Sword God Reborn

Chapter 242 : The Three Idiots

"I am Gyo Mun-cheok."

He was a man of quite outstanding appearance. At the very least, he had looks that would make one glance back if they passed him on the street.

A large greatsword was slung at his waist. His presence was extraordinary, as if to prove that the Gyo Mun Clan was famous for the peerless technique called the Thunder Flash Saber.

Next, another man who was strangely keeping his distance from Gyo Mun-cheok spoke.

"Hwangbo Sung of the Hwangbo Clan."

As the public opinion suggested he was skilled in external arts, Hwangbo Sung was a burly, muscular giant.

However, his face, which at a glance felt somewhat pure, erased his rather rough impression. Even so, the dignity and presence emanating from his physique were extraordinary.

"...Tang Su-gun."

Following him, Tang Su-gun, who greeted him reluctantly, had a relatively small build.

He was already smaller than a typical martial artist, but it was even more noticeable because he happened to be next to Hwangbo Sung.

Cheon Mubaeck's assessment of the three was simple.

'They are all different and full of personality, but I see a few commonalities.'

First, the first commonality was...

"It has been a while, Young Lady Zhuge. Did you enjoy your trip? When you said you were leaving alone to take on a mission, I regretted not being able to go with you."

Gyo Mun-cheok asked with a suggestive voice and a light smile.

At that moment, the sight of Hwangbo Sung and Tang Su-gun flinching and glaring at him from the side was caught in Cheon Mubaeck's vision.

Then, not to be outdone, Hwangbo Sung quickly added.

"I heard that the young lady became the vice-squad leader of the Demon Repelling Squad, so I rushed here as soon as I heard to help you. I will stand by the young lady's side and feed my sword to the heads of the demonic path minions!"

Tang Su-gun glared at him with a displeased look. He also mumbled something before finally opening his mouth.

"...I'll melt them all with poison before that."

The gazes of the three clashed in mid-air.

A strange atmosphere formed.

Cheon Mubaeck let out a hollow laugh.

Was it because they were still young martial artists in their twenties?

Their gazes on Zhuge Seol-ah were nothing short of fiery.

However.

"Pardon my rudeness, but I am the vice-squad leader. All authority of the Demon Repelling Squad rests not with me, but with the Squad Leader. This is a matter confirmed by the Chief Strategist, and if you have come to join the Demon Repelling Squad, you should speak not to me, but to the Squad Leader."

Cheon Mubaeck was honestly surprised by the bone-chillingly firm tone.

From her tone of voice to her gaze and expression, a cold wind blew.

The icy attitude and atmosphere were aspects of her that Cheon Mubaeck was seeing for the first time.

At the very least, it was a great departure from the appearance she had shown Cheon Mubaeck until now.

But the three of them, as if they were used to it, only let out a short, regretful sigh.

Then, their murderous gazes all turned to Cheon Mubaeck at once.

"Are you the Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero?"

"You are?"

"..."

Cheon Mubaeck, who was suddenly subjected to the murderous gazes of the three, was dumbfounded.

Their tone and attitude had changed completely. Wasn't it so different from their attitude towards Zhuge Seol-ah?

'Look at these idiots...'

Although the young martial artists followed Cheon Mubaeck, those three did not follow him but felt a great sense of rivalry towards him. Cheon Mubaeck felt envy, jealousy, and a strong sense of competition in those blazing gazes.

"So what?"

"I cannot accept it."

Gyo Mun-cheok opened fire.

"How can we entrust our lives and deaths to you based on mere rumors of the martial world?"

Hwangbo Sung added.

"...That's right."

Tang Su-gun agreed.

"...Haa."

For the first time in a long while, Cheon Mubaeck felt a throbbing headache.

What was this childish argument?

Cheon Mubaeck's face became serious, and he lowered his voice.

"Whether you accept it or not, it has already been decided. If you want to join, come in. If you don't, get lost."

The three flinched, as if they hadn't expected Cheon Mubaeck's cold reaction.

They felt a severe pressure from the presence that Cheon Mubaeck was subtly emitting.

'This is...'

'Did he raise his internal energy? No, he didn't. There's no flow of internal energy at all.'

