Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 34
>Chapter Title: Selection (3)
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“One more thing—I was brought here as a hostage to the esteemed Brightness King right here.”
‘!?’
Brightness King Son Yun’s expression hardened in an instant.
Revealing such a fatal weakness and source of scandal with his own mouth?
What on earth was he thinking?
Even outside the city, this was still Heavenly Society territory, filled with Heavenly Society members.
They had long vied for supremacy in the martial world with the Orthodox Factions, enemies so deep it wasn’t an exaggeration to call them blood foes.
To disclose this within the Heavenly Society itself was truly a foolish choice.
-Murmur murmur!
‘An Orthodox Factioner?’
‘Orthodox?’
The crowd stirred here and there, the atmosphere heating up in a flash.
Even the initiates felt the same.
Mujang-yak and Mo Ha-rang of Mo Hwa Bang, forced to swear loyalty to Mok Kyung-un, were equally stunned, glaring at him with incredulous expressions.
At the very least, they had assumed that even if he was nameless, he came from some minor sect under the Heavenly Society.
But Orthodox Faction?
‘Does that mean I swore loyalty to an Orthodox Factioner?’
‘How could this happen...’
Humiliation flushed their faces in an instant.
‘Oh ho ho. What a headache-inducing kid.’
The Dark Sect Leader, one of the few who knew his identity, inwardly stuck out her tongue as she watched Mok Kyung-un.
Right now, he might as well have exposed himself in the heart of enemy territory.
Even if he was a hostage.
‘To Heavenly Society warriors, Orthodox Factioners are enemies that must be rejected without fail.’
This held true regardless of age or gender.
Especially for the young later-generation talents, who had been indoctrinated since childhood by parents or masters—the enmity was even more fiercely inherited.
It wouldn’t be strange if chaos erupted at any moment.
-Bam!
“Timber Sword Manor? Did you just say Orthodox Timber Sword Manor?”
Sure enough, someone shot to their feet.
It was Bo Hyeok-so, Grand Unit Leader of the Infernal Demon Brigade.
Having lost his father in a battle against the Volcanic Sect, his hatred for the Orthodox Factions ran deep.
When Mok Kyung-un’s identity turned out to be none other than an Orthodox Factioner, he reacted explosively.
“How could a mere Orthodox riffraff enter the Bloodbath Gorge, the gateway to the Great Heavenly Society? Kneel!”
-Crack!
Bo Hyeok-so shattered the chair’s armrest with a single palm strike.
He then infused qi into the jagged shard and hurled it at Mok Kyung-un’s thigh.
It was blindingly fast.
Yet Mok Kyung-un calmly stepped back with a movement technique, dodging it.
-Splinter!
The armrest fragment pierced the stone floor right in front of him, embedding halfway in.
It looked like it was meant to go clean through his leg.
“Dodge? Fine. Then this Infernal Demon Grand Unit Leader will make you kneel myself!”
Bo Hyeok-so of the Infernal Demon Brigade kicked off to charge forward.
At that moment, someone blocked his path.
“Infernal Demon Grand Unit Leader. Stand down.”
It was none other than Bloodbath Gorge Lord Lee Ji-yeom.
With Lee Ji-yeom in his way, Bo Hyeok-so raised his voice, face flushed with anger.
“Gorge Lord! What is the meaning of this? How could an Orthodox riffraff be here? Surely you knew?”
Lee Ji-yeom couldn’t hide his extreme embarrassment at the question.
He had thought that even that lord wouldn’t carelessly reveal the identity of the body he possessed, belonging to an Orthodox prestigious clan’s scion.
He hadn’t expected this outright disclosure.
‘...This is awkward.’
The problem wasn’t just the reveal—the Society Leader had ordered him to keep silent about the identities of the two Mok family brothers brought as hostages.
It was a direct order from the Society Leader, one he had to obey.
If he broke it now under everyone’s gaze, the Society Leader would surely use it as leverage against him.
‘Should I stay silent...’
But for his lord, he had to reveal it.
That was a subordinate’s duty.
Thus, Lee Ji-yeom prepared to explain it was the Society Leader’s command and that silence had been ordered.
“This is...”
He didn’t get to finish.
“The order to send Timber Sword Manor’s hostages through the Bloodbath Gorge gate came from above. Raise no further objections. Infernal Demon Grand Unit Leader.”
“Brightness King?”
