Chapter 119 - The Black Flame Dragon Wearing Golden Clothes (4)

He wore a smile on his lips and made no effort to hide his killing intent.

The large figure standing behind him was also trying to give off an intimidating presence by puffing up his body to several times its normal size.

It was none other than Cheol Sunjik and Nam Hwaseong of the Twelve Peaks and Castles.

"What do you... call that? I mean that arrow like a great spear hidden within the phantom arrows."

"Well. Why don't you ask him directly?"

When I looked at Moyong Jaehwa, he rolled his eyes for a moment before answering.

"I-It's the Horse-Piercing Arrow."

Hearing the name, Cheol Sunjik gave a small exclamation of admiration and nodded.

"It truly is a fitting name. So you were the owner of that arrow, Young Master Moyong. Thanks to you, I almost couldn't enter the academy."

"..."

He was continuing to harp on the incident at Mount Song, where we had blocked Cheol Sunjik and Nam Hwaseong and secretly swiped a few of their Admission Tokens.

"If you intended to take them, shouldn't you have been prepared to have them taken as well?"

At my words, the faces of Cheol Sunjik and his group—the people of the Twelve Peaks and Castles—contorted slightly.

Cheol Sunjik stared at my face for a moment before asking, full of doubt.

"Are you going to be alright?"

"What do you mean?"

"You'll definitely need the strength of the Twelve Peaks and Castles to form the academy's representative delegation."

"..."

"I assumed you would have at least thought that far ahead. As expected, you are someone who constantly defies my expectations."

With those final words, Cheol Sunjik and the Twelve Peaks and Castles were guided into the banquet hall.

While I briefly chewed over his words, a maid came running up to us as well.

"I apologize for the delay. I will guide you to your seats immediately."

* * *

The banquet began with the opening remarks from the Director of the Murim Academy.

The instructors and drill instructors came out one by one to introduce the subjects they were in charge of, and finally, after a brief introduction of me as the student who entered with the highest score, a performance of singing and dancing by the musicians immediately followed.

Various dishes were brought out in endless rows, and people moved between tables to exchange greetings.

Geumpyo's face stiffened as he watched the Vice Director, administrators, instructors, and drill instructors walking around and greeting people here and there.

"... Should we assume they already knew each other beforehand?"

At Geumpyo's words, Eunho spoke sarcastically.

"They look a bit too unfamiliar with each other to say they already knew each other."

Our table was located right in the center, closest to the podium.

Even so, the drill instructors walked right past our table to approach the other tables, sharing greetings, clinking glasses, and engaging in lively conversations.

"But they aren't going over there either, right?"

Geumpyo pointed to the table furthest from the podium.

Eunho glanced in that direction and said.

"Coincidentally, they are people who don't belong to the Nine Sects and One Gang, the Five Great Noble Clans, or the Twelve Peaks and Castles. They're probably affiliated with the commercial sector or the government."

"..."

Whether Geumpyo's expression crumpled or not, Eunho looked at me and continued.

"Eldest Senior Brother. Shouldn't we be the ones to approach them first?"

Before I could even answer, Geumpyo pointed to my chest and said.

"But we're the main characters. You have 'first place' plastered right here for all to see."

Eunho sighed as he looked at Geumpyo.

"Hyung, Eldest Senior Brother needs to form the delegation officers as the academy representative. If he remains isolated like this, he won't even be able to organize the academic schedule, and in the worst-case scenario, he could lose his position as representative."

Eunho looked around.

"From what I've heard, once someone becomes the representative, people usually compete to secure officer positions. But I don't see any sign of that happening."

"It's probably because I am from the Taiyi Sect."

I stood up from my seat.

"Are you going to approach them first?"

"Yes. I have to form an executive team one way or another. Without them, the academy students won't move either."

If I failed to lead these thoroughly divided factions as one, I would lose the representative position. There was no need to lose a hard-earned position over something so ridiculous.

"We will go with you."

When Eunho stood up like that, Geumpyo, Dongryong, and even Moyong Jaehwa started to move along with him.

However, the atmosphere that unfolded was completely different from what we had expected.

We first approached the Nine Sects and One Gang to offer greetings, but no one turned their heads or paid us any attention.

