The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Novel - Chapter 206

Chapter 206
“Hmm……”

“Ugh……”

“Ahem……”

A tense, awkward stillness permeated the chamber.

The individual responsible for the stifling atmosphere sat perfectly still, rhythmically turning his prayer beads.

“I explicitly told you not to crush their skulls…… and yet you returned as if you’d ripped out their hearts instead?”

As Nam Hwa-seong offered his blunt critique, the others instinctively nodded in agreement.

They turned their gazes toward Jin So-un, the architect of this bizarre situation.

Their expressions demanded a justification.

However, Jin So-un merely flicked a glance at the polished, shining head of Il-gak before giving a nonchalant shrug.

“Well, things just worked out that way. Everyone needs to get along from now on.”

“……”

Jin So-un dismissed the matter with a justification that was woefully incomplete.

Should he not have provided at least a basic explanation regarding how Il-gak had ended up part of the representative delegation’s leadership team?

Eun-ho stared at Il-gak with a look of absolute certainty.

His eyes were brimming with sympathy, as though he fully understood the monk’s plight.

“Monk……. Did the First Senior Brother perhaps trap you with some malicious plot and force your hand?”

Eun-ho inquired with caution, fearing the consequences of offending a holy man, but Jin So-un provided the response instead.

“What kind of villain do you take me for……? No, well, I do resort to threats when the situation demands it, but……”

Every member of the team nodded with expressions that clearly signaled, *We are well aware of that*, before hurriedly clearing their throats under Jin So-un’s piercing glare.

“Regardless, he joined of his own free will to balance his karma, so set your minds at ease.”

Why did they feel obligated to find comfort in the claim that he hadn’t been coerced?

The executive staff swallowed their lingering doubts, all training their eyes on Il-gak with looks that asked, *Is that the truth?*

But Il-gak merely spun his prayer beads with increased speed, as if attempting to chase away his internal conflict.

“Oh, and one more thing! You don’t need to suspect him of being an informant.”

Of course!

Regardless of the ridiculous blunders the Righteous Path Association committed, why would they ever deploy someone like Il-gak as an infiltrator?

Il-gak’s fingers, which had been working the beads, twitched slightly, though they soon returned to a steady pace as if nothing had occurred.

“Dammit! I joined of my own free will, so why am I constantly being treated like a spy?”

To Nam Hwa-seong’s outburst, Jin So-un looked utterly unimpressed.

“You don’t possess the stature of someone like him.”

“W-what?”

“If you find that unfair, grow into a giant.”

“Damn you!”

As Nam Hwa-seong twisted his face in anger and stormed out, Eun-ho sighed, “I’m going to be the one dealing with his temper,” and let his shoulders sag.

Just as the representative delegation had been stunned, Il-gak’s arrival sparked massive waves throughout the Academy.

“Monk Il-gak joined the inner circle……! That’s completely absurd!”

“Did you hear something wrong regarding the unified representative?”

“Is that even a question? Why would Monk Il-gak align himself with Jin So-un?”

From the outset, Il-gak had been someone who held representative status for the current Academy generation, far exceeding the mere title of Righteous Path Association chairman.

Because countless Academy students viewed Il-gak with genuine reverence, his recent movements left them reeling.

“Should we interpret this to mean that Monk Il-gak has officially endorsed Jin So-un?”

“Beyond endorsement, wasn’t Jin So-un already the acting Academy Representative?”

“Does this imply that the Righteous Path Association has also sanctioned Representative Jin So-un?”

Il-gak’s sudden integration into the leadership created deep confusion within the Righteous Path Association itself.

Heated debates erupted between those defending the monk’s choice and those vehemently opposing it.

“What exactly is going on? We’ve reached a point where the entire student body assumes our Righteous Path Association is backing Jin So-un, haven’t we?”

“Since Monk Il-gak entered the delegation, it was inevitable.”

“What do you mean, it couldn’t be helped! At this rate, our group’s morale will crumble.”

“……Then go ahead and grab the Monk by the scalp and drag him back.”

“How am I supposed to grab what isn’t there……!”

Words even sharper than those used by the Demonic Cult were exchanged.

Because the Righteous Path Association had fumbled their mission in Sichuan, there was already significant internal tension against the existing power brokers. Consequently, the established faction could not act in unison while they were distracted by their own internal policing.

Had the Orthodox Path Association benefited from this?

Not at all.

The members of the Orthodox Path Association, who had intended to slip into the void left by the Righteous Path Association to exert their influence, were completely blindsided by the monk’s actions and left stumbling.

“Are we to assume the Righteous Path Association is declaring they will never align with the Orthodox Path Association ever again?”

