Chapter 116
That evening.
The Mount Hua Sect’s Lodging.
The Mount Hua Sect, which had been assigned to the Byeong Preliminary Test Site, achieved the spectacular feat of having all its disciples advance to the main tournament, save for a few Lay Disciples.
However, the atmosphere wasn’t very good, and the reason was…
“Damn it…”
“Making such a fuss just because he threw a good punch… A Sword Sect should compete with swords…”
…because there was another Sect that became a bigger topic of conversation than Mount Hua, despite Mount Hua’s good results in the preliminaries.
That was none other than Mount Hua’s rival, the Zhongnan Sect.
And specifically, Zhongnan’s Lay Branch, Jongrimun.
A loud boom that drew everyone’s attention echoed through the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering preliminary test site.
Since the test involved Fist arts, most participants naturally assumed someone from Shaolin had made a strong showing, but…
In truth, the Protagonist of that event was a Disciple of the recently talked-about Jongrimun, which caused the gossips to heat up conversations about Zhongnan and Jongrimun eagerly.
Thanks to that, talk of Mount Hua completely vanished, and people on the streets only chattered about Zhongnan.
Seeing a Sect they had always looked down upon perform so outstandingly, they found it only natural for their spirits to be crushed.
For the first time since arriving at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, a cold silence settled over the usually lively Mount Hua Sect’s Lodging.
“…”
And the Second Generation Disciple Ha Jinseong was just as quiet.
He had put on the best performance among the Mount Hua Sect disciples in this preliminary round, but he fell short of the Jongrimun Disciple who had created that loud boom.
This was naturally… because he had appropriately adjusted and held back his strength.
If he had truly wanted a high score, he could have thrown a punch with even greater destructive power than the Jongrimun Disciple.
“Still, well… I had my own harvest today.”
Through the loud boom he heard today, Ha Jinseong was able to vaguely gauge the level of the Jongrimun Disciple.
That guy was several levels below his own, assuming he wasn’t hiding his strength either.
Of course, even if he were several levels below, his skills still far surpassed the level of a Rising Star.
‘Jongrimun’s…, Dong-Bong…, was it?’
Through this event, his name had spread much wider than before.
“He must be another Regressor.”
Ha Jinseong deeply engraved the name Dong-Bong into his heart.
He would never forget it.
* * *
Late at night.
Dongryong, Munseok, and I gathered at the place we had met previously.
The purpose was to decide how to handle things moving forward.
I cut to the chase and told Dongryong.
“Dongryong-a, you win the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.”
“…!”
“…!”
Naturally, the two of them were shaken upon hearing this. The first to speak was Munseok.
“No, what are you talking about? You’re telling Deputy Leader Dong to win the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering!”
“Exactly what it sounds like. Come to think of it, there’s no need for me to win, right? Dongryong already put on a great performance in the preliminaries and made a name for himself, so let’s just have Dongryong win.”
“But…, the Deputy Leader’s skills are…”
“They’re enough.”
I answered Munseok’s concerns firmly.
“With Dongryong’s level of skill, it’s enough.”
Does this Mister think our Dongryong is a joke? He’s still the number two of our Green Forest.
Even before he met me, Dongryong was a guy who had thoroughly established his foundation as a Martial Artist. And I taught him diligently after he came under my wing.
Furthermore, thanks to that Blood Demon Corpse King Bastard, he had fully gained some Combat Experience this time.
“Leader, I’m not confident…”
“Dongryong-a, please snap out of it. I’m telling you, you’re pretty strong.”
I smacked the shoulder of Dongryong, who was wearing a similarly unconfident expression, and scolded him.
“You’re still not confident even after what happened today? You saw the way everyone looked at you, didn’t you?”
“No, that was a bit Strange. The cliff was weirdly soft only for me…”
“Fuck, does that make any sense? It’s not like the cliff has a mind of its own, being hard for other people and then going, “Ah, I should be soft this time…” when it’s your turn. I’m telling you, your punch is just strong!”