Rather, some of them even stood up and moved to another spot.

"Hello!"

I raised my voice slightly to offer a greeting first, but very few looked back in my direction.

Even those few merely glanced at my clothes before turning their heads away again, busy chatting amongst themselves.

"..."

Geumpyo's face flushed bright red, and Eunho's face stiffened.

While Dongryong didn't know what to do, Moyong Jaehwa looked ready to flip the table right then and there. I stepped in and blocked him from acting out.

"That's enough."

"But Hyungnim..."

"They seem busy, so let's go somewhere else first."

I was about to head toward the tables of the Five Great Noble Clans when I covertly shifted my gaze back toward the Nine Sects and One Gang.

Sure enough, the moment we moved away, all those who had been chatting were staring intently in our direction.

"Ahem... It's stuffy from being inside for too long. Shall we step out for some fresh air?"

"I'll go with you."

As we approached the tables where the members of the Five Great Noble Clans were sitting, they suddenly stood up from their seats and began to walk out of the banquet hall.

"... Huu."

"We should consider this intentional."

Eunho wore a miserable expression.

Geumpyo spoke, practically blowing steam out of his nose.

"Senior Brother, can't you just randomly appoint whoever to the officer positions?"

"... The academy representative organizes half of the academic schedule. And points are deducted for every student you fail to get to participate in that academic schedule."

Whether to attend the academic schedule organized by the academy representative was entirely up to the will of the academy students.

Ultimately, one needed an executive team capable of moving many academy students for them to attend the schedule set by the representative.

Originally, this was meant to provide the top-ranked representative with a venue for networking and uniting their cohort for the year, but this had completely become a weakness for someone from the Taiyi Sect.

"What happens if you get points deducted?"

"... I have to step down from the representative position."

I needed to be able to move at least half of the academy students, but with the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Noble Clans already turning their backs on me, it was safe to say I had already been docked over half the points.

"... If they are intentionally trying to push you out of the representative position..."

"Huu... Then Eldest Senior Brother would have to step down from his position. On top of that, in the worst-case scenario, if all the academy students impeach Eldest Senior Brother... I heard you could even be expelled from the academy."

"... Shit, what kind of bullshit is that!"

Geumpyo's face, which had been full of joy just several hours ago as he declared it was his first time wearing such nice clothes in his life, was now twisted into an indescribable frown.

"Are they really going to act like this?"

Geumpyo's voice was quite loud, so it echoed throughout the entire banquet hall.

The instructors and drill instructors chatting at other tables looked over at Geumpyo's loud voice, and the academy students also gave a passing glance, but no one reacted significantly.

"Haa..."

Bright lights illuminated the inside of the banquet hall to the point where it didn't even feel like night, and cheerful music and delicious food were placed everywhere.

However, none of us could enjoy the festive atmosphere.

"It seems my prediction was right this time."

The Geum-eun-dong Brothers and Moyong Jaehwa, who were fully on edge, glared in the direction of the voice.

There, Cheol Sunjik, whom we had run into at the entrance, sat with a relaxed demeanor.

"Do you have a slightly better grasp of reality now?"

"..."

"If you had joined hands with us from the beginning, you wouldn't have had to worry about things like this."

"If I had joined hands with you, it would have been impossible for me to even enter this place to begin with."

Cheol Sunjik formed a meaningful smile.

"It was never something the Taiyi Sect could handle from the start."

"You speak as if the Twelve Peaks and Castles could handle it."

The number of passing candidates from the sects of the Twelve Peaks and Castles and the figures following them was roughly two hundred and fifty.

A number hopelessly short of half.

Cheol Sunjik suddenly brought up a completely out-of-nowhere topic.

"From what I hear in the rumors, Young Master Jin deliberately gave up on special admission, didn't you?"

Cheol Sunjik glanced at Moyong Jaehwa for a moment.

"Furthermore, you gave the Admission Token you received from the Chief Strategist to someone you had never even met."

"What are you suddenly trying to say?"

"And you jumped into the Murim Academy's standard exam with only three junior brothers and not a single warrior."

Just as I was tilting my head at his words, the intention behind which was becoming increasingly unclear.

"Young Master Jin, you are far too outstanding."

