Chapter 7
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: A Proper Workplace
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Seo Pung
When I carried the unconscious Namgung Yuya outside on my shoulder, it wasn't the unit leaders who were gathered, but the others who had left before me.
“Are you the final successful candidate for the Crouching Dragon Unit?”
Ha Yuseong answered the man’s question.
“Yes.”
“Everyone’s here, then. We’ll be departing now. Please follow me.”
Where did all the unit leaders go?
And who is this man?
Just as I was feeling bewildered, the man’s explanation followed.
“I am a first-class martial guide from the Office of the Strategist. From this moment on, you are all members of the Murim Alliance, and you will receive a brief explanation of the items and information necessary for your duties. First, you will receive identification tags so you can freely enter and exit the Murim Alliance.”
Like ducklings following their mother, we trailed after the man who introduced himself as our guide.
“This is the Supply Depot. It’s where weapons, uniforms, daily necessities, and other supplies are distributed. This will be the place you visit most often, so please be sure to remember the building and the route to get here.”
Various items were handed out at the Supply Depot.
Clothes marked with our affiliation.
A sword engraved with the symbol of the Murim Alliance’s external affairs.
The one Ha Yuseong received was carved with a turtle.
Ha Yuseong made sure to grab two of everything, one for his colleague who was still sprawled out to the side.
“Once you have all your identification tags, please gather here again.”
The next place the guide led us to was a building comparable to the Supply Depot we had just visited.
“This is the Roster Hall. Everyone who enters or leaves the Murim Alliance must sign this roster. For your information, not even the Alliance Leader is an exception, so you must write your name in the roster. If an unfortunate incident were to occur and your name wasn't on this list, you would naturally be the first to be suspected, wouldn't you?”
The guide wrote his affiliation and name in the roster.
“Alright! In order, please write down what I have.”
Ha Yuseong followed suit.
[Affiliation] Crouching Dragon Unit
[Name] Ha Yuseong
A sense of pride swelled in his chest for some reason.
It was only now starting to feel real that he had actually been accepted into the Murim Alliance.
Of course, he didn't forget to write down his colleague's information as well.
[Affiliation] Crouching Dragon Unit
[Name] Namgung Yuya
“Let’s move on to the next location.”
Afterward, the guide explained various other things about the Murim Alliance and told us to return after seven days and nights.
“Consider this your last break. I hope you all play and rest to your heart’s content. Life in the Murim Alliance can be quite demanding.”
To Ha Yuseong, the guide’s words sounded completely different.
They provide this many supplies?
You get paid extra for night shifts?
You even get weekend pay for working on weekends?
And that’s not all! You get vacation pay if you give up your vacation!
On top of that, the cafeteria always served breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even a late-night snack for free!
And one more surprising fact!
The menu at the cafeteria changed every single day!
“Heh!”
So this is why everyone talks about the Murim Alliance.
During his ronin days, he could barely sleep, let alone get paid what he was promised. As a powerless third-rate warrior, all he could do was silently endure their tyranny.
But. Now!
“This is truly a proper workplace!”
They pay you for every bit of work you do!
Ha Yuseong suppressed the urge to shout for joy three times and left the Murim Alliance, heading for the bank.
‘Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!’
Long live the Murim Alliance!
“Ah!”
At that moment, Ha Yuseong remembered that he was carrying someone on his shoulder.
“Um, excuse me?”
“Is there something else you wanted to say?”
His tone was completely different from before.
If he was speaking to an outsider before, now his tone was that of someone addressing an insider—a complete subordinate.
At this change, Ha Yuseong fought back the tears that threatened to spill.
‘Is this what it feels like to belong!’
The warm gaze directed at him.
‘Damn it! I need to get back quickly, but there's always one clueless guy like this in every batch!’
His gaze was intense.
It was the warmth of a senior, something he had never felt during his days as a ronin.
“What should I do with this one?”
“Ah, that guy. Tsk, tsk. Just dump him at the Medical Hall. He’ll find his own way home from there.”
How kind. If this were his ronin days, they would have just told him to dump the man on the ground!
He remembered where the Medical Hall was from earlier.
“Yes, sir! Thank you!”
After a polite bow, Ha Yuseong went to the Medical Hall and handed over the man he had been carrying on his shoulder.
