Do they say that when a person is too surprised, their brain stops working?

That was exactly my situation right now.

"Go attend the founding ceremony of the Underworld Alliance."

Because Zhuge Somyeong spoke so casually, for a moment I thought the Underworld Alliance was the name of a newly opened tavern near the Murim Alliance.

"Why on earth would I go there?"

An Underworld alliance formed at an even earlier time than in my past life.

Furthermore, since the Demonic Cult had not yet risen, every Underworld sect in the world would flock to the founding ceremony.

Because an Underworld Alliance to stand against the Murim Alliance was finally being formed.

Every prominent sect would gather to get their foot in the door.

"If it's a founding ceremony, won't all the Underworld sects be gathering? It makes no sense for a mere academy student to go to such a place."

To tell me to go into such a dragon's pool and tiger's den.

"What are you afraid of? Aren't you close with them?"

"C-Close? Who said I'm close with them? This is unfair!"

I was already suffering from dog-shit rumors claiming I was the Underworld's successor or Divine Star.

And I was supposed to attend the founding ceremony of the Underworld Alliance?

'That would be pouring oil on a dying fire.'

The suspicious gazes among the academy students were only just starting to decrease.

Moreover, I had finally started being treated properly as a representative.

I had no desire to attend a pointless event and get wrapped up in glares.

"You're not close?"

"Yes!"

"Hmm?"

Zhuge Somyeong stroked his chin and looked at me.

"Then why did that man, the Peak Master of the Four Emperors Peak, specifically ask for you to be sent as part of the delegation?"

"What?!"

This crazy bastard!

Is he a lunatic?

Even if he had no one else to invite, to specifically name me—who would become a great enemy of the Underworld as an elite of the Murim Alliance in the future—as a delegate.

'Wait... Could it be that he's afraid of my growth and wants to create a flaw in my reputation?'

Faced with something I didn't want to do, my ridiculous suspicions only multiplied.

I quickly snapped back to my senses.

"A-Anyway, I am not going."

"What was that?!"

"I'm not an official Alliance member yet, nor am I a member of the Mantong Bureau. I only came to the Mantong Bureau to help Manager Maeng with his work."

Maeng Ju-won, who was slouched in a corner listening in on our conversation, gave a thumbs-up.

I'm not doing this because I like you!

"... It's not so I can go to the Underworld Alliance. Furthermore, I am far too busy as a representative to accept a 'favor' from the Chief Strategist."

Even though I refused quite rudely and firmly, Zhuge Somyeong somehow spoke calmly.

"I've already told the Academy Director."

"Pardon?"

"This time, the academy students won't just form a representative group on their own just because you're not there. 'Unlike before,' a proper written order will be issued."

He then pulled out a haphazardly crumpled document from a stack of papers and handed it over.

"That is your order. What does it say at the very bottom?"

"... It says Alliance Leader's Pavilion."

Why was a document that looked like someone blew their nose in it and flattened it out an order from the Alliance Leader's Pavilion?

"An order issued simultaneously by the Alliance Leader's Pavilion and the Mantong Bureau is absolute. Even if it's for an academy student. Or, do you want to go to the Council of Elders and argue your case?"

The only entity that could overturn an order from the Alliance Leader's Pavilion and the Mantong Bureau was the Council of Elders.

But even if I took it to the Council of Elders, there was no way those old men would actually overturn it.

If anything, they might just push me to go die while I'm at it.

Zhuge Somyeong flashed a triumphant smile.

"Well then, will you be locked up in the Golden Jade Prison, or will you go?"

I gritted my teeth and answered.

"... Going would be better."

"Exactly."

Damn it, damn it, damn it.

Just what did I do wrong to have things like this keep happening to me?

Ah! If I had known this would happen, I should have asked the Mount Heng Sect to hold a grand ancestral rite for me.

"But what do you mean by telling me to help establish an alliance with the Underworld Alliance?"

In the first place, the Underworld Alliance was launched as a counter-organization to the Murim Alliance.

If they planned to ally with the Murim Alliance from the start, the backlash would be immense.

Naturally, there was no way they would accept the Murim Alliance's proposal.

Moreover, it was the same for the Murim Alliance.

The Murim Alliance's current main enemy was not the Blood Cult or the Demonic Cult, which were known to have disappeared. It was the Underworld.

Why would the Murim Alliance propose an alliance to the Underworld first?

"The war with the Blood Cult is dragging out. We cannot let the Underworld Alliance view this situation as an opportunity."

"..."

I calmed my mind and spoke as evenly as possible.

"I don't think I can do it."

"Why?"

"Aren't they an organization meant to keep the Murim Alliance in check? There's no way they would accept me."

Zhuge Somyeong somehow nodded in agreement.

