Chapter 28
Chapter 28
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Promotion
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After marching for several days, we finally reached the Nine Dragons Fortress.
“It’s the Nine Dragons Fortress!”
“Wow! We’re finally here!”
The warriors of the vanguard cheered, their voices brimming with excitement.
And then.
Waaaaah-!
Countless people atop the fortress walls roared in celebration as they saw the vanguard.
Everyone living in the outer fortress was rejoicing in the victory of the Nine Dragons.
Feeling like a triumphant general, my chest swelled with an indescribable sense of grandeur.
A moment later.
After a brief victory parade, the vanguard reached the front of the main fortress and was dismissed.
“I’ll come see you soon.”
“Let’s drink till we can’t see straight.”
“It’s on us, so don’t be a stranger.”
The warriors of the defense force, with whom I had briefly shared the trials of life and death, offered their farewells.
There were three hundred of them, so I didn't even know most of their names, but one thing was certain.
They were all comrades who had faced death together.
Filled with this sentiment, I shook each of their hands.
***
Three days later.
Thanks to Bukgung Baek’s consideration, I was given a few days of leave and returned to the Outer Hall.
The fierce battle at Mount Jeomchang must have taken its toll, as I did nothing but sleep for three straight days.
Worried about me, Myo Hyang constantly cooked restorative meals, and Cheong So-so brewed herbal medicine for me every evening.
Thanks to ample rest and excellent nourishment, I was able to return to work in peak condition.
“Well, well? If it isn’t the hero of the Outer Hall, the Fighting Dragon, Jin Mujeon?”
As I entered the Outer Hall headquarters, the Vice Hall Master, along with the Second and Third Squad Leaders, greeted me warmly.
“Oh, please don’t praise me so much in front of my senior Squad Leaders. I’m so embarrassed I could crawl into a hole.”
“Hahaha, it’s because we’re so pleased. Thanks to you, who made the greatest contribution in this battle, the reputation of our Outer Hall is soaring to the heavens, isn’t it?”
“How could that be because of me? It’s all thanks to the excellent guidance of my senior Squad Leaders.”
“Too much modesty is a fault. It was your ability that led to such a great outcome. Isn’t that right?”
At the Vice Hall Master’s subtle question, the Second and Third Squad Leaders smiled brightly and replied.
“Of course.”
“You speak the truth.”
Hahahaha.
The atmosphere was so bright it was almost blinding.
It felt as though I were looking at my own radiant future.
“So, are you here to see the Hall Master?”
“Yes, he told me to stop by upon my return.”
“Go on in. We’ll wait for you here.”
“Wait for me? Why?”
“Because we have an occasion to get you to buy us drinks.”
His words were incomprehensible, but I couldn’t keep Bukgung Baek waiting.
I gave a brief farewell and entered Bukgung Baek’s office.
“You’re here?”
“Nine! Dragons! Seventeenth Squad Leader Jin Mujeon, reporting back from leave!”
“Enough. Sit down.”
After I finished my salute, Bukgung Baek personally poured me a cup of tea.
“Drink.”
“Yes.”
*Slurp.*
The finest White Tiger Silver Needle tea.
Considering the Outer Hall’s meager budget, which could barely afford cheap white tea, this was quite the reception.
As I was savoring the aroma, Bukgung Baek placed a small paper envelope on the desk.
“What is this?”
“It’s yours.”
*Flick.*
At his words, I unfolded the paper and read its contents.
“Seventeenth Squad Leader Jin Mujeon is hereby appointed as First Squad Leader…?”
“Starting today, you are the First Squad Leader. From now on, you will assist the Vice Hall Master and manage the overall affairs of the Outer Hall.”
The unexpected news of a promotion left me dumbfounded.
“……”
Becoming the First Squad Leader meant becoming one of the heads of the Outer Hall.
No matter how much of a backwater the Outer Hall was considered, it wasn’t a position to be taken lightly.
My salary and treatment would also rise to a level comparable to that of the main fortress’s eight Halls.
However, I couldn’t see this in a purely positive light.
‘The workload will be immense.’
From the First Squad Leader on up, there were no set working hours.
If nothing special was going on, no one would bat an eye if you just stopped by the First Squad Pavilion once a day to receive reports and then left.
