Chapter 148
Chapter 148
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 148
Chapter Title: Personal Organization (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The day after drinking with Bukgung Baek and getting nothing out of it.
“Ugh…”
I woke up, clutching my splitting head.
“That damn drunkard…”
Last night, we got a little carried away, and the drinking contest that followed ended in my utter defeat.
‘And I lost, even though he’s twenty years older than me.’
Just as expected of Nine Dragons Fortress's greatest drinker, Bukgung Baek.
‘Next time, I'll take a hangover pill beforehand.’
Vowing not to repeat the same mistake, I tossed a hangover pill into my mouth.
As expected of a secret Cheong family remedy, I could feel the hangover subsiding the moment I took it.
‘If I could sell these back in Korea, I'd make a fortune…’
They'd probably sell like hotcakes, especially with the company dinner culture.
Creeak.
I went outside to get some breakfast.
Creeak.
Although I wouldn't be able to eat Myo Hyang's excellent cooking for a while.
“You're awake?”
If you can't have crab, you settle for crayfish. Cheong So-so had taken over breakfast duty.
Of course, I was in charge of dinner. We just skipped lunch.
Having someone else make breakfast was certainly convenient.
However.
“So-so, the soup is salty…”
The taste couldn't be guaranteed.
As the youngest daughter of a general hospital director, it was unlikely she'd ever gotten her hands wet.
“I went to all the trouble of making it… Just eat it.”
“I would if it were edible. I told you to just buy some meat and grill it, didn't I? Stop trying to make things like soup when you don't know how.”
“What am I supposed to do if I want soup?!”
Chirp!
As Cheong So-so raised her voice, the blue cricket on her shoulder also chirped loudly.
I was left speechless, shaking my head at the scene, and she snapped at me again.
“Why don't we just hire someone?! What is this, wasting time every day? It's just exhausting.”
“Quiet! This woman really doesn't know the value of money! Don't you know hiring someone costs two silver nyang these days? Go dig a hole in the ground and see if two silver nyang pop out.”
“We can just split the cost!”
“And one nyang? Does it fall from the sky if you bow to your ancestors?”
“You're so stingy for a man…”
Chiiirp…
Well, that was pretty much the situation.
Thanks to that, there was never a quiet day, but I was more or less satisfied.
As long as she wasn't attempting impossible dishes like this, she usually just grilled or steamed meat or fish.
It was similar to dipping pork belly in salt and eating it with rice.
After that simple breakfast, Cheong So-so left for the clinic she had set up by remodeling part of the house.
One would think she'd rest sometimes, but Cheong So-so enjoyed dealing with the flocking patients, continuing to see them for four hours a day, seven days a week.
Every time I saw her like this, I wondered if she was the same gambling addict I'd met in Hanzhong.
‘She's an utterly unpredictable woman.’
At times like these, she was a true angel in white.
Anyway, with Cheong So-so off to work, it was time for me to start my day.
What is there to do while under probation, you ask?
Of course, there was work to be done.
House chores.
“Ugh, why did I have to buy such a big house…”
I missed Myo Hyang especially today.
* * *
I started the chores in the morning, but I couldn't finish until the sun was high in the sky.
Thanks to that, I skipped my morning training.
Master Bukgung would surely nag me if he found out, but what could I do?
As a member of the martial arts upper class, I had to maintain a minimum level of dignity.
Just as I was finally taking a breather and about to pour myself some tea.
Creeak.
Yang Gang, Ha Jin-hyeong, Lee Dang-pal, and Yu So-pyeong came through the main gate in that order.
And they came bearing the most ridiculous excuse.
“Can't you tell by looking? We're here to serve as your escorts, Squad Leader.”
“From now on, we'll protect you, so rest easy, Squad Leader.”
“…Squad Leader… Protect…”
“Hehe, starting today, I'll be working as your adjutant, Squad Leader. If you have any orders, just let me know.”
“…Aren't you guys going to work?”
It was a time when they should have already been at work.
