I can feel the atmosphere turn chilling.
Gazes are fixed on me, and the boiling fighting spirit stimulates my heart.
Thump.
Feeling the short beat, I moved my hand.
Flinch-! Even at my small movement, the bastards react.
I can feel their heightened vigilance.
My moving fingertips grabbed the teacup.
Before smashing the table, I had intentionally floated it in the air.
It'd be a shame to spill it, right? Not just the food, but the tea tasted good too.
Gulp. I swallowed a mouthful and quenched my thirst.
Even until then, the surroundings remained quiet.
In that moment of maintained silence...
"...How on earth did you know...?"
The man who had asked me earlier poses the exact same question.
I know what the question means.
"What?"
But I feigned ignorance and asked back.
At that, the man scowled and added.
"I mean how did you know where this place is."
"Ah. That."
He means how I knew this was the stronghold of Gyecheonmun.
"That's a secret, obviously."
"..."
There's no way I'd tell them that.
Why would I give away precious information?
Though it's just something I briefly heard in my past life, so it's not exactly precious to me, but to them, it would be surprising.
Naturally, I intended to take advantage of that.
"How I found out isn't that important. At least, not to me."
Creak. As I leaned back, the chair made a noise.
It didn't seem like a very good chair.
"What's important right now isn't that..."
"Kyaaah-!"
I grabbed the hair of the woman lying face-down on the floor and lifted her up.
"Where is your Munju? That's what I said."
"...You bastard-!"
Crunch.
"---!!"
A rough sound rang out, and the woman let out a shriek.
I grabbed her left arm and twisted it.
Her arm was bent grotesquely, clearly looking painful.
"You're speaking quite disrespectfully. Just because I speak casually, does that mean you should too?"
"This son of a bitch-!"
"Won't you stop!?"
"Haha."
"Still running your mouth. It's pissing me off."
As I was about to grab her right arm and snap it right away...
"W-Wait a moment."
The man hastily stopped my action.
"S-Stop."
"..."
I didn't listen and was about to apply force.
Seeing that, the man shouted again.
"Please, stop!"
At the changed honorific, I finally stopped my action.
I immediately smiled and said to the man.
"Yes, that's how you should be."
"...Grrr."
"Open your eyes a bit, too. A guest has graciously visited, is that any way to look at him?"
"What on earth is the reason for this?"
"...Uh, I really don't like repeating myself. Are you perhaps a bit slow on the uptake, mister?"
I said the reason from the very beginning. I don't know why he keeps asking.
"I told you to bring out your Munju."
"..."
"Still don't understand? Want me to help you understand?"
I let go of the woman and picked up something else.
It was the young bastard who had his head smashed into the table and fainted.
"Hey."
No movement even when called.
Seeing that, I let out a chuckle.
"The bastard's pretending to be unconscious. Want me to wake him up? It'll hurt a bit if I do it, though."
"...!"
Only then did the guy flinch briefly.
"...H-Hyung..."
The guy, who had been caught long ago, belatedly called out to me pitifully.
"Fuck off with 'Hyung'. You're probably older than me, what's with 'Hyung'? I'll rip your tongue out."
It was a method that would absolutely never work.
This guy isn't a real kid.
He's wearing a disguise, but his body seems to be due to an illness.
I know this well because such guys occasionally existed among the Dark Guests.
I grabbed the guy's head tightly.
"Keuheok...!!!"
When I applied force, he immediately spat out saliva.
I intended to apply force only until right before a problem arose, but since I haven't been controlling my strength well lately, I'm not sure if it'll work out.
Even if it doesn't, it doesn't matter. It's not like my head is going to explode, right?
"Keu... euuu..."
"Stop it!"
"How can the Murim Alliance's greeting be so cruel-!!"
The words I heard were utterly ridiculous.
Cruel?
"You bastards are spouting bullshit, thinking it was right to approach me and extract information. If someone saw you, they'd think you were clean folks."
I knew from the moment I first came to the inn.
These bastards knew I was approaching long ago.
