Published at 27th of August 2026 7:13 pm

Chapter CH.1095: The World of Ascension (25)

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Srrrng.

The sensation of a blade unsheathing was unmistakable. A chilling shiver ran down my spine. My body remained stiff as I rolled my eyes to take in the scene before me. My throat felt dry at the sheer sight surrounding me.

A golden blade.

The golden Regal Sword—a sword synonymous with the Sword Master and his divine blade—was scattered all around. Dozens of blades were aimed directly at my neck.

It was the aura of the Three Masters. Paejon had mentioned before—if they had reached such a level, they would have undoubtedly transcended the ordinary.

If that were true, then Sword Master must have reached that stage as well.

'...This is insane.'

Why was someone like him pointing his blade at me? As I said before, I hadn't done anything particularly suspicious.

Which meant, logically, there should be no issue.

"Who exactly are you?"

Sword Master’s words sent a sharp chill down my spine.

What was he implying? My father stood beside him, staring at me in silence.

Meanwhile, Sword Master sat at his desk, his frosty gaze locked onto me.

"...What do you mean?"

I met his fierce gaze head-on and asked.

At that, Sword Master gave me a slight smirk.

"I heard you were born into the Baek family."

"Yes."

"Yet, there is no living blood relative in the Baek family who bears your name."

"...."

I frowned.

Ah, damn.

"They figured it out already?"

They had already uncovered the issue with my supposed affiliation with the Baek family. Had they used the Beggars’ Union to investigate?

Where had I raised suspicion?

"No matter how meticulous the Martial Alliance (Muimmaeng) is..."

It wasn’t common for them to scrutinize every minor recruit. Yet, the fact that they had investigated me this thoroughly and quickly—something about this was off.

And then—

"I cannot understand this."

Sword Master spoke.

"If you were truly trying to hide your identity, you wouldn’t have aimed to become the top candidate. So why did you?"

"..."

Ah.

Only then did I understand.

It wasn’t just Sword Master, but even the Martial Alliance had actively sought to uncover my identity.

"I was too flashy."

I had drawn far too much attention to myself.

Not only had I defeated the examiner, but I had also aced the written exam.

Since I had become the top recruit, it was only natural that they would want to verify my background. Yet, I had completely overlooked that detail.

"I don't understand what you mean."

I feigned ignorance for now.

"I am from the Baek family. My identity was properly verified upon my entry into the Alliance."

I had used the Veil of Shadows’ authority (Mang’s ability) to get past their checks.

At the very least, the verification should have seemed flawless to them at the time.

"The eyes and ears of the Beggars’ Union are not so dull."

Sword Master’s voice was resolute.

At the same time, I could feel the blade against my throat press even closer.

"A message from the Baek family head will arrive soon regarding the new disciples. Before that, I am simply confirming something with you. What is your true identity? Furthermore..."

Krrk—

The room trembled.

It was the sheer pressure of Sword Master’s aura.

"The recent appearance of the Crimson-Rank Beast... is that your doing?"

"Excuse me...?"

For a moment, I thought, what kind of nonsense is this?

But if I were being honest, it was my fault.

When I arrived in this world, a strange distortion had occurred. That distortion was likely the reason the Crimson-Rank Beast had appeared within the Alliance’s territory.

However—

That’s not what Sword Master means.

What Sword Master was implying wasn’t related to my transmigration itself.

"No, it isn’t."

I immediately denied it.

"Then, are you saying everything else I mentioned is true?"

"..."

Sword Master’s gaze sharpened.

This old man was relentless.

Damn it.

How was I supposed to get out of this? If I denied it outright, would he let it slide?

Of course not.

This wasn’t going to be easy after all.

Getting into the Alliance had been simple enough, but now I was at a loss for how to get out of this situation.

As expected, the crisis had arrived sooner than I had anticipated.

"Isn't it strange that someone of your skill level is only appearing now?"

To Sword Master, I must have seemed like a hidden expert deliberately concealing his abilities.

Even if I wasn’t actively hiding my strength, I was still undeniably powerful. And the fact that I wasn't affiliated with [N O V E L I G H T] any of the established factions—the Dragons or Phoenixes—was suspicious.

"I will ask again."

Gradually, Sword Master’s voice grew heavier with suppressed killing intent.

"Who are you?"

Szzzz—!

The blade pressed firmly against my throat, trembling slightly.

"..."

I hesitated.

How was I going to break through this?

Would outright denial work?

If I stalled long enough, the letter from the Baek family would arrive. Maybe that would buy me time.

...No, that won’t work.

I could tell just by looking into Sword Master’s eyes.

Even if I denied everything, he wasn’t going to believe me.

My acting skills weren’t good enough to fool him, either.

So—

Should I just break through?

Should I attempt to escape by force?

It was an option.

Doing so would make things infinitely more complicated in the future, but it was better than being caught here.

The real question was—

Can I even escape?

Could I really break through Sword Master and flee?

"..."

Just how strong was Sword Master right now?

He was often described as the martial artist closest to being the strongest under the heavens.

As the current symbol of the orthodox factions, his strength was undoubtedly formidable.

I’ve never fought Sword Master before.

Even in my past life, I had avoided direct conflict with him.

I had deliberately ensured that our paths never crossed.

So, I had no way of gauging his power firsthand.

If I release my aura, I could get a rough sense of his strength.

But if I did that here, it would mean I was choosing to fight.

It would be an irreversible decision.

Hmm.

Even so—

Zzzt—

The blade in front of me continued to inch closer.

What should I do?

...What else?

I had already decided.

When have I ever wasted time hesitating?

I was going to fight.