When I pressed the men who had skipped work to be here for their reason, I received a completely unexpected answer.
“We quit when we heard you were put on probation.”
“We resigned.”
“Resigned…”
“Hehe, that's what happened.”
Quit?
Who gave them permission to… No, they could quit if they wanted to.
After all, they were originally from the Green Dragon Hall.
And Yu So-pyeong was from the Military Affairs Department.
Anyway, the important thing now was why they quit.
“Where else are you going to find a job like the Outer Hall? Are you crazy?”
I was well aware of the problems they were facing.
I also knew I couldn't easily help them.
But quitting their jobs was far too rash a decision.
And it wasn't just any job; it was the Outer Hall, the martial arts world's version of a dream job.
Not only did it offer a generous monthly salary of two to five silver nyang depending on seniority.
Unlike the eight inner halls, it had safe working conditions with no risk of death, and thanks to the MOU with the Beggars' Sect, the workload was significantly reduced.
On top of that, there was gate guard duty, which guaranteed a tidy side income.
In a martial world where labor rights were virtually nonexistent, it was hard to imagine a more perfect job.
But it seemed their thoughts were different.
“It's not fun.”
“It's boring.”
“Bored…”
“I just followed along. Hehe.”
My goodness, looking for fun and fulfillment at work.
‘Is someone secretly spreading Gen Z culture in the martial world?’
Sighing at their childish answers, I said.
“…I'll talk to the Vice Hall Master and get your resignations withdrawn, so just go back. You guys might not know this, but if the workplace is a battlefield, the outside world is hell. If it's really that tough, I'll look after you. You've got your seniority back and your skills are up to par. Starting next year, I can even get you squad leader positions one by one. That should solve your problems, right?”
I threw out the classic line of a small business owner trying to retain a talented employee, but they just flatly refused, showing no intention of listening.
“No.”
“We refuse.”
“No…”
“Hehe, since that's everyone's opinion, I have no choice but to agree.”
“But why?”
“Following you around seems more fun, Squad Leader.”
Nod, nod.
The other three nodded in agreement with his words.
“Who gave you permission? No, before that, did you get the Green Dragon Hall Master's approval? So-pyeong, don't you need the head of the Military Affairs Department's permission too?”
“He told me to do as I please.”
“He just told me to sweep the courtyard while I was here.”
“…Together… Sweep…”
“My father told me to go out and experience the wider world.”
Wow, this is driving me crazy.
“…So, you're going to follow me around?”
“That's right.”
At Yang Gang's reply, I sighed and said.
“Won't you get lost?”
“Come on, it won't be boring if we stick together, right?”
“That's right. Won't it be more convenient for you to have someone to handle the menial tasks, Squad Leader?”
“…I'll work… hard…”
“If those bastards from the Military Affairs Department act up, I'll step in and set them straight. Hehe.”
“I kind of like that last part, but still, no.”
At my firm refusal, Yang Gang's expression hardened as he argued.
“Are you really going to be like this? After all the years we've spent together?!”
“I don't have the money to pay you a monthly salary.”
To be precise, it was because I was stingy.
I mean, if Nine Dragons Fortress was paying their salaries, I could work them for free. Why would I spend my own money?
When I brought up this practical issue, Yang Gang immediately retorted.
“I heard a rumor you made tens of thousands of nyang in Hanzhong.”
“That's a baseless rumor.”
“There's also a rumor you made three thousand nyang robbing people with the Black Mountain Tigers.”
“…Who did you hear that from?”
“So-pyeong told me.”
Yu So-pyeong scratched the back of his head.
“I had a drink with my father the other day.”
“…You two seem to be on better terms.”
“It's all thanks to you, Squad Leader.”
To think the Grand Chancellor had such a loose tongue.
‘What's to become of Nine Dragons Fortress…’
I clicked my tongue at the Military Affairs Department and said.
“Let's talk about the rest later. It's late, so go home for today.”
Later? No, never.
When they run out of money and get cold and hungry, they'll come crawling back on their own.
