Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 312

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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 312
“This letter is my legitimate justification for eliminating the Leader of Muk Se-hoe.”
“…But the Deputy Leader is a master of Limitless Divine Manifestation, and from what I can see, isn’t that person the actual Leader? How is that even possible?”
Seol Woon-hwi chuckled softly.
“My Elder Brother ascended to the Divine Transformation Realm not long ago. With such an Elder Brother, I can command everyone except the Palace Lord of Snow Palace.”
“….”
“It’s a matter of position and authority. The martial cultivation level doesn’t account for as large a proportion of what makes someone the head of an organization as you might think.”
Seol Woon-hwi took the letter from Han Mu-rin and carefully folded it into his robes.
“The most important thing is to remove the mask.”
“…But with this letter alone, surely it would be sufficient….”
“How would you prove that he’s the Leader?”
Han Mu-rin swallowed hard.
This was why dealing with clever people required one to be equally sharp-minded.
How far ahead was Seol Woon-hwi thinking?
No.
No, that wasn’t it.
I shouldn’t be thinking about such things.
“You’ve spotted the flaw.”
“I have.”
Seol Woon-hwi smiled and turned his head.
“Now let’s go remove that mask.”
* * *
“Seol Woon-hwi will die.”
At the Leader’s words, Hwa Mu-nyeom lifted his head.
“Suddenly, what….”
“Not suddenly—it’s already decided. I’ve sent a letter to Yeon Song-baek.”
They had held discussions before, but the atmosphere now was vastly different from then.
The Leader’s voice was devoid of playfulness, utterly grave.
Hwa Mu-nyeom’s eyes turned cold.
“So he will die?”
“Did you forget that Yeon Song-baek has mastered Limitless Divine Manifestation? No matter how remarkable Cheon Ui Jung Jeong is, he still cannot face a martial artist of the Five Realms of Martial God. Especially when the opponent is the Sect Master of Odaegeomsong—how could that even be possible?”
“But….”
“No buts. And why is our Deputy Leader like this? Don’t forget your place. Our Yeom Wang is the Deputy Leader of Muk Se-hoe, not a disciple of Cheon Ui Jung Jeong.”
The Leader folded his arms and leaned back against his seat.
From Hwa Mu-nyeom’s position, he simply had to ask.
“Why do you dislike Cheon Ui Jung Jeong so much?”
“It’s not so much dislike as… well, he’s an uncontrollable existence. He doesn’t move in the direction we want—he moves as he pleases.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Of course it is. Obviously. And besides, his usefulness has run its course. If I let him loose any further, he’ll become truly uncontrollable. An illegitimate son of Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace has grown far too large.”
The Leader uncrossed his arms and tapped his fingers against the table as he continued speaking.
“Zhuge Yeong-hyeon is itching to kill that bastard too. He’s perfect prey. If we eliminate Seol Woon-hwi and use the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace to weaken the Martial Alliance and Sichuan Sect—the greatest enemies of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance—what then?”
“….”
“Of course, both Ihwageomseonchong and the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance would need to fabricate some excuse regarding his death, right? But bowing our heads for a moment isn’t difficult. No matter how I look at it, using the Palace Lord of the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace to crush the Martial Alliance and Sichuan Sect is truly the perfect opportunity.”
Hwa Mu-nyeom gazed quietly at the Leader. The eyes visible beyond the mask were different from usual.
“Why? Do you think my judgment is flawed?”
“I believe your perspective as the Leader would naturally differ from mine, but I remain skeptical.”
“Skeptical, you say… I think I understand which part troubles you, our Deputy Leader. For the reconstruction of the Thousand Year Demon Cult, we must accept a certain degree of risk, so why have you become so fearful?”
“Is that truly just a variable?”
“Of course it is. Don’t be afraid. It’s unseemly to grow timid with age.”
Hwa Mu-nyeom regarded the Leader with an odd gaze.
He was certainly different from his usual self.
One might say he seemed excited.
And.
He was clearly waiting for something.
“What are you waiting for?”
“What else? A reply.”
“A reply, you say?”
“A reply… no, rather a response from Yeon Song-baek. He should have received the letter by now, and a reply should have arrived long ago… but it’s running late, isn’t it?”
The Leader crossed his arms again.
“…How strange.”
The ears of the muttering Leader perked up.
Footsteps echoed from outside.
He’s here.
Soon after, a peculiar voice—low-pitched and resembling the scraping of metal—came from beyond the door.
“Leader. An urgent letter has just arrived. May I enter?”
“Don’t come in. Just slide it under the door.”
“…Understood.”
A letter slid across the threshold, and as the Leader gestured, it floated up and settled into his hand.
“Hehe… how exactly did our Cheon Ui Jung Jeong die….”
The Leader’s expression grew increasingly rigid as he opened and read the letter, until finally his face became one of utter bewilderment.
“What is this….”
Hwa Mu-nyeom asked.
“What does it say?”
“Seol Woon-hwi is heading to Cheonsu. He met with the Sect Master of Ihwageomseonchong and there were no problems whatsoever. In fact, Yeon Song-baek even left smiling?”
“Is that all?”
“Not all. Seong Yang-ho apparently brought something and handed it over. This is quite strange.”
The timing of when the Leader sent the letter, and when it was received.
All of this must be taken into account.
“…I don’t know what conversation took place, but after Yeon Song-baek received the item and returned to the sect, he should have received my letter, yet there’s been no reply and no action?”
This letter was not sent by Yeon Song-baek, but by the Leader’s trusted subordinate.
