Chapter 226: Orthodox Mode: ON

Bu Yeonha devoted herself wholeheartedly to the <Kim Muhyuk Image Makeover Project>. She was confident she could pull it off.

But even for her, uprooting the habits ingrained in a wandering martial artist who had spent twenty years surviving in the underworld was no easy task.

“Why do you keep scanning your surroundings out of the corner of your eye whenever you walk?”

“To identify potential threats in advance.”

Bu Yeonha personally simulated all sorts of situations, pointing out everything that did not suit an orthodox martial artist and asking him to explain himself.

“What about getting into staring contests with complete strangers on the street?”

“What am I supposed to do when some random bastard suddenly starts staring at me? Just ignore him?”

“He might be interested in getting to know you. Why not make some casual small talk?”

“Why bother? If I look like an easy target from the start, every pest in the area will swarm me. It gets annoying.”

“If only you were weaker than me, I swear...”

Bu Yeonha narrowed her eyes and glared at Kim Muhyuk as if she wanted to smack him, then sighed.

“Fine. This time, let’s pretend you’re attending a social gathering.”

She continued devising new scenarios to identify Kim Muhyuk’s problems.

And ran into obstacle after obstacle.

“This is a party! Why are you standing silently in a corner with your arms crossed? And why do you keep positioning yourself near the exit?”

“It lowers the chance of being ambushed from behind, and if something happens, I can respond quickly—”

Bu Yeonha finally lost her patience.

“What kind of lunatic goes to a social gathering thinking like that?”

“...Tsk.”

Bu Yeonha had been born into a life where her maternal grandfather was the sect leader of one of the Eight Great Sects.

Kim Muhyuk had lived a life in which he constantly had to doubt and guard against everything around him.

Perhaps their ways of thinking were simply too different for either of them to understand the other.

“Be honest. You’re doing this on purpose to piss me off, aren’t you?”

“Of course not.”

Kim Muhyuk shook his head with an awkward, bitter smile.

This was just as grueling for him.

The habits he had developed to survive as a wandering martial artist were now being torn out of him without warning.

He also felt bad for wasting Bu Yeonha’s time.

“Should we stop here? I’ll work on everything you’ve pointed out and gradually change on my own...”

But Bu Yeonha was also a martial artist who refused to give up.

His suggestion only seemed to strengthen her resolve. She crossed her arms.

“Who said anything about giving up? Now that I’ve taken responsibility for you, I’m seeing this through to the end. Don’t even think about quitting.”

Her eyes gleamed as she vowed to personally transform this feral wolf of a man into a respectable orthodox martial artist.

“Muhyuk, you said you’ve barely been able to train lately because of your injuries, right?”

“...That’s true, but why?”

His internal and external injuries from the fight to the death had not fully healed, so Kim Muhyuk had been refraining from martial arts training for the time being.

A meaningful smile spread across Bu Yeonha’s lips.

“Then that means you’re an unemployed bum with plenty of time on his hands.”

“I wouldn’t go that far—”

Before Kim Muhyuk could finish, Bu Yeonha quickly continued.

“Starting tomorrow, report to my office by nine every morning.”

“Every morning? Why all of a sudden?”

Bu Yeonha nodded proudly at his dumbfounded expression.

“I’ll personally show you how a proper orthodox martial artist carries herself. Follow me around, watch, and learn.”

“You’re not planning to drag me everywhere and work me to the bone, are you?”

At Kim Muhyuk’s perfectly reasonable suspicion, Bu Yeonha raised her chin slightly and gave him a playful smile.

“Did you think all this would be free? If you want to become a respectable orthodox martial artist, you’ll have to pay at least this much tuition.”

“Urgh...”

And so, Kim Muhyuk agreed to report to the Azure Sky Sword Gate every day and receive practical lessons in Orthodox Studies from Bu Yeonha.

Naturally, when the Azure Sky Sword Elder heard the news, his grin stretched almost to his ears.

