Chapter 48
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Namgung Family (3)
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Mujin had no desire to pretend to be magnanimous. His anger was boiling inside—why hold it back? If you spent your life just bottling it up, you'd end up rotting from the inside with some wasting disease. He'd sworn to live without leaving any grudges behind.
'The head of the Namgung family is the Sword Demon, not the Heavenly Sword. He's definitely the strongest of the bunch. How did I not know that?'
-At the time, the Namgung family had lost its head and its reputation. Most of their forces were gone.
'Was there some power struggle among the Five Great Families?'
-What the hell do you even know?
'So what?'
-This was before you left seclusion. You think you needed to know every little detail like that?
The Namgung family's role in the decisive battle against the Demonic Cult of the Demon God had been negligible. Their strength back then wasn't even comparable to now. No wonder it was a blur in his memory.
'Not someone I can just kill easily.'
-You'd have to clash with him to find out, but he seems like a wall you can't cross yet.
Martial arts had to be viewed relatively. Even powerful techniques had counters. If a weakness was exposed, even a master could fall to a middling fighter. For reference, weaklings couldn't kill masters even if they spotted the weakness. It was possible in theory, but the odds were slim. You needed a baseline level of skill for results to show.
'No leads at all?'
-There's one. The Namgung family's decline caused the Five Great Families to lose their unity and fail to pool their strength.
'Sounds like the Demonic Cult pulled some divide-and-conquer scheme... Wait, that feels off.'
Nah, no way!
He dismissed it at first, but the suspicion lingered. When the Demonic Cult of the Demon God made their full push onto the continent, the murim world had been utterly helpless. The Murim Alliance's cohesion had been more fragile than glass. There simply wasn't a solid force to lead the group. Everyone was too blinded by their own interests to grasp the bigger picture.
-Of the Twenty-One Heroes of the Divine Continent, only nine remained.
'Smart bastards.'
The Demonic Cult that stepped forward had ruthlessly wielded raw power. They'd swept through the murim world like an unstoppable force, so it seemed straightforward at the time. But like ducks gliding calmly on the water's surface, they'd been highly strategic underneath. They'd drained most of the murim's strength, leaving it a power vacuum.
'They'd been preparing in advance.'
-No fool wages war without preparation.
'But how? If they'd pulled strings behind the scenes, it would've leaked publicly.'
-I'm the Demon King.
Fair enough—the Demon King wouldn't have scrutinized every past event. If he'd known this was coming, he should've read some murim chronicles before kicking the bucket. Might've had some inkling then. Neither the Demon King nor he knew much history.
'You can't even tell me now.'
-They wouldn't listen anyway.
If he warned the Namgung family of some dark fate ahead, would they obediently prepare? No, they'd charge at him for insulting their house. Then he'd end up wiping them out himself. If they acted all high and mighty, his temper wouldn't let him hold back.
'Damn it, do I have to track them all down? What about my personal life?'
-If the world falls, you won't have a personal life.
Mujin shook his head. Saving a few more posers wouldn't change the outcome anyway. Life had taught him one thing: the only thing you could trust was your own fist.
'If it doesn't work, just beat the Sword Demon into submission.'
-You'll make an enemy for life first.
Beating someone who wouldn't listen didn't guarantee obedience, especially not from that resolute-looking guy. Just the nickname Sword Demon showed he wouldn't bend easily.
-It's not like there are zero clues. If they pulled strings, traces would remain.
'You'd be able to spot them, then.'
If it was the Demonic Cult's scheming, Heavenly Sentinel might detect it. But seeing through every plot was impossible.
Defense had always been several times harder than offense. You couldn't predict when or how an attack would come. Even if you knew, defending required at least triple the effort.
Mujin set the worries aside for now. It was all uncertain anyway. Worrying prematurely wouldn't yield answers.
"The next bracket has been posted. Competing Little Dragons, check it in advance. Miss your turn, and you forfeit your chance."
The matchups were written on a large wooden board by number. The competitors' faces showed a mix of joy and despair.
Ah~!
Skill matters more than luck—textbook advice. But in life, ability didn't guarantee success. Do your best and leave the rest to heaven; luck is seventy percent, skill thirty. You couldn't ignore luck. Otherwise, sayings like "even falling backward breaks your nose" wouldn't exist.
In reality, when powerhouses drew each other early, even winners struggled in the next round. No time to recover from the grueling fight's toll.
'They've spread out the Five Great Families.'
-Pretty fair.
The Five Great Families were placed in separate brackets to avoid early clashes. At this rate, they wouldn't meet until the top sixteen. Smaller sects might gripe about the rigging, but pitting elites against each other prematurely had to be avoided.
Some in the brackets lucked out; others faced Five Great Families right away and dropped.
Swoosh!
People cleared space around Mujin. A gap opened left and right as a disheveled, monk-like figure approached. The blue uniform gave away his identity. Behind him trailed a familiar man with an uneasy expression.
"I owe your uncle a debt."
"Shall I repay it?"
"I hear it's a fair fight. Teach me sometime later."
"Sure, come find me anytime."
He didn't chalk the String Music Sword's defeat up to chance. He accurately assessed his own skill. Yet he had the patience to bide his time.
I'll fight when I have a shot at winning.
'Not that impressive, but maybe his uncle let his guard down?'
Zhuge Min disliked how his clan's name was bandied about after his uncle's loss. If not for the uncle, he'd have pressed hard. But even accounting for carelessness, defeat in just two moves? Surface appearances might not tell the full story.
'What a cheeky kid.'
Weigh this, weigh that, weigh again.
He'd fully inherited the Zhuge clan's sly nature. He wanted revenge for the clan, but coldly judged reality. That was the Zhuge clan's strength and weakness. Overthinking left them short on a warrior's fiery spirit.
Mujin scanned the bracket.
Then looked at Zhuge Min.
"Reality won't be so kind."
"I'll etch that into my bones."
Mujin doubted he'd truly take it to heart. Deep for his age, but still green. Compared to the seasoned Zhuge veterans, he fell short. He probably hadn't even considered the misfortune barreling toward them.
Zing, zing!
Zhuge Gun glared at Mujin murderously, his face icy.
Mujin smirked.
"Defeat's just the way of the warrior."
"I'll repay this debt soon enough."
"Things don't always go your way."
"Enjoy it now. I'll make you regret it soon."
Despite Zhuge Gun's menacing aura, no fight broke out. He lacked certainty. Losing publicly again could shake his standing in the clan.
'When in doubt, don't act.'
Mujin knew he'd hesitated. Muscles tensed as if reaching for his sword. Yet he didn't back down, figuring full power gave him a chance. That's why you had to crush them decisively—or kill them—when you beat them.
"That's the guy who beat the String Music Sword?"
"So that's what he looks like!"
"Doesn't look that strong!"
"Pine Tiger Sect might be the dark horse."
This was why the Zhuge clan was so insidious. People who'd ignored them now scrutinized his sect just because of their interest. Warriors were human too. Public eyes could weigh heavy, pressuring poor performance. Their aim was clear: rattle him before the tournament.
Especially.
The Namgung family.
The Sakcheon Tang family.
The Hebei Paeng family.
Among the Five Great Families, the Zhuge weren't acknowledged for their martial prowess. They had to prove superiority.
'Time to repay the stage they set.'
-Go for it.
He might end up the target of all Four Great Families except Huangbo. But Mujin didn't curb his temper for onlookers. Challenges deserved responses—that was only right.
After checking the schedule, his son and Cheol-ho returned.
Per the bracket, matches would start in the morning. Mujin sat in the tournament venue's facilities. Reserved for Huangbo consideration, but he used it without fuss.
Openly showing ties to Huangbo drew every clan's attention.
"Father, have some tea."
"Thank you."
Huangbo Jang-seong grimaced at his daughter's devoted service with tea and snacks. Raising daughters was pointless, a bitter truth.
Is she really my kid?
'My child, but she's a vixen through and through.'
Slap a tail on her, and she'd pass for a fox spirit. On one hand, he wondered if she was worth such devotion.
Taejin's match was up.
"Son."
"Yes, Father."
"It's just a kids' pageant, this tournament. But since you're here, win it. For the record, any scratches, and training triples."
"I'll win for sure!"
Encouragement or threat?
Definitely the latter. Taejin found it so fatherly. Consistent wherever they went. He said what he wanted, even with everyone listening.
Ha!
Cheol-ho and even Huangbo Jin-un deflated at Mujin's "support" for his son. It hit home how little he thought of the tournament.
Even if he dismissed it, was that talk for a rookie competitor? Zero tact, zero awareness? Not unaware—just indifferent to others.
"Can't even win a piddly tournament like this, might as well quit being a warrior. Right, son?"
"Exactly."
Father arrogant, son powerless. Amid the odd stares, the pair stayed unfazed. Such scenes were routine at home. Nothing special.
To Father, priority one was Mom, then Mijoo, then... me? Third place would be nice.
"You're not uninterested in the tournament—you don't even register it."
"Worrying about trash like this wears you out. Unless it's the Righteous-Demonic Great Blood War?"
Gasp!
Silence fell. The Righteous-Demonic War? That was no joke! History was full of them, days of endless blood. Taboo for anyone with murim foes.
"Talk for a parent?"
"Face reality."
"You dropped in the first round!"
"Embarrassing."