"Senior brother."
"Shh."
Jo Gol, feeling like he shouldn't be interfering in the meeting and listening quietly in a corner, whispered to Yun Jong.
"Wait, why are we discussing this so quietly...? What's with the talk of reclaiming command?"
"Well..."
Yun Jong hesitated, glancing around before speaking. Although he wasn't completely clear himself...
"Currently, we're supposedly under the command of the alliance, right? But in reality, aren't we still under the authority of each sect?"
"...So, what's your point?"
Yun Jong's expression twisted slightly.
"If the sect leaders and the alliance lord give conflicting orders, whose commands should we follow?"
"Obviously, the alliance lord's?"
"Uh...?"
That was correct... But, well...
"I may have given a slightly misleading example. Let's say, if both the vice-alliance lord and the alliance lord issue different commands, whose commands do you think the Tang Family members would follow?"
"That's... Well..."
Of course, it should be Hyeon Jong.
But in reality, it would be Tang Gunak. It couldn't be helped. From the perspective of someone from Mount Hua, while Hyeon Jong was the ceremonial leader of the alliance, from Tang Family's standpoint, he was just another outsider.
"They seem to want to change that."
"Oh, they want to... But how...?"
Jo Gol, who seemed momentarily malfunctioned, grinned.
"How do they plan to change that? Is it even possible?"
"So, they want to...!"
As Yun Jong's frustration grew with the lack of understanding, his voice started to rise, but he was stopped short by Hyeon Jong's sharp gaze. Yun Jong and Jo Gol immediately lowered their heads. Before they knew it, everyone's attention had been drawn to their conversation.
"Ahem."
Tang Gunak cleared his throat and looked at Chung Myung.
During the previous meeting, Baek Cheon had thrown a bombshell, but compared to what Chung Myung had just dropped, calling it a bombshell would be an understatement.
Command... Did he even understand the words he was saying right now?
"Military leader. I understand the intention. But..."
"It's not an easy task, practically speaking?"
Tang Gunak nodded.
"That's right. This is..."
He couldn't finish his sentence. The meeting room fell silent again, prompting Jo Gol to speak up.
"Senior brother."
"Stop it..."
"No, why is this so serious? Is this really such a big deal?"
"Hmm..."
Yun Jong sighed deeply, as if the ground beneath him was caving in, and responded in a whisper.
"Then can you fight under someone else's command other than Mount Hua sect leader's?"
"Of course. Aren't we part of the Heavenly Friendship Alliance?"
"What if the person giving orders isn't the Southern Edge Sect sect leader, but Jin Geumryong young warrior?"
"....Yes?"
Jo Gol's eyes wavered for a moment.
"No, what if it's not the Southern Edge sect leader, but Jin Geumryong young warrior? Are you willing to risk your life charging into battle under his command?"
Jo Gol shut his mouth like a clam. He was prepared to answer 'yes', but now that he heard it like this, he couldn't answer so hastily.
"Reclaiming command means just that. It means the system you've known so far is all gone. And you have to comply with the new system."
"Surely it can't be that extreme? He must have his reasons too."
"That's something we can say because we're from Mount Hua. From the perspective of other sects, even more extreme situations could arise."
Without going far, Im Sobyeong was a perfect example. Until recently, he had held the position of military advisor, and his opinions had been conveyed indirectly through Hyeon Jong.
But if command was unified, then the same people who had only recently been called mountain bandits and had been following orders would now be risking their lives. Could everyone really accept that?
It seemed like everyone had similar thoughts, as the silence this time was quite prolonged. Chung Myung, observing the reactions, finally spoke up.
"Realistically difficult, armchair theorizing, it's best to start with what's possible... Are you still saying that after all we've been through?"
Chung Myung looked directly at Tang Gunak, whose face stiffened slightly.
"The reason the Nine Sects lost is simple. Even with a system that has been in place for hundreds of years like the Nine Sects and One Union, they couldn't surpass their own limits. The term 'union' alone couldn't break down the distinction between 'us and others.'"
"Of course, but..."
"If we fight under such a shaky system, even if we manage to win, it's obvious that we'll leave behind huge losses and bitter conflicts. Surely you don't intend for us to fight among ourselves again after defeating those bastards?"
Everyone's faces hardened. Only Chung Myung continued calmly.
"So there's only one solution, right? We have to unite our strengths without dividing into sects anymore."
Chung Myung turned his gaze to his senior and junior brothers instead of waiting for Tang Gunak's response.
"The experts of the existing system undoubtedly suffered defeat. But those who managed to somewhat break down those boundaries didn't expect to come back after beheading the Black Dragon King. Is there even one sect here that achieved greater success than them?"
There wasn't. Surprisingly, there wasn't a single one.
Amidst the heavy atmosphere, Chung Myung's eyes gleamed coldly.
"Let's face reality. Since we became enemies with the damn Four Tyrants Alliance, we haven't achieved a single victory against them. We've never won, never gained anything. It's been a series of defeats. Every time we fought, we lost and regretted it."
Some bit their lips.
"And yet you're saying that we can win if we properly sober up and fight? Without changing anything?"
Chung Myung chuckled faintly, a laugh that unsettled everyone.
"People should learn from history, shouldn't they? But why does it seem to me that we're like a sinking ship standing still?"
"Military Leader, that's going too far."
"If you think this is going too far, then you should change something starting now. Our ways, everything we thought was right. And..."
