The Paperwork Trap
Siyugeom, having slipped away from the Murim Alliance, stared back at its grand building with a complicated feeling in his chest. It had been quite a long time since he first set foot in this place. There were memories here, and even a certain affection. Though he had left for the sake of efficiency, it was a place he felt reluctant to abandon. Yet that reluctance had been completely blown away by the Alliance Leader just moments ago.
Why does that man act like this? He was someone with real ability, after all. The player-led Murim Alliance under his command had not become the number one faction in Hwaryong Muin for nothing. He was undeniably skilled, both as a leader of a sect and as a martial artist in his own right. Siyugeom had never imagined that such a person would be blinded by jealousy and openly declare he would suppress a newly established faction.
More than anything, the fact that the man could not objectively assess Hwaryeong’s true power came as a huge shock to Siyugeom. The player Murim Alliance was indeed a colossal force. Every player belonging to it was a powerhouse, and their connections to various established Murim sects made them formidable as a group. But when asked whether they possessed the strength to crush the individual known as Hwaryeong, the answer became far more ambiguous.
Hwaryeong was strong. Absurdly strong. Strong in the way a game administrator might feel while casually using cheat commands in an MMO. She had fought the Sword Immortal to a standstill, an opponent the entire player Murim Alliance had struggled to handle, and she had single-handedly defeated the former Mount Hua Sect Leader, who was almost certainly a World Raid boss. She was one person, yet she was an entire army. Even if the Murim Alliance poured everything they had at her, could they really achieve the result they wanted? It wasn’t certain, but it was clear they would suffer devastating losses.
Rather than stay under someone who would harm his own faction out of personal grudge, Siyugeom would simply go elsewhere. Shall I head to Mount Hua now? It was still early, and he had nothing else to do anyway.
> [Siyugeom-nim. You're logged in right now, yes?]
Just as that thought crossed his mind, a message arrived from Naseol. This guy isn’t the type to message me first. The person who never contacted him unless called upon was suddenly sending a message?
> [What is it?]
> [Please come to the Mount Hua Sect grounds right now! We need your help, Siyugeom-nim!]
What could be going on? Naseol wasn’t the type to say something like this. Could the player Murim Alliance have already started making trouble?!
Siyugeom hurriedly used the regional teleport function and headed toward the Mount Hua Sect area. Then, utilizing his light footwork, he climbed the incredibly tall staircase in mere dozens of seconds. Panting heavily, he passed through the newly built entrance of Mount Hua.
The sight that greeted him was far calmer than he had expected.
On the Mount Hua Sect grounds, five of the sect’s members who had arrived before him were gathered, earnestly discussing the proper way to wield a sword. Park Yeon, standing among them, spotted Siyugeom and waved cheerfully.
“Did you receive the message yesterday as well, Siyugeom-nim?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“You’re the second outsider to join us! As expected of Naseol-nim and Siyugeom-nim, you both showed such impressive performances during the second test!”
The rankers laughed among themselves, clearly proud of their fellow high-rankers. There wasn’t a trace of urgency in their demeanor.
That bastard Naseol, did he just bait me here?!
“Where is Naseol?”
“He’s inside the main building with Hwaryeong-nim and Min-jun hyung. They said there was still some paperwork left to handle.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
“Yep. Looking forward to working with you from now on.”
Siyugeom headed inside, inwardly fuming that he would definitely give Naseol a piece of his mind when he saw him. Although this was his first time visiting the building, he had no fear of getting lost. The moment he stepped inside, loud voices could be heard from above.
Whatever they were discussing, the heated tones suggested a serious conversation. Siyugeom deliberately made his footsteps loud as he climbed the stairs, yet the discussion did not quiet down. Since there was no way Hwaryeong would have missed the sound of his approach, it must mean the topic was something he was allowed to hear.
The moment Siyugeom entered the room where the commotion continued, he saw several people huddled around a desk, staring at documents with troubled expressions.
The instant Hwaryeong saw him, her face brightened.
“Oh. You came at just the right time.”
“What exactly is going on?”
“Come here and take a look. We need your help.”
What kind of document could possibly…? Siyugeom cautiously approached and examined the papers. It was one of the many administrative documents required to manage a player sect. They were worrying over this?
It did look somewhat complicated at first glance, but it wasn’t difficult enough to warrant calling him over. Anyone who had spent even a little time in a player sect would know how to handle this. Naseol had played Hwaryong Muin for a long time but had never properly participated in sect activities, so it made sense he wouldn’t know. And while it was easy to forget because she was so overwhelmingly strong, Hwaryeong had only started playing the game less than a month ago, so of course she wouldn’t know either. Han Min-jun had never joined a player sect and had only stayed under Mount Hua, so he probably had no experience with this kind of work.
Once Siyugeom realized this, he understood exactly why they had called him.
“Can you handle it?”
“It’s not particularly difficult. If the Sect Leader, Hwaryeong-nim, gives me a few pieces of information, I can finish it quickly.”
“Excellent! Come, come over here! I knew it was the right decision to accept you!”
Siyugeom naturally took a seat in front of the documents, but he soon sensed that something was very wrong.
Uh… This picture looks like I’m going to be stuck doing all the paperwork from now on, doesn’t it?
