Chapter 366

Chapter 366
## Chapter 366. Invisible Torrent (6)

—

I concluded my testimony, thoroughly fatigued by the pointless inquiries from individuals whose words offered absolutely no substance.

The moment the debriefing came to a close, the heavy air in the chamber dissolved entirely, instantly replaced by a rising chatter.

‘Not that there was ever any real tension to begin with.’

Observing the casual demeanor of the crowd, it was obvious they had no real desire to compile or distribute an official report.

From the very start, none of the questions raised were of the caliber needed to form a meaningful document.

It is highly likely that some other division will summon me to repeat this entire process tomorrow.

Is it an incurable affliction…… or perhaps just a cherished custom of the Murim Alliance to force a person to re-do the exact same task for every single department?

This bureaucratic inefficiency within the Murim Alliance is hardly a novel development, yet experiencing it firsthand never fails to drain my energy.

“Now that we’re dismissed, let’s head out for a drink!”

“Is it your treat this time?”

“Blast it, why should I be the one paying!”

“Should I submit a report about that wall you damaged earlier?”

“…….”

On another level, the sight leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

Their utter lack of urgency regardless of the looming threat might look like admirable composure on the surface, but to someone like me who carries knowledge of what lies ahead, it simply looked like dangerous complacency.

Right then, a deep, quiet murmur drifted directly into my ear.

“You look as though you find this entire display repulsive.”

I wondered briefly why he chose such an intense word to describe my mood, but I kept my features neutral and turned my gaze toward the speaker.

Standing there was a man who had remained entirely silent throughout the interrogation, now observing me with a peculiar glint in his eye.

“Your audacity is quite remarkable. Or perhaps you are merely exceptionally skilled at masking your expressions?”

“What are you implying?”

“Whichever it is, it is hardly a wise stance to maintain. A leader rarely favors a subordinate whose mind he cannot read.”

“……I understand.”

Though I disagreed entirely, I gave a small nod.

I did so because I knew this man truly detested anyone whose hidden motives he couldn’t decipher.

The reason?

“I believe concealing one’s true thoughts is far wiser than prematurely judging the feelings of others.”

Because he himself is the most inscrutable, calculating person in existence, meaning he understands perfectly well just how treacherous a mind like his can be.

It was nothing short of self-loathing.

“……Beg pardon?”

The man’s countenance, which usually resembled a perpetually cheerful facade, twitched ever so slightly.

Well, look at that. I had never witnessed him lose his composure like this, not even in my previous existence.

Was my retort truly that startling?

Yet,

“Haha. You certainly are an entertaining young fellow.”

In an instant, his features smoothed back into that familiar, pleasant grin.

Even so, I couldn’t detect a single ounce of genuine warmth or goodwill behind that mask.

After all, this individual was none other than the Grand Hall Master of the White Tiger Hall, Jeong-in-bo.

Jeong-in-bo gave a few slow nods before picking up the conversation again.

“The Thousand Eyes Pavilion has already launched an initial probe into the Silent Forest. As we speak, information via carrier pigeons arrives at the Thousand Eyes Pavilion multiple times a day. We did not bring you here to learn more about the adversary, but rather to evaluate how you conducted yourself under pressure.”

He explained the purpose of today’s gathering in a tone that sounded thoroughly gentle and considerate.

Was he speaking out of some newfound empathy for my situation?

Why play the diplomat now?

Paying no mind to my cold demeanor, he maintained his benevolent smile.

“So do not judge them too harshly for their apparent carelessness. The moment the mastermind behind this plot is unmasked, those very people will be swamped with duties. They are already making whatever preparations they can for the coming conflict.”

That calculated charity masquerading as selfless concern, that superficial warmth.

I found it impossible to take it at face value or offer a polite nod in return.

“…….”

The reality was that the majority of the academy instructors currently causing an uproar had been dispatched from the White Tiger Hall and were essentially the loyal subordinates of this very ‘Jeong-in-bo.’

Knowing that they were at this very moment enduring brutal questioning in the depths of the Execution Hall.

