Chapter 39 : Just as I Heard

Cheongmu Unit’s Deputy Commander Seong Yubeom slightly frowned as he listened to the orders.

He was told that someone would come out of the Jinbeop and to wait at the end of the formation to escort them back to the Operation Room.

Ever since the Leader decided to bring the Jinbeop experts into the byeolchae, something felt off, but who was this meant to test?

Glancing outside, Seong Yubeom saw that the Jinbeop inside the byeolchae was activated, the kind used to evaluate situational response when selecting Cheongmu Unit members.

It was possible that even a Muin who had caught the Leader’s attention could have detected it—there had been rare cases like that before.

Up to this point, it was plausible, but what made Seong Yubeom smirk was that they had summoned him, a mere human.

Was he supposed to be some noble’s child? Still, the Murim Alliance had no choice but to keep an eye on the Old Faction’s moves.

“But there’s no visitor scheduled today.”

Seong Yubeom unfolded the jukgan he had brought and checked the day’s agenda.

Normally, whenever someone from a prestigious family entered, they had to submit their visit schedule in advance.

Besides, this was an operational zone. How could visitors be accepted here?

Seong Yubeom rubbed his confused head but realized this was an unsolvable puzzle for him.

He was missing two crucial facts.

First, the Murim Alliance Leader was on a secret mission and hadn’t informed anyone. In other words, no one knew the Leader was here.

Second, Chun Jiak thought he would meet only the Leader himself and didn’t send a message to his subordinates. Instead, he sent Deputy Commander, which was a small mistake on Chun Jiak’s part.

Seong Yubeom soon gave up thinking. His task was simply to escort them to the Operation Room. Knowing just that much in Gangho was enough.

“What’s with the chair?”

Having cleared his mind, Seong Yubeom glanced around the backyard near the Jinbeop before anyone appeared.

There was a chair that looked like someone had been sitting there, with footprints beside it.

He touched the chair; it was still warm, meaning it had been used not long ago.

Could the Leader have been sitting there? Seong Yubeom smirked. Chun Jiak was not the type to sit around idly. He preferred standing and moving about. Still, sometimes sitting was possible, so he dismissed it casually.

Soon, the Jinbeop vibrated, signaling an arrival. Since no one was expected to enter, it had to be someone coming out.

Seong Yubeom grinned. If the person was on the Leader’s mind, then they were already part of Cheongmu Unit. He was already excited to see how he could mess with the rookie.

But the people who emerged from the byeolchae were completely unexpected.

“Who?”

Seong Yubeom had no choice but to ask. A boy and a girl who looked too young to be martial artists stepped out.

Both were handsome and pretty, making it interesting to watch, but that wasn’t the main point.

He checked inside the Jinbeop again. From the energy flowing outside, the formation still seemed stable.

Because the Jinbeop’s energy was chaotic, it was impossible to spread it out and confirm if anyone was inside. He had to verify just in case.

“Did you come through the Jinbeop?”

“Yes.”

“Both of you?”

“Yes.”

Judging by the situation, it was clear these kids had come out through the Jinbeop. Even so, Seong Yubeom found it hard to believe.

That Jinbeop was not a killing formation, but after continuously spinning, the Six-Time Jin would have triggered.

For kids that age to walk through the Six-Time Jin inside the formation was impossible. The Jinbeop was artificially manipulated unlike natural energy, so the physical exhaustion felt was exceptional.

At the very least, one would have to be at their peak to walk through the Six-Time Jin and come out looking so composed.

Seong Yubeom asked just in case.

“How long did it take you to pass through the Jinbeop?”

The girl glanced at the boy and gave an ambiguous answer.

“About half the time of the Six-Time Jin?”

“Exactly that.”

Meanwhile, the boy answered clearly and firmly.

Seong Yubeom shook his head. That was insane. It was more absurd than shouting nonsense while running through the Six-Time Jin. Unable to hold back, he spoke up.

“Don’t say nonsense. Unless you’re a high-level master who can feel the energy of new techniques and Jinbeop, it’s impossible to get through that Jinbeop in half the time.”

“So what if it took that long? Why does it matter so much? You didn’t say a word and just got out, looking annoyed.”

The girl, who had seemed pretty until now, suddenly shouted Baek Sori’s name. Seong Yubeom was surprised. She was a warrior wearing a sword but didn’t seem scary at all.

Whatever Seong Yubeom was thinking, the girl quickly spoke as if she had been holding back.

“Only Murim Alliance people sit around designing Jinbeop and new techniques. It’s irritating how you’re openly testing us. How can there be time for this nonsense with how fast things are moving now?”

Her words poured out like Sacheon Dangmun’s secret poison. Seong Yubeom raised his palm to calm the situation. There was a line he couldn’t ignore.

“Wait, wait. Are you saying you’re with the Murim Alliance?”

“Technically, just me. The kid is from the Hwanggeum Family.”

Seong Yubeom was thrown into chaos again. He had never heard such a thing. Still, if they belonged to the same Murim Alliance faction, honorifics were necessary regardless of age.

“What’s your affiliation and name… oh?”

“Biyeon-gak’s Myung Jaehee.”

Myung Jaehee took out a token from her chest, clearly a badge proving her belonging to Biyeon-gak of the Murim Alliance.

