Chapter 17

Chapter 17: A Rival

The Martial Discipline Office warriors began dragging the prisoners away.

Even while being pulled out, the bastards continued struggling and crying.

"We were wrong!"

"P-Please, just one chance!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Please spare me!"

Nobody answered their pleas.

After several meaningless screams...

they disappeared somewhere beyond the room, dragged away like animals.

I watched until the very end as the trash was removed.

Haa.

That feels great.

I felt completely refreshed.

It was as though something clogged deep inside my chest had finally cleared.

Now that the situation was resolved...

there was no reason to remain in the Martial Discipline Office.

Staying too long in a place dedicated to punishing people couldn't be good for my mental health.

I cupped my fists toward Hyeonyul.

"I didn't expect the judgment to come so quickly."

"Today, I truly understood why the Martial Discipline Office is called Kunlun's justice."

"I trust that the punishment will be as proper as the judgment was swift, Hall Master Hyeonyul."

"Don't worry."

Hyeonyul nodded.

"As you said, justice will be upheld."

Looks like I'll never have to see those pieces of trash again.

I had clearly expressed my desire for them to be punished severely.

Now it was finally time to leave.

"Today, I properly learned the seriousness of the Martial Discipline Office."

"Then I hope we meet again someday."

I gave a formal farewell and was about to turn around.

Then Hyeonyul spoke.

"Yes."

"Just as you wish, we'll probably meet again soon."

"...Pardon?"

I stopped.

"I'll meet you again?"

What kind of nonsense was that?

Why would I need to see him again?

Unless I committed some serious crime...

there was no reason for me to ever step inside the Martial Discipline Office again.

Perhaps he read my expression.

Hyeonyul laughed.

"Hahaha."

"What are you imagining?"

"Don't worry."

"Next time, we won't meet inside the Martial Discipline Office."

"Somewhere else?"

Hyeonyul smiled mysteriously.

"Do you not know under whose will the Martial Discipline Office ultimately moves?"

"Wouldn't that be you, Hall Master Hyeonyul...?"

"No."

Hyeonyul shook his head.

"You seem to have forgotten the true senior of the Martial Discipline Office."

The true senior?

Then it suddenly hit me.

At the same moment...

Hyeonyul spoke.

"First Elder Gwangheon, the Iron Lion, still stands above the Martial Discipline Office."

The moment that name was spoken...

the atmosphere seemed to become heavier.

The Iron Lion, Gwangheon.

Former Hall Master of the Martial Discipline Office.

Master of Hyeonyul.

A powerful figure who had led the organization for decades.

I already knew very well how important Gwangheon was.

But there was another reason his name mattered now.

He was one of Kunlun's four First Elders.

Only then did I understand what Hyeonyul meant.

The Elders' Lecture Gathering.

First Elder Gwangheon would also participate.

Which meant...

he too would choose a representative.

And that representative...

would obviously come from the Martial Discipline Office.

Then...

I slowly raised my head.

My eyes immediately met another gaze.

...You?

The young martial artist who had silently remained beside Hyeonyul.

The only person wearing two red bands around his sleeves.

He was staring at me with eyes as sharp as needles.

Our gazes collided in midair.

Neither of us looked away.

Several tense seconds passed in silence.

Hyeonyul broke it.

"Enough."

"No conflicts are permitted inside the Martial Discipline Office."

His voice was low and strict.

Only then did the young martial artist withdraw his gaze.

I turned toward Hyeonyul.

"Is he your disciple?"

"No."

Hyeonyul shook his head.

"Gwon isn't my disciple."

The young man who had been glaring at me spoke for himself.

"You said your name was Han Mujin."

His tone carried obvious confidence and pride.

"I am Hyeongwon, the Young Hall Master of the Martial Discipline Office."

The meaning behind his name immediately caught my attention.

The Hyeon generation?

Then he's a direct disciple of a First Elder?

At his age?

He barely looked older than me.

Hyeonyul answered my question before I could ask.

"Young Hall Master Hyeongwon receives instruction directly from First Elder Gwangheon."

"If compared to me, he is my youngest junior brother."

Hyeonyul glanced between us.

"And as you've probably already guessed..."

"he will also participate in this Elders' Lecture Gathering as a representative."

Now everything made sense.

The moment I revealed that I was Jin Gwangung's direct disciple...

Hyeongwon had started staring at me.

So he wants to fight me.

That kid was probably burning with competitive spirit right now.

After all...

the rival he would soon face in the Elders' Lecture Gathering was standing right in front of him.

We were both direct disciples of First Elders.

We were also around the same age.

Of course he would become competitive.

Youthful blood was boiling inside him.

That didn't mean I accepted his rudeness.

What kind of brat glares at an elder like that?

My body looked like a teenager.

But if I added together my years from my first life and my previous martial-world life...

it would be difficult to find many people in Kunlun older than me.

If I had simply married and had children during my Hunter life...

I could easily have had a grandson Hyeongwon's age by now.

A brat whose blood hasn't even dried yet should lower his eyes when looking at an elder.

How dare he glare at me?

A rude child who didn't understand proper respect needed to be disciplined at least once.

As a dignified senior and a man of Kunlun walking the Dao...

surely that was my responsibility.

Fine, kid.

I'll remember you.

Just wait.

This was the Martial Discipline Office.

Not the best place to discipline its Young Hall Master.

But one week later...

when we met during the Elders' Lecture Gathering...

I could give him a proper lesson.

For the record...