The problem was that the First Squad was incredibly busy.
Unlike other squads that were assigned to specific posts, the First Squad was responsible for handling all incidents that occurred in the outer fortress.
Naturally, every First Squad Leader in history had worked without rest.
It was so grueling that the Vice Hall Master Ga Rip, who was the First Squad Leader three generations ago, still talks about that time as if it were hell.
And that wasn’t all.
‘Standing out too much isn’t good, either.’
The Fortress Lord was currently looking to recruit his own disciple.
He wasn’t seeking volunteers.
He would simply pick someone he favored, and that person would become his direct disciple.
In such a situation, a mere twenty-year-old being recognized for his merits and rising to a leadership position in the Outer Hall?
It was highly likely that I would catch the eye of the Hall Masters who were trying to push their own children as the Fortress Lord’s disciple.
As I contemplated this, Bukgung Baek spoke softly.
“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”
“Yes? Oh, yes. I’m still too inexperienced…”
“No one calls a dog the size of a house a wolf. And no matter how small, no one calls a wolf a dog.”
“…?”
As I looked at him with a puzzled expression, Bukgung Baek chuckled and continued.
“It means that even if you act like a dog, if you were born a wolf, everyone will eventually know you’re a wolf.”
Bukgung Baek stretched languidly and issued his dismissal.
“If you understand, take your appointment letter and go. I’m tired and need to take a nap.”
“…Yes.”
His words, laden with meaning, left me speechless as I exited the office.
‘Have I been living too cautiously?’
He wasn’t wrong.
I had already earned the moniker ‘Fighting Dragon’ from the mission to rescue Cheong So-so, and my reputation was spreading throughout the main fortress due to my contributions at the Jeomchang branch.
Perhaps the Hall Masters were already watching me.
It might be better to step into the spotlight.
In that sense, the title of First Squad Leader could actually serve as a shield to protect me.
As a direct subordinate of the renowned Ten-Hand Heavenly Conqueror, the Hall Masters wouldn’t be able to make a move against me lightly.
‘Right. Let’s stop living so cautiously.’
It’s not like they would come for me in the middle of the night with a sword.
Though they might try to subtly keep me in check.
After long deliberation, I reached a conclusion, and my mind felt much lighter.
With a sense of relief, I opened the pavilion door.
*Chatter, chatter.*
The Vice Hall Master and the sixteen Squad Leaders were waiting for me.
“Hey, Squad Leader Jin! Time to buy us drinks. Surely you’re not thinking of skipping out on treating us for your promotion, are you?”
Faced with this unexpected expense, I felt a sudden urge to tear up the appointment letter.
***
The next day.
Due to the unexpected celebration the night before, I woke up with a throbbing headache, only to be met with a storm of nagging from Myo Hyang and Cheong So-so.
Myo Hyang was like a sister to me, so I didn’t mind, but hearing it from Cheong So-so as well made something churn inside me.
“Oh? Why are you looking at me like that?”
However, the share of profits from the Cheong Family Trading Post branch she ran was over three nyang a month.
“It’s nothing. How could this humble one possibly glare at the heavenly Miss Cheong? Hehe.”
I bowed my head with dignity.
“Take this before you go to work.”
As if my efforts had paid off, Cheong So-so handed me a small pill.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a hangover cure I’m developing.”
“I could just expel the alcohol toxins…”
“That’s fine once or twice. Don’t you know that expelling alcohol toxins too often puts a strain on your liver?”
How would I know that?
‘In martial arts novels, they expel it all the time while drinking.’
And those guys later become peerless masters, living a life without want until they’re old and senile.
“Anyway, try it and let me know. If it’s effective, I’m going to produce and sell it.”
“Ah, yes.”
I swallowed the pill and asked.
“But if you’re going to sell it, it’ll need a name. What are you going to call it?”
“With the meaning of waking up refreshed in the morning…”
“Stop. That’s a copyright violation.”
“What? Why are you spouting nonsense after asking?”
Ignoring Cheong So-so, I headed to the Outer Hall headquarters.
It was my first day after the promotion, and I felt a slight tension.
In modern terms, it was like being promoted from assistant manager straight to department head, skipping three levels. It was an unprecedented advancement.
