Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Revealed
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The Murim Alliance's honor had hit rock bottom.
Rumors would spread far and wide that an unorthodox warrior had brazenly killed a martial artist within the Alliance grounds and escaped unscathed.
The Alliance Leader rose from his seat and walked to the edge of the platform.
"Tell the White Master to keep a close eye on his neck."
"I'll pass along the message."
As the envoy turned to leave, the onlookers parted to clear a path for them on either side.
Se Yeong sidled up to the Strategist and spoke softly.
"Strategist, I've got something urgent to discuss."
The Strategist, who had been watching the envoy with a grim expression, approached Se Yeong.
"What is it?"
"If I restore the Murim Alliance's honor, send a martial arts instructor to our Tenth Squad."
"And how exactly do you plan to restore that honor?"
In response to the Strategist's question, Se Yeong extended his hand toward Paeng Se Gi.
Paeng Se Gi handed over the iron club he was holding.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Se Yeong took the iron club and headed toward the sparring ground.
"Hey, you. A word."
Hearing his voice, the Sa Baek Seong envoy halted and turned around.
"Do you still have business with me?"
The unorthodox warrior who had beheaded the Taesan Sword Hero faced Se Yeong as he approached.
"If I just let you walk away, my little brother would throw a fit."
At Se Yeong's words, a glint sparked in the unorthodox warrior's eyes.
This young man's speech and demeanor oozed a casual confidence.
"I must not have recognized one of the Murim Alliance's young heroes. Who might you be?"
"Han Se Yeong of the Elusive Squadron's Tenth Squad."
Se Yeong revealed his identity without hesitation.
By now, the Alliance martial artists and onlookers had all focused their attention on the two conversing men.
But neither Se Yeong nor the unorthodox warrior paid any mind to their stares.
"I'd heard the Elusive Squadron's Tenth Squad was full of good-for-nothings."
"I'm one of those good-for-nothings."
Hahaha...!
The unorthodox warrior let out a hearty laugh for the first time.
It was so genuine that even Se Yeong couldn't help but smile.
'This unorthodox bastard's laugh is surprisingly pleasant.'
Among all the unorthodox scum he'd encountered so far, not a single one had seemed remotely human.
They were all the type to plunder others' belongings for their own desires and kill without a second thought.
"You seem keen on a spar, so I'll humor you."
The unorthodox warrior's tone softened a bit, clearly taken with Se Yeong.
"Life-or-death is fine by me."
Se Yeong's cold reply wiped the smile from the unorthodox warrior's face.
"If that's what you want, so be it."
With countless spectators watching, Se Yeong and the unorthodox warrior faced off.
Se Yeong tucked the iron club under his arm and signaled the start of the life-or-death duel.
"You ready?"
The unorthodox warrior nodded, his hand moving to his saber hilt.
"Anytime."
Sss...
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the iron club's tip, six paces away, shot toward his face in an instant.
Gasp!
A desperate groan escaped the unorthodox warrior's lips.
Bam...!
He twisted his body just in time, but the club pierced through where his face had been and veered right.
He ducked frantically to evade again, only for the club to come crashing down over his head.
The unorthodox warrior kicked off the ground with all his might and swung his saber upward in a diagonal slash.
Thud...!
The falling iron club clashed with the rising saber blade.
Urgh...
Swallowing a groan, the unorthodox warrior leaped back.
The sheer force and weight of the club reverberated through his hands and arms, shaking his entire body.
His previously relaxed face grew heavy.
"I was rude earlier."
As those words slipped out, the saber in his grip erupted in brilliant saber aura.
Such radiant saber aura meant the unorthodox warrior had reached the absolute realm.
Oooh...
Gasps rose from the onlookers in unison as the saber blazed with aura.
Most had only heard tales of saber or sword aura, never witnessed it firsthand.
Shiiiaak...
The unorthodox warrior swept his saber, sending a massive chunk of radiant energy slicing through the air.
Boom!
Se Yeong swung the iron club, smashing the incoming diagonal energy mass.
The moment it shattered, saber aura dove for his side.
Kwa-kwang...!
Saber aura and iron club collided fiercely before separating, and the afterimages of Se Yeong and the unorthodox warrior, which had split in all directions, merged back into one.
Kwang! Kwa-kwa-kwang...!
The shockwaves from the energy clashes swept even the distant martial artists and onlookers.
Cough...!
Feeling pain like needles stabbing their bodies, they hurriedly retreated to widen the gap.
The unified forms clashed violently once more, then split into afterimages scattering everywhere again.
Kwa-kwang! Kwang...!
Se Yeong and the unorthodox warrior flickered across the sparring ground, clashing repeatedly.
Each collision of saber aura and iron club sent energy waves exploding outward, making the青石 slabs on the ground tremble.
Bam!
Se Yeong deflected the saber aura burrowing into his shoulder and thrust the club through the man's chest.
Bam! Kwa-kwa-kwang...!
Among all the experts Se Yeong had faced, none surpassed this man.
His intense saber aura could even repel the iron club, and his flawless saber arts were an impregnable fortress.
'Why isn't there any malice?'
Yet this man seemed utterly unlike other unorthodox warriors.
Namgung Seok watched the storm-like duel in a daze.
It terrified him. No, it made him envious to the point of tears.
Their movements were so fast he could barely track them—the very realm he'd always aspired to.
But why did it have to be that Tenth Squad punk showing it off?
When the Taesan Sword Hero lost his head in one strike, he'd realized this unorthodox warrior was far stronger than him.
That's why he hadn't stepped in.
If only the man had just taken the head and left.
Then he would've remained the strongest in the Elusive Squadron.
