I Shouldn't Have Joined the Martial Arts Alliance - Chapter 9

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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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Unnecessarily joining the Murim Alliance — Episode 9
“How old are you, if I may ask?”
Sa Urin found the question odd, but answered anyway.
“……I’m eighteen.”
‘……Eighteen? That’s far too young.’
She’d taken him for youthful-looking, but no—he was simply a boy. Yet how had someone this young managed to stand against Ma In……?
As for the Dang Clan leader’s sons, she’d heard they were around twenty-seven and twenty-five, so this one certainly wasn’t his offspring.
Nor was he the young master of the Baekri Family.
‘……What a shame.’
Had she rescued the young master of the Dang Clan or the Baekri Family, she would have landed a prize catch indeed.
It would have been a golden opportunity to forge ties with the Dang Clan and Baekri Family—Sichuan Province’s largest and most formidable martial sects. But thinking it over, her disappointment went beyond mere regret; it bordered on lament.
Still, were there really martial artists this strong at his age in the current Ganghoe?
‘……I don’t think so.’
True enough.
Even Jang Hye In couldn’t possibly know every late-stage martial artist scattered across the entire Ganghoe.
In any case, this boy was clearly exceptional, which meant he almost certainly came from an equally exceptional family.
So Jang Hye In asked very respectfully.
“Which martial sect do you belong to?”
“I don’t belong to any.”
‘Did I……mishear?’
That couldn’t be right. Jang Hye In was still vigorous in her years as a martial artist.
“What do you mean……?”
“I live here.”
“Here……?”
“Can’t you tell by looking?”
Of course, the place was wrecked and in disarray, but Jang Hye In knew well enough what kind of establishment this was.
The pieces simply didn’t fit together.
So to grasp the full picture, Jang Hye In turned her head toward Seo Woo Chan, her squad member. He bobbed his head vigorously in confirmation.
‘……He’s saying yes?’
If this was actually true……
Jang Hye In’s eyes swept across Jang Chun and his brothers, who stood nearby with Seo Woo Chan.
‘……So that means……’
These worthless third-rate thugs ran a gambling den?
‘……That’s impossible……’
Jang Hye In pressed Sa Urin for a definitive answer.
“Are you telling me you’re with those people over there?”
Sa Urin shook his head.
“……Then what?”
“They’re not partners—they’re like family. My uncles and older brothers.”
“……Family……”
Family, he said. Family!
That was just another way of saying they were partners, wasn’t it?
“This is absurd. Damn it.”
Everything fell apart.
What had seemed like a dream in the night dissolved to nothing, leaving only frustration crowding her mind.
Regardless.
“Why did you interfere?”
“You’re the one who interfered first.”
This boy—not even a direct heir of a major house—dared speak so casually?
Still, she held the rank of squad leader commanding the Murim Alliance’s patrol squad. She stood in a position that even the heads of minor-to-mid-tier sects did not dare treat carelessly.
Yet this mere gambling den runt, barely old enough to bleed, was taking that tone with her?
“Listen, boy. Do you know who I am?”
He had to know—there was no way he didn’t.
Seo Woo Chan was a warrior of the Murim Alliance, and he’d called this woman “squad leader” aloud, so she was clearly a squad leader of the Murim Alliance.
That’s why he was being respectful.
“Yes, I do.”
“Then why……no.”
Still, she was officially a squad leader of the Murim Alliance and an adult. It would be petty to rebuke him merely for speaking casually, and frankly shameful to make a fuss over it.
“This boy doesn’t seem to understand the situation.”
“That can’t be right.”
When this woman calling herself the Squad Leader appeared and began to sprinkle ash over the rice he’d labored to prepare, Sa Urin’s desire to make a good impression evaporated entirely.
Jang Hye In pointed at Seo Woo Chan.
“My subordinate got chased down by this Ma In and ended up like that. Didn’t he?”
“That’s how I understand it.”