“After seven days and nights, he said.”
It was an unexpected block of free time, but it was just about right.
Perfect for finding a house in Henan, where he would be settling down. The first place Ha Yuseong visited after leaving the Murim Alliance was the Man-geum Treasury, one of the Five Great Treasuries under Heaven.
There, Ha Yuseong withdrew the entire sum he had deposited.
The amount was a staggering ten gold coins.
This was the price of a lifetime of work, saved for his retirement.
“I can just save up again.”
Honestly, it would be a lie to say he didn't feel the loss. To some, it might be a mere ten gold coins, but to Ha Yuseong, it was the culmination of thirty years of toil.
Afterward, Ha Yuseong found the best real estate agency in the provincial capital and asked to see the cheapest house available. He was left speechless by the high prices in the capital.
“You’re a very lucky young man! There happens to be a house on the market for a very cheap price! Don’t be shocked when you hear this! A mere ten gold pieces! Incredibly cheap, right?”
“This… this is cheap?”
“Of course! Buying a house in Henan for ten gold pieces is like plucking a star from the sky!”
So, this was Henan, home of the Murim Alliance!
He had heard rumors that it boasted the most expensive land prices, alongside Beijing where the Emperor resided.
‘So… so the rumors were true.’
Ha Yuseong remembered hearing something like this back when he worked as a ronin.
If you want to succeed, go to Beijing; if you want to get rich, go to Henan.
“Well! What do you think of this place!”
It was much worse than the house he had been living in.
But Ha Yuseong spoke softly.
“It’s nice.”
The place he lived in before wasn't much different from this at first.
His previous home was a house on the verge of collapse that he had repaired all by himself. Besides, he now had a younger body. And if he put his previous house on the market, he could secure some immediate living expenses.
“Ah! There’s something I’d like to ask. I have a small house in a little village in Gubong Prefecture that I’d like to sell.”
“Well, I’ll be! Why didn’t you say so sooner! For your information, our agency is connected to the Man-geum Treasury, so we can handle transactions anywhere in the country! What’ll it be? A sale or a rental?”
“Hmm… whichever works out.”
“Now that’s a straightforward customer! Alright, just leave it to me!”
Ha Yuseong then gave him the detailed address of his old house in Gubong Prefecture and the deed certified by the Man-geum Treasury.
“I’ll come let you know when the deal is done!”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Though the money in his pockets had suddenly vanished, he wasn't too worried. Unlike before, he now had a steady job.
“Phew. I guess this is my home now.”
Besides, his first salary would be coming in a month.
“Shall I get started?”
***
The seven days and nights passed quickly as he kept himself busy with various repairs around the house.
Upon entering the Murim Alliance, the first thing that greeted him was the roster.
With a pounding heart, Ha Yuseong wrote his affiliation and name in the book.
[Crouching Dragon Unit, Ha Yuseong]
Even without having to sign the roster, the guards at the entrance of the Murim Alliance didn't stop Ha Yuseong.
This was completely different treatment from before.
Ha Yuseong noticed them glance at his body, specifically at his sword and uniform, before looking away.
‘This is what it feels like to belong!’
Feeling a sense of pride from the very first day, Ha Yuseong entered the Murim Alliance and headed for the place he had been guided to previously.
One person was already there.
Namgung Yuya, was it?
“Hello.”
As he offered a greeting, the man named Namgung Yuya turned towards him. He was biting his fingernails, his large eyes looking as if they were about to spill tears at any moment as he spoke.
“H-Hello. Thank you for grabbing my things back then.”
Love for your comrades is love for your country, as they say.
“It was nothing.”
“But by any chance, did you hear the rumor?”
“A rumor, you say?”
“Ah, no! Let’s introduce ourselves first. I am Namgung Yuya, the fourth son of the Namgung Family.”
“I am Ha Yuseong.”
Namgung Yuya asked the briefly introduced Ha Yuseong.
“May I ask your age?”
A problem he hadn't considered until now made Ha Yuseong pause.
‘How old am I?’
He looked to be around twenty.
Maybe even a little younger.
But his conscience told him he should be at least over twenty.
Faced with this sudden dilemma, Ha Yuseong chose his answer.
“And what might your age be, Young Master Namgung?”
