Murim Treasury.
An absolute forbidden domain where all manner of treasures of the murim were stored, said to be accessible only to the Murim Alliance Leader and those the Alliance Leader permitted.
An aura as mysterious as its long history flowed out from the very doors.
As they passed through the formation, Geom Mugeuk honestly found himself filled with anticipation. It was not because he coveted martial arts manuals or divine weapons and extraordinary arms.
It was because he wondered whether, by any chance, a bead the Secret Coffer could absorb might be stored here in the Murim Alliance’s treasury as well.
But he had truly never imagined that the Murim Alliance Leader would bring him here.
“You are the first person from the Divine Cult to come this far. Perhaps the first in all history.”
“It is an honor, Alliance Leader.”
And how could it only be people of the Divine Cult? Even among the orthodox faction, those who had stood before this place could likely be counted on one hand.
“Since becoming Alliance Leader, I have never once used anything in this place for private purposes.”
Jin Paecheon looked down at his own sword and added,
“This sword, too, is one I have used since my youth.”
He had not laid a hand on the spiritual medicines here, nor on the divine weapons.
“Because I considered these things not mine, but the Murim Alliance’s—an inheritance our forebears left behind to protect the orthodox murim.”
Geom Mugeuk spoke to Jin Paecheon with respect in his voice.
“It must be because you are such a person that you have been able to protect the orthodox murim until now.”
He meant it sincerely. If the Alliance Leader had been a man full of greed, his father would not have left that weakness untouched all this time.
Though he was also a grandfather whose heart wavered because of his grandchildren, Geom Mugeuk could tell that it was precisely because he possessed such a heart that he was an even stronger martial artist.
“I thought long and hard about how to repay you.”
Geom Mugeuk had told him that even without his help, he would have resolved things well enough—but would he really have? Would his sense of danger truly have activated toward a friend he had spent several decades with? He thought not.
Geom Mugeuk had saved his life and his grandchildren’s lives, and further, the fate of the Murim Alliance. Twice now, counting the previous time.
To be honest, he had wanted to say, As your reward, I shall make you my granddaughter’s husband.
Of course, theirs was not a relationship where that could be done, and even if it had been possible, he now knew that it could not be called a gift. Rather, if Geom Mugeuk became his grandson-in-law, Jin Paecheon would be the one receiving a gift.
“If you were an ordinary expert, I would have assessed your skill and talent and bestowed upon you a martial arts manual and a precious sword as I saw fit. But with you, I cannot do that.”
Jin Paecheon’s gaze turned toward the Murim Treasury.
“So you choose for yourself.”
Then he added something astonishing.
“Take out three things you want from this place.”
Geom Mugeuk was startled by the unexpected gift.
Not one, but three?
Jin Paecheon looked at the surprised Geom Mugeuk and gave a single nod.
“Alliance Leader, I am a greedy man, so I cannot refuse such an offer. If you were thinking, Surely this fellow will decline on his own, then you have underestimated my greed. Will he reduce three to one? No. I am the sort of greedy man who will be scheming to increase three to five.”
“It is a decision I made after much consideration. Take three.”
Only after confirming it like that did Geom Mugeuk rejoice.
“Thank you so much! Thank you, Alliance Leader!”
He was not merely pleased—he was truly delighted enough to leap. He jumped up and down right in front of the Alliance Leader.
“You like it that much?”
“Of course. Isn’t this a place I will never have another chance to visit in my life? Even just looking around would be amazing, so how could I not be happy when I can take three treasures? I’m truly happy! Treasures, just you wait! The incarnation of material desire is coming! I’m coming to take five!”
“Three!”
“Yes! I’m coming to take three!”
Seeing Geom Mugeuk so delighted, a smile formed at the corners of Jin Paecheon’s mouth.
Yes, this was far better than someone needlessly refusing when offered something, only to accept while pretending to be unable to win. He was rejoicing to his heart’s content, enough to make even the giver feel good.
“But why three?”
Geom Mugeuk asked, then guessed the answer himself.
“Is it because I rooted out the three people who had infiltrated deeply into the Murim Alliance?”
Jin Paecheon had not decided on three for any particular meaning. Telling him to take only one had seemed too coldhearted, so he had simply said three.
If he had to attach a reason, it would be more accurate to say it was because he had saved him, his grandson, and his granddaughter. One for each person.
“I should tell you in advance, I’m only going to take the very best things.”
“Do so.”
Jin Paecheon took out a large key, inserted it into the hole at the entrance, and turned it.
Ruuuumble.
Then the massive door slowly began to open.
“Then I’ll be back.”
“It is fine if it takes time, so look around at your leisure before coming out.”
“Thank you very much.”
After respectfully offering a cupped-fist salute, Geom Mugeuk went inside.
Beyond the door was a corridor, and at the end of that corridor stood another door.
Night pearls were embedded in the walls along the way, so it was not dark. Usually, cracked or low-grade night pearls were set in place to replace lamps, but here, they used very bright, high-quality night pearls.
