Chapter 113
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Recruitment at Noon
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Shortly before noon.
Seol Hwa-un stood in front of the Tae-gok Branch alongside Eom Mu-hwi and Dong Ho-won.
“…….”
Dong Ho-won fidgeted restlessly.
“Noon is almost here, Young Palace Lord.”
“I see.”
“Why hasn’t a single person shown up yet?”
“Who knows.”
Eom Mu-hwi scolded the anxious Dong Ho-won.
“Stop making a fuss. There’s still time.”
“The Young Palace Lord said noon exactly, didn’t he? There’s barely a quarter-hour left.”
“Hmm.”
“Young Palace Lord, what if no one applies?”
“Then we’ll have to go a bit farther and recruit from other areas.”
“……I see.”
“Don’t worry too much. No ronin would turn down the chance to learn our palace’s martial arts.”
Dong Ho-won suddenly voiced a question.
“But, Young Palace Lord. Do we really have to recruit Central Plains folk this badly?”
“What do you mean?”
“I honestly don’t see why we need to hire these hostile Central Plains people. Even if it’s a bit harder, wouldn’t it be better to recruit from the North Sea?”
It was a perfectly reasonable point. Seol Hwa-un nodded.
“You could think that way.”
Then, with a smile, he continued.
“My goal is to advance into the Central Plains. Right?”
“Yes.”
“You’re right that we could use warriors recruited from the North Sea. They might be a bit lower in skill, but far more trustworthy.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“But then ‘advancing into the Central Plains’ loses all meaning. It’d just be me moving to the Central Plains.”
“……!”
“That’s not truly blending with them and being accepted as one of their own forces. It might even give them cause to see it as an invasion.”
“Ah…….”
“Even if they’re untrustworthy and hostile, I have to turn Central Plains people into my palace’s warriors. That’s the true start of advancing into the Central Plains.”
Seol Hwa-un’s eyes gleamed brightly.
“That’s how we melt into the Central Plains. Only then will they eventually accept that we’re no different from them.”
“There was such a deep meaning behind it.”
“If we can do that—if it becomes possible—we’ll never hear the word ‘Northern barbarians’ again.”
Dong Ho-won bowed his head.
“I’ll keep that in mind, Young Palace Lord.”
At that moment, Eom Mu-hwi’s eyes widened.
“There! Someone’s coming over there!”
“……!”
In the distance, a group of over two hundred was racing toward them at full speed.
Dong Ho-won focused his gaze.
“It’s them! Ronin!”
Eom Mu-hwi let out a faint sigh of relief.
“Phew.”
He hadn’t said anything, but he’d clearly been worried deep down.
A smile rose to Seol Hwa-un’s lips.
“They all look so nervous about being late.”
Soon, they arrived.
“Huff! Huff! Huff!”
“Hah, hah, hah!”
“Phew! We barely made it.”
A ronin panting heavily looked at Seol Hwa-un and asked.
“Phew, Young Palace Lord! We’re not late, are we?”
“…….”
Seol Hwa-un quietly surveyed them. Most appeared to be in their twenties or thirties.
Those older ronin had likely given up, judging themselves too old to learn martial arts.
‘Perfect.’
As Seol Hwa-un said nothing, anxiety flickered across the ronin’s faces.
“Young Palace Lord, please say something…….”
Seol Hwa-un slowly raised his head to check the sun’s position.
“Hmm. It’s exactly noon now.”
“……!”
Seol Hwa-un clasped his hands in a formal salute.
“Welcome. Thank you all for applying to become warriors of our palace.”
“Ah!”
“Great!”
The ronin rejoiced briefly, but Seol Hwa-un’s face turned stern as he spoke.
“It’s just the right time, so we’ll begin the initiation test immediately. Form two lines.”
“……! Does that mean the Young Palace Lord will test us personally?”
Seol Hwa-un nodded.
“That’s right. Since these are the first warriors we’re recruiting in the Central Plains, I’ll handle it myself.”
“Ah!”
Dong Ho-won and Eom Mu-hwi stepped forward at once.
“Come on, everyone. Form two lines and step up one by one to give your personal details.”
The two men took one line each and began recording names. Due to the severe lack of manpower, Seol Hwa-un planned to use these men as-is.
“Come over here.”
The ronin who’d given his details went straight to Seol Hwa-un.
He gave one instruction.
“Attack me with all your strength. Until I tell you to stop.”
“Yes?”
“That’s all.”
The ronin asked with a doubtful expression.
“You don’t mean if I injure you or push you back, I pass? Wait, injuring you might make you hate me.”
Seol Hwa-un smiled.
“Do you think that’s possible?”
Only then did the ronin realize who Seol Hwa-un was.
‘Right, the North Heavenly Dragon. What was I thinking…….’
“I can’t give you much time, so give it everything from the start.”
“Understood!”
The ronin put on a determined face and thrust his spear with full power.
