Episode 287:


    At the end of a long meeting, the award to be given to me was decided.


    I left Maengjubu with a tired expression on my way to my amodation.


    I stretched and trudged along.


    ‘It was hard.’


    My stamina started to drop in the middle, so I had to work hard not to lose concentration.


    I summarized in my head what I had gained this time.


    ‘The authority to increase the number of treasures including gold coins and silk, as well as the inner circle of Hwari.’


    I acquired many things.


    You may think that the reward is shabbypared to the achievements I made, but that was because I refused most of the rewards, not because the higher-ups in the organization were annoying.


    In the end, the best reward a member of the Murim Alliance can receive is promotion, but it was a natural result since I myself had no intention of moving to the main branch of the Alliance immediately.


    ‘Wealth is just a show of courtesy, so let’s move on.’


    It was definitely good to be able to increase the number of swordsmen under hismand.


    We requested reinforcements under the pretext of increasing the number of people stationed at the Sacheon branch, and this was epted.


    It became possible to bring all of Jeolyeong-gaek, Yanggang Johyup, and Cheon Ga-ryeong, who wouldter be official leaders, to the Sacheon branch.


    ‘It is also encouraging that Hwari has obtained the inner circle.’


    The inner dan of Ten Thousand Years of Fire is an elixir containing an enormous amount of positive energy.


    If you feed it to Jeolyeonggaek, you will be able to change the quality of his energy.


    ‘In other words, it means that perfect identityundering bes possible.’


    The more capable subordinates there were, the better.


    It would be a lie if I said the elixir was not a waste.


    But this was a necessary investment.


    No matter how active he was on his own, he could not rise to the position of elder.


    I had to build up a force to back me up.


    Currently, I am taking it step by step.


    ‘It’s enough to getpensation.’


    I put a smile on my face and quickened my pace.


    Slowly, it was time to move on to achieve the real purpose of visiting the headquarters.


    * * *


    “So, do you want me to help your teacher be a great lord as soon as he enters the n?”


    “yes.”


    “That’s a difficult request. “No matter how much I am, I can’t just promote someone without ignoring the rules and procedures.”


    The window of the main building overlooking Dongdong Lake.


    Sohyeongeom narrowed his eyebrows slightly and put down his drink on the table.


    “I’m not specifically asking you to make me the leader of major units, including the Four Gods. Even a small new unit is sufficient.”


    “…….”


    “Master will take care of expanding your position within the group and increasing the size of your unit through meritorious actions.”


    “How about incorporating your teacher into my direct unit?”


    Iughed and shook my head.


    Even Sohyeongeom of the world seemed to feel envious of Namhakgeom, who had the sound ghost under hismand.


    “It’s not a bad idea, but there is a fundamental problem with that method.”


    “What do you mean by fundamental problem?”


    “I don’t have the confidence to convince Master. “For me.”


    “…….”


    “My teacher is a much more upright person than you think.”


    “I understand what you mean.”


    “I know it’s not easy. What does it mean to be granted the status of a daeju upon joining the alliance? “There will be considerable bacsh as this is a treatment that vites fairness.”


    “Why do you want to push ahead with the work even though you know that? It was called Nangjungjichu (囊中之錐). “Anyway, if he is your teacher, he will soon be in an important position in the Meng.”


    “I know that the existing power groups have been feeling a great sense of crisis since the Taesang family of the evil family joined the alliance.”


    It was wartime.


    Depending on the situation, we are in an unstable situation where arge-scale reorganization may take ce.


    Those with vested interests could not help but feel anxious.


    Because you never know when your ce will be taken over by someone else.


    In such a situation, what if you hear the news that your master, an absolute expert, is joining the team?


    ‘Right now, I’m under this much control, so it goes without saying that Master.’


    This was the reason why I tried to put Master in the position of great lord, even if by force.


    At the very least, shouldn’t the pressure from those around you cause you to be separated from the three close friends who will join you?


    “Do you remember the conversation you had with me here earlier?”


    “When exactly are you talking about?”


    “When I proposed to my senior that we should share the credit for catching the reverse killer.”


    “Of course I remember.”


    Sohyeongeom filled his empty ss with alcohol and nodded.


    As I was abstaining from alcohol because my internal injuries were not healing, I sipped a cup filled with tea instead of alcohol and thought about the conversation I had with him in the past.


    [So, what specifically do you want me to do for you?]


    [In the future, when I join the alliance, I hope to be recognized for my role in catching the assassin and receive an official reward.] [The


    order is not correct. I want to be recognized for my aplishments as a leader for what I did before joining the alliance.]


    “Things are a little different this time…”


    “In the same way as then, I want to publicly recognize your teacher’s performance on the battlefield.” “What are you talking about, let’s get recognized?”


    “That’s right.”


    “It won’t be easy. “The reason such an expedient method worked at the time is because you were ate Jisoo with no background whatsoever.”


    What Sohyeongeom said was right.


    It may seem like he came from a poor background and had no power to support him, but the teacher was an absolute expert.


    I couldn’tpare the preferential treatment I received in the past and the preferential treatment he received on the same level.


    “The strength of just one senior may not be enough. So, I n to ask others to do the same.”


