Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 843

“……”

Cheon Hyo-Rak, who was taking a sip of water, paused.

A woman, Hwa-Hyang (Fire Fragrance), asked,

“Is something bothering you?”

“……No.”

Cheon Hyo-Rak said cheerfully.

“Anyway, it’s truly amazing. I’ve heard a lot about the Murim Alliance [martial arts alliance], but I didn’t know it was this huge. It’s practically a small nation.”

Hwa-Hyang immediately frowned.

“For such a great Murim Alliance to treat guests like this, if only Master would allow it, I would immediately……”

“Enough. It’s true they are indecisive, but there’s no place like the Murim Alliance. If even one of the higher-ups came, both you and I would be forced to go to hell.”

“We’d just be returning to where we belong.”

Cheon Hyo-Rak chuckled at Hwa-Hyang’s playful retort.

While they strictly maintained a superior-subordinate relationship in public, the two were quite close in private. They were almost like siblings.

That was because Hwa-Hyang had been raised as Cheon Hyo-Rak’s bodyguard since childhood. She was bound to be different from the other subordinates.

“But Master is right.”

“Hmm?”

“About their indecisiveness.”

Hwa-Hyang’s eyes sparkled.

“Looking at the political situation so far, they’ve always been a step behind, haven’t they? It feels like they can’t utilize the talented people they’ve gathered.”

“You’re right. There are many talented people, but they can’t move efficiently. This is definitely a chronic problem of the Murim Alliance.”

“I agree. Seeing that, the Mukryong Deputy Lord [referring to Yeon Ho-Jeong] is definitely something else.”

“Everyone knows that Tu Wang Yang Cheon [a famous figure] is capable. But that doesn’t mean we can ignore the Murim Alliance’s potential.”

“Are you talking about the Alliance Lord?”

“Yes.”

Cheon Hyo-Rak looked out the window.

Hwa-Hyang said they were being stingy with their hospitality, but giving the best guest house in the outer castle to a demon who had never appeared in the world before was quite generous.

It was naturally impossible to bring them into the inner castle. Even if they were from Shinma Forest [a hidden demonic sect], they wouldn’t bring a Murim Alliance person who suddenly appeared into the inner castle. Rather, calming down the higher-ups who wanted to capture and kill them would be the priority.

They were probably in the middle of a meeting, trying to figure out how to deal with this situation.

“Those who call themselves the White Path [righteous martial artists] claim to draw their swords for the sake of justice and righteousness. But let’s see. Even if we put righteousness aside, the definition of justice varies from person to person, doesn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

“Forcing those with different ideas to submit with force? Is that also justice?”

“It is for us.”

“But those on the receiving end won’t think so. They’ll think it’s wrong.”

Hwa-Hyang frowned.

“Then why don’t they just not step into the Murim?”

“Did you have a choice?”

“Pardon?”

“Did you have a chance to choose a path other than being my bodyguard?”

Hwa-Hyang was flustered.

“M-Master! How can you say such a thing? I would never think that……!”

“Haha, I’m not questioning your loyalty. Anyway, you didn’t have a choice either. And neither did countless people born and raised in the Murim. They were just born that way, and they couldn’t even think of any other path.”

“Of course, but… you can’t change your parents, can you? If you’re born that way, you should quickly understand the situation and find a breakthrough to survive……”

“That’s natural. But there are many people in the world. There are strong ones, but there are far more weak ones. And they think that embracing even those weak ones is the right path.”

Hwa-Hyang clicked her tongue.

“They’re really comfortable, aren’t they?”

Cheon Hyo-Rak smiled faintly.

“I was also weak. But I survived because you were assigned to me.”

“M-Master! That’s different!”

“It’s different, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not that different. At least, that’s what they think.”

Cheon Hyo-Rak’s eyes deepened.

“In other words, that’s why they are great.”

“Pardon?”

“Let’s look at history. The White Path Murim has always been a step behind. That’s because they have to embrace the weak. They can’t ignore the opinions of others, so they have to coordinate different views, and they have to make sure no one loses out, so radical policies don’t come out easily.”

“……”

“But when their power is united, they become a monster that no one can oppose.”

“Why is that?”

“Because they embrace everyone, the weak gather. Each one may not be much, but their numbers increase exponentially, and more than seventy percent of the Central Plains [the main region of the martial world] are classified as the White Path.”

“……!”

“Fools who think that the weak are weak no matter how many of them gather can never understand the power of a united majority. Even after going through countless rebellions, the reason why the White Path Murim is leading this land of the Central Plains is clear.”

Hwa-Hyang’s face flushed slightly. She felt like she had become one of those fools.

“Let’s look at the Green Forest bandits [common bandits] we encountered in Shanxi. Each of them is a weak and pathetic bandit. But they would chase down and retaliate against anyone they got involved with, even to the ends of the earth, unless they were entangled with a prestigious clan. What’s the reason for that?”

“W-Well, I don’t know?”

“Because they know that even if it’s difficult and arduous in the short term, it’s beneficial in the long term. No one will be able to touch them easily.”

“Ah!”

“The context is different, but the White Path Murim is the same. It may seem foolish to embrace the weak, but they know that when they face a great threat in the future, if everyone joins forces, they can become an impregnable fortress that will never fall.”

Cheon Hyo-Rak chuckled.

“Of course, not everyone would have such thoughts. But the important thing is instinct and nature. They grew up and developed that way. That’s why the White Path Murim is what it is today.”

Hwa-Hyang thought that his perspective was definitely different.

