Jin Sowoon's next destination after exposing the hidden assassin of the Four Dragons Sect was the Hwangsa Sect.

And absurdly enough, the hidden assassin hiding in the Hwangsa Sect was none other than Gal Jeongi.

"No! It's not me! Stop talking nonsense!"

Since he had grieved the most over Gu Gye-ak's death, the disciples of the Hwangsa Sect hadn't even suspected that Gal Jeongi was the culprit either.

However, Jin Sowoon, having broken through the restraint of the Hwangsa Sect warriors, severed Gal Jeongi's head in a single strike and tore off the human-skin mask from his face to reveal his true identity, leaving the Hwangsa Sect disciples unable to hide their bewildered expressions.

Thinking that all the culprits had now been caught, the tension inside the Underworld Alliance was gradually easing.

However, Jin Sowoon's mind-reading(?) did not stop there.

"I am going to catch and kill every single one of them."

Feeling a sense of crisis at Jin Sowoon's storm-like behavior, the leaders admitted their past faults and tried to stop him, but Jin Sowoon showed no intention of stopping at all.

He caught a hidden assassin in the Mado Sect, the last remaining faction among the major forces of the pro-war faction.

He also caught hidden assassins from the Blood Tiger Sect and the Black Death Gang, which belonged to the pro-peace faction.

In particular, the time he caught the hidden assassin in the Mado Sect was quite a spectacle...

"Oh my, you say he ran away? Don't worry. I have everything prepared."

The hidden assassin, who had not yet committed any murder, was disguised as one of the ordinary warriors and had fled under the cover of night.

"Do I just need to catch the runaway and bring him back?"

But Jin Sowoon had Tang Seo-hee, the daughter of the famously ruthless Tang Clan, go and sever the fleeing warrior's head, and then he returned to the Mado Sect with the severed head to clearly show them the sight of the human-skin mask being peeled off.

They had said they would believe him even without him necessarily showing evidence, but seeing him insist on tearing off the human-skin mask right in front of their eyes made even those ruthless Underworld figures inwardly click their tongues.

'A truly crazy bastard.'

'... How is that an Orthodox faction member? He's a madman obsessed with slaughter.'

'At this point, shouldn't we assume that bastard's martial art is literally tearing off human-skin masks?'

However, no one dared to express any complaints about Jin Sowoon's behavior of effortlessly catching culprits through his mind-reading(?).

Because if Jin Sowoon branded them as a Magun(?) right now, their heads would be cut off on the spot before they could even move.

After all, once their heads were cut off, they wouldn't be able to plead their innocence even if it was later revealed they weren't a Magun.

"Why are you all staring so intently?"

"Ahem... It's nothing..."

"O-Oh, it's nothing..."

Everyone was busy avoiding eye contact whenever they saw Jin Sowoon.

Thus, Jin Sowoon's exploits came to an end.

The people of the Underworld Alliance breathed a long sigh of relief not so much because the hidden assassins lurking inside had been found, but because Jin Sowoon's sword rampage was finally over.

It was the moment when the fearsome reputation of the Black Flame Dragon, the rising star of the Orthodox faction and the Divine Star of the Underworld, became even more solidified.

* * *

"Hmm..."

Gun Yuhyeon, who had been reviewing the recent events in his mind, let out a long sigh.

"I have absolutely no idea how he did it."

When it came to intelligence, he boasted a brilliant mind with no rivals thus far, but he could not quite understand the current situation.

"There shouldn't have been any way to figure it out."

He had been racking his brain ever since Jin Sowoon asked for his help, but he absolutely could not come up with a way to find the culprits.

On the other hand, Jin Sowoon found the culprits with ease.

And he did it using that ridiculous method called mind-reading(?).

He knew perfectly well that there was no such thing in the first place.

Jin Sowoon mentioning mind-reading was nothing more than a smokescreen operation meant to hide his real methods and make his opponents feel an unknown fear, causing them to lose their rationality.

In fact, his operation must have worked perfectly, seeing as there was even a culprit who was caught while fleeing, unable to endure the fear.

A situation where all circumstances pointed to the delegation as the culprits.

The pro-war forces emphasizing a war with the Murim Alliance, and the alliance members sympathizing with them.

By all rights, this was a situation where there should have been a near ninety percent chance of failing to catch the true culprits.