“See? You’re the one who stuck your nose in.”
“No. I’m not interfering—I’m helping to save your subordinate.”
Even at a glance, it didn’t seem like a lie.
“……Look, anyway, this is a Murim Alliance operation. So don’t get in the way.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Christ, really? What do you keep saying no to?”
“Interfering in a fight for someone’s life goes against the Way of the Ganghoe.”
“……What? Did you just say the Way of the Ganghoe?”
“Yes. What’s wrong with that?”
Sa Urin wasn’t ignorant of such things.
His father had drilled it into him relentlessly—how long it had been since the Way of the Ganghoe vanished from this world.
And yet his father had also said this:
‘You alone must uphold the Way of the Ganghoe, must uphold the way of the Martial Artist. Change begins with the smallest things.’
Somewhere along the way, without knowing when it started, his father’s words had begun to seep from Sa Urin’s mind, his body, his very Martial Technique.
So without thinking, he’d spoken the absurd truth aloud despite knowing better.
And so Jang Hye In found it absurd.
It wasn’t only Jang Hye In. The subordinates listening behind her wore absurd, stifled smiles as well.
“The Ganghoe’s been eating the Way like rice for ages. And even if it still existed, it’s something the strong and powerful invoke for show—not words that should come from the mouth of a greenhorn like you. Besides, you’re just a Martial Artist. We’re Martial Artists affiliated with the Murim Alliance. Which means my word takes precedence. Do you understand?”
This was not something Sa Urin would fail to grasp.
“I understand what you’re saying.”
“That’s right…….”
“But I still can’t back down. If…….”
“If what? What are you going to do? It sounds like you’re saying you’ll stop us.”
“Yes. You’re hearing me correctly.”
“……What? You insane bastard. Listen—you realize you’re making yourself the same kind as Ma In, right?”
“I wouldn’t know about that.”
“What the hell—this kind of son of a bitch…….”
At that moment, a sudden gust of wind swept through the gambling den.
……Wind?
There was no reason for wind to blow inside a closed gambling den.
Sa Urin felt it, Jang Hye In felt it, and the Murim Alliance warriors naturally felt it too.
So everyone’s eyes naturally drifted toward the direction the wind had come from.
When their gazes shifted, they immediately understood the cause.
“…….”
“……!”
“……Shit.”
No one had anticipated it.
That Ma In would cut and run.
Through the gambling den door that Jang Hye In had smashed open.
It was a moment when both Sa Urin and Jang Hye In felt the ground give way beneath them.
Sa Urin’s achievement and Jang Hye In’s reward had both disappeared with him.
* * *
Seo Woo Chan returned safely to the branch and slept through an entire day before finally waking just now.
For someone bearing such grievous wounds, he was recovering with remarkable speed. Squad Leader Jang Hye In spoke to him teasingly.
“You were really blessed by heaven. If I hadn’t rushed in then, you’d be lying in the underworld by now.”
When Seo Woo Chan didn’t appear, Jang Hye In had moved quickly with her subordinates in pursuit.
“I think I would have survived even without you coming, Squad Leader.”
Jang Hye In knew it too.
“This bastard won’t say thanks if his life depends on it. You alone nearly got us all killed, you son of a bitch. You get that, right?”
If that young man had not been there, by the time Jang Hye In arrived, Seo Woo Chan would already have been dead, and she would have faced a life-or-death battle against an unscathed Ma In.
At the very least, several of Seo Woo Chan’s comrades would have been killed.
“……I understand.”
“You understand, but you speak like that? Huh?”
“I apologize, Squad Leader. I’ll make sure nothing like this happens again.”
“Forget it, you bastard. You’re bowing so deep you’re practically prostrating.”
“But where did everyone go?”
“Why? Shouldn’t you be at my side, desperately hoping I’d wake up?”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“Just to be safe, I had everyone track that bastard Ma In’s movements.”
