Chapter 63: I Decided To Beco The Master (1)
The forces of the martial world can be broadly divided into three: the Orthodox Faction, the Unorthodox Faction, and the Demonic Cults.
The Orthodox Faction is represented by the Murim Alliance, the Unorthodox Faction by the Evil Path Alliance.
As for the Demonic Cults, there are the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, the Apostate Cult, the Blood Cult, the Sun-Moon Divine Sect, and others — but there was no single unified coalition among them.
Well, the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect alone was as powerful as all the other Demonic Cults combined, so you could say it was their de facto representative.
Those with a taste for gossip would often add one more faction to the above three — and that was the Wanderers.
Literally, a rabble of vagrants.
About a hundred years ago, an exceptional figure known as the Wanderer King had apparently risen and even established a coalition called the Wanderer Assembly.
But during my active years, it no longer existed.
Free-spirited wanderers despised belonging to anything.
With the Wanderer King — who had served as their rallying point — now gone, it was only natural that they scattered.
Where do I belong, you ask?
If I had to say, I belong among the Wanderers.
The Orthodox Faction, the Unorthodox Faction, and the Demonic Cults were all my enemies.
As a Wanderer, I fundantally preferred acting alone.
I had nothing left to protect and only things left to destroy, so there was no reason to go dragging a string of encumbrances behind .
That said, when a special reason arose, I would sotis lead a group.
Only exactly when necessary.
With the exception of the new Sacheondang Family that had been established in the martial world near the end of my past life, most of the groups I led were ones I took up with the intention of discarding when done.
And yet, strangely enough, those bastards liked .
Perhaps I……
Had so talent as a leader?
* * *
After administering a thorough lesson to Na In-pil.
I looked into the perpetrators using the numbers and SNS IDs he had given .
First, of the five main perpetrators — excluding Kang Hae-san and Bae Da-in — the remaining three were mostly offline.
Their nas: Park Je-hwang, Kim Do-han, Ye Bo-yeong.
These guys didn't even use SNS, so I had no way of finding out their precise whereabouts.
I'd leave that to Kang Hae-san for now.
The remaining six from the album.
Na In-pil was done, so now there were five.
The Horoom Teacher, Park Seon-su, Gi Ja-eun, Pyeon Geom-sa, Cheon Sa-in.
I checked on the perpetrators.
In particular, I watched carefully whether Kim Tae-yang reacted — just in case Na In-pil had given wrong information.
The fact that his heart kept jolting and rage kept surging up confird it.
The horoom teacher genuinely seed to hold a position on the school foundation's board of directors, and judging by photos of him mingling with politicians, it was clear he had his sights set on running for superintendent of education.
"This kind of man wants to be superintendent of education?"
How exactly should I pull this shaless creature down?
Second was Park Seon-su.
This one had beco a dostic MMA fighter. Given his physique and natural athleticism, that made sense.
"What I'm most grateful for—"
Was that Park Seon-su was a Tower Climber.
I didn't know which floor yet, but I planned to find out in due course.
Gi Ja-eun ca from a dia family.
It appeared his family owned a newspaper company.
Cheon Sa-in was the son of a fairly prominent hospital director in Seoul.
Pyeon Geom-sa's father was a forr chief prosecutor turned mber of the National Assembly.
"My oh my…… Not a single easy one among them."
Was Na In-pil the easiest?
If these guys were at this level, just how powerful were the families of the three main perpetrators?
Kim Tae-yang.
You really have rotten luck, don't you.
I sketched out my next targets and plans in my head as I looked through each one.
The Handso Bungeoppang was gaining montum, and since Mother was performing her role better than expected, there was no need to intervene.
Despite the steep price, custors lined up in droves, and the daily batch of 1,000 pieces sold out almost every day.
Of course, once sumr ca, business wouldn't be quite this good.
Division Manager Jeong from Baekgyeong Departnt Store was pressing hard about creating an ice Bungeoppang.
Since I'd been turning down Manager Jeong's suggestions too often lately, I told him to go ahead and develop one.
I didn't have high expectations, but still.
In the anti, I devoted myself to training.
I went into seclusion to cultivate my martial arts, tended to my dicinal and poisonous herbs, and took White Night out for walks.
"Aren't you a wolf? Why do you enjoy walks this much?"
"Woof!"
"You don't even resist the leash."
"Woof!"
White Night had been wolfing down Korean beef exclusively in enormous quantities, yet hadn't grown particularly large in size.
The White Night Black Wolf I knew had been the size of a bull.
Perhaps being a White Night Soul made things a little different?
Either way, being small was far better.
If it grew large, Mother wouldn't be able to keep it.
Co to think of it, Mother had said sothing amusing.
"Tae-yang, don't you think the sounds White Night makes are a little unusual?"
"How so."
"Watch. White Night~"
"Woof!"
Nothing unusual about that—
"Tae-yang, now you try calling."
"White Night~"
"Bowwow!"
"See? Strange, isn't it?"
"Hm?"
Since I couldn't understand it at all, Mother pointed between White Night and and explained.
