Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Thief
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*Crunch crunch...*
Paeng Se Gi devoured a hunk of meat bigger than his fist in one go.
Se Yeong handed him the leftovers from his half-eaten portion.
"The meat tastes like honey, so why aren't you eating it, Brother?"
"You eat plenty."
"Thank you, Brother."
*Crunch crunch...*
Paeng Se Gi stuffed the meat into his mouth with ravenous gusto.
"I sprinkled it with extra spices, and it seems to be hitting the spot."
Dang Ok Yi watched him with a sinister smile.
'He didn't join the Tenth Squad for nothing.'
Se Yeong stood up, grabbing his iron rod and bundle.
"Shall we go check out the bathhouse and quarters now?"
As the hour of the ghost drew near, his eyes snapped open on their own, and his body stirred.
Se Yeong rose, slipped on his clothes, and scanned the interior of the quarters.
With space enough for over twenty men but only four occupants, the air in the lodging felt a bit drafty.
He grabbed his sword and stepped outside, where the crisp dawn air seeped into his every pore.
*Haa...*
He had finally entered the Murim Alliance.
His first task here was to reclaim his sword. The second was to track down the Heavenly Hand Three Treasures.
'The third would be to establish my own family in the martial world.'
Se Yeong took a deep breath and paced the front courtyard.
*Creak.*
Just then, the door to the quarters swung open, and Paeng Se Gi shuffled out with bleary eyes.
"Brother, isn't it a bit too early to be up?"
"If you're sleepy, go back to bed."
He had started waking at this hour around age four, and back then, he truly hated these dim predawn moments.
But as the years passed, he grew to love the profound silence when no one else was around.
"No, sir. Starting today, I'll rise at this time every day too."
Paeng Se Gi stubbornly followed Se Yeong out.
The Tenth Squad's quarters were far removed from the others, surrounded entirely by forest.
Se Yeong found a flat rock, sat in the lotus position facing the rising sun, and settled in.
Paeng Se Gi made a spot for himself nearby.
"When I'm circulating my qi, I prefer to be alone, so find a spot as far away as possible."
"Understood, Brother."
Se Yeong's words might have stung a little, but Paeng Se Gi's face showed no sign of it.
Once Paeng Se Gi had moved off, Se Yeong closed his eyes.
*Swooo...*
A moment later, the murky dawn air grew heavy, thick darkness gathering until it blanketed the predawn sky.
Darker than the depths of some abyss, the shadow enveloped Se Yeong's entire body and swirled around him.
*Hoo...*
The darkness coiling over his body seeped endlessly into him.
As the deep shadow faded, his eyes—now devoid of any whites—shimmered with a black luster.
The black sheen vanished in an instant, pure clarity filling his bright eyes.
Se Yeong closed his eyes again.
*Swooo...*
This time, clear vital energy wrapped around his body and swirled.
And at that moment, the eastern sky brightened, the dazzling, radiant sun beginning to rise.
"Strategist, the granary was robbed of meat again last night."
The Strategist took his subordinate's report in stride, unperturbed.
"Don't worry about it. Even thieves have to eat to live."
He knew exactly who was stealing the rice and meat from the granary.
The culprits raiding it every night were likely the Tenth Squad members.
But this time, his subordinate's tone carried real weight.
"What vanished last night was ten catties of dried abalone."
Only then did the Strategist's expression turn grave.
Pork, chicken, or salted fish? He could let that slide.
But ten catties of dried abalone? That changed everything.
Dried abalone was a rare delicacy, something even a high-ranking Strategist like him couldn't partake in freely.
"What will you do?"
The Strategist smoothed his furrowed brow at the question.
"I've been too lenient, and now they're going after the grandfather's topknot. Looks like I need to make an example with some drastic measures."
"I'll dispatch men right away to round up the thieves."
"By now, that abalone's already in their bellies. Let it be."
His subordinate failed to grasp the intent.
"If we let this slide, they'll steal even more precious things next time."
"Tonight, I'll personally set up a Qi Gate Formation near the granary. Suspend all patrols there for the night."
"Understood, Strategist."
The breakfast Dang Ok Yi served was stir-fried abalone.
How could someone take such precious ingredients and turn them into something this tasteless?
'Even boiled plain and dipped in salt would be delicious...'
Se Yeong scanned his squadmates with eyes full of regret.
The stir-fry wasn't inedible, but it fell short of simply boiling it in hot water.
"Man... Who'd have thought we'd get rare abalone here in the Murim Alliance? Good work, Hahu Yeon."
"It was nothing. Just grabbed some from a pile in the corner of the granary."
"The Alliance might send people looking for the abalone, so let's scarf it down quick and destroy the evidence."
The squadmates shoveled the abalone into their mouths frantically.
"Is it tasty?"
Se Yeong, having filled his belly with rice and three or four pieces, asked casually.
*Munch munch...*
Paeng Se Gi, devouring his food with gusto, answered promptly.
"Delicious, Brother."
"You'd say dirt clods taste good too."
Dang Ok Yi responded to Se Yeong's words with clear displeasure.
"I know my cooking skills are lacking. But I've never been taught, so please understand and just eat it."
She had a point.
Besides, he knew it was polite to eat heartily whatever someone prepared.
'The Tenth Squad needs a cook first thing.'
As Se Yeong pondered this, Paeng Se Gi—who had polished off his bowl—eyed the remaining abalone greedily.
"Brother, are you done eating?"
"Finish it off."
Se Yeong pushed his bowl toward him.
