Episode 420


    “Are you threatening me now?”


    “Why are you asking such an obvious thing?”


    Youngseong Dojang’s expression hardened.


    He seemed to realize that it was not just a verbal threat.


    “Now you don’t even show the slightest courtesy. Have you been hiding your true nature all this time?”


    “If you wanted to be respected by me, you shouldn’t have crossed the line.”


    “Nothing good cane from acting like an invisible person like this.”


    “Are you worried about me in this situation?”


    “I’m talking about reality.”


    “The opponent is throwing stones outside the boundary, but isn’t that a rule and we can’t just be confined to the circle? “I am not that foolish.”


    “I really have to see the end, but will my anger be relieved?”


    “You’re asking the same question as a month ago. “If I had nned on stopping in the middle, I wouldn’t have started in the first ce.”


    “…….”


    I left the underground prison, leaving Youngseong Dojo looking at me with solemn eyes.


    He instructed the member guarding the entrance to release him.


    ‘Let’s get started soon.’


    As the number of political enemies increased significantly, there was a need to prepare ordingly.


    In order to prevent the other person from touching me carelessly, I had to first increase my size so as not to be looked down upon.


    ‘I’m already looking forward to it.’


    Currently, Honam was suffering from measles due to the martial arts people who flocked to support the Cheonan Kambu.


    The entrance examination could no longer be postponed.


    ‘I wish there were more capable applicants.’


    Harvest time has arrived.


    It’s time to start sorting out the good and bad.


    * * *


    The entry screening has begun.


    Joo Hwa-baek, who threw away his backlog of work and went out to see the sights, let out augh.


    “haha.”


    The number of people was enormous.


    It reminded me of the preliminary round of the Yongbong branch, with a little bit of exaggeration.


    ‘The Dragon King’s name value is great.’


    I can’t believe that so many applicants flocked to a simple recruitment notice.


    Thinking back to the past when I was so busy preparing for the Yongbong branch, I felt somewhat deprived.


    ‘by the way.’


    As age or background was not considered, the differences in skills among applicants were noticeable.


    The average level was lower than that of the participants of the Yongbong branch, but the level achieved by the top performers was nothingpared to thete index.


    I thought that if I could properly sort out the stones, the power of Cheonangambu would be much greater than it is now.


    ‘Are they blood rtives of the Namgung family?’


    Among the warriors at the front, the most noticeable were two middle-aged men dressed simply.


    Although he was not wearing the military uniform that symbolized Sega, you could tell just by the energy that was implicitly flowing out of him.


    The two people learned the Namgung family’s secret mind method, Changgungdaeyeonsingong (蒼穹大衍神神功), which is said to be on par with the Heavenly Thunder King’s Shingung (天雷帝王神神功).


    ‘If I look closely, it looks familiar.’


    Hwabaek Joo’s eyes widened slightly.


    For some reason, I thought they had an unusual aura about them. They were both members of the Changgung Sword Team.


    In fact, the man on the right had the status of assistantmander.


    After the battle at Banghyeon (房縣) was over, I remembered receiving greetings from them when I was attending to my wounded at the Zhuge family.


    ‘This is how things are going.’


    I felt like I had a general idea of how the two people decided to apply to the Cheonan Inspectorate.


    Due to the Baek-faced Death God, the Changgung Sword Team suffered a blow that was close to annihtion.


    Even the King of Swords, an elder and absolute master of the Sega, lost his life.


    It was highly likely that the reason they wanted to be members of Cheonan Gambu was to seek revenge.


    ‘The special characteristics of Cheonan Gambu. At first, I thought it was just a disadvantage…’


    Originally, there was no way the head of the Namgung family would have allowed someone with that much power to leave the family and join the alliance.


    However, the Cheonan Inspectorate is a department with a fixed period of activity.


    The premise that the two could be returned to the family once the war between political and evil forces was over seemed to have lowered the psychological resistance of the Namgung family head.


    ‘Did the Cheonan Inspector General have this in mind?’


    In the early days, the fact that it was a job with an unstable future acted as a hindrance to establishing the foundation of the department.


    But now, the situation haspletely changed.


    Disadvantages were sublimated into advantages.


    When the reputation of the Dragon King and the achievements umted by Cheonan Gambu were added to the resentment of the warriors umted due to the prolongation of the war, the synergistic effect was terrifying.


    ‘It’s probably not just the Namgung family.’


    When the elders tried to drive the Cheonan Gambu to the battlefield, Yeonseon fought back by using that as an excuse to dere that he would further increase the size of the department.


    The result was this.


    Looking at it like this, I felt confident.


    Sooner orter, we will be able to see the elders bing restless as they realize that they have taken advantage of themselves.


    ‘That’s just sesame salt.’


    A happy smile appeared on Joo Hwabaek’s lips.


    To be honest, I have been feeling anxious all along.


    Cheonan Inspector General Yeon Yeon-woon’s actions were difficult to call clean.


    Although he adheres to the right path in the grand scheme of things, he has shownpromise with injustice when necessary.


    Hwabaek Joo knew that he had friendly rtionships with several elders.


    Still, they didn’t seem to be biased toward either the conservative faction or the senior faction, so I just didn’t touch on that part.


    ‘At one time, I felt wary after hearing the words of the general.’


    There was a time when I thought about what would happen if Yeonsun tried to join the Senate after disbanding the department.


    However, my worries disappeared when I saw him enter the Senate alone and cause trouble a month ago.


    It was not because he particrly liked the elders that he formed a friendly rtionship with them.


    All I did was sharpen my knife and wait for the right moment.


    ‘The time has finallye.’


    The time for long-awaited reform.


    An opportunity was presented before our eyes to weaken the power of the Senate and overthrow the rotten Murim League system from the ground up.


