I Became the Namgung Clan’s Omnipotent Item-Powered Martial God - Chapter 43

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 43
Chapter 43 – A Time of Growth
#1
Before entering the Secret Library, Namgung Yeon spoke once more to Jo Won.
He said that while the choice was theirs to make, he would prefer if they brought back the Secret Manuscript he had mentioned.
Everyone nodded, though the gesture seemed half-hearted.
Namgung Yeon wanted to discern here who would actually follow his instructions.
There would be hesitation, and temptation would abound in that place.
A repository of knowledge accumulated by the Namgung Clan across generations.
That was precisely the Secret Library they were about to enter.
“Listen.”
Namgung Yeon cast final words to those about to depart.
All eyes turned toward him.
As if, like that time before the collapse.
“Do not waver.”
“Come on, don’t worry about us.”
“We’ve grown strong because of you! We’ll repay that debt with loyalty!”
Yi Hyeon and Ho Ho spoke with confidence.
Then, wearing bright faces, they began to enter the Secret Library.
Yet among them were those whose expressions had darkened.
Namgung Jinjin and Namgung Geonho.
‘Geonho. It seems the Elder counseled him.’
Among those who had come today was a messenger from Elder O, Namgung Geonho’s father.
Being the youngest seen in his twilight years, such concern would be natural.
Likely, upon confirming that he would enter the Secret Library, the Elder had recommended a martial technique.
Regarding Namgung Geonho, Namgung Yeon held no particular opinion.
Across numerous cycles, he had been a man who lived faithfully under Elder O and died serving him.
The youngest, and the weakest.
Yet a man who never once revealed his true feelings.
‘Part of that was because I never put much stock in him.’
People naturally tend to seek out what has been deeply impressed upon their memory.
Namgung Geonho was a man who had never once bared his inner thoughts to him.
Always at the Elder’s side, fighting to the end before dying.
Whether it was at the moment before collapse.
Or in a situation where rebellion loomed.
That was the kind of man he was.
A man whose spirit’s grain seemed to connect across worlds and dimensions.
And so he had paid him little particular attention.
‘I wonder if it will be the same this time.’
Namgung Yeon watched the departing figures, lost in thought.
The scenario where they listened to his words, and the scenario where they did not.
He planned to prepare the contents of the Secret Library with both possibilities in mind.
And there was one more thing.
The wager with Baekryong Daejoo was surely of no small importance.
He would announce it before all present.
Whether a person like Baekryong Daejoo was necessary in the Namgung he envisioned.
Well.
‘He’ll serve well enough as a meat shield.’
A desolate gleam flickered across Namgung Yeon’s eyes.
No one knew, but he was no righteous man.
He was closer to a madman—someone capable of doing anything to survive.
As he remained lost in these thoughts, he sensed a presence.
When he turned his head, he felt an unforgettable person approaching.
“Master, it appears a guest has arrived.”
“Let’s go.”
It seemed Manho had finally arrived.
The moment brimmed with anticipation—whom had he brought along with him?
#2
The Secret Library.
A place suffused with an indescribable fragrance of incense.
The interior was solemn, even sacred in feeling.
A place that made intruders themselves grow reverent.
The later generation members of the Namgung Clan fell silent and lightened their steps the moment they entered the Secret Library.
Yeon Noya offered a brief explanation, and a guide was assigned to them.
“Go ahead, indulge yourselves as you wish. Though I’ll offer you one piece of advice.”
……
All of them turned their attention to Yeon Noya’s words.
He was giving them something of great importance before returning to his seat.
“Never let yourself be deceived. The faster your decision, the better.”
“Then, we move.”
Before anyone could answer, the moment the groups scattered.
Someone raised their hand and spoke first.
“Yeon Noya.”
“Hmm?”
“I’ve already decided. May I take it with me now?”
“Ho. And which Secret Manuscript do you seek?”
All eyes turned toward the speaker.
Their expressions ranged from confusion to outright disdain.
People who showed such reactions usually meant one thing.
‘He must have picked up information from somewhere.’
‘But whether that information is true or false… no one can say.’
‘Even the guides sometimes give strange explanations.’
The Namgung Clan’s Secret Library was no simple place.
Every Secret Manuscript here was nothing but a copy.
The true originals were kept in the deepest vaults of the Namgung Clan.
That was why the Secret Library sometimes left traps behind.
Adding tricks to the manuscript copies.
Omitting truly crucial cultivation secrets…
What kind of library would that be?
This is why one must not be deceived.
It must not be forgotten.
‘He doesn’t realize this too is a test.’
This too was a test.
How well could one find the martial arts suited to oneself?
Could one make the optimal choice without wavering amid countless inner conflicts?
This was another trial laid upon those who entered the Secret Library.
Yet to make such a hasty choice without hearing any explanation?
Their curiosity soon turned to mockery.
Regardless, the man who raised his hand spoke with confidence.
“The Daeyeon Changmaek Gong.”
“…Very well. Come with me.”
Yeon Noya’s eyebrows seemed to twitch slightly.
Then he moved slowly and pulled out one of the Secret Manuscripts from the highest shelf.
There was no real explanation, but gazing at that Secret Manuscript for a moment stirred an odd sensation.
“Here it is. Now go.”
“Yes, thank you.”
And so the man departed.
His name was Ho Ho.
He was a newly assigned member of the Third Group.
Without hesitation, Ho Ho took the Secret Manuscript recommended by his group leader Namgung Yeon and vanished.
