Chapter 144 : Protesting Discrimination
Chapter 144: Protesting Discrimination
Yul Han, who had halted his training, turned his gaze outside his residence.
“Is there some event taking place within the cult today?”
At Yul Han’s question, Iron Demon shook his head.
“No. I haven’t heard anything like that.”
“Then what is that cheering? It seems quite a crowd has gathered as well.”
At Yul Han’s words, Iron Demon spread out his perceptive sense.
He dispersed it widely, beyond the usual one hundred jang he could normally perceive, extending it to two hundred jang—yet he sensed nothing.
The Vice Cult Leader, whom he glanced at sidelong, was clearly staring beyond the residence.
With no choice, Iron Demon focused all his nerves and poured out his internal energy to its limit. Only then did he faintly sense martial momentum gathering in the distance.
Judging by the location, it seemed to be the Grand Training Grounds set up directly in front of the main gate. The distance was no less than three hundred jang.
Even considering that Iron Demon had sharpened every nerve and wrung out every drop of his internal energy, the mere fact that he could extend his perceptive sense that far was astonishing.
It was a result he could rightfully feel proud of.
Yet the Vice Cult Leader had noticed the change at that distance while in the middle of training. That meant it had been his ordinary perceptive sense.
Iron Demon was still stunned by the difference when Yul Han spoke.
“The martial momentum… is turning unsettling. Go and confirm—”
“I will go and check. Please wait a moment.”
Pageuk, who had been listening beside them, vanished like the wind.
Having declared that he would serve Yul Han as his master, he behaved almost like a true servant in nearly all matters.
Watching Pageuk’s conduct, Yul Han gave a bitter smile.
There had been no stopping him.
For now, he merely thought, ‘His resolve truly is that firm.’
Still, Pageuk gained something in return. Since he had volunteered to act as a servant, Yul Han tended to give him a bit more attention in passing remarks.
In other words, he paid slightly more attention to him during training.
That subtle difference was gradually producing results.
It was to the point that even Ghost Demon had stepped forward, saying he too intended to serve the Vice Cult Leader as his master.
Of course, Yul Han had firmly declared that if he spouted such nonsense one more time, he would bar him from training altogether—so Ghost Demon had not actually made the declaration.
As Ghost Demon looked down below, Pageuk, who had rushed off, returned.
“It’s a rebellion!”
Before Pageuk had even finished speaking, Yul Han vanished.
Iron Demon and Ghost Demon did the same. Without another word, they drew their blades and disappeared after Yul Han.
As Pageuk tried to follow, Profound Demon grabbed him.
“A rebellion? Don’t tell me an uprising has broken out?”
“An uprising? I’m not sure what that means, but they were shouting about opposition.”
Something about Pageuk’s explanation felt odd.
“Were the ones shouting armed?”
“No. They were just yelling.”
“Then that’s not a rebellion!”
Shouting angrily, Profound Demon hurried off. He had to explain the situation before the others shed blood.
Fortunately, the disaster Profound Demon feared did not occur.
When Yul Han arrived at the scene, he instinctively realized that the situation differed from Pageuk’s words.
Of course, Iron Demon and Ghost Demon, who arrived right after, did charge forward with their blades drawn—but Yul Han seized them by the napes of their necks, barely preventing bloodshed.
The tens of thousands gathered, shouting slogans, fell silent in shock.
The Vice Cult Leader—whom they believed without doubt to be the strongest under heaven—had come charging down.
Not only that, but they had just witnessed Iron Demon and Ghost Demon, two of the Bright Cult’s great Manifestation Realm masters, rushing in with blades drawn.
Releasing their collars, Yul Han turned and asked the crowd, whose faces were pale with fear,
“What are you doing?”
“Th-that is…”
“You bastard. The Vice Cult Leader has spoken, and you don’t even state your name. Want to die?”
Behind the shouting Iron Demon, Profound Demon and Pageuk came running down in haste.
Of the six Manifestation Realm masters possessed by the Bright Cult, five were now present—and even the Cult Leader appeared leisurely, holding the Strategist by the scruff like a toy, his face twisted in irritation.
All six had gathered.
Overwhelmed by fear and tension, many unconsciously swallowed dryly.
Among them, one man forced himself to step forward.
“M-M-Mujinja greets the Cult Leader.”
Only then did Iron Demon and the others turn around. The Cult Leader had approached right up behind them, yet they had not sensed his martial momentum.
