Myst, Might, Mayhem (Novel) - Chapter 120 - Choice (2)
Chapter 120 – Choice (2)
===================
Translated by Jinmu
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
===================
“Then there is no helping it. In the interest of fairness, I will say this. Please do not be too offended. If I were to go with one of you, I would like each of the executives to say, one by one, what benefit there would be in that.”
‘!?’
At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, the six executives all frowned at once.
Was this not no different from saying that whichever of them wanted to take him should present a price worthy of him?
At that, Bo Hyeok-so, the Great Unit Leader of Yama Unit, could not endure it and opened his mouth.
“You are truly bold. If you think the privilege of taking first place is some great right, then let me tell you that you are gravely mistaken.”
At those words, the other executives also nodded slightly, as though agreeing to some extent.
Though everyone coveted him as a disciple because of his heaven-gifted martial talent, those gathered here were executives who led the Heaven and Earth Society.
What kind of insolence was this, to act as though this were some auction house before such people?
Just then, Mok Gyeong-un respectfully gave Great Unit Leader Bo Hyeok-so a formal salute.
-Slide.
‘At least he is not too dense to understand what he hears.’
Bo Hyeok-so was about to give a short laugh and nod, but then,
“Yes. I will take your words deeply to heart. Then do the other executives have nothing they wish to say?”
“What?”
In an instant, Great Unit Leader Bo Hyeok-so’s expression twisted.
He had almost openly told the brat not to behave so boldly toward the executives and to show some respect, and now was this bastard mocking him?
Unable to contain his anger, Bo Hyeok-so tried to rise from his seat.
“How dare you…”
“Ah, ah. Calm yourself, Great Unit Leader of Yama.”
“Great Unit Leader of Red Blood?”
The one who restrained him from the seat beside him was Dae So-man, the Great Unit Leader of Red Blood Unit.
“How am I supposed to calm…”
“He is still a junior who has not even reached his twenties, and he passed the gates of Corpse Blood Valley in first place. Would it be proper for us, as his elders, to scold him merely for showing a little nerve? Since this is a good day, let us show some generosity.”
‘This bastard, truly.’
At those words, the right eyebrow of Bo Hyeok-so, the Great Unit Leader of Yama, rose.
He was speaking as if to restrain him, but was this not openly a trick to leave a favorable impression on that insolent brat?
Just as he was about to say something to him,
“You said you wished to hear what advantages there would be? Very well. I shall speak first. If you were to come with me, I would give you the position of vice leader of this Red Blood Unit, and I would pass on my personal art, the Red Blood Mysterious Claw Method. With martial talent as splendid as yours, you would surely be able before long to inherit my seat.”
At the words of Dae So-man, Great Unit Leader of Red Blood, Bo Hyeok-so clicked his tongue.
Now this would only play directly into that insolent brat’s intentions.
This was truly troublesome.
Bo Hyeok-so looked toward the other executives with an expression that asked whether this could really be allowed.
Dae So-man of Red Blood was of the same rank as himself, so it would be pointless to say anything to him, but if one of those above them would draw the line firmly at a time like this…
“If you become this Valley Master’s disciple, then you can already imagine well enough what there is to gain, so I will only say this. Among those here, the only one who can teach you the sword is this Valley Master.”
‘Damn.’
When Hang Yeo-ryang, the Sound-Summoning Valley Master, stepped in, Bo Hyeok-so bit his lip hard.
He had wanted someone to draw the line, but instead even an executive of the rank of Valley Master stepped forward.
At this point, he no longer had any grounds to say anything to the brat.
If he said anything now, it would mean blaming her, who held a higher rank than he did.
‘Damn it.’
He should perhaps have spoken as if reluctantly earlier as well.
But if he stepped in now, with the words he had said before, it would only make him look awkward.
Besides, in truth, as Great Unit Leaders, the lowest-ranked figures present here, he and Dae So-man were at a disadvantage in this kind of bidding.
‘But would the Shadow Sect Master and the two Kings really go so far as to take him like this?’
They had their pride, after all.
While he was thinking that, someone spoke.
“Sword. Is that the path you wish to follow?”
‘Ah…’
The person who asked this was none other than Won Byeong-hak, the Thunderbolt Fist King.
Seeing even him step forward, Bo Hyeok-so, the Great Unit Leader of Yama, slid his hips fully back into the chair on which he had been half-risen.
Once even the Thunderbolt Fist King stepped forward, taking that child was already beyond his reach.
“If you have fixed the sword as your path, then of course I will give up. But with your heaven-gifted martial talent, even if it is not the sword, you can walk the path of a grandmaster through any martial study.”
‘Grandmaster?’
Grandmaster.