And yet, just like when playing Sword Tiles, Jin Sowoon had pierced through those nonsensical odds and caught the culprits.

"Did he use some sort of cheap trick again this time?"

But he could not even begin to guess what kind of cheap trick he had used this time.

"Is there a reason the Little Demon has kept an eye on him..."

Lost in thought, Gun Yuhyeon gripped the Sword Tiles and began to read his fortune.

CLACK, CLACK-CLACK, CLACK.

A satisfied smile spread across his face as he looked at the tiles.

"As expected."

The tiles completed on the floor formed the Interlocking Swords.

Just like during their last match, a hand practically equivalent to the strongest tiles had appeared.

"Even if one loses the immediate battle, one must ultimately win the war to become the final victor."

Gun Yuhyeon carefully gathered up the Sword Tiles.

* * *

Ilgak, whom he had met at the Murim Academy after the Sichuan incident, had said:

["It seems that Jin Sowoon is 'an enlightened one'."]

Ilmyeong had neither agreed nor disagreed with Ilgak's words.

Because it was a common misconception to make.

Monks who had achieved an immovable mind would sometimes ignore the sense of defeat blossoming within them by elevating their opponent into an incredible being.

Since without doing so, they wouldn't be able to explain their own emotions.

After a bit of time passed and they realized the opponent was merely an ordinary person, only then would they admit that the emotion they felt was a sense of defeat and that they had been denying it.

This was a natural law of things.

However, Ilmyeong somehow felt that the person who had been turning away from his own emotions all this time wasn't Ilgak, but himself.

The one he had thought of as 'an enlightened one' was none other than Yong So-ah.

Because he was an individual acknowledged by everyone in the world, Ilmyeong had also recognized him as 'an enlightened one'...

It was only after coming to the Underworld Alliance and experiencing Jin Sowoon that he newly thought: perhaps he had been ignoring his own shortcomings by elevating Yong So-ah, who was merely an ordinary person, into a great figure.

["The choice to move forward by sacrificing someone is something I'll only do when a much larger problem arises."]

He vividly remembered the answer Jin Sowoon had given to Ak Byeongbi's words telling them to leave him behind and move forward.

And simultaneously, a certain man came to mind.

Yong So-ah.

What answer would he have given?

Feeling like it would be a rather uncomfortable remark, Ilmyeong erased the thought from his mind.

Jin Sowoon's actions were clearly a foolish act bordering on reckless bravado.

A situation where they all could have died.

Yet Jin Sowoon shattered everyone's despair and completely reversed the situation.

There were no longer any stones or bladed weapons flying into their lodgings.

Among the passersby, those who exuded killing intent as if they would challenge them to a duel at any moment, as well as those who emanated the competitive spirit or hostility seen on the first day, had disappeared.

Instead, as if they had committed some grave sin, they were busy avoiding eye contact with the delegation, and when walking on the streets, countless people would take detours to avoid them.

Truly, what kind of Divine Star in the world... no, what kind of Orthodox faction member could create such a situation?

It was something that couldn't be achieved merely by having strong martial arts and a clever mind.

Wasn't it a state that could only be reached by achieving 'enlightenment' and ascending to a higher plane?

'Of course, his methods are a bit bizarre...'

Mind-reading(?)...

Although it made one click their tongue to see a disciple of a Daoist sect using a term that wasn't even used within the Shaolin Sect, as long as the results were good, wasn't that all that mattered?

Just then, as if to awaken Ilmyeong from his thoughts, someone approached cautiously.

"Monk. Here it is."

A young boy, who looked like an ordinary server, handed over a thick bundle of papers.

Ilmyeong didn't know what the contents were either.

It seemed to be the reply that came after he delivered the paper Jin Sowoon had given him along with the black token, exactly as instructed.

"Is this all?"

"Yes. They said that if I deliver this, Young Master Jin will take care of the rest."

"... Who said that?"

"The Sect Leader of Haomun said so."

"... Amitabha."

The Sect Leader of Haomun.

The head of the supreme intelligence organization rivaling the Beggars' Sect was personally conveying a message.

Of course, he hadn't thought Jin Sowoon was lying when he mentioned the 'Guest' status, but encountering it like this anew was nothing short of astonishing.

