The empty Training Ground, after all the guests had left.
Dong Bongsu stood silently in the middle of it, gazing at the moon.
"A typical sect opening ceremony should last three or four days… Why were you so insistent on doing it in a single day?"
He lowered his head and shifted his gaze toward the source of the voice.
As if she had just finished the strenuous task of tidying up, Jeon Rahwa was approaching, tapping her shoulder with one hand.
"A single day is enough."
"True. The Hero's Sect isn't a Great Sect, and it's not like we had many outside guests coming anyway, so I guess it's fine."
"Did you post the recruitment notice properly?"
"Ah, yes, well. I did. Since the Hero's Sect has a firm grip on the current River Capital, and the people gathered today were quite impressive, gathering about twenty members shouldn't be a problem at all."
"What's the number of applicants?"
"Don't be surprised."
"I don't get surprised by things like that. How many?"
Jeon Rahwa's eyes widened as she held up one hand, fingers spread wide.
"This many!"
"Fifty?"
"Hey, what good is a Sect Leader who thinks so small? It's five hundred, five hundred!"
Five hundred.
'A 25 to 1 ratio, is it?'
With that level of competition, it seemed he could attract some quite decent talent.
"Of course, I've already filtered out about half after reviewing their applications, so you only need to see two hundred and fifteen people."
Had she already culled half?
"Good. You've worked hard."
"Tch. It's always just words with you."
He raised his hand to pat her head, but Jeon Rahwa quickly dodged.
"Ah, I told you not to do that! Am I a child? Huh?!"
However, she could not ultimately escape Dong Bongsu's persistent touch.
"Haaah, it's a mess again. I just fixed it."
Dong Bongsu offered a faint smile to Jeon Rahwa, who grumbled as she smoothed her ruffled hair, and then he turned around.
"You did well."
He headed toward his room.
As he walked away, Jeon Rahwa's brightened voice reached him from behind.
"We're interviewing all of them tomorrow, so you need to wake up early. You know that, right?"
Dong Bongsu waved his hand behind him in a light gesture of affirmation and continued walking toward his room.
The sect opening speech, receiving guests, the meal with Yo Han-myeong, a brief information briefing with Bae Dal-pae, checking on the children before they slept, and so on.
He had perfectly completed the schedule of tasks a Sect Leader would perform on the day of a sect's founding.
A significant portion of it had been handled smoothly because Jeon Rahwa had taken care of it.
'I thought she was growing remarkably, but-.'
He hadn't expected her to become this competent.
Wouldn't it be fair to call her a genius?
A great talent, not just in martial arts but also in administrative skills.
Though she had little to no real combat experience, she could already be considered a master.
'The time has come to truly deploy her in real battles.'
Creak, click.
The door to his room closed.
Dong Bongsu leaned his back against the door and wiped his face with both hands.
The gentleness that had been woven onto the surface of his face unraveled, thread by thread.
It was less like it was being torn off and more like it was evaporating on its own.
It was the kind of expression that couldn't be maintained once the reason for it was gone.
After a few seconds, only a man with no expression remained in the room.
Dong Bongsu sat on the edge of his bed and reviewed the day's data.
The speech.
It was quite appropriate for something improvised.
The reactions were within the expected range.
'Yan Bilyeong.'
Her applause was significantly late.
But it was the longest.
An emotional type.
A personality that, once won over, would be deeply committed.
Conversely, it also meant she would test him to the very end until she was won over.
For now, she was likely closer to the latter.
'Myo Jinheo.'
He had folded his fan.
When it was open, he was observing; when it was folded, he was judging.
Folding it meant he had reached something close to a conclusion.
The more rational a person is, the harder it is for them to reverse their judgment.
Whether for good or for bad.
The children, Yo Han-myeong, Bae Dal-pae.
Everything moved according to plan, as expected.
No issues.
The brief review was over.
Dong Bongsu slowly closed and opened his eyes.
The young Sect Leader who had spoken of Righteousness and declared a neutral path in the Training Ground today was gone.
The man who had vowed to preserve what is good with a voice full of conviction, under the gaze of thousands, had evaporated the moment the door closed.
What remained was a single, emotionless calculator processing data.
He was like a quantum mechanical man, becoming 'Kim Rae-won' when observed and 'Dong Bongsu' when not.
Of course, he could change even that appearance as easily as flipping his palm if needed.
It was just that, for now, this way had far more advantages.
Dong Bongsu climbed onto the bed and sat cross-legged.
It was because there was something he hadn't checked in a long while.
One thing led to another, and another incident tailed the previous one, setting off a chain reaction of events, so saying he had no time to check would be half-truth and half-lie.
It wasn't that he lacked the time, but rather that it hadn't been urgent.
The system runs on its own.
Rewards accumulate, stats increase, and quests progress.
There was no need to check it every single time.
'Now that the sect opening ceremony is over.'
It was a good time to open the books and review the progress report.
Click.
A semi-transparent window opened before his eyes.
