Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Attain Power (2)
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#065: Attain Power (2)
The first Hall Master meeting after the Nine Dragons Tournament convened. The masters of the eight Inner Halls and Bukgung Baek were gathered in one place.
From the victorious Southern Barbarian War to the successfully concluded Nine Dragons Tournament.
The atmosphere should have been celebratory, but it was not.
Instead, the tension in the meeting hall was palpable, thick with the auras emanating from two transcendent masters: White Dragon Hall Master Baek Jung-cheon and Outer Hall Master Bukgung Baek.
The other Hall Masters could only watch with furrowed brows.
It was all too clear that getting involved would not end well for them.
However, this standoff ended abruptly with the arrival of the Fortress Lord.
“Greetings to the Fortress Lord.”
“Greetings to the Fortress Lord!”
When the Green Dragon Hall Master, the Lord’s son, rose, the other Hall Masters quickly followed suit and bowed their heads.
“Be seated.”
The Lord of Nine Dragons, the Dark Poison Star King Dang Cheong, surveyed them all with his distinctive dark green eyes.
*Swoosh.*
The tension that had filled the room moments ago vanished in an instant.
In its place, a chilling sensation crept down their spines.
“Let us begin.”
At Dang Cheong’s command, the meeting began.
The topics were all positive, from how to manage the Southern Barbarian lands, formerly the territory of the Southern Heaven Palace, to how the Nine Dragons Tournament had significantly boosted the morale of the warriors.
The Fortress Lord, Dang Cheong, nodded in satisfaction.
And then, toward the end of the meeting, Baek Jung-cheon raised his hand.
“I propose the dissolution of the Outer Hall.”
“...!”
Everyone, except for the Red Dragon Hall Master who was already aware, stared at Baek Jung-cheon in shock.
To dismantle the Outer Hall, the primary contributor to the victory in the Southern Barbarian War and the organization led by the brilliant transcendent master, Bukgung Baek?
What kind of absurd proposal was this?
Naturally, the masters of the eight Inner Halls voiced their opposition.
“Have you lost your mind?! If the Outer Hall is dismantled, who will take over their duties?”
“The Silver Dragon Hall Master is correct. Furthermore, the Outer Hall Master is the hero who personally took the head of the Southern Heaven Palace’s lord. To dismantle the group he leads… what on earth are you thinking, Hall Master Baek?”
“You wouldn’t have proposed dissolving the Outer Hall without reason. Is this perhaps because of what happened during the Nine Dragons Tournament?”
“To demand the dissolution of the Outer Hall over such a trivial matter… the world will mock your pettiness, Hall Master Baek.”
He was being treated like a complete fool.
Baek Jung-cheon’s eyes turned cold in an instant.
Amidst the chorus of unilateral condemnation, the Fortress Lord posed a question.
“What is your reason?”
“As the Hall Masters have said, it is because the Outer Hall’s strength is more than sufficient.”
“You want to dismantle it because it’s strong?”
“It is not right to assign such a force to mere guard duty. It would be proper to dissolve it, give it a new name, and have it perform the same duties as the eight Inner Halls, would it not?”
Caught off guard by his argument, the masters of the eight Inner Halls fell silent.
To oppose his words now would be to admit that their previous arguments were wrong.
Finding the proposal reasonable, the Fortress Lord turned his gaze to Bukgung Baek and asked for his opinion.
“What are your thoughts?”
“I think it’s the nonsense of a tail-wagging dog.”
The Hall Masters were utterly appalled by his response, which completely dismissed Baek Jung-cheon.
The Nine Dragons Fortress was a power formed by the alliance of eight factions.
The master of each hall had the right to challenge for the position of Fortress Lord and the right to refuse his orders.
Of course, in practice, neither ever happened.
Since the founding of the Nine Dragons Fortress, every successive Green Dragon Hall Master had reached the Transcendent Realm, so the seat of the Fortress Lord was an unattainable dream.
Naturally, no one had ever exercised their right to refuse an order.
But this nominal guarantee of rights was a testament to the high status of the Hall Masters.
Each of them was equivalent to the leader of a major sect.
It was with this background in mind that Baek Jung-cheon had dared to interfere in the sacred duel.
But Bukgung Baek shattered such conventions in a single stroke.
Even considering his infamous reputation from his days of roaming the martial world alone, this was crossing a line, and by a wide margin at that.
“By your logic, the underpowered White Dragon Hall should be dismantled and assigned to guard duty within the fortress.”
At Bukgung Baek’s relaxed provocation.