No, to be exact, they must have prepared from the moment they learned I had appeared in the vicinity.
I noticed it as soon as I arrived in this neighborhood.
Because I could feel gazes watching me from all directions.
It was so subtle that I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't focused my qi sense a bit.
It was a considerable level of concealment.
Mentioning this made the gazes quite a spectacle.
"Now, that's the fourth time I've said it. Usually, I don't tolerate more than three times... But since the food was worth it, I'll let it slide once. Listen well."
"Keu... euu..."
"Where's the Munju? If you don't answer within three seconds, this guy dies."
I held up three fingers and folded them one by one.
"One. Two..."
I folded my fingers at a slightly faster pace and soon reached the last finger.
Just as I folded my thumb and was about to apply force...
"R-Right now, the Munju-nim is not here."
"Oh."
An answer came.
"You finally answered."
If it had been any later, I would have had to clean up a corpse, so that was a relief.
"The Munju isn't here?"
"...Y-Yes. The Munju-nim is currently not present."
"Where did he go?"
"..."
"Answer."
"Keuheoeo!!!"
"H-He left for some business...! He will not be returning today."
"Hmm. Is that so?"
Hearing his words, I released the pressure on the head I was holding.
"Heoreoeo..."
As soon as I let go, the guy slumped down and grabbed his head.
It must have hurt quite a bit.
Leaving that guy behind, I stroked my chin with my own hand.
'He stepped out.'
I repeated those words inwardly.
The ones inside the inn probably aren't their full force.
However, they seem to be of a higher caliber than what is known.
That makes sense, considering they are being vigilant against just me.
With this many people, they're on guard against just one person?
This isn't simply because they know I'm a Daeju of the Murim Alliance.
'It seems like they sense something.'
It must be because they intuitively know I'm a strong expert.
I did leak some of it intentionally, but still, it was strange that they felt it.
'Something is definitely different.'
Going solely by the information Mook-yeon gave me, this shouldn't be possible.
It was proof that something was different from what was known.
Then, is the information the Alliance provided wrong? Or...
'Did something change from when the information was obtained?'
I shouldn't be feeling this way, but it's strangely interesting.
If there's something else, it'll be troublesome.
But it keeps nagging at me.
"Hmm. That's troublesome... I have business with the Munju, you see."
"...If you tell me your business, I will deliver it respectfully."
"Come on. I told you it's something I need to say to the Munju? Small fries should stay out of it."
"..."
At my spat-out words, the man's brows furrowed slightly.
Seeing him step forward to speak, he seems to hold some position.
So I asked, looking at the guy.
"Hey. Do you know why I came looking for you?"
"...I do not."
"Do you know who I am?"
"I do. It would make no sense if I didn't know who you are right now."
"Who am I."
As I asked with a slight smile, the man immediately provided an answer.
"The Star King of Shanxi. The Hero of Henan and the next Supreme Under Heaven. That is who you are."
"Hmm..."
I asked for no reason.
Hearing the description made me feel a bit uncomfortable.
The description was full of issues, but it confirmed that they knew my identity anyway.
"Then, think about it. Why do you think I came looking for you?"
"...I do not know. That is what we want to ask. What business does a figure of the Alliance have all the way out here?"
"Why ask something so obvious?"
"My purpose is obviously you guys. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come all the way here to act like this."
"..."
I know he realizes I mean business.
That's exactly the expression on his face. It felt quite refreshing.
"I don't really like doing bothersome things like this either... But what can I do? When the higher-ups tell me to do it, I have to do it. Right?"
It was actually something I chose to do rather than being ordered from above, but there was no need to go out of my way to say that.
"What do you-"
"So... don't try any useless tricks. Let's just keep this simple."
"Tricks...! I must tell you again, the Munju is..."
"Kneel."
"...!"
Boom--!!
At my word, the man and everyone around him fell to their knees.
Bewilderment bloomed all over their faces at the sudden situation.
At the same time.
Hwaaaah---!!!
Kwoooo--!!
I unleashed my qi, filling the room to the brim.
The vibrations spread, and the people frantically grabbed their chests.
