My name is.
After making the surroundings quiet, I resumed the test.
Since I had just finished taking the initiative, the remaining test did not take too long.
Actually, it wasn’t really a test.
“I told you to pick exactly seven, didn’t I?”
The people sat up straight at my words.
Their expressions, which had been filled with discontent and anger just a moment ago, were filled with tension.
It’s funny.
I only showed you a little bit and it changed so much.
‘This is why I treat the Central Plains like shit.’
Starting with strength, ending with strength.
It seemed so convenient, but it was so primitive.
Of course, it wasn’t something I intended to do, since I was so good at using it.
“There are quite a lot of people. But it would be a waste of time to bother them.”
He said, waving his hands roughly.
“You all choose as you see fit.”
“yes?”
“What is that…?”
The people around me reacted greatly to my words. Was it so strange to say that you should choose as you wish?
Of course, I meant it as it is.
“Either by voting or by talking… or.”
He added while looking at the figure, Cheonma, who was watching from afar.
“Either you fight each other and choose. Do as you see fit.”
It is the most reasonable solution.
What a convenient way this is.
It was also the fastest way for everyone to understand.
“Time… About half an hour should be fine. You can decide on your own within that time.”
I waved my hand roughly and walked away without any hesitation.
Even though he turned his back and moved without any hesitation, his gaze was still fixed on Cheonma.
I looked at Murong Hee-ah, cautiously, in case her expression hardened or collapsed.
Murong Hee-ah was looking at me with a bewildered expression.
“… Will it be okay?”
“Just tell me to do what I want. If you don’t like it, you can change it back as you like.”
“No, not about picking people.”
Oh, isn’t that what you were talking about?
Then what is it?
Mo Yong-hee looks behind her.
It was the side where she had thrown the man earlier.
“You said you were from the Murim Alliance.”
“Ah. Yeah.”
“How did you know?”
Even Mo Yong-hee asked this question as if it was strange.
How did you know? It wasn’t that great of a method.
“Most people who come to express their opinions tend to have no affiliation.”
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I don’t know how good the conditions offered by Baekhwasangdan were for those people to come.
No matter how good the conditions are, if they have a place to belong, they won’t come.
Especially if you’ve reached your peak or a ripe peak, it would be better to work as a bodyguard or swordsman for a prestigious family rather than making a fuss.
‘It’s amazing that they gathered these people in such a situation.’
First class, and then to a ripe peak.
If people who want to make a name for themselves are coming here to make a statement, one wonders what kind of conditions Mrs. Mi might have set.
If we look at it this far, we could just pass it off as a sign that a tough opponent has come, regardless of whether or not he or she is affiliated.
“For something like that, your breathing was very clean.”
Even in the midst of all this, the problem was clearly evident.
“Do you know what the characteristic of a prestigious family and a prestigious school is? It’s that there is no disorder.”
His breathing is regulated and his movements are angular.
His unique demeanor is permeated with dignity in his actions.
This wasn’t something that could be easily erased.
“It seems like he wanted to somehow pretend to be a ronin or a common warrior… but it’s a bit obvious.”
“Did you see that?”
“huh.”
Murong Xi’er speaks as if she is surprised, but in reality, she is not that surprised.
It is simply because Murong Xi’er’s level is low that she has not seen it.
“A person born to a noble family would not have come here to express his gratitude after reaching that level.”
He has a gentle demeanor for a ronin, and
his level is high for a ronin.
People like that will only lose out if they come here.
But they still came here anyway.
‘There was a reason why I had to come.’
It is possible that a master who ran away after causing an accident came here because he had nowhere to go, but this has been ruled out.
‘I don’t feel that way.’
Then there is only one thing left.
“So there was something I had to get by infiltrating… Well, it’s obvious then.”
There are few places where a master born in a prestigious family can pretend to be a secret agent and obtain information.
Even though Baekhwasangdan is not a member of the Sa-pa faction, it is not a close ally of the Murim Alliance.
‘The fact that this place is Hanam of all places.’
These were enough to come up with an answer.
When I told her this, Mo Yong-hee tilted her head.
It seemed like there was something bothering her.
“But that alone isn’t enough to be certain.”
I nodded after hearing her words.
“That’s true too.”
Not enough to be sure.
This was ultimately only a suspicion and not enough to act with certainty.
“So, you’re saying there was something you were sure of?”
