The Mark of the Moon
Cheongwol Gate.
It was a sect with a highly intuitive name, meaning the "Blue Moon Sect."
Located in Henan, it was not a particularly ancient sect, unlike the prestigious orthodox factions of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang.
At most, its history spanned two hundred years. Three hundred, if one stretched it.
Though its history was brief compared to other sects, Cheongwol Gate's influence was by no means proportional to its short lifespan.
It was founded alongside the birth of the Martial Alliance by the first Alliance Leader, the Blue Moon Sword.
In other words, it was essentially a sect directly affiliated with the Martial Alliance.
And with the Alliance's authority soaring to the heavens, the sect's standing had risen just as high.
The position of Alliance Leader was reserved for the strongest or most influential figures of the era.
Since the Alliance's inception, there had been eighteen leaders in total.
Considering that eight of those eighteen were martial artists from Cheongwol Gate, one could easily grasp the sheer scale of the sect's power and influence.
Despite the presence of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Noble Clans—the supposed pillars of the Martial Alliance—some implicitly held Cheongwol Gate in even higher regard.
And even if they didn't...
'Within the Martial Alliance itself, Cheongwol Gate is practically god.'
This was partly due to its status as a direct affiliate, but more than anything, it was because of the prestige established by the previous Alliance Leader.
The Sword Saint, Yoo Chun-gil.
The thirteenth leader of Cheongwol Gate and the former leader of the Martial Alliance.
He was also the man who had ended the Great War between Orthodox and Demonic factions forty years ago, a conflict ignited by the Heavenly Demon, earning him the title of the World's Greatest.
Though he was said to have died of an illness about a decade ago, he was a martial artist so legendary that even I, who had zero interest in the Murim, had heard his name.
And Cheongwol Gate was the very place where Yoo Chun-gil had served as sect leader.
'And that guy is from Cheongwol Gate?'
I swallowed hard as I stared at the white-haired youth who had introduced himself as Cheon Ui-jin.
Now it all made sense.
'No wonder the branch leader was walking on eggshells around him. And why the squad leader was acting like such a lunatic.'
It was obvious he had a powerful backer. I had wondered why the Namgung Clan was looking out for him, but...
'It was Cheongwol Gate?'
If he belonged to that place, everything fell into place.
Furthermore, his name—specifically, his surname—presented another issue.
'If his surname is Cheon... as far as I know, the current sect leader's surname is...'
The Moon Fairy Sword, Cheon Seong-hwa.
Following the death of the Sword Saint Yoo Chun-gil, the surname of the next sect leader who succeeded him was also Cheon.
Could this be a mere coincidence? I highly doubted it.
Which meant...
'...Is this guy a blood relative of the Cheongwol Sect Leader?'
Whether he was from a branch line or the direct line, he was definitely of that bloodline.
No wonder the branch leader was looking at him like that... Wait, no. He was looking at me.
Even with Cheon Ui-jin standing right there, the branch leader kept his hands politely clasped, his gaze fixed entirely on me.
'Ssssp.'
What in the world was going on here?
Barely keeping my panic in check, I asked Cheon Ui-jin.
"...Who is the successor of whom, now?"
I was asking him to repeat what he had just said, unable to make head or tail of the situation.
'What? The successor of the Sword Saint?'
Where did that come from?
Why was the deceased Sword Saint suddenly being brought up, and where did this "successor" business come from?
At my question, Cheon Ui-jin looked at me with a troubled expression.
His gaze was somewhat pitiful, as if he were walking on eggshells around me.
Then, he spoke.
"...Please excuse me for a moment."
He slowly reached for his sword.
'Oh, shit, what is he doing?'
Just as a chill ran down my spine and I flinched—
Sssring!
The sword slid from its scabbard.
"Huh?"
Cheon Ui-jin held the blade upright, angling it toward me.
My face was reflected in the polished, beautiful steel.
"Why are you... Huh?"
The moment I saw my reflection, my eyes widened.
I hurriedly rubbed my eyes with my hand.
"What is this?"
My eyes had changed.
My original eyes were dark brown, but for some reason, they were now a vivid blue.
