Chapter 1600. Training (5)

A large group of well-built men, the towels over their groins their only attire, could be seen huddling together like newborn chicks.

Their half-wet hair and subtly twitching muscles gave off the impression that this was the shower facility for a high-end gym, but that wasn’t what this place was. And these men’s identities were, of course, members of the Korean Martial Assembly.

In front of these people on the floor was Kang Jin-Ho, also clad in nothing but a towel, sitting on a large bench-like chair.

Before he could do anything, though...

Crack, crunch. Crackle, crack...

Kang Jin-Ho slowly turned his head and stared at an Assembly member diligently doing something next to him.

“...And what do you think you are doing?”

“Sir? Oh, uh... I’m getting the shells off these boiled eggs, sir.”

“...”

“I swear to you, they taste great.”

Yeah, sure. Why not? I mean, the atmosphere already resembles a traditional Korean dry sauna, anyway. Might as well, right?

“Here, sir!”

Kang Jin-Ho casually accepted the shell-less white boiled egg and tossed it in his mouth. Since the Assembly member went to such trouble to boil the eggs, he might as well eat one to show his appreciation.

After chewing and swallowing the egg, Kang Jin-Ho got ready to say something, but then...

Pwhoosh!

A can of cider, its lid popped open, was cautiously presented to him next. Kang Jin-Ho glanced at the Assembly member holding the can.

“Ehehe~.”

“...”

Well, with how quick-witted he was, this man would surely go places, now wouldn’t he!

Kang Jin-Ho accepted the can and one-shotted it, then put the empty can down.

“Okay. Has everyone gotten the chance to freshen up?”

“Yes, sir!”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “I understand that you’re dissatisfied with how busy I’ve been lately.”

“No, sir! We are not!”

“It’s just that moron, sir! He’s the weird one!”

“Just give us the order, sir! In less than one hour, we’ll completely dispose of him! Even his bones will be melted into a puddle!”

Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t help but think that didn’t sound like a joke just now.

“Look... It feels like we’re a bunch of gangsters congregating in a local public bathhouse or something, so be careful with how you frame certain things, okay?”

“Understood, sir! We’ll reflect on it right away!”

“Yes, boss! You can count on us!”

Kang Jin-Ho groaned loudly in pain. Stop using that kind of language, will you?! Why can’t you listen to me just once! Once! That’s all I ask!

Then again, he shouldn’t blame these people when the Martial Assembly was this kind of place, to begin with!

“I should be saying this when everyone is present, but trying to get everyone in one place will be troublesome, so I’ll just talk to you guys right now. And you’ll let the others know. Is that okay with you?”

“Understood, sir!”

“Let me record it, sir!”

“What the hell! Are you a reporter or something?!”

A martial artist who had magically produced his phone out of somewhere got punched in the face by his comrade and collapsed on the floor.

Kang Jin-Ho watched this scene with his jaw slightly agape. “...”

Ah, I forgot. These people have always been violent, no? With how adorable they have been lately, I’ve completely forgotten about that!

When he thought about it, every single person in this group was capable of cleaning up a large-scale criminal organization in one day and turning the gangsters into their toys without breaking too much sweat.

It was just that these people obediently stayed put within the Assembly grounds. However, if unleashed on the unsuspecting world outside...

Rather than living weapons, they were more like human tanks, weren’t they?

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled slightly, then started his speech.

“In any case... Yes, I understand how you all feel, that it feels like you’re getting the short end of the stick here.”

“No, sir! We don’t!”

Kang Jin-Ho tutted. “Don’t lie, okay? Even I would have felt that way if I were in your shoes.”

“But that’s...” A martial artist sitting in front of Kang Jin-Ho scratched his head. “Rather than missing out or feeling it’s unfair... Mm, we know you’re super busy, sir.”

“Mm.”

“But sir, please don’t misunderstand us. It’s not like we’re kids here, you know? We are not disappointed by the fact that you’ve stopped paying attention to us.”

“Then, what?”

Kang Jin-Ho stared quizzically at the Assembly master.

“Actually, what disappoints us is that you could’ve gotten even stronger if you had more time to devote to yourself. But with all these things happening to you, you can’t.”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho was slightly stunned to hear that.

“Yes, we know, sir. Our world has always operated this way, after all. All attention would always land on the bastards who can produce great results with the highest efficiency. And that’s why we know that we’re not high on the list of your priorities.”

“No, that’s not true.”

“Eii~, sir, I’m telling you, we don’t resent you for it. It’s just that... Mm... Sir, please know that we’re also doing our best. That’s why we thought it’d be nice for us if you could stop by now and then to check out our progress and tell us what to do.”

Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly studied the faces of these Assembly members. These were the people who didn’t really shine or who had made a name for themselves.

