A Beast Awakens
Approximately seven minutes prior.
In the passage leading to the underground dungeon, a man walked along, grinding his teeth in frustration.
"Ah, damn it...!"
He had inverted, eight-shaped eyebrows, bulging, bell-like eyes, and a large bulbous nose.
It was an exceedingly ill-tempered face, but in stark contrast to his looks, his attire was incredibly lavish.
His robes were made of brilliant silk, his belt was adorned with ivory and jade, and his boots were crafted from premium leather.
No matter how one looked at him, he resembled the scion of a noble family, making his presence in this damp underground passage look all the more out of place.
Damn it! Why do I have to come to a place like this? Who does that bastard think he is that I have to visit him in person...?
The man, Do Ju-man, grumbled and complained incessantly under his breath.
In his heart, he wanted nothing more than to flee this wretched place immediately.
—He is the one who caused that massive commotion. Go see him yourself. Assess whether he is the real deal, and if he is worth recruiting.
But because it was a direct order from his father, he did not dare disobey.
His father was the Mad Soul Fist, Do Ye-cheon.
In other words, the command had come straight from the Vice Lord of Sadocheon himself.
His father was a man who would ruthlessly punish anyone who disobeyed him, even if that person was his own flesh and blood.
Thus, muttering complaints under his breath was the only form of rebellion Do Ju-man could manage.
Damn it, and of all people, I have to be stuck with the two old men who make me the most uncomfortable...!
While grumbling, Do Ju-man stole glances at the two figures walking ahead of him.
One was a face he had seen a few times.
Hu Seong, the Leader of the Law Enforcement Division.
Although Hu Seong was far superior in rank to a mere squad leader like Do Ju-man, Do Ju-man did not care.
As mentioned, his father was the Vice Lord of Sadocheon.
However, the old man walking beside Hu Seong was someone he absolutely could not ignore.
Dressed entirely in black, with a needle case hanging from his waist.
To an outsider, it was an unremarkable outfit, but anyone in Sadocheon would recognize the old man's identity from those two details alone and run for their lives.
The Leader of the Black Medicine Hall. Is this matter really important enough for that crazy old man to get involved...?
Suddenly, the old man whipped his head around.
Just as Do Ju-man was thinking this, Hwa Mu-il abruptly turned back.
"...!!"
Since Do Ju-man had been staring at him, their eyes locked instantly.
"W-what is it?"
"*Hic!* Get in front."
"What? Wh-why should I...?"
"Before I gouge your eyes out. Having your shifty eyes scanning me up and down is ruining the taste of my alcohol."
"!?"
Do Ju-man's face flushed red with anger, but he did not dare talk back.
The Leader of the Black Medicine Hall, Hwa Mu-il, also known as 'First Fist Then Needle'.
As his moniker suggested, his fist always flew before his needles.
Hwa Mu-il was a physician, but he was also one of Sadocheon's most notorious madmen.
Damn it!
In the end, Do Ju-man reluctantly shuffled to the front.
However, he stomped heavily with every step, silently broadcasting his foul mood.
Foolish bastard.
Hu Seong shook his head as he watched Do Ju-man.
He doesn't understand in the slightest why his father sent him here.
Vice Lord Do Ye-cheon was an ambitious man quietly gathering power behind the scenes.
Naturally, he would be keeping a close eye on this incident.
However, he couldn't move personally, and sending a high-ranking official like a Division Leader would make his intentions too obvious.
That made Do Ju-man the perfect proxy.
As a squad leader of the Ten Heavens Squads, his rank wasn't too low, and sending his own flesh and blood showed a degree of sincerity.
In other words, he had sent his son with the future in mind, but with the boy acting like this, even a guaranteed success would end in failure.
Still, even in this situation, Do Ye-cheon's schemes are insidious and sharp. If that fool had acted with any intelligence, it would have been quite a headache.
As mentioned, whether judged by rank or sincerity, this was no light gesture.
It was the cunning calculation of an old fox.
...Is he planning to recruit that kid to his side?
Thinking of Do Ye-cheon's schemes naturally brought his thoughts to the culprit behind this whole mess—Jeok-un.
Though my first impression of him was the absolute worst...
Calling it the "worst" was an understatement; at the time, his blood had boiled with rage.