How on earth did this happen?
While I was spiraling in panic, Cheon Ui-jin spoke up.
"...I understand completely why you would want to hide it."
"Huh? Hide what... What?"
Cheon Ui-jin, still holding up the blade to reflect my face, spoke cautiously.
"With danger lurking everywhere, you must believe the time is not yet right."
"...No, that's not it."
"I know you saved my life, and I am deeply sorry for forcing your hand like this."
"Dammit."
I was trying my best to explain, but nobody in the room was listening to a word I said.
For a second, I wondered if his attitude hadn't actually changed, and he was just mocking me in a roundabout way.
"Please... I beg of you, would you be willing to hear me out for just a moment?"
I frowned slightly at Cheon Ui-jin's desperate plea.
He wasn't listening to a single thing I said, yet he wanted me to listen to him.
It was absurd, but at the same time, I couldn't help but wonder what made him so desperate.
'Why would someone from Cheongwol Gate—and of the Sect Leader's bloodline, no less—come all the way to Anhui to join the Martial Alliance as a low-ranking grunt?'
It was clear he had come with a specific purpose.
He must have been looking for something in 'that' cave.
Recalling this, I spoke up.
"...First of all."
At my words, I felt everyone in the room—not just the physician, but the branch leader and Cheon Ui-jin as well—freeze.
They were all watching my reaction, walking on eggshells. It was enough to give me indigestion.
Enduring their intense gazes, I asked, "What happened to Senior Yoo?"
"Pardon...?"
Ui-jin looked confused, clearly not expecting that question.
"I'm talking about my senior, who was stabbed in the stomach by your bodyguard."
"...!"
Yoo Hyeong-in, my senior.
The man who had been ambushed due to the betrayal of that bastard Pung Yeon.
What had become of him?
I knit my brows as I asked.
"I understand you're in a hurry, and I know this situation is a total mess," I said, irritation rising within me.
"But right now, shouldn't you tell me what happened to the man who was hurt trying to protect us from the bodyguard you brought, rather than focusing on your own circumstances?"
My irritation quickly flared into anger.
"Ah... well..."
For some reason, Cheon Ui-jin looked utterly flustered by my outburst.
Was it because he found my anger strange? I wondered, but after pursing his lips for a moment, he chose to apologize rather than make excuses.
"...I am sorry."
"Young Master Yoo is currently in the infirmary, resting."
"And his condition?"
This time, the Head of the Medical Pavilion chimed in to answer.
"The surgery went well... A scar will remain, but after about six months of recuperation, he should have no trouble moving around."
"...Whew."
I let out a long sigh of relief.
Thank goodness.
It was a relief that Yoo Hyeong-in hadn't died, and that his treatment had been successful.
I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. With that thought, I raised my head again.
Cheon Ui-jin looked at me with expectant eyes, hoping we could finally start our conversation.
But the words that left my mouth were entirely different.
"In that case, please leave for now. And if possible, come back tomorrow."
"...Pardon?"
Everyone froze at the sudden dismissal.
Cheon Ui-jin's expression was particularly priceless.
"I'm not saying I won't talk to you," I clarified.
But this was a necessary step.
"I just need some time to think, so I'm asking you to step out for a bit."
I needed to assess the situation. I had heard too much, and my mind was cluttered. The dismissal was solely to buy myself some time.
Wow.
'To think I'd live to dismiss guests like this.'
And to the branch leader, no less.
If I told my squad leader to get out, I'd get beaten to a pulp. Yet here I was, telling someone who ranked far above even the squad leaders and unit commanders to leave.
Maybe this wasn't so bad after all...?
'Anyway...'
Faced with my request for time, Cheon Ui-jin's eyes trembled slightly before he finally gave in.
"I understand..."
Well, what else could he do? The person in question was refusing to talk right now.
Besides...
'He must be in a real hurry.'
I was able to glean a lot from Cheon Ui-jin's attitude.
He didn't try to force his way or push his agenda onto me.
While that could just be his personality, it was a different story considering his background with Cheongwol Gate.
Of course, it was also because he was under some bizarre misunderstanding about me.
