Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 29
>Chapter Title: Wi So-yeon (3)
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"I'm sorry, but I must politely decline that offer."
An unexpected refusal from someone who had assumed it would be accepted without question.
The third disciple of the Society Leader, Wi So-yeon, raised one eyebrow and asked in a tone of disbelief.
"Why?"
"There's no particular reason."
"No reason?"
"Yes. If I had to give one, I'd say it's because I dislike conflict."
"You dislike conflict?"
She scoffed at Mok Kyung-un's words.
Someone with that kind of personality had clung on until the end to gain profit, even if Yeop Wi-seon had struck first.
In her judgment, this Mok Kyung-un was no one who disliked conflict.
He would create disputes as needed, without hesitation.
For him to refuse on such grounds...
'He doesn't want to get involved with me, the weakest among the successors.'
That was her conclusion.
The power dynamics within the Heaven-Earth Society were already starkly divided.
The eldest disciple Na Yul-ryang and second disciple Jang Neung-ak had secured support bases of nearly four-tenths and three-tenths, respectively.
In contrast, hers hovered between just one-tenth and two-tenths.
Purely in terms of martial prowess, she had rapidly risen to a level almost rivaling Jang Neung-ak with her tremendous talent, but she still lagged in faction strength.
'Joining my faction is tantamount to rejecting all the others.'
It wasn't incomprehensible.
However, it hadn't been long since she had gathered a force of one to two-tenths.
That gave Wi So-yeon confidence.
'...At the very least, if I can rally the neutral factions under me, my chances are plenty.'
From that perspective, Mok Kyung-un was a highly desirable talent.
She liked his martial skill and shrewdness, but his current situation was ideal.
Mok Kyung-un was on the verge of the final trial of the Blood Test Valley.
In such circumstances, if he topped the final trial, he would earn the right to choose any attending executive as his master.
What if this Mok Kyung-un became her subordinate instead of joining one of the other executives not under her?
Wi So-yeon's lips twitched.
That was her true aim.
'An opportunity like this doesn't come often.'
With that, she spoke.
"Even if you dislike conflict, the moment of choice will come eventually."
"..."
"I'm not offering immediate utility but an investment in your future growth. Yet your senior brothers already have plenty of excellent talents at their side."
"..."
"Do you think the choice you make then will be a great opportunity for you?"
At her words, a glint appeared in Mok Kyung-un's eyes.
He had seen those qualified as successors back at Timber Sword Manor, but this was incomparable.
Regardless of gender, she clearly possessed the qualities to lead an organization.
She had the power to draw people in without lengthy persuasion.
However,
"Even then, if you desperately need someone like me, couldn't that become an opportunity?"
Wi So-yeon let out a long sigh at Mok Kyung-un's response.
He was merely a Blood Test Valley apprentice, holding no special position, yet he refused even after she personally invited him to join her ranks.
What an unusual man.
Yet his final words lingered in her mind.
'Even then, desperately needed...'
It almost sounded like this:
No matter when, he was declaring his own value.
Hearing it that way narrowed her gaze at Mok Kyung-un.
Did he have such confidence in himself?
After staring at him for a long while, she parted her lips with a slightly pouty voice.
"You're the first person to make an executive withdraw without any accomplishments to show for it."
"Your kind words only make me feel more apologetic."
"Fine. I'll look forward to seeing if things turn out as you've boldly claimed."
"I won't disappoint your expectations."
Mok Kyung-un gave a light bow in response to Wi So-yeon's words.
"Ah!"
She then approached him closely, whispering something into his ear before leaping lightly down to the upper floor with graceful footwork.
-Swish!
"I've spoken to Vice Leader Yang and the one waiting outside as promised, so from now on, think of your additional hour as beginning."
With that, she left the report hall as if her business was concluded.
Mok Kyung-un turned his head with a smirk.
"You bastard!"
There, Yeop Wi-seon glared at him with eyes blazing in fury.
His expression looked almost jealous.
No, he was jealous.
'Whispering in that scum's ear?'
It infuriated him.
Grinding his teeth, Yeop Wi-seon said,
"...What did the young lady just whisper to you?"
"If it were something I could say openly, I would have."
"What?"
"More importantly, aren't you going after her? You might lose sight of your master at this rate."
At Mok Kyung-un's words, Yeop Wi-seon stood up and picked up his fallen sword from the floor.
With an aura as if he might swing it any moment, he said,
"Insolent cur. I'm letting you off today only because of the young lady..."
"Spare me the cliché about making me regret it someday and just go while she's being generous."
"You little—!"
Yeop Wi-seon nearly swung his sword in a surge of anger.
But he restrained himself with superhuman patience.
Causing more trouble here would be hard to handle—not to mention the damage to those secret manuals already was.