‘The one individual in this room who despises me above all else is undoubtedly Jeong-in-bo.’

To think that a man in his position would offer me sweet words and gentle smiles.

Does it not feel precisely like looking into the welcoming grin of the Reaper right before the end?

“Because of that, a debriefing like today’s was bound to be handled with a lighter touch.”

“I am aware.”

Finding his presence entirely repulsive, I took a step back, intending to remove myself from the conversation immediately.

Yet, before I could slip away unnoticed, his hand clamped down on my shoulder as he leaned in to whisper softly.

“Naturally, I am of the opinion that a far more rigorous and merciless inquiry is warranted.”

Why did he place such an unnatural emphasis on the word ‘merciless’?

“Directed at you, specifically.”

“…….”

His gaze bored into me, searching for any flicker of vulnerability across my features.

I calmly reached up and brushed his hand off my shoulder.

“I fail to grasp the meaning behind your words.”

“There is a distinct impression I gathered from reviewing both your written account and your verbal testimony.”

“And what might that be?”

“Your reactions were far too precise.”

Assuming he was merely gearing up to shield his subordinates once again, I prepared a sharp retort, only for him to cut me off.

“It is almost as though you possessed prior knowledge that ‘that’ specific enemy would strike.”

Curse it, what game is he playing at?

My thoughts raced as I reeled from his sudden, unexpected thrust.

“The utilization of dark magic? The formation of the Heaven and Earth Net? The deployment of a tracking unit? One could argue all of those elements might be anticipated. However…… to direct your forces and counter every move flawlessly against an adversary whose tactics should be entirely unfamiliar—how do we account for that? Are we truly to believe it is nothing more than your brilliant talent?”

Jeong-in-bo kept his eyes locked onto mine, refusing to look away for even a second.

Silently reciting the mantras of the Tae-eul Divine Scripture to steady my racing pulse, I replied with as much composure as I could muster.

“Well, let us simply credit it to good fortune.”

“Good fortune…… luck, is it? A marvelous explanation.”

Finding it awkward to remain frozen in that position, he tilted his head ever so slightly, yet his eyes never drifted from my face, giving him an incredibly unsettling appearance.

“It is certainly an elegant term that saves one the trouble of providing a real justification.”

“…….”

“Ah, before I forget, I must extend my regrets for the hardships you endured due to the actions of the instructors from my hall. My deepest apologies. It seems my failure to properly oversee their guidance has caused you unnecessary trouble.”

He extended a hand for a greeting while spouting pleasantries that carried absolutely no weight.

Good grief…… why insist on a handshake out of nowhere.

When I finally clasped his hand after a brief pause, it felt freezing and damp, reminiscent of a serpent’s skin.

“I hope you might consider aligning with the White Tiger Hall in the future. We have numerous positions to fill now that the Hall Masters who were meant to return find themselves confined within the gold-prison.”

“……I shall take it under advisement.”

“Splendid. You have performed admirably today.”

It was the identical invitation I had received from various figures throughout the main pavilion, yet coming from him, it sent a cold shiver straight down my spine.

Stepping clear of the Thousand Eyes Pavilion and drawing the crisp air into my lungs, I felt the fog in my mind begin to dissipate.

Reflecting on recent events, it seemed as though dizzying complications had been raining down upon me without pause.

The sheer velocity at which crises were unfolding, leaving me zero time to process my own feelings, made it feel as though the grand conflict had already arrived.

It felt as if a mountain of unresolvable burdens was continuously stacking higher, higher, and higher still.

“Awoo!!! Uwaaa…….”

Just as I opened my mouth to release a shout to dispel the suffocating weight dragging me down, my eyes locked with a little girl standing just ahead of me.

‘What do we have here?’

Though her garments appeared to be crafted from fine material, the child herself looked incredibly unkempt.

Despite the expensive nature of her clothing, she carried the air of someone who had been left entirely unattended.

‘More to the point, what is a young child doing wandering the grounds of the Murim Alliance…….’

Before I could ponder further, the girl, who had been analyzing me closely, suddenly broke the silence.

