Chapter 105 : True Education (1)

Chapter 105: True Education (1)

He received the glares of sheer wrath pouring toward him while pretending to remain calm.

‘Hoo, this isn’t easy.’

Sewoon let out a sigh inwardly.

Yes. The mysterious figure who had revealed himself in the space was none other than Tang Sewoon.

All the vulgar curses and sharp personal attacks he had hurled like a storm until now had been deliberately fabricated, each with a purpose.

‘I must make sure they never suspect me.’

By displaying a persona completely opposite to the Tang Sewoon they knew, he could conceal his true identity all the more effectively.

Otherwise, how could anyone believe that he, of all people, would speak in such crude and disgraceful ways?

……Of course, the question of why such perfectly timed profanities rolled so easily off his tongue without preparation was one Sewoon deliberately chose to ignore.

At that moment, for some reason, Sewoon flinched.

Because among those glaring at him as if to kill, his sister, Tang Serin, was also there.

The Tang Clan’s uniquely venomous eyes were pouring down on him with terrifying intensity.

‘……Forgive me, Sister.’

He truly felt sorry toward her, but there was no other choice.

It was because of the promise he had made with Yoo Jinhak a few days earlier.

After Sewoon had declared that he would claim the Demonic Alliance (사파련), Yoo Jinhak’s first words had been:

-……If anyone else had dared say the same before me, whoever it was, I would have thrown them into seclusion or even crippled their Dantian.

A terrifying statement spoken by the one recognized as the strongest under Heaven.

However.

The words that followed were filled only with concern and care for Sewoon.

-But it shakes me only because it is you, Sewoon.

-You claim that even a mere fragment of the darkness cannot be stopped by the divided Orthodox sects alone… and your words pierce me to the bone.

The expression on Yoo Jinhak’s face as he looked at Sewoon was filled with sorrow too deep for words.

Just by looking, Sewoon felt he could read the man’s heart.

How deeply must this boy, barely of age, have seen into the darkness before him? To abandon the hard-won seat of the Seven Great Clans, to throw away the name and honor he had built in the martial world, and instead to walk the path of disgrace, where only humiliation and contempt awaited?

That must have been what broke Yoo Jinhak’s heart.

Lowering his head, Yoo Jinhak had continued:

-But how could I stand in the way of your will?

-Go then. Walk the path you have chosen.

Yet, at last, Yoo Jinhak added one final, difficult request.

-……But, for the sake of the Orthodox sects and the Righteous Path, could you make me one promise?

-Whatever you command, Alliance Leader.

-I can no longer bear to watch young blood needlessly spill. So……

At that point, Sewoon’s thoughts were abruptly cut short.

“Hey! No matter what, aren’t your words going too far?”

“That’s right!! Even if you were sent under the Alliance Leader’s orders, at the very least, show some respect—!”

Fuming, Seo Surin and Nam Mujin raised their voices toward Sewoon.

It was as if they were restraining themselves from leaping at him right then and there.

Then, with eyes as cold as frost, Jang Sopyeong spoke.

“Yet the more I think about it, something feels off.”

“What?”

Sewoon answered irritably, and Jang Sopyeong continued.

“It seems doubtful whether a brute like you was truly sent by the Alliance Leader.”

Instantly, everyone’s gaze turned to Sewoon.

Perhaps it was because they had been momentarily stunned by the stream of insults—when they thought about it, there had been no evidence whatsoever to support his claim of acting under the Alliance Leader’s orders.

As the sharp stares of the Young Successors (후기지수) grew even colder, Sewoon clicked his tongue.

“Pathetic. You’ve got no skills, and yet you’re persistent.”

Whip.

He pulled something from his robe and tossed it onto the table.

With a loud clatter, the palm-sized object landed before them.

The Young Successors glanced at it—and their eyes widened in surprise.

‘That’s…?’

‘……A wooden plaque?’

It was a small wooden token.

On it, four characters were carved in relief.

With a blank look, Seo Surin read the words aloud.

“……奉公之牌 (Token of Service)?”

The Token of Service.

A plaque signifying the title of 봉공 (Service to the Alliance).

The Young Successors could not hide their bewilderment.

As far as they knew, there was no such position as Service within the Murim Alliance today.

But in the past, it certainly had existed.

Service was a kind of honorary position, granted when the Alliance invited powerful experts from outside the sects under its banner.

Normally, such individuals had no duties or obligations. They were asked only to lend their aid when the Alliance Leader himself requested it. They were, in effect, like guest retainers hired by the great martial clans.

And since they were considered worth inviting even as guests, those granted this title were invariably martial artists of immense renown and prestige.

‘But that position was abolished after the Great War between the Orthodox and Unorthodox.’

In the Murim Alliance’s heyday, the Service posts had proliferated to the point of abuse, leading to countless problems. Since then, not a single Service title had been granted.

And yet, today, before their very eyes, they saw one of the long-vanished Tokens of Service. No wonder they were so shaken.

Of course, it could have been a forgery, as they had suspected at first.

……But, regrettably, that possibility seemed nonexistent.

For the plaque bore proof even more irrefutable than the Alliance Leader’s seal stamped on a letter.

The Young Successors exhaled in disbelief.

For engraved into the wood, they could unmistakably see the sword traces of Yoo Jinhak, the strongest under Heaven.

‘……Could it be that the Alliance Leader himself forged this long-abolished Token of Service for this man?’

Every Young Successor gathered here was recognized as one of the most outstanding martial artists of their generation.

