The Youngest Member of the Martial Alliance

The hall was in an uproar.

It was the awards ceremony for the selection exam held once every three years.

The applicants and the officials who managed the exam. Or even the Martial Alliance members who had come to see what kind of newcomers had joined this time.

It was a place where many people had gathered.

A man was striding in with a dignified gait, pushing through the numerous crowd.

The wrinkles around his eyes and his deep gaze combined to create an atmosphere as if he was seeing through the essence of the world. He had a benevolent smile, but for some reason, he had an impression that was difficult to treat carelessly.

In addition, there was a slightly musty smell.

Seeing this, Song Yiyeon's eyes lit up.

"The head of the Punishment Hall..."

Even Song Yiyeon, who had not yet joined the alliance, knew him.

The head of the Martial Alliance's Punishment Hall. Or Chupunggae, who was called the next leader of the Beggars' Sect, was one of the most famous martial artists in the alliance.

His position was his position, but his personality was very peculiar, and he was given the nickname 'Mad Dog' because he never let go once he bit.

Led by the head of the Punishment Hall, Chupunggae, martial artists with a sharp and menacing atmosphere followed behind him.

They were all martial artists of the Punishment Hall.

The officials of the Martial Alliance who were present avoided making eye contact with them for no reason, even though they had done nothing wrong.

It was always like that. Just as your heart pounds for some reason when the government officials approach, even if you've done nothing wrong.

Of course, it was needless to say for Gu Jinseok, who had done something wrong.

Thump, thump-!

His heartbeat felt like thunder. Gu Jinseok glanced around to see if others could hear the sound.

Soon, the approaching Chupunggae looked Gu Jinseok up and down as if observing him.

Even if he was the ruffian of the Gu family, he could not open his mouth in front of the head of the Punishment Hall. Everyone held their breath and waited for the head of the Punishment Hall's words.

To Gu Jinseok, that fleeting moment felt like an eternity.

Soon, Chupunggae continued calmly.

"Inciting murder to harm a fellow member of the Martial Alliance, concealing the incident after it was revealed, and even soliciting favors while the investigation was ongoing."

"..."

While Chupunggae's words continued, people's gazes turned to Gu Jinseok. Everyone clearly knew what his words meant.

Gu Jinseok had tried to kill Cheon Woojin.

He had even tried to frame his guard, Ink Guest.

And he had bribed a high-ranking official for this.

"The nature of the crime is very poor."

Chupunggae's gaze, who said so, flashed for a moment. It was the moment when his benevolent impression instantly changed to that of a mad dog. His gaze, looking at Gu Jinseok, seemed to say this.

'You've been properly bitten.'

Gu Jinseok felt his breath stop for a moment. He realized instinctively. That he could no longer deceive people's eyes.

Gu Jinseok looked at his father, Gu Yongbaek. It was a truly desperate gaze. Now that everything was revealed, he could not avoid the punishment of the Martial Alliance. If so, the best thing to do was to use the power of the Gu family to weaken its intensity as much as possible.

Gu Yongbaek, who was meeting his son's gaze from the stage, let out a low sigh.

'The situation has become difficult.'

The atmosphere had changed in an instant with the appearance of the alliance leader.

Gu Yongbaek was the one who had dominated the atmosphere with his unique rough presence even among the many officials on the stage.

But now, that momentum could not be found even if you washed your eyes and looked.

No matter how great a martial artist from a great family Gu Yongbaek was, the man with a carefree impression who was pressing him was the leader of the largest and strongest alliance in the world.

Beili Tian, who was watching the scene below the stage with Gu Yongbaek, asked in a calm voice.

"Did you really not know about this? Your son tried to harm a fellow applicant, so according to the alliance's laws, his tendons will be cut, his dantian will be destroyed, and he will live in the brain prison for decades."

"..."

For a moment, his son's future was drawn in Gu Yongbaek's mind. A life of dying in the dark underground brain prison of the Martial Alliance, completely crippled.

It was then.

"Father!"

