WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 340: Life and Death
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Once I finished speaking, no one continued shedding tears.
Still, some doubted what I had said.
“You say we can live... in a situation like this?”
“We can't escape a divine spirit's curse...”
There was still an idiot blaming a divine spirit.
“Look carefully. Do you really think what's happening now is because of a divine spirit's curse?”
No matter how clear the evidence was, people believed whatever they wanted to believe.
At times like this, I had to make them reconsider their own thoughts.
“Killing intent that is clearly the Heavenly Net and Earthly Web. A deliberate abduction. Survivors who returned after being brainwashed.”
“...”
“And you say all of this is a divine spirit's curse? What, is the divine spirit the Primordial Heavenly Venerable?”
“Th-then... who? Who in the world is attacking us?”
When they finally asked the right question,
“Does that matter?”
I made them realize it.
“W-what?”
“Is it important right now who wants to kill us, or why?”
What truly mattered.
“...If that doesn't matter...”
“Isn't the important thing that someone is trying to kill us, and we're dying exactly as they intended?!”
What they needed to focus on.
“We can find out who they are and why they want to kill us after we survive. But what happens if we die here?”
“...”
“What we need to think about now is how to survive.”
And what they needed to think about and do.
“After we survive, we can investigate who they are and take revenge. Charging in as a group to get revenge after getting beaten is what you bastards are best at, isn't it?”
“Th-that's right...”
“Then stop lying there bawling and figure out how to survive. You're supposed to be elite disciples from prestigious sects, aren't you?!”
The faces of those who had been staring blankly in despair flushed red.
“Look and see if any of the Taeul Sect disciples you keep calling third-rate are crying. Can you still call yourselves disciples of truly first-rate sects after that?”
When someone they looked down on accomplished something great, people tended to dismiss the accomplishment rather than acknowledge that person.
“Now that you mention it, the Taeul Sect bastards kept fighting...”
“Jin Sowoon is strange enough that we can set him aside, but...”
“...Even the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers and Hong Saryeon aren't all that skilled.”
Then they began to think they could do it too.
If those people had managed it, why couldn't they?
It probably wasn't as difficult as it seemed.
It was a petty, pathetic way of thinking, but I had to use even that in a situation like this.
We had to survive. Survival was all that mattered right now.
“Th-then what are we supposed to do?”
What were they supposed to do?
“Why are you asking me?”
“...Huh?”
“You bastards need to find your own way to survive.”
“What kind of crazy...”
I cut them off and looked ahead.
I had drawn enough attention. It was time to get to the point.
“I'll organize a unit and escape this place.”
“So what's the plan for that...”
“But! I'll only go with those who want to come.”
“...”
Their eyes turned cold again.
I had reminded people who had already been betrayed of another bad memory.
“Representative Jin. Are you abandoning us too?!”
“Don't you have a responsibility as our representative...?!”
“If you bastards try to escape on your own, we'll make sure to stop you.”
Fucking bastards. Weren't they the ones saying I wasn't their representative before?
People really were all the same.
Low-level martial artists and Martial Alliance executives thought exactly alike.
“I said I'd go with those who wanted to come.”
“...”
“If you want to come, I'll take you. I don't care if you're injured.”
“What kind of nonsense is that? Who here doesn't want to live...”
I ignored them again.
“There's one condition.”
“At a time like this, what...”
“Absolute obedience to orders.”
“...!”
“...!”
The faint dissatisfaction in the air exploded at once.
“What, you're going to play commander now?!”
“You want to say something like that in this emergency...?!”
They were right. This wasn't the time to demand my rights.
There was no reason for it either.
“Absolute obedience to orders. Under my command, sect, clan, and affiliation will all be disregarded. You will move only as unit members under the Unit Leaders I choose. That is the only condition I demand.”
“But what would that matter if everyone comes along?”
“It matters. We're risking our lives here, and I don't want to watch you split into the Orthodox Society, the White Path Society, and other factions, then throw fucking fits.”
“...”
“So choose. Will you come with me? Or will you go off and die... no, go off on your own?”
I added a warning for those who took promises lightly.
“Once you agree, my orders are absolute. If you refuse an order for any reason midway through, you'll be executed on the spot. Don't make your choice lightly.”
With that, I left.
There were far too many things that needed to be prepared immediately.
“Is this your plan?”
Cheol Sunjik, who had been looking at me like I was insane, stepped in front of me.
“Are you saying we should unite and overcome this together?”
“Are we playing at war right now? Why seek unity now when it never existed before?”
