Only I Am A Reader
chapter-369-30041322

"Yeah!"

The silence caused by the Elder's declaration was abruptly broken by the awkward cheers that spread out like a chain explosion.

"Let's give this dream a try!"

"I have long grown sick from being thrown to the side!"

"I don't want to fight and train to fight all of the time!"

'This is working much better than I expected!'

Although the climax of his speech had been interrupted, Geochin was absolutely satisfied with the end result of his attempt. No matter what he could have said, he just couldn't beat the impact created by the Elder's unexpected promise of support!

Even as a modern person, Geochin's understanding of psychology was limited just like the resources at his disposal.

He could only target the hidden feelings of injustice that he was certain would be present in the hearts of the majority in the martial community. However, the defect of an authoritative entity was a much more powerful weapon!

Collective mentality was just that terrifying, thousands could be in doubt, yet one decisive person among them could cause the rest to follow him like sheep.

This was also partially related to the human's innate fear of responsibility. Rather than being the decision maker, it was much easier to follow the voices coming from the high-up figures.

Of course, at the same time, not all the witnesses of the spectacle would just let themselves be caught in the spider net...

"What do you say, Jo-Chan? Won't you give us a hand?"

The Elder stood back up amid the excited crowd, calling out as he straightened his back, but a few lazy words were all he got in response.

"Ha? Why do I have to get dragged along into this mess? You are definitely going overboard by supporting his crazy thoughts, so leave me out of it, Hyun." I will quietly walk away and not get in your way at least."

The owner of the lazy voice was none other than the Second Elder of the Namgung Family, someone who was practically equal to the First Elder in strength.

Unlike Namgung Hyun who wore very traditional clothing and had a well-groomed long beard that matched his flowing dark gray hair, Namgung Jo-Chan looked far younger than someone holding the same title would look like, the playful expression on his face made that impression even stronger.

'I guess nothing much has changed...'

"It's better to settle this quickly, so I guess this will be farewell. I will at least leave quietly and not get in your way."

Geochin couldn't deny that his revolutionary attempt seemed crazy. It was crazy enough that he was moderately surprised by the First Elder's surrender. In everyone's eyes, the Second Elder's words made a lot of sense.

However, Geochin was fully aware of the insincerity hidden within!

Originally, the Namgung Family had a total of 6 elders. Aside from the Grand Elder that was crippled and exiled from the family as well as Namgung Jang who made an example out of him, they should have had as many as 5 powerhouses left.

Unfortunately or perhaps, fortunately, both the Third and the Fifth Elder had remained back at the flat plains after being torn into pieces by the ferocious monsters at the frontline, reducing the family's top forces to half the numbers that they had back in their heyday.

Even then, there should have been a total of 3 Unrestrained Martial Artists around, a force that could even threaten a Profound Martial Artist to a certain extent. The First Elder was here and the Second Elder was also here, but... The Fourth Elder was nowhere to be seen.

That was right, the Fourth Elder had already fled the scene!

Considering the limited time he had spent in this world as well as his limited talent, Geochin wasn't proficient in auxiliary abilities such as Qi Sense since he had to pour all of his efforts into learning the sword, but with the support of the old monster in his head, he was acutely aware of the surrounding situation while he was busy confronting Namgung Jang.

That was especially true for the Unrestrained powerhouses that were like brightly-lit beacons. The moment Geochin had pierced his uncle's heart, causing his aura to dissipate, the alert Fourth Elder immediately pounced, leaving the rest of the family members to their fate!

From an outsider's perspective, deserting as soon as an attacker made a move was a cowardly action, but the death of the two elders who couldn't receive a proper funeral was still vivid in the Fourth Elder's mind.

In the chaotic state that Murim was in as everyone was busy licking their wounds, an ambush could be fatal, whether it was the Heavenly Strength Society or the unknown force responsible for the robberies, there were too many enemies that they couldn't afford to face.

In particular, the Fourth Elder was aware of Namgung Jang's frantic attempt to attack the Society so he had enough reason to suspect that the Noble Sword House was doomed, and... There was no need for him to fall alongside it.

A strict and loyal person like the First Elder who wasn't that different from a military general would have denounced him, but Geochin felt that this was actually a very normal response.

In contrast, it was the Second Elder who was behaving weirdly!

'He had always been that sneaky.'

Even if the First Elder didn't join him, Geochin knew that he would stay behind and face him if necessary, but the Second Elder had always been self-centered to the point that he noticed it as a child.

There was no way he had stayed behind for the sake of the family, the only two altruists at the top were already dead!

However, unlike the Fourth Elder who prioritized his survival, he waited all the way to this moment to get a true understanding of the situation.

Since he had confidence in his ability to escape at the last minute, the Second Elder wanted to see if he could turn the situation in his favor and gain the seat at the top.

'This old snake...'

Had he been any weaker, or if the First Elder didn't surrender to him, Geochin was sure that Namgung Jo-Chan's response would have been very different!