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Recently, there had been positive rumors about the Byeok clan’s swordsmanship, so when news of recruitment spread, over a hundred people gathered. Since it was known that this was a small squad I would be running personally, the number was less than the previous sword squad recruitment.

However, it was far more than I had expected. Many who had failed the previous recruitment came, along with many new faces.

Gwang-du was excited as he looked at the martial artists gathered in the courtyard.

“Young Master! It looks like there are over a hundred people!”

There was a wide range of ages, and surprisingly, quite a few women were visible.

“Are you going to recruit women too?”

“If they’re capable.”

“Oh! Let’s recruit them, let’s recruit all the women!”

“Do you like women that much?”

“Isn’t it nice? Better than having only men swarming around.”

That’s not why I intend to recruit women. While running the Martial Righteous Alliance, I clearly learned the importance of female martial artists. When carrying out important operations, having women made it easier to disguise in various ways. We could pose as a married couple, or as a mother and daughter.

It’s worth investing in for various reasons. Of course, I’ll have to judge them fairly and recruit based on their skills.

“Alright, let’s begin.”

One by one, they came forward to demonstrate their techniques.

I skipped the sparring test. I could tell their skill level just by watching how they handled their weapons.

I initially selected forty people with decent skills from among the applicants.

Then I interviewed each of the forty one by one.

How can one evaluate a person with just a few words? But I had experience meeting many people.

“Why do you want to join the sword squad?”

There were various answers. From honest replies about wanting to make money, to aspirations of becoming a renowned martial artist, to admiring my father.

In fact, I didn’t pay much attention to what answers they gave.

I watched to see if they were telling the truth. Those who lied were obvious. Even if it wasn’t a lie, rehearsed answers were apparent.

I chose those who spoke sincerely rather than those who spoke well. I excluded those with excellent skills but overly rough personalities.

As I told Gwang-du earlier, the most important thing in a sword squad is a sense of belonging. A sense of belonging develops when squad members get along well with each other.

I will continue to grow this sword squad. Among these recruits, those who develop well will become squad leaders and team leaders in the future. After all, I plan to grow not just one squad, but ten or twenty squads.

That afternoon, I stood before the twenty final recruits who had been accepted into the sword squad. There were eighteen men and two women.

I didn’t hide my aura. Rather, I emitted an even more intimidating aura. In the first meeting to establish a hierarchy, I don’t think there’s a need to conceal one’s presence.

In martial arts organizations, a good leader isn’t a nice leader. A good leader is skilled, cold-headed, and thus able to protect their subordinates.

“I know you’ve heard various rumors about me.”

From being a scoundrel to having reformed, I’m sure the rumors varied.

“I have only one thing to say. Forget it all. From now on, judge me for yourselves based on what you see.”

“Yes, understood!”

The voices of the squad members rang out. They must have already sensed from my aura that I was different from the rumors.

I’m the person who once commanded the largest number of subordinates in this martial world.

But this is the first time I’ve faced lower-ranking martial artists like this. After all, I went straight from being the world’s greatest to becoming the Alliance Leader.

Can I really lead them well? Even I feel my heart pounding.

If teaching Gwang-du was my first experience teaching someone, then directly leading subordinates like this is also a first.

“I will never forget this meeting today.”

It might sound like a cliché to them, but it was my sincere feeling.

I will make this day be remembered as the beginning of history.

“Now, I’ll select a squad leader.”

Everyone tensed up. Their lives would completely change depending on who became the squad leader.

I walked up to a young man among those standing at attention.

“Gwan Hwi[1].”

“Yes!”

He was someone I had been keeping an eye on.

His name was Gwan Hwi. Twenty-three years old. He said he had been an instructor at a martial arts school before applying, and he had a solid foundation in martial arts.

What caught my eye was his answer during the interview.

“Why do you want to join the sword squad?”

“I want to succeed as a martial artist.”

“Do you think you can succeed just by joining our squad?”

“May I speak frankly?”

“By all means.”

