Chapter 31
When Namgung Hyuk made his decision, the process of joining proceeded swiftly.
I could consider it a form of success. A position I never could have imagined back when I slept with leaves as my blanket and the sky as my roof.
The vow I made when crossing the Wudang Sect’s threshold—to make sure no one would ever look down on me.
It could be said that half of that vow had already come to fruition.
Though now, it felt like nothing more than youthful pride, something that no longer mattered.
‘What is Namgung Hyuk thinking?’
I wasn’t particularly pleased. I was simply curious about Namgung Hyuk’s intentions.
He had put in a lot of effort to keep me out of the Namgung family.
Now he was backing me up with this powerful “Parachute.”
*T/n: appoint or be appointed in an emergency or from outside the existing hierarchy.*
‘The looks from the Namgung family members were certainly intense.’
The process for entering the White Sun Squad was famously strict.
Their selection strictly excluded anything unrelated to actual skills.
Even someone from a powerful family couldn’t dare to pull strings here.
For him to push me in here without question was a huge privilege.
Since Namgung Hyuk announced his intention to recommend me for the White Sun Squad, I had felt an increasing number of unkind gazes directed at me.
‘Well, I’ll find out in time.’
What was important now was adapting to the White Sun Squad.
I’d never done anything that would get me pursued by the Murim Alliance, so I only knew of it by reputation.
“Welcome. I am Kangcheon.”
“Hello. My name is Lee Se-woong.”
“I’ve heard of you.”
There was no grand initiation ceremony or anything like that. From what I’d heard, the Murim Alliance was usually quite formal, but apparently, not here.
The leader of the White Sun Squad, Kangcheon, was a man with a noticeable scar running from his temple to his left cheek.
“All I want from you is to fight well. As long as you do that, I won’t interfere much, so adapt on your own.”
“Yes, understood.”
“I like how confidently you respond. Your senior will fill you in on the details. Come in!”
A woman entered in response to Kangcheon’s call. She had a sturdy physique that contrasted with her intelligent demeanour.
“You called, Captain?”
“This is the new recruit. He seems capable, so train him well.”
“Yes.”
After replying to the captain, she immediately turned and left. I nodded to Kangcheon and followed her outside.
“Jegal Yeong.”
“?”
“That’s my name.”
After walking in silence for a while, she turned and introduced herself.
“I’m…”
“Lee Se-woong. I know.”
“You know me?”
“…”
Silence again.
“If it bothers you that I’m speaking informally, let me know now.”
“It doesn’t particularly bother me.”
“Good. Forget about your age or position. Here, we only follow the White Sun Squad’s internal hierarchy, so it’s better to adjust now.”
My conversation with Jegal Yeong didn’t flow smoothly. Rather than an exchange, it felt more like receiving notifications.
“Are you confident in your skills?”
“Yes, somewhat.”
“That’s enough.”
Jegal Yeong stopped walking when we reached a bustling room.
“You know what the White Sun Squad does, right?”
“I’ve heard the gist of it.”
“Good. For now, you’re a trainee… so I’ll be training you personally. Over time, you’ll adjust and be assigned to practical duties with me.”
Jegal Yeong’s explanations were brief and to the point.
As if to say there was no time for idle talk, she concisely laid out the rules of the White Sun Squad.
Once I’d understood the basics of how things operated here, she told me to wait briefly while she sorted out my entry paperwork and left.
I sat there blankly.
It wasn’t like I could pretend to be working right away.
Then, suddenly, I sensed a faint, challenging aura directed at me. Just a slight, probing presence.
‘Oh?’
It felt like they were assessing me.
When I countered with a surge of energy, the other party’s aura instantly vanished as if it had never been there.
That was just the beginning.
What initially felt like a test became more open, as several streams of energy began targeting me, gradually becoming more blatant.
I looked around.
Indeed, the White Sun Squad’s reputation for recruiting solely based on skill wasn’t a lie.
A scruffy man resembling a bandit, a sword master who appeared to be from the Jeomchang Sect, someone sprawled on the floor despite empty chairs, and a nobleman who clearly came from a wealthy family—all types who normally wouldn’t mix had gathered here.
The common feature they all shared was the fierce competitive glint in their eyes.
They pretended to focus on their tasks, but they kept sending their energy in my direction.
‘Are they testing me?’
Their intentions were clear.
They wanted to see what I was made of.
They were practically itching to jump up and fight me.
‘Is it because I’m a parachute?’
The members of the White Sun Squad were elite warriors from all over the Murim.
Their pride in their martial skills was immense. For someone to just walk in without taking the test?
‘Are you something special?’
That’s what they were implying.
They all wanted to rush at me, but they were restraining themselves, waiting for me to give them an excuse. Was it because of Jegal Yeong?
It became clear why they weren’t outright picking a fight with me.
I suspected it was because of her.
They were likely cautious because they knew Jegal Yeong was watching.
The fact that Kangcheon had assigned her as my trainer, knowing that Namgung Hyuk had recommended me, indicated she held a certain level of influence within the White Sun Squad.
They were hesitant to make a move because of that.
As they kept challenging me with their energy and I showed no reaction, some of them started trying to provoke me directly.
“He looks like a complete dandy. Does he even know how to handle a sword?”
Starting with a jab at my appearance.
“I’ll bet he won’t last a month.”
“Hey now, that’s not fair. I was going to bet on that first!”