“What? But if something goes wrong—”
“Of course I told them to follow the trail only. Do I look like an idiot to you, Squad Leader? Huh? Seriously.”
“Hehe, I was just worried.”
“Don’t you think I know what I’m doing?”
“Of course. I know you do.”
“Know, my ass. Anyway, that wound of yours was pretty deep. How’d you pull through?”
Even with Pressure Point Bleeding Stop applied, the wound had been severe enough that losing that much blood should have been fatal.
“Honestly, I’d given up too. But when that kid used the technique, the bleeding just… stopped cold.”
“That kid? You mean the young one?”
“Yes. Now that I think about it, something strange happened.”
“What?”
“I didn’t realize it at the time, but thinking back, he pressed the exact same pressure point I had—yet it worked perfectly. At the moment I was too out of it to notice anything unusual about his method, but now I realize there was nothing special about it. Really remarkable, isn’t he? Fighting Ma In to a draw like that.”
“You’re telling me that kid really did all that?”
“Yes.”
Jang Hye In fell into deep thought. If what Seo Woo Chan said was true, this was no ordinary young man.
‘Perhaps… no, that’s absurd.’
Something flickered at the edge of her mind, but the thought was too preposterous to entertain. She dismissed it quickly.
Still, the question remained: why would someone like that be in such a place?
“Squad Leader?”
“Hm? What?”
“Why are you thinking so hard? You’re making me anxious.”
“Anxious about what?”
“You know you always get that serious look when you’re deep in thought, and then something strange always happens. You know I’m right about this.”
“You’re wrong, damn it.”
“I don’t think so…”
“Drop it. You saw it firsthand, so tell me—just how strong was he?”
Seo Woo Chan recalled yesterday’s events.
“At first, honestly, he seemed to be struggling. But then it was like he was just testing the waters, and he caught up immediately. And—this sounds crazy, I know it doesn’t make sense—but it really looked like his skill was improving as he fought. That’s impossible, right? Your skill doesn’t improve mid-fight. You get better by reviewing what you learned after the fight and gaining understanding from it. Not during. Isn’t that right, Squad Leader?”
“…That’s right. But you’re sure your eyes didn’t deceive you?”
That seemed highly unlikely.
“Well, I don’t know. My eyes aren’t anything special, so I could’ve been mistaken.”
Seo Woo Chan wasn’t skilled enough to be considered a master judge of ability.
“That’s fair.”
Just then, a voice called from outside.
“Squad Leader, are you in?”
“Come in.”
The subordinates Jang Hye In had sent to track Ma In’s trail had arrived.
All seven of them crowded into the room, filling it completely.
“Well?”
O Hyung Jun, the oldest among them, answered.
“Just as you predicted, Squad Leader. The trail went cold midway. Though we did alert the local garrison, so word should reach the Dang Clan soon. There’s a chance they might pick up his tail.”
It was what she’d expected. She’d simply wanted to be thorough and avoid any mistakes, so she’d sent them to follow the trail anyway.
“Can’t be helped.”
All the squad members’ eyes turned toward Seo Woo Chan with curiosity.
“You’re in one piece?”
“What, you wanted me dead?”
“Hey, man. I’m just relieved, that’s all.”
“Hehe, I know. Just joking around. You’re something else, brother.”
“But your wound was pretty severe. That’s really something.”
“It’s all thanks to that kid.”
“Yeah, he really was something. Didn’t see the fight myself, but I wouldn’t have dared rush at Ma In like he did.”
“He was eighteen, you said?”
“Yes.”
“Wow. What was I doing at that age? I don’t even remember. Damn.”
Then Jang Hye In spoke up.
“Which is exactly why I’m saying this.”
Every eye turned toward their Squad Leader, Jang Hye In.
“What do you think about bringing him into our squad? I think he’d be a good fit. Let’s hear what everyone thinks.”
‘Perhaps…….’
The thought that she might land an even bigger prize than Ma In was sweeping through Jang Hye In’s mind.

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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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