He returned the question!
“My… not age, but ‘years,’ you ask?”
“Yes.”
“Your choice of words is peculiar.”
A tilt of the head.
Ha Yuseong had no idea what he had said wrong.
“Come to think of it, I was rude. When asking someone’s age, one should state their own first. I am exactly twenty this year!”
Hearing his age, Ha Yuseong fell into a brief moment of contemplation.
Though his appearance had become younger, inside lived an old man over fifty.
This was the last shred of pride Ha Yuseong had yet to discard.
I can’t possibly call someone so much younger than me ‘big brother’! Absolutely not!
“Then, I suppose I’m the older one. I just passed twenty last year.”
“Wow! You’re older than you look, sir. The moment I first saw you, I was sure you were younger than me.”
“Haha!”
Ha Yuseong scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly. In truth, even he thought he looked younger than Namgung Yuya.
“Then, I’ll call you ‘Big Brother’ from now on.”
“Go ahead.”
“Big Brother, please speak casually to me. This is uncomfortable.”
“Sh-Should I?”
“Yes. So, Big Brother, did you hear the rumor?”
“What rumor?”
“About the Crouching Dragon Unit’s leader. We’re finished.”
As Namgung Yuya’s shoulders slumped, Ha Yuseong tilted his head. With a sigh deep enough to crack the earth, Namgung Yuya spoke.
“Sigh. I’m sure you already know, but the rope we’ve grabbed onto is old and frayed. And that guy! He has a reputation for being an eccentric! We’re going to be like abandoned ducklings, like kites with their strings cut!”
“Is it really something to be so pessimistic about?”
“‘So pessimistic’ you say!”
Namgung Yuya launched into a tirade.
“Any hope for advancement is gone! And the Crouching Dragon Unit is where the demoted get sent! The unit leader himself was demoted to this position!”
What’s wrong with that?
He should be grateful they even pay a steady salary.
“You’re really naive, Big Brother! I heard that in the Crouching Dragon Unit, there’s Jegal Bi…”
Namgung Yuya, in the middle of his sentence, quickly covered his own mouth and shot a frantic look ahead.
When Ha Yuseong followed his gaze, he saw the drunkard from before at the end of it.
A smirk.
Just like before, the man smiled when their eyes met.
“What excellent new recruits, gossiping about their superior on the first day of their enlistment. Amazing. Truly amazing.”
“Hiiik!”
“One with a perfect score on the written exam and zero on the practical, the other with zero on the written and perfect on the practical. I let two guys who should have failed pass, and this is how you repay me, by talking behind my back?”
“Hieeek!”
*Swish.*
In the same instant he pushed off the ground, the drunkard, who had been far away, appeared next to the fainting Namgung Yuya.
‘When did he?’
Fast.
“Now, now, you can’t faint again.”
*Tap, tap, tap!*
The drunkard tapped a few spots on Namgung Yuya’s body, and Namgung Yuya, who had been about to foam at the mouth and roll his eyes back, found his pupils returning to their proper place.
“That’s right. How dare you faint while your superior is speaking. So impolite. Right?”
“Hwaaah!”
Unlike the panicking Namgung Yuya, Ha Yuseong slowly nodded his head. He’s right about that! Back in my day, I would stare with wide eyes, trying not to miss a single word!
A smirk.
“Shall we begin the final test?”
‘Final test? Wasn’t it all over back then?’
“The unit leaders of the external affairs division are given authority over the personnel files of each unit member.”
Reeking of alcohol, the Crouching Dragon Unit’s leader, Seo Pung, spoke.
“If you can’t show me a reason why I should let you pass, you two will be permanently expelled from the Murim Alliance as of today. For the record, you won’t be able to join any orthodox sect-affiliated factions after this. Because I’ll make it so.”
“S-So the rumors were true! How can you do this!”
Unlike the complaining Namgung Yuya, Ha Yuseong asked politely.
“In that case, is it alright if I defeat you, Unit Leader?”
“Hahahaha!”
Seo Pung let out a great laugh for the first time in a long while.
The reason was very simple.
How long had it been? He couldn't remember.
Since someone had dared to challenge him so brazenly to his face instead of from behind his back.
‘This bastard is completely serious, isn't he?’