Where dark-colored snakes gather.
Should a white snake appear, it would stand out starkly.
It stands to reason that among countless individuals, those who are exceptional always distinguish themselves.
In a small Central Plains called Sinryong Hall, a place said to be a gathering of the orthodox faction,
it stands out even more.
Amongst geniuses crawling and flying about,
it means shining even brighter.
They themselves feel pride,
and are bound to later establish a reputation of their own.
Therefore, the rumors currently swirling in Sinryong Hall regarding factions
were something the hall disciples couldn't help but lend their ears to.
Because it might be a grave matter that would decide their future.
In the first place, even if Sinryong Hall is an institution for training in the sword,
how many could have entered with only that in mind?
Rather, they would welcome it.
They would have been hoping for something like this instead.
That is why
the small rumor that sprouted spread far and wide, and quickly.
'Seolbong has personally moved to form a faction. It is said the recruitment of the merchant houses and several distinguished bloodline clans is already finished.'
'It was said that Shinseong took in the majority of the Sword Troop to create a faction.'
'Hall disciples belonging to the martial clans are gathering to form a faction.'
'An elite guard is being formed for the descendants of the Sword Dancer and the Sword Lord.'
Big rumors like these were basically the gist of it.
'What's the last one?'
Hearing the last rumor in particular, I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.
An elite guard? What is that?
When I heard it, I really thought I'd misheard.
Are they crazy?
What the hell do they even do?
They really must have nothing better to do.
"Did you see too?"
"...Huh?"
"They say it's your elite guard."
I asked, having stopped eating, to Namgung Bia, who was dozing off beside me.
Upon hearing my words, Namgung Bia merely shook her head. She truly looked clueless?
Then was it a false rumor?
That was possible.
Because rumors aren't all true when it comes down to it.
But.
"I saw it."
While I was thinking that, Gu Jeolyeop butted in abruptly.
"What?"
"The elite guard, I mean."
"...It really exists?"
"Yes...."
Gu Jeolyeop's face was thoroughly haggard with fatigue.
I had heard that the instructor in charge was a madman for demonic beast theory,
and that the amount one had to memorize was no joke, but
could it really age someone that much?
"How was it?"
"...First of all, they didn't look sane."
Well of course. If they were sane, they wouldn't do something like forming an elite guard.
"Besides, because of that, the wi—..."
Wi?
"...It's nothing."
Gu Jeolyeop, who had been trying to bring something up,
held his tongue.
Why is he acting like that?
Since Gu Jeolyeop had closed his mouth, there was probably a good reason.
I decided to let it go for now.
Of course, I was thinking of grabbing him and asking later, but.
"Then is your rumor true too?"
This time, the person I asked was Moyong Hia.
Moyong Hia, who had been carefully taking a bite of food, reacted to my question.
"No."
It was a firm answer.
Well, there was no way the recruitment of the distinguished families and merchant houses could all be finished in this short time.
"The rumors aren't all true. There's still a bit left."
"...Huh?"
"There are more people from the merchant houses than expected. There are also many arrogant people who don't know their place. I think it will take longer than expected."
" "
"Still, I don't think it will take terribly long, so you don't need to worry."
Sorry, but.
At least from my perspective, even if the world were ending,
I didn't think I'd be worrying about Moyong Hia.
The way her eyes sparkled was quite terrifying.
No, it's only been a few days since entering the hall?
"Why go that far, do it moderately."
"Young Master, the world isn't that easy."
Moyong Hia had a point.
Right, I know better than anyone that the world is a mess.
"If I prepare like this from now on, it will be of help on the path Young Master takes later."
"...You're the one preparing, what help would I get later?"
" "
.
!
!
.
After the words left my mouth, Moyong Hia's gaze was somewhat chilly.
Did I say something wrong?
"Young Master, I haven't spoken harshly to you yet, have I?"
Probably not?
In my past life, I had heard harsh words from Seolbong as easily as breathing.
In this life, that had never happened.
Meaning the relationship had changed greatly.
"I want to keep doing so in the future too. But it's not easy."
"Why?"
"There are reasons. I'm soft-hearted."
She spat out a word suddenly, then turned her head away as if sulking.
What, did I do something wrong?
I looked to Namgung Bia and Dang Soyeol seeking an answer,
but both avoided my gaze.