Yet, fortunately or unfortunately, the matters the boy had exposed were entirely true.
Drugs were indeed being distributed within Sadocheon, and the Geum-wol Squad and No Hwang-mun were at the center of it.
Moreover, No Hwang-mun was a spy for Heukpaeseong. So that kid... technically, he's practically a meritorious contributor to Sadocheon.
If either the drug distribution or the spy allegation had been false, Hu Seong would have been the first to demand Jeok-un's execution.
But both the drug trade and the spy allegations were true.
Hu Seong readily acknowledged Jeok-un's contribution, and his anger toward the boy had softened significantly.
And it seems the Lord looks upon him favorably.
In truth, his own likes and dislikes did not matter.
What mattered was the will of his master, Dok-go Cheon.
Even so, he couldn't help but be curious.
Just what is his identity?
Was it true that he had committed a moral outrage against the Jegal Family? Or had the story been distorted somehow?
As Hu Seong's thoughts deepened,
"Hey, Hu."
"...Yes, Hall Leader."
Hwa Mu-il spoke to Hu Seong.
Although Hu Seong technically outranked Hwa Mu-il, the physician spoke to him casually.
Hu Seong accepted it as a matter of course.
It wasn't because of the age difference.
Nor was it because of their official duties.
Regardless of those things, Hwa Mu-il was considered an equal to Hu Seong.
In other words, his title as Hall Leader was merely a formality.
The value of Hwa Mu-il's skills was simply too immense.
His true worth lay in his medical expertise, which was easily unmatched throughout the Jianghu.
A mere Hall Leader he might be, but Hwa Mu-il possessed more than enough leverage to speak down to a Division Leader of Sadocheon.
"Heh, I heard a few rumors. Let's see if they're true."
"...What rumors?"
"I heard that No fellow from the Geum-wol Squad kicked the bucket. And that he was distributing drugs—the very thing the Lord detests most—in the gambling dens?"
Hwa Mu-il chuckled as he spoke.
He wasn't trying to needle or provoke Hu Seong.
It was more of a playful tease.
Because Hu Seong was usually as sharp as a blade and completely impenetrable,
finding something to tease him about was an opportunity Hwa Mu-il couldn't pass up.
"And they say both of those dead No brothers were spies for Heukpaeseong. Is that true?"
"...It is."
"Bwahaha! What a masterpiece. The Jianghu is going to be in an uproar."
Hwa Mu-il grinned.
Hu Seong's expression hardened.
"...The Jianghu will fall into chaos. Does this truly amuse you?"
"Heh, of course it's amusing. The filthy, horrific reality of the Jianghu is laid bare for all to see. And as a bonus, watching you run around until your feet sweat is hilarious."
As Hwa Mu-il said, this wasn't a matter that required the Leader of the Law Enforcement Division to move in person.
Since the Division Leader was one of the highest executives, it would have been more appropriate to delegate the fieldwork to a squad leader or a team leader.
Yet Hu Seong had taken action himself despite his high rank.
"I want to see the culprit who caused all this commotion as soon as possible. What kind of fellow is he in your eyes?"
"...He is a dangerous man."
"Dangerous, you say?"
Hearing the unexpected word 'dangerous' from Hu Seong, a man who never spoke lightly, a spark of genuine interest finally flickered in Hwa Mu-il's eyes.
But it was only for a moment.
"If he's so dangerous, why did he charge at the Lord like a mad bull, only to have his meridians and qi pathways completely shattered?"
"Speaking of which, can you truly heal someone in that state?"
Hu Seong naturally shifted the topic, asking about the possibility of Jeok-un's recovery.
Hwa Mu-il was renowned as one of the two greatest physicians in the entire martial world, spanning both the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions.
As the greatest physician of the Unorthodox path, Dok-go Cheon had sent him specifically to save Jeok-un.
"Heh, that depends entirely on how hard the Lord thrashed him."
Hwa Mu-il replied indifferently, as if it were none of his concern.
"...He suppressed his cultivation, but he fought with everything he had."
"...!"
While Hwa Mu-il was surprised once more, Do Ju-man, who had been sulking, snorted in disbelief.
"Hmph! What nonsense! Why would the Lord use his full strength against a nobody like him...!"
