Urban Vagabond: Reload

After the number-tag stripping match ended—

Song Junho and I killed some time with small talk while we waited for the other matches to wrap up.

“You still haven’t picked a sect? Why not?”

“I’ve got personal goals. I’m thinking I’ll worry about joining a sect after I deal with those.”

“With your skill, you could get insanely good treatment... Want me to introduce you to Supreme Pole Sword Gate later?”

“I’d appreciate that, honestly. But for now, I’m good.”

I didn’t have even the slightest desire to join one of the Eight Great Sects.

But good is good, and there was no reason to cut down a sincere offer. So I just smiled and accepted the sentiment without giving a hard no.

“Okay then! Let’s swap contact info!”

His easy, friendly attitude was pretty different from what I’d expected, which threw me a bit.

If the sect’s training had been a little more... thorough, I doubt he would’ve turned out this unpolished.

If I’d ever had a kid brother, maybe he would’ve felt like this?

Those big, bright eyes, the baby face, and thick eyebrows made me think of one of those scrappy country dogs.

Back when I nagged my parents for a little sibling, the image I pictured in my head was pretty much exactly this.

It’s a shame his arms and legs are short for a martial artist, though...

While I was thinking that, he was thinking I was the pitiful one.

This guy’s got something wrong with his dantian...

From his point of view, it looked like I’d been born with a tiny dantian and was barely wringing out the scraps of qi I had.

Poor guy.

Poor bastard.

It was a weird situation where we were both feeling sorry for each other, but fortunately, neither of us knew what the other was thinking, so the conversation just kept going.

Then he suddenly lowered his voice.

“By the way... do you, uh, take anything?”

“Take what? You mean elixirs or something?”

He glanced around and then practically just moved his lips, whispering. Honestly, this was probably the thing he’d been most curious about.

“I mean for height. Do you take any special supplements? Or like, go to a clinic?”

“...I don’t do anything. Height is just genetics.”

My answer came out pretty firm, like there was no other possibility.

He looked absolutely crushed.

“You bastard... constitution is genetic too, you know!”

He tipped his chin up with all the confidence in the world, but unfortunately, the top of his head only came up to around my chin.

“Well, yeah, obviously.”

He clearly thought I’d be as shocked as him, but for someone with a Level 2 constitution like me, that jab didn’t land at all.

“This isn’t how this is supposed to go...”

While he trembled with another wave of defeat and I tilted my head, all the matches wrapped up.

Black-White 13 spread both arms in an exaggerated gesture, drawing everyone’s attention.

[All winners and losers have been decided! Winners, please follow me. Losers, follow the Black-White over there.]

I didn’t know why, but Black-White 13 seemed to be in a great mood, and when our eyes met, he gave me a little wink.

That’s oddly annoying.

I didn’t let it show, but every time I felt Black-White 13’s gaze, there was this vague, unpleasant itch under my skin.

Still, he was a proctor for the license exam, so all I could do was behave.

Just then, Junho stuck his arm out and tapped me on the shoulder.

“I’m off. Kim Muhyuk! Let’s meet again soon!”

“Yeah. See you later.”

He joined the losers’ group, and I joined the winners.

[All right then, winners—how about we go rack up three straight wins?]

Following Black-White 13’s cheerful voice, we started pushing forward again, cutting through the thick fog that had settled over everything.

I stared into the fog in the distance and thought to myself:

They didn’t catch on... right?

*****

“...A late-bloom prospect with very clear limits.”

The first person to speak up in the heavy silence was the Sect Master of Golden Glory Gate.

He finally tore his eyes away from the monitor he’d been staring holes into and glanced around at the other Sect Masters, shrugging like he was asking for agreement.

“Isn’t that right? Level 4 constitution. You could see he took internal injuries from forcing his inner power just now. He only beat Supreme Pole Sword Gate’s late-bloom prospect by sheer luck...”

The monitor the Sect Masters of the Eight Great Sects had been watching, almost in a daze, was showing Kim Muhyuk’s back as he walked away.

“His bones and muscles are top-class, but if his constitution can’t support it, it doesn’t mean much in the end.”

The Sect Master of Sun and Moon Gate nodded and added his own comment. He stole a quick glance at Supreme Pole Sword Gate’s Sect Master as he continued.

