Chapter 16: Han Seol-a is…

“Impossible.”

Master Raeji rejected it firmly.

I had brought the task several times, but every time he just skimmed through it and refused to give approval.

He had said that the conditions were strict because I was going alone, but I was already qualified enough.

There was something else he wanted.

Master Raeji just stood by the window, his hands behind his back, silently.

He wasn’t being straightforward.

“Master, you said you would grant me permission to go to Zhongyuan.”

“I did.”

“Then why is it that every time I bring something, you turn it down?”

He laughed heartily and finally sat down.

“Sojin, of course, I could tell your skills have greatly improved. But don’t you know? There’s an immense difference between martial arts matches and real-life combat.”

“You’re right, Master.”

I nodded in agreement.

Master Raeji was speaking the truth.

No matter how I argued, I would only appear as an inexperienced novice.

Given his long introduction, it was clear he wasn’t just making these remarks without reason.

He would likely give orders or set additional conditions.

“Didn’t I tell you? You have both success and substance, and your skills will improve gradually.”

“You did.”

I thought I had built my skills through effort, but there was no need to correct him.

It would be hard to explain anyway.

“Soojin, the tasks you chose are all difficult and dangerous.”

“Yes.”

It was obvious.

The more dangerous and difficult the task, the greater the reward.

“Having confidence in your skills is good, but for someone like you, who lacks real combat experience, it’s better to start from the bottom and work your way up.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Master Raeji paused for a long while before finally stating his point.

“Soojin, I will give you a special opportunity to gain valuable experience. I will assign you a special mission under my name, so take it as a chance to gain some experience. What do you think?”

“This is a rare opportunity. It’s a very honorable task. Yes, if you help me ten times, after that, you’re free to do whatever you wish.”

“……”

Master took out a piece of paper from somewhere and briefly added an explanation.

Another ten times?

I didn’t know the details, but helping Master Raeji or going on assignments, handling the various tasks of the Mu-hak Guild, was part of it.

Later, I might even get a recommendation for the Martial Arts Alliance, and if I’m lucky, I could even be appointed as a master or chief in the Mu-hak Guild.

“Soojin, I’m giving this opportunity only to you. This kind of chance doesn’t come often. Do you want to take it?”

It was an honorable, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Such great fortune had come my way.

Master Raeji smiled brightly.

Naturally, my answer was…

“No, I will leave now.”

“Good, you made the right choice, Sojin. If you work hard for just ten more times…? What did you say just now?”

I had refused.

Was I crazy? Why would I do something like this?

It was all packaged as something incredibly honorable, but in reality, it was like being a s*ave to Master Raeji.

It reminded me of when my professor tried to lure me into becoming a graduate student.

It sends chills down my spine.

Such ridiculous contract terms, likely designed to catch naïve fools,

It was all because of the image I had built as Cheon Sojin up until now.

I might as well go directly to the Martial Arts Alliance headquarters and take a mission.

“Please find someone else. I will seek permission from another master.”

The Jeongdo Mu-hak Guild consists of four branches, so there are a total of four masters responsible for assignments.

I was here because I was originally assigned to Master Raeji, but there was no need to tie myself to him.

‘Who does he think I am, a fool?’

It was true that there was a shortage of workers because the students under Master Raeji had graduated.

I’m sure he was happy to see my skills improving and had planned to make me work, but that was not going to happen.

As I stood up and made my way to the door, Master Raeji was startled and grabbed my arm.

“Heh heh… Sojin, why are you in such a hurry?”

“I was worried I might take up too much of your time, Master.”

“Hmm… That was just a joke. Sojin, just five times, only five times…”

“I really must go. I have afternoon training…”

“No, three times then…”

Creeeak—

I opened the door decisively and tried to leave.

“Alright, alright!”

“Master, what’s going on?”

“Just once, just once, please help me. Then I’ll personally guarantee full support for any future missions.”

Only now did he start speaking somewhat normally.

The martial world is a place where you lose your life in an instant.

Even in Jeongdo Mu-hak Guild, there’s no exception.

I stopped and stood silently, as if I could leave at any time but deliberately chose not to.

Because full support wasn’t enough.

“Sojin, I feel like you’re lacking in experience… perhaps you might need some elixirs? If the mission is completed, I’ll give you a few pills of Gangjin Dan.”

As expected, Master Raeji, having lived in the Mu-hak Guild for decades, was very quick to pick up on things.

Offering Gangjin Dan, which was typically only given to masters, showed just how urgent he was.

“Haah… Since you ask so sincerely, as a disciple, how can I refuse? Alright, I will help.”