“I’ve heard rumors. That you’ve changed, Squad Leader. From a scoundrel to quite a decent person. I want to learn that secret. If I can change like that, I might succeed in the future.”

It was a bold and confident statement.

Of course, it wasn’t just because of this answer. His martial arts were solid for his age of twenty-three, and he answered other questions coherently as well. Moreover, he said only what needed to be said without unnecessary words.

“From now on, you’ll be the leader of our Small Sword Squad. Can you do it well?”

“Yes! Leave it to me.”

Gwan Hwi answered without hesitation.

“Good! That’s all for today.”

I took them to assign their quarters. For now, there was plenty of room. When the Byeok clan was at its peak, it had accommodated far more people than this.

As I was leaving the quarters, Gwang-du was waiting.

“How do you feel?”

What words were needed?

“Let’s have a drink.”

Just as my father and Seo Jung had done, I drank with Gwang-du late into the night.

It was a good start.

***

From the next day, I began training the sword squad in earnest.

With the advice I had received from Seo Jung, I was able to properly plan the training regimen.

The squad members each had their own martial arts. I just needed to guide them to maximize their potential.

I made rewards and punishments clear. This is the most important factor in managing an organization.

I praised and rewarded those who showed good results in training. I gave out monetary rewards directly, and sometimes bought good weapons from the armory to give as rewards.

Conversely, I punished those who fell behind.

But the punishments were not humiliating. They were punishments within limits that everyone could accept, and I made sure they could lead to individual training.

After I established these clear principles and dealt with the squad members, the atmosphere improved.

In my experience, the most important thing in an organization is principle. What’s hard for subordinates isn’t the work itself. It’s dealing with superiors who are inconsistent and lack principles.

Of course, while training them, I didn’t neglect my own cultivation.

I didn’t forget.

That I am the most important.

I knew better than anyone that the moment I fall, everything ends in an instant.

No matter how well I nurture the sword squad, it’s over if I die.

Thinking about the enemies I’ve faced, I understand this.

No matter how well-trained the elites I faced were, once I beheaded their leader, they easily crumbled. When the head is cut off, even the fiercest beast will thrash about in its final moments before dying.

So, becoming stronger is not just for my sake, but for everyone’s sake.

“How on earth do you have such good stamina?”

Gwan Hwi asked, panting, as we trained together.

“If you run, roll, and train for three hours every dawn like I do, you’ll be like this too.”

“You do physical training for three hours?”

“To succeed in anything, you need a period where you bury your efforts in time.”

“Bury your efforts in time? What do you mean?”

“It means there should be a period where you’re obsessed with one thing and focus solely on it. A time that you can look back on later and say, ‘I really worked hard then.’ Didn’t you say you wanted to succeed as a martial artist? Then bury your efforts in your time. The deeper you bury them, the greater success you’ll achieve.”

Gwan Hwi’s eyes sparkled. I could tell he would start running from tomorrow dawn.

“Thank you for the valuable lesson.”

The fellow bowed and ran off.

As I was watching Gwan Hwi with a satisfied expression, Gwang-du, who had approached without me noticing, spoke up.

“Aren’t you being too friendly?”

“What do you mean?”

“You never said things like that to me earlier.”

“Did I not?”

Gwang-du made an incredulous expression.

“You’re really too much!”

“Are you jealous?”

Gwang-du flinched, hit right on the mark.

“Jealous? I’m a man! A real man who’s done it all!”

“Don’t worry. He’s not funny, is he?”

Instead, Gwang-du’s expression hardened.

“Are you saying if I’m not funny either…”

I turned and walked away without answering. Even without looking back, I could imagine Gwang-du’s expression.

“Young Master, you’ve changed!”

I intended to make Gwang-du compete with Gwan Hwi.

As people become close, they lose the tension in their relationship. Eventually, this leads to mistakes. I think it’s good to maintain a certain level of tension even with the closest people.

Perhaps competition with Gwan Hwi will help Gwang-du maintain that tension.

That will help Gwang-du develop himself, and in turn, our relationship.

Sure enough, from the next day, Gwan Hwi started dawn training.

