I Shouldn't Have Joined the Martial Arts Alliance - Chapter 63

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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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Needlessly joining the Murim Alliance — Episode 063
Perhaps death was finally drawing near, for Seo U-chan’s lips trembled visibly.
“So… what exactly has come?”
“A month ago, the secret branch of the Patrol Bureau in Yeoyeong District, Gwizhou Province, was said to have been completely wiped out.”
Gwizhou Province was where the Jang Clan had established its stronghold. Which meant Gwizhou Province was Demonic Faction territory.
The Patrol Bureau branch in Demonic Faction territory was routinely called a secret branch. After all, it was a place the Demonic Faction must never know about.
“……Then, are we being dispatched there instead?”
“That doesn’t make sense. Why would we be sent on a dispatch?”
Hadn’t a dispatch team already gone and returned?
“It’s not a dispatch. It’s an investigation.”
“……An investigation?”
“That’s right. Finding out why they were annihilated and who was responsible — that’s our task.”
Hyeong-jun exhaled in exasperation.
“Quite the easy assignment.”
After all, they just needed to find out. Of course, it wasn’t as simple as it sounded. But on the surface, it seemed to carry no great danger.
“Deceptively simple.”
An assignment with no great danger, almost effortless on paper — yet it was Demonic Faction territory, where anything could happen and nothing would seem amiss.
“And somehow it fell to us.”
“……So that’s how it is.”
Experiencing it directly, he could finally understand.
“Is this the Alliance Leader’s order, or just the Director’s unilateral decision?”
Whoever it came from, there was no question they had to obey.
“Who knows.”
“Right.”
“It wouldn’t matter even if we did know, would it?”
“Of course not.”
“If we could somehow avoid this assignment……”
“Another task would come instead.”
“……That would be the case, wouldn’t it?”
“Probably. Most likely.”
“When do we depart?”
“Tomorrow.”
“……That’s rather sudden.”
Deep sighs escaped from the team members.
They’d known it was coming, steeled themselves for it, and had been preparing as if for death itself.
And yet, knowing full well this was the Yellow Springs Road leading to the afterlife, they still had to go. It was profoundly unjust.
No, if it were unjust, they couldn’t have agreed to it. They’d undertaken this knowing exactly what it meant.
So they were accepting it. They were accepting it, but it was hard to accept.
This must be why people speak of the heart’s fickleness. They’d sworn this wouldn’t happen, yet it wouldn’t bend to their will.
Like life itself — nothing goes according to plan.
But Hyeong-jun kept shaking his head back and forth beside him, and it caught Jang Hye-in’s attention.
“Want me to snap that neck for you? That way you can die right here instead? That would be better, wouldn’t it? No need to go all the way to Gwizhou Province.”
“……Come on.”
“So stop that. My nerves are already raw without you thrashing around next to me like that.”
“Something just feels off.”
“What?”
“I’ve been thinking about it, just in case……but it’s probably nothing……”
As Hyeong-jun trailed off, Jang Hye-in exploded.
“Damn it! What?!”
“……Your temper.”
“You’re the one pissing me off right now!”
“Fine, fine. I’ll just say it then. What if…what if they killed everyone at the secret branch in Gwizhou Province specifically to trap us?”
As Hyeong-jun finished, Jang Hye-in’s mouth fell silent. The team members listening nearby did the same.
They’d been too fixated on the idea of walking the Yellow Springs Road to even consider such a thought.
When fire is already at your own feet, you don’t go to watch a fight at your neighbor’s house.
But now, hearing it spoken aloud from Hyeong-jun’s lips, it was truly terrifying, wasn’t it?
Jang Hye-in’s mouth opened again, breaking the silence.
“……Could it be…it was because of us?”
“We can’t know that. But doesn’t the possibility seem clear? Something that never happened before suddenly occurs out of nowhere.”
It did.
Among those dispatched to the Demonic Faction’s camps, warriors had occasionally died in accidents, but never had an entire branch been slaughtered like this.
At least, not according to what Jang Hye-in and his team knew.
“Ah… now that you mention it, that’s true….”
Seo U-chan, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
“They’re truly terrifying. And I’m sorry to those we lost from the branch. Because of us, they….”
“Don’t blame yourself. That’s the way of Gangho.”
“But still….”
Sa U-rin added his own words.
