Chapter 446: He Fell Asleep in an Instant.
Im Sobaek said to the Lust Demon.
“Eat first, then come to my office. I need to give the First Unit Leader a scolding.”
“Understood.”
After checking Im Sobaek’s expression, the Lust Demon left the rear garden without a word. As the Lust Demon entered the Alliance Leader’s Hall, Im Sobaek’s voice rang out.
“……That is Young Master Mong, who has finished his duel.”
It meant to let him out without trouble. As the Lust Demon passed, the alliance members bowed their heads slightly.
After sending the Lust Demon out first, Im Sobaek sat down on the ground and called Sim Hwi.
“Come here.”
First Unit Leader Sim Hwi walked over, utterly dejected, looking very much like someone who had been scolded many times before. When Sim Hwi sat down across from him, Im Sobaek spoke with his arms folded.
“I went out of my way to warn you to give it your all.”
“I apologize.”
“And yet you lowered your sword and yielded the initiative. Did that fellow look so weak to you?”
The dispirited Sim Hwi lowered his head.
“No. If I face him again with all my strength……”
Im Sobaek laughed with an incredulous expression.
“Again?”
“Yes.”
“You died just now. What next time is there?”
Sim Hwi lifted his head in surprise.
“Pardon?”
“He had more than enough time to drive a sword into your back, not just put a finger there.”
“That is true.”
Im Sobaek looked at Sim Hwi.
“Is there a next time?”
“There is not.”
“The only reason you’re still breathing just fine is because it was a sparring match. There is no other reason. A moment ago, Sim Hwi, First Unit Leader of the Murim Alliance, died. To a young expert who uses ice arts.”
The Alliance Leader’s words gouged even deeper into Sim Hwi’s heart.
“I understand.”
Sim Hwi glanced at the frozen rear garden and asked.
“How would you have dealt with it, Alliance Leader? Ice arts are not common martial arts.”
“You laughed once at Mongrang’s rambling.”
“Yes.”
“You gave him that single breath and had the initiative stolen from you. Mongrang had already closed the distance. The shape of his sword qi was large enough to obscure your vision, but its power was not as impressive as its clamor. Yet you responded to that with sword aura. In the end, did that not steal another breath from you?”
“It did.”
“By the time you struck away the sword qi, Mongrang was already above your head. Using the characteristics of ice arts, he poured down a technique that was difficult to block. Because you had used sword aura, which was excessive compared to sword qi, your breathing lagged, and the speed at which you drew up your internal energy was slower than usual. Where did all of this begin to go wrong?”
Sim Hwi answered with a stiff expression.
“From the moment I laughed.”
Im Sobaek spoke in a cold tone.
“Hwi, can you laugh in front of an opponent stronger than you?”
“Mm.”
“There are countless heroes, eccentrics, and extraordinary people all across the jianghu. If someone deliberately steals your breath and launches a preemptive attack, just as Mongrang muttered, then that will be death as well. The position of First Unit Leader of the Murim Alliance is not a light one. If you die, the First Sword Unit collapses too. Are you going to fight like this?”
“……”
“If an all-out war breaks out, the First Sword Unit is the vanguard. If the vanguard collapses, what will you do about the morale of the next sword unit?”
Sim Hwi pressed his lips tightly shut.
This was not the defeat of an individual, but a mistake directly tied to the survival of the Murim Alliance.
“I am not simply rebuking you for the result. With your skill, does it make sense for you to be subdued so easily? If Mongrang had that much strength left, then the First Sword Unit, having lost you so easily, could have been annihilated by Mongrang, and it would not have been strange.”
Only then did Sim Hwi’s complexion turn pale.
Im Sobaek said.
“If it had been real combat, you should at least have cut off one of his arms before dying, so your subordinates could step in and avenge you. Could you have expected such a result from the duel just now?”
“I could not.”
Im Sobaek asked.
“Mongrang must have been disappointed too. To think the First Unit Leader of the Murim Alliance amounted to this…… Did you truly not expect Mongrang to use a special technique as soon as it began?”
“Yes.”
Im Sobaek nodded.
“Then you should die. If you don’t know, there is no choice but to die. The problem is that you are not the only one who dies. The sword unit members who trusted and followed you were also annihilated by Mongrang today.”
Just how many times had Sim Hwi died today?
Each time Im Sobaek mentioned death, the nape of his neck went cold and his face burned. The thought of himself falling was dizzying enough, but if the First Sword Unit collapsed because of it, that too would be his responsibility.
