Bi Sa-in was eating at his usual tavern.
As always, the Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Path were scattered around, escorting Bi Sa-in.
A martial artist came, reported something to the First Wolf, and left.
The First Wolf then reported the contents to Bi Sa-in.
“It is a report from the Young Cult Master’s side.”
He had received a report earlier that Geom Mugeuk and Pyo Gi-gwang were being pursued after being attacked by assassins.
The reason he wasn't too tense despite such a report was probably because the one protecting them was Geom Mugeuk.
As expected, the result was just as he had anticipated.
“The assassins have been annihilated.”
The First Wolf reported the specific details.
“Upon checking the bodies, the assassination organization mobilized this time was the Nine Springs Society. With all their mobilized assassins dead, they have suffered a significant blow.”
What angered Bi Sa-in was not that they tried to kill Pyo Gi-gwang.
It was the fact that they tried to kill him knowing that he, Bi Sa-in, intended to protect him.
Geom Mugeuk, who was escorting Pyo Gi-gwang, was wearing the attire of the Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Path.
In other words, the opponent had sent assassins knowing full well that his own subordinate was protecting the target.
‘How dare they try to kill my subordinate too?’
This was an act of ignoring his authority as the Young Alliance Leader and challenging him head-on.
“Is there no way to find out who made the contract?”
The First Wolf shook his head with a troubled expression.
“The Nine Springs Society is famous not only for not discriminating their targets, but also for not investigating their clients.”
That was why they were popular in the world of assassins.
Based on that popularity, they were able to grow their organization to be one of the largest in the Central Plains.
“What about the Young Cult Master?”
“He has vanished along with Pyo Gi-gwang, who was with him.”
There was no way Geom Mugeuk would have been defeated by assassins, so he must be somewhere safe with Pyo Gi-gwang.
Now that it was revealed that the Unorthodox Alliance Leader had not ordered the creation of an organization that used children, the information Geom Mugeuk would bring back had become crucial.
“We shouldn’t have left it all to the Young Cult Master.”
Bi Sa-in did not respond to the First Wolf's words.
It wasn't normal to explain his trust to the First Wolf.
The friendship with Geom Mugeuk might be one he would have to carry alone in his heart for his entire life.
Just then, the tiger who appears when you speak of him sent a telepathic message to Bi Sa-in.
—Don't say such things.
You should have said, ‘I trust my friend, the Young Cult Master.’
A smile formed on Bi Sa-in's lips.
In fact, he had been waiting for such a telepathic message while eating.
—Why didn't you just come here instead of sending a message? You are also a respectable member of the Thirteen Wolves.
It was a joke one couldn't hear often from Bi Sa-in, but the current situation was not one where he could take it as a joke.
—I would like to, but I can't for the time being.
They sent assassins as soon as they learned that Pyo Gi-gwang contacted you.
Now that they have failed to kill Pyo Gi-gwang, they will be watching you.
They might be wondering if you have discovered the secret, and could be observing you from somewhere even now.
Bi Sa-in's expression hardened slightly.
This was a different kind of battle from the ones he had fought to become the successor.
He felt even more displeased by the opponent's provocation.
—Let's meet at the cliff later.
—Let's do that.
—Be careful of being followed.
As Geom Mugeuk's presence disappeared, Bi Sa-in also put down his chopsticks and rose from his seat.
He had cleaned his plate, including the side dishes he normally didn't eat.
*
Dozens of martial artists were running across the Unorthodox Alliance Hall training grounds.
They ran relying only on their basic stamina, without using inner energy.
Some began to collapse from the continuous running that pushed them beyond their limits.
“You applied for the Black Dragon Division, right? If you give up here, you can't get into the Black Dragon Division.”
The person who spoke while looking down at the martial artist gasping for breath on the ground was Instructor Hwang Seok-gyeong.
To enter a desired organization, not only martial skills but also corresponding physical strength and mental fortitude were required.
Failing to pass this test would result in being assigned to a place lower than the desired organization.
“I can't do it anymore. I'm sorry.”
Then, Hwang Seok-gyeong whispered something in his ear.
The man, who was on the verge of death, got up and ran again.
His colleague, Instructor Cha, who was watching, approached him and asked.
“What did you say to him this time?”
Hwang Seok-gyeong smiled and said.
“I told him that if he acts weak, his fiancée back home will be stolen by another man.”
Instructor Cha was impressed.
“As expected. You've memorized the personal information of all the new members this time too.”
