The water trickling from the edge of the roof looked as though it were shedding tears.
With a flash, Jin Hagun lifted the roof and checked if anyone was trapped underneath. Fortunately, no one had been crushed beneath it.
He was covered in mud from head to toe, except for his eyes, looking like someone who had completely fallen into a muddy pit and only just climbed back out.
Bisain was lifting a massive tree that had been uprooted and washed downstream from a short distance away, moving it aside.
He too was completely covered in mud, yet worked without a care in the world.
Bisain glanced at Jin Hagun. He could sense from Jin Hagun’s expression that he was deeply upset. Jin Hagun had also been the first to rush here when he first saw the state of this devastated place.
Hanseol had filled a large tub with clean water and was washing and treating the injured. She applied golden wound medicine to their wounds and wrapped them in clean bandages.
Beside her, Jinharyeong was boiling soup in a massive pot and cooking rice.
The people who had lost their homes had no appetite at all, but precisely because of that, they needed to eat. Everyone was so exhausted they were on the verge of collapsing, and above all, they had to feed the children.
Ian was looking after the children who had lost their parents. She embraced the crying children. She knew better than anyone what these children were feeling—the fear of knowing that there was no one left in this world to care for them.
And she also knew how the terror they felt and experienced in this moment would affect a child’s life forever.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Everything will be okay.”
Ian embraced the children one by one.
Just then, Geommugeuk shouted from over there.
“Everyone, come this way for a moment.”
They stopped what they were doing and all walked over.
Geumarin watched them with a heart full of surprise.
‘He really brought his friends!’
What was even more surprising was that they were working alongside them on the recovery efforts here.
When Geumarin first saw Hyeoljeonnang, she had realized he was a master stronger than herself.
But she couldn’t sense the martial prowess of the five people standing before her now. They seemed like masters greater than herself, yet also like people who had never practiced martial arts at all.
If she hadn’t known of someone called Geommugeuk, she would have thought they were people who had never learned martial arts. Five young people had gathered, and it was impossible that all of them were masters so profound she couldn’t even detect their strength.
But since they were people brought by Geommugeuk, and judging by Geommugeuk’s martial prowess...
‘All of them are masters far greater than Hyeoljeonnang, not to mention myself.’
They were so young. Who on earth were they?
“That angry friend—I’ll try to calm him down somehow.”
Geommugeuk stuck close to Hyeoljeonnang as if they were on the same side and whispered to him.
“Especially that friend over there—he’s very angry. You can tell just by looking at him that he’s stubborn, right?”
The person Geommugeuk was looking at was Jin Hagun.
Hyeoljeonnang tried to gauge Jin Hagun’s strength, but he could tell nothing.
A true master wouldn’t do this kind of work with his own hands. Not while covered in mud, no less.
Because of this prejudice, Hyeoljeonnang didn’t think these young men before him were masters stronger than himself.
Still, just in case, he asked cautiously.
“What kind of man is he?”
“A friend who finally found freedom by breaking the chains that bound him.”
“Then shouldn’t he be happy?”
“This is his territory. He’s returned to being a workaholic, you see.”
How could Hyeoljeonnang know that this was the orthodox faction’s territory?
“Our old man here was trying to steal the money to build houses here. Not only that, he even said he’d bribe the Murim Alliance martial artists to cover it up, so it’s only natural he’s furious.”
Jin Hagun strode toward the two of them.
The momentum was so extraordinary that Hyeoljeonnang instinctively drew his sword.
But the blade was aimed at Geommugeuk’s neck.
“If I flick a single finger, this one dies.”
Without hesitation, Jin Hagun raised his hand and flicked a finger. Of the others watching from behind, none showed any sign of tension.
“Ridiculous. Did you think I would fall for such a trick? This one is undoubtedly your leader.”
At that, Geommugeuk laughed loudly and spoke to everyone.
“Even a villain like this thinks I look like a leader, doesn’t he?”
Hyeoljeonnang flinched at the word “villain,” but Jin Hagun poured fuel on the fire.
“If you can kill him, try it. No, please kill him. Let us watch how exactly that friend dies.”
What in the world were they saying! And why were those in the back all nodding their heads?
Hyeoljeonnang thought they were mocking him, believing he couldn’t kill the man.
“You wretches dare—!”
Slash! Chop!
Hyeoljeonnang’s blade cut through Geommugeuk’s neck without hesitation.
Clutching his neck, Geommugeuk collapsed right then and there.
“There, I killed him as you wished.”
If things had gone as he expected, everyone should have been shocked and appalled.
Yet none of those watching were surprised. Even one of them being surprised would have been understandable.
‘Was that talkative fellow a nobody to them?’
In any case, having easily killed one of their party, Hyeoljeonnang became convinced that they were people without martial arts.
If there had been a true master among them, they wouldn’t have stood by and watched him die.
“Who shall I kill next?”
After all, when he had cut Geommugeuk’s neck, he had resolved to kill them all.
Just then, someone spoke.
