#71. Hell's Regular Entrance Exam: The 'First' Gate (5)
Human willpower wields an influence rivaling raw martial prowess. The terror deeply etched into one's mind toward an opponent can't be overcome simply by improving one's own strength.
"Big brother..."
The gold-silver-bronze brothers were living proof right now. The fear Gye Yeonseok had instilled in them during his reign over Tae-eul Gate wasn't something they could shake off just by learning new techniques over the past months.
"Should we... go somewhere else?"
Under Gye Yeonseok's piercing glare and Gye Cheolyeong's twisted scowl, the three brothers couldn't bear the pressure. They glanced at me anxiously with trembling eyes.
"Why? This inn looks fine to me."
"No... it's just..."
Dongryong stole a quick peek at Gye Yeonseok before averting his gaze. I spoke curtly.
"Did you guys do something wrong?"
"...No, not really..."
"Do you owe them money?"
"..."
"Gye-ryong Merchant Group demanded repayment of all their past sponsorships due to Gye Cheolyeong's withdrawal—plus interest. They're no longer our creditors."
They pretended to nod along, lips pursed, but their wavering eyes gave them away.
Then someone called out from behind me.
"Jin Sowoon."
It was Gye Yeonseung, once our Busengdang Lord.
"It's been a while."
"Yeah, it has. How have you been?"
"..."
Gye Yeonseung's lips twitched. The Gye-ryong Merchant Group clearly hadn't been faring well. And why would they? Gye Yeonseung had been little more than a tool to raise Gye Cheolyeong. With his "son" in that state, Gye Yeonseung couldn't possibly be thriving.
"The Merchant Lord wishes to speak with you briefly."
I looked up at Gye Yeonseok. Bloodshot eyes brimming with raw resentment. No wonder the still-young gold-silver-bronze brothers were terrified.
"If he wants to see me, tell him to come down here himself."
"..."
But so what? To me, they were just the ones who'd tried to use us as disposable tools.
"Can't you see we've had a hard journey? We're just about to eat."
"...He means to share a meal with you."
"Why? You gonna cover the bill?"
"...I was once your Busengdang Lord, after all. I taught you."
"Lord, the only thing you taught us was to bow to Gye Cheolyeong."
"...!"
Gye Yeonseung's face crumpled like paper. It was amusing how he hadn't drawn his sword yet, despite my barbs scraping his nerves raw. He'd normally be boasting about his Huashan lay disciple status by now.
"..."
Gye Yeonseung fidgeted with his fingers before glancing at Gye Yeonseok. After eyeing us silently for a moment, Gye Yeonseok nodded.
"The Merchant Lord will treat us to a meal. Come up."
"...Fine. Hey, you!"
I immediately flagged down a passing waiter.
"Cancel our order and bring eight of the most expensive dishes in this inn. Oh, and I heard those folks over there are picking up the tab?"
"...Ah, yes. Got it."
Gye Yeonseung and Gye Yeonseok both wore sour expressions.
"Let's go up."
"...Brother, can't we just eat down here?"
"I've been thinking about our next training. Now that your footwork's mastered, how about walking on your hands?"
"Geum Pyo bro! What the hell? We can't leave big brother alone!"
"Yeah! That's betrayal, Geum Pyo bro!"
Dongryong and Eunho shot to their feet. Geum Pyo glared at them like traitors before slowly rising.
Gye Yeonseok had reserved the entire floor. Ronin sat in clusters, drinking and eating. At one table sat Yeon Chu-ak, Han Geum-taek, and Dam Cheol-gak, with the priciest dishes and liquor before them.
Before heading to Gye Yeonseok's table, I pointed the brothers to an empty one.
"You three eat here."
"Got it! Be safe, big brother!"
Geum Pyo clasped his hands excitedly in a fist. I sat across from Gye Yeonseok and Gye Cheolyeong.
"Long time no see."
"...You're looking sharp. Thriving as a parasite in the Wang family after ditching Gye-ryong Merchant Group? Life treating you better?"
"To be precise, Tae-eul Gate didn't ditch Gye-ryong Merchant Group—you fled on your own whims. Gye Cheolyeong paid the price."
"Ahh... bro... ahh."
Gye Cheolyeong drooled and glared murderously, seething with rage.
"So, does Wang family money taste different?"
"Didn't you hear? Tae-eul Gate recently found a mine. Oh, and we took over Chang-gung Merchant Group's Hefei branch. No need to tolerate money-flashing fools anymore. Wang Geumsan was never like you in character from the start."
"..."
"Right, you heard we reclaimed the Tae-eul Sword Lord's legacy too? Haha, just wait a bit longer. If you had, Gye Cheolyeong might've inherited it and entered the Murim Academy regular exam himself."
