Chapter 61
Chapter 61
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Murim Alliance, Establishment (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Dragon-Phoenix Squad members rose at dawn to begin their training, filling the entire hall with energy. Their faces were brighter than words could describe.
Everyone except one person: Dang Hwa-seo.
“It's sparring time. Come on out, Black Dragon.”
“No way! I have to circulate my qi with my eyes closed! Don't use me for your Sword Dragon training! If you really want to, then this afternoon…”
“I'll be meditating then.”
“Argh! What do you expect me to do?”
“Hey, just train on your own. Namgung Brother and Mok Brother aren't in that much of a hurry for sparring, right?”
“Isn't Jegal Brother training?”
“I already finished before Mok Brother woke up.”
“As expected of Jegal Brother!”
“Tch…”
Dang Hwa-seo stared blankly at the chaos unfolding before her eyes.
She couldn't understand it. Why were Mok Ri-won and Namgung Jincheon bickering here from the morning when there were three perfectly good training grounds available? Why was Jegal San lying next to the training people giggling away? Why hadn't Hye-un, who went out early in the morning, or Il-un Monk, who didn't stop any of it, said anything?
Dang Hwa-seo's gaze turned to Il-un. He wore a troubled smile, as if there was nothing he could do.
‘…Well, I knew this was coming.’
Dang Hwa-seo closed her eyes and steeled herself. Then she snapped them open and shouted.
“Just split up and use the training grounds separately!”
Jegal San wasn't training, so one person per training ground would be perfect.
As soon as Dang Hwa-seo spoke in a stern voice, the previous commotion died down in an instant.
“…Does Little Sister not need to use one?”
Even amid that, Mok Ri-won spoke up, concerned for Dang Hwa-seo's training. She let out a hollow laugh and said.
“White Phoenix, go catch that damned woman for me.”
For Dang Hwa-seo, catching the escaped Hye-un who was sleeping in was more urgent than training.
She needed to establish discipline for their future life together.
Exactly two hours later, Dang Hwa-seo spotted Hye-un walking arm-in-arm with a martial artist in front of a nearby inn. She grabbed Hye-un by the ear and dragged her back to the Dragon-Phoenix Squad hall.
That morning, no one dared open their mouth in the face of Dang Hwa-seo's fierce demeanor.
*
“Maintain your dignity.”
In the Dragon-Phoenix Squad Leader's office, Dang Hwa-seo sat in the head seat with bloodshot eyes and spoke.
“Always pay attention to your dignity. Remember that we're always under the alliance's scrutiny. Got it?”
Today's sinner, White Phoenix, hung her head low, fiddling with her reddened earlobes.
The others weren't any different.
Regardless of martial prowess, Dang Hwa-seo had a commanding presence that subdued people. Even the lone wolf Namgung Jincheon felt an inexplicable pressure when she got angry.
Dang Hwa-seo let out a deep sigh.
The ensuing lecture was unavoidable even for her.
“The same goes for everyone else. I can overlook some chaos inside the hall. But not outside. Don't forget that the Dragon-Phoenix Squad's funding comes entirely from external sponsorships.”
With the exception of Dang Hwa-seo, all the squad members would eventually return to their families, so direct support from the alliance itself was minimal.
This lavish hall and their constant luxuries were all funded by sponsors seeking to build connections with them, so they had to meet those expectations.
Only Dang Hwa-seo, who had experience running a business on her own, truly understood its importance.
“Since it's our first day living together, I won't drag this out. Let's go eat.”
As Dang Hwa-seo softened her tone, Mok Ri-won and Jegal San lit up with particular excitement. Her lecture lasting less than half an hour was a record-breaking short one.
“Yeah! Let's go!”
“Mok Brother, you know? They say the Dragon-Phoenix Squad hall has its own dedicated chef!”
“Ooh…! Then even here, beef noodles with bamboo leaf liquor!”
“Why talk when we can just go!”
Mok Ri-won and Jegal San dashed out. Namgung Jincheon followed leisurely behind, with Il-un bringing up the rear.
“Can I go eat too?”
It was Hye-un speaking. Dang Hwa-seo made an indescribable expression before nodding.
“…Yeah, we eat to live, after all.”
She had to endure it.
*
Il-un was in the greatest crisis of his life.
‘…So much meat.’
In the dining hall they'd entered, what clouded Il-un's eyes was the meat. The specially assigned chef for the Dragon-Phoenix Squad was famous for meat dishes, or so the rumor went. Already knowing this, Il-un swallowed hard, lost in agony.
‘…I must abstain from meat.’
Buddhist offerings required purifying the body through vegetarianism and offering with an empty mind. As a monk, he couldn't let his eyes wander toward such meat.
But was that ever easy to say?
‘The smell…’
The aroma was irresistibly fragrant. The bursting meaty scent was a form of torture for Il-un. He just wanted one bite. Just a taste.
That desire tangled with his guilt toward Abbot Won Myeong, who had trusted him enough to send him here.
Then.
“Won't Monk Il-un have any?”
Hye-un asked while munching on her food.
Il-un's eyes widened.
“H-Hye-un Monk! That is…!”
Hye-un's plate was piled high with meat. Not just a taste—it was enough to burst her stomach.