I could have pushed further, but it might have become bothersome, and this wasn’t my goal, so I decided to let it go here.

“Master, what is this about? Should we just go back?”

Master Raeji’s face stiffened.

The roles of superior and subordinate had instantly reversed.

“No, no. Sit down.”

He might regret his earlier actions.

Seeing him flustered, it was clear that I had acted unexpectedly.

The old Cheon Sojin was no more.

“Then may I hear what you need me to do?”

In the northern part of Gansu Province, Nanju, the disciple of the Broken Blade Sword, Gwon Jeong-gyeom, was absolutely furious.

“Those trashy evil sect bastards… to be struck by such a sword…”

The day I inherit the name of the Broken Blade Sword, a bloodstorm will sweep through the evil sects.

I applied Jin-chang-yao (Golden Scar Ointment) to the wound and wrapped my arm with a bandage.

I severed the follow-up path, and since all the surrounding guys have been dealt with, it should be quiet for a while.

“Hoo.”

“Brother, you worked hard again today.”

“Ringling, well done.”

The girl, called Ringling, shyly smiled while handing over a small bottle.

It’s annoying, but it can’t be helped.

“No, I haven’t done anything.”

Dead bodies were scattered all around.

The circle (权) in her hand was dripping with sticky blood.

As expected, the Ringling sisters are quite useful.

“Simple fools…”

If it weren’t for them, this mission would have had a high chance of failure.

They may not be the best socially, but their skills are certainly impressive.

Wei Shiyun,

To surpass that disgusting hypocrite, it was inevitable.

“You filthy woman!!”

“Why are you doing this to me?”

“Don’t they ever get tired?”

While the other members were resting on trees or the ground, looking quite exhausted, these two were still bickering in such a situation.

Since we left for Zhongyuan, they’ve been fighting almost every day, and it’s driving me mad.

I’m usually patient, but my temples were throbbing with irritation.

“Linlin, stop.”

“This damn woman almost caused me a serious injury earlier.”

The woman Linlin was glaring at,

It was Han Seol-a, whom we had recently recruited.

She was famous within the academy as a master of the Shui Bai Xue Xiao Yao Gong (Water White Snow Carefree Skill), but when I saw her in action, I was disappointed to find her skill level was just average for a first-rate fighter.

Her martial arts were much lower than I had expected.

“Well, but it wasn’t really my fault, right? So why come after me like this…”

“What? Do you want to die?”

Although our rankings and skills didn’t match, it was hard to believe she was in the top 100.

It was concerning that she didn’t have any martial arts match records…

“Stop, Sojeo. We never know when the evil sects will show up.”

“Let’s start setting up camp.”

She didn’t have a high understanding of martial arts either.

‘Jin Lin Mu was a fairly high-ranking team… why is this happening? Gu Yang Jihee alone couldn’t have maintained those results. Maybe I should’ve recruited Dang Soyeong… or even Shin Jooha? Damn…’

The thought that I had picked the wrong person made me greatly dissatisfied.

Anger boiled inside me, but,

“Calm down. I’m the disciple of the Broken Blade Sword. I will be the hero to lead the righteous path in the future.”

If I couldn’t even lead ten team members, I would be the subject of ridicule.

I couldn’t allow my master’s name to be tarnished.

“There must be something else besides martial arts. Cheon Sojin may be a fool, but he’s not stupid.”

“Honestly, I’m not fond of camping.”

“Linlin, we’ve already entered deep into the evil sect’s territory. Let’s endure for a while longer.”

“Alright. I understand, sister.”

Do you think I enjoy camping?

Why do the evil sect bastards settle so deep in the mountains…
They’re like bugs.

Among the group moving in unison, only one person stood out.

“Han Sojeo, what are you doing right now? You should hurry and prepare…”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You need to prepare for camping. It’ll take at least half a day to go back, so we need to conserve energy.”

“I don’t know how to do that kind of thing.”

I was taken aback by her response as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Excuse me? What are you saying… If you’re from Jin Lin Mu, you must have gone on external missions, right?”

When I sharply pointed out the contradiction, she nonchalantly acknowledged it.

“Yes, that’s right. But…”

“But?”

“Isn’t that something the leader does? Cheon Sojin always did it for me. And besides, it wouldn’t help. It’s better to just stay still…”

‘The leader does it? Me? Prepare for camping?’

I was stunned.

Clank—
Clank—
Hee hee hee!

“Guests, we’ve arrived.”

The sound of the carriage wheels creaked,
And soon after, the carriage stopped.

‘Already arrived?’