Gye Yeonseok's eyes burned with longing for the opportunity he'd let slip right before him. Even an ordinary man would feel wronged in his shoes—how hellish must it be for a greed-driven one like him?
"Anyway, why'd you call me? We're not close enough to share a meal amicably."
From the moment he'd dragged his crippled son here for the Murim Academy exam, Gye Yeonseok's obsession had plunged him into hell. I had no hobby of tormenting the damned. Let him rot there.
"...Tae-eul Gate owes me."
What fresh nonsense was this?
"When Tae-eul Gate was at its lowest, Gye-ryong Merchant Group extended a hand."
The old Gye Yeonseok who flaunted wealth was gone. His merchant group and finances might still hold, but with Gye Cheolyeong ruined, all future plans shattered, and leading ronin to the exam himself, any past prestige from money was long evaporated.
"Tae-eul Gate could ally with the Wang family, gain that mine and Chang-gung's Hefei branch—all thanks to Gye-ryong Merchant Group."
I listened to his drivel quietly.
"..."
"Repaying the money and interest doesn't erase it. A debt of gratitude can only be repaid with gratitude!"
He pressed on, as if convincing himself.
"Your debt. Your brothers' debt. You repay it."
"...?"
The gold-silver-bronze brothers paused mid-bite at their table, staring over.
"Join forces with my Cheolyeong. Help each other enter the Murim Academy. I've already hired a hundred famed ronin. It's no loss for you. Repay my gratitude that way."
"..."
I pondered. Why would Gye Yeonseok proposition me—someone from the Tae-eul Gate he despised, the very cause of Gye Cheolyeong's ruin?
The answer came quickly.
'Ah, the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly.'
The incident hadn't spread publicly. Tae-eul Gate had sealed lips, and Yongbong Assembly wouldn't advertise their blunder. But anyone watching Tae-eul Gate closely... someone plotting revenge...
'They'd have no choice but to know.'
And he'd see me—who hadn't yielded an inch to Hwa Jeong-san and Jong Byeok-gi—as useful.
That explained Gye Yeonseung's attitude and his uncharacteristic patience.
"Pfft... hahaha."
Once it clicked, laughter bubbled up.
"...!"
My light chuckle chilled the entire floor instantly. Even the ronin with Yeon Chu-ak froze mid-sip. The brothers set down their chopsticks, hands ready on swords.
"You should've shown some real gratitude back then."
"..."
"A kind word to the kids while sponsoring, no skimping on feasts. When Cheolyeong messed up, apologize in person instead of throwing money."
"...Ahh... ugh... ah."
"You say we owe gratitude? You have to give it first for us to owe it."
"..."
"If you joined for the preliminary exam, at least pretend to get along with Tae-eul Gate. Whose idea was it to avoid our heart technique because it's 'harmful'? And now you claim gratitude?"
"..."
"Cut the crap. We showed gratitude. We could've taken Gye Cheolyeong's life but didn't. Now you owe Tae-eul Gate."
Yeon Chu-ak, Han Geum-taek, and Dam Cheol-gak rose and approached.
"Hey, kid, that's a bit harsh."
"Ignore them. Ronin only move when their employer says."
"The hell?"
Gye Yeonseok subtly shook his head at the scene, and the ronin spat and retreated.
"...Won't join us?"
"If entering the Murim Academy means dragging Gye Cheolyeong along... I'd forfeit it."
"..."
Gye Yeonseok's eyelids twitched.
"If... my Cheolyeong can't enter the Murim Academy, I won't stand by while Tae-eul Gate does."
"..."
"I'll throw everything I have to stop you and Tae-eul Gate."
Clatter.
Dongryong dropped his chopsticks unknowingly while eating.
"Can I take that as a declaration of war?"
"..."
"I'd stake my life to protect Tae-eul Gate."
I stared straight into Gye Yeonseok's bloodshot eyes.
"So when you touch Tae-eul Gate, Merchant Lord, be prepared to do the same."
I stood. Yeon Chu-ak, Han Geum-taek, and Dam Cheol-gak rose, glaring.
"Brat, ever heard the saying 'Don't make enemies lightly'?"
"There's one about not underestimating the young, too."
I turned to the brothers.
"All done eating?"
They'd barely eaten half, but nodded vigorously, uncomfortable.
"Let's go."
#
Gye Yeonseok's group departed first that day. We bathed as planned, rested a day, and prepared to leave the next morning.
Before setting out, I gathered the kids.
"You saw yesterday well enough, right?"
"..."
Remembering the heavy exchange, they stayed silent.
"That's the jianghu. Even if you harm no one, weakness means you can't protect what's dear."
"We'll keep it in mind."
"We'll keep it in mind."
"We'll keep it in mind."
