Return of the Mount Hua Sect

Although most of the halls were dark at that time, the residence of Ho Gamyeong, the advisor of Evil Tyrant Alliance, was still brightly lit.

Ho Gamyeong, who was sitting at a large desk and looking over documents, rubbed his dry eyes and leaned back in his chair.

‘This is not easy.’

He, too, was a martial artist. Most tasks could not tire him out. But nearly ten consecutive days of all-nighters were enough to exhaust even someone like him.

Still, there was a long way to go, and the thought of resting was out of the question.

“…Sometimes, he really asks for too much.”

He muttered a complaint under his breath.

He fully understands Jang Ilso’s intention. And he knew that these intentions were perfectly reasonable.

The problem is that Ho Gamyeong’s role is to implement into reality the grand goal that Jang Ilso threw out while drinking and saying, “This is how it should be done.”

It was easier said than done.

This time, the execution of nearly a thousand has created a huge manpower vacuum within Evil Tyrant Alliance. It doesn’t matter whether some punk dies or not. However, it was a big deal that among those who were executed this time, there were many who were close to the core of each sect.

He must minimize the administrative vacuum created by their disappearance and appoint new people to appropriate positions. At the same time, he must find all the inefficient and extravagant operations in each sect and reorganize them efficiently.

Is that all? The forces that were divided into Black Ghost Fortress, Myriad Man Manor, and Eighteen Fortress of the Yangtze River must be unified and coordinated.

This was an excruciating task, incomparable to creating a new sect from scratch.

In the past, even during Myriad Man Manor era, those who saw Ho Gamyeong’s workload would shake their heads in disbelief. However, now, instead of Myriad Man Manor, he has to streamline Evil Tyrant Alliance, which is several times larger, like Myriad Man Manor of the past, while at the same time dealing with the aftermath of Jang Ilso’s eccentricities.

What kind of humans manage such a task? Even if you brought the most capable officials of the imperial court, they would run away after only a few days.

However, Ho Gamyeong silently endured all of these tasks without saying a word.

If Chung Myung had known this, he might have shed tears and clung to Ho Gamyeong, begging him to forget the past and come work with him.

In short, in Mount Hua, everything that was supposed to be done by Chung Myung, Hyun Young, Hyun Sang, Un Am, and even Eunha Merchant Leader was done by Ho Gamyeong.

In any case, given the circumstances, Ho Gamyeong had no choice but to stay behind and work until late at night, when Jang Ilso, who had been giving instructions with a wave of his hand, had fallen into a deep sleep.

Evil Tyrant Alliance is a place that cannot exist without Jang Ilso, and it is a place that cannot function without Ho Gamyeong.

‘Let’s see.’

Ho Gamyeong reached out and pulled the report that had just arrived from Hao Sect in front of him.

Even while organizing the system, he must not miss out on information. Information is the most valuable asset. And the information that goes to Jang Ilso is even more important.

One of Ho Gamyeong’s duties was to first receive and classify this information, which cannot be left to others, and then report only the key points to Jang Ilso.

“There’s Ice Palace and Beast Palace….”

Moreover, the report that has just come up is none other than that of Heavenly Comrade Alliance. Information related to the recent activities of Heavenly Comrade Alliance is classified as special even within Evil Tyrant Alliance.

“What on earth are they planning on doing by gathering all these people?”

Ho Gamyeong frowned and muttered.

This didn’t seem efficient at all. It’s not like there’s going to be a war right now. And if they gather all those people to the Yangtze River, it’s going to cost a lot of money just to feed and house them.

Furthermore, bringing together individuals with different tendencies inevitably leads to conflicts and incidents. Isn’t Evil Tyrant Alliance also struggling with this problem and shedding countless blood as a result?

But to intentionally create a situation that could cause disputes? Anyone would consider this foolish.

“Damn it….”

A sigh of relief escaped Ho Gamyeong’s mouth.

However, there is one reason why he cannot dismiss this information as some kind of stupid thing. The one orchestrating all this was none other than Chung Myung.

‘Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword.’

He hates to admit it, but Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword was someone Ho Gamyeong beyond his understanding.

Of course, Ho Gamyeong knew he wasn’t particularly outstanding as a strategist. Of course, to an ordinary person, Ho Gamyeong may be an excellent advisor, but on the battlefield of monsters who twist the world as they please, Ho Gamyeong is nothing more than an ordinary, if not stupid, human.

As such, the battlefield was an arena where ordinary people couldn’t set foot.

Ho Gamyeong habitually pressed his temples.

‘I’ve never really felt resentful by that fact.’

Because there is a separate area where his strengths come into play.

His value wasn’t in strategies but in administrative skills, operational abilities, and the capacity to execute Jang Ilso’s directives no matter what. There are many people in the world, but only Ho Gamyeong can show how to handle things in a way that satisfies Jang Ilso.

Ho Gamyeong was proud of that fact.

But at times like this… when he couldn’t comprehend the complex battles occurring among those monsters, he couldn’t help but feel frustrated. Yes, only at times like this.

“…Annoying.”

Ho Gamyeong muttered softly and moved the report he was holding to the left. The reports on the left were ones that he could not handle and had to escalate to Jang Ilso.

Recently, especially after the Hangzhou disaster, reports related to Heavenly Comrade Alliance have been moving more and more to the left.

‘That much… It must have been impressive.’

Ho Gamyeong’s eyes darkened.

To be blunt, the one who solved Magyo in Hangzhou, and in particular, the one who killed the bishop, was not Jang Ilso or Evil Tyran Alliance, but Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword.

The way he showed himself that day and the strategy he implemented left an indelible mark on Ho Gamyeong’s mind.

Ho Gamyeong was a rational person, and this rationality also extended to himself. He never overestimated himself. He acknowledged by logic that he could not handle Chung Myung.

‘Still, I don’t understand.’

There is only one reason why Ho Gamyeong, without complaint, carries out Jang Ilso’s unreasonable order to kill those who show signs of resistance.

Because there is no time to accept and educate them all now. War was imminent. It was better to excise the festering wounds before they could worsen.

On the other hand, what about Heavenly Comrade Alliance? What Chung Myung is doing now is no different from inflicting more wounds on himself here and there. What on earth is he thinking doing something like this?

‘Could it be that he’s planning a preemptive strike before the problem escalates?’

Ho Gamyeong chuckled. Even as a fleeting thought, it was absurd.

“There must be a reason. There has to be a reason. But it’s a reason I can’t fathom…”

Ho Gamyeong chuckled softly.

He is a human being. Humans couldn’t understand the reasons or methods behind the battles between monsters. All he could do was make superficial guesses

The fight between Jang Ilso and Chung Myung was something like that for Ho Gamyeong. He just hoped that he would not become a burden to Jang Ilso. And he hoped that Jang Ilso would achieve his grand ambitions.

“I’ve wasted too much time on idle thoughts.”

Ho Gamyeong, who had been foolishly throwing aside the report he was holding in his hand, grabbed a new report. If he wanted to finish the work that needed to be done before dawn, even idle thoughts were a luxury.

But despite his impatience, his mind couldn’t easily focus on the newly presented report.

‘Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword….’

Lately, whenever he thinks of that man, his chest begun to weigh heavily.

That Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword … He doesn’t want to admit it, but he was surprisingly similar to Jang Ilso. Completely different, yet similar. This meant that Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword was just as extraordinary.

‘He must believe he can handle it.’

A sigh escaped Ho Gamyeong’s mouth.

In any case, there must be an intention behind their actions, and that intention must have stemmed from the confidence of Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword.

‘But in the end, we will be the ones who are right, Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword.’

Ho Gamyeong bit his lip slightly as he looked in the direction of Gangbuk. Then, he soon began to focus on the documents again.

There was no time to rest if he wanted to turn Jang Ilso’s and his will into reality.

* * *

At the place where Chung Myung, whom Ho Gamyeong struggles to interpret and constantly guards against.

Likewise, Chung Myung, sitting at a large desk, was rubbing his rough face and tearing at his hair.

Then the door burst open with a sudden bang.

“Chung Myung-aaaaaaaaaah!”

Chung Myung looked at the person who had rushed in with a face that seemed to have lost half of their soul. Chung Myung, who had confirmed Baek Cheon’s face, muttered in a voice that was almost dead.

“Why… again….”

“There’s another fight!”

“….”

“Tang Family and Namgung Family are fighting!”

“…Why?”

No, what kind of combination is that?

“I don’t know! They were eating and suddenly they started hitting each other?”

“…. Moderately break it up.”

“They drew their swords, though?”

“….”

“Do something about it! The whole manor is about to get blown away.”

“This….”

The moment Chung Myung was about to say something, Jo-Gol pushed Baek Cheon away and suddenly stuck his head inside the room.

“Chung Myung! There was a fight between Nokrim and our kids, you know?”

“…Then stop it.”

“No, other Sasuks are also fighting, so they won’t listen when I try to stop them! …Huh? Baek Cheon Sasuk! Why are you here? It’s not the time to do this, we have to stop the Sasuks.”

“You do it! I have to stop Namgung and Tang right now!”

“No, that’s someone else’s business! Our disciples are beating up Nokrim like rats!”

“If our kids are winning, then isn’t that okay? It’s not like they’re getting beaten.”

“Huh?”

Jo-Gol muttered blankly, realizing his mistake.

“You’re right, now that I think about it? Why did I even run here?”

“….”

The half-remaining soul of Chung Myung has once again slipped away.

Why is that okay, you crazy bastards?

But his suffering was not over yet.

“Sahyuuuuuuung!”

Chung Myung muttered blankly as he looked at Tang Soso who peeked her head in beside Jo-Gol.

“…Why? Ice Palace and Beast Palace are fighting?”

“No! Sahyung, that’s not it!”

“Then what?”

“The beasts that Beast Palace brought escaped the warehouse and attacked the civilian houses!”

“…Why are you just watching? Go catch them!”

“We don’t have enough hands! The other Sahyung are fighting with Nokrim right now.”

“What about Beast Palace?”

“They’re fighting with Ice Palace right now.”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung looked at Tang Soso with blank eyes.

“You said they weren’t fighting…?”

“I meant that it wasn’t my issue. Why would I care if they fight or not?”

“….”

“It seems like they escaped because Beast Palace were so busy fighting that they weren’t fed on time. It seems like it would be hard to subdue them with just the people left, but can we kill a couple of them to make an example of them?”

The melting Chung Myung slid down in his chair.

“Hey, what should we do?”

“They keep fighting?”

“Hey. I think it was a mistake to give them a break? Since we don’t officially arrange sparring, they have energy left over and are fighting among themselves?”

Listening to the voices stabbing at his ears, Chung Myung laughed hollowly and stared blankly at the ceiling.

“Hey.”

“Yes. What should we do?”

“All….”

“All?”

“I wish they’d all just die.”

“….”

“These freaking bastards….”

A tear ran down Chung Myung’s eye.

Harmony? To hell with harmony.

Aigooo, Cheong Mun Sahyung.

This place is hell, this place is. Aigoooo.