Chapter 767: Star King Appears (Star King Appears)

Three days.

Three days have passed since the attack occurred in Hanam.

The past three days were truly filled with many events.

A grand festival held by the Alliance, celebrating peace and a new era.

As the Divine Dragon Martial Arts Tournament, held to select a new Divine Dragon Great Master, was nearing its end.

Suddenly, a being claiming to be the leader and Cult Leader of an organization called the Demonic Cult.

Claiming to be the Heavenly Demon (天魔), appeared and turned Hanam into a disaster zone.

Using wicked sorcery, they not only immobilized the supreme masters in the pavilion.

But also brought a vast force to attack Hanam.

The result of that attack was devastating.

The Great Demon Lord Heavenly Demon’s forces were strong.

When the masters, called the main pillars, were immobilized, they couldn’t properly resist the attack.

The county was thrown into chaos by the enemy.

Buildings were reduced to ruins, and people lost their homes.

That wasn’t all.

What was lost in the attack wasn’t just homes, but also many people.

Three of the Alliance’s Eight Great Masters died, but the biggest incident among them was.

The head of the Peng Family of Hebei, one of the Four Great Families.

That the Sword King (刀王) Peng Zhou had died.

The attack began while the martial arts tournament was in full swing.

The Sword King, who had just finished a duel, was moving with his child, Bi Seongdo.

When they were suddenly ambushed.

He tried to fight back alongside the Martial Arts Alliance.

However, Guiakchang, an executive of the Demonic Cult (魔敎) that the Martial Arts Alliance had captured, escaped and intervened, worsening the situation.

Guiakchang was a powerful master who had annihilated the entire One Dragon Unit, including its Great Master, during his escape.

He ultimately killed the Sword King, inflicted a fatal wound on Bi Seongdo who tried to protect the Alliance warriors resisting him and his father, and then disappeared.

That was the reason the Sword King, one of the Six Seats, died.

The organization called the Demonic Cult (魔敎), which led this Hanam attack incident.

An executive from there killed the Alliance’s Great Master and the Sword King.

While the Great Master’s death is one thing, the death of a King-level warrior must have been quite a shock.

King-level warriors.

They are beings called the Six Seats in the Central Plains.

Some among them haven’t learned martial arts, and others are still quite far from reaching the required cultivation level.

This means it’s not a position one can reach solely through cultivation.

King-level signifies symbolism.

It refers to individuals exerting significant influence in an era.

This included figures like the Sword King or Sword King, or the Sword Queen, who influenced through martial arts and ideology, as well as those who spread various forms of influence.

The Sword King was the symbol of the sword weapon among them and the head of the Peng Family.

Such a person died in the attack.

Unexpectedly, a seat among the Six became vacant, so one might expect people to be in chaos.

In reality, few were in such chaos.

Because while the King’s seat was vacant, two new Kings had appeared simultaneously.

One was the head of the Hwangbo Family, who fought the enemy executive in place of the masters immobilized by sorcery.

Hwangbo Yeolwi, the Nine Fists of the Fierce Tiger (猛虎九拳).

It was said that not only had he passed his prime, but his illness had worsened, causing him to remain hidden.

The display of the Nine Fists of the Fierce Tiger during this attack was quite different from the rumors.

His overwhelming power, pushing back the enemy, was far more agile and stronger than during his prime.

Some observers speculated that the reason the Nine Fists of the Fierce Tiger had remained hidden wasn’t due to his worsening illness.

But rather to achieve profound enlightenment and consolidate his power.

The Nine Fists of the Fierce Tiger was that strong, and furthermore, the Hwangbo Family made immense contributions in place of the Alliance during this attack. For this, they highly recognized him and bestowed the epithet Tiger King (虎王).

Considering that the last person from the Hwangbo Family to reach King-level was the previous-previous family head, the Fist King (拳王), this was a reputation regained after a century.

Therefore, normally Hanam would have been filled with talk about the Tiger King because of this… but surprisingly, there wasn’t much talk about the Tiger King.

The reason for this was likely that all attention was focused on another King, not the Tiger King.

The seventh King, newly ascended alongside the Tiger King.

