Days of Growth (3)
Ilho and Chilho walked down the wide corridor.
The walls, floor, and ceiling were painted a pristine white. It was so starkly white that staring at it for too long might make one feel uneasy.
“There’s no need to be nervous.”
“Yes.”
Chilho replied dryly to Ilho’s words. Normally, she was far from being nervous, but she had to admit she felt a bit on edge now.
This was her first time visiting this place since being raised by the organization. It was also her first time meeting the leader above Ilho.
She had no idea where they were. Before arriving, Ilho had given her a pill that knocked her out, and when she came to, she found herself at the end of this corridor.
It was a clear sign they didn’t trust her, but she wasn’t offended.
If she were to take offense at this, how should she feel about being dragged here as a child, raised against her will, with no memory of her past? This was nothing to get upset about, she thought.
At the end of the corridor was another white door.
As they approached, the door opened as if expecting them.
Ilho and Chilho stepped inside, and Chilho was taken aback.
The room was vast, a space that truly demonstrated what it meant to be overwhelming in scale.
The well-decorated room was lined with bookshelves filled with books and expensive ornaments neatly displayed.
The carpet underfoot was so luxurious that she realized its value the moment she stepped on it.
At the far end of the carpet stood a desk. The room was so large that she couldn’t make out the face of the man sitting there.
Ilho stopped at the door, not walking further down the carpet.
The man at the desk spoke. Despite the distance, his voice was clear.
“So, the Sword Master was killed by this so-called Nameless Hero.”
His voice was deep and resonant, carrying a weight that made Chilho feel small. Whether it was the power in his voice or the atmosphere of the place, she felt a twinge of discomfort. If he called someone, shouldn’t he at least let them come closer to talk?
“Yes,” Ilho replied.
The middle-aged man then addressed Chilho.
“Chilho.”
He spoke as if he had seen her many times before, but this was her first time meeting him.
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you pursue him?”
“Though Gwaemangryang and Chwirang are skilled assassins, I judged that the risk of being detected by him was too high.”
“Is that the only reason?”
“Yes.”
Though she couldn’t see his face, she felt as if his gaze pierced through her.
Chilho tried to remain calm. She had already discussed with Ilho that Gwaemangryang and Chwirang were not in love with him, so she wasn’t swayed.
Had she not gone through that process, she might have thought of the Nameless Hero at this moment and questioned whether she had personal feelings involved.
If that were the case, Ilho or the man might have sensed her unease. The Nameless Hero had certainly stirred her emotions.
Fortunately, she had had enough time to think it over, so she could answer without any disturbance.
If she had saved Gwaemangryang and Chwirang that day, they would have saved her from danger.
“The Sword Master couldn’t have been defeated by martial arts alone. Was he poisoned?”
Ilho answered the man’s question.
“The body was completely burned, making it impossible to confirm. We also found no signs of a struggle there.”
“It seems unlikely he was defeated in a fair fight.”
“I agree. What is certain is that the Nameless Hero deliberately approached us.”
“Interesting. What about Marengin?”
“He has been summoned to the Martial Alliance with Macheolgun.”
A moment of silence followed. The man spoke cautiously, as if the silence itself was significant.
“He made the first move.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Chilho didn’t know who “he” was, but she realized one thing: there was someone above this faceless man.
“Even if we don’t seek him out, he will surely appear before us again.”
The man remained silent at Ilho’s words. Chilho sensed his displeasure. It was a silence filled with the reprimand of having to wait for the man to reappear.
“Dismissed.”
“Yes.”
The two stepped back outside.
As they walked down the corridor, Chilho remained silent.
At the end of the corridor, Ilho handed her a pill. It was the same one she had taken before coming here.
“Don’t you have any questions?”
Of course, she had many questions. But she didn’t want to ask them. At least not at a moment like this, when he was handing her such a pill.
“No, I don’t.”
She answered briefly and swallowed the pill.
The world spun, and then everything went dark.
The entrance exam for the Small Sword Unit was the same as before.
The first round was a test of basic skills, and the second was an interview. Since the basic skills test was enough to gauge their abilities, there was no need for a combat test.
Out of the five hundred martial artists who gathered, eighty were selected. They were chosen with both skill and character in mind.
For the final interview, I included Gwanhui and a few other sword unit members to participate. It was to establish their authority.
Thus, eighty new sword unit members were added.
When the eighty were confirmed, Song Hwarin came to greet them. She came all the way from her family home without me even asking.
Her presence here was significant, confirming the collaboration with the Song family. Of course, the sword unit members were more captivated by her beauty than the political implications, and they looked at me with envy.
I thanked her when she came in after the greetings.
“Thanks for coming.”
“No need to thank me. But a hundred members, that’s impressive.”
A hundred was no small number. Not just the number, but the existing sword unit members were sharp, and among the new recruits, there were quite a few who were just as formidable, making the unit seem even more impressive.
“We’re not there yet. We need to make them truly formidable.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
She was clearly inspired by this. It was undoubtedly a positive inspiration, as she had mentioned several times that she needed to step up her game.
And it wasn’t just her.
The head of the sword unit, Seojoong, and the existing members all came to watch the recruitment of the Small Sword Unit.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
Seojoong sincerely congratulated me. I could feel it. He too was inspired by the growth and development of the Small Sword Unit. It’s always inspiration that drives people to improve. Since organizations are led by people, the existing sword unit would also strive for further development.
With the addition of eighty new members to the existing twenty, the Small Sword Unit was now a hundred-strong.
Yet, it was still called the Small Sword Unit. Here, “small” didn’t just refer to the number but was a name born out of respect for the existing sword unit.
