Chapter 538

I looked at Hyuk Mu-jin, who stared back at me wide-eyed.

“Why are you so shocked? If I’ve become a Pavilion Lord, of course I need to recruit people.”

“Well, that part makes sense, but still…”

“But what?”

Hyuk Mu-jin answered with a face full of disbelief.

“I’m more concerned about the punishment. I mean, what the hell was that bizarre order? It’s like something a child would come up with.”

“That bizarre, childish punishment supposedly came directly from our Lord Leader himself.”

“Mm. Now that I think about it, it must be a deeply philosophical punishment. Shelter, food, and clothing are essential to humans. And telling me to skip dinner must surely have a profound—”

“Don’t force meaning into it, you idiot.”

They say when someone becomes famous, even their crap gets applause. This situation fits that saying perfectly.

I stared at Hyuk Mu-jin, who instantly changed his tune the moment Ma Jonghak’s name was mentioned.

“You know it’s nonsense too, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Then shut up and follow me. Don’t worry about the punishment.”

Shaking my head, I opened the door and stepped outside. Hyuk Mu-jin quickly followed, muttering under his breath.

“Isn’t it weirder not to worry? Not even two hours into becoming a Pavilion Lord and you’re already being punished. Did you crap in the Lord Leader’s room or something?”

To hear that from a guy who proudly declared I crapped alone in a packed inn. I clicked my tongue and replied,

“Gross and creative, but close. Still wrong.”

“If it’s close, then… did you pee in there instead?”

…This damn bastard.

Suppressing the urge to smack him, I replied,

“Looks like there are some people out there who feel like crap about me becoming a Pavilion Lord.”

“Ah.”

“Well, that’s just how life goes, right?”

Twin Dragon Pavilion Lord.

That’s my official title.

At first, I was pleasantly surprised by how cool it sounded. Then I was shocked at how high a position a Pavilion Lord actually held in the Murim Alliance.

‘I didn’t expect it to be this big.’

That’s how prestigious the title of Pavilion Lord was.

Directly under me would be a Corps Leader, and beneath that, multiple Squad Leaders all within the organizational hierarchy.

Given the current size of the Murim Alliance, the position commanded at least a few hundred, possibly over a thousand warriors.

‘It’s not a position someone my age should even dream of.’

Up to now, I’d had zero interest in the Murim’s internal structure.

The only remotely relevant experience I had was during the war between the Taewon Jin Clan and Hangsan Sword Sect, where I served as the leader of a recon team. That was my entire résumé.

And after that…

‘I just wandered like crazy.’

It was like I had a nomadic curse in my fate. After finishing a year of training at Old Mount Hua and descending the mountain, it had been nothing but nonstop travel.

I couldn’t even tell if I was a martial artist or a traveling merchant at this point.

But today marked the end of my long freelancing journey.

The problem now was that some of the high-ranking officers weren’t thrilled about my conversion to full-time.

“Who do you think it is?”

“Who else?”

“Well, I can think of a few names right now…”

“Then that’s enough. It’s one of those names anyway.”

The main reason for this punishment was probably the Hwangbo Clan stepping forward, but there was no need to spill all the details to Hyuk Mu-jin.

‘Well, I kind of expected this.’

Even the kindest and most gentle person can’t escape envious eyes.

Even someone like a round, soft balloon will get batted around by the winds of society. So what about someone sharp-edged and angular like me—a sixteen-sided shape?

Actually, that’s better.

A balloon deflates when poked with a word or weapon.

But a sixteen-sided shape? You stab it and it doesn’t even scratch.

Jin Taekyung has lived that way up to now, and he’ll continue living that way moving forward.

‘If they push further, I’ll just break them.’

“…No. Let’s go.”

As I absentmindedly muttered, Hyuk Mu-jin gave me a confused look. I tapped the back of his head and started walking again.

Word must’ve already spread about the rise of a new, young Pavilion Lord, because the gazes of the martial artists walking down the main street were intense.

“Do you see him? That’s the Blazing Fire Dragon, Jin Taekyung…”

“Shh. Don’t say his name out loud. Haven’t you heard the rumors? He’s now officially a Pavilion Lord of the Murim Alliance.”

“Ugh, like that matters. Don’t nitpick over small stuff. He’s just a youngster. Barely my son’s age.”

Hearing the grumpy middle-aged warrior, the person beside him clicked his tongue.

“Youngster? Just because he trained in martial arts, your brain turned stiff too?”

“What was that?”

“I’m saying, just look. You’re probably newly enlisted in the Alliance yourself, right?

Then Pavilion Lord Jin is technically your superior.

And let’s be real—you’re old, but it doesn’t look like you even have a son.”

“Okay, but still… What does that have to do with anything?”

“I’m just saying I don’t want to get dragged into trouble. With law enforcement martial artists of the Alliance wandering around Henan with eagle eyes, I’d rather not get hauled off for disrespecting a superior alongside you.”

The middle-aged warrior’s face crumpled in frustration.

“So now you’re picking a fight with me?”

“It’s not an argument. No, forget it. With a mouth like that, no wonder you’ve never married at your age. You should be more careful with your blabbering.”

“Yeah, got it, you red-faced bastard.”

“What? This dogshit punk…”

Are they insane? How do people even fight like that?

‘It’s like they’re some kind of battle race.’

Sometimes I wonder if this planet where Murim exists is actually named Planet Vegeta.

