With the Martial Alliance Leader here, I figured nothing too absurd would happen.

And indeed, nothing did.

At the center, the Four Great Villains fought in expanding arcs.

On the left, the Martial Alliance’s Special Forces swept through the battlefield, while on the right, Law School’s forces pressed forward.

It was an unexpectedly fascinating formation.

The Martial Alliance—who in my past life had hunted the Four Great Villains as martial criminals—was now fighting alongside them. To be honest, this was the scene I had envisioned from the moment I regressed. But now, seeing it with my own eyes, it felt strangely unreal.

Especially with the Scholar factions, who’d operated from the shadows across both my past and present lives, now joining the fray. It made the whole thing feel even more surreal.

I glanced toward the dock. Two Shu warriors fleeing in my direction saw me, tumbled across the ground, then quickly veered toward the main district, fleeing at full speed.

I drew my sword at the fleeing cowards.

"You bastards, where are you running off to in such a rush?"

I could have killed them on the spot with a single blast of sword qi, but someone needed to spread word of the massacre at the dock, so I let them go and waved them off with my sword.

"Run faster, you damn Shu. Faster. Spineless bastards. Go tell everyone what happened. Make sure you give a detailed report about how all your men died because your captain’s a goddamn idiot. Got it? No response?"

I sheathed my sword and turned to Scholar Chu.

"Talking to myself is a bit of a hobby."

"......"

Scholar Chu asked me, "Why didn’t you kill them?"

"If they’re lucky, they get to live. Honestly, all I care about is killing the Number One of Dongho. I haven’t forgotten my goal."

Before I knew it, the battle ended in a resounding victory, and I heard Im Sobaek’s voice ring out.

"Light the fires."

Did the Alliance Leader bring a team specifically for lighting fires? Long torches, like modified fireworks launchers, flared up all around the area.

I watched Sword Demon reunite with Im Sobaek.

"What brings the Alliance Leader all the way out here?"

Im Sobaek looked at Sword Demon and replied, "I came because I had a mission. There were too many Shu left behind in Dongho that hadn’t been cleared out. Not so strange that I’m here. And you?"

"I came because I was curious about the guy threatening the Lord of Haomun."

Im Sobaek said to Sword Demon, "Seeing you here pleases me more than meeting the Lord of Haomun in Dongho."

With that smile, Sword Demon answered in a more relaxed tone than usual, "I’m not so pleased. That mess in the mountain lodge came to mind."

Im Sobaek threw his head back and laughed.

"Hahaha."

It was an unremarkable exchange, but knowing the backstory, I watched it like an incredibly entertaining performance.

Im Sobaek began giving out cleanup orders.

"...No need to give the Shu bastards a proper burial. Gather the bodies and cremate them. Check the boats after sunrise. They might’ve coated them with poison or removed planks to make them sink slowly."

"Yes, sir."

"This fight might take longer than expected. Contact Strategist Gongson and tell him to expedite the proposal to establish a Dongho branch. Appoint a temporary branch head and dispatch them here. Someone at Deputy Pavilion Lord rank or above, as part of a promotion. Any injured?"

Hands went up here and there. Im Sobaek nodded.

"The injured will return and report my intent. Tell them to replenish the missing personnel. Senior, take the wounded back safely and coordinate their return."

Noh Gangho, who had been behind me, cupped his fist to the Alliance Leader.

"Your orders are received."

"The Special Forces not injured will remain here in Dongho for now. Spread out so that local merchants aren’t disturbed. If anything meaningful arises, report it directly to me."

"Yes, sir."

After glancing around, Im Sobaek finally looked toward the Law School group and began walking toward me, alongside the Four Great Villains.

I nudged Scholar Chu beside me and muttered like a tattling child.

"The Alliance Leader’s coming. Walking like a tiger. You ready?"

"......"

"Still, Law School pulled their weight. Killed a good chunk of the Shu."

Scholar Chu sighed.

The Law School forces also approached, stopping a little ways off. With the Alliance Leader having demonstrated his strength, tension now rested squarely on Law School’s side.

Im Sobaek, now in front of us, asked, "You’re Scholar Chu?"

Resigned to being taken away, Scholar Chu answered in a flat tone, "Yes."

"And the faction you lead is Law School?"

As Scholar Chu nodded, Im Sobaek turned to me.

"This clash—was it due to personal resentment?"

"Yes."

After a moment’s pause, Im Sobaek reached out and lifted Scholar Chu up, casually unlocking the pressure points I had sealed. He said to Scholar Chu,

"The Lord of Haomun’s been killing quite a few people lately. Did your grudge stem from that?"