“Hey mister, are you a master of martial arts?”

“……Hardly.”

“If you aren’t a martial artist, why do you carry a blade?”

“What I meant was, I am not a mister……”

“Mister, so are you a martial artist or not?”

Good grief! Where on earth do I look old? By all accounts, I am considered quite the striking young man…….

“Mister, are you a martial arts master?”

“…… Balkans.”

I lifted my gaze to scan the vicinity for whoever was supposed to be watching her, but the surrounding crowd paid the young girl absolutely no mind.

“Little one…… how did you manage to get inside this place?”

“I used my feet.”

“That’s not what I……”

A dull ache started to throb behind my temples.

I needed to decipher exactly what Jeong-in-bo was hinting at during our exchange, and I also needed to figure out why the various training halls were about to become overwhelmed with tasks.

……Yet, looking down at the small child, my conscience wouldn’t allow me to simply walk away.

“This isn’t a location where children are permitted to wander freely.”

“I know that.”

“You do…… wait, you know?”

Had she come to the Murim Alliance on a family visit?

When individuals take up posts within the Murim Alliance, strict regulations often prevent them from returning to their home provinces or ancestral sects.

Consequently, it was quite common for relatives to make the journey to visit them instead.

“Uh-huh. I was told I couldn’t wear my usual clothes here. That’s why they got me these new ones.”

The girl performed a quick twirl, showing off the edge of her dress.

Evidently, she wasn’t paying the slightest bit of attention to a word I said.

“…… shreds.”

I hold a fully certified ‘Dang-seo-hui Childcare Specialist License,’ but it appeared my expertise didn’t universally apply to all children of this age group.

Then again…… Dang-seo-hui was fully grown.

In any case.

Just as I prepared to hand her over to the nearest guard so I could make my way back to the academy quarters.

*Grip—*

The girl’s small hand latched onto the hilt of my blade.

“I want to play with *Oppa*.”

Hah, *Oppa* now, is it? How convenient.

“……Flattery won’t do you any good at this point.”

Having already been addressed as ‘mister’ three consecutive times, my wounded pride was not so easily mended.

It wasn’t as though I was keeping count deliberately. It is simply a curse of having an impeccable memory.

“They told me I would get to see *Oppa* if I came here, but I haven’t found *Oppa* anywhere.”

“……So you weren’t even talking about me.”

Do I truly look like an old man through the eyes of youth?

The grim realization left a distinctly sour taste in my mouth.

“Look, this mister, not *Oppa*…… actually, this uncle has a mountain of duties to attend to, so I must depart. I hope you find your *Oppa*, and, well…… though there isn’t much to see, enjoy looking around before you head home.”

The moment I turned to stride away after offering those parting words,

*Tight—*

She tightly gripped the edge of my tunic, gazing up at me with wide, innocent eyes.

When she stares at me like that, my resolve completely melts away…….

“Can’t mister help me look for *Oppa*?”

“I am afraid not. This ‘mister’ possesses no authority here. I don’t even officially belong to this establishment.”

“Uncle……”

“Sigh…… alright, suppose I expend a bit of energy to help you search? What do you say?”

As I made a show of weighing the options, her eyes lit up with anticipation.

While I continued to stroke my chin in mock deliberation, she gave a firm nod, as if arriving at a major revelation.

“Come to think of it, I bet you are an *Oppa* after all, not an uncle. Martial artist *Oppa*.”

Ha, look at this little schemer, sharp as a tack.

Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to find it annoying.

Letting out a quiet chuckle, I gave her head a gentle pat.

“Very well. I shall help you track him down.”

“Swear?”

“Indeed.”

I would have to retrace my steps, but given that the sectors designated for family reunions within the Murim Alliance were restricted to just a handful of areas.

If we patrolled those sections for a short while, this elusive *Oppa* of hers was bound to turn up.

“What name does your *Oppa* go by?”

“Oh! My *Oppa’s* name is Geum……”

Just as the child opened her mouth to reply with an eager grin.

“Tae-seon! Geum-tae-seon!”

