I Shouldn't Have Joined the Martial Arts Alliance - Chapter 43

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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 for No Good Reason – Episode 043
For the past thirty years, the position of Military Commander of the Murim Alliance had been held by the Moyong Clan.
Before that, it had belonged to the Jegal Clan.
The Moyong Clan and the Jegal Clan engaged in a subtle yet fierce competition, each striving ceaselessly to claim the position of Military Commander of the Murim Alliance.
The position brought substantial practical benefits to their respective clans.
The Nine Major Sects and other great clans cast envious glances toward the position as well, but since no genius among them had yet surpassed the caliber of the Moyong and Jegal leadership, they could do nothing but watch.
The Military Commander of the Murim Alliance maintained a direct subordinate organization that answered solely to his commands.
Namely, the Biryeong Division and the Biryong Division Force.
The Biryeong Division was an organization that verified, analyzed, and interpreted all information flowing into the Murim Alliance from throughout Jungwon, reporting directly to the Military Commander.
The Biryong Division Force was a military unit that mobilized under the Military Commander’s orders in times of emergency.
Thus, the Military Commander wielded power within the Murim Alliance rivaling that of the Murim Alliance Leader himself. Moreover, the Jegal Clan was among the Nine Major Sects and Five Great Clans that moved the Baekdo Murim.
The current Military Commander of the Murim Alliance was Jegal Suyeon, the cousin and younger sister of the Jegal Clan’s head.
And Jegal Isoo, the third daughter of the Jegal Clan’s head, was residing within the Murim Alliance to learn the duties of Military Commander from Jegal Suyeon.
At that very moment, Jegal Isoo stood gazing absently at the stars twinkling in the night sky.
“With nothing else to do, why don’t I trap that star inside a formation?”
Throughout all of history, not a single person had ever sealed a star from the heavens within a formation.
Unless one were a deity, it was an impossible feat—yet this was precisely what Jegal Isoo was idly musing about now.
“Ah, I’m bored out of my mind.”
That was it.
Jegal Isoo found the life within the Murim Alliance so tedious that she was spouting nonsense.
Just then, three attendants passed through the entrance, chattering merrily among themselves.
“Tch. What could possibly be so amusing?”
Seeing them chatter so loudly, utterly unaware that their mistress was present, rankled her something fierce.
Jegal Isoo herself was bored to the point of desperation. Her irritation rose without cause.
“Hey, you three! What’s got you so excited?”
The attendants, who had believed themselves alone, jumped in alarm and hurried to show proper respect to Jegal Isoo.
“……Miss.”
“We’re so sorry. We didn’t realize you were here…….”
“Were we being too loud?”
“Yes.”
Unbearably so.
“But what was so funny? Don’t I deserve to know too?”
As if there were any question about it—they were her servants.
“Well, it’s like this. On our way back from stopping by the Sikjaegak, we overheard the female warriors and other attendants chattering all over the place.”
The Sikjaegak was a storehouse where various meats and vegetables from outside were kept and distributed.
“And?”
“So we asked them what on earth was happening. And they said that among the warriors who’ve just returned from a dispatch mission with the Biryong Division, there’s this unbelievably handsome warrior.”
“What? People are gathering and gossiping just because one handsome warrior arrived?”
“That’s what we thought at first too.”
“But?”
“But then, on our way here, we actually ran into that handsome warrior, and wow. Seriously, he was really good-looking. How do I describe it? Ah, yes—he looked just like a celestial immortal descended from heaven.”
“……A celestial immortal?”
“Yes.”
“……You don’t mean those white-haired old sages, do you?”
“Goodness, miss! We meant like a heavenly fairy descended from on high.”
“Ah. But truly? Is he really that handsome?”
“Words can’t even do it justice. And he looks incredibly young. And he’s very tall.”
“Tall? How tall?”
“He looked to be about six feet.”
“Is that so? Now I’m curious. Where could I see him?”
“Oh, he was asking where the Dang Clan quarters were.”
“A warrior from the Biryong Division asking about the Dang Clan?”
“Yes.”
“Tch.”
Of all places—the Dang Clan.
‘But Iyeong was there too…….’
She had heard the news.
That her temperament had been like that because of the Yin-Yang Incident.
‘Nonsense.’
A leopard doesn’t change its spots.
That’s just how she is by nature, so she picked up that habit. You think the Yin-Yang Incident has something to do with it?
That doesn’t make sense.
“Oh? Look there.”
One of the attendants pointed toward the entrance, her eyes widening slightly.
“My goodness. Young lady, that’s him right there.”
“Handsome, you said?”
“Yes.”
Jegal Isoo’s gaze turned toward the entrance.
And she saw him.
