Sichuan Province, where Liu Bei grandly established Shu Han, only for it to be ultimately destroyed by Cao Cao's underlings and reduced back to just one of the imperial family's provincial administrative districts.

This place, known to most simply for having many rivers and peculiar food, was currently experiencing an unseasonable boom.

Except that boom was brought on by the rather unwelcome circumstance of war.

"Damn it, how long is this war going to last?"

"It'll be winter soon, so how long are they going to keep fighting?"

"They said the Murim Alliance guys would smash them right away... Isn't the Blood Cult stronger than we thought?"

"Maybe the Murim Alliance is just weak."

Even the merchants, who initially beamed with joy at the sudden influx of people swarming into Chengdu, began to stiffen their faces one by one as the flames of war spread across all of Sichuan Province, freezing logistics and the economy.

That didn't mean the Alliance members of the Murim Alliance had nothing to say about it either.

First of all, the numbers of those Blood Cult bastards were far greater than expected.

There were so many that the Qingcheng Sect, the Emei Sect, and the Tang Clan—who had been watching with their hands behind their backs as the Murim Alliance bled in their own front yard—were now scrambling urgently like people desperate for a shite.

Moreover, the Iron Armored Corpses that were frequently mixed in among them were objects of terror to the ordinary Alliance members of the Murim Alliance...

Just the appearance of those pale-skinned entities on the battlefield was enough to make the Murim Alliance's morale plummet.

Pushing through with sheer numbers was the strongest specialty of the Murim Alliance and their friends, but Iron Armored Corpses and illusions were never things that could be overcome with numbers in the first place.

The Iron Armored Corpses, which had accumulated various nicknames like 'Alliance Member Grinder' and 'Corpse Maker', only began to show a slight drop in momentum after the Poison King of the Tang Clan, the Sect Leader of the Qingcheng Sect, and the Emei Sect's Council of Elders stepped forward.

However, a problem still remained.

The sorcery of the heterodox path bastards, which they had only learned in theory until now, was far more bizarre and hideous than what the external instructor bastard had claimed.

It left behind aftereffects so severe that it was virtually guaranteed.

Furthermore, the Destroying Evil and Subduing Spirits techniques that were required learning upon joining the Murim Alliance didn't work at all.

Not that the bastards who had sold off their Spirit-Subduing Orbs were in any position to talk in the first place.

Watching the nerds who had sucked their thumbs during their first month of joining and coddled their Spirit-Subduing Orbs like their own eggs end up going mad from the Blood Cult's illusions anyway only served as a catalyst for those who still had their Spirit-Subduing Orbs to vow that they would definitely sell them off once they returned.

Even among the Alliance's commanders, there were few who had extensive knowledge or experience with the heterodox path or sorcery, so they had no choice but to respond by reading the books of military strategy passed down in the Murim Alliance.

But the more they did so, the only things that increased were the screams of their subordinates and the curses directed at their superiors.

However.

Even in the midst of that, there was an organization showing outstanding results.

"No, but why are those Seungho Hall bastards fighting a completely different war by themselves?"

"Isn't Seungho Hall Leader Gu Jeongryong from the Blood Cult? How else could there be such a huge difference in the scale of casualties?"

"If that were the case, aren't they slaughtering way too many Blood Cult bastards?"

As people grew suspicious while watching Seungho Hall accumulate military exploits like a protruding awl, Gu Jeongryong offered an answer as if it was no big deal.

"Because we've faced off against that friend Jin Sowoon first."

"Jin Sowoon?"

"The Black Flame Dragon?"

As soon as the familiar name was heard, people began to search eagerly to figure out what the difference was between Seungho Hall and themselves.

To do so, it was naturally a given that they had to start by exploring things related to the name 'Jin Sowoon'.

"What in the world is it?"

While everyone was searching with blazing eyes, those out on the front lines discovered the clue to the answer they were looking for in the 'Jin Sowoon Report' classified as a top-secret document.

The rescue process and methods for responding to the Blood Cult's ambushes detailed in the 'Jin Sowoon Report' stood in stark contrast to the Alliance's existing military strategy books, raising anxiety over their lack of verification.

But for the Alliance members who were losing a comrade with every passing day, the only difference was between just dying or dying after trying it out.

The harsh situation of a battlefield was enough to make people act strangely, wasn't it?

The Alliance members followed Jin Sowoon's military strategies with a do-or-die attitude.

And they spat out more overwhelming curses than ever before.

"Fuck! You crazy bastards, why were you hiding such a good method all this time!"

