The New Commander of Arangdae
"Oh my."
*Hummm! Hummm!*
"This child is at it again..."
*Huuuummmm!*
At Shin Suran's words, the spear vibrated as if it felt aggrieved. Unfortunately, the spear lacked a mouth to speak.
"But what happened? This appearance... what is going on?"
"I had a stroke of good fortune."
Shin Suran, a master of the Super First-rate realm herself, had been deeply curious about Seong-jin's previously abnormal level of martial arts. Now, considering his current state, she quickly realized that this was simply what he looked like when growing normally.
"Congratulations."
"My congratulations to you as well, Young Lady Shin. It seems you have gained significant enlightenment."
This was, after all, the spear cherished by the Divine Spear himself. Learning martial arts from someone like Suran was equivalent to gaining immense insight. After all, she could constantly compare her own mistakes against the "correct answers" crafted by an absolute master and correct them accordingly. Indeed, Shin Suran, now gripping her spear, emitted the aura of a true rising star of the Murim world.
Before this, she had seemed so clumsy that one might have doubted she was a rising star at all. No matter how one looked at it, it was hard to imagine someone who got nervous facing a rural branch leader of the Hao-mun as a representative rising star of the Cheonmu Academy, the pride of the orthodox faction.
Just as the gap between a commoner who hasn't learned martial arts and a martial artist is heaven and earth, the gap between those who have been taught properly and those who haven't is absolute. This remained true whether one had picked up third-rate techniques from the Hao-mun or had been trained in the profound, sacred arts of a prestigious clan. A prestigious martial art, refined over long years by many practitioners across countless battlefields to compensate for its flaws, could never be the same as a third-rate technique cobbled together from makeshift moves.
Furthermore, what are known as the sacred arts are not merely powerful; the very process of learning them is different. The martial arts of a sect that has produced absolute masters contain forms designed to help the practitioner perceive their own intent and practice it in advance. They are designed so that merely training in them raises one's own realm. Conversely, third-rate techniques, which don't even acknowledge the existence of "intent," lack such design. Even when they are well-explained, they are often filled with unverified facts because they haven't passed through the hands of many masters. It means they are often packed with personal delusions presented as facts.
Therefore, even at the same realm, those who have learned proper martial arts and those who haven't can never be equal. There is an insurmountable gap between a common martial artist and a student of the Cheonmu Academy.
'It’s the Murim Alliance that’s the anomaly, having this much power gathered in one place.'
The Murim Alliance could only establish a base in Hubei and gather people because they were the orthodox faction. If the Sama-ryeon had attempted to gather a martial army in one place, the blade of the Imperial Court would have fallen upon them, regardless of any talk of non-aggression.
"For now, I must report my mission as a guest warrior, so please wait a moment."
"Yes!"
As Seong-jin entered the General Affairs Office to report, Geum Ye-hwa rushed out to greet him.
"I heard the rough outline from the Sect Leader. They say you shouldn't judge a man by three days of absence, but you've become quite imposing."
"I've grown a little."
Geum Ye-hwa took the report Seong-jin handed her and tucked it into her robes. It was her intention to read it and ask questions if needed, but it seemed she had something else to say.
"The Sect Leader has requested the creation of a new martial force led by you, Young Master Joo. But first, I must ask for confirmation. Is this something you have agreed to?"
"It seems the Sect Leader has a habit of acting first without saying a word."
"Ahaha... well, the General Affairs Office needs to have a proper grasp of the situation, you see."
"I did agree to it. Though, I couldn't find much reason why it was necessary."
Even though So-geol-a had requested it, Seong-jin didn't feel the need for it. He couldn't explain things properly anyway due to the risk of leaking heavenly secrets, so wouldn't it be more inconvenient to move while establishing a whole new martial force?
"Hmm, it seems the Sect Leader didn't explain it properly."
However, at her next words, Seong-jin understood why she had proceeded with this.
"Because when tracking demons, it is better to have the help of a demon."
"...?"
"During our last meeting, you spoke of the principles of being human. Therefore, I, too, wish to fulfill my principles."
Geum Ye-hwa said this, closed her eyes for a moment, and opened them, revealing pupils that resembled those of a beast. A demon. In the heart of the Murim Alliance, she had revealed that she was not human.
"You must have heard that the Sect Leader has been cooperating with a demon family."
"Ah."
"Our Geum family is a demon family formed by demons gathering together. Though we all have different origins, we are joining forces to survive in the world of humans."
As expected, the Beggar Sect Leader's actions all had a plan.
"If you don't mind, I would like you to take on the role of the Arangdae Commander."
"The Arangdae, you say?"
"Yes, the Arangdae is in need of reorganization due to the heavy losses from this incident."
Seong-jin had seen the extent of the Arangdae's losses with his own eyes. The commander himself was currently vacant after being struck down by the Green Forest Palace Ghost at the Third Tomb.
"If you take on the role of the new Arangdae Commander, I intend to take this opportunity to create a martial force that specializes in demon subjugation."
"If a mere guest warrior suddenly takes the position of commander, will there be no backlash?"
"You killed the Green Forest Palace Ghost. On top of that, although it won't be officially recorded, you repelled Zhuge Hyuk."
It was a figure who had sliced through two absolute masters coming in as the new commander.
"Besides, the existing members are those who owe their lives to you. There won't be anyone who refuses your inauguration."
"...Leaving the inside aside, what about the outside?"
"As long as the Sect Leader has publicly declared you a member of the Beggar Sect, your background will not be an issue."
To pick a fight with Seong-jin, one would first have to get past So-geol-a, who had vouched for his identity. And to get past So-geol-a, one would have to get past the beggars that filled the world. In other words, until the entire nation achieved financial independence, there would be no one to question Seong-jin's background.