    “For example, to Manlyekken, Manjunggeom, Namhakgeom, and Unseonggeom?”


    “yes.”


    “Well, if the voices of the five elderse together, it will create some kind of power. But will they be willing to help you? Not everyone will be as cooperative with you as I am. “They are also people who act for their own gain.”


    “Senior Wan Li Quan is a bit ambiguous, but the other three will definitely help me.”


    “It’s a little scary to be able to say something like that with such certainty.”


    Sohyeongeom burst intoughter and clinked sses with me.


    He emptied the drink in his ss in one go, stood up and said.


    “I guess I’ll just leave this ce.”


    “Are you waking up already?”


    “It’s because I’m not excited because I keep making my own wine. However, we cannot forcefully rmend alcohol to patients.”


    “…….”


    “There are many people you need to meet other than me, so hurry up and make your next appointment.”


    “All right.”


    * * *


    Three days have already passed since I stayed at Maeng’s headquarters.


    Iy down on the bed and carefully read the information sheet that Hao Mun-tao gave me.


    ‘The Suzaku Daeju Hwaseong Sword (火性刀).’


    The person who most strongly advocated for me to be punished at thest meeting.


    I was feeling ufortable.


    Because I couldn’t figure out why she was against me.


    ‘I see.’


    Basically, Hwaseongdo was a person who was not very interested in politics or factions.


    So, naturally, there was no benefit for her by keeping me in check.


    ‘I was wondering why you were so stubborn.’


    Even when the elders who were pushing me were silent while observing the atmosphere, she remained steadfast in expressing her opinion.


    Even though you may not know that it is an action that is detrimental to you.


    I thought there must be some hidden intention.


    I also thought that maybe there was someone encouraging her from behind.


    But apparently that wasn’t the case.


    ‘Rather, I was looking at her with a strange view.’


    ording to the information in the information sheet, Hwaseongdo seemed to have had ‘such a personality’ from the beginning.


    To put it nicely, he is a principled person.


    To put it worst, she is a tight-lipped woman with no flexibility whatsoever.


    When I think about it, she was the person who opposed me the most when I was given the authority to act on behalf of Lord Meng.


    ‘There.’


    Even the past where he lost his parents to a madman drunk with demonic powers.


    Now I think I understand why she was so obsessed with the word magic.


    I didn’t even know that it was natural that I didn’t look good in the eyes of the master ofmand.


    Of course, I just understood it in my head, but it didn’t mean that my antipathy toward her went away.


    No matter what, isn’t this person trying to harm me?


    ‘This type of person is tiring.’


    It’s good to hear that you have your own distinct beliefs.


    However, from experience, such people tend to have narrower perspectives and stronger egos.


    ‘In the future, if I move to the headquarters of Maeng, I will need to watch carefully.’


    After burning the information sheet with a candle, I quietly closed my eyes and focused my consciousness within.


    First of all, most of the important things were taken care of.


    Since I’ve been so busy running around, I was nning on taking a leisurely day to rx and use my mind.


    ‘By the way, would Master be taking the entrance exam by now?’


    * * *


    A vast training ground.


    The Blue Dragon member who took on the role of tester gulped and swallowed his saliva.


    The man in front of me was an expert who had reached absolute perfection and a renowned figure as the teacher of the Heavenly Dragon.


    It was never a being that could be judged by oneself.


    ‘How dare anyone judge whom?’


    I felt sick from the burden.


    I was taking a formal test, but to be honest, I didn’t understand why I had to do such a meaningless thing.


    It was fortunate that Heavenly Dragon’s teacher obediently followed the procedures and conducted the test.


    What if he had an entric personality like Jiewang?


    ‘I don’t even want to imagine.’


    The man who was shaking his shoulders and mumbling turned his head in response to the presence behind him.


    Immediately after, he got down on one knee and prostrated himself with a shocked look on his face.


    “Lord!”


    “It’s not that surprising. “I just came here to take a quick look.”


    Murim Lord Joo Hwabaek personally walked to the training hall to observe the exam.


    Everyone in the testing room looked at him and Dokgo Woojin alternately, holding their breath.


    “…….”


    Suddenly, a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of Joo Hwabaek’s lips.


    He touched the two long swords on his belt and opened his mouth.


    “I have a suggestion. Would you listen to it?”


    “……?”


    Dokgo Woojin, who was standing at the starting point to take a test to evaluate the level of light training, looked back at him with a puzzled expression.


    “It will take at least half an hour toplete all the exams. The leader’s authority allows him to skip all unnecessary procedures. “Would you mind hanging out with me for a bit instead?”


    “…Do you want to spar?”


    “I see. “I thought it would be better to check it by directly touching it with my body.”


    “great.”


    Dokgo Woojin nods his head calmly.


    It just so happened that he was also feeling bored.


    The testers, who instinctively felt a sense of crisis even though no one had asked them to do so, all lined up against the wall of the training hall.


    Ku-kwa-kwa-kwaang!


    Two absolute experts faced off in the testing room.


    Neither of them gave their best effort and there was no difference between victory and defeat.


    I literally just lightly yed with my hands.


    Nevertheless, everyone who watched said the same thing.


    A new king was born.


    From that day on, people in the world began to refer to Dokgo Woojin as the Thunder King.