WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 146: Black Uniform (4)
──────
A few people let out quiet snickers at Hyeon Won-chang's words as he stood beside Jeong Yeon-shin.
Most, however, only let out faint breaths of laughter.
That was how the Black Uniform masters were. The six experts standing beside the Squad Leaders as guards did not so much as move their lips.
They merely watched Hyeon Won-chang.
Just as Jeong Yeon-shin had brought Hyeon Won-chang with him, the presences of the martial artists standing beside the Squad Leaders as attendants were all weighty.
“Ahaha!”
Only the girl seated near the vacant seat of honor laughed without restraint.
Gripping the spear propped beside her stone chair's armrest, she shook her hair, which had been gathered and tied into a single tail.
There was no malice in her. She simply found it amusing.
‘Senior Ak.’
Jeong Yeon-shin recognized her at once.
Ak Su-rim, the Desolate Divine Spear. Deputy Leader of the Divine Sword Squad.
She was the veteran master who had briefly fought alongside him during the sparring match with the Namgung Family.
Her Static Training had apparently reached consummate mastery, reversing the years upon her body.
The girl, who appeared to be Jeong Yeon-shin's age, was proof enough of her formidable strength. She was a master who had attained Rejuvenation.
“That kid, that kid is really funny! He's dressed in white, yet he's got plenty of nerve! He must be worthy of serving Seom-ye, who challenged the Clear Qilin. Hey, Do-un. When was the last time anyone treated you like that?”
She dabbed at the corner of her eye with a slender finger as she spoke. Entertainment was scarce in this world, and she seemed to have laughed herself to tears, if only for a moment.
“That is enough.”
Ha Do-un, the Swift Heaven Wing Squad Leader, spoke.
His complexion had changed for only a moment. His expression was calm again.
A renowned swordmaster's composure was naturally clear and still, like a mirror-smooth lake.
For Ha Do-un's swordsmanship to be rumored to rival the Leader of Demon Wings' saber art, his attainment in Static Training had to be proportional to his mental cultivation.
Regardless of his sharp temperament, his mind was steady.
‘The Swift Heaven Wing Squad Leader noticed me. He is an incredibly formidable master.’
The boy thought so.
Black Uniform truly was different. Ha Do-un appeared to have guessed the source of the technique at once through instinct and aura sense.
The Lord of Desolate Fortress's feint. It was a skill that had to be handled carefully. It was not a sword form that should become widely known.
Jeong Yeon-shin settled the chill that had briefly risen in his heart without showing it.
With Hyeon Won-chang in tow, he slowly walked over and took the seat beside Ma Jin, who had arrived earlier.
His uncle attended the gathering as a Squad Leader. He was still the Leader of Demon Wings.
―Did the Lord of Desolate Fortress teach you that form?
It was Ma Jin's sound transmission.
―It seems to be a method for using aura with ease, and a remarkable one at that. You drew such a reaction from a master of that level. From the Swift Heaven Wing Squad Leader, no less.
―It's incomplete.
Jeong Yeon-shin answered briefly.
He had been greatly surprised when the aura feint succeeded.
It was a skill he had learned only yesterday, and his opponent had been a Black Uniform master.
He had not expected it to work. It could only be called luck.
It still seemed to have little practical use, since Ha Do-un's reaction had been so brief.
‘It will be hard to use in real combat.’
That would remain true even if he properly executed the technique. The opponent had not been immersed enough for it to be called a proper feint.
With the concentration Jeong Yeon-shin had expended, he could have used another ultimate move in the middle of a duel.
‘I cannot let it end up like the Northern Light Sword. That was a vicious cycle. I kept putting it off because I only used the Desolate Sword I was familiar with.’
It was then that he decided to devote time to refining it.
“Anyway.”
Ak Su-rim began.
A faint smile remained on her lips, and her eyes held a hint of delight as she looked at the boy.
“Ma Jin's recommendation that you become the next Leader of Demon Wings has been accepted. Without you, Blue-Eyed Demon Sword Cheong Myeong would have been the leading candidate. I heard that fellow, as supple as a flexible sword, yielded his place. He said he would not even compete for it.”
