Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: Triumphant Return (3)
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Three days later, I was in my usual morning meditation when a sharp voice called out.
“Senior? Senior!”
“*Snore, whoosh...* Huh?”
I looked toward the window where the sound came from and saw Jeok Hwa-ran standing on the wall, her cheeks puffed out.
“...Didn't you see the sign I posted outside?”
“That's why I'm standing on the wall instead of using the main gate. Besides, even the tofu peddler comes and goes as he pleases. Why am I the only one banned?”
“Are you asking because you don't know?”
“Would I be asking if I knew?”
Her antics made me sigh. It was too much trouble to explain.
“...Should I let you in?”
“Yes!”
“No.”
“Why not?!”
“I'm not mentally prepared yet.”
“What's that supposed to mean!”
“Anyway, I was meditating, so you should leave.”
At my firm refusal, Jeok Hwa-ran whined, squirming coquettishly.
“Whyyy? You promised we'd go to Nine Dragons Mountain once your internal injuries healed.”
“They haven't healed yet, which is why I was meditating.”
Of course, her flat-chested attempt at being cute had no effect on me.
“I figured as much, so I brought something good for your injuries.”
“...What is it?”
In response to my question, Jeok Hwa-ran held up a small, red bottle.
“It's wine made from a Hwari's liver. It's thirty years old this year. I stole it from my grandfather's safe to give to you. Hehe.”
“My goodness! You shouldn't have! Please, please, come in.”
I have to drink that.
After Jeok Hwa-ran came in, Myo Hyang brought out some simple refreshments and tea.
“Thanks, Myo Hyang.”
“It's nothing.”
Seeing Myo Hyang, who was tall for a woman of this era, next to Jeok Hwa-ran, who was short even for a woman of this era, was like watching an older sister with her youngest sibling.
Jeok Hwa-ran sipped her tea and ate the snacks, chattering about trivial things, but soon she shared some important news.
“I think the Ten Demon Alliance will be retreating soon.”
“Already?”
“It's thanks to you and Hall Master Bukgung.”
“...?”
“I heard you and Hall Master Bukgung joined forces to kill the Killing Demon Mad Ghost and blew off the Blood Sect Master's left arm, right?”
Jeok Hwa-ran’s explanation was this:
The sects that decided to betray the Demon Sect, which had traditionally led the alliance, started the war to gain the support of the demonic followers living in the Ten Demon Alliance's territory.
However, the forces of the Killing Sect, Blood Sect, and Flame Sect that advanced on Mount Jeomchang suffered a major blow and were forced to retreat.
The Flame Sect only lost a few warriors, but the situation for the Killing Sect and Blood Sect was dire.
The Vice Master of the Killing Sect, Hyeon San-wol, was killed, and the Blood Sect Master was critically injured, hovering on the brink of death.
Naturally, the power of these two sects plummeted.
In particular, the defeat of the Blood Sect Master, the Blood Demon—one of the three great masters of the Ten Demon Alliance and one of the top ten masters in the world—was a tremendous shock to them.
Thanks to this, the sects supporting the Demon Sect grew relatively stronger, leading to the prediction that the sects stationed in Hanzhong would also retreat.
“Wow...”
The butterfly effect is insane.
As I marveled at this, Jeok Hwa-ran laughed proudly, a pleased look on her face.
“To have a hand in killing the Blood Demon and the Killing Demon Mad Ghost... that's a truly incredible achievement.”
“Nah, well... I just hit them a few times, and they ran off on their own.”
“Oh my... So cool...”
Jeok Hwa-ran blushed, cupping her cheeks with both hands.
Her hopeless reaction prompted me to show her the door.
“Alright, alright, you've finished your tea, so it's time to go. I need to get some sleep... I mean, it's time for my meditation.”
“Okay. But we're still going to the mountain as soon as your injuries are healed, right?”
“Jeez, I don't go back on my word.”
“Heehee. See you next time, then.”
Jeok Hwa-ran opened the door, then turned back to me for a moment and said,
“Oh! Right. If the Lord asks what you want as a reward, tell him you want land.”
“Land?”
“There's a reason.”
Jeok Hwa-ran left the room with a meaningful smile.