At the time the attack broke out, he burned his body to save hundreds of people.

In addition to aiding their evacuation, he even hunted the curse spread by the Demonic Cult, monsters called ‘breathing calamities’, the Hundred-level Beasts.

Afterward, with his body in disarray, he went to the Alliance and, together with the Wind Dragon Great Master, even broke the sorcery affecting the pavilion.

Furthermore.

The cause of the incident, which revealed itself after the attack.

The monster that incapacitated the Tiger King (虎王) in a single blow and was unfazed even by the Heavenly Venerable’s (天尊) assault.

He was also someone acknowledged by the Great Demon Lord Heavenly Demon (天魔).

Perhaps due to these achievements, in the current Hanam, people exclusively called out his name.

Praising him with various flowery titles like ‘a hero found in troubled times’ or ‘a saint sent from heaven’.

He was receiving praises close to adoration, adorned with all sorts of embellishments.

Such a person was precisely the seventh King officially mentioned by the Alliance.

A warrior who reached King-level at the age of twenty, the youngest in history.

A being who became the representative of the current ‘Meteor Generation’, leaving the Divine Dragon behind.

Emulating this, he was named the King of Stars.

His name was.

Star King (星王).

People began calling him the Star King, showing all sorts of respect.

And the famous Star King, whom so many were praising.

“Star King-nim.”

“…”

“Did you enjoy your meal?”

“…”

“Star King-nim. Why aren’t you speaking? Star King-nim? Perhaps you dislike my voice? Oh dear…! It seems I have offended Star King-nim…”

“…Fuck… Please, just stop…”

He was being thoroughly teased since morning.

---

When I first heard the news, it was probably about two days after the incident.

That was around the time I managed to recover and regain my senses, so that’s likely correct.

The very first piece of news I heard upon waking up was just that.

The news that I, of all people, had been designated a King-level warrior.

Honestly, I didn’t think much of it when I first heard.

‘Youngest,’ and all that. It was just empty praise; the time to care about such things had passed.

Having caused this much trouble, I had somewhat expected it.

Even if not King-level, I figured something significant would come of it.

That was what I had expected when I acted, but.

‘But they actually gave it to me.’

I really didn’t expect them to bestow the title of King.

A King is, after all, a symbol.

A living influence and symbol of an era.

To bestow that upon a kid like me.

So, I thought maybe the Alliance had lost its mind due to the attack.

Tsk.

‘Seriously, they never give anything without strings attached.’

The moment I saw the name bestowed upon me, I realized.

Star King (星王).

It literally means the king of stars.

So, on the surface, it doesn’t seem like much of a problem.

‘Damn them.’

But looking at the underlying meaning, it was a name I absolutely couldn’t like.

This is an era where geniuses are compared to stars, called the ‘Meteor Generation’.

Within that, being the Star King meant being their representative.

In other words.

‘They’ll call me King, but it strictly means I’m the king of the later generation geniuses.’

So, don’t get cocky.

That meaning was subtly embedded within it.

It’s absurd.

‘If they were going to do this, they shouldn’t have given it at all.’

Just hearing the name made it clear they didn’t want to give it.

Yet, the fact that they grudgingly bestowed it meant.

‘They must have been quite desperate.’

Three days since the attack. A day had passed since I woke up, so I hadn’t obtained complete information yet.

But even with just fragments of information, I could understand why the Alliance went out of its way to do this.

‘They must have been trying to divert attention.’

Whether they know it or not, they must be racking their brains right now.

It’s not just the problem of the attack. The most crucial thing is.

‘The state of public sentiment.’

How the public sentiment views the Martial Arts Alliance now…

Judging by the fact they suddenly handed me the title of Star King, it didn’t seem particularly good.

It was already like that.

To turn around the shattered public sentiment, they needed something to draw attention elsewhere.

Why else would the Divine Dragon Martial Arts Tournament have been held?

It was a mechanism intended to subtly make the Central Plains perceive peace, and to properly integrate the Sword Immortal and the Martial Arts Alliance.

This was also true for the Divine Dragon.

With such a tournament falling apart and Hanam being attacked, the Alliance’s condition was as clear as day.

‘So.’

