Chapter 78

Chapter 77. Part 3 The Inner Thoughts of the Taihuang Pavilion Master (2)

A moment of silence.

To some, that silence flowed like a prelude to bloodshed.

The Taihuang Pavilion Master sat with his head bowed.

As if the incident of Gonma throwing the letter at his face never happened, he only looked down at the table, maintaining his silence.

"Why? Are you angry?"

"......"

But the Taihuang Pavilion Master made a mistake.

For a brief moment, Gonma saw his eyebrows slightly furrow.

"Maybe you're thinking of pretending to be crazy and overthrowing everything. Isn't that a thought that comes to mind? After all, he's not that strong, so it might be worth a fight, right?"

"......"

The Taihuang Pavilion Master did not respond.

But in this situation, silence was a silent affirmation.

Gonma smiled and continued, his expression becoming more intense.

"It's fine. Just speak your mind. You look frail and your rank is nothing special. If we fight, you'll probably win... or at least, you think you can just hit him and he'll die. Isn't that what you're thinking?"

"......"

The Taihuang Pavilion Master remained silent.

In terms of publicly known combat strength, Gonma is the weakest among the Heavenly Demon's disciples.

His martial arts level is also nothing special, except for his characteristic of being a Heavenly Killer.

He has no immediate power or charisma to attract people.

Compared to the other disciples, Gonma is significantly inferior.

This made the Taihuang Pavilion Master even more troubled.

'He's clearly nothing...'

Judging by the apparent strength, Gonma is an easy opponent, one he could challenge.

But if that were all, how could he be so bold as to push things this far?

Swoosh.

The Taihuang Pavilion Master's gaze fixed on a spot again.

The parchment letter, crumpled and with the writing smeared.

It seemed to bear the words of the message he had been forced to accept.

For a moment, he reviewed all the information he had, then slowly lifted his head and spoke.

"......How could I, a mere servant, dare to challenge the Fourth Disciple? I am merely fulfilling my duties."

"Are you being honest?"

"I am being honest."

Swoosh.

The Taihuang Pavilion Master bowed his head and clenched his hands.

"Speaking my narrow views in such a setting seems inappropriate. After all, the Heavenly Demon, who is as high as the sky, must have his reasons. How could I, a mere servant, speak so rashly about the disciples he has acknowledged?"

Nod. Swoosh.

The Taihuang Pavilion Master bowed again and carefully stood up. He took a step back and bowed once more.

"I will convey your answer to Salma properly. Farewell."

Swoosh. Swoosh.

Completely different from before, the Taihuang Pavilion Master retreated with utmost caution.

Just as he reached the door and was about to turn around,

"Right. Did you find the lost item?"

"......!"

He paused.

The Taihuang Pavilion Master's expression changed at Gonma's question.

"Wasn't that why you wanted to meet me? To see how much this brat knows."

"......"

The Taihuang Pavilion Master remained silent. After a moment, he chose his words carefully and bowed again.

"I don't understand what you mean."

"You better not. The moment you understand the meaning of these words, you'll be the first to be eliminated."

"......!"

A moment of silence ensued.

The atmosphere had shifted. The Taihuang Pavilion Master looked at Gonma with a tense expression, while Gonma, now with a relaxed look, continued calmly.

"Taihuang Pavilion Master, do you know why I didn't submit that evidence to the main hall?"

"......"

"Because a sword is most powerful when it remains in its sheath. That's why."

"Gonma, I......"

The moment the Taihuang Pavilion Master opened his mouth, Gonma's harsh words flew out.

"Are you a rockhead?"

"......!"

The Taihuang Pavilion Master's eyes widened at the overt insult.

No matter how much his opponent was a disciple of the Heavenly Demon, he was not in a position to hear such crude words.

He was not just any pavilion master; the Taihuang Pavilion Master, the highest-ranking among them, was certainly a person of status.

But Gonma glared at him and issued an even more menacing warning.

"Be careful with your actions. If you don't want to die."

"......"

The Taihuang Pavilion Master bowed his head, his expression becoming more solemn.

He retreated awkwardly, and with a slight hint of fear, took another step back.

Click. Swoosh.

The Taihuang Pavilion Master closed the door and left Gonma's quarters. After a few steps, when he was sure he had put enough distance between them,

"Krrr......"

He revealed his suppressed anger. His face, completely different from the submissive one a moment ago, now radiated a fierce killing intent.

* * *

"Huh?"

Swoosh.

The images of the Taihuang Pavilion Master and Gonma disappeared. A blinding white light spread across his vision.

Then, the view became quiet again. Looking around, he found himself in a small room.

An unfamiliar ceiling. Unfamiliar walls. Even the bed was unfamiliar.

'Where am I?'

Seohui, who thought he had moved to his own quarters, was momentarily confused.

But then, he felt a bit relieved as he looked around.

Bubbling.

A cauldron of medicine was boiling, emitting a pungent smell.

And there were neatly arranged bedding and bandages stained with dark marks.

It was a medical room, or perhaps a treatment room. Checking his body, he saw that the areas with severe bleeding were tightly bandaged, and some unknown medicine was smeared all over.

Creak.

"Ah! Leader, you're awake?"

Soon, two familiar faces entered the room.

Yorim and So-ryeong, his two subordinates.

"What happened?"

Seohui asked for the reason.

"Ah. You suddenly collapsed and were moved here. You had quite serious injuries, but the doctor said the treatment went well, so don't worry too much."

'Collapsed? Me?'

Seohui thought for a moment.

When the perspective changed to that of Gonma and the Taihuang Pavilion Master,

he must have already lost consciousness then.

