A week had passed since the victory festival.
During that time, a lot had happened.
A few days after the victory festival ended, all of Sacheon was turned upside down. This was because the charges against Miss Yeo Il-ye’s enemies were disclosed one by one.
First, there was the bandit issue.
It was revealed that Hwang Geum-seon had lured in the bandits, Gae Myung-bu had sabotaged the sects of Sacheon from uniting, and Yu Ji-gyeong had spread rumors in Sacheon City using his influence.
It was also disclosed that the Jam Bong Sect’s Gae Myung-bu had hired Outcasts to overthrow Tang Su-mun and Ja Jang-mun. Aside from this, various small scandals of the Jam Bong Sect were also exposed.
The wicked deeds perpetrated by Hwang Geum-seon were so numerous that investigations were still ongoing. Even the verified facts alone were enough to shock people, and there were even more unproven allegations circulating.
Furthermore, the bloodshed of Yeo-ga Mountain Villa became officially known in the Martial World.
Nowadays, everywhere in Sacheon City, you could hear nothing but stories about Yeo Il-ye, Hwang Geum-seon, Gae Myung-bu, and Yu Ji-gyeong. As for Yeo Il-ye… well, one could say her fame skyrocketed suddenly.
It could be said that they became the protagonist of a heroic narrative. After all, from the people’s perspective, the act of annihilating the Outcasts would also be accepted as part of a collaboration. So, for everyone, Yeo Il-ye was an ally who had experienced a major incident in her youth and had grown through a sense of righteousness(?), gaining realization and smashing the villains of Sacheon City.
At any rate, looking at the turn of public opinion, it seemed like a matter of time before Yeo Il-ye’s enemies would be designated as public enemies of the Martial World.
The Outcast Inn had completely transitioned into an off-season mode. The sects of Sacheon could not afford to hire Outcasts. With the downfall of the Jam Bong Sect and the wicked acts of Hwang Geum-seon… they were too busy trying to adapt to the great upheaval sweeping through Sacheon.
It was certain that this state would be maintained for a while, so the Outcasts had left the inn to handle their own affairs. Yeong Ji-hu-yeol claimed he had to find a swordsman and left, while Jeong Sam and a few Outcasts, including Yeo Jin-sang, went out to see the legendary site of Jeongnam Mountain that would remain a legend forever.
And then, during this off-season at the Outcast Inn, Tang Do-gyeong paid a visit.
“Haha, everyone doing well?”
“Great Hero Tang Do-gyeong!”
“Ah, how have you been!”
Tang Do-gyeong, Tang Do-yeon, and Hyeok Gi-rin decided to stay at Samayeom’s mansion until things settled down in Sacheon City. Samayeom was extremely busy, but since Tang Do-gyeong was not doing much, he started frequenting the Outcast Inn.
I shook my head as I watched Tang Do-gyeong practicing the Mang Ho Martial Arts with the remaining Outcasts. As I mentioned before, elites cannot use Mang Ho Martial Arts in real combat. Nonetheless, seeing them train so diligently makes me think that the Outcasts have already become disciples of Tang Do-gyeong’s school.
“Haap! Hah!”
“Mang Ho Nan-gyeok!”
“Mang Ho Nan-gyeok!”
“Gyeong Ha Chil Ta!”
“Chahaaaaap!”
Yu Sa-yeon was watching the Outcasts practicing their martial arts with unwavering focus. Well… Yu Sa-yeon was also someone who dedicated her life to revenge, so it seemed she was a bit lost now that her purpose had been fulfilled.
“Why do people look so lifeless?”
“Ah~ I don’t know. I can’t quite feel it, I guess. Should I say it feels empty?”
Yu Sa-yeon sighed deeply.
“I destroyed the Jam Bong Sect, so I feel satisfied… but it’s not like I captured Gae Myung-bu with my own strength… I don’t know.”
Time will tell, I suppose. Since Yu Sa-yeon was overflowing with energy at her core, once she finds a new goal, she will quickly return to her former state.
Yu Sa-yeon looked at me with a bored expression.
“When do you plan to leave?”
“Well, I want to stay until I lay some foundational work at the peak. Of course, I won’t be working diligently in the future.”
“Are you saying you’ll just maintain your status and skip real combat opportunities? That’s downright mischievous.”
Yu Sa-yeon chuckled and stretched.
“Sure, do as you wish. Since I avenged my enemies, I can’t deny you that little convenience.”
“So, it seems you plan to continue operating the Outcast Inn.”
“Well, if you’re going to stay, I should keep it running. The income is decent, and there’s really no reason to quit. The Outcasts here… well, in the end, they’re all holding weapons to support me. If they’re going to stay, that’s how it is.”
In the end, it seemed like expressing gratitude wasn’t her style, as she tried to change the subject awkwardly.
“Well, okay then. I’ll be off.”
“Alright.”
The Black Cat had been extremely busy lately. With the upheaval in Sacheon City, there was a lot of information to gather. She disappeared early again today.