“……Wow!”
Jegal Isoo’s mouth fell open of its own accord.
“See? Really handsome, isn’t he?”
“……Yeah, I suppose. But what are you all doing?”
The attendants’ eyes went round.
“……What do you mean…….”
“You must be busy. Aren’t you?”
“……Ah, yes. We do have much to attend to. Then, we shall take our leave.”
“Go on, then.”
The attendants had to leave the spot, their disappointment hanging thick in the air.
Jegal Isoo’s shoulders, which had been drooping with boredom until now, suddenly filled with vitality.
The handsome man, seemingly unaware of exactly where he was, kept glancing around before approaching Jegal Isoo.
“Excuse me, is this the residence of the Sacheon Dang Clan?”
Jegal Isoo tilted her head as if amused.
“Could be. Could be not.”
“Looks like I’ve found the wrong place again.”
“What’s your name?”
“Only if you tell me yours first.”
Jegal Isoo’s eyes widened.
“Why are you speaking casually to me?”
“Because you’re speaking casually to me.”
And so she said it.
“I’m Jegal Isoo, direct bloodline of the Jegal Clan.”
“I’m Saurin, unit member eleven of the Biryong Division, Patrol Division.”
“……You’re still speaking casually?”
Even though she’d just said she was direct bloodline of the Jegal Clan.
“Because you’re still speaking casually to me.”
“Wow.”
Was this interesting? Surprising? Or……was it frightening?
She found herself oddly flustered.
“You’re a new recruit…….”
No, wait.
Shouldn’t a new recruit be even more careful and courteous when moving about inside the Murim Alliance?
That would be right…….
“Do you have no manners? Are you not in your right mind?”
“Neither of those.”
Pfft.
Laughter escaped from Jegal Isoo’s lips before she could help it.
“This is fun.”
It really was. So much fun her heart was racing wildly.
“I think it’ll be fun for me too.”
“……What will be?”
“What you’re holding in your hand.”
“……This?”
What Jegal Isoo held in her hand was a transparent hexahedron slightly smaller than a die, with a character representing the Eight Trigrams carved into each face.
It was a tool used in the formation technique that allowed the Jegal Clan to claim a seat among the Five Great Clans of Baekdo Murim.
People of the Jegal Clan call it the Paljin-che. It’s named that because it consists of eight formation tools.
You could think of it as being to the Jegal Clan what poison and hidden blades are to the Sacheon Dang Clan.
The Paljin-che is a tool that can create simple Illusion Formations or Maze Formations. While creating more elaborate formations with it is impossible, it’s an invaluable tool to have on hand when danger strikes.
Naturally, it’s also possible to kill someone with the Paljin-che.
There are cases of people trapped in Illusion Formations or Maze Formations starving to death, and in severe cases, falling into such confusion they end their own lives.
“You’ve never seen one before, have you?”
Of course she hadn’t. Most martial artists in the jianghu had only heard of the Paljin-che by reputation; few had ever laid eyes on one. The Jegal Clan kept theirs close and hidden, treating it like a treasure too precious to display openly.
Yet Jegal Isoo, bored beyond measure, had found herself holding the Paljin-che without quite realizing it.
“Do you even know what that is?”
“It’s the Paljin-che. For formation work.”
“That’s right.”
“Would you mind unfolding it here for me? Just once?”
“……Now?”
“Yes. Now.”
“But——you can’t see inside a formation from outside it.”
“I know. That’s why I want to go inside and look around myself.”
Jegal Isoo hadn’t lived long, but she’d never encountered anyone quite like this before.
“……You’d go in yourself? Truly? And if I don’t collapse the formation, you’ll be trapped inside?”
Which meant, in other words, that he could die in there. Unless he could find the life gate on his own or shatter the formation himself.
If he possessed that sort of ability, perhaps it would be different——but the handsome man standing before her clearly did not.
His youth was plain to see.
“That’s fine.”
Just then, a woman’s voice came from the entrance.
“Fine? What do you mean fine? Absolutely not.”
Both Jegal Isoo and Saurin turned toward the doorway.
Jegal Isoo’s brow furrowed.
“You……”
“Iyeong.”
It was Dang Iyeong——the very woman Saurin had been searching for.
“Urin, what are you doing here? Did you get lost again? I told you not to wander this area alone for a while.”
“Ah. I came looking for you.”
Jegal Isoo’s frown deepened.
‘……What is this?’
Didn’t Dang Iyeong and this handsome young man seem to know each other quite well?
More than that——the ease with which they spoke to each other, the casual intimacy of their informal speech, reminded her of old friends.
The amusement she’d felt just moments before curdled into something unpleasant.
What was it, exactly?