He had no choice but to withdraw quietly.
-Grind!
"You'll regret not accepting the young lady's offer."
-Shing!
With that, he sheathed his sword and turned to leave.
Mok Kyung-un smiled at him and said,
"Oh, I forgot to mention."
"What?"
"You owe me your life—make sure to repay it later."
"...What nonsense are you spouting? You got drunk and haggled your way to even obtaining the young lady's identity token."
"I let it slide, didn't I?"
"Let it slide? What..."
"You're still misunderstanding. The young lady glossed over the life debt and such to save you, but from the standpoint of upholding your own words, she never wavered on the immediate execution if you spoke out."
'!?'
Yeop Wi-seon's face stiffened at those words.
* * *
After Yeop Wi-seon also left the report hall, Cheongryeong's voice echoed in Mok Kyung-un's ear.
-Why didn't you do as this lord commanded?
"Ah, you mean pretending to submit, whether sincere or not, and joining that third disciple woman as a subordinate?"
Cheongryeong had instructed Mok Kyung-un to become her subordinate.
That way, he could embed himself in the inner circles faster and make contact with the upper echelons.
-Yes.
"Well, it just doesn't feel like the right time yet."
-Time? Do you think opportunities like this come easily?
"Is there a guarantee that a chance that comes once won't come again?"
-If opportunities came easily, they wouldn't be called opportunities.
"You must regret it a lot."
-It's not about regret. Even if it's difficult now, seizing that mortal woman's body would hasten the moment, which is why I say this.
She had grown covetous of Wi So-yeon's body, which so strikingly resembled her own.
It even felt as if her own dead body had come back to life.
Mok Kyung-un responded,
"So you were after that body after all. It wasn't just similar—it was remarkably so. Could she be your descendant by any chance?"
-...This lord has no descendants. I never even... No, I couldn't hold a wedding! What nonsense are you spouting!
"How would I know if you had a wedding or children? You always dodge the subject by saying it's not the time."
-Hmph!
She snorted at Mok Kyung-un's words.
She was already offended that he hadn't followed her lead, letting the opportunity slip away.
'She must regret it.'
Mok Kyung-un smirked inwardly without showing it.
In truth, he had expected Cheongryeong to covet Wi So-yeon's body.
It was the most similar appearance to her living self and held the strongest martial prowess among the women he'd encountered.
It would be stranger if greed didn't stir.
Yet Mok Kyung-un did not yield.
'Sorry, but it's not a sure card worth playing yet.'
Mok Kyung-un's primary goal was revenge.
To uncover if Ghost Sword was the true culprit who killed Grandfather, and if so, to exact vengeance—that was his immediate aim.
Becoming the third disciple of the Heaven-Earth Society Leader right now would pit him against the other successors and their factions.
'Why make it harder than necessary?'
Blood Test Valley Lord Yi Ji-yeom had said the most likely successor was the eldest disciple, Na Yul-ryang.
His four-tenths faction included Martial King Seo Wun-cho, one of the Eight Stars called the supreme master of the Central Plains, one of the Five Kings, one of the Three Elders, and two Valley Lords.
This had tilted the scales considerably.
[If Eldest Disciple Na Yul-ryang gains the support of another Five Kings member bearing the Eight Stars title, who remains neutral, his position as successor will solidify.]
Thus, there was no need to join Wi So-yeon's faction.
Mok Kyung-un preferred a sure bet over a potential one. If he had to join someone's faction, targeting the frontrunner Na Yul-ryang made more sense.
'Island Poison King.'
Currently neutral and unaligned, yet the only one in the Heaven-Earth Society alive after clashing with Ghost Sword.
Mok Kyung-un aimed to pass the final trial and become his disciple.
By becoming Island Poison King Baek Sa-ha's disciple, he could uncover his secrets and then approach Na Yul-ryang, closest to the Leader's seat.
That was Mok Kyung-un's current plan.
Whispering to the displeased Cheongryeong, he said,
"So, you won't help after all?"
-...Damnable mortal.
Asking for help only when he needed it.
It really grated on her.
* * *
Having earned another hour, Mok Kyung-un leisurely scanned the secret manuals on the third floor of the report hall.
To call it scanning was an understatement; he entered a trance, merging seamlessly with the original martial artists' essences captured in their brushstrokes, absorbing them at a rapid pace.
This was an absurd talent no other martial artist possessed.
The more secret manuals he read, the broader his insight and vision into martial arts grew, accumulating experience as if he had mastered countless techniques himself.
There, Cheongryeong noticed something peculiar.
'This guy's body...'
Mok Kyung-un, lost in trance.
She could see his muscles subtly changing in real time.