There were a few in the Squadron on par with him.
But none surpassed him.
'Why the Tenth Squad... Why Han Se Yeong...'
Namgung Seok shed bloody tears inwardly as he watched the fight.
The iron club's tip burrowed toward his chest as saber tip and club end met in a straight clash.
Bam...!
'To think such a master existed in the martial world.'
The unorthodox warrior inwardly marveled at Se Yeong's strength.
What confounded him even more was the man's staff technique—so profound and seamless that he couldn't find a single opening.
'Looks like I need to save face for the Murim Alliance.'
Kwa-kwang...!
He parried the iron club and leaped back.
"I yield."
As the unorthodox warrior lowered his saber first, Se Yeong swiftly withdrew his extended club.
Woooah...!
"The Murim Alliance wins...!"
"That young hero beat the unorthodox scum...!"
The dazed onlookers erupted in cheers as he admitted defeat.
But Se Yeong's ears were deaf to their roars.
'Too bad. It was just getting fun.'
Se Yeong had never viewed unorthodox warriors as human.
He'd killed every one he'd met without mercy.
But this one was different from the rest.
"What's your name?"
At Se Yeong's question, the unorthodox warrior readily revealed himself.
"Ak Su Deok. Right-hand man and sworn brother to the Unorthodox Sovereign."
'No wonder he's so strong.'
The Unorthodox Sovereign wouldn't take just anyone as a sworn brother.
"See you around."
"Swing by Sa Baek Seong sometime if you get the chance."
Ak Su Deok left those words and turned away.
Se Yeong watched them go before turning back toward where the Tenth Squad waited.
'The Elusive Squadron had a monster like this?'
The Elusive Squadron gathered the martial world's prodigies, so it wasn't surprising for a top expert to emerge anytime.
But this Han Se Yeong was an unheard-of prodigy.
'I thought Seok was the fastest riser there.'
He was grateful that Han Se Yeong had restored the Alliance's pride, but it pissed him off too.
"You're Han Se Yeong, correct?"
The Alliance Leader spoke up, halting Se Yeong's steps.
Se Yeong stopped and looked up at him.
"That's me."
His arrogant reply made the Alliance Leader's thick brows twitch.
The martial luminaries watching proudly also frowned.
They'd been about to praise his skills lavishly, but his cheeky tone killed even their smiles.
Even the Alliance Leader, who'd wanted to chat more, cut his commendation short.
"For this Kwang Moo Je sparring tournament, we'll name young hero Han the champion."
At the Leader's command, a martial artist behind him presented a long wooden box.
Se Yeong instantly recognized what it was.
'A sword. As if I'm some sword collector...'
He couldn't very well refuse it.
As Se Yeong ascended the platform and accepted the box from the Alliance Leader, the arena thundered with cheers.
Woooah...!
The Alliance Leader disliked how Se Yeong stared straight into his eyes.
'Arrogant punk.'
But he couldn't lose face in front of all these people.
"Great work, brother."
"Congratulations, Hero Han."
The Tenth Squad members greeted Se Yeong enthusiastically as he descended the platform.
The Alliance Leader gazed down at them coldly.
While Paeng Se Gi and Hahu Yeon went to the village to buy liquor and meat, Sa Sa Un grilled the meat and set the table.
'Damn them. Making me cook even on a day like this.'
Sa Sa Un grumbled inwardly but showed no sign of it outwardly.
And why? Because he'd just witnessed something utterly unbelievable.
He'd suspected Han Se Yeong was an expert ever since feeling that monstrous killing intent.
But seeing it firsthand, he realized it was a level he couldn't even dream of touching.
The movements flashing east and west were impossible to follow with the eye, and the staff technique was so masterful that the iron club seemed to envelop his entire body like a whirlwind.
'If I'd known, I'd have sucked up to him from the start...'
Until now, he'd thought Namgung Seok was the phoenix and Han Se Yeong a chicken.
But now it was clear: Han Se Yeong was the phoenix, and Namgung Seok the chicken.
Still, Namgung Seok was a chicken not to be dismissed.
His family was the top in the martial world, and the Alliance Leader was its greatest master.
Sa Sa Un had dreams too.
To ensure his family wasn't looked down on by others.
To achieve that, he needed ties with the powerful and to grow stronger himself.
"Tell me anytime if there's anything you'd like to eat, Hero Han."
As Sa Sa Un flattered him, the squad members all shot him looks.
Kekekeke...
"Finally recognizing our brother's greatness, eh?"
Paeng Se Gi chuckled, and Sa Sa Un forced an awkward smile.
'That slimy sycophant.'
He cursed inwardly, though.
As the grilled meat hit the table, Paeng Se Gi poured drinks into each cup from the bottle.
"Here you go, brother."
Se Yeong raised his cup and looked around at the squad.
"Everyone, raise your cups. You too, Sa Sa Un."
"Pardon? ...Yes, sir."
Sa Sa Un quickly sat, filled his cup, and raised it.
Se Yeong downed his first, and the others followed suit.
Thus began the drinking session, and the liquor-starved Paeng Se Gi emptied cup after cup.
Kuh...
"Good stuff. Brother, why haven't you ever mentioned your family? Doesn't make sense that your little brothers know nothing about it."
Paeng Se Gi opened the topic with a whiny tone.
Truth be told, it wasn't just him—the whole squad was curious about Se Yeong's family.
"Not much to tell."
"Aw, come on, share a little."
As Paeng Se Gi pressed, Se Yeong glanced around and slowly spoke.
"Forget that—let me tell you an old tale instead. There was a young man long ago. While wandering the martial world, he visited a great family clan in the north."