"It did."

"I won’t make hasty judgments, but he’s not the sort to slaughter without cause. If your acquaintance was the instigator, then you’ve no argument. I won’t pry further into the matter. You may leave for today."

Scholar Chu looked at him in shock.

Im Sobaek asked again, "What? Want to hang around and watch the Martial Alliance some more?"

Clearly stunned, Scholar Chu replied, "I can go?"

Im Sobaek said blandly, "Surely you didn’t think I needed the Lord of Haomun’s permission to let you go? If I’d come here as Alliance Leader, it might be a different matter. But today, I came as the Special Forces Commander. Whatever you do next is up to you. But if you help crush scum like the Shu again, I doubt I’ll regret today’s choice. We’ll meet again."

Im Sobaek turned to Law School.

"...Take him. He’s badly injured."

Three or four members of Law School rushed forward and helped Scholar Chu up. As they began to escort him away from the dock, he turned back and said to Im Sobaek,

"Alliance Leader, until we meet again."

Im Sobaek gave a nod.

"Safe travels."

It was a strange night.

And for the ones who died, an unfair one.

When the leader is weak, it’s always the subordinates who die.

Law School, bizarrely defeated but absurdly spared, withdrew with Scholar Chu in tow. I couldn’t believe that bastard was leaving without even saying goodbye, so I shouted.

"Chu Myeong!"

He froze mid-step like a kid caught stealing and turned to look at me.

As our eyes met, I spoke.

"...Farewell. You should at least say goodbye."

Scholar Chu sighed ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) and walked on. I glanced at the Lecher and muttered,

"Now who the hell do I say goodbye to?"

The Lecher clicked his tongue.

"...Who the hell says goodbye after beating someone to a pulp? Idiot."

The Drunk added,

"You beat him to death’s doorstep and now you want to play nice? Incredible."

I said to them,

"Still better than killing him."

"That’s true."

Im Sobaek, a man constantly busy, continued issuing orders.

"Special Forces."

"Yes, sir."

"If you clean up corpses all night, you’ll be out cold tomorrow. Rest for now. Tomorrow, hire locals from nearby and pay them well to clear out the bodies at the dock properly."

Dan Hyuksan replied,

"Understood. I’ll contact you after we arrange lodging."

At last, Im Sobaek turned to me.

"Lead the way to the inn you occupied."

A man who seemingly knew everything. Surprising, yet not really.

***

Back at the illegally seized inn, we all sat together. Except for Sword Demon and the Alliance Leader, everyone’s clothes were in tatters.

There were so many tears it looked like a walking exhibit of our internal condition.

Though the Lecher and Drunk had been ripped up by Shu warriors, and I by Scholar Chu, so it wasn’t quite the same class. Let’s just say my outfit had more of an artistic flair.

Im Sobaek sat like a regular at the inn, pulling out his sword to check the blade, then cleaning it with a cloth from his sleeve. I ended up copying him without much thought.

The Lecher pulled out jerky from his coat and offered it to the Alliance Leader.

"Want some jerky, Alliance Leader?"

Im Sobaek answered briefly.

"Not hungry."

"Yes, sir."

As I stared at the rejected jerky, I spoke.

"Give it to me, then."

The Lecher raised the jerky to his own mouth instead and returned to his spot.

While cleaning my sword, I glared at him.

"Stupid bastard."

As Im Sobaek carefully wiped the blood off his blade, he asked me,

"...I heard something mid-fight. Are you planning to settle down in Dongho?"

"Considering how much of a scene I’ve made and still no response... staying put seems better. I’m treating it like my hometown now."

Im Sobaek said,

"What made Dongho so hard to conquer was that the locals cooperated with the Number One of Dongho. To take him down, I would’ve had to pressure innocent people. And he wasn’t the only criminal hiding here, either."

I listened calmly to the Alliance Leader’s justification.

He continued,

"To be honest, the Alliance lacks experts in naval warfare. Light footwork only gets you so far. I hear the Number One of Dongho had over thirty large ships. We barely confiscated a few."

"He had that many ships?"

"A lot. That’s why we called it naval warfare."

"A damn Water King, then. Must be holed up on an island somewhere. But why let Scholar Chu go?"

I was ready to hear the next excuse.

"When you mess with the scholars, more of them come crawling out. With limited manpower, I couldn’t afford to open a new front. I came as Special Forces, so I need to focus on this mission. I had to eliminate the risk of attacks from other scholars."

A strategic decision, then.

"You knew about the scholar factions?"

Im Sobaek glanced around at the Four Great Villains.

"I have a rough grasp. Scholars are weird. If they unite, they become a headache. That’s why I ordered all their crimes listed individually. They must be confronted as individuals. Never give them a chance to act as one."

Meaning he already had some knowledge of their structure even in my past life. Come to think of it, the White-Robed Scholar’s other title, the Evil Emperor, might’ve been coined by the Martial Alliance.

They were playing a long game in their own way.

Im Sobaek looked around at us and said,

"You’ve all gotten stronger, haven’t you? Fascinating. I, on the other hand, have been stuck in the same spot, crushed by my subordinates."

Sword Demon muttered dryly,

"Quit whining..."

Im Sobaek locked eyes with me and asked,

"Lord of Haomun, how long do you think it’ll take?"

A vague question, but I answered at once.

"Could be tomorrow. Could be never. At first, I imagined he’d disguise himself as a peddler or shopkeeper and sneak in to observe. But clearly not. Anyone with this much patience is a serious villain. Whether strong or not, the truly wicked are usually those without shame."

"Shameless people are villains?"

"Isn’t that so? Without shame, they think the world revolves around them. They don’t care if others starve or die. They just complain about the side dishes. He’s probably feasting somewhere right now while badmouthing me."

Of all my curses, this one ranked pretty high.

Even though the fires around us were out, I knew my words would spread from mouth to mouth. One day, they would reach the Number One of Dongho. I was certain.

What was it he said again?

I won’t be angry, just tell me the truth.

That’s how people work.

Especially someone like him, who’s likely having every move I make reported back. He’ll hear my insults eventually.

Im Sobaek said,

"Lord of Haomun, if I stay in Dongho, wouldn’t he be even less likely to appear? What do you think?"

I looked around at Dongho’s unusually dark night streets and answered.

"It doesn’t really matter. The people here have thoughts of their own. If they ever decide they need to replace the Number One of Dongho, maybe a merchant will come to inform me. Maybe an old man. The decision seems tied to their livelihoods, so it’s hard. But after tonight’s battle, that fear will start to fade. What we’re showing is that we’re not afraid of him at all."

Im Sobaek nodded, then called out to the Lecher.

"Smart strategy. Mongrang."

"Yes, sir."

"Go buy some liquor."

The Lecher clutched his forehead and stood up.

"...Yes, yes. Of course. Got it. I’ll go."

Rubbing his face like a drunk, he wandered off somewhere.

Im Sobaek watched him go.

"What’s with him? Isn’t he the youngest?"

The Alliance Leader really did know everything.

"He is. The youngest."

Suddenly, the Lecher began flailing his arms and shouting in the middle of the road, waking up anyone sleeping nearby.

"Number One of Dongho, you bastard! Come out! Afraid of the youngest, are you?! I’m the Lecher!"

"Click, click. He’s lost it."

I clicked my tongue. Sword Demon sighed too.

The Drunk got up and followed the direction the Lecher had gone.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"To scout."

"Go on."

He looked like a bodyguard sent to escort someone on a beer run. After a quiet pause, Im Sobaek asked curiously,

"That girl—what happened to her?"

A question I hadn’t expected. I looked at him.

"I took her in as my disciple."

Im Sobaek nodded slightly and replied in a calm tone.

"I see."

The three of us shared a sigh whose meaning none of us could explain, then leaned back and stared at the night sky. The stars sparkled like the blades of masters in the martial world.

As I counted the stars above, I made a request.

"Senior, I have a favor to ask."

"Speak."

"Does the Alliance maintain a ranking registry?"

"There’s a list, and sometimes we arrange it by rank for convenience. It’s not entirely accurate. Some haven’t fought each other. Some are mismatched. Others hide their strength. And then there are freaks like you who grow stronger every day."

I looked at him and said,

"Please keep my rank low in the Alliance records."

"Why? You’ve been rising faster than anyone."

"The higher my rank climbs, the more people will think Haomun is a powerful sect. I think it’s better, long-term, if we remain unimpressive."

"Is that so?"

As I nodded, Im Sobaek agreed.

"Not a hard request. Don’t worry. I’ll put you below Mongrang."

I stared at him.

"That’s a bit much."

Realizing it was a joke, Im Sobaek corrected himself immediately.

"I’ll put you just above him."

Unwilling to let the joke slide, I cupped my fist in thanks.

"Much appreciated."

Then I met eyes with Sword Demon—who promptly looked away.