A small groan slipped from Ak Byeongbi's lips after he heard the whole story.

"So..."

He simply couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You are being bullied by a kid named Yayul Geuk?"

"Yes!"

Ak Jupyeong poured out his grief as if he were a man suffering punishment for a false accusation.

"This bastard keeps attacking me constantly. Furthermore, ever since that last incident, the academy hasn't taken any particular action."

"Isn't Yayul Geuk the kid you were one-sidedly bullying?"

"That's true. However, since that incident, I haven't harassed him even once...! But this crazy bastard keeps making my life miserable at every opportunity."

At first, given the unusual state of his face, Ak Byeongbi thought Jin Sowoon had harmed him.

But.

"You're saying it's not Jin Sowoon, but Yayul Geuk..."

"That Yayul Geuk bastard is exactly the same as Jin Sowoon. He's just some nobody from a pathetic background who got lucky enough to enter the academy, and now he's running wild without knowing his place."

Ak Byeongbi's nodding abruptly stopped.

"What did you say?"

Misunderstanding Ak Byeongbi's anger as him taking his side, Ak Jupyeong excitedly kept chattering away.

"From what I've heard, Jin Sowoon and that Yayul Geuk bastard are closer than usual. They spar separately, and I heard the disciples of the Taiyi Sect, where that bastard Jin Sowoon is from, look after Yayul Geuk too."

"..."

"Everything has been a mess ever since that bastard Jin Sowoon took the academy representative position. It seems the current Academy Director, Buk Wonpyeong, and Jin Sowoon have some sort of secret relationship... which is likely why the academy's instructors and drill instructors are reluctant to make a move."

Then, Ak Jupyeong, who had been wearing the most wronged expression in the world, stared with sparkling eyes.

"Therefore, I need you, Uncle, who belongs to the Inspection Pavilion, to pass judgment on them."

Looking at him, Ak Byeongbi recalled something from a few days ago.

["When something that shouldn't be natural is perceived as natural, people become arrogant. Doesn't the Ak Clan alone have countless ruffians who take such privileges for granted?"]

He had dismissed it as the jealous words of Jin Sowoon, who didn't know much about the Ak Clan, but to think the precious nephew standing before him was the exact match for Jin Sowoon's mockery.

"Judgment..."

The reason the academy wasn't making an issue of Yayul Geuk's actions was probably because of the bad karma Ak Jupyeong had already built up.

Furthermore, since they saw him, the Third Hall Leader, dragged to the academy to bow his head, the instructors and drill instructors likely decided they couldn't intervene in their affairs.

But this ruffian before his eyes couldn't tell shit from soybean paste; trapped in his narrow-minded perspective and thoughts, he felt wronged, believing the whole world was oppressing him.

"That's right! Uncle! Judgment is necessary."

Furthermore, without even grasping what the man in front of him was thinking, he did not doubt for a second that a path of flowers would open up for his future.

'How did the Ak Clan end up like this?'

Ak Byeongbi had cared for Ak Jupyeong as if he were his own child.

How much had he cried upon seeing Ak Jupyeong, who was born the year after he lost his wife and child.

Sentimental ties aside, Ak Jupyeong was also an important existence within the Ak Clan.

He wasn't the eldest grandson, but he was the eldest son of his second older brother.

Although he wouldn't inherit the Ak Clan, it was clear he would take on crucial roles related to the Ak Clan and work for the family.

To think the mindset of a child meant to rise to such a vital position amounted to only this much...

Ak Byeongbi felt an immense sense of disappointment.

Ignorant of this, Ak Jupyeong thumped his own chest with an innocent expression.

"I already sent a letter to the main family."

"A letter?"

"Yes. I asked them to send personnel to pass judgment on Yayul Geuk and Jin Sowoon's gang. If you step forward, Uncle, I will handle the aftermath."

"..."

Ak Byeongbi gently closed his eyes, forcefully swallowing down the anger that started in his chest and surged all the way to the top of his head.

'Right, this is what ordinary kids are like. The rising stars of Jianghu, raised coddled and pampered, are generally this immature...'

However.

