“Also, you gave us advice every day about how to fix our weaknesses. Thanks to you, we realized just how many weaknesses we had.”
“You fixed a lot of them.”
“If we didn’t, you’d obsessively target only that spot. We flailed around trying not to get hit, and it just... fixed itself.”
“Good results, right?”
“Yes. Very good.”
I acknowledged that too.
I spoke.
“I told you at the start, didn’t I? I brought you here to make you into people.”
The Ascension Officers looked straight at me.
“When you say ‘make us into people,’ do you mean the kind of person young master wants?”
“No. The kind of person Heavenly Martial Castle needs. You’re Heavenly Martial Castle people, aren’t you?”
“And what connection does young master have to Heavenly Martial Castle?”
“A very close connection. That’s why I’m looking after you like this—so you can be even a little help to Heavenly Martial Castle.”
At my words, the Ascension Officers silently picked up their weapons one by one.
But the way they looked was different ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) than usual.
Their eyes glittered with a sharp light, and the lazy air they used to have was gone.
That was probably what they looked like back when they used to burn with passion for Heavenly Martial Castle.
They were back to their old selves.
And there were smiles on their lips.
“Nice. Now you’ll finally do a man’s job.”
I clapped once.
CLAP—.
The space wavered... then shattered.
SHATTER—.
As the cracked surface of space scattered in every direction, the scene beyond it came into view—the open yard in front of the Ascension Officers’ dorm.
They’d been in the Ascension Officers’ dorm the entire time.
“I believe you’ll do well from now on. And if I meet you again over something disgraceful like this...”
I grinned.
But the grin sent chills crawling over their bodies.
“Understood?”
“Yes!”
More convincing than a hundred words.
I spoke to Tak Yeong.
“Bring me the people I told you about before.”
“Which... people?”
“The proper ones. The ones who should be treated well, but aren’t.”
“Y-Yes. Understood.”
“I was assigned to Room Seven, right?”
“Yes!”
“Good. Then let’s do well from now on.”
“Understood!”
As I waved and walked off, the Ascension Officers all raised a fist-and-palm salute and bowed at the waist behind me.
We will repay this grace, no matter what.
I was the benefactor who pulled them back out.
Out of the formation, and out of the rotting pit of corruption.
Thinking that the day would come when they could repay this grace, they offered sincere thanks.
And I waved a hand back in reply.
*****
I stood in front of Room Seven.
The energy coming from inside wasn’t normal.
When I opened the door and stepped in, there were five men inside who didn’t even glance up—just doing their own thing.
One of them smiled and waved.
“Huh? New guy? Nice to meet you.”
I nodded.
Those five were Cloud Ladders.
Then the one man here must be the one who was going to rise through them.
“Being assigned to this room means you’re in the same situation as me, right?”
At his words, one of the Cloud Ladders sitting quietly in the corner spoke in a low voice.
“Don’t say unnecessary things.”
“Oops! Was that a secret?”
The man hurriedly covered his mouth.
Then he looked back at me and smiled again.
“Anyway, nice to meet you. I’m Hwang Jinhyeok. I just came in, but those guys don’t talk at all, so I was bored. I’m really glad to meet you.”
“Gang Wi.”
I gave a fake name.
“Haha! Brother Gang. I’m twenty this year.”
“Me too.”
“Oh! Then we must be destined, huh? Hahaha!”
I looked Hwang Jinhyeok over.
He seemed like a good person, but his martial arts didn’t look very strong.
Well... that was why he was trying to rise through Cloud Ladders.
Leaving Hwang Jinhyeok chattering beside me, I looked at the Cloud Ladders instead.
Expressionless men.
They looked unmotivated.
Like they were sitting there without souls.
I’d heard they made a lot of money off this.
But if they were making that much money, why did they look like that?
Anyone could see it—faces of people doing something they hated because they had to.
I had a gut feeling.
There was someone behind them.
That they were doing this because of his orders, with no choice.
Catching only them wouldn’t solve it.
It was tangled far more deeply than I’d thought.
“Brother Gang, have you tried the food here?”
“Yes.”
“Ugh. I couldn’t eat a single bite. One bowl of rice and just one stir-fried bok choy?”
“It was good.”
It was true.
It was only one stir-fried bok choy, but it tasted good.
“Brother Gang, you’ve got a strong stomach. Later, when we get out of here, I’ll treat you to proper food.”
Hwang Jinhyeok really didn’t stop talking.
If I were being honest, I wanted to sew his mouth shut.
How could someone talk that nonstop?
When I frowned slightly, Hwang Jinhyeok apologized.
“Sorry. I talk too much, right?”
At least he wasn’t completely oblivious.
“Yes. You do.”
“When I’m nervous, I talk more. I want to fix it, but it just won’t get fixed.”
“What are you so nervous about?”
“Honestly... I don’t have talent for martial arts. But my grandfather told me I have to reach Rank Four...”
So he’d been forced to come even though he didn’t want to.
“And...”
He flicked his eyes toward the Cloud Ladders and sighed.
Then he leaned in and whispered.
“I want to rise fair and square... but do you think that’s even possible?”
That was surprising.
Looking at him now, it seemed he didn’t like the idea of rising through Cloud Ladders.
Well, would you look at that?
I’d thought he was just trash trying to take the easy way up, but he was a decent one.
I grinned.
“Oh? You’re finally smiling.”