“It’s true. It’s unfortunate, but they died because they were weak.”
“…U-rin?”
“If we grow weak, we’ll die the same way. Isn’t that right? It’s the truth, after all.”
“I suppose that’s so, but….”
“You can’t blame yourself the way the commander suggests. The ones who killed those innocent people are evil—we were trying to save lives. So I hope we can all walk forward with pride. Even in our final moment.”
“You’re right. U-rin’s words are true. We all need to act with confidence. Understood?”
Everyone nodded, saying they understood. Then their hands clenched into fists.
Swearing silently that they would repay even their deaths one day.
Then Hyeong-u spoke up.
“U-rin. We’re heading to Gwizhou Province anyway. So I’m asking—wouldn’t it be possible to seek help from your mother?”
At Hyeong-u’s words, Jang Hye-in flared up.
“Hey, come on!”
“I just….”
“Senior. You’re not thinking of killing my mother too, are you?”
If she became involved in this matter, no matter how exalted her position in the Demonic Faction, the invisible hand would not simply let her be.
“Ah… I see. I’m sorry. I was just thinking… perhaps….”
Who was Sa U-rin’s mother? She was the supreme master of the Demonic Faction. If such a person were to help Jang Hye-in and his team, their chances of survival would increase dramatically.
That’s why Hyeong-u had ventured to mention it.
“I understand your heart, Senior. But if we keep hoping for someone’s help whenever we face a crisis, we’ll never stand on our own feet.”
“Right, come on. How can you be shorter of thought than the youngest? Tsk.”
“I apologize.”
Jang Hye-in surveyed his team once more and spoke again.
“I know you’re all exhausted. You’re afraid. I’m afraid too. But we must face that fear and fight it. Only then can we survive. And if we do survive like that, we will grow stronger once again.”
Determination kindled in the team members’ eyes. Then they nodded.
Jang Hye-in was suddenly struck by a different worry and turned to Sa U-rin.
“U-rin.”
“Yes?”
“…Are you going to tell Miss Dang before we leave?”
It was absurd to be worrying about such a thing at this moment, but he couldn’t help it. The journey ahead—no, the journey toward death—was already going to be brutal. If they departed with their spirits already crushed, wouldn’t it be all the more difficult?
That’s why.
The moment Dang I-ryeong learned tomorrow that Sa U-rin was leaving, she would surely transform into Dok-hwa and unleash all her rage and anger unfiltered upon Jang Hye-in and his team.
Of course, Sa U-rin himself would be exempt from all of it.
“You don’t need to worry. I’ll just go without saying anything.”
“…I see. Thank you.”
Truly, he was grateful. And the youngest really was a clever one.
“Then, everyone get some good sleep tonight for what’s ahead and prepare to depart with a light heart.”
Though whether that was even possible was another matter.
* * *
The next day, Jang Hye-in and his team finished breakfast and immediately set out on their journey toward death.
Their hearts far heavier than Jang Hye-in had intended.
Damn it.
So perhaps that’s why.
“Why is that bastard staring at us?”
“Which bastard?”
“That bastard.”
“Could it be the invisible hand?”
That’s when Sa U-rin spoke.
“No. Just someone passing by.”
“If he’s just passing by, why is he staring at us?”
“Because I’m handsome. Or maybe because the commander is beautiful.”
“…What….”
What nonsense….
And so it continued. This pattern repeated endlessly.
Every passerby seemed suspect, every moment demanding vigilance. He knew this was exhausting, wearing him down—but he couldn’t help it. His nerves remained perpetually on edge.
That’s why Jang Hye-in decided to travel through remote mountain roads instead. He managed several days without incident that way.
But then.
As they crossed from Hunan Province into Gwizhou Province.
Sa U-rin spoke.
“A considerable force is heading toward us.”
“……Really?”
“Yes.”
“……At last…….”
“……Already…….”
“……We haven’t even reached Yeoyeong District yet…….”
Sa U-rin exhaled sharply and spoke again.
“They don’t seem strong enough to kill us.”
“……You’re certain?”
“Yes, I’m certain.”
“Really?”
“Truly.”
Moments later, just as Sa U-rin had said, more than twenty figures blocked their path ahead.
Bandits.
The man who appeared to be their leader—a scarred, brutish fellow—stepped forward and opened his mouth.
“One silver tael per person.”
So Seo U-chan stepped out.
