The Shadow of the Heaven-Destroying Palace
"Agh!"
In the dim room, a figure violently coughed up blood.
He appeared to be a man in his early forties.
"Wheeze... *cough*..."
Though he repeatedly spat out blood in agony, the man could not move.
For someone stood before his kneeling form.
In the cramped room, the man could not even lift his head, able only to let out low groans.
Then.
"Guard Captain."
"...!"
At the quiet call, the man hurriedly raised his head.
Standing tall, looking down on him, was the very being who had reduced him to this state.
In the pitch-black room where not a single lamp was lit, only a pair of blue eyes gleamed.
Meeting that chilling gaze, the man spoke in a rush.
"I-I apologize... I am deeply sorry..."
At the barely squeezed-out apology, the blue-eyed figure—
Wolseongeom—slowly leaned down.
The movement made the man's body stiffen even further.
It was as if he wanted to meet the man's eyes directly.
An immense pressure swept through the room, heavy enough to make the air itself groan.
"You are mistaken."
Wolseongeom continued, his face expressionless.
"I did not come here to listen to apologies."
"Ugh... *grrr*..."
Crushed by the pressure, the man's teeth chattered violently out of sheer terror.
Watching this, Wolseongeom asked calmly,
"Why did you do it?"
"Ugh... *pant*..."
Shaking for a long moment, the man fought against the pressure to squeeze out his words.
"The... the matter regarding Pung-yeon... it is true that it happened because... I failed to manage him properly..."
At the defensive excuse, Wolseongeom's eyebrow twitched slightly.
Pung-yeon.
The Guard Captain trembled as he uttered the name.
Pung-yeon was a member of the guard unit assigned to protect the Moonmaster's lineage.
The reason Wolseongeom had come here was entirely because of him.
...That incompetent fool!
An ignorant bastard had dared to betray the very person he was supposed to protect, plotting to have him killed.
The moment he received that report, goosebumps had broken out all over the Guard Captain's body.
The guards were strictly required to report their every movement.
If they went somewhere, they had to report it. If they did something, they had to report it.
Yet Pung-yeon had acted entirely on his own, reporting absolutely nothing.
It was clear proof that he had been plotting something from the start.
And what he had actually done...
Of all people, he tried to target Wolseongeom's son?
How could anyone be so incredibly stupid?
The man grit his teeth, desperately searching for a way out.
But in the end, there was only one path.
"...I am sorry. It is all my fault."
He prostrated himself completely.
Knowing exactly who and what his opponent was, this was the best choice he could make.
Damn bastard.
Even as he pressed his forehead against the floor, he cursed Pung-yeon in his heart.
Whose doing is this?
Pung-yeon couldn't have done this entirely on his own.
And what about Sancheon-gwiin?
They said he was an accomplice too.
The Captain knew of him. He was famous for his deep grudge against the Namgung Clan. And Pung-yeon had joined hands with him?
That can't be all.
The man was certain there was more to it.
There was no logical reason for Sancheon-gwiin to ally with Pung-yeon.
Which meant...
...There is someone else.
Someone who had pushed Pung-yeon and connected him with Sancheon-gwiin.
But who?
The man had no way of knowing.
Because that detail was not included in the report written by the victim, Wolseongeom's son, Cheon Ui-jin.
That was likely why Wolseongeom had personally come here to raise hell.
Or so the man thought.
"...Moonmaster. I will take full responsibility for my subordinate's actions and ensure Young Master Cheon's matter is resolved, so please, quell your anger..."
However.
"Wrong again."
Once more, Wolseongeom flatly denied him. And then—
He gently placed his foot on the prostrate man's head.
"...!"
"Guard Captain. Do you truly believe I would seek you out over something so trivial?"
The Guard Captain swallowed hard at Wolseongeom's words.
To refer to an incident involving his own son as "trivial."
Moreover, the absolute coldness in his voice made the Captain's throat tighten.
The powerhouse leading Cheongwol Gate after Yoo Chun-gil.
A man reputed to be colder and more ruthless than anyone else once he drew his sword.
The rumors were entirely true.
He was like a razor-sharp blade.
"Then, why..."
If it wasn't that, why was he doing this to him?
The man asked in a trembling voice.
"Guard Captain."
Hearing his question, Wolseongeom spoke in a flat, detached tone.
"You are meant to protect the Alliance from the shadows. Is that not so?"
"...That is correct."
The man replied. Wolseongeom nodded at the answer.
"Then why did you do it?"
"...Do what?"
"Why did you join hands with the Heaven-Destroying Palace? That is my question."
"...!"
At Wolseongeom's question, the man's body shook violently.
A brief silence hung in the air. Then, the man hurriedly added,
"I have no idea what you are talking ab—"
"That reaction was answer enough."
"W-Wait—!"
Crunch!
Wolseongeom applied pressure to his foot, instantly crushing the man's head.
It burst, spraying blood everywhere.
Though his boot was stained, Wolseongeom turned away without a care.
As he turned, his eyes gleamed with a ferocity greater than ever before.
Creeeak.
When Wolseongeom opened the door and stepped outside, fully armed martial artists were already waiting for him.
"Tell the Alliance Leader."
At Wolseongeom's command, the men stiffened.
"Tell him he will need to select a new Guard Captain."
The martial artist at the front replied with a grim expression.
"...Understood."
There was no protest. Wolseongeom's words and the blood splattered on his clothes made the situation abundantly clear.
Wolseongeom walked away, stepping through the blood, and only after he had passed did the martial artists head inside.
Just as the situation was wrapping up.
"Moonmaster."
A martial artist of Cheongwol Gate cautiously approached him.
"A letter has just arrived from the Tang Clan."
"..."
At those words, a strange gleam flashed in Wolseongeom's eyes.
He took the letter handed to him and unfolded it.
"...Hmm."
Scanning the contents, Wolseongeom narrowed his eyes.
The lengthy letter was filled with unnecessary pleasantries written out of courtesy.
But the words he actually cared about were written on the very last line.
To summarize:
We accept the request.
However, there is a condition.
The condition proposed by the Tang Clan.
Upon reading it, Wolseongeom—
"Ha."
—let out a short, amused chuckle.
An oddly quiet room.
Amidst the intense gazes fixed upon me and the heavy atmosphere, I narrowed my eyes.
What? What's wrong with everyone?
Something was off. They were staring at me with wide, unblinking eyes.
...What is it?
Did I do something weird? Why are they looking at me like that?
Ah.
I think I knew why.
Is it because I'm late?
Showing up only after everyone else had already gathered—that was definitely a problem.
I was told to come starting today, but I got caught up in various things, and I ended up late because I was bickering with Cheon Hye-in since early morning.
Honestly, if it hadn't been for that nightmare...
I might have been a bit faster. It felt like I had completely ruined my first impression.
Then again, if I were in their shoes, I'd find it absurd if the newest recruit showed up last.
Ah, I should have just come quickly instead of doing useless things.
I had delayed myself trying to copy those movements, and now things had gotten annoying.
And to make matters worse...
It's ridiculously hard.
I could manage to mimic Cheon Hye-in's walk to some extent, but that old man Yoo Chun-gil's movements were far too difficult.
Controlling the body's center of gravity, which I identified as the core principle, seemed similar, but...
First of all, our heights are different.
I was at least a head shorter than Yoo Chun-gil.
...Even putting that aside, it's strangely difficult.
Even when I tried to adjust for the difference, something was still off.
What is it?
A leisurely walk with hands clasped behind the back.
It looked slightly bow-legged, but in the end, it was perfectly balanced.
The fluid movement of the muscles.
The rhythm of his breathing, which seemed to be a habit from when he was alive, even though he was now a ghost.
I had felt this when he possessed me, so I could apply it.
So, I tried to replicate it step by step, but...
Yeah, this isn't working.
It didn't feel like mimicking it was doing anything.
After all, copying someone's walk wasn't going to make me a master overnight.
Hmm.
