A man whose outside and inside don't match.
The common term for such a person: a spy, or a mole.
The moment Do Gyeong—the man who had intercepted Ha Jin—heard those words, he was inwardly shaken to no small degree.
'Don't tell me he's figured out my identity?'
His true identity was that of an operative covertly dispatched by the orthodox Martial Alliance.
His mission: to gather intelligence from inside the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, sabotage the Young Sect Leader selection to weaken the Demonic Sect's power.
He had spent years preparing meticulously for this role and prided himself on having a thorough understanding of the Divine Sect's inner workings.
But Ha Jin's appearance was an unforeseen variable that threatened to upend all his plans. Nowhere in his advance intelligence was there any mention of Ghost Hand's disciple.
'That's impossible. There was nothing to give me away. He's probably just throwing it out there to see how I react. But if I slip up, things could get ugly—I'd better watch my words.'
The fact that the legendary retired assassin, Ghost Hand, had taken a disciple was something he'd never even imagined. His brow furrowed involuntarily.
How skilled was this man, exactly?
And why had Ghost Hand pushed his disciple into the Demon Path Hall at this particular juncture? What was the intent behind it......?
Countless questions raced through Do Gyeong's mind. Identifying this sudden new variable named Ha Jin was now his most urgent task.
That was precisely why he had deliberately approached Ha Jin immediately after the commotion with Cheon Ha-rin.
'Please don't be a threat.'
As a spy dispatched by the Martial Alliance, Do Gyeong operated under a set of unwritten directives concerning the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect.
First: Cheon Ha-rin must be prevented from becoming the next Sect Leader at all costs. If she took the seat, the Demonic Sect's legitimacy would solidify and its internal factions would rally far more tightly. For the orthodox sects, that was the worst-case scenario.
Second: The Sword Demon's son, Yun Geom, was highly skilled but arrogant and self-righteous—not the caliber of leader who could unite factions. Having him become Sect Leader would make it far easier to sow internal division, which was far more advantageous for the orthodox sects. Therefore, push aside his competitors and help him ascend to the Heavenly Demon's seat by any means necessary.
Third: Beware the Mad Demon. That woman was utterly unpredictable—impossible to anticipate when, where, or what she might do. An absolute lunatic. Remember: nothing good comes from getting entangled with her.
-What? We're supposed to be wary of a single Demon Lord?
-Yes. The Mad Demon is dangerous.
These had been Do Gyeong's baseline operating guidelines before entering the Demon Path Hall. But now, a fourth entry might need to be added.
'I need to get a read on Ghost Hand's disciple.'
After a moment to organize his thoughts, Do Gyeong faced Ha Jin squarely.
"So, I have a question for you."
This was the beginning of serious intelligence gathering. Do Gyeong needed to determine how this unknown variable named Ha Jin would shake the board.
He opened with a question designed to gauge Ha Jin's intentions.
"Are you planning to go to the Transcendence Hall or the Thousand Days Hall?"
Cadets who passed the Demon Path Hall's first-stage trial were faced with a fork in the road.
The Transcendence Hall was for those who sought to surpass the heavens—in other words, those who aspired to the Sect Leader's seat. Choosing the Transcendence Hall was tantamount to publicly declaring one's ambition to compete for the next Sect Leader position.
The Thousand Days Hall, on the other hand, was for those who intended to spend their thousand days in quiet, dedicated training, building their standing. It carried the implication of pursuing growth as a martial artist rather than the Sect Leader competition. Though that was more the theoretical ideal.
In practice, the cadets heading to the Thousand Days Hall overwhelmingly tended to pick a Young Sect Leader candidate from the Transcendence Hall, pledge their support, and lend their strength to that person's cause.
As such, it was considerably more stable and less competitive than the Transcendence Hall.
'The question is which one he'll choose.'
Ultimately, what this question really asked was: will you be the king, or will you be the kingmaker? Do Gyeong believed this would give him a decent read on Ha Jin's ambitions.
'So hurry up and show me your ambition, Ghost Hand's disciple!'
