Became a God-Level M Chapter 226 : Escape: Inn Waiter

Chapter 226: Escape: Inn Waiter

“There are two places in the world that are the most dangerous and the safest. Do you know what they have in common?”

When the rchant King asked, Jin Seong-un answered after a brief mont of thought.

“You can’t approach them recklessly.”

“Exactly. Then can you guess where these two places might be?”

“The dangerous place would be the Demonic Cult, and the safe one… could it be the Imperial Palace?”

The rchant King smiled as if pleased.

“Those two places are my Secret Caves.”

“What’s hidden there?”

“The crisis of a rchant can usually be resolved with money. So, I hid so extrely expensive treasures. The kind of items that would cost an entire major trading company, and even then, might not be enough.”

Jin Seong-un let out a quiet exclamation.

He was curious about what kind of treasures could match the value of an entire large trading company.

“Where in the Imperial Palace and the Demonic Cult are these treasures hidden?”

“Haven’t I told you already? They’re in the most dangerous and the safest places.”

After pondering for a mont, Jin Seong-un asked with a sigh in his voice.

“Could it be… they’re located in the Emperor’s and the Heavenly Demon’s residences?”

The rchant King gave a thumbs up.

Jin Seong-un looked dumbfounded.

How on earth was he supposed to retrieve sothing from the residences of the Emperor and the Heavenly Demon?

It finally made sense why the rchant King had said it required risking one’s life.

After a mont of silence, Divine Thief interjected with a scolding tone.

“Are you a pervert? Got so weird taste or sothing? Why’d you hide such precious things in places like that? No, how did you even hide them in the first place?”

The rchant King clicked his tongue.

Looking at Divine Thief as if to say ‘What would a guy like you understand?’ he spoke.

“When I personally ran the Myriad Gold Manor, nothing in the world could threaten .”

“Good for you.”

“If soone like

had to urgently seek out funds, what kind of situation do you think that would be?”

“Getting kicked out by your wife?”

The rchant King’s eyes filled with deeper disdain.

“Click. Do you think I, who have never once tiptoed around a Falling Fla Iron Workshop woman my entire life, am anything like you? If I say it was a crisis, that ans there’s no place in the world safer than the Imperial Palace or the Demonic Cult. Do you get it?”

“You sure do love to praise yourself more and more.”

“How could a petty thief understand the heart of a great rchant?”

Their gazes clashed with a spark. As always, the two of them rolled on the floor fighting like it was life or death.

Thanks to Seo Yu-gyeom and Seomun Ak, Jin Seong-un was now used to such scenes. In fact, he even wondered if the two masters were closer than anyone else.

Amidst all that, the Sword Immortal spoke to him.

“So, you’ve once again witnessed the sword of Wudang?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Jin Seong-un explained his duel with the Wudang Sword Immortal in detail—how he discovered a way to counter the Taiji Wisdom Sword, and how the Wudang Sword Immortal had then used that to further develop his martial arts.

“A Sword Immortal of Wudang, huh…”

The Sword Immortal smiled faintly.

Though countless people had claid the title of Sword Immortal after him, the current Sword Immortal of the Wudang Sect seed to be soone who truly deserved the epithet.

He continued.

“As the generations pass, martial arts will inevitably branch out, rge, vanish, or change. In that process, there will surely be aspects that evolve.”

Jin Seong-un nodded.

The Wudang Sword Immortal refining the Taiji Wisdom Sword was just such a case.

“Seong-un, though you have learned martial arts closest to the source, do not disregard what’s derived. Approach it with a learning heart. At your level now, advancent cos not from others pushing you forward, but from your own realization.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Jin Seong-un also felt a strong curiosity about the next stage.

The Transformation Realm, the state of being in harmony with all things under heaven. Those who reached this stage were considered absolute masters of their ti, the very apex of the martial world.

The Sword Immortal said,

“When you reach the realm of harmony, I shall teach you the true sword technique.”

“The one beyond the Fire Dragon Escape Sword?”

The Sword Immortal shook his head.

“It is a different sword. The Fire Dragon Escape Sword is rely the sword of the Fire Dragon True Man, into which I infused so of my understanding. It is fundantally different from my Celestial Escape Sword.”

Jin Seong-un briefly recalled the Sword Immortal’s swordsmanship.

It was the ti when the Blood Demon had gone on a rampage.

Hundreds, thousands of Qi Swords floated freely through the air like stars in the night sky. It was an awe-inspiring sight, even in mory.