It wasn’t as if they had mastered a special cultivation technique or boasted excellent talent. And they weren’t particularly outstanding in specific areas and couldn’t even be selected for special assignments, either.

In short? They were as ordinary as an Assembly member could get. Even so...

That’s right, they are the foundation, aren’t they?

Indeed, these people were the pillars of the Martial Assembly.

A special something could demonstrate why it was special only if ordinary things provided a firm foundation for it. A castle built on sand would crumble to nothing once a strong wave rushed in. Without these people supporting the Assembly from below, the organization would never become a force to be reckoned with, no matter how high the number of powerful experts it produced was.

Looks like the situation is the same here, too.

Just like how Kang Jin-Ho’s repeated debate with himself had guided him to his beginning, it seemed the Martial Assembly needed to go back to the basics, too.

“I’m sorry,” said Kang Jin-Ho while bowing deeply.

“Heol?! Sir! No!”

“What are you doing, sir?! You’re scaring us!”

“Please stop! The Assembly Master should never apologize!”

“Damn it! I knew it! That bastard, Seo Jae-Gyeom! It’s your fault! Our boss is apologizing because you just couldn’t keep your pie hole shut!”

Some members began losing their cool at the sight of Kang Jin-Ho lowering his head. Seo Jae-Gyeom, the one responsible for starting this whole thing, nervously kept his head down, hoping not to get noticed by the others.

How was I supposed to know that he’d be here?!

Of course he wouldn’t have said any of that if he knew Kang Jin-Ho was in the shower! All he did was briefly express his dissatisfaction. That was all! He never imagined that the situation would snowball into something this major.

Seo Jae-Gyeom bowed deeply to Kang Jin-Ho. “My apologies, sir. Please forgive me and my big mouth...”

Kang Jin-Ho subtly furrowed his brow. “I told you, you didn’t do anything bad.”

“B-but...”

“Do you have a hearing problem?”

When Kang Jin-Ho’s expression stiffened ever so slightly, everyone tensed up and sat up straight.

“No, sir!”

“We understand, sir!”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Look, I’m not blaming you. In fact, I should be grateful. After all, some things will stay buried and forgotten unless someone steps up and digs them out first. So, don’t grovel like that. If you hadn’t said anything, I would have never gotten the chance to reflect on myself, either.”

Seo Jae-Gyeom sheepishly raised his head. “Understood, sir.”

“This goes for everyone here, too. Don’t pick on this guy for what happened today, okay?”

“We won’t, sir!”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded again, this time in approval. “I don’t want to make excuses. It’s true that I have not been paying attention this side, after all.”

“But sir, we know you’ve been very busy.”

“That’s also an excuse,” Kang Jin-Ho replied with a wry smirk. “However, I will stop by as often as possible during your training from now on. In return, I hope you can forgive me for my lack of attention until now.”

“Of course, sir!”

“Also...” Kang Jin-Ho spoke firmly. “I’m not promising you this because you made your dissatisfaction known. No, it’s because I failed to see it in the first place. You are the foundation of the Martial Assembly. If you are not strong enough, the Assembly will not become stronger no matter what we try.”

“...”

“The ones shining brightly at the top are few in number. Their combined strength does not reflect the true strength of the Martial Assembly. All of you are the method that decides how powerful this organization is.”

Kang Jin-Ho knew this, yet he had forgotten about it. He should have remembered that raising the Demon Flames, creating mage units, and Vator nurturing his disciples wouldn’t be the factors that strengthened the Martial Assembly.

Those factors were only a part of this organization, after all.

In future battles where organizations would go head to head against each other, the ones destined to perform the bulk of the important work were these people right here.

...And not figuring that out sooner made Kang Jin-Ho sigh softly in lamentation.

I couldn’t see it until now.

Whether it was his martial art or this organization... Even though he emphasized how important one’s foundation was, he still ended up forgetting about it in the end.

“Thanks to all of you, I got the chance to reflect on myself. That’s why... I hope you continue giving your all to your training,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Of course, sir! We will!”

“Thank you, sir!”

Kang Jin-Ho grinned softly. Of course things wouldn’t get resolved just because he had this brief discussion.

Him bowing his head like this would be enough to bury most problems, but it did not resolve the core issue. To take care of that, Kang Jin-Ho needed to take a more active role.

“Okay, so... Any other problems I should know about?”

“Uh, well...”

The Assembly members busily exchanged glances with each other while holding their breaths.

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled wryly at this sight. “It doesn’t matter what it is. You can tell me.”

“We can’t think of anything right n... Ah, that’s right. Sir, most of us are staying in the dorms at the moment.”

“Okay?”