'But even taking that into account, it means he wants something major from me.'
Ultimately, it meant I held all the cards in this negotiation.
Soon, Cheon Ui-jin led the branch leader and the others out of the room.
Watching the order in which they left, I could tell that Ui-jin held a higher status than the branch leader.
This was all useful information. I filed each detail away in my mind.
And then...
"Now then."
Once everyone had vanished, I turned my head toward the window.
Sunlight streamed through the glass, illuminating a figure who had been standing there, watching me for a while now.
Well, not a person. A ghost would be the correct term.
"...Care to explain what the hell is going on?"
At my question, the blue-eyed ghost chuckled.
"Tsk, tsk."
Inside the branch leader's office in Anhui.
A sly-looking man and a middle-aged man sat facing each other.
"I don't understand," the sly-looking man said.
Jin Gyeong-chan, the commander of the Second Unit, addressed the branch leader.
"How can that idiot... I mean, Agent Bang, suddenly be the successor of the Sword Saint?"
Faced with his disbelief, the branch leader, Cheol Ung, known as the 'Army-Shattering Saber', let out a heavy sigh.
"Commander Jin. I believe I've already explained everything."
"But it's just too hard to believe..."
"Does your disbelief change the facts?"
"I heard even the boy himself is denying it... and yet..."
"Tsk."
The branch leader clicked his tongue in frustration, and only then did Jin Gyeong-chan shut his mouth.
"If you saw Bang Seong-yeon's—Young Master Bang's—eyes, you wouldn't doubt it either."
"...His eyes, you say?"
"The Moon Eye."
"...!"
Jin Gyeong-chan gasped at the branch leader's words.
"Young Master Bang has awakened the Moon Eye."
"No way!"
Jin Gyeong-chan was struck with utter shock.
He had actually awakened the Moon Eye?
Confronted with the truth, Jin Gyeong-chan let out a low groan.
The Moon Eye was a phenomenon associated with the martial arts of Cheongwol Gate.
When one's cultivation of the Cheongwol Mind Method reached a certain level, their eyes would harmonize with the internal energy, turning a brilliant blue.
Moreover, it wasn't something that happened to everyone.
At best, only a handful of people in Cheongwol Gate achieved it. Out of hundreds of disciples, barely ten would ever manifest it.
Furthermore, it wasn't just a simple change in eye color.
The Moon Eye was a testament to one's talent.
It proved that the disciple's body and constitution were in perfect harmony with the divine Cheongwol Mind Method, serving as a guarantee that they would one day become a master destined to leave their mark on history.
Every single Alliance Leader who hailed from Cheongwol Gate had awakened the Moon Eye.
The Sword Saint Yoo Chun-gil had been one, and the current Sect Leader who succeeded him was no exception.
'Even those currently competing for the position of Young Sect Leader possess the Moon Eye.'
In particular, Cheon Ui-jin's sister, the leading candidate for the position of Young Sect Leader, was also an awakener of the Moon Eye.
Given its significance...
"In this situation, would you believe Young Master Bang's denials if you were in their shoes?"
"...Even so, I cannot easily accept this."
"You...!"
"It's been a year. I've had that guy... Young Master Bang under my command for a whole year."
Jin Gyeong-chan had never liked him. No, it wasn't just a matter of dislike; the boy had been utterly, hopelessly incompetent.
That was Jin Gyeong-chan's honest impression of Bang Seong-yeon.
He knew the boy had come with a recommendation letter, but he had possessed zero martial arts skill and couldn't even keep up with the morning runs.
Gyeong-chan had genuinely wondered how the boy had managed to get admitted, and had even complained to the branch leader about why they were keeping such a useless drag.
Back then, the branch leader had only laughed self-deprecatingly, admitting he might have made a mistake in accepting him.
But now, they were telling him the boy had been hiding his true strength all along?
Jin Gyeong-chan simply couldn't buy it.
If it were Yoo Hyeong-in, yes. If they told him Hyeong-in was from Cheongwol Gate, he would have believed it.
But Bang Seong-yeon? It was preposterous.
"Just because his eyes turned blue doesn't mean it's the Moon Eye, does it?"
