The Path to the Sowol Squad
Night had fallen over Cheongwol Gate. Inside one of the sect's larger chambers, in the quiet stillness, Cheon Hye-in sat before a table, lifting her tea to take a sip.
She then focused her attention on the letter laid out in front of her.
The room was dark. One might wonder how she could read anything in such dimness, but her Moon Eyes illuminated the world with perfect clarity. She had no need for a lamp to see.
The moment she finished reading the letter, page by page, she spoke.
"Is this all?"
Her voice was thick with dissatisfaction.
It was likely because there was far less information than she had anticipated.
The figure kneeling on one knee before her flinched and replied.
"That was all we were able to gather."
"Hmm..."
Rustle. She flipped through the pages once more just in case, but nothing changed.
"There is practically nothing here."
"But..."
"Don't worry. I'm not blaming you, Senior Brother. I'm just pointing out how incredibly sparse the information is."
At her words, the man—Seom Seong-gyeong, a second-generation disciple—bit his lower lip slightly.
He was hanging on her every word and gesture.
Paying no mind to his reaction, Hye-in kept her eyes fixed on the letter.
The document contained none other than information regarding the Yo-ryeong Bang family.
I heard they were a fairly prominent clan decades ago...
They had once been recognized as one of the most prestigious families in Yoryeong, renowned for accumulating vast wealth.
And yet.
They squandered all of it on gambling.
The grandfather, the father, and the brothers were all gamblers.
They hadn't just pulled down the pillars of the house; they had smashed them to pieces. The sister, who was said to have some talent, had even run away from home.
And now, in that ruined household, the father and the eldest brother supposedly lived by leeching off women.
Which is why his moniker is...
It was a title she didn't even want to bring to mind, so Hye-in decided to ignore that part.
At any rate, the Yo-ryeong Bang family was a clan that had not just fallen, but was crawling along the very bottom.
No, at this point, it was hard to even call them a clan.
"Something that used to be a prestigious family." That was a more accurate description.
It should have been just that.
Yet such a person emerged from a place like that...
Hye-in smirked as she pictured Bang Seong-yeon's face.
He was remarkably handsome. Perhaps inheriting the looks of his father, who was famous in the region for his appearance, his face was undeniably striking.
However, compared to his handsome features, his eyes lacked vitality.
It was as if...
Eyes that look completely indifferent to the world.
For someone claiming to aim for the position of Sect Leader, there wasn't a shred of greed in his gaze.
And there was that strange atmosphere around him, making one feel slowly drawn in just by conversing with him.
To Hye-in, Bang Seong-yeon was an incredibly bizarre individual.
And that wasn't all.
The disciple of our Grandmaster.
The successor of the Sword Saint, Yoo Chun-gil.
Hye-in frowned as she thought of that.
It's strange.
It was truly bizarre.
How could someone like Bang Seong-yeon emerge from such a disastrous family?
No matter how I look at it, it makes no sense.
It went beyond strange; it wouldn't be surprising if the whole thing turned out to be a lie.
The sudden claim that the fortuitous encounter left by their Grandmaster was in Yoryeong.
And Bang Seong-yeon suddenly showing up at Cheongwol Gate after obtaining it.
Everything was suspicious. Not a single detail felt right.
However.
But his strength was real.
He had defeated Socheonggeom—whom she had intended to keep on a leash—and had even earned the recognition of her father, Wolseongeom. That meant it wasn't a complete fabrication.
"Hmm..."
Everything he said and did felt like a lie, yet the power he possessed was real, making it an undeniable truth in the end.
"What a strange man."
He seemed to have nothing, yet how could he stand so confidently before her?
If she had to find anything unusual...
A broken engagement.
He had a history of a broken engagement from his childhood. And it wasn't just any ordinary family either...
The Moyong Clan?
One of the current Five Great Noble Clans, and the representative power of Yoryeong.
There was a record of him being betrothed to a direct descendant of the Moyong Clan, only for it to be called off.
If it's a direct descendant of the Moyong Clan... is it her?
Hye-in's brow twitched slightly as a certain figure came to mind.
It was someone she preferred not to think about.
