Chapter 301
Chapter 301
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 301
Chapter Title: It's Not Easy (1)
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While writing Dokgo Cheol's name on the paper, I mulled over my thoughts.
"'Those from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's main headquarters in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains should be excluded from the entrance process as much as possible.'"
Sang Woo-cheong and Baek Ri-gyeom.
They hated the orthodox Murim even more than the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's demons.
"'They believe the Nine Great Sects, Five Great Families, and other prestigious clans representing the orthodox sects are the reason their own sects and families nearly faced total annihilation.'"
Their actions in the original story were a perfect fit for the term "cancer of the orthodox Murim."
"'They formed a faction that slandered the protagonist generation, starting with Jeong Hyun...'"
They leaked the academy's information to the cult, lured promising later-generation disciples worried about their futures due to limited standing in their sects or families, and pulled them into the cult.
"'By the time their tails were caught, they even had internal support.'"
That laid the groundwork for the Righteous Martial Academy's raid, and they personally led the charge, stabbing their classmates and seniors in the back.
Though their numbers had dwindled from five to two, they were far too dangerous to keep in the same fold—their risks outweighed any utility.
"'But the Blood Cult...'"
They were a common blight on both the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the orthodox Murim.
From the cult's main headquarters perspective, they were traitors who exploited the cult leader's demonic possession setback to build their own power base.
From the orthodox Murim's view, they were just more demons—on top of struggling against the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, now they had another front to watch.
"'But the enemy's enemy is a friend, as the Grand Strategist said in the original story. He used the delicate relationship between the Blood Cult and Heavenly Demon Divine Cult to buy time for the orthodox Murim to regroup.'"
So if Dokgo Cheol taking the entrance exam was part of the Heaven-Shaking Blood Demon's independent move to detach his royal house from the Ten Thousand Great Mountains...
"'There must be other ways to use it.'"
Lost in these thoughts, I unintentionally zoned out.
"...Young Master?"
Yin Xia Lian's voice snapped me out of it.
"Eon Young Master!!!"
"Hm? Did you call me?"
"The ink's all smudged on the paper."
Apparently, while ruminating on Dokgo Cheol, ink from the brush had dripped and stained the paper.
"Ah."
I quickly moved the brush over the inkstone.
In the meantime, Yin Xia Lian continued.
"What were you thinking so deeply about?"
I pondered how much to reveal when Dang Ok-gi approached, checked the name on the paper, and tilted his head.
"Dokgo Cheol of the A-grade Dokgo Clan? Isn't he one of the two who lasted the longest in the round-trip long run? If I had to pick, Namgoong Yun's younger brother seemed odder of the two."
Namgoong Yun immediately reacted to his words.
"What's so weird about Young-i?"
"Something about him..."
"Something?"
"His gaze was kinda intimidating."
I was curious what nonsense he was spouting, but once I heard it, it was ridiculous.
I immediately scolded Dang Ok-gi.
"Think before you speak. Why would Namgoong Yun's brother go over to the cult? He's the very model of a Namgoong Clan direct descendant."
"...As expected of Eon Yong-un."
"Look at Namgoong Yun's eyes right now. Aren't they similar to that Namgoong Young examinee's? Must be a family trait."
"......?"
"Kek! You told me to speak my mind, even the trivial stuff."
"Sure, but there's a limit..."
"I'm not suspecting Namgoong Yun's brother either! I said 'if I had to pick'!"
While Dang Ok-gi got flustered, the other Eon siblings had gathered around us unnoticed.
Among them, Jeong Hyun and Yong-myeong spoke up.
"The Dokgo Clan was all but wiped out during the last Righteous-Demonic Great War—only a few collateral relatives survived, right?"
"That's correct. And besides Dokgo Cheol examinee, there's Baek Ri-gyeom examinee and Sang Woo-cheong examinee listed too. The Baek Ri Clan and Gongpa Alliance—they're in similar straits to the Dokgo Clan, aren't they...?"
"Hm. From a logical standpoint, it doesn't add up. Don't these people see the cult as blood enemies?"
"I agree with Jeong Hyun. Brother, what's on your mind?"