* * *
A few days later.
Just as Jeok Hwa-ran had said, the four sects of the Ten Demon Alliance that had been besieging Hanzhong—the Dark Sect, Ghost Sect, Lust Sect, and Fighting Sect—decided to retreat.
It was a decision that left the warriors of the Righteous Path Alliance, who had been rushing to the scene, feeling deflated.
And then.
Some startling news arrived.
The Blood Sect Master, who had fled after being severely wounded by Bukgung Baek, had died.
It seemed his hundred-and-twenty-year-old body couldn't withstand the heat of the Black Flame Dragon.
After all the forces of the Ten Demon Alliance had withdrawn, the Lord issued an order to all branches of Nine Dragons Fortress, plastering a huge number of notices throughout Sichuan and Yunnan.
The notices were to publicize the great victory of Nine Dragons Fortress.
A great victory with almost no casualties on our side.
It was the right move to spread the news as widely as possible, boosting the morale of Nine Dragons Fortress while crushing that of the Ten Demon Alliance.
Thanks to this, the mood among the people living in Sichuan and Yunnan soared.
This was because their quality of life depended heavily on which faction ruled them.
For example, Nine Dragons Fortress, which had the best financial self-sufficiency among the Five Hegemons, had the lowest tax rates, making it the most favored faction among the common people.
On the other hand, the Ten Demon Alliance was the least favored, as falling under their rule meant being hit with a massive tax bomb and being forced to believe in the pseudo-religion known as the Demonic Cult.
As the results of the war became known to the world, gossips began to whisper.
They debated whether the Ten Demon Alliance, once rated as 'Strong' in the 'Two Strong, Two Medium, One Weak' hierarchy, should be downgraded to 'Medium,' and Nine Dragons Fortress, rated as 'Medium,' should be promoted in its place.
Such talk was understandable. In terms of the number of masters at the Transcendent Realm, the Ten Demon Alliance had dropped from three to two, while Nine Dragons Fortress had increased from two to three.
The good news didn't end there.
Bukgung Baek had ascended to become one of the new top ten masters in the world, replacing the deceased Blood Demon.
It was the moment an alcoholic who drank from morning till night stood at the pinnacle of the world's martial artists.
‘A world where you're respected by all as long as you're good at fighting, no matter how you act. Tsk, tsk, tsk.’
As expected of this hardcore, hellish martial world.
In any case, the Lord bestowed a new title upon Bukgung Baek, who had become one of the top ten masters.
Heaven and Earth Combat King.
It meant that throughout heaven and earth, he had no equal in combat.
It seemed incredibly arrogant, but that wasn't necessarily the case.
When the Lord reached the Transcendent Realm, he was eighty, and the Great Pure Adept was over ninety.
In contrast, Bukgung Baek had not yet reached the age of fifty.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would dedicate at least another forty years to his martial arts, so it wasn't entirely preposterous to think he might one day live up to his title and become the greatest fighter in the world.
The residents of Nine Dragons Fortress rejoiced at this string of good fortune.
After all, security was a matter directly linked to their quality of life.
Meanwhile, the warriors who had been dispatched to Hanzhong and the Jeomchang branch began to return one by one.
The death squad sent to Jeomchang returned in its entirety, but a quarter of the warriors dispatched to Hanzhong were left behind to guard against any potential provocations.
Frankly, this was not good news for me.
Why?
Because while I had been enjoying a paid vacation with Bukgung Baek's tacit approval, I would have to return to duty once the defense forces were back.
‘The sweet ride is over.’
Still, the end of the war was something to celebrate, so I didn't show my disappointment.
Fifteen days passed.
Waaaaah!
As if by arrangement, the warriors from both fronts arrived at Nine Dragons Fortress on the same day, at the same time.
The only difference was the gate through which the two groups entered; due to their locations, those from Hanzhong came through the North Gate, while those from Jeomchang passed through the South Gate.
With the victory ceremonies held at opposite gates, the city's residents had to choose one to watch.
Naturally, everyone flocked to the South Gate to see the group that had achieved the more spectacular feats, and the area became so packed there was no room to move.
I hurried up the South Gate's wall to see my comrades-in-arms and caught sight of the death squad marching triumphantly through the dense crowd of residents.