Gu Jinseok, who was being dragged away with both arms bound by the martial artists of the Punishment Hall, desperately called out to his father.

At that, everyone's gaze turned to Gu Yongbaek.

For a moment, his head moved quickly. The fact that the Mad Dog had stepped forward so grandly meant that he had caught clear evidence.

Whether it was Ink Guest's testimony or the black path's ledger.

Gu Yongbaek stood at a crossroads of choice.

'Will the Gu family step forward on a large scale and protect their son to the end, or...'

Gu Yongbaek, who was organizing his thoughts, closed his eyes tightly.

He had ignored his son's gaze.

"I found out late. Nevertheless, since he is my son, I could not turn a blind eye, so I asked my old friend, the Righteous Will Unit Commander, for a favor."

"Hey, when did I...!"

Beili Tian, who overwhelmed the indignant Righteous Will Unit Commander with his gaze, calmly nodded his head.

"And?"

"Alliance Leader, I have committed a mortal sin, so please throw me into the brain prison with my foolish son."

Everyone in the room, except for Gu Yongbaek and the alliance leader, widened their eyes. Because Gu Yongbaek had not only confessed his own sin, but had also knelt.

A strange light flashed across Beili Tian's deep pupils.

'I thought he was a wild dog, but now I see he's a fox.'

Gu Yongbaek was acting with a precise grasp of the alliance's laws and his own reputation. The crime of inciting murder would be completely blamed on Gu Jinseok. It seemed that Gu Yongbaek really didn't know at the time.

Gu Yongbaek only had to bear the crime of soliciting favors. Naturally, he would not be imprisoned in the brain prison.

Furthermore, since there were many who pointed fingers at the Gu family as a family from the black path, there would be no major blow to his reputation.

'It would just be a few more fingers of blame.'

Beili Tian inwardly clicked his tongue but was impressed. Gu Yongba-ek had instantly made the best judgment he could make at the moment.

Of course, it was not an easy thing to coldly turn away from his own son. That's why the majority of people would not be able to do it even if they knew.

In other words, Gu Yongbaek was a man who could abandon his own blood depending on the situation.

'I was underestimating the Gu family.'

The Martial Alliance Leader, Beili Tian, thought that the cold expression of Gu Yongbaek looking at his son would be remembered for a long time.

"I see. The treatment of your son will proceed as previously stated, and the punishment for you will be decided through a meeting of the top leadership."

Gu Yongbaek bowed his head without a word.

If he left the Martial Alliance, he could avoid punishment. Of course, then it would not be 'punishment' but 'retribution'.

Gu Yongbaek, who had paid his respects to the alliance leader, turned around without delay. His expression was neither menacing like a fierce god of evil nor submerged in sadness.

It was just calm. That's why it felt even more frightening to some. It was like watching a white flame that burned without a sound.

"Father! Father!!"

Gu Jinseok's desperate scream continued. He had also learned of the punishment he would face in the future. Having his tendons cut and his dantian destroyed meant a complete death as a martial artist.

All he had was the background of the Gu family and the martial talent bestowed by heaven. Everything had disappeared in a moment of wrongdoing.

Despite his son's scream, Gu Yongbaek did not give him a single glance. At that sight, people shook their heads.

Gu Yongbaek, who was calmly enduring everyone's blatant gazes and walking away, suddenly brushed past Cheon Woojin.

For a moment, the two's gazes met in the air.

In that short moment.

Gu Yongbaek realized.

'...It was foreseen.'

The white path people criticize the Gu family, but they are afraid. Because since the family was rooted in the black path, if things went wrong in the worst way, they might do something different from the common sense of the white path.

But even in this situation, as he passed right in front of him, a mere applicant did not even blink an eye. Far from being afraid, he was looking straight at him as if observing his actions.

Furthermore, there was no wavering in his momentum. On the contrary, even without any particular action, he was subtly dominating the surrounding air.

Even without intending to, everyone and even the air around him seemed to be watching his expression.

In the martial world, this was called a 'master'.

