I Shouldn't Have Joined the Martial Arts Alliance - Chapter 13

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Entering the Murim Alliance by Chance — Episode 13
Everything had unfolded with startling speed. Which meant all decisions had to be made just as swiftly.
The fact that the Yunwol-mun’s master had stepped down didn’t mean Yunwol-mun had truly released its grip on Sa Urin. Now that they knew where he was, it was painfully obvious they would stop at nothing to kill him.
So Sa Urin had to leave immediately. Jang Chun and his brothers had to evacuate the Gambling Den just as quickly.
It was a parting that came far too suddenly. Yet they promised to meet again.
The squad led by Jang Hye-in would return to the Murim Alliance in a year. Jang Chun and his brothers had decided to run an inn near where Sa Cheol-gang was buried, so Sa Urin and they would be able to meet again in a year.
It was not a long separation.
Yet despite the brevity, Jang Chun and his brothers shed countless tears.
The cold-hearted Sa Urin did not shed a single tear.
In any case, Sa Urin, Jang Chun, and his brothers—who had spent six years together—now faced parting.
And Sa Urin began a new life in new circumstances with new bonds.
A modest welcome ceremony was held for Sa Urin at the Murim Alliance’s branch in Sichuan Province, Suning County.
Though it was only wine and meat, the eleven members of the Biryong-dae patrol squad of the Murim Alliance felt as if they possessed everything simply by having wine and meat before them.
“Whoa, how long has it been since we’ve had a gathering like this? Ha ha ha. Good, very good.”
“Listen, it’s not just a gathering—it’s a welcome ceremony for our new junior member. Haven’t you even had a drink yet, and you’re already dizzy?”
“Same thing, same thing. What’s the difference?”
“You’re in a mood, aren’t you?”
“Why just me? Everyone’s grinning ear to ear.”
“All right, all right. That aside—what about the junior member?”
All eyes turned toward their newest member, Sa Urin.
“……?”
Sa Urin sat blinking silently, offering no response.
‘……What?’
What were they expecting?
Looking at him, wasn’t he just waiting for the wine and meat like everyone else?
The same as they were.
“……Damn brat.”
“Whoa.”
“Already being defiant.”
As the cheerful mood suddenly grew heavy, Seo Woo-chan stepped in.
After all, Sa Urin was his savior.
“Brother, come on. He’s the junior member. He clearly has no idea what he’s supposed to do.”
“Doesn’t look that way to me.”
“Looks like he’s just being stubborn.”
“You’ve been looking at him wrong from the start. Urin, you don’t know what you’re supposed to do, right?”
Sa Urin nodded in agreement.
“See? He doesn’t know. That’s all it is.”
“Look at that. Just nodding without a word of courtesy.”
“The junior member’s going to be trouble. Real trouble.”
Then suddenly Sa Urin shot to his feet.
“……!”
“……?”
“…….”
Startled by Sa Urin’s abrupt movement, the squad members tensed, pressing their feet hard against the ground and shifting their backsides away from him. Some of them even tumbled backward.
‘……What, what?’
‘……What’s, what’s going on?’
‘……Is, is he about to do something?’
‘……Is, is he going to fight?’
‘……This, this isn’t right.’
They all knew, didn’t they?
That their new junior member had fought Ma-in to a draw. And that Ma-in was a master on the level of their squad leader, Jang Hye-in.
So it was no wonder their eyes went wide as lanterns, imagining what might happen.
But then Sa Urin’s next action shattered all their imaginations.
Bending low, Sa Urin bowed his head respectfully.
This habit could become problematic if it took root……
He was simply offering a greeting. But a bowed head, regardless of reason, was still a bowed head.
What could be done about it?
One needed good relationships with people to become master of the Murim Alliance. He had no choice but to trust his father’s words.
“I apologize. I’m simply not familiar with such things. I hope you’ll understand.”
If Sa Urin had been the type to swing his fists and blade at those weaker than him whenever he pleased, would Jang Chun and his brothers really have grown so attached to him over all those years?
It would never have been the case. Sa Urin had already built good relationships with people.
He was somewhat rough around the edges, and it was said he had not a shred of warmth, yet Sa Urin had always been respectful toward his older brothers and the adults, maintained basic courtesy, and spent time with them pleasantly enough, smiling.
So then, surely he wouldn’t have shed so many tears over such a brief parting.
“……Phew.”
“……Hell, I thought my heart was going to stop.”
“……Damn it.”
“……Thought I was going to pass out.”
Laughter escaped from Jang Hye-in’s lips as he watched this unfold.
“Heh. You lot. Why are you provoking him when you’re so damn nervous about it, huh?”
“No, it’s not provoking, it’s…….”
“We just wanted to introduce ourselves, that’s all.”
“Then do it properly, damn it. You kids. Tsk, tsk. Enough of this nonsense—let’s just drink and eat some meat. Come on, sit down with us again and relax.”
“……Yes, sir.”
And so Sa Urin’s welcome celebration began without incident—with alcohol and meat.
While everyone was mindlessly devouring drink and meat as if competing with the beggars of Gae-bang, Seo Woo-chan, who had the most familiarity among them, spoke to Sa Urin.
“Listen, Sa Urin.”
“Yes?”
“It seems like you don’t have parents, do you?”
Judging from the fact that he spent time among the Gambling Den crowd, it seemed certain that Sa Urin had no parents. Yet there was one reason for asking such a question.
How could someone who was mixed in with third-rate thugs have grown so strong all alone?
It was impossible.
If they had all been strong, it would make some sense, but that wasn’t the case, was it.
Orthodox Murim’s Nine Sects and One Alliance, the Five Major Families, the heterodox sects’ Seven Major Sects, the Five Families of the Demonic Cult.
The reason all these sects were continuously called the strongholds of Murim was simple: long tradition and experience passed down through the generations.
Simply put, the strong produced the strong, and money bred more money.
Of course, there were cases where dragons rose from the gutter. But even those were so rare now—no, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they no longer happened at all.
Which meant that a young man like Sa Urin possessing such absurd martial power must have a reason for it.
Whether it was parents or a master who had trained him separately—there must have been someone, wouldn’t there?
So he asked.
“My father passed away five years ago from drinking too much alcohol.”
“…….”
The cheerful, loose drinking atmosphere suddenly fell into silence.
‘Of all things…….’
‘……He passed away from drinking too much……?’
‘……Oh, hell.’
‘……That certainly kills the mood…….’
All eyes turned sharply toward Woo-chan.
He’d asked about something he shouldn’t have!
‘……I should’ve seen this coming…….’
“And I never knew my mother’s face.”
“……I see. I shouldn’t have asked, should I.”
“It’s fine.”
Despite the piercing stares, Woo-chan didn’t stop his questioning. Everyone wanted to know anyway, not just him.
“Then what about your martial arts? Who taught you your Mugong?”
“My father taught me.”
‘……Your father?’
The man who’d passed away from drinking too much, wasn’t he?
It was a detail that didn’t quite add up.
“Your father was a master?”
A tremendous one at that.
Otherwise, there was no way he could have raised a child with Sa Urin’s level of martial power.
“That’s what I’ve heard. But I never saw it myself.”
“Could you tell us more about it in detail?”
“Of course.”
And so Sa Urin’s story grew long. Since everyone was curious about it, they set down their drink and meat, fixing their eyes on Sa Urin as he spoke.
It was long but simple.
He laid out how his father drank constantly, how he was a Muin who had lost one arm, and how despite all that, because of his own affairs, he possessed such overwhelming martial power that both the Master of Yunwol-mun and the Alliance Leader wouldn’t dare make a sound against him.
However, he did not mention that his father came from Melma-dae. Even if he had, they might not have believed him, and besides, there was no way for anyone to verify it, no matter how much of a Muin they were in the Murim Alliance.
One reason why those belonging to Melma-dae of the Murim Alliance kept such strict secrecy was that the Murim Alliance never selected members from within itself.
They strictly selected young children with good Mugol from the outside and raised them. So even if someone belonged to the Murim Alliance, there was no way to know.
“Ah, I see.”
“He must have been truly extraordinary.”
To have subdued the Master of Yunwol-mun despite losing an arm—that spoke volumes about his caliber as a martial master.
“But why isn’t someone that remarkable known?”
Because he couldn’t afford to be.
“That much, I’m afraid I cannot say.”
“……Very well then. So, Sa Urin—what’s the name of the Mugong you’ve learned?”
Details about Sa Urin’s father would remain obscured given his obscurity, but there was a chance that learning the name of his Mugong might yield some answers.
“I cannot share that.”
Father had been clear: I was never to boast of my Mugong or spread its name about.
If word got out that I’d been brought from the Murim Alliance by Sa Cheol-gang, they might pursue me.
“……But why?”
No Muin kept the name of their Mugong secret. Why? A Mugong’s name was like one’s own identity. So those seeking renown spread the names of their arts wide; they never concealed them.
“It’s my choice.”
“……Well, I suppose that’s fair.”
Understanding it was another matter entirely.
Yet as Sa Urin broached the subject of Yunwol-mun, something stirred in Jang Hye-in’s mind.
“Jang Hye-in.”
The moment the name left Sa Urin’s lips, Jang Hye-in’s eyes widened slightly with surprise.
“……What is it?”
“Doesn’t something strike you as odd?”
Out of nowhere.
“……Odd how?”
“How did the Master of Yunwol-mun know I was at the Gambling Den?”
“Well……, I’m not sure either.”
He must have heard it from someone. Countless people came and went from the Gambling Den.
“There’s nothing strange about it at all. What are you on about?”
“Why precisely right after Ma-in had left?”
“Huh? ……You have a point.”
There was merit to what Sa Urin said.
Jung Geol suddenly interjected as though remembering something.
“His trail went cold, but the direction—it was toward Yunwol-mun.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I’m certain of it.”
Ju Un, the youngest before Sa Urin arrived, chimed in as well.
“Something about this doesn’t sit right with me.”
Jang Hye-in too felt the weight of suspicion settling.
“But we have no way forward.”
They couldn’t simply accuse Yunwol-mun without proof. With evidence, they could alert Gae-bang and the Sichuan Tang Family and strike immediately. But there was nothing solid to stand on.
Only suspicion, nothing more.
Sa Urin spoke again.
“Still, wouldn’t it be wise to at least give them a hint?”
“Well, that much won’t hurt.”
Hyung Jun, the eldest and most seasoned among them, offered his own thought.
“Why not save such worries for tomorrow and enjoy the wine and meat before us?”
“Agreed!”
“Right. Let’s drink!”
The mood lifted once more. Their curiosity about Sa Urin had been largely satisfied, and the drink was beginning to warm their blood. They would drink until the fire burned down to ash.
It was a joy that could never be savored in the afterlife.
As the drinking deepened, Hyung Jun added wood to the dimming flames and opened his mouth.
“But doesn’t everyone want to know?”
“Know what?”
It seemed they’d covered everything already.
“Which one is stronger—Jang Hye-in or our youngest?”
“Ooh!”
“That’s what I want to know!”
“Me too, me too.”
“What do you think, Jang Hye-in?”
The wood Hyung Jun tossed caught flame, and the fire blazed up fierce and hungry, its reflection dancing wild in the eyes of the gathered men.

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