Their eyes burned fiercer than ever.
I pulled two wooden boxes from my pack.
"From the Sect Lord for us."
"What's that?"
"Namgung family's Dae-yeonnan-dan."
"What?!"
Their mouths gaped like bowls.
"I pushed you to cultivate Tae-eul Divine Scripture relentlessly—not just for the reason I mentioned, but to digest these spirit pills."
Their internal energy was disappointingly around ten years. Eunho, most talented in heart techniques, had twelve; Geum Pyo and Dongryong fell short of ten.
"Your energy can't withstand the Dae-yeonnan-dan's spirit. The moment you swallow it, circulate harder than ever."
"...Brother."
"What?"
"Only two... how do we split?"
I tilted my head. These kids were selfless enough to yield to each other—but spirit pills changed that?
"Four of us, two pills. Why not give both to you, brother?"
"...How do you math like that?"
Eunho chimed in. "Geum Pyo bro's right. We'd take forever to digest anyway, holding you back. You take 'em."
"I agree. My body doesn't take medicine well anyway—barely touched tonics as a kid."
I split the two Dae-yeonnan-dan in half amid their whining. A clear fragrance filled the room. I handed each a half, ignoring their dazed stares.
"..."
They gulped, eyeing the pills hungrily but hesitant to pop them in.
"Didn't you promise the Sect Lord you'd get me into the Murim Academy?"
"Uh... well..."
"Ahaha."
"..."
I smiled at their sheepishness.
"I won't enter the Murim Academy alone. We'll all go together."
"..."
"..."
"..."
I'd said something touching, but they just exchanged puzzled glances.
"Brother, realistically... impossible, right?"
"And me going alone is realistic?"
"...With you as big brother, maybe?"
"Yeah, I think it's possible."
What did they even think of me?
"Then trust and follow me."
"...We want to, but... we're too weak. Couldn't even lift our heads among those ronin yesterday."
"Honestly, scary."
The feeling I'd had in my past life, heading to Murim Alliance for mandatory service.
"Don't worry. When you enter the Murim Academy, no one will meet your eyes. I'll make it so."
"..."
The gold-silver-bronze brothers gaped, speechless.
*
Even after mastering footwork with energy circulation, they hadn't reclimbed a mountain. Instead, I had them walk the official road in Baekho Geomjin formation—maintaining it while moving.
At first, feet tangled, formations collapsed repeatedly. But soon, they held longer. I struck intermittently with my Black Dragon Sword, accelerating mastery.
True to form, kids who'd memorized formations blind and deaf adapted swiftly.
"Nom nom. Brother, is it okay to go this leisurely?"
While they ate roadside, I'd written a letter for Haomen, tied it to Cheol-eung's leg, and sent it off. Now I unleashed killing intent at them.
"...Ugh!"
"..."
"Kuhk."
Geum Pyo and Dongryong looked ready to puke; Eunho was unfazed.
"Sigh... can't we just eat in peace?"
"How much of the Dae-yeonnan-dan have you refined?"
"...Half."
"A sudden fight could cause backlash."
"...Sigh, got it."
Thanks to Tae-eul Divine Scripture, it was refining faster than expected.
"Brother, at this rate, we won't pass the First Gate. How many bandit strongholds left?"
"Eight hundred ninety-eight."
Word of the Murim Academy's first exam—bandit purge—had quick-moving strongholds fleeing deep into mountains, slowing the sweep. Still, three thousand one hundred gone in half a month was staggering.
"We'll miss even peeking at them. Too much time on our training... Not sure how ready we are."
I smirked at Geum Pyo's worry.
"Soon, a chance to test your true level will come."
No more discomfort maintaining Baekho Geomjin with circulation and footwork. They blocked my feints and real strikes via Twin Heaven Sword Conclusion adeptly.
"Brother, what do you mean by 'chance to show our skills'?"
"After leaving Geumgung Guest House, I asked Cheol-eung for two favors. One: track Gye Yeonseok's movements."
The brothers tilted heads, confused.
"This morning: report that three elites from Gye Yeonseok's convoy are missing."
I'd wanted Haomen's "guest" status for intel on exam players—not expecting to use it so soon.
"Money's run—" Geum Pyo started, then stared ahead oddly.
At the road's end, three men blocked the way. A man with a bizarre fishing rod over his shoulder stepped forward.
"Why so slow? Our employer's gone ahead alone because of you."
Flanking him: a giant axe-wielder and a long-sleeved man hiding his hands.
"...Why are they here..."
Yeon Chu-ak of Yeonra-bu, Han Geum-taek the Mu-pung-ma-gan, Dam Cheol-gak the Sam-su-gwi-won—supposed to be with Gye Yeonseok—barred the path.
"Probably waiting for us."