"Listen closely. With us, it just goes 'woof' — but with you, it goes 'bowwow', you see?"
"Ahh……"
I looked at White Night.
"Pant pant—"
My master. My king!
The creature's eyes were gleaming.
……Am I destined to be king?
Anyway, I was on my way back from walking White Night when — ding-dong!
A ssage ca in from Im Ye-rin.
— Tae-yang. You haven't forgotten you're coming to our gym today, right? Seven o'clock tonight.
Hmm.
I'd already gotten a rough grasp of the perpetrators' details through Na In-pil, so there was no longer any need to keep leaning on Im Ye-rin.
"I should tell her I can't make it."
Tap tap tap.
— Sorry, I think sothing's co up so I might not be able to make it to the gym……
Ding-dong!
A ssage arrived while I was still typing.
— You have to co. I told our coach you were coming and made an appointnt specifically for this.
I paused.
Oh, this is……
Now that I think about it, this girl really does go out of her way to be considerate in the most unnecessary ways.
I thought about it briefly, then sent another ssage.
— Alright. See you later.
* * *
'Muinhoe Gym.'
The sign ca into view.
There was also a banner reading 'Specializing in MMA and Tower Climber Training'.
"Quite a large gym."
Before the Murim Tower existed, gyms like this were common enough — but after the Murim Tower appeared, they multiplied.
Of course, the major sects trained their affiliated Climbers, and the Gukmubon had its own training facilities as well.
But they couldn't handle all the demand.
Gyms had transford into martial arts halls.
Those affiliated with Climbers who had reached considerably high floors made a na for themselves.
They would appear on broadcasts or NuTube and pour out their Tower-climbing experiences.
I'd watched so myself through NuTube to gather information about the Tower.
The exaggeration was severe, and since violence and killing were fundantally necessary, the important parts were never disclosed.
That was why I'd had to buy information from the Black Market.
"Anyway, let's go."
The gym was quite spacious.
Blue mats covered the floor, and several sandbags hung from the ceiling by chains.
In the corner were fitness machines.
In the middle were artificially constructed obstacles, and on the walls hung wooden swords and wooden staffs.
Not bad at all. The wooden swords were high-quality items.
Business must be doing well.
But why is there no one here?
"Ye-rin~"
"Oh! You ca?"
Im Ye-rin waved at .
A wooden sword in her hand.
Im Ye-rin, in a short crop tee and leggings, walked toward with her ponytail swaying.
Beads of sweat dotted her forehead.
"Thanks for coming. Over there — our coach."
She pointed at the coach.
"Hello."
"Ah, yes. Nice to et you."
The coach — head shaved clean, with a thick beard — greeted .
Mid-forties, perhaps?
A solid build, muscular.
But he says it's nice to et , while his eyes aren't smiling at all……
On top of that — Saturday at seven o'clock.
So places are open, but isn't this normally past closing ti for most?
In this spacious gym, there's only the coach and Im Ye-rin.
Suspicious.
"He's my friend. Kim Tae-yang."
"Nice to et you. I'm Kim Tae-yang."
"I've heard about you."
"Our coach is Seong Chu-hyeon. He's competed in SUFC before, and he's also a Tower Climber."
"Ah, it's nothing that impressive."
Well, sure.
"Impressive."
I complinted him anyway.
"Browse around for a bit. I'll take a look at your form in a mont."
He wants to look at my form?
"Ye-rin talks about you often. Said it'd be nice if you trained together."
"Ah, I see."
I looked at the promotional posters on the wall.
'Self-Defense Martial Arts!'
'Recharge Your Confidence!'
'The Strength to Protect Yourself in a Harsh World!'
Now I understand.
Im Ye-rin must have wanted to make Samcheolli stronger.
Kind of her for that.
Still — are she and the coach close?
For the coach to stay past closing ti like this to attend to her and .
I stepped slightly away and watched them.
Im Ye-rin raised a wooden sword and swung it, while the coach faced her with a shield and wooden sword.
Whoosh! Thwack thwack!
Im Ye-rin's wooden sword aid for the coach's shoulder.
The coach turned aside to dodge, then shoved Im Ye-rin with the shield.
Im Ye-rin also shifted her feet to evade and spun around, imdiately thrusting the sword in.
Not bad?
A level worth recognizing as genuine talent.
They exchanged a few more rounds before it ended with the coach's wooden sword resting below Im Ye-rin's throat.
"Haa. Still difficult."
"Your core muscles are still weak. That's why."
"That's true."
"7th floor is the Blue Dragon Gate. Dozens of spears will be targeting you, so lower body strength is crucial."
"Yes! I'll train harder."
Im Ye-rin wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled.
7th floor, hm.
She'd said 5th floor before, so it seems she cleared 6th floor in the anti.
Co to think of it, I never even asked which sect she belongs to.
"Im Ye-rin. Co here. Let's do so barbell squats."
"Yes! Coach."
Im Ye-rin hoisted a barbell onto her shoulders and began squatting.
Im Ye-rin in leggings, sitting down while pushing her hips back.
But……
The coach's gaze is strange.
Not the eyes of soone watching a student train — more like the expression of soone savoring sothing. A leering look.