“If those two fought again six months from now, the result would be the exact opposite.”

“Six months? Three months would be plenty!”

Golden Glory Gate’s Sect Master raised his voice, piling on.

He was doing it to help Supreme Pole Sword Gate’s Sect Master save face after watching his disciple lose, but he also genuinely believed it.

“...In any case, a loss is a loss. I’m sure Junho learned something from this.”

The Sect Master of Supreme Pole Sword Gate, who had been quiet until now, stroked his beard and finally spoke.

His insides were boiling after being forced to watch a disciple he’d personally taught lose in front of the other Sect Masters, but he forced himself to sound calm.

“Junho’s Eight Trigram Palm is still very immature. He’s only had two months, and it’s not even his main sword art, so he hasn’t had proper time to train it.”

“Only two months? In that case, his talent is actually unbelievable, isn’t it?”

“I’m jealous. You went all the way to his house and dragged him off... If I hadn’t been overseas at the time, I would’ve tried to snag him too.”

“Haha. Hardly. Don’t you both already have outstanding first disciples lined up?”

While the three of them were busily painting each other in gold, Martial Alliance Leader Yeo Pilgeuk watched them quietly and clicked his tongue.

“Tsk. Anyone listening would think Supreme Pole Sword Gate’s late-bloom prospect was the one who won.”

“...”

At that, the three Sect Masters turned cold eyes on him.

None of their gazes had anything pleasant in them. If he hadn’t been the Martial Alliance Leader, it wouldn’t have been strange to hear some pretty rough words come flying out right then.

“...Alliance Leader.”

Forcing a smile, Supreme Pole Sword Gate’s Sect Master spoke.

“As your junior, may I offer a humble opinion?”

“Speak freely. When have you ever treated me like someone to tread lightly around?”

“Haha...”

The Alliance Leader didn’t back down in the war of nerves.

He’d spent a long time keeping his head down, paying close attention to the Eight Great Sects.

But once he decided he would no longer be a scarecrow Alliance Leader, there was nothing restrained about Yeo Pilgeuk’s words and actions.

“Anyone listening would think we’ve been mistreating you, Alliance Leader.”

“It wounds me to hear that. Not once in decades have we forgotten respect and reverence for you...”

The Sect Masters of Sun and Moon Gate and Golden Glory Gate stepped up to stand on either side of Supreme Pole Sword Gate’s Sect Master.

It was like they were claiming they all shared the exact same will.

Backed by the two of them, Supreme Pole Sword Gate’s Sect Master deepened the smile on his lips and continued.

“When you lead a large organization, misunderstandings and grievances are bound to arise. But that doesn’t mean elders of the martial world should squabble like children, does it?”

“Are you calling me a child right now and trying to coax me?”

“...Of course not. It was just a figure of speech.”

He saw Yeo Pilgeuk’s fist slowly clench and let out an awkward smile.

King of Fists Yeo Pilgeuk.

These days he might be the fading leader of a declining Martial Alliance, but as an individual martial artist, he was a peak expert who could make the Eight Great Sects nervous all by himself.

He also still had many martial artists within the Alliance who respected him deeply. That was the main reason the Martial Alliance, even under heavy pressure from the Eight Great Sects, had managed to barely hold on to its stature.

But precisely because of that, Yeo Pilgeuk, as the Alliance Leader, was bound by a lot of constraints.

“Please calm yourself. You know better than anyone how much is riding on a single word from you.”

“I know it all too well...”

Yeo Pilgeuk hummed low in his throat and looked at the three of them.

Supreme Pole Sword Gate, Sun and Moon Gate, Golden Glory Gate.

Only three of the Eight Great Sect leaders were present in the room, but Yeo Pilgeuk knew perfectly well the other Sect Masters were aligned with them in spirit.

If I’d managed to turn even three of the eight... no, even just two...

Their alliance had been built up over decades. By now, it was like a solid fortress wall.

As Martial Alliance Leader, he’d spent years swallowing his frustration and trying to fold them in with different policies.

But all he’d really done was give them time to grow. Their power had become so immense that it now surpassed the authority of the Martial Alliance itself.

It’s all my fault.