They had only felt the pathetic Strategist’s presence and paid it no mind. Now their expressions stiffened.
Though they were in the same Manifestation Realm, they felt the difference between themselves and him once again.
The Cult Leader, having left the four Manifestation Realm masters in silent frustration, came to stand beside Yul Han.
Only then did Yul Han glance sideways, his eyes calm.
He had already known.
“You have arrived.”
“Yes. What are they saying?”
“I do not know. They were shouting for something to be made equal.”
“Made equal?”
Muttering the words, the Cult Leader turned his gaze toward the gathered crowd, his eyes turning cold.
“What? You want to be treated the same as the ones who ignored their superiors’ orders and had their heads chopped off? Is that it?”
He had begun calmly, but by the final question his voice was colder than ice.
The man who had stepped forward trembled violently.
“Th-that is not it… We only mean… equally…”
“So you want your heads chopped off equally, you bastards? Shall I do it right now?!”
With just the simple motion of clenching his fist and raising it, tens of thousands flinched in unison.
They knew.
They knew the Cult Leader’s decisiveness and monstrous might.
If he made a decision, the armed units and major masters quietly observing nearby would rush forward without hesitation.
A numerical advantage of tens of thousands?
It meant nothing.
Those gathered understood that better than anyone.
The Bright Cult had already proven it in countless wars against the Hundred Paths.
Amid the fear-stricken crowd, another man stepped forward.
“We have no intention of resisting our superiors.”
As someone spoke without much trembling, with firm composure, the Cult Leader regarded him meaningfully.
“What are you?”
“I am Gap Odol.”
“Gap Odol? What kind of sobriquet is that?”
“It is not a sobriquet but my given name. I was born on a Gap-O day… and I believe my parents named me so I would grow sturdy like a stone.”
With no family name and such a name, it meant he was the son of an ignorant country peasant.
“Where are you assigned?”
“I belong to the Suwol Unit.”
“Suwol Unit? Then you’re under the Training Hall, aren’t you?”
At the Cult Leader’s quiet murmur, the Lord of the Training Hall burst out from the surrounding ranks.
“He is indeed under my command. However, I truly did not order this, Cult Leader.”
The Cult Leader stared blankly at the Lord of the Training Hall, who had prostrated himself and shouted loudly enough to shake the hall.
“And why are you here instead of training the brats?”
“Th-that is… I came to the Main Fortress to share a drink with the Lord of the Ten Thousand Swords…”
“The Lord of the Ten Thousand Swords? Which Lord of the Ten Thousand Swords? The one who still thinks he holds the position even after failing the test? Or the fool who passed the test, became the new Lord of the Ten Thousand Swords, yet still can’t even find his own seat?”
At the Cult Leader’s question, the two men standing nearby wore awkward expressions.
The Lord of the Ten Thousand Swords had failed the Vice Cult Leader’s examination.
As he could not retake it for one year, he lost his Elder position and, with it, the post of Lord of the Ten Thousand Swords.
The position of Lord of the Ten Thousand Swords was concurrently held by an Elder.
Naturally, someone new stepped forward to challenge for both the Elder seat and the Lord of the Ten Thousand Swords.
Fortunately, he passed the Vice Cult Leader’s examination and was granted the Elder position.
Up to that point, there had been no issue. Under normal circumstances, the duties would have been properly transferred.
The problem lay in the fact that the newly appointed Elder had previously been the Vice Lord of the Ten Thousand Swords Unit.
Though he had rightfully earned the Elder position, he had not ascended to become Lord of the Ten Thousand Swords.
He knew full well the superior strength of the former Lord of the Ten Thousand Swords.
Thus, despite being assigned to take the post, he continued to act as Vice Lord of the Ten Thousand Swords Unit.
When Yul Han had heard of this afterward and asked why he had even challenged for the Elder position if he intended to do that, the Vice Lord had answered that it was to prevent anyone else from becoming Lord of the Ten Thousand Swords.
It was a form of defiance against policy—an implicit refusal to carry out orders—but the Vice Cult Leader had found the Ten Thousand Swords Unit’s solidarity not entirely displeasing and had let it pass.
Since the one enforcing the matter—the Vice Cult Leader—had allowed it, the Cult Leader had merely snorted in amusement upon hearing the report.
The fact that the Cult Leader now brought up that very issue was a clear expression of his displeasure with the present situation.