Lately, I had been deeply immersed in martial arts training. In the mornings, I learned swordsmanship from Hyeok Gi-rin, and in the afternoons, I learned hidden weapons from Tang Do-gyeong or Tang Do-yeon.
The training method Miss Yeo Il-ye had briefly taught me when we parted ways had been a significant help to me. Although the Black Cat was also a peerless expert eyeing the Peak Stage, she had never learned from or taught anyone, making it difficult to deem her a good mentor.
If Yeo Il-ye had mastered the teachings of the Jeomchang Faction among the Nine Great Sects, then Hyeok Gi-rin was the one who had drilled those teachings into Yeo Il-ye and her siblings.
Hyeok Gi-rin’s teachings were undoubtedly different in efficiency. I could feel my skills blooming noticeably every time I had a session.
Unfortunately, I had to head to the government office this morning because Samayeom requested my time.
After the evil deeds of Hwang Geum-seon’s gang were made public, I had worried there would be a disturbance, but unexpectedly, everything passed by quietly.
People were just trying hard to ignore it due to the festival, but it seemed the news of Hwang Geum-seon and the Jam Bong Sect’s crisis had already reached the ears of Sacheon City’s residents. It appeared that information regarding the incidents had already begun to subtly spread beneath the surface, preventing an explosion of reactions.
Was Samayeom considering this when he delayed the announcement until after the festival? At first, I thought he was just a fan of Hyeok Gi-rin, but it seemed that governing wasn’t something just anyone could do.
The ranking system for the sects had also begun. When I looked up, I saw a massive banner.
[Bandit Union Subjugation Ranking 8th: Wol Sang-mun. Hwang Gold Clan. Achievement of capturing 17 bandits alive.]
The ranking system was rapidly taking root, and as soon as sect signs were distributed, the people of Sacheon immediately understood the tier system. I mean, is there a more intuitive system than this?
In front of the Wol Sang-mun, framed with a gleaming golden border, prospective disciples were lining up.
“I want to become a disciple of Wol Sang-mun!”
“Welcome! Come this way to fill out the paperwork!”
To be honest, sometimes I wondered if introducing a tier system to the Martial World was releasing forbidden knowledge. People already went crazy over game tiers, and introducing a tier system in reality seemed like a devilish idea.
The sects of Sacheon were adapting so quickly that it was almost embarrassing for me to have worried about it.
First of all, due to the Jam Bong Sect being publicly dismantled, inquiries to the government were unending. The 6th-ranked sect was supposed to redistribute the Platinum Plates. Gold tiers were supposed to compete to elect the new Platinum Sect, and so on…
Sects were already bustling over the honor of possessing the Platinum Plates.
In fact, that Wol Sang-mun was officially ranked 9th in the subjugation ranking. They appeared to have subtly raised their rank by taking advantage of the Jam Bong Sect’s collapse.
The Platinum and Gold Sects were already raking in a fortune.
During the festival, the effects of walking around wearing the Hero Badge of the bandit subjugation were immense. Children pleaded desperately to just touch the edges of the Hero Badge, shy Misses adorned the necks of the bearers with garlands, and surprisingly, merchants voluntarily offered discounts on their goods, making them the invincible figures that everyone looked at with envy among the men!
They were, in a sense, divinity incarnate.
Naturally, the young people of Sacheon City envied those who wore the Hero Badge for subjugation. Their desire to possess that badge was no lesser than Gollum’s desire for the One Ring.
The sects quickly capitalized on that psychology. In the end, the young people wanted something that would elevate their status just by possessing it…
“Here, since you paid off your 6-month entry fee, this belt is yours!”
“Oooh…! The Golden Hero Belt!”
The sects released belts in their respective tier colors. Even if one couldn’t become a hero of the bandit subjugation, it was a way to prove that they were members of a sect that heavily contributed to that subjugation in Sacheon.
“You! How dare you block my path wearing a silver belt! Can’t you see my golden belt around my waist?”
“Ugh…! Just you wait!”
“Bwahahahaha!!”
“Platinum belt! The platinum belt has appeared!”
“Run away!! If we cross paths, we’ll lose our reputation!”
The commemoration of the subjugation with the Hero Badge had an absolutely overwhelming effect, and now lower-tier belts were sprouting everywhere. It seemed everyone without a Hero Badge was competing for belts among themselves.
“I heard some fellows have been walking around without wearing the Hero Badge and just stuffing marbles in their pockets to show off.”
“They must be some weirdo freaks… they clearly possess a twisted personality to want to humiliate those who flaunt their belts!”
It seemed that within less than a week, the appearances of these weaklings had already begun. A loser hiding marbles? Or a loser hiding a Hero Badge?
I couldn’t tell if this was a positive or negative development, but the people of Sacheon and the sects were growing accustomed to the tier system at a rapid pace.
Anyway, I was worried that the rank system would consume all the sects in Sacheon, but it seemed I had underestimated the Martial World. They would surely manage on their own.