It meant becoming a great authority in a given field.
In the martial world, those who crossed the wall and reached the realm of transformation were called grandmasters, and everyone inwardly clicked their tongues at the way the Thunderbolt Fist King was evaluating Mok Gyeong-un so highly.
He truly seemed to possess an overwhelming determination to take him.
“Is the sword the path you have set?”
At this question from Won Byeong-hak, everyone looked toward Mok Gyeong-un.
Soon, Mok Gyeong-un opened his mouth.
“It does not particularly matter whether it is the sword or not. No matter what path it is, my goal is to become stronger.”
‘!?’
At those words, Hang Yeo-ryang, the Sound-Summoning Valley Master, sharpened her gaze.
She had just said she would teach him the sword, and yet for him to say that now was no different from drawing a firm line.
She wanted to have him, and yet he truly knew how to provoke her temper.
At that moment, Won Byeong-hak burst into hearty laughter at Mok Gyeong-un’s answer.
“Hahahahahaha! As expected, you understand intentions as well as you possess martial talent.”
He was deeply satisfied with the way Mok Gyeong-un had answered his question.
If Mok Gyeong-un had no interest in him and meant to choose Hang Yeo-ryang, the Sound-Summoning Valley Master, then he would have drawn the line clearly in response to that question.
But Mok Gyeong-un had not done so.
That meant he probably had interest in him, a man with the rank of King.
Won Byeong-hak looked proudly toward Son Yun, the King of the Fate Blade, at his side and said,
“It seems that although Brother Son wanted him as well, I will be the one to take him.”
At those words, Son Yun gave a contemptuous snort.
Won Byeong-hak paid him no mind, and perhaps already convinced that Mok Gyeong-un would come to him, rose from his seat and spoke as if to drive in the final nail.
“If you become my disciple, I will not only make you my successor, but also pass on the martial learning of my lifetime. If you complete True-Origin Thunderbolt Fist, then no one will be able to match you empty-handed.”
Depending on how one heard it, it could sound arrogant.
Yet because he had limited it to empty-handed combat from the start, no one said anything in particular.
They only heard it as how earnestly he wanted Mok Gyeong-un.
‘Come. Become my disciple.’
Won Byeong-hak extended a hand toward Mok Gyeong-un.
It was right then.
“How astonishing, child of the Mok family.”
‘As expected…’
Son Yun, the King of the Fate Blade, who sat beside the Thunderbolt Fist King, finally stepped forward.
At that, Won Byeong-hak shook his head in dissatisfaction.
Without the slightest concern for that, Son Yun, the King of the Fate Blade, said to Mok Gyeong-un,
“The bond between you and this King truly runs deep.”
‘A bond?’
At those words, everyone including Won Byeong-hak looked at Son Yun, the King of the Fate Blade, with puzzled expressions.
What in the world did he mean, that their bond ran deep?
Surely they did not already know each other?
Just then, Mok Gyeong-un gave a formal salute with both hands and spoke.
“It was thanks to the King of the Fate Blade that I came to this place, but I never expected to meet you again here.”
‘This is bad…’
At those words, Won Byeong-hak furrowed his brow.
Did they really know each other?
Then why had they not shown even the slightest sign of it until just moments ago?
‘Was it deliberate?’
To let him harbor vain expectations and then make him feel the sense of loss?
If that was indeed the case, it was only natural that he would feel quite displeased.
Just then, Son Yun, the King of the Fate Blade, continued speaking.
“How surprising. I thought even then that your talent was remarkable, but I never imagined you would survive this place.”
“Should I say that I had a valuable experience thanks to that?”
At those words, a strange light appeared in Son Yun’s eyes.
He had thought Mok Gyeong-un might resent him for suffering so much in Corpse Blood Valley, but the way he spoke so calmly was unexpected.
In truth, there was no trace of resentment in his gaze at all.
‘Good.’
He had thought him merely shrewd, but seeing him behave so calmly, Son Yun found that he liked it.
So there was one thing he wanted to confirm.
“There is something I wish to ask you.”
“Something you wish to ask?”
“Yes.”
“Please ask whatever you wish.”
“If given the chance, do you wish to return?”
At that question, everyone could not hide their puzzlement.
What was this supposed to mean?
It was hard to understand what meaning this question contained.
Yet not everyone was equally lost.
‘So that is it? Oh ho ho.’
The Shadow Sect Master, who knew that Mok Gyeong-un was a hostage from the righteous-path Yeon Mok Sword Manor, understood the point of the question and nodded.
This was certainly an important question.
He too coveted Mok Gyeong-un, but since his roots lay in the righteous path, he wanted to confirm that.