Il-un was aghast.
“Th-This is how much…!”
What envious behavior! No, outrageous behavior!
Hye-un was clearly a disciple of the Buddha too—how could she eat meat like that?!
As Il-un trembled, Hye-un just tilted her head.
“What?”
She didn't even know what she was doing wrong. No, if she had any sense of guilt about such things, she wouldn't be so brazen in the first place.
Il-un envied her shamelessness.
‘I, I too…!’
As that thought welled up, Il-un felt a gaze.
Startled, he turned to see Jegal San grinning slyly.
Il-un's heart went cold.
With a heart shedding bloody tears, he tore his eyes from the meat.
‘…I am a disciple of the Buddha.’
He comforted himself like that, while thinking on the side.
‘If only Jegal San weren't here…’
*
Dang Hwa-seo was busy.
To a degree that starkly contrasted with the other members enjoying personal routines and rest.
Of course, as squad leader, she had a mountain of tasks.
From basic member management to drafting letters to sponsors.
Making connections with other squad leaders and division heads, learning administrative reporting formats.
And discussions on upcoming schedules.
Trying to handle it all in the allotted time left her feeling like she needed ten bodies.
Even so, Dang Hwa-seo tackled each task methodically. No longer hiding or running away, in a situation where she could move freely, she wanted to prove herself.
Like that, one week passed.
Dang Hwa-seo put out the urgent fires and sat in her office for a brief rest.
‘The founding ceremony is in one week.’
It would be a grand event. This wasn't just announcing the Dragon-Phoenix Squad's establishment—it was a declaration of war against the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult invading the Central Plains.
Official missions would come after that, so she needed to prepare the groundwork.
‘We'll probably be traveling to other divisions a lot.’
Why not? The Dragon-Phoenix Squad was a group with personalities aside, but unquestionable strength. All six members at Pinnacle Realm, two of them at a transcendent level beyond ordinary martial artists—a small elite unit perfect for intelligence missions.
‘To hide our identities while moving around…’
Human skin masks, forged identity plaques, and training the members.
As Dang Hwa-seo continued her thoughts, she sighed.
‘…How do I even train those people?’
They seemed to get itchy if they didn't cause trouble at least once a day. Even the relatively well-behaved Il-un had stirred up chaos today.
Of all things, during a spar, he'd punched Jegal San in the solar plexus, sending him off on a stretcher.
It was a betrayal from someone she'd trusted, amplifying her sense of betrayal.
‘…“It was a mistake,” he says, as if that excuses it.’
It was just an external strike, so the injury wasn't severe. He'd recover for the founding ceremony.
Dang Hwa-seo clutched her throbbing head.
That was when a Murim Alliance martial artist entered her office.
“Squad Leader.”
“…Ah, you're here.”
The martial artist, whose face she'd grown familiar with lately, was named Go Jeol, aide to Strategist Jegal Mu-yeon.
Dang Hwa-seo smiled warmly and guided him to a seat.
“You must be tired from coming over.”
“It's work, so it's fine.”
Go Jeol smiled brightly too. He pulled out a few sheets of paper from his bosom and handed them to Dang Hwa-seo.
“These are from the other squads. You asked directly, right?”
“Ah! That's it.”
Dang Hwa-seo's face brightened. These documents from Go Jeol were one of the things she'd been eagerly awaiting.
Nothing impressive—just schedules for inter-squad spars and joint training. This was what Dang Hwa-seo had secured for her members.
Go Jeol smiled at her beaming face.
“It's heartening to see you caring about every detail, even your members' training schedules.”
“They're not exactly socially adept. All raised on pedestals, so I just wanted to help them make connections with alliance members.”
“I think that's excellent leadership. Sacrificing personal time for the greater good.”
Dang Hwa-seo felt a pang of shame at his words. This wasn't purely for the public good.
Why not? She'd started this because of Mok Ri-won's constant pre-alliance refrain: “I want to spar with the Murim Alliance's masters too!”
In other words, wanting to impress him played no small part.
“…I owe you a great debt, Brother Go. Care for some tea before you go?”
“No thanks. The strategist makes a fuss if I'm gone even a little while.”
Go Jeol rose with a playful remark.
“Then I'll be off. Take care.”
“You too.”
Go Jeol left the room. Finally alone, Dang Hwa-seo checked the documents and began aligning training schedules.
‘I can set up a spar with the White Sword Unit around next week.’
Dang Hwa-seo felt a surge of joy.
Though the process was grueling, anticipating Mok Ri-won's reaction to this news swept away her fatigue.
Without delay, she stood and headed to the training ground.
This time of day, Mok Ri-won would be immersed in sword training.
Arriving at the training ground.
“Jegal Brother! I just saw someone from the alliance with a gold sword! He was amazing!”
“Ooh… You must've met the Golden Sword hero. It's not the sword that's gold—it's the scabbard. He's the White Sword Unit's leader.”
“Grr…! If only I had a fancy sword too!”
Mok Ri-won was making a fuss.
Jegal San, propped on crutches and groaning, was humoring him.
Dang Hwa-seo blinked at the scene, then burst out laughing with a 'pfft'.
‘Really…’
No time to be bored with these people.
That thought crossed her mind.