"It's a stereotype to assume families scarred by the Righteous-Demonic Great War all hate the cult. If I were the cult leader, I'd absolutely exploit that stereotype to send in spies."
Brother So-cheon crossed his arms and said to Cheon Jang-ho.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. You get it too, right, Cheon Jang-ho?"
"D-don't drag me into this! I actually understood today's discussion!"
"For real?"
"Hah. You really think I'm on your level, bro? What Yong-un hyung means is that if we use those guys as spies, it'd be hard for us to even suspect them, right?"
"Exactly. Look at your reactions—that proves it."
"True, but even the Pearl Eon Family didn't face total annihilation, yet our corpse soldier lineage was severed... and we treat the cult as blood enemies for that. Standing with the ones who destroyed your sect and family... It just doesn't compute in my head."
Cheon Jang-ho scratched his head as he asked, and Brother So-cheon smirked at the sight.
"You still don't get it."
"No, this 'not getting it' is different from that 'not getting it'!"
As Cheon Jang-ho fumed, I spoke up again.
"The last Righteous-Demonic Great War was several generations ago. Time brings forgetting and distortion, and humans are complex beings. They join hands with blood enemies, or get a stomachache when their cousin buys land."
"That makes it even more confusing!"
"They can hate the cult, sure. But they might hate other orthodox sects even more. Let me give an extreme example. Suppose I was the Pearl Eon Family head right after the last Righteous-Demonic Great War?"
"Yes."
"The cult's the cult, but what about guys like that Yong-gil over there who exploited the chaos to expand their power? The Moyong Clan, for instance. You think I'd let them be?"
"......"
Moyong Gil flinched at my words.
And at that moment, Master chimed in.
-I let my guard down thinking the Fierce Blade Demon had made peace, and barely graduated... If that were the case, the Moyong Clan wouldn't still be around.
Dang Ok-gi asked a question.
"I get what you're saying. But is there another reason? Or are you just marking them high-risk because the cult could easily use them?"
"First off, they refused your pulse diagnosis."
"But others refused too, right? Martial artists don't always let people check their pulses."
"And their eyes."
"Eyes?"
"That weird spell you called out during my martial arts demo—the one that makes you faster—is my heart method layered on top of blood manipulation sorcery."
"And?"
"Today, while sparring, I saw the phenomenon that appears when using that spell in Dokgo Cheol's pupils."
"Ah."
"Blood manipulation is something only I can do. No one trained in standard orthodox martial arts could possibly pull it off. But the cult has arts that control blood like that. Remember when we organized the Magic Library materials? It was in the Righteous-Demonic Great War records."
Jeon Jeon-seol-ji answered.
"Reverse Blood Asura Great Law... The demon thought exhausted sucked the blood of his own allies to recover, throwing the enemies into disarray and collapsing our lines."
I nodded and continued.
"As for Sang Woo-cheong, even Jeong Hyun sparred with him, but his skill is suspiciously advanced. Makes you wonder what he was up to last year."
Namgoong Yun spoke up.
"Maybe around this time last year, he didn't have the skills yet for entrance?"
"You, me, and the others got this strong through innate talent, near-death struggles, and various fortuitous encounters. Normal people don't progress that fast in a short time."
"...True. Even with an amazing encounter, if Sang Woo-cheong were aboveboard, there's no reason he couldn't reveal his background."
As I listened, Jang Seon suddenly came to mind—the guy challenging the entrance after studying during winter break.
"By the way, what about that Jang Seon kid? Wasn't he classified as C-grade under you and the Fragrant Orchid Hall seniors, Namgoong Yun?"
"Right. He just recently registered as a Haenam disciple and got sent to C-grade. Not sure about the remaining stages, but he passed the prowess gate. He's strong as an ox. Crude, but Haenam's basic swordsmanship seems ingrained in him."
"That rascal. A genius is a genius."
We were thinking about Jang Seon for a moment when Eun Ha-seong spoke up.
"Anyway, so we just need to keep a close eye on the people on this list?"
"That's not enough. A few of us should pretend to be examinees and infiltrate their midst."
"Pardon?"
