The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Chapter 106

[ … words ]

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“Damn it, to think they were acting all high and mighty just because they obtained a nominal title!”

Nam Hwa-seong of the Samwon Gate snorted.

It was clear that the other party had made a foolish and stupid choice, but for some reason, the frustration did not fade away.

“…….”

“…….”

Such feelings were no different for the others.

The frustration was even greater, especially because they were the ones who could not take their eyes off the radiant appearances of Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Moran, who looked as if they had just woken up from sleep, compared to Ha Young-young, who had appeared dressed up flamboyantly, claiming she would seduce the Black Flame Dragon with her beauty.

“Cheol-hyung, looking at how you are floundering over mere beauty, it seems the rumors that you are brainy are all lies.”

Even at Nam Hwa-seong’s questioning, Cheol Sun-jik did not answer.

“…….”

“Cheol-hyung?”

“Hmm?”

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“It is nothing.”

Cheol Sun-jik reflected on what had just happened.

He had made the proposal, and Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Moran had sent a sound transmission to Jin So-un as if they had given up.

That surely must have meant for him to choose the 12 Peaks instead of them, no matter how one looked at it.

In such a situation, it was as if it were the natural order of things to begrudgingly choose the 12 Peaks, pretending not to be able to overcome the situation.

‘But they did not do that.’

There was no sign of hesitation.

It was refused as if it were a natural choice.

To say that their sense of justice was so strong that they could not abandon those who were with them—the Tae-eul Gate currently possessed too many admission plaques for that to be the reason.

The expected number of people to enter the academy was 4.

Among the lower-ranked sects of the 108 Peaks, there were many that could not get even one disciple admitted like the Tae-eul Gate.

Abandoning such an opportunity to choose loyalty?

That was a story that the Abbot of the Shaolin Temple would laugh at.

‘Could it be that they noticed?’

The tail of his thought naturally led to an absurd suspicion. The things he had planned to do after bringing the Tae-eul Gate into his fold.

He meant things like solidifying the alliance further and balancing the 108 Peaks.

If 4 people from the Tae-eul Gate entered the Martial Arts Academy right away, it would cause a huge ripple in the 108 Peaks.

This would soon cause confusion, and confusion would weaken the solidarity of the 108 Peaks.

It would be better for strengthening the future solidarity of the 108 Peaks to give an appropriate price and reduce the number of entrants.

Instead, they would promote the Black Flame Dragon as a hero of the 108 Peaks to raise the status of the Tae-eul Gate, and at the same time, create public opinion that the 108 Peaks were truly leading the Murim.

Of course, in that process, their duty to distribute admission plaques to the Bipung Gate and the Gwigung Gate would also be reduced, so this was truly killing two birds with one stone. No, killing three birds with one stone.

But all those plans were tangled up by a single word from Jin So-un.

“It is a problem.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Tae-eul Gate.”

“I think so too. Isn’t it truly arrogant and insolent?”

“That is not what I meant. I am worried that the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families might snatch away the opportunity that the 108 Peaks grabbed by chance.”

Whether Jin So-un was there or not did not matter much.

If there was no hero, one could just create a new one.

However, the 12 Peaks had the opportunity for a top-ranking admission for the first time, surpassing the Nine Great Sects.

If Jin So-un and his precarious companions were to have their admission plaques snatched away by the Nine Great Sects here, they would have to wait for another boring era.

“But what can we do? They are kicking away their own fortune.”

“Even if they say they don’t want it, can they abandon their duty? We must make them take responsibility as one of the Peaks of the 108 Peaks.”

“How so?”

“Send a message to the Bipung Gate and the Gwigung Gate; tell them there is no need to come all the way up to Jeongju.”

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“……Why did you do that?”

After coming out of the reception room, both of Seong Moran’s cheeks were flushed red for some reason.

Did I do something wrong?

I thought I had kept my loyalty in my own way.

“You keep calling me the Black Flame Dragon. It is not even a good nickname.”

“……Jin-gongja.”

“Naturally, it is because I wanted to be with the two of you.”

“…….”

“…….”

I told a joke to blow away the solemn atmosphere, but the atmosphere became even more awkward, and the two of them, perhaps angry at my cold joke, had ears that were flushed red as well.

“……I am not so unconscionable as to ignore someone who ended up in this situation because of me.”

“……Even so, looking at the situation…….”

“Moreover, the two of you are not such trivial people that I would have to trade you for the Martial Arts Academy.”

What if I could quickly persuade the Namgung Family, the Cheolgeom Gate, and the Moyong Family in the future Jeongma War?

Wouldn’t that be much better than the slow response in my previous life?

Looking at it from that perspective, entering the Martial Arts Academy was important, but keeping a solid relationship with them was more important.

“……!”

“……!”

Seong Moran looked at me blankly with her mouth unable to close, and Namgung Seon-hwa’s expression was not much different.

A silence hung in the air for a while.

“I, I will never give up.”

Namgung Seon-hwa suddenly clenched both her fists and said.

“Yes? Isn’t that obvious?”

“From now on, no matter how hard it is, I won’t say it’s hard. No, I won’t even think it’s hard.”

Was it perhaps that they were motivated by the rude behavior of those people?

Seong Moran sighed softly and said.

“Jin-gongja is truly extraordinary. I won’t complain about it being hard from now on either.”

“Is that so? That is fortunate. As it happens, it seems it is going to get even harder.”

“Yes?”

The faces of Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Moran, which had been burning with passion, were distorted with anxiety.

Didn’t they just say they would work hard?

“Didn’t you hear the story just now? Didn’t they say that the Bipung Gate and the Gwigung Gate were two days away?”

“……Yes, right? But what does that have to do with it getting harder?”

“The two sects are representative snatchers of admission plaques, aren’t they?”

“…….”

“Then who would be the tastiest prey for them to target?”

“Hmm…… the Tae-eul Gate?”

Namgung Seon-hwa was engaging in escapism.

“No. It is the Tae-eul Gate, where the Namgung Family, the Moyong Family, and the Cheolgeom Gate are together.”

Seong Moran, who was listening to the story, gasped and muttered.

“We are doomed.”

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The Great Journey (Daeyeojeong).

Compared to the distance traveled to pass the first and second gates, the path of the third gate was short.

Even so, the reason people called this road the Great Journey was not because of the distance, but because of its harshness.

In the Great Journey, which was so fierce that it was said it would be better to call it the “Head Journey” because most people got their heads broken, even the leading sects, including the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families, often became targets of attacks.

For the examinees who had lived their whole lives only looking at the Martial Arts Academy, this Great Journey was the last chance to enter the academy.

The examinees, who had no “next time,” clung to the preliminary qualifiers as if they were people who had no tomorrow.

“Hmm?”

A strange sight caught my eye. Warriors from different sects were mixed together, forming a formation.

“……The formation is somewhat……”

Kang Seo-pyo answered my question.

“The warriors of the Moyong Family are not yet used to the White Tiger Sword Formation, so they have been mixed together.”

“Is that possible?”

The Cheolgeom Gate, of course, and the Moyong Family and the Namgung Family were people who had great pride in their own sect’s martial arts.

Moreover, most of them must have known how poorly the White Tiger Sword Formation was treated in the Murim Alliance, yet they mixed together to learn it?

“If they want to eat, they have to do it.”

I could only let out a bitter laugh at the words that the White Tiger Sword Formation created by the genius Jegal Cheon-gi was being used merely to protect their rice bowls.

“Um, Jin-gongja-nim……”

Kang Seo-pyo spoke with a serious expression, unlike his usual self.

“From now on, please give orders directly to us.”

“Yes?”

I asked again, thinking I might have misheard.

“It is as I said. It means you may speak directly without going through others until we go to the Academy.”

“…….”

Our command system was in a format where if I spoke to Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Moran, and even to Moyong Jae-hwa who joined recently, they would convey it directly to the warriors of their sects.

“If the story is conveyed, doesn’t the response get delayed?”

“Would that be okay?”

It didn’t matter to me, but I doubted whether the warriors would accept it properly.

“If there is a guy who doesn’t listen, I will break his head.”

“No, well, not to that extent……”

“It is a matter that has already been agreed upon by the young ladies, the young master, Chief Cho, and Chief Baek.”

As I looked around, those who had been listening to the conversation with Kang Seo-pyo each nodded their heads one by one.

“I understand. I will take that responsibility.”

“Thank you.”

“That is what I should be saying.”

“No. Not that…… thank you very much.”

“Hmm?”

Then, Cho Mu-bin, who was running alongside, also said.

“I thank you as well.”

I didn’t know what they were thankful for, so I looked at Seong Moran, but Seong Moran quickly changed the subject.

“M-more than that, where are we going? We are going towards Sosil Peak, right?”

To leave Jeongju and cross into Hubei, one must pass through Mt. Song. There is a path leading to Taesil Peak and a path leading to Sosil Peak.

Taesil Peak is famous for its rough and difficult path, even within Mt. Song, which is called the Five Great Mountains.

Instead of answering, I asked Moyong Jae-hwa.

“If it were you, where would you go?”

“……Yes?”

“I am asking which path you would take, Taesil Peak or Sosil Peak.”

“Uh……”

Namgung Seon-hwa smiled at the flustered Moyong Jae-hwa.

“Jae-hwa liked to go out and play since he was young, so he didn’t study military strategy or tactics at all.”

“S-Seon-hwa Noona!”

Moyong Jae-hwa, who had turned red, thought for a moment and then answered stammeringly.

“I, I would go to Taesil Peak.”

“That fool……”

“Sigh……”

That must have been an expected reaction. Because for us, speed is the most important thing anyway.

“So I will go to Taesil Peak.”

“Yes?”

“Jin-gongja-nim!”

“H-Hyung-nim!”

Even Moyong Jae-hwa, who had given his opinion, turned pale and tried to stop me.

“From now on, we must not only think about those chasing us from behind. We must also think about those waiting in front.”

“Ah……”

“Still, wouldn’t it be better to take an easier path to deal with them? Taesil Peak is disadvantageous for us too.”

“What I am worried about are the Gwigung Gate and the Bipung Gate among the snatchers.”

Snatchers.

Among the jackals eyeing the admission plaques, they were the ones who gave up on the test entirely and waited for a long time, aiming only for the Great Journey from the start. Since they had conserved their strength, they would be able to deal with any enemy as long as they encountered terrain where their martial arts could flourish.

“Why do they suddenly appear?”

“Didn’t Cheol Sun-jik say they would join in two days? And Mt. Song happens to be exactly a two-day distance from Jeongju. And Sosil Peak is the terrain that archers like the most. Right?”

“Yes? Yes, yes.”

“It seems like he answered without knowing anything.”

“M-Moran Noona. I answered knowing everything too.”

As Mt. Song approached, pursuers attached themselves to the rear.

“It’s the 12 Peaks.”

“Looking at the fact that they even came on horses, it seems they intend to have a short, decisive battle as Jin-gongja said.”

“Should we increase our speed?”

I shook my head.

“There is no need for that. They will not try to approach us until we enter Sosil Peak.”

Even if their numbers were small, the Five Great Families were still the Five Great Families.

They would be worried about being bitten by other jackals if they were to suffer damage by clashing with us needlessly. The best choice for them was to wait until we entered Sosil Peak.

“Let’s go.”

When a flat and wide road and a steep and narrow road appeared, we entered the steep and narrow road without hesitation.

Then, we could see the group of the 12 Peaks chasing from behind hesitating.

“Jin-gongja-nim! They stopped.”

“From now on, we will increase our speed.”

“Yes? The carriages won’t be able to keep up with the speed, will they?”

“We are leaving the carriages here. We will go straight across Taesil Peak and strike the rear of the Bipung Gate and the Gwigung Gate.”

No matter how I think about it, I don’t know when I will meet them next, so since I met Cheol Sun-jik this time, I should smack his face at least once before I go.

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