“That wasn’t the case before, though. But Chief Lee Hyeon-Su dumped us in the dorms not too long ago, saying that managing us is super annoying when we don’t live under the same roof.”

“I see. And?”

“If this arrangement continues... How are we supposed to get married and start a family, sir?”

“...? Eh?” Kang Jin-Ho’s eyes widened when an unexpected topic was brought up. “What do you mean?”

“It’s not feasible for us to stay in the dorms after getting married, sir. Several members will get hitched pretty soon, you see? And they are all seriously worried about it right now.”

“...? How did you even find your partners, though?”

How could a group of people who trained 24/7, including weekends, and retired to dormitories even find time to date girls and get married?

Did they let their shadow clones do some of the work or something?

“Well... Even war zones can welcome springtime, you know?”

Kang Jin-Ho blinked his eyes. “You guys sure are talented, aren’t you...?”

“Some of us have had girlfriends for a long time, sir. And some just stumbled into relationships by accident. And the lucky few just hooked up with girls in the Assembly.”

“...? In the Assembly?”

“You know. We have female martial artists, after all. Even if there aren’t that many.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. “Yeah, that’s... right.”

It was true that the Martial Assembly had some female martial artists, although they were extremely few in number. As rare as female officers in the army, maybe.

The Assembly member continued to explain. “Once they get married, they would like to settle down somewhere on the outside, but...”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “What’s stopping them from doing that?”

“Chief Lee is not giving us permission, sir. How dare we even think about getting married in the current situation, he said. And he rudely told us to get out of his sight.”

“...”

What the hell? What’s the matter with that guy? Kang Jin-Ho grimaced. Just how much more evil was Lee Hyeon-Su planning to get?

“I’ll... take care of it as soon as possible.”

“Thank you, Assembly Master! We believe in you, sir!”

“Uh... Yeah, sure.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s expression grew awkward just then. This wasn’t the kind of question he expected to hear, so...

Another Assembly member cautiously raised his hand. “S-sir, I also have something to say.”

“Yeah?”

“During the off days or after training, we sometimes would like to go outside the Assembly to unwind, sir. So... Can you give us your permission to drive our cars?”

“Huh? Why do you need my permission to drive your car?”

Didn’t the Assembly already construct a spacious parking lot to house their cars?

“Chief Lee said no, sir. He said that since we’re all martial artists, we should just forget about driving and run to our destinations instead...”

“...”

“During the day, we can hitch a ride on a bus, but at night or early dawn, we can’t rely on that option since the Assembly is in the middle of nowhere, sir. The last time I had an emergency, I had to run for two hours to get to the nearest place where I could catch a taxi.”

“...Who did you say stopped you from driving your own car?”

“Chief Lee, sir.”

“What’s his reasoning, then?”

“Uh... He said that the parking lot will get too busy and messy if every Tom, Dick, and Harry starts driving their cars around.”

“...”

Did Lee Hyeon-Su lose his bloody mind or something? This wasn’t an army base, so why?

“I... will take care of that, as well,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

It seemed Lee Hyeon-Su was due for a severe scolding, then.

Another Assembly member spoke up. “Sir?”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at this member. “Yeah? What is it?”

“I, uh, also have something to tell you regarding Chief Lee...”

That opened the proverbial floodgates.

“Assembly Master! I also have a report to make, and it’s about Chief Lee!”

“Can I be honest with you about Chief Lee, sir?”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked his brow and stared weirdly at the members. He never intended this, but the discussion seemed to have already morphed into a pseudo-people’s court by now, judging from the atmosphere of this place.

Besides all that. What was Lee Hyeon-Su even thinking?

It couldn’t be that Lee Hyeon-Su deliberately did all this to torment the ordinary Assembly members, since he was also incredibly busy. Which meant the problem lay with Lee Hyeon-Su’s general conduct and mindset, then!

“Hold on,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Sir?”

“I don’t think doing things this way will be productive. Who is your representative?”

Everyone’s attention quickly landed on one man in front of the group, which was Seo Jae-Gyeom. He blinked his eyes in slight bewilderment while staring at Kang Jin-Ho. “S-sir? Do you have something in mind?”

“Yeah, I do. Find a steel box.”

“I’m sorry? A steel box, sir?”

“Yeah. Make it a big one. Then, put an opening at the top. And I want you to place this box in the dorms. Tell everyone that if they have something to complain about involving Lee Hyeon-Su’s actions, they should write a letter and put it inside this box. Anonymously, of course.”

“...”

“Got that?”

“Yes, sir!”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled hollowly when the crowd replied loudly in unison.

We are not the Korean army, so why?

He never thought that one day, he’d set up a box where people could submit their complaints anonymously, like in the Korean army. But he was getting genuinely curious about what kind of submissions he’d get, too.