"Sons of bitches! They definitely shoved it aside because it was a report written by someone from a shitty little sect called the Taiyi Sect!"

"They increased casualties that could have been reduced, so those bastards are definitely spies for the Blood Cult!"

The Alliance's command had their own reasons for not being able to follow an unverified military strategy, but how could the Alliance members who had experienced the deaths of their friends understand that?

It became customary for the Alliance members to crudely transcribe Jin Sowoon's classified report and pass it on to other squads, which soon resulted in copies circulating throughout the entire Murim Alliance expeditionary force.

Thus, the Murim Alliance began to crack down on it.

"Reports keep coming in that the Alliance members are fighting battles based on a wicked report. Pavilion Masters and Hall Leaders, please strictly discipline your subordinates and make sure they follow the commands of the command center."

However, this only resulted in provoking the expeditionary forces.

"Strictly discipline? Are these bastards crazy? Then are they telling us to stick our necks out and march into that death trap? We can't stand for this either. If they keep this up, we'll slit their throats first."

"No, that's not what I mean! How do you plan to handle the consequences later when you return to the Murim Alliance!"

Even within the command center, a fierce debate raged over whether they should follow Jin Sowoon's military strategy or not.

"Hmm... Is this the report written by that kid named Jin Sowoon?"

"P-Poison King... That is a classified document..."

"Even the ordinary warriors of our Tang Clan have this report, so does the 'classified' label even have any meaning?"

"..."

The Poison King, Tang Hyeokjae, pulled an identical transcribed report from his chest and waved it around.

"If it works, then it's right to apply it."

"Poison King... However, we are under orders from the Murim Alliance..."

Before his subordinate could finish speaking, Tang Hyeokjae raised his index finger to his lips and made a 'shh' sound.

"How long are you going to keep listening to the orders of the Murim Alliance from tens of thousands of miles away? Are you only going to come to your senses after all the Alliance members are dead?"

"..."

Tang Hyeokjae tilted his head slightly to the side and muttered softly.

"So you're scared of that Murim Alliance Leader bastard, but you aren't scared of me?"

A cold chill hung in the air inside the command center.

Gulp.

A man who could poison everyone in here just by rubbing his fingers together if he set his mind to it.

There was no way they wouldn't fear such a person.

Tang Hyeokjae waved his fingers in the air as if he were playing an instrument.

"I'll take responsibility for the Murim Alliance Leader bastard. What's important right now is reducing casualties until we fully understand our enemy."

Having accepted the new military strategy through the Poison King's persuasion (?), the Murim Alliance gradually began to push the Blood Cult out of Sichuan.

The command eventually admitted that their previous military strategy had been sloppy, and from then on, they began to follow Jin Sowoon's report to the letter.

At the point where the battle against the Blood Cult was steadily intensifying.

Winter was slowly approaching.

* * *

"Um... Benefactor Jin, may I ask what this is?"

'Honestly, he'd rather die than stop calling me benefactor.'

"Come on, can't you tell just by looking? It's the prayer beads from the treasury, isn't it? Ilgak, a.ca.de.my. stu.dent."

'What was it again? They said it was a divine artifact belonging to a person of the Underworld known as the Demonic Buddha.'

'It had such strong evil qi that it was kept in the deepest part of the treasury.'

But Ilgak's expression was somewhat subtle.

"Benefactor Jin... This item is called the Black Spirit Orb. It is an artifact filled with the Demonic Buddha's true qi from when he was alive. If you bring this out so carelessly..."

"But I had no choice. That was the only item related to Buddhism in the treasury."

I had scoured the very depths of the treasury, but there was no Zen staff or golden Buddha statue.

'It's weird that the Murim Alliance would even have a treasury with Buddhist items in the first place. The Shaolin Sect probably took them all ages ago.'

"What was it, you can just use it if you purify the evil qi with the Muscle-Changing Classic, right?"

"... That is true, but."

Ilgak couldn't shake his complicated and subtle expression as he looked at the Black Spirit Orb.

The thought of whether he was truly allowed to receive such an artifact was written as large as a billboard across that shiny head of his.

It was understandable, since he had probably never considered receiving any compensation other than his monthly salary in exchange for his loyalty to the Alliance.

Once not receiving compensation becomes a habit, one eventually develops the mindset of unifying oneself with the Alliance.

The ridiculous mental gymnastics that 'I am the Alliance, and the Alliance is me'.

Of course, for people like Ilgak, it wasn't a big problem.

With their solid backgrounds, they could be rewarded with promotions and vested interests.

But what about the lower-class Alliance members for whom their monthly salary was everything?