Tap, tap.

I tapped the table, raising the corners of my mouth.

‘They intend to use me for this situation?’

The Alliance’s manipulation was now directed at me.

The youngest King-level warrior.

The representative of the Meteor Generation.

As if offering a pleasing facade, the Alliance seemed to be drawing attention towards me.

Ah, of course.

‘It’s not bad.’

In fact, this was the situation I had hoped for.

Even if it’s a bit messed up, I can tolerate this much.

‘It was a necessary facade.’

A title or a facade.

From my position where I needed such things, there was no reason to refuse when they handed them over.

A tool to draw attention? It didn’t matter.

After all.

‘I don’t intend to stop here.’

Whether it’s a facade or a title, if I had intended to stop there, I wouldn’t have done this.

Right now, I only intended to use the position they gave me.

However, if there’s one shitty thing.

“Star King-nim is smiling.”

“Seeing that smile, you seem quite happy.”

“Perhaps the tea was delicious? To satisfy Star King-nim’s palate… it must be quite the tea.”

“Oh my, I brewed that tea myself.”

“Hoho…”

The chattering sounds from in front of me invaded my ears.

I had to frown immediately upon hearing them.

“Can you two please just leave?”

Because of that, I tried to speak while clutching my forehead.

“Oh my, it seems Star King-nim is angered.”

“Oh dear… daring to act without knowing our place…”

“…”

Fuck, stop it…

I couldn’t bring myself to curse, so I just kept rubbing my dry face.

Pae Jon and Moyong Hi-ah were sitting in front of me, chatting, and out of everything they said, nine out of ten remarks were teasing me.

This is what happened the moment they heard my alias had changed.

I was already annoyed, and being teased all day meant my sanity couldn’t possibly remain intact.

So, barely holding back a sigh, I asked Moyong Hi-ah.

“…You told me to eat, right?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Are you telling me to eat in this situation?”

“Why?”

Why? What do you mean ‘why’?

It’s because every time I tried to take a bite, they kept teasing me, so I couldn’t eat a single mouthful.

Even now, I couldn’t eat and was just sipping my tea uselessly.

“We were merely hoping to keep Star King-nim company, thinking you might be lonely…”

“…Young Master Bi, shouldn’t you stop there?”

“I said… but it seems you’re not in a very good mood today.”

“…”

I was completely ignored.

Moyong Hi-ah is one thing, but Pae Jon is even worse.

This old man came running cheerfully the moment he heard about the alias; it was the brightest face I’d seen in years.

It meant he was that excited about teasing me.

Damn it.

Suppressing the rising anger, I put down my spoon.

I figured I wouldn’t be able to eat anyway, as my appetite was gone.

“…How are the kids’ conditions?”

“Oh my… How could I dare report such things to Star King-nim…”

“I’m getting angry?”

“I’ll stop.”

Upon my warning, Moyong Hi-ah immediately changed her expression.

She must have realized I’d genuinely get angry if she continued.

Then, she promptly answered my question.

“According to the physician, there are no major issues. Miss Wi’s wound has reportedly reopened slightly… but since her regeneration is so good, she’ll recover quickly.”

Wi Seol-ah, who had been injured in the battle with the Divine Dragon.

I worried if she might be in danger, having participated in the battle in such a state.

Fortunately, it seemed there were no major problems.

“Miss Tang has no major issues… and Miss Namgung seems to have suffered slight Internal Qi Exhaustion from overexerting her energy… but they said it will resolve with time.”

“Internal Qi Exhaustion…”

It’s a phenomenon that occurs from rapidly using excessive energy.

Namgung Bi-ah hadn’t fully recovered yet. Could the brief use of her internal energy manipulation technique in that state have caused this?

‘…I should go see them.’

This wasn’t just about the kids.

It was to grasp the overall situation.

Before I lost consciousness, I had wrapped up everything I could.

But I needed to know for sure what happened afterward.

“Well then, I should probably get up…”

“You haven’t finished your meal?”

“Do you think I can eat in this situation?”

Moyong Hi-ah pushed her way in, even though I had no intention of eating in the first place.

What’s more, she just kept teasing me after coming in.