A clumsy performance combined with being late.
No matter how I looked at it, there was no way they would view me favorably.
...Tsk.
I clicked my tongue inwardly and relaxed my hands.
At that moment—
...!
For some reason, I felt the people around me flinch.
What...?
I wondered why they were reacting like that, but since I wasn't in a position to ask, I decided to just do what I had to do.
"I am sorry."
I apologized, bowing my head.
"I have no excuse. I apologize for being late."
In times like this, it's faster to just apologize without making excuses and take the scolding.
Adding useless explanations would only make things worse for me.
However...
...What's going on?
Although I was bowing, no one spoke.
So, I slightly raised my head to look at the person in front of me.
"...Sigh..."
The man directly in front of me, the Sowol Squadron Leader, was scowling deeply.
I naturally assumed he was angry, but there was also a hint of shock in his eyes.
As I stared at him, wondering what was going on, the Sowol Squadron Leader spoke.
"This is truly absurd..."
He said, his voice laced with a sigh.
"Are you playing a joke on me?"
"...Excuse me?"
"I truly wonder how lightly you must take us to pull a stunt like this."
"No... I mean, I apologize."
I started to make an excuse but stopped and just apologized. As I thought earlier, I had nothing to say about being late.
The logical move would be to throw Cheon Hye-in under the bus, but...
Then I'd have no allies left.
Looking at the situation, blaming Cheon Hye-in would only backfire on me.
"Young Master Bang."
"...Yes, Squadron Leader."
"I cannot accept you."
"..."
I swallowed hard at his firm tone.
Ah, dammit.
I've really gotten on his bad side.
In corporate terms, it was like getting blacklisted by the department head on my very first day of work. And in a massive way.
Which meant...
My social life is screwed.
It meant any hope of a smooth path ahead was completely gone.
"It is one thing to project your presence, but to flaunt it even in this situation... it means you have no intention of bowing your head."
"Wait... what? No, I'm actually very good at bowing. I can fold myself into a paper crane if you want."
"Are you planning to play word games with me again with those insincere words?"
"...No, it's not that, it's..."
"Mark my words."
The Sowol Squadron Leader said, his brow furrowed deeply.
"No matter what kind of power you possess, or what kind of presence you project, I will never acknowledge you as a member of this squadron unless you discard that attitude and mindset."
"..."
What power? What presence? I had absolutely nothing, and I was struggling just to get by.
...Seriously, that damn old ghost.
It seemed the duel from before, combined with my tardiness, had made things worse. This was all because of that damn ghost.
Ugh.
Pretending to be strong with such a weak body was exhausting.
And of all times, the old man isn't even here.
In this situation, having the Sowol Squadron Leader distrust and reject me so thoroughly was a terrible sign.
"Although we have clothed you in this honorable uniform because of the sect's lineage and the Moonmaster's will..."
He pointed to the Sowol Squadron uniform I was wearing.
"As long as you lack genuine respect and courtesy for our sect, even if you are the successor of the Sword Saint—"
Bam!
As the Sowol Squadron Leader was in the middle of lecturing me, the closed door burst open.
"S-Squadron Leader! A message from the Moonmaster!"
A Sowol Squadron martial artist rushed in. Seeing him, the Squadron Leader's angry expression instantly turned cold.
"What is it?"
"You have been ordered to come to the Cheongwol Hall immediately."
"...Tsk."
His face distorted at the news.
He seemed annoyed at being interrupted right when he was about to give me a piece of his mind.
"Regardless, I will not acknowledge you under any circumstances."
The Sowol Squadron Leader glared at me as he brushed past.
"Therefore, until I accept you, I have no intention of treating you as a member of the Sowol Squadron, giving you proper respect, or even assigning you missions—"
"Ah, and he said to bring Recruit Bang as well. He has something to say regarding a mission."
"..."
"..."
At those words, the Sowol Squadron Leader looked as if he had just chewed on a bug.
I had nothing to say, so I just carefully read his expression.
How should I put it?
It was an incredibly awkward situation.