The Interview of the Sword Saint
People often say that pride doesn't put food on the table, but in the Murim world, maintaining face is literally a matter of survival.
If you lose face in the pugilistic world, you are looked down upon. If you are looked down upon, you face more challenges. And the more challengers you face, the higher the probability that you will eventually be struck by a blind blade.
Even a master who boasts a ninety-nine-point-nine percent win rate can lose if they fight a thousand times. The problem is that in this world, a single defeat can mean your head rolling on the ground.
If you want to live a long life, it is better to reduce the number of fights you get into from the start. That is the reason why the countless sects and clans of the Murim world form factions and alliances.
Given this common sense, a Murim practitioner kneeling is a sight rarely seen, even when one is on the verge of death. It is effectively a declaration that one is willing to offer up everything they have.
‘Still! It’s more rational to throw away my pride and survive than to die right now!’
Jegal Rin, the embodiment of rationality, invested her knee cartilage into Seong-jin, even lowering her long-term survival probability for the sake of short-term survival. After all, now that she was the Young Clan Leader, she could simply pay him back once she took control of the Jegal Clan, no matter how much he demanded.
However, the result of the investment was disastrous.
“I refuse.”
“Ugh… Even after I knelt?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have some sort of reason? If not, how can you answer so firmly without even a moment of hesitation?”
“A reason, you say.”
Seong-jin’s reason for rejecting Jegal Rin’s request was simple.
“Human affairs belong to humans.”
Unless it involved demons, it was none of Seong-jin’s concern what happened. He was always sincere in that logic, even if others dismissed it as a mere excuse.
“No, what does that even mean?”
“If I get too deeply involved in human affairs, it becomes difficult to carry out my true task.”
“You just accepted the position of Leader of the Murim Alliance’s Arangdae! Why did you accept that, then!”
“I accepted it because they said it would be a force dedicated to demon-related incidents. In other words, it meant it was work as a demon hunter, which has nothing to do with human affairs.”
“What is that! Then I’ll join that too!”
“No.”
“Why! Where else will you find a First-rate master like me!”
“It’s obvious you intend to bring assassins along with you.”
At those dagger-like words, Jegal Rin hurriedly unleashed the technique of Naryeotagon. In other words, she began to lie on the floor and throw a tantrum.
“I don’t wanna, I don’t wanna, I don’t wanna! Isn’t it a breach of duty not to accept the Young Clan Leader of one of the Five Great Clans, who is destined for the Absolute Realm? I’ll even bring the clan’s support funds, so please, I beg you, accept me!”
Jegal Rin, the embodiment of rationality. A woman who could cast aside shame and roll on the ground if necessary. As soon as she confirmed that her usual negotiation methods didn’t work on him, she displayed the flexible thinking to change her approach.
But Seong-jin was an iron wall.
“No.”
“This is all because other people misunderstood the relationship between me and Warrior Joo! Shouldn’t you take responsibility?”
“Why should I take responsibility for what others misunderstood on their own?”
“Take responsibility! Take responsibility!”
Seong-jin lightly ignored Jegal Rin, who was lying on the floor. But for Jegal Rin, this was a matter of her own life.
‘I can’t give up like this! Since it’s come to this…’
Unable to ignore the current situation as lightly as Seong-jin, she began a one-person protest, following him around from that day on.
A grown woman carrying a sign and shouting for responsibility was the perfect way to draw people’s attention. Especially when she was a figure publicly announced as the Young Clan Leader of one of the Five Great Clans.
Seong-jin, a man who only looked at demons, didn’t care about the public’s reaction, but others were different.
“Shall I take care of them, Benefactor?”
As Seong-jin’s reputation began to suffer, Shin Suran gripped her spear.
“You don’t need to dirty your hands, Benefactor. Just say the word and I will…”
“Lady Shin.”
“Huk! What have I said!”
At Seong-jin’s urging, Shin Suran nodded her head.
“I should have handled this quietly without a word. Even if the truth is revealed, I will make sure no harm comes to you, Benefactor!”
In the end, Seong-jin had to ask Danmok Cheong to stop Shin Suran from doing anything foolish. However, there were others who reacted more violently than Shin Suran regarding this matter.
"They say the two are stuck together like glue lately."
"He’s the one who took down Jegal Hyeok and the Green Forest Palace Ghost. With someone like that as her escort, there are no openings."
"If he continues to stand guard, we won’t even be able to find an opening to steal the elixir. This is our defeat."
Now that Jegal Rin was confirmed as the Young Clan Leader, the time before she took the elixir prepared for the Young Clan Leader was their last chance for a turnaround. Once she absorbed all the elixir, it would be even harder to assassinate her, and even if they succeeded, they would be held responsible for the damage to the clan, as all the resources prepared for the Young Clan Leader would have been wasted.
With this opportunity blocked by a master who had knocked down two Peak-level experts, the other candidates of the Jegal Clan had no choice but to admit defeat.
‘Ugh, to think he would prepare a situation where we couldn’t even hold him responsible after dealing with Jegal Hyeok, a Peak-level expert.’
‘Jegal Rin… what a terrifying child.’
However, Jegal Rin herself was unaware of these changes, so she had no choice but to continue clinging to Seong-jin.
“It is Jegal-sojeo’s freedom to do as she pleases, but please refrain from causing a disturbance from now on.”
“What is this, you’ve been ignoring me every time, and now you’re suddenly acting all serious?”
“It is a hospital visit. I ask that you allow the patients to rest in peace.”
“No, I’m not that out of line!”
