Chapter 19

System

Quest

War

A war that will decide the fate of two families has begun.

In Murim, the only way to prove yourself is through strength! Those who survive are strong, and only the strong will survive.

May fortune favor you in battle.

Grade: Main Quest
Restriction: Jin Taekyung
Mission: Surrender or destruction of the Mount Heng Sword Sect (Incomplete)
Reward: ???
Failure: ???

Jin Wikyung spoke to me as I stared fixedly at the Quest Window.

“You look very tired.”

Tired? I was amazed that my current state of mind could be summed up in such a simple word.

Instead of answering, I looked at the steaming teacup.

The water’s already been spilled.

I had done my best, but I couldn’t stop the war. The family council had turned into a war council, and with the Head Elder’s full support, Jin Wikyung had taken command without hesitation.

Martial artists of the Jin Family of Taiyuan, assemble at the main family residence immediately!

Around dawn, dozens of messenger pigeons took to the sky while messengers rode hard on horseback. A tight security net spread across the entire area.

When the family council finally adjourned in that tense atmosphere, Jin Wikyung, Wipeng, and I moved to the Lesser Family Head’s office.

“It was bound to happen someday. This isn’t your fault, Taekyung.”

Jin Wikyung’s warm words almost brought tears to my eyes. Not because I was moved, but because it felt so unfair.

Of course it wasn’t my fault!

And since we were on the subject, why the hell did that “bound to happen someday” have to happen now?

While I was fuming inwardly, Wipeng suddenly spoke.

“My lord.”

“What is it?”

“The Head Elder… I simply cannot figure out what he’s thinking.”

The Head Elder. The moment I heard that name, I abandoned all other thoughts. He was the most unsettling person among the NPCs I had encountered in this game.

He seemed genuinely devoted to the family, yet he also gave off the unmistakable air of a politician maneuvering for his own benefit.

I cautiously asked, “What kind of person is the Head Elder?”

“He is a martial artist of a high realm, and his schemes run deep. You could call him one of the most dangerous types of people in Murim.”

“That dangerous?”

Jin Wikyung nodded gravely.

“Even the other Elders are little more than the Head Elder’s hands and feet. He rarely shows himself, yet he has used the Elder Council as his limbs to win over influential members and bring them under his command. He has been doing so for decades.”

“Then his supporting us at the family council…”

“We cannot know the exact truth, but he must have an ulterior motive. Of that, I am certain.”

“We should have killed them all.”

Wipeng cut in abruptly, his voice cold.

“They are disloyal rebels. When the Head Elder proposed killing them, I honestly hoped you would accept.”

So had I. But that had merely been the Head Elder’s clever way of speaking—a suggestion that perhaps we should back down at this point.

If Jin Wikyung had thrown caution to the wind and accepted that proposal, the result would have been obvious.

“A bloodbath would have broken out.”

“I know. That’s why I held back.”

The leadership of the Jin Family of Taiyuan would have split in two and kept killing one another. Defeat would have meant death, and even victory would have come at a terrible cost.

Maybe that was exactly what the Head Elder wanted.

The Head Elder. An invisible hand.

A chill ran down my spine at the thought. It fit the image I had formed of him perfectly.

A hyena of a politician, stepping back and waiting for his moment.

Jin Wikyung tilted his teacup.

“But that is only a guess. We do not know what the Head Elder truly intends. He is still one of the family’s elders, and a powerful ally. Be wary of him, but do not make an enemy of him. For now, we need to overcome the situation rather than distrust everyone around us.”

He was telling me to look at the forest, not the trees.

The problem was that the forest itself wasn’t exactly in good shape, either.

As if he had read my thoughts, Wipeng brought up the subject.

“The situation is not good, either. According to our outside sources, rumors that Lee Seogeun had been poisoned to death have begun spreading, and our family’s reputation is plummeting.”

“In only half a day?”

“Yes. All of Shanxi is in an uproar over it.”

Concern clouded Jin Wikyung’s face.

“That is fast. Far too fast. Someone is definitely behind this.”

There was no internet here, and yet rumors had already spread across this vast land. It was certainly strange.