As he tried to slowly calm his anger, the faces of Ilmyeong, Tang Seo-hee, and Jin Sowoon—those he had shared life and death with over the past few days—flashed through Ak Byeongbi's mind.

["There is nothing that gnaws away at a person's character and turns them into a frog in a well quite like a sense of privilege. How long could a family filled with such bastards truly last?"]

CRASH!

At Ak Byeongbi's hand, the table split in half, sending all sorts of documents and stationery flying in every direction.

The moment Ak Byeongbi snapped his eyes open, his vision was met with Ak Jupyeong's face, brimming with expectation and unable to hide a smile.

"You bastard..."

A child he had watched over since he was very young.

A child he had cherished more than anyone, to the point of handing him his first spear and personally teaching him how to thrust.

"To think someone like you..."

Right now, he looked like an evil spirit that would gnaw away at the family and leave it to rot and fester.

As if to mock this despair.

"Should we prepare right away, Uncle?"

Ak Jupyeong wore a triumphant expression, acting as if he were riding on the back of a tiger.

The moment he was about to throw a tightly clenched fist into the bastard's face.

"Hall Leader! You have a guest!"

He stopped abruptly at the voice calling out from outside.

"A guest?"

To make a report even though they knew Ak Jupyeong was already here...

Suppressing his anger, Ak Byeongbi asked back.

"Who is it?"

"It is Academy Representative Jin Sowoon."

"Jin Sowoon?"

"Th-That bastard?"

At just those three syllables of his name, Ak Jupyeong's face somehow turned deathly pale.

His triumphantly smiling face crumpled like a piece of paper, and eventually, his legs even began to tremble in anxiety.

Staring at that sight, Ak Byeongbi issued an order toward the outside.

"Send him in."

"U-Uncle?"

At that, Ak Jupyeong's eyes widened so much they looked like they would pop out at any second.

They weren't even from different classes; they were classmates who had enrolled at the exact same time, yet how could the difference in their caliber be this vast?

'Haa...'

Ak Byeongbi barely swallowed the sigh threatening to escape him.

In the previous generation, Ak Buksan failed to draw attention because of geniuses like Yong So-ah and Ilmyeong.

And.

"J-Jin Sowoon... Eek...!"

He felt it wouldn't be much different in this current generation either.

'It seems we will have to wait a lot longer for my eldest brother's wish to come true.'

The Minor Patriarch's hope of shaking the world with the Ak Clan's name seemed far too distant to achieve in the current generation.

* * *

If one were to pick the places Murim Alliance members least wanted to go, it would undoubtedly be the Inspection Pavilion and the Disciplinary Pavilion.

Unless you were assigned there, being dragged to the Inspection Pavilion meant the chances of returning in one piece were significantly low.

Yet, here I was, walking into this place on my own two feet.

'And to the Third Hall, no less.'

Seeing people being dragged to the Inspection Pavilion under false accusations, some would mock them, saying they were just unlucky for having committed a grave sin in their past lives.

Looking at it from that perspective, I suppose I must have committed quite a massive sin in my past life as well.

Well, I was close with those Minor Orthodox Unit bastards, so if you consider that a sin, I guess it counts as one.

Useless bastards, anyway you look at it.

Fortunately, my destination wasn't an interrogation room, but an office.

The person guiding me was someone whose solemn and stiff expression left quite an impression, exactly as you'd expect from a member of the Third Hall.

Like boss, like subordinate, as they say.

"I heard the Third Hall Leader uses an interrogation room as his office. I'm not being dragged to an interrogation room, right? Hahaha!"

"..."

I offered a joke, but only a chilling glare returned.

Fuck, with how terrifying that is, how could I even open my mouth?

Lightly ignoring my words, the hall member came to a stop in front of the office.

"Hall Leader, I have brought him."

"Send him in."

The chillingly intense man nodded, and I opened the door and stepped inside with an awkward expression.

The gaze following me until the door closed was extremely uncomfortable.

What's his deal? Is he doing that on purpose?

Shaking off the uneasy feeling, I entered the office.

"Huh?"

An unexpected sight caught my eye.

A smashed table and scattered documents.

And.

... Ak Jupyeong with his brow heavily furrowed.