Stepping forward before Lee Ji-yeom could speak was none other than Brightness King Son Yun.
Son Yun’s intervention brought a glint to Mok Kyung-un’s eyes.
He had expected fury after self-exposing the ankle-grabbing weakness, but surprisingly, he was stepping in to smooth things over.
“An order from above, you say...”
“I advise against inquiring further.”
“...”
At Son Yun’s warning, Infernal Demon Grand Unit Leader Bo Hyeok-so shut his mouth.
If it was an order from above the Five Kings, even a senior executive like him had overstepped by meddling.
“Understood.”
Son Yun answered and retreated back to his seat.
Watching this, Bloodbath Gorge Lord Lee Ji-yeom let out a sigh of relief, sending a grateful look to Brightness King Son Yun.
Thanks to him claiming it was an order from above first, he’d escaped the bind.
Even so, despite his lord’s unexpected outburst, for him to step in like this showed he truly wanted him as a disciple.
Taking an Orthodox hostage as a disciple could stir discontent, yet he was willing to bear that risk—impressive indeed.
‘Well, sure.’
If he didn’t know his lord was in that body, even he would covet such talent.
But right then.
“I can’t accept this.”
The displeased voice belonged to none other than Blue Sound Gorge Lord Hang Yeo-ryang.
Just moments ago, she had been itching to take Mok Kyung-un, but now she glared at him with eyes full of hostility.
Son Yun said to her.
“What can’t you accept?”
“Even if it’s an order from above we can’t defy, not knowing this means one of us nearly took an Orthodox hostage as a disciple.”
Her words drew nods from the two Grand Unit Leaders, sharing the sentiment.
Even if from above, it was an Orthodox hostage.
They had nearly blindly accepted a loathsome Orthodox scion as disciple, only to face the fallout later.
“...Blue Sound Gorge Lord has a point. Brother Son and Bloodbath Gorge Lord knew yet gave no hint.”
Thunderclap Fist King Won Byeong-hak voiced his discontent too.
His changed tone showed he now hesitated upon learning Mok Kyung-un’s origins.
This was, in a way, a natural reaction.
Then Blue Sound Gorge Lord Hang Yeo-ryang smirked and said.
“Ahh, now I get it.”
“You get it now?”
“Yes. If those above sent an Orthodox hostage to the Bloodbath Gorge, isn’t the real intent elsewhere? We all know what kind of place it is.”
“...”
The others showed eyes of agreement.
The Bloodbath Gorge was a place from which few emerged alive.
Sending an Orthodox hostage there wasn’t giving a chance—it was telling them not to come back alive.
“What if those above intended that, but things didn’t go as planned?”
“Don’t cross the line, Blue Sound Gorge Lord.”
Brightness King Son Yun warned her sharply, despite her claiming it was from above, as she kept complaining.
Hang Yeo-ryang chuckled sneeringly, clasped her hands, and gave a slight bow.
“Yes, yes. How could a lowly one like me defy those above? But I have no desire to take as disciple or subordinate someone from the Orthodox Factions—who killed my sister and are eternal enemies of this society. So...”
-Grind!
Blue Sound Gorge Lord Hang Yeo-ryang turned her chair around and sat.
It was a show of her discontent.
But it didn’t end there.
-Grind!
As if in solidarity, Infernal Demon Brigade’s Grand Unit Leader Bo Hyeok-so, Crimson Blood Brigade’s Grand Unit Leader Dae So-man, and others turned their chairs too.
And it wasn’t just them.
-Grind!
‘...Thunderclap Fist King.’
Thunderclap Fist King Won Byeong-hak turned his chair as well.
Their actions showed unyielding resolve to reject an Orthodox Factioner, even if ordered from above.
Considering their future standing in the society, their behavior was understandable.
*Cough cough.*
Mok Yu-cheon coughed as quietly as possible.
Having just awakened—by some stroke of luck—the heavy atmosphere left his mind in turmoil.
‘They’re the same.’
It wasn’t just the Orthodox Factioners.
Unorthodox warriors and Heavenly Society members hated the Orthodox too.
Well, that was natural, perhaps.
They had long rejected, fought, and killed each other.
‘...All the same.’
His heart grew heavy, and on one hand, he understood...
‘No. Understand them?’
Why was he thinking this?
Mok Yu-cheon denied his own thoughts.
He glanced at Mok Kyung-un.
That guy was unexpected.
He hadn’t thought he’d reveal his identity so boldly.
‘Still, his roots make him Orthodox after all.’
Truly inscrutable.
How many times had that guy disappointed him?
He’d thought him a demon fitting this place, not Orthodox.
But if he upheld honor as an Orthodox and Timber Sword Manor warrior to the end, the story changed.
‘If so, I’d stake my life to help...’
Right then.
Mok Kyung-un shouted in a voice everyone could hear.
“I, Mok Kyung-un, was born an Orthodox scion, but growing up, I despised their hypocrisy—treating all non-Orthodox as evil in black-and-white logic, rotten to the core.”
‘!?’
Mok Yu-cheon’s jaw dropped.
What did this punk just say?
Just before waking, he’d thought maybe he misunderstood him based on his words.
But now he was cursing the Orthodox.
-Murmur murmur!
All eyes turned back to Mok Kyung-un.
Ignoring the stares, he continued his shout.
“Because of that, from childhood, I admired the heroes of the Heavenly Society. I reveal my identity to you heroes now to sever ties with my past self.”
‘This guy, don’t tell me?’
Brightness King Son Yun furrowed his brow at his words.
He could guess what this cunning one was up to.
And as expected, Mok Kyung-un bowed with clasped hands in formal salute to all and cried out.
“I swear to the Heavens and Earth. I, Mok Kyung-un, sever ties with my clan Timber Sword Manor and henceforth the Orthodox Factions. I will join the Heavenly Society and fight those loathsome foes!”
His voice echoed across the plaza.
The plaza stirred once more.
They had been outraged at an Orthodox in the Bloodbath Gorge, but who could’ve predicted this sudden declaration of defection?
The Dark Sect Leader covered her mouth and laughed softly.
‘I wondered what he’d do after exposing his weakness—defecting, huh.’
Even she hadn’t anticipated this.
A scion of prestigious Timber Sword Manor, with outstanding talent.
Usually, such types held firm convictions and never bent—but this one was different.
‘A truly amusing child.’
The Dark Sect Leader’s eyes narrowed as she watched Mok Kyung-un.
It didn’t feel like mere lip service to survive the moment.
So what was he really thinking?
‘This kid’s got something up his sleeve.’
She grew curious.
Then Mok Kyung-un said in a voice for the executives only.
“No issues with my origins now, right?”
Brightness King Son Yun, staring at him with an exasperated look, suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hahahahahahahahaha!”
He’d never seen such a one in all his life.
He had planned to take him as disciple, tame him well, abandon the Orthodox, and turn him into Heavenly Society talent.
But to walk—no, mouth—his way in.
He’d thought him bold even in Timber Sword Manor, but this guy was utterly unpredictable.
Son Yun looked at the executives behind and said.
“Hard to nitpick his origins now, eh.”
“...”
The executives who had turned their chairs couldn’t respond.
They had shown intent to reject based on origins—changing now after the defection declaration would look terrible.
Son Yun saw this as perfect.
‘He’ll end up by my side after all.’
He had defended Mok Kyung-un to the end.
If the kid felt even a shred of gratitude and sensed their hostility, he’d realize there was only one choice.
Son Yun extended a hand toward Mok Kyung-un and opened his mouth.
Then,
“Oh ho ho. Does that mean I can bid now?”
‘!?’
At the familiar coquettish voice, Brightness King Son Yun frowned and turned.
The only other one besides him who hadn’t turned her chair.
The Dark Sect Leader.
‘Ahhh.’
Right, she was still there.
But he wasn’t worried.
The main rival, Thunderclap Fist King Won Byeong-hak, had kicked away the gift walking in.
Then the Dark Sect Leader said to Mok Kyung-un.
“Well, as a Dao cultivator, teaching Dao arts wouldn’t appeal... And positional perks pale against Brightness King. So what might tempt you is this.”
‘This?’
What was she dangling to lure him?
Puzzled, the Dark Sect Leader smiled and said.
“You seem to practice the sword, but without a proper fine blade, right?”
“...Yes.”
He had no particular greed for famed swords.
He didn’t even know them well.
“Perfect. A swordsman needs a fitting famed sword.”
Son Yun’s eyes narrowed.
What fine sword did she have to say that?
But her next words sent murmurs rippling through.
“If you join me, I’ll give you the Malefic Blade, one of the demonic swords of legend.”
‘!!!!!!!!!!’
-Murmur murmur!
[End of Chapter 34: Selection (3)]