"To that end, Ha-seong, you and So-rung pretend to be examinees and bunk with the newbies during the exam period."
"Me and So-rung dongsaeng?"
"Yeah. You two skipped yesterday's library shift and today's schedule, right? You haven't met any late-generation disciples from martial families separately, and you're the least famous among us—no one knows your faces or voices?"
I spoke while glancing at Senior Ye Hae-su.
"Senior, their portraits haven't appeared in the gazette, right?"
"Not yet."
As things seemed to proceed smoothly, Woo So-rung hurriedly spoke up.
"Uh, Brother Eon. You know my personality."
"That's why it's perfect. You don't seem like a veteran. Our So-rung is consistently newbie-like—no one will notice if you blend in."
"......"
As I responded to Woo So-rung, Eun Ha-seong raised his hand.
"Do what you're told. What's with the whining? We're giving So-rung a pass because it's him—if you pulled that 'I can't' crap, you'd get a knuckle sandwich."
"No. Doesn't Jang Seon know us? And I brushed past Namgoong So-jeo when I went to the glasses place with Namgoong hyung."
"Seon that kid's too pure; a little disguise and he won't recognize you. As for Namgoong Young examinee... Dinner time for examinees soon, right? I'll stand in front of the academy dining hall and give her a heads-up separately. Good?"
"Uh. Yeah. But is this okay?"
Eun Ha-seong answered but still tilted his head.
"Just bunking together without taking the exam—tell the committee, and they'll approve right away. It won't affect pass/fail. Once approved, blend in, gauge the mood, and toss out the bait I tell you to."
As I spoke again, Yin Xia Lian added.
"Unlike last year when everyone who passed the prowess grade gathered to pick gates, this time they're moving in groups of ten to exam halls. So the other examinees won't know if Woo young hero or you took the tests or not."
I nodded and continued.
"I'll go to the main office for approval. You two get ready. Dang Ok-gi, disguises and costumes for them."
"Got it!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After getting approval from the operations committee, Eun Ha-seong and Woo So-rung changed into C-grade warrior uniforms.
They confirmed their assigned Fragrant Orchid Hall dorms, then mingled with the examinees heading to the academy dining hall.
Along the way, Woo So-rung sent a transmission to Eun Ha-seong.
[Ugh, Ha-hyung. What if I screw this up because of me? I really have no confidence...]
[Nah. So-rung dongsaeng has talent. Thinking about what Yong-un hyung said, you're shaking just as much as when we first met—no growth at all.]
[...I-is that so?]
[Don't get down. It's a good thing—no growth means... Sniff. Does that even make sense?]
[......]
[Anyway, just trust me. Yong-un hyung said to drop hints while badmouthing him or criticizing the prestigious clans, right? I'll lead, so So-rung dongsaeng just chime in.]
They nodded simultaneously and headed to the academy dining hall.
And as promised, Eun Ha-seong spoke first.
"That Go Ryeong guy's strutting around too much, isn't he? Technically, we're both late-generation disciples! He's not even a proctor—just a helper."
"Y-yeah."
"I think the world's in such chaos that the Murim Alliance deliberately hyped up rumors to create a young hero."
"R-really?"
Two days passed like that, going back and forth between the dorms and academy dining hall while criticizing Eon Yong-un and the orthodox Murim.
Eun Ha-seong had taken to badmouthing Eon Yong-un as naturally as breathing.
"That Eon Yong-un guy's hands move faster than his mouth—rumor has it his siblings are covered in bruises with no end in sight."
"That's bad!"
"You two examinees there."
"...Yes?"
"...Yes?"
The dining hall clerk, overhearing while serving food, chased them out.
"Out! No one else to curse, so you pick on Yong-un student?!"
Standing in front of the academy dining hall, puzzled by the unexpected turn, two examinees—one in Jia-rank uniform, the other Yi-rank—approached and spoke.
"I'm Sang Woo-cheong. Saw you get kicked out without even eating."
"Baek Ri-gyeom here. You seem pretty fed up with the academy and prestigious clans. Better keep that inside. Speak it out loud, and like today, you'll get hammered as the nail that sticks out."