It made his heart flutter from the very beginning.
His first goal here today was to obtain a bead that the Secret Coffer could absorb.
At the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, he had obtained the Secret Coffer, and beneath the Yellow Dragon Martial Hall, he had connected to three hundred years in the past and obtained the heart method formula for governing these energies.
The energies he had absorbed so far numbered three.
The Black Crystal from the Wind Heaven Cult, the Azure Crystal from the Evil Dao Alliance, and the White Crystal from the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
Last time, beneath the Yellow Dragon Martial Hall, he had seen the Secret Coffer and the beads painted on the wall. There were six energies the Secret Coffer would absorb. Black and white, blue and red, then yellow and purple.
Would there be an energy he could obtain from the Murim Alliance as well?
Arriving at the end of the corridor, Geom Mugeuk opened the door with a pounding heart and walked inside.
The first space of the Murim Treasury was where the treasures were stored.
Usually, what one saw most in places full of treasures were all sorts of items made of gold. Gifts sent by various merchant companies or sects—golden dragons, tigers, turtles, or toads, for instance—would normally fill a treasury.
But there was no such gold or jewels in the Murim Treasury.
There was only one kind of treasure here.
Poison-warding beads.
Expensive, top-grade poison-warding beads were lined up in abundance.
When he opened the boxes piled beneath them, they too were filled with poison-warding beads. Each box was packed with poison-warding beads by grade.
Geom Mugeuk understood. The Murim Alliance had converted all its treasures into poison-warding beads and stored them that way.
‘Ah, they’re preparing for war.’
At the same time, they were preparing for the Poison King as well.
If war broke out, the poison-warding beads here would immediately be distributed to every expert in the Alliance.
‘At least for this generation, you needn’t worry so much. Even if war breaks out, Father will not put the Poison King at the forefront.’
Passing through the room of nothing but poison-warding beads, he opened the door leading to the next room.
The moment he opened it, an enormous space revealed itself.
It was dozens of times larger than the place where the poison-warding beads had been.
The aura emanating from here was filled with the energies of the orthodox faction. If an ordinary expert of the Demon Cult or the unorthodox faction stepped inside, it would be enough to make them feel burdened by the righteous energy and chivalrous spirit that filled the place.
Geom Mugeuk slowly stepped inside.
This was the place where divine weapons and extraordinary arms were stored. It was so vast he could not see the end, and weapons hung on the walls in every direction, while countless display stands bearing weapons stood throughout the inner space.
Geom Mugeuk slowly walked forward, looking at them. They were mainly weapons once used by experts of the orthodox faction. That was why the place overflowed with orthodox energy.
Beneath each display stand were written the name of the weapon and the name of the expert who had used it, as well as detailed accounts of where and against whom that expert had fought with it.
This was not simply a storeroom.
It was an exhibition hall where one could learn the history of the murim itself.
He had entered many treasuries until now, but this was the first time he had seen one as well organized as the Murim Alliance’s.
The weapons were famous ones he had heard of at least once.
The sword that immediately caught Geom Mugeuk’s eye was one such example.
The name written beneath the display stand.
Nameless Sword.
It was called the Nameless Sword because it had no name, yet it was more famous than any sword that did.
It was the personal weapon of an absolute expert who had swept through the murim over two hundred years ago, known as the Nameless Guest.
‘I can’t just pass by the Nameless Sword.’
He carefully picked up the Nameless Sword from the display stand and drew it.
Shrrring.
The sharp aura emitted by the sword chilled the surroundings.
“How fine!”
Admiration came naturally.
Any martial artist who used a sword would be unable to tear their feet away from this blade.
Beside it rested a pipa.
It was a weapon for a martial artist who used sound arts.
Heavenly Sound Pipa.
It had been the personal weapon of Fairy Huaming, an absolute master of sound arts in the past.
It was said that when the Heavenly Sound Pipa rang out, those with weak internal energy would have their eardrums burst and their blood and qi flow backward, killing them instantly.
There was a reason the Nameless Sword and the Heavenly Sound Pipa were placed so close together. Fairy Huaming had lost her life in a battle against the Nameless Guest. Beneath the display stand, there was also an explanation of the two’s final battle.
After taking a few more steps, he saw a saber engraved as though a black dragon were coiling around its blade.
Ink Dragon Divine Saber.
“Ah! I haven’t even taken ten steps since entering this room, and there’s the Nameless Sword, the Heavenly Sound Pipa, and the Ink Dragon Divine Saber? And I can only choose three things from here? I want to take everything except three!”
If Jin Paecheon had heard him, he would have burst into laughter, but truly, the place was full of divine weapons and extraordinary arms that made him want to lie down on the floor and throw a tantrum.
Each time he took a step, history that had once shaken the murim revealed itself.
Demon-Sealing Chain.
This chain weapon had also once been the personal weapon of an orthodox expert who roamed the murim unhindered, and the White Qi Fan placed beside it was likewise an absolute weapon that decided life and death with a single wave. These two martial artists had been sworn brothers.
