Chapter 307: The Murim Alliance (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 307: The Murim Alliance (2)
As the storm subsided, the room erupted into clamor once more.
So Yu-hyeon and Danmok Il immediately raised their voices.
"Is everyone seriously believing those words?"
"Predicting the path of the enemy? How on earth could he see through their movements?"
"Appearing out of nowhere and spilling such classified information. If anything, we should suspect whether he's a spy."
"Bwahaha! Might the benefactor's words not have some truth to them?"
Everyone except Hye-myeong and Geol Jung-gil, who burst into hearty laughter, frowned.
So Yu-hyeon and Danmok Il, in particular, were openly displaying their hostility.
Right then, Cheon Yu-seong slowly spoke.
"Instead of seeking help, you're too busy biting back out of paranoia. I suppose the decline of any faction looks the same everywhere."
"What? Are you saying our strength is not enough?"
Danmok Il's eyebrows knit in anger.
There was no way he would take the implication of their ruin kindly.
"No, you are strong. Every single one of you is outstanding enough to change the tide of a battle."
A faction possessing formidable martial power and countless warriors.
Who would dare judge the Murim as weak?
But...
That is all it is.
A war, not a battle.
To win on a grander chessboard...
An even greater variable is needed.
"That guy has the power to change the entire landscape of a war."
Not anyone else, but that single man.
"If I were you, I wouldn't take this proposal lightly."
Perhaps displeased with his own words, Cheon Yu-seong clicked his tongue softly.
Indeed.
He had never liked Jinhyuk.
An annoying, sly veteran who always acted as he pleased.
He was nothing more than an enemy he desperately wanted to give a bitter taste of defeat to one day.
And yet...
If there was just one thing he had to admit...
...it was that Jinhyuk, more than anyone else here, had climbed higher up the Tower.
Though he had never asked directly, if it was that guy, then perhaps...
'He might have even gone past the late 30s floors of the Tower.'
An unknown territory presumed to be inhabited only by deities.
At first, he had thought it was an absurd, nonsensical notion.
But why was it?
The longer he knew that bastard, the more he felt that the assumption wasn't entirely impossible.
"That is quite an overestimation of a single person, Cheon Yu-seong. I didn't expect someone as sharp as you to say such things."
Ha Ryeo-hwa wore a mysterious smile.
"I only spoke the truth."
"Hmm. Is that so? Come to think of it, you two seem quite close... What is your relationship with him, Young Master Cheon?"
Relationship...
"Let's just say... he's the guy I will surpass soon."
Cheon Yu-seong spoke calmly and stood up.
"Fufu. If it's Young Master Cheon, it's entirely possible. Well then, I shall take my leave as well. I do hope a favorable answer comes."
"There's nothing to lose by listening to Jinhyuk... No, actually, I suppose I can't guarantee that."
Soul-Chasing Shadow and Teresa followed after him.
* * *
The three who stepped outside joined Jinhyuk and Alice, who were waiting for them.
"Why did you arrive so late in Luoyang? Thanks to you, I had to wait forever while dealing with those damn bastards."
Cheon Yu-seong spat coldly.
It seemed his genuine grumbling stemmed from how incredibly uncomfortable he had been.
"Sorry. There was something I wanted to try challenging. But things got a bit tangled up in the middle, so I had to take a detour, which made me late."
"If you had come with me, it would have been an easy trip. It seems Young Master Kang also enjoys taking on various challenges. Our disciple should learn a thing or two from you. Don't you think, Young Master Cheon?"
Soul-Chasing Shadow grabbed Cheon Yu-seong's cheeks and pinched them.
"M-Master! Please, maintain your dignity!"
"Oh my, how prickly. At first, you begged me so much to teach you the sword... saying you only had your master to rely on to get stronger. You've changed. So cold."
"What does that have to do with this?!"
"Now you're even raising your voice at me. Your master is so sad, sob sob..."
While Cheon Yu-seong was being tormented by Soul-Chasing Shadow, Teresa, who was standing nearby, spoke up cautiously.
"Jinhyuk, do you think they will really accept your proposal?"