“…”
“There won’t be anyone stronger than you in this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. I guarantee it.”
“…Is that so?”
“Except for one person.”
“…?”
When I said that, Munseok asked this time.
“Who is that one person?”
“There’s someone. That guy from the Mount Hua Sect…”
…Ah, wait a minute, what was his name again?
It had been so long that I ended up forgetting the Protagonist’s name.
Then Munseok spoke up in my stead.
“…Are you perhaps talking about that friend from the Mount Hua Sect, Ha Jinseong?”
“Ah, right. Ha Jinseong.”
That was his name.
As I nodded, Munseok tilted his head and said.
“It’s already famous that Mount Hua’s current generation is extraordinary. Haomun also knows that he is secretly at the center of it. But are his skills really at that level?”
“Yeah, they’re at that level.”
Right now, that guy is hiding his skills. On the Surface, his skills make him just one of the outstanding rising stars, but his actual strength should be at least on par with an elder of the Nine Great Sects and One Alliance.
With Dongryong’s skills, he absolutely cannot win.
“So there’s something I need you to do, Munseok.”
“…?”
“…So.”
…
…
“No, I don’t think that will work…”
When I told Munseok what I needed, his face stiffened and he shook his head heavily.
I twisted my body playfully, acting cute toward Munseok.
“Aw, whyyy. Honestly, you can do it for me.”
“Do you think Tournament Bracket Manipulation is such an easy task…?”
What I had asked of Munseok was none other than Tournament Bracket Manipulation.
The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering bracket isn’t drawn at random. The Murim Alliance carefully judges and arranges it so that the gathering will be a box-office success.
Because of that, they all offer bribes to the Murim Alliance, whether it’s the Nine Great Sects and One Alliance or the Five Great Families, asking them to look favorably upon their disciples.
That’s just how important the bracket is.
“Come on, did I ask for something difficult? I just asked you to separate that Mount Hua guy, me, and Dongryong!”
The plan is this.
Manipulate the bracket so that the Protagonist Bastard and I face off in the semifinals, and I knock him out. Then, when Dongryong and I meet in the finals, I’ll lose on purpose, making Dongryong the winner just like that.
“Hiss…, the thing is…”
I wasn’t even asking for an exceptionally good bracket, just to keep us separated, yet Munseok was playing incredibly hard to get.
Furious at this, I demanded something of him.
“No, why are you being so hesitant about this? Everyone else offers bribes; I’m just saying we should offer some too!”
When I argued, Munseok also shouted as if he felt wronged.
“It may be a bribe everyone else offers, but do you know how much that costs? We don’t have money either! Money!”
“…Huh?”
Since Haomun had no money, what kind of “the sun rising in the west” nonsense was this?
Wasn’t Haomun a golden spring that never ran dry of money?
‘Isn’t he bullshitting me?’
When I looked at him with Suspicious eyes, Munseok sighed and explained the situation.
“…Do you not know why we are meeting in such a rotting inn?”
“…Doesn’t Haomun usually like dirty, secluded places like this?”
“No, do you see us as some kind of cockroach?”
Flinch.
Because I was unable to hide my expression, Munseok ground his teeth once before continuing his explanation.
“Haomun’s Branches stretch all Under Heaven. But there is one place where we uniquely have no Branch, and that place is none other than…”
“Here in Anhui?”
“That’s right. This place has many inns and wine houses, making it a good neighborhood for Haomun to settle in, but…”
“It’s because the influence of the Murim Alliance and the Beggar’s Sect is too strong.”
“…That is so.”
Here in Anhui, not only the Murim Alliance Headquarters is located, but the Beggar’s Sect’s Headquarters is situated here as well.
Haomun and the Beggar’s Sect are competitors.
It wouldn’t be easy for Haomun to establish a foothold here, which is both the Home Turf of the Murim Alliance and the Home Turf of the Beggar’s Sect.
