Time passed while our eyes remained locked.
Hiding my creaking body, I regulated my breathing.
*Why.*
Why was *that thing* here?
I saw a woman who had noticed me and was waving her hand.
Hair tinged with purple light and pupils gleaming with an even brighter light.
And on top of that, an outstanding appearance reminiscent of someone.
It was identical to the form I had encountered before going to the North Sea.
If so, it meant that hadn't been my misconception.
If that was the case.
*Why is she here?*
Why was she in this place?
I had to know that.
*I was looking for her anyway.*
Cheonma.
I knew she was in Hannam. There was a record of us having already met, and because of that, I had people gather information.
That information was precisely the second matter I had entrusted to Pilduma.
However.
*There had been strangely little of it.*
The information Pilduma passed on wasn't of very good quality.
Naturally, since there was only so much I could gain by having him alone do it, I had been gathering information from other places as well.
But.
*That hadn't been any different either.*
Information on Cheonma, who should be in Hannam, was far too lacking.
Had she hidden herself knowing someone was investigating her? Or. Had she already erased her traces from Hannam?
Even though the Dark King's forces had moved, the fact that there was so little information naturally made me consider the two situations above….
*Does this mean they couldn't find her even though she's out in the open like that?*
Cheonma had never left Hannam.
From her appearance, it seemed she hadn't hidden either.
Had she left and returned?
That might be possible, but I wouldn't assume that for now. The Cheonma I knew was someone far removed from fleeing.
Then let's think.
The most important thing here.
*Can I kill her?*
Could I kill Cheonma in this place?
At the small noodle house in the secluded alley from before. I hadn't been able to do it when I saw her there.
Then what about now?
I had regained the realm of my previous life.
Now, if I fought alone against the protectors or elders of famous clans and sects, I would likely be able to kill them without much difficulty.
This was an objective assessment of myself.
The level of the leaders of a few famous clans, the sect leaders of the Nine Sects One Faction, and Heaven Beyond Heaven.
It meant that unless it was one of the so-called Ten Great Experts of the Central Plains, I could not lose.
*Then what is Cheonma's level?*
I recalled the time I had encountered her at the Divine Dragon Temple in the past.
At that time, she was a strong enough expert to easily toy with someone like me.
If her level was the same as in my previous life, I would lose.
Then should I retreat from here?
Kiiiiiing—!
My rational judgment said so, but the energy in my body arbitrarily shifted into combat readiness.
Squirm—! Demonic energy surged.
What had I endured all this time to block? Would I stop even with the opportunity right before my eyes?
Baring its fangs, the demonic energy began to speak thus.
Feeling my thundering heart, at the very moment I was about to charge forth.
"Young Master."
"…!"
At the voice heard from beside me, my blood ran cold in an instant.
"What's wrong?"
For a moment, I had forgotten who was beside me.
Regulating my breathing at Moyong Hui-a's question laced with worry.
There was something I had to protect beside me.
Thus, I could not move rashly.
Would I have the composure to fight while protecting Moyong Hui-a?
I had no certainty about this.
The less certain I was, the more cautious I had to be.
"Ah."
In the midst of that, Moyong Hui-a checked what I was looking at and cautiously approached.
"As expected, it seems the Young Master knows that person too?"
I frowned at Moyong Hui-a's words.
Why did she say *too*?
Wondering what she meant, I looked at her.
"That person. She was brought here by the Sword Phoenix."
"…What?"
My body froze stiff at the words she spat out next.
"Who brought her?"
"The Sword Phoenix."
"…If it's the Sword Phoenix…. Noona? Are you talking about our sister?"
"Yes, I'm talking about your sister."
Are you really talking about Gu Hui-bi?
"A few days ago, the Sword Phoenix came and asked me to give that person a job."
Words kept reaching my ears, but it took some time for them to sink into my head.
Because they were nothing but words I simply couldn't understand.
"They say she's a martial artist and quite strong…. Since we were looking to hire escorts today anyway, I just put her in for now. But it seems the Young Master knows her too?"
"…"
Are you saying that not only did Gu Hui-bi bring Cheonma, but she also put her in here?
*What kind of crazy talk is this?*
I didn't know what kind of situation this was turning into.
What on earth was happening?
I was bewildered by this nonsensical situation.
"…Hey."
"Yes."
More than this, I felt something strange.
So I looked at Moyong Hui-a and pointed at Cheonma, who was standing far away.
"You, how does that look to you?"
"Huh?"
Moyong Hui-a's brow furrowed as if asking what kind of out-of-the-blue words these were.
However, perhaps thinking there was a reason for my question, she didn't add anything else and looked at Cheonma.
And then spoke.
"…A person, a woman."
"A bit more detail."
It was a strange thing to say even by my own standards, but I had to ask.
Because apart from Cheonma being here, I had noticed something strange in Moyong Hui-a's reaction.