“Can’t you see swords in our hands?”
“Ha ha ha! Can’t you see there are more than twenty of us?”
Seo U-chan’s expression twisted in disbelief as he spoke again.
“……Ah……, so you’ve got more heads than we do?”
“So you finally understand! Ha ha ha! Now hand over ten taels and be on your way! Or leave your heads behind instead!”
Incredulous, Seo U-chan turned to look back at Jang Hye-in. “What should we do?”
“What should we do? We clear the path.”
“Right?”
“That’s right.”
Yet no one moved. Their eyes gleamed with the thought: ‘U-chan can handle this alone.’
So Jang Hye-in spoke again.
“No, you bastards! Listen! Now that you can throw around a little Sword Energy, you think you’re Masters?! Huh?! Your heads are completely scrambled—how do you expect to return alive?! Everyone, move now!”
Only then did the team members spring into action.
But then.
“Doesn’t Sa U-rin get to move?”
“This is ridiculous! Hey! If Sa U-rin moves, shouldn’t I move too? Should I?! Huh?!”
“……No.”
In an instant, the eight team members dismantled the bandits.
The brigands—their eyes swollen shut like chestnuts—knelt bleeding on the ground. They weren’t killed. Had these been human traffickers, they would have been slaughtered without hesitation, but these men were not.
Hyeong-jun stepped forward. “Are you traffickers?”
Bu Chae-ju’s eyes went wide as lanterns, and he leaped up.
“No, no! We’re nothing of the sort! We’re nowhere near that business!”
A thief wouldn’t confess to being a thief. His denial was worthless.
So Hyeong-jun asked Jang Hye-in, “What do we do?”
“Hell with it. Let’s check.”
The road ahead was treacherous, but you could never be certain of anything.
These men might be helping traffickers too. So Jang Hye-in and his team forced Bu Chae-ju to lead them to their bandit den and ransacked it.
Fortunately, there were no kidnapped victims inside. So they beat some sense into the men with warnings about mending their ways, then resumed their journey immediately.
Days passed again. They’d crossed well beyond Gwizhou Province’s borders, still moving through sparse mountain paths.
Then, abruptly, Sa U-rin’s footsteps halted.
“Wait.”
“Why?”
“Someone’s coming toward us.”
Despite all the sparse roads they’d traveled, surely they’d crossed paths with people before now.
Yet something in Sa U-rin’s tone made Jang Hye-in pause.
The atmosphere shifted.
“How many?”
Each time before, Sa U-rin had not hesitated. Only the bandits had caused him to pause mid-stride. There had been nothing like this before or after…….
Sa U-rin’s expression seemed unusually grave. Or at least, it felt that way.
Since Sa U-rin’s face so rarely changed, it remained impossible to read anything from his expression.
“How many?”
“One.”
“One? Come on.”
“I’m joking.”
“Just some passing traveler, I’d guess.”
So Jang Hye-in opened his mouth.
“If that were true, would U-rin have stopped us?”
“……Well. You’re right.”
“How strong are we talking, U-rin?”
What should he say?
Sa U-rin deliberated.
“A Master.”
“But we’re Masters too, aren’t we?”
So Jang Hye-in stepped in again.
“Listen here. When U-rin calls someone a Master, he means it from his perspective.”
“……Ah. So…….”
Not an ordinary Master, then?
At that, everyone tensed.
“……We can manage it, right?”
What should he answer?
Sa U-rin fell into thought again.
Honestly, the Master approaching them now was not someone Jang Hye-in, his men, and Sa U-rin could handle.
Not quite an Absolute Master……or so it seemed, but he couldn’t be certain of that either. What was certain, however, was that this was not a Master of the caliber Jang Hye-in, his men, and Sa U-rin could face.
And so it felt hopeless.
And so he wondered whether he should simply hand that despair over to Jang Hye-in and his men.
“……U-rin, why won’t you answer?”
It only makes everyone more nervous.
So Sa U-rin spoke.
“Perhaps…….”
“……Perhaps what?”
“We might be able to survive.”
“……We might survive?”
In other words, wasn’t he saying the odds of survival were slimmer than the chance of death?
Put simply, they were already done for.
“……Yes.”
It was Sa U-rin’s answer, coaxed from the very depths of optimism, spoken in the brightest light possible, with perhaps just a touch more falsehood layered on top.

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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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