    ‘When I didn’t know anything, I thought I could solve everything if I just became the leader.’


    But the reality was not like that.


    Rather, his hands and feet were tightly bound by the restrictions that arose after he became the leader, and he was unable to properly pursue any work.


    It was not for any other reason that previous leaders failed to gain an advantage in the power struggle with the Senate.


    How heartbreaking it was to see those who supported and believed in him at first turn their backs, cursing him for being ‘another vested interest that haspromised with reality’.


    Commander-in-Chief Zhuge Huan had said something like that before.


    The reason Maengju asionallymits deviance may be because he cannot endure the frustrating reality and is looking for an escape to feel liberated.


    [Resurrect Cheonan Gambu and give me the position of head and personnel authority.]


    [Do you understand? The meaning of what you said.]


    [Of course.]


    [If you don’t want to be involved in a political fight, you can just dere neutrality. Why do you choose to walk down a thorny path?] [I just


    thought it was something someone had to do. ]


    I thought I would know by now.


    Why did Yeonsun so strongly advocate for the revival of Cheonan Gambu?


    The wind of change could not be brought about by reaching a high position.


    Only by breaking the existing framework could a small storm be created.


    ‘Up until now, I’ve helped you in a rather passive way. But it will be different from now on.’


    Power came into Hwabaek Joo’s eyes.


    There was a slight concern that Yeonsun might try to be an elder, which had been holding him back.


    There was also a sense of resistance that the power of the Cheonan Gambu should not be allowed to exceed that of the Maengju faction.


    However, now that I learned Yeon-Woon’s true intentions, I had no choice but to think differently.


    Even if the Cheonan Gambu became independent, overtaking the Maengju faction and the senior faction, it was necessary to give full support to Yeonsun now.


    ‘I will support you to the best of my ability.’


    Of course, Yeonsun might betray his expectations in the end.


    Isn’t it said that you may know ten ways in the water, but you don’t know the insides of a person in one way?


    But even so, for now, I had to trust and support him as a person.


    It didn’t matter even if he had seen the wrong person.


    It was an opportunity that would nevere again.


    If not this time, reform of the Murim League might never be possible.


    Now was the time to take risks and jump into the gambling game.


    ‘So that the pping of a butterfly’s wings can be a storm that engulfs the entire Murim Alliance.’


    How many applicants did you see gathered in the exam room like that?


    Juhwabaek reacted with shock to the presence felt from afar and slowly narrowed his brows.


    He got up from his seat, licking his lips with regret.


    ‘The members of the ck Night Army areing. The general military must have ordered you to find me.’


    It was soon time to return to Maengjubu.


    He brushed the dust off his clothes and disappeared in an instant, disappearing.


    A cool breeze passed by where he was standing.


    * * *


    Dok Go-seong, a member of Cheonan Gambu, waspletely out of his mind.


    Numerous applicants were lined up in the room.


    Among them, there were many people who were much older than him and who had exceptional military status.


    ‘I feel sick to my stomach.’


    I couldn’t help but feel nervous.


    I couldn’t figure out why Yeonsun had entrusted me with this role.


    “As an interviewer, you shouldn’t look that nervous.”


    “yes.”


    “Color your expression. “Keep your back straight.”


    Hwadaerang encouraged Dokgoseong, who was very stiff, and patted him on the back.


    Of course, Dok Go-seong’s role was not to measure the target’s inaction.


    That role was decided to be yed by the department’s top talents, including Woo Ga-jin and Bang Cheok-sam.


    In addition, several members were performing the roles of supervisor, interviewer, and examiner.


    “Applicant number twenty-six, Nangong Chowun. Pleasee forward.”


    Sima Yun put down the documents in his hand on the desk and called the next applicant.


    A middle-aged man in simple attire stepped forward and took the hand.


    In Hwadaerang’s eyes, Lee Chae was young.


    At first nce, he was an unusual person.


    Although his clothes were simple, the spirit he exuded was amazing.


    Even though I didn’t have the skills to make him kneel, I thought that if Ipeted with the man in front of me, I wouldn’t be able to even get to 30.


    “Are you from the Namgung family?”


    “That’s right.”


    “For what reason did you apply to Cheonan Gambu?”


    “It’s to avenge the dead crew members.”


    “plural?”


    “I was a member of the Changgung Sword Team not long ago.”


    “…!”


    “I gave up my position and left the family, so now I am just a wandering warrior…”


    Hwadaerang let out a soft exmation.


    It was the perfect condition.


    A person like this would faithfully perform his role to achieve his goal.


    Needless to say, it was a helpless aspect.


    “……”


    But Dokgo-seong, who was sitting next to him, had a face that clearly contrasted with his.


    Sima Yun looked to the side with a strange feeling and narrowed his eyes.


    ‘I’ve never had a reaction like that when I’ve seen any applicants so far.’


    He seemed hesitant the whole time, so why did he suddenly look so serious?


    Dokgo-seong, who was deep in thought, suddenly stood up from his seat.


    Not only Namgung Choun but also the applicants lined up behind him looked nervous.


    However, the heavy atmosphere was quickly lifted by Dok Go-seong’s subsequent remarks.


    “sorry. “I will go to the side for a while.”


    The applicants quickly covered their mouths with their hands.


    Everyone held their breath, trying not to burst outughing at the unexpected remark.


    “Pleasee back.”


    Hwadaerang let out a bitter smile.


    He seemed to understand Dok-go-seong, who was very nervous about suddenly taking on an important role.


    “sorry!”


    Dok-go-seong bows his head repeatedly in apology and leaves.


    Sima Yun quietly stared at the back with eyes whose intentions were unknown.