The hundred members were divided into five groups, from the first to the fifth.
Four existing sword unit members were assigned to each group, and the most skilled among them was chosen as the group leader.
Gwanhui was appointed as the head of the Small Sword Unit.
Leading twenty was one thing, but becoming the leader of a hundred made Gwanhui quite nervous.
“I don’t have the confidence. I’m still too young.”
He looked as if he wanted to run away at any moment.
“You’re not that young. Just youthful. Many would want a young and capable sword unit leader.”
After easing his concerns about age, I moved on to the topic of confidence. That was the real issue.
“Do you think you’ll gain more confidence as you get older?”
“Isn’t that the case?”
“Not at all. Confidence tends to wane with age. As you grow older, you rely on experience. What seems like confidence is actually competence. So, as a young man, you should have confidence. Consider this the time in your life when you can be most confident.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Yet, his voice still lacked conviction.
I had a hunch about the reason.
A particularly skilled individual had joined this time. A man named Yongtae, who was quite renowned in this region of Shandong. Due to personal reasons, he had stepped back from the front lines for a while but had now joined our Small Sword Unit.
He had a good reputation and character, and his skills were impressive, so it was understandable that Gwanhui felt uneasy. There were even suggestions that Yongtae should be the leader. It was a kind of inferiority complex.
“Gwanhui.”
“Yes.”
“Do you know why I appointed you as the leader?”
Gwanhui couldn’t answer.
“I don’t know.”
“Because you’re handsome? Because you have a good personality? Because you’re young?”
Startled, Gwanhui shook his head vigorously.
“No, I’m not handsome, and I don’t have a good personality!”
“Then because you’re strong? Because you work harder than anyone else?”
“I, I… I’m not sure.”
“Then let me tell you.”
Gwanhui was more tense than I’d ever seen him since we met.
“Because I like you.”
Gwanhui was taken aback. He hadn’t expected to hear that.
“There are sword unit members more handsome than you, with better personalities, and more skilled ones. There might even be someone who works harder than you in the future. But I like you the best.”
His face was a mix of emotion and gratitude.
“That’s why you’re the leader of my sword unit.”
I wasn’t lying for his sake. I’m not a believer in fate, but sometimes I feel it. That’s how I feel about the Small Sword Unit and Gwanhui. Looking at him, I have a strong sense that he’ll lead the unit well.
And above all, I genuinely like him.
“Do you understand now why you should have confidence?”
“Yes! I understand.”
Gwanhui replied with a bright expression and newfound vigor.
From the next day, the Small Sword Unit began their intensive training.
After two months of special training, they would be deployed in real situations.
With more passion and dedication than ever, Gwanhui quickly earned the respect of the new recruits. The talk of making Yongtae the leader soon died down.
Thanks to Gwanhui’s efforts, the four existing sword squad members in each team set a strong example. Though they were only four out of twenty, it was enough to shape the team’s atmosphere.
Conflicts could arise at any time. I advised Gwanhui and the team leaders not to fear such conflicts.
They are natural, and when they occur, don’t avoid them—resolve them. Through the process of resolution, relationships will strengthen, and the organization will grow more robust.
Even if conflicts intensify and the organization seems to fracture, I told them not to worry. It might be frustrating, challenging, and frightening at the moment, but ultimately, they would overcome and move forward.
I left them with these words:
“Once we’ve gone through all this, we’ll be the greatest sword squad in the land.”
I imagine Gwanhui and the team leaders had a restless night after that.
Finally, Su reached out to me.
When we met at the contact point, Su seemed a bit flushed. The long investigation had finally borne fruit.
“I’ve looked into the Namhyeon Escort Agency.”
It was a thorough investigation. Normally, looking into an escort agency would be a quick task. However, I had emphasized the risks involved multiple times, so Su had approached the Namhyeon Escort Agency with utmost caution.
“Namhyeon is based in Zhejiang Province. It started with one leader and four escorts, but in just three years, it has grown into a mid-sized agency with five leaders and seventy escorts.”
Such rapid growth in three years was unusual.
“How did they manage that?”
“By analyzing their past escort missions, I discovered something.”
“What is it?”
“They were funneled work from a specific place. They used various intermediaries to hide this fact, but it all came from one source.”
“Where is that?”
A surprising name was mentioned.
“It’s Seong Wangbo, the head of the Continental Trading Group, who hosted the recent Golden Gathering.”
I was taken aback. Seong Wangbo was one of the top three wealthiest individuals in the land, leading the Continental Trading Group and serving as the head of the Central Merchants’ Union. He was also the host of the Golden Gathering.
“He’s involved in this?”
Could he be the mastermind behind this?
He was influential enough to make such a thought plausible.
“Are you planning to approach Seong Wangbo?”
After a moment of contemplation, I replied.
“I will, but not now.”
“What?”
“There’s no need to investigate him at this moment. Let’s not provoke them and focus on strengthening Samangak for the time being.”
“Understood.”
Now, I felt I had a clearer picture of them. Their influence was vast, woven into the very fabric of this world. Eliminating one part or rushing in wouldn’t dismantle them.
And they were formidable. If a master of similar skill to the Sword Emperor had appeared right after our fight, I would have perished.
This is not the time to be impatient. It’s time to truly become stronger.
I plan to train quietly through the winter. I’ll make my move in the spring.
By then, Taeseong Trading Group will be established, Samangak will have expanded across the land, and both the Small Sword Squad and the Black Panther Squad will have grown.
Crucially, by this winter, my internal energy will reach its peak. I’ll be able to use the fifth form of the Chuhon Sura Sword Technique.
Given the size of these monstrous forces, the fifth form will be necessary.