“Do you want to get stronger?”
“Of course! Who doesn’t want to get stronger? And my family is deeply connected to Heavenly Martial Castle—if your martial arts are weak, they don’t even treat you like a person.”
“Then want to train with me?”
“Really? You’ll do that?”
“It’s nothing. The four seas share the same way—so since we met like this, let’s do it together.”
“Thank you!”
Hwang Jinhyeok smiled like he was truly happy.
He talked too much and annoyed me, but he was a good person.
“Then shall we go?”
“Go where?”
“To train.”
“It’s late.”
“You don’t want to get stronger? Do you set a schedule to train for getting stronger? Your mindset’s the problem.”
At my blunt words, Hwang Jinhyeok looked flustered.
“I-Is that so? At home, nobody ever told me to train at a time like this...”
“You said you want to get stronger with that kind of resolve? Disappointing. I thought you were decent—guess I misjudged you.”
When I put on a truly disappointed expression, Hwang Jinhyeok grabbed my hand urgently.
“N-No! I-I’ll go.”
“Then change into training clothes and come out.”
“Okay.”
As I stepped out, laughter came from among the Cloud Ladders.
“Heh.”
Hwang Jinhyeok shot them a slightly sulky glare.
“Is that funny?”
They went quiet again.
“I’ll be back.”
When Hwang Jinhyeok left, laughter finally returned.
“Well, damn. I thought they were all the same kind of guy, but he’s surprisingly decent.”
“Hwang Jinhyeok is the one whose higher-ups straight-up told him to reach Rank Four.”
“Didn’t you hear him? He said he wants to rise with his own strength.”
“Is he serious?”
“He looked serious.”
“Doesn’t seem like the type to lie.”
“The guy who came in later isn’t bad either.”
“That one’s real.”
“Then why did he come to this room? I don’t get it.”
“To come to this room, you need the Ascension Officers’ approval. His family must’ve sent him too.”
“Ha... those brats are way better than the old men in the family.”
“How long do we have to keep doing this filthy work?”
“If you hate it, leave Heavenly Martial Castle.”
“We can’t... My lord is only one—the Heavenly Martial Emperor.”
“Then stop whining and hang on. One day the Heavenly Martial Emperor will know our hardship and fix this damned rot.”
“I hope that day comes soon.”
Every word of their conversation reached my ears.
As expected, once I left the room, honest talk came out.
It was just harder to focus because of this chatterbox babbling beside me.
So they really were doing it because they had to. And their loyalty to my grandfather is pretty serious.
The reason they were enduring it was because they believed that one day my grandfather would pull them out of this pit.
I couldn’t betray that belief.
Just wait a little.
I’ll solve it properly.
Now then... what do I do with this chatterbox?
“Since we’re the same age, let’s talk casually.”
At my words, Hwang Jinhyeok’s face lit up.
“R-Really?”
“Why are you so moved?”
“I’ve never had a friend before.”
“What?”
“My family is strict... I don’t have friends.”
“They wouldn’t even let you make friends?”
“Yeah. Not just me—apparently, even for the other person’s sake, you’re not supposed to make friends.”
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
“Will you really be my friend?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks!”
Hwang Jinhyeok looked like he was genuinely moved—his eyes even glistened.
A grown man crying...
“Don’t cry. If you cry, friendship canceled.”
“Okay!”
He stopped instantly and smiled brightly.
For some reason, he didn’t look that hateable.
*****
“What kind of training should we do?”
The eager look on his face was strangely burdensome.
“Have you ever sparred before?”
“Sparring? I have.”
“Then first I need to see your skill, so let’s spar.”
Hwang Jinhyeok hesitated.
“Why?”
“My grandfather warned me again and again... never spar with anyone else...”
“He told you not to spar with anyone else?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“He said I should only spar with him.”
“Then how were you planning to rise in here? You have to fight here too.”
“He said everything’s already set up for my promotion. He told me to just go and pretend to fight. Then the other side will take care of everything.”
When I stared at him with an incredulous expression, Hwang Jinhyeok hurriedly said—
“O-Of course I said I didn’t want that. I told him I wanted to rise fair and square with my own strength.”
“And?”
“He said absolutely not. He told me to never use my martial arts anywhere except in front of him.”
“Not at all?”
“Not at all... but he said I can never go over seventy percent of my full strength.”
“Seventy percent?”
“Yeah.”
Even if he used full strength, he didn’t look that strong—so why put a seventy percent restriction on him?
And that condition on top of it—never spar with anyone else.
“I’m telling you in advance.”
“Then I can’t spar.”
Hwang Jinhyeok wrestled with it.
“I’ll do it.”
“You said your grandfather told you not to.”
“You’re my friend... I’ll only use seventy percent of what I’ve got.”
“I’m not going to go easy. I’ll do it like it’s real. Are you okay with that?”
When I said I’d treat it like a real fight, Hwang Jinhyeok bit down hard on his lip and nodded.
“I’m okay! If pain is the path to getting stronger, I can endure it.”
His will to get stronger was serious.
Hwang Jinhyeok looked up at the sky.
“It’ll be night soon. Let’s hurry.”
“You can train at night too.”
“My grandfather said I should absolutely, absolutely never train at night. Especially on nights when the full moon is filling—he said I must not go out no matter what.”
“What?”
How many things had he forbidden?
No wonder the kid was weak.