"We also do not expect them to accept the alliance. An amicable alliance is probably something for the distant future. That being the case, a war must not break out, at least until the situation in Sichuan is resolved."

"..."

"If that were to happen, we would end up crossing a river of no return."

Honestly, wasn't it a bit of a stretch to see the Blood Cult and the Underworld as complete enemies of one another?

There was no way the sight of the Murim Alliance mobilizing to exterminate the Blood Cult would look good to the Underworld.

Furthermore, for the Underworld Alliance, this was the perfect opportunity to strike the Murim Alliance.

'They might even try to declare war by cutting off the envoys' heads...'

If I completed this mission safely, I would be suspected as an Underworld spy, and if things went wrong, a war might break out between the Underworld Alliance and the Murim Alliance.

No matter how much I thought about it, I didn't want to go.

But since a written order had already been issued, trying to persuade him on principle wouldn't work.

In that case, appealing to his emotions was the answer.

I bowed politely.

"However, even if it is me, do you really think I can forge such a major agreement with the Underworld Alliance? You seem to be overestimating me."

"Do not worry. Your role will be strictly limited to providing 'help'."

"... I am terrified of what might happen to me right in the middle of a bunch of Underworld thugs."

"I know your internal energy has reached one hundred and eighty years' worth, so what are you worried about? For a guy who cut off the head of the Blood Cult's Minor Cult Leader, you're making too much of a fuss. Tsk."

Ugh.

To think the result of showing off to build up some merit would shackle my ankles like this.

Man, this old man was truly a tough opponent.

Before I knew it, Zhuge Somyeong was patting my shoulder.

"Do not worry. The delegation will be accompanied by individuals with profound martial arts."

I made my final desperate struggle.

"P-Poison! How will I deal with poison? Since they are Underworld thugs, they might even poison the food..."

Thanks to the Taiyi True Scripture and my massive internal energy, I was close to being immune to a hundred poisons, but I wasn't immune to ten thousand poisons.

Whether he knew my anxiety or not, Zhuge Somyeong nodded.

"I figured as much, so I have already prepared everything in advance."

"..."

What? He prepared it?

Fuck, why is he so thorough?

"Academy student Jin Sowoon, ensure there is not a single lapse of diligence in this mission."

After suddenly speaking in a stern voice, Zhuge Somyeong let out an 'ahem' cough and left the room.

Maeng Ju-won, who had come closer at some point, patted my shoulder as if telling me to cheer up, but it didn't give me any strength at all.

I really couldn't understand it. Why was my fate to suffer endlessly, regardless of whether I succeeded in life or not?

* * *

The formation of the Underworld Alliance sent the entire Jianghu into an uproar.

The Underworld sects began to build anticipation, thinking they could finally return everything they had suffered at the hands of the Murim Alliance through this opportunity.

Conversely, the Orthodox sects began to find the Underworld's growing power to be an eyesore.

A subtle tension began to circulate within the Murim Alliance as well.

The hardliners argued that warriors should be dispatched immediately to erase the very existence of the organization called the Underworld Alliance, while the moderates held the stance that there was no need to overreact to the establishment of a single organization.

Contrary to these clear public opinions, the higher-ups could not take any political stance.

They could not forgive the organization called the Underworld Alliance, but at the same time, they couldn't punish them because they hadn't actually done anything yet.

They were just gathering amongst themselves to strengthen their bonds; the Alliance couldn't just flip the table and tell them not to do it. What would that make them, if not the Underworld?

It wasn't as if the Murim Alliance was some group of thugs.

Moreover, fierce battles were continuing day after day in Sichuan.

Although the momentum was shifting toward victory, the Blood Cult was fiercely resisting the path of extermination, and much more time would be needed to strike at their main base and pull out their roots.

Ultimately, regarding the Underworld Alliance's founding ceremony, it was decided to send an appropriate gift, a personal letter in the name of the Chief Strategist, and a few envoys.

Protests rained down from both the hardliners and the moderates, but when the situation in Sichuan was brought up, they tucked their tails and ran away like puppies told it was 'bath time'.

Hyuk Mugang lifted his teacup and asked.

"What did the boy say?"

"He made it abundantly clear that he would rather die than go. But what could a brat like him do about it?"

Zhuge Somyeong looked completely satisfied, but a slight shadow fell over Hyuk Mugang's face.

"I wonder if we haven't placed too heavy a burden on the boy."

"What else can we do? There is no one else suitable enough to trust with such a task."

It was a mission bound to fail no matter who went.

They were only trying it because Jin Sowoon had influenced the formation of the Underworld Alliance, and because he was acquainted with numerous prominent Underworld figures, including the Peak Master of the Four Emperors Peak, due to the incident at the Demonic Spirit Plateau.

Zhuge Somyeong also hardened his expression as he spoke.