"Commander Jin. Are you suggesting Young Master Bang is using some sort of sorcery?"
"That is something we need to investigate on our end..."
"Silence!"
"...!"
The unit commander flinched at the branch leader's roar.
A chilling wave of internal energy vibrated through the room.
"As a unit commander, did you not even read the report properly? The facts are written right there!"
"..."
Despite the branch leader's furious outburst, Gyeong-chan's expression remained stubborn.
The report? He had read it thoroughly.
'Dong Baek-woo is dead, and the squad leader has also perished.'
The only survivors were Yoo Hyeong-in, Cheon Ui-jin, and Bang Seong-yeon.
The Ghost of the Mountains had gathered the corpses of the slaughtered Namgung Clan martial artists in the cave, planning to lure more to their deaths, though the motive remained unknown.
Cheon Ui-jin's bodyguard had also been complicit, betraying them in the cave with the intent to kill everyone. The reason for this was also unknown.
But the key detail in all of this was that Bang Seong-yeon was the one who had stopped those two martial artists.
'...He killed two Peak-realm martial artists? And by himself?'
In particular, the state of the bodyguard when the reinforcements finally arrived had been horrific.
Not a single bone in his body was left intact, and his face was so badly caved in from the beating that he was completely unrecognizable.
In short, he had been beaten to death.
He had beaten a Peak-realm master to a pulp until he died.
'That's impossible.'
How could Jin Gyeong-chan believe such a thing?
'Bang Seong-yeon is a third-rate martial artist.'
He had seen and felt it himself. Was he supposed to believe the boy had put on a flawless act to hide his power, only to reveal it now and slaughter two Peak-realm masters? And on top of that...
'The successor of the Sword Saint...?'
There were too many unbelievable details.
Feeling the absurdity of it all, Jin Gyeong-chan spoke to the branch leader.
"Branch Leader. No matter how I look at this, something is off. So..."
Just then—
Thud.
The branch leader tossed something onto the desk in front of Jin Gyeong-chan.
"...What is this?"
"Young Master Bang's recommendation letter."
"Why are you showing me this now?"
Wondering why he was suddenly being handed this, Jin Gyeong-chan carefully picked up the document.
The branch leader continued, "I always had my doubts."
Jin Gyeong-chan unfolded the letter as he listened.
This letter serves to recommend Bang Seong-yeon for enlistment in the Martial Alliance.
Though lacking in experience, his character is upright and his potential is worthy of cultivation.
Recommender: Jegal Jin
"I suspected him, too. But in the end, didn't it turn out like this?"
"What on earth do you mean by... Huh...?"
The unit commander, about to voice his confusion, froze mid-sentence as he read the letter.
The letter was a recommendation for Bang Seong-yeon to join the Martial Alliance. It was written in a formal, standard format used by most, but...
The name of the recommender written at the very end was the problem.
Jegal Jin.
"This..."
Gyeong-chan lost his voice upon seeing the name.
Given the surname, it was obvious he was a member of the Jegal Clan, one of the Five Great Noble Clans.
But it went deeper than that.
"Have you ever heard of him writing a recommendation letter for anyone else?" the branch leader asked.
The current head of the Jegal Clan.
The strategist who was once called the eyes and ears of the Sword Saint Yoo Chun-gil.
Cheonli Jinan, Jegal Jin.
He was the one who had recommended Bang Seong-yeon.
While a storm of shock was brewing in the branch leader's office, Bang Seong-yeon was wearing a very similar expression of disbelief.
"...So... what you're saying is," Seong-yeon said, struggling to control his stiff facial muscles.
"You cultivated a mind method in my body without my permission, and now, if I don't want to die, I have to listen to you and learn your martial arts. Is that it?"
At his words, the old man burst into laughter.
[Hahaha! To think you could summarize such a lengthy explanation into a single sentence. Truly marvelous!]
"..."
[As expected of a clever child.]
Watching the old man double over with laughter as if nothing could be more amusing, Bang Seong-yeon asked cautiously.
"Old man."
[Hmm?]
"Are you out of your goddamn mind?"
He just couldn't hold it back anymore.