“…Because there is no Branch, so there is no money either. Of course, we could pull funds from other Branches, but doing so would take a lot of time.”
“Hmm…, I see. But to my eyes, I see a way we can get money?”
“What? Where are you referring to?”
Where else.
You, right in front of me.
I first asked Munseok slowly.
“Munseok… Aren’t you somewhat of a big shot in the Underworld?”
As I asked calmly, Munseok also cautiously nodded.
“I am a Haomun Branch Leader, after all… Those in the know do know me.”
“Then that’s great. Listen to my plan. Since Anhui is a metropolis, there must be a lot of money changers, right?”
“…money changers? Yes. There are plenty of money changers…”
A Money Changer was a bank in ancient China.
When I mentioned money changers, Munseok clapped his hands and asked me.
“Ah! Do you perhaps have a large sum of money deposited at some Money Changer? We can withdraw that and use it as a bribe…”
“No, nothing like that. You’re going to borrow money from a Money Changer, Munseok, and offer that as the bribe.”
“…Huh?”
Munseok made a foolish expression for a moment before getting angry and shouting at me.
“No, you’re telling me to take out a private loan to get money for a bribe? From those vicious Money Changer Bastards?!”
Banks here are not as friendly as modern banks.
Not only do they have high interest rates, but once you borrow money, they attach various stipulations and inflate the debt tremendously.
If you don’t pay it back, they’ll go after your limbs, not to mention your distant relatives and even your neighbors, making them truly atrocious Bastards.
Even in modern times, excessive loans or acting as a guarantor is a shortcut to ruining your life, but a loan here is truly like a one-way journey to the abyss.
So it was only natural for Munseok to be reluctant.
But what can you do?
I urgently need money right now.
“Ah, Munseok. Just do it for me. Haomun will pay off your debt later.”
“…No, why would Haomun pay off a debt I incurred personally? You’re only saying that because you don’t know how strict Haomun is when it comes to money.”
“If it really comes down to it, I’ll explain the situation to the Haomun Leader.”
“S-still…”
“Sheesh…, I didn’t want to go this far…”
Fwip-.
I took the Haomun Leader’s Ring out of my pocket and shoved it in front of Munseok.
“Just do it.”
“Urgh…”
Faced with the Absolute Ring I had taken out after a long time, Munseok finally yielded and bowed his head.
“…Understood. I will stop by a Money Changer early tomorrow to borrow the money and offer the bribe to the Murim Alliance.”
“Sweet.”
With this, the bracket is taken care of…
I turned my head toward Dongryong.
“Dongryong-a.”
“…Yes, Leader.”
“Everything is ready to make you the winner of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. All that’s left is your will. You can do it, right?”
“…”
Dongryong hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
“…May I ask you just one thing?”
“Sure.”
“If you and I meet in the finals, Leader, you’ll lose to me on purpose, right?”
“Of course, I will.”
“Then, if only to deceive the eyes of others, you’ll have to take a pretty severe beating from me, won’t you?”
“…”
For a moment, I saw Dongryong’s eyes burning with deep enthusiasm.
Fuck, how is that the look of a Subordinate looking at his Leader… That’s the look of someone staring at their sworn enemy…
Still, well… Dongryong wasn’t wrong. If I were going to thoroughly play the role of the loser, I would have to clearly show myself being pushed back by Dongryong.
So as I nodded…
“Uh…, right. Probably.”
“Then that settles it. I will become the winner of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.”
…Dongryong nodded with eyes that showed he was looking forward to the finals.
Look at that Fucking Bastard enjoying this… Just how much is he planning to beat me up in the finals…
Even the prospective debtor, Munseok, added his words with sparkling eyes.
“How about using a club as an exception during the finals? So you can beat him like a dog on a hot summer day.”
“That’s good too, but I’ll practice the whip until the finals, so how about I mercilessly thrash him with that…”
“That sounds great too!”
“No…, what did I do so wrong…”
Looking at the happy expressions on their faces, I couldn’t help but reflect on my past life.