The shifts were so minute that one wouldn't notice without close observation, but Cheongryeong spotted it due to one phenomenon while he was entranced.
Sweat.
'Sweat?'
There had been none on the second floor, but as he perused the third floor manuals, sweat poured down Mok Kyung-un's face.
Even his clothes grew damp.
Wondering why, she suddenly noticed the muscles in his wrist twitching ever so slightly, their density altering.
'Ha...'
It was astonishing.
She had heard tales like this before.
Strong will and spirit could profoundly influence the body at times.
For instance, there was a story:
Someone suddenly doused another with water from a teapot in a surprise attack, and the victim suffered burns.
Surprisingly, the water was cold, not hot.
The intense belief that it was scalding had caused the burns.
'For it to manifest this concretely... This guy is truly...'
Not human.
By immersing in the manuals and uniting with the imagery in his mind, it was affecting his flesh, altering his muscles.
Was such a thing possible?
Time limits would restrict the quantity, but if he deliberately read every manual in this secret repository given enough time, what would happen?
'Now I'm curious.'
It was then.
-Flip! Thud!
Mok Kyung-un finished a manual and closed it.
As he slotted it back into the shelf, he turned his head sideways.
-Next...
"Wait a moment."
-What's wrong?
"It's been bothering me for a while, but it definitely seems to be coming from there."
-There?
Where Mok Kyung-un looked.
It was a corner of the third floor report hall, forming another small chamber.
Shelves with more manuals seemed to line the interior, but
'Red line?'
A red line was drawn before it.
[Oh, and there are places marked with red lines... Avoid entering them if possible.]
[Huh?]
[There was something there before... No, you don't need to know that. Anyway, cross that red line, and you'll see something terrifying enough to make your hair stand on end. So heed my warning.]
Report Keeper Vice Leader Yang Mu-won's warning came to mind.
That must be the place he meant.
'Something terrifying...'
-Hmm. That red line doesn't look ordinary.
Mok Kyung-un agreed with Cheongryeong.
Mixing red ink with white rice and salt created a barrier function.
Centered on the line, it could sever connections.
"It's intriguing."
-Curiosity piqued, eh?
"There's a sound coming from inside."
-Sound?
She, inside the wooden doll, couldn't hear distant sounds.
Thus, she asked.
-What sound?
"We'll know when we check."
Mok Kyung-un glanced slyly at the chamber entrance below.
No one was there.
Earlier, after entering the report hall, the man who had seen the thirty or so manuals bisected by Yeop Wi-seon had left with a near-mad expression.
With no eyes watching, it seemed fine to take a quick look.
-Swish!
Mok Kyung-un crossed the red line into the small chamber.
-Rumble rumble rumble!
-Hear that sound!?
Cheongryeong responded as if she understood.
Once inside, a single bookshelf shook violently enough for her to hear.
At the very top of that shelf, devoid of manuals, sat a tightly rolled wooden box,
-Squirm!
From which an eerie energy seeped.
Mok Kyung-un could see it clearly.
"...It's demonic energy."
-Demonic energy?
It wasn't the energy of the dead.
The ominous aura emanating from that scroll was the demonic energy felt only from imae mangnyang.
Mok Kyung-un approached it.
-Squirm!
'Strange.'
Ordinary people wouldn't sense it, but why leave such an item here?
Didn't the Heaven-Earth Society even have sorcerers?
Then, a voice reached Mok Kyung-un's ear.
-Jeong-ah. Jeong-ah.
'!?'
His expression hardened the instant he heard it.
It was none other than,
"Grandfather?"
The voice of his dead grandfather.
What was this?
Why was Grandfather's voice coming from that box?
-Jeong-ah... Jeong-ah... Help this old man.
"Grandfather?"
-Jeong-ah... It's so suffocating.
From the tone calling his name to the voice itself, it was undeniably Grandfather.
Then, a sharp rebuke rang in his ear.
-Fool!
Mok Kyung-un grimaced immediately.
-Snap out of it. Grandfather this, Grandfather that—you're hearing hallucinations.
"Doesn't Cheongryeong hear it?"
-Not at all.
"Ahh, then it must be a hallucination."
-Surely you're not falling for mere auditory illusions?
"Of course not."
Mok Kyung-un was utterly rational.
He was merely puzzled how it called his true name without contact.
-Don't get swayed by such hallucinations...
It was right then.
-Damnable stray spirit daring to interfere with this lord!
This rang out clearly.
Cheongryeong, hearing it too, muttered in disbelief.
-Damnable stray spirit? How dare it...
As she moved to rage, the voice from the wooden box continued.
-Mortal. Open the wooden box. Do so, and this lord who governs death shall grant your wish.
Mok Kyung-un smirked and muttered,
"You're hawking your wares way too obviously."