Without a hint of hesitation, Paeng Se Gi tucked into the leftovers.
Se Yeong watched him and the other squadmates finishing their meals.
'Can these guys really become my people?'
The Murim Alliance gathered the martial world's top prodigies.
Se Yeong wanted to select the trustworthy ones among them as his trusted retainers.
He planned to use them to find the Heavenly Hand Three Treasures and build his family.
Even Paeng Se Gi, who called him Brother and acted like a real younger sibling, wasn't someone he could fully trust yet.
'No choice but to watch them closely over time.'
The squad's daily routine was exceedingly simple.
After meals, they did the dishes. Once done, they immediately practiced their martial arts.
When hunger struck during practice, they'd prepare another meal, then resume training afterward.
The squadmates trained diligently in their own way, but to Se Yeong's eyes, they wandered aimlessly without clear direction.
Paeng Se Gi was at least a cut above the rest.
Having trained extensively with the blade, he kept stealing glances at the iron rod stuck in the ground.
"Brother... If I practice my blade arts with that iron rod, will I improve more than I do now?"
It would certainly improve.
But it wasn't about what he used—it was how he used it.
Paeng Se Gi's blade work brimmed with power, but it wasted inner energy and lacked finesse.
"You'd improve a lot."
Still, he couldn't reveal everything to the man just yet.
"Thank you, Brother."
Paeng Se Gi yanked the iron rod from the ground and returned to his spot, lifting it with a pleased expression.
Se Yeong watched him for a moment, then turned his gaze to Hahu Yeon.
He was swinging a spear over eight feet long in his martial arts practice.
A long sigh escaped Se Yeong's lips as he observed.
*Hoo...*
With that small stature wielding such a massive spear, it was no wonder it didn't move as he wished.
He might think he was handling it properly, but Se Yeong saw the glaring flaws plainly.
'Please, just shorten the spear.'
Se Yeong suppressed the urge to advise him.
Just then, Yi Cheon Yeong—swinging his sword—wiped his sweat and retreated to the shade of a tree.
"Doesn't Hero Han train his martial arts?"
"I fight dozens of myself every day."
"What do you mean by that?"
As the man looked puzzled, Se Yeong tapped his head.
"In my mind."
*Hahaha...*
Yi Cheon Yeong let out an exasperated laugh.
"I acknowledge Hero Han's martial prowess is extraordinary, but mental visualization training is for absolute masters like the Five Absolutes of the Martial World."
Se Yeong just smirked.
A martial artist who could perfectly control their body at will was an absolute master capable of mental training.
And Se Yeong could perfectly control his body at will.
"What kind of man is the Alliance Leader?"
"You've never even heard the rumors?"
"I don't know the top experts well. I want facts, not cloudy gossip."
*Haa...*
Yi Cheon Yeong sighed lightly and sat beside Se Yeong.
"The Alliance Leader was renowned as a prodigy from childhood. His talent was so immense that even Shaolin and Wudang wanted him as a lay disciple. Rumor has it he actually studied there for a year each. Whether true or not, his ties with Shaolin and Wudang are impeccable—thanks to his Namgung family connections."
Yi Cheon Yeong glanced surreptitiously at Paeng Se Gi practicing a short distance away.
"Paeng Se Gi won't admit it, but among the Five Absolutes, the Alliance Leader is likely the strongest. Some martial world elders even recognize him as the War God. He and the Infinite Sword Immortal were once my idols."
With such high praise from Yi Cheon Yeong, the Alliance Leader clearly was exceptional.
'Well, Grandfather did warn me to be cautious around him.'
"He was once your idol, you say? Not anymore?"
The man offered only a bitter smile, no answer.
Se Yeong didn't press further.
Everyone had secrets they preferred not to share.
Hahu Yeon waited for nightfall and donned his night travel garb.
"Good luck tonight."
"Bring back only the best stuff."
With farewells from Yi Cheon Yeong and Paeng Se Gi, he slipped out of the quarters.
The squadmates seemed as calm as ever, but Se Yeong felt uneasy.
Unless the Strategist was a fool, he couldn't be unaware of the nightly granary raids.
Yet no action had been taken so far, meaning he knew and was turning a blind eye.
But abalone was different.
The Alliance likely stocked the expensive delicacy for serving to visiting martial elders.
Stealing ten catties of that? Even a generous Strategist would be furious.
"How long do you plan to keep stealing meals?"
"What do you mean, Hero Han?"
Yi Cheon Yeong didn't catch his drift.
"Why not just request ingredients from the Strategist openly? It'd be easier and less stressful."
*Ha...*
"I thought the same at first. But the Strategist refused. And above all, Hahu Yeon loves stealing."
Se Yeong stared at him in disbelief.
"Loves stealing? What kind of nonsense is that?"
Paeng Se Gi looked flustered as he asked too.
Yi Cheon Yeong scratched his head.
"Hahu Yeon wasn't just kicked from the Eighth Squad for his looks. He's had kleptomania since childhood—stealing squadmates' minor things. Nothing major, just red tassels from their belts or headbands."
*Hoo...*
"Sharing a room with a thief? How could anyone sleep? He didn't take my stuff too, did he?"
Paeng Se Gi let out a long sigh and hurriedly checked his belongings.
"Don't worry. He promised not to touch squadmates' things."
Yi Cheon Yeong trusted Hahu Yeon's word implicitly.
"How can you believe that?"
Paeng Se Gi still looked anxious.
Apparently nothing was missing; he grumbled incoherently and flopped onto his bed.
"Ugh, that damn punk."