He was relieved and grateful that the squad leaders had taken care of his treatment.

'Is this why?'

Seohui's eyes were drawn to the text floating above them.

[Yorim's Goodwill has reached the Trust level.]

<Goodwill>

1st Squad Leader Yorim 100(↑20)/100 [Trust]

[So-ryeong's Goodwill has become Very Friendly.]

<Goodwill>

4th Squad Leader So-ryeong 60(↑29)/100 [Friendly]

Yorim's goodwill had reached the maximum. However, So-ryeong's was still a bit short.

Well, considering his goodwill had dropped to the bottom due to a few mistakes, it would be unrealistic to expect it to rise to trust immediately.

"......Are you two okay?"

Only then did Seohui notice their conditions.

Clearly, they were not seriously injured either.

"We're fine. Fortunately, we didn't have any fatal injuries......"

"Well, if you had been a bit slower, Leader, we would have collapsed here too."

Seohui chuckled at Yorim and So-ryeong's words.

A joke in this situation?

"Ah, and."

Yorim pointed to his face and said,

"We didn't take off your mask. I swear my life on it."

"Ah......"

Seohui raised his hand and touched something covering his face.

Perhaps because he had been wearing a mask frequently lately, he sometimes forgot he had something on his face.

"Well, wearing a mask isn't for any special reason. You'll find out soon enough."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. And Yorim?"

"Yes, Leader."

"Can you give us a moment alone?"

"......?"

Yorim looked at him with a puzzled expression. Then, he bowed slightly with a mischievous look and left the room.

Creak. Thud.

After Yorim left, So-ryeong, who was left alone, asked,

"Do you have something to say to me?"

"Yes."

Swoosh.

Seohui slowly removed his mask as he spoke.

So-ryeong's slightly flustered face was visible through the mask, and his vision cleared completely. The face, exposed to the air for the first time in a long while, felt refreshing and clear.

"Y-you are......!"

Suddenly, So-ryeong was speechless.

Shaking eyes. Shock and disbelief were clearly visible on her face.

It was natural. The feeling of directly confirming something, even if you had guessed it, is different.

Seohui calmly answered her reaction.

"Yes. You probably guessed it before. It's me. The guy who used to handle trivial tasks and only made mistakes in the basement of Cheonil Hall."

"How... how did you end up here......"

"Just luck. I found out about the Taihuang Pavilion Master's weakness and used it to catch Gonma's eye. Thanks to that, I learned martial arts. And here I am."

"......"

So-ryeong's eyes still looked confused.

It was understandable.

A low-ranking warrior who was far below her had suddenly surpassed her and become a leader who assigns missions to an organization.

It's not easy to understand. That's why,

"......Are you trying to trick me?"

So-ryeong's eyes were full of suspicion. It seemed her emotions were more negative than positive.

It was too absurd to be just a coincidence.

"If I had ulterior motives, I wouldn't have chosen the weakest Fourth Disciple, and I certainly wouldn't have joined the weakest Fourth Squad."

"There could be a reason for that."

"Tell me, what reason?"

"......"

So-ryeong couldn't answer.

Of course, she wouldn't think of a reason.

There was no reason for someone who had already become strong enough to join this place.

"Actually, you're right."

At that moment, So-ryeong's eyes widened. Seohui had suddenly agreed with her.

"There is a reason I came here."

Seohui looked at So-ryeong calmly.

A story he had never told anyone. Stories he wanted to tell but couldn't.

But somehow, he felt he could tell her, at least a little, at this moment.

Because the person he had developed feelings for was her.

"What is it?"

"To become stronger."

"......?"

"Someone told me to become stronger. To become strong enough to escape this hell together."

"You......"

So-ryeong stuttered.

Wasn't that the same thing she had told him in the past?

Seohui didn't avoid her gaze.

The feelings he had for her in Cheonil Hall were a bit different, but ultimately, the sincerity was the same.

"Let's try to survive. So that we can all live through this hell, you and the squad leaders."

"......"

So-ryeong didn't respond to Seohui's words.

It was hard to tell from her expression what she was feeling or thinking.

But Seohui considered it a success. Even if she didn't say it directly.

[So-ryeong's Goodwill has become Very Friendly.]

<Goodwill>

4th Squad Leader So-ryeong 80(↑20)/100 [Very Friendly]

"Hmm...... Honestly, it's hard to believe. I also wonder if there's some sinister, hidden motive."

"Well, that's possible."

Seohui nodded at So-ryeong's words, outwardly.

'Ah, damn. Still not enough?'

He had hoped that by revealing his identity and the reasons he couldn't disclose until now, his goodwill would reach the maximum.

Was it not enough? The goodwill had risen significantly, but So-ryeong's response was still negative.

'Is there anything else? Do I need to complete a specific mission to raise it?'

Seohui put away his disappointment. Well, trust isn't something that can be built easily, so instead of rushing, he would try to build it slowly over time.

"......Leader, why did you come here? With your abilities, you could have gone to a better, safer place."

"Huh?"

Suddenly, she asked him.

What? He had already explained enough, hadn't he? Why was she asking the same question again?

Just as Seohui thought this,

<Now, what should you say to her?>

Suddenly,

a choice window appeared in front of him, something he hadn't seen in a while.

'What is this......'

▶ Can't I like you? I might like you!

▷ Hey, enough. Bring me some drinks!

▷ (´▽`)ﾉ (Possible)

And the following options were absurd.

What kind of choice was he supposed to make here?

'No, there must be an answer. This time, there must be!'

Seohui gritted his teeth.

He had only failed so far.

But this time, he really wanted to believe.

There must be a way to raise the goodwill to 100 among these options.