'Where on earth did a guy like this...'

Even if the alliance leader had not intervened, in the end, it would have been his son, not Cheon Woojin, who would have died. Gu Yongbaek's intuition was telling him so.

And so, after Gu Yongbaek had gone far away.

Song Yiyeon, who had confirmed this, finally opened his mouth.

"What are you looking at, you bastard?"

"...He's already far away."

"That's why I said it."

Cheon Woojin looked at Song Yiyeon as if he was dumbfounded.

In the meantime, Gu Jinseok, who had been bound by the martial artists of the Punishment Hall, had completely disappeared from the scene, and following that, Chupunggae grabbed the Righteous Will Unit Commander by the scruff of his neck and dragged him down from the stage.

"Keuk! H-head of the hall! First, let go of this hand..."

"Hehehe, Makpyeong. I warned you clearly before. If you're going to do something bad, please don't get caught by my eyes."

The Righteous Will Unit Commander, Ji Makpyeong, unable to overcome his shame and fear, momentarily exuded his momentum. But the smile on Chupunggae's lips only deepened.

"Good!"

Crack-!

A brutal sound that should not have been heard rang out from within Chupunggae's grasp. At the same time, Ji Makpyeong's body went limp.

"H-he killed him!"

Song Yiyeon was horrified. Chupunggae, who suddenly looked at him, smiled with a benevolent face again and said.

"He's not dead. I just put him to sleep."

"..."

In fact, he didn't believe it, but he didn't have the will to dare to refute the words of the head of the Punishment Hall.

Song Yiyeon, who was nodding his head with effort, and Cheon Woojin, who was looking at Ji Makpyeong with a dry face next to him.

Chupunggae, who had looked at the two for a moment, gave a strange smile and then disappeared, dragging Ji Makpyeong.

Song Yiyeon shivered.

"Did you see that just now? It was a very scary smile."

"He just looked happy."

Cheon Woojin just shrugged his shoulders.

Although he had only seen him for a moment, Chupunggae was a very unique man.

'A man who has the expression of the Black Master with an atmosphere similar to the White Master.'

Since he was the first type he had seen after coming to the martial world, it was quite fun to watch.

Suddenly, he felt a hot gaze from the side.

When he nonchalantly turned his head, it was the Martial Alliance Leader, Beili Tian. He was looking at him from the stage with a truly fierce gaze.

'The justice of the Martial Alliance is alive.'

It was as if he was saying this.

It didn't really resonate with him.

Cheon Woojin suddenly looked up at the sky.

'Masters, what kind of place is the Martial Alliance?'

A moment later, it seemed as if he could hear the clear voices of his two masters.

Of course, they were fiercely arguing with each other.

Cheon Woojin let out a smirk.

Song Yiyeon, who saw that smile, shook his head.

'He's really an incomprehensible young hero.'

* * *

The awards ceremony ended under the observation of the alliance leader.

The top five successful applicants, including Cheon Woojin and Song Yiyeon, were given the opportunity to choose their armed force.

Although they were nominally given a week to think about it, it was obvious that all of them would choose the Heavenly Tiger Unit.

The Heavenly Tiger Unit was the most elite unit with the longest history in the Martial Alliance. As many as five of the past alliance leaders had been from the Heavenly Tiger Unit.

Thud, the Martial Alliance Leader, Beili Tian, who had put down his teacup, said.

"Are you also thinking of applying to the Heavenly Tiger Unit?"

Cheon Woojin, who had been called by the alliance leader immediately after the awards ceremony, shook his head.

"I'm thinking about it."

For some reason, the Martial Alliance Leader, Beili Tian, felt that the deliberation was not about choosing an armed force, but about whether to stay in the alliance or leave.

Beili Tian stared blankly at Cheon Woojin, who was quietly picking up his teacup.

'How strange.'

He was definitely the disciple of the White Master senior. His aura and the martial arts he used were a spitting image of the White Master.

But the image of the Black Master was also clearly visible. His unique menacing atmosphere and the dry gaze with which he had looked at the Gu family father and son.

