Urban Vagabond: Reload

“Set the board?”

“What do you mean?”

Kim Muhyuk methodically explained the plan that had come to him to the two men staring at him in confusion.

“Right now, Gu Jaseung—an elder of Great Heaven Gate—has mistaken me for a master of ice techniques. He’ll report it to his sect leader the same way. But you said Sun and Moon Gate’s sect leader is from the blazing-yang lineage, right?”

At his question, the two of them nodded.

Kim Muhyuk continued.

“Which means, from Sun and Moon Gate’s sect leader’s perspective, it could look like the opposing faction interfered. We’re going to use that misunderstanding. For example...”

As he spoke, the idea seemed to sharpen inside his head. Life returned to Kim Muhyuk’s eyes, and a confident smile formed at his lips as he laid out example after example.

A plan to drive a wedge between Great Heaven Gate and Sun and Moon Gate—and between the two factions within Sun and Moon Gate—flowed out smoothly.

“...If we do it like this, don’t you think we can make them fight for real? And while they’re busy tearing at each other, we take the fisherman’s profit and pick up the information we need from behind the scenes.”

“Hoo...”

“...”

Choi Geon and No Gucheon, who had listened in silence, wore expressions of admiration and dismay respectively.

Choi Geon raised his thumb toward his disciple.

“Disciple. You’re genuinely insane. Impressively insane.”

“That’s a compliment, right?”

“Of course! The highest compliment!”

Choi Geon burst into hearty laughter, then turned to No Gucheon with a look that asked what do you think?

“...Isn’t it too dangerous?”

As a Martial Alliance elder—and as a senior martial artist looking at a much younger talent—No Gucheon couldn’t help worrying.

This plan would only work if Kim Muhyuk took on all the risk himself.

But Kim Muhyuk looked like that was exactly what he wanted.

“I’m fine with it. It’s not like chances to rack up this much real combat experience come around often.”

“....”

No Gucheon stood with his arms crossed, thinking in silence. Choi Geon poked him in the side a few times, then murmured slyly.

“My disciple—don’t you see the makings of a fine righteous hero?”

“...A righteous hero?”

Not a schemer or a con man?

When No Gucheon looked at him with that expression, Choi Geon snorted.

“Is there some separate category for a righteous hero? If you beat down bad men and bring justice, that’s a righteous hero. They don’t care what methods they use—so why do we need to be refined and polite about it?”

“Good grief...”

No Gucheon looked back and forth between master and disciple—so alike it was almost irritating—then let out a long sigh and asked Kim Muhyuk.

“Let me ask just one thing. What’s the real reason you’re willing to go this far? You know how dangerous it is. ‘I want real combat experience’ isn’t enough for me to accept.”

He paused, and his voice turned grave.

“Are you trying to avenge your master’s grudge against the Eight Great Sects?”

“...You. What are you saying right now?”

Choi Geon’s face hardened, but No Gucheon didn’t stop.

“I respect your spirit, but the Eight Great Sects aren’t opponents you can face with half-baked resolve. If you misstep, you and everyone around you could be put in danger.”

“You think I’d allow that?”

“Stay out of this. I’m asking Kim Muhyuk—the martial artist—what his resolve is!”

“...”

No Gucheon—an elder of the Martial Alliance.

He had seen far too many so-called righteous Martial Alliance heroes who had vowed to change the world—only to despair, flee, or betray their ideals.

If this is youthful recklessness, I have to stop it. There’s no reason to force a brilliant later-generation talent to walk a road of needless hardship...

Separate from the fact that an excellent chance had appeared to crack the Eight Great Sects, No Gucheon worried about the future of a single young martial artist.

Kim Muhyuk was raw material that could one day step onto the World Martial Arts Tournament stage.

“Speak honestly.”

Kim Muhyuk met No Gucheon’s gaze head-on. Since the question was serious, his answer was serious too.

“I know that my master and I are seen as oddballs by orthodox standards. But I don’t think someone’s conduct or way of speaking can be the yardstick for judging what ‘orthodox’ is.”

