WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Chapter 9: Entrance

──────

"...By bloodline, you mean?"

"It seems you already know. You have quite the nerve."

The Lord of Desolate Fortress's green eyes were calm. Though overwhelmed, Yeon-shin slowly nodded.

"I am the former Divine Sword Squad Leader's blood relative. Their maternal grandson."

"They will soon become the head of the Council of Elders, yet they have a stubborn streak. You have wounds."

"It is not something the Lord should concern herself with. It is merely a trivial family matter."

"Such things are not trivial. They are merely hidden beneath your well-trained body. You seem to have lived only about fifteen years so far. Still... it is true that an outsider cannot say anything. Matters between blood relatives must be resolved by blood relatives."

"I apologize."

Yeon-shin spoke with no trace of remorse or discomfort.

The transcendent air of an absolute master and words that touched upon family matters were separate things.

Perhaps sensing his thoughts, the Lord of Desolate Fortress's lips curved ever so slightly.

"I like you. You came here wanting something, yet your unyielding spirit is amusing."

'As expected, she saw through it.'

It was not surprising. His upper dantian's Baihui acupoint was abnormally open. Yeon-shin himself had realized the nature of his constitution.

It was not strange for a peerless master like the Lord of Desolate Fortress to see through it at a glance.

"Can someone like me survive if I eat the fruit of the World Tree?"

"I cannot say its effects have not been exaggerated, but yes. You should be able to achieve what you desire."

"Can I obtain it?"

Her smile deepened slightly at Yeon-shin's bold question.

"That depends on you."

"That is enough for now. Thank you."

Yeon-shin clasped his hands in salute. Then he asked once more.

"Am I now a warrior of Desolate Fortress?"

"Yes. You may go now, future Divine Sword Squad Leader."

He could not tell whether she was merely teasing him or truly acknowledging his aptitude.

It also sounded as though he could obtain the World Tree's fruit if he became the Divine Sword Squad Leader.

Leaving behind her slightly playful smile, Yeon-shin exited the office filled with trees.

When he descended to the first floor, Hyeon Won-chang made a great fuss as he greeted him.

"What on earth happened up there? Please, tell me! Young Master Jeong took especially long. What did the Lord of Desolate Fortress say? Did you pass?"

"It is personal, so it is difficult to discuss. I did pass. But why are there so few people left?"

"Everyone who had been standing there in a daze left except for Young Hero Namgung! I am so anxious I could die!"

Other than White Qilin Namgung Hwa-shin, everyone had left.

When Yeon-shin turned his gaze, Namgung Hwa-shin met his eyes, smiled, and gave a slight nod.

Yeon-shin returned the greeting and turned away, only to see Hyeon Won-chang already climbing the stairs with the bearing of a dying man.

"It is nothing much. Go on."

Hyeon Won-chang weakly waved a hand at Yeon-shin's encouragement.

* * *

"Hahaha! Desolate Fortress! I am the Desolate Fortress Divine Hero!"

Hyeon Won-chang had passed. Given the location, the way he cheered under his breath made him seem distinctly unreliable.

It was a good thing, since they had formed a brief friendship, but Yeon-shin honestly had no idea what the passing criteria were.

"The gates of Desolate Fortress are more open than I expected."

"What do you mean?"

Hyeon Won-chang blinked.

Yeon-shin did not bother answering and instead watched a middle-aged man with the air of a scholar approach.

"Welcome to Desolate Fortress. I am Gi Dae-seung, under the Chief Steward's Office. I will guide you to the quarters where you will stay until your assignments are decided. Please follow me."

"When will our assignments be decided?"

Yeon-shin asked.

"The Squad Leaders will select you. You should expect it to take a good seven days and nights. Now that you are warriors of the main fortress, I should tell you... Ah, let us speak as we walk."

Yeon-shin, Namgung Hwa-shin, Hyeon Won-chang, and another swordsman who had passed the examination followed the scholarly Gi Dae-seung.

"Hm. Do you know what Desolate Fortress primarily does?"

"Prevent rebellions by martial arts masters?"

"Young Hero Hyeon Won's answer is not wrong, but that is a major task rather than the work we perform most regularly. We primarily prevent or suppress conflicts in the martial world once they reach a certain scale. Young Hero White Qilin would know. The Namgung Family's undertakings have repeatedly been thwarted by Desolate Fortress."