If Mok Gyeong-un still held his heart with the righteous path, it would be pointless to take him as a disciple.
At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un opened his mouth.
“I do not place any particular meaning in returning. That is why I came here on my own two feet.”
No sooner had those words ended than the corners of Son Yun’s lips rose.
He had heard the answer he most wished to hear.
So Son Yun rose from his seat and said,
“You have become not only a martial talent, but one fit for our Society itself. Good. Then become this King’s disciple. If you do so, then even if your background becomes an issue within our Society in the future, this King will protect you to the end. You know what that means.”
‘!?’
At those words, the other executives began murmuring softly.
His background? What in the world did that mean?
Now that they thought about it, since these brothers had taken joint first place in this Corpse Blood Valley gate, some had been curious what sect they came from.
At that, Hang Yeo-ryang, the Sound-Summoning Valley Master, spoke.
“What did you mean just now, by his background?”
“Exactly what you heard.”
“Exactly what I heard? Then that means the King of the Fate Blade knows this child’s background, so what problem could there possibly be with it?”
At that question, Yi Ji-yeom, the Corpse Blood Valley Master, standing on the platform, wore a troubled expression.
Although his lord was possessing it, that shell was still the child of the righteous-path Yeon Mok Sword Manor.
If that identity were revealed, the repercussions would be considerable.
‘Was this intentional?’
Yi Ji-yeom looked toward Son Yun, the King of the Fate Blade.
Without revealing Mok Gyeong-un’s identity directly, he had cleverly created a sense of crisis.
Rather than speaking of what there was to gain, he was emphasizing the potential loss even more greatly in order to persuade him that only he could protect him.
‘At this rate, he can only be drawn in.’
It seemed his lord’s position had grown awkward.
Son Yun, the King of the Fate Blade, was a forceful man and had many disciples under him, so Yi Ji-yeom did not particularly wish to recommend him.
But if he came at it in this way, then since his lord currently had few allies and could not afford to make enemies, he might be forced to take Son Yun’s hand.
‘You are more of a strategist than you look, King of the Fate Blade.’
The Shadow Sect Master smiled behind the hand covering his mouth.
At a glance, it could sound as though Son Yun, the King of the Fate Blade, was offering to protect Mok Gyeong-un if he became his disciple, but this was, in truth, a warning.
Do not forget the situation you are in.
That proposal was a strategy meant to force the other side into psychological submission.
From the moment his identity as a child of the righteous path was revealed, Mok Gyeong-un would be placed in an awkward position.
‘There will be no helping it.’
If he had been Mok Gyeong-un, he too would have had no choice but to select Son Yun, the King of the Fate Blade.
That was the only way he could at least obtain a relatively safe fence of protection.
Son Yun, the King of the Fate Blade, was a man with firm convictions and stubbornness, and he absolutely kept the words he spoke.
If one wished to overcome the weakness of one’s background, then he was the best option by far.
At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un opened his mouth.
“Ah, ah, ah. Then that really could become a problem.”
“Yes.”
If he understood that, then his choice should be only one.
Even if his identity had not yet been revealed because it was being kept hidden, if the Society Leader’s whim caused it to become known, would the others truly become a protective fence for him as Son Yun would?
They would not wish to bear such a risk.
‘Now. Take my hand.’
But then,
“Hmm. If that is the case, then I should make it clear here and now.”
“Make it clear? What do you mean by…”
“If this is going to hold back my feet, then it seems better to say it in advance.”
At those words, Son Yun, the King of the Fate Blade, felt his pupils shake.
Just what was this child trying to do now?
So then,
“Wait… do not…”
Son Yun, the King of the Fate Blade, tried to stop Mok Gyeong-un.
However,
-Pak!
Mok Gyeong-un brought both hands together in a formal salute and spoke in a loud voice.
“Allow me to introduce myself again. I am Mok Gyeong-un, third son of the righteous-path Yeon Mok Sword Manor.”
‘!!!!!!!!’
The moment those words fell, not only the executives but also the warriors of Corpse Blood Valley who had not known the truth, and even the trainees, all erupted in agitation.
This was something no one had expected.
The final first place of Corpse Blood Valley, which had for so long produced the Heaven and Earth Society’s finest rising talents, was from Yeon Mok Sword Manor, a prestigious righteous-path martial family?
Then how had he come to participate in this Corpse Blood Valley gate?
Just then, Mok Gyeong-un smiled faintly and said,
“However, to add one more thing, I was brought here as a hostage by the King of the Fate Blade present here.”
‘!?’
In that moment, Son Yun, the King of the Fate Blade, was left speechless.
He had revealed with his own mouth all of this, something that could have become both a fatal weakness and a source of scandal?