“...”

When the Heavenly Demon Cult had ruled the world—

When the country fell into chaos and every kind of crime ran rampant, staining the world with screams and tears—

So many people had waited for the Eight Great Sects to come help them.

“The Eight Great Sects are the symbol of the orthodox world. Of course there’s the Martial Alliance, but later-generation talents admire the Eight Great Sects more. They look up to them and think, ‘Those are the cool, righteous orthodox martial artists.’ I used to think that too.”

But most of the Eight Great Sects had bowed under the Heavenly Demon Cult’s overwhelming strength, and some had even lowered their heads and become lackeys.

“I don’t like the current standard—judging by what looks righteous on the surface. So I’m going to change it.”

The vagabond who had slowly died with a broken body had been forced to sneer at hypocrites wearing the mask of “orthodox.”

Kim Muhyuk wasn’t that man anymore.

“If the standard is wrong, I’ll smash it and make a new one. If they want to call themselves orthodox, then it shouldn’t be their words and manners that make them orthodox—it should be what they carry in their hearts. I’m going to make sure people know that.”

“...”

“...”

After a brief silence, the corners of the two old masters’ mouths lifted at the same time.

“He’s my disciple, but isn’t he truly admirable?”

“Yeah, yeah—so stop bragging. You’re going to kill me with jealousy.”

Grumbling, No Gucheon shot Choi Geon a look and asked one last question.

“You’re sure you didn’t brainwash him, right?”

“What the hell do you take me for?!”

“...It’s a joke. But the way you’re getting worked up makes me a little suspicious.”

“You bastard, really?”

Choi Geon glared with narrowed eyes—then chuckled and asked,

“So what will you do? After decades, a chance to crack the Eight Great Sects has finally come. Are you going to let it slip away?”

Choi Geon was radical and hot-blooded, but he wasn’t someone who didn’t understand proper conduct.

The fact that he had come to No Gucheon to talk meant he was asking for Martial Alliance cooperation—and if the Martial Alliance opposed it, he intended to postpone everything for now.

Touching the Eight Great Sects would ripple back onto the Martial Alliance as well.

“...It would feel pretty damn good.”

No Gucheon imagined, for a moment, what it would look like if Kim Muhyuk’s plan succeeded, and his lips twitched before he could stop them.

It was a chance to seriously weaken one pillar of the Eight Great Sects.

Just thinking about it made the fatigue wash away.

“As soon as I get to the Martial Alliance, I’ll report to the Martial Alliance Leader immediately.”

In the end, No Gucheon was still part of the Martial Alliance—someone who had lived with the Eight Great Sects’ overreach for far too long and had plenty built up inside.

He rose from his seat and continued.

“Just watch—the Martial Alliance Leader will say we should make the board even bigger. We’ll work up more countermeasures on our side too.”

Choi Geon and Kim Muhyuk looked at each other at the same time and grinned.

No Gucheon asked Kim Muhyuk,

“Do you need support? It’ll be hard to send manpower openly, but we can help with equipment or funds to some extent.”

“Right now, not really...”

Kim Muhyuk started to refuse, then changed his words as if something had occurred to him.

“Actually... how big is the support budget? And could you write me just one document?”

Because a far more reliable reinforcement than anything the Martial Alliance could provide had just come to mind.

*****

There were still about ten days left before the first-rate license exam.

Before then, Kim Muhyuk planned to dig through Great Heaven Gate as thoroughly as possible.

For this kind of job, a team beats going solo.

So the next day, the first place he went was Kim Bokja’s workshop.

When Kim Muhyuk explained the plan, he got exactly the reaction he’d expected.

“...So you want me to help you screw over one of the biggest mid-tier sects in the country and the Eight Great Sects on top of that? Are you actually out of your mind, you crazy bastard?”

The fact that the culprit behind the Great Heaven Gate building terror incident she’d seen on a breaking news special was sitting right in front of her made Kim Bokja press her back tight against her chair.

“Do you even know how big the bounty on you is right now? It’s big enough to fix my cursed life at least a little.”

