Chapter 186: It’s Not Easy, Is It?
Chapter 186: It’s Not Easy, Is It?
A heavy silence fell over the grounds.
No one had died, yet something had certainly perished. The bluster, the bravado, and the arrogance the Black Fists had carried until now were undoubtedly dead.
Naturally, the way they looked at me had completely changed. Awe, fear, resentment—different emotions flickered in their eyes depending on their individual temperaments.
It was the Fist Demon who broke the silence.
"Do you finally understand why the sword is to be feared?"
"Yes, Master!" the Black Fists answered in a thunderous roar.
"When I first began teaching you, I told you not to fear the sword. But now, you must know why it is terrifying."
Sometimes you must be fearless, and sometimes you must know fear. To hold both these truths in one's heart—that was the lesson the Fist Demon wished to impart to his subordinates today.
"We shall end here for today."
With those words, the Fist Demon was the first to leave. Though he didn't show it in front of his men, I could feel that he, too, was shaken by the divine prowess I had displayed.
The remaining Black Fists didn't scatter as they usually did; instead, they lingered, staring at me. Eyes filled with reverence could be seen everywhere. By nature, demonic cultists valued the strong and possessed an exceptionally powerful desire to become strong themselves.
Representing them, Cheon So-hui asked, "If you are already this strong, why do you seek to learn fist techniques? Is this some kind of game for