CFZ

Ssshh—
The atmosphere cooled as soon as I spoke.

Especially the old man in front of me—Muk Yeon—his reaction was anything but calm.
“Conditions, you say?”
His eyes practically screamed his thoughts.

They were asking me, Are you serious?
I met that gaze and smiled faintly as I responded.
“Yes.”

That’s right.
What you heard is exactly what I said.
Muk Yeon’s eyes narrowed further.

“Star King.”
“Yes, Elder?”
“Is there something about the terms that displeased you?”

He was asking whether any [N O V E L I G H T] of the Martial Alliance’s offers—given in exchange for me becoming their Great Leader—had failed to meet my expectations.
“No. I didn’t find anything unsatisfactory.”
How could I?

The conditions they offered were beyond generous—practically groundbreaking.
I recalled the details of the letter Muk Yeon had handed me yesterday.
The Conditions

First Condition:
While officially affiliated with the Martial Alliance, I would not be bound by orders except those from the Leader.
It was an outrageous offer from the start.
Within the Martial Alliance were the Eight Sword Divisions, the pillars of their strength.
Even though they stood at the top, they still had to follow orders.

The Alliance had five elders who acted as executive leaders beneath the Leader, and the swordsmen ultimately answered to them.
But this?
‘They’re giving me the power to ignore orders.’

I’d have full autonomy, free to act as I pleased, regardless of what the elders said.
Second Condition:
During my tenure as Great Leader, the Gu family would be exempt from sponsorship fees and trade tariffs imposed by the Alliance.
 

Frankly, this didn’t mean much to me personally.
The Alliance charged mandatory sponsorship fees based on a family’s wealth and influence.
Since the Gu family was one of the prominent clans, their payments were substantial.

Additionally, the Alliance took a cut from trade deals brokered under its name.
Waiving those fees and tariffs would undoubtedly please my family.
‘Basically, it’s a bribe to keep us from badmouthing them.’

But for me, it wasn’t particularly enticing.
Third Condition:
I would gain command authority over one additional Sword Division—excluding the Azure Dragon Division—along with jurisdiction over regional branches.
 

Now this was tempting.
The Great Leader already wielded power over regional branches.
But on top of that—

‘Control over a Sword Division.’
I’d be granted direct command over one of the remaining Seven Sword Divisions, which was no small advantage.
Adding it all up—

No mandatory payments, freedom from most orders, and the authority to command an elite force.
It was a deal packed with benefits.
The Alliance clearly knew what they were offering.

That’s why Muk Yeon was reacting this way—because now I was asking for more.
I understood his perspective.
If I were in his shoes, I’d think, We’ve already handed you the moon—what more do you want?

But the thing is—
‘What are you gonna do if I say no?’
The unfortunate truth for the Martial Alliance was that I knew exactly how valuable I was.

In my past life, when the Divine Sword had just earned the title of Little Sword Saint, I’d witnessed what kind of terms the Martial Alliance gave her.
It was laughable.
‘She had no clue how the world worked.’

The Little Sword Saint had cared about saving people—not negotiations.
Because of that, the Martial Alliance had been able to scoop her up with insultingly low terms.
But me?

Even if I couldn’t match her peak strength back then—
‘My position is leagues above hers.’
And since I knew that—

‘I’ll be damned if I settle for anything less than a hundred times better.’
Not ten times. Not twenty.
A hundred.

Even if it meant tearing the pillars of the Martial Alliance out by their roots.
Muk Yeon must have sensed my intentions because his expression darkened.
“Elder.”

So what?
“If you don’t like it, forget it. I don’t care.”
“...”

It was a blatant power play.
Take it or leave it. I could walk away without regret.
Sure, it might stir hostility and lead to complications later.

But, like I said—
“Do you have a better alternative?”
The Martial Alliance knew this was their best chance.

They just hadn’t expected me to know it too.
“The conditions are excellent,” I said. “Offers this generous don’t come often, do they?”
“No, they don’t,” Muk Yeon admitted. “But even knowing that, you’re still demanding more?”

“Exactly. It’s not enough to satisfy me.”
“...”
“If it’s a problem, just say so.”

I flashed him another smile.
Muk Yeon stared at me with a furrowed brow.
His gaze didn’t waver, but I knew his mind was racing.

“Star King.”
“Yes?”
“These terms already faced strong opposition. I only managed to push them through with great effort.”

His tone was calm, but the subtext was clear—
I worked my ass off to get you this. Stop being greedy.
‘Hmm.’

So that’s how he wanted to play it?
Fine.
I’d play right back.

“Is that so? Must have been tough.”
Not my problem. Offer me something better.
“If the current terms don’t suit you, we could revise them instead.”

I can’t offer more, but maybe I can repackage it.
“Haha. I appreciate the offer, but I’m not interested in changes.”
Don’t insult me with word games.

“...”
“...”
We exchanged veiled barbs, neither budging an inch.

This conversation wasn’t going anywhere.
So I stood up.
Screech.

I pushed my chair back and rose to my feet.
“It seems we won’t be reaching an agreement.”
Enough time-wasting.

“Thank you for the generous offer. I hope we meet again under better circumstances.”
I turned and started toward the door.
My hand was on the knob when—

“…Wait.”
I stopped.
“…Could you at least tell me what your terms are?”

Muk Yeon rubbed his temples like his head was splitting.
I couldn’t help but grin.
“Of course. I’d be happy to share.”

I won.
 
   ******************
   
Srrk.

I finished writing on the letter and handed it to Muk Yeon, who sat across from me.
“I’ve written it all down.”
Three sheets of paper.

I signed my name on them.
It was called a contract, but right now, it was more of a verbal agreement in written form.
To make it official, I’d still need to discuss it with the Gu family later. For now, I was simply putting my intentions into writing.

Convincing my family could wait.
‘The timing’s a bit tricky, but it should be fine.’
The contract was set for five years.

Whether or not I’d renew it afterward—
‘Five years? Yeah, right.’
I never planned to stick around that long.

Even if I accepted the position, I’d be done within a year—if that.
‘One year is enough.’
That’s all I needed to get what I wanted.

Anything beyond that would be unnecessary.
No—worse than unnecessary.
I didn’t just have my family to think about—time itself was a problem.

“Let’s work well together from now on.”
Handing him the letter, I finally turned to leave for real this time.
There was no longer any reason to linger.

And no one tried to stop me.
Clack—
The door closed behind me.

“Hoo…”
Muk Yeon let out the breath he’d been holding.
He massaged his temples as though fighting off a headache and struggled to suppress a cough.

After taking a moment to steady himself,
“…Hahaha…”
He burst into a bitter laugh.

“What an unbelievable kid…”
It had been a long time since something had worn him out this much.
Probably not since his retirement.

Thinking back on the intense negotiation, Muk Yeon took a sip of tea.
His throat was parched.
“This won’t be easy.”

It had been far more difficult than expected.
Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have been this hard.
But both the situation and the opponent were problematic.

He had no choice but to recruit someone who knew their own worth too well.
The more they spoke, the clearer it became—
“You have no choice but to accept my terms.”

That was the unspoken message in every word and action.
Even so, the things that should have been difficult—
“…He handled them like they were nothing.”

Far from being overwhelmed, the boy almost seemed to enjoy it.
Throughout the conversation, he refused to yield even an inch.
‘He knew he had leverage.’

Muk Yeon could see it clearly.
Gu Yangcheon was fully aware that the Alliance needed him—and he never let his guard down.
In short—

“Hmph.”
There was no way around it.
“What a shame.”

Muk Yeon had no children.
Even if he’d had grandchildren, they would have been older than the Star King.
Yet here he was, completely outmaneuvered by someone so young.

But despite feeling like he’d been picked clean, Muk Yeon didn’t feel bad about it.
How many people could sit across from him, hold their ground, and take what they wanted?
Only three others came to mind.

The Sword Master in her youth.
The Divine Doctor in his prime.
And the founder of the Baekhwa Trading Company.
 
And now—
Muk Yeon added a fourth name to that list.

Though he doubted this one would leave a pleasant memory.
“…I can’t believe I let him take that much.”
He’d been utterly drained.

The conditions Gu Yangcheon demanded were outrageous, to the point where Muk Yeon had struggled to reduce even a few.
‘In the end, I had to give in to two of them.’
He couldn’t cut them all.

If he wanted to bring Gu Yangcheon in, there was no other option.
“Hm…”
Was this really the right decision?

Muk Yeon’s doubts lingered.
It had been seven weeks since he’d returned to his post as a temporary strategist.
The number of tasks he’d taken on had multiplied—most of them tasks he’d assigned to himself.

He couldn’t leave things as they were.
A complete mess.
That’s what the Alliance had become.

After the Sword Master left, Muk Yeon had stepped away, exhausted.
But what had happened while he was gone?
If he’d known things would fall apart like this, he never would have left.

He regretted it bitterly.
That’s why, if possible, he’d wanted to avoid bringing in the Star King.
These terms were bound to cause friction with the other leaders.

The Star King couldn’t be treated as an ordinary Great Leader.
‘Maybe I’m getting old.’
Muk Yeon admitted his mistake.

His decision hadn’t been rational—it had been instinct.
Something about Gu Yangcheon made him feel like he had to recruit him.
Even though they’d only met twice.

The answer came to him suddenly.
‘It’s because I don’t know.’
Not why.

Not the reasoning.
He didn’t understand Gu Yangcheon.
Usually, two meetings were enough.

Muk Yeon had always been able to read people quickly.
Even the Sword Master once praised him as having “the eyes of wisdom.”
But now—

‘The Star King is unreadable.’
Muk Yeon couldn’t grasp him.
He couldn’t see his temperament, values, or beliefs.

Was it because he was deep and layered?
Or—
‘Is there too much hidden beneath the surface?’

Whatever the case—
Muk Yeon knew one thing.
“He’s dangerous.”

He might have been young, but he had the instincts of a predator.
A raging bull hiding the mind of a serpent.
A viper, ready to strike and tear out throats.

‘Why would Heaven give someone like that martial talent too?’
Muk Yeon didn’t practice martial arts, but he could tell—Gu Yangcheon was exceptional.
And with his cunning mind, he was bound to leave a mark on history.

“Please…”
Clink.
Muk Yeon set his cup down and looked out the window.

His expression darkened.
‘Let him not be…’
Let him not be what Muk Yeon feared most—

An ally of Cheonma, the Demonic Cult’s Heavenly Demon.
Let him be the hope of the righteous sects instead.
That was Muk Yeon’s prayer.

But the real reason he brought the Star King into the Alliance—
Was to find out the truth.
Days later.

The Martial Alliance held an official announcement.
Three Great Leaders were dead.
To fill the void, they named a new Great Leader—the Star King.

They also declared the revival of the Divine Dragon Division,
The most legendary unit in the Martial Alliance’s history.