Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Finding the Traces (3)
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"Could I hear more details about that?"
"Of course. It's not exactly a secret anyway. I'm sure an official notice will come down soon."
It was something the seasoned instructors of Bronze Hall had already anticipated.
The instructors at Divine Martial Academy were already short on talent, and a series of incidents had left many dead or injured.
It was obvious that gaps in duties would form.
'Even if they try to recruit more, it won't be easy.'
They had just discovered minions of the Wangcheon Society lurking around the Murim Alliance and Divine Martial Academy.
It was clear they would scrutinize candidates even more rigorously to select only the qualified.
The problem was that instructor positions were already hard to fill due to the meager pay and honorary nature, and strict vetting would make it even harder.
'In the end, they're planning an emergency infusion from Bronze Hall.'
They would create vacancies to promote people to Silver Hall.
It was exactly as Dokgo Ryul had intended.
However, Yeo Mae-hong was skeptical.
"Do you think it'll work? Even if it's temporary, a lot of students will complain about the drop in prestige."
"True. Silver Hall students have incredibly strong pride. Some even belittle Bronze Hall instructors as 'nannies.' There will definitely be some who rebel."
"Those blockheads without a shred of common sense."
"We can't entirely blame the students. There really are many with arrogant personalities who are also exceptionally skilled."
"And it's true that many judge based more on background or origins than actual ability."
It seemed becoming an instructor in Silver Hall wasn't as simple as it sounded.
'But it's got nothing to do with me.'
Strong pride?
'Life matters more than pride.'
Judging by background over skill?
'Just beat them until they can't see straight.'
He had already caught those notoriously prickly desert dwellers like rats in a trap.
He was confident he was the best at handling people.
However, Yeo Mae-hong's concerns weren't limited to the students.
"I hear the initiation for new Silver Hall instructors is pretty grueling too..."
"Back in my day, senior instructors would round up the newbies and make them do punishment drills at dawn every day. Plenty quit from the nonstop torment."
Moyong Seon-ya chewed her innards like they were her enemies, her mood souring at the mere memory.
Yeo Mae-hong asked, watching her.
"The higher-ups must know about all this. Will they push ahead anyway?"
"Yeah, they will."
Moyong Seon-ya answered definitively and turned the question back.
"Think back to our time. What happened in the second semester?"
"Back then..."
Yeo Mae-hong paused, then clapped her palms together with a sudden realization.
"Right! The Riverside Expedition!"
"Exactly. It got canceled because the Silver Hall instructor preparing it passed away tragically. But can they really keep putting off Silver Hall's signature Riverside Expedition forever?"
"That'd be tough. It's the most highly valued event."
"Especially since the Chief Supervisor recently announced a focus on training combat-ready talent. In this situation, they won't abandon giving students their first real combat experience."
In conclusion, Moyong Seon-ya believed they would forcibly recruit from Bronze Hall to address the urgent manpower shortage and prepare for the second-semester Riverside Expedition.
'That's a reasonable deduction.'
It was logically and practically convincing.
Was such a perfect flow really coincidence?
'No way.'
Refusing the sudden visit from his subordinate had truly been a stroke of genius.
"Anyway, it seems the Chief Supervisor is looking for active masters worth recruiting."
"Would those active masters really be satisfied with instructor positions?"
"Who knows. But whatever it takes, they'll find a way..."
Before long, the talk shifted from work to romance, then to gossip about superiors.
'It's been a while since I had such a fun time.'
The only regrettable part was failing to find 'her' traces again today.
"Yum. Yum."
At least he'd discovered a delicious eatery that suited his taste.
"Huuuuuh."
Stepping out to splash his face, Chu Un-hwi headed to the well in the tavern's backyard.
"Everything here's great, but the ventilation..."
The nonstop grilling of innards filled the tavern with thick smoke.
Mixed with the cigarette haze from drunken smokers, it made his sensitive nose throb.
"Haaaaah. Fresh air."
He opened his mouth wide, greedily inhaling cool night air through his nose.
"Sniff. Sniff."
The stale smoke clinging to his lungs cleared, replaced by crisp night air.
"Haaaaah. That's better... Huh?"
He froze.
A faint scent pierced his nostrils, and Chu Un-hwi whipped around.
'This scent...'
His previously relaxed energy tensed instantly, his senses sharpening to a razor's edge.
His now hyper-sensitive nose definitively identified the scent.
"It's her fragrance."
Thud.
The moment he muttered it, his body kicked off the ground, soaring ten-plus zhang high.
Tap.
In the blink of an eye, he'd crossed thirty zhang and crouched low.
"Sniff sniff."
The scent faded here.
Not this direction.
Thump.
He landed on another building's roof and extended his senses.
Reading the faint lingering trail, he turned his head.
"East-west."
Whoosh.
His vision sharpened rapidly, locking onto a figure hundreds of zhang away like reeling in a puppet.
His mind grew urgent.
'No time.'
She was entering the main street.
Even he couldn't track the trail once it mixed with countless body odors.
'No choice.'
Crack.
The foundation stones where he'd stood exploded.
Thump!
Screeech!
Chu Un-hwi surged dozens of zhang into the air and gathered his power.
Wooooong.
Black energy converged on his index finger, vibrating the surrounding air.
Time was tight.
In Infinite City's bustling district, a master might notice the odd energy flow.
And sure enough.
'Someone's reacting already.'