Seeing that, it seemed I really was in the wrong.
At times like this, my best bet was to just keep my mouth tightly shut and eat.
In the midst of it all, my gaze went to
Cheol Jiseon, who had been at his wit's end all day with the Tremor Rampage Technique.
"You'll strain your eyes at this rate, friend."
"...Huh? Uh....
"Why are you so shaken, is someone threatening to kill you?"
"No...."
I tried to dispel it with a joke,
but Cheol Jiseon only curled up more.
It was a face that seemed to wonder, slightly, why am I even here?
'I understand why he's acting like that.'
It was likely connected to the reason I've been thinking about factions since earlier.
The biggest rumor that had sprouted in Sinryong Hall right now
was: 'Jinryong is trying to take over Sinryong Hall.'
The moment I heard it, how absurd it was.
Take over, my ass, who the hell is taking over...
Why would I bother doing such a troublesome thing?
This rumor was probably
born from the scuffle with the instructor
and the ruckus I caused in the group Jang Seon-yeon was in.
The nicknames I was being called were truly a sight to behold.
The fierce and vicious leader, Jinryong.
Jinryong's right hand, Pae Ucheol.
The hidden mad dog, Cheol Jiseon.
= = = • •
OOO
They were nicknames that made one's head spin just hearing them.
Why the hell are they all acting crazy?
'Vicious? Viciooous?'
Who are you calling vicious? I'm trying so hard to live a good life.
Leaving that aside.
Cheol Jiseon was the problem.
The hidden mad dog, of all things.
Thanks to me causing a ruckus once,
no one in the group dared to touch Cheol Jiseon anymore,
but it had become a situation close to complete isolation.
'The man called Jinryong's close friend.'
'You mustn't let your guard down even if he looks frail. He's definitely the same kind!'
'Isn't Jin I-seok actually just lucky? Before getting bitten by the mad dog, he might have been fortunate to meet Jinryong.'
Rumors like these were rampant.
Three more days had passed since the incident,
and in that short time, the impression of Cheol Jiseon had headed straight to the abyss.
At this, Cheol Jiseon made a deeply aggrieved face, protesting that he had done nothing,
but it seemed this already-spread rumor couldn't be taken back.
If there was any truth among those absurd rumors,
'It's true that I saved that Jin I-seok bastard.'
The worthless bastard who tormented Cheol Jiseon.
In a way, it was true that I saved him.
Because I destroyed him before Cheol Jiseon could bring out his own power.
Cheol Jiseon fiddled with his chopsticks as if he had no appetite,
but by now he probably knew a little too.
That for now, it was relatively safer by my side.
That was why he was sitting there with a deathly pale face.
Cheol Jiseon becoming isolated from his surroundings wasn't part of my plan,
but it was a good thing in its own way.
Because it became easier to keep him by my side.
'So what now?'
There was still much I hadn't found out.
If Cheol Jiseon is the Jegal Ji-hui I know.
Whether he is disguised as a man or a woman.
Why he came to Sinryong Hall using a false name and hiding his identity.
And.
How to make Cheol Jiseon use that power he possesses in the direction I want.
'What should I do first?'
First, it would be right to make him reveal 'that' power before me.
To do that.
'Either force it out of him to make him use it, or make him show it voluntarily.'
I hadn't planned on the former.
If I was going to do that, I wouldn't bother keeping him by my side.
Then I had to make him show me voluntarily.
To do that...
I thought for a moment.
Several methods came to mind, but
there was only one worth choosing right away.
"Friend."
"Uh... Huh?"
"There's something I'd like to ask you...."
"Hyung-nim."
Just as I was about to speak to Cheol Jiseon,
Pae Ucheol suddenly appeared and cut in.
"...You surprised me."
"I'm sorry for interrupting your meal. So the Cheol hyung-nim and the ladies were here too."
"Ah, ah. Yeah... Nice to see you."
At the word hyung-nim, Cheol Jiseon became greatly flustered.
From the moment Pae Ucheol heard that Cheol Jiseon was my friend, he started calling him hyung-nim.
Cheol Jiseon told him not to,
but Pae Ucheol didn't listen.
Not to mention he called the ladies in my group noona.
'...I thought he was a tactless guy.'
Pae Ucheol was much quicker and shrewder than his muscular build suggested.
