For five hundred years, the Murim Alliance had ruled Murim, growing as arrogant as they could possibly be.

The Blood Cult was well aware of the Murim Alliance's arrogance.

That was why, in the early days of the Sichuan incident, they were able to strike the back of the heads of the Council of Elders and the academy students hard enough to leave them dazed, before stabbing them in the side.

However, it seems they failed to consider that the Murim Alliance could only be arrogant because they possessed true strength.

There was no way the Murim Alliance, having been stabbed in the back of the head and the side, would just sit still.

The Murim Alliance cracked its neck from side to side, then grabbed the Blood Cult by the throat with its massive, heavy hands.

The tide of the war was overturned in an instant.

Most of the Blood Cult's warriors and shamans who had been running rampant in Sichuan either fled or fell to the Murim Alliance's blades, and their ultimate weapons, the Iron-Clad Jiangshi, were melted into a handful of poisonous water at the hands of the Poison King.

Since the early days of the war, not only had the Blood Cult never won, but they had repeatedly retreated further and further back.

Though they surely no longer had to see the Blood Cult running rampant in Sichuan.

The war was not yet over.

Because of this, Maeng Ju-won, who suffered every day in the Murim Alliance's Mantong Bureau, had to come all the way to Padang in Sichuan to suffer.

"Where am I? Who am I?"

Though they had supposedly selected only the elites to dispatch urgently, the personnel numbered in the thousands.

The massive amount of food required to feed them three meals a day.

The replenishment of weapons lost in battle.

In addition to that, some low-ranking warriors who assisted the horses and warriors.

Considering the servants on top of that, it was a situation where a staggering number of over ten thousand people were chirping, "I'm hungry," and "I'm cold."

When dispatching the Murim Alliance, the supply of materials was usually covered through local supply via the branches in each province, but that was only possible when it was a single squad-sized unit.

Supplies in an unpredictable war like this one were not at a level that administrators, who had only operated on a branch scale in the first place, could handle.

Even with the administrators working night shifts as routinely as eating meals, the logistical supplies were not properly fulfilled, which incited the anger of the warriors.

Then, on days when a warrior, furious at only being able to eat one meal a day, grabbed an administrator by the collar and flipped them in the air a couple of times...

"We're all going to die at this rate...!"

The administrators, who had considered this their lifelong workplace and vowed never to leave the branch no matter what happened, ended up fleeing in the dead of night, turning the logistics into even more of a mess.

Thus.

Chief Strategist Zhuge, taking pity on the warriors dispatched to Sichuan, made a decision.

"You go. To Padang!"

"..."

Am I some kind of puppet that just jumps when told! Aren't I pitiful too...!

However.

"Damn it..."

When he opened his eyes, he was already in Padang.

This was the full story of how Maeng Ju-won of the Mantong Bureau came to be in Padang.

Maeng Ju-won swallowed his resentment and looked around at the situation.

There were three things he hated the most.

First was working the night shift due to excessive work.

Second was being overburdened with work due to a lack of personnel.

Third was being dispatched due to a lack of personnel.

Judging based on this.

... It was a situation where writing a resignation letter right away would be perfectly justified.

"Damn it..."

A tragic man who had eagerly hoped to leave work on time through the recruitment of talent, only to receive an excessive workload instead.

Instead of the "letting go" commonly spoken of in Orthodox martial arts, Maeng Ju-won drew up the "anger" commonly spoken of in Underworld martial arts, becoming boundlessly ferocious as he ruthlessly organized the situation in Sichuan.

"Who writes a report like this! The supply is a mess because the reports are garbage! No! Seeing you intentionally waste supplies, it seems you harbor a conspiracy to weaken the Murim Alliance's forces. I should send you to the Murim Alliance's Disciplinary Pavilion for an investigation!"

"Go find people! What? There are no people? If you can't find them, kidnap them! The Murim Alliance will take responsibility for the aftermath. Bring passing scholars or merchants, bring them all and sit them down. Filling the personnel is the priority for now!"

"Supplies! Supplies! Get the food ready first! Once their bellies are full, they won't bitch about trivial things!"

Deftly managing the lifelines of the dispatched warriors—something no one in the Murim Alliance had handled in nearly thirty years—Maeng Ju-won proved himself to be the Chief Strategist's most splendid comfort doll without even realizing it.

"They said he's the Chief Strategist's most cherished top talent of the Mantong Bureau, and it wasn't a false rumor!"

"You can say that again!"

Thanks to his efforts, the supply lines, which had been as blocked as the acupoints of a warrior who had lived a negligent life, finally began to breathe a little.

* * *

Maeng Ju-won, who had wanted to take a breather after making sure the warriors received three hot meals as soon as he arrived in Sichuan, was breaking into a cold sweat once again.

"Has a countermeasure still not been produced?"

He didn't realize it himself, but his true duty was that of a strategist.

A position that established tactics and provided advice on the battlefield to ensure the war was conducted smoothly.

The problem was that even the great Maeng Ju-won couldn't resolve the current affairs in Sichuan.

The Blood Cult, having been cleanly slapped in the face in Sichuan, had stumbled back and retreated all the way to Changdo, where Sichuan and Qinghai met.

Since they already knew through the Cheonmok Pavilion's investigation that the Blood Cult's main base was in Qinghai, the Murim Alliance was not one to hesitate in ripping them out by the roots.

The problem was.

These people with heaven-defying minds had indiscriminately installed bizarre traps near their main base and entered their final stand.

'They really don't fail to show they're the descendants of motherfuckers.'

They had piled up illusion arrays that uniformly left aftereffects, extreme poisons with no cures, and even animal-type jiangshi created using heaven-defying arts.

Because of this, even the mighty Murim Alliance was in a situation where they could not rashly step forward.

But at this time, making matters worse.

"The Underworld bastards have started moving too...!"

While the war was raging in Sichuan, the Underworld bastards, who had been curled up tightly in fear that sparks might fly onto them, were also slowly reading the room and starting to warm up.

The Underworld figures of Sichuan who hadn't attended the founding ceremony of the Underworld Alliance, the biggest event of the Underworld Murim, were gathering one by one, and intelligence reports that they were preparing for battle kept pouring in.

The Murim Alliance was at the point of worrying whether they would have to expose their side to the Underworld following the Blood Cult.

For the Murim Alliance, it was a situation where they could neither advance to suppress the Blood Cult nor turn back and leave them be.

"Hah..."

A sharp voice flew at Maeng Ju-won as he massaged his throbbing head with both hands.

"Why is that narrow-minded bastard still not saying anything?"

"W-Well... the Chief Strategist is doing his best to monitor the Underworld Alliance's movements."

"So when is that result going to come out?!"

A height that only reached Maeng Ju-won's shoulders, and a body as hard as quartz.

The person with long black hair unbefitting an old man had been continuously hounding him since the morning, but Maeng Ju-won couldn't casually snap back at him like he did in the Mantong Bureau.

In the Mantong Bureau, he had snapped at Zhuge Somyeong as if he had ten lives.

Even that was only because he used his brilliant brain to figure out the lines that could be crossed and snapped at him only to an acceptable degree.

However, since the affairs in Padang were moving so urgently, he didn't even have time to figure out where this old man's line was.

Not only that.

Even if Zhuge Somyeong used physical force, he would only hit hard enough to leave a bruise, but there was no guarantee that the Poison King would show such leniency.

Maeng Ju-won tried hard to calm the Poison King's agitation and spoke.

"W-Well, the thing is, all information is currently blocked off, so..."

Not only the Cheonmok Pavilion, but even the Beggars' Sect dispatched to Shanxi Province were not sending any information.

He didn't know what kind of orders the Underworld Alliance had given for the Underworld bastards in Sichuan Province to keep making noises like they were cracking their joints.

Either way, they needed some sort of information to even make a judgment, didn't they?

"Hmm..."

As the Poison King's eyes narrowed, Maeng Ju-won let out a hic and started hiccuping.

Ah, was he going to be turned into a handful of poisonous water just like this?

Just then.

A cold voice that touched his pride flew over and pierced him.

"Why did an incompetent bastard like you come?"

"Pardon??"

Wait, isn't that crossing the line a bit?

Wasn't he the one who had opened up Sichuan's supply lines, which had been as completely blocked as the acupoints of a dying man?

In terms of martial arts, he had done something as incredible as piercing through the three dantians and achieving Five Qi Returning to the Origin.

No matter who came from the Murim Alliance right now, they wouldn't be able to do as well as him. And yet he called him incompetent?

Isn't this old man who uses a weird tone of voice being too harsh...!

"Jin Sowoon."

However, at the name that subsequently followed, Maeng Ju-won couldn't help but flinch.

"Why didn't that boy come? I clearly said to send that boy."

"Ah..."

For some reason, Maeng Ju-won was immediately convinced.

Indeed, if that guy had been around, there would have been no way he himself would have come all the way out here.

"That friend is currently out as part of the delegation to the Underworld Alliance."

"Hmm... is that so?"

"Yes. That is correct."

The Poison King clicked his tongue for some reason and shook his head.

"Whether it's you or that narrow-minded bastard. I don't like how you handle things."

"I apologize."

"You'd better get a judgment as soon as possible. Otherwise, I will advance within seven days and nights, so you'd better know that."

"... Understood."

He couldn't bring himself to say, "You can't."

If they dragged for time any longer, forget about supplies, they might end up just pulling the frontlines back until they were annihilated between the Blood Cult and the Underworld.

'Chief Strategist...'

He could only hope and pray that the Underworld Alliance's movements would be figured out quickly so the Mantong Bureau could hand down a judgment.

* * *

"It is your turn to keep your promise."

Hyeoltu still had a look that said he couldn't accept defeat.

"Just one last game..."

I firmly shook my head.

"Please keep your promise first. We can play again after that."

Of course, even if we played ten, no, a hundred more games from now on, I would never lose to Hyeoltu.

Go was also ultimately a battle of calculation.

What use was it for him to fight a guy who played with tens of thousands of match records piled up in his head?

Furthermore, among those tens of thousands of records, there were plenty belonging to Hyeoltu's other identity, the Imperial Go Master "Do-a."

Unless he underwent a complete rebirth in Go, there was no way he would win against me.

Eventually, Hyeoltu pulled back.

"I'll let you meet him tonight."

Looking around, I saw astonishment coloring not only the faces of Ilmyeong and Tang Seo-hee, but also Yeom Gwibi's.

Geez, what's so surprising about this?

The important thing was that it was only just beginning.

* * *

When night fell, Hyeoltu tried to step out the door while using a stealth technique.

I looked at him with an absurd expression.

"Why are you moving secretly?"

"Then with everyone itching to slit your throat, do you want me to show them the sight of you boldly going to meet the leader of the Underworld Alliance?"

No, putting that aside, what if I couldn't use a stealth technique?

"That would be your problem. Well, do you want to play another game? If you win this time, I'll let you walk out boldly."

An ugly old man who couldn't accept defeat, as expected.

"Forget it. Let's go."

I deployed the Turtle Breath Footwork and followed behind him.

He didn't say anything, but looking at me as my presence vanished, Hyeoltu had an expression that seemed to say, What kind of guy is this?

Before long, his sound transmission reached me.

["What on earth is that martial art?"]

["If you reveal the secret of your martial art, Elder, I'll tell you mine too."]

["..."]

Hyeoltu glared at me for a moment before taking the lead once again.

Honestly, he's just a crafty old man overflowing with curiosity.

The main headquarters building of the Underworld Alliance was heavily guarded as usual, but no one noticed Hyeoltu and my presence.

I naturally thought we would be heading to the leader of the Underworld Alliance's office, but Hyeoltu led me to a strange place.

Is he leading me to a torture chamber instead of an office?

Then, when we reached a certain dead end.

Hyeoltu firmly pressed a section of the wall, and the dead-end wall quietly moved, revealing an entrance.

"It's here."

After walking for a long time down a corridor without even a single night-luminescent pearl embedded in it, we entered a room where a small light was leaking out.

The leader of the Underworld Alliance, Cha Seokdu, and Dam-ak were situated there.

"Welcome, Black Flame Dragon!"

Cha Seokdu, his face flushed red, suddenly hugged me tightly and patted my back heartily.

What, was he drinking?

He had a nonchalant expression, but a thick scent of alcohol wafted from his embrace.

"It's a pity we have to meet in a place like this. Anyway, aren't you practically a founding contributor of the Underworld Alliance? I was planning to hold a grand banquet in your name."