“The Righteous Path Association and the Orthodox Path Association follow separate paths, yet we are supposed to be allies. What incentive could they possibly have to oppose us now?”

“Then there’s simply no logic behind why Il-gak acted.”

“Perhaps Jin So-un dragged him by the hair!”

“There’s no hair to drag…… Ahem.”

They wasted their time engaged in chaotic speculation regarding the political weight of the monk’s decisions.

Never imagining that his scalp was the subject of such intense debate, Il-gak sat uncomfortably in the representative delegation’s office.

“Benefactor Jin…… What duties shall I handle here?”

“Duties? What would you know about secular affairs, Monk……. Just sit tight and nod along to my words like a drowsy hen.”

“……”

Jin So-un was preoccupied, distributing responsibilities to the individuals Jang Woo-jae had recruited.

He was apparently headed to Mantongbu, and his expression was etched with profound dissatisfaction.

The others weren’t idle, either.

The senior staff members were busy tackling their respective tasks, while Il-gak alone remained idle, keeping his seat like a statue waiting for its owner.

Even for someone accustomed to facing a wall for cultivation, what trial could be more grueling than sitting motionless beside people working hard?

Finally, Il-gak took the initiative.

“Since I am officially part of the leadership, I wish to learn the work properly. Please inform me of what needs to be done, Benefactor Jin.”

At that, Jin So-un produced a document as if he had been anticipating the request.

“Well, if you insist so firmly, I suppose I have no choice. But. To assign you a task.”

“What is this document?”

“Among the sects linked to the Orthodox Path Association, these are the ones we need to bring into our delegation fold first.”

Il-gak scanned the file and quickly processed the implications.

“……So, you want me to act as an infiltrator?”

Il-gak stared at Jin So-un with a look of pure shock.

“Why use such a harsh term as infiltrator? You simply go have a chat, gain their trust, and convince them to depart from the Orthodox Path Association.”

“……Isn’t that the literal definition of espionage?”

“Oh……!”

Jin So-un squinted in feigned surprise.

“To think you possess such worldly wisdom……. It seems I can entrust you with even heavier responsibilities in the future. How reassuring! Hahahaha.”

What had just happened?

For some reason, it felt like he had fallen into a trap……

Watching Jin So-un erupt into booming laughter, Il-gak wondered if he had misjudged his past experiences and foolishly mistaken Jin So-un for an enlightened sage.

But regret, however swift, always arrives too late.

Startling reports reach ears regardless of their veracity.

For instance, the rumor that Il-gak had joined Jin So-un’s delegation.

‘Jin So-un……’

I initially dismissed it as gossip, but after witnessing Jin So-un in the Academy canteen plucking the meat from the side dishes served to Il-gak and eating them himself, I was forced to accept the reality.

Naturally, one question lingered.

How did Jin So-un coerce the monk into joining his team?

One obvious possibility was that he had secured leverage over him.

But that defied logic.

There was no way the Orthodox Path Association would be unaware of something Jin So-un knew.

The Orthodox and Righteous factions cooperated within the Academy, but they were destined to be rivals once they entered the Murim Alliance.

That was why avoiding any vulnerability was an instinct burned into their very marrow.

Moreover, this was no ordinary target; it was Il-gak.

He was not a man swayed by empty threats.

In the end, the unresolved inquiry shifted, morphing into a strategy to shift blame toward their opponents.

And it moved in a way that benefited themselves.

“The reason Il-gak is acting this way is because he despises the fact that the Orthodox Path Association has taken the representative seat.”

Upon Jegal Jeong-gi’s proclamation, the members of the Orthodox Path Association naturally harbored doubts.

“Even so, what benefit does the monk gain by joining Jin So-un’s delegation?”

And Jegal Jeong-gi was far too sharp to be silenced by such a predictable query.

“Due to the fallout in Sichuan, the Righteous Path Association is at risk of being declared unfit to serve as representatives.

In that situation, wouldn’t this be their final, desperate gamble to suggest that Jin So-un kept his position not because of incompetence, but because he was exceptionally gifted?”

At Jegal Jeong-gi’s suggestion, they began to nod one by one.

“Above all, this proves that the influence of our Orthodox Path Association is so daunting that Il-gak himself felt compelled to shift his stance.”

A subtle, arrogant glow began to manifest on the faces of the Orthodox Path Association’s temporary executives.

Jegal Jeong-gi smiled with content.

“Ultimately, this confirms that it is practically a certainty that the Orthodox Path Association will reclaim the leadership from Jin So-un.”