Compared to my first impression of him as a worthless punk,
it wasn't a bad feeling. I guess you could say he had good sense.
The problem was that thanks to him, the rumors pouring onto me were growing thicker by the day.
"What is it, all of a sudden. You startled me."
When I spoke with a slight frown,
Pae Ucheol flinched slightly and said.
"I'm sorry. It's just that."
Perhaps it was something delicate; Pae Ucheol lowered his head.
"...Instructor Cheol Hwan-o is looking for you, hyung-nim."
"...Why are you saying that so cautiously?"
I got nervous for no reason.
I asked as if bewildered, but instead Pae Ucheol made a puzzled expression.
"Huh? Well, I naturally assumed it was a summons to a deathmatch...."
"What kind of crazy nonsense is that?"
"If you are planning to take over Sinryong Hall, I thought you might be trying to eliminate the instructors first."
" "
Damn, I was thinking he was smarter than he looked.
Is he crazy?
"Don't worry, hyung-nim. As your sworn brother, I'll follow you wherever you go..."
Thwack.
"Guegh!"
I kicked Pae Ucheol hard in the shin. At that, he screamed and bent over at the waist.
"From where I'm standing, you're the cause of the rumors."
"Th-that's...."
"...Tell me honestly, you're not of the orthodox faction, are you?"
"Huh...?"
You punk.
I left behind Pae Ucheol, who was clutching his calf and babbling, and stood up.
I hadn't even finished my meal.
"I'm going first."
"...You're leaving?"
Namgung Bia, who had been dozing even while eating, stood up and asked. Since she hadn't seen me often recently.
It felt somewhat like she was disappointed.
But I couldn't not go.
Still, her eyes bothered me, so I raised my hand and ruffled Namgung Bia's hair.
"See you later."
Then.
"Hm?
I looked back.
I felt an intense gaze of some kind?
The problem was that despite feeling a gaze, there was nothing where I looked.
There were just many people eating quietly.
I considered checking with my senses, but there were too many directions from which the gaze could have come to pinpoint it.
'...Was it my imagination?'
My internal injuries had almost healed? Was it really just my imagination?
It was a bit concerning, but Instructor Cheol Hwan-o's matter was urgent, so I decided to move.
"So where is Instructor Cheol.... What are you doing?"
I was about to ask his location,
but Pae Ucheol was glaring at someone.
It was Gu Jeolyeop.
What was he doing, having a staring contest?
We're not children, surely not, but then what was that?
Gu Jeolyeop himself seemed unable to understand why Pae Ucheol was glaring at him.
His eyes seemed to be asking me.
What is he on about now.
'Asking me is useless.'
I didn't understand that weirdo either.
Then Pae Ucheol spoke to Gu Jeolyeop.
"I've heard a lot about you."
"Hmm?"
At Pae Ucheol's words, Gu Jeolyeop's expression turned strange.
I was the same.
What had I said about Gu Jeolyeop?
I don't think I said anything.
"You must hate a stone that suddenly rolls in, but what can you do? That's how the world works."
What the hell was that all of a sudden?
It was vague talk delivered with great gravity.
"...Are you speaking to me?"
"It's a shame, but from now on, I am the hyung-nim's right hand...!"
"Ah, you crazy bastard."
"Ugh!"
I grabbed the babbling Pae Ucheol and dragged him away.
"Stop spouting nonsense and guide me to where the instructor is."
"Ah, understood."
I forcibly removed Pae Ucheol.
If I left him here longer, who knows what he'd do, so I dragged him away and quickly left the group behind.
Meanwhile, Gu Jeolyeop watched Pae Ucheol's retreating back with a subtle expression.
When Guyang Cheon left,
"Then... I'll take my leave too..."
Cheol Jiseon, who remained awkwardly, also tried to get up quickly.
Cheol Jiseon didn't want to remain in this space.
Because he knew all too well from the past few days
what kind of atmosphere the women here would have the moment Guyang Cheon disappeared.
Each of them was a rising star in a tremendous position.
There were people Cheol Jiseon wanted to approach.
But maybe only if he met them one by one separately.
He didn't want to join them when they were all together.
The moment Cheol Jiseon tried to stand up holding the meal he hadn't finished.
"Wait...."
He flinched.