Chung Myung bit his lip and pointed to himself.
"Even the things I thought were right."
It was a highly meaningful statement from Jang Han.
***
As they almost left the conference room, Jo Gol scratched his messy hair and sighed.
"...Are you okay? The faces of the senior gate masters were serious."
"Why wouldn't they be? This is such a sensitive issue."
"Then why do it? You could just not do it... go to such lengths?"
"But we have to, even so."
"Is it that guy, Chung Myung?"
"Yes."
Jo Gol gave Yun Jong a sly look and raised his eyebrows.
"Senior brother, you're acting strangely too lately. One moment you act like you'd bet your life against everything Chung Myung does, and now you're subtly agreeing?"
"This guy... maybe."
Yun Jong sighed heavily as if he couldn't stop himself.
"If people were as simple as you, the world would be so peaceful."
"...Is that a compliment?"
"It is. Maybe."
With a shrug that seemed to say he couldn't stop himself, Yun Jong spoke quietly.
"Although we may have different thoughts from him, I agree on one thing. If we continue in the same way, even if we manage to defeat the Four Tyrants Alliance, serious conflicts will arise among us."
"...Why is that?"
"Because someone will die unnecessarily due to those who hesitated at the end."
Jo Gol understood vaguely what Yun Jong meant and nodded in agreement.
If, during this battle, they had combined all their different strengths to defeat the Black Dragon King, but if someone had quietly withdrawn to preserve their strength at that crucial moment... and if someone from Mount Hua had died because of them?
Jo Gol would never forgive them in his lifetime. Perhaps he would show even more intense hostility than when facing the evil sect.
"If we win a war but leave behind stains that can't be washed away, then everything becomes meaningless."
"That's why?"
"...Maybe that's the only way they believe they can win."
Now Jo Gol nodded, understanding vaguely.
"It's strange and yet feels inevitable, doesn't it?"
"What do you mean?"
"In the past, it was so natural for Chung Myung to do this kind of thing. He always changed something, didn't he? After entering Mount Hua, he changed everything from martial arts to training methods, and even the system itself."
"..."
"After that, he changed the way he dealt with other sects and even blurred the lines between enemies and allies."
Yun Jong recalled the past and nodded slowly.
"But at some point, I felt like... he started to respect others. In the past, he would have just beaten others until they listened to him, but at some point, did he start to listen to others if possible?"
"...Yes, he did."
Yun Jong felt the same way. And he thought it was just Chung Myung maturing as he became an elder.
But Jo Gol's thoughts seemed a bit different.
"Hasn't he reached a point where he can't stand it anymore?"
"...Can't stand it?"
"Yes. He probably wanted to do this from the beginning. Think about it. Originally, whenever he thought something was right, he didn't consider other people's circumstances at all and just overturned everything, shouting for others to follow."
Memories of the countless struggles they had gone through came flooding back. It felt like his whole body was throbbing with pain.
"...That's true."
"So, it'll probably be the same this time."
Yun Jong let out a short sigh.
"This time is different, Gol. We could leave everything to him before because we had nothing to lose anyway. But other sir gate masters won't think as lightly as we do."
But Jo Gol chuckled in response.
"The important thing isn't that. Whether there's something to lose or not is the way of thinking of people like senior brother. The important thing is that what he's saying is what we need to do to win, isn't it? And..."
Jo Gol said firmly, "That's the right thing to do."
Yun Jong fell silent.
"If it's right, we should do it. Naturally."
"That's true, but..."
Jo Gol interrupted Yun Jong's words.
"Well, honestly, I don't know."
There was a hint of annoyance on his face.
"Everyone, including senior brother, ceremonial sect leader, and even Chung Myung and elder brother, seems so complicated now. Maybe they have a lot to think about. It wasn't like this before."
Yun Jong let out a bitter laugh.
"That's because we... back then..."
"Don't say ridiculous things. You think we didn't have anything to think about before? We had plenty to think about even back then. If anything, when Chung Myung first came, we had even more to consider. How many times did we think about reviving a failing sect?"
Yun Jong paused for a moment. He realized that what Jo Gol said was true.
"There's only one thing that's changed. Back then, he didn't care about our feelings or position. Even today, he's the same. If it were like before and the sect leaders suggested taking some time to reconsider at the meeting, he would have thrown a fit. He'd say, 'What do you mean there's no time?'"
He could vividly imagine Chung Myung's tantrums. He didn't need to see them to know.
"That's right."
"But now, he's enduring it."
"But isn't that the right thing to do?"
"Is it right?"
Jo Gol looked at Yun Jong quietly.
"Well, I don't know. I used to think senior brother was a bit rough around the edges but fun, but lately, he seems different."
"How so?"
"He seems to be becoming more like the other sect leaders I used to see in the past. He's weighing and considering everything, and in the end, he's only choosing the safest option."
"..."
"Boring."
Jo Gol turned away.
"Gol."
"I'm going to see Chung Myung. He's caused quite a stir after a long time, so this time, we should flip things around properly without holding back in the middle."
Jo Gol glanced back at Yun Jong.
"Senior brother is bound to stop us anyway, so just stay here. That's it."
Yun Jong watched Jo Gol walk away blankly.
"...Changed? Me?"
His eyes trembled slightly. It was a statement he couldn't easily brush off, especially coming from Jo Gol's mouth.