Chapter 1115: Can I Do Well? (Part 5)

The atmosphere among the Tang Family was extremely tense. While it might be possible to excuse a single loss as a mistake, there was no room for excuses in consecutive defeats.

As time passed, the shock only deepened. Initially, the defeat was shrugged off as being dizzy and painful, but the more one thought about it, the more bitter it became.

The situation became even more serious after those who were called upon to exert their strength under the name of the Tang Family's prestige were summoned by Sogaju [Tang Pae]. The situation that unfolded demonstrated the severity with which they took this defeat, further intensifying the atmosphere.

However...Currently, the one in the most unfavorable atmosphere within the manor where the Heavenly Comrade Alliance currently resided was not the Tang Family, but the Namgung Family.

Namgung Dowi's eyebrows twitched nonstop.

Seeing his face, Namgung Dan lowered his head, fearing that their eyes might meet.

Who was Namgung Dowi? He was none other than the son of Namgung Hwang. While it's not a rule that the traits of parents are completely inherited by their children, generally, there are some resemblances, right?

Namgung Dan knew. Normally, Namgung Dowi was a rational person, making it difficult to associate him with Namgung Hwang. However, the now erratic Namgung Dowi, whose eyes had turned, displayed a side that could surpass Namgung Hwang in certain aspects.

So at times like this, you should bow your head and play dead.

If one didn't want to be completely shattered, bone and all.

'He seems really upset.'

It was understandable.

Namgung Dowi had sacrificed a lot upon joining the Heavenly Comrade Alliance.

Pride in his family, pride in himself. Moreover, he had put down not only the wealth accumulated by his family but also external reputation.

But even for Namgung Dowi, there was something he couldn't let go of...

"Not anyone else..."

"..."

"To the Evil Sect..."

Namgung Dowi's eyes twitched. Everyone who saw his expression lowered their heads deeply.

"If my father in the afterlife were to see this..."

Even the thought of it made their bodies shiver involuntarily. The image of Namgung Hwang, eyes turned, rushing forward with a sword in hand, was vividly drawn in their minds.

If the real Namgung Hwang saw this, he would have tried to return to the mortal realm, even if it meant breaking the cycle of reincarnation. Whether that was possible or not was a secondary concern.

Namgung Dowi was now trembling from head to toe. The shock was severe.

"Hod did the Namgung Family..."

"S-Sogaju-nim! Please don't blame yourself! This is not your fault!"

"Yes, Sogaju-nim! It's all due to our incompetence!"

"I'm sorry."

There was no separate mourning house. It wasn't just Namgung Dowi's issue.

Of course, Nokrim was not an ordinary sect, and among the Nokrim, the Nokchae, consisting of the elite, was not to be taken lightly. It might still be challenging to deal with them for the Namgung Family, who had lost the majority of their power.

However, that was just the realistic aspect. The Namgung Family members grew up hearing, like a lullaby, that they should never lose to the Evil Sect bastards, even if it meant death. It was inevitable that such lofty pride would not come without its scars.

"No, no. This is all my fault."

"Sogaju-nim, that's not true."

"If it were my father commanding you instead of me, would you have suffered such a brutal defeat?"

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

"It's not just a matter of discussing swordsmanship. Even if my father's martial arts were only at my level, if he had led Namgung, there would have been no defeat against Nokrim."

The reason for the silence was not affirmation but the inability to answer. To agree would be to disregard Namgung Dowi, and to disagree would be to belittle Namgung Hwang. Neither side was a suitable response, so silence was the only option.

"Yeah. Right now, I am lacking. Namgung is lacking. But..."

Red streaks began to appear in Namgung Dowi's eyes.

"We will not continue to endure like this. I will make sure to let them know exactly what kind of place the Namgung Family is, and we will reclaim the honor of Namgung!"

"Yes, Sogaju-nim!"

"We can certainly do that!"

Namgung Dowi nodded vigorously as he looked at the cheering disciples.

"But..."

"Yes?"

As Namgung Dowi's expression subtly changed, the disciples flinched.

"I can't do it alone, can I?"

Namgung Dowi's voice was oddly resolute.

"Right?"

"...Uh... right?"

"I don't mean to blame you all, but…I think everyone's skills are a little, just a little lacking."

"..."

"If your skills are lacking, there's no choice but to increase your training, isn't that so?"

"Train more here?"

Weren't they already pushing themselves to the limit? Was this still not enough?

"No, no."

Namgung Dowi shook his head.

"I'm not saying you're lazy. But... considering the situation where we can't even beat those Evil Sect guys, shouldn't we try a little harder?"

"..."

"What do you think?"

"..."

"Hmm?"

"Well...."

Namgung Dan awkwardly spoke, glancing back. Everyone had their eyes closed with faces of resignation.

'Damn it....'

Given that it was Namgung Hwang's name that came up, what resistance could they muster?

"...Do as you wish."

"Thank you!"

Namgung Dowi stood up abruptly.

"Since we've talked about it, let's go train right away!"

"Now? Um, now?"

"Is there a problem?"

"No... The injuries from today are still..."

Everyone subtly nodded in agreement with that statement.

"Bones ache..."

"Arms hurt..."

As everyone averted their gazes, Namgung Dowi stared at them for a moment and then turned his head. His face looking at the night sky outside the window was poignant.

"My father must be watching...."

"..."

"Father, who returned screaming in agony from the Yangtze River, must be fervently wishing for us to restore Namgung's glory...."

"Ah, damn it! Enough of this! Let's go! Let's go train!"

"Yes."

"Ugh..."

Watching those who went outside like cattle being led to the slaughterhouse, Namgung Dowi smiled contentedly.

"Sincerity truly works wonders."

And so, another person was falling into corruption.

* * *

"Hahaha! Nokrim King! Did you see the faces of those bastards?"

"So much for those from prestigious families or something! Hahaha!"

"Ah, feels like ten years of indigestion just washed away!"

The morale of the Nokrim members soared to the sky.

Originally, the Namgung Family was like an archenemy to them. How many Nokrim disciples had suffered because of those wretched Namgung Family members over the years?

Of course, fundamentally, it was Nokrim's fault, but right and wrong aside, it was quite satisfying.

Just flattening the noses of those righteous sect folks made them feel intoxicated without a drop of alcohol. And if the righteous sects folks in question were none other than the Namgung Family, the satisfaction for the Nokrim disciples couldn't be greater.

"They're nothing special!"

"I said if I fought properly, I could crush them all!"

"Hehe. At this level, even if Namgung Hwang were alive, it would have been worth a try."

As they began to indulge in delusions beyond reality, somewhere in the distance, the sound of a fan folding shut was heard.

For a moment, the Nokrim members, who had fallen silent as if mice had died, sneakily turned their gaze to Im Sobyeong's complexion. His face was noticeably hardened.

"Good?"

"...."

"Do you like it, you bastards?"

In place of the Nokrim members, who were awkwardly hesitating, Beonchung stepped forward with a sly smile.

"Why do you feel so bad? I stepped on the Namgung Family so bad they couldn't even make a sound."

"Stepped on them?"

Im Sobyeong snorted.

"Is this the face of someone who's stepped on someone else? Not the face of someone who's been stepped on?"

At that remark, the faces of some guys turned red.

Despite the festive atmosphere, their faces were far from normal. They had been swollen here and there from the fierce battle they had fought. 

"You guys are like trash. After barely winning against those kids with fresh faces, you're jumping around like this."

"Well, we still won...."

"...What?"

As Im Sobyeong's eyes narrowed, Beonchung quickly lowered his thick neck as if avoiding a lightning strike.

"Tsk tsk."

Im Sobyeong clicked his tongue, revealing his discomfort in every possible way.

'It could have been dangerous.'

There were two simple reasons why they won today. The Namgung Family's strength didn't even reach half of what it used to be, and the one commanding Nokrim was none other than Im Sobyeong. In other words, if it weren't for Im Sobyeong's command, they could have lost even against the half-dead Namgung Family.

'This is a problem.'

Im Sobyeong sighed.

Nokrim was by no means a sect led by a small number of strong individuals. Their strength came overwhelmingly from their sheer numbers. So, depending on how you look at it, there may have been no reason to feel disappointed with the results.

However, Im Sobyeong knew better. This was just an excuse. And this was the reason why, despite being historically the oldest Evil Sect, they had never led the Evil Sect even once.

"As it stands now, it's difficult for us to settle the score with the Namgung Family alone. This means that we will only be crushed by other sects in the Evil Tyrant Alliance."

"What are you talking about? When our brothers from all over the world gather, there is no sect in the world that we cannot face!"

"...Gather?"

Im Sobyeong stared at Beonchung as if asking what nonsense he was talking about.

"So, have those guys ever gathered in one place before?"

"Well, that's..."

"Exactly, even if news of the gathering is spread, it will take more than a month for it to reach everywhere."

Beonchung remained silent. It was a valid point. Although Nokrim influenced the mountains throughout the world, its wide spread made a coordinated movement nearly impossible.

"And... even if the news does reach, do you think they will all abandon their mountain at my command and come running?"

"Well, of course! You are the Nokrim King!"

"Really?"

"..."

"Really?"

"...Well...if they abandon their mountains too much, it could cause problems."

"Eh."

Im Sobyeong sighed deeply.

Until he joined the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, he didn't have the capacity to handle all of this. Even just dealing with Jang Ilso, who eyed him with hostility while leading a weakened body, consumed all his energy, hiding his true abilities and engaging in a delaying tactic. No matter how exceptional his strategic skills were, there were clearly limitations.

Now, after entering the Heavenly Comrade Alliance and resolving one problem, another massive issue had emerged.

"For now... realistically speaking, the Nokrim is by no means weak."

"Of course not."

"But at the same time, it's ridiculously weak. Its potential power is overflowing, but its actual usable power is unbelievably weak."

"..."

"And even if you gather them, the sheer number of people makes it practically useless in a local war. So, all we can do in a war situation is supply numbers."

Im Sobyeong mumbled, looking around at everyone.

"What do you think?"

"Yes?"

"If there's a problem, you should solve it. Isn't that right?"

"Well, that's true, but..."

"Fortunately, I know how to solve this. Knowing the solution but not implementing it is an act of utter foolishness, don't you agree?"

"Well..."

Beonchung subtly asked.

"I'm sorry, but may I inquire about what this solution is?"

In response, Im Sobyeong nodded with a sense of pride, as if being asked such a question was commendable.

"It's simple. First, strengthen the core power. If Nokrim becomes stronger, the influence of Nokrim will also increase, and then my influence on Nokrim will strengthen. Ultimately, the entire Nokrim will become more agile, right?"

Beonchung asked with a puzzled expression.

"Hasn't that been happening all along? So, why did Nokrim King..."

"No."

Im Sobyeong gestured with his fingers left and right.

"I thought it was happening, but it wasn't. I was born in the Evil Sect, so I thought training was something everyone could do on their own."

"..."

"But watching what the Mount Hua people are doing, I realized this is the real deal. If you do it like that, why haven't we done it until now?"

"Well, our methods..."

"Oh, no need to worry about that. I decide what our method is, right?"

"..."

"And in my view... the Mount Hua's method is still a bit weak."

"Yes?"

The Nokrim disciples, momentarily stunned, looked at Im Sobyeong with perplexed eyes, full of questions about what kind of nonsense this was.

"To really fight like in a real battle, you have to do it like a real battle. These righteous sect guys act weak because they're afraid someone might actually die."

"..."

"If someone is truly determined, they should be prepared to make sacrifices. Don't you think so?"

"..."

"Hehehehe. Did you ever expect that there would be a day when we would compete with Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword's method like this? I'll show him properly what the Evil Sect's method is."

The faces of the Nokrim disciples began to pale.

* * *

The next morning.

"Hoooo."

Hyun Jong let out a deep sigh.

Considering the situation he was in, it would be strange if he didn't feel any worry. However, even taking that into account, Hyun Jong's expression today seemed unusually dark.

"This shouldn't have happened..."

Of course, it was not their intention to be stuck by the Yangtze River. Originally, the plan was to return to Shaanxi after somehow moving the refugees.

However, with the sudden appearance of the Demonic Sect, the situation became complicated, and they ended up being pressed to stay here.

Of course, Hyun Jong didn't necessarily see this situation as a bad thing. After all, with the Tang Family and other Heavenly Comrade Alliance members staying together, there was no better opportunity to build friendship.

Yes, for friendship... for friendship...

However...

"Why on earth..."

Instead of strengthening friendship, didn't it seem like their differences were deepening as time went on?

From the perspective of Hyun Jong, the leader of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, it was a situation where he felt like he was going to rot and crumble from the inside.

"Ugh."

Hyun Jong violently shook his head, recalling the grinning figure of Chung Myung, who was laughing in his mind. Although that guy wouldn't initiate something thoughtlessly, this situation was definitely not a good development.

"This won't do."

Before that guy could run wild, Hyun Jong needed to step in at an appropriate point. Hyun Jong, who had decided to personally observe today's training, quickly headed towards the training ground.

In the situation where Chung Myung hadn't yet appeared, if he took the initiative to settle down first and keep an eye on things throughout the training, the situation might improve even a little.

However, Hyun Jong's expectations were shattered the moment he arrived at the training ground.

"Uwaaa!"

"Hey, you Evil Sect bastards!"

"These damn poisonous dogs!"

"You're the biggest problem! You Mount Hua devils!"

"..."

Hyun Jong looked at the terror(?) of the training ground with blank eyes.

Now there were no allies or enemies.

Mount Hua, The Tang Family, Namgung, Nokrim – each of the major sects representing the world was entangled and fighting without any order.

"Uh..."

Hyun Jong's mouth opened involuntarily.

"Dieeee!"

Seeing the picturesque scene of Tang Soso, like a character from a painting, blowing off the chin guard of a Nokchae, Hyun Jong unintentionally closed his eyes.

This place was hell. Right here.

"Ah. They've already started on their own."

"..."

Hyun Jong slowly turned his head to look at Chung Myung, who was leisurely strolling over.

"I didn't even tell them to do this. Well done. Hehe. This is the reward of teaching! Reward!"

"..."

It seemed like the Heavenly Comrade Alliance was in trouble.