With the sword squad’s own training being quite demanding, individual training was not an easy task.

But Gwan Hwi was no ordinary fellow.

He had strong will and determination. On top of that, he had the ambition to be a good squad leader.

Before going out for dawn training, I quietly went to the backyard where Gwang-du trained.

As I expected, my prediction was correct.

Gwang-du had also woken up at dawn and was training.

I smiled.

This will be good for both of them.

Yes, be obsessed. That’s how you become something.

***

Three days after Gwan Hwi started his individual training, one of the squad members joined the dawn training. Two days later, another person joined.

Thanks to Gwan Hwi, an atmosphere of hard work had been established.

The sword squad was running even better than I had hoped.

The problem, rather, was with me. Currently, I had about 3,500 taels of silver.

Considering the monthly wages for twenty squad members and other incidental expenses, it wasn’t the time to be complacent.

While I was pondering how to make money, the Chief Steward visited.

He clearly came with something to say, but he beat around the bush.

“Are you managing the sword squad properly? You’re not wasting money unnecessarily, are you?”

“How could I be doing well? I’ve never properly managed money before.”

“I thought as much.”

The Chief Steward kept clicking his tongue, but his attitude was much softer than before.

“Feeding and taking care of people is not as easy as you might think.”

“Now that I’m doing it, I realize that’s true.”

The Chief Steward gave me various pieces of advice. He grumbled and nagged instead of just being nice about it. But every word was valuable advice that would become flesh and bone.

Just before getting up to leave, as if he had suddenly remembered, he blurted out,

“I asked you before, didn’t I? If you had any good young fellows?”

It was about what I had mentioned to him when I went to ask about the Shandong Merchant Association.

“Do you still need someone now?”

I could tell this was actually what he had come to say.

“Of course.”

“Well, there is one suitable fellow…”

“Who is it?”

“He’s a useless fellow who can barely do calculations, but…”

That won’t be true. If it’s someone the Chief Steward came to introduce personally like this.

“Go to Zoucheng and find Kong Su-chan[2].”

Zoucheng was located south of Qufu, not too far away.

“Thank you.”

The Chief Steward waved his hand dismissively as he left.

“Use your money wisely!”

***

The next day, I left home early with Gwang-du.

“If I fall behind Gwan Hwi because I couldn’t train today, it’s all your fault, Young Master!”

“Are you worried?”

“Of course I am. I’m about to be discarded like a boiled rabbit!”

“Haha.”

“You’re supposed to say that’s not true, why are you laughing!”

Don’t worry, kid. You won’t fall behind.

The Seven Forms of the Southern Sea that Gwang-du learned were incomparable to the martial arts learned by ordinary martial artists. Gwang-du just didn’t know yet because he hadn’t fought against others in real combat. Gwang-du was already stronger than the squad members we had gathered this time.

Before departing for Zoucheng, I bought two sets of martial arts uniforms for Gwang-du.

“I’m buying these for you because you’ve been working hard training lately.”

Gwang-du beamed with joy.

“Thank you, thank you so much!”

Even as he jumped up and down with joy, he chose a plain, lighter-colored uniform than mine, knowing it shouldn’t stand out more than mine.

“I think I’ll be too afraid to wear this outfit. I should hang it up in my room!”

“Do you like it that much?”

“This is the first time someone has given me clothes as a gift.”

For a moment I felt a lump in my throat, but I didn’t show it. This is Gwang-du, who drank alcohol with me for the first time, slept in the same room with me for the first time, and received clothes as a gift from me for the first time.

Yes, all those things you haven’t been able to experience until now, let’s do them together.

I’ll make sure you experience it all.

“By the way, who are we going to meet?”

“Someone who might be responsible for our money problems in the future.”

“Wow! Sounds like a really important person!”

Yes, an important person indeed.

I was curious to see what kind of person the Chief Steward had recommended.

And so, Gwang-du and I arrived in Zoucheng.

We asked around and found Kong Su-chan’s house.

The place we arrived at was a very small and shabby thatched cottage.