"Shut your mouth and hold the torch straight!"
"Ack—!"
Hwa Mu-il kicked Do Ju-man right in the backside.
Damn it, why does this crazy old man only pick on me?!
Hwa Mu-il ignored Do Ju-man entirely, but Hu Seong looked at the young man with a different gaze.
A blind man with open eyes.
Do Ju-man had also witnessed the life-and-death duel during the entrance exam.
Yet, because his own cultivation was so shallow, he had looked with his own two eyes and understood absolutely nothing.
It was at that moment.
"Ugh, what is this awful stench?!"
As they neared the dungeon, a horrific odor suddenly assaulted their senses.
Forgetting his fear of Hwa Mu-il, Do Ju-man cried out in disgust.
"What in the...!"
Hu Seong was no different.
For a stench like this to appear meant something had gone terribly wrong.
However, Hwa Mu-il's reaction was entirely different.
"Oh?"
A faint trace of interest colored Hwa Mu-il's voice.
It was a scent he had never expected to encounter in a place like this.
"Hall Leader!"
"Stop rushing me. I'm going."
As Hu Seong urgently pressed him, Hwa Mu-il calmly stepped into the dungeon.
He examined Jeok-un, and for some reason, burst into a fit of laughter.
"Pfft, hilarious. Truly hilarious."
"What is it?"
"Now I see why the Lord called me here."
"...What do you mean by that?"
While Hu Seong was bewildered by Hwa Mu-il's cryptic words,
Tsk, there was no point in coming. He's already dead.
Do Ju-man pinched his nose, his irritation reaching a boiling point.
He was furious about being dragged to this place, and even more so about being mistreated by Hwa Mu-il the entire way down.
Moreover, the terrible stench made him want to leave immediately, so why was the old man wasting time?
"Seriously, how long are you going to play around with a corpse? Anyone can see he's dead!"
As if to prove his point, Do Ju-man drew his sword and pointed it at the collapsed body—no, at Jeok-un.
He intended to prod the boy's face to confirm his death.
"You fool! Do not touch him!"
The moment Hu Seong shouted in alarm—
Swish!
Boom!
With a thunderous explosion, Jeok-un, who had been lying as still as a corpse, sprang into motion.
It was a movement as swift as a flash of lightning.
Jeok-un ripped his chains free, wrapping them around Do Ju-man's neck as he leaped to his feet.
"Urgh...!"
Caught completely off guard by the sudden turn of events, Do Ju-man instinctively tried to pry the chains from his neck.
Clank!
But with a simple twist and pull of the iron links, Jeok-un handled Do Ju-man as if taming a wild beast.
It was a masterful display of control, but what was even more shocking...
Crash!
...was the way Do Ju-man was slammed headfirst into the ground.
The impact was so violent that he broke through the solid granite floor, losing consciousness instantly in that exact position.
"...!"
It had all happened in the blink of an eye.
Hu Seong stood frozen, his mouth agape at the result.
Meanwhile, Hwa Mu-il observed Jeok-un with a strange gleam in his eyes.
What in the world...!
Hu Seong was astounded, but he had no time to process his shock.
Whoosh!
In that split second, Jeok-un raised his foot, preparing to crush Do Ju-man's half-buried head like a melon.
"No!"
Horrified, Hu Seong threw himself forward to block Jeok-un.
When Jeok-un growled like a cornered beast, Hu Seong stood his ground.
"Move."
"...Stop. If you do this, it will only make things dangerous for you once you leave."
Sensing the subtle concern woven into the plain warning, Jeok-un stared at Hu Seong.
His cultivation is clearly lower than mine, so what is with this beastly gaze? Hu Seong thought.
Hu Seong swallowed hard but did not avert his eyes from Jeok-un's.
Soon, the murderous intent in Jeok-un's eyes began to recede.
"...Tsk. I still need to get what I came for."
Jeok-un muttered those incomprehensible words while looking at Hu Seong, and then—
He took a step back.
What?
He had backed down far more easily than expected.
Considering the feral aura he had exuded just moments ago, it was a shocking turnabout.
But his next words were even more astonishing.
"Lead the way. To the Lord of Sadocheon."
It was a commanding demand, spoken as if he were completely oblivious to—or simply didn't care about—his own situation.