The Miraculous Divorce Technique

Chapter 21

Intelligence agents.

They were people who fought fierce battles in the shadows, to the point where it was often called an intelligence war.

Because they were hidden behind a veil, the world did not know of their exploits, and they had to live their entire lives as shadows without receiving any attention.

But the leaders of the organizations knew their importance well.

It was because if those who handled information betrayed them, they might walk the path of annihilation.

Therefore, they needed to have a clearer background than anyone else, and their loyalty also needed to be outstanding.

"Sa-wol, are you really telling me to use this identity?"

The name engraved on the identity token was Yeom Jang. And on the first line of the family details in the report, the three characters for his father's name were written: Yeom Seokjin.

Yeom Seokjin, he was a former intelligence agent and a byword for a traitor that no one in the martial world did not know.

It was because a sect called the Liberation Sect had collapsed due to his past espionage activities.

In other words, Yeom Jang could be said to be of a rebellious bloodline.

"Lord, because it is a gutter, it may look cleaner."

"Hmm..."

Come to think of it, Sa-wol's words had a point.

Yeom Seokjin was later assassinated by the surviving faction of the Liberation Sect, and his family had to live their entire lives being pointed at.

A child who lived unhappily due to his father's mistake.

Because the father is a traitor, the child, on the contrary, keeps faith more than anyone else.

In a way, it was a clean identity because it was dirty.

"But... won't it attract too much attention?"

"Supreme One, you have never competed except when you rose to the position of Young Lord in the past. These days, you have to stand out to survive. Your subordinate has prepared this so that the Supreme One can pass more comfortably."

"Phew... I'll definitely be etched in the interviewers' minds..."

Cheok Sagyeol put the identity token in his bosom with a bitter smile.

'Well, it doesn't matter. I just need to meet the Golden Beggar. By the way, this girl is a bit overly loyal. Is it because it's been a long time since I saw her? Tsk.'

Whether she knew her master's inner thoughts or not, Sa-wol left the related materials and departed for Giju.

And Cheok Sagyeol looked at the materials Sa-wol had left as if he were sick of them and shook his head.

'There's so damn much...'

Cheok Sagyeol, without even reading the materials, lay down on the bed and slept.

There was no way he would fail an exam to pick a mere beggar.

* * *

Beggars' Sect Luoyang Branch.

The place, which was usually full of only beggars, was crowded with a huge number of people.

Of course, most of them were applicants for this public recruitment.

'Life must be tough. For so many people to flock to become beggars.'

Although one had to dispose of all their assets to join, it was a world overflowing with people who did not have a single coin.

They had gathered because if they became the Golden Beggar's direct subordinate, they would at least not have to worry about starving to death.

'Is the reception this way?'

Cheok Sagyeol, who approached the reception desk, submitted the application form, self-introduction letter, and the document with his personal information that Sa-wol had prepared.

'Geez, it's so damn troublesome to become a beggar.'

There were many documents to submit, but according to the receptionist's explanation, after passing the document screening, one had to have an interview and pass a prepared test to be accepted.

The moment he heard that, Cheok Sagyeol seriously considered choosing the second method Sa-wol had suggested and killing all the beggars gathered here.

But he held it in for the sake of Sa-wol, who had worked hard to prepare this and that.

* * *

"Ah, there's really no one worth picking."

Bungsangae, a Five-Knot disciple of the Beggars' Sect and the leader of the Ilsimdang, spoke as if sighing.

"Newbies are all like that. Take a good look. Is there no one useful among all those people?"

Jindeokgae, the leader of the Sinuidang and also an examiner along with Bungsangae, said.

"What's the use of having many? There are so many who don't even have the basics. Ha! This bastard wrote our sect as the 'Crab Sect' instead of the Beggars' Sect. You fucking idiot, go and die."

Bungsangae threw the applicant's documents into the rejection box placed under the table.

"Hehe. That's a gentleman. This one, looking at the contents, just changed the name on the Hao Sect application form."

"This son of a bitch, what does he take our sect for?"

"What do you mean, what does he take it for? He sees it as a beggar's foot wrap."

Jindeokgae crumpled the application form with a cold face and threw it into the rejection box.

"I'm going to puke, really. Ten thousand applicants to pick seven. Hwaaam."

Bungsangae stretched and yawned widely.

"This is a public recruitment personally ordered by the Branch Leader. We can't look at it carelessly, so everyone, please bear with it."

The words came from the last of the three examiners, Samsalgae, the leader of the Uigidang.

"Samsalgae, are there no good ones among the applicants you've seen? Our side is a complete bust."

At Jindeokgae's question, Samsalgae shook his head.

"It's the same for me so far. Most of them are caught in the personal information section."

It was because it was rare to find someone who was not related to a martial arts sect.

But they couldn't pick someone who hadn't learned a single martial art as the Branch Leader's direct subordinate either.

The person they wanted was someone who had learned a martial art passed down to a single person, was a newcomer to the martial world, and had the basic qualities of an intelligence agent.

The next day.

The three examiners, who had read the applications all night, were discussing while looking at the documents they had initially selected.

It was to finally select the candidates who had passed the document screening.

"These are all people with clean personal information and no problems with their documents. If there are any that bother you, let's weed them out further."

At Samsalgae's words, Jindeokgae first picked out five applications.

"These guys are rejected. They're too perfect in every aspect. There's a high possibility they're spies."

It was because the five applications looked like they were from experienced people, not newbies.

This time, Bungsangae picked out fifteen applications.

"These bastards are rejected too. Their appearance is not neat."

"Puhahaha. Isn't it because they're better looking than you?"

"Hey, do you want to die?"

"Kekeke."

Although he said it playfully, Jindeokgae also agreed.

The ones Bungsangae had chosen had memorable features in their appearance.

One had thick lips, another had a mole on his nose, and another had sharp eyes.

A plain and ordinary impression was one of the basic conditions for a top-class intelligence agent.

Since they were not just picking any ordinary intelligence agent, the screening criteria were high.

"Aren't you picking any, Samsalgae?"

"Hmm..."

After contemplating for a moment, Samsalgae took out twenty applications.

"These ones will have to be rejected too."

"No, why them?"

Bungsangae asked with a puzzled face.

In his view, the ones Samsalgae had chosen could be said to be the best among the ten thousand applicants.

"If you were them, would you want to be an intelligence agent for the Five Great Families or an intelligence agent for our sect?"

"...Ahem, hmm, hmm."

Bungsangae couldn't bring himself to answer and just cleared his throat.

If it were them, they might become intelligence agents for the Five Great Families in the future or even double agents.

In that case, a situation where they had to doubt their loyalty might arise later.

They couldn't leave such a precedent in the first public recruitment they were conducting.

"I wonder if everyone will be eliminated before the interview."

At Jindeokgae's clicking tongue, Samsalgae smiled bitterly.

"They say picking a trustworthy person is the hardest."

"Isn't it that you can only find a trustworthy talent after watching them for a long time, starting from the White-Clothed Beggar? I just don't understand the Branch Leader's intention of suddenly holding a public recruitment."

A White-Clothed Beggar was a term for a beggar who had no knots, called 'knots of righteousness,' for three years after joining the Beggars' Sect.

The three years was a period of verifying whether a new member had any disqualifying factors as a beggar.

Jindeokgae was not pleased with the introduction of a new system that was not the original tradition.

"It's not just anyone, it's the decision of the Branch Leader, the Golden Beggar Elder. As the leaders of the three halls, shouldn't we support him? Don't grumble too much."

At Samsalgae's words, Jindeokgae scratched his head and smacked his lips.

"Alright, then let's process the remaining applicants as having passed the first round of document screening and prepare for the second round of interviews."

On the table, seventy application documents, ten times the number of successful candidates, were placed.

The three examiners, without even resting, spurred on the interview preparations.

* * *

"Oh, my head. I feel like my brain is melting. Phew."

Bungsangae lay prostrate and sighed deeply.

Because they had interviewed each applicant one by one to properly assess them, the time had dragged on, and since they had stayed up all night, their fatigue was at its peak.

"Just a little more strength. Isn't this the last one?"

As Samsalgae said, they now had only one applicant left.

"But do we really have to see this one? I'm not very pleased with him..."

Jindeokgae frowned as he looked at the applicant's documents.

Bungsangae's eyes lit up at Jindeokgae's words, and he examined the documents.

"Wow, this one is something else. But how did a guy like this pass the document screening? Did I miss it because I was tired?"

"It's not to the point of being rejected. It's just that one of his family members is a concern, that's all."

Jindeokgae tapped the first line of the family details, the part where the parents' names were written.

"Rather than a concern, it should be said that it's somewhat unsettling. Because he's the son of that Yeom Seokjin."

Samsalgae stroked his chin and continued.

"But rejecting him for the reason that he's of a rebellious bloodline doesn't fit the criteria."

As the conversation dragged on, Bungsangae replied with annoyance.

"Alright, let's just bring him in. Since it's the last one anyway, I want to see him quickly and rest."

* * *

Cheok Sagyeol sat in a chair and looked at the three examiners in front of him.

He was slightly annoyed because he had waited until the last turn, and as the questions subtly scratched at him, his patience began to run out.

"Applicant Yeom Jang, this is the last question. What is your motive for applying to our sect?"

Cheok Sagyeol composed his voice and answered calmly.

"I thought that the Beggars' Sect is a place that devotes itself to the peace of the martial world from the lowest position. Although others may not recognize it, someone has to do this work so that many people can live in peace, don't you think? I want to find the meaning of my life by sacrificing myself in an unseen place."

It was an answer with no personality, no uniqueness, and no fun.

One hundred out of a hundred, most of the applicants would have spouted this kind of nonsense.

Knowing that fact, Cheok Sagyeol answered as such.

If he had not made a special impression or had made a mistake in the previous questions, he would have had to say something harsh to make up for it, but Cheok Sagyeol did not feel the need to do so.

From his experience of raising the Red Moon, he was a pass.

"Devotion, sacrifice, meaning. A good choice of words. An intelligence agent must be sensitive to words and writing. In that respect, applicant Yeom Jang is flawless in both writing and in person."

Samsalgae said, scribbling something with a fine-tipped brush.

It seemed he was giving additional points.

"Of course, they are good words. If you act as you say. But why couldn't applicant Yeom Jang's father sacrifice and devote himself until the end?"

The one who brought up the annoying words was Bungsangae.

"Yeom Seokjin, he had devoted himself to the Liberation Sect he was a part of, but he turned his back on them after a single incident. Applicant, you tell me. What happened then?"

"..."

Cheok Sagyeol was tense and could not answer.

He knew the person Yeom Seokjin, but he did not know the detailed background.

It was surely in the report Sa-wol had left, but the problem was that he hadn't read it because it was troublesome.

'Damn it... how should I know what happened? If you have something to say, you say it and just ask the questions.'

If he made a mistake at a time like this, his false identity could be revealed.

After all, the bastards in front of him were veterans in this field.

"Applicant Yeom Jang, tell me in your own words. That incident then."

"..."

'I don't know, you bastard, I don't know.'

"Phew."

Bungsangae got up from his seat and walked over.

It was as if he was trying to create a heavy atmosphere.

"If you're his son, you wouldn't not know about that incident. Why can't you speak?"

TAP. TAP.

Bungsangae tapped the shoulder of the seated Cheok Sagyeol and walked around him once.

"Sacrifice? Devotion? Just because you wrap it up in nice words doesn't mean the world is beautiful and sparkling, hehe."

THUD.

Bungsangae, who had placed his hand on Cheok Sagyeol's shoulder from behind, brought his face close. And he whispered in his ear.

"What's the difference between the applicant's father and a traitor? Tell me about what happened then in this very spot and give your opinion on it. If not, I'll fail you right here."

Bungsangae, who had now completely dropped his formal speech, straightened his upper body and sneered.

'If you just get through the final pressure interview, you'll pass, so use your head well...!'

Bungsangae, wanting to end the boring interview, prayed sincerely.

At that moment, Bungsangae's thoughts could not continue.

It was because Cheok Sagyeol had shot up as if bouncing, and as his back of the head approached, his vision flashed.

BAM.

"Gah!"

In front of Bungsangae, who was reflexively touching his nose, something approached again.

It was Cheok Sagyeol's spinning back kick, which he had thrown after getting up from his seat and spinning.

BAAAM.