They were even making wagers on how long I would last.
“Must be nice. Taking a position that requires tough trials, just because he’s got the right connections.”
Some went as far as to openly mock me.
They wanted to see how much I could endure before reacting.
It was a bit amusing.
They were all eager to fight, but they were holding back, waiting for me to give them a reason. Was Jegal Yeong really that influential?
I was waiting, thinking, “Just let one of them make a move.” In situations like these, it’s crucial not to react first. It was all about patience.
“Yawn…”
Feigning boredom with a yawn, I finally got a bite.
“Hey, newbie.”
One of them couldn’t hold back and spoke to me.
His flashy attire screamed money, and he wore a smug expression.
“Not going to respond?”
“Why?”
“Why? Ha! Lacking basic manners, are we?”
Would you speak respectfully to someone like him?
Since a while ago, he’d been subtly raising his energy, trying to test me out.
He might as well have just challenged me outright.
The man spread his arms, making sure everyone could hear him.
“Haven’t you heard from your seniors? This isn’t your cozy home. As a newbie, you should be groveling like one.”
“…”
“I can’t stand how stiffly you hold your head up. Let me, as your senior, teach you a lesson!”
The man looked around as if seeking approval.
Some faces showed displeasure at his sudden provocation, but no one stopped him.
They were just as curious about my abilities.
“Follow me.”
A few people trailed behind us as we left.
A lesson, huh?
You started this.
***
“This guy is Lee Se-woong?”
Not long ago, I received a letter from Moyong Hye, who had been out of touch for a while. She wrote that she’d found the man her older sister had been talking about. The girl, who had once acted as if she’d never get involved with a man, had finally found someone she liked.
Jegal Yeong had been reading the letter with a pleased smile until she read the part about him being engaged.
“Is she insane?”
Moyong Hye was smart. She understood the implications of pining for a man who was already engaged, especially when that fiancée was Namgung Yeon-hee. And yet, she still wanted to stay by his side?
The end of her letter even hinted at plans to overtake the Moyong Family. Up until now, Moyong Hye had been discreetly building her power, and though she wasn’t yet influential enough to shift the tide, her decision to act felt irrational to Jegal Yeong.
“How amazing can this man be?”
Her curiosity was piqued. A girl who had practically lived as if men didn’t exist had fallen so hard for him. Then, she heard that Lee Se-woong was joining the White Sun Squad as a new recruit.
“The Murim Lord’s influence must be behind this.”
For the Lord himself to recommend him meant he held some regard within the Namgung Family.
“Well… he’s good-looking, I’ll give him that.”
Moyong Hye had claimed that he looked like he could shine even in the dark.
She’d thought it was an exaggeration, but seeing him in person, she had to admit there was no lie there.
He was handsome enough to be called a nobleman, and this made her even more sceptical.
“Good-looking men live up to their looks.”
This was her philosophy. Attractive men knew they were attractive. They tend to act however they want, relying solely on their looks.
“But he’s surprisingly composed.”
Despite the unfamiliar environment, Lee Se-woong was calm.
In the martial world, pride was everything.
Many newcomers to the White Sun Squad struggled to adapt to the strict, rank-based hierarchy that ignored any status they held outside.
She had even used informal speech to push him to adjust quickly, but Lee Se-woong simply accepted it.
“Should be no issue, right?”
After finalizing Lee Se-woong’s admission process, Jegal Yeong returned, only to find him gone.
“The new recruit? He’s probably in the warehouse by now.”
Just as she’d feared, he hadn’t been able to hold back.
Jegal Yeong hurried toward the warehouse.
“Again with Nung Japil?”
She was tired of it.
Yes, the White Sun Squad was a place for enforcing power, so she understood the combative nature of its members.
But some of these guys were simply addicted to fighting.
Even a small spark could lead to a duel.
Since these skirmishes helped improve the members’ skills, the higher-ups overlooked or even encouraged it to some extent.
“The problem is the ones who abuse it.”
Nung Japil, a skilled martial artist from the Jeomchang Sect.
He was relentless when it came to targeting new recruits. Especially those from notable families or, like Lee Se-woong, those who entered through a recommendation.
“This time, I need to establish some discipline.”
She had disliked him for a while. It didn’t matter to her if they formed cliques, but she wasn’t pleased with the movements of some of the Nine Great Schools’ martial artists banding together under his influence. Using “newcomer training” as an excuse to crush recruits was just a way for him to assert his dominance.
Thud! Thud!
Even from outside the door, she could clearly hear the sounds of blows. Jegal Yeong feared she might already be too late. Rushing in, she was met with an unexpected sight.
“What in the world happened here?”
Squad members lay sprawled on the warehouse floor, covered in blood.
“Ugh… stop, please!”
That high-pitched cry was undoubtedly Nung Japil’s.
The blows she’d heard were the sounds of Lee Se-woong beating Nung Japil.
“Recruit, what do you think you’re doing?”
“Oh, you’re here, senior.”
With a casual toss, Lee Se-woong threw Nung Japil aside like a discarded item.
“I heard from the other seniors that he’s well-versed in martial arts, so I was getting some guidance.”
“…”
“My apologies if I acted out of place. I was just eager to adapt quickly under your mentorship.”
With blood smeared on his cheek, Lee Se-woong wiped it off and gave a fresh smile.
Scratch the idea of him being calm.
They had just welcomed a madman as a new recruit.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment