Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 314

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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 314
“To my eyes, you appear to be a genius of that caliber.”
“…Hmm… I appreciate the compliment, but this is truly strange….”
“What makes it strange?”
“….”
“It’s not strange at all. If you look beyond who benefits from this matter and consider what position one occupies, the answer becomes simple. Cheon Rim was positioned between Ihwa Geom Cheon Jong and the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance. In that situation, the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance was on the verge of completely absorbing Cheon Rim, and three of the Four Main Gods had already pledged themselves to the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance. In such circumstances, if the Four Main Gods were to splinter, who would truly benefit?”
“Ihwa Geom Cheon Jong. Since Yeon Song-baek is also the Rim Lord of Cheon Rim.”
“No. It would be you, Alliance Leader.”
“…Me?”
“From the beginning, it was you who led the revival of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance. From the position of Vice Alliance Leader, you built an alliance second only to the Martial Alliance and the Four Heaven Alliance. But recently, the former Alliance Leader Ye Won-je passed away, his subordinates scattered, and your relationship with Woon-guk became unstable, threatening the very existence of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance.”
“After that, events unfolded that everyone knows.”
“Yes. You drew in the Odaegeomsong and the Four Demonic Outer Sects. Had I been in your position, I would have drawn in the Five Great Families, but that was never part of your calculation.”
“….”
“The reason is simple. From the start, you never intended to develop the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance into ‘an organization of that level.'”
Mae Wi-dong’s expression remained serene.
The Five Great Families were certainly organizations standing above the Odaegeomsong and the Four Demonic Outer Sects.
Their unity was so profound that splintering them would be difficult.
However, joining hands with them was possible. In that case, the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance would certainly recover its former glory and even aspire beyond it, but unfortunately, doing so would require surrendering numerous authorities of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance to the Five Great Families.
That is why Mae Wi-dong excluded the Five Great Families and summoned only the Odaegeomsong and the Four Demonic Outer Sects.
Seol Woon-hwi was certain of this.
“You had no intention of strengthening the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance through ‘that method.’ Above all, you never intended to develop it to that extent.”
“….”
“But by stepping forward myself, a similar situation has unfolded.”
“Do you have a hobby of gilding your own face?”
“I’m not foolish enough to dismiss my own achievements as trivial. The current Heavenly Righteousness Alliance may not be comparable to the Martial Alliance and the Four Heaven Alliance, but at least the foundation has been laid for it to grow into an organization rivaling those two. The cooperation of the Odaegeomsong and the Four Demonic Outer Sects, the full support of Woon-guk, and the absorption of Cheon Rim—nearly complete and capable of exerting influence not only over Woon-guk but also over the courts of other nations.”
“….”
“Strictly speaking, something greater than joining hands with the Five Great Families has occurred. At that time, you must have judged that if the faction grew to this extent, restraint would inevitably follow, and greater problems would arise in that process.”
“….”
“Yes. To that extent, the Muk Se-hoe must necessarily become involved. But if the Muk Se-hoe steps forward openly, the buried gratitude and grudges will rear their heads. It’s like trying to stop a wildfire only to have a greater blaze erupt from the opposite direction. So you sought to weaken Cheon Rim’s power slightly to buy time.”
That way, even without the Muk Se-hoe’s intervention, you could gain time to stabilize the interior.
“…That sounds plausible, but ultimately it’s all speculation, isn’t it? If I recall correctly, when heading to Cheong Pung City, you did not accompany me. Moreover, I have never received a letter from you.”
That was true.
Seol Woon-hwi had originally been watching Mae Wi-dong closely, but when heading to Cheong Pung City, only two people accompanied him.
Dark Lord Ya Muk-cheon and Killing Lord Sa Seol-ran.
If that were the case, then that situation at the time meant only one thing.
Entirely Mae Wi-dong’s personal ability.
Whether here or in the office, sitting somewhere and mapping out every movement toward Cheong Pung City, predicting where Seol Woon-hwi’s group would move, and predicting again.
It wasn’t mere prediction—he had pinpointed it with certainty.
That is why the Cheon-rim O-dok-jin had been installed in that well.
“That’s correct. It’s all circumstantial evidence and conjecture. Then let me move on to the next matter.”
“I see. Please, continue.”
“The Alliance Leader initially sought to weaken Cheon Rim’s influence and restrain the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance’s growth.”
“….”
“But he changed his mind—not to divide Cheon Rim, but to absorb it entirely.”
Mae Wi-dong’s brow twitched slightly.
“The reason is simple. A more elegant strategy must have occurred to him.”
“….”
“The Alliance Leader must have realized that Seol Woon-hwi wasn’t cast out from the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace.”
“….”
“Naturally, the phrase ‘discard after use’ would have crossed his mind. A way to nurture the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance fully without involving the Muk Se-hoe. Yes—kill me and manipulate the culprit to be the Martial Alliance and the Four Heaven Alliance. Then both would wage war against the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace in Sae-oe, weakening themselves considerably in the process. They wouldn’t have time to restrain the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance. They’d be overwhelmed merely containing the fury erupting from the northern giant.”
“…Intriguing as it is, that remains mere speculation. Moreover, I have no means to orchestrate the death of the Cheon Ui Jung Jeong.”
Seol Woon-hwi let out a soft laugh.
“You do.”
“….”