I walked around him. Even talking to him was a waste of time right now.
Cheol Sunjik hesitated, then began walking beside me.
“Then what are you thinking?”
“You want to hear it? Are you going to join me?”
“...”
“If not, go make a plan with the Twelve Peak Alliance brats about how you'll escape.”
“...At what level are you planning to organize the unit? At least tell me that...”
“With the people left, what else could we form but a unit? Or should I organize it as a Hall-level force just so it sounds better?”
He suddenly stopped walking.
“...You said this wasn't the time to play at war, Representative Jin.”
“That's right. So come find me once you've made up your mind. There are far too many things to prepare right...”
“I'll do it.”
“What?”
“The Twelve Peak Alliance will follow you, Representative Jin.”
I stopped as well.
“Can you just decide that on your own?”
Cheol Sunjik looked at me as if I had said something absurd.
Hm. Come to think of it, he could.
“Good. You're the Third Unit Leader.”
“...I was the first to join, so why am I the Third Unit Leader?”
He reacted as though becoming a Unit Leader was only natural. What an annoying bastard.
“The First Unit Leader will take the vanguard with me. If you want that...”
“No. I've always liked the number three.”
“...Go tell them, clean up the tents, and gather in the center.”
His mind really worked quickly.
Hong Saryeon, who had been watching everything, asked with a worried expression.
“What if they really leave on their own? What if they leave only the injured behind...?”
“Don't worry. They won't.”
“How can you be so sure?”
I raised my head and looked across the camp.
In the middle of all that chaos, one spot was visibly sparkling.
“The Academy's two strongest people will be in one unit. What could they possibly do on their own?”
“...Monk Ilgak said he'll join us?”
“He's our First Unit Leader.”
“Shaolin Temple is practically the Society Leader of the Orthodox Society...! Monk Ilgak won't abandon the Orthodox Society...!”
Even if he agreed, I couldn't let it happen.
Why else had I told them to choose?
They had a tendency to band together even at a time like this.
That was why Ilgak had to become one of my Unit Leaders.
Without someone who could serve as both a mental and physical pillar, how could I create a center for everyone to rally around?
Especially among people who had been bawling that they were about to die only moments ago.
“First Unit Leader!”
I called out to Ilgak, who was already having a hard time surrounded by the Orthodox Society.
“Let's talk about organizing the unit!”
The Orthodox Society members glared at me.
What were they going to do, glare at me for calling my Unit Leader?
“First Unit Leader, we don't have time!”
“...”
“Monk Ilgak! What do you mean by that? Shaolin Temple should naturally remain with us!”
“First Unit Leader!”
Merely because he was part of the Academy delegation, Ilgak could not readily abandon Shaolin Temple.
Shaolin Temple and the Orthodox Society both meant far too much to each other.
“Ah, nothing has been decided yet. We need to discuss this matter carefully...”
“Monk Ilgak, are you abandoning us?”
Ilgak shook off the Orthodox Society members clinging to him and approached me.
“Benefactor Jin, what are you thinking? You surely expected the Orthodox Society members to object.”
“So you're saying you won't be the First Unit Leader?”
“...There are too many disciples of the Shaolin Sect and lay martial sect disciples here. I can't ignore all their opinions and act on my own.”
“Hmm... I see.”
For an instant, Ilgak's eyes wavered uneasily.
“W-what exactly are you plotting?”
This guy always talked as though I was some kind of con artist.
“What did I do?”
“Benefactor Jin, you know very well that this isn't a situation where we can easily follow your unilateral decision. The foundation of the Orthodox Society has always been mutual consultation.”
I knew that well.
But there was no time to wait for that fine-sounding procedure right now.
“...At least tell me what you're planning.”
“No, you said you'd move with the Orthodox Society members. Then there isn't much I can do, is there? I'll handle things myself.”
“Benefactor Jin!”
“By the way, what are you going to do about the injured and those who have fallen behind?”
Ilgak's eyes widened.
“The people Kongtong Sect and Wudang Sect left behind... Can you take them all? What about the Ak Clan and Jegal Clan members?”
“...”
“I know all about the Orthodox Society's loyalty. But when the critical moment comes, won't you want to leave them behind? When your lives are on the line, won't you want to abandon them?”
“We wouldn't...”
“That.”
I looked straight into his honest eyes.
“Can you guarantee that mutual consultation will lead everyone through it?”
Ilgak's face hardened.
He probably knew human nature well too.
“Do you think absolute orders are only for my sake?”
No. It was a resolution for others, a resolution to save everyone.
“How much can you accomplish in a forest where you can't see even an inch ahead, leading people who have never once worked together?”
I was afraid too. Absolute orders also meant absolute responsibility.
“Can people who chase only their own interests to the extreme really sacrifice even a little for others?”
“...”
“Some won't understand why I said even the injured could join. But I...”
The filthiest memory from my previous life wasn't being used as a meat shield.
It was after they abandoned me, when I couldn't find a way out.
Even though I wanted to crawl my way to survival, I didn't know where to go. That helplessness.
“I want people desperate to live to have the chance to struggle, at the very least.”
If they had a fierce attachment to life, I wanted to show them some hope they could cling to.
I believed that was the revenge I could take on those who had abandoned me in my previous life.
So I wouldn't give up.
Even if their injuries were so severe that they could barely contribute to our fighting strength.
If they wanted to live, if they trusted me and followed me absolutely.
I would make sure they had a chance to struggle somehow.
I turned away without waiting.
An answer wasn't urgent.
But...
“...I'll do it.”
Ilgak's answer came quickly.
I turned back again. Before me, everything seemed to shine brighter than ever.
“Good. First Unit Leader. Bring the people who will join and come to the center. There's no need to bring anyone who complains.”
“...Can we truly bring the injured?”
“Absolute obedience to orders. Anyone who can uphold that.”
“Surely you aren't planning some scheme to use them as sacrificial lambs... no, you aren't thinking that, are you?”
What did this bald monk take me for?
“...How can a monk have such evil thoughts?”
“Amitabha. Then I'll go speak to them.”
The moment Ilgak returned to the Orthodox Society, questions poured out, followed by a small commotion.
They were probably condemning him for joining under my command.
I turned around.
Without paying any more attention to the Orthodox Society, I walked ahead.
Perhaps because they had seen Ilgak join me, Academy students with nowhere else to turn began approaching one by one.
“Representative! C-can we join you?”
“Of course. Wi Ripgun, you're a member of the Fifth Unit.”
“Y-you know my name?”
I had a perfect memory, after all.
I patted his shoulder.
“Of course. Once the Fifth Unit Leader is chosen, follow that person.”
“A-all right.”
Leaving the new unit member behind with a dazed expression, I kept walking.
“T-take me too. I can still use my left arm...”
“Yeo Jukmyeong of the Seowol Sect. Your true specialty is throwing weapons anyway, isn't it? You're a member of the Seventh Unit.”
“How do you know me...?”
Yeo Jukmyeong trailed off in shock.
“What? Isn't that what your Academy record says?”
“...You memorized all that?”
“Is there a problem?”
“N-no. It's just impressive...”
“Pack your things and find your Unit Leader. Call me Unit Commander from now on.”
Yeo Jukmyeong, who had been staring blankly, broke into a grin.
“Yes, sir!”
That was better. Even a clumsy smile was much better than a deeply furrowed brow.
At least their spirits wouldn't break while they were joking around.
I looked over the people who had gathered around me.
“Are you bastards joining too?”
Du Sogwang of Mount Zhongnan Sect and his close fellow disciples.
Had seeing Ilgak move made them think it was better to act quickly?
“On one condition. We've worked together since Zhongnan, so...”
I kicked him in the shin before I even listened to the rest.
“What is the meaning of this...?!”
Yang Su helped the fallen Du Sogwang up and glared at me as if ready to kill me.
I stared into Yang Su's eyes, then struck the back of Yang Su's head.
“Didn't you hear what I said earlier? Are your ears clogged? Want me to punch another hole through your cheek?! Absolute obedience to orders, you sons of bitches!”
“...”
“Get lost. I don't need bastards like you. Try surviving on your own, since you're so capable.”
“How dare you treat Zhongnan like this...!”
Du Sogwang got back up and quickly stopped his fellow disciples.
“No! I'll follow as you say.”
“You?”
“I-I'll follow the Unit Commander's orders.”
Good. That's more like it.
“Du Sogwang, you're a member of the Seventh Unit. Yang Su, you're in the Eighth Unit. Jang Gwangbo, you're assigned to the Third Unit, and Gwak Susan is the Fourth Unit Leader.”
“Gwak Susan is our youngest...”
“What the fuck did you say? You said it too quietly, so I couldn't hear you.”
“N-nothing.”
Yang Su lowered their eyes and trailed off.
Just thinking about fighting the Demonic Cult with brats like these was already giving me a headache.
In any case, the persuasion was over.
Whether they returned alive or died here was now their choice.
Footnotes:
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