An invisible enemy.

Who could it be? A third faction? A staged act by the Mount Heng Sword Sect?

I hoped it was the latter if possible. Nothing was more dangerous than an enemy who remained unseen.

“The common people still seem unsure what to believe, but the other sects…”

“Still no replies?”

Wipeng lowered his head instead of answering.

As soon as Jin Wikyung learned that Lee Seogeun had been poisoned to death, he had sent requests for aid to the other small and mid-sized sects in Shanxi. It seemed every one of them had come to nothing.

This just keeps getting worse.

Do I really need to run?

I was looking out the window, thinking that, when—

Flap, flap.

A pigeon landed on the windowsill with the sound of beating wings.

“…It looks like a reply has arrived?”

The Jin Family of Taiyuan.

As the carriage approached the grand plaque bearing those words in magnificent calligraphy and the martial artists guarding the main gate with a stern aura, the coachman slackened the reins.

“Stop! State your identity and purpose!”

The gate guard shouted as he blocked the carriage. Given the circumstances, his voice was tense.

What was more—

This isn’t ordinary.

The coachman holding the reins gave off the unmistakable air of a trained martial artist, while the carriage drawn by four fine horses combined splendor with dignity.

But why do they look familiar?

The coachman, too. The carriage, too. Where had he seen them?

The question vanished the moment he saw the coachman’s sharp eyes. That aura, that gaze. This was certainly no ordinary visitor.

The gate guard swallowed and spoke again.

“Please state your identity and purpose.”

The carriage door opened, and a red silk slipper alighted lightly onto the ground.

Then a voice as gentle as a spring breeze drifted into the guard’s ear.

“I’m from Honghwaru. My name is a secret.”

Her face appeared along with her voice.

The gate guard’s eyes grew dazed. He wasn’t the only one. Everyone who saw the woman reacted the same way.

A vacant voice escaped the gate guard’s mouth.

“Ah, a secret… Then what brings you here?”

The woman—Wolhwa—answered with an enchanting smile.

“Hmm. I’m here to collect an unpaid tab?”

“How have you been? Didn’t you miss me?”

I froze halfway to my feet.

A face I could never forget. And a face that had no business being here.

“Wolhwa?”

The first NPC I had met in this game. A courtesan at Honghwaru—and Jin Taekyung’s precious little finger. That thing.

Why is noona coming out of there…?

“You remember me after all. Our Young Master Jin.”

Wolhwa giggled. She was beautiful, her laugh was beautiful, and when a beautiful woman laughed, she became even more beautiful…

No, this is not the time for that.

I whispered in a tightly restrained voice.

“What brings you here? No, never mind. Leave. Get out.”

I kept nudging Wolhwa with my elbow.

This is driving me insane.

Of all times, she had to show up in this atmosphere.

The entire family was on high alert. If word got out that I had called for a courtesan, just imagining what would happen to my reputation made my vision swim.

“Don’t poke me. That tickles.”

“I get it, so hurry up and leave. There are other people here. What are you trying to pull, barging in like this? We’re expecting an important guest, too.”

The timing was damn awful, too. I was in the Lesser Family Head’s office waiting for a guest from a sect called the Lower District Sect.

Naturally, Jin Wikyung and Wipeng were there with me.

“Taekyung.”

Jin Wikyung called my name. Without even turning around, I hurriedly waved my hands.

“Ah, it’s not what you think. I didn’t call her. She says she’s leaving now, too. Right?”

Wolhwa’s laughter rose in pitch.

“Our Young Master Jin is still so adorable. But you guessed wrong. I’m here on business.”

“Don’t call me ‘our Young Master Jin.’ I’m going to live chastely from today onward. I don’t have any business with you anymore, so hurry up and leave.”

“Hmm. I don’t want to.”

Then there was no helping it. I would have to move her by force.

In desperation, I grabbed Wolhwa around the waist and hoisted her up—

“Huh?”

What the hell? Why won’t she lift?

Wolhwa looked slender, but was she so big-boned that she weighed a lot?

That’s bullshit.

