Only I Am A Reader

"...Rebellion?"

Aside from Leo who was already aware of what would happen, anyone that was isolated from the outside world like Yeon could only feel confused when hearing such a word. No matter what, it was completely incompatible with how things worked in Murim.

There was nothing to rebel against, to begin with! Although the Murim Alliance as well as the sects and families behind it assumed a leading position, they couldn't enforce any form of rules outside of their territories.

Like a very large pizza pie, Murim was divided among the various powers according to their strength and greed, the united front was merely an illusion that only became a reality under the threat of humanity's extinction.

As such, there was only one last situation that could be the answer to that…

"Is someone trying to overthrow the Emperor?"

In reality, a form of 'ruling' power did exist, but their power was only restricted to the mundane world. The ruling dynasty had long signed a pact that basically stated that both they and the Martial Artists of Murim would mind their own business.

Of course, there were Martial Artists that got individually involved in the political game of chess. Some joined the army or the Imperial Guard, exchanging wealth for freedom, but that had never resulted in an uprising… It wasn't even a plausible scenario.

At a certain threshold, gold and silver were worth the same as stones in the eyes of Martial Artists, and gaining hold over the powerless was something they could do on a daily basis just by flaunting their strength.

Except for some loyalists, most powerhouses steered clear from the struggle for the throne, but without their involvement… Why would a struggle between normal people pose a threat to the Heavenly Strength Society?

Despite being the closest interpretation of the confusing word, it was clear that this wasn't the answer either.

"That…"

"Forget it, there is no reason for me to continue guessing. Just directly explain the situation to me."

As much as grasping the situation quickly could do well to build up her image, Yeon quickly came to an understanding of how abnormal things were, in which case throwing darts into the darkness would lead to nothing.

"As you command. The person that had recently revealed himself to be the leader of the so-called Murim League is rebelling against the essence of Murim itself."

The Scarlet Sky Warrior paused, taking a glance at Yeon's expression, only to be mildly surprised by her calmness. He had tried his best to exaggerate his words in order to see a reaction only to be disappointed.

"Go on."

It would definitely be a lie to say that Yeon wasn't jumbled by this weird issue that emerged as soon as she took over, but the experience she received told her that she needed to wait for the whole picture before giving any response.

"...Excuse me. According to the information we collected, he speaks of overthrowing the practice of Martial Arts, specifically calling out to suppress the lethal force it carries. As far as we know, it seems that he wants to use the current state of Murim to tear it a new one in his own image."

"From your earlier words, can I assume that his forces are as big and strong as his ambition?"

Though Yeon's face turned slightly serious at the revelation, it was still as calm as a lake.

"That wasn't the case at first, but he seemed to have magically bewitched a force to behold in a very short period with his surprise attacks and honey-tongued speeches…"

After taking the chance to test her once, the Scarlet Sky Warrior had no plans to take his chances of angering the Society's new 'Queen'. Following up the headline, he slowly and precisely explained Geochin's thought-conquering process.

Starting with the Namgung Family as his first footstep, the dream-powered Geochin had no plans of stopping.

Just like he ambushed his old home, he moved on to the other Martial Families in the same manner, suppressing their heads and guards before sharing his enlightenment.

On rare occasions, one or two family leaders who were questioning their managing approach after the monsters' invasion actually relented and decided to try out Geochin's approach by staying neutral and accepting his 'restrictions' in the end.

Still, most of the leaders heavily resisted his unreasonable notions, resulting in what could be described as 'unnecessary violence'.

One thing for sure, however, was that the time was perfectly ripe for someone to do something like this. With how weakened and poor every organization had become, the resistance that Geochin met wasn't exactly so daunting.

"He is filling up an army by converting his enemies' forces?"

What Yeon heard didn't strike fear into her heart, but it did make her intrigued. The former Heavenly Demons had witnessed many storms hitting the Murim including countless uprisings and fights for supremacy, but this strange method that this troublemaker employed was the most interesting one by far.

At first thought, it looked like he was making a building out of runny mud that would simply splatter away within a few minutes. Yet, when she analyzed the matter closely, taking into consideration that he was met with success, Yeon saw the brilliance of this process.

Any idea was just a simple thought in the beginning, but as long as you found enough people to believe in it, it became much more than just that. Even then, such an endeavor wouldn't last long either. Unless…

'He tempered them with blood and iron…'

What was just a thought became an important reality once those convinced killed or injured others for the sake of it. Just like exposing the mud house to the intense heat of the firing kiln, what was once shaky and unstable would suddenly become solid!

To top it off, drawing blood and convincing others, the actions that they might have been reluctant to do at one point would slowly become a measure of merit, something that they would compete in against their peers…