'It's as if the White Master senior and the Black Master had done their best to paint their own colors on a blank white canvas.'

To put it nicely, it was diversity, and to put it another way, it was chaos.

Beili Tian wanted to keep such a Cheon Woojin in the Martial Alliance.

Cheon Woojin's talent was needless to say.

He was by no means lacking to be called a heavenly martial body.

Including the White Master senior and the Black Master, and even himself. No one had achieved such a level at Cheon Woojin's age.

If he grew up properly, he could become a chivalrous hero who surpassed the White Master senior. But on the other hand, it seemed that he could walk the path of the Black Master at any time.

'If a genius with such talent walks the black path...'

It's dangerous.

His intuition as the Martial Alliance Leader was warning him so.

Perhaps not a successor to the Black Master, but another Dark Heavenly Son could be born. It might be an overthinking, but Beili Tian did not ignore his intuition.

Tap, tap-

Beili Tian, who was tapping the tea table with his index finger, muttered to himself.

"I wonder if the White Master senior didn't know."

He was a person who had a better eye for people than anyone else.

He must have grasped Cheon Woojin, with whom he had lived side by side, more accurately than Beili Tian himself.

'To send a man who could become a villain of the ages or a good man to me...'

For some reason, Beili Tian felt as if he had received a request from the senior he respected the most in the world.

Soon, Beili Tian said as if he had made up his mind.

"White Master. No, Cheon Woojin, the disciple of the White Flower Sword Saint."

When Beili Tian mentioned the White Master's real title, Cheon Woojin stood up from his seat and paid his respects as a junior of the martial world.

"Yes, Alliance Leader."

Soon, Beili Tian said with a more serious face than ever before.

"As the alliance leader, and as a junior who respects your master, I formally propose. Will you not stay in the Martial Alliance and uphold the righteousness of the white path with me?"

He was the Martial Alliance Leader, who was also called the leader of the white path.

He was proposing to a mere applicant to look at the same place as him and move forward.

It was something that would have made anyone in the alliance flip out if they had heard it.

However, Beili Tian was sure. The man in front of him had inherited the martial arts of the best masters of the previous generation while possessing the talent of the ages.

'An existence that will cause a storm in the martial world in some way.'

If so, it was right for him to stand side by side with him and sweep away the black path and the demonic path with the white storm of the white path.

Since the alliance leader's attitude was very serious, Cheon Woojin also cupped his fist with a serious expression and gesture.

"Yes, I will not."

"Good. A disciple of the White Master senior should... what?"

The Martial Alliance Leader, Beili Tian, blinked his eyes.

At the same time, his face was getting hot.

'This...'

For the past decade, he had been called one of the best swordsmen of the white path, and he had finally become the leader of the Martial Alliance, the largest alliance in the world.

It was something he had achieved solely with his own abilities, without any background or connections.

Even though Beili Tian was always wary of arrogance, the thought that a mere applicant would not refuse his proposal was at the bottom of his mind.

Beili Tian, trying hard to ignore the surging embarrassment, asked.

"Why."

Cheon Woojin answered immediately without any hesitation.

"It's troublesome."

"...Huh?"

The Martial Alliance Leader, Beili Tian, had a look of realization.

The White Master senior and the Black Master had painted their own colors on the blank canvas of Cheon Woojin with all their might. Although they were two very different masters, they had a surprisingly similar point.

'Both of them were free people who hated to be tied down.'

The White Master senior could have become the alliance leader if he had set his mind to it, but he did not, and the Black Master could also have inherited all of the Dark Heavenly Son's legacy, but he instead became his enemy.

It was obvious what the personality of their disciple, Cheon Woojin, would be like.

Cheon Woojin, who was staring blankly at Beili Tian, continued calmly.

"I just stopped by to see what kind of place the Martial Alliance is, following my masters' words. I have no intention of staying here forever. At least not yet."

At the words 'not yet', Beili Tian's eyes flashed.

(End of Chapter)