Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 246

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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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Chapter 246
Crash—!!
The door shattered into pieces, revealing what lay within.
Ham Jang-sik sat there, his face deathly pale.
Seol Woon-hwi, drenched in blood, let out a soft chuckle.
“Arrogance.”
At those words, Ham Jang-sik’s brow furrowed.
“…Surely you’re not speaking to me?”
“Then who else is here?”
Ham Jang-sik let out a heavy sigh.
“…Arrogance, you say. On the way here, you’ve already slain over two hundred Beggar Sect disciples. Wouldn’t arrogance be a word better suited to Cheonsu-sa the Great One than to me?”
“And?”
“Perhaps we should stop here.”
Seol Woon-hwi smiled and sat across from Ham Jang-sik.
“Since you haven’t fled, it seems you’re willing to hear what I have to say.”
“…”
“If you have something to say, speak.”
“…The Ihwageomseonchong proposed the same thing that Cheonsu-sa the Great One suggested.”
“And?”
Cold sweat trickled down Ham Jang-sik’s forehead.
“I…didn’t want to miss this opportunity.”
“Opportunity?”
Ham Jang-sik continued, his voice trembling.
“The Ihwageomseonchong stands at the apex among the Five Great Sword Sects. More importantly, it maintains subtle hierarchical relationships with the other sword sects, placing it in a position where it can effectively control all five sects.”
Ham Jang-sik’s voice grew faster.
“Though Cheonsu-sa’s backing is the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace, if there’s a direct confrontation with the Ihwageomseonchong, it could become a war between the entire Five Great Sword Sects and the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace. Of course, if it comes to that, the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace would ultimately prevail, but would the Martial Alliance truly remain idle?”
“Continue.”
“Vice Alliance Leader Zhuge Yeong-hyeon of the Martial Alliance seeks justification to punish the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace. He would never miss such an opportunity. And even if the Four Heaven Alliance maintains friendly relations with Cheonsu-sa, if the Martial Alliance becomes an enemy as well…”
Ham Jang-sik lifted his head.
His eyes held absolute conviction.
He continued speaking.
“In the end, Cheonsu-sa would face defeat.”
“And?”
“Jang I-cheong the Great Hero has reached the Heaven-Human Realm. Everyone knows that while Cheonsu-sa subdued Pung Mu-hwi, the Heaven-Human Realm stands on an entirely different level from the other Four Stages of Heaven and Earth.”
Ham Jang-sik looked directly at Seol Woon-hwi.
“Whether it’s Cheonsu-sa or Jang I-cheong the Great Hero, both are clearly trying to resolve these matters through their own strength without drawing upon their sects’ power. But frankly, it’s not just the two of you who wish to avoid escalation. Mae Wi-dong of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, as well as all martial artists across every region, desire peace.”
Seol Woon-hwi listened quietly to Ham Jang-sik’s words.
“As a beggar of the Beggar Sect, I made my judgment. To uphold the greater good.”
Finally, Seol Woon-hwi burst into genuine laughter.
At that soft sound, Ham Jang-sik flinched.
“Your excuses are quite lengthy.”
“…”
“In the end, you’re making a very long-winded claim that you attached yourself to Jang I-cheong to gain more profits.”
“…What do you mean by that.”
“Justice, you say? Your finale is far too clumsy, isn’t it.”
Ham Jang-sik swallowed hard.
“When did you first learn that Baek Mu-jin entered Seongchakju? All information about Seongchakju would reach you, so you must have known long ago. Yet even at the moment you accepted my proposal, you concealed that fact. Is that what you call justice?”
“…”
“Moreover, Ihwageomseonchong dispatched four masters of the Harmony Realm. Even accounting for the fact that those four were cultivated as ‘Shadows,’ it’s inconceivable that the Beggar Sect wouldn’t know of such individuals entering Seongchakju. Am I wrong?”
“…”
“Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that those four were so exceptional they even deceived the Beggar Sect’s eyes. Then when did you learn of the divisions within the Seong Jak Alliance? The Gang Cheon Wave Gate, the Fragrant Group, and the Iron Ship Hall—those were people dissatisfied with me, and you surely didn’t overlook them. As a Five Knot Beggar, you would never miss such things. Even if you could overlook someone’s visits to those places, you couldn’t possibly be ignorant of their meetings. If you truly didn’t know, you’d be more of a Three Knot Beggar than a Five Knot Beggar.”
“…”
“Did I leak to Jang I-cheong that I was heading to Gangbuk Province with Cheon Rak-bu? Or did I leak it to Baek Mu-jin? Was that also justice?”
“…”
“Your secret talks with Baek Mu-jin and your choice weren’t made for survival or some notion of justice—they were made purely for your own benefit.”
It was too fatal to be called a mere slip of the tongue.
This was something he couldn’t take to his grave even out of shame.
Faced with such thoroughly crushing logic, Ham Jang-sik let out a sigh. His momentum had shifted.
“…Very well. I admit my slip of the tongue. It wasn’t justice but my personal greed that drove me. So, shall we reset our relationship now?”
His tone had changed as well.
Seol Woon-hwi let out a hollow laugh.
“How shameless.”
Now that everything was exposed, the accusation of shamelessness caused Ham Jang-sik no pain whatsoever. He continued in the most composed tone he could muster.
“I will manipulate the deaths of all the beggars you’ve killed on the way here.”
“Manipulate?”