With the interpretation that Il-gak had joined the delegation out of fear of their prestige, the temporary executives became invigorated, gaining massive confidence in the event they were hosting.

Though Jegal Jeong-gi maintained a facade of composure, he was secretly bewildered.

‘He is truly impossible to read.’

Jin So-un’s maneuvers were too erratic for his own mind to decipher.

This wasn’t limited to the incident with the monk.

Ever since he heard that Jin So-un had secured the release of Jegal Cheon-gi, who had been incarcerated in the prison following a disaster caused by his obsession with mechanical artifacts, he had been unable to grasp his motives.

What purpose could he possibly have for a youth whose spirit had been corrupted by base inventions like Mechanism Formations?

Furthermore, the fact that Jin So-un had received an Entry Token from his own grandfather, Jegal So-myeong, caused him to feel not just suspicion, but genuine betrayal.

To think he had handed over an Entry Token—an item he had steadfastly refused even to his own flesh-and-blood grandchildren—to a disciple of some obscure, third-rate sect.

Jegal Jeong-gi had believed that his grandfather, whom he respected above all others, would never take such an action, yet when he heard the details—that the recipient had passed it to Murong Jae-hwa to help him succeed—he was left dumbfounded.

Jin So-un was a man whose moves defied any rational projection.

A being like a volatile explosive that could veer in any direction.

To the current Jegal Jeong-gi, Jin So-un was exactly that kind of entity.

And that unpredictable human approached him at a most unexpected hour.

“I hear you brought Monk Il-gak into the leadership?”

Rather than addressing the question, Jin So-un was staring blankly at a teacup containing a Seven-Colored Flower.

“……Hm? Ah, yes. That is how it ended up.”

As expected, he was a man whose inner machinations remained impenetrable.

“You must be satisfied.”

“Satisfied? Now we can’t even host dinners at taverns, and every meal has to be ordered without meat, so there are quite a few inconveniences to manage.”

And…… no matter how you looked at him, he appeared to be a man who had lost his grip on sanity.

“How did you persuade the monk?”

“Persuade?”

“Il-gak is not the type to be swayed by money. Did you dig up some dark secret of his?”

“Oh? So when you persuade people, you automatically resort to blackmail?”

“If not that, there is no way he would have moved.”

Jin So-un shrugged his shoulders as if it were a trivial matter.

“I did nothing out of the ordinary. I simply extended the invitation. If something motivated him, surely it was my ‘integrity’ rather than anything else?”

“Insane……”

“Hm? What did you just say?”

Jegal Jeong-gi struggled to avoid being pulled into his nonsense and pivoted the topic.

“Regardless, what brings you here?”

“……Hmm, indeed. Why did I come today?”

With his gaze fixed firmly on the teacup where the Seven-Colored Flower swayed, Jin So-un offered a cryptic Zen riddle and went silent.

That display cemented Jegal Jeong-gi’s internal resolve.

If such vast authority were to consolidate in the hands of such a wildly erratic individual, there was no telling what might occur.

The Academy required a fair, just representative who wouldn’t exploit their power to improve.

That was precisely why Jegal Jeong-gi could not allow the opportunity his clan had crafted for him to slip away.

The Seven Stars Seven Seizures Formation.

It was the Jegal Clan’s most potent Mystic Gate Formation, one that any prestigious organization would be certain to commission.

The world often determined whether a group held giant-sect status based on whether they had installed the Seven Stars Seven Seizures Formation.

And soon, a new formation, refined by the finest minds in the Jegal Clan’s Council and Technical Institute over two decades, would be unveiled.

The Two Principles Eight Trigrams Myriad Phenomena Formation.

If the conventional Seven Stars Seven Seizures Formation utilized roughly five thousand paths, the new formation boasted no fewer than twelve thousand.

It was truly an ultimate death formation from which escape was impossible once breached, until the point of expiration.

Some might argue the Jegal Clan’s reputation had been tarnished because of the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Destroying Formation.

However, hadn’t it been validated through the recent Academy events?

The Boundless Indestructible Soul-Destroying Formation was an apex death trap that no human could govern.

If a Mystic Gate Formation intended to hinder enemies simultaneously consumed allies, that would be the literal embodiment of a guest overpowering the host.

That was precisely why the world continued to seek the Seven Stars Seven Seizures standard.

Moreover, with the Black Path Murim forging alliances, the Green Forest showing erratic signs, and the Blood Cult surfacing in a martial landscape already taut with tension, the world would be unable to conceal its fascination with a Mystic Gate Formation that surpassed the Seven Stars Seven Seizures.

The Academy students, effectively the proxies for each sect, would have no choice but to engage in the academic event showcasing it.