"They probably will."
The representatives in there might not know, but if they show that map to the Murim Alliance's intelligence department, they will realize it instantly.
Just how fatal the bases targeted by the Heavenly Demon Cult could be.
And how, if connected to the bases they've already lost, it could completely upend the entire board.
"All that's left is to wait patiently."
The Murim Alliance is the one anxious here.
So until they make the first move, we can just kill some time around here.
"Hmm. Then what should we do in the meantime?"
"Food."
Alice cut in flatly.
It was just a single word, but her voice carried an absolute authority that brooked no refusal.
Her body was utterly exhausted from traveling through the passage all night.
Combined with an empty stomach, Alice had reached the absolute limit of her patience.
"Isn't it a bit early for a meal—"
"Or your blood works too. I feel like my mana has been running low lately, so I might as well replenish it properly."
The corners of Alice's mouth curled up slightly.
This was dangerous.
"Ah, right! Come to think of it, there's a place just ahead that makes incredible food. Let's see, here's a fish market, here's a clothing store... Ah, is it here?"
Jinhyuk hurriedly burst into the nearest restaurant.
Chitter-chatter!
Despite the early hour, the interior was packed with quite a few people.
He had chosen a decent-looking place in his haste, and it seemed he had made a good choice.
"Welcome! What can I get for you?"
A waiter spotted the group and quickly approached.
"Bring out everything written here. We shall rent out the entire establishment, so throw out all these noisy, uncivilized humans."
Alice sat arrogantly on her chair and commanded.
"E-Excuse me? Customer... what do you mean by that...?"
"Apologies. She's a bit slow."
"How dare you call me slow—Mmph!"
Jinhyuk stopped Alice just in the nick of time as she tried to pull out a gold bar.
"Just bring us your best dishes, enough for everyone here."
Jinhyuk barely managed to send the waiter away.
And a short while later, a table full of mouth-watering food was served.
"Ooh! This looks delicious. This is mine... No, wait. Ahem! It seems it will suit my tastes well enough."
"Thank you for the food. You should eat too, Jinhyuk."
"Hmm. Authentic Chinese cuisine eaten locally isn't bad either."
"Fufu. Eat up, everyone."
Chopsticks moved busily.
Alice chewed on a mouthful of meat, and Teresa also let out continuous exclamations of admiration as she ate a piece of five-spice sliced pork.
Mmh. It certainly wasn't a bad taste.
But it was somewhat lacking to be called the essence of Chinese cuisine.
'If it were me, I would have thought of a combination that brings out the unique aroma of the ingredients a bit more...'
It was just as Jinhyuk was pondering a few ways to elevate the flavor of the food.
"Tsk! So noisy."
"Please bear with it, Eldest Senior Brother. What would those fellows know about manners or etiquette?"
"Food is merely sustenance to move the body. To walk the path of martial arts, one must distance themselves from culinary pleasures... yet those people eat so vulgarly."
A sharp voice drifted over from the side.
They were no ordinary customers.
Unlike most of the patrons who looked like they did hard labor, every single one of them had fair, clean faces.
'Are they from the Orthodox Faction?'
Their attire was completely different as well.
Neat white robes and long swords at their waists—the symbols of Taoists training their minds and bodies.
Indeed.
They were the Taoists of the Wudang Sect who had come with So Yu-hyeon.
There were three men and one woman.
Among them, a remarkably handsome man stood on a different level.
"Our Martial Uncle said that people from outside the Tower would also participate in the meeting, and it seems those are them."
"There's also the guy Soul-Chasing Shadow took as a disciple. Was his name Cheon Yu-seong? Well... his looks aren't too bad, I suppose."
"I wonder what those weaklings think they know to help us... Don't you agree, Eldest Senior Brother?"
"It simply means the Heavenly Demon Cult bastards are pushing in that fiercely."
The man addressed as Eldest Senior Brother sipped his tea.
"What's up with those guys?"
Alice, with a mouthful of meat, narrowed her eyes.
"It seems they're looking for a fight... What do you say? Shall we teach them a lesson?"
Cheon Yu-seong also glared at them with murderous eyes.
