An Unexpected Condition
The Sowol Daeju.
Literally meaning the leader of the Sowol Squadron.
To the rest of the world, he was the only one who could claim to be the strongest sword of Cheongwol Gate.
While the absolute ruler of Cheongwol Gate was indeed the Moonmaster, the sword that actually protected it was the Sowol Daeju.
For what was the Sowol Squadron?
It was the elite of the elite, composed of the strongest martial artists in Cheongwol Gate.
They were a force comparable to the Wudang Sect's Taiji Sword Force, the Mt. Hua Sect's Plum Blossom Sword Shields, or the Changryong Eight Squadrons of the Martial Alliance's guard division.
Naturally, no one in the Central Plains dared to underestimate the reputation and martial prowess of the Sowol Daeju who led such a group.
Therefore, it was impossible for me not to know just how formidable the man standing before me was.
He was a giant of a man, looking down at me with sharp, brilliant blue eyes.
The Sowol Daeju, Baek Yu-cheon.
Watching him stare at me as if I were utterly ridiculous, I quietly swallowed a groan.
Man... that's chilling.
I couldn't help but feel that way.
What is up with his eyes?
His gaze was incredibly sharp.
It was different from the way Wolseongeom looked at me. With the Moonmaster, I couldn't tell what emotions lay behind his gaze; his eyes were just naturally fierce, which made me tense up.
But this guy is just openly hostile.
The Sowol Daeju made no effort to hide his dislike.
He poured raw, turbulent emotion not just into his gaze, but into the very aura radiating from his body.
"...What did you just say?"
The Sowol Daeju asked, as if he couldn't believe his ears.
Hearing that, I hesitated.
Ah, should I just play dumb?
Should I tell him I misspoke, ask him to pretend he didn't hear it, and run away?
...It's too late for that.
Whether I thought about it deeply or shallowly, the conclusion was the same.
The words had already left my mouth, and now that he had heard them, there was no way the Sowol Daeju would let it slide.
So.
"I think I need to become the Young Moonmaster."
Suppressing my groan, I repeated the same words to the Sowol Daeju.
"So, I was hoping you would throw your support behind me—"
Creak, creak, creak—!!!
Ugh!
The momentum erupting from the Sowol Daeju was violent. It was a pressure so intense that even with my Peak-realm cultivation, my mouth clamped shut of its own accord.
This is insane.
Cold sweat trickled down my neck. I realized once again—are these absolute masters even human?
How can a human emit this kind of energy?
It was absurd.
Utterly absurd.
Just like my life.
Having to survive in a place where monsters like this ran rampant.
It was truly a tragic, miserable existence.
"...It seems you truly take me for a fool."
Rage seeped into the Sowol Daeju's voice.
As if matching the intensity of his emotions, his energy exploded outward, wrapping around me like a vice.
"I believe I made it clear that I would never acknowledge you. For you to appear before me and spout such nonsense can only mean you intend to mock me."
The air grew heavy, sinking under the weight.
At the same time, the Sowol Daeju's eyes gleamed with a predatory light.
"You seem to be under a massive delusion."
I was scared to death.
How could a human's eyes glow like that?
"Did you assume that because the Moonmaster favors you, I would do the same? Or perhaps..."
Tight.
The Sowol Daeju placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
My eyes instinctively darted toward his hand.
"...Did you think I wouldn't dare touch you because of the Moonmaster's favor?"
"..."
My instincts screamed at me.
If that sword left its scabbard, I was going to be absolutely screwed.
They clamored for me to stop him immediately.
"Whichever it is, it is an arrogant delusion."
My lips felt heavy. Bound by the crushing atmospheric pressure, my mouth wouldn't open no matter how hard I tried.
Ah, this is bad.
I didn't expect the pressure to be this overwhelming.
I hadn't anticipated that I wouldn't even be able to speak.
At this rate, I was really going to get screwed over.
Shring.
The sword began to slide out. Oh, shit, what do I do?
Just as I was about to swallow a dry lump in my throat in this precarious situation—
Yoo Chun-gil let out a thunderous roar.
Instantly, a gale swept through the room.
Whoosh—!!!!
The air in the room surged as if a sudden squall had erupted.
Crack!
I felt the oppressive energy binding my body shatter under the impact.
"...!!"
As the situation suddenly shifted, the Sowol Daeju's eyes widened, his hand freezing on the half-drawn sword.
Seizing the moment, I forced my freed mouth to move.
"I know you hold my master in high esteem."
"What?"
The moment I brought up my master, the Sword Saint, the Sowol Daeju's eyes narrowed instantly.
"What are you trying to say?"
"Am I wrong?"
"What a pointless joke. Do you think there is anyone in Cheongwol Gate who does not revere him?"
He was right. Yoo Chun-gil was the most respected martial artist in the entire Central Plains.
Moreover, Cheongwol Gate was his home sect.
There wouldn't be a single person here who didn't respect him.
However.
"But among all of them, your reverence is particularly outstanding, Squadron Leader."
"What is that supposed to mean...?"
"Exactly what I said. You respect him so much that—"
I paused for a moment, curling the corners of my mouth upward before continuing.
"—you even went out of your way to contact the Beggar Alliance to prevent rumors of me being his disciple from spreading, didn't you?"
"..."
At my words, the swirling wind vanished without a trace.
The heavy air that had been suppressed by the Sowol Daeju's momentum settled back into the room.
A heavy silence fell.
After a brief, silent moment passed.
"...What are you talking about?"
The Sowol Daeju feigned ignorance, albeit a beat too late.
The look on his face was priceless.
He probably knows it too.
It was far too late to play dumb.
His reaction just now was as good as a confession.
Still.
"Am I wrong?"
"..."
"Then I must have been mistaken."
Even though I knew the truth, I gave the Sowol Daeju a way out.
To be precise.
It was blackmail.
I know what you did.
That was the threat I was conveying.
This was something I had pondered back when I first arrived in Henan and began questioning things.
Who exactly suppressed the rumors about me?
Once the news of me becoming the Sword Saint's successor leaked in Anhui, it should have swept across the Central Plains in no time.
Honestly speaking.
This is far more shocking than me defeating Ma Hyeok-chang.
The emergence of a direct successor to the Sword Saint.
That was a much bigger deal than me being called the Young Sword Saint and having my name spread across the Central Plains.
And yet.
Those rumors completely vanished.
For a while, the rumor that I was the Sword Saint's successor didn't spread at all. It was bizarre. How many people had witnessed my duel with the Young Azure Sword in Anhui? How many reports had been filed regarding the death of the Mountain Ghost?
Considering all of that, the rumors should have spread far and wide long ago...
The only reason my name finally got out was because of what happened in Sichuan.
Of course, it had been leaking out bit by bit before then.
After all, there were people who recognized me the moment I arrived at Cheongwol Gate.
Even the Tang Clan, one of the Five Great Noble Families, had caught wind of my existence beforehand and sent me a letter.
Which meant.
The major factions knew about me.
But it was highly likely that the rumors were actively blocked from reaching the general public.
If so, who could have suppressed them?
The answer to that was simple.
The Beggar Alliance.
There was a saying in the martial world that rumors in the Central Plains began and ended with the Beggar Alliance.
It meant that no one could match them when it came to information.
But looking at it another way, it also meant the Beggar Alliance could control the flow of rumors.
The Beggar Alliance blocked the rumors about me from spreading.
At the same time, they made sure the major factions were kept informed.
That perfectly explained why the rumors about the Sword Saint's successor had remained so quiet.
Of course, they couldn't completely stop minor leaks.
But even considering that, it had been far too quiet. If I hadn't caused a stir in Sichuan, things might have remained even quieter.
This means someone else made a move on the Beggar Alliance.
Just as someone had blocked the rumors, someone else had allowed them to spread.
I didn't know who was behind that part yet.
But that's not what's important right now.
The person who blocked the rumors was far more important than the one who spread them.
When I was looking for the culprit, I had narrowed down a few suspects.
And among them.
This guy had the highest probability.
The man standing right in front of me.
The Sowol Daeju seemed like the most likely candidate.
And I was right.
My guess had hit the mark. I had only intended to test the waters lightly, but his reaction told me everything I needed to know.
"Putting the misunderstanding aside... let's return to the main point. I was wondering if you could throw your support behind me, Squadron Leader."
I steered the conversation back to the main topic.
At those words, the Sowol Daeju's brow furrowed deeply.
He must realize that while the words were the same, their meaning was entirely different now.
If he had indeed done this.
It was highly likely that the Sowol Daeju had acted on his own, without the Moonmaster's knowledge.
He must have done it behind Wolseongeom's back. Otherwise, the Moonmaster's reaction to me wouldn't make sense.
Furthermore.
"...How dare you."
The Sowol Daeju's current reaction confirmed it.
"Are you trying to blackmail me?"
"Blackmail? How could I ever dare to do such a thing to you?"
I kept the smile plastered on my face.
Inside, fear was clawing its way up. If that man decided to draw his sword here, my head would be rolling on the floor before I could even react.
"This is a request, a plea. It is also my hope that you, who respect my master so deeply, might take my side."
"..."
"Of course, I am well aware that you do not like me, but in life, one can never be sure of what might happen."
I kept talking without a pause. I couldn't afford to give him a moment to think.
Besides, even if the Sowol Daeju was indeed the one who colluded with the Beggar Alliance to suppress the rumors.
This alone won't be enough to win him over.
It was impossible to bring the Sowol Daeju to my side with just this.
This was merely laying the groundwork.
I need to show him that I know how to use my head.
It was a process of making him realize that I wasn't just some random nobody.
Once I hammered that into his head.
I will deliver the decisive blow.
I had to unleash the 'real' blow I had prepared.
"Fine."
"I figured you would say that. However, if you were to take my side... Wait, what?"
I stopped mid-sentence.
What did he say?
"...You agree?"
"Yes, I said fine."
"...Huh?"
I froze involuntarily. He agreed? Even Yoo Chun-gil, floating above, tilted his head in confusion.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
What's going on?
Why did he agree so easily?
I haven't even used what I prepared yet.
Just as I was about to say something that would make his mouth water, the Sowol Daeju's response threw me completely off balance.
Why?
Why did he say yes? He was supposed to refuse, of course. I stared at the Sowol Daeju in utter bewilderment.
"However, there is a condition," the Sowol Daeju said to me.
"A condition...?"
I frowned at his words. Then, the Sowol Daeju told me his condition.
"...What?"
I was left completely flabbergasted by the unexpected proposal.
Time passed, and by the time the sun began to set, casting a faint glow over the horizon...
I was standing in the center of a large courtyard, surrounded by a massive crowd of onlookers.
And to make matters worse...
"Nice to meet you."
"...Yes."
I was facing Cheon Hye-in, both of us holding wooden swords.