“If not for me, you will become enemies with the Beggar Sect. No matter how much the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace belongs to the Murim outside Sae-oe, you have built Yang Ling-ju with your own power and come to dominate Seongchakju as well. Yang Ling-ju is on the periphery, but it’s clearly within the Beggar Sect’s direct sphere of influence, and Seongchakju even more so. You will surely need my help.”
“Help, you say.”
“If you join hands with me again today, the Beggar Sect members who died today will become a massacre orchestrated by the Iron Ship Hall, the Gang Cheon Wave Gate, and the Fragrant Group under orders from Ihwageomseonchong. Yes, I will arrange it that way.”
This was the reason Ham Jang-sik hadn’t fled.
As a Five Knot Beggar, he had the confidence to read the shifting situation and negotiate with Seol Woon-hwi again.
He had indeed betrayed Seol Woon-hwi, but circumstances had reversed.
The massacre of Beggar Sect members meant this: no matter how many he killed, he never truly intended to make enemies of the Beggar Sect.
However, this conclusion stemmed from grossly underestimating Seol Woon-hwi.
“So you’re saying you’ll prevent me from becoming enemies with the Beggar Sect, and in exchange, spare your life?”
“In summary, yes.”
Truly.
“The Beggar Sect’s prestige runs deep.”
“…Pardon?”
“The Beggar Sect right now, with internal reorganization still incomplete, is nothing more than a gathering of rabble, yet you attempt extortion with nothing but a hollow reputation. It’s rather unpleasant to witness.”
I had considered using the Thousand Year Blood Heart Ginseng in my possession, but this wasn’t the sort of matter worthy of such an item.
“Manager Seong.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Kill him.”
As Manager Seong drew his hidden dagger, Ham Jang-sik shot to his feet.
“Are you insane?! I told you I would block the Beggar Sect for you! Surely you still don’t understand the situation….”
“Did I not say it? The Beggar Sect now, scattered and disunited rather than truly consolidated, is perfectly suited to serve as go stones. In this world, there exists no baduk player who fears go stones.”
I was left speechless.
This truly was a madman.
Did he even comprehend the weight of what he was saying?
“The Beggar Sect is….”
He never finished his sentence.
Slice—!
Manager Seong’s hidden dagger severed his head clean from his body.
Watching Ham Jang-sik’s head roll away, I rose from my seat.
Manager Seong, who had been staring blankly at the rolling head, turned to me with a question.
“What exactly are you trying to do?”
Manager Seong was no fool—he understood the game well enough.
“I wonder if it would have been better to feed the Thousand-Year Blood Heart Fruit to Ham Jang-sik instead.”
I answered him briefly.
“The profit margin doesn’t justify it.”
“The profit margin?”
“The Thousand-Year Blood Heart Fruit is, as far as I know, one of only six treasures of supreme value in the Central Plains. Only masters who have reached the Great Void Formless can dismantle it, so depending on how it’s used, one could gain tremendous benefits.”
His words weren’t wrong, but the world rarely worked so simply.
Where there is gain, there must be loss.
The Thousand-Year Blood Heart Fruit was unmistakably an artifact of the Demonic Path.
The moment its use became known, whispers would spread everywhere, and if one had many enemies, it could even lead to being branded a Murim outlaw.
It had to be used in absolute secrecy, and no one could ever know it had been employed.
Above all, I had no desire to waste it on something as trivial as the Beggar Sect.
Using a blood heart fruit for such a task would be nothing short of admitting incompetence.
I looked at Manager Seong.
“Do you hold the Beggar Sect in high regard?”
“…Well, I wouldn’t say I underestimate them. Since I’m not a remarkable person like you, Young Master, I do feel the weight that the Beggar Sect carries somewhat heavily.”
“So you find them threatening.”
“It’s not just me… Still, wouldn’t any martial artist fear the Beggar Sect? There are beggars everywhere in this world.”
I withdrew Divine Ginseng Smoke from my pouch, lit it with Sammaejinhwa, and spoke quietly.
“I thought someone of your caliber would understand.”
“Understand what?”
“That no matter how many beggars gather, beggars remain nothing but beggars.”
“….”
“Thousands upon thousands of beggars assembled are still merely beggars. Large numbers mean they’re difficult to control, and each harbors thousands of different intentions. They are more sensitive to power than anyone else in this world. While other sects also submit to strength, the Beggar Sect’s susceptibility is somewhat more pronounced.”
“By ‘great,’ you mean…?”
“The Beggar Sect is already in turmoil. With the Sect Leader and Vice Sect Leader divided into factions and fighting, internal chaos runs deep. Adding more enemies would be foolish.”
“However, there are historical precedents where competing forces have united to eliminate a single enemy.”
“Those two are different cases. And after today passes, not a single beggar within the Beggar Sect will wish to become my enemy.”
“Is there a reason for that?”
Seol Woon-hwi glanced around at those gathered.
“Those sensitive to numbers like Manager Seong fear the Beggar Sect first, but those like me who find such concerns meaningless understand that the Beggar Sect’s power is merely an illusion.”
“An illusion…?”
Seol Woon-hwi was certain of it.
After today passed, every beggar in the Beggar Sect would tremble merely hearing his name.
I spoke briefly.
“How can a martial artist who fears illusions ever stand beneath the heavens?”
Not for a single moment.
I had never feared the Beggar Sect.
Neither in my previous life nor in this one.
“Go and summon Ja-sa.”
Manager Seong nodded with an awkward expression.

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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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