This was one of the reasons Hwang Seok-gyeong was renowned as the best instructor.
He knew everything about the dozens of new martial artists who came in every month.
Where they were from, their family relationships, their personality and hobbies, and where they had applied, he had memorized it all.
There were many reasons why he was known as the Martial King, but the decisive one was that he was smart.
He was strong because he was intelligent.
“Hey, Instructor Hwang. You don't get a higher monthly salary for working this hard. Take it easy.”
Hwang Seok-gyeong simply smiled his good-natured smile.
Instructor Cha did not know.
How different this appearance as an instructor was from his true nature, that everything except his breathing was a lie and an act.
When the training ended, the martial artist who had heard the whisper earlier ran over to express his gratitude.
“Thanks to you, I didn't give up and made it through. Thank you.”
Hwang Seok-gyeong patted his shoulder with a good-natured face.
“You have to succeed and return home in glory.”
“I will do my best.”
To anyone watching, he truly looked like an instructor who cherished and liked his juniors.
But the moment he left the training grounds, he was no longer an instructor but the Martial King.
A telepathic message came from somewhere.
—The assassins are all dead, and Pyo Gi-gwang has disappeared.
He paused for a moment at the unexpected result.
—Didn't you say one of the Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Path was guarding him?
—That is correct.
—And yet all the assassins are dead?
—Yes, that is correct.
The Martial King began to walk again.
He had a bad feeling this time, so he used external assassins instead of his own people.
—The Young Alliance Leader set a trap? If so, he might have already figured out my existence.
The Martial King's judgment was accurate.
—Prepare them.
—Who is the target?
And he made a decision that would determine the fate of the Unorthodox Faction without a moment's hesitation.
—Bi Sa-in.
*
Late at night, when Bi Sa-in arrived, Geom Mugeuk was sitting on the edge of a cliff.
“Where is Pyo Gi-gwang?”
Bi Sa-in asked as he sat down next to Geom Mugeuk.
In the past, he always stood beside him, but now he naturally sat in the spot next to Geom Mugeuk.
“I just saw him off to live a second life.”
Looking at Geom Mugeuk, wondering what he meant, Bi Sa-in asked with a look of suspicion.
“Don't tell me Division Lord Pyo has left?”
Geom Mugeuk nodded his head.
“As of now, isn't he the only one who knows the mastermind?”
There must have been a reason for letting him go, but Bi Sa-in couldn't understand.
Geom Mugeuk, more than anyone, should have known that fact.
Soon, the reason that would shock Bi Sa-in was revealed.
“He told me who the mastermind was before he left.”
Bi Sa-in stared at Geom Mugeuk without a word.
Yes, he had believed Geom Mugeuk would find out the mastermind.
That was why he had him protect Pyo Gi-gwang.
But he hadn't thought he would find out in just one day.
If it were anyone else, he would think it was a lie.
He would think some sort of evil art was used to find out.
But Bi Sa-in was certain.
Pyo Gi-gwang must have truly wanted to tell him, out of sincerity.
In just one day.
“You are truly…”
He couldn't find the words to describe it.
Of course, Geom Mugeuk was not one to miss this moment.
“Your amazing friend.”
Bi Sa-in just hoped this feeling would not change.
For now, no, even in the future, he couldn't imagine defeating this man.
His pride wasn't even hurt anymore.
And his surprise was just beginning.
“Who is the mastermind?”
“Do you know someone named Hwang Seok-gyeong?”
Now Bi Sa-in turned to face Geom Mugeuk completely.
A name he had never expected came up.
“Surely you don't mean Instructor Hwang of the Unorthodox Alliance Hall?”
“So you know him.”
He had anticipated several names who could be the mastermind, but Instructor Hwang was someone he had not considered at all.
“It's hard to believe. Truly hard to believe.”
Hwang Seok-gyeong was a representative instructor of the Unorthodox Alliance Hall with a good reputation, good skills, and even a good personality.
Geom Mugeuk understood Bi Sa-in's surprise.
He himself had found it unexpected, so how surprised must Bi Sa-in be?
But the problem in this situation was not that an instructor from the Unorthodox Alliance Hall was the mastermind.
It was the fact that the mastermind was the Martial King.
“I secretly observed him today, and he was hiding his martial arts.”
He didn't say it ambiguously like he seemed to be hiding it.
He stated it with conviction.
This was an opponent Bi Sa-in had to be very careful with.
“Then he must be a member of that hidden force you mentioned.”
“I think so.”
“I will capture him at once and interrogate him.”
