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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: The Duties of the Outer Hall
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#002: The Duties of the Outer Hall
It was the day of the monthly Outer Hall meeting.
Despite my usual groveling, enough to wear away my fingerprints, my assignment was changed from gate guard duty to patrol.
'Damn it! This is bad.'
I had a long way to go, yet I was stuck with the least profitable assignment.
At this rate, when would I ever reach my goal?
When I informed Yu So-pyeong with a heavy heart, he took it better than I expected.
"It's a shame, but what can you do? The posts are assigned on a rotating basis."
True, it wasn't like throwing a tantrum would change anything.
After all, gate guard duty was a post that other squads drooled over.
"Still, we each managed to pocket a nyang, so there shouldn't be too many complaints."
Yu So-pyeong stood up and asked.
"So, which district did we get?"
"Taeryong Street."
Yu So-pyeong's face crumpled.
***
As the sun set, we headed to Taeryong Street.
As befitting the most prosperous street in the Nine Dragons Fortress, it was lined with taverns and inns. In the red-light district, half-naked women leaned against windowsills, calling out to passersby.
So why did my squad members look so miserable?
Because this was a post where you suffered like hell.
The Outer Hall served a role similar to the police in modern society.
In other words, the more bustling the street, the more fights with drunkards you had to expect.
And you couldn't think of them as the drunkards of modern society.
No matter how much they wore the mask of the Righteous Path, martial artists were basically psychopathic killers who drew their swords first, so you never knew what might happen.
Furthermore, when a high-level master got drunk and went on a rampage, the powerless Outer Hall warriors could only expect to be wiped out.
"Let's just endure it for a month. I'll get us a better post next time."
"...Yes, sir."
Despite my encouragement, the squad members answered without any energy.
But that brief moment of respite was short-lived.
"Thief! Catch that man!"
"Aah! Where do you think you're touching!"
"You son of a bitch! I'll make today the day you die!"
"I'll kill you all!"
Incidents began to erupt from all directions like a rising tide.
"Jin-hyeong, Dang-pal, and So-pyeong, you take that side. Yang Gang and I will take this side."
"Yes, sir!"
We split into two groups and ran around for three hours.
As midnight approached, the once-packed Taeryong Street began to empty.
"My head is spinning."
"Isn't this all because our squad leader got us this strange post?"
"It's not like I get to choose. When the higher-ups give an order, you follow it."
I soothed the pouting Yang Gang and headed to a nearby inn.
"I'm hungry. Let's grab a bite before we go."
"Are you buying, Squad Leader?"
"We're all paying for our own."
"I always feel this, but you're really stingy, Squad Leader."
He didn't even appreciate what a fine custom going Dutch was.
"Welcome!"
"Boiled pork and a bowl of noodles for each of us."
I tossed a coin as I ordered, and the attendant's back bent like a folder.
It was a shame to part with the money, but he was the type to throw in an extra slice of meat whenever I stopped by.
If I were only coming once or twice, it would be a waste, but for a regular, this kind of gesture paid off in the long run.
"Thank you as always, sir!"
After a short wait, the attendant returned with a tray laden with food.
"Enjoy your meal!"
"Alright."
And so, the meal began.
"*Slurp. Chomp. Ugh! Hack! Slurp.*"
Yang Gang made sounds that could ruin one's appetite, but in the battle of going Dutch, the one who eats the most is the winner. I too worked my chopsticks furiously.
"How about a drink?"
"Sounds good."
"Two bottles of white liquor over here!"
"Coming right up!"
When Yang Gang placed the order, it was the innkeeper, not the attendant, who brought the alcohol.
"You rascals. Drinking on duty?"
It was Gwak Sam, who had retired from the Outer Hall to open an inn.
Yang Gang, who was on friendly terms with him, spoke casually.
"So you don't want our business?"
"I'm grateful for any customer."
"Then what's the problem?"
"Anyway, is the work manageable?"