Both the former Lord of the Ten Thousand Swords and the current Lord—no, Vice Lord—knew well that in such moments the spark could fly anywhere. They hurried forward and threw themselves flat.
“Forgive us, Cult Leader!”
The Cult Leader merely twitched his lips at the sight of the two prostrating so quickly and did not rebuke them further. Instead, Yul Han stepped forward.
“Without an order from your Lord, why have you come here and what are you demanding?”
Receiving the Vice Cult Leader’s direct gaze, Gap Odol answered with a face tense with nerves.
“We are asking to be treated equally, Vice Cult Leader.”
“Who is treating you differently?”
“Yes, Vice Cult Leader.”
At Gap Odol’s answer, the Lord of the Training Hall, still prostrated on the ground, turned pale.
Truthfully, several training units named after the peaks of the Heavenly Mountains, though belonging to the Training Hall, were half-independent.
They made their own plans, trained among themselves, and managed their own affairs.
They had been granted such autonomy—but for a somewhat awkward reason.
They lacked the ability to be used as affiliated armed forces of the Training Hall.
One might ask what ability had to do with it, given that the Training Hall was meant to train martial artists within the cult—but that applied only up to second-stage training martial artists.
The Training Hall handled only first-stage foundational training and second-stage advanced training.
Third-stage ascension training was conducted independently by each official armed unit or faction.
For example, the Ten Thousand Swords Unit, the Red Blade Unit, or the Blood Sword Unit.
If one lacked the skill to join such official units—or did not wish to—then they would train within faction-owned armed groups such as the Iron Crushing Unit, the Black Demon Unit, or the Ghost Return Unit.
Though unofficial, they were still organizations of the Bright Cult and were obligated to obey the Cult Leader’s command.
Was the Suwol Unit such a group?
No.
As mentioned earlier, the Suwol Unit was one of several Training Hall-affiliated units named after peaks of the Heavenly Mountains.
Martial artists of First Rate or below stayed there.
In other words, it was a place where those who had not even reached the basic First Rate realm required for external activity as Bright Cult martial artists gathered.
The unfortunate truth was that all of them had already completed both first-stage and second-stage training.
Most belonged to factions within the Bright Army, and many were martial artists from factions that did not possess ascension martial arts.
They had finished Training Hall instruction, yet still remained under the Training Hall.
As previously mentioned, those who failed to reach First Rate were restricted from entering not only the Bright Cult’s official combat units but also the armed groups of individual factions.
Even factions belonging to the Red Army required one to be at least First Rate to qualify for Unsealing Training.
All of it stemmed from the Bright Cult’s law: those below First Rate were not recognized as martial artists.
Simply put, martial artists below First Rate were not treated as people.
Thus, the tens of thousands gathered here were precisely those who were not acknowledged as martial artists.
Indeed, though the Bright Cult boasted a hundred thousand martial artists, whenever the Great Ma Baek War broke out, only forty to fifty thousand would actually go out and fight desperately.
The reason lay here.
In past wars, more than half had not even been granted the right to fight.
And that remained unchanged even now.
Given that someone from such a group was claiming discrimination, the Lord of the Training Hall felt as though he might go mad.
“I—I am wronged! I certainly did not discriminate against them… Well, perhaps I did, but that is hardly… such a grave matter… is it?”
From the moment he uttered “perhaps I did,” displeasure radiated from Yul Han’s face. The Lord of the Training Hall immediately lowered his head deeply.
“Please kill me.”
At his appearance, Yul Han looked toward Gap Odol and Mujinja.
“Now that your Lord understands his mistake, it will be corrected. So return—”
“The one who discriminated against us is not our Lord, but you, Vice Cult Leader.”
Though his face was pale with fear, Gap Odol shouted firmly. Beside him, Mujinja nodded vigorously.
Yul Han’s expression shifted in surprise at their words and actions.
Seeing that, Pageuk glanced at Yul Han and immediately stepped forward with a fierce scowl, judging that his master was being cornered.
“I’ve never seen such idiots begging to have their heads torn off! How dare you lodge a protest here. If you want to die—”
His harsh words were cut short.
Yul Han raised his hand to stop him.
After dismissing Pageuk, Yul Han asked Gap Odol,
“You claim that I discriminate?”
“Y-Yes.”
“In what way?”
At Yul Han’s question, Gap Odol answered.