Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 27

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 27

“It’s not a matter of trusting or not trusting the Vice Palace Lord. If only one person provides assistance, vision will become clouded and biased judgments will inevitably be made. That’s why I believe it’s good to prepare control mechanisms that can prevent such issues beforehand. This is my second request.”

“…Then, why don’t you suspect me?”

I smiled and took a step forward.

I faced Hyeon Sim directly.

Then I slowly reached out and placed my hand on Hyeon Sim’s shoulder.

Just like in that moment.

Looking straight into his eyes, I spoke slowly.

“Aren’t you a man who knows loyalty?”

“….”

“Respect is a realm of the heart that reason cannot reach, and you respect my father. Loyalty and respect—truly noble values. When you possess such precious things, what more could be needed?”

Hyeon Sim, who had been quietly looking at my hand on his shoulder, smiled softly. It seemed he didn’t find it unpleasant to hear.

I quietly lowered my hand.

“Ah, and since you’re here, please take that guy with you too.”

“…Understood.”

I had already delayed too much time here.

I needed to go to Seol-ap.

There was much to do in Seol-ap.

“I’ll be going.”

Just as I was about to take my leave.

I heard Hyeon Sim’s voice from behind me.

“Lord Hyeon Seol-rin.”

I turned my head.

Hyeon Sim made a proposal I hadn’t even thought of.

“Do you have any thoughts of joining the White Command Guard?”

The White Command Guard is composed exclusively of martial artists at the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown level or higher.

It’s a place one cannot enter even if they want to, but those of Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace bloodline are an exception. At the commander’s discretion, bloodline members can enter the White Command Guard. Not as low-ranking members, but as unit commanders of independent units led by the Twelve Cold Spirits.

I answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“I have no such thoughts.”

“…Then would you at least become my disciple?”

I smiled slightly.

“I’ll accept the sentiment alone.”

Hyeon Sim’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t expected even this to be rejected, but I didn’t mind.

“The day is cold. Father must be waiting for the results, so wouldn’t it be better for you to go?”

“…Understood. Take care.”

“You be careful as well, Commander.”

* * *

Returning to Seol-ap, I could see Manager Seong stamping his feet at the entrance, waiting.

Judging by the piles of snow accumulated on his shoulders, he seemed to have been waiting longer than expected.

And his mood appeared quite complicated as well.

Manager Seong, who spotted me, widened his eyes and immediately ran toward me. The sight of snow scattering from his shoulders was quite a spectacle.

What this means is that Manager Seong was currently using his ‘internal energy.’

Even though he absolutely must not be discovered as belonging to the White Command Guard Snow Unit, he was doing this.

Manager Seong, who had run up to me, immediately grabbed my shoulders and spoke quickly.

“…Could you perhaps come tomorrow instead of today?”

I frowned.

Before I could even ask for the reason.

“Right now, a Six-Knot Beggar from the Beggar Sect is inside.”

* * *

As I mentioned briefly before, in the Beggar Sect, one’s position can be determined by the number of belts worn at the waist.

The highest is the Nine-Knot Beggar.

The sect leader is a Nine-Knot Beggar, and the Eight-Knot Beggars below are the sect leader’s direct disciples and the only ones who can lead the Beggar Sect in the future.

The ones to be most cautious of in the Beggar Sect are the Seven-Knot Beggars.

Without exception, they are all composed of those who have reached the final stage of the Four Stages of Heaven and Earth and strong warriors who have reached the first or second stage of the Five Realms of Martial God, and befitting those who have reached such levels, they are the pillars supporting the Beggar Sect.

Next in importance are the Six-Knot Beggars.

Well, as with any sect, ultimately only those with talent who have proven their abilities rise to high positions.

Six-Knot Beggars are those very likely to rise to Seven-Knot Beggar status in the future, and they are also those who absolutely cannot reach that position unless they have at least entered the beginning stages of the Four Stages of Heaven and Earth.

“A Six-Knot Beggar…. So that’s why you’re acting like this?”

“…Young Master, it’s a Six-Knot Beggar. I don’t know what your limits are, but waging ‘war’ with the Beggar Sect right now is not good.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’re greatly mistaken about something.”

“…Me?”

“Even if that Six-Knot Beggar dies, the Beggar Sect will absolutely be unable to wage war.”

“…Why… not? How does that make sense?”

“Why wouldn’t it? Right now the Beggar Sect is busy dealing with internal affairs, so expanding the front lines is something only fools would do. And as far as I know, the current sect leader of the Beggar Sect isn’t foolish enough for that, though the next generation’s leader might be different.”

“…Still, wouldn’t it be better to just avoid them?”

Manager Seong doesn’t know what kind of life I’ve lived.

And he doesn’t know what kinds of things I’m capable of doing.

That’s fine.

He’ll naturally learn by staying by my side anyway.

A smile forms on my lips.

I quietly lowered Manager Seong’s arm.

“What about that thing we talked about?”

“…I brought it just in case.”

Before going to the Main Palace, I had made several requests to Manager Seong.

