Enemy's Grace (2)
Murim Academy's Grand Stable. The place normally used to manage and house the academy's horses was packed with people instead. At the center of the stable stood a makeshift pavilion, likely erected as a symbolic structure to test the Qimen Formation.
"It's definitely... strange."
As Song Jeongmu had said, the layout of the Qimen Formation spread across the grand stable was profoundly odd. Normally, a Qimen Formation would disguise itself with everyday elements like trees and rocks to lower people's guards. Once inside, it would confuse their senses and guide them out—or into traps. The famed Seven Stars Seven Metals Formation had gained renown across the jianghu for its ability to freely manipulate the Eight Gates, naturally luring entrants into pitfalls or the Path of Death and Life.
Yet the current Yang's Eight Trigrams Myriad Phenomena Formation enveloping the stable was shrouded in black mist, blatantly revealing its true form. It had failed at its core purpose: hiding its shape to lead people into doom.
Aaahhh!
Aghhh... sob...
Please... please...
And for some reason, anguished screams kept echoing from within the formation.
"What in the world is going on?"
When I approached one of the formation masters and asked, he snapped back irritably.
"We're handling it right now. Step back!"
Despite the formation master's pale face and rudeness, I took another step forward.
"I'm Jin Sowoon, representative of the Murim Academy. I need to know what happened."
Only then did the man's furrowed brow shift to an odd expression.
"Jin Sowoon?"
"Yes. That's me."
"...This isn't something for you to worry about. Step back."
"..."
Ha, this guy's impossible to reason with.
I infused a bit of internal energy into my voice and asked again. "Where is Jegal Jeonggi?"
"I-I said step back!"
"Does it sound like I'm joking right now?"
Overwhelmed by my pressure, the formation master and the warriors around him started rolling their eyes in panic, unsure what to do. As the situation stalled, Song Jeongmu finally stepped in.
"I'm Song Jeongmu of the Hyeongsan Sect. I heard you needed my help."
"Ah! The Seven Star Soul-Exterminating Hero!"
The formation master suddenly brightened and bowed deeply. Look at these guys? So damn corrupt.
As my face twisted in disgust, Song Jeongmu glanced at me cautiously before asking the man, "What exactly is happening inside the Qimen Formation? And why did you suddenly summon me?"
"W-Well..."
The formation master dragged out his words while sneaking peeks at me. Does he think he can't speak with me here, even on pain of death?
Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Song Jeongmu barked, "What do you think you're doing?! If you called even me here, the situation must be dire. Yet you're still playing power games while letting people die inside?!"
"..."
Song Jeongmu drove the point home firmly. "If this is how it's going to be, I can't help you."
"N-No, that's not it!"
After glancing around nervously for a while, the formation master finally let out a long sigh. "Actually, the Yang's Eight Trigrams Myriad Phenomena Formation..."
Just as he was about to reveal the truth, another voice cut him off.
"What are you saying?!"
The academy students gathered where the roar came from parted to either side, clearing a path. The one shouting with a flushed face was none other than Jegal Jeonggi.
He stormed forward, berating the formation master. "You plan to reveal our clan's secrets to an outsider?!"
The formation master's gaze shifted past Jegal Jeonggi, who was yapping like an angry pup. Everyone's eyes followed.
"Supreme Gate... no, Total Strategist?"
The rowdy academy students fell silent all at once. The stable, which had buzzed like a marketplace, plunged into library-like quiet.
But even that silence irked the Total Strategist, who murmured lowly to the academy head beside him. "Too noisy."
"I'll handle it."
Buk Wonpyeong nodded to the instructors, who swiftly herded the students out of the stable. Sensing the gravity with the Total Strategist's arrival, the students fled without protest.
Absolute silence settled over the stable. Only then did Jegal Somyeong, with his stern expression, turn to Jegal Jeonggi.
"So, what's the situation?"
At the Total Strategist's question, arms folded behind his back, Jegal Jeonggi started to answer—then glared at me again. A clear "get out" in his wary eyes.
Jegal Somyeong's brow shot up at the glance.
"You said it was urgent enough to summon me, but now it's not?"
Under the indirect order to let me stay, Jegal Jeonggi bit his lip hard before speaking. "...There's a problem with the Yang's Eight Trigrams Myriad Phenomena Formation."
"I can see that. Don't you know the basics of reporting?"
Jegal Jeonggi shrank under the Total Strategist's icy rebuke.
"...We were trying to demonstrate the improved version..."
"Hah! Even a freshly completed formation can have issues. And you tampered with an untested improvement?!"
"I'm sorry, Grandfather..."
"You fool!"
Jegal Somyeong's roar froze the air in the stable.
"Do you think I came here as your grandfather?!"
"..."
Aghhh... sob...
S-Stop! Please stop!
I-I'm sorry! I did wrong!
Sorry! So sorry! Truly sorry!
I'm not... I'm not that person!
I didn't do it!!
The screams from inside the formation suddenly filled the stable. Jegal Somyeong turned with a sigh, eyeing me and Song Jeongmu.
"You brought in the Hyeongsan Sect because the people's minds inside are shaken?"
Song Jeongmu stepped forward with a cupped-fist salute. "It's been a while, Total Strategist."
"We meet after so long, yet in such an unpleasant circumstance. What do you think? Can the Hyeongsan Sect's exorcism arts help?"
"..."
At Song Jeongmu's silence, Jegal Jeonggi whipped his head up and jumped in. "The Hyeongsan Sect's exorcism is the best in the world! It will surely help those inside..."
"I didn't ask you!"
"..."
Jegal Somyeong glanced pityingly at Jegal Jeonggi before turning to Song Jeongmu, who let out a small sigh.
"You must know this already, Total Strategist. Regrettably, there's nothing I can do."
Jegal Jeonggi flinched in shock. "Wh-What?! D-Do you mean you're siding with Jin Sowoon and turning your back on the Jegal Clan?!"
Song Jeongmu's eyes sharpened with clear contempt at the words.
"Do you think so little of me... of the entire Hyeongsan Sect?"
"..."
Every time Jegal Jeonggi opened his mouth, he only made things worse for himself. For some reason, Jegal Somyeong kept sighing as he alternated glances between his grandson and me.
"My apologies. I've spoiled Jinming too much. I warned him repeatedly not to act this way."
"You're here as the Total Strategist now, aren't you?"
"I'll speak to the clan lord directly later."
At the exchange between Jegal Somyeong and Song Jeongmu, Jegal Jeonggi's face twisted in confusion.
"Gran... no, Total Strategist, what do you mean?"
"Don't you even know the difference between the energy of the Left Path Gate and the Right Path Pure Gate?"
"...Pardon? What...?"
Jegal Somyeong tsked in disappointment.
"The Hyeongsan Sect's exorcism resolves evil with righteousness. Do you think the illusions of the Yang's Eight Trigrams Myriad Phenomena Formation, born of righteous energy, can be dispelled by Hyeongsan energy?"
"..."
Only then did realization dawn on Jegal Jeonggi, his face draining of color.
"How many are inside?"
At Jegal Somyeong's question, the formation master tensed and replied, "Seventy-eight."
The number exceeded expectations, sharpening Jegal Somyeong's gaze.
"Quite a crowd you crammed in. How long have they been inside?"
"A-Ab... no, two... actually three jiao now."
"Hoo... How long to dismantle it?"
"Th-That is..."
After huddling and whispering, one formation master swallowed hard. "Ab-Bout... three days."
Jegal Somyeong pressed his temples as if his head ached.
"The minimum, I assume?"
"...Yes."
"Since we don't know how the improvement devices are interacting inside."
"Yes..."
The group sighed at the weak response. Things were turning dire.
With the Baekdo Assembly resuming, most trapped inside were closely tied to it—figures of unassailable status in the assembly or the jianghu at large. That immense pressure had dragged even Jegal Somyeong here.
"Gran... Total Strategist. You have a way, don't you?"
Even at the desperate plea, Jegal Somyeong didn't answer easily.
'No choice... What an absolute formation the Yang's Eight Trigrams Myriad Phenomena is.'
The Jegal Clan's masterpiece, born of twenty years' research. Refined endlessly to supreme perfection. Sure, the world criticized the clan for toying with formations for profit, but those improvements had saved countless lives from demonic beasts in the future.
But that was later. For now, the clan had only one way to dismantle it.
Jegal Somyeong met Jegal Jeonggi's hopeful eyes.
"There is!"
"Th-Then... hurry and—!"
And ruthlessly snuffed it out.
"But everyone inside will die."
"Pardon? What...?"
"The improvements have destabilized the formation. That's shaking the minds of those inside."
The Jegal clansmen gulped in unison at his explanation.
Jegal Somyeong stated flatly, "But that makes it breakable."
"Break it?!"
Jegal Jeonggi looked ready to lunge. But Jegal Somyeong didn't flinch.
"Got another way?"
Breaking the formation now meant collapsing all Eight Gates at once—like burning a thatched house with people inside to kill bedbugs.
Jegal Jeonggi trembled in refusal. "Th-Then the people inside die!"
"Or watch them turn mad in three days."
"...!"
Jegal Somyeong's eyes were colder than ever. "Choose. Corpses? Or mad children?"
"...Ugh."
"You were prepared for responsibility when you ordered this."
He pressed his grandson like a criminal, not kin. This wouldn't end lightly.
'What to do...'
Meanwhile, I racked my brain no less than Jegal Jeonggi. Should I step in? That was the question.
Interfering might sour ties with the Jegal Clan, which weren't bad. Staying out could let Baekdo crumble, solidifying my position.
'Tempting, but...'
Aaahhh!
M-Mother! Father!!!!
I'm sorry! I was wrong!
The fresh screams from the formation clarified my choice. I sighed softly.
"Total Strategist."
All eyes turned to me. I met Jegal Somyeong's gaze squarely.
"This isn't the time to assign blame."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Cold silence swept the stable. Instructors and Jegal formation masters stared like I was insane.
But one man—Jegal Somyeong—met my eyes steadily. "Then?"
"Saving those inside comes first, doesn't it?"
His lip seemed to twitch upward faintly.
"...You have a way? The inner pillars are twisted, shifting the paths endlessly. No memory helps if the way changes."
"I wouldn't dare enter and find a path myself."
Curiosity flickered in his eyes. "Then?"
I scanned the Jegal formation masters before asking Jegal Somyeong, "May I... break the formation?"
"Break it?"
Then Jegal Jeonggi bulged his eyes and raged. "Jin Sowoon! How dare you utter 'break the formation'?! What do you take the Jegal Clan's Qimen Formation for...? What are you waiting for? Drag that bastard out...!"
Slap!
A crisp slap rang out. Jegal Jeonggi stared at Jegal Somyeong in shock.
"G-Grandfather..."
His face filled with betrayal, like a knife from an ally.
Jegal Somyeong roared in unprecedented fury. "You fool!!! Lives hang by a thread, and clan prestige matters more to you?!"
"..."
His gaze lingered on me briefly before returning. "You're not fit to be here! What are you doing? Drag him out!"
The hesitant warriors got another order. "I said drag him out now!"
"Y-Yes!"
Jegal Jeonggi was hauled away like a corpse, feet dragging limply.
Jegal Somyeong turned his hardened face to me. "You can break it?"
He and the Jegal masters eyed me skeptically—itching to attack if not for him. Understandable. 'Breaking a formation' meant knowing its weaknesses and forcibly dismantling from outside.
No one believed some kid could neutralize the clan's twenty-year essence. Even in my past life, no one had broken the Yang's Eight Trigrams Myriad Phenomena—until the demon horde.
I might not match that, but better than corpses or mad students.
'This is the way.'
Whatever fallout with the Jegal Clan—who knew.
Aaahhh!
Aghhh... sob...
Please... please...
Forgive me! I was wrong!
Save people first. That was right.
"Yes. I think I can."
That was all I focused on. Nothing else.