The Hierarchy of the Gate
"..."
Looking at the woman sitting in front of me, my body froze.
Those were the same unsettling blue eyes I had seen before.
She was drop-dead gorgeous, but she possessed an aura that made me want to avoid eye contact at all costs.
The Moon Dance Beauty.
One of the Seven Great Talents, the genius among geniuses—Cheon Hye-in, the Moon Dance Beauty.
Beside her, Cheon Ui-jin, who was also a child of the Moonmaster, was staring at me.
Cheon Ui-jin's eyes were wide with panic as he looked at me.
Meanwhile, Cheon Hye-in watched me with an expression of pure amusement.
And...
Crazy.
Out of everyone here, I was by far the most shocked.
What the hell are they doing here?
Why were the Cheon siblings showing up in a place like this? I couldn't make head or tail of the situation.
As I stared at them with a blank expression, Cheon Hye-in spoke up.
"Do you enjoy climbing up from the very bottom?"
"...Excuse me?"
"No, I'm just curious why you're choosing to start as a third-generation disciple."
"What do you mean by—"
I cut myself off and looked around. Only then did I finally notice.
The other youths who had entered with me were staring at me with wide, trembling eyes.
But rather than their reactions, my focus shifted to the clothes they were wearing.
...They're identical?
Looking closely at the third-generation disciples, they were all wearing the exact same uniform as me.
Only then did I realize how this situation had come to be.
I had asked for some clean clothes to change into, and they just happened to hand me a third-generation disciple's uniform?
And because of that, the guide had mistaken me for one of them and dragged me along?
My eyes narrowed as the pieces fell into place.
In the midst of this, Cheon Hye-in quietly observed me before suddenly letting out a soft chuckle.
"If that's not the case, then what is it?"
She had spoken informally to me last time, but now she was using polite speech again.
At that moment, Cheon Ui-jin, seemingly realizing what was happening, tried to hastily intervene.
"No, Young Master Bang—"
"Quiet. Can't you see your sister is speaking?"
"..."
At Cheon Hye-in's quiet warning, he shut his mouth instantly.
"If you're trying to play a part, I can help you. Would you like that?"
"Help me with what, exactly?"
I asked for now.
"Anything."
Cheon Hye-in maintained her smile, but I found it incredibly grating.
Sigh.
I let out a low sigh and spoke.
"It's nothing like that. It just happened by accident. I only came here to get some food."
"Food? Food, you say..."
Cheon Hye-in tilted her head, looking somewhat puzzled.
"Why aren't you eating at your quarters instead of here?"
"..."
Exactly my point.
Judging by her reaction, they were indeed supposed to deliver meals to my quarters. How did things turn out like this? I was quite curious myself—
...Wait a minute.
I stopped mid-thought and stroked my chin.
Could it be...
Is this also intentional?
Giving me a third-generation disciple's uniform instead of guest robes.
Not delivering food to my quarters.
Was all of this calculated? Had someone pulled strings behind the scenes to orchestrate this situation?
The thought crossed my mind, but...
It's hard to say.
It felt a bit too far-fetched to connect all these dots just yet.
Anyway...
"It seems there's been a misunderstanding, so I'll start by apologizing."
Honestly, I didn't think it was my fault, but I needed to apologize quickly and get out of here.
Nothing good would come from staying any longer. I stood up to leave immediately, but...
"Don't go. Didn't you say you came to eat?"
Cheon Hye-in grabbed my hand, stopping me.
"Since you're already here, why don't we eat together?"
Her action sent a ripple through the surrounding crowd.
Everyone looked shocked by her behavior. I pondered for a brief moment.
Should I shake her off and leave?
After a split-second of hesitation, I made my decision.
Thud.
I sat back down in my chair. That was my answer, and Cheon Hye-in smiled at my response.
"Today is the day the new third-generation disciples enter the sect."
I stuffed food into my mouth as I listened to her chatter.
To be completely honest, the food was delicious. Compared to the Anhui branch, it was like night and day.
"On days like this, second-generation disciples from Cheongwol Gate usually come to check on their juniors. It just so happens that today was that day."
"I see."
I gave a half-hearted reply. My stomach was starting to fill up.
Just as I was about to swallow another bite—
"My, you don't find it strange?"
Cheon Hye-in remarked. Only then did I look up at her.
"Find what strange?"
"The fact that the third-generation disciples are unusually old, or why my brother and I are considered second-generation disciples. Things like that."
"Ah."
I wondered what she was getting at, but it was just useless chatter. I swallowed another mouthful of food.
Ah, wait. Did I take too big of a bite? I choked slightly.
I hastily washed it down with a cup of water.
"Whew..."
Wiping my lips with the back of my hand, I looked at Cheon Hye-in.
"Why should I find it strange?"
"Most people usually do."
Cheon Hye-in was still smiling. It was incredibly annoying.
"But I guess you don't."
"Yes. I don't."
"Why?"
"Do I really need to explain?"
"It would be nice. It's an opportunity to get to know you, Young Master. Isn't that fun?"
I see. This made it absolutely certain.
She's completely out of her mind.
She was far more unhinged than I had anticipated. The more she spoke, the clearer it became.
I'd love to just storm out right now...
I had already eaten my fill, so I could have just walked away, but I stayed put.
Not yet.
There was still something I needed to find out from Cheon Hye-in.
So, I had to play along a little longer.
"Whether it's strange or not, those are already well-known facts. There was simply no need to bring them up."
"Hmm."
As I began to speak, Cheon Hye-in showed a spark of interest.
Even that interest was hard to read. She had that specific vibe of people whose emotions are notoriously difficult to decipher.
"I already knew that Cheongwol Gate puts its candidates through a long training process before officially accepting them as disciples."
Unlike most sects where children enter as third-generation disciples at a very young age to learn martial arts...
Cheongwol Gate only bestowed the title of 'disciple' once one had properly mastered the Cheongwol Mind Method.
The ones Cheon Hye-in had referred to as the new third-generation disciples were those who had finally met that condition.
Furthermore...
"The reason you are a second-generation disciple is simply because you are the Moonmaster's disciple."
The current Moonmaster, Wolseongeom, was technically a first-generation disciple.
Therefore, it was only natural for Cheon Hye-in and Cheon Ui-jin, who were both his children and his disciples, to be second-generation disciples.
If there was anything strange to question here...
It would be how a first-generation disciple ascended to the position of Moonmaster in the first place.
But even that was a pointless question.
Comparing Cheongwol Gate to other sects was a fool's errand to begin with.
In Cheongwol Gate, the strongest martial artist traditionally becomes the Moonmaster.
The strongest martial artist who had awakened the Moon Eye—that was the requirement to become the leader of Cheongwol Gate.
Which meant...
Wolseongeom is the strongest in the current Cheongwol Gate.
At least, that was the case as far as I knew.
Though, when I brought this up before, the old man's laughter did bother me a bit.
When I had mentioned it, the former Moonmaster, Yoo Chun-gil, had simply burst into laughter. When I asked if he was denying it, he said it was half-right and half-wrong.
What kind of rubbish answer is that?
It made no sense to me.
Regardless, Wolseongeom had become the Moonmaster as a first-generation disciple.
And his disciple, Cheon Hye-in, naturally held the rank of a second-generation disciple.
"You've done your homework, I see."
Cheon Hye-in grinned, seemingly pleased with my response.
I looked down. She hadn't touched a single bite of her food.
"Of course. I have to study."
I curled the corners of my lips upward and replied.
"Since this is a place I'll have to lead one day, shouldn't I get to know it in advance?"
"...!"
A heavy, chilling silence fell over the dining hall.
The already quiet room plunged into an even deeper, suffocating stillness at my words.
The faint clatter of chopsticks and even the sound of breathing vanished entirely.
It seemed everyone present understood exactly what my words implied.
"Oh my."
Cheon Hye-in broke the silence.
"I didn't peg you for this type... You're a bit more ambitious than I expected."
Cheon Hye-in moved her hand as she spoke. Picking up her chopsticks, she grabbed a piece of food.
She popped it past her lovely lips.
Crunch.
The crisp sound of her chewing echoed clearly through the silent hall.
After swallowing, she looked at me and added.
"Do you have the confidence for it?"
She was still smiling, but a strange glint flashed in her eyes.
It was chilling. I narrowed my eyes at her.
No matter how I look at her, she's bizarre.
What was her deal?
Wolseongeom was one thing, but compared to Cheon Ui-jin, she was a completely different breed of human.
How could siblings be so utterly different?
Moreover...
Where have I felt this before?
The feeling I got from looking at Cheon Hye-in... I had definitely encountered this kind of impression somewhere else.