As my ridiculous intuition kicked in and I glanced around just in case a blond-haired guy popped up, I caught wind of murmuring from the people nearby.

– “What do you think? Should we try to make an impression now?”
– “Are you thinking of applying to Twin Dragon Pavilion?”
– “Hmm. I’m considering it. The Blazing Fire Dragon is much younger than me, sure, but they say he’s already on par with the sect leaders of major clans.”
– “You seriously believe that? Even if he’s as strong as the rumors say, you’d be better off staying away.”
– “…Why?”
– “Think about what kind of behavior he’s shown so far. Even if luck is against you, how does he always end up walking straight into the worst situations? Sure, achieving merit is important. But if someone like you or me joined Twin Dragon Pavilion, whew.”
– “Still, we need to achieve merit somehow.”
– “If you want a gravestone first, then go right ahead. And you know, Twin Dragon Pavilion has two Pavilion Lords. You might be better off going with the Fire Dragon of Mount Hua. Wasn’t he raised by the Lord Leader like a grandson? I bet the leadership will support him more in various ways.”
– “You could die faster over there.”
– “Hmm? Why?”
– “Word is that the snake he carries around bites people.”
– “…Oh wow.”

So fast with the gossip.

If this were modern times, there’d already be a Murim Alliance petition board.

* * *

Complaint: The snake of the Fire Dragon of Mount Hua bit my leg. Please deliver punishment. I hope for your support and attention.

Thousand-Faced Fox: I agree.

Gung Gi: I agree.

Jeok Cheon-Gang: That damn snake… I knew it would happen someday…!

Cheongpung: No, Mimi doesn’t bite people.

Original poster: Oh, Mimi…

* * *

Once it hit 10,000 likes, Mimi’s fate would be sealed.

I was still lost in my imaginary scenario when it happened.

– “It’s been about one shikjeong, right? I heard a civilian walking past the main road earlier saw the snake, got startled, tripped, and hurt himself a bit.”
– “Oh no. And then?”
– “Apparently, some young medic who was with the Fire Dragon of Mount Hua took him to the medical wing. The guy just panicked on his own, so it wasn’t anything serious…”

Gasp.

The martial artist speaking suddenly sucked in a breath.

I was already standing one step away, looking at him. His eyes trembled violently.

“Y-you’re Pavilion Lord Jin?”

“Oh, don’t be alarmed. It’s nothing serious. I just wanted to ask you something.”

“M-me? What is it?”

“That medical wing—where is it?”

“The medical wing? Ah, just go straight that way and—” Swoosh.

Startled by the sudden situation, the martial artist froze stiff but lifted his hand to point out the direction.

I gave a small nod in thanks and turned my steps as he indicated. Hyuk Mu-jin asked in confusion:

“Why are we going to the medical wing all of a sudden?”

“I told you earlier. We’re recruiting allies.”

“Wait, don’t tell me you’re talking about Cheong…”

“Come on. Does that even make sense?”

This isn’t some Cheongpung-less Cheongpung Team.

He’s already a Pavilion Lord himself. There’s no way I can pull him under my command.

“Use your brain before you speak. Think a little.”

“Then if not Cheongpung, who else is there…?”

Hyuk Mu-jin paused and widened his eyes.

“No way. You’re not seriously…”

“We’ll see.”

I gave a vague answer while thinking quietly to myself:

‘Open quest window.’

Ding.

With a cheerful alert sound, a translucent holographic window popped up midair.

It was the first quest I received upon joining the Murim Alliance as a Pavilion Lord of Twin Dragon Pavilion.

—

【Become My Comrade!】

You’ve officially joined the Murim Alliance as a Pavilion Lord of the Twin Dragon Pavilion.

But no individual can function as a group.

Therefore, the Alliance has granted you full recruitment authority.

Hurry and find your new team members. Form your organization and give it a name to truly become a Pavilion Lord!

– Grade: Peak
– Restriction: Jin Taekyung
– Objective: Recruit a minimum of 5 allies (Incomplete)
– Name your organization appropriately (Incomplete)
– Reward: ???
– Failure: Receive the title Outsider

What kind of title is that, damn it.

If I fail this quest, I become a system-certified loner.

I had to succeed. Considering the trials ahead, I needed to be extra careful when choosing members.

‘Exclude anyone who would follow me without question. Start by convincing someone who can be persuaded and will be a significant asset.’

That was my immediate thought after seeing the quest.

And it didn’t take long to decide.

The person I needed to recruit first was already obvious.

‘His personality is nasty as hell, but… he’s incredibly useful in many ways.’

Screw it. Let’s see what happens.

Taking a deep breath, I headed toward the medical wing.

—

“Tony Tony Ch—no, Moon Kyung. Become my comrade!” (T/N: Another One Piece reference here.)

That lunatic’s gone off the rails again.

It wasn’t even surprising anymore. He was always like this.

Summoning me out of nowhere, saying he had something to discuss privately, only to spout nonsense again—Moon Kyung stared at Jin Taekyung with eyes sunk deep in shadow.

“No.”

“Huh? Why not?”

The fact that he even asked was ridiculous.

Why not? There were too many reasons to count. But right now, Moon Kyung had the perfect answer.

“I’ve already pledged myself elsewhere.”

“…What?”

“I’m saying you were too late. Isn’t that right?”

“O-oh, I’m sorry… benefactor.”

With an unexpected voice, another person appeared.

As Jin Taekyung turned toward them, his eyes widened.

It was Cheongpung.