“On what grounds do you spew such nonsense?”
Baek Jung-cheon growled.
“Grounds? I have plenty. The Hall Master himself is a coward who tucks his tail and runs. A hall led by such a man cannot possibly be strong, can it?”
“Do you wish to die?!”
This was the second insult, following the one at the Nine Dragons Tournament. Baek Jung-cheon was not about to tolerate it a second time. No, he couldn't.
If he backed down again, he would never be able to hold his head high again.
Having made up his mind, Baek Jung-cheon began to gather his energy and rose from his seat.
As if he had been waiting for it, Bukgung Baek taunted him.
“It seems you won’t be running away this time. Did you take some kind of miracle elixir?”
“You bastard!”
Baek Jung-cheon roared with fury and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
In that moment, the masters of the other eight halls all looked to the Fortress Lord.
Only he could stop a fight between these two, both of whom were high-level transcendent masters.
But contrary to their expectations, the Fortress Lord merely watched the two with a look of amusement.
*Crackle. Crash!*
*Clang!*
The fight had begun.
* * *
“So, you’re saying Hall Master Bukgung beat the White Dragon Hall Master to a pulp?”
“Yes, I heard he sustained injuries that will require at least a couple of months of recuperation.”
“...That’s a serious injury.”
“In exchange, the White Dragon Hall Master’s schemes were beaten and sunk along with him. Having been defeated in front of everyone, it won’t be easy for him to pull any tricks in the future.”
I couldn’t help but be astonished by the news Jeok Il brought.
He had thrashed the White Dragon Hall Master just for a bit of scheming.
And in front of everyone, no less.
As I gaped in disbelief, Jeok Il continued his explanation.
“I heard Hall Master Bukgung didn’t have an easy win either. They fought for nearly two hours.”
Transcendent masters fighting for two hours…
“The Fortress Lord’s Hall must be in ruins. The Lord must be furious.”
“They say the Fortress Lord smiled with great satisfaction, remarking that the future of the Nine Dragons Fortress is bright.”
As expected of the Lord of Nine Dragons, he operates on a different scale.
If it were me, I would have started by demanding compensation for the damages from both of them.
That aside, I bowed my head to Jeok Il, who had come all this way to deliver the news.
“Thank you for bringing me the news.”
“Hmph, we’ll be one family soon, so don’t feel burdened at all.”
“…”
A strange misunderstanding was building, but I couldn’t bring myself to refute it.
After a bit more conversation, Jeok Il departed.
Lying on my bed, I thought of Bukgung Baek, and a sound of admiration escaped my lips.
‘That’s just like him.’
His way of crushing petty schemes with sheer force was incredibly satisfying.
At the same time, Yong Ma-san’s words came to mind.
‘If you don’t want to be swayed by others, attain power. Squad Leader Jin, I believe you are more than capable of it.’
Watching Bukgung Baek effortlessly smash through paltry schemes with his own strength, I had an epiphany.
‘I need the power to withstand the storms that blow from the outside.’
If Bukgung Baek hadn’t thwarted this plot, the Outer Hall would have been dismantled, and I would have been transferred to the Black Dragon Hall.
If that happened, my income would be quartered.
Of course, I could make money by going to another hall, but then I would have to carry out assigned missions, which would frequently put my life on the line.
Doesn't the Black Dragon Hall also receive missions?
Of course, it does.
But I could probably get out of them on the pretext of running the Black Dragon Martial Academy in their stead. Everyone in the Black Dragon Hall would surely prefer that.
In any case, the important thing now was that I needed to attain power.
And for that…
“I’ll have to ask my instructor.”
It seemed I would need the help of the star instructor, Bukgung Baek.
* * *
After a month of daily ocular arts practice, drinking the tonics Myo Hyang brewed, and receiving Cheong So-so’s treatments, I was finally free from my nagging injuries.
The first thing to do was go to work.
It goes without saying, but the Nine Dragons Fortress offers no paid leave, let alone sick leave.
In other words, if you’re sick and don’t work, you don’t get your monthly salary.
For this reason, I had tried to at least clock in, but the strong opposition from Cheong So-so and Myo Hyang kept me from leaving the house.
‘My precious monthly salary…’
Having missed a whole month of work, I had lost out on the hefty sum of nine silver taels. I hurriedly started preparing for work.
“Hmm, looking handsome as always today.”
I could see my perfect face reflected in the bronze mirror.
The commute to work that followed was perfect.
When the ruffians of Black Snake Road saw me, they handed me a get-well gift with eyes full of respect.
“Hehe, it’s not much, but please accept this. We all pitched in to celebrate your recovery.”
“Hah! What do you take me for! I’ll accept it this time out of consideration for your sincerity, so be sure to prepare one next time as well.”
“Of course! You can count on us.”
As I passed through Black Snake Road and entered the residential district, the neighborhood kids came running.
“Hey! It’s Squad Leader Jin!”
“Big brother!”
“Mister!”
“You little rascals, have you been well?”
“Yeah! I’ve been running every day to get as fast as you!”
“Good for you. Keep at it, and you’ll be even faster than me.”
“I’ve been listening to my mom so I can marry you when I grow up, big brother.”
“Yes, yes, keep listening to your mom and be a good girl.”
“And me! I beat up all the kids in the neighborhood to get good at fighting like you, mister!”
“…”
Finally, the merchants in the marketplace greeted me.
“Well, if it isn’t the hero of the Outer Fortress, the Fighting Dragon, Squad Leader Jin!”
“Are you all better?! No, no. Take this. It’s some dried snake I saved just for you, Squad Leader Jin. Nothing better for boosting one’s vitality.”
“It’s a relief to see you looking so healthy. This isn’t much, just some leftover cotton cloth. Take it and make some undergarments.”
“Oh my! Here…”
“This is…”
Thanks to them, by the time I arrived at the Outer Hall headquarters, my hands were full of gifts.
The first place I went upon entering the headquarters was the First Squad’s office.
“Squad Leader!”
As I opened the door and entered, the squad members, led by Woo Je-jun, rushed toward me.
“Have you all been well? Huh? There are a lot of new faces.”
“Yes, they’re new members who joined after the Nine Dragons Tournament. Come on, greet him! This is the Fighting Dragon, Squad Leader Jin Mujeon.”
At Woo Je-jun’s introduction, the new members saluted in unison.
“Nine Dragons!”
“At ease. It’s good to meet you all. I’m Jin Mujeon, Leader of the First Squad. I know you might be displeased to have a young punk as your superior, but I hope you’ll be broad-minded and understand.”
“Not at all, sir! It is an honor to serve under the renowned Fighting Dragon.”
“We will do our best not to tarnish your reputation, Squad Leader.”
“I also…”
Their discipline was sharp; it seemed we had recruited well.
After the introductions, Woo Je-jun began his overdue report.
It covered incidents that occurred during the Nine Dragons Tournament, the status of the merchant caravans, and the movements of the underworld factions.
“Nothing major happened, then?”
“Thankfully, no. However, there were frequent incidents caused by visiting martial artists from out of town, resulting in a number of injuries throughout the Outer Hall.”
“Are the culprits properly locked up?”
“The Vice Hall Master released them all. Instead, he confiscated all their money as payment for medical bills and fines, used it to treat the injured, and allocated the remaining funds to each squad’s operational budget.”
A judgment worthy of Ga Rip, the seasoned veteran of the Outer Hall.
“Right, locking up troublemakers just wastes food on them.”
Taking their money and letting them go is much better.
“Thank you for leading the First Squad so well in my absence. You’ve worked hard.”
“Thank you, sir.”
After a simple salute, Woo Je-jun returned to his post.
Seeing the First Squad’s office packed with twenty members, it finally felt like I was back.
‘I’ve returned.’
The return to daily life felt strangely profound.
Now, all that was left was…
“Nine Dragons! First Squad Leader Jin Mujeon has returned from hell.”
It was time to meet my martial arts instructor, Bukgung Baek.
“You’re here? Sit.”
“Yes, sir.”
As I sat down, he poured me a cup of tea and watched me quietly.
“…Your injuries have fully healed.”
“It’s all thanks to your concern in many ways.”
“You should thank the Great Pure Adept. If not for him, you would have been recuperating for a year.”
“I already paid my respects with a hefty donation.”
“Good.”
“By the way, about that elixir you gave me before? I was thinking of taking it…”
“Your body is in good condition, so it should be fine. However, to fully draw out the elixir’s power, it would be best to wait a while.”
“I see.”
“You’re not going to ask why?”
“When it comes to martial arts, I’ve decided to trust your judgment even if you told me you could make tofu from rice.”
“……”
“So please continue to guide and instruct me in the future.”
“Is that so?”
In the pleasant atmosphere, Bukgung Baek nodded and gave a completely unexpected response.
“Then how about you go on a dispatch mission?”
“Excuse me?”
Seriously, I asked you to teach me martial arts, so why are you giving me a job?