Since when was that bastard here?

Reading my gaze, Ak Byeongbi chimed in.

"I figured the matter you came for was related to this child, so I called you in on purpose. If you are uncomfortable, should we speak elsewhere?"

I shook my head.

"It's fine. It'll reach Ak Jupyeong's ears anyway once I tell you, Hall Leader."

"Then take a seat."

"... I don't know why the table is broken, but could we at least sit in front of a table?"

"Hmm... Is that so?"

Acting as if nothing was wrong, Ak Byeongbi stood up and moved to a long conference table. Ak Jupyeong and I sat facing each other with Ak Byeongbi in the middle.

"Right. What brings you here?"

"It seems Ak Jupyeong came for the same matter..."

"Don't say my name so casually!"

"..."

Ak Jupyeong growled, baring his fangs.

Why is he being so prickly?

Hmm, but if he hates it that much, I guess I shouldn't say it.

Since I'm a righteous warrior who doesn't do things others dislike.

Pointing at him with my chin, I spoke again.

"Have you heard that there's a bit of an issue between this bastard and Yayul Geuk?"

BANG!

"Jin Sowoon!!"

Ak Jupyeong glared at me with blazing eyes.

"What? You told me not to say your name."

"How dare you... Do you know who I am?!"

"... Tsk. Who are you?"

"What?"

"I'm asking who you are. You're Ak Jupyeong from the Ak Clan, an academy student at the academy... and what else?"

Mouth twitching, Ak Jupyeong looked at Ak Byeongbi indignantly.

"Uncle!"

It was a situation where Ak Byeongbi could have easily gotten angry, but for some reason, his expression revealed no emotion whatsoever.

Instead, he looked at me and nodded.

"Representative Jin, continue."

"...!"

Ak Jupyeong's eyes bulged, but he soon slumped back into his seat.

I roughly pointed at him with my chin and continued my piece.

"Anyway, I heard this bastard spoke to the main family. Come on, is there really a need to make a mess by bringing adults into a children's fight?"

"..."

Glancing at Ak Jupyeong once, Ak Byeongbi looked back at me and spoke.

"From what I've heard, this guy has been bullied quite severely as well. He says Yayul Geuk has been ambushing him constantly."

"I've already spoken to him about that matter. From now on, he will only request formal sparring matches."

"One could say this is similar to the incident that enraged you. As the price for that matter, you left Ak Jupyeong with a disability."

I made an absurd expression.

Seriously, how can you compare this to a group assault? Man, this is ridiculous.

"How can you bring that incident up? Back then, didn't this bastard drag his friends along and beat him up as a group? On the contrary, that guy Yayul Geuk has a terrible personality and no friends, so he's fighting back all by himself. It's a completely different matter."

"Is that so?"

"It is."

"Is there no reason for you to step in?"

"If the Ak Clan or you, Hall Leader, don't step in, what reason would I have to get involved?"

Nodding his head, Ak Byeongbi immediately agreed.

"Understood. I will pass the message along to the main family personally. The Ak Clan will not be stepping in."

Oh! This easily?

Setting aside other conditions, I had been worried about turning my hard-earned good relationship with Ak Byeongbi into an ill-fated one, but he accepted it so readily that my concerns felt pointless.

"Uncle!"

Of course, Ak Jupyeong, who had been quietly listening, didn't seem to like our deal at all.

"What is our Ak Clan so afraid of that we're making a deal with a bastard like him...!"

However, as soon as Ak Jupyeong's screeching ended, Ak Byeongbi's fist slammed the table.

BANG!

CRASH!

The long conference table shattered in a single blow.

So this was the reason the guest table from earlier was broken.

"Shut up!"

"U-Uncle...!"

Ak Jupyeong looked at Ak Byeongbi with eyes that still couldn't comprehend the situation.

But Ak Byeongbi's face was nothing but cold.

"If you carelessly dirty the Ak Clan's name with that flapping mouth of yours one more time... I'll tear your mouth open myself."

"U-Uh..."

Unable to make sense of the current situation, Ak Jupyeong made an expression like he was going to burst into tears at any moment.

However, Ak Byeongbi did not stop.