"Kkeoheok--!!"
"Keuk...!"
They must have felt extremely suffocated, as they stumbled around, and those who suffered severely vomited blood, bleeding onto the floor before losing consciousness.
This wasn't just ordinary qi.
I mixed my fighting spirit and killing intent, amplifying the intensity.
With everyone forced to their knees beneath me, I tilted my head.
"I must have looked like a huge joke."
As always, when I speak nicely, they don't understand.
This bullshit process never changes, no matter where I go.
"I guess so. How much of a joke did I look like for them to try and deceive me with such bullshit?"
"I..."
The man is keeping his wits about him, likely because his cultivation level isn't low.
Not bad. He'd be about the right level to pair up with Seongyul.
For a single sect. And not even one of the prestigious Orthodox sects, he was almost too good for Gyecheonmun.
That's why it's even more puzzling.
Why would a guy like this be here? It's quite a mystery, but...
Well, I can ponder that later. Right now, it's time to question something else.
Keugeugeugeuk---!!!
Pressed down by the qi, the inn is slowly crumbling. Given the intensity, it looks like it won't hold out for long.
Let alone a human body.
As martial artists, they might be a bit sturdier, but looking at them, they won't last long.
At this current intensity, they'll collapse soon.
Feeling that, I turned my head.
"This isn't some kind of warning. If I say I'll do it, I'll do it."
Past the collapsed people, looking toward the kitchen.
I spoke while looking there.
No answer came.
Even so, I just continued speaking as if I didn't care.
"If you want to confirm, then keep hiding like that."
Thump.
I pushed my heart to add more qi. There was no hesitation.
I was really thinking of crushing them all.
Since I was at it, I was going to add some heat too.
Just as I thought that...
"Haha."
I momentarily stopped my qi at the sound of laughter that reached my ears.
It was the voice I had been waiting for.
"...My, my. You are worse than the rumors I heard."
Step.
With a low footstep as the last, someone walked out of the kitchen.
It was an old man gripping a kitchen knife.
What was unique was that, compared to his deeply wrinkled skin, his hair was a thick black.
Seeing that, I asked, looking a bit surprised.
"Did you, by any chance, make the food?"
"I did. It is a relief if it suited your taste."
"This is a bit unexpected."
I meant it. The food was really delicious, and this old man made it?
As I stayed dumbfounded in surprise, the old man spoke to me this time.
"It is an honor to meet the Great Daeju of the Alliance."
As he smiled with his eyes, the wrinkles around them deepened immensely.
"I have shown myself as you wished, so could you please quell your anger?"
"You say it's an honor, but it was really hard to see you."
"Tsk tsk tsk... I apologize. I am a bit shy around strangers."
The black-haired old man slowly approached, piercing through the qi.
That old man was him.
'Gyecheonmunju Daehwan.'
I remember seeing his face in passing.
Suuuu...
As if listening to his words, I withdrew my qi.
As the qi that had been released in all directions was retracted, sounds of fake coughing echoed from around us.
"Cough, cough...!"
"Keok... Keoheok."
As the people freed from the pressure struggled, the Gyecheonmunju approached me, pulled up a chair, and sat down.
Then, he surveyed the half-shattered table and the collapsed people before him.
"May I send the children away for a moment?"
"Go ahead."
As permission fell, he waved his hand.
Fwoosh-! The Dark Guests disguised as the child and the woman immediately floated into the air, darted off, and settled onto another person.
"Clean this up."
"...Y-Yes, sir."
As the relatively unharmed ones were cleaning up the injured...
"I am Daehwan, the one in charge as the Lord of this sect."
The Gyecheonmunju introduced himself.
"I know."
"First of all, it seems the children have committed some discourtesy to the Great Daeju... As the Munju, I will apologize on their behalf."
The Gyecheonmunju slightly bowed his head.
Seeing the crown of his head, I let out a slight laugh.
"Fuck 'on their behalf'."
"..."
"You knew about it anyway. Why put on this pathetic act?"
"...Tsk tsk."