──────
Hero Status
──────
Name: Kim Rae-won
Title: [None]
Class: Fallen Hero
▣ Hero Stats
◆ Hero History: 48
└ Current Rank: ★ (Rising Star)
◆ Fame: 32
◆ Infamy: 0
Dong Bongsu's gaze paused at the Hero History stat.
48.
When he first opened this window at the inn, it was 5.
Back then, he was Nameless (☆).
Now, he was a Rising Star (★).
And the points remaining until he reached First-Rate (★★) were.
'2.'
He was almost there.
When the environment changes rapidly, the speed of evolution must also increase to survive.
In the Jianghu, no matter how strong one becomes, it is never enough.
The signal of imminent growth was always a good thing.
The corners of his lips lifted slightly.
▣ Stats │ Health (HP) │ 350/350 │ Spirit (MP) │ 280/280 │ Stamina │ 320/320
Strength (STR): 10 [+5]
Agility (AGI): 12 [+5]
Intelligence (INT): 17 [+5]
Wisdom (WIS): 13 [+5]
Charisma (CHA): 8 [+5]
Luck (LUK): 6 [+5]
※ Remaining Points: 30
Dong Bongsu's finger twitched in the air.
30.
The fruits of all his deeds in the River Capital were accumulated right there.
The subjugation of the Iron God Gang, the annihilation of the Seven Star Immortal Society, the dissolution of the Bandit Alliance, the battle with the Formation Tower's Trigram Masters, the elimination of the Patrol Sword Corps, and the resolution of various quests he had undertaken both physically and financially over the past few months.
The system must have assigned rewards for each of these, and they had silently accumulated to become this number.
Should I spend them?
A fleeting thought.
'No.'
The decision he made before was still valid.
It was better to save them than to make a change that wasn't meaningful.
30 was certainly a significant improvement from the 5 he had before.
'I'll use them when a worthy opportunity to spend them all at once arises.'
Next.
▣ Trust Relationship
◈ Jeon Rahwa
Trust: Highly Favorable
Relationship: Companion (Sub-Manager)
Status: [Trust], [Worry]
◈ Dongmun Mutoe
Trust: Oath (Subordinate)
Relationship: Subordinate
Status: [Curiosity], [Obedience]
◈ Yan Bilyeong
Trust: Slightly Favorable
Relationship: Staying Guest
Status: [Vigilance], [Interest]
◈ Myo Jinheo
Trust: Slightly Favorable
Relationship: Staying Guest
Status: [Observation], [Debt]
◈ Yo Han-myeong
Trust: Favorable
Relationship: Collaborator
Status: [Prudence], [Expectation]
◈ Bae Dal-pae
Trust: Highly Favorable
Relationship: Information Collaborator
Status: [Respect], [Loyalty]
◈ Hoae
Trust: Very Highly Favorable
Relationship: Family Member (Eldest)
Status: [Reliance], [Admiration]
The list that once held only Jeon Rahwa.
'My retainers have grown quite a bit.'
He calmly scanned the list.
Seven.
One subordinate, two with high favor, one with favor, two with slight favor, and one with very high favor.
His gaze lingered on the status bars for Yan Bilyeong and Myo Jinheo.
[Vigilance], [Interest].
[Observation], [Debt].
'Looks like more changes are needed.'
There would be plenty of opportunities.
Since they seemed to have decided to stay at the Hero's Sect.
His gaze lingered a moment longer on Dongmun Mutoe's [Curiosity], [Obedience].
The peculiar pulling sensation unique to the 『Oath』 was still pointing north.
Even without opening the map, he knew the man was at the Formation Tower.
'The value of the Hero's Sect will continue to rise.'
Nothing had come back since he sent the whisper—though it was obvious, given the structure of their communication.
As long as [Curiosity] was clearly ahead of [Obedience], Dongmun Mutoe would perform his role perfectly, and then some.
There was no reason to pay him excessive attention, at least for now.
He briefly closed the system window.
Numbers only show the state.
They don't reveal the texture of that state.
Dong Bongsu's Super True Qi Field naturally unfurled.
A body without meridians.
The unique sensation of an Acupointless Body, circulating qi throughout the entire body instead of confining it to the channels of the meridians.
The surrounding flow of qi was drawn into his body as if being sucked in.
The qi of the entire Hero's Sect compound was read as clearly as if it were resting on the palm of his hand.
Toward the Training Ground.
There was a faint fluctuation of True Qi.
Someone was training.
At this hour.
'Is it Yan Bilyeong?'
The formation of the Mountain Formation Division's Trigram Master was leaving faint lines in the air.
The patterns of these lines, caught in his Super True Qi Field, were not for attack.
A boundary formation.
It seemed she had a habit of setting up a detection net around her even while training.
A typical habit of a warrior seasoned on the battlefield.
'Despite being emotionally volatile, she is quite thorough with her vigilance.'
He added another line to the data he had reviewed earlier.
Late applause, long applause, boundary formation.
The outline of the person named Yan Bilyeong was gradually taking shape.
Toward the guest quarters.
The qi was calm.
Either asleep or pretending to be.
There were no traces of Qi Circulation Art, no fluctuations in True Qi.
The calmness of a person training and the calmness of a sleeping person have different textures.
What he sensed now was closer to the latter, but this person could likely conceal that difference.
'If it's Myo Jinheo....'
The rhythm of him folding and unfolding his fan came to mind.
Open meant observation, folded meant judgment.
By now, he would be organizing in his head what he had seen today.
The sect opening speech, the scale of the Hero's Sect, the length of my stride, the direction of my gaze, and even the interval of my breaths.
'Whatever it is, he must be contemplating it now.'
About the Hero's Sect, and about 'Kim Rae-won'.
Near the children's quarters.
The qi was stable.
It seemed Jeon Rahwa had fallen asleep already.
The faint breathing of the children was also even.
Hoae, and all the rest.
[Vigilance], [Interest].
[Observation], [Debt].
The words from the system window floated up.
Numbers and substance are still different.
But the direction can be read.
Click.
He opened the system window again.
▣ Skill List
≪Owned Skills≫
• [Faith Arrow Lv.1]
• [Hero's Aura Lv.1]
• [Shield of Faith Lv.2]
• [Faith Sight]
≪Unlockable Skills≫
• Faith Judgment Lv.1
└ Required History: 50 (48/50)
• Hero's Blessing Lv.1
└ Required History: 50 (48/50)
Two new names were on the 50-point line.
Faith Judgment.
Hero's Blessing.
He couldn't tell their effects from the names alone.
What kind of effects, what conditions?
It was the same before.
He only learned exactly what Hero's Aura did after unlocking it.
This was because Kim Rae-won's memories were still full of flaws.
Like ink bled on wet paper.
The outlines remained, but the boundaries of the strokes were smudged here and there, making it impossible to read accurately.
Furthermore, since it was written in another's hand, it felt more like a memory he had to interpret in his own way, closer to a recollection than a memory.
The kind of thing where misreading was unavoidable, no matter how he tried to retrieve it.
In any case,
48.
This too was only 2 points away.
Once his Hero History surpassed 50, his rank would rise to ★★ First-Rate, and he would be able to obtain one of the two skills.
Next.
▣ Hero Rank
☆ Nameless (0~9)
★ Rising Star (10~49) ← Current
★★ First-Rate (50~99)
★★★ Hero (100~499)
★★★★ Legendary (500~999)
★★★★★ Mythical (1000+)
He scanned the rank list.
His gaze paused for a moment at ★★★ Hero.
The reward for the Salvation of Jeon Rahwa quest was History +100.
Finishing just that one would allow him to jump straight to the Hero rank.
But it was still at 18%.
'It's too good a reward to just let it sit.'
Click.
He closed the Stat Window and moved to the Quest Window.
▣ Ongoing Quests
[Main] The Salvation of Jeon Rahwa ├─ Progress: 18.18%
└─ Reward: History +100, Trust MAX
The Seven Star Immortal Society, presumed to be the third ill fate, had been dealt with.
However, there were still several ill fates remaining.
'Jeon Rahwa....'
He had pondered for a long time.
When should I handle this?
But in the end, he had no choice but to conclude that not touching it for now was the best course of action.
There were too many urgent matters to deal with at the moment.
He closed the quest window and glanced at his inventory.
About thirty corpses from the Patrol Sword Corps, including that of Corps Leader Sang Gwanhwi.
This card could be quite useful.
Informationally, justifiably, it was bound to be a very powerful hand in every aspect.
The Evil-Slaying Sword.
A 3% effect increase against Demonic-type opponents.
Useless for now.
But that might change if a war breaks out.
5 Spirit Root Stones.
Unopened.
The timing of their use was crucial.
The logic was similar to the 30 stat points.
Let them mature until the time to use them arrives.
Click.
He closed the inventory.
With all the system windows closed, the room was dark.
Dong Bongsu looked out the window without closing his eyes.
Night.
The moonlight was spread evenly across the grounds of the Hero's Sect.
The Training Ground, which had been bustling with people during the day, was now empty, and faint lights leaked from under the eaves of the guest house and the training hall.
Dong Bongsu kept his Super True Qi Field's senses within the compound and was about to expand his thoughts outward.
No, he was about to.
'...?!'
He felt a foreign energy.
Ten of them, in fact.
And one of them was… mighty.
It was a being with qi so powerful that his Super True Qi Field wavered just by perceiving it.
Duung-.
[Sudden]: Encounter with the Heavenly Yin Sect
On the path to saving the world, grudges always follow.
The accumulated and overlapping grudges pour down without warning, like a midsummer shower.
But a hero must make even that part of his path.
Whether to sever it with the sword or resolve it with words, the choice is entirely yours.
․ Resolve the issue with the Heavenly Yin Sect party.
├─ Progress: 0%
└─ Reward: Hero History +3, A connection with the Heavenly Yin Sect will be formed