“I’m not going to tell you to change everything about yourself. How about we try this instead?”

Bu Yeonha proposed a shortcut tailored specifically to Kim Muhyuk.

“Let’s call your usual behavior Unorthodox Mode. For the time being, you’ll switch into Orthodox Mode. You’ll act the part deliberately, from beginning to end.”

The Kim Muhyuk she knew was an exceptionally intelligent junior.

If changing his ingrained habits naturally was too difficult, perhaps he could treat it like deliberately putting on a different mask whenever the situation required it.

Kim Muhyuk nodded after hearing her explanation.

“That... does sound easier.”

He had trouble accepting the claim that his usual behavior constituted Unorthodox Mode, but now was not the time to argue over every minor detail.

If the habits from my previous life formed because I needed them to survive in the underworld, then I need new habits to survive in the orthodox martial world.

That single change in perspective made it much easier to focus.

Orthodox Mode: ON.

Kim Muhyuk decided to practice keeping his two personas strictly separate from then on.

*****

After spending several days reporting to Bu Yeonha’s office and learning by watching her, Kim Muhyuk quickly began absorbing what he needed.

From morning until lunch, he followed Bu Yeonha around and attended meetings with members of the orthodox faction. In the afternoon, he met with family and friends to practice what he had learned on his own.

Most of the people around him reacted positively to his new appearance, especially his parents.

“My goodness... Whose son could possibly have become this handsome?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to quit being a martial artist and become a celebrity instead?”

“...Why are you making such a fuss? It’s embarrassing.”

Whenever his parents gushed over him, Kim Muhyuk felt mortified, but secretly pleased.

That’s right. I’ll become a respectable orthodox martial artist my parents can be proud of!

Of course, not everyone offered positive feedback.

“What the hell are you doing? Are you disguising yourself to infiltrate somewhere and beat someone up again?”

“I think Kim Muhyuk has actually lost it. I saw him practicing some greasy smile in the mirror earlier. I nearly threw up.”

“...Both of you, shut up.”

SKREE!

He had fully expected those reactions from Kim Bokja and Shin Kangheon.

The incident where Apricot failed to recognize him and nearly burned his suit with a burst of flame, however, came as a considerable shock.

One day, Kim Muhyuk put on a suit and visited the Martial Alliance.

Choi Geon had been so busy handling everything that needed to be completed before their departure that Kim Muhyuk could barely catch a glimpse of him, so he had gone there specifically to see his master.

“...Master?”

“...Disciple?”

There, he flinched upon encountering Choi Geon, who was also dressed in a suit.

The Demon Extermination Unit’s new uniforms had not been issued yet, so Choi Geon had abandoned his bomber jacket and was awkwardly commuting to the Martial Alliance in formal attire.

“What in the world are you wearing?”

“You’re one to talk, Master...”

Master and disciple stared awkwardly at each other’s immaculate appearance as though they had witnessed something they were never meant to see, then cleared their throats at the same time.

“Ahem. That suit looks rather good on you.”

“It suits you too, Master. You truly look like the Martial Alliance’s divine sword.”

“...Do I look that awkward?”

“...So do I, right?”

After hearing what Kim Muhyuk had endured over the past few days, Choi Geon snickered and loosened his tie.

“You have suffered greatly as well. You may relax in front of me.”

Kim Muhyuk, however, straightened his posture and raised both corners of his mouth into a picture-perfect smile.

“I’m afraid this is part of my homework. I’m undergoing special training to be reborn as an orthodox martial artist people around the world will find likable.”

It was the assignment Bu Yeonha had given him.

—Until you leave the country, you are never to turn off Orthodox Mode outside your home. If you can’t even manage that, you won’t last ten days abroad, will you?

But when Choi Geon saw that smile, his face twisted sourly.

“Bring some kimchi the next time you visit. Something nearly came back up just now.”