Seong Yubeom closed his eyes. Biyeon-gakju Yeo Sangwoo was protective of his subordinates; if anyone touched Biyeon-gak members, he’d come running and cause a scene.

Suppressing a sigh that seemed about to burst out, Seong Yubeom asked sideways.

“Who’s the kid?”

“The youngest of the Hwanggeum Family, Gold-necked Hwan.”

“I’m Seong Yubeom, Deputy Commander of Cheongmu Unit of the Murim Alliance.”

“This morning, I reported to the Commander of Cheongmu Unit, but I guess you didn’t receive it.”

Gold-necked Hwan said as he took out a token from his chest. That was a rare token given only to select guests by the Murim Alliance.

“Hah.”

Seong Yubeom couldn’t hold back a bitter sigh.

Gold-necked Hwan—wasn’t he the top priority for protection in the operation?

They weren’t officially in operation yet, so he hadn’t realized, but if such people were coming, the Commander should have been informed.

“Damn.”

Seong Yubeom cursed under his breath, forcing a stiff smile. That was why the Commander sent these people.

Right, his job was simply to escort them to the Operation Room. Anything else was the Commander’s responsibility. Thinking like that, his heart felt somewhat lighter.

“Wait a minute.”

Suddenly, Seong Yubeom straightened his waist. Something he had forgotten came to mind.

“So you’re saying they really did run through the Jinbeop in half the Six-Time Jin?”

At that, Myung Jaehee’s eyes flashed like a dagger.

“Why does that matter?”

“No, it’s not important.”

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t important to them or to him.

It just didn’t make sense. The Cheongmu Unit members usually took two Six-Time Jin to pass through this Jinbeop, and he himself took one.

This Jinbeop made even the Cheongmu Unit shiver. Even if you reached the end, one wrong step would send you back to the beginning.

Of course, the new technique was difficult, but any Muin capable of joining Cheongmu Unit could handle it easily. What mattered more was having a peak-level energy sense to find the correct path.

That meant being at least at the level of an excellent Yakwan or Iris.

“He’s a genius.”

Seong Yubeom could only come to that conclusion.

However, he was mistaken about one thing. Naturally, he assumed Myung Jaehee, a member of Biyeon-gak, had led them out. The truth was the exact opposite.

With this misunderstanding, Seong Yubeom, Gold-necked Hwan, and Myung Jaehee arrived at the Operation Room.

***

A sign reading “Operation Room” was visible. Anyone could tell it had been hastily repainted. Still, it was the Murim Alliance, so wasn’t this a bit too sloppy?

As we were about to enter, Myung Jaehee tilted her head slightly toward me.

“So I stay outside?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

I nodded. It was Gold-necked Hwan of the Hwanggeum Family, not Myung Jaehee, who sent the report that we were coming.

Myung Jaehee was technically my subordinate now. Judging from earlier, she was indeed a prickly girl but behaved well toward me. I had recently been taking good care of Wonbo.

“Ah, wait a moment, please!”

Just then, Seong Yubeom, who had entered first, called out to us from inside.

“The Commander said you should come in together.”

Myung Jaehee smiled at that.

“Good to sit down too.”

“But don’t fall asleep.”

We followed Seong Yubeom into the Operation Room. Sitting at the center was a man wearing a blue uniform with the character (Cheong) embroidered on his chest.

Seong Yubeom also wore blue, but his character was yellow, while the man in the center’s was red.

“Glad to meet you. I am Chun Jiak, Commander of Cheongmu Unit.”

“I am Gold-necked Hwan of the Hwanggeum Family.”

“I’m Myung Jaehee of Biyeon-gak.”

Chun Jiak greeted us while seated. As a senior in Gangho, that was only natural.

I nodded, and soon Deputy Commander Seong Yubeom sat down, followed by us in line.

Then, a stooped nobok approached and poured tea for us. I glanced at him.

Like most elders, his expression was calm and somewhat slow, as if he understood life thoroughly.

I reached for my cup. The first sip was very hot.

The tea was poured slowly, drop by drop, but the nobok showed no change in expression.

Meanwhile, Chun Jiak spoke.

“I told you to come once you said you would, but it was quite an unexpected matter.”

“It’s not that unexpected. It was about taking control over the military affairs within our families.”

“Even if Elder Gwak Jindo sent the order, a kid like this should refuse it. Who gives command over military affairs to a child? We even have more soldiers than you do.”

I nodded. That was reasonable—under normal circumstances. But one thing was certain.

When it came to moving soldiers, having me in charge always brought better results.

So I came to persuade them somehow, but it seemed I might gain more than I expected.

“Then how about strengthening our forces?”

“What?”

Chun Jiak frowned sharply at my words. Seong Yubeom’s eyes widened too.

“You’re talking nonsense. Gongja, you might not know, but the Murim Alliance has sent its best troops. Even I, the overall commander, find it hard to understand. Plus, given we don’t even know the situation on the ground, I won’t hand over command.”

“I thought so too, but chances to meet such high-ranking people are rare.”

“High-ranking?”

As Chun Jiak asked, the sound of water in the cups suddenly stopped.

“If the only Leader here would agree, wouldn’t things be easier for us?”

I looked at the nobok and said that. Chun Jiak’s eyes opened wide, and Seong Yubeom and Myung Jaehee exchanged a glance as if wondering what I was up to.

“… Heh.”

The previously expressionless nobok smiled.

“Just as I heard, a truly special child.”