"Her height seems shorter than mine. Her hair is black."
The person brought by the Sword Phoenix. And someone who seemed to be known by me.
Only that much information came from Moyong Hui-a's mouth.
"And black pupils, skin that looks slightly tanned…. Shall I describe her facial features too?"
In truth, the most important thing to look at was something else.
"No, that's enough."
Listening to Moyong Hui-a, I was certain.
That something was strange.
"What's wrong?"
Moyong Hui-a asked, filled with questions, but I couldn't answer easily.
And for good reason.
*She isn't mentioning that she looks exactly like Wi Seol-a.*
An appearance that looked exactly like Wi Seol-a, no matter who looked at it.
Only the hair and eye color were different; otherwise, she could be considered her twin.
Yet Moyong Hui-a wasn't asking any questions about this at all.
Moreover.
*The words she uses to describe her are also somewhat different.*
Her height is ambiguous, and while her hair is indeed black, it's not completely black.
Purple light was clearly lingering in it, and they weren't black eyes either.
Let alone her skin tone….
*If you call that slightly tanned, you must be blind.*
Skin so pale it was beyond white.
It made no sense to look at that and say she was tanned.
Then why had Moyong Hui-a said such things?
Thinking of the reason, probably.
*She is perceiving differently.*
It meant Moyong Hui-a's gaze upon seeing Cheonma was different.
*Is it the same for others?*
Was this only Moyong Hui-a, or was everyone here the same?
Or.
*Are my eyes wrong?*
Could it be that Moyong Hui-a's perception was right and my eyes were wrong?
Questions arose, but I thought my eyes were right.
No, rather than believing my eyes, I was believing the energies in my body.
I quietly stared at Cheonma.
Cheonma was also looking at me without avoiding my eyes.
An expression that was somehow vacant.
Quite different from the arrogant, condescending gaze I had seen in my previous life.
To the point where I wondered if she wasn't an entirely different person despite the same appearance.
I watched her, swallowed down a groan, and time passed.
I made a decision and spoke to Moyong Hui-a.
"…What should I start with?"
If only to ascertain the source of the persistent sense of estrangement I kept feeling.
For now, I decided to watch.
******************
A number that didn't exceed thirty, counting the people.
I had to pick seven from among them.
That was what Moyong Hui-a had requested of me.
"You mean exactly seven people."
"That's right. Please pick them at your discretion."
"You're saying I can do as I please."
While listening to the explanation, I sent my gaze somewhere.
Toward the woman leaning against a tree with a blank expression—Cheonma.
I was bothered because I didn't know what her intentions were for being here or what she would do.
Recalling this, I took a step forward at the same time.
As I stepped forward, the eyes of those around me fixed on me.
Every single one of them didn't look pleased.
It seemed the waiting time had been quite long.
At the moment interest was finally showing on the martial artists' faces that something was being done.
"You there."
I pointed at one person with my finger.
Before the designated man could express his doubt.
"Pass."
"…?"
"You, I'm saying you pass."
The man widened his eyes at the bluntly spat words.
Paying no mind to that reaction, I waved my hand.
A sign to quickly step aside.
The man made a puzzled expression, but without showing any particular objection, he stepped aside.
The person I pointed out was the second strongest martial artist here.
Excluding 'Cheonma,' that is.
Right after pulling one out like that.
I moved my finger and filtered people out.
"That uncle on the left is eliminated. The ponytail next to him is eliminated too."
Eliminated. Eliminated… eliminated. Eliminated again.
I eliminated people in succession. And in mere moments, I had cleared away more than half.
There were eleven passes in total, and everyone else was eliminated.
I nodded while looking at the roughly filtered group.
"At this level, I've filtered them out for the first round…."
"What is the meaning of this?"
Just as I was about to be satisfied thinking it was clean, someone shouted at me.
I sent my gaze.
A martial artist from whom a strong aura could be felt.
"Appearing out of nowhere and acting on your own—what is the meaning of this?"
A middle-aged man was fuming, seemingly furious.
He was a martial artist with a long scar on his face.
His level.
*A perfected Peak.*
A person who would be treated well wherever he went. He was also the strongest among those gathered here. And he was the person I had eliminated first.
I tilted my head at him.
"Why?"
"Hah?"
The man's face scrunched up further at my attitude.
"Is that what you should be saying right now?"
"What don't you like?"
At my question, anger seeped into the man's voice.
"We have been gathered here waiting for a full two hours already. We waited sitting in the blazing sun, yet some nobody appears and eliminates us—do you think we'd be pleased?"
I held back a snort at those words.
"Didn't you hear what the branch manager just said? She said to do as I please."
"Don't be ridiculous!"
Kuwoong—! The man unleashed his aura with heated anger.
Then, wind pressure burst and spread to the surroundings.
"Huk—!!"
"Kup!"
Those nearby were astonished by an aura stronger than expected.