Someone called out to Cheol Jiseon and stopped him.
The culprit was none other than the woman called the Sword Dancer
—Namgung Bia of the Namgung Clan.
"Yes...?"
"...Finish... your meal before you go...."
Her sparkling blue eyes were—
Such eyes and her unreal appearance were burdensome.
Perhaps because of that, he couldn't look for long and naturally averted his gaze, but.
"...Eat before you go."
"Yes...."
For some reason, at Namgung Bia's words that carried a strange force, Cheol Jiseon quietly sat back down.
'...What?'
Why did she tell him to sit?
In this situation, telling him to eat was no different from a command.
'Could it be.'
Cheol Jiseon recalled.
That this beautiful woman was the fiancée of the vicious Jinryong.
That alone gave validity to it.
'...Is this a new form of food torture?'
That was reason enough for her to torment him.
Namgung Bia was still looking at Cheol Jiseon with strange eyes.
Cheol Jiseon, who didn't know what to do,
eventually picked up his chopsticks and started eating again.
Seolbong, whose words had grown even fewer.
Dang Soyeol, merely sipping tea.
And Namgung Bia, who was staring holes into him.
He couldn't tell if the rice was entering through his nose or somewhere else.
'...Noona. I'm struggling so much.'
Cheol Jiseon tried his best to think of his older sister far away,
but that didn't make things any better.
Following Pae Ucheol's guidance, I went to find the instructor.
Instructor Cheol Hwan-o still didn't look at me kindly after that day,
but it seemed his personality kept work separate from personal feelings.
"I heard you called for me."
When I asked Cheol Hwan-o. Cheol Hwan-o spoke to me with a small sigh.
"I heard you caused a huge incident."
As expected, it was that matter.
While walking, I had more or less expected the reason Cheol Hwan-o called me.
Because there had been only one matter worth calling me for recently.
Cheol Hwan-o's words were about the ruckus I caused in Jang Seon-yeon's group. That was probably it.
Of course, I had caused that level of incident, so I didn't think it would pass without consequence.
Sure enough, Cheol Hwan-o broached the subject with me.
"Sparring between hall disciples is permitted, but I heard this was different. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
That's right. It couldn't be called a spar.
Because I beat them one-sidedly.
Cheol Hwan-o asked me.
"Why did you do it?"
I answered without hesitation.
"Because the way that bastard was acting pissed me off, so I beat him up."
"...What?"
Cheol Hwan-o's eyes widened as if bewildered by my words.
Did he expect some proper excuse or something?
Not a chance.
"He was verbally insulting a hall disciple weaker than himself. No one else intervened? So I just stepped in."
"That is a matter for the parties involved to resolve. Moreover, you are not even affiliated with that place. If something happens, you must leave them to handle it themselves. Because all hall disciples here are martial artists."
Since they are martial artists, they must overcome even that. That was what Cheol Hwan-o said.
Right, I agree with that too.
But Cheol Hwan-o seemed not to know what my story was centered on.
Even though I had clearly spoken about it from the start.
"Yes. So I said I just beat him up because I was pissed."
I know I shouldn't have done that.
I said I just beat him up because I was furious.
"Haah...."
This time, Cheol Hwan-o let out a deep sigh.
"It seems you have no excuse either. This isn't a matter to be taken lightly. You know that, right?"
Not that I'd be expelled again.
If things went wrong, my morning training exemption might be canceled,
but I had done it expecting even that, so it was fine.
"Then what should I do?"
What punishment would I receive? I was wondering that
when Cheol Hwan-o uttered something unexpected.
"The Hall Lord is looking for you."
"Huh?"
"The punishment to be given to you will be decided by the Hall Lord."
At Cheol Hwan-o's words, my eyes widened this time.
The sect leader of the Kunlun Sect, and the one currently serving as the Lord of Sinryong Hall: the Blue Sea One Sword.
It meant such a figure was looking for me.
Cheol Hwan-o looked at my expression as if thinking I now realized how grave this was,
but that wasn't the reason I was surprised.
Blue Sea One Sword my foot.
"No, then you could have just told me to go to the Hall Lord's chamber from the start. Why did you call me here? What a bother."
"Ah, the Hall Lord's chamber is on the opposite side from here.... Ha."
At my words, Cheol Hwan-o's face crumpled completely.