And if public sentiment shifted, the Training Masters would be empowered to lend their voices in condemning Jin So-un.

No matter how desperate the struggle Jin So-un put up, the triumph of the Orthodox Path Association was effectively guaranteed.

‘Will I finally get to see that smug face go blank?’

Jegal Jeong-gi looked at Jin So-un, who remained transfixed by the teacup, and smiled with malice.

As the event date approached, the Orthodox Path Association finally revealed the nature of their presentation.

It was none other than the new Mystic Gate Formation developed by the Jegal Clan.

At the debut of a Mystic Gate technology never before seen anywhere on earth, not just the Academy, but the nearby Murim Alliance, and the broader martial world, began to churn with excitement.

People were desperate to uncover the true capabilities of the Two Principles Eight Trigrams Myriad Phenomena Formation by any means, and every individual utilized their network to dig for intelligence.

By this stage, the volume of letters reaching Academy students from their parent sects or close kin surged dramatically.

The pressure to secure intel on the Jegal Clan’s new formation ahead of competitors reached a fever pitch.

However, there was one minor complication.

“The Orthodox Path Association’s event clashes with Representative Jin’s schedule.”

“I heard Representative Jin So-un formally invited the Mount Heng Sect and organized a lecture on Dispelling Evil and Exorcism.”

“I was planning to attend that lecture after witnessing the Righteous Path Association’s show this time.”

Both were compelling options, but unless one possessed two bodies, one could not be present at both locations simultaneously.

Moreover, one was an event tied to personal survival, and the other was linked to the endurance or downfall of one’s own sect.

This tension, like a strained rope in a tug-of-war, was more than sufficient to plunge the student body into turmoil.

At that moment, when the Academy was abuzz with activity.

“Huff, huff! Damn it. Why, why am I the only one shoveling?”

“What are you complaining about? I’m digging right alongside you.”

Nam Hwa-seong, who had been traversing the entire Horse Station excavating the ground, glanced at Jin So-un, who had cleared more area than he had, and asked,

“Is it really okay for us to be doing this?”

“Of course not, you idiot! If you want to eat tonight, dig faster!”

To Jin So-un’s sharp retort, Nam Hwa-seong asked once more in frustration,

“No, I mean, the Orthodox Path Association said they are holding an experience event for a new Mystic Gate Formation, didn’t they? Shouldn’t you at least unveil that Boundless Indestructible Whatever Formation you set up?”

“Do you have any idea how expensive it is to activate the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Destroying Formation even once?”

“Still, do you really think people will attend our event after seeing a crummy Nine Palaces Bewildering Formation like this?”

Jin So-un shook his head as if he found his comrade pathetic.

“As a principle, people are easily seduced by bonuses.”

“Bonus?”

“Exactly. Bonus. The Mount Heng Sect’s lecture is the centerpiece, and participating in the Mystic Gate Formation we’re building now is the bonus.”

“……”

Would people truly view a formation like the Nine Palaces Bewildering Formation as a quality bonus?

Nam Hwa-seong, who usually loathed using his intellect, uncharacteristically strained his brain to analyze the situation.

But regardless of his perspective, the answer was a resounding no.

Even he felt it would be better to experience the new Mystic Gate Formation from the Jegal Clan than to attend a lecture on exorcism in advance, which he could study later in the Murim Alliance.

And public opinion appeared to be flowing in a trajectory very similar to his own.

‘What on earth is he planning?’

A sharp reprimand flew toward Nam Hwa-seong, who stood idle in the middle of the Horse Station.

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you shoveling faster?”

Nam Hwa-seong resolved not to question the logic of the Nine Palaces Bewildering Formation or Jin So-un’s master plan any further.

Because a more immediate, practical dilemma stood right before him.

“So, my question remains. Why am I the only one digging? There are plenty of other people in this delegation.”

“The others are occupied with real work.”

“I-I’m working too!”

“What kind of work could an informant possibly do…… Just get to digging.”

“……”

He felt uneasy that this excavation might be nothing more than digging, but Nam Hwa-seong found himself mindlessly following Jin So-un’s orders.

“Hup.”

Observing Jin So-un sweating and working hard with his own shovel, Nam Hwa-seong decided to simply follow his lead, just as he had done in Sichuan, rather than overthinking it.

At the very least, he had never suffered a loss by placing his trust in him.

“Informant! Why aren’t you shoveling faster!”

Of course, the treatment he endured was grossly unfair.

“D-damn it! I told you, I am not a spy!”

“The fact that you aren’t working harder only proves that you are.”

“……”

Even then, Nam Hwa-seong couldn’t quite bring himself to discard the shovel.