Surprising words came from her smiling lips.
Jeong Yeon-shin fell silent for a moment.
He had not known such a conversation had taken place. Cheong Myeong was Demon Wings' finest swordsman.
He was certainly qualified to be considered for the next Squad Leader. His years of experience and reputation could not be compared to Jeong Yeon-shin's.
There was no reason to see it any other way.
The boy lowered his head slightly. Cheong Myeong knew of his constitution. It could not help weighing on his mind.
‘What can I give my seniors?’
Guilt and gratitude mingled in the movement of his lowered eyelids.
The six Squad Leaders and their six accompanying martial artists watched him quietly.
They had all spent many years living as Desolate Fortress's swords at the center of the martial world.
The emotions on their faces varied. Curiosity, interest, indifference, boredom...
“The Grand Chief Steward has already examined your achievements and character personally, then approved you. It seems the old snake has even finished privately questioning the people who carried out missions with you. That old snake works quickly. All that remains is for you to prove your martial strength before the people of the main fortress.”
Ak Su-rim spoke. The boy nodded.
“I understand.”
“Good. But there is one more thing. Promotion to Black Uniform is different from promotion for those below.”
“What do you mean?”
“It is not a sparring match between people of equal rank. As a Blue Uniform, you must earn a Squad Leader's recognition of your martial attainment. A Black Uniform will face you before everyone.”
“I know.”
“There is a reason you were invited to this gathering despite not being a Squad Leader. We were accepting volunteers for the sparring match. They unanimously said they wanted to see you. They want to see how well your body has been tempered, what kind of martial arts you have cultivated, and how much you have grown if they have met you before.”
Clang!
Ak Su-rim flicked the shaft of her spear with the fingers holding it.
With a sweep of her chin across the conference hall, she indicated the six Squad Leaders.
“They are all too lazy to lift a hand if they are not interested.”
The boy's gaze followed the movement of her small chin.
The lean swordmaster was the Azure Sky Squad Leader. The gaunt, terrifying-eyed middle-aged figure was the Annihilation Squad Leader.
Jeong Yeon-shin had already met both of them several times, though this was the first time since the Huangbo Family mission.
There was something strange in the way they looked at him. Both had sensed his further advancement through the presence radiating from the young master.
“The Swift Heaven Wing Squad Leader's personal feelings are irrelevant.”
The Annihilation Squad Leader spoke.
“I personally oversaw Seom-ye's promotion to Blue Uniform. I believe I am in a fitting position to see the fruits of that promotion. On behalf of the other Squad Leaders, I will bear the burden.”
The Annihilation Squad Leader meant to step forward.
Three seats away, the Azure Sky Squad Leader spoke.
“Those are words this junior should be saying. I believe the Annihilation Squad Leader should rest after returning from a mission.”
“Hmm.”
“This Han played a part in Seom-ye's attainment. When he first joined, I passed him an elixir pill through the Leader of Demon Wings. I never expected him to cultivate such astonishing martial arts.”
“Azure Sky Squad Leader, speak your true intentions.”
“I wish to ease my senior's burden. This Han personally watered such a great foundation, so it is my duty to confirm whether the martial arts Seom-ye has cultivated are sound.”
“I have heard that story. Was it not simply because you lost a wager with Ma Jin?”
“...”
Both wished to take the trouble upon themselves and spar with the boy.
The Azure Sky Squad Leader and Annihilation Squad Leader.
They were the very people who had destroyed the Huangbo Family alongside Ma Jin.
Their old-fashioned way of dressing desire in fine words did not strike Jeong Yeon-shin as amusing. He was simply confused.
‘What is this?’
As the tempestuous adolescent muttered inwardly, an elven woman spoke.
“I would prefer that we finish this quickly. There is no need to drag out this discussion.”
She had been seated upright at one side.
Ears as sharp as treasured swords rose through her long black hair.
Her serene expression suited her beautiful features.
She was a Squad Leader who had maintained her indifference without saying a word, but Jeong Yeon-shin knew who she was.
‘The Law Enforcement Squad Leader.’
She looked exactly like the facial-feature portrait he had first received upon joining Demon Wings.