This guy is saying something terrifying with a straight face.

It would actually be less damaging to me if the Underworld Alliance sent assassins to my quarters instead.

If he threw a banquet and publicly declared me a founding contributor, I would genuinely become the Underworld's Divine Star with no way out.

I barely managed to pull myself out of his grasp.

"Have you been well lately?"

"Forget it. Cut the clumsy formalities between you and me, haha!"

Saying that, Cha Seokdu poured liquor into a glass and offered it to me.

Of all things, a glass of liquor offered by the leader of the Underworld Alliance, Cha Seokdu, in a situation where everyone in the Underworld Alliance wanted to kill us.

Especially since Tang Seo-hee hadn't even come with me, should I drink this or not?

... After a moment of thought, I emptied the glass in one go.

It was because I figured that if I was going to die anyway, dying by poison would be less painful than being tortured to death.

Cha Seokdu's hearty laughter rang through the air.

"Bwahahaha. As expected, you're more robust than most Underworld figures. Are you sure you have no intention of joining our Underworld Alliance?"

"None whatsoever."

"What a pity. A pity."

Saying that, Cha Seokdu filled his glass once again.

Watching his hand, I brought up the main topic.

"The reason I sought to see you is..."

"I know. It's because of that man, Ak Byeongbi, right?"

Stop.

Soon, his hand, which was pouring the liquor, came to a halt.

"I'm sorry, but there's no way I can help you this time either."

I looked straight into his eyes.

"The Delegation Head said he didn't do it."

Cha Seokdu stared at me for a moment, then looked down at his glass, downed it in one gulp, and roughly wiped his lips.

"Do you think so too?"

"I plan on believing him."

"Not that he didn't do it, but that you plan on believing him... I would like to do the same. But I can't."

"Why is that?"

The answer to my question came from Dam-ak.

"Because everyone is desiring blood."

Dam-ak was looking at me, his sharp eyes seemingly piercing right through me as always.

"Do you also believe blood is necessary, Strategist Dam?"

"I believe it is inevitable."

Wow... that glare, as if looking at a mortal enemy.

Just what on earth happened to that man in this life?

"Even if the Underworld Alliance disappears before it can even properly stretch its legs?"

"We'll know once we try."

As barbed words went back and forth between the two of us, Cha Seokdu stepped in to mediate.

"Both of you, stop. We didn't meet like this to declare war."

Shaking his head at Dam-ak, Cha Seokdu shifted his gaze to me.

"What do you think is the problem with our Underworld Alliance right now?"

The problem the Underworld Alliance currently faced would be no different from the problem experienced by the Underworld Alliance created by the Sword Demon in my past life.

If I carefully thought about the reason they collapsed, the answer would come quickly.

"You lack power."

"Right."

It didn't mean they literally lacked physical strength.

Since all the Underworld figures in the world had already gathered, their physical strength was as formidable as any other organization.

What I was pointing out was the issue of authority within the Underworld Alliance's leadership.

They lacked the power to enforce the leadership's orders on the entirety of the Underworld Alliance—in other words, they lacked authority.

Cha Seokdu offered a bitter smile.

"We aren't a place with a completed system like the Murim Alliance. For now, we've filled the roles with personnel from the Four Emperors Peak, but once a consensus forms, the Underworld Alliance has no choice but to be dragged along by it."

"..."

He was now drinking straight from the bottle without even using a glass.

The anxiety etched onto his face was not easily erased, even with alcohol.

Eventually.

Clack-

He set the bottle down on the table with a thud.

"Let's do this! We will lock Ak Byeongbi up in the Underworld Alliance's Golden Jade Prison. He probably won't be able to come out for a long time. In return, I will buy you and your companions time to escape."

"Will you be able to silence the pro-war faction with that?"

"It's a temporary measure. In the end, the Underworld Alliance will likely wage war due to the consensus."

Though the Four Emperors Peak Master, Cha Seokdu, had become the leader of the Underworld Alliance, in his current state, he was no different from a figurehead.

I leaned forward and looked straight at Cha Seokdu.

"By any chance, are you intending to start a war to gather power?"

Cha Seokdu's movements stopped, and the corners of Dam-ak's eyes twitched.