From the path behind us, a woman who appeared to be in her early forties came sprinting frantically toward the little girl.

“Mother!”

“Where on earth did you wander off to!”

So the child’s name was Tae-seon.

However, the appearance of this middle-aged woman was remarkably strange.

Much like Tae-seon, her garments were clearly brand new…… yet she bore the look of someone who hadn’t been permitted the chance to bathe or groom herself properly.

While she wasn’t caked in mud like Tae-seon, the skin around her neck and wrists was heavily stained with grime.

The woman delivered a few swift swats to Tae-seon’s backside before turning to bow to me repeatedly in apology.

“I am deeply sorry, young master. Did my child cause some offense to an esteemed martial artist?”

“There is no need to discipline her. I have rarely encountered a youngster with such impeccable manners.”

“Excuse me?”

The mother stared down at her daughter in utter disbelief, while the little girl shot a triumphant look back at her mother, as if to say, “See, I told you so.”

“Darling! Did you locate Tae-seon?”

Moments later, a larger group of individuals began rushing over to join them one after another.

Observing the gathering as a whole, it was truly…… a bizarre assortment of people.

To deem them a clan of blood relatives, their facial structures varied wildly, and to consider them a single household, the age gaps were far too irregular.

Moreover, the sight of elderly folk bowing deferentially to youths who looked to be roughly my own age created a profound sense of wrongness.

“What do you think you are playing at? I gave strict orders for everyone to stay put.”

“My apologies. I lost my wits for a moment……”

Ultimately, the arrogant demeanor of the young practitioners, who spoke down to their elders as if such subservience were merely their birthright, was thoroughly sickening.

Perhaps it was because I had spent the entire morning suppressing my true feelings.

A heavy sigh escaped my lips involuntarily, causing one of the arrogant youths to snap his gaze toward me with a hostile glare.

“Who do you think you are?”

“I am nobody of consequence…… ah, my bad.”

“……What did you just say?”

Because I was struggling to rein in my irritation, the wrong words were slipping out of my mouth.

I mean, honestly, under normal circumstances, I would be relaxing in my own quarters. Why did they have to drag me out of the Thousand Eyes Pavilion just for this…….

“Ha……! Repeat that. What did you mutter?”

“Heh, you look quite young, yet your hearing seems to be failing you already. I stated that I am nobody.”

“You arrogant piece of……”

The young man lunged forward to strike me without a second thought, but another youth quickly extended an arm, holding him back with urgency.

They exchanged rapid, hushed whispers, after which the hot-tempered martial artist looked back at me, his tone noticeably more guarded.

“By any chance, are you the Young Hero Black Flame Dragon?”

“……Incorrect.”

“See, I told you he wasn’t lines……. In that case, are you the Young Hero Jin-so-un?”

If he could deduce that much, there was no point in pretending otherwise.

I couldn’t maintain the charade any longer.

“Sigh…… precise. I am indeed Jin-so-un.”

“…… shreds.”

In that instant, an older man who had been standing quietly among the youth stepped forward, suddenly seizing my hand in a firm grip.

“Good heavens!! To think we nearly caused an affront without recognizing a legendary figure.”

……What is happening now?

This man’s clothing was even more unusual than anyone else’s in the group.

He was clad in noticeably frayed martial robes, yet those very robes were pressed and maintained with absolute perfection.

Just what sort of background did these people come from……?

“I am Song-ju-sang, the leader of the Il-hak-mun.”

“Ah……”

As Song-ju-sang offered his introduction, my eyes naturally drifted over his shoulder.

They landed on Tae-seon, who still wore a prominent pout from her mother’s earlier scolding.

“We have heard endless tales of the grand exploits achieved by the Young Hero Black Flame Dragon within the depths of the Silent Forest……”

The little girl who had traveled all this way to see her *Oppa* was destined never to reunite with him.

“The disciples of our Il-hak-mun shed much blood during that conflict……”

Because her *Oppa*, Geum-tae-jong……

Had never left the Silent Forest, remaining there forever in my stead.