To Jin Seong-un, it didn’t seem like swordsmanship, but rather a phenonon itself.

No wonder his master was called the Sword Immortal.

Jin Seong-un then offered a clasped hands greeting.

“I will continue my training.”

The Sword Immortal nodded with a satisfied smile.

Jin Seong-un then made his rounds, greeting the rchant King and Divine Thief still wrestling on the ground, the ever-smiling Noble Enchantress, and the Blood Demon who, as always, was looking up at the sky.

Divine Thief and the rchant King were too engrossed in their fight to respond, while the Noble Enchantress answered with her usual gentle smile.

But Jin Seong-un had noticed sothing earlier. When the rchant King ntioned the Imperial Palace, the Noble Enchantress’s expression had subtly shifted.

‘What story lies behind that…?’

Curious, but feeling it was not the right ti to ask, he held his tongue.

As usual, the Blood Demon glanced briefly at Jin Seong-un, then returned to gazing at the sky. Training or staring at the heavens—that was all the Blood Demon ever did.

Jin Seong-un wondered what was going through his master’s mind.

He thought, once again, that the Blood Demon looked terribly lonely.

He then bowed.

“I’ll co again.”

Moyong Hyeon shuffled through the inn with heavy steps.

‘How did it co to this…’

Ever since business began, he had been forced to work as an inn waiter, learning the ropes while being bullied by the thug-like Jang Gwang and the good-for-nothing Seomun Ak.

It made him feel miserable. He was not soone ant for nial work like this in an inn.

While lanting his situation with a wine bottle in one hand and a rag in the other, he suddenly spotted Lee Seowon.

The man was constantly taking notes, organizing, and thinking about every task inside and outside the inn with those haggard eyes—did he even sleep?

‘He’s the one with hiring authority, isn’t he?’

When Moyong Hyeon had complained to Jin Seong-un that he was supposed to only handle calculations, not serve tables, the reply had been that staffing decisions were up to this Chief Steward.

So, Moyong Hyeon followed Lee Seowon, who was walking busily toward the back of the inn.

“Chief Steward, are you busy?”

He called out in a soft tone.

Startled, Lee Seowon turned around, having been deep in thought.

“Oh, it's you, Young Master Moyong. I was just organizing Ha Joo-myeong’s intentions and half a month’s worth of ingredient quantities.”

“…You sure manage great and trivial matters all at once.”

At that, Lee Seowon’s brow twitched.

“Which one do you consider a trivial matter?”

“Ah, that is…”

“There is no such thing as a trivial business.”

Moyong Hyeon let out a forced cough.

He had hoped to stay on this man’s good side to make things go smoothly, but it already felt like sothing had gone wrong from the start.

He continued.

“That wasn’t my intention. You looked busy, so I’ll get straight to the point. I wasn’t originally here to work as an inn waiter. I’m not even getting paid.”

“I’ve heard. However, Clan Leader Moyong said it’s up to the Innkeeper Jin how he uses you. And the innkeeper has delegated that authority to .”

“Hmm…”

“Innkeeper Jin is not the type to exploit soone without pay. I’m sure he’ll give you proper wages. Also, at present, Seong-un Inn doesn’t require a clerk solely in charge of accounting.”

Though Lee Seowon spoke firmly, he actually thought well of Moyong Hyeon.

Lee Seowon liked smart people. So did Moyong Hyeon.

Thus, the two naturally held a basic sense of respect and fondness for each other.

Of course, that didn’t stop Lee Seowon from doing his duty as the Chief Steward.

“Please continue working as an inn waiter. If the inn grows too large in the future, then I’ll entrust you with accounting exclusively.”

When there are too many custors, even accounting becos complicated. It was, after all, a task that required a sharp mind. He couldn’t entrust it to Seomun Ak or Jang Gwang—Moyong Hyeon was the only option.

“…Very well.”

Of course, Moyong Hyeon was simply disheartened that nothing had changed for him imdiately.

It was a rare evening when business ended early.

Unlike Seomun Ak and Jang Gwang, who still had to clean up after the remaining guests, Chef Seo Yu-gyeom had already tidied up the kitchen and was heading to the training grounds behind the inn.

Moyong Hyeon wiped down a table with a cloth and watched him with envious eyes. It made him realize just how solid the chef’s position was in the inn.

‘Maybe I should’ve learned to cook instead…’

Just then, Moyong Hyeon flinched. He caught himself slowly blending into the routine of the inn.

While he was feeling a quiet wave of self-loathing, he noticed the Chief Steward strapping a sword to his waist and heading toward the training grounds.

‘Is he learning martial arts?’

Well, the world was a dangerous place.

Seong-un Inn was especially so, being a place that attracted all sorts of trouble from across the world.

Even for soone in administration, it wasn’t a bad idea to learn enough martial arts to protect oneself.

As Moyong Hyeon thought that, his mind turned quickly.

‘This is a chance.’

His judgnt was swift, and his actions even swifter.

“This cloth’s too dirty.”

Muttering to himself, he casually began walking as if he were going to rinse the rag.

Just then, a group of guests finished their al and stood to leave, drawing the attention of Jang Gwang and Seomun Ak.

At that mont, Moyong Hyeon used his movent arts and darted not toward the kitchen—but straight to the training grounds.

.

.

.

As expected, Seo Yu-gyeom was teaching sword techniques to Lee Seowon.

But sothing about Lee Seowon’s form looked off.

Even a child handed a sword for the first ti could probably swing it better than that.

Seo Yu-gyeom seed frustrated as well, speaking with a sigh.

“Hey, you idiot. That’s not it.”

“…If swinging a sword however I wanted actually worked, I’d already be a master.”

“Master, my ass. Just swing it properly even once. Is that so hard?”

“It is hard! That’s why I’m struggling!”

Seo Yu-gyeom kept scolding him, and the Chief Steward, seemingly with a temper of his own, snapped back.

Moyong Hyeon watched Lee Seowon intently before walking over to the two.

Seo Yu-gyeom glanced over and asked,

“Business all done?”

“Ahem, that’s not what’s important right now. It seems our Chief Steward here has a bit of a problem…”

“‘A bit,’ my foot.”

Seo Yu-gyeom shook his head.

As soone born with Martial Talent thanks to Heaven-Slaying Star, Seo Yu-gyeom simply couldn’t understand Lee Seowon’s struggle.

Moyong Hyeon asked,

“Is it truly that hard just to swing a sword? If so, this isn’t simply a lack of talent—it must be sothing else.”

At that, Lee Seowon scratched his head awkwardly and explained the condition he had discovered in himself.

Due to his exceptional insight, his body lacked strength.

Even when he tried to swing a sword once, his unique insight would automatically generate hundreds of theoretical thods.

These overthought processes beca intrusive thoughts, causing the sword tip to waver. He even ntioned that Hyeon Baek, the Head of Martial Studies at the Wudang Sect, had similar symptoms and eventually gave up on martial arts altogether.

Moyong Hyeon listened quietly to this mix of lant and explanation, then nodded.

“As I thought.”

With that, he chuckled softly.

At his reaction, Seo Yu-gyeom and Lee Seowon’s eyes widened.

He exuded the calm confidence of soone who already knew the cause and the cure.

“Don’t tell

you experienced sothing similar, Young Master Moyong?”

At Lee Seowon’s question, Moyong Hyeon lifted the corner of his lips in a smirk.

“I must’ve been around fifteen or sixteen. My household was in an uproar. I was born and raised in a martial family, and I was even the eldest son destined to inherit it.”

The eldest son of the Moyong Clan, one of the Five Great Orthodox Clans, turning out to be the dullest blockhead in the world?

Just imagining the atmosphere in the Moyong household at the ti gave an idea of how bad it must’ve been.

Lee Seowon asked,

“Then did you overco it?”

“Sword Dragon. It’s a title I’ve since abandoned, but once, the world called

by that na. It’s embarrassing to say it myself, but I was once considered one of the top Later-generation Prodigies. What does that tell you?”

“…H-How? How did you overco it?”

Moyong Hyeon grinned.

Lee Seowon furrowed his brow slightly, recognizing the aning behind that smile.

The two shared a certain kinship. They viewed all matters of the world through logic.

Moyong Hyeon continued.

“If there’s anyone who knows better than I do that nothing in the world is free, it’s you, Chief Steward.”

Lee Seowon nodded solemnly.

The foundation of any fair transaction is reading the other party’s intentions. And at this mont, it was obvious what Moyong Hyeon wanted.

‘Escape from being an Inn Waiter.’

Should he preserve his dignity as Chief Steward and refuse such a shaful bargain?

Or should he seize the chance to learn Black Wolf Saber Art, martial arts of the rchant King’s lineage?

The dilemma didn’t last long.