Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Never Underestimate the Outer Hall Again (2)
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#075: Never Underestimate the Outer Hall Again (2)
The predecessor of the White Dragon Hall, the Baek Family, was originally a powerful clan that had produced generals and ministers for generations.
However, when the empire lost its power and the imperial court fell into chaos, they changed course and transformed into a martial arts family. With their existing influence over the government, they rapidly expanded their power and walked a path of success.
The vast lands they inherited through generations as a powerful clan, combined with the land they purchased when the Nine Dragons Fortress was established, brought them immense wealth.
Furthermore, the special armor crafted with a secret technique stolen from the imperial family continued to sell for high prices throughout the land, sustaining their fortune.
They didn't just have money.
With three Supreme Masters, including their Hall Master, seven Peak Masters, and a hundred First-Rate Masters, they were, in name and reality, the second most powerful faction in the Nine Dragons Fortress.
They were not an opponent the Outer Hall could dare to challenge.
Nevertheless, there were two reasons why we charged headfirst into the White Dragon Hall.
First.
‘You have the strong backing of the Outer Hall Master and the Black Dragon Hall, and you recently befriended the Red Dragon Sword and the Gray Dragon Saber through the Nine Dragons Tournament. Moreover, by risking your life to save the prodigies during the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion incident, you have indebted their families to you.’
It was because of the connections we had built up, just as Yu So-pyeong had explained.
No matter how strong the White Dragon Hall was, they wouldn't be able to act recklessly while ignoring the eyes of others.
And.
“I hear you’ve been stirring up some interesting trouble lately?”
We had the Great Demonic Master, Bukgung Baek.
“They started it with their petty tricks, sir.”
A smirk.
“Since you've started, you might as well do it right.”
As expected, Hall Master Bukgung was refreshingly direct.
“The Outer Hall could suffer damages.”
“Damages…”
Bukgung Baek offered me the bottle of liquor he was drinking from.
“Thank you.”
I took a swig and handed it back.
“The Nine Dragons Fortress was formed by the union of nine major factions that once dominated the southwestern Central Plains. With over two thousand warriors gathered here, how could there not be conflict?”
“So?”
“It means you should run wild to your heart’s content, without worrying about the consequences.”
Taking the bottle back, Bukgung Baek drained it in one gulp and continued.
“Do I really not have to think about the consequences?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you.”
As I left the headquarters after finishing my report, a question suddenly occurred to me.
The Nine Dragons Fortress was a union of nine factions? Not eight?
‘He must have misremembered.’
Drinking every day seemed to be making him a bit confused.
*Hall Master, you have to stay healthy.*
*You need to be my backer until I can skip town from this fortress.*
With that thought, I bowed my head in his direction.
* * *
The White Dragon Hall began by mobilizing its political power.
“Jin Mujeon, Squad Leader of the Outer Hall’s First Squad, come out!”
They had mobilized the Disciplinary Corps once again.
It was a move I had somewhat anticipated.
But it was a powerful move nonetheless.
That was how formidable the authority of the Disciplinary Corps was.
“What is it this time?”
“You are under suspicion of abusing your authority to obstruct an event of the White Dragon Hall.”
This time, however, was different from the last.
“You’ve come at a good time. Are you Squad Leader Jong Ju-pyeong of the First Disciplinary Division?”
“I am, but why do you ask?”
“I see. I was just about to pay you a visit. What are you all doing?! Arrest these men at once!”
Ga Rip stepped forward and blocked them completely.
“What is the meaning of this!”
As Jong Ju-pyeong protested, Ga Rip took out a small piece of paper.
“Let’s see… The day before yesterday, you went to the Red Blossom Pavilion with the head of the Manli Merchant Guild. There, you accepted a bribe in exchange for arresting the head of the Hwang Family Merchant Guild.”
“Do you have proof?!”
A smirk.
Ga Rip sneered as he spoke.
“Did you have proof when you arrested my men?”
“...!”
Stunned by Ga Rip’s words—that he would repay them in kind—Jong Ju-pyeong stammered.
“...I-Investigating bribery is the exclusive duty of the Disciplinary Corps. The likes of the Outer Hall cannot dare to investigate.”
“That’s true. So I did a little more digging. You dined and dashed twice at the Yukban Inn inside the East Gate, and you drunkenly and forcibly embraced a courtesan who refused you. You also destroyed an innocent merchant’s stall while riding your horse through the fortress and offered no compensation. While the Disciplinary Corps should investigate the bribery charge, maintaining order in the outer fortress is the duty of our Outer Hall. I believe this is more than enough grounds to arrest you, Squad Leader Jong…”
To think he investigated in such detail.
Experience was truly second to none.
*Rumble.*
Soon, one hundred and fifty warriors of the Outer Hall surrounded the five members of the Disciplinary Corps.
“The rest of these bastards are also under sufficient suspicion, so arrest them all! If they resist, you have my permission to kill them!”
At Ga Rip’s shout, the faces of the Disciplinary Corps members turned deathly pale.
They could feel his genuine resolve to kill them.
Not long after we arrested the Disciplinary Corps members, news arrived that the fish had taken the bait.
“The Head of the Disciplinary Corps is rushing over with his men!”
A moment later.
*CRASH!*
The door shattered, and a red-faced Baek Ja-cheon stormed in.
He roared in a furious voice.
“How dare the likes of the Outer Hall arrest members of the Disciplinary Corps! You wouldn’t have a word to say even if I killed you all!”
“Making threats, are we? Should a man of your station, the Head of the Disciplinary Corps, be acting this way?”
“So it’s you.”
“My, my. Master Baek, you’re not my superior, yet you speak so informally. It’s a bit grating to the ears.”
“Hmph! I have no business with you. Bring Hall Master Bukgung here at once!”
“If you’re so eager to walk into the afterlife, I recommend jumping from the peak of the Nine Dragons Mountain Range instead of bothering others.”
“You bastard!”
“You keep calling me this and that. I heard you come from a prestigious family, but it seems you’ve eaten your manners for breakfast.”
“Enough nonsense! Bring Hall Master Bukgung here now!”
“If the Hall Master comes, you’ll really die.”
“As a warrior, how can I endure such humiliation?”
His voice was filled with rage.
It was only natural.
The younger brother of the White Dragon Hall Master, a renowned Supreme Master, and the Head of the Disciplinary Corps.
A man who had walked such an elite path couldn't possibly have experienced such disgrace.
But that disgrace was not yet over.
“Why would our Hall Master Bukgung need to step forward for someone of your level? I will be your opponent.”
“You insolent whelp! Your arrogance knows no bounds!”
Because I, who had reached Platinum with nothing but a keyboard, was still here.
Thanks to me, his already red face began to burn like magma.
*Sching.*
He immediately drew his sword and pointed it at me.
*Wooooong.*
The aura emitted by a Supreme Master washed over me.
“Ugh.”
The surrounding Outer Hall warriors groaned and retreated.
“No one interfere!”
At Baek Ja-cheon’s shout, thirty members of the Disciplinary Corps drew their swords and stood guard.
It seemed they were preventing anyone else from joining the fight.
“Will you give me a three-second head start?”
“Hmph! I’ll give you ten. But if you fail to kill me within that time, this day next year will be the anniversary of your death.”
“You’re going to regret this…”
*Crackle. Sizzle.*
The moment I made up my mind, my War King Ki raged and unleashed its force.
*BOOM.*
Activating Flying Heavenly Wind, I stomped the ground and executed the War King Step.
Perhaps I was faster than he had expected, because a flicker of surprise crossed Baek Ja-cheon’s eyes.
And then.
“...!”
The duel began as I unleashed the full force of my Explosive Death Force at his front.
*KRA-KOOM!*
With a sound like a thunderclap, the ground around us was torn apart.
*Swoosh.*
But it failed to penetrate Baek Ja-cheon’s protective aura.
Of course, that was no reason to stop my attack.
Now was the time to press him relentlessly.
And my martial art, the War King Arts, was a divine technique capable of utterly overwhelming an opponent once it gained momentum.
Sensing that something was amiss, just as Baek Ja-cheon was about to assume a defensive stance.
*BAAANG!*
I hammered all thirteen strikes of the Dragon-Slaying Thirteen Strikes into him.
The sound of impact rang out only once.
But its power was by no means that of a single blow.
“Hk.”
Baek Ja-cheon let out a groan, seemingly shaken by the force originating from the Dragon-Slaying Thirteen Strikes.
“Not bad…”
“It’s not over yet, you bastard!”