"The new squad leader is surprisingly resourceful, so we're doing well."
"Heh heh, I thought he'd be uptight since he's from the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion. How strange."
As we were chatting, a commotion erupted from the floor above, and the attendant came rushing down.
"We have a problem, Master!"
"What's with all the noise?"
"A fight broke out between martial artists upstairs!"
"Tsk!"
Gwak Sam clicked his tongue and stood up.
"Will you be alright?"
At my concern, Gwak Sam flexed his arm. His twenty years of experience hadn't gone to waste, as thick muscles rippled.
"I'm still in my prime. Don't you worry."
"If you say so."
Gwak Sam, who had been so full of confidence, came running back down thirty seconds later, his face pale.
"Th-This is bad. It looks like two masters are fighting. You guys have to help!"
"If they're masters, we should call for backup…"
*Crash! Smash!*
The sound of something breaking made Gwak Sam's face turn even paler.
It hadn't been long since he had poured his entire life savings into opening the inn.
'This is why starting a restaurant by betting your entire retirement fund is so dangerous.'
Of course, in the Nine Dragons Fortress, there was no such thing as severance pay, let alone holiday pay.
"If you can resolve this, I'll reward you this much."
Seeing no other way, Gwak Sam held up both hands.
It was a sign that he would offer up to ten bottles of white liquor on the house.
Quite a satisfactory quest reward. I nodded silently.
"I'll go take care of it. Wait here for a moment."
"Will you be okay? He said they're masters. Two of them, at that."
"You seem to have forgotten. I'm from the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion."
"Ah…"
In terms of the 21st-century South Korea, the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion was the equivalent of Seoul National University's law school.
Although I had applied to the Outer Hall to maintain a work-life balance, the past where I had shed blood and sweat training in martial arts hadn't disappeared.
"I shall return before this drink grows cold."
As I poured a glass of white liquor and spoke with gravity, Yang Gang and Gwak Sam looked at me with eyes full of respect.
"But this liquor is already cold…"
I went up the stairs and saw two men exchanging fists and feet.
*Thud!*
The bald man seized an opportunity and struck the long-haired man's chest several times.
"Kugh!"
*Shing.*
The long-haired man's eyes became bloodshot as he suddenly drew a sword from his waist.
A sign that he intended to draw blood.
Fearing that any further delay would result in every table on this floor being shattered, I immediately stepped between them.
"Stop right there. Sheathe your sword. Don't you know that the use of weapons is forbidden within the fortress walls?"
"And is it fair for a swordsman to fight a fist-fighter without using his sword?"
He had a point there.
"In any case, fighting is forbidden here. If you want to fight, take it outside. And pay for the table you broke. The owner here bought that with his blood and sweat."
"Hmph! Do you think I, Ung-cho, the Swift Sword Killer, would listen to a warning from a mere Outer Hall warrior!"
The man spouted a classic line for a cheap, third-rate villain as he raised his sword.
'How uneducated can you be…'
Let's say, for the sake of argument, that fighting while drunk is acceptable. This is the martial world, so things can be more violent than in modern society.
Still, shouldn't one avoid causing harm to others?
I had put it politely, yet he was taunting me with, "I won't listen to the likes of you." A sigh escaped my lips.
"Do you feel the same way?"
The bald man crossed his arms and shook his head.
"In any case, he was the one who attacked me one-sidedly. If he sheathes his sword, I am willing to stop fighting. And I didn't break the table, so I can't pay for it."
Hearing the bald man's response, I looked at Mr. Swift-Sword-Whatever and asked.
"What will you do? He's taking that stance. Do you intend to continue?"
"Hmph! I'll kill you both!"
The man instantly closed the distance and rushed at me.
He drew his sword at the same moment.
Judging by his momentum and speed, his skill was worthy of the 'swift' in his title.
However.
I had seen this level of swift swordplay countless times at the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion.
