Urban Vagabond: Reload

After making a temporary alliance with Blood Tiger Gang, I headed straight to Martial Alliance.

They say you should pull an iron spike out while it’s still hot.

While I was at it, I planned to wring cooperation out of Martial Alliance too.

If there was one upside to the Sun and Moon Gate sect leader incident and the scandals involving the Eight Great Sects, it was this: I could now meet high-ranking Martial Alliance officials immediately, without jumping through procedures.

And that was a far bigger privilege than it sounded.

“Martial Alliance Leader is waiting for you inside.”

Among the young rising stars my age, I was the only one who could request a private audience with the Martial Alliance Leader like this.

“Come in.”

Martial Alliance Leader Yeo Pilgeuk welcomed me with a bright smile despite how busy he was.

His desk was piled high with documents for approval, and maybe because he’d been grinding through intense work lately, the martial artist who always looked like iron seemed noticeably gaunt.

“Martial Alliance Leader.”

I lowered my head and gave a crisp fist-palm salute.

It was a completely different face from the one I’d worn when I walked into Blood Tiger Gang’s base.

“Aren’t you too busy? Was it wrong of me to insist on seeing you?”

“It’s fine. I was about to catch my breath anyway. Sit.”

Yeo Pilgeuk studied my flow of internal energy for a moment, then shook his head in disbelief.

“Muhyuk... every time I see you, you find a way to shock me. You’ve improved again already? And...”

His gaze lingered briefly on Phantom Dream hanging at my waist.

ZZZIIING—.

Phantom Dream let out a timid whine, then went quiet.

Maybe because Sword Demon had trained it hard, it had a tendency to behave whenever it saw an old master.

“...I heard from Sword Demon. You obtained a sacred weapon on Jeju Island? Is it hard to handle?”

“My mentor only permitted it recently, so I’m still at the level where I can barely carry it around.”

At the humble answer—straight out of a model orthodox young rising star—Yeo Pilgeuk’s mouth curled up on its own.

Seeing this child... the future of Korea’s orthodox martial world is truly bright.

He was genuinely happy—at the rapid achievements of a junior with a righteous heart, and at the fact that I’d obtained a sacred weapon money could never buy.

“For masters whose names shake the world, there’s always a story that follows them and their sacred weapon. But remember—weaponry is only a tool. Don’t get drunk on the sharpness of a famous sword and neglect your own training.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Heh. That was just an old man’s needless worry and predictable nagging.”

Yeo Pilgeuk nodded in satisfaction, took a sip of tea, and asked.

“So. You didn’t come just to chat. What brings you to me?”

Was I here to ask advice on a blockage in my martial arts training?

Even though Martial Alliance work had been swallowing him whole lately, Yeo Pilgeuk was willing to make time for me.

He’s smart enough to break through on his own with just a little guidance. When it comes to the sword, no one’s a better teacher than Sword Demon... but for internal methods or footwork, I can teach as much as he needs...

He was already imagining it—getting ahead of himself—

But unfortunately, my business was far outside his expectations.

“Martial Alliance Leader. I want to wipe out Black Heaven Society. Will you help me?”

Pfft—!

Seeing tea spray out of the mouth of a supreme master like the Martial Alliance Leader was the kind of sight you might only witness once in your life.

I’d somehow managed it, and as if I’d expected it, I only tilted my head slightly to avoid the tea.

“Y-you... are you saying that seriously?”

“I am.”

When Yeo Pilgeuk saw how firm my expression was, he slowly shook his head.

“...I admire your spirit, but that’s not something you can say lightly. Black Heaven Society is a force on par with the Eight Great Sects. They aren’t an opponent you can scheme against recklessly.”

If it were that simple, Martial Alliance would’ve already exterminated Black Heaven Society and every one of the Five Great Unorthodox Sects long ago.

To go to war with the Five Great Unorthodox Sects required resolve and preparation far beyond what most people imagined.

At the very least, you’d need an information source that reports Black Heaven Society’s movements—and the Five Great Unorthodox Sects’ movements—moment by moment. If you don’t even know the enemy’s internal situation properly...

Right then—like I’d read his mind—I spoke.

“The unorthodox faction will help too. I made a temporary alliance with Blood Tiger Gang.”

“...With who?”

Yeo Pilgeuk wasn’t asking because he didn’t know Blood Tiger Gang.

They were a newly rising unorthodox organization whose growth was dangerously fast—an organization Martial Alliance assessed as highly likely to become as much of a headache as the Five Great Unorthodox Sects in the near future.

“How... is something like that even possible?”

“One of Blood Tiger Gang’s executives has leverage in my hands.”

“...?”

Yeo Pilgeuk looked at me with a gaze full of questions, so I shifted topics for a moment.

“Martial Alliance Leader. Have you heard of a mercenary organization called Red Worm?”

“Aren’t they a demonic-path group active overseas?”

If the correct path was the pursuit of a righteous road—cultivating body and mind through martial arts—

And the corrupt path was those who sought personal glory, chasing power and authority without caring what methods they used—

Then the demonic path referred to madmen who destroyed even methods themselves for the sake of twisted convictions.

And the future Heavenly Demon Cult would stand at the very peak of that demonic path.

“I found a link between Red Worm and Black Heaven Society. If we leave it alone, Red Worm might take root domestically.”

More importantly—

Red Worm had Heavenly Demon Cult behind it.

My goal was to erase, one by one, the Five Great Unorthodox Sects that would become Heavenly Demon Cult’s bridgehead in Korea.