"We have no choice but to bet on his unpredictability once again."

Zhuge Somyeong did not like carrying out unpredictable tasks in this manner.

Because the chances of failure were high, and the resulting damage would be immense.

But for this one time, he hoped it would succeed, even if by sheer luck.

"If it fails... it will mean war."

The Underworld Murim's long-standing grudge against the Murim Alliance ran deep.

Having just begun to gather their strength, they needed to project that power outward if only to keep their own ranks in line.

The Murim Alliance, too, could not simply extend a hand to the Underworld now.

How had the power of the Murim Alliance and the Orthodox faction within it grown so large thus far?

Wasn't it due to their justification of suppressing the Underworld and maintaining the order of Jianghu?

Perhaps war was predetermined.

"I pray a situation where more blood is shed does not arise."

Hyuk Mugang's voice hung heavier than ever before.

* * *

"Eldest Senior Brother, hold out your arms. Shouldn't you at least take a bundle with you?"

"..."

Eunho slipped the straps over my unmoving arms and hoisted a heavy bundle onto me.

"Oh right, and don't forget souvenirs when you come back."

"... Do you think I'm going on some leisure trip?"

As if he couldn't hear me, Eunho just kept talking.

"Aren't there people among the Underworld martial artists who make bizarre objects? If not at a time like this, when else would we ever get to see them?"

"... But Geumpyo, what's wrong with your state?"

Geumpyo, clad in rags and covered in bruises from head to toe, grinned sheepishly.

"I've been practicing external arts lately..."

"... Right. Keep up the hard work."

"Senior Brother. Please be careful."

Saryeon, the one who worried about me the most, stepped forward.

"As expected, I only have you..."

"You can't just smash someone's head in just because they pick a fight with you. That place is no different from being in the middle of the Underworld Murim. Don't act like you did at the Iron Sword Sect."

"..."

After saying goodbye to my acquaintances with my junior disciples' heartwarming(?) send-off, I headed straight for the Murim Alliance.

'A delegation... An alliance...'

Certainly, an alliance with the Underworld Alliance was necessary.

The moment the front lines expanded, the blood of warriors would flow like rivers across all of Jianghu.

The problem was that there was no one within the Murim Alliance who had good relations with the Underworld.

That was why I was incredibly curious about the lineup of this delegation.

If they were going as envoys to the Underworld Alliance to forge an alliance, didn't that mean they were figures capable of acting as a bridge with the Underworld Alliance from within the Murim Alliance?

And if this agreement was successfully concluded, the members of this delegation would highly likely act as the bridge between the Murim Alliance and the Underworld Alliance against the rise of the Demonic Cult in the future.

'I should memorize their faces well.'

When I reached the designated location, I saw a small procession.

Having already finished their preparations, the escort warriors of the escort agency were inspecting the carriage, and the porters were checking on the condition of the horses.

"Pardon me... Are you the academy student who is joining the delegation?"

A porter asked as he bowed halfway down.

I gave a light nod.

"Yes. That's me."

"Ah, please, right this way."

The porter acted carefully, as if attending to an important VIP.

I looked around and asked.

"Hmm... Have the other delegates arrived already?"

"Yes. You are the last to arrive, Young Master."

I had arrived thirty minutes earlier than the scheduled time, yet they were already here.

Guided by the porter, I walked around the carriage to the area where the horses were waiting, and there I saw the people who appeared to be the delegates.

And the moment I saw them.

"Fuck..."

I couldn't help but spit out a curse and stop dead in my tracks.

At the sound of my voice, a woman turned to look at me.

"... Swearing is bad."

A short stature. Long hair like ebony. Tang Seo-hee, who had an expressionless face and spoke peculiarly.

"..."

"Welcome. Benefactor Jin. It has been a while."

Beside her, Little Buddha Ilmyeong pressed his palms together in greeting.

"How dare a mere member arrive later than the captain."

And finally, Ak Byeongbi, who had tried to torture me not long ago for shattering Ak Jupyeong's leg bones.

'This is driving me crazy.'

Upon confirming their identities, I felt completely astounded.

A daughter of the Tang Clan, whose methods were even more ruthless than the Underworld's.

The head disciple who was called the next Abbot of the Shaolin Sect, the Mount Tai and Big Dipper of the martial world.

An ideological inquisitor who, if suspicious, would turn not only Underworld practitioners but perfectly normal Orthodox practitioners into Underworld scum.

'What kind of delegation is this?! It's a subjugation squad!!!'

Even if one intentionally picked only the people that Underworld practitioners hated the most, it would be hard to assemble a group like this.

"It is nice to meet again after a long time."

Tang Seo-hee waved her hand with an expressionless face.

'I'm not doing this! Damn it!'

I already didn't want to go in the first place.

Now, I fiercely wanted to go even less.