How to Live as a Mage in the Murim World

Chapter 23 – Episode 6: The Green Forest Road Alliance (2)

Honestly, it was a topic that was bound to come up eventually.

He just hadn’t expected it to pop up right at the end like this.

“Why is that? Though the Iron Flame Gang doesn’t have the best reputation, they’re not as vicious as rumors suggest.”

“I’m aware of that. However, grudges exist.”

As Zhuge Jun spoke, he glanced at the Clear Spirit Pill he had just handed over.

“This Clear Spirit Pill is made by the Sima family. Young Lady Sima, who participated in the recent gathering, put this up as a prize for the bet. Actually, In fact, I learned about your story through Young Lady Sima.”

“She was trying to stir up trouble, I guess.”

“…That’s correct.”

Zhuge Jun nodded and continued.

“Although the Sima Noble Family was the one who started it first, the fact remains their pride was wounded from the previous incident. They won’t remain idle forever.”

“Hmm.”

It was a valid point, but leaving the Green Forest Road League wasn’t simple.

The Green Forest Road Alliance might appear quite organized from the outside, but in reality, it was a fragile alliance built on mutual benefit and convenience.

In fact, there had been a few close calls where things almost went south, if it hadn’t been for his presence in the alliance.

In such a situation, if Zhuge Hyeonmong withdrew, it would be tantamount to wishing for the entire area to turn into a battlefield.

The Iron Brigade was currently consolidating its power over the bandits, largely thanks to Ma Jin-gwang’s strength.

The problem was that force alone couldn’t keep the bandits subdued indefinitely. With internal instability and external threats piling up, the Green Forest Road Alliance was basically a house of cards waiting to collapse.

“Thank you for informing me. I’ll keep it in mind.”

That was all Zhuge Hyeonmong could say. He couldn’t offer a solution on the spot.

‘Unless a perfect way to turn the Sima family’s heart appears…’

“If it’s alright, may I offer some assistance?”

“Assistance?”

“Yes. I was thinking of visiting the Green Forest Road Alliance with some of my friends. Actually, many of my friends still believe the Iron Flame Gang is nothing but bandits. A personal visit to clear up misunderstandings might be beneficial.”

“Isn’t that… too much of a burden?”

It might be called a visit, but it was basically him putting his own reputation on the line to vouch for the Green Forest Road Alliance.

“Haha, I’m hoping it will be. That way, I can persuade you to join the family”

As Zhuge Jun cheerfully admitted this with a smile, Zhuge Hyeonmong also let out a slight chuckle.

With that, Zhuge Jun promised to coordinate their schedules for a future visit and departed.

Zhuge Hyeonmong let out a long sigh.

‘Well, that went better than expected.’

What had started as a quiet research endeavor had unexpectedly become complicated. But it wasn’t without gains.

He had learned about the incense burner’s properties and gained a valuable connection. More importantly—

“Hmm.”

Zhuge Hyeonmong gazed at the Clear Spirit Pill that Zhuge Jun had gifted him. Something had been bothering him for a while.

Mana was being drawn toward the Clear Spirit Pill like dry a dry sponge absorbing water.

‘It’s strange that it’s not emitting manaa, but actually absorbing mana.’

He hadn’t examined it closely due to Zhuge Jun’s presence, but now that things had concluded favorably, he had the leisure to take a closer look.

Click.

As expected from something made by the Sima family, known for their medical expertise, a subtle and pleasant fragrance wafted out as soon as he opened the lid.

‘But the condition seems a bit off.’

Since it was made in pill form, it was difficult to determine the original ingredients or manufacturing method, but something felt incomplete.

After examining the Clear Spirit Pill for a while, Zhuge Hyeonmong suddenly applied mana to his eyes. It wasn’t a particularly remarkable spell, but it allowed him to better perceive the flow of mana.

And through this, he could clearly understand.

‘The refinement was done incorrectly.’