“Hah!”
Shooo!
As expected, not a single ronin so much as brushed Seol Hwa-un’s sleeve.
They all swung desperately at empty air, ending in futility.
Whenever a test ended, Seol Hwa-un had Dong Ho-won and Eom Mu-hwi record a brief evaluation.
He told them the results would be announced tomorrow, so they should return to the Tae-gok Branch.
‘Not bad.’
There were plenty below standard, but quite a few with potential to become useful warriors through training.
‘Hmm. I need to separate those ready to serve immediately from those with promise.’
The personal details would undergo immediate verification. There were surely spies among them.
‘Even so, I can’t reject them all.’
From the two hundred, he selected about one hundred twenty. After another round of screening, around a hundred would remain.
‘It’s not enough, but for a first recruitment, it’s decent.’
Once they learned martial arts and word spread, more would come naturally.
By the time they finished organizing, dusk had already fallen.
Seol Hwa-un sent Dong Ho-won and Eom Mu-hwi inside and quietly stared at one spot.
“Jeok Rang-do, how long do you plan to hide?”
“……So you noticed.”
Jeok Rang-do emerged from behind a large tree, his expression heavy.
“What brings you to our palace’s branch? Here for revenge?”
He gave a wry smile.
“What nonsense is that? I’d have to be insane to seek revenge against the North Heavenly Dragon of the world.”
“Then what is it?”
“…….”
After hesitating at Seol Hwa-un’s question, Jeok Rang-do slowly answered.
“……I want to become a warrior of the Ice Palace too.”
Interest flashed in Seol Hwa-un’s eyes.
“You, who pressured the ronin and blocked them from joining our palace?”
“That’s right.”
“Interesting. Why should I accept you?”
Jeok Rang-do gritted his teeth and slowly knelt.
Thud.
“I beg you like this.”
As Jeok Rang-do bowed his head to the ground, Seol Hwa-un looked surprised.
“I want to hear the reason.”
“There are two.”
“Two?”
“First, I failed to control the Shanxi ronin market.”
Seol Hwa-un’s eyes sparkled.
“I’d like to hear more details.”
“As you guessed, I was following orders from someone to prevent ronin from joining the North Sea Ice Palace. But starting yesterday, that control broke down.”
“…….”
Jeok Rang-do trembled in fear.
“The one who gave me orders doesn’t tolerate failure. He’ll definitely kill me.”
This was something even Seol Hwa-un hadn’t anticipated.
‘Jeok Rang-do is no slouch in skill. For him to fear like this…….’
It seemed a bigger fish was behind this than expected.
‘So he needs our palace as a shield.’
“And the second?”
“Honestly, I was awed by the North Sea Ice Palace’s martial arts.”
Though he’d fled at Seol Hwa-un’s shout, Jeok Rang-do had watched from nearby. He’d even seen Dong Ho-won and Eom Mu-hwi’s demonstrations.
“There’s no restriction like only learning one technique from the martial arts the North Sea Ice Palace teaches, right?”
“Correct.”
“The spear arts and palm techniques were magnificent. Mouthwatering, even. Especially that Silver Star Sword Style you showed, Young Palace Lord…… It was truly astonishing.”
Seol Hwa-un felt puzzled.
“I know your Locking Wolf Blade Method is a fine art, no less than the Silver Star Sword Style.”
“You’re right. In terms of power alone, I’d say mine surpasses it. But it has clear flaws.”
The Locking Wolf Blade Method was a one-strike-kill sword art. It left no room for error and wasn’t suited for facing multiples.
“It’s unsuitable for general use. No middle ground, you could say.”
“I see.”
Seol Hwa-un understood Jeok Rang-do’s frustration. He didn’t always need to stake his life, yet the Locking Wolf Blade Method had too many drawbacks.
He lacked practical martial arts for everyday use.
‘It’s a ronin’s limitation too.’
A common issue for ronin who picked up whatever martial arts they could without proper master-disciple bonds.
Thus, the North Sea Ice Palace’s systematic, superior arts were irresistible.
Seol Hwa-un’s tone shifted.
“Very well. I’ll accept you as a warrior of our palace. But there are two conditions.”
Joy lit up Jeok Rang-do’s face.
“Name them, Young Palace Lord.”
He bowed his head again, his speech already far more deferential, as if he were already part of the North Sea Ice Palace.
“I’m not merciful enough to simply accept someone who’s shown me hostility. I’ll take you in for now, but if by any chance…….”
Seol Hwa-un’s gaze burned fiercely.
“You betray or defect, I won’t let you die easily.”
Jeok Rang-do bowed, accepting the terms.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“The other condition—you’ve probably guessed it. Who gave you your orders?”
Jeok Rang-do flinched involuntarily, but he had no choice but to speak.
“That person is…….”
The name that slipped from his lips was an unexpected figure even Seol Hwa-un hadn’t considered.