Im Sobaek watched Sim Hwi’s expression, then said.
“You must never forget what happened today.”
“I will not forget.”
“That fellow did use a special technique, but he did not give it his all. You lost in a fight where he still held strength in reserve. I cannot entrust the Murim Alliance to someone who lets his guard down like you.”
Im Sobaek raised a finger as if he were about to rap him on the head and pointed at Sim Hwi.
“It was an unforgivable lapse in vigilance. Start training again from your mindset.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Im Sobaek stood and looked around the frozen rear garden.
“By evening, mobilize your entire First Sword Unit and restore this place to its original state. If the sword unit members ask why they are doing this kind of cleaning, tell them it is because you lost.”
“Yes, Alliance Leader.”
Only then did Im Sobaek put his longsword back into its sheath and speak.
“Even though I was standing a good distance away, I drew my sword and responded. Look at the state of this rear garden. Mongrang is not the greatest under heaven, so how do you plan to face other experts when you are the First Unit Leader?”
When Im Sobaek turned away, Sim Hwi let his head droop.
...Gongson Wol, who had been waiting in the office, stood and asked Im Sobaek.
“Alliance Leader, how did it go?”
Im Sobaek answered as he took his seat.
“You have a rough idea, don’t you?”
“Still, I thought it might have turned into a rather splendid duel.”
Im Sobaek let out a sigh.
“Far from a splendid duel, he was taken down in almost a single exchange.”
Gongson Wol looked at Im Sobaek with a disappointed air.
“I see.”
Im Sobaek and Gongson Wol looked at each other, then sighed at the same time.
Im Sobaek muttered with a somewhat hollow expression.
“Mongrang, of all people……”
The phrase “the Alliance Leader of the Murim Alliance……” had been omitted from those words. When Im Sobaek leaned his head back against the chair, Gongson Wol also shook his head.
‘Young Master Mong, of all people.’
Gongson Wol, looking at Im Sobaek, spoke like the strategist he was.
“Shall we prepare another expert?”
Im Sobaek shook his head.
“No. I didn’t even go all out when I faced the First Unit Leader. It would be the same no matter whom you brought.”
“What if you brought the Master of Haomun, or my master, the Sword Demon?”
Im Sobaek smiled.
“The Sword Demon, is it… If entrusted with it, he would do surprisingly well. But he is a man who knows when to advance and when to withdraw. Naturally, he would refuse. Background means nothing to us, but at this point, it is right to replace the generation.”
“What about the Sect Master?”
“Where on earth is that rascal, and what is he doing?”
“I do not know either.”
“In any case, Mongrang and the Sect Master are not much different. They are sworn brothers, after all, so it is six of one, half a dozen of the other. Whoever it is, their positions will merely be swapped, and whoever becomes Alliance Leader, the other will respond from within and without.”
A guard reported from outside.
“Alliance Leader, Young Master Mong has arrived.”
Im Sobaek sat up straight and nodded as he looked at Gongsonwol.
“You may leave.”
“Yes.”
Gongsonwol opened the door himself, then said,
“I was just about to leave. Please, come in.”
“Take care on your way.”
The Lust Demon cleared his throat, then entered the office. Im Sobaek looked at the Lust Demon and asked,
“Did you gulp your meal down? Why are you so fast?”
“No, sir.”
“Sit.”
As the Lust Demon sat, he asked,
“Is there another opponent?”
Im Sobaek grinned.
“I don’t know. No, there isn’t.”
“I see.”
The Lust Demon smiled as well.
“You are flustered because I won them all.”
“Hahaha.”
Im Sobaek laughed with his shoulders shaking, then shook his head.
“No.”
The Lust Demon also smiled as he said,
“I won every duel, so I am satisfied. If it does not sit well with you, Alliance Leader, I would be fine returning to Ilyang County like this. My heart would probably be very light. My master and my disciple would be pleased as well. I will train my body and mind further, and when I challenge for the next Alliance Leader’s seat, I will show you a more grown version of myself.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Im Sobaek said,
“I scolded Unit Leader Sim harshly. I cannot entrust it to that fellow. He is lacking.”
“How was the Sword Saint?”
“Still young. It seems his master sent him to gain experience. Since he was defeated, he must have gained much.”
The Lust Demon pointed at himself with his thumb.
“Then there is only me.”
Im Sobaek clasped his hands together and said,
“There is only you. The person to whom I can entrust the Murim Alliance.”