Not one among them failed to recognize the lofty traces of the Alliance Leader’s martial arts engraved on the plaque.

Struck speechless, they exchanged uneasy glances—until Sewoon sneered and spoke again.

“What? Regretting that you dared talk back to me without a shred of proof?”

“Not a single one of you even noticed the presence of the man who delivered the Alliance Leader’s letter, yet you dare puff up your pride?”

His words made them all flinch.

Indeed, not one of them had sensed the presence of the messenger who had delivered the letter.

“……Then, did Senior come here to us directly?”

“What?”

At Do Yecheon’s words, Sewoon stared at him as if he were an idiot.

“You fools. Don’t tell me… you still haven’t realized?”

“Eh?”

Still?

What in the world was this man talking about?

Watching their confused reactions, Sewoon shook his head and said.

“Click click, you have eyes but cannot see. Better to sell them as ornaments.”

As another insult followed, they were about to explode when.

“This won’t do. Show them.”

Sewoon suddenly spoke to the empty seat beside him.

And then.

“Gasp!”

“Kyaa!”

Everyone reacted in shock.

Cha-cheng!

One even drew his sword in alarm.

And no wonder.

In the seat where nothing had been moments before—

A masked martial artist had suddenly appeared like a mirage.

A phenomenon unfolding before their very eyes.

Unless he had risen from the shadows themselves, it was simply impossible.

“Click click, look at your faces. Quite a sight.”

Seeing the Young Successors frozen stiff like ice statues, Sewoon clicked his tongue again.

“He has long worked by my side. He’s more capable than all of you put together.”

All eyes turned to the mysterious man.

But he held his head high and gave no response.

From his silence alone, the air of a seasoned warrior who had survived countless battles was apparent.

At that moment, the mysterious man—

No, the assassin Nameless—sent a voice transmission to Sewoon.

Yes. Sewoon had added the assassin Nameless as one of his members.

The man who had once sulked and cursed endlessly for being excluded during the Kaifeng Blood Massacre now seemed completely appeased by this.

It was for this reason that none of the Young Successors had noticed when the letter was delivered.

The number one assassin under Heaven.

No, now at least among the top three assassins alive, had infiltrated their midst. Of course they hadn’t noticed.

Outwardly acting the part of a cold, aloof senior assassin, yet sending such ridiculous transmissions to him—Sewoon could only shake his head at Nameless.

‘To think that a man so hungry for attention is hailed as the King of Assassins. The world truly is absurd.’

He almost burst out laughing, but held it back.

Because now was the time for the grand finale.

“Look! Why should I show respect to the likes of you? I came to meet my subordinates, those who will risk their lives to fulfill their mission with me! I did not come here to babysit you brats!”

……Babysit? Did he just call them children?

His words had long since crossed the line, and rage boiled within them all.

But Sewoon did not retreat.

He pressed even harder.

Pointing with his finger, he began insulting them one by one.

“A half-wit who can’t even kill a single man, wielding only half-formed martial arts.”

His first target was Seo Surin of the Shrine Maiden Sect.

“A fool who has wasted years without being able to control her innate nature.”

Next was Do Yecheon.

“A useless wretch who cannot even detect an enemy’s intrusion beforehand.”

“How dare you……!”

Jang Sopyeong was the next to be insulted.

“A coward who abandoned his comrades and fled before the Poison Demon.”

Do Ha-yeong’s eyes shook violently as though in an earthquake.

“And those pathetic stragglers who had to beg for their lives from a mere rookie far beneath them.”

“You bastard!!”

Tang Serin, the Peng siblings, and Nam Mujin all erupted in anger at the insult.

But ignoring all their furious glares, Sewoon suddenly rose to his feet.

He walked straight toward the last person still concealing his identity.

Then, with eyes as cold as ice, he spat.

“And even the loyal dog of his father, who seeks to plunge the martial world into chaos.”

Whip!

Sewoon yanked away the last man’s mask.

Everyone froze, completely unprepared for who was revealed.

‘That man, why is he here……!’

‘Na, Namgung Baek?’

‘The heir of the Namgung Clan has been chosen?!’

It was none other than Namgung Baek, the direct heir of Namgung Myeong, and the leader of the Elder Faction.

As everyone reeled in shock, Sewoon’s voice rang out, dripping with killing intent.

“Even if this is the Alliance Leader’s will, I cannot accept you. Why did you come here so obediently? Planning to steal information for your father?”

Uuuuung!

A ferocious aura swelled from Sewoon as he reached for Namgung Baek’s shoulder, ready to crush it.

And then.

Chwaaat!

Without a moment’s hesitation, everyone hurled themselves forward.

With a voice heavy with wrath, Sewoon demanded.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

The remaining Young Successors all stood before Namgung Baek.

Protecting one man, together.

“……We endured your insults out of respect and loyalty to the Alliance Leader.”

Tang Serin was the first to speak.

It was true that Namgung Baek carried Namgung Myeong’s bloodline.

Perhaps the suspicion leveled against him had some merit.

“But no matter who you are, even if you were sent as our superior, we cannot tolerate you threatening one of our comrades.”

For theirs was the path of the Righteous Way.

At the very least, they would never treat others in such a dishonorable manner.

“And if you cannot tolerate it, what then?”

“When martial artists have disagreements, what need is there for words?”

Sssshhhk!

She drew the White Water Fan and leveled it at Sewoon.

“All of us hereby challenge you to a duel.”

Everyone else glared at Sewoon with the same resolve as Tang Serin.

‘Just as I hoped.’

Behind the mask, Sewoon smiled.