Chapter 541. Condensing (1)

Chapter 541. Condensing (1)

“...W-wait a minute, Mister Jin-Ho?” Lee Hyeon-Su's voice was cracking and withdrawing. He sounded like a man who hadn't found the answer for the question, 'Is it okay for me to argue with Kang Jin-Ho like this?'

What separated him from mere common men was that... Lee Hyeon-Su still didn't stop complaining despite his voice faltering in uncertainty!

“If you have a plan, couldn't you have alerted us ahead of time so we...”

“My bad about that,” Kang Jin-Ho readily acceded to Lee Hyeon-Su's complaints. “However, I thought it was necessary, so I acted on it without talking to you first.”

“In what way is this necessary?”

“Well, the Assembly's forces need to get stronger, right?”

Lee Hyeon-Su nodded in agreement. For the sake of strengthening the Martial Assembly, he was willing to accept pretty much anything. However! Many things in this world started off with good intentions and wonderful goals... Only for them to go sideways during the process.

“I'm aware of the risks involved,” said Kang Jin-Ho. “However, we don't have a choice but to take on the risk. Time is one luxury we don't have, after all.”

People in this conference hall couldn't help but agree with the logic behind Kang Jin-Ho's opinion, regardless of how they felt about it. It was true that they only had bought themselves a temporary reprieve. Not even Zhuge Liang would be sharp enough to predict how this situation would unfold, so what about the trio in this office?

To ensure their continued survival from whatever fate had in store for them, the Martial Assembly's growth was non-negotiable. Even so...

“However, I gotta say, something about this doesn't sit right with me, Mister Jin-Ho,” Bang Jin-Hun finally broke his self-imposed silence and voiced his opinion. “It's a great idea to become stronger. However, the question now should be about the direction of our efforts. If we focus solely on strength and nothing else... We run the risk of losing our identity.”

“Our identity?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.

Bang Jin-Hun weightily nodded. “Yes. People are already biting my head off nonstop for introducing a demonic cultivation method to our younger generation. For now, I've tried to stop their complaints by saying it's only a trial run involving a handful of youngsters, but this problem will come to a head sooner or later.”

“Mm...” Kang Jin-Ho rubbed his chin.

“That's our current situation, so to introduce Western techniques on top of that? You can bet your bottom dollar that lots of folks in the older generation will go up in arms while saying some crap about the Martial Assembly failing to protect its tradition. After all, we are South Korea's Martial Assembly, not the International Martial Assembly.”

Kang Jin-Ho stopped rubbing his chin and stared straight at Bang Jin-Hun. “I see. Then, what are your thoughts on this matter, Assembly Master?”

“...You really want to hear what I think?”

“Yes.”

“Of course, I get where you're coming from. I fully understand that we shouldn't be picky about stuff in our current situation. From what our Yeongnam Branch director has told us, it seems we're stuck in a very tight spot. I get all that, but...” Bang Jin-Hun groaned, the ends of his sentence blurring. “It's just that I can't get rid of this feeling, you know? If we just accept and learn absolutely whatever in the pursuit of strength, wouldn't our identity get erased, never to be recovered?”

“Our identity, you say...?” Kang Jin-Ho frowned a little. “I have to say, I don't understand what you mean by 'identity'.”

“Well... It's not something I can verbally define. We've always been proud of continuing the inheritance, our tradition, of South Korea's martial arts and even evolving them. If our desire had been solely about acquiring strength, we'd already have chosen to lay in bed with Japan or China by now.”

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“You might think we're holding onto useless pride, but... I won't lie, Mister Jin-Ho. I still think it should be the 'Korean' martial arts if we can help it.”

Objectively speaking, willfully missing the opportunity to grow stronger in order to protect one's tradition sounded incredibly illogical. However, humans were known to make irrational decisions at times. Martial artists were especially more prone to this behavior.

Even if Mount Hua Sect's disciples were provided with the manuals containing Shaolin Temple's Yijin Jing technique, would they willingly accept it? Of course they wouldn't.