While the ingredients’ medicinal properties were maximized, their inherent essence wasn’t harmonized.

‘It’s like undercooked food. This is problematic.’

Additional ingredients were needed for complete harmonization. However, he felt he could make some progress using the mana from the current incense burner.

Holding his magic wand, Zhuge Hyeonmong delicately manipulated mana particles. It was the process of arranging sand-like mana one by one with countless invisible threads and infusing them with his will.

Woong—

Soon, a faint magical light settled in the Clear Spirit Pill.

After gauging the mana flow for a moment, Zhuge Hyeonmong scratched his head with his magic wand.

‘Should I visit the pharmacy?’

He had a general sense of how to proceed with the work, but lacking knowledge of the necessary ingredients meant some trial and error would be required. But he felt it was worth the effort.

‘Well, it wasn’t entirely without gain.’

Zhuge Hyeonmong decided to leave it at that for this incident.

***

The next day. Zhuge Hyeonmong opened his eyes. And thought.

‘Hmm, I want to quit.’

It was the end of a long vacation. It was strange. He hadn’t done anything special, yet the vacation had passed by incredibly quickly.

Oddly, his body felt stiff and lethargic, and there was a hint of a cough or cold, making him wonder if the agency might generously grant him one more day off…

‘That won’t happen.’

Zhuge Hyeonmong heaved a deep sigh, got up, tidied himself, and headed to the agency.

In truth, he needed to have a conversation with the Chief as well. At first, Im Chung was lukewarm about the Green Forest Road Alliance.

However, after Im Jun-gyu’s martial arts improved dramatically thanks to the new weapons, the stagnant agency’s growth accelerated like a tiger given wings, and his attitude changed.

The escort business wasn’t known for rapid growth. That’s why they had previously sought contracts with the Hwang Family Merchant Guild or the Geum Family Merchant Guild.

‘I need to talk to him about taking the successors along too.’

Taking the successors to the Green Forest Road Alliance without prior notice could lead to serious misunderstandings. Ma Jin-gwang wasn’t one to shy away from a fight, and the successors were always full of ambitions. Combine these two factors and a huge fight could break out at any moment.

Plus, he’d heard they’d just graduated from the Ascending Heaven Academy and hadn’t been in the field for long. They were all starving for achievements.

To the successors, the Green Forest Road Alliance might look like a juicy target. Given the high possibility of conflict, the more caution, the better.

With these thoughts, he walked to the Great Dragon Escort Agency. That’s when he felt someone watching him.

‘What is it?’

It was a sense he had developed after learning magic. If qi perception was about sharpening the human senses to an extreme degree, this feeling was like glimpsing a step into the future.

Sensing something approaching, Zhuge Hyeonmong instinctively gripped his magic wand.

‘When did this become so natural?’

“Master! You’re finally here!”

“Hmm?”

Recognizing the two figures who appeared before him, Zhuge Hyeonmong subtly lowered his magic wand.

“Isn’t it Mr. Jo Gweol and Mr. Hang Gon? What’s the matter? Why the rush?”

The two were the mustached Jo Gweol and the bald Hang Gon from the Iron Flame Gang, who had once tried to kidnap him.

“We’ve encountered a troublesome issue and came seeking your wisdom.”

“A troublesome issue?”

Zhuge Hyeonmong tilted his head. If that were the case, they would have sent a message and visited his home. Why wait at the agency?

“Well, this baldly here kept getting lost, and I ended up getting lost with him. A thick fog rolled in, and we ended up here.”

“It’s not my fault, I tell you. Something was off!”

“Shut up, you directionally challenged fool. Wasn’t it you who said there was a bandit hideout on some mountain last time, and then we climbed all the way to the top and you went, ‘Oops, wrong mountain’”

Zhuge Hyeonmong nodded.

“That one was Mr. Hang Gon’s fault.”

“See?”

Hang Gon wore an extremely wronged expression.