I was definitely not holding back because someone who became Young Hall Master at such a young age was probably extremely strong.

Absolutely not.

Anyway...

I didn't want to waste any more time on a pointless staring contest.

Jin Gwangung might already have finished meeting the Sect Leader and could be looking for me.

I cupped my fists toward Hyeonyul.

"Hall Master, I'll take my leave now."

"I suppose we'll meet again soon."

"Yes."

Hyeonyul nodded.

"We'll meet again at the Elders' Lecture Gathering."

I bowed slightly and turned around.

As I did...

I glanced sideways at Hyeongwon.

He was still glaring at me with fiercely burning eyes.

Next time, I'll teach you proper respect between elders and juniors.

With a calm expression...

I walked toward the exit.

When I returned to the Event Hall...

the first thing I saw was a crowd of anxious people waiting for me.

The moment they spotted me, they rushed forward.

"Mujin, are you okay?"

"You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"

"People say nobody enters the Martial Discipline Office and comes back out normally...."

"Your arms and legs are still fine, right?"

They clearly feared something terrible had happened to me.

I was about to answer when...

"It was incredible!"

"You're all going to faint when you hear what happened!"

Sogwang and Wang Dusik suddenly stepped forward from behind me.

Then they immediately started speaking at machine-gun speed.

"Mujin pulled out a Hall Master's token right in front of the Martial Discipline Office Hall Master..."

"Then that bastard Myeonghun started begging Mujin to spare him..."

"And the Martial Discipline Office Hall Master looked at Mujin with eyes full of respect..."

Sogwang and Wang Dusik excitedly told everyone what had happened.

Well...

they told them what happened with only a very small amount of "improvement."

"Ohhh...!"

"No way!"

"That's amazing!"

The Event Hall workers gasped repeatedly.

Apparently the slightly fictionalized story of "Han Mujin conquering the Martial Discipline Office" was quite popular.

Once Sogwang and Wang Dusik finished...

everyone crowded around me again.

"Mujin!"

"Did you really become First Elder Gwangung's disciple?"

"They said you're a Hall Master!"

"Does that mean you're as important as the Martial Discipline Office Hall Master now?"

"You even punished those Taoist bastards!"

"That's incredible!"

"How did you become First Elder Gwangung's disciple?"

They looked at me with shining eyes.

For a moment...

I almost felt like some great hero under heaven.

I casually rubbed the tip of my nose.

"Well..."

I spoke as modestly as possible.

"It wasn't anything special."

"I was just standing around when Master Gwangung recognized my talent."

I sighed dramatically.

"Haa... what can I do?"

"Natural talent like mine is impossible to hide."

"Master practically begged me to become his disciple."

"Hehehe."

I answered as though it were nothing.

But honestly...

I was enjoying this quite a bit.

Everyone cheering and admiring me.

How wonderful.

Wasn't this exactly the kind of life a regressor was supposed to enjoy?

My eyes and ears are both satisfied.

My first life in the martial world ended after suffering as a Shadow Corps test subject.

That was why this feeling now...

was unbelievably sweet.

Then...

Sogwang and Wang Dusik approached me again.

Only moments earlier, they had been excitedly spreading stories about my heroism.

Now their expressions were strangely stiff.

They seemed to have something to say.

Eventually, Sogwang spoke first.

"Mujin..."

"Yeah?"

Sogwang hesitated.

"Do we... have to call you Hall Master from now on?"

Then his speech suddenly became more polite.

"I mean... should we?"

Wang Dusik quickly added.

"R-Right."

"You're a First Elder's disciple now..."

"So your status is completely different from ours."

I laughed.

These guys.

I wondered what was bothering them.

I waved my hand.

"What are you talking about?"

"Aren't we Event Hall brothers?"

"Stop saying stupid things and just call me by my name like before."

"But..."

"I said it's fine."

I smiled.

"What kind of friends call each other 'Hall Master'?"

Only then did their expressions brighten.

Apparently relieved...

Wang Dusik suddenly shouted loudly.

"I, Wang Dusik, have become the best friend of the Abandoned Martial Hall Master!"

"From now on, I'm the most powerful person in the Event Hall!"

I laughed.

"Didn't you say you were my senior brother before?"

"No!"

Wang Dusik shook his head immediately.

"Being friends is much easier and better than being senior brothers!"

That night...

the Event Hall courtyard remained filled with laughter and cheerful voices until late.

And so...

my first day back in Kunlun ended successfully.

The next morning...

Jin Gwangung appeared without warning, as usual.

"You're still sleeping?"

"The sun is already high in the sky."

I had been enjoying my first proper sleep in the Event Hall in a while.

His voice startled me awake.

I rubbed my eyes and sat up.

I hadn't even told Jin Gwangung I would stay in the Event Hall.

Yet somehow...

he found me anyway.

"Master, you've returned."

"Did your meeting with the Sect Leader go well?"

"Yes."

Jin Gwangung waved his hand.

"If you're awake, hurry up and come with me."

"What?"

"Where are we going?"

Jin Gwangung gave me his usual mischievous smile.

"The Sect Leader wants to see you."

"Apparently he wants to personally meet the participants in the Elders' Lecture Gathering."

My sleepiness vanished instantly.

Not simply because Jin Gwangung had appeared suddenly.

There was another reason.

I'm going to meet the Sect Leader....

The instant those words reached me...

a bad feeling slowly rose inside my chest.

One week from now...

the Sect Leader of Kunlun would be murdered.