The engagement was likely broken because his family went bankrupt.
The Moyong Clan was particularly sensitive about such matters.
The Bang family might have been prestigious in the past, but once they lost everything to gambling, there was no reason for the Moyong Clan to keep them. It was only natural that they were discarded the moment they lost their utility.
"Hmm."
Hye-in tapped the letter against the table, sorting it and setting it aside.
"There's really no point in reading any further."
That was the end of the information.
At most, it listed his hobbies or favorite foods, alongside pages filled with details about his ruined family.
There was truly nothing of substance. Yet, even as she thought this...
"...Something."
There was simply too little.
To the point where it felt unnatural for information to be this sparse.
It bothered her quite a bit, but...
Does it just mean there really is nothing to find?
Hye-in decided not to dwell on it too deeply.
After all, there were more important matters at hand.
"So, just as you said, Young Master Bang not only read Senior Brother's presence..."
Hye-in's Moon Eyes shifted toward the space behind Seom Seong-gyeong.
"...but he also detected Martial Uncle's presence?"
At her words, a pair of eyes trembled in the darkness.
A heavy voice echoed through the room.
"Is there any chance it was a mistake?"
The figure added, as if recalling that moment.
"A warning?"
Those eerie blue eyes, and that resolute gaze that seemed to declare whatever they did would be meaningless.
How could he have done that?
The figure had felt a multitude of impressions upon seeing Bang Seong-yeon.
And the more he dwelled on them, the more another figure overlapped with the boy.
At the muttered words, the corners of Hye-in's eyes twitched slightly.
"I've been hearing that a lot lately."
Her father, Wolseongeom, her foolish younger brother, and now even the figure before her.
They were all seeing someone else when they looked at Bang Seong-yeon.
Namely, the Sword Saint, whom Bang Seong-yeon claimed as his master.
But.
"I don't quite understand."
Hye-in couldn't bring herself to agree.
"Is he truly at that level?"
He was intriguing, certainly. She could sense something that set him apart from others, and she caught glimpses of his exceptional nature.
"But comparing him to our Grandmaster... isn't that a bit disrespectful?"
To say Bang Seong-yeon resembled the Sword Saint felt like a massive stretch.
Especially since...
No matter how I look at it, his strength is disappointing.
In Hye-in's eyes, Bang Seong-yeon was far too weak.
For a moment, she had wondered if he was hiding his power...
But seeing him in the dining hall, that wasn't the case.
Having observed him from up close, she was certain.
He was, at best, in the Second-rate realm.
Though it baffled her how someone of the Second-rate realm could awaken the Moon Eyes...
There must have been something in the secret manual Grandmaster left behind.
A figure like Yoo Chun-gil could make even that possible.
Even she had to admit that much.
"And yet..."
'If you people even have the right to look at it, that is.'
Those words spoken to her by a mere nobody.
Recalling them, Hye-in smiled once more.
Seom Seong-gyeong trembled slightly.
Whenever she wore that smile, it meant she was about to cause trouble.
"Ah... this is truly entertaining."
How could someone with no backing and no strength carry himself with such confidence?
Was he really acting this way solely because he relied on the name of the Sword Saint?
If so, she would be rather disappointed.
It's not as if the Sword Saint is standing right beside him, so it shouldn't mean anything.
He didn't seem like the type who wouldn't know that.
Which meant...
Does he really have a hidden card up his sleeve?
Hye-in continued to smile as she thought of Bang Seong-yeon.
"Perfect."
She nodded as an idea struck her. The answer was simple.
If you don't know, you find out.
She looked at Seom Seong-gyeong and spoke.
"Senior Brother."
"Uh... yes?"
"Could you do me a favor?"
"..."
A favor. Seom Seong-gyeong's Adam's apple bobbed. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes tight.
He knew all too well that while she called it a favor, refusal was never an option.
The next day arrived.
I had been forced to lie in bed all day after consuming that Blue Moon Pill or whatever it was.
"Ugh, my body is so stiff..."
Perhaps due to the violent nature of the energy, my insides had ached terribly, and the muscle soreness was so severe that I spent the entire day just lying down.
