Chapter 145 Nine Dragon Spear

Chapter 145: Nine Dragon Spear

Nothing outwardly changed after that conversation.

I hadn’t given him an answer, and North Palace Baek hadn’t demanded one from me either.

I remained the leader of the Outer Sect, and he remained the Outer Sect Master.

Only this one thing was settled for certain.

‘From now on, I will serve you as my master.’

‘Disgusting.’

‘If you don’t like it, then don’t.’

“…Hmph. If that’s your wish, I’ll grant it.”

“Please accept my bow. Master! I will serve you properly for the rest of my life!”

“……”

We had formally become master and disciple.

Even if it wasn’t my choice, it was certain that he had bestowed upon me the divine martial arts of the Former King’s Lineage.

And without that Zhenwang Style, I wouldn’t have owned the Han Zhong Shang Lian cooperative, let alone survived this long.

I might have died or been crippled in the war against Nantian Palace.

In other words, everything I possess now can be traced back to the Zhenwang Style.

Having received such grace, how could I, who lived in the Eastern Land of Etiquette, ever turn my back?

Naturally, I must form a master-disciple bond and serve Lord North Palace.

‘Hehehe, now I’ve got a powerful backer. And not just any backer—one who’s a top-tier master.’

Well, there were other reasons too, of course.

Still, seeing Lord North Palace’s satisfied face put my mind at ease.

The day after I took that master of the Divine Myth Realm as my teacher.

“Ugh…”

The sight of the outer hall upon arriving for work was deeply unsettling.

“Tsk tsk.”

Here I am, the direct disciple of the Heaven and Earth Fighting King himself, and no one has come to greet me?

‘The martial world’s discipline is in shambles!’

I’ll have to pick a day soon and give them a good scolding.

“Why has our First Squad Leader arrived so early today?”

On my way to the First Squad Hall, I encountered the sole female member of the outer courtyard, the Fifteenth Squad Leader.

“You look beautiful as always today… No, wait.”

‘This isn’t right.’

Even when I was her superior, I treated her with respect as a senior, but that must stop.

I must show my authority as a superior to the fullest. Only then can I make them feel the shampoo scent amidst this wavering discipline.

“Ahem! Long time no see, Fifteenth Squad Leader.”

“Oh my? Your tone has become more mature?”

“Well, given my social standing…”

“Oh my, is that so? Our adorable First Squad Leader. Hehehe.”

She laughed brightly, turned, and walked away.

My gaze involuntarily locked onto her firm, rounded hips.

‘Gasp!’

I briefly admired the view before snapping back to reality.

‘How can I ever restore discipline in the outer court like this!’

How could I establish any authority as a superior if I kept getting swayed like this?

I pulled myself together and headed toward the Iljo Hall.

“Guryong!”

Opening the door, I saw Woo Je-jun standing there.

Officially, he was the deputy head of Iljo and seven years my senior, yet he was always respectful toward me.

Nod, nod.

A sense of satisfaction welled up naturally.

‘That’s right. This is how an organization should be run.’

I placed my hand on Woo Je-jun’s shoulder and said.

“So, everything okay?”

“Yes, thanks to you, Captain, we’re working smoothly.”

“Heh heh, you’re something else! It’s all thanks to your hard work, not mine. Heh heh heh heh.”

“You flatter me.”

Modesty to boot.

Here stood a true worker of this era.

Satisfied, I took my seat as he handed me a few documents.

“Huh? Why only these? It looks like less than half the usual amount?”

“Since the team leader went on a ‘long-term assignment without a word,’ I handled it in advance.”

“……Oh, I see. ”

“If you’d like to review them, I can resubmit them.”

“No, no. Our Deputy Chief Woo would’ve handled it perfectly. I’m not worried at all, so please continue handling things on your own.”

The actual work was done in under three minutes.