Do Gyeong's eyes strained to read Ha Jin's expression. Ha Jin, as though he'd finished deliberating, widened his eyes and tilted his head.
"Hm? What's that about?"
A genuinely innocent and honest reaction. Do Gyeong nearly toppled backward from the shock.
'What? What's his angle?'
His mind raced. Reading expressions was a spy's bread and butter. Yet he couldn't decipher a thing.
'What is he thinking?'
There was no calculation or intent whatsoever in the man's voice. Nothing but pure, unfiltered surprise, as though he were hearing the concept for the very first time.
Do Gyeong was momentarily struck dumb. Had this man truly come here knowing nothing? Or was all of this an elaborate act to make him lower his guard?
Meanwhile, Ha Jin took it a step further, asking with a face full of childlike curiosity.
"So what's the difference between the Transcendence Hall and the Thousand Days Hall?"
"You really don't know......?"
When Ha Jin nodded, Do Gyeong exhaled a short sigh and began a brief explanation.
"Once you pass the Demon Path Hall's first-stage trial, every cadet must choose one of two paths. The Transcendence Hall and the Thousand Days Hall."
"I see."
"The Transcendence Hall is where those with ambitions for the Sect Leader's seat gather. Entering it is tantamount to declaring your intent to compete for the next Sect Leader position."
He paused to gauge Ha Jin's reaction, but Ha Jin merely blinked with apparent fascination.
"The Thousand Days Hall, on the other hand, is for those who would rather focus on training and honing their skills, building their position within the Sect, rather than joining the competition outright. Of course, most of them end up backing one of the Transcendence Hall candidates eventually."
The moment the explanation ended, Ha Jin finally grasped the difference between the two.
'So it's basically high risk, high return versus low risk, low return.'
Ha Jin's goal was singular: not glory within the Demon Path Hall, but to hang on long enough to leave and open his inn. The latter was the obvious choice.
"I'll probably be heading to the Thousand Days Hall."
Do Gyeong's expression hardened.
***
Moments ago, Ha Jin had answered as casually as if picking an item off a restaurant menu. Do Gyeong managed his expression, burying his puzzlement beneath a composed facade.
'He has no intention of going to the Transcendence Hall?'
Do Gyeong's mind churned. The man before him was Ghost Hand's disciple, wasn't he? And skilled enough to hold his own against Cheon Ha-rin.
By all rights, he was an asset capable of disrupting the entire Young Sect Leader race within the Transcendence Hall.
'So why is he giving up the Young Sect Leader position......?'
Then, for a brief instant, Do Gyeong's face went slack as though he'd been struck by a hammer. Whose disciple was this man, again? Ghost Hand's.
Ghost Hand had been someone who, even in his active years, never showed the slightest interest in power—devoting himself solely to his martial path and his missions.
From the orthodox sects' perspective, he had been the very embodiment of unyielding loyalty—the hardest man to turn. If this was his only disciple, there was a strong chance he had inherited Ghost Hand's temperament in full.
'If he has no appetite for power, that makes sense. But then, which candidate does he intend to support?'
Ghost Hand had lived his entire life as the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect's shadow. And when he had entered the Thousand Days Hall in his own era, the Heavenly Demon of that generation had displayed overwhelming martial prowess at the transcendent level even as a mere cadet.
Competition hadn't even been a relevant concept.
But now things were different. Generously put, the candidate pool was diverse. Less generously, everyone was mediocre.
With no dominant frontrunner, every faction backed a different horse.
'Who is he going to support? Cheon Ha-rin, heir to the succession's legitimacy? But they seemed to be at odds...... A Demon Lord's bloodline or disciple? Or an entirely different dark horse?'
Do Gyeong's mind was tangled with speculation about whose side Ha Jin would take. As the chain of thought continued, he arrived at a single conclusion.
Ultimately, who Ha Jin supported right now didn't matter.
If he could be co-opted, bring him in.
If that proved impossible, monitor him or eliminate him.
Those were the only two conclusions.
And to reach either, he first needed to find out who Ha Jin would back.
"So, what happened between you and Cheon Ha-rin earlier?"