Beyond the familiar night view of Blue Wall Tower, a massive energy stirred.
'Sharp senses.'
But no matter the master, the distance was too great, and they couldn't pinpoint him exactly.
'Quick and decisive.'
The moment black energy fully formed on his finger, he flicked it.
Screech!
The shot energy retraced the trail to its source.
"Ack, cold!"
The girl melting into the crowd rubbed her nape.
'Success!'
He infused the energy.
Now, swift retreat.
Whirl.
He twisted mid-air, landing back on a roof.
Tat.
Then quickly toed the eaves and leaped again.
Sweeeesh!
Wind scattered futilely as the scenery blurred.
A brief moment later.
"Whew."
Chu Un-hwi stood by the tavern's well again.
Just a few deep breaths, and he was back.
"Oh, you're out here?"
Yeo Mae-hong squeezed out of the shop, face weary.
"Ugh. Ate too much."
"You should have paced yourself."
"It'd been ages since a drinking party."
Moyong Seon-ya followed, her face flushed red.
"Everything here's great, but the ventilation's lacking."
"Cheap and tasty is what matters. What's the problem?"
Yeo Mae-hong sniffed her sleeves and collar.
"Sniff sniff. Smells soaked into everything. No washing this out."
"Meat scent's a badge of honor. Everyone on the street will envy you."
Time to settle up and leave? As he turned to pay, Moyong Seon-ya grinned wryly.
"I already paid."
"Huh? Isn't it my turn today?"
"I'll get a bigger treat next time."
For some reason, he felt he'd be dragged to more drinking sessions with these two.
"Well, works for me."
It was enjoyable anyway, so he replied casually.
At that moment.
Sweeeesh.
A figure glided in on the wind and landed lightly.
"Strange."
An elder with long white hair flowing in the breeze swept back his beard.
He tilted his head, examining where Chu Un-hwi had been moments ago.
"I definitely sensed a presence..."
Stroking his beard between thumb and forefinger, he muttered.
"Was this old man mistaken?"
No way.
For a split second, he'd clearly felt the energy wave.
"Not something to mistake. Definitely deep and majestic... Hm?"
Tat.
Someone leaped from below the eaves, spotted the elder, and spun away in alarm.
Flutter flutter.
Flags snapped noisily as the figure landed lightly.
"Flame Light Blade Demon Ma Gil-sang greets the Alliance Leader."
"Hoho. Flame Light Blade Demon. You sensed it too?"
A smile curved Alliance Leader Yi Jun-ho's lips.
'As expected of the Chief Squad Leader. Fastest to arrive.'
Young among the Alliance's elders, but peerless in skill.
This confirmed it.
"Looks like I wasn't imagining it."
"A small but intense energy. No mistake."
"So unfamiliar, I couldn't pin down its origin."
As a veteran of the jianghu with mastery of myriad absolute arts and sinister demonic techniques, Alliance Leader Yi Jun-ho had never felt anything like it.
'Less like energy, more like the aftermath of a natural disaster.'
Like the devastation left by a massive typhoon?
But his thoughts didn't linger.
"Alliance Leader."
A white-robed figure flew in urgently.
"Alliance Leader!"
"Kekeke. White-Clothed Judge. You've arrived."
"Huff huff. I'm late."
"No, perfect timing."
Just the three of us?
It happened in a quiet alley on the city outskirts, but only three sensed it?
'A bit dangerous.'
He bitterly stroked his beard.
"Make that four."
A heavy voice and powerful presence landed on the roof.
The reassuring bass brightened White-Clothed Judge Seon In-hyeok and Flame Light Blade Demon Ma Gil-sang's faces.
"Squad Leader Dokgo."
"Heh. Was wondering when you'd show."
Only now could Alliance Leader Yi Jun-ho properly size up the newcomer.
A rugged, manly face with lips firmly set in a straight line, exuding solemnity.
The black eyepatch across his face marked him as the recent jianghu sensation.
"You must be One-Eyed Divine Sword Dokgo Ryul."
"Divine Sword is too much. Just call me One-Eyed Sword."
A smile tugged at Alliance Leader Yi Jun-ho's lips at the deep voice.
'Humble man.'
At around forty, earning such a title could make one arrogant, yet he was utterly steadfast.
Not just his speech.
His aura was pure, attire simple—betokening an upright character.
'Excellent. A great boon to the righteous jianghu.'
Not hiding his smile, Alliance Leader Yi Jun-ho asked.
"You all felt it too—an utterly unfamiliar energy. Even this old man can't guess its origin. What do you think?"
"Regrettably, first time for me too, Alliance Leader."
The White-Clothed Judge, renowned for insight, was stumped.
Alliance Leader Yi Jun-ho turned to Dokgo Ryul.
"And you?"
"......"
One-Eyed Divine Sword pondered briefly before speaking.
"Same here. But it's not that I have zero clues to its origin."
"What might that be?"
"Rather, I'd like to review recent events."
The three faces hardened instantly. Alliance Leader Yi Jun-ho nodded.
"You think it's connected to the Alliance traitors."
"They're unidentified even at the mastermind level. Mastering one or two unknown techniques wouldn't be odd."
"Indeed..."
A plausible theory.
"I thought we'd been rooting them out successfully..."
The Alliance's masters were still digging furiously. Yet they left traces like this?
"They must look down on us."
Murim Alliance Leader Yi Jun-ho smiled chillingly.