"I'll ask you one thing. The reason you bullied Yayul Geuk wasn't just because his background was pathetic, but also because his level of martial arts was low, right?"

"..."

It was all too obvious.

In Jianghu, where martial arts are learned and ranks are divided by strength, children who grow up watching that rule exploit it more viciously than anyone else.

"Although you were left with a slight disability, it was treated well, so there shouldn't be a huge difference in your prowess from before. And yet, the reason you sought me out like this must be because you're losing in pure skill, right?"

"..."

His voice gradually rose.

"Did you not consider improving your skills to face him yourself? Did you not think of making that bastard Yayul Geuk run away just from looking you in the eyes?!"

"..."

When Ak Jupyeong didn't answer, Ak Byeongbi's gaze grew even fiercer.

"And you still dare to speak the Ak Clan's name?!"

"..."

Under his uncle's scolding, Ak Jupyeong clenched his jaw hard enough to break his teeth.

"Is being born into a good family with good parents the greatest achievement of your life?! You're completely useless outside of that!!!"

Ultimately, Ak Jupyeong hung his head deeply.

Teardrops dripped from his eyes and spread across his knees.

"If Yayul Geuk had been from the Nine Sects and One Gang... No, if he had at least been from the 108 Peaks, would you have acted the same way?!"

I put the brakes on Ak Byeongbi's words, feeling he had gone a bit too far.

He's being too harsh on the kid.

"Hey, Hall Leader, don't be like that. When have you ever seen a coward go against someone stronger than themselves?"

"!"

Ak Jupyeong, who had his head deeply bowed, suddenly snapped his head up to glare at me.

His face, covered in tears and snot, was truly an ugly sight.

Despite my intervention, Ak Byeongbi didn't seem to have any intention of stopping.

"Do you think you got into the academy entirely on your own merit?! If you benefited from the family, you should at least not smear dirt on its name!"

"Hic..."

"Get out of my sight! I can't stand to look at you!"

At Ak Byeongbi's order to leave, Ak Jupyeong, his shoulders slumped, trudged out of the office.

Even after Ak Jupyeong left, Ak Byeongbi huffed as if his anger still hadn't faded.

"To think he grew up in such a fine environment and amounted to only that much."

After fuming for quite a while, Ak Byeongbi soon let out a long sigh and stared at me quietly.

"I envy the elders of your sect. It must be nice for them. To have a disciple like you, I mean."

"... I don't think they feel that way."

Because every time they send a letter, they tell me to please live quietly.

When I scratched my cheek, Ak Byeongbi shook his head.

"They probably just can't express it all in words."

"Is that so?"

"It is."

Ak Byeongbi muttered as if talking to himself, and then.

"If only you were from our family..."

Soon, he closed his mouth.

"... No, never mind. I'm spouting nonsense."

I was curious about what he was going to say next, but I didn't ask any further.

Because Ak Byeongbi's expression looked like someone who had lived through everything the world had to offer.

* * *

As Ak Byeongbi promised, the Ak Clan never stepped in.

Yayul Geuk must have gotten my words through his thick skull too, because he stopped ambushing Ak Jupyeong.

I felt a little relieved that a bastard like a wild lynx could at least understand words.

Though I did hear rumors that Ak Jupyeong was constantly running away to avoid Yayul Geuk, since he kept showing up every day to request a sparring match...

Well, still, wasn't this a massive improvement?

Besides, from Ak Jupyeong's perspective, it was obvious that he wouldn't want people to catch him, a descendant of the Ak Clan, running away from a sparring match initiated by Yayul Geuk.

Yet, because Yayul Geuk relentlessly chased him down to request a match, I even heard the news that Ak Jupyeong eventually applied for closed-door training.

Seriously, both the older and younger brothers really have a knack for exhausting people, don't they?

Right around the time news of Ak Jupyeong entering the closed-door training hall spread.

I was summoned by Zhuge Somyeong.

It was finally time to receive my settlement for the delegation's affairs.

I couldn't help but chuckle at this long-awaited, very welcome news.

'What should I rip off this time?'

I had not a moment to rest as I rummaged through the scripture pavilion in my mind.