The position of a 'Guest' in Haomun was not given to just anyone.

Yet for a young man who had barely passed the age of twenty to be a Guest of Haomun...

He was so curious about how Jin Sowoon had become a Guest of Haomun that his immovable mind was on the verge of shattering.

Ilmyeong pressed his palms together, suppressing his emotions.

"Understood. I will be on my way, then."

Curiosity was curiosity, but what needed to be done had to be done.

Ilmyeong gathered the food supplies and medicinal herbs and began running back toward the Underworld Alliance.

Although the hostility toward the delegation inside the Underworld Alliance had disappeared as the hidden assassins were exposed, for some reason, Jin Sowoon insisted on procuring food and medicine from the outside.

'Does he perhaps think there are still culprits left?'

He hurriedly returned to their lodgings inside the Underworld Alliance, but there was no sign of Jin Sowoon, Hyeoltu, or Yeom Gwibi.

"Did Benefactor Jin go out?"

There shouldn't be any more culprits left to catch, so where else could he have gone?

Tang Seo-hee, who was busy working with her hands, looked back at Ilmyeong and spoke.

"He went to a banquet. We have to go too, so you need to put those things down quickly and get ready."

"A banquet, you say?"

"Yeah. The Leader threw a banquet for us."

"..."

Throwing a banquet was no different from showing an intent to reset their hostile relationship back to an amicable one.

Taking it a step further, it meant they might even be able to bring up talks of a peace treaty, which hadn't even been mentionable in the first place.

At this point, Ilmyeong had no choice but to admit it.

["It seems that Jin Sowoon is 'an enlightened one'."]

Ilgak was right, and he had been wrong.

"Amitabha."

* * *

As Ilmyeong and Tang Seo-hee stepped into the grand hall, the sound of laughter filling the space reached their ears.

"Bwahahaha!"

"Hahahaha!!"

However, there were only two people producing that laughter.

"You drink quite heartily, just as I expected!"

"The Underworld Alliance may not have any roots yet, but the taste of its alcohol is top-notch!"

"Bwahahaha! After all, we've gathered a bunch of bastards who can't live without booze, so the alcohol naturally has to be killer!"

"Anyway, you know that's all thanks to me, right? If it weren't for me, the Underworld Alliance would have gone ack—just like this."

As Jin Sowoon made a gesture of slitting his throat with his thumb, Cha Seokdu kept nodding his head.

"Right, right! That's the Black Flame Dragon for you! Even when I think about it again, that martial title was truly well-made."

SLAM!

"How could you say such a thing?! Do you know how much I hate that title?!"

Jin Sowoon, having roughly slammed his cup down on the table in a flash, glared at Cha Seokdu.

Though he had held a high position within the Underworld Murim previously, Cha Seokdu now stood at the very peak of the Underworld Murim.

And yet, to show such an attitude...

"Do you have any idea how unfitting the title 'Black Flame' is for an elite of the Orthodox faction?"

Cha Seokdu spoke as he poured alcohol into Jin Sowoon's cup.

"Isn't it a bit of a stretch to call you an elite of the Orthodox faction in the first place?"

Downing the alcohol Cha Seokdu poured for him in one gulp, Jin Sowoon smiled brightly.

"Fucking hell, did you really just say that?"

'Stop it, you crazy bastard!'

Ilmyeong unwittingly checked Cha Seokdu's reaction. However...

"Bwahahaha! You're really something else, truly something else!"

Cha Seokdu wasn't normal either.

The words going back and forth like a drunken stupor were more than enough to chill Ilmyeong's spine.

Wondering if this was the original culture of the Underworld Alliance, he observed the faces of the Underworld Alliance leaders sitting opposite the delegation.

As expected, no one was laughing along with the jokes.

In fact, some even had thick blue veins popping out on their foreheads.

Only Cha Seokdu was excitedly refilling Jin Sowoon's cup over and over again.

"Instead of doing all this, why don't you take this chance to completely change your affiliation to the Underworld Alliance? Wouldn't the position of Vice Leader of the Underworld Alliance be much better than being a lackey for the Murim Alliance?"

"Ho! Is there a position like Vice Leader here?"

"If you come, we can just make one, can't we?"

"You truly are magnanimous, bwahahaha!"