Ah.
Right, he was right next to me all along.
She's just like the old man.
The ghost hovering around me.
She was remarkably similar to Yoo Chun-gil. Of course, she wasn't quite on the old man's level, but their core vibes were cut from the same cloth.
It wasn't that she shared his nasty temper or sour expression, but rather that distinct, underlying aura.
The feeling of wanting to stay as far away as possible.
A sense of crisis warning me that getting involved with her would ruin my life.
I could feel that exact same warning sign radiating from Cheon Hye-in.
Suppressing my discomfort, I spoke.
"Confidence..."
I tilted my head slightly. It was a deliberate gesture.
"I don't really need something like that..."
I met her gaze, looking at her askance.
"From what I can see, it doesn't look particularly difficult."
"..."
"Does Lady Cheon require confidence just to pick up her chopsticks?"
Cheon Hye-in's brow furrowed at my words.
My ascension to the position of Moonmaster is as trivial as you eating food with chopsticks.
That was the underlying meaning of my statement.
Then...
"...Haha. Well, look at this."
Cheon Hye-in swept a hand over her face, her hair swaying with the movement.
Her eyes changed.
In that brief instant, the atmosphere shifted drastically.
Her smile had long since vanished. Honestly, it was terrifying.
"Kekekeke!"
Meanwhile, the old man was chuckling, finding the whole thing incredibly amusing.
Fascinating.
It truly was. The moment her gaze shifted, the entire mood of the dining hall transformed.
The third-generation disciples were breaking out in cold sweats, nervously scanning the room, while the second-generation disciples scowled, clearly displeased by my remarks. Having seen enough, I took a breath.
This is enough.
I had wrapped things up. I had gotten what I wanted from Cheon Hye-in's reaction and attitude. If I wanted to gain anything more, now was the time.
Screeech!
I pushed my chair back and stood up. Cheon Ui-jin, sitting next to Cheon Hye-in, stared at me.
I ignored his gaze for now.
"Since it seems we have nothing more to discuss, I'll take my leave. I happen to be quite busy."
I lightly patted Cheon Hye-in's shoulder twice.
"Enjoy your meal."
Her eyes narrowed fiercely at the gesture. I tried to walk past her casually, but—
Whoosh!
Someone blocked my path.
My view was completely obstructed by a man of massive build.
"Your attitude is out of line."
Hearing the voice, I looked up. I had to tilt my head back quite a bit.
"Who are you?"
"I am Hong Gyeong, a second-generation disciple."
"Ah. I see."
I asked with a smile.
"And? What do you want?"
"...We are well aware that you are an honored guest of our sect, but your remarks went too far."
"Right, right."
Sure, he could feel that way. I turned to Cheon Hye-in.
"My apologies. I didn't mean to offend you."
I apologized without a shred of hesitation and looked back at Hong Gyeong.
"Happy now?"
"...What...?"
"I'm leaving."
I tried to sidestep him to leave once more.
"What do you think you are doing—!"
Unable to contain himself, Hong Gyeong grabbed my arm. I had to suppress a smirk.
Perfect.
I had to hold back a laugh. Stiffening my expression, I looked down at my grabbed arm, then glared up at Hong Gyeong.
"Even if you are a guest, this is a blatant insult to Cheongwol Gate—!"
"I ask because I genuinely don't know,"
I cut him off.
"Is it customary in this sect for a junior nephew to treat his martial uncle with such disrespect?"
"...What?"
Hong Gyeong froze at the mention of the term 'martial uncle.'
Looking at his dumbfounded expression, I gritted my teeth.
I made sure to look as if I were barely suppressing my rage.
Maintaining that facade, I spoke to Hong Gyeong.
"Second-generation disciple Hong Gyeong. You should know very well who my master is."
"...!"
Hong Gyeong's face paled instantly at the mention of my master.
As I mentioned earlier...
Cheon Hye-in was a second-generation disciple because she was the disciple of Wolseongeom.
If so...
"I am the disciple of the former Moonmaster, the Sword Saint Yoo Chun-gil."
What did that make me, the disciple of the Sword Saint, who was a martial uncle to Wolseongeom? The answer was simple.
I was technically of the same generation as the current Moonmaster, Wolseongeom.
Which meant, in the hierarchy of Cheongwol Gate...
"Show proper respect to your senior."
A mere second-generation disciple like him shouldn't even dare to look me in the eye.