"Of course, the reorganization of the martial force is not something the General Affairs Office can decide alone. The Alliance Leader also wishes to meet you."
"Are you saying he wants to see and select the new commander himself?"
"Yes. Since he is someone who is sincere about martial arts, he does not trust any martial prowess he hasn't seen for himself."
The Murim Alliance Leader. Like Byeok-ha-nang-rang Dongbang Yak-rin or the Drunken Eye Divine Beggar So-geol-a, he was a master who had reached the Absolute Realm. It would not be easy to gain recognition from such a person.
'Since he is an absolute master himself, the Sect Leader's endorsement won't have much effect.'
He had to gain recognition directly, which honestly worried him a little. No matter how good his track record was, Seong-jin as a martial artist had not yet reached the Peak Realm. He had reflexively unleashed the Heavenly Demon Divine Art when blocking Zhuge Mujin's strike, but it would be better to refrain from using the Heavenly Demon Divine Art in front of the Murim Alliance officials.
'Still, it wouldn't be right to show off the Heavenly Demon Divine Art in front of the victims who had their treasures stolen.'
The reason the Heavenly Demon had traveled the world was solely for Seong-jin. Seong-jin, who had received that benefit, could not blame the Heavenly Demon, but separate from that, he should not carelessly use the Heavenly Demon Divine Art while boasting about it. He didn't want to, either.
"Please set a date. I will be prepared."
The Murim Alliance Leader was currently busy and preoccupied with the Heavenly Demon's map and the Green Forest uprising. With even So-geol-a being called away busily, it would be difficult for the Alliance Leader to find time to see Seong-jin.
"The Alliance Leader plans to return on the last day of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering to conclude it."
"Since the discovery of the tomb, everyone's interest has shifted there, so it was effectively suspended. What have you decided to do about that?"
"In the end, they decided to go around and hold the martial arts tournament again. Considering that the demon subjugation was a hastily made plan, it might be natural."
Seong-jin nodded after calculating the existing schedule for the tournament. That amount of time would be enough to adapt to the body changed by the marrow-cleansing process.
After saying goodbye to Geum Ye-hwa and leaving the General Affairs Office, Seong-jin joined Shin Suran, who had been waiting.
"You said you were practicing your family's martial arts with Suran ahead of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering?"
"Yes, I've even received my father's spear, so I can't show a shameful performance."
"By any chance, would you like me to be your practice partner?"
It was the same for both of them; they both needed a practice partner. If so, they could just become each other's practice partners.
"Really? Would that be alright?"
"I need you for my practice as well. I ask for your help."
"Yes! Please!"
Thus, Seong-jin, having secured not only his interview date but also a practice partner until the interview, returned to the Dokjak-dang.
* * *
"What do I do, what do I do, what do I do, what do I do, what do I do!"
Shin Suran, who had parted ways with Seong-jin and returned to the Cheonmu Academy dormitory, dove onto her bed, hugged her pillow, and rolled around.
"He said he needed me, he said he needed me, he said he needed me, he said he needed me..."
One might say it was nothing to get so worked up about, but for a girl full of sensitivity, it was too strong a stimulus. Born as a member of the Shin clan, Shin Suran had received harsh etiquette training from a young age. To ensure that the clan's success didn't end with just the Divine Spear, and to avoid being treated like a nouveau riche, she had to be more thorough than others. However, no matter how good the intentions, it was a strictness that was hard for a young child to endure.
Whenever young Shin Suran was scolded, she had to be locked in the library and transcribe the Four Books and Three Classics. What comforted young Shin Suran, who would sniffle with tears after being scolded, were the martial arts novels kept in the library. Novels she had discovered by chance. Shin Suran, who was a member of a martial arts family herself, could easily immerse herself in the content, and soon fell into the fun of martial arts novels.
The martial arts novels in the library numbered in the dozens, but Shin Suran, captivated by them, read through them in an instant. After reading all the books, she read them again from the beginning.
The heroes in the novels roamed the Murim world with outstanding martial prowess. All the things described in the novels came to the child, who had only repeated grueling training until now, as a sweetness that made her eyes pop open.
It was natural. To a child who was tired of being told to study without knowing why, it was close to experiencing a life of advancing to government office, achieving success, and living in luxury.
From then on, Shin Suran's dream was to be a hero racing through the Murim world. The dream of a hero she had nurtured in the library later led her to climb the mountain for the villagers who feared the tiger demon. In the mountains that day, Shin Suran faced her own inadequacies, and she also faced the ideal hero she had dreamed of.
A true hero, seemingly popped out of a novel, roaming the world, dealing with demons that threatened people, and carrying unspeakable circumstances, was right in front of her.
It was the image she had dreamed of her whole life. The moment the figure she had only imagined in her ideals actually appeared and saved her, Shin Suran realized that the countless heroes in the novels she had imagined since childhood had all turned into the same face.
"Hehe, ehehe!"
Even though she buried her head in the pillow and tried to hold it in, laughter flowed out endlessly. Her junior, who shared the room with her, watched the wooden pillow being crushed in real-time and smiled contentedly.
"As expected of Master Joo."
It was Dan Mok-cheong.
"To make a Super First-rate master lose their senses with just one word. If it's an Arangdae Commander interview, what would the odds be?"
The stakes, where victory was promised, shimmered before her eyes. "Master Joo, please allow me to become a righteous gambler today as well."
Thus, in the room where one person was busy destroying a pillow and another was busy performing her daily ritual of prayer, no one was left to listen to the pitiful vibrations of the spear.
*Huuuummmm!*