Staying here, I’d likely throw up rather than get anything down.

So, just as I was about to move to check on my condition.

“Then, Young Master.”

“Hm?”

“Please take this.”

As Moyong Hi-ah spoke, she produced something else – a letter.

Just as I wondered why she was suddenly giving me this, Moyong Hi-ah spoke as if making an excuse.

“Originally, my purpose was to give you this… but I’m sorry. I forgot because I was busy teasing you, Young Master.”

“…”

I was speechless at her brazen admission.

Yeah, it’s better than her being fake… Right.

Taking it and examining it, I saw a familiar emblem drawn on it.

It was the seal representing the Alliance.

After confirming that, I immediately opened the letter.

“Hmm?”

A few lines of text were written.

It seemed written with excessive politeness, but as I grasped the meaning within, my expression crumpled.

“…Hmph.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. I was just about to leave anyway, and something came up.”

“…You’re leaving now?”

Upon hearing my words, Moyong Hi-ah’s eyes turned fierce.

“Where do you think you’re going in that condition?”

Wow, what fierce eyes.

I thought I was getting used to it, but whenever Moyong Hi-ah opened her eyes like that, I couldn’t help but flinch.

It meant her gaze was that intimidating.

“…No, well… I won’t be out long. Something just came up.”

“What business? What kind of business requires someone in your condition to go out…”

“Who knows.”

I replied with a slight smile.

“For whatever reason, the great Martial Arts Alliance is summoning me. I have to go in person.”

“…”

The Alliance’s message.

They must have known when I woke up; the Martial Arts Alliance had sent me a letter, essentially asking me to visit them.

What could be the reason?

Naturally, a few possibilities came to mind, but I didn’t mind any of them.

‘I would have had to go even if they hadn’t called.’

I was grateful they called me right after I woke up.

“So, I’ll be back shortly.”

As I said that and started to get up, Moyong Hi-ah quickly tried to stop me.

“No, you still have wounds…!”

She tried to dissuade me, mentioning the wounds on my body, but.

Slide.

“Huh?”

Seeing my body revealed as the bandages loosened, she lost her words.

The wounds on my body had already healed long ago.

“I’m heading out. Young Master Bi, let’s talk later.”

Taking advantage of Moyong Hi-ah’s reaction, I quickly walked away.

Moyong Hi-ah belatedly tried to grab me, but.

“…This person really…!”

I had already made my escape.

“Running away again…? Even with your injured body?”

Moyong Hi-ah grumbled, watching Gu Yangcheon disappear.

Pae Jon, watching this, took a sip of the tea Gu Yangcheon left and said.

“Isn’t it okay not to chase him?”

“Yes. It’s fine.”

In response, Moyong Hi-ah sighed and then chuckled.

Normally, I would have warned him first before chasing him.

I would have explained that going out now would be problematic, but.

“That person… needs to be scolded once.”

I felt too annoyed to do so.

Moyong Hi-ah snorted briefly and walked out of the room. Pae Jon, seeing this, also chuckled briefly and said.

“That’s right.”

The statement that he needed to be scolded.

I strongly agreed with that as well.

---

“Hoo.”

Thus, I stepped outside my quarters and started walking.

Seeing no signs of pursuit, it seemed I had escaped successfully.

I’ll probably have a hard time when I return… but that’s a problem for my future self.

Thinking that, I turned my head forward.

I didn’t bring any guards with me.

I usually go alone without such things, so I intended to do the same this time.

Just as I was walking towards the Alliance along the already ruined path.

“Oh…!”

“Th-that person is…!”

“Hm?”

I sensed someone’s presence from somewhere.

Following my gaze, I turned my head and saw personnel clearing debris.

Just then.

“Th-the Star King.”

“Star King-nim has arrived!”

“What!? Star King-nim is here?”

The people who saw me started shouting, their eyes gleaming.

“…Huh…?”

Just as I wondered why they were acting like this.

“Star King-nim-!!”

“Star King-nim…!!!”

“Star King-nim has graced us with his presence!”

“…Crazy?”

People swarmed towards me.

Seeing that, I realized.

It seemed something had drastically changed in the past few days.

And in a very strange direction at that.