“...Tell me in detail.”

Yeo Pilgeuk’s eyes turned serious.

He canceled his afternoon schedule and began a full discussion with me.

I combined my memories from my previous life with the information I’d learned last night from searching Shin Junhyun’s room and laid out my plan.

“Shin Junhyun?”

“He’s the younger brother of Shin Jaehyun, who used to serve as deputy commander of White Tiger Unit. He’s also Shin Kangheon’s uncle.”

“...I think I know who you mean.”

I’d already told Shin Kangheon that I would inform the Martial Alliance Leader—along with the fact that I intended to proceed as quietly as possible.

I still thought it was too early to mention Heavenly Demon Cult, so I kept that part to myself, but I shared everything else with Yeo Pilgeuk.

At first, he listened with a puzzled expression, but as the story went on, he began offering opinions more and more actively.

“Black Heaven Society, Blood Tiger Gang, Red Worm... With so many unorthodox vermin involved, it would be best to use poison against poison. Make them tear at each other—then when we cover them all at once, we can sweep away as many as possible!”

He might be a dignified Martial Alliance Leader now, but in his younger days, Yeo Pilgeuk had hunted unorthodox scum no less fiercely than Choi Geon.

“A while ago, there should be an executive we captured from Black Heaven Society locked up in Martial Alliance’s prison. Want to recycle them?”

“Exactly! They’d be perfect for sowing discord.”

We were more than fifty years apart, but in front of a plan to smash unorthodox trash, we clicked like close friends who’d grown up together.

“Martial Alliance Leader. In that case, shouldn’t we call Elder No and my mentor too, and talk together?”

“Unfortunately, both of them left for provincial trips.”

“Sure, Elder No, I get. But does my mentor ever go on a long business trip?”

“He went to catch a wanted fugitive. That friend Choi Geon... in his old age, he’s been traveling around, hunting demon lords, and living the life. Tsk. If I talk about it, it only makes me jealous—so let’s focus on the meeting.”

We kept throwing ideas back and forth, and the plan became more concrete, more fleshed out.

Time flew.

Before I knew it, the sun was dipping low outside the window.

After reviewing everything with me, Yeo Pilgeuk nodded with a face that looked more certain.

“We’ll need to polish it more, but at this level, it seems like a plan we can absolutely attempt. The problem is...”

He tapped his knee with his palm, his expression troubled—like there was something holding him back.

“Martial Alliance’s losses won’t be small either. I’m worried about how much blood our alliance members will have to spill.”

“Then we’ll spread the bleeding out a bit.”

“...What do you mean?”

Like I’d already decided, I answered.

“There’s an Eight Great Sects group that’s desperate to restore its honor right now. What if we give them the chance to fight alongside us?”

Yeo Pilgeuk’s expression brightened little by little, then he slapped his knee.

“Oh...! That’s an excellent method!”

If this were the old days, it would’ve been unthinkable.

When asked to fight the Five Great Unorthodox Sects together, the Eight Great Sects would’ve made excuses and slipped away.

But now, no matter what anyone said, the center of the orthodox martial world was Martial Alliance.

And the Eight Great Sects had no choice but to at least pretend to follow the Martial Alliance Leader’s will.

Unless they wanted to be shredded by public opinion again.

Yeo Pilgeuk seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he smiled meaningfully.

“I’ll need to set up a dinner meeting with the sect leaders soon.”

For the Eight Great Sects—who absolutely had to repair their image—it wouldn’t be a pure loss either.

Watching the Martial Alliance Leader burn with motivation, I checked the time and spoke.

“Martial Alliance Leader. I should get going.”

“Has it gotten this late already? Let’s talk again soon.”

“And about Shin Kangheon in White Tiger Unit...”

Yeo Pilgeuk nodded with a somewhat bitter expression.

“Don’t worry. I’ll reopen the investigation into that incident.”

“Thank you.”

I gave a fist-palm salute and stood—

And suddenly, a thought hit me.

Did it get too big?

At first, this had started because I wanted to dig into Shin Junhyun.

But unexpectedly, Red Worm got tangled in it, and after meeting the Fifth Tiger in Blood Tiger Gang, I dragged Black Heaven Society into it too.

A plan I’d come up with on impulse became concrete through talking with the Martial Alliance Leader—developing to the point where execution felt fully possible.

In the past, I would’ve tried to do everything alone.

The fact that I’d changed from then felt strange.

And I also felt a slight anxiety.

The more people involved, the more variables there were.

But I had no desire to back out now or change it.

I don’t need to cling to the old way.

If anything, I liked the change—this new way I was trying.

Wasn’t it proof that I was blending in well as an orthodox martial artist?

I was smiling, feeling good, as I moved to leave the Martial Alliance Leader’s office—

When Yeo Pilgeuk suddenly spoke.

“At first, I thought it was because you were Sword Demon’s disciple and you’d been influenced by him...”

“Hm?”

I turned back.

For some reason, Yeo Pilgeuk was letting out a sigh of relief.

“But now that I look at you... you seem even worse than that friend Choi Geon. I’m truly glad you’ve planted yourself in the orthodox faction instead of the unorthodox faction.”

I broke into a wide grin, like I’d just heard a genuinely funny joke.

“Haha. Martial Alliance Leader, your sense of humor is incredible!”

“......”

“Martial Alliance Leader?”

Avoiding my eyes, Yeo Pilgeuk took another sip of tea.