"Yes."

Namgung Hwa-shin gave a brief nod.

Yeon-shin glanced at him and found it strange that his expression seemed better than expected.

Having left such a distinguished family, there seemed to be circumstances outsiders could not easily know.

Furthermore, Gi Dae-seung was no ordinary person to say such things to his face.

"No one knows how a fight in the martial world will escalate. On the day even a rumor spreads that a Heavenly Demon's Tomb has been discovered, a bloody storm sweeps across the Central Plains. It would be enough if those coveting manuals of peerless martial arts and spiritual medicines merely fought among themselves, but the very movement of martial artists rising up from every region becomes a problem."

Gi Dae-seung sighed briefly before continuing.

"The atrocities of violent martial artists do not spare either other martial artists or common people. Public order becomes so chaotic that, upon seeing such hellish scenes, one might think it a world entirely separate from the Great Ming Empire. It is as if an unnamed Heavenly Demon's Tomb summons the King of Hell."

"The Heavenly Demon's Tomb Incident..."

Hyeon Won-chang muttered, his expression grave.

Gi Dae-seung nodded.

"It has now been seventeen years. The Demonic Sect is not the only problem. Displays of power and conflicts over profit are not rare even among orthodox sects, including the Nine Sects and the Eight Great Families. Regional mid-sized sects, or sects that pass their martial arts down to only a few people, are even worse. Though the groups are diverse, the individuals within them vary even more. If left alone, the people suffer. If public sentiment turns hostile or tributes fail to arrive on time, governance is affected."

"......"

"That is why the imperial family provides Desolate Fortress with immense wealth, spiritual medicines, martial arts manuals, and masters. That is what you must do. You must behead the martial artists who disrupt the people's livelihoods."

"I already knew as much, so why are you telling us this when I asked about our assignments?"

Hyeon Won-chang asked.

"It means we lack people. More precisely, talented individuals with great potential who can also be trusted are rare. There is simply too much work, and too broad an area to handle."

"Quite a few candidates failed today. I passed, though."

"...Which is why it takes time to distribute the chosen talents where they are needed. About seven days and nights. Ah, we have arrived."

Gi Dae-seung wore a faintly displeased expression for a moment before pointing to a building. It was another luxurious hall.

'Jeong Family Manor was practically a stable.'

As Yeon-shin thought that, Gi Dae-seung clasped his hands in salute.

"I wish you success. The attendants inside will guide you."

* * *

Seven days and nights passed.

The hall where they stayed was even more luxurious than it appeared. As if to prove the imperial family's enormous support, each person had an entire high-class room to themselves.

There was even a Training Hall behind the hall, allowing them to train whenever they wished.

At last, they moved to new quarters.

Having received their assignments, they were headed to the exclusive residences and Training Halls of their respective Seventeen Squads.

"I wish you success."

"Young Hero Namgung, may you succeed as well."

After exchanging farewells, they parted ways.

During that time, a strange rumor had spread through Desolate Fortress.

It was said that the leaders of the seventeen armed squads under the Divine Sword Squad had held martial contests to recruit new warriors.

"My subordinates who went to observe the Desolate Exam caused an uproar. They said we had to bring in either White Qilin or Seom-ye."

Ma Jin, the leader of Demon Wings among the Divine Sword Squad's Seventeen Squads, bore a dreadful scar.

A terrifying wound ran diagonally from the left side of Ma Jin's face to the right. It was such an injury that it was strange Ma Jin had survived. A rough, powerful aura also radiated from Ma Jin's body.

"You, Seom-ye."

Ma Jin looked at Yeon-shin.

The fierce gleam in Ma Jin's eyes seemed to reveal formidable internal power, but Yeon-shin had spoken his mind even before the Lord of Desolate Fortress.

"Yes."

Yeon-shin's expression did not change as he answered, and Ma Jin nodded.

"You have spirit. A fellow like you does not die easily."

They were in Demon Wings' Training Hall.

It was a vast space that could hold a good five hundred people, and the sight of many different weapons racked along one side was impressive.

The hall beside it was also incomparably larger than the waiting hall they had used before.

Slightly more than thirty men and women sat or stood around them, watching the two newcomers.

"Each armed squad under the Divine Sword Squad is like a sect of the Central Plains. You will learn martial arts and carry out missions here in Demon Wings. Everyone is your senior brother or senior sister."

