Chapter 50: All Roads Lead to Rome
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 50: All Roads Lead to Rome
After the Spell Formation Release, the License Exam was completely suspended.
The Martial Alliance Leader, the leaders of the Eight Great Sects, and other officials gathered to hold an emergency meeting to address the situation.
All the injured Rising Stars were transported to the infirmary within the Korean Martial Alliance for treatment.
“Aargh! It hurts, so don’t touch it!”
“Even that rag next to you is being quiet, and you’re making such a fuss over a mere scratch on your shoulder?”
“A fuss? Are your eyes broken? I almost became a one-armed swordsman!”
“...Calling someone a rag. Isn’t that a bit too harsh?”
Shin Kang-heon and Ki Mu-hyeok were also lying side-by-side, receiving treatment. Not long after their emergency first aid was done, Kim Bok-ja came to visit them.
...Though to their eyes, it looked less like a visit and more like she’d come to torment them.
Kim Bok-ja pressed down on their wounds with her finger and said, “Just hold still. Your nuna will perform Blood Extraction Through Interrogation with love.”
“Nurse nuna! There’s someone here disturbing the patient’s peace!”
“No need, I said no need...”
Ignoring their pleas, begging, and curses to stop, Kim Bok-ja gently pressed and touched their stitched and sutured wounds, checking their condition.
“...Well, they won’t scar too badly.”
Having worked in the Underworld, she’d seen her share of wounds, big and small, but at a glance, the emergency first aid was excellent.
Relieved inwardly, Kim Bok-ja crossed her arms and began to lecture them in earnest.
“See? You should’ve known when to back off. What’s so important about a License Exam that you’d risk your lives fighting Assassins and all that crap? If you die, who’s going to remember you? I knew it would come to this ever since you two started making a fuss about being first. Especially you, Ki Mu-hyeok, you really...”
Shin Kang-heon turned onto his uninjured shoulder, and Ki Mu-hyeok avoided Kim Bok-ja’s gaze, pretending not to listen.
Then, a pale blue will-o’-the-wisp flared in Kim Bok-ja’s eyes.
“You brats aren’t paying attention to nuna, are you?”
At her look, as if she might summon a Monstrous Being at any moment, the two quickly started paying attention.
“We were listening the whole time! Agh! Why is it only coming for me!”
Kyaa!
Shin Kang-heon frantically swatted away the Monstrous Being pecking at his head with his good hand.
Before it was his turn, Ki Mu-hyeok decided to change the subject and asked Kim Bok-ja something he’d been curious about.
“By the way, how did you get in here?”
“...Took you long enough to ask. Master suddenly called, saying he urgently needed a Spellcaster. So I rushed over without even wiping the sleep from my eyes.”
“The Master?”
Choi Geon had disappeared again before the leaders of the Eight Great Sects stormed into the Korean Martial Alliance.
He’d given a wry smile, saying there was nothing good to come from facing those with whom he shared a bad past.
‘He probably doesn’t want to reveal himself to the world yet.’
Choi Geon had kept his mask on in front of others, so the only ones who knew his true identity were Martial Alliance Leader Yeo Pil-geuk and No Gu-cheon.
Kim Bok-ja then recounted what happened after she arrived at the Korean Martial Alliance at Choi Geon’s summons.
“They needed to dismantle the Spell Formation you guys were trapped in right away, and for that, they needed a skilled Spellcaster. But how easy is it to find a competent Spellcaster on the spot?”
If it weren’t for this Red Rabbit nim, you guys would’ve been stuck in there for another hour, you know?
As the story inevitably turned into self-praise, the two nodded with unenthusiastic expressions.
“Well, thanks to that, I got to see a lot of high-level Spell Formations, so it wasn’t all bad for me.”
Kim Bok-ja continued, her eyes quite satisfied.
“Do you guys know about the Mystery Hall? The Spellcasters there asked me if I was interested in properly learning their spells.”
Kim Bok-ja, her nose held high, flashed a confident smile.
Mystery Hall.
It was an organization of Spellcasters in cooperation with the Korean Martial Alliance, and among the reclusive Spellcaster organizations, it was the largest and most reputable group.
‘I remember Man Bak-ja was from there too.’
The name Mystery Hall suddenly brought Man Bak-ja to mind.
—If you ever meet me there... tell me not to do anything useless and to take good care of my family.
The person who had sent him, on the brink of death, back to the past.
Ki Mu-hyeok hadn’t forgotten his request. He’d found Man Bak-ja’s office address and sent a letter.
He wrote that the ‘Artificial Dantian research’ he was conducting already had successful precedents, so he shouldn’t waste his energy on useless endeavors and instead focus on his family.
‘Since I sent him details of his research that won’t be revealed for another year, he won’t act rashly, right?’
Meanwhile, Shin Kang-heon, who had been quietly listening to Kim Bok-ja, suggested she learn, asking if it wasn’t a good opportunity.
“Aren’t Spellcasters much more reclusive than Martial Arts Practitioners? So isn’t this a really good opportunity?”
“Not really... I think I’m good enough as I am. I just took their business card.”
Despite her indifferent tone, Kim Bok-ja actually looked quite thoughtful.
After all, in the reclusive society of Spellcasters, getting an opportunity to join the Mystery Hall was as difficult as plucking a star from the sky.
Ki Mu-hyeok also advised her with a serious expression.
“Why don’t you use this chance to leave the Underworld life behind? You can’t keep working in dangerous places forever.”
“Are you my dad or something? And who’s the one who does the most dangerous things?”
Kim Bok-ja stared at Ki Mu-hyeok with an incredulous expression.
She wanted to have Kkagwi bite him, but unlike the easygoing Shin Kang-heon, Kkagwi was afraid of Ki Mu-hyeok and only hovered nearby without daring to touch him.
Kyaa...
“Kkagwi seems to have gotten bigger again? But why is it so weak?”
As Ki Mu-hyeok stared intently, the Monstrous Being, which had cowered in fear, rushed at Shin Kang-heon as if to vent its frustration, biting at his head.
Peck, peck, peck!
“Agh! Why are you picking on me again! If I ever catch you, I’ll put you in a balloon and send you flying into the sky!”
“You psycho, can you still not see the Monstrous Being?”
“I’m starting to see it roughly now, you know? I can do everything you can do!”
“Train harder normally. Sparring with you is getting boring these days.”
“You, you bastard, let’s have a match right after we get out of this hospital!”
Ki Mu-hyeok provoking Shin Kang-heon, and Shin Kang-heon flaring up in response.
Kim Bok-ja felt relieved seeing them act no different than usual, yet she also looked at them with a pathetic expression.
“Idiots with nothing but martial arts in their heads...”
Knock, knock-
At the sound of knocking from outside the hospital room, the three people’s conversation ceased.
And a moment later, someone opened the door and entered.
“Haha. I came worried if you’d be alright, but hearing all the commotion from afar, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.”
“Elder No?”
It was none other than No Gu-cheon, an Elder of the Korean Martial Alliance. Having an acquaintance with Ki Mu-hyeok, he had come personally to deliver news.
No Gu-cheon’s face looked extremely tired, but fortunately, it wasn’t too grim.
Ki Mu-hyeok asked what had happened since the exam was suspended.
“How did the meeting go?”
“It will likely continue through the night. We’re investigating the captured spies, so there should be results soon. That’s when the truly important information will emerge...”
No Gu-cheon lowered his voice slightly and shared a bit more detail.
“The Korean Martial Alliance’s top interrogation expert I know has stepped forward, so it won’t take long to uncover the mastermind.”
No Gu-cheon said, winking one eye.
The Korean Martial Alliance’s top expert he spoke of was none other than Sword Demon Choi Geon.
‘I can trust the Master.’
Choi Geon was currently in the interrogation room, having changed his face using the Bone Shrinking Art, interrogating the Assassins. The Eight Great Sects had no idea of Choi Geon’s presence, not even in their wildest dreams.
“...Both of you are quite injured.”
No Gu-cheon, after examining Ki Mu-hyeok and Shin Kang-heon’s injuries, stepped back. Then, with a dignified Fist Salute, he bowed his head.
“The Korean Martial Alliance owes a great debt to you young Rising Stars. On behalf of the Alliance Leader, I extend our gratitude, and the Alliance will never forget this kindness.”
“Elder No?”
“Why are you doing this, it’s uncomfortable!”
An Elder of the Korean Martial Alliance, an old master, bowed his head to his distant juniors.
A surprised Ki Mu-hyeok and Shin Kang-heon tried to get up from their beds, but No Gu-cheon stopped them and also extended his thanks to Kim Bok-ja.
“My sincere thanks to the young Spellcaster as well. Thanks to you calming the Spell Formation, we were able to quickly locate Yang Ha-yun and Ki Mu-hyeok.”
“...The Mystery Hall promised to pay me sufficiently.”
