“It was long.”
Yeo Il-ye thought as she lit the incense. Although chasing after her enemies had only been half a year, it truly took a long time to soothe the spirits of the mountain lodge family.
It was the season when new buds were sprouting and flower buds were starting to bloom, but the weather was still cold. Yeo Il-ye knelt down, feeling the chill rising from the floor.
“Father, Mother, and everyone from the mountain lodge. It’s been a long time.”
Yeo Il-ye closed her eyes and recalled this year’s journey. Since leaving Sacheon, she had been roaming the world, receiving information from the Black Cat. There were heroes who caught enemies upon hearing rumors, some enemies who fled everything to live, and others who chose to hide in their strongholds and lay low.
Twenty-one.
She made them all pay for their sins.
“The girl who wandered and wandered has finally come to greet you.”
Yeo Il-ye thought. Someone said revenge is sweet, and someone said revenge is futile, but they were all wrong.
“I miss you. Father. Mother. And everyone…”
All she felt was longing. She missed her mother who had warmly embraced her in her childhood, and her father who used to pat her head with his large hands. She missed the servants who used to anxiously fidget below while she climbed trees and walls, and the maidens who secretly fed her sweets when her parents weren’t looking.
“This foolish girl has finally straightened her duty for you all. I hope you can rest in peace in the afterlife.”
Feeling the cold earth and a slightly warm breeze, surrounded by bare trees and sprouting buds, Yeo Il-ye spent time reminiscing and mourning the people in her mind.
As the incense burned down, she renewed it and continued to spend her time. It was a time to wash away the grime of her heart, sullied by her enemies, revive childhood memories, and soothe the longing for those who had departed.
So it went for a few days.
Seeing the last of the incense burn out, Yeo Il-ye bowed to the graves one last time.
“I’m about to take my leave. I’ve avenged my enemies… now I must repay my kindness.”
As spring approached.
Yeo Il-ye set her steps toward Sacheon.
*
“I’ve arrived.”
Seeing the familiar city gates, she instinctively checked her pack. It had been a while since she’d used it, so she dusted off the Black Rib. Black Cat realized it needed to be worn as well and began rummaging through her pack.
“Hehe, it’s been a super long time since I’ve used this.”
“Right?”
As she pulled down her Black Rib and approached the city gates, people began to sneak away. Ah, this is the chilling sensation of being treated like a plague. It’s time to return to Sacheon Outcast Ho Cheon-an.
Sacheon City was bustling with energy. As spring began and the frozen paths melted, farmers were visiting Sacheon City to sell handmade goods created during the winter.
With the money they earned, they bought farming tools for the next year or replenished seeds, which naturally led to a lively atmosphere.
“Ha-uh.”
Hearing a familiar sound, she looked over and saw Black Cat munching on some rice crisps. Black Cat smiled brightly and said,
“Somehow, I felt like I needed to eat something here…”
“Give me a handful too.”
As they munched on rice crisps and rode deeper into Sacheon City, familiar buildings caught her eye. They tied up their horse at the stable and stood in front of the main gate.
Bang!
“I’m here!!!”
She kicked the door open and shouted loudly. Look! It’s the future martial god Ho Cheon-an who perfected First-Class Swordsmanship!
But the response was nothing.
An icy silence.
“….”
Suddenly, she locked eyes with the cook who peeked out from the kitchen, and he simply waved his hand lightly before going back inside.
“Where could everyone be?”
“Right?”
I smacked my lips. While staying at Wolbok-dang, I’d had some decent times with Jeon Hu-dam, who could be considered a local. Naturally, when we talked, Sacheon was the main topic, but Jeon Hu-dam would only tell me to experience it for myself without sharing much information.
I didn’t pry either.
When I went to Nangyang, Sacheon City was changing day by day. I wanted to hear news from Sacheon, but I also wanted to experience it firsthand rather than just hearing it from Jeon Hu-dam.
“Are they still too busy to breathe? It was crazy when I left for Nangyang.”
“Now isn’t that busy of a season.”
Just after the Spring Festival, each sect was focusing on internal regulations. It was the time when trainees, who had grown during winter, returned to their professions. Even ordinary people were busy at a time like this, making hiring Outcasts less effective.
What could have happened for every single person to disappear?
“Well, everyone should come back by dinner.”
“Shall we go meet the Governor?”
“Yeah, I need to report to Governor Samayeom.”
“Mm.”
We headed toward the government office to get a grasp of the current situation and see Governor Samayeom.
It didn’t take long to deliver the news and meet Governor Samayeom at the government office.
“It’s been a long time, Great Hero. I’ve heard about the news from Nangyang.”
“Well, it just turned out that way.”
Governor Samayeom was smiling brightly. Now that I think about it, he was one of the people who would welcome Hyeok Gi-rin’s decision to live as Princess Yuya.
“I never thought something I expected to be a small reward would grow this big. When I heard that Princess Yuya made a big decision and that the Great Hero had become an external advisor for the Golden Guards, I was truly surprised.”
“Is that so?”
In the end, since Hyeok Gi-rin returned to the imperial family, it might be a good outcome for Samayeom, huh? Well, right now it seemed as if Hyeok Gi-rin had fully returned to being Princess Yuya, but once the urgent fire was put out, Hyeok Gi-rin would appear before Samayeom again, and I was curious about what his expression would be.
“By the way, when I returned to Outcast Inn today, there wasn’t a single person around. Has something happened in Sacheon?”
“Haha. Things happen in Sacheon City every day.”
For someone saying that, Governor Samayeom’s expression was calm.
“Have you heard any news about Sacheon from outside?”
“I’ve simply been cultivating in a quiet location, so I don’t know much.”
“In that case, I should start the story from the beginning…. You left when the monument was being erected and the Golden Clan’s lands were being turned into a martial arts arena.”
Come to think of it, there were talks of a Great War for the vacant Platinum Sect position after the arena was completed. The scouts were also no joking matter.
“The martial arts arena utilizing the Golden Clan’s land was completed quickly, but all sects figured out that the color of the plaque would significantly influence the prosperity of the sect, so how can an easy agreement be reached?”
Well, that’s true.
Governor Samayeom sighed deeply, looking aged as he reminisced about that time.
“There was a huge uproar asking the government office to mediate. Just thinking back to that time makes me feel like I’ve aged a decade. We searched for a solution all autumn… and eventually, we were able to come to a conclusion that satisfied everyone.”
A conclusion that satisfied everyone, how interesting.
“It was the introduction of individual ranking competitions.”
“…Huh?”
What? Individual ranks?
“We agreed to select the Platinum Sect based on the personal rankings of the sect members. 100 Platinum Martial Artists. 400 Gold Martial Artists. 500 Silver Martial Artists. 2000 Bronze Martial Artists. We created 3,000 mineral tokens.”
What the heck is this? What am I even hearing right now?
I decided to listen.
“In the beginning, it was absolute chaos. Haha. It was a complete mess every day until the rank of 3,000 was decided. The Platinum and Gold ranks were set quickly, but the Silver and Bronze ranks had little difference in skill, so it became problematic. There was a lot of talk about removing the steel grade as well.”
“…Why did you remove it?”
“The steel grade was undoubtedly a symbol of the sects that played a role in subduing bandits, but somehow it seemed to be used as a symbol of derision, so we abolished it.”
Yeah, I suppose it might be better not to have Iron.
“We also newly established a Ranking Competition Operating Committee. You, Senior Ho, would know that Yu Sa-yeon is currently active as the chairperson of the Ranking Competition Operating Committee.”
“Hahaha…”
I couldn’t keep up with the flood of information. Samayeom paused to let me process it, and I took a sip of tea to compose myself.
I can’t believe Sacheon City has changed this much.
Did he read my expression? Samayeom chuckled.
“Do you feel burdened that the ideas you proposed caused so many changes in Sacheon?”
“…Well, I didn’t foresee it all.”
“Such is the world. How can a person predict and handle all the changes of the world? However, it is clear that the ideas you proposed have had a positive impact on Sacheon.”
A positive impact.
“Did you know that the Sacheon Outcasts also jumped into the ranking competitions?”
“…They did?”
“That’s right. The behavior of the Sacheon Outcasts had been closer to the shadows than to the light. However, with the emergence of the mineral competition, the Sacheon Outcasts have become closer to competitive gamblers than merely Outcasts.”
“In other words, the Outcasts can now participate in individual matches and exert their official influence.”
“Exactly. Because of that, the Outcasts have been reducing the chaos they cause in the market and attacking other sect members, focusing solely on the individual matches.”
“Hahaha.”
So, even the Outcasts joined the ranking competitions. What a surprise.
As I watched my reaction, Governor Samayeom grinned.
“You mentioned that there was no one at the Outcast Inn today, right? That’s only natural. Today is the day to return last year’s mineral tokens and receive this year’s mineral tokens. The Sacheon Outcasts are all participating in the ranking matches, so it’s no wonder no one is around.”
Not just rank games but a season system too!
I could only shake my head in disbelief at this reality.