“Few know of the Muk Se-hoe’s existence. Fewer still know who leads it. I’ll speak plainly—you could count them on one hand. Someone with such mastery of concealment couldn’t possibly be incapable of orchestrating a single manipulation? Besides, the Divine Slaughter Sword Sect and Zhuge Yeong-hyeon of the Martial Alliance have been scheming since the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance first requested aid. It’s quiet now, but if the Muk Se-hoe steps in to manipulate events, creating the circumstances won’t be difficult for you.”
Seol Woon-hwi’s gaze fixed upon Mae Wi-dong’s face.
“From what I’ve observed, Zhuge Yeong-hyeon of the Martial Alliance is no match for the Leader. A hundred battles, a hundred victories—even if he errs, nothing would change. Gun Mu-gyeol might perceive the schemes, but he’ll lack the time to quell the fury erupting from the north.”
Mae Wi-dong exhaled deeply and wiped his face.
“Truly… you labor under a profound misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding, you say… How persistent. Yeon Song-baek is the patriarch of the Ihwa Geom Cheon Jong and the Rim Lord of Cheon Rim. And I obtained Cheon Rim. I placed three of the Four Main Gods into the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, and in the middle, I killed Dok Ju, who sought to bridge the gap and profit from it.”
“….”
“The Ihwa Geom Cheon Jong responded only passively even as Cheon Rim was torn from their grasp.”
“Passive response? They formed the Nine Gate Society and drew in the Royal Fortress of Woon-guk. That scheme using the Prime Minister and Prince Chin to pressure the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance is regarded as quite a remarkable strategy even within the Murim.”
Mae Wi-dong continued, as if he’d found his footing.
“Drawing in the state does breach the non-aggression pact with the officials, but ultimately it remains the realm of politics. Who can offer greater benefit, and how one overturns the board. The Murim evaluates the Cheon Ui Jung Jeong, who shattered Yeon Song-baek’s schemes, even more highly. You’ve already achieved a decisive strategic victory—calling that a passive response is excessive modesty.”
“It merely appears that way.”
“…Cheon Ui Jung Jeong, when misunderstanding deepens, it becomes obsession. What I see in you now appears to be obsession.”
“It’s neither misunderstanding nor obsession. Merely fact.”
“Hah….”
As I’ve said repeatedly, my suspicion was ultimately circumstantial.
Mae Wi-dong had constructed perfect circumstances from which to escape.
No matter how eloquently I spoke, I couldn’t pin him as the Leader of the Muk Se-hoe.
There was no evidence. It was all circumstantial.
But.
As I’ve said repeatedly, no one in this world is perfect.
Mae Wi-dong was no exception, and he occasionally made mistakes.
The question was whether those mistakes would be discovered.
Unfortunately, I had caught one such fleeting error he’d committed.
When had this suspicion of mine begun?
When I noticed that mistake? No.
It all began when the Muk Se-hoe first approached.
The suspicion started then, and I concentrated, again and again, to catch the mistake.
And that’s how I found it.
“Alliance Leader, then would it be acceptable if I examined the Cheon-ui Library?”
At those words, Mae Wi-dong’s brow twitched.
A long silence settled over the space.
I had clearly seen it—the location of the library had changed.
And in that moment, Mae Wi-dong revealed a flaw he had never shown before.
“I intend to see this through to the end.”
“….”
“I will examine the Cheon-ui Library myself. I will search every corner of its interior, discover hidden places, smash through whatever doors block my way, and if there are traps, I will destroy those as well.”
“….”
“If you keep denying it, things will start to get messy.”
Mae Wi-dong covered his face with his hand.
His eyes, always composed, curved upward, and a smile played at the corners of his mouth.
Everything was circumstantial evidence?
No.
It only appeared that way to those who looked at it that way.
I saw everything not as circumstance, but as proof.
The evidence bearing the name of circumstance had accumulated and become fact.
Between the fingers covering Mae Wi-dong’s face, a voice laced with killing intent seeped out.
“Ha… you bastard… you should have just pretended not to know.”
I laughed as well.
Finally, Mae Wi-dong’s mask had been torn away.
“I thought you were a troublesome one, but I could have managed that much. You were just too good at your work.”
“….”
“But this time, you’ve crossed the line significantly.”
“If I need you, I’ll play the hunting dog, but I’m not stupid enough to sit still and be boiled alive.”
“… Alright, let’s say that’s true. You really weren’t bad. Thanks to you, the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance grew. We resolved the friction with Woon-guk and completely took Cheon Rim from Yeon Song-baek, and even if Yeon Song-baek shares roots with us, this… wasn’t easy.”
Mae Wi-dong tapped the table lightly.
“Human pride is such a thing—touch it and trouble always follows. You scratched that man’s pride properly. But how exactly did you convince him? I clearly told you to kill him before you came here to Cheonsu, so why didn’t you? You don’t actually know, do you?”
“Yes.”
“… This is a person I really can’t understand. When you first thought about going to An Sim Gun, did you assume this situation?”
“I thought the probability was high.”
“I’m speechless. I clearly read it as ‘the right moment.’ But how were you able to stay one step ahead of me? And the library… ha… this is frustrating. That was truly my mistake. I didn’t know you’d come at that moment. Just didn’t.”
Mae Wi-dong smiled crookedly.
“I should have killed you back then.”

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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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