At such a polite greeting, rarely seen in the Underworld, Kim Bok-ja scratched her cheek as if embarrassed.
No Gu-cheon looked at the three of them and smiled contentedly.
Returning to his usual manner of speaking, he said, “Just seeing you three, I know the future of the Orthodox Martial World is bright.”
Although a major incident occurred during the License Exam, thanks to the efforts of these three and many other Rising Stars, thankfully, no one died.
Of course, the Eight Great Sects were tearing into the Alliance Leader as if this were their chance, but it would somehow be smoothed over.
‘It might even turn out to be a blessing in disguise.’
As a result, they had stopped the Assassins who invaded the Korean Martial Alliance and rooted out the hidden spies.
If they could capture the mastermind, punish them decisively, and show that the Korean Martial Alliance’s power was still strong, they might even reclaim their past glory.
However... something that weighed on his mind came to No Gu-cheon, and he cautiously asked Ki Mu-hyeok.
“Are you truly alright with us announcing it to the public exactly as you requested?”
No Gu-cheon knew well that, no matter what anyone said, Ki Mu-hyeok was the greatest contributor to this incident.
This young Rising Star had fought against the Assassins targeting Yang Ha-yun, protected his comrades to the very end even though he could have escaped alone, and even defeated the Assassin Leader disguised as a Black-White Agent.
However, Ki Mu-hyeok had requested that all those facts be kept secret.
“Yes. In fact, I’d be more comfortable if you did that.”
Ki Mu-hyeok had personally asked the Alliance Leader to attribute all his achievements to Yang Ha-yun.
‘Yang Ha-yun defeated most of the Assassins, and I merely assisted him from the side.’
Ki Mu-hyeok had said the same thing to the Martial Artists of the Eight Great Sects who had come to inquire about the full story.
The proud Martial Artists of the Eight Great Sects, as if expecting nothing less, nodded without suspicion and left.
‘Indeed, even I, who saw it with my own eyes, find it hard to believe...’
No Gu-cheon let out a hollow laugh.
Even he wouldn’t have been able to imagine a Rising Star with a mere Grade 4 Constitution performing better than someone with a Grade 1 Constitution.
Within the Korean Martial Alliance, only the Alliance Leader and No Gu-cheon knew the truth. And only a few of the Rising Stars who had directly sparred with Ki Mu-hyeok harbored some suspicion.
‘Truly astonishing. To possess such skill, excellent character, and even an indifferent attitude towards fame at such a young age...’
It made him think that the Sword Demon, who had been unlucky with disciples, was now receiving all that fortune at once in his later years.
‘Drawing public attention now would only hinder my training.’
Ki Mu-hyeok had done it because he disliked the troublesome attention that would come from his true abilities being revealed, but in No Gu-cheon’s eyes, he appeared as a true young hero.
“You say you don’t need any reward, but it weighs on my mind. Is there anything you wish for?”
“Hmm...”
As Ki Mu-hyeok’s lips parted as if he were hesitating, No Gu-cheon, growing impatient, asked again.
“It’s alright, speak freely. Whether it’s a reward, Spiritual Medicine, or anything else you desire, I will personally speak to the Alliance Leader on your behalf.”
Having such a great debt in his heart, No Gu-cheon was willing to grant Ki Mu-hyeok anything he wished for.
And Ki Mu-hyeok, understanding No Gu-cheon’s feelings, deliberately paused long enough to make the other man anxious before finally speaking.
“Then... even if it’s brief, could I receive guidance from the Alliance Leader?”
No Gu-cheon’s face, which until then had seemed ready to give anything, now showed a hint of bewilderment.
“Hmm? From the Alliance Leader, you say?”
This was a privilege normally granted only to those who ranked within the top three in the entire License Exam.
For the sake of fairness, he should naturally refuse, but with such a debt in his heart, it wasn’t easy to deny the request.
Seeing his reaction, Ki Mu-hyeok bowed his head with a disappointed expression and apologized.
“I seem to have spoken out of turn. It’s probably absurd for a mere Rising Star to presumptuously ask to meet the Alliance Leader. Please disregard what I said.”
“Haha, it’s not so much that... it’s not entirely impossible, but...”
Ki Mu-hyeok hadn’t forgotten his biggest objective for participating in the License Exam.
That was to obtain the Five Elements Divine Art from the Korean Martial Alliance.
‘All roads lead to Rome.’
Even though the License Exam was suspended and the outcome was uncertain, he intended to obtain the Five Elements Divine Art one way or another.