Yeon Noya spoke to those remaining.
If they didn’t want to end up like Ho Ho, they’d need to move quickly.
The quagmire of the Secret Library was far stickier and deeper than one might think.
“Is there even time left?”
……
Everyone scattered carefully.
And as if having made a decision, Namgung Jinjin too raised his hand.
“I too shall take mine with me.”
“I shall guide you.”
The guide’s eyes brightened as he handed a Secret Manuscript to Namgung Jinjin as well.
Namgung Jinjin felt the cool touch of the book against his fingertips and studied its title.
Yeon-gi Sunhwan Gong.
Namgung Jinjin had made his choice.
Not the path his father had suggested, but the one his clan leader had proposed.
Doubt still gnawed at him—whether this was truly the right decision.
Yet there was no turning back now.
‘No return after leaving,’ he thought.
The cool touch of the Secret Manuscript reminded him of Namgung Yeon’s gaze.
Cold, yet seeming to hold within it everything that mattered…….
When he opened the book, it would overflow with martial techniques.
With these as his foundation, he would have to surpass his own father.
Could he do it?
Namgung Jinjin felt an overwhelming solitude and pressure descend upon him.
At the same time, something crystallized within him.
He finally understood what it meant to stand alone.
That even greater trials lay ahead, and he would have to bear them by himself.
“Phew……. Thank you.”
A sigh heavy with meaning.
Namgung Jinjin clenched his fists and walked out without hesitation.
His shoulders looked unbearably weighed down, yet no one spoke a word to stop him.
Not even his fellow group members.
The turmoil deepened.
Two members of the Third Group had already departed swiftly with their Secret Manuscripts.
Why did they show no hesitation whatsoever?
Two more had driven home their decisions without a shadow of doubt.
“What now.”
“You too?”
“Heh, that’s right.”
Yi Hyeon and Namgung Sewun.
Both men raised their hands at the same moment.
They turned to face each other and smiled.
The ripples would spread beyond anyone’s control.
And each of them would have their own reasons.
Yi Hyeon had no hesitation because his master had honored his counsel.
Namgung Sewun had none because his father’s wishes and Namgung Yeon’s had aligned.
But for those who remained, a great unease would surely take root.
“Do you need an explanation?”
“No, sir. I’ve already heard everything.”
“Then take yours and go.”
Both men departed.
Now only one member of the Third Group remained.
Namgung Geonho.
…….
He alone stood in the vast and intricate Secret Library, taking it all in.
His heart churned with conflicted emotion.
The unease grew heavier.
Yeon Noya chuckled softly to himself, sinking deeper into his chair.
‘The Third Group……. The clan leader’s fourth son, if I recall. Well and truly seasoned, that one.’
Now, what of the rest?
The true purpose of this test was self-reflection.
What martial arts had one cultivated in ordinary times?
What techniques befitted ‘oneself’?
Had they observed themselves clearly, maintained that awareness, they could have decided as swiftly as those four.
But if they had not…….
‘In truth, every Secret Manuscript in this place is written without falsehood.’
The rumors I allowed to spread were part of the test as well.
Come now, you talented ones who will lead the Namgung Clan forward.
Show me what you have contemplated in the quiet hours.
Yeon Noya’s eyes swept across the chamber with piercing clarity.
#3
Meanwhile, at that very moment.
Namgung Yeon was receiving someone in a place where no one else could hear.
It was Wol Young.
The Master of the Blackwind Room herself had come all this way in person.
She bowed her head and reported on everything she had accomplished so far.
The first thing she did was not establish a base in Hefei, but rather elsewhere.
Setting up in Huangshan City, where Huangshan is located, had been her first move.
“Why did you choose Huangshan City?”
“It seemed to me that you wished to monitor all the comings and goings of the Third Group.”
“And?”
“Therefore, I decided to establish ourselves first in Huangshan, where the most tourists gather. The majority of those entering Anhui pass through there.”
Most of the people flowing into Anhui came from the west and south.
Below Huangshan lay the Huai River and the Yangtze River, so those arriving by waterway could also be observed at a glance.
There was a massive tourist development under construction in Huangshan City.
She meant to purchase the entire place outright.
Namgung Yeon grasped Wol Young’s intentions at once.
Yes.
In that case, I shouldn’t be stingy with money.
‘Buying up entire districts and regions. The scale will be considerable.’
But what ought to be given?
Namgung Yeon asked directly.
“How much is needed?”
“……Yes?”
“You’ll need something, surely. Tell me. How much is required, and what? In exchange, you’ll do me a favor as well.”
Wol Young heard his words and her mind churned furiously.
The picture she had drawn was grand and vast.
What amount should she name?
To draw maximum efficiency from minimum funds……
As she wrestled with these thoughts, Namgung Yeon’s lips opened again.
As if the time spent deliberating was itself wasteful.
“Would fifty thousand gold currency suffice?”
“……Yes?”
What, fifty thousand gold?
Not silver, but…… fifty thousand gold?
Wol Young stared at Namgung Yeon blankly.
Eyes that looked down upon her with seeming indifference.
In those eyes, there was neither hesitation nor deliberation.
The gaze of someone for whom such a sum was as natural as breathing.
The very absence of emotion in his eyes made it all the more terrifying.
She could not begin to fathom by what means he would procure fifty thousand gold.
……
“Is more needed?”
Namgung Yeon’s profligacy exceeded imagination.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————