“You’re going to fix your life by selling out a friend? You just ate the meal my mom and dad cooked you the other day—now you’re saying that?”

“Ah, hell—!”

After throwing out a joke and failing to gain anything from it, Kim Bokja let out a long sigh.

“It’s too big. No matter what, even if it’s your request, I can’t do this. Sorry, but...”

As she lowered her head with genuine guilt, a thick envelope entered Kim Bokja’s view.

Kim Muhyuk set the envelope on the table and slid it toward her.

“This is the down payment. I got plenty of support funds. In cash—every last bit.”

“...Can I look?”

After she opened the envelope and checked the amount inside, the sharp, hostile angle of Kim Bokja’s eyes softened into something almost gentle.

“So what do we start with?”

They had secured a spellcaster.

Next was finding an operative who could roll around in the field.

Kim Muhyuk headed to the training hall where Shin Kangheon was practicing—together with Kim Bokja.

“Crazy bastard. Long time no see. That weird internal energy—can you control it properly now?”

Choi Geon was there as well, having come to watch Shin Kangheon’s training.

Master and disciple exchanged a glance in an instant, but Shin Kangheon didn’t notice.

Instead of loosening up like usual or immediately demanding a match, Kim Muhyuk lowered his voice as much as he could and began.

“Shin Kangheon. As a later-generation talent of the orthodox world... don’t you want to do something meaningful?”

“What new kind of insane bullshit are you trying to pull now?”

Shin Kangheon narrowed his eyes warily at Kim Muhyuk.

He knew from experience that when Kim Muhyuk started laying groundwork like this, something never-normal was about to happen.

But Kim Muhyuk had the other man’s personality read perfectly.

This time, instead of an envelope of cash, he pulled out an order document stamped with the Martial Alliance Leader’s seal and showed it to him.

“...Martial Alliance Level-One Secret Order?”

“Shh. Just read. Quietly.”

As Shin Kangheon swallowed hard and read the document, Kim Muhyuk added the explanation beside him.

“You know the Martial Alliance Leader has a lot of enemies. The Eight Great Sects have been keeping him in check, and lately some unknown bastards even trashed the exam. We found the culprit.”

“What? Who is it?!”

“...Can you swear you won’t tell a single person what I’m about to say?”

Nodnod!

As Shin Kangheon nodded vigorously, Kim Muhyuk slowly explained the current situation and the plan, setting the mood.

“So the Martial Alliance Leader needs hands that can move without the Eight Great Sects noticing. That’s you and me.”

“Looks like the Martial Alliance Leader has taken notice of your skills.”

The Sword Demon, listening beside them, slid in a quiet comment.

“The Martial Alliance Leader... noticed me?”

At the thought of being acknowledged by none other than the Martial Alliance Leader, Shin Kangheon’s lips began to tremble.

From there, it was lightning-fast.

A secret operation personally requested by the Martial Alliance Leader.

A battle to the death against villains in the dark—one no one would ever recognize.

For a young man whose adolescence still hadn’t ended at twenty, the fantasy was far too stimulating.

And then—

“Old memories come back to me. I stained my hands with the blood of countless villains... and no one ever recognized it. Still, for this old man, the knowledge that I made the world even a little more peaceful is reward enough.”

With his hands clasped behind his back, the Sword Demon delivered the finishing blow in a lonely voice.

“What the... that’s fucking cool...”

Muttering as if possessed by something, Shin Kangheon thumped his chest hard.

“I’ll do it too! Who cares who sees? I’ll burn this body for the justice of the martial world!”

At the bold declaration, Choi Geon smiled with satisfaction and patted Shin Kangheon on the shoulder.

Then Kim Muhyuk confirmed what Shin Kangheon had just said.

“You really are ready to burn yourself up?”

“Of course!”

Shin Kangheon nodded hard, not realizing what that question truly meant.

“If this is how it goes...”

From behind them, Kim Bokja rubbed her chin and murmured meaningfully.

“Does that make this ‘Blue Wolves’ first official mission?”