Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Necromancer of the Sword Clan
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"What brings the Vice Hall Leader here?"
Shin Yu-hyun feigned a surprised expression as he spoke.
But he could roughly guess why they had come looking for him.
It had to be about Jeong Tae-seong and his group.
"We're sorry. We failed to protect the Hall Leader's safety."
In response to Shin Yu-hyun's question, Vice Hall Leader Choi Jeong-hoon led the way, followed by Lee Yeon-hwa and Kim Jae-hyun, who all bowed their heads and apologized first.
The Shin Yu-hyun standing before them now was the master of Black Tortoise Hall.
Thus, they had a duty to escort and protect him.
But they had failed.
They hadn't even stopped the low-ranking members of Vermilion Bird Hall from ambushing him to cripple his dantian.
And that had happened in an area under the clan's management.
No matter how much Shin Yu-hyun was an unrecognized Hall Leader in Black Tortoise Hall, the attack by Jeong Tae-seong's group was their failure.
"Is that the consensus of all of you?"
"Yes."
Choi Jeong-hoon nodded in affirmation.
Shin Yu-hyun gazed steadily at him.
This was the man who had been running Black Tortoise Hall in his stead all this time.
He was in his late forties, but his appearance made him look late thirties, youthful.
Wearing a dark brown barrier coat, he gave off a gentle impression.
Moreover, he was a peak realm swordsman with the strength of a low-grade 5-star, renowned for his diligence and hard work.
'Without him, Black Tortoise Hall would have been in far worse shape.'
In his previous life, he hadn't known.
He had no idea what Black Tortoise Hall's situation was like back then.
But now that he had regressed to the past, he knew Black Tortoise Hall was in bad shape.
Because Shin Yu-hyun, the third son of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan, had been appointed Hall Leader simply due to his status as a direct descendant.
With Shin Yu-hyun—who couldn't even open his energy circuits—serving as Hall Leader, Black Tortoise Hall had gradually shrunk over time.
It was only thanks to Vice Hall Leader Choi Jeong-hoon's diligent personality that they had managed to keep it going until now.
"Honestly, I'm surprised. I didn't expect all of you to come see me."
Shin Yu-hyun looked around at the people who had come to him.
He had somewhat anticipated Vice Hall Leader Choi Jeong-hoon coming.
But he hadn't expected all three key figures running Black Tortoise Hall to show up together.
"The situation has changed."
Lee Yeon-hwa, the head of personnel for Black Tortoise Hall, smiled as she replied to Shin Yu-hyun.
She was in her late thirties but looked like she was in her early thirties, a beauty.
She wore a stylish fusion hanbok with a modern twist.
The top was a luxurious white jeogori with red patterns, and the skirt was a deep purple with a high side slit that revealed her white legs.
The fusion hanbok wasn't just flashy in design; it also had defensive capabilities comparable to a barrier coat.
It was her custom combat attire.
And in her hand was her signature long pipe.
'Personnel Director, Lee Yeon-hwa.'
Shin Yu-hyun observed her quietly.
An Eastern beauty with black hair cascading to her waist and dark eyes.
But the dark circles under her eyes, her languid expression, and her glamorous hanbok gave her a sensual aura.
At the same time, she exuded a subtly dangerous vibe.
In fact, there were people who had tangled with her and lost limbs.
She was one of Black Tortoise Hall's top powerhouses, a high-grade 4-star swordsman.
"Who would've thought our third young master was hiding his power? Hehe."
Lee Yeon-hwa gazed at Shin Yu-hyun with a languid smile.
It seemed she, along with Choi Jeong-hoon and Kim Jae-hyun, believed Shin Yu-hyun had been concealing his strength.
Otherwise, how could someone known for having no talent overwhelm 3-star swordsmen in such a short time?
But Shin Yu-hyun shook his head.
"I wasn't particularly hiding it. I've only opened my energy circuits a few days ago."
"So you're saying you really grew this strong in such a short time?"
This time, Kim Jae-hyun, the finance director of Black Tortoise Hall, asked with a shocked expression.
He was in his mid-forties but looked late thirties, and his glasses gave him a stern, nitpicky impression.
Shin Yu-hyun nodded toward Kim Jae-hyun.
"Yes."
They all stared at him in astonishment.
"Well, I'll be..."
They looked incredulous.
They had assumed he had been hiding his power in some way.
It was far more plausible that he had revealed hidden strength.
But he hadn't been hiding it?
That meant his growth rate was utterly unbelievable.
He was still only low-grade 3-star, but compared to before, it was an unimaginable leap.
"Is that why you came? To apologize?"
Shin Yu-hyun gazed at them steadily.
He had a rough idea why they had come.
In his previous life, they had never all visited him together.
At most, Vice Hall Leader Choi Jeong-hoon would drop by occasionally.
"We have decided to follow the third young master."
Led by Choi Jeong-hoon, Lee Yeon-hwa and Kim Jae-hyun began kneeling before Shin Yu-hyun.
They had come to acknowledge him as Black Tortoise Hall's Hall Leader and pledge their loyalty.