“How dare you!”
Giving him time would do me no good.
I had to push him as hard and as fast as possible right now.
*SWISH!*
The Ultimate Death Force, unleashed through a kick, slashed toward his waist.
*CLANG!*
The Sunlight Sword, a technique that only the direct lineage of the White Dragon Hall could learn, erupted like lightning and split my Ultimate Death Force.
*Thump.*
As I executed the War King Step and charged toward his side.
*CLANG!*
Baek Ja-cheon unleashed his Sunlight Sword, aiming for my neck.
He had broken his own promise to give me a ten-second head start.
I could see his face flush, as if he felt a sense of shame.
“Didn’t you say you’d give me ten seconds?”
Of course, I had expected this. I paid it no mind and continued my frantic assault.
*POW!*
I stabbed, swung, and struck down, unleashing every possible attack a human body could perform.
With a massive sonic boom, Baek Ja-cheon took a step back.
It wasn’t just a simple retreat.
*CLANG!*
His Sunlight Sword flew toward my neck.
“...!”
I barely dodged the strike.
*Drip.*
A small scratch appeared where the tip of the sword had grazed me, and blood began to flow.
I could feel his genuine intent to kill me.
Of course, I felt no fear.
‘Just have to hold on a little longer.’
Time was on my side.
After exchanging a few more blows.
*Fwoosh.*
Having regained his composure, Baek Ja-cheon coated his blade in sword force and unleashed the Sunlight Sword.
Even though I dodged from a considerable distance, I could feel a searing heat.
“Are you running away?!”
Enraged, Baek Ja-cheon used a movement technique to chase me down and once again unleashed his sword force.
The training ground wasn't large; there was nowhere to run.
‘I’ll block it here!’
I stood my ground and drew up all my remaining War King Ki.
*Fwoooosh.*
A beam of light-like force rushed toward me.
“Hup!”
The Explosive Death Force, imbued with all my energy, erupted.
*CRACKLE. BOOM!*
Sword force, the symbol of a Supreme Master.
The condensation of energy, said to be able to shatter anything, tore through the power of my Explosive Death Force, radiating a terrifying heat.
“Shit.”
I had been somewhat prepared for it, but seeing it firsthand made a curse escape my lips.
*BOOM!*
The sword force struck me square in the solar plexus without an inch of error.
With an explosion, a colossal force sent my body flying.
*Crumble.*
I crashed through the training ground wall and flew for dozens of meters before finally coming to a stop.
“Blech.”
I vomited a clot of blood that surged up from within me.
The blood was black, suggesting I had sustained a significant internal injury.
‘I’m alive.’
*Thank you, Grand Young Master Lee Jeok-sang.*
*I don't know how many times you've saved my life.*
*Thud.*
Just as I was considering bowing toward the northwest, where the Martial Emperor Fortress was located, a slightly weary-looking Baek Ja-cheon stood before me with light steps.
Everyone from the Outer Hall and the Disciplinary Corps watched with bated breath.
“Any last words?”
“Hehehe. I think that’s my line.”
“Don’t bluff—?!”
“Looks like the poison is finally taking effect.”
“W-What is this?”
“His name is Dang-pal. We have a Paralysis Poison expert in our Outer Hall.”
“Impossible! I would never fail to notice something like a mere Paralysis Poison!”
He wasn't wrong.
A master of Baek Ja-cheon’s caliber could block Paralysis Poison the moment he sensed the slightest hint of it.
However.
“Excessive excitement tends to dull the senses.”
This was precisely why I had provoked him and pushed him into a corner.
Naturally, I had taken an antidote beforehand.
“You treacherous bastard!”
“You attacked me after three seconds when you promised ten, didn't you? Let's call it even.”
Baek Ja-cheon glared at me, his eyes filled with killing intent.
“Hmph! Even without my internal energy, killing a whelp like you is no problem.”
“Of course, that might be true.”
Even without internal energy, he was a Supreme Master.
The swordsmanship he had honed his entire life could not be taken lightly.
Moreover, I was currently suffering from a severe internal injury.
I couldn't use my internal energy either.
“But I wonder if you’ve ever heard this saying?”
“What…?”
“In a dogfight, the winner isn’t the strong one, but the vicious one.”
In that department, I had no confidence.
No confidence that I would lose.