Especially the first person who passed had an especially surprised expression.
He seemed to have intuitively realized at once that this man was stronger than himself.
It was no wonder he found it strange that such a person had been eliminated.
"Do you know who I am, how dare you! It's absurd that a brat who doesn't know his place is judging us—!!"
Hearing the man's anger, the expressions of others also contorted.
They were the ones who had been eliminated together.
"Yeah, what does that guy know to be conducting an interview?"
"Has the Baekhwa Merchant Guild gone mad? To think we're being evaluated by some punk like that!!"
The atmosphere was swept away.
They already weren't pleased about being eliminated in an instant. With a strong person stepping forward first to vent his anger, they began to join in.
On top of that.
"No matter what, shouldn't the test be conducted properly?"
"This is a bit…."
Those who had barely passed didn't exactly look satisfied either.
Probably, as the words before.
*It seems they don't like being evaluated by some nobody.*
The martial artists of the Central Plains were fellows who died for honor and were obsessed with evaluation.
If they passed out of the blue, they should just be happy; why bother nitpicking about this?
*They really live inconvenient lives.*
Anyway, I didn't like it.
Perhaps noticing the atmosphere had turned in his favor, the man also held a smile between his anger.
"I never imagined I'd be treated this way. Branch Manager. Is this truly the will of the Baekhwa Merchant Guild?"
"…"
Moyong Hui-a did not answer.
She was merely looking at me with expressionless eyes.
It meant to continue as I saw fit. Seeing that, I loosened my muscles slightly.
"The treatment alone is surprisingly good, and it's true I was drawn here by that. But to dare treat me like this even so…."
"As always, the biggest problem is bastards with nothing but loud voices."
"What…?"
"The idiots swept up by them are a problem too."
At my words, the man looked at me with eyes filled with killing intent.
Meeting those eyes, I smiled.
"There must be a reason I eliminated you. Why analyze it so much? If you don't like it, get lost."
"You damned foal…!"
Guuuuuuu—!
Killing intent and fighting spirit clashed, causing vibrations to ring out.
It was a heavy aura befitting a perfected Peak.
"You seem to be someone connected to the merchant guild, so you'd best fix your attitude. No matter how great the Baekhwa Merchant Guild is, my sword is closer to you than that."
Meaning if things go wrong, he'll kill me.
As if to prove those words, killing intent coalesced on the bastard's sword.
Seeing his momentum, I nodded inwardly.
He really wasn't a bad martial artist.
In terms of realm, he was someone who made no sense to eliminate.
The strongest martial artist among them, excluding Cheonma.
That was the man's position.
So if there had been no particular problem, I probably would have passed him first.
Yes, if there had been 'no particular problem.'
"So what. Are you going to wave your sword around? Scary, so scary."
"Ha, this blood clot bastard truly…! I need to cut out your tongue for that attitude—."
"Anyway, those Martial Alliance bastards draw their swords at the drop of a hat. No different from thugs."
"…!"
At my words, the man stopped spitting out his words.
Afterward, I could see his pupils trembling slightly.
"Not like you should be the ones cursing demonic faction bastards? Sheesh. When the so-called pillars of the orthodox faction are like that, no wonder the world's gone to shit."
"Wh-what did you say…?"
A sigh escaped me.
The reason the man had been eliminated was none other than this.
Because he was a martial artist belonging to the Alliance.
"What the fuck did you say…."
Cursing, I took a step.
Then, my field of vision changed drastically.
Before I knew it, I was right in front of the man's nose.
"Heok…!!"
At this, the man was startled and moved his body.
He seemed to be trying to swing his sword instinctively. But before that, I grabbed the hand holding the sword and crushed the bones.
Udeudeudeuk—.
"…!!!"
Stopping mid-movement, along with a gruesome sound, the man let out a silent scream.
And then.
"Your head is held too high for your station."
Padeudeuk—!
This time, a sound burst from his lower body.
Immediately, the man crumpled, falling to his knees.
"Kkeueueuaaaa—!!"
Only then did a proper scream burst out.
Even though the man kept screaming after the bones in his arms and legs were shattered.
"Noisy."
Ppaak—!
I struck the bastard's head and knocked him out.
Is it because he's big? His screams are especially loud. Annoying as hell.
Thud.
The perfected Peak martial artist lost consciousness and collapsed onto the grass like that.
Then, with the scream gone, silence fell upon the surroundings.
The atmosphere had become much quieter than before.
Shifting my gaze, the surrounding martial artists were looking at me with their mouths open.
First, I lightly tossed the collapsed bastard aside.
Swish—!! Thud—!
A sound of falling beyond the bushes was heard.
"So?"
Then, roughly dusting off my hands, I spoke.
"Anyone else have complaints?"
"…"
"…"
Perhaps thanks to the kind explanation, no one voiced any complaints after that.
That was truly a relief.