Do Gyeong had only observed the two of them standing in the training yard from a distance. The details had been beyond his view.
"Hmm, what happened with Cheon Ha-rin?"
Ha Jin retraced his thoughts. He'd been fighting, then he'd fled, and now here he was. In summary, it boiled down to one thing.
"We fought and I ran."
"You ran?"
"That's right."
A flicker of brightness crossed Do Gyeong's expression. Fighting meant there was a good chance the two were on bad terms. That brought things closer to his plan.
Which meant it was time to put his silver tongue to work. For a spy, stirring up discord was an essential virtue.
"Ha Jin, I believe the time has come for the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect's power structure to change."
"In what way?"
"With the current Sect Leader's era drawing to a close, the question of who becomes the next Sect Leader is paramount. I believe that position best suits Yun Geom of the Sword Demon Sect."
Ha Jin stared vacantly at Do Gyeong. Do Gyeong smiled and pressed on. Time to drive in the nail.
"That Yun Geom is the most skilled cadet in this entire class is common knowledge. The Reverence of the Strong—the strong claim everything and rise to the highest seat! That is the great spirit that upholds the Divine Sect, and the only figure worthy of the glorious title of Young Sect Leader is none other than Yun Geom!"
Do Gyeong clenched both fists and delivered his impassioned speech as though he were a loyal retainer genuinely concerned for the Divine Sect's future. Every word of it, of course, was an act behind a mask.
Inwardly, Do Gyeong pictured Yun Geom's face and swallowed a contemptuous laugh.
Yun Geom—arrogant, self-righteous, a wild colt who relied on nothing but brute strength. A man who knew neither how to manage people nor how to read the currents of a vast organization. Nothing more than a well-sharpened blade.
'The perfect talent for running an organization into the ground.'
He even had the pigheadedness to reject the counsel of those around him. The moment he took the Sect Leader's seat, he'd swing his blade however he pleased, erode the Divine Sect's discipline, fracture its unity from within, and ultimately drive the colossal organization down the road to ruin.
Do Gyeong imagined the day Yun Geom would become Young Sect Leader and plunge the Divine Sect into the abyss, and curled the corner of his mouth once more. Of course, Ha Jin's attention had drifted in an entirely different direction.
"Yun Geom? Is he really that strong?"
"He could be called the strongest among the cadets without exaggeration. Even compared to Cheon Ha-rin."
In that instant, shock bloomed across Ha Jin's face. Cheon Ha-rin had been Cadet Number One, true, but he couldn't rule out the possibility that others, like himself, had deliberately held back to get a lower number.
'......Stronger than Cheon Ha-rin?'
The overwhelming killing intent he'd felt earlier. Those eyes blazing with crimson madness. He could say with certainty that he had no confidence of winning if they met again. Cheon Ha-rin had been an absolute calamity of a woman.
'That psycho was monstrously strong, and this Yun Geom is supposed to be even worse?'
He tried to imagine how powerful that would be, and a chill crept unbidden down his spine. He'd better make absolutely sure he never made an enemy of that one.
"I'd better never cross paths with this Yun Geom. I nearly lost every bone in my body before I managed to run from Cheon Ha-rin."
The moment Ha Jin said this with casual composure, Do Gyeong's easy expression twitched and his brow narrowed.
'Cheon Ha-rin's swordplay embodies the principles of speed and variation, and it has a ruthless tenacity that hounds an opponent to the bitter end. Even for someone like me, with considerable movement technique, I couldn't be certain of escaping......'
If what Ha Jin said was true, there were only two possibilities. Either he possessed exceptional movement technique, or he had the skill to turn his back on Cheon Ha-rin mid-duel and flee at leisure.
Goosebumps erupted along Do Gyeong's spine. This was a conversation on an entirely different level. Acknowledging defeat and retreating was worlds apart from breaking free of a predator mid-hunt.
'Right—I mustn't forget that this man is Ghost Hand's disciple. I may need to report to the Martial Alliance immediately.'
And so Do Gyeong revised his assessment of Ha Jin.
This was no longer a matter of which cadet to push or not.
Alerting them to the new entity called Ha Jin came first.