“Mr. Oh, who assaulted his neighbor Mr. Yang after drinking and causing a disturbance, gets two strokes of the cane. Mr. Yook, who committed murder to steal money, will be executed by beheading tomorrow morning.”

“Understood.”

It was far too easy for a genius like me anyway.

‘Maybe I should just go home…’

I came early thinking work would pile up, but I never imagined there’d be nothing to do.

Just as I was about to get up from my seat.

Mwaaah.

I saw the four members of the former Seventeenth Division gang sitting there blankly, seemingly without anything to do either.

“…Why are those guys like that?”

“Ah, I was just about to explain.”

He lowered his head and spoke in a small voice.

“They can’t get along with the other team members.”

“What? Why? They don’t seem like troublemakers.”

“Well, I suppose it’s because of their backgrounds.”

“Hmm…”

Hearing that, it made sense.

Dang Yanggang, Dang Jinhyeong, and Dang Pal were from the Green Dragon faction’s branch lineage, boasting martial arts skills at their peak. Yoo So-pyeong was the son of Mun Sang, the head of the Military Affairs Department.

Moreover, these four had once been the bodyguards of the current city lord’s eldest grandson, the one certain to become the next Dragon City Lord.

Now that their true identities were revealed, it was inevitably awkward for them to blend in with the regular squad members.

Not because they dislike it, but because it feels burdensome.

‘Unless someone is as charismatic as me, it’s hard for a master to blend into an organization.’

From Woo Je-jun’s subsequent words, I realized the situation was more serious than I’d thought.

“On top of that, with many new recruits joining recently, we have ample manpower. Consequently, the frequency of those four deploying alongside others has decreased significantly.”

“Hmm… That’s a bit problematic. We need to fix it systemically so the dispatch order rotates fairly.”

“Understood.”

This was a problem I couldn’t solve.

The Oedang wasn’t some elementary school; I couldn’t just tell everyone to get along nicely.

All I could do was hope the former Seventeen Trillion Won members adapted well.

‘Ugh… Nothing ever goes my way.’

* * *

The next day was finally the day to receive the Class A armor at the Nine Dragons Armory.

I raced toward Nine Dragons Mountain with the same excitement as a child leaving for a field trip.

Why?

Because the Nine Dragons Armory was an artificial cave carved right through the heart of Nine Dragons Mountain.

‘How did they dig this without excavators or dynamite?’

The more I looked at it, the more it seemed like a structure steeped in mystery.

And so I arrived at the Nine Dragons Armory.

A massive door stood before a cavern as vast as a highway tunnel.

As I hesitated in front of it, a figure clad in dark green military robes suddenly emerged from the shadows.

It was the Shadow Venom Corps, the direct military force of the Castle Lord.

If the Black Tiger Corps were the sharp daggers piercing enemies, these men served as the thick shields blocking those daggers.

“Welcome, Captain Jin.”

“Ahem, you seem to know me.”

“As a warrior who feeds on the castle’s rust, how could I not know the face of the Dragon of Battle?”

The Amdokdan, who never leaves the lord’s side, knows my face.

And this in the martial world, where there’s no SNS.

Seeing this, I suppose I’ve entered the ranks of celebrities in my own way.

As I briefly savored this pride, he cleared his throat and held out his hand.

“Ahem, ahem. Might I have the token you brought? There is a procedure, you see.”

At his words, I took out the platinum token engraved with the character ‘甲’ (Jia) from my robe and handed it over.

It was the admission token I had received from Mun Sang some time ago.

The Amdokdan warrior examined the token very slowly, then nodded.

“You have one hour to select your armor. After that time, the seal activates. You must exit before then. If you fail to exit…”

He continued with a deliberately serious gaze.

Gulp.

I swallowed dryly without realizing it. If I couldn’t exit… would I starve to death or something?

“We’ll have to do the work twice. It’s a difficult task taking three days, so I hope you’ll keep your promise.”

“Ugh…”

He clicked his tongue at my disheartened reply and nodded. Then he opened a large door.

“The Lord said that a spirit weapon, though a servant, will call out to its true master when it finds one. Follow that resonance, and you’ll choose the weapon most compatible with Captain Jin.”

“……?”

Startled by this sudden advice, I looked up. He spoke with a hint of amusement in his voice.

“My sworn brother saved my life on Jinchang Mountain thanks to the Jin Jo-jang. It’s woefully inadequate as payment for my life, but this is all I can offer right now. I’ll repay the rest gradually.”

He grinned.

Thud!

He smiled brightly and closed the door.

‘I could have paid him back with money…’

Still, getting advice on avoiding trouble without spending a penny was a total win, so I quickly moved on.

According to his explanation, I had only one hour to stay here.

If I wasn’t careful, the Amdokdan warriors might become troublesome, so I had to move fast.

Considering the time needed to take my gear, it really wasn’t much time at all.

Continuing down the passage, I saw doors inscribed with the characters 갑, 을, 병, and 정.

Slotting the token into the hole in the center of the door, it began opening with a thunderous roar.

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Well, I’d look into that later.

Passing through the door and walking a short distance, I saw a vast interior that must have been over five hundred pyeong, filled with a blue mist.

It was the natural energy emanating from dozens of divine weapons that filled the cave.

And I could see the enormous divine weapon hanging at the very front.

‘This, this is!’

A sword radiating a presence like the sun itself.

‘The Emperor’s Sword was here all along!’

It was none other than the Changtian Emperor’s Sword, ranked as the finest among the world’s legendary blades.

And it even had a nameplate attached, as if to kindly identify itself.

‘Hmm…’

It was impressive, but somehow… it felt like they were flaunting this incredible treasure to visitors, boasting, ‘Look what we have!’

I immediately shifted my attention away from the Emperor’s Sword and moved further inside.

Since I couldn’t even list it on the Hongdangmu Market, and I don’t use weapons anyway, there was no reason for me to look at swords.

‘I don’t need armor either, since I have the S-grade Dragon Scale Armor…’

The rest were mostly weapons like swords, sabers, and spears.

The only somewhat decent items were the gauntlets…

‘What, there’s nothing here?’

Out of over fifty divine weapons, only two were gauntlets, and one of them was in terrible condition.

‘Heavenly Spirit Gauntlets.’

I examined the gauntlet in better condition first.

‘It looks sturdy, but…’

The fit felt comfortable in my hand, and when I infused it with my qi, the compatibility wasn’t bad either.

He thought it might be a good choice to just take this one.

‘The Lord said that even a new weapon will call out to its true master when it finds the right owner. If you follow that resonance, you can choose the weapon most compatible with the true commander.’

The words spoken by the martial artist of the Dark Claw Sect kept echoing in his ears.

According to him, this gauntlet, which offered no distinct resonance, meant it wasn’t a perfect match for him.

So, he examined the next gauntlet, which was in poor condition.

‘Damn it!’

He couldn’t hide his disappointment.

He’d imagined a scene straight out of a martial arts novel cliché—the weapon finding its master, emitting a resonant sound and glowing as it underwent a complete transformation. But no matter how closely he examined it, it was nothing more than a tattered gauntlet.

‘How is something like this even in the top-tier weaponry?’

It seemed to hold some secret, but one thing was certain: I wasn’t its master.

After wandering around for nearly half an hour, hoping to find something else.

‘Guess I’ll just have to pick the Heavenly Spirit Gauntlets….’

I found nothing else.

“Damn it. What the hell?”

Just as I began voicing my frustration through curses.

Buzz… Buzz. Buzz…

A sound like a smartphone vibrating reached my ears.

“……!”

No need to think.

This was clearly a vibration beckoning someone to pick it up.

And then.

“What the hell? This?”

Finding the source of the vibration, I raised my voice in disbelief at the absurd sight.

“A snake?”