Many of them were wrapped in bandages from their injuries, but having achieved great merit, their bearing was nothing short of magnificent.
A few were even smiling faintly, seemingly filled with a sense of pride.
Once they had all passed through the gate, Adept Inhyeon, who had been in command, gave the order to dismiss, and the entire death squad gave him a sharp salute.
“Nine! Dragons!”
Seeing their thunderous voices and disciplined movements, I felt a renewed sense of pride.
‘Hmph.’
As expected, my occasional lessons paid off.
* * *
The next day.
Dressed in the martial uniform Myo Hyang had neatly pressed, I headed for the inner fortress.
“Lulululu.”
I hummed a tune without thinking.
*Tap, tap, tap. Tap.*
My steps were unconsciously light and jaunty.
Why?
Because today was the day merits and rewards would be handed out, so of course I was happy.
I walked cheerfully until I arrived at the Lord's Hall, where I saw dozens of people seated on chairs lining both sides of the grand hall.
They were my comrades who had faced life and death with me on Mount Jeomchang, including Adept Inhyeon.
As I entered, everyone rushed over with welcoming faces.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“To think you took down the Killing Demon Mad Ghost! I knew Squad Leader Jin was hiding a trick up his sleeve.”
“What are you talking about? He was different from the start. Our Fighting Dragon is no ordinary man, is he?”
“Hahahaha, I'll take you somewhere nice after this.”
First, the older warriors.
“You're here? I heard from Hwa-ran you had internal injuries, but you look surprisingly fine.”
“Your martial arts have improved. I'd like to spar with you sometime.”
“Hahaha, you met Granduncle Adept of Annihilation?”
The younger warriors like Jeok Il, Dan Un, and Wi Ji-pung greeted me.
After a short while.
*Clank.*
The doors to the grand hall opened, and the Lord and the Grand Chancellor entered.
Everyone inside stopped what they were doing and bowed their heads.
“We greet the Lord.”
We greet the Lord—
Exuding the aura of a king, the Lord took his seat, and everyone returned to their designated places on either side of the hall.
“You have all worked hard.”
Such simple praise for all our suffering.
‘Is he a sociopath?’
I began to suspect the Lord might be a martial world sociopath, but I couldn't help but nod at the Grand Chancellor's following explanation.
“His Lordship has bestowed a monetary reward upon everyone here, separate from the awarding of merits.”
The Lord was a man of action, not words—a true man's man.
When this man of men nodded, the Grand Chancellor gestured to the warriors of the Lord's Hall.
Soon, a wooden box filled with money was distributed to everyone gathered in the hall.
Thirty silver nyang, worth about thirty million won in modern currency. And this was a bonus, separate from the official rewards.
Holding the wooden box in my arms, I already felt a sense of security.
As I'd realized long ago, our great Lord was incredibly generous.
As I was savoring the warmth of the wooden box in my arms.
“Now, we will begin the awarding of merits. Those whose names are called, please step forward.”
The awarding of merits began.
First, the third-class merits.
“...To the 62 individuals above, I award a Byeong-grade weapon from the Nine Dragons Armory and a Byeong-grade martial art from the Nine Dragons Vault. You will be given a token, so you may come and claim your reward at any time.”
One might think that's all, but a Byeong-grade weapon is a masterpiece crafted by a skilled artisan, and a Byeong-grade martial art is a high-level technique.
They were of immense value.
For the second-class merits, the number dropped sharply.
“...To the 17 individuals above, I award an Eul-grade weapon from the Nine Dragons Armory and an Eul-grade martial art from the Nine Dragons Vault.”
Finally, the first-class merits.
Only four people had yet to be called.
Adept Inhyeon, who had brilliantly led the defense force.
Lord Gwangcheol, who fought at the very front without sparing his body.
Bukgung Baek, who fought and defeated the Blood Sect Master, and who landed the final blow on the Killing Demon Mad Ghost that I had already beaten to a pulp.
And me, the maestro of strategy and the ruler of the battlefield who had made it all possible.
*Thump, thump.*
My heart was already pounding at the thought of receiving a divine weapon and an unparalleled divine art, just to sell them off.