Once blood was shed, voices would arise within the Underworld Alliance to support the leadership for the sake of resolving the situation.

Naturally, power would gather to the leadership, and authority would be born.

Dam-ak might have been thinking exactly that right now.

However.

"If that happens, the Murim Alliance will harbor a different kind of anger."

If we kept exchanging blows like this, the situation would end up just like it did in my past life.

I had absolutely no intention of just standing by and watching that happen.

Seeing my resolute expression, Dam-ak smiled brightly and spoke.

"There is another way."

"What is it?"

"We can condemn all the members of the delegation. Taking out our anger like that would make things a bit better."

Fuck, he's spitting out horrific things as if they're nothing.

Is he like this because it's not his problem?

I gave him a nonchalant shrug, as if completely unaffected by his provocation.

"I'd prefer if that didn't happen."

"Just sitting still won't solve anything."

"..."

Hmm, just like that guy said, sitting still really won't solve anything.

I retracted some of the thorns from my words and spoke.

"Doesn't it seem a bit strange?"

"What does?"

"Isn't it too perfectly timed?"

Cha Seokdu tilted his head.

I stroked my chin and elaborated.

"The Delegation Head, who harbored a grudge, killed Gu Gye-ak. Doesn't that feel just a little too obvious?"

Dam-ak's eyes glinted sharply.

"What are you trying to say?"

Am I the only one who feels this way?

In the midst of the pro-war faction gaining power, a person who was essentially their leader was killed in a sneak attack.

And at the hands of the Orthodox faction's notoriously infamous Inspection Pavilion Hall Leader, at that.

What I mean is, the context flows far too perfectly, as if ripped straight from a scene in history.

You could say that everything is flowing naturally toward the event known as a war between the Murim Alliance and the Underworld Alliance.

Furthermore, Ak Byeongbi didn't even hide his martial arts. No matter how deep a grudge runs, there is a limit.

As someone who personally experienced a massive war of an entire generation, I know that history does not flow with such precise context.

Wars could begin from an absurd clash of pride, or an entire unit could be wiped out by a single small mistake after flawless preparations.

History merely fills in the sparse, empty spaces after the events have already occurred to create a plausible context.

But right now, it was so incredibly natural that I ironically felt a sense of unnaturalness.

"What I'm saying is that I think someone is intentionally wishing for a war between the Underworld Alliance and the Murim Alliance."

Perhaps Dam-ak had had the same thought, as he paused and stared intently at me.

Then, he soon shook his head and spoke.

"... There are already many people in the Underworld Murim who hold grudges against the Murim Alliance."

"Of course there are. But the problem is that the probability fits together so perfectly that it feels contrived."

"..."

Dam-ak's face hardened stiffly, but I didn't care in the slightest.

"If that's the case, if we're dancing to the tune of someone's intentions."

I took a breath for a moment, then asked the two of them.

"Are we supposed to just accept this situation as it is?"

Cha Seokdu, seemingly not understanding well, furrowed his brow.

Unlike him, Dam-ak rested his chin in his hand, contemplating deeply over and over again.

After the two exchanged glances for a moment, Dam-ak spoke.

"Theoretically, it sounds like a meaningful statement, but in the end, isn't it nothing more than an attempt to escape this situation?"

I immediately shook my head.

"No. I am somewhat certain."

"Certain? Do you have any proof?"

Perhaps this was the last chance to stop the war between the Underworld Alliance and the Murim Alliance.

Meaning it was time to make a bold move.

I answered without a single hint of hesitation.

"Yes."

"... What is it?"

At my firm words, Dam-ak stared at me, still not withdrawing his suspicious gaze.

"I will tell you about that gradually, but first, I'd like to make one request."

"What is it?"

"Please allow me to investigate the incident."

Doubt colored both their faces.

"What does that...?"

"If I go around poking and prodding everywhere, the person who caused this incident will reveal themselves again."

As if realizing my intentions, Dam-ak leaned forward.

"Are you saying you will act as bait?"

"Yes."

Dam-ak and Cha Seokdu looked at each other.

Cha Seokdu chuckled.

"It will be dangerous. Will you be alright?"

Since I had already staked even my grandfather's honor on this, there was no turning back for me.

"I will solve it."

Only charging straight ahead was the way to survive.