The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Novel - Chapter 198

Chapter 198
Chapter 198. An Uninvited Guest at the Academy (3)

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Cheol Sun-jik rhythmically struck the tabletop.

This was a tic he developed whenever he was deep in contemplation.

Finally, his finger, which had been striking for a while, came to a halt.

“What occurred?”

Upon returning from Sichuan, the first individual to speak had been Nam Hwa-seong.

[Brother Cheol…… how do you feel about me joining the Representative Executive Staff?]

Because it was a sudden statement, Cheol Sun-jik could not provide an immediate response.

[Won’t others attempt to join as well? I will enter first and gauge the internal climate.]

Certainly, if the shaky Representative Delegation led by Jin So-un were to stabilize, securing an Executive seat beforehand would provide a strategic advantage.

In that way, for the duration of the remaining academic term, they could work to further the interests of the Twelve Peak Citadels.

However.

[…….]

Even so, was it a sound decision to utilize Nam Hwa-seong for a role requiring him to infiltrate hostile territory and engage in political maneuvering?

[Wh-why are you staring at me like that? Do you lack trust in me?]

Just observing his uncharacteristic, stammering panic, one could tell he was not cut out for deception.

Was it not impossible to entrust a strategist’s duties to someone like Zhang Fei?

Nam Hwa-seong possessed a soft-hearted nature that contradicted his imposing frame, and when the other side pushed firmly, he often abandoned his own resolve.

As a frontline fighter, he was a solid asset, but…….

Furthermore, the aspect that puzzled Cheol Sun-jik was something entirely different.

[Do you genuinely desire this?]

Because Nam Hwa-seong doubted his own judgment, he rarely initiated any course of action.

For such a person to volunteer to play the part of a spy, a role entirely unsuitable for him, was something Cheol Sun-jik found difficult to comprehend.

[After I-I encountered that bastard in Sichuan recently, I realized how incredibly brutal he was. Among the Twelve Peak Citadels, if not me…… ahem, who else could endure such a grueling task?]

Although the subject was left unsaid, he immediately understood whom Nam Hwa-seong meant.

Ultimately, Nam Hwa-seong filed an application to join the Representative Executive Staff.

The other members of the Twelve Peak Citadels expressed apprehension or unease regarding his decision, but that was the extent of it.

Because they were well aware of the impact his choice would have—not only on Nam Hwa-seong personally but by extension, on the entire Three Origins Sect.

“Intriguing.”

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

His finger resumed its movement.

The time Jin So-un and Nam Hwa-seong had spent together had not exceeded a week.

What, then, had Nam Hwa-seong witnessed in Jin So-un during that brief window?

“It is not as if Nam Hwa-seong is ignorant of my character.”

He was fastidious and sought perfection.

He remained cautious of variables and chaos, ensuring that events proceeded as calculated.

Essentially, he had a temperament that did not welcome spontaneous suggestions.

Yet, that timid fellow had stepped forward on his own accord.

He, too, had perceived something unique in Jin So-un, but it was not significant enough for him to gamble the future of his sect on it.

Tap. Tap. Tap—

Cheol Sun-jik’s finger ceased its motion.

“Or perhaps he perceived something of such magnitude that he found it unnecessary to worry about me?”

What facet of Jin So-un was Nam Hwa-seong capable of seeing that had eluded him?

“Puhaha! That is surely impossible…….”

Cheol Sun-jik opened a dossier.

It was a periodic trend analysis dispatched by the Twelve Peak Citadels.

It contained reports regarding the turmoil within the Righteous Path Association following the Sichuan incident, as well as the maneuvers being conducted by the Orthodox Path Association.

These were merely external observations, yet once such intelligence reached Cheol Sun-jik’s hands, it transformed into something deeper.

“The Orthodox Path Association is taking action, are they?”

They had cleverly targeted the vacuum left by the Righteous Path Association.

However, he could not shake the feeling that they were acting with too much haste.

Jin So-un’s influence, whose reputation had surged after this ordeal, had not yet diminished…….

“They must be desperate. Heh heh.”