*Thwack.*
I used my footwork to sidestep him slightly, then, with the Three Yang Hand—one of the common grappling arts of the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion—I snatched his right hand before he could fully draw his sword.
"Huk!"
"You want to keep going?"
"Grr!"
Unable to draw his sword, the man tried to shake me off by flailing his fists and feet.
*Bang! Crack.*
But my front kick reached his chest first.
"Gurgle."
Sent flying like a cannonball, the man slammed into a wooden pillar, foamed at the mouth, and passed out.
As I was searching his pockets for compensation, the bald man approached and spoke to me.
"Ung-cho is a fairly well-known rogue in Yunnan Province. To think he couldn't even last three moves against you. Remarkable."
"This is why you shouldn't get drunk and fight. You can't even use half of your true skill, and this is the result."
"He barely drank any alcohol."
"Well, then let's just say this guy is weak."
"What is your name?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I just thought it would be good to know, since we'll likely run into each other from time to time."
"Jin Mujeon. Squad Leader of the Outer Hall's Seventeenth Squad."
"Squad Leader Mujeon of the Seventeenth Squad… I will remember that."
With those words, the bald man left the inn.
I took three nyang of silver from the unconscious man's money pouch and brought it to Gwak Sam, who broke into a wide grin.
He had no idea that the other two nyang were now in my pocket.
***
The day after I bound Ung-cho and threw him in the Outer Hall's prison.
As I was enjoying a rare day of rest at home, a familiar face paid a visit.
It was Jeok Hwa-ran, a junior from my days at the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion.
True to her title, the Red Blossom Sword, her beauty was like a red rose, and her arrival brightened the surroundings as if a hundred fluorescent lights had been turned on.
"It's been a while, senior."
"It has, hasn't it? How long has it been?"
"I haven't seen you once since you joined the Outer Hall, so it must have been about two years."
"You should have visited. I would have bought you a meal."
"Really?"
Of course not.
I needed to save every penny to leave the Nine Dragons Fortress as soon as possible. Where would I find the money to buy meals for others?
"Of course. I have the night shift today, so it'll be tough, but let's grab a meal sometime later."
At my empty promise, Jeok Hwa-ran beamed.
"Okay. I'll stop by sometime soon."
*Yeah, even if you do, I'm not buying.*
"Anyway, what brings you here today? It's rare to see you all the way out here."
"I came to collect the money I lent you, of course."
The sudden debt collection felt like a lightning bolt striking my head.
'She was quiet all this time, I thought she'd forgotten!'
"How… much was it again?"
"How can the borrower not remember? With interest, it's nine nyang, isn't it?"
"In copper coins?"
She replied, looking dumbfounded.
"In silver!"
"Ahem, my finances have been a bit tight lately…"
As I subtly declared a moratorium, Jeok Hwa-ran smiled brightly and said.
"Of course, you can pay me later."
"Really?"
"As long as you sign a new promissory note."
Jeok Hwa-ran took out a promissory note and showed it to me.
It was the infamous high-interest loan agreement from the Red Dragon Hall.
'Damn it!'
"I-I'll pay you."
Finally, I took out the money from under my bed. After collecting the long-overdue bad debt, she smiled brightly and said.
"If you need money in the future, just let me know. For you, senior, I'll offer a special interest rate."
With those parting words, Jeok Hwa-ran left, and I could only shed tears of blood.
To collect interest even when she knew my financial situation—what a heartless, bloodless woman.
"Damn it! That damn woman. After I was so good to her."
Thinking back, she had been strange from the very beginning.
When I wrote a letter to borrow money and called her out, didn't she stutter?
'W-W-what is it you have to say? T-Today, I'll listen to a-anything, so please, just say it.'
Didn't she suddenly throw her money pouch in my face?
'You bastard.'
She even cursed at me before leaving.
Perhaps, as the granddaughter of the notorious Red Dragon Hall Master, she was a psychopath.
Anyway, how was I supposed to cover this loss?
It was another day my dream of having three wives and four concubines grew one step further away.