Seong-jin, with Jegal Rin trailing behind him like a pendant, arrived at the Murim Alliance’s medical hall where Byeok Wol-rang and Ham Bi-so were receiving treatment. They had decided to visit after hearing the news that the two, who had been forbidden from receiving visitors due to their critical condition, had improved enough to allow visits.
“May I come in?”
“Hey everyone, get up! Our new Leader is here!”
They were all experts capable of reading the presence beyond the wall without difficulty. Seong-jin, sensing an unusual air of commotion in the greeting he gave before opening the door, opened it without waiting for an answer.
“You’ve come! Leader!”
At Seong-jin’s appearance, Ham Bi-so was the first to greet him at a right angle. She couldn’t hold back the smile flowing from her lips, which was a strange sight considering the severity of the injuries he had seen previously.
“Hey Byeok Wol-rang, you get up and greet him too, what are you doing!”
“I got shot in the knee when I was young, you see…”
“What are you saying.”
Unlike Ham Bi-so, who stood up to greet him, Byeok Wol-rang and most of the Arangdae members were just looking at Seong-jin while lifting their heads from their beds. Perhaps that was why Ham Bi-so was trying so hard to appear bright.
“Stop talking nonsense and eat this. Come on, ah~.”
‘…That must be why, right?’
Sitting next to Byeok Wol-rang’s bed and peeling fruit while being a patient herself, she looked as if she had been waiting only for this moment.
‘Was Senior Ham always this sweet-natured?’
It was Byeok Wol-rang who noticed Seong-jin’s gaze and explained the situation.
"I’m not sure. But whatever the reason, it’s good to see her being honest."
Ham Bi-so had always only looked at Byeok Wol-rang. Somehow, Byeok Wol-rang didn’t seem to have noticed that fact, but as long as they hadn’t died and survived that day at the cemetery, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.
Byeok Wol-rang spoke as if he were frustrated, but to Seong-jin, he couldn’t hide his smile. It was the pride of a parent who had seen their child start walking on their own feet.
‘The opportunity might take a while.’
While Seong-jin and Byeok Wol-rang were talking via telepathy so Ham Bi-so wouldn’t hear, Ham Bi-so looked at Jegal Rin and said.
“By the way, the sister-in-law is here too?”
“Yes?”
“Hey, you’ve been doing that for days now. Are things not going well with the Leader?”
“I haven’t become the Leader of Arangdae yet.”
Seong-jin brushed off Ham Bi-so’s nonsense with the natural technique of Ihwajeopmok and changed the subject.
“But I heard the Grand General wrote a recommendation letter himself this time? Since there’s no one to raise an objection, isn’t it practically confirmed?”
At Ham Bi-so’s words, the other members also nodded. Everyone here owed their lives to Seong-jin, so they were sending him their unanimous and full support.
“It doesn’t seem to be quite like that. The clerk at the General’s office who was in charge of me said I would have to go through an interview with the Alliance Leader.”
“The Alliance Leader’s…?”
When the name of the Murim Alliance Leader came up, groans were heard here and there.
“Is there a problem?”
“If you ask if there’s a problem, of course there is. Specifically, the fact that no one has ever passed an interview conducted by the Alliance Leader himself in the Murim Alliance until now?”
That was certainly a big deal.
* * *
The Murim Alliance Leader was a legendary figure who had risen to the position of Alliance Leader by gaining the recognition of the White Path Murim, despite not coming from the Nine Great Sects. Of course, there was also the political reason that power could not be concentrated in any one of the Nine Great Sects, but basically, it meant that no one raised any complaints even when he stepped forward as the representative of the Orthodox Murim.
Because he was the Sword Saint who taught the later generations of countless sects and clans as the Dean of the Heaven Martial Academy,
He was the Sword Demon who had defeated the seven Sword Heroes who held the title of Sword Saint in his generation and taken their swords as his own,
He was the Sword Lunatic who lived for the sword, died for the sword, ate with a dagger instead of a spoon, and slept hugging his sword,
And he was the Sword Dragon who witnessed the Heavenly Demon during the Heavenly Demon’s Rebellion and was even recognized for his talent by him.
The North Star Sword Monarch, Baek Mu-gyeol, was practically a legend of the current Murim.
“So, the Guild Leader came to find me just to ask for a favor?”
“A favor, my foot. A favor is what you do when the guy doesn’t have the ability to pass without an introduction letter.”
“Then?”
“I just came to tell you in advance not to start slashing him with your sword the moment you see his face.”
“…?”
For So Geol-a, it was a remark made to prevent any accidents while he was away, but those words only piqued Baek Mu-gyeol’s interest.
“Don’t tell me what to do. I don’t listen to the words of those who don’t hold a sword.”
“Tsk, look at that old man’s eyes. I knew this would happen, but I couldn’t just leave without saying anything.”
Baek Mu-gyeol ignored the grumbling So Geol-a and left. In the place where he had left, the world was splitting apart belatedly.
“He cut it quite neatly.”
Every single leaf on the fallen trees, every single grain of sand on the overturned ground, had sword marks carved into them. In the center of it all, a Peak-level demonic expert lay dead, his eyes wide open just as he had been in life.
Demon suppression. In the process, the one who had intercepted all the Peak-level demonic experts who could have been risk factors alone was none other than the Murim Alliance Leader.
“Anyway, he’s excited about the thought of using his sword for the first time in a while. I hope he doesn’t go back and cause trouble for no reason.”
The figure who was always counted among the top five when discussing the world’s greatest swordsman, regardless of Orthodox or Unorthodox, had returned to the Murim Alliance.