It was a classic scenario of the clam and the sandpiper locked in conflict.

The Twelve Peak Citadels merely needed to wait for the clam and the sandpiper to exhaust themselves before claiming the prize.

“By then, though, there will no longer be space for the Three Origins Sect…….”

The positions held by the Twelve Peak Citadels were distinct from those of the Nine Sects and One Gang or the Five Great Clans.

The members of the One Hundred Eight Peaks could ascend to the Twelve Peak Citadels at any time, rising through merit and competition.

Because they understood this, the other members of the Twelve Peak Citadels had not actively blocked Nam Hwa-seong.

“Heh heh…… I will be quite occupied from now on. I shall need to restructure our organization as well.”

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Cheol Sun-jik’s finger began moving once more.

—

The Execution Pavilion.

The supreme enforcement authority of the Alliance Law.

It was a place feared by even the most audacious Alliance members, and it carried a notorious reputation beyond the borders of the organization.

Essentially, it was known as a second absolute power within the Alliance.

“The Execution Pavilion?”

At those words, which carried an unpleasant weight, the man glared at me.

“Come with me.”

The clothing he gripped so roughly pulled tight, nearly tearing at the seams.

Truly, his ignorance was boundless.

“……Release me.”

When I exhaled a sigh, his brows arched high.

“Did you fail to grasp my meaning?”

In his grip, I sensed a feeling of entitlement.

The sense that this was permitted.

The sense that this was normal.

In my previous life, every time I was dragged here and there, I had endured such rough, violent hands countless times.

At first, I had been overwhelmed by fear, but eventually, I came to realize something.

These were nothing more than the cowardly, feeble hands of men who would flee from death faster than anyone else.

I cast my gaze downward at the man’s hand, then stared directly back into his eyes.

“I told you, let go.”

“…….”

Perhaps because my tone grated on him, the veins on his forehead bulged.

Grip.

My garment emitted a tearing sound, as if it were about to rip apart.

“Do you honestly believe your meager authority as an Academy Representative will offer you protection…….”

The man failed to finish his sentence.

“Ugh!”

I utilized the force of his own grip on my collar, pivoted, and tossed him onto the ground.

THUD.

The man slammed into the dirt, and perhaps because the impact winded him, he struggled to catch his breath.

If he was stunned and unable to breathe, what of it?

I did not plan to conclude the matter there.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

I trampled the man’s face until white shards flew from his mouth.

“Guhk── How dare you do this to the Execution Pavilion…….”

Hearing him continue to invoke the Execution Pavilion, as if he still had breath to spare, drew a cold, mocking laugh from me.

I seized the man by his hair and hauled his mangled face upward.

“Are you affiliated with the Ak Clan?”

“……What?”

The man’s eyes flickered.

As I suspected.

“Impersonating the Execution Pavilion is a grave offense.”

“What nonsense are you babbling about──.”

“The Execution Pavilion never operates as a lone wolf.”

I scanned the area, finding only onlookers who had gathered due to the sudden violence, with no signs of anyone who appeared to be his associates.

I did not overlook the flash of alarm that crossed his features.

“And they always produce an identification token first. Because that alone is sufficient to put a stranglehold on any opponent.”

“…….”

“What is your name?”

“…….”

“So you refuse to state it?”

I immediately landed two punches against his face.

Blood gushed from his nose, and another white fragment was dislodged from his mouth.

“Grr!”

The man unleashed the Phoenix Claw Wind Hand and retreated.

He swiftly joined the three iron rods hanging at his waist, transforming them into a single spear.

“As I thought, you are a man of the Ak Clan.”

“I am here as a proxy for the Execution Pavilion.”

To an excuse that did not even merit consideration, I let out a sneer.

“Who sent you as a proxy?”

“…….”

The man’s eyes darted around.

It would be impossible for him to reveal a name in this public setting.

“You cannot speak it where witnesses are present, correct?”

The name of the ‘Execution Pavilion’ was a source of universal terror.

People trembled merely at the mention of the name, and were easily manipulated by it.

That had been the case for me in my past life, and for the Sojeong Squad and the White Tiger Pavilion.

“And you bastards must have exploited that fact.”

He would never have dared to attempt such a bold impersonation before anyone who understood that the delegation of the Execution Pavilion’s absolute authority was an impossibility.

‘They must have concluded that I was an easy target.’

In this life, I had climbed the ladder of success as a promising student, but in their eyes, I clearly still resembled the version of myself from my past life—a member of the Sojeong Squad.

“Jin So-un! After committing such an act, are you not terrified of the consequences?!”

“The consequences?”

I tilted my head.

“An individual impersonating the Execution Pavilion has neither revealed the identity of his sender nor his own affiliation.”

“…….”

“Could you be a spy from the Black Path?”

“What kind of accusation is that…….”

As if I had reached a grand realization, I intentionally spoke in a voice loud enough to carry across the crowd.

“That’s it! You are a spy from the Black Path Murim who impersonated the Execution Pavilion to kidnap the Representative of the Murim Academy. Or perhaps you are an operative of the Blood Cult who survived in Sichuan.”

Murmurs began to swell among the spectators.

The atmosphere was perfectly set.

Shing.

I drew the Black Dragon Sword and ignited my internal qi.

BOOM.

As I emitted pressure potent enough to make my martial arts uniform ripple, the nearby onlookers scrambled backward.

I bellowed with as much righteous fervor as I could muster.

“To think you dared infiltrate the Murim Alliance’s territory without fear. As the Representative of the Murim Academy, I will bring you to justice and surrender you to the Execution Pavilion!”

As the tension shifted, the man contorted his body in a final, desperate struggle.

“……Grr! I am a man of the Shandong Ak Clan!”

The Phoenix Soaring Spear Art erupted from his weapon.

The spear tip, glowing with heat, struck toward my vital points, but so what?

Fundamentally, a single sentence of incitement was all it took.

One could always fabricate an endless stream of evidence to justify one’s actions later.

“To think you would even steal the Ak Clan’s spear technique to mask your identity. You truly are a grotesque bastard.”

While parrying with the Twin Heaven Sword Formula using the Black Dragon Sword, I deployed the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist with my free left hand.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang.

While retreating and deflecting my sword strikes, he managed to neutralize the fist technique with a Phoenix Flying Heaven Palm.

However──

He failed to properly guard against the Flying Dragon Claw I launched from between the fist strikes, and he stared with shock at the Heavenly Silkworm Thread coiled around my arm.

“Wh-when……!”

“As I suspected, you are surely a spy. No one from the Shandong Ak Clan would be this incompetent.”

Rattle, rattle.

As the Flying Dragon Claw tightened, the man could not withstand the agony and was dragged toward me.

In the next heartbeat, he attempted to use the momentum to land a piercing strike with his spear tip.

I swerved my body slightly and let the strike pass by harmlessly.

“Your improvisation is decent, but…… such simplistic maneuvers merely become prey for your opponent.”

I infused the essence of the Lotus into the Black Dragon Sword, hoisted the man and his spear half a rotation, and slammed him down.

THUD, THUD.

After tumbling along the dirt for the second time, the man groaned and writhed, seemingly drained of the strength to stand.

I adjusted my grip on the Black Dragon Sword and began striking the man with the edge of the blade.

Crunch- Crunch- Crunch-

For a moment, only the sound of crushing bone echoed through the now-silent crowd.

The man could not last even fifteen minutes and eventually drifted into unconsciousness.

Looking down on an opponent without possessing the skill or a legitimate cause was the most foolish error a martial artist could commit.

“Or perhaps he placed too much faith in his backers.”

When I rifled through his garments, sure enough, a nameplate from the Ak Clan appeared.

Fourth Team, O Un-gyeong.

It did not list an agency, and given that his surname was not ‘Ak,’ he was clearly not of the direct lineage of the Shandong Ak Clan.

I continued searching his clothing, confiscated his coin pouch, and checked for any promissory notes.

Various rumors began to circulate among the onlookers.

“Is that man truly a Black Path spy?”

“But his martial arts and attire are so reminiscent of the Ak Clan, aren’t they?”