To her, the world was simple.

Survival of the fittest.

The strong are the predators. And those who are eaten by the predators are the weak.

But the world was not like that. Well, if it had been, there would have been no need for Shinma Forest to remain hidden until now.

“However, even in such a White Path Murim, an anomaly has emerged.”

At that moment, Hwa-Hyang’s eyes flashed.

“Yeon Ho-Jeong?”

“Yes. Yeon Ho-Jeong, the one called the Overlord.”

“……Honestly, I can’t believe it. He hasn’t even reached thirty yet, and he’s already broken through the Seongma Realm [a high level of martial arts cultivation]?”

“Didn’t the Great Senior Brother also surpass the Seongma Realm? Of course, there’s a gap of more than ten years with Yeon Ho-Jeong.”

As soon as the words “Great Senior Brother” came out of Cheon Hyo-Rak’s mouth, a primal fear appeared on Hwa-Hyang’s face.

The Great Young Master of Shinma Forest was a genius who was among the best in the history of the Demonic Murim. Considering the age at which the Forest Lord, Hyeok Ryeon-Hwi, achieved Seongma, one could see how terrifying the Great Young Master’s talent was.

However, Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was much younger than the Great Young Master, who was called a genius of the century, had already achieved the Seongma Realm, killed the Bi Wang [a powerful figure], and made a name for himself in Seongcheon [a region].

How terrifying was this person? He couldn’t be described with the word genius. He was a monster that was unlikely to appear again in a thousand years.

“Still… I still can’t believe it. I suspect that the Central Plains Murim is deliberately deceiving the world to create a hero of a chaotic era.”

That was nonsense. If they could deceive the whole world, they could have done something greater with that power.

But it was true that Yeon Ho-Jeong’s reputation was excessively high, to the point where such thoughts arose.

At that moment, a subtle tension appeared on Cheon Hyo-Rak’s face.

“We’ll find out from now on.”

“Pardon?”

“Prepare to receive our guest.”

Cheon Hyo-Rak’s voice became serious.

With just that subtle change in his voice, Hwa-Hyang’s posture changed. She stood up from her seat, quickly tidied the table, and stood behind Cheon Hyo-Rak.

How much time had passed?

“Are you inside?”

It was a deep voice.

If you listened carefully, it wasn’t that deep, but it felt strangely deep.

Just hearing the voice made his whole body vibrate. It wasn’t like he was emitting internal energy, and his aura was even less than that of an ordinary person. It was hard to tell whether it was because Cheon Hyo-Rak himself was nervous about the other person’s reputation, or because of the other person’s indescribable ability.

“Come in.”

Thud.

The door opened, and a man appeared.

Cheon Hyo-Rak’s eyes wavered.

‘……He’s big.’

He wasn’t short. No, he was definitely taller than average.

But he wasn’t burly. Rather, if you looked at his frame, he looked like a tall scholar.

However, Cheon Hyo-Rak saw him differently.

Whoosh!

The appearance of the scholar, who entered with a refreshing smile like a cool breeze, grew exponentially, and soon became so huge that it pierced the ceiling of the room and reached the sky.

‘……!!’

It was brief.

The illusion, which was only for a very brief moment, was just that, an illusion, so it didn’t disrupt Cheon Hyo-Rak’s five senses.

However, even though it didn’t disrupt his five senses, it was more than enough to shake his mind and spirit.

Chiring.

A strange metallic sound rang out.

He didn’t have any weapons on him, but such a sound was made. It seemed like he was carrying something like a chain somewhere on his body.

Cheon Hyo-Rak stood up from his seat and clasped his hands in greeting.

“I am Cheon Hyo-Rak of Shinma Forest.”

Hwa-Hyang was inwardly surprised. It was because her master’s voice was filled with deep tension.

So far, there were only two people who had made her master this nervous.

The Great Young Master of Shinma Forest.

And the other was the Lord of Shinma Forest.

‘Could it be that he really reached the Seongma Realm……?!’

The man, Yeon Ho-Jeong, smiled and clasped his hands in return.

“I am Yeon Ho-Jeong, former member of the Murim Alliance and current Deputy Lord of Mukryong. It is an honor to meet a hero of the Demonic Murim.”

“What are you saying? It is I who am honored to meet the greatest general of our time, who was born with the greatest talent in the world.”

“A general…… So you were watching me?”

“I am just embarrassed.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled and pointed to a seat.

“May I sit here?”

“Of course.”

“I thought you would allow it, so I asked someone to prepare tea in advance.”

Cheon Hyo-Rak burst into laughter.

“Indeed, you are worthy of being praised as a person with wisdom as great as your martial prowess.”

“You flatter me. It’s not something to talk about wisdom for such a small thing.”

“Before you sit down, may I ask you one thing?”

“Of course.”

Cheon Hyo-Rak asked in a slightly playful tone.

“If I hadn’t allowed you to sit, what would you have done?”

“So you weren’t planning on allowing it at all?”

“……!”

“Haha, well, I didn’t consider that situation. Seeing this, it seems that rumors are not to be trusted. It seems I don’t have that much wisdom or sense.”

Cheon Hyo-Rak’s smile became a little awkward.

“I might be disgraced today if I’m not careful.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong shrugged.

“In this harsh world, disgrace is a blessing.”

“……!!”

“Don’t worry. Would I draw my sword in someone else’s front yard?”

Cheon Hyo-Rak’s face gradually hardened. The tension he had been trying to hide was now filling his eyes.

“Shall we sit?”

“……Very well.”