What is the hard evidence?
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Mo Yong-hee asked me with a worried expression.
“No? I just did it because it seemed like it would be like that?”
“…yes?”
He opened his eyes wide in surprise at my light-hearted answer.
“Confucius. What do you mean…?”
“It seemed like that at first glance. I just tried it and that’s it.”
Mo Yong-hee is shocked by the following words.
Given her personality of having to act only when she is sure, she seemed shocked by what she did without thinking.
‘After losing, I became more confident.’
I grabbed the man and deliberately blurted out the words.
Just by looking at his reaction at that moment, I was able to be confident enough.
This guy is indeed a person sent from the blind.
It is safe to say that this is certain.
but.
‘What are you aiming for?’
Why would a blind person come here?
Honestly, the reason doesn’t really matter.
What’s important here is.
‘What are you aiming for?’
Are you after me?
Or maybe there was something going on at the top itself.
If not that.
‘Are you after Mo Yong-hee?’
There were three main things to consider.
In order to figure this out, we had to catch him and torture him right away, but it was difficult to move at the time.
‘Because I have to check on the horse.’
That woman, who continued to have a blank expression, had to use all her might to examine Cheonma.
So, I used more force to knock the man out.
Because it took a long time to wake up and I couldn’t run away.
After thinking about it that far, I looked somewhere.
I opened my mouth to look at the place between the thickets of trees.
-Take that and tie it up. I’ll need to take care of it later.
Shudder.
A noise is felt among the bushes.
I think it’s probably the drone deployed at the top. It seems surprised that I suddenly made a sound.
I knew from the beginning that there was an unmanned vehicle.
They wouldn’t have left dozens of unmanned people and Mo Yong-hee alone in such a remote place.
Anyway… I already told you.
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‘Let’s just watch now.’
I stood still and looked at the horse.
Not long after that,
“Hey!”
As expected, a battle broke out between the drones.
******************
Exactly half an hour had passed.
I was looking at the seven people standing in the field.
There are exactly seven.
As I said at the beginning, there were seven unmanned people standing there.
Half an hour.
The battle wasn’t a short one, but it didn’t turn into a bloody fight.
After all, this was also part of the test.
Since the level of difficulty was different for each person, only those who were considered worthy of remaining remained.
Starting with the first one who passed, a fully-ripened, peak-level martial artist.
From the best to the first-class drones.
You can see that the personnel are evenly distributed.
If something unexpected happens there.
‘Did you drop this?’
Some of the top candidates who thought they would pass failed.
It is said that several first-class drones that were thought to fall have climbed up.
It would be more correct to say that they held out through stubbornness rather than fighting and winning.
My gaze was fixed on one side.
It was towards the strongest man here.
The first-class drones held out until the author roughly sorted out the other drones.
Thanks to that, I am standing here now.
In some ways, this could be considered a cheap method.
In reality, even the eyes of those who experienced it are filled with resentment.
He was full of complaints about himself falling and someone like that rising.
‘It’s okay.’
I thought it was a good result.
‘It’s not like the expression can be strong just because it’s strong.’
He is quick-witted and good at politics.
How could that strong man have defeated others while leaving the weak behind?
The groundwork was laid from the beginning.
‘It means that he noticed that he was strong and started to talk nonsense.’
Just now, when I was choosing between those who passed and those who failed.
It was in the same context that the guys who actually passed intervened when the blind man shouted at me in protest.
The guys were attached to those who had fallen.
They were now eliminated.
‘In short, you chose the wrong faction.’
During the short wait, I walked along the line.
One side collapsed and the other side held on well.
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That was it.
There may be a problem with passing the exam itself, since it was done by climbing the rope well and not by force.
‘Mo Yong-hee will take care of that.’
From there, it wasn’t my concern.
If it wasn’t good, I’d just pick a new one.
This unexpected situation didn’t really matter.
The problem is.
‘… That thing fell.’
I looked behind the unmanned people with a frown on my face.
Among the unmanned people standing around panting, there was someone watching alone.
It was a horse.
Cheonma stood there with the same expression as before, completely fine.
Was she standing there, winning the battle? No.
She didn’t even participate in the fight.
Around the time when they all started fighting.
[I don’t want to do it.]
He declared his abstention with a light word.
And he just stood there and watched. Was he scared and didn’t join the battle?
That couldn’t be true.
‘Then what the hell are you doing?’
I didn’t understand.
I deliberately let him pass, but he didn’t even participate in the battle and just watched the situation unfold.
‘What is the purpose?’
Geombong, that is, it is a point in time where it is difficult to understand why Gu Hee-bi was brought there.
I don’t even know what Cheonma’s intentions are.
As I was looking at Cheonma with a crumpled expression, Cheonma sensed it and turned to look at me.
There is a brief moment of eye contact.
This time, he didn’t avoid eye contact and just stared at Cheonma.
As time passed, Cheonma was the first to react.
He waved his hand slightly like when he first saw her.
And then.
“…!!”
He jumped briefly and disappeared.
It happened in an instant.
At that time, Mo Yong-hee approached me cautiously.
“Master, it seems like the work is almost done….”
He answered without even listening properly.
“Then I’ll go out and do something.”
“Would you like to go and rest for a while? I found a nice guest house… Yes?”
“See you later. I’ll be right back.”
As soon as I heard that the work was over, I kicked the ground and jumped up.
“…This crazy–!”
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Behind me, I could hear Mo Yong-hee swearing, but it was not the time to worry about that.
I can’t miss this moment.
For some reason, that was the only thought on my mind.
As I rose into the sky, I could see that the sun was gradually setting.
‘Where did you go?’
I turned my head above the forest and looked around.
The disappeared Cheonma was nowhere to be seen.
Had he already disappeared far away?
Thinking of him, I immediately expanded my senses in all directions.
Hwaaaaaaaah—!!
An overwhelming bet permeates the air and engulfs the surroundings. It
has taken over the forest and reached the city beyond.
I was looking for it.
I was trying to find it by any means necessary.
The moment when Ki-gam looked around every corner and seriously turned everything upside down.
Woof.
A familiar feeling penetrated my heart.
It’s magic.
It was an aura that could never be mistaken.
‘Over there.’
Northwest.
Far from Hanam and closer to the forest than the city center.
Feeling that the horse was moving quickly, I also increased my speed.
Hwaruk-!
Paaaaang-!!
Flames enveloped the body and used the heat to cause explosions, following the movement.
The body that had been floating in the air descended and dug into the forest.
I ran without stopping so as not to miss any sound.
The tension is rising. It’s
funny, but while I’m being chased, I sometimes feel like running away.
What are you going to do by chasing after me?
Are you planning on fighting me?
I don’t know.
I wasn’t sure I could win the fight, and maybe I was doing this because I really had the confidence to fight.
But now, I had to chase after them.
You can’t miss this.
Instinct was telling me so.
Saaaaaaa-!!
As I was walking through the forest, a gust of wind blew by.
I stopped and looked around.
The reason is none other than this.
‘I missed it.’
The presence that had been felt until just now disappeared.
It wasn’t clear, but it wasn’t so bad that I could miss it.
But the sound of the Heavenly Horse had disappeared without a trace.
Saaaaah….
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All I could hear was the sound of the wind.
The thick silence was actually increasing the tension.
‘Where did you go?’
It doesn’t make sense for the sound to suddenly disappear like this.
That’s what I’m saying.
‘Hidden his presence.’
It means that Cheonma noticed that I was chasing him and hid my presence.
‘That can’t be true.’
It was a situation that was hard for me to believe.
‘Are you saying that the Heavenly Horse ran away?’
She doesn’t run away. She
‘s someone who never backs down, no matter what the situation.
That’s the kind of person Cheonma is.
I looked around without avoiding my furrowed brows.
Then, did I really miss it?
I was about to push my energy into the feeling while feeling doubtful.
Sabak.
I felt a shallow movement.
Feeling this, he immediately directed the flames onto his hand.
I didn’t hesitate.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!!
A rapidly condensed flame takes shape, and
an image is superimposed over it.
Swish-!
The moment the instantaneous Flame Jade Spear is completed, and I turn around to throw it away.
“Huh?”
Towering-!
He couldn’t throw the spear because of the voice he heard, and his body froze
because it wasn’t Cheonma behind him.
I looked at the person behind me with wide eyes.
A black-haired woman with a sharp expression.
She looked at me and blurted out words as if she was equally surprised.
“Little brother?”
“… Sister.”
The woman’s identity was surprisingly my sister, Gu Hee-bi.
The Cheonma I was chasing was hiding on Gu Hee-bi’s back and looking at me.