‘I wonder if the guys will adapt well.’
With my promotion, the Seventeenth Squad was officially disbanded.
Not that they were scattered to the winds; they were absorbed into the First Squad along with me.
From their perspective, the existing members of the First Squad were their seniors by a long shot, so I worried it might be difficult for them to adjust.
‘Well, let’s go in.’
*Creek.*
When I opened the door and entered, only middle-aged men were sitting there; the members of the Seventeenth Squad were nowhere to be seen.
“Haha, hello everyone.”
The Nine Dragons Fortress was practically a military organization, so it was customary for superiors to speak informally to their subordinates.
However, the existing members of the First Squad were mostly middle-aged men who had worked in the Outer Hall for over ten years, so speaking informally felt incredibly awkward.
It was all due to this rigid hierarchical mindset ingrained in my head.
As my awkward greeting landed, everyone in the First Squad rose from their seats.
Then, they saluted me in unison.
“Nine! Dragons!”
After the salute in the heavy atmosphere, the man who appeared to be the oldest approached me.
“It’s been a while.”
“Ah! You’re… Uh…”
“I am Woo Je-jun, the Vice Leader of the First Squad.”
“I see. My apologies. I’m still adjusting, so I haven’t memorized all the names and faces yet.”
“It’s quite alright.”
Woo Je-jun brought over a thick ledger.
“This is the ledger the former Squad Leader kept.”
“What’s in it?”
“He recorded the money he received.”
“What did you say?”
Startled by his words, I opened the ledger to examine it.
Sure enough.
The ledger was filled with detailed records of the money he had embezzled.
I knew the former Squad Leader.
That suspicious, money-grubbing man would never entrust such a ledger to his subordinates.
When I looked at Woo Je-jun with eyes full of suspicion, he answered in a low voice.
“This is a transcription of the evidence found at the former Squad Leader’s home by the Disciplinary Corps.”
“And the reason you’re showing this to me is?”
“We wish to ask how you intend to run the First Squad from now on.”
“You’re asking if I’ll run it like the former Squad Leader, or by the book?”
“That is correct.”
“What do the squad members think?”
“We will simply follow your lead. That is how we can continue our service in the Outer Hall for a long time.”
He wasn’t wrong.
If they did as I said, I, as the Squad Leader, would take responsibility if anything went wrong.
However, what I wanted were colleagues, not slaves who would blindly follow orders.
“Since I’m still new to this, let’s do it this way.”
“Please, tell us.”
“Moderation. Only to the extent that anyone would agree it won’t cause trouble later. Do you understand?”
“I’m not sure what extent ‘won’t cause trouble’ entails…”
“You’re experts who’ve worked in the Outer Hall for over ten years and you don’t know something like that?”
“What we think and what you, Squad Leader, think might be different.”
So, it was a power struggle after all.
‘They say wherever three people gather, politics is inevitable…’
Well, considering the politics that run rampant even in non-contact online team games, I could certainly understand.
I spoke in a loud voice for everyone to hear.
“Since you want a standard, I’ll give you one. If you want to earn some pocket money, take it. However, if that money is made from the tears of others, I will send you to the fortress prison immediately. Cutting corners on procedures? I’ll overlook it. But if failing to follow those procedures goes against the interests of the fortress or disrupts order, that too is a trip to the prison. How’s that? Is the standard clear enough now?”
In short, I was telling them to only take small bribes.
And only to the extent that it didn’t harm others.
At that, Woo Je-jun and the other squad members all broke into smiles.
“What’s this?”
Flustered by the sudden change in atmosphere, I looked to Woo Je-jun for an explanation.
“They’re doing that because they like you, Squad Leader.”
“…?”
“The former Squad Leader was so excessively greedy that the members disliked him, and the one before that drove the members to their wits’ end with his ambition for promotion. In that sense, Squad Leader Jin, you are the most ideal leader.”
Woo Je-jun collected the ledger and continued.
“I will burn this. A friend in the Disciplinary Corps made a special request.”
“…Hah.”
What was that? Was I just being tested?
It was absurd, but I wasn’t angry.
Smart subordinates were far more reliable than thoughtless slaves.
‘This is much better.’
In many ways, I was looking forward to my life in the First Squad.