The Lust Demon, having set his mind at ease, spoke honestly.
“You are uneasy, aren’t you? About entrusting it to me.”
“Not particularly. No matter whom I entrusted it to, I would not have felt at ease. It is not specifically because it is you. I would be uneasy if I entrusted it to Gongsonwol, and the same goes for Unit Leader Sim. That is why, all the more, someone strong in martial arts must take the position of Alliance Leader. You did well.”
As he spoke, Im Sobaek sorted out his thoughts and looked around the office.
“I will not hand it over at once. I do not intend to hold a separate retirement ceremony for myself, but your inauguration is different. We must let the martial world know that the era has changed. Let us hold the inauguration after gathering not only the forces that have helped the Murim Alliance thus far, but also those you wish to invite.”
“Mm. I have one request.”
“Speak.”
“I do not have many people to invite, but in any case, I should invite my master in Ilyang County, should I not?”
“You should.”
“Other places are fine, but could you send a carriage to Ilyang County? I think my master would feel something special if he saw a carriage arrive in Ilyang County.”
Im Sobaek nodded.
“We are the Murim Alliance, after all. We can do at least that. Moreover, if he is the master of the new Alliance Leader, it is only right to send a carriage and escort him here.”
The Lust Demon nodded.
“Then I have nothing more to wish for.”
“If there is anyone else you wish to invite, pass it on to the Military Council. If we can make contact, we will bring them here somehow. By the way, where is the Master of Haomun? You should know better than I do.”
“I do not know either.”
“Is he still splashing around in the sea?”
“He is probably roaming around tormenting people.”
“We will have to send Alliance members to ask around. In any case, it would be good if the Master of Haomun were present at a place of celebration.”
The Lust Demon scratched his cheek and said,
“You do not need to put in too much effort.”
“Why? Do you not want to see him?”
The Lust Demon looked toward one side of the office and tilted his head.
“For some reason, I feel like he would tell me to hand over the Alliance Leader’s seat. If someone else were Alliance Leader, I do not think he would do that. But if he hears that I have taken the position, I can already see his expression. He would make a face as if he could not stand the sight of me. Even if he would not take someone else’s seat, I think he would take mine.”
Im Sobaek was about to laugh as he had earlier, but he managed his expression before answering.
“Would the Sect Master really go that far? Do not worry. Ah, and.”
“Yes.”
“Even after you become Alliance Leader, there will be duels from time to time. Once you become Alliance Leader, challengers are bound to appear. Someone ignorant of the ways of the world may challenge you. There will also be those who challenge you to make a name for themselves. If you crush a few of those duels in public at the beginning, things will quiet down somewhat.”
The Lust Demon nodded.
“Understood. I will have to crush them thoroughly so there will be fewer troublesome matters later.”
Im Sobaek let out a long breath, then asked,
“How does it feel? To be designated the new Alliance Leader.”
“It still does not feel real. How was it for you in the past, Alliance Leader?”
Im Sobaek recalled old memories.
“As for me, I was even more at a loss than you are. I was not prepared. I never expected it. I was simply called in one day, and it was, ‘You are the Alliance Leader now,’ like that.”
“How did you feel?”
“Well, I was not all that happy. I had little desire to be Alliance Leader. But when the person who had taught me so much asked it of me, I could not refuse. Yes. I could not refuse. Thanks to that, for such a long time…”
Im Sobaek looked at the Lust Demon.
“I ran. Looking back, it feels like only a moment.”
The Lust Demon asked,
“Will I be able to do well?”
“Would you not do better than I did? You have already learned much from the Sword Demon, after all. To be honest, there is not much I can teach you. Administrative duties improve as you do them. There are many people to assist you, so it is not difficult. If there is something I would have to make an effort to teach you, it would be the Six-Battle Great Sword… As for that, let us meet in the rear garden later and ponder it together.”
“Understood.”
Im Sobaek looked at the Lust Demon, then nodded.
“Then I’ll be taking care of some administrative work now. Go and rest. And make sure you empty your bowels properly.”
“Yes, then, Alliance Leader. I’ll take my leave.”
After Mongrang disappeared, Im Sobaek propped both feet up on his desk. Administrative work or whatever else—he first closed his eyes in peace.
“……”
Was sleep stealing over him because he was tired? Or was it only now stealing over him because the moment to lay down his heavy burden was drawing near?
The Alliance Leader, on the verge of retirement, fell asleep the instant he closed his eyes.