“Could he actually be from the Ak Clan……?”

Although it did not concern them, the people were pointlessly anxious.

From my perspective, there was no reason for concern.

‘After all, I acted with full knowledge of what I was doing.’

It might have been standard practice for those people, but the fact that they were operating under the guise of the Execution Pavilion was an issue that other agencies would escalate into a major incident if they discovered it.

In reality, they probably hoped to keep this matter quiet.

“Regardless, this has become a nuisance. The Ak Clan has moved directly…….”

I had hoped to finish my business and live peacefully at the Academy, but another complication had emerged.

Was my fate destined to be this turbulent, not only in my past life but in this one as well?

“……This is all because of that tactless bastard, Yaryul Geuk.”

After cursing the man who was likely groaning in the dormitory while purging stagnant blood, I proceeded to the meeting location.

—

Led by a waiter, I entered the detached building, but the mood among the early arrivals was peculiar.

“Ahem…….”

“…….”

“…….”

What could be the cause?

Hmm, as for Jang Woo-jae, we had established a bond from our time fighting together in Yueyang, and there was no animosity between us.

Then the source of this heavy atmosphere was none other than…….

“Nam Hwa-seong actually showed up.”

“……Fuck.”

Nam Hwa-seong crumpled his expression like a wad of paper, clearly displeased.

“Y-you were the one who told me to come!”

That fool truly lacked any sense of decorum.

“Well, that is because you are part of the Representative Executive Staff. I just did not expect you to actually attend.”

“……Damn it.”

Nam Hwa-seong’s face turned crimson, as if he were about to explode.

But from my perspective, I honestly never thought he would appear.

Before the Sichuan incident, Nam Hwa-seong had been a figure who stood in direct opposition to our Representative Delegation.

“Well, I suppose you have your reasons?”

“…….”

When I took my seat, the awkward atmosphere finally settled.

I surveyed the individuals gathered there.

“The current members of the Representative Executive Staff are already acquainted, correct?”

The individuals sitting across from Jang Woo-jae and Nam Hwa-seong introduced themselves one by one and exchanged formal greetings.

As expected, wherever our group went, they never provided anyone with grounds for criticism.

I smiled with satisfaction and looked across the table.

“You are all familiar with this side, right? Jang Woo-jae of the Yujang Sect.”

“I greet you once again. I am Jang Woo-jae of the Yujang Sect. Regarding the events in Yueyang…… I offer my thanks once more.”

When he bowed politely, the group smiled warmly and waved their hands.

“Not at all. The elders of your sect are doing well, yes?”

“Yes. They are working tirelessly to rebuild the foundations of the Yujang Sect.”

“That is a relief.”

Everyone nodded at Namgung Seon-hwa’s words, but only Nam Hwa-seong, unaware of the events in Yueyang, wore a confused expression.

“Did something happen?”

“…….”

“…….”

Nam Hwa-seong asked, yet no one provided an answer.

Perhaps feeling the awkwardness, Nam Hwa-seong lowered his head and scratched the back of it vigorously.

This is exactly why he should not have forced himself into such an uncomfortable gathering.

Since I could not leave him isolated, I quickly proceeded with Nam Hwa-seong’s introduction.

“This is Nam Hwa-seong of the Three Origins Sect.”

Suddenly, Nam Hwa-seong leaped from his chair and performed a formal, clasped-hand greeting.

“Pleasure to meet you. I am Nam Hwa-seong of the Three Origins Sect. Let us put the past behind us and begin a new chapter.”

His voice echoed loudly throughout the detached building.

Even so, we offered a scattered, awkward round of applause.

I continued the explanation regarding Nam Hwa-seong.

“He is from the Twelve Peak Citadels and has joined the Representative Executive Staff as a spy. So, I request that you do not discuss any confidential matters in his presence.”

“…….”

In an instant, the air turned frigid.

Nam Hwa-seong blinked at me like an ox that had just had its feed stolen.

“What? Why?”

“…….”

If they were going to plant a spy, they should have selected someone more intelligent.

I truly cannot fathom what is going through Cheol Sun-jik’s mind.