Hmm?
"Not like that — more like this, so the glutes really pop with force."
The coach lightly groped Im Ye-rin's waist and hips.
"Ah!"
"That's perfect right there. Don't move — keep going! That's it. Feel the force going in."
Flustered yet repeating the motion because he'd said training, Im Ye-rin continued.
The coach's hands gradually drifted from her hips toward her backside.
A sight that could not, by any stretch, be called training.
I searched the coach's na.
[Forr SUFC Fighter Seong Chu-hyeon Announces Tower Climbing Bid!]
[Stated he will show a good performance through Tower climbing]
This article was two years old.
But the comnts were disabled.
It seed he had so shaful past he couldn't be open about.
What could it be.
I kept scrolling through pages, but nothing ca up clearly.
It was as if all the articles had been taken down.
After digging for quite a while, an article from five years ago caught my eye.
[SUFC Fighter Sued for Molesting Student]
A blurry, mosaic-censored photo in the article.
It was Seong Chu-hyeon.
[SUFC Sexual Misconduct Controversy — Fighter Expelled]
……I knew it.
As they say, one look tells you ten — a leopard can't change its spots.
Seong Chu-hyeon had been sentenced to one year in prison in the first trial and taken into custody in the courtroom, but was released in the second trial after what appeared to be a successful settlent.
And then he transitioned to becoming a Tower Climber.
"What sect is he with?"
Seong Chu-hyeon's sect was Muinhoe.
I pulled up their mobile hopage.
A mid-sized sect.
And one he had personally founded at that.
With his record, no major sect would have taken him in.
Seong Chu-hyeon had been sothing of a household na as a forr athlete.
Since his skills were genuinely formidable, dozens of fellow ex-athletes had also joined Muinhoe under his banner.
"Oh?"
But in the photo from Muinhoe's founding ceremony on the hopage—
A group photo of fifty people, and I recognized two faces.
One of them was—
"Thug C?"
I'd seen him at the Happy Loan Office, and again recently when he was with Na In-pil.
Thug C was a branch of Jeoksapa, which was itself a branch of the Red Dragon Gate.
Oho……
So it was the Red Dragon Gate that had been backing Seong Chu-hyeon.
The Red Dragon Gate would certainly have the power to get Seong Chu-hyeon's past articles taken down.
[Red Dragon Gate-Muinhoe rger Talks Gain Montum]
I found an additional article.
So the plan was to launder Seong Chu-hyeon's image as a Tower Climber, and once the stains were washed out, absorb Muinhoe into the Red Dragon Gate.
The Red Dragon Gate — known to have many mbers with criminal backgrounds.
A sche to overhaul that negative image.
"Um, um……"
"Now, now — you need to keep going."
Seong Chu-hyeon's hands were now practically kneading Im Ye-rin's backside.
She had a heavy barbell on her shoulders, and with Seong Chu-hyeon urging her on, she couldn't even stop.
Grab.
I seized Seong Chu-hyeon's arm.
"That's enough."
"What's your problem? She's in the middle of training."
Seong Chu-hyeon looked at with a displeased expression.
This bastard, I want to gouge his eyes out.
"Um, hold on. I'm going to rest for a bit."
Im Ye-rin also set the barbell down and took a step back.
"Is that so? Fine. Rest up and then we'll continue."
"I need to use the restroom……"
"Hurry back. I'll teach you late into tonight."
"……Ah. Yes."
Im Ye-rin left, her face flushed red.
Seong Chu-hyeon watched her retreating figure, then spoke to .
"Ye-rin's boyfriend?"
"No."
"Then why did you stop ?"
Seong Chu-hyeon suddenly dropped to informal speech.
His tone was thick with irritation.
"I absolutely hate being interrupted when I'm training."
"……"
"Ye-rin has talent. She's an Unaffiliated Climber — no sect affiliation — and she's already reached 6th floor."
"Which floor are you on, Coach?"
"? 26th floor."
"Black Wolf Squad."
At my words, Seong Chu-hyeon shrugged his shoulders.
"You know a thing or two? Must have picked sothing up sowhere."
"I also picked up that Muinhoe is being absorbed into the Red Dragon Gate."
He laughed lightly and replied.
"That's right. Our Muinhoe is joining one of the Three Great Sects of South Korea. Sect Leader Lee Won-ryong has promised to give a branch commander position."
"……"
"I'll be bringing Ye-rin over to the Red Dragon Gate too."
"Doesn't seem like the right place for Ye-rin. If she's going anywhere, Goryeo Sword Sect would suit her better."
"She already applied and was rejected. Sa with Changbai Sect."
"Hmm."
"Don't worry. I'll take good care of her."
"It sounds like a different kind of 'care' you're referring to."
"What?"
He looked up and down, his expression twisting.
With Im Ye-rin gone, should I just break this bastard's legs here and now.
"Coach. Earlier you said you'd take a look at my form."
"Want to try training?"
"A renowned athlete offering to assess — there's no reason to refuse."
"Fine by . n always need to communicate through the body."
Communicate through the body?
……Perfect.
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