Being in a system where their monthly salary was the only thing they got even when they worked hard, they ended up taking it for granted that they would receive their monthly salary without putting in any effort.

To tear down and fix this kind of mindset, the thought structure of the higher-ups had to be changed first.

"If you don't want it, just give it back. I'll sell it and add it to the representative officers' finances. I'll just consider academy student Ilgak's contributions as loyalty toward the Alliance."

"N-No, that's not...!"

As I reached my hand out, Ilgak hurriedly moved the Black Spirit Orb away from my hand.

'What the, did he just dodge my hand using the Avalokiteshvara Blue Steel Hand?'

Having naturally executed the elegant Shaolin Sect martial art, Ilgak spoke with his shiny head somehow flushing entirely red.

"S-Sell it? If such a rare demonic item were recklessly spread into the world, who knows what kind of chaos..."

'How nice would it have been if he had acted like this from the start.'

One corner of my mouth naturally curled up.

"So you're saying you'll use it yourself, right?"

"... Amitabha."

Ilgak carefully wrapped his hands around the Black Spirit Orb and brought them together in prayer.

'What a dishonest guy.'

But it wasn't as if the others showed a different reaction from Ilgak.

In Yeo Samtong's hands was a new bow.

In Namgung Seonhwa's hands was a protective garment made of Heavenly Silkworm Thread.

In Cheol Sunjik's hands was a bank slip.

I spoke to ease their burden.

"If any of you feel burdened by receiving compensation from the Alliance, you can return it at any time."

"..."

"..."

"..."

No one stepped forward.

Just then.

"Um... Brother."

"Hmm? What is it, Jaehwa?"

Moyong Jaehwa hesitantly took a step forward.

"Well... Why don't I have anything?"

"Ah! You? I've already received the item meant for you."

Moyong Jaehwa's face instantly lit up.

"W-What is it?"

"Black Iron!"

"B-Black Iron, you mean?!"

I gave a large nod.

"Yeah. I took the material and sent it ahead to an excellent artisan. Once the other materials are gathered, you'll get it back as an excellent bow."

'As the ridiculous divine artifact known as the Sun Bow, that is.'

Not knowing the inside story of the Fifteen divine artifacts, Moyong Jaehwa simply fixated on the metal called 'Black Iron', his mouth stretching open as if it might tear.

'What a cute kid.'

"Oh, right! And take this."

"Yes?"

Taking the bank slip, Moyong Jaehwa's eyes widened when he saw the amount written on it.

"B-Brother! What is this! One hundred gold taels?"

"Yeah! Go out, get some rest, buy what you need, and all that."

"... N-No. Still, this is..."

I gave him the most benevolent smile possible and patted his shoulder.

"It's fine! It's fine! Your brother is giving it to you, so just pocket it."

'Because this brother of yours is probably going to have a few things to be sorry about to you in the future.'

"T-Thank you, Brother!!"

'Look at him beam. It's already making me feel sorry. Ahem.'

Anyway, the matter with the Two Modes Eight Trigrams Ten Thousand Forms Array and the business with the White Path Council were more or less settled.

Zhuge Somyeong stood before his grandson Zhuge Jeonggi not as his grandfather, but as the Murim Alliance's Chief Strategist, and threw Zhuge Jeonggi into the Golden Jade Prison.

In effect, he was expelled from the academy, and even after leaving the Golden Jade Prison, he wouldn't be able to operate even as a lower-class warrior.

The representative officers of the White Path Council, who had almost caused massive casualties through this incident, naturally went through the process of disbanding.

As promised, I swallowed up the representative officers' office that the White Path Council had set up entirely. And...

'Hehe... One hundred and thirty blossoms.'

As soon as I entered the new office, I took stock of the Seven-Colored Flowers.

'Wow, how much is all this worth?'

'I wondered if there could be a bigger waste of money than this, but thinking that all these Seven-Colored Flowers would be going into my mouth, I suddenly felt a massive surge of fondness for the White Path Council...'

"What did Representative Jin receive?"

Cheol Sunjik, having safely tucked his two thousand gold tael bank slip into his clothes, asked.

I answered as if it were no big deal.

"I just decided to have a restorative medicine brewed for me at the Medical Hall."

"Medicine?"

I nodded calmly and revealed my nearly healed wounds.

"My body took quite a beating from this incident, you see."

Gasps erupted from here and there.

"Young Master Jin. Only taking something like that... Could it be that in order to take care of us..."

When Namgung Seonhwa looked as if she was about to hand over the protective garment she had received at any moment, I shook my head.

"No. Haven't you all suffered a lot because of me? Of course I should take care of you."

I looked at the people surrounding me and smiled.

"I am completely satisfied just knowing that you all received compensation."

'Because the restorative medicine Sama Jeong is brewing is a rare spiritual elixir that only the Murim Alliance Leader gets to eat in the future. Hehe.'

'Not only does it help increase internal energy, but it especially amplifies the characteristics of the Five Elements Qi.'

'Its manufacturing method is treated as a top secret, so in the future, it's a spiritual elixir you couldn't eat even if you had all the money in the world, I'm telling you.'

'Once I consume that restorative medicine, the firepower of my Demon-Extinguishing Hand will rise to the level of the original Blood Jade Hand.'

'My, my, at this rate, I wonder if I might be suspected of being a demonic practitioner who learned the Blood Jade Hand. Bwahahaha.'

Just as I was putting on the appearance of enjoying the Seven-Colored Flowers while seeming entirely detached from personal greed.

"Representative Jin. Someone from the White Path Council is here."

Sudden guests had arrived.

The original owners of this office stepped inside hesitantly.

They were the ones who had occupied seats in the White Path Council's representative officers and had survived life-or-death crises within the Two Modes Eight Trigrams Ten Thousand Forms Array.

They had come to collect their personal belongings after having their office taken away.

I put on a magnanimous expression.

"Ah, tell them to just pack up their things as they see fit."

'I moved all the Seven-Colored Flowers to my personal locker, so they won't dare think about taking them.'

Even so, feeling uneasy, I stayed firmly in my seat to guard the Seven-Colored Flowers.

After packing enough belongings to fit into a single small box, the White Path Council members approached me instead of leaving right away.

'What is it? Are they planning to take the Seven-Colored Flowers?'

With a feeling that I absolutely could not tolerate that, my face hardened strictly and I furiously scowled.

But then.

Starting with the person in the front, the people began to cup their fists one by one.

'What's this.'

"Representative Jin. We have committed many discourtesies in the past."

"Huh?"

While I was dumbfounded by their sudden actions.

The White Path Council member continued speaking.

"It seems our narrow insights caused us to view Representative Jin through a prejudiced lens all this time."

Then, he bowed his head even deeper.

"Such a thing will not happen from now on, and we will definitely repay the favor of you saving us this time."

Following his lead, the other members also bent at the waist.

'Oho, so not everyone in the White Path Council was a beast with a human face.'

Having confirmed that the Seven-Colored Flowers were safe(?), I flashed the most benevolent smile in the world and slowly nodded.

Awe filled the faces of the people standing around me at my magnanimity...

"So, how exactly are you going to repay that favor?"

"Yes?"

The White Path Council members, who had all bowed their heads with cupped fists, raised their heads with blank expressions.

'No way, were these guys planning to repay their debt with just their mouths?'

When I twitched my eyebrows, one of them stepped forward and laughed awkwardly.

"Is there s-something you need?"

The White Path Council members were even sweating cold sweat, as if they had received an entirely unexpected question.

I snapped my fingers as if a good idea had just struck me.

"Ah! How about we do this? With Zhuge Jeonggi being locked away in the Golden Jade Prison this time, the Head of the White Path Council seat is now empty, right?"

"Pardon? Ah... Yes."

Ak Jupyeong, who I thought would naturally appear once Zhuge Jeonggi vacated his position, somehow never showed up, and the White Path Council, having lost its center, was in a state of chaos.

And now was the opportunity.

"How about taking this opportunity to place a proper Council Head in that seat?"

"A proper Council Head... What does that..."

I threw my arm around the White Path Council member's shoulders and spun him around to face Namgung Seonhwa.

'If I drop a hint this obvious, he should understand, right?'

Sure enough, he asked in surprise.

"Y-You mean Lady Namgung?"

"Ah! Well! I'm not forcing you. Since this is ultimately an internal matter for the White Path Council. But! Shouldn't someone with rightful qualifications take up the position of Council Head precisely at a time when you're scattered in pieces like this?"

Namgung Seonhwa was an elite among elites who had pushed through all kinds of interference to enter the academy through her own strength, while also being a direct descendant of the Namgung Clan.

There couldn't be a more rightful qualification than that.

'Namgung Gipyo? Where would anyone even use that weasel?'

After pondering my words for a moment, the White Path Council member exchanged glances with the others.

Following a brief silence, the White Path Council people finally spoke up.

"T-Then, we will have a discussion regarding this matter."

I flashed a satisfied smile and gestured toward Namgung Seonhwa.