If there was no way back, then the only choice was to move forward.

I’d escape first and come up with a plan later.

With that thought, I braced myself—

No—

I tried to.

BANG!

"Wait a moment—!"

"Huh?"

Just as I was about to gather energy into my heart—

The back door suddenly burst open.

"That’s enough."

A massive figure, clad in black robes, strode inside. His thick build and deep-set features were unmistakable.

...Paejon?

It was Paejon Bijuu.

Without hesitation, he had kicked open the Alliance Leader’s Office and entered.

"...Bijuu."

Seeing him, Sword Master’s face twisted in displeasure.

"What is the meaning of this?"

The sheer killing intent radiating from him was overwhelming—completely different from the pressure he had been exerting on me.

"Senior."

Despite the overwhelming killing intent in the room, Paejon merely smiled.

"Apologies for interrupting, but I have some business regarding this matter as well."

"Business?"

"That’s right."

At Paejon’s sudden declaration, Sword Master frowned in confusion.

Then, Paejon casually raised his large finger and pointed at me.

"I will vouch for this kid’s identity."

"...What?"

"Excuse me?"

What kind of nonsense was this? I widened my eyes in disbelief.

And then—

Whoosh—!!!

The golden swords floating in the room shot toward Paejon at breakneck speed.

Thwack!

With a single hand, Paejon caught one of the incoming blades.

But since he had grabbed it barehanded, blood trickled down from his palm.

"My, how terrifying."

He spoke casually, but his face still held a grin.

Meanwhile, Sword Master’s face twisted into a terrifying scowl.

"Bijuu. What do you think you’re doing?"

"What do you mean? Didn’t I say it already? I’ll take responsibility for the kid."

"Utter nonsense."

Kugagagak—!!!

Golden energy flooded the room as Sword Master Wi Hyogun’s aura erupted, filling the entire space.

At the same time—

"Hmph."

Kugugung.

An equally immense pressure radiated from Paejon, colliding with Sword Master’s aura.

The overwhelming forces of two of Zhongyuan’s most powerful figures clashed violently.

Krrk—!

The entire Alliance Leader’s Office groaned under the strain.

Was this really okay? This was getting out of hand fast.

"Don’t spout reckless words you cannot take responsibility for. This boy’s identity is a matter for the Martial Alliance to verify. It is not for you to interfere in."

"What do you mean I can’t take responsibility? I wouldn’t have said anything if I wasn’t prepared to do just that."

"You’re vouching for his identity? What if he turns out to be a demonic cultivator?"

"Then that would also be my responsibility to bear. So, Senior, you only need to accept it."

"You bastard—!"

He was practically moments away from drawing his sword.

Seeing this, Paejon’s eyes gleamed with amusement.

"If any trouble arises, I will take on that request you asked of me. How about it?"

"...!"

At Paejon’s words, Sword Master froze momentarily.

"Not a bad deal, is it? And besides, I’ll be keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t run away. There’s no safer option than that, is there?"

"..."

"I think it’s a fair trade."

Sword Master remained silent, staring daggers at Paejon.

The situation was spiraling out of control.

What the hell is happening?

Why had things suddenly taken this turn?

Why was Paejon suddenly claiming responsibility for my identity?

"...Bijuu, you bastard."

At last, Sword Master narrowed his eyes and spoke.

"Were you waiting for this moment?"

"Heh. Now, what makes you say that?"

Paejon smirked, his lips curling up playfully.

"It was just a stroke of luck."

"..."

Fssss.

The golden swords surrounding me dissipated.

And then—

"We’ll see soon enough whether that luck was good or bad."

Sword Master suppressed the energy he had been gathering and spoke in a calm but firm tone.

"You had better take full responsibility for what you just said. The entire Martial Alliance will be watching this closely."

"Naturally. A promise made must be kept, after all."

"Boy."

Sword Master’s eyes met mine.

"I’ll be watching you."

"..."

It was a warning.

I hadn’t even had the chance to respond when—

"Alright, then! We’re leaving! See you later!"

"Wait, what—!?"

Paejon suddenly grabbed the back of my neck and dragged me away.

Before I could even react, my vision flickered—

Because this insane old man had just leapt out of the window.

Thud!

The moment we landed, we were airborne again.

Paejon moved swiftly, dashing through the dense forest.

By the time I gathered my senses—

"This should be far enough."

We had reached the center of a mountain range.

Barely managing to steady myself after landing, I regulated my breath.

"I saved you."

Paejon turned to me with a grin.

"How does it feel? Doesn’t it make you want to become my disciple? Feel like calling me master?"

"What...?"

I let out a dry chuckle.

This guy...

Did he really just do all of this to take me in as his disciple?

Did he seriously vouch for my identity just so he could make me his student?

Just like Sword Master had said—what if I had been from a demonic sect?

This could have completely ruined his standing in the orthodox faction.

...I always knew he was crazy.

I had known that Paejon never cared about things like political standing.

But I hadn’t expected him to take it this far.

While still processing this absurd situation, I sighed.

"Senior... I’m sorry, but—"

Becoming his disciple was never an option.

No matter how things had turned out, that was one thing I was certain of.

"I have no intention of becoming your student."

"Oh? But aren’t you already something close to a disciple?"

"Excuse me? What are you—"

"You’re already learning Tua Pacheonmu, aren’t you?"

"...!"

A chill ran down my spine.

For a moment, I thought I had misheard.

I turned to Paejon, my eyes trembling.

By then, his usual smile was gone.

"Am I wrong?"

"..."

I swallowed dryly.

I had thought I had hidden it well.

But he had already known.

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