CFZ

Thud!
The moment Muk Yeon finished speaking, movement erupted from one side of the room.

“What is the meaning of this…?!”
“Muk Yeon! What are you talking about?!”
Two people—Gold Dragon Leader and Iron Dragon Leader—slammed their hands on the table and shot to their feet.
Their expressions were filled with intense opposition.

“You’re saying the recruits won’t be selected internally but brought in from outside?”
“That violates the rules of the Martial Alliance…! How can this be allowed?!”
Their tone made it clear—they wouldn’t accept this decision.
Or perhaps, they simply couldn’t believe it.

“Explain yourself—what exactly do you mean?!”
The man with bulging muscles, Dongcheon of the Twin Crescent Swords, the Gold Dragon Leader, roared.
His face was an open display of emotion.
But—

“Muk Yeon—!”
“Gold Dragon Leader.”
“…!”

The low voice of Muk Yeon called out, silencing the Gold Dragon Leader mid-shout.
‘Huh.’
My eyes widened slightly at the scene.

Muk Yeon was an ordinary man, devoid of any internal energy.
Meanwhile, Dongcheon had reached Hwagyeong, likely a master at an extraordinary level.
And yet, a single call from the old man shut him up completely.
‘His presence is no joke.’

It seemed entirely plausible that Muk Yeon could wield such authority.
Despite his frail, gaunt, and sickly appearance—
A man whose body could probably be shattered with a light strike—
“You should calm down. That goes for you as well, Iron Dragon Leader.”
Muk Yeon’s presence made it impossible to dismiss him.

I didn’t know much about him.
All I had heard were vague mentions of his history and accomplishments.
Even without fully grasping his background, I could feel that he was no ordinary man.
What about those who had observed him far longer than I had?

“…Tch.”
Both Gold Dragon and Iron Dragon Leaders, who had been raging moments ago, bit their lips and sat back down.
‘Impressive.’

How could someone command such respect without lifting a finger?
Even in my past life, the Heavenly Wanderer had wielded similar authority.
Countless demonic practitioners bowed to his words, though he had Cheonma backing him—
People listened to him because they knew following his orders often led to victory.

And Muk Yeon? He was likely no different.
Of course—
‘Without strength, none of this matters.’

I couldn’t fully understand this kind of authority.
Perhaps it could be called a type of power.
But ultimately—

‘Real power still decides everything.’
No matter how intelligent or cunning someone was—
It all crumbled before overwhelming strength.
That was always my conclusion.

Though Muk Yeon’s words had momentarily calmed the room, the tension lingered.
“But… Muk Yeon, this is utterly unreasonable.”
“That’s right. Even coming from you, we cannot accept this.”

Absolute rejection.
It was inevitable.
‘Recruits selected through external tests? No way they’d accept that.’
The Martial Alliance had eight divisions.

Although some divisions had collapsed and numbers had fluctuated, there had always been strict entry requirements.
Only the elite of the elite could join the formal divisions.
Others had to start at the bottom, climbing their way through merit and ability.

And now? A young upstart leader suddenly appeared and announced he’d bring in members from outside?
“This is blatant favoritism!”
To them, it seemed absurd.
And honestly—

“Yes. It is favoritism.”
It was absurd.
“…Muk Yeon…?”

Everyone froze at his bold admission.
Only Muk Yeon and I remained expressionless.
“The Star Dragon Division’s formation is indeed an act of favoritism.”

“Are you admitting it?”
“There’s nothing to admit. It was necessary to appoint the Star King as a Leader.”
“How can you say that—!”

“This is the will of the Martial Alliance.”
“…!”
The Martial Alliance’s will.

The Iron Dragon Leader’s face twisted at those words.
“The Lord approved it, and the decision was ratified by the elders.”
“This can’t be…”

“Let me ask you something. Do any of you have surplus members in your divisions that you can assign to the Star Dragon Division?”
“...”
No one responded.

Muk Yeon’s point was clear—
Did anyone have enough manpower to spare and reinforce a new division?
“More precisely… does any Leader have members ranked at Fourth Grade or higher to assign to the Star Dragon Division?”
“F-Fourth Grade?!”

The Gold Dragon Leader erupted again.
Fourth Grade.
The rank assigned to elite members upon joining the Martial Alliance.

The lower the number, the higher the value—
Leaders were First Grade. Sub-leaders ranged from Second to Third Grade.
Fourth Grade represented the best of the best.
They had to be at least at the Peak level of martial arts mastery.
“Sending Fourth Grade members elsewhere is absurd!”

“Yes. It is absurd. That’s precisely why we decided to recruit externally for the Star Dragon Division.”
“Couldn’t we at least use unaffiliated members instead?”
“Iron Dragon Leader. Have you forgotten why the Star Dragon Division was created?”

A division specifically tasked with confronting the Unorthodox Sects.
A declaration of war disguised as a cleansing operation.
Even if it was partly for show, they couldn’t fill the Star Dragon Division with unqualified members.

Fourth Grade martial artists were rare assets.
Even within existing divisions, they were precious.
And now they were supposed to hand them over to me?
‘No way they’d accept that.’

None of them would willingly give up their elite forces.
By the way—this external recruitment plan?
It was my condition.
When Muk Yeon convinced me to join, one of my requirements was—

‘If I’m to lead this division, I get to pick my own members.’
I had secured that concession under the pretense of tests and with the understanding that some internal members would still be included.
Given the circumstances, it was natural for the others to resist.

‘This isn’t about rules or tradition.’
What they really feared was that I’d build the division entirely to my liking and exclude their influence.
That could mean—

‘My division might grow into something massive.’
They could already see it happening.
That’s why they were so desperate to stop it.
‘If they’re this upset already, how will they handle what’s coming next?’