Those disciples had put their heart and soul into developing their techniques and improving cultivation realms to triumph over the others instead. Finding mightier, more tyrannical martial art techniques to become stronger just didn't fit their style.

Knight Wiggins noticed Kang Jin-Ho's questioning gaze, so he pointed at Vincent and Mathieu with his chin. “I believe it'll be better to hear from these two directly, my lord.”

“Directly, eh...?” Kang Jin-Ho shifted his gaze over to Vincent.

The Frenchman coughed awkwardly first. “I don't know if Miss Elena here can accurately convey our intentions to you, but here it goes. Let me not beat around the bush, Mister Kang. We'd like to request you for our protection.”

Elena translated what Vincent said into Korean. After listening to her, Kang Jin-Ho blinked his eyes while glancing at Lee Hyeon-Su. However, even Lee Hyeon-Su was tilting his head in confusion.

Kang Jin-Ho looked back at the French duo. “Looks like we need a more detailed explanation?”

“Mm, well...” Vincent hesitated, not knowing where to even begin.

That was when Mathieu stepped up. “Allow me, sir. We've heard about the current situation back home from Knight Wiggins. And we also understand you no longer need us. It's just that our circumstances mean returning to France is unfeasible for us.”

“Why?”

“It's because... Our freedom was not decided by the Round Table.”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned while staring straight at Mathieu. His expression seemed to say, What kind of nonsense are you spewing here?

Mathieu sheepishly chuckled. “I'm sure our way of thinking must sound strange to you. The truth is, we're your prisoners. Captured in the act, so to speak. Even if Knight Wiggins offers himself up to free us, only cold shoulders wait for us back home.”

“Mm? Even though your situation couldn't be helped?”

“Yes, you're right, Mister Kang. However, our colleagues back home won't necessarily feel that way. Especially Knight Leveaux, who is our commander. He places a lot of importance on preserving his face and justifications, you see?” Mathieu frowned as if he didn't even want to imagine how Knight Leveaux would react. “When he learns about his subordinates being freed through the sacrifice of Knight Wiggins, his sworn rival in the Round Table... I assure you, Mister Kang. Our fate will not be so nice after we return to France.”

“Huh? But, I thought you Westerners were more rational than that?”

“All humans are the same, Mister Kang. It's just the difference of how much of your true self you're willing to display on the surface.”

Kang Jin-Ho loudly groaned. If he were to forget about preambles and summarize what the French duo were saying... They didn't want to leave even if they were free. After scratching his head a little, Kang Jin-Ho looked at Vincent and Mathieu. “I see. So? What do you want, exactly?”

Mathieu sucked in a deep breath before raising his voice. “We'd like to continue with what we've been doing until now. Even if Knight Wiggins is here, you'll still need more people to teach our system of combat to so many of your martial artists.”

“Mm...”

“I promise you, we'll earn our keep. Our request is for the Martial Assembly to provide us with shelter until we can fully figure out the situation back home. However, please grant us more freedom than what we currently have, such as unrestricted movement and freedom to choose where we stay. Also... Allow us to leave if the situation back home stabilizes.”

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes and stared at Mathieu. The Frenchman nervously gulped while being subjected to that gaze. Speaking directly to Kang Jin-Ho placed so much pressure on his shoulders.

Kang Jin-Ho crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Why should I do any of those for you?”

“Mister Kang. We will be providing you with everything of ours willingly. Not under coercion or duress, but willingly, sir. I think that alone will be a fair trade.”

“Hmm...” Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su again. When the latter silently nodded, Kang Jin-Ho frowned while pondering his options. He scratched his cheek for a little while, then suddenly asked a question. “Huh. In that case, how much do you want for your salary, then?”

“...”

“...”

The atmosphere in the conference hall became a wee bit weird just then. Kang Jin-Ho confusedly scanned the surroundings and testily asked again. “Y-you okay with passion pay, then?”

Now that was a dangerous thing to say in this situation!