Cha Seokdu added with a fairly serious expression.

"What's so nonsensical about it? You have no background and no money anyway, so the best you can do is stop at the position of a Murim Alliance Hall Leader. A true man should know how to take risks for the sake of wealth and glory."

"Hmm... Should I? I was already cursing up a storm, saying I couldn't stomach it anymore because it was so dirty and petty. Bwahahaha!"

'You crazy bastard, show some restraint. The Third Hall Leader of the Inspection Pavilion is right here with us...!'

Ilmyeong gulped nervously and looked at Ak Byeongbi sitting next to him.

"..."

Ak Byeongbi, who had thick bandages wrapped around his injuries, was quietly drinking his alcohol as if he couldn't hear the conversation at all.

And beside him, Tang Seo-hee somehow had sparkling eyes, looking as if she desperately wanted to join that conversation.

'Amitabha, Amitabha.'

With those crass jokes crossing the line, the listeners couldn't even distinguish who was the real Underworld figure.

Furthermore, Cha Seokdu's attitude, which seemed as if he was trying to privatize the organization known as the Underworld Alliance, was more than enough to rub the Underworld Alliance leaders the wrong way.

"Ahem."

"Leader. I believe your jokes have gone too far."

"Indeed. Even if we are at a drinking gathering..."

When the leaders expressed their discomfort, Cha Seokdu and Jin Sowoon, who had been laughing just a moment ago, abruptly stopped smiling as if they had peeled off human-skin masks.

And then they stared intently at the leaders.

Just when sweat was about to break out under the uncomfortable, silent gazes.

Cha Seokdu sneered.

"Good grief... Since when did Underworld figures care about the level of jokes? They're just jokes, jokes!"

"Hold on a moment, Leader. Seeing how they can't take a joke as a joke, perhaps they aren't true Underworld figures. Let me use my mind-reading(?) to smash the heads of the bastards possessed by a Magun."

"A-Ahem..."

"Amitabha..."

Faced with the perfectly synchronized joint attack of the two, not only the Underworld Alliance leaders but also the members of the delegation shook their heads in exasperation.

"Anyway, you, who were almost wrongfully accused initially, even took care of the hidden assassins inside the Underworld Alliance for us, so I should reward you... What would you like?"

Jin Sowoon, sporting a broad smile, waved his hands in refusal.

"Eyy, there you go saying nonsensical things again. Wouldn't I be swept up in controversy if I, an elite of an Orthodox sect, were to receive a reward from you, a giant of the Underworld Murim?"

This was an official gathering with the Underworld Alliance coalition present. Yet he called the Leader a 'giant'.

Ilmyeong felt his heart sink with every single word Jin Sowoon spoke.

Cha Seokdu fiddled with his cup as if deep in thought.

"Hmm... That actually sounds better for me, but..."

SLIDE.

"Goodness, I only said 'but', who said I was just going to skip it! ... Take your hand off that Black Dragon Sword."

SLIDE.

"... Anyway, our Underworld Alliance's temperament doesn't allow us to live with debts."

Jin Sowoon, who had been fiddling with the Black Dragon Sword, downed a cup of alcohol and spoke.

"Then instead of a reward, how about forming an alliance between the Underworld Alliance and the Murim Alliance?"

"An alliance?"

Jin Sowoon nodded.

"We have already confirmed the existence of those trying to drive a wedge between the Underworld Alliance and the Murim Alliance. There's no need for us to play into their schemes, is there?"

"Hmm..."

At the sight of Cha Seokdu deep in thought, the expressions of the Underworld Alliance leaders changed in various ways.

Some looked relieved, while others furrowed their brows.

"It's true that we can't let ourselves be played by their tricks."

"Then?"

"But an alliance will be difficult. We still can't properly gauge the Murim Alliance's true intentions."

As if having made up his mind, Cha Seokdu held out his hand.

"I wouldn't call it an alternative, but let's wrap this up with a peace treaty."

Looking down at Cha Seokdu's extended hand, Jin Sowoon subtly turned his head to look at Ak Byeongbi.

The two exchanged glances for a moment.

When Ak Byeongbi silently raised his cup once more, Jin Sowoon opened his mouth.

"As they say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, so we can just approach this one step at a time."

Cha Seokdu and Jin Sowoon clasped hands together.