"Captain Ma, I have a question!"

Like Yeon-shin, Hyeon Won-chang was not overwhelmed by the imposing atmosphere, though for a different reason. He looked so excited that he could barely contain himself.

"Speak."

Ma Jin nodded.

Demon Wings had taken two of the four new recruits.

While waiting, Yeon-shin had heard that Ma Jin vied for the strongest position among the Seventeen Squad leaders of Desolate Fortress. Seeing Ma Jin today, Yeon-shin thought it was no empty rumor.

Meanwhile, Hyeon Won-chang continued speaking with the same excitement.

"Thank you for allowing me to ask! When you say we will learn martial arts in Demon Wings, does that mean everyone shares the same martial arts?"

"No. Your unique martial arts belong to you alone. Only Demon Wings' martial arts are taught and learned. The rest is not mandatory."

"Ah! Then the famed Demon's Light...!"

His face filled with emotion. The yellow dragon hero's headband he had not taken off since entering Desolate Fortress fluttered as though reflecting its owner's feelings.

'Demon's Light.'

Yeon-shin had heard of the martial art as well.

Demon Wings had been notably famous even among the Divine Sword Squad's Seventeen Squads.

They had once clashed with twenty-four Plum Blossom Swordsmen of the Mount Hua Sect without suffering a single casualty.

It was an incident that strengthened the claims of those who called Desolate Fortress the greatest under heaven.

"You will have to learn it diligently if you wish to survive."

Ma Jin spoke. Ma Jin's face, like that of a general on the northern frontier, was utterly serious.

"Desolate Fortress is an imperial sect, but attacking a warrior of Desolate Fortress does not constitute treason. That is why you must learn here and grow stronger without end. If you cannot, you will die."

"It is not treason? Why not?"

Yeon-shin asked. Before Ma Jin could answer, Hyeon Won-chang spoke first.

"From the imperial family's perspective, the culprit of treason must be exposed and their nine kinship groups exterminated. Otherwise, the empire's dignity would not stand, and the imperial family's absolute authority would be stained. At least, that is how they think."

"...Madman."

Ma Jin gave a snort of laughter but did not stop him.

"However, there are many strange people in the martial world. Some lose their reason while practicing demonic arts, while others possess such elusive and swift movement techniques that they can attack officials and still escape into remote mountains and deep valleys. That is why the imperial family cannot invest the warriors of Desolate Fortress, whose mission is to confront martial artists, with imperial dignity and authority."

Yeon-shin nodded slightly.

Unlike his usual frivolous manner, Hyeon Won-chang occasionally showed flashes of brilliance.

It was usually when he spoke of a sect's origins or the structure of various powers.

The same was true of his ability to infer the imperial court's intentions from the state of the martial world.

His hostility toward large sects also suggested that he had a background that contrasted with his usual lighthearted manner.

"Hyeon Won-chang is not wrong. That is why you need to become strong. That fellow over there, who returned after being wounded by Namgung First Sword, can explain it better."

Ma Jin pointed to a handsome man in a blue headscarf lounging carelessly.

His features were strangely distinct, yet he had a gentle appearance.

His very bearing was carefree, and a light breeze constantly brushed the trailing ends of his headscarf.

Even at a glance, he was no ordinary person.

"That Imperial Sword Art is incredibly frightening."

He waved a hand as he spoke.

It was impossible not to be surprised.

The Imperial Sword Art was one of the foremost sword arts under heaven, a peerless martial art said to be learned only by the direct heir of the Namgung Family.

Even Yeon-shin, who had lived in the countryside, had heard the name.

'And Namgung First Sword is a supreme master said to contend for the strongest in Southern Zhili, is he not?'

The man's bearing did not seem especially formidable, but upon closer inspection, the aura rippling around his body was under perfect control.

Simply surviving an encounter with a supreme master like Namgung First Sword was proof of his ability.

"Then, shall I take a look at Seom-ye first!"

The man in the headscarf abruptly stood. As if they had already discussed it, Ma Jin stepped back.

The man strode toward Yeon-shin. Yeon-shin's gaze was oddly drawn to the sword hanging loosely from the man's waist.

The man grinned.

"If you came here at that age, you must have considerable talent. Shall I take a look? Your aptitude with the sword, I mean. I am very good at judging such things."

"You said you are good at judging talent?"

Yeon-shin asked without thinking.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried