CFZ

Previous Life.
Roughly speaking, it was a time not too different from my current age.
Maybe a year or two older.

Originally, leaving the clan, let alone joining an alliance, would have been unthinkable. Yet, for some reason, my father, the head of the family, had thrown me into the Martial Alliance.
It was a rather strange decision.
Especially considering how reluctant he usually was to let me step outside the family grounds—he had sent me all the way to Henan.
Even now, I can’t quite understand why.

But at the time, it didn’t really matter.
If anything, I welcomed it.
A chance to escape that damned house and finally breathe, even if only for a while.
And also—

There was someone there.
Not the sole reason for my decision, but perhaps it was enough to make it feel worthwhile.
Still, if I could go back and make a different choice… I probably wouldn’t make the same one.

The things I experienced at the alliance were far more frequent and inconvenient than I had anticipated.
It was also then that my faith in the righteous factions plummeted to the ground.
Whether it was enduring mockery and contempt in the Flying Dragon Unit—

Or surviving countless relocations during the bloodshed caused by Cheonma—
Or losing people again and again, until I had to discard even myself—
I had to endure things I never should have, and those experiences shaped who I am now.
They weren’t good memories.

Maybe that’s why.
“Hm.”
The further I walked into the alliance’s inner grounds, the more the memories came flooding back.
Even though a significant amount of time had passed and these events should have faded, they remained oddly vivid.

‘Was that tree always shaped like that?’
A single tree stood in the open garden to the side.
I remember hearing it had been there since the alliance’s founding.

Its age and status made it a symbol, and the alliance had taken great care to preserve it.
Of course—
‘Cheonma burned it down.’

When she first appeared, she slaughtered several leaders and masters—and burned that tree along with them.
They called it a symbol, but back then, I hadn’t seen it often.
‘To even see that tree, you needed a high rank.’

The area I was walking through was deep inside the alliance grounds, a place I had no right to wander in my past life as a mere foot soldier.
Ah, there were times I’d been sent to deliver messages and caught a glimpse of it.
Back then, it was just ‘some unnecessarily big tree.’

But now—
‘It feels strange.’
Standing before it again, the tree gave off an oddly unsettling vibe.

An ancient tree, standing for centuries, firmly rooted in the earth.
A symbol of the alliance, treated with reverence.
Now, I understood why.

‘There’s an aura.’
The tree was steeped in an unusually dense energy.
I’d heard that ancient objects and beings sometimes absorbed energy over time.

This tree must have done just that.
‘Interesting.’
The energy I couldn’t see before was now visible.

Curious, I studied the tree more closely.
It didn’t feel like the energy was simply there—
There might be more to it.

‘Should I use Insight?’
If I did, maybe I could see deeper.
Just as I focused my eyes and gathered strength—

“Azure Dragon Leader and the Star King have arrived.”
The announcement from ahead made me click my tongue and halt.
Unfortunately, it seemed we had reached our destination.

Creak—
The massive door groaned open, and I stepped inside.
The interior space was one of the largest in the alliance.

There were a dozen or so tables and chairs, and several people were already seated.
Whoosh—
‘Ugh.’

The moment I stepped into the room, the air hit me.
‘…It’s stifling.’
Heavy, oppressive.

The air was saturated with internal energy.
The room wasn’t small, but the pressure came from the people occupying it.
‘This is ridiculous.’

I glanced around to count the people.
Four.
Adding myself and Ilcheong Sword made six.

A total of six people.
‘Five of them are at Hwagyeong.’
The majority of them had reached Hwagyeong.

No wonder the air felt so suffocating.
While I clicked my tongue at the discomfort—
“You’ve arrived.”

The voice came from the center of the room.
He was the only person here who wasn’t at Hwagyeong.
Not even a martial artist.

“Yes, Elder. We meet again.”
I greeted the man—Muk Yeon, the strategist of the alliance—with a smile.
Muk Yeon returned a faint smile of his own.

“I’m not late, am I? Everyone’s already gathered, so I thought maybe I was.”
“No, you’re right on time.”
“That’s a relief.”

As I spoke, I examined the others one by one.
The strategist, Muk Yeon.
And the rest—

‘The Twin Crescent Swords and Silver Wolf Sword, including the Marksman.’
The Red Dragon Leader, Gold Dragon Leader, and Iron Dragon Leader.
Including Ilcheong Sword, that made four leaders.

After quickly scanning the room, I pointed to an empty chair.
“Can I sit anywhere?”
“Make yourself comfortable.”

Creak.
I casually found a seat, and Ilcheong Sword followed suit.
Of course, he made sure to sit a slight distance away from me.
Muk Yeon, observing this, gave me his characteristic gaze and spoke.

“I heard there was some… disturbance before your arrival. Was everything alright?”
So he already knew about the earlier incident with Ilcheong Sword.
Not that it mattered. It was obvious Muk Yeon would be aware of it.
“Oh, it wasn’t much. Just a minor difference of opinion.”

I waved my hand dismissively and glanced at Ilcheong Sword, adding a comment.
“Isn’t that right, senior Ilcheong Sword?”
“...”

At being addressed, Ilcheong Sword’s brow twitched slightly.
For a moment, I wondered if he’d failed to control his expression, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
“It’s nothing to worry about. One of my subordinates made a significant mistake, but the Star King was generous enough to let it go.”
‘Wow.’

Hearing him talk so smoothly, I almost laughed out loud.
Just earlier, he had been fuming as if he might explode, but it seemed he had managed to pull himself together.
Otherwise, there’s no way he’d be speaking so easily.
Muk Yeon gave a slight nod after hearing Ilcheong Sword’s explanation.

“I see. Understood.”
And that was the end of that topic.
Not that dragging it out any further would have meant anything.
There were more pressing matters to address.

“Now that everyone is here, let’s begin the discussion.”
With those words, the mood shifted slightly.
Tap. Tap.

Muk Yeon placed a letter on the table and pulled out a small brush as he began to speak.
“The Flying Dragon Leader is absent due to a specific mission assigned just prior to this meeting. The Guardian Leader is accompanying the Lord on another matter. And…”
Swish.

The brush moved lightly across the letter.
“The Divine Dragon Leader is also accompanying them and will not be joining us today.”
Divine Dragon Leader. My ears perked up at that name.

‘So they’re not here right now.’
I had half-expected to see them today, but it seemed they were away.
Just then—

Creak.
A faint noise came from where Ilcheong Sword was sitting.
I glanced in that direction, but there was nothing visibly different.

“With that, we’ll begin today’s Grand Leader Meeting.”
Muk Yeon’s words made me nod slightly.
This was the reason I had come to the Martial Alliance today.
‘A Grand Leader Meeting…’

As the name implied, it was a gathering of the leaders.
And the reason I was here was obvious—
“Today’s meeting is being held because /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ the Star King has matters to relay before officially assuming duties as a Leader.”
It was because I would officially be taking my place as one of the alliance’s leaders today.

No introductions. No ceremonies.
This wasn’t the kind of setting for leisurely formalities, and honestly, I preferred it this way.
Apparently, the name for my division was Seongryongdae—the Star Dragon Division.
‘Ah… I already feel like throwing up.’

The title was bad enough, but the division’s name was just as ridiculous.
To make matters worse—
‘And the reactions here are a mess.’

The other leaders’ responses weren’t great either.
Ilcheong Sword kept his usual stoic face, but after what I saw earlier, there was no way he was fine with this.
The others weren’t much better.
The Red Dragon Leader didn’t show any visible emotions, but the others were clearly uncomfortable.

I could already guess the reason.
‘A brat with no experience suddenly became a leader, so of course, they’re reacting like this.’
The leaders of the Martial Alliance were pillars responsible for its foundation.

The position of Leader wasn’t given lightly—it required years, if not decades, of service, strength, and unwavering loyalty to the alliance.
Even then, it wasn’t guaranteed.
Yet here I was, a young upstart, suddenly occupying one of those coveted positions.

Naturally, they weren’t pleased.
Still—
‘It also means things were urgent enough to push this through despite the backlash.’

The alliance knew how the leaders would react.
Yet, they had decided to appoint me anyway.
In other words—
‘They needed me more than they cared about the backlash.’

The other leaders probably saw it that way, too.
That’s why they weren’t even trying to hide their dissatisfaction.
“The division under the Star King will be named the Star Dragon Division.”
I’d already heard this, so I didn’t react.

Instead, I focused on observing the other leaders’ reactions.
“Furthermore, as previously mentioned, the Star Dragon Division will focus on combat and be tasked with handling the Unorthodox Sects.”
I had learned about this just yesterday.
My division would play a major role in clearing out the unorthodox sects.

‘A division dedicated to unorthodox sects.’
Not monsters or humans.
A division created solely to combat the unorthodox factions.

As the Lord said, it was more for show—
A declaration of war against the unorthodox sects.
“And…”
Swish. Swish.

Muk Yeon continued writing as he spoke.
Was this how smart people worked?
Mi Horan and Moyong Hee-ah often did the same thing—
Handling multiple tasks at once.

Maybe they thought it was more efficient?
I didn’t get it, but it wasn’t my place to understand.
Anyway—
So far, everything was fine.

None of this really mattered much.
But—
“Unlike previous divisions, which drew members from within the alliance…”

What mattered was—
“The Star Dragon Division will recruit its members externally through tests held within five days.”
And with that, the leaders’ discontent was about to explode.