“Who else! You should kill that heartless wretch who asked you to kill his friend over there first.”
Hyeoljeonnang glared at the speaker with wide eyes. The man he had thought dead was lying on his side, propping his head up with one hand while resting his elbow on the ground.
“But I clearly cut his neck?”
He had even felt the sensation of cutting through flesh. Then how was he alive? If they had tricked him, how on earth had they done it?
Geommugeuk chose Bisain next after Jin Hagun.
“Next, let’s go with that savage fellow who didn’t try to stop his friend from getting his friend killed and just watched.”
Swoosh.
Hyeoljeonnang swung his sword at Geommugeuk, who was lying down.
But before he knew it, Geommugeuk was standing beside him. Naturally, he hadn’t seen how Geommugeuk dodged. It felt as though he were dreaming.
“Hey, what’s the deal? I’m on your side, remember? Old man, can that friend over there really stop him alone?”
Jin Hagun was continuing to stride forward.
This time, Hyeoljeonnang thrust his sword at Jin Hagun.
Shing! Shing!
He thrust his blade at the fastest speed he could muster, but Jin Hagun lightly dodged and counterattacked.
Tap.
With a single move, Jin Hagun subdued his vital point.
Only now did Hyeoljeonnang understand. They were all masters beyond any comparison to himself.
“Which arm did you say it was? The right one? Cut off just one!”
Hyeoljeonnang was terrified by Geommugeuk’s words. That’s right. Hadn’t they said they would cut off his arms and legs?
The image of himself with both arms and legs severed was truly horrific.
The words that burst out reflexively were these:
“If you touch me, you will have to answer to the Murim Alliance.”
Geommugeuk sighed from beside him and said,
“No, I told you not to bring up the Murim Alliance.”
Jin Hagun’s fist flew toward his stomach.
Crack!
Thud!
With Jin Hagun’s strike, his dantian shattered into pieces. For a martial artist, the pain of a shattered dantian was greater than having an arm cut off.
Hyeoljeonnang rolled on the ground and screamed.
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
The physical pain was unbearable, but the despair of losing all the inner strength he had built up until now and never being able to possess inner strength again forever brought him even greater agony.
“Damn it! Fuck! You bastard, I’ll kill you! Uwaaaaaaah!”
Looking down at him writhing and thrashing on the ground, Jin Hagun spoke coldly.
“Why cut off your arms and legs? I’ll keep your limbs intact and make you pay for your crimes. I won’t let you lie around and eat in comfort.”
He would be sent to the harshest dark prison among the many prisons of the Murim Alliance, where he would perform hard labor until he died.
Hyeoljeonnang’s eyes blazed with hatred.
“You bastard, I will have my revenge.”
Even with his dantian shattered, there was a reason he could speak so boldly.
“You have no idea who I’ve been bribing all this time. How great those people are. No matter how great a master you are, you cannot handle an enormous organization like the Murim Alliance.”
Hyeoljeonnang laughed like a madman.
“I’ll make you a public enemy of the martial world.”
Jin Hagun said, his eyes cold.
“You will meet them all in the dark prison as well. Everyone connected to you—I’ll root out every last one of them.”
“How could someone like you?”
Jin Hagun asked Imhyeok a favor.
“Take him to the nearest Murim Alliance branch.”
Jin Hagun revealed his identity himself.
“Tell them the Demonic Annihilation Lord Jin Hagun sent him, and have him transferred to the main headquarters.”
Imhyeok was startled, and so was Geumarin. There wasn’t a martial artist alive who didn’t know that the Demonic Annihilation Lord was the one who would become the next Murim Alliance Lord.
Hyeoljeonnang’s eyes went wide. That man was the Young Alliance Lord of the Murim Alliance?
“Nonsense!”
Geommugeuk squatted down beside Hyeoljeonnang, who had collapsed on the ground, and spoke spitefully.
“That’s why I told you not to bring up the Murim Alliance. Why did you keep talking about it?”
Looking into eyes full of disbelief, Geommugeuk added in a whisper.
“I’ll make sure that friend becomes a public enemy of the martial world! He’s gradually getting his true nature back.”
“...What the hell are you people?”
“We’re just youths who left home.”
That was the end of the conversation. Geommugeuk pressed his vital points and meridians simultaneously.
Geommugeuk guessed the reason Jin Hagun hadn’t cut off his arms and legs. It was because the children were watching from a distance. Lest the children see such a sight. That was the true nature of his friend called Jin Hagun.
And besides, the life remaining for Hyeoljeonnang would be far harder and more miserable than living with severed limbs.
“Now, everyone, introduce yourselves.”
Bisain introduced himself to Geumarin.
“I am Bisain of the Sa-do Alliance.”
Geommugeuk added from the side.
“He is the one who will become the next Sa-do Alliance Lord.”
Geumarin and Imhyeok’s eyes grew even wider. It truly sounded like a joke, but they could tell it wasn’t. That fearsome face standing silently as if confirming the words was far from joking.
The Young Alliance Lord of the Murim Alliance and the Young Alliance Lord of the Sa-do Alliance together?