‘I should tell them to treat them like the rookies when they rejoin.’
That'll teach them.
However, perhaps because we'd spent so much time together, they knew me too well.
“Don't lie to us!”
They immediately saw through my bluff.
The men formed a line in the middle of the courtyard and sat down.
“Squad Leader, accept us!”
Accept us! Accept us!
They suddenly started chanting.
“…”
Stunned by the absurd sight for a moment, I quickly started kicking them and pushing them out.
“Hey! I said get lost!”
“Absolutely not! You were the one who stopped us from leaving when our identities were revealed! Take responsibility!”
Take responsibility! Take responsibility!
I shook my head.
“Sigh…”
I spoke calmly to the stubbornly persistent men.
My aim was to defeat them with logic.
“Hey, think about it logically. If I take you guys on personally, what would that be? A private organization, right?”
As someone who receives a salary from Nine Dragons Fortress, if I were to take them in, I'd be charged with treason for violating the law against forming private organizations.
Of course, if the great Lord Bukgung Baek intervened, I could get permission easily, but I had no intention of mentioning that here.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“You're an Outer Hall warrior… You don't know what that means? You could get arrested for violating the law against forming private organizations.”
At my words, Yang Gang's gaze deepened.
“If that problem is solved, will you accept us?”
“Well, I suppose so.”
I agreed, thinking there was no way they'd be able to see the Fortress Lord anyway.
“Then accept us.”
The man grinned and nodded.
“No, I said go get the permit first.”
“It's right there. The permit.”
Following his gaze, I saw Yu So-pyeong waving a piece of paper.
“I asked my father.”
I snatched it and checked; it was a permit for the formation of a private organization.
Stamped with the seals of both the Fortress Lord and the Grand Chancellor, no less.
“These silver spoons…”
As expected, the martial world runs not on power, but on connections.
Anyway, since they'd gone this far, there was no way to refuse.
“Do you guys know how to cook?”
I had no choice but to accept.
* * *
The negotiations were fierce.
They insisted on maintaining the salary they received at the Outer Hall, while I, like the CEO of a new startup, offered a pitifully low one.
This went on for two hours.
We were barely able to reach an agreement.
“Two silver nyang with room and board provided. In exchange, I'll share any money we make working together.”
“…How much?”
“Well, that will depend on the job… How about a nine-to-one split?”
“That's too stingy. Let's make it eight-to-two. With you getting the eight, of course.”
“Deal. Let's work well together from now on.”
“I will call you my lord.”
This agreement, settled with the promise of a bonus, wasn't a loss for me either.
No matter how close I was to the transcendent realm, there was a clear difference between what one person could do and what required a group.
For example.
“Alright. I'll give you your first mission. Clean the courtyard and prepare dinner immediately. So-pyeong, you go to the clinic and help Miss Cheong.”
“…”
Having more people around meant I could be free from such troublesome chores. That was a major benefit.
Thanks to my newly acquired free time, I was able to devote myself to training, just as Master Bukgung had advised.
The more one moves, the stronger one becomes; the more one fights, the stronger one becomes.
Having reached the transcendent realm, how could I afford to neglect my training?
This made me realize why the reclusive masters of the martial world lived in caves.
They needed to use the time they would have spent on chores for even more training.
Well, if they were born into a prominent family, they'd have servants to do the chores, so it wouldn't matter.
Anyway, after about a month of dedicated training.
As I continued to train, I was marveling at the steady, if small, progress I was making in the War King Arts. Then, on the one-month mark, I suffered an unexpected loss.
Tremble, tremble.
My hand was shaking like that of someone with a tremor.
That's right.
“Keuk!”
Today was payday for the former members of the Seventeenth Squad, including Yu So-pyeong.
I hadn't realized it while I was freed from chores and focused on training for a month, but now that the money was actually leaving my pocket, I felt a gut-wrenching pain.
“…I need to print some money.”
There was no other way.
I had no choice but to borrow Cheong So-so's secret weapon.
Chirp?