"So they say. Lady Seonhwa. You should head out with them and have a chat."

"Pardon? Me?"

I ushered out both the bewildered-looking Namgung Seonhwa and the White Path Council members at the same time as I spoke.

"Please choose carefully! This is strictly for the sake of the White Path Council! Even if you disappoint me or betray me, I will only be a little. A very little bit offended!"

"A l-little..."

'After going this far to tell them, they should know how to act accordingly.'

'And they'll have to figure out for themselves just how much my 'a little' entails.'

'If they don't act properly even after I gave them this much of a hint, then I really will have to condemn them. A bloody condemnation.'

As several people poured out at once, silence returned to the representative's office.

"Ha... So you've swallowed up the White Path Council like this too?"

Seong Moran, who had been watching the whole scene unfold, let out a scoff of disbelief.

I looked at her and shook my head.

"Swallowed them up, you say. I simply handled what naturally needed to be done."

At my nonchalant reaction, Seong Moran shifted the topic of conversation as if she had adapted to it by now.

"What are we going to do about the 'Prominent Figure Invitation' now? You haven't told us who will be coming yet. Could we just use the person the White Path Council invited for our event?"

"That probably won't work. There are bound to be people who hate the fact that the White Path Council fell into my hands."

"Then what are you going to do? Didn't you say Young Master Jin invited someone separately?"

"Invited?"

'No, is there really anyone who would come just because I invited them?'

'The most famous person among those who would move at my request would be Bang Duchil.'

'Uh... Hmm...'

'I probably shouldn't invite the Combat King of the Green Woods to the Murim Academy, right?'

As I hesitated, Seong Moran's brow slightly furrowed.

"What the... Did you not invite anyone? This could be our representative officers' most symbolic event. We can't just gloss over this."

I nodded as if in agreement.

'Of course, we can't ruin the symbolic event of Representative Jin Sowoon's officers, who even brought down the White Path Council.'

"Well... I did send a different letter."

"What do you mean, a different letter?"

"There's someone who would never accept an invitation, but if they receive this letter, they'll come on their own two feet."

"Huh?"

Seong Moran tilted her head in confusion, but I couldn't give her an answer right now.

I just felt sorry for Moyong Jaehwa.

* * *

"... Hmm?"

Eunho stared suspiciously at the bank slip Moyong Jaehwa held out.

"Eldest Senior Brother gave this to you?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"He said he was just giving it to me, telling me to buy something delicious to eat."

A deep suspicion settled on his face.

"J-Just... like that?"

Moyong Jaehwa and Eunho, who had somehow become the best of friends as peers of the same age, were putting their heads together over a single bank slip.

"I sense... a plot of some sort."

Looking anxious, Moyong Jaehwa stared at Eunho's face.

"... W-What's wrong?"

"No. There's some hidden intention behind this. Because Eldest Senior Brother isn't the kind of person to just throw around a large sum of money like this."

"But he also plundered the Murim Alliance's treasury to give us gifts."

Eunho shook his head firmly.

"That's different. I don't know the reason, but strangely enough, when it comes to money, Eldest Senior Brother becomes... how should I put it... quite bizarre."

To be exact, it was more like his eyes would flip upside down in madness.

"And yet, a person like that is just casually handing out such a large sum of money?"

"..."

Listening to Eunho's story, Moyong Jaehwa also began to feel that something was slowly feeling off.

No, beyond just a feeling, the antennae of his sixth sense began to twitch and click.

"N-No way..."

"Why? What is it? You suspect something?"

"It can't be. Ah, no way... Even so, it can't be... Since he's involved in this too..."

There was a sixth sense that only Moyong Jaehwa had awakened within the Moyong Noble Clan.

A sixth sense he had evolved on his own to escape the days of vicious torment and suffering.

Commonly known as the Grandfather Sense!

That sense was frantically ringing alarm bells in anxiety.

His entire body trembled violently, and cold sweat poured down like rain.

"E-Eunho! We have to run a-away!"

"Hey, hey! What's wrong with you? All of a sudden!"

Before Eunho could even say anything, Moyong Jaehwa, who had been heading out of the academy, fired his Flying Dragon Claw and climbed up to the dormitory rooftop.

Watching that sight, Eunho also bewilderedly followed Moyong Jaehwa up to the roof of the dormitory building.

And just as he was about to approach the violently trembling Moyong Jaehwa.

"Moyong Jaehwa!!!! You damn bastard!!!! Where are you!!!!"

"Urgh!"

A violent Lion's Roar, the likes of which he had never experienced in his life, wreaked havoc on his insides.