'He's creating dignity and pressing with his presence with just his gaze and voice?'

In an instant, the pupils of the three shook all at once.

None of them were by any means low-level.

As rising stars on par with at least Gwak Cheon-hu, it was natural for their qi sense to be sensitive.

The more sensitive they were, the more keenly Cheon Mubaeck's presence came to them.

Someone swallowed dryly.

'The Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero wasn't just an exaggerated rumor!'

Only then did the tremendous deeds of Cheon Mubaeck come to the minds of the three.

But they just bit their lips tightly and couldn't rashly open their mouths.

To just bow their heads and enter under him?

How would that appear to the other martial artists?

Of course, what Cheon Mubaeck wanted was for them to submit on their own, so that he could firmly grasp even those who followed them.

In the end, Hwangbo Sung shot up from his seat and turned his body.

"Hmph, even the great Liu Xuande of the world lowered himself and sought out the Crouching Dragon three times. If you want to lead the Demon Repelling Squad properly, you will surely need our help."

Although Gyo Mun-cheok and Tang Su-gun didn't say anything, they exuded the same atmosphere and went outside.

Cheon Mubaeck's gaze, watching the backs of the three, changed strangely.

* * *

To be honest, Cheon Mubaeck hadn't thought of any special method to make the three his own people.

"I thought they were just typical martial artists with a strong fighting spirit."

"Not really. They are men full of ambition rather than fighting spirit."

Cheon Mubaeck nodded at Zhuge Seol-ah's elaboration.

It was a matter that Zhuge Seol-ah had already hinted at.

He had just thought of their ambition too narrowly.

He had only considered it as an ambition for stronger martial arts and a higher realm.

At the very least, just by looking at the martial arts skills they possessed at a young age, their talent and effort could not be disregarded. Fierce effort had to be supported.

What goal was that fierce effort aimed at?

Cheon Mubaeck thought it was a higher realm.

If so, the matter was simple.

The reason Gwak Cheon-hu had moved according to Cheon Mubaeck's will was also because he had opened the path of martial arts for him.

He had given numerous pieces of advice and teachings while sparring.

Although he had thrown them out as passing words, to a rising star like Gwak Cheon-hu, they were advice as precious as a thousand pieces of gold.

Gwak Cheon-hu also knew that well, which was why he had become Cheon Mubaeck's man.

Therefore, Cheon Mubaeck had also intended to impress those three with martial arts and make them follow him.

"Originally, the most important thing in handling people is to win their hearts. The fastest way to win their hearts is to give them what they want."

Although Cheon Mubaeck did not lead a large organization, he had still accumulated tremendous experience.

He had felt a lot, both directly and indirectly, about how to handle people.

"What they want, you mean?"

"I thought their ambition was just for a higher realm of martial arts, but it was different from what I thought."

"Ugh, right. It's quite complicated."

"No, it's not complicated, it's simple."

"Simple, you say?"

Zhuge Seol-ah's eyes widened.

"The three have many things in common."

"Commonalities, you say?"

Those three have many things in common? Just by looking at them, they are so clearly different.

Zhuge Seol-ah tilted her head.

They were men with clearly different personalities that anyone could see.

Cheon Mubaeck pointed to the documents with their personal information.

"First, all three are the second sons in their families."

"Uh, right. They're all the second son."

"But among the rising stars, they possess martial arts skills that are among the best."

"That's right. They are the strongest rising stars within the Righteous Alliance."

"That's the problem. Their skills are outstanding, but they are not the eldest son."

"...Ah!"

"They are in a position where they have no choice but to compete for the position of the family's successor. If their martial arts were lacking, they would have given up early, but since they have the skills, they won't give up."

"Then are you saying they are all aiming for the position of the family's successor?"

"That's right."

Cheon Mubaeck observed their actions carefully.

"Seeing them join the Righteous Alliance, at first I thought they were just chivalrous men drawn by the banner of resisting the demonic, but they weren't. They were thinking of being active in the Righteous Alliance to build up achievements and solidify their positions."

"Ah...! That's why they kept demanding that the leaders of the Righteous Alliance strike the Blood Demon Valley."

"No matter how young they are, they are not stupid. Even if they are young and inexperienced, they are not ignorant. They all know it's dangerous. But the reason they demanded to fight the Blood Demon Valley was to build up achievements and gain fame as quickly as possible. Like me."

There was a good example. That was Cheon Mubaeck.

There was no martial artist who did not know the name and moniker of Cheon Mubaeck, who had gained great fame through his fight with the Blood Demon Valley.

Their judgment must have been that if they gained fame by fighting the Blood Demon Valley, they could aim for the position of the family's successor.

With that judgment, they had thrown themselves into the Righteous Alliance, insisted on fighting the Blood Demon Valley, and had surely even created factions to push their opinions through.

He solidified his conviction after seeing their attitude towards Zhuge Seol-ah.

"My attitude towards them?"

"Anyone can see that they have feelings for you, young lady."

Zhuge Seol-ah's fine brow narrowed.

In fact, it was more than just a simple crush; it was blatant. Especially Gyo Mun-cheok and Hwangbo Sung had openly made passes at her.

Because of that, Zhuge Seol-ah had maintained a cold attitude from beginning to end.

In a situation where it was clear who had taken a place in Zhuge Seol-ah's heart, would their passes even catch her eye?

But the three did not give up and were persistent.

"Does having a crush on me also mean they have ambition?"

"If they win your heart, they also win the background of the Zhuge Clan."

The background of the Zhuge Clan, which was one of the Five Great Clans and served as the Chief Strategist of the Righteous Alliance.

Forming a connection with Zhuge Seol-ah meant that such a background would follow.

But Zhuge Seol-ah's sensitive intuition told her.

"...Looking at the eyes of those three, it's real."

"That's right. It's clear they have romantic feelings. So they will be even more enthusiastic. Because it's not just about getting the background of the Zhuge Clan, but also about getting a beautiful partner."

In an instant, Zhuge Seol-ah's face turned red. To think he would say she was beautiful so naturally, as if it were a passing compliment.

Although he sometimes said things like that as if they were nothing, Zhuge Seol-ah, who was on the receiving end, felt her head spin.

"Cunning. Kids these days..."

"Ugh. Don't say things like that in front of me. You're younger than those three, and even younger than me, Young Master."

"I sometimes forget because you have a baby face, young lady."

"Ugh. Aren't you coming on too strong, so nonchalantly?"

"In any case, all three are cunning to the extreme. Rather, many thoughts will be crossing their minds. Instead of following me, they will also consider leading the martial artists and being active in my place."

"No way."

"If the martial arts gap is small, the opponent can feel it more clearly. But if the difference is too large, they might not even know there is a difference."

Zhuge Seol-ah's mouth fell open. Did he mean that because the difference was so large, they couldn't even recognize his strength and were harboring futile ambitions?

But after thinking about it carefully, Zhuge Seol-ah soon nodded.

'Well... he's not a rising star anymore.'

Far from being grouped with the rising stars, even if you expanded the scope to the famous masters of the martial world, Cheon Mubaeck was overwhelming.

The assumption that they couldn't recognize Cheon Mubaeck's true strength and were harboring futile ambitions was plausible.

"Then what are you planning to do? They are people who have thrown themselves into the fight with the Blood Demon Valley with such ambition. They are people whose firm resolve will not be defeated."

Zhuge Seol-ah was right. Even if he simply subdued them with martial power, the result would not be good.

In any case, they had to become comrades whose backs he could trust while leading and fighting together, but that was impossible without trust.

Cheon Mubaeck had to firmly make the three his own people.

"I have to show them that I can give them what they want."

"What they want, you mean the position of the family's successor?"

How could he help them get the position of another family's successor?

"I have to show them clearly that if they follow me, they can build up achievements."

At Cheon Mubaeck's words, Zhuge Seol-ah tilted her head.

To build up achievements, you have to meet an enemy and fight...

"Just in time, suitable enemies are waiting for us."

Suitable enemies?

The judgment of the leaders of the Righteous Alliance was that a full-scale war with the Blood Demon Valley was still premature...

In that moment, a certain organization flashed through Zhuge Seol-ah's mind.

"The Wolya Faction!"

"If we strike them, won't the fame and achievements be certain?"

A smile appeared on Cheon Mubaeck's lips.

(End of Chapter)