I quietly observed the scene, amused.
“This matter has already been decided. I will not entertain further objections.”
"Advisor…!"

"One more thing."
No matter how ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) much the leaders objected, Muk Yeon’s attitude remained utterly dismissive, as if their protests didn’t matter in the slightest.
‘Can he really afford to act like this?’

Even if Muk Yeon’s position was high, wasn’t this kind of attitude dangerous?
Just as that thought crossed my mind—
"Aside from the Azure Dragon Division, one of the existing divisions will assist the Star Dragon Division in its missions."

Muk Yeon added those words, and the heated atmosphere instantly cooled.
Everyone froze.
The fiery tension that had filled the room vanished, replaced by a chilling stillness.
Had they misheard?

Everyone looked around, puzzled.
“…Advisor.”
Breaking the silence, Dongcheon—the Twin Crescent Swords and Gold Dragon Leader—spoke with a stiff expression.

“What exactly… do you mean by that?”
The weight in his voice couldn’t be compared to earlier.
It was filled with barely restrained fury.

He looked as though he was about to explode but managed to grit out the words.
“Are you telling us… to serve under the Star Dragon Division?”
“It’s not serving under—it’s assisting—”

“Isn’t that the same thing?!”
Bang!
Dongcheon slammed his fist onto the table.

Crash!
The table shattered under the force.
With eyes burning in rage, he glared at Muk Yeon.

And honestly? He wasn’t wrong.
Calling it “assistance” was just a polite way of telling them to act like subordinates.
So yeah, I was surprised too.

‘Has that old man lost his mind?’
How could he be so blunt? I’d expected him to sugarcoat it, but Muk Yeon had just dropped the bomb directly.
Support the Star Dragon Division.

This was another condition I had added.
Leaders in the Martial Alliance were granted certain powers upon taking their position.
Naturally, they commanded their own divisions.

But more importantly—
‘The authority to mobilize regional branches.’
Division Leaders could issue orders to regional branches under their jurisdiction.

Even though branch masters managed their areas, a command from a Division Leader had to be obeyed.
There were other powers as well, but this one stood out.
So when I agreed to join, I demanded the ability to command at least one other division.

Of course, it was rejected outright.
The Martial Alliance didn’t want to risk backlash from the other leaders.
But I didn’t back down either.

I said I wouldn’t take the position unless I got what I wanted.
In the end, Muk Yeon offered a compromise—not authority, but “support.”
And now—

‘He’s actually saying it out loud?’
Whether it was called “support” or not, it was basically ordering them to act as subordinates.
“This brat shows up out of nowhere, gets special treatment—I get that! But how dare you treat us like this?!”

A brat.
I scoffed at the insult.
‘As expected.’

It was clear they hated the fact that I had been appointed.
Dongcheon was grinding his teeth, struggling to contain his rage, and the Iron Dragon Leader looked ready to storm out of the room.
‘How’s Muk Yeon going to handle this?’

If he could manage this situation, I’d admit he was as brilliant as they said.
Curious, I turned to look at him—
‘Huh?’

Muk Yeon was staring right at me.
With Dongcheon and the others making such a fuss, why was he looking at me?
What did that gaze mean?

I stared back—and then—
‘Wait.’
An idea struck me, and my eyes widened slightly.

Tap. Tap. Tap.
Muk Yeon tapped the table three times.
“Ha.”

And that’s when it hit me—
‘That sly old man.’
If my hunch was correct, everything—from the argument with Ilcheong Sword earlier to this moment—had been orchestrated by Muk Yeon.

It all tied back to the third condition I had demanded.
“…Hahaha.”
I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.

“…?”
My sudden laughter drew everyone’s attention.
I tried to suppress it, but it kept spilling out.

“Wow. This is amazing.”
“…What?”
Dongcheon scowled.

“…What’s so funny?”
“I mean, isn’t it hilarious?”
I stood up, still chuckling.

Honestly, the fact that I’d been manipulated annoyed me—but at this point, I might as well play along.
Facing Dongcheon, I spoke.
“You’re scrambling to protect your bowls like a bunch of nobodies. How could I not laugh?”

“…What did you just say?”
“What nonsense are you spewing?!”
“You should be grateful you’re even getting assigned as support. Know your place.”

Screech.
I shoved the broken table aside and looked straight at Dongcheon and the others.
“I think you’re misunderstanding something. You’re not joining under me.”

I tilted my head, smirking.
“I’m the one doing you a favor by letting you join me. Why don’t you get that?”
Boom!

A surge of killing intent filled the room.
It came from Dongcheon.
“This bastard.”

His aura flared dangerously.
“You think you can act like this just because the Alliance put you here? Watch your mouth.”
“That’s exactly my point.”

Step.
I ignored his aura and took a step forward.
I didn’t rush—I made sure my movements were deliberate.

“You’ve been spoiled by your position as a leader. You don’t even know how the world works.”
“You brat—!”
Thud!

Dongcheon reached for his sword but froze.
His hand never touched the hilt.
I had already swatted it away.

“Don’t kid yourself. I wouldn’t have accepted you even if you begged on your knees.”
Clang!
The Silver Wolf Sword drew his blade.

I stepped further into the room.
Toward the center.
I didn’t care about the scattered furniture.

I just stood there, looking at them—
“All of you seem to have a problem with me being a leader.”
Raising my hand, I curled my fingers and beckoned them forward.

“One at a time. I’ll make sure you don’t have any complaints when I’m done.”
I smiled brightly as I spoke.
And at that moment—

Rumble!
Murderous intent erupted from all directions.