"..."

"Because you are far too outstanding and shine with far too much brilliance, you cannot coexist with anyone."

The Geum-eun-dong Brothers and Moyong Jaehwa nodded their heads.

"I, too, gave up on special admission. I yielded my spot to the junior brother I cherish most. But even so, I did not go so far as to give up mobilizing a hundred warriors. That is exactly the extent of my boundaries. Just enough to be recognized by the others in the Twelve Peaks and Castles. But conversely, just enough to not be held in check by the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Noble Clans."

Cheol Sunjik wore a refreshed expression for the first time.

"You ask if the Twelve Peaks and Castles could handle it? Of course, we cannot handle it. But conversely, we could have proven our status as the Twelve Peaks and Castles. After extracting appropriate concessions from the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Noble Clans, we would have achieved harmony."

Cheol Sunjik stared quietly at me.

"Young Master Jin, you are a threat. That is why you cannot prove yourself. Thus, rather than cooperating with you, pushing you out would be the more comfortable method for them."

"... If that happens, the Murim Academy will once again be led by the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Noble Clans. Do you want to repeat that all over again?"

Cheol Sunjik smiled brightly.

"Is that something that only happened for a day or two? We have waited two hundred years. Will it be difficult to wait another fifty or a hundred years? And will it even take that long?"

I had felt this in my past life as well, but Cheol Sunjik was truly a man like a snake.

"..."

At his few words, the shoulders of the once on-edge Geum-eun-dong Brothers and Moyong Jaehwa slumped.

"No one in this banquet hall will pay any attention to Young Master Jin. They probably won't listen to a single word you say until you are driven out."

Cheol Sunjik swept his gaze over the Geum-eun-dong Brothers and Moyong Jaehwa before speaking.

"Shall I tell you the best method?"

"..."

Cheol Sunjik didn't even wait to hear my answer and continued.

"Step down from the representative position yourself. And return to the position of a mere academy student. Then, at the very least, you will be able to avoid a forced expulsion."

"..."

"Then, I hope you enjoy the rest of the banquet."

Cheol Sunjik cupped his fist in salute and returned to his table.

We stood tall in the center of the banquet hall, unable to even think of returning to our seats or striking up a conversation with anyone else.

"Let's go back to our seats."

"Senior Brother... I'm sorry, but could I head back to the dormitories first?"

Geumpyo said that without even lifting his head. I understood his feelings, and just as I was about to nod.

MURMUR, MURMUR.

The atmosphere in the hall abruptly changed.

The noise and the sounds of the musical performance that had made us feel even more pathetic suddenly stopped in an instant.

The musicians started playing again as if realizing their mistake, but those who had been boisterously conversing in the hall could not continue their words.

They merely stared blankly at the entrance to the banquet hall. And there, three women of beautiful figures, looking as though they were bathed in light, were walking in.

"... Huh?"

"... Hah, did the academy call for courtesans or something?"

"There's no way, but with beauty like that... there's no way I wouldn't know them in Hunan."

Regardless of men or women, instructors or drill instructors, everyone's gazes were fixed on the three women entering the banquet hall.

The clothing that fluttered with their every movement gave off a strange aura, and their faces were so picture-perfect that they lacked a sense of reality.

Every single movement was imbued with elegance, and it was only after seeing the smiles on their lips that one realized they were real, living people.

The women who entered the banquet hall swept their gazes around the room.

Whenever their gazes shifted, the gazes of the crowd followed suit.

The three women, who were looking around like that, saw us standing in the center of the banquet hall and slowly approached.

GULP.

I could hear the sound of Geumpyo swallowing his saliva, even though he had just been disheartened and declaring he would return to the dormitories moments ago.

That was how tense everyone in the group was in this situation.

At that moment, the one standing at the very front of the women opened her red lips and spoke.

"Young Master Jin."

All the gazes that had been turning away and ignoring me until now suddenly focused entirely on me.

Not only the Geum-eun-dong Brothers, but even Moyong Jaehwa looked at me with eyes full of disbelief.

"..."

Hearing that voice, I tilted my head.

Her movements and her voice perfectly resembled someone I knew.

"Lady... Namgung? What in the world is going on?"