Looking back, if he had taken a hard line twenty-odd years ago, when Sword Demon Choi Geon was wrongly blamed for that demonic cult suppression operation, things wouldn’t have gotten this bad.

...In the end, after Choi Geon shouldered all responsibility and left the Martial Alliance, there was nothing left inside the Alliance to hold the Eight Great Sects in check. Their influence had only grown stronger ever since.

He’d wished he could turn back time thousands of times, but even the Martial Alliance Leader of the whole country couldn’t do that.

“...What is it you want to say?”

When his tone softened a bit, the three Sect Masters sighed with relief on the inside.

“Since the exam has already begun, we won’t say anything more about that part.”

“However, we would like you to make absolutely certain that you’re prepared for any possible accidents.”

“If late-bloom prospects take severe injuries or, heaven forbid, die... even you, Alliance Leader, will find it difficult to avoid responsibility.”

As if they’d scripted it beforehand, the three Sect Masters spoke one after another, and the Alliance Leader nodded calmly.

“You have nothing to worry about. I wouldn’t have started this without that level of resolve. We’ve put plenty of safety measures in place, and I have no intention of dodging responsibility, so there’s no need for you to concern yourselves.”

Satisfied now that they’d gotten a clear answer, the three Sect Masters nodded at one another.

“Then we’ll be on our way. We leave the rest of the exam in your hands.”

“I won’t see you out far.”

As he reached the door, Supreme Pole Sword Gate’s Sect Master threw a glance back at the Alliance Leader.

“Alliance Leader. I have one request: please don’t do anything rash.”

“...What was that?”

“We want to keep serving by your side ‘just like this’ for a long time. And that is sincere.”

Leaving that loaded remark behind, the Sect Masters of the Eight Great Sects stepped out, and Yeo Pilgeuk glared at the doorway for a while before letting out a sigh.

“It’d be easier if we could just settle this with our fists.”

His voice was self-mocking as he muttered.

How much longer could he really keep his position as Alliance Leader?

In his heart, he wanted to retire right now and go back to being a wandering martial artist.

But there were still martial artists in the Alliance who weren’t being pushed around by the Eight Great Sects.

If I leave too, who’s going to be their shield?

Just thinking of the Alliance members who still believed in him made it impossible for him to walk away on his own.

Even if it meant being hounded and pushed out by the Eight Great Sects in the end.

“...I’ll just have to endure somehow.”

With a bitter smile, he turned and looked over the monitors showing different parts of the exam ground.

One of them pulled his gaze without him even realizing.

On that screen, Kim Muhyuk was getting ready for the third test.

“They’re calling that kid a late-bloom prospect with obvious limits?”

He thought back to Golden Glory Gate’s Sect Master’s words and let out a short laugh.

“Are they blind, or are they just refusing to see what’s in front of them?”

For the first time, a real smile blossomed on Yeo Pilgeuk’s face, which had been serious the whole time.

“He beat a Level 1 with what’s supposed to be Level 4 inner power, and they act like he’s not even worth paying attention to...”

Shouldn’t that be exactly the kind of person you pay more attention to?

It meant that kid, Kim Muhyuk, had already broken through his so-called limits.

“I’m not convinced you really are Level 4, though.”

Yeo Pilgeuk narrowed his eyes and stared at Muhyuk.

Right after the moment when their twin palms collided, he’d noticed something a little unnatural happening.

No matter how much the monitor filtered things, it was impossible to fool a peak expert like him.

But since Muhyuk hadn’t cheated, the Alliance Leader had no intention of revisiting that part.

“Hiding your realm and still winning is a skill in itself.”

The way he looked at Muhyuk held something more than simple interest.

And that was not just because the boy was an outstanding late-bloom prospect.

He really does take after Sword Demon.

When he’d heard No Gucheon say it, he’d been half skeptical.

But seeing Muhyuk for himself, he was sure.

It wasn’t just that Kim Muhyuk had inherited Choi Geon’s sword. His temperament and attitude as a martial artist were similar too.

If that kid really turned out to be Sword Demon’s successor... he would be genuinely, deeply happy.

Because he owed that old friend a debt from long ago.

“No idea how far you’ll climb... but I’ll be rooting for you.”

With a pleased expression, the Martial Alliance Leader watched the young man who resembled his old friend for a long while.