True to their bellicose natures, both looked ready to pounce at any second.
However, surprisingly, Jinhyuk had a peaceful smile plastered all over his face.
"Hold on. They're precious allies we'll have to fight alongside soon. We can't go drawing swords here, can we?"
The forces of the Heavenly Demon Cult, including Samaja, are formidable.
To face such opponents, they couldn't afford to waste the Murim Alliance's strength in vain.
"Did you eat something bad? Why are you suddenly saying things so out of character?"
"Unbelievable. You're the kind of guy who would exterminate three generations of a family for picking a fight and throw a feast on top of them. And you're holding back?"
"Wow, Jinhyuk. You've finally... become human."
Various reactions erupted from all sides.
'I don't know what my usual image is like for them to react this way.'
I thought I lived a pretty decent life.
Of course, he was still going to punish them in his own way for running their mouths.
"Everyone, just wait here a moment."
Jinhyuk stood up, holding a plate of pork dish.
* * *
The place he headed to was the kitchen.
"C-Customer?"
Not only the waiter, but even the chefs in charge of the cooking were startled.
It was only natural, given that a customer who should be eating had suddenly barged into the kitchen.
Of course, once he handed over a single earring adorned with a small gem, everyone's mouths shut tight.
"Huh? Where did one of my earrings go? I was definitely wearing it just a moment ago. Did I drop it somewhere?"
Alice seemed to be muttering something outside, but Jinhyuk ignored it.
"Is he really going so far as to cook his own food now?"
"To think he'd do something like cooking, which is meant for commoners... He's really doing the most."
"If anything, I think it suits those rootless bastards perfectly."
The whispering of the Wudang Sect disciples echoed from a corner of the restaurant.
'Right, so you won't even touch meat, huh?'
But that wasn't because they loathed meat.
They had simply locked away their carnivorous instincts in a deep, dark prison.
While suppressing them with physical force wasn't a bad educational method...
making them break Wudang's taboos would double the pleasure.
And he would be able to get a solid hold over their weaknesses.
The thought of using these guys as pawns in the near future made the corners of his mouth twitch continuously.
'I'll turn you into the neighbor's dog that's been starved for a month.'
[Lv8 'Isekai Restaurant' has been activated!]
A subtle energy seeped out along Jinhyuk's fingertips.
This sensation.
This feeling.
'Good.'
Whoosh!
Flames erupted fiercely.
Jinhyuk handled the ingredients with incredibly natural movements.
Neither too much nor too little.
His flashy yet disciplined movements were like those of a master chef who had cooked for decades.
"Ah... Huh?"
"W-What is with this customer?"
The chefs, who had intended to stop him, found themselves completely mesmerized by Jinhyuk's cooking before they knew it.
Had a few minutes passed like that?
An anomaly began to occur inside the restaurant.
Gulp...
"No, what on earth..."
"How can there be such an aroma?"
"Seriously, what are they making in there to produce a smell like this?"
"Is what they served us dog food or what? Hey, waiter! Bring out whatever they're making in there right now. I'll pay you whatever you want!"
Even though they were already eating, everyone's mouths watered uncontrollably.
"T-This is impossible."
Even the head chef was practically losing his mind from the mouth-watering aroma.
A single path of forty years in culinary arts.
He had strived every single day to survive in this place overflowing with prominent rival restaurants and inns.
But...
"...What I learned wasn't cooking at all."
His skill in controlling the fire.
The subtle harmony between the seasonings.
Even his ability to bring out the intrinsic flavor of the food.
This was a realm that even the imperial chefs could not dare covet.
Compared to the dish being made right now, the food he had served was nothing more than garbage.
And the Taoists of the Wudang Sect were equally flustered by this situation.
"S-Senior Brother."
"Is... is food originally supposed to be like this?"
"Could... could he be using some sort of sorcery?"
"..."
Eating meat was one of Wudang's taboos.
Yet, if they didn't eat that, they felt as though they would lose their very purpose in life.
Right then,
Jinhyuk, stepping out of the kitchen, slowly approached.
Holding a steaming plate of food.