjugation. Individuals would be awarded a Hero Cap certifying their participation, or a tassel that could be hung from a weapon.

“Ooooooh!!”

The martial artists roared with every announcement. A Hero Cap that, simply by being worn, automatically certified the wearer as a hero even if they stood there in silence? It was a treasure one had to obtain even if it cost their life.

Items thickly colored by modern thinking! Martial artists tasting modern marketing for the first time lost their minds and cheered.

The front of the government office was already wrapped in scorching heat. Ordinary people were thrilled enough simply that the possibility of bandit subjugation had become real, while martial artists cheered for the chance to raise their honor and achievements—and for participation rewards that combined both prestige and style.

“Everyone!”

Finally Tang Do-gyeong drove the stake home.

“This matter brooks no delay! All preparations have already been completed by the government office! Therefore applications for participation will be accepted until midnight tomorrow, and departure will be three days from now! Please spread this news far and wide!”

People rushed off in excitement to spread the word. Martial artists thronged toward the government office to submit applications that very moment.

Jang Sam ran toward the Gwangyang Gate.

This! We absolutely! Have to participate!

Sichuan began to burn with heat.