But honestly, I was happy.
Mainly because I hadn't had a proper rest in a long time.
"...If I said I did nothing, wouldn't that be a bit shameless of you?"
I felt like I had done a million things, yet he still found a way to nag me.
It was ridiculous.
Anyway.
The moment I stepped outside, someone was waiting for me.
He was obviously from Cheongwol Gate, but his attire was subtly different.
The Sowol Squad.
The elite force of Cheongwol Gate. It was the uniform worn by the members of the Sowol Squad.
"The lesser moon greets the successor of the great one."
"...Nice to meet you."
He dropped to one knee the moment he saw me. It was incredibly burdensome.
"I am Do-hyeong, a second-generation disciple. I have been tasked with guiding you, Young Master. I look forward to working with you."
He was a handsome young man. He looked about five or six years older than me.
But a second-generation disciple? He seemed far too young for that.
Did he have a similar circumstance to the Cheon siblings? I wondered briefly, but quickly brushed the thought aside. It wasn't important.
"I'm Bang Seong-yeon. I don't think I saw you in the dining hall yesterday... is that correct?"
"Yes. I was away on a mission at the time."
Do-hyeong replied with an expressionless face.
A mission.
I had heard that the Sowol Squad spent a lot of time operating outside, unlike the ordinary disciples.
Well, that was standard practice for the elites of any sect.
"Allow me to lead the way."
"Sure."
Since there was no need for further conversation, I followed Do-hyeong.
Our destination was the same place I had visited before—the largest building, known as the Cheongwol Pavilion.
"Greetings, Sect Leader."
The Sect Leader was already waiting inside.
I offered my greetings the moment I saw Wolseongeom.
"Did you rest well last night?"
"Yes. It was great."
I meant it.
"I am glad to hear it. However..."
His distinct blue eyes locked onto me.
"I heard there was a bit of an incident yesterday."
"..."
I swallowed hard. He was definitely referring to what happened in the dining hall.
"...Yes, well. There was a minor incident."
When I chuckled awkwardly, Wolseongeom immediately added.
"First, I must apologize. Due to matters within the sect, I failed to ensure you were treated properly. It is a failure on my part as Sect Leader."
"Not at all. I'm sure you had your reasons."
I smiled while keeping my focus. Matters within the sect. I filed that detail away in my mind.
"However, there is something that bothers me about what you said back then."
"What might that be?"
"I heard you referred to yourself as a Martial Granduncle to the second-generation disciples. Is that true?"
Ah, that.
"Yes. I did."
"I am curious as to why you did so."
"If you ask me why..."
I replied as calmly as possible.
"Because it's the truth."
"..."
Wolseongeom's brow twitched slightly at my response.
"I don't think I said anything incorrect. Do you see it differently, Sect Leader?"
"Well. I suppose it could be interpreted differently depending on who is listening."
"It could. Then how do you see it, Sect Leader?"
I didn't care about others; I wanted to know his stance.
Could he accept me as his senior brother? As I threw the question back at him, Wolseongeom's gaze sharpened.
Whoa.
His gaze was incredibly sharp. It felt like I would get sliced to pieces just by looking at him.
But I wasn't the type to back down from something like this.
"..."
I tensed my legs, locking them in place.
"How do I see it..."
A brief silence passed as he seemed to ponder.
"I do not think I can give you an answer right now," Wolseongeom offered a rather ambiguous response.
"However, if you wish, I can arrange for you to be treated as a first-generation disciple."
The justification was there. As the disciple of the Sword Saint, it was entirely possible, and that was the leverage I had used to cause a scene in the dining hall.
But.
"I have no desire to go that far. That isn't very important to me."
"Not important?"
"Yes."
"Then it seems you have something else in mind..."
"Correct."
To me, titles like first-generation or second-generation disciple didn't matter.
They could be useful tools, but they weren't what I needed right now.
"May I ask what that is?"
Wolseongeom asked. I answered without hesitation.
What I needed right now. It was none other than...
"The Sowol Squad."
"...!"
"What do I need to do to join the Sowol Squad?"
The elite force of Cheongwol Gate.
Enlisting in the Sowol Squad.