“I’ll be counting on you from now on!”
Even though Siyugeom had realized the trap, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse in front of Hwaryeong’s bright smile. After all, he had already thrown his resignation at the Murim Alliance and come here.
“...Yes.”
Siyugeom had a strong premonition that he would be suffering quite a bit in the future.
I'm glad I recruited someone familiar with player sect management. A sect is basically like a guild in other games, but why are there so many complicated procedures? If this were a real sect, sure, there would be a lot of work, but this is a game. Who would want to create and run a sect like this?
“Once you know the method, it’s not that difficult,” Siyugeom said.
“That’s because you have a talent for it. To us, it was plenty difficult. Don’t you agree, Han Min-jun?”
“...”
“I think so too!”
I had turned to Han Min-jun for agreement, but he only gave an awkward smile and avoided my eyes. Instead, the reply came from Seol-ah, whom I hadn’t even asked. Since she agreed with everything I said, I simply let her words go in one ear and out the other.
Siyugeom listened to our reactions, gave a small smile, and smoothly changed the subject.
“So, why exactly have we gathered here today? Is it some kind of inauguration ceremony?”
“No. I’m not particularly fond of empty formalities. Today, I intend to teach you all how to train in the principles of Mount Hua.”
The offer I had made to those who gathered at Mount Hua was to teach them the principles of the sect so they could learn the Purple Mist Divine Art and the Plum Blossom Swordplay. And today was the day we would begin.
“But why is Hwaryeong-nim sitting on this side?”
At Siyugeom’s question, I tilted my head.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, why are you sitting among us instead of in the teaching position?”
The others who had come to learn Mount Hua’s martial arts also looked at me as if agreeing with him.
Hmm. It seems everyone assumed I would be the one teaching Mount Hua’s techniques.
That was possible. While I couldn’t claim to have completely mastered Mount Hua’s martial arts, since I valued its traditions, I could certainly impart teachings to them. However, since I was not someone who had originally belonged to Mount Hua’s foundation, I could not pass on everything within it.
“The task of teaching Mount Hua’s martial arts will mostly be handled by Hak Yeong-chung.”
In that sense, Hak Yeong-chung, who had once been the head disciple and was practically guaranteed to become the next sect leader, was the perfect person to teach the others. It wasn’t for nothing that I had used the Plum Blossom Swordplay as bait to drag him here.
There was almost no resistance. Since Hak Yeong-chung, currently the only user of the Purple Mist Divine Art, was personally offering to teach them, those who had come to learn Mount Hua’s principles had no reason to complain.
Well, almost none. Naseol was staring at Hak Yeong-chung with clear dissatisfaction.
“Sect Leader. Before we get to the main topic, I have one question as well.”
Hak Yeong-chung, standing before the group, spoke up carefully.
“What is it?”
“Why are you standing on the learning side?”
“I need to check whether you’re teaching properly, don’t I?”
Leaving the teaching to him didn’t mean giving him complete authority. If his methods seemed off, I would have to step in with some guidance from the side. At my words, Hak Yeong-chung’s face stiffened for a moment before he let out a dry laugh and turned toward the group.
“Nice to meet you all. My name is Hak Yeong-chung, and I will be teaching you starting today. I was once the head disciple of the previous Mount Hua Sect. I have lived on this mountain since I was a child and trained in its martial arts for decades. Therefore, I know very well what must be contained within Mount Hua’s techniques. That is qi and momentum.”
“To learn the Purple Mist Divine Art, you must become familiar with both. It’s not enough to simply understand them. You must practice the principles of Mount Hua as naturally as breathing.”
“All of you still lack much to reach this stage. You are far more clumsy than proficient. Therefore, you cannot begin practicing the Purple Mist Divine Art right away. You must first familiarize yourselves with qi and momentum by learning Mount Hua’s other martial arts before moving on.”
“That is why the first thing I will teach you is the Mount Hua Sword Technique.”
Hak Yeong-chung paused for a moment, then drew his sword and demonstrated his swordplay.
The Mount Hua Sword was an ancient technique. It had been created by the sect’s founder after gaining enlightenment while wandering the mountain. Although it had been refined through the hands of many martial artists since then and lost some of its original roughness, its foundation still lay in Mount Hua.
At first, Hak Yeong-chung’s sword was heavy and solid. Power flowed into every single strike, making it seem as though nothing could break it. He truly resembled a boulder. Then, at some point, the sword changed shape. What had seemed solid revealed a gap and began to sway gently, as if wagging its tail. Come. There is an opening here, so strike. As if a single point would cause it to shatter.
But it was only a lure. In an instant, the sword took on the form of a rock once more.
After the general demonstration ended, Hak Yeong-chung sheathed his sword.
“You must train in the Mount Hua Sword until you can freely manipulate qi and momentum in this manner. Only then will I teach you the path to the Purple Mist Divine Art.”
At Hak Yeong-chung’s words, the eyes of those who had been watching his sword in a daze changed. It wasn’t fear or burden. It was anticipation. The expectation that they too wanted to wield their swords in such a way.
Not bad. He has a talent for teaching.
Instead of showing the absolute maximum he could do, he had only displayed what the others could reasonably follow and used it to ignite their motivation. If I ever had to teach someone in the future, I should try doing it this way.