One of them was these documents I’m receiving now.

These documents contain information about the major powers among the sects residing in Yang-ryeong.

Who the current sect leader is, who the young sect leader is, what martial arts they use, what their personalities are like, and even what kind of person the county magistrate of Yang-ryeong County is.

I had told Father this.

That I didn’t want the Snow Palace to intervene.

The affairs of Yang-ryeong would begin solely from my hands and end in my hands.

“I’m really curious, so I’m asking—why did you tell me to find this out?”

“Because I need to make a plan.”

“A plan?”

“What’s the most important thing in Murim?”

“…There are many. Important things.”

I shook my head at those words.

“There’s only one important thing in Murim. Gratitude and grudges.”

“….”

“Living as a martial artist means living while upholding gratitude and grudges. Naturally, one must not forget kindness, and one must also not forget resentment. If you’ve been wronged, you should naturally retaliate, and if you don’t retaliate, it’s no different from announcing to the world that you’re unqualified as a martial artist.”

“Young Master….”

“Right now in my head, there are five methods to completely annihilate all the major families of Yang-ryeong, four methods to minimize damage and then devour Yang-ryeong whole, and twelve methods to completely erase the city of Yang-ryeong from this world without a trace.”

Manager Seong gulps down his saliva.

“Looking at this data roughly, I’m getting a sense of what needs to be done.”

“…How… will you proceed?”

I smiled faintly.

“First, let’s meet with the beggars from the Beggar Sect.”

Manager Seong grabbed my arm as I was about to take a step forward.

“…Young Master….”

I’ll say it again, but Manager Seong is certainly a benefactor in my life.

As I told him before, even if Manager Seong were to strike me in the back of the head and stab a hidden dagger into my back, I could forgive him.

There would surely be good reason for it all.

If he asked for one of my arms, I might even give it to him. That’s the kind of person Manager Seong is to me.

It’s no joke—without Manager Seong, I wouldn’t have been able to breathe properly and live until now, until this age of seventeen.

Manager Seong has been a tremendous source of strength for me.

So right now, my mood wasn’t too bad.

Manager Seong’s heart showing concern for me, and even his trembling arm.

It reached me.

If not now, when would I ever feel such emotions again?

“It’s alright.”

At my gentle words, Manager Seong slowly lowered his arm and asked me.

“Young Master… why do you not know what fear is?”

I didn’t answer and just stared at Manager Seong quietly. He looked like he had much to say.

“That you’ve come back through time, yes, I believe it. I believe it, but right now you are not the same being from before you traveled back in time. You collapsed just fighting against a mere expert of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown. The Six-Belt Beggar currently at the branch is an expert of the Four Stages of Heaven and Earth. Moreover, an expert of the Body Establishment Boundary. Even I would have to prepare for mutual destruction if I were to fight him. He’s not someone who should come to a place like Seol-ap.”

Manager Seong was saying.

That it’s not a sin for a person to have fear.

That there are countless ways to shake off that fear, and retreating for a moment right now is one of those methods.

“Manager Seong.”

“…Yes, Young Master.”

“Do I appear to have no fear?”

“Yes.”

“Unfortunately, in my world, fear does exist. Whether to face that fear or run from it—it’s all an individual’s choice, and I respect that. But I am the master of my world. As the master of that world, there’s only one way I face fear.”

I raised my head and looked straight into Manager Seong’s eyes.

“Manager Seong said that retreating is also one method. Certainly those words are correct. Since I’m human too, I retreat and step back sometimes. But today is not that day.”

“….”

“Simply walking through life and walking while pushing away fear are different things. Humans gave a name to that special step, and we call it ‘will.'”

“….”

“I am a martial artist. In every moment I live as a martial artist, I will walk with that will. Whether the opponent is an expert of the Body Establishment Boundary or an expert of the Five Realms of Martial God, no one can slow my steps backward. That’s my way of facing fear.”

I smiled faintly.

“Now then, let’s go. No matter how much they’re uninvited guests, guests are still guests, and it wouldn’t be proper to keep them waiting long.”

* * *

Manager Seong ultimately couldn’t stop Seol Woon-hwi.

Seol Woon-hwi began walking ahead and soon entered the interior of the Seol-ap Branch.

There, he could see two people.

He didn’t know who one of them was.

But he knew one of them all too well.

Seol Woon-hwi looked at that man’s face, saw the six belts fastened around his waist, then smiled strangely.

Rather, that smile made Six-Belt Beggar Cheon Su-gang furrow his brow.

Really.

Though it was called a strange smile, to Cheon Su-gang, that really was a weird smile.

Why did it look like the kind of smile one would make when seeing someone they know?

Why did it look like the kind of smile one would make when seeing someone they’d killed once before?

“I didn’t expect you to come so suddenly without any notice.”

Having said that, Seol Woon-hwi passed by the two men and then, just as he had done before, plopped down under the eaves.

“Ah, I came a long way, so standing continuously is a bit much for me. I trust you’ll understand.”

Having said that, Seol Woon-hwi looked at Cheon Su-gang.

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