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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: A Hell-Difficulty Mission
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#012: A Hell-Difficulty Mission
There are sixteen senior squad leaders, yet I'm the one who got picked!
This is wrong.
Something is seriously, fundamentally wrong here.
As soon as the meeting ended, I headed straight for Bukgung Baek's office.
"Um... Hall Master? I have something to say."
"Why? Did you come here hoping to back out?"
"This subordinate's abilities are still lacking..."
"Is that so?"
Bukgung Baek took a sip of wine from a gourd on his desk, then tossed it to me.
"Have a drink."
"...Yes, sir."
*Gulp.*
After drinking, I saw Bukgung Baek smiling strangely.
"Doesn't it taste familiar?"
"Pardon?"
I searched my memory at his question and soon found the answer.
"It's the bamboo leaf wine sold at the distillery near my house."
"Correct. Ever since I tried it at your house, I've been buying it from time to time. It's cheap and tastes good, so I'm quite satisfied."
"I'm glad you found a drink to your liking."
I didn't realize it then, but tasting it again, it was quite good.
Once this business is settled, I should buy some for myself occasionally.
"I stopped by Black Serpent Street that day to buy some wine."
"What? Why are you suddenly..."
"But I saw a group of outlaws rushing by. As the Hall Master responsible for the Outer Fortress's security, I followed them."
A sudden sense of foreboding washed over me. Bukgung Baek's eyes held a look that said he knew something.
And I would soon hear the reason why.
"Don't tell me?"
"I saw that the hand technique was quite impressive. Enough to punch a hole in an embankment with a single fist."
"Gasp!"
*Pat, pat.*
Bukgung Baek, who had approached without me noticing, patted my shoulder.
"I'll pray for your safe return."
It was all my own doing.
***
Back at the Seventeenth Squad's quarters, I clutched my head.
'Why did I choose the Outer Hall!'
The salary is less than a quarter of what the main fortress's forces make.
And when you consider that the warriors of the main fortress are provided with food, clothing, and shelter, the gap widens even more.
Despite that, I chose the Outer Hall to secure a minimum level of safety in this martial world where a knife could find you at any moment.
The pocket money I got on the side was just a bonus.
But a Human-grade mission is a different story. It's the kind of job where I could die, making all my efforts to stay safe meaningless.
The last time I had such rotten luck was when I dropped a million won on Lineage M and got nothing.
'What should I do?'
I can't do this alone.
A Human-grade mission was difficult enough that it required at least three peak masters to be reliably successful.
The problem is.
"Take this! Secret Strike: Meteor Shot!"
"Swish! Swish! That's not the sound of my mouth, but the sound of my Judge's Brush!"
"..."
There's no way I can see myself succeeding with idiots like them.
'Yang Gang and Jin-hyeong are one thing, but So-pyeong is hopeless. And I have no idea what Dang-pal is even thinking.'
In the end, there's only one solution.
If my internal forces are pathetic, I have no choice but to scout from the outside.
And I was somewhat confident about that.
'Is it time to pull out my hidden connections?'
Because one of the things I focused on most after reincarnating into the martial world was *guanxi*.
And so, I headed to the main fortress to recruit outside help.
The first place I visited was the Black Dragon Hall.
Although its ranking within Nine Dragons Fortress was at the bottom, its predecessor, the Diancang Sect, was once one of the Nine Great Sects and One Union. As such, the quality of its masters was second to none.
Besides, it was like my hometown, so it was easier to ask for a favor.
"You want me to lend you men? Are you crazy?"
"...Hey, last time you said we were family."
"You're the one who said we were strangers. And where do you think the Black Dragon Hall has spare men to support an Outer Hall mission? You want to see me get excommunicated?"
"Ahem! Brother Wi Ji, your thinking is truly shortsighted. The Black Dragon Hall and the Outer Hall are both part of the same Nine Dragons Fortress family."
"Cut the crap and get lost."
"Aw, come on, brother!"
"Are you not leaving?"
"Seriously! Do you want to see your one and only little brother die?"
"I'm already dying from a lack of people, now get out, you bastard!"
Thrown out of the Black Dragon Hall by Wi Ji-pung, I gritted my teeth.
'I'm never donating to them again!'
If I could, I'd take back the donation I made last time.
But I didn't despair.
I still had plenty of '*guanxi*' left.
***
"Damn this world."
I failed completely.
I thought I'd managed them all so well...
After being turned away at the door everywhere I went, I squatted in a corner of the main fortress, utterly defeated.
What now...
Should I just take the Seventeenth Squad?
After entertaining the extreme thought for a moment, I shook my head.
If I did that, the five of us might really have a friendly interview with King Yama.
Just as I was wracking my brain.
"It's been a while, Jin Mujeon."
A completely unwelcome face approached.
"My goodness! For the great Blue Dragon Sword, Dan Un, to remember a nobody like me, it is the honor of three lifetimes!"
I quickly stood up straight and bowed, and the guy shook his head with a blank expression.
"...You haven't changed."
"This humble one is the same as always. I trust you have been well, Great Warrior Dan."
"I have been training to the bone to defeat you."
"...I-Is that so?"
"Although I was defeated by your feints and deceptions last time, the next time will be different."
"Wait, when did I..."
I tried to say something to change the subject, but Dan Un was faster.
"And when that day comes, I will finally become the strongest in Nine Dragons Fortress."
*You do you. Go nuts.*
*And even if you beat me, you won't be the strongest in Nine Dragons Fortress.*
*You have to beat the Lord of the Fortress.*
'Talking to a crazy person any longer is just a loss for me.'
Feeling like my sanity would collapse if I stayed, I hastily offered my farewell.
"Oh my, look at the time! Well then, I'll see you next time, Great Warrior Dan!"
Dan Un reached out a hand and blocked my path.
"Wait!"
"...Huh?"
"You came all this way. I can't just send you off. Have a cup of tea before you go."
"If I just leave..."
"I'll take it that you want to settle things right here and now."
"Fine, let's go. Lead the way."
A short while later.
Following Dan Un's lead, I entered a reception room attached to the Blue Dragon Hall's main building.
Unlike the other halls where I knew people, this was my first time in the Blue Dragon Hall, so I looked around.
'This place is a real dragon's lake and tiger's den.'
The auras of the warriors walking about were all extraordinary.
If the Black Dragon Hall felt like a small, elite force, the Blue Dragon Hall was like a large, elite army.
As expected of the ace hall of Nine Dragons Fortress, they're on another level.
"Drink."
That guy Dan Un brought the tea himself and offered it to me.
The aroma was nice, so it didn't seem to be cheap stuff.
"It's delicious."
"I'm glad."
*Slurp.*
I blew on the tea to cool it down.
All so I could drink it as fast as possible and bolt.
After a moment of this.
I downed it in one gulp and stood up.
"Now that I've finished my tea, I'll be on my way. I wish you peace and safety in the days to come."
"I hear you're looking for people to join a Human-grade mission."
"How did you know...? Don't tell me you've been spying on me?"
"You've been clinging to our peers' trouser legs all day begging them. Wouldn't it be stranger if I didn't know?"
"Ahem. I suppose so."
As I cleared my throat to hide my embarrassment, Dan Un spoke with a very serious expression.
"I'll help you."
"...?!"
"On one condition."
"W-What is it?"
"When the job is done, you will have a formal duel with me."
"If it's a duel with wooden swords..."
Dan Un's face hardened as he suggested a character-deletion match.
"I'm talking about a life-and-death battle with real swords."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then we have no choice but to settle it here and now, as today might be your last."
"Damn it, you crazy bastard."
***
After recruiting Dan Un as a party member, I returned home immediately.
With the young ace joining, the quest's success rate had risen significantly, which should have been a cause for celebration.
'Except he's not in his right mind.'
That's right. The guy's mental world had reached a state I couldn't possibly comprehend.
He definitely wasn't like this at first.
Handsome looks, a genius-level enlightenment that seemed heaven-sent, and a body that had undergone marrow washing—one of the best starter packs.
Born with perfect conditions like the protagonist of a martial arts novel, he was the rising star of the Blue Dragon Hall and a future ace of Nine Dragons Fortress, with a bright and friendly personality to match.
'So you're Mujeon. Let's work hard together.'
'A little more effort! You can do it!'
'Your form is off? I don't know if I'll be much help, but let me take a look.'
Thanks to him, I, being a year younger, received a lot of help.
The problem occurred in our eighth year at the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion.
'That's when he had his villain arc, wasn't it?'
We were taking turns sparring as usual when I ended up winning.
He, an honest seventeen-year-old, couldn't counter my improvisation.
'Throwing sand was the key.'
From that point on, the guy's attitude completely changed.
He didn't use his status to bully me, but he did start picking fights.
'Let's settle this!'
'I absolutely will not lose today!'
'Let's fight.'
In the end, under the rule that sparring requests could not be refused, I sparred with him constantly for the last two years at the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion.
Thanks to that, I earned extra points from the instructors and ended up making the mistake of graduating from the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion at the top of my class.
'Because of that, I almost couldn't go to the Outer Hall...'
Working in the main fortress is no different from being in the army.
The mere thought is horrifying.
Still, the Blue Dragon Sword, Dan Un, is a powerhouse who can easily do the work of a couple of old peak masters.
'Indeed, my network is...'
This is all possible because I never neglected managing my connections.
Yep, that's right.
Although he wants a character-deletion match when we get back, I can just throw the fight, so it's fine.
And my headhunting didn't end there.
As I was eating the dinner Myo Hyang had prepared, my eyes caught sight of Yong Ma-san entering, his head shining.
"Let's go somewhere together."
"Hm? What is this all of a sudden?"
I explained to him the general circumstances of how I ended up with the mission.
"...Isn't this because you did something stupid? It seems to have nothing to do with me."
"Hey, if you guys hadn't fought that day, none of this would have happened, would it?"
"I never asked for your help. You intervened on your own."
"Ha, look at this heartless fellow. We fought shoulder to shoulder, that makes us comrades..."
"It won't work."
Faced with Yong Ma-san's firm refusal, I considered snatching his spoon, but I barely restrained myself when I remembered the meal fee he pays.
'I can't kick out a sucker who pays two nyang a month for two meals a day.'
However, there was someone who changed Yong Ma-san's mind in an instant...
*Clatter.*
It was Myo Hyang.
'She heard everything, so why is she pretending to be so surprised?'
I had already explained that I was going on a mission when I came home, but she acted as if she was hearing it for the first time, dropping a bowl in feigned shock.
'But why is she winking?'
She winked at me, then took Yong Ma-san's hand with a trembling voice.
"Ah!"
"Sir Warrior, could you please protect Squad Leader Jin?"
"W-Well, that is..."
"I beg of you."
"Hah..."
Myo Hyang looked up at Yong Ma-san with a pleading expression.
At that, his face, and even his scalp, turned bright red.
"Very well. As one who eats the meals the young lady prepares, I will help Squad Leader Jin on this mission, just this once."
And just like that, he agreed.
'Wait, that actually worked?'
I upgraded Yong Ma-san's sucker rating from first-class to special-class.