Just how high was my Strength stat? With raw physical strength alone, I could grind a rock into powder. And yet I couldn’t lift a single female NPC, which meant—

“Taekyung?”

I ignored Jin Wikyung’s second call and furtively let go. Then I heightened my Qi Sense.

“Ahahahahaha! This is driving me insane!”

As Wolhwa laughed herself to death, a Level Window appeared above her head. At the same time, I heard Jin Wikyung call my name for the third time.

System

Lv. 50 Eun Sowol

“Taekyung, greet her. She is the Branch Leader of the Lower District Sect’s Shanxi branch…”

Ah. Ahhh.

I want to die.

“Greetings. I am Wolhwa, Branch Leader of the Lower District Sect’s Shanxi branch.”

Eun Sowol.

No, for now, let’s just call her Wolhwa.

She was different from how she had acted until now. Every movement carried the grace and elegance of a noblewoman.

“I am Jin Wikyung of the Jin Family of Taiyuan.”

“I’m Wipeng.”

I kept my mouth shut like Mute Samryong,¹ and Wolhwa flashed me a grin.

It was an ominous grin.

Don’t. Don’t smile.

Don’t talk to me. Please don’t.

“It seems there’s one person I haven’t been introduced to.”

I felt eyes boring into me. Someone stepped on my foot beneath the table.

Feeling as though I were coughing up blood, I forced myself to speak.

“…I’m Jin Taekyung.”

“Yeees. I hope we get along too, Young Master Jin.”

“Ahem.”

With a cough, Jin Wikyung glanced at me.

“I didn’t realize you were acquainted with my younger brother.”

“He’s a regular at our establishment—the Honghwaru in Taiyuan. It also serves as our sect’s Shanxi branch.”

“Ah. A regular…”

I avoided everyone’s gaze. Wolhwa snorted with laughter, then got down to business.

“Shall we talk business now?”

I had felt it several times before, but she really was a refreshingly direct woman. Jin Wikyung and Wipeng also turned their attention away from me and joined the conversation.

“First, allow me to offer my sincere thanks for the Lower District Sect’s assistance.”

“Think nothing of it.”

“But may I ask why you wish to help our family?”

Wolhwa smiled sweetly at Jin Wikyung’s question.

“The reason… I will tell you if necessary. First, we are doing this for our sect’s benefit.”

“Benefit. What specific compensation do you want?”

“Half of the shops and assets owned by the Mount Heng Sword Sect.”

“Good.”

“My lord!”

Wipeng hurriedly stepped forward, but Jin Wikyung paid him no heed.

Wolhwa also looked slightly surprised.

“You decide quickly.”

“Because I have staked everything the family has.”

“Has this already been agreed upon?”

“I am the Lesser Family Head, and with my father absent, I possess the authority of the acting Family Head.”

“I hear the internal opposition is quite fierce. The Elder Council, for example?”

“As expected of the Lower District Sect. You certainly get your information fast.”

“It can’t be helped. Information is essential if you want to survive in this bleak Murim. We need at least that much resourcefulness to make a living, don’t we?”

Watching Wolhwa smile, I suddenly had a thought.

That information. Did I—or rather, did Jin Taekyung—let it slip?

I had wondered where I had heard the name Lower District Sect before. It was an information-gathering sect that appeared regularly in martial-arts novels. In other words, Wolhwa, its Branch Leader, was a veteran information merchant.

On top of that, she was an outstanding martial artist at Level 50. A woman like that had disguised herself as a courtesan to meet a guy like Jin Taekyung?

Even a dog would laugh at that.

I stared at Wolhwa.

Her beauty was dazzling enough to make me wonder if a goddess had descended. Whenever she smiled, roses came to mind. Only now could I see the sharp thorns hidden beneath all that splendor.

Jin Wikyung spoke with a stiff expression.

“Then tell us the second reason.”

Wolhwa answered with her usual radiant smile.

“Because I like Young Master Jin.”

“Excuse me?”

“He’s young, handsome, well-built, and has such a cute personality.”

“…”

“…”

How much of that was sincere, and how much was a joke?