Geom Mugeuk stopped Bi Sa-in, who was about to get up.
“His skills were no ordinary matter. You must never try to face him alone."
"I think it would be difficult even if you and the Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Path attacked him together.”
“!”
Bi Sa-in looked at Geom Mugeuk with an expression of disbelief.
He wondered if it was a joke, but it wasn't.
Geom Mugeuk was looking at him with a more serious expression than ever before.
“The problem isn't just him alone. The Flowing Sword Sect Master said he gave them benefits, so there must be powerful figures within the Alliance who have joined hands with Instructor Hwang."
"It could be one person, or it could be several. There's no need to be so surprised. The man who infiltrated the Martial Alliance invested a full ten years. I believe this one is not much different.”
Bi Sa-in realized that this matter was far more significant and dangerous than he had thought.
If it hadn't been for Geom Mugeuk, this conspiracy would have continued.
The more he thought about it, the more chilling it became.
“He must know by now that they failed to kill Pyo Gi-gwang. So won't he run away?”
Another person might have.
But the Martial King's martial skills were overwhelmingly good, and he had great pride in those skills.
He was not the type of person to choose running away as a solution to a problem.
“Considering the time he has invested in the Unorthodox Alliance, he won't back down easily. He will be watching to see how you will react.”
Thinking that there were people plotting against the Unorthodox Alliance, Bi Sa-in's fighting spirit boiled within him.
But he had to remain calm.
He had said that Instructor Hwang's skills were far superior to his own.
If the opponent was such a master, asking the Unorthodox Alliance Leader for help was the wisest choice.
Realistically, it was the best course of action, but emotionally, it was the worst.
It was tantamount to asking the Unorthodox Alliance Leader to handle something he couldn't.
Another problem was those who had joined hands with him.
He had to find out who they were somehow.
He wouldn't be able to sleep with two feet stretched out with such people nearby.
“If we capture him alive, will he confess who he joined hands with?”
At Bi Sa-in's question, Geom Mugeuk shook his head.
“He won't confess. No, given his skills, capturing him alive would be impossible in the first place.”
Geom Mugeuk once again emphasized the Martial King's skills.
Since Bi Sa-in was now directly entangled with him, he was giving him a warning to be careful.
After thinking for a moment, Bi Sa-in spoke carefully.
“Can you help me one more time?”
“I am willing to invest in the Young Alliance Leader of the Unorthodox Alliance. Pay me back later with hefty interest. What can I do to help you?”
Bi Sa-in made a very unexpected request.
“Would you like to take a tour of the Unorthodox Alliance Hall?”
It meant he should enter as a new recruit and approach Instructor Hwang.
“New martial artists enter the Unorthodox Alliance Hall every month. You could approach Instructor Hwang and find out who he has joined hands with, couldn't you?”
This was not a request one could make to an ordinary person.
No, he couldn't even have made such a request to Jin Ha-gun, the Demon Slaying Branch Master.
It was a mission of extreme difficulty, with no telling how long it would take.
This was something he couldn't do, and no one else could either.
Unless it was the man who made Pyo Gi-gwang open his mouth in just one day.
“He will be focused on my movements. He won't expect you to approach as a new recruit, so you can infiltrate from the inside.”
Geom Mugeuk, who had always given a positive answer saying ‘just trust me,’ shook his head this time.
“I'm not confident.”
He knew to some extent what kind of person the Martial King was.
He was smarter than anyone.
In this situation, if a conspicuous new recruit were to appear, he would definitely be suspicious first.
At any other time, it might be different, but in the current situation, it was definitely not an easy task.
Bi Sa-in had a strange expression.
“Why are you looking at me with that face?”
“It's because I'm realizing you're human too.”
“You didn't see me as human until now?”
“You've never shown a human-like side before.”
“I've been pestering you to be my friend all this time, and you say I'm not human-like! Isn't that what's inhuman?”
After a round of banter, Geom Mugeuk revealed the reason for his refusal.
“I don't think the opponent will give us that much time.”
Bi Sa-in was curious.
What had he seen in Hwang Seok-gyeong that made him so cautious? Why did he rate him so highly?
“When you go back, wear the best protective armor you have. It's fine to wear two or three layers.”
Geom Mugeuk had surprised him several times today, but this statement surprised him the most.
“Don't tell me? You think he would try to kill me too? He would go that far?”
Geom Mugeuk had warned him again and again precisely to say these words.
“That's right. If I were him, I would kill you first.”