It wasn’t hers, not yet——and yet she felt as though it had already been stolen from her before it could be.
In any case, it was ugly, and it was bitter.
And to make it worse, Jegal Isoo was always compared unfavorably to Dang Iyeong’s beauty——always one step below.
Which made her hate it all the more.
‘She should have died back then!’
She meant the Yin-Yang Incident. Everyone of note in the jianghu knew of it by now.
“I wish that woman Iyeong would disappear from here. This is clearly Jegal Clan territory.”
“I know. I only came in when I heard your voice. Come on, Urin, let’s go.”
“Wait a moment.”
“Didn’t you come to see me?”
“I did. But right now I’m too curious about that. I want to know.”
“……That?”
Dang Iyeong’s eyes found the object in Jegal Isoo’s hand. She frowned sharply.
“Are you seriously trying to seduce a man with that?”
“What are you talking about? Urin asked about it, so I was showing him.”
“……What? Urin? Wait, this is……”
Dang Iyeong’s eyes widened to dangerous slits, but Saurin stepped in quickly.
“Iyeong. I’m genuinely curious about formation techniques. So bear with me, alright?”
Dang Iyeong’s eyes, which had been widening beyond reason, suddenly rounded with understanding.
“……Oh? Really? So what do you want to do?”
Jegal Isoo found herself at a loss for words.
‘Damn! She’s completely smitten.’
Smitten.
Anyone could see it plainly enough from the way Dang Iyeong spoke to Saurin, the way she looked at him——there was no hiding it.
A woman could fall for a man, certainly. Love was like that. But Jegal Isoo couldn’t fathom it. Handsome or not, this man called Urin was nothing but a mere martial artist of the Murim Alliance——wasn’t he?
Surely the Dang Clan would never permit such a match.
And yet if a mere martial artist of the Murim Alliance was close enough to Dang Iyeong for the Dang Clan to allow him free movement through their territory——didn’t that suggest something else entirely?
‘But why? How?’
What was so remarkable about the handsome man before her eyes?
The Sacheon Dang Clan wouldn’t have acknowledged him simply for having a pretty face…….
‘This is funny…… or rather, he’s quite impressive?’
For a mere soldier of the Murim Alliance, no less.
Perhaps that was why Jegal Isoo’s curiosity about Saurin only deepened.
That was why she wanted to verify it.
“I’d like to see what it’s like to be trapped inside a formation.”
Dang Iyeong’s soft eyes furrowed once more.
“Stop calling him by his name like that.”
“What? How else would I call him? His name is Saurin.”
“This is really…….”
Saurin stepped in again.
“Iyeong.”
“Oh? Ah. Sorry. Do you really have to see inside a formation?”
“Yes.”
“Sigh. Fine.”
By now, Dang Iyeong knew Saurin’s stubbornness well enough — that he would do whatever he set his mind to. How could she, dependent on his favor as she was, refuse to bend to his will?
Dang Iyeong cast her gaze toward Jegal Isoo.
“Do it for me. But don’t make it dangerous, understand?”
“Pointless worry. Do I look like someone who scatters poison indiscriminately?”
Dang Iyeong clenched her teeth. She had to suppress her nature in front of Saurin.
“Since you understand, just deploy the formation already.”
“Fine. But I won’t use the Illusion Formation — I’ll deploy the Maze Formation instead.”
That was when Saurin spoke up.
“I’d like to see the Illusion Formation, though.”
“The Illusion Formation is dangerous. You could easily die.”
“It’s fine.”
Jegal Isoo glanced at Dang Iyeong’s face as if to ask whether he was truly all right.
“……Are you really fine?”
Someone could genuinely die in there.
“How dangerous are we talking?”
“Even I can’t guarantee safety in the Illusion Formation.”
“Then it’s fine. Go ahead.”
“……Really? I…….”
If something went wrong, surely the responsibility would fall on Jegal Isoo as well, wouldn’t it?
“Don’t worry. Saurin isn’t in the same league as you and me.”
He wasn’t in the same league at all.
In fact, there was no league to compare them in.
How could a mere Murim Alliance soldier possibly be compared to a direct heir of one of the Five Great Clans?
Moreover, the handsome man before her eyes didn’t even appear to have mediocre martial prowess.
“What are you doing? Deploy the formation already.”
“……W-wait. I can’t take responsibility for what happens?”
“Don’t worry. Just deploy it.”
‘……It feels dangerous…….’
Yet now that she had agreed to deploy it, she couldn’t back away like a coward.
Dang Iyeong was watching from beside her, after all.
And so, in the end, Jegal Isoo threw the Paljin-che around Saurin and deployed the perilous Illusion Formation.

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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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