Geumarin’s pupils trembled. He was introducing them as friends?
It wasn’t just them.
“I am Hanseol of the Ice Palace.”
As expected, Geommugeuk revealed her identity.
“She is the Young Palace Lord of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”
Even the Young Palace Lord of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, whom she had only heard of in legends, was present. Her white robes were stained, but the cold energy dwelling in her eyes made it clear she spoke no lie.
She learned that Jinharyeong was Jin Hagun’s younger sibling and the leader of a gathering of younger-generation martial artists, and that Ian was the Ghost Shadow Lord of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Naturally, Geumarin’s gaze turned to Geommugeuk. You, who have all these people as friends? You, who could bring such extraordinary people all the way here?
“Who on earth are you?”
Geommugeuk looked at her and spoke calmly.
“I am Geommugeuk, the Young Cult Lord of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”
“!”
Geumarin was so shocked that her legs gave out.
She couldn’t believe this situation. The Young Alliance Lord of the Murim Alliance, the Young Alliance Lord of the Sa-do Alliance, and the Young Cult Lord of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?
The entire future of the martial world was standing before her eyes.
Geommugeuk had brought the entire martial world with him to find her.
People of such tremendous status were helping the people, covered head to toe in mud.
Masters of their caliber could have easily swept through everything using lightness skills. Like her, they could have simply issued orders to build new houses.
Yet they had all worked directly alongside the people, and cooked meals for the people and children.
Imhyeok sent a telepathic message to her, who stood blankly.
—Hurry and greet them.
Geumarin greeted them first, cupping her fists respectfully with a trembling voice.
“I am Geumarin of the Golden Dragon Clan.”
She looked at Geommugeuk and revealed her honest feelings.
“What right does someone like me have to be introduced to such great figures?”
Geommugeuk stood facing her. The playfulness had vanished from his face; he was more serious than ever.
“Young Family Lord, you were doing well. Far better than I had expected.”
By the time they arrived here, they had already learned of the good deeds she had done before them. They had also heard that she intended to spend a great deal of money to help the people here.
“I think I was right to choose you back then.”
Emotion surged up in her chest. More than any other words, those gave her strength.
“Now then, we’ve exchanged greetings, so let’s get to work!”
Geum Arin also took part in the restoration work. It was the first time in her life she had ever done such a thing. She carried loads as she was told and looked after children as well. She truly worked hard.
They ate there together, too.
When Geom Mugeuk first said they should eat, Geum Arin instantly thought of the finest restaurant where she could host them.
But what Geom Mugeuk had meant was that they should eat the rice cooked there, together. With everyone else.
At that moment, Geum Arin felt ashamed.
‘I still have a long way to go.’
It weighed on her all throughout the meal, so she confessed honestly. She told him she had harbored such a shameful thought.
Then Geom Mugeuk said,
“You should have said so sooner! The work was hard—I would have liked to eat somewhere nice.”
The Young Cult Leader soothed her shame with a joke.
After the meal, Jin Hagun looked toward the collapsed embankment in the distance and said,
“I didn’t know there was an embankment here. I only found out this time that there had been several floods.”
He was reproaching himself. This place was clearly within the Murim Alliance’s territory, and he wondered whether, if they had built the embankment stronger and prepared properly, they might have prevented innocent people from dying.
Geom Mugeuk comforted him.
“Is that the only thing we don’t know? We’ll have to go through countless things like this from now on.”
“Even so, I can’t help being angry.”
“That anger will lead you to become a good Alliance Leader.”
Jin Hagun looked at Geom Mugeuk and said,
“And not lead me to the Unorthodox Faction?”
It was Bisain who took his joke.
“You becoming unorthodox would be as difficult as Mugeuk becoming taciturn.”
The three of them looked at one another and smiled together. The longer their journey continued, the deeper their friendship grew.
After finishing the meal like that, they parted from Geum Arin.
The last words Geom Mugeuk gave Geum Arin were these.
“From now on, my yeon is not the yeon of smoke, but the yeon of connection.”
Geum Arin bowed respectfully.
“I will cherish the lesson you have given me for the rest of my life.”
Geom Mugeuk had not said a single word telling her how she should live. Instead, he had shown her with his own actions. How she ought to live.
Even these extraordinary people were living so passionately, seeking their own paths. Even this extraordinary person had come all this long way to keep a promise he had made in passing.
Leaving behind a great lesson, Geom Mugeuk and his companions departed.
Geum Arin and Im Hyeok stood there watching until they disappeared into the sunset.
“Uncle.”
“Yes, Young Family Head.”
“This isn’t a dream, is it?”
“No, it is not.”
A bright smile spread across Geum Arin’s face, and with it, a certain resolve flashed through her.
Today, Hyeoljeonnang’s dantian had vanished, but in its place, a radiant yeouiju had appeared in the heart of the Young Family Head of the Golden Dragon Family.
“The heavens giving me such an incredible connection must mean they want me to try living a magnificent life, right?”