Geom Mugeuk’s knowledge and experience of the murim were broader and richer than anyone’s, so there were many weapons he recognized. But when he read the explanations, there were also many hidden stories even he did not know.
As he looked around, he found that, unexpectedly, there were some ordinary weapons too.
If the person who had used the weapon had been a great hero, or if the weapon had been used in a truly meaningful way, it had been displayed.
If one’s martial arts reached a certain realm, a single old iron sword, merely because it had been used by a martial artist one respected, would be more meaningful than any precious blade.
In that way, Geom Mugeuk continued walking as he looked over the weapons.
How long had he walked?
Suddenly, the Heavenly Demon Body-Protecting Art activated. It was not because some immediate danger had been detected. Rather, it had reacted because an exceptionally powerful aura could be felt ahead.
‘What on earth is there?’
Geom Mugeuk walked toward it. The closer he drew, the more intense the aura became.
When he arrived, there was a wide-open space. Until now, weapons had been densely arranged like a go board, but here, in the broad space, there was only a single display stand, and on it rested one sword.
It was because of this sword that the Heavenly Demon Body-Protecting Art had activated. The aura emitted by a single sword had caused the Heavenly Demon Body-Protecting Art to manifest?
Now that he thought about it, this place was the exact center of the second area. The weapons were displayed in all directions around this sword.
A single sword resting there.
Geom Mugeuk slowly approached it. Intense righteous energy and chivalrous spirit could be felt from the sword.
The moment he saw the name written beneath it, Geom Mugeuk’s eyes widened in surprise.
Gentleman Sword.
Geom Mugeuk’s cry burst out.
“The Foremost Gentleman Sword of All Ages!”
That was the name by which the Gentleman Sword was called.
The Gentleman Sword was like a symbol of the orthodox murim.
It was said that if the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had the Heavenly Demon Sword, then the orthodox murim had the Gentleman Sword.
“Ah! So this sword is the Gentleman Sword.”
It was a sword Geom Mugeuk had only heard of in words.
The scabbard and hilt of the Gentleman Sword were not ornate. But the aura felt from the sword overwhelmed that of any other weapon.
Geom Mugeuk quietly stared at the Gentleman Sword.
First, he was surprised by Jin Paecheon. As the Murim Alliance Leader, he could have taken this Gentleman Sword and used it. But he had not.
It was likely because it was a sword that was like the symbol of the orthodox murim, containing its long history and tradition.
‘He must have known I might choose the Gentleman Sword.’
Had he believed that Geom Mugeuk would never choose it? Or had he considered it acceptable even if he took the Gentleman Sword?
In any case, since he had promised, if Geom Mugeuk said he would take this sword, Jin Paecheon would let him. He was not a man who broke promises.
“No, I even said I was the incarnation of material desire! What on earth did you trust in me to tell me to take whatever I wanted?”
He thought Jin Paecheon was remarkable.
Geom Mugeuk approached the Gentleman Sword until it was within reach.
“You must be lonely too, shut up in this place all the time.”
If it was a precious sword like the Gentleman Sword, it would want to meet a good master and reveal itself to the world.
Geom Mugeuk’s deliberation did not last long.
“Fine, come out with me!”
Geom Mugeuk made up his mind to take the Gentleman Sword with him.
For such a precious sword to remain only in a treasury was not right for the murim, nor for the sword itself.
Geom Mugeuk carefully took the Gentleman Sword in his hand. Even though he had not drawn it, he could feel its aura.
When he held the Gentleman Sword, the Black Demon Sword at his waist let out a low hum.
Wooooong.
It had sensed the existence of the Gentleman Sword. It was the moment a precious sword recognized another precious sword. Geom Mugeuk soothed the Black Demon Sword.
“Don’t be tense. It’s all right.”
Geom Mugeuk did not draw the Gentleman Sword. It was not a sword he would use.
No matter that he had been promised he could take anything, and no matter that he had saved their lives, there were still things he must not covet.
“Something worth congratulating my friend for has happened.”
He intended to give the Gentleman Sword to Jin Hagun as a gift. He possessed a character perfectly suited to the sword’s name.
Given Jin Paecheon’s personality, even if Jin Hagun became the Alliance Leader later, he would not hand this sword over to his grandson. He was a man of integrity who had never touched anything in this place his entire life, so he would not be able to give the Gentleman Sword to his own blood.
‘So I will give it to him!’
Someday, there would surely come a day when he saw Jin Hagun display the Imperial Sword Form with the Gentleman Sword.
Geom Mugeuk fastened the Gentleman Sword at the side of his waist opposite the Black Demon Sword.
In this way, Geom Mugeuk chose the first of the three things he could take. He had said it jokingly to Jin Paecheon, but he had truly chosen the very best thing.
Jin Paecheon must have believed that he would not bring this out.
But you didn’t know this, did you?
“I’m sure you’ll like that friend too.”