She was the head of the martial force that enforced Desolate Fortress's laws.
He had heard she was close to no one. In the main fortress, she was an object of awe.
‘They say it is impossible to count how many people she has arrested within the fortress.’
No martial artist in the main fortress liked the Law Enforcement Squad or its leader.
Their feelings were much like those held by orthodox sect martial artists toward Desolate Fortress's experts.
They revered her upright character and extraordinary swordsmanship, but feared the duties she regarded as her calling. It was inevitable.
The Law Enforcement Squad Leader slowly parted her lips.
“If you desire the opportunity to exchange hands, request a private spar. The Swift Heaven Wing Squad Leader should also take a hand off the sword hilt. One time may be called a mistake, but do not draw your sword again here in Wonpyeong One Sword Hall. If you show the same conduct once more, I will have no choice but to arrest you and bring you before my squad,” she said.
The hand Ha Do-un had been using to stroke his sword hilt while looking at Jeong Yeon-shin stopped.
He appeared to have been about to intervene in the dispute between the Azure Sky Squad Leader and Annihilation Squad Leader.
“That...”
Ha Do-un, the Swift Heaven Wing Squad Leader, stopped speaking and closed his mouth.
“Your words are also improper if they prevent discussion itself.”
“To take on a junior's exceptional martial arts before all the main fortress martial artists is an honor. Be understanding.”
As the Annihilation Squad Leader and Azure Sky Squad Leader spoke calmly, Ak Su-rim raised her index finger and tapped the armrest of her stone chair.
Thump.
It seemed to carry inner energy.
A resonance spread widely as though the armrest were hollow, and silence fell.
She led the gathering like a master closest to becoming the next Divine Sword Squad Leader.
She spoke again.
“I hear that all three of you have some connection to Seom-ye, in one way or another. The Swift Heaven Wing Squad Leader's is more of an ill-fated connection. Well, anyone would covet the White Qilin, myself included.”
“...”
“All of you, step back. Personal feelings must not enter a promotion ceremony. That includes Ma Jin and me. We carried out a mission together, even if only once. Let the Law Enforcement Squad Leader face him.”
“I accept.”
The Law Enforcement Squad Leader answered at once.
No emotion showed on her beautiful face. She did not appear to hold any particular interest in Jeong Yeon-shin.
She seemed to be that kind of person by nature.
Ak Su-rim appeared to believe that her lack of feeling made her the perfect choice.
It was a decision anyone would find correct.
The Squad Leaders did not object. Even Ha Do-un, the Swift Heaven Wing Squad Leader, slowly nodded.
“Let us settle the grievance between us as Squad Leaders after the day you become a Squad Leader.”
He spoke while looking at Jeong Yeon-shin. The boy silently nodded once, then looked at the Law Enforcement Squad Leader.
Holding a single sword, she was already the first to rise from her seat.
Her ebony hair swayed carelessly behind her as she walked out without looking back even once.
“This is bad.”
Ma Jin muttered beside him. Jeong Yeon-shin turned to look at him.
Jeong Yeon-shin found it unexpectedly comfortable to speak to him purely as a nephew now.
“Why?”
“The Law Enforcement Squad deals with main-fortress martial artists. They have the authority to enter every floor of the Gold-Piercing Martial Treasury freely. It is to devise counterforms and countermeasure methods for the martial arts of the main fortress.”
“Then?”
“I hear your martial arts have recently been classified among the upper levels. They are treated as superior martial arts that lower-ranking martial artists cannot learn. Ultimate Realm, Phantom Wing Step, Demon-Slaying Azure River Hand, Sihwa Boundless Fist, Radiant Sword Flow... They are arts worthy of being counted among the martial world's finest. There is no way the Law Enforcement Squad has not investigated them.”
“Ah...”
A small exclamation escaped the boy. His voice sounded slightly blank.
Ma Jin, concern on his scar-covered face, looked back at Jeong Yeon-shin, then flinched.
Hyeon Won-chang, who had only leaned toward the boy after hearing the words of the Squad Leader who was still the Leader of Demon Wings, did the same.
“Squad Leader, your nephew is smiling.”
Hyeon Won-chang said.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