“...It’s not as though I enjoy doing this.”

Kim Muhyuk suddenly felt deeply wronged.

Other than wearing a suit, Choi Geon’s speech and behavior were exactly the same as always.

“Shouldn’t you be taking these lessons with me, Master? Honestly, you’re even worse than I am—”

Kim Muhyuk protested indignantly, but Choi Geon ignored him completely.

“I am neither a promising young rising star nor a young man with a bright future ahead of him. What use would I have for cultivating a pleasant image at my age? You work hard. I shall simply continue living as I always have.”

Then he narrowed his eyes and chuckled as he looked at his disciple.

“If you find it unfair, hurry up and become a peerless master yourself. Then no one around you will be able to force you to do anything. Am I wrong?”

“...!”

Provoked by the master who had reached the realm of a peerless master before him, Kim Muhyuk clenched his fists and vowed to become one as quickly as possible.

Kim Muhyuk remained in Orthodox Mode when he visited the Black Night Gang and the Blood Tiger Gang as well.

“Black Night Gang boss. It has been some time.”

He had arrived quietly to avoid attracting attention, but since he had already revealed his identity to the Black Night Gang boss, he had deliberately worn a suit.

He was also curious how one of the great powers of the unorthodox martial world would react to his transformation.

“On behalf of the Cult, allow me to thank you for your assistance during the previous incident.”

He gave a precise, disciplined clasped-hands martial salute. A smile that might have been painted with a brush rested on his lips, and he widened his eyes to make himself look innocent.

Convinced that his behavior was beyond reproach, Kim Muhyuk confidently waited for the Black Night Gang boss to express her admiration.

“You give me the creeps.”

But the Black Night Gang boss looked thoroughly displeased.

If anything, she seemed even more wary of Kim Muhyuk than she had been before.

“So you’ve finally decided to step out from behind the scenes and take center stage?”

“...I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean.”

When Kim Muhyuk smiled gently and played dumb, the Black Night Gang boss shuddered as though insects were crawling over her body.

“Do not feign ignorance! Who do you think you are trying to fool?”

The last time she had seen him, he had radiated the savage killing intent of a wild beast.

Now he had suddenly appeared in a suit and dress shoes, wearing a luxury watch and even a subtle cologne.

To an old monster who had survived in the unorthodox world for decades, the meaning of that transformation was obvious.

“The entire orthodox martial world will soon be kneeling before you. What wretched luck, for them to encounter a monster like you...”

“Hmm. You flatter me.”

The Black Night Gang boss knew how the Skybreaker Gate sect leader had met such a miserable end.

The young brat standing before her had been the mastermind behind the entire scheme.

“Well, it is none of my concern. We made a deal, and that is the end of it. Tell the Heavenly Demon Cult not to forget our efforts.”

“...Of course. I am certain we will remain good friends in the future.”

The Black Night Gang boss seemed to be wildly misunderstanding something again, but Kim Muhyuk let her.

She was fairly useful.

He would have to deal with the Black Night Gang eventually, but until then, there was no harm in maintaining his connection with its boss.

“Ah, I was so preoccupied that I came empty-handed today. I will bring a gift the next time I visit.”

Looking thoroughly fed up, the Black Night Gang boss waved him away, plainly ordering him to leave.

“Let us hope we do not see each other often. Next time you have business with me, send a subordinate.”

“...Then please take care of yourself.”

Kim Muhyuk did not show the slightest offense. He maintained his smile to the end, offered a courteous farewell, and withdrew.

Of course, the moment he was completely clear of the Black Night Gang’s territory, his attitude changed as though someone had flipped a switch.

“Even when I’m polite, she still gives me shit.”

Orthodox Mode had nearly slipped in front of the old monster of the unorthodox faction, but perhaps the lessons were paying off. He had managed to endure until the end.

Praising himself for the accomplishment, Kim Muhyuk headed toward his next destination.