In truth, they had been agonizing over it ever since Shin Yu-hyun returned from clearing the boss in the 2-star dungeon, Fallen Goblin Forest.
Whether to follow him or not.
In the past, Black Tortoise Hall had been prestigious, but ever since Shin Yu-hyun—known for lacking mana talent—took over, it had been on a downward spiral.
The other guardian sword halls had poached their talented members, naturally leading to Black Tortoise Hall's shrinkage.
Finances had grown tight as well.
But they couldn't just oust Shin Yu-hyun themselves.
The one who had placed him as Hall Leader was none other than the clan leader, Shin Sung-il.
Changing Black Tortoise Hall's Hall Leader on their own would be tantamount to challenging Clan Leader Shin Sung-il's authority.
So they had secretly hoped Shin Cheol-ho would be newly appointed as Hall Leader.
With his reputation as the clan's once-in-a-generation prodigy, he could rebuild Black Tortoise Hall.
But the reliable Shin Cheol-ho had lost to Shin Yu-hyun?
And Clan Leader Shin Sung-il had acknowledged Shin Yu-hyun as a clan member. As Lee Yeon-hwa said, the situation had changed dramatically.
"The third young master can rebuild Black Tortoise Hall."
"We could even recruit skilled initiates who haven't chosen a hall yet."
"If we increase the number of sword division members and send more to dungeons, our finances will improve."
They spoke one by one, their faces bright with hope.
Especially Kim Jae-hyun, the finance director, whose expression lit up.
Most guardian sword halls operated on profits from dungeon clears.
But with fewer sword division members, Black Tortoise Hall couldn't tackle many dungeons, leaving finances poor.
But the current Shin Yu-hyun could change that.
As a direct descendant successor candidate, he could recruit talent and expand the sword division, improving finances.
"I understand your thoughts. I know Black Tortoise Hall's situation isn't good. That's why I plan to rebuild it."
Shin Yu-hyun looked at Choi Jeong-hoon, Lee Yeon-hwa, and Kim Jae-hyun.
If they followed him to rebuild Black Tortoise Hall, it would be ideal.
However.
"But how can I trust you?"
"Pardon?"
Choi Jeong-hoon looked flustered at Shin Yu-hyun's coldly pragmatic words.
Lee Yeon-hwa and Kim Jae-hyun were the same.
They clearly hadn't expected his response.
Shin Yu-hyun continued coldly, eyes fixed on them.
"Rebuilding Black Tortoise Hall must center on people I can trust. But I'm not sure I can trust you."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You failed to do the most important thing Black Tortoise Hall should have done."
Choi Jeong-hoon's face darkened at Shin Yu-hyun's words.
He had realized what Shin Yu-hyun meant.
The three before him had a top priority duty even above their departmental roles.
"You mean the duty to escort the Hall Leader."
"Yes."
Shin Yu-hyun nodded.
Regardless of the reason, Shin Yu-hyun was Black Tortoise Hall's Hall Leader.
Thus, they had an obligation to protect him.
But they had ignored him until now.
As a result, Jeong Tae-seong's group had attacked him.
They had done nothing then. So how could he trust them?
"That's our fault. We apologize once more."
Choi Jeong-hoon bowed his head in apology.
He clearly acknowledged their failure regarding the escort duty.
'Good.'
Shin Yu-hyun smiled inwardly in satisfaction.
The superhuman world was one of the law of the jungle.
These people were no exception.
If he showed weakness, they would try to seize and manipulate him.
'I need to take control.'
That's why he brought up the escort issue again, even after their initial apology.
He intended to turn the tables and hold them in his grip.
"I'll accept your apology for now. It's not like I have no responsibility."
Shin Yu-hyun recognized that Black Tortoise Hall had suffered because of him.
With a powerless Hall Leader, they must have faced all sorts of discrimination.
Indeed, Black Tortoise Hall was now much weaker than in the past.
It was because he hadn't fulfilled his duties and responsibilities as Hall Leader.
So he took a step back and accepted the apology.
"Thank you."
Choi Jeong-hoon looked relieved at Shin Yu-hyun's response.
Lee Yeon-hwa and Kim Jae-hyun's expressions softened slightly too.
They seemed to think he was starting to trust them.
But Shin Yu-hyun had accepted for a different reason.
"However, if you truly wish to follow me, prove your loyalty."
Shin Yu-hyun spoke to them in a cold voice.
He had accepted the apology to make them feel he was being considerate while seizing control of the conversation.
"I've proven my ability and qualifications as Black Tortoise Hall's Hall Leader. But what have you done?"
Shin Yu-hyun had demonstrated his power and even become a successor candidate.
That was more than enough to prove himself as Hall Leader.
But they had shown him nothing.
They had only bowed, apologized verbally, knelt, and pledged loyalty with words.
All while ignoring and slighting him until now.
"Show me proof that I can trust you."
"......"
They fell silent at his words.
The dice had been cast.
All that remained was their choice.
Even if they refused his demand and left, it didn't matter.
To get revenge on Getia, he needed trustworthy people.
A moment later, Choi Jeong-hoon's mouth opened.