Cooking in the kitchen was unexpected, but.
I already knew that he was here and that he knew I was coming.
"Old man. Stop putting on airs and just act like you normally do. It's sickening to watch."
"..."
As I spat those words out full of annoyance, I finally felt a change in the Gyecheonmunju.
The wrinkles around his eyes, where he had been forcing a smile, smoothed out, and a chilling aura enveloped his presence.
"Kid. You speak quite disrespectfully for your age."
Not only his voice but his tone of speech changed as well.
"Like I said. Your brats' mouths were running pretty disrespectfully. How dare they speak so casually to a Daeju of the Alliance? Do they want to be beaten to death?"
"Are you arrogant because of the depth of your power... or is that simply your original disposition?"
"How does it look to you?"
"I have no interest in that. What I'm curious about isn't that. Yes, I heard the rumors. That the child of the Gu Clan of Shanxi became a King... and that that child became the Daeju of the Alliance. However."
A chilling light arose in the Gyecheonmunju's eyes.
"Why did that great Star King come looking for this old man?"
Keugeugeuk-!
I felt something on my skin.
It wasn't a pleasant sensation. I ignored it and opened my mouth.
"It's nothing much."
As I spoke, I pulled a letter from my robes and showed it to him.
It was a letter bearing the seal of the Alliance.
"Gyecheonmun of Sichuan. There was a report that you guys are connected to the ones called the Demonic Cult who attacked Henan. I was thinking of conducting a search for this... Do you consent?"
"..."
Hearing my words, the Gyecheonmunju made an expression of disbelief.
"You came all the way here alone for that? And you're even saying it outright?"
"What, did you think I came to quietly eat a meal? Sorry, but I'm not really the type to enjoy gourmet dining. Ah, and it doesn't matter if you don't consent. To be honest, I don't actually need your consent."
"What happens if I say I don't consent?"
"Hmm... Then."
I pretended to ponder for a moment, then said with a smile.
"I'll just capture and interrogate you all. You guys are an Unorthodox sect anyway."
"...Hahahaha."
Did my words amuse him? The Gyecheonmunju burst into loud laughter.
The sound was so loud that it buzzed throughout the inn.
Laughing his head off like that, the Gyecheonmunju suddenly stopped laughing, as if putting on a play.
"...I believe you came alone."
"Right. I arrived today, and our guys seemed a bit tired."
"Yet you're so bold. What exactly gives you such confidence?"
At the Gyecheonmunju's words, I tilted my head.
"Was what I just showed you not enough?"
This much should be enough to overturn all of them.
To my words indicating as much, the Gyecheonmunju replied.
"Tsk tsk... No, it is enough. Furthermore, you have every right to be arrogant. I couldn't believe it from the rumors, but seeing it in person, a sigh of admiration escapes me. How can you be like this..."
"Wow. Should I say thanks for the compliment?"
"However, kid."
The Gyecheonmunju's eyes shone as he added.
"I know you are a divine beast and a being of the heavens, but... you've been consumed by that arrogance and lost your caution."
"Hmm."
A mistake of the heavens, huh.
It roughly means a tremendous genius, but the nuance was incredibly awkward.
"The world is not all that meets the eye."
"Right. The world is not all that meets the eye."
I couldn't help but wholeheartedly agree.
"What you see isn't everything. It really isn't."
"...Huh?"
"Anyways... There's a lot I want to ask after flipping this place over. But I'll give you some options first. I happen to have a proposition I want to offer you."
At my words, the Gyecheonmunju's eyebrows furrowed.
"You didn't hear what I just said."
"First option. You keep acting up, get beaten by me, spill everything, and get dragged to the Alliance."
"Y-You...!"
The Gyecheonmunju rose from his seat, trying to cast something, but...
"Second option. You join hands with the Cheongryong Daeju who will come later, and prepare to kill me."
He froze.
At the following words, the Gyecheonmunju's body came to a complete halt.
At the same time, questions bloomed all over his face.
Seeing his reaction, I smiled as if welcoming it.
"How about it? Which one do you want to do?"