Accounting for the time it takes to come and go, it would be at minimum two time periods, at maximum half a day.
Within that window, Seol Woon-hwi would arrive at the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance.
This is wrong—terribly wrong.
Hwa Mu-nyeom spoke in an even tone.
“Are you flustered?”
There was a subtle hint of mockery in his words.
Behind the mask, the Leader’s eyes grew cold.
“Could it be… that our Deputy Leader leaked this information?”
“Do I strike you as that sort of man?”
“Then what?”
The Leader slammed his hand against the table.
“Then that bastard is capable of this much? He moves before my calculated ‘opportune moment’? That bastard?”
The Leader had transcended mere anger—he was now genuinely bewildered.
He had always prided himself on keeping every matter within his grasp, manipulating it as he saw fit.
Yet the current turn of events suggested the opposite: that he himself had been dancing in another’s palm all along.
Bewilderment was the only appropriate response.
“That bastard going to An Sim Gun was as good as digging his own grave—it should have ended that way, but this? This cannot be!”
Hwa Mu-nyeom remained composed.
The man called Seol Woon-hwi, as he had assessed him, was not someone easily swayed by another’s hand.
He answered quietly.
“Even Zhuge Yeong-hyeon of the Martial Alliance likely didn’t realize it until his first confrontation with him—that he himself fell short of Seol Woon-hwi.”
The Leader stared directly at Hwa Mu-nyeom.
“…Hmm? Our Deputy Leader speaks rather unusually today. More direct than usual.”
Then he suddenly thrust his face forward.
“Do you think I can’t match that young pup?”
Hwa Mu-nyeom fell silent for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth.
“That would be something to determine by waiting and seeing, would it not?”
The Leader found himself at a loss for words.
Recently, Muk Se-hoe had come to the forefront without the Leader’s involvement.
It had been the matter at Woon Kingdom Royal Palace, and that was all.
This had occurred because the Leader had issued an order for them not to advance further, and as Deputy Leader, Hwa Mu-nyeom harbored considerable resentment about this.
Seol Woon-hwi had asked Hwa Mu-nyeom to recommend candidates for Elder positions and the Unit Leaders and members of the newly formed Strike Force from within Muk Se-hoe.
Hwa Mu-nyeom had handed that list to Seol Woon-hwi, and Seol Woon-hwi had selected several from it to present to the Alliance Leader of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance.
The most crucial aspect here was those individuals selected by Seol Woon-hwi—and as mentioned before, they were all members of Muk Se-hoe.
No matter how much Deputy Leader Yeom Wang and Seol Woon-hwi insisted on taking them along, if the Leader told them not to go, they could not.
And so it had fizzled out.
Though Muk Se-hoe had gained justification to come to the forefront and operate openly, the Leader had squashed it—squashed the Strike Force, squashed the Elder positions.
It was the Leader’s will: let Muk Se-hoe remain silent, as its name suggested.
“Are you very angry?”
“I couldn’t say.”
“You’ve brought quite a few. Don’t doubt my judgment. The Muk Se-hoe shouldn’t step into the spotlight. If martial artists who’ve lived in seclusion emerge into the world again, all those buried grudges and grievances will resurface—and how exactly do you plan to handle that?”
Seol Woon-hwi spoke.
Grudges and grievances, no matter how much you try to erase them, can never truly be erased.
Since the pursuit of personal gain is ultimately just that—personal greed—the only way to eliminate grudges is to kill the other party entirely, or to die yourself. There is no other answer.
“The Muk Se-hoe’s actions are determined by my will as Leader. So set aside those petty emotions and go attend to your duties.”
Hwa Mu-nyeom rose from his seat and picked up the mask that had been placed beside the table.
“If you need anything, call for me.”
The Leader stopped Hwa Mu-nyeom as he walked toward the door.
“Deputy Leader.”
Hwa Mu-nyeom turned his head.
“Do you really think that man has any interest in ‘rebuilding the Thousand Year Demon Cult’?”
There was no need to deliberate.
He answered decisively.
“It’s not that he doesn’t have interest.”
“That’s strange—he doesn’t have interest?”
“It’s merely a matter of degree, as I’m telling you.”
“A matter of degree, you say….”
“May I take my leave?”
The Leader let out a soft chuckle.
“You’ve become almost entirely like that man.”
“Does it appear that way to you?”
“Don’t you see your own reflection? You two seem to quarrel often, so have you grown fond of each other in the meantime? Or is it because of your daughter? Or perhaps because of that sole surviving disciple’s son—whether he’s Han Mu-rin or Dong Mu-rin?”
“Regardless, I have not changed.”
“That doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“My aspiration is to rebuild the Thousand Year Demon Cult and establish a new order in Murim. You appointed me Deputy Leader knowing this—are you now doubting your own judgment?”
Though unseen, the corners of the Leader’s mouth curled upward.
Hwa Mu-nyeom spoke.
“If I may be so bold, you should consider why Yeon Song-baek hasn’t sent a reply.”
“Why?”
“Beyond the fact that you’ve missed the opportune moment, a new problem will arise now.”
“I know that too. But if our Deputy Leader would just keep his mouth shut, there would be no problem.”
“I have always remained silent. As befits the Deputy Leader of the Muk Se-hoe.”
“….”
“But conversely, you must now open your mouth, Leader.”
With those words, Hwa Mu-nyeom opened the door and left.
Alone, the Leader gazed at the letter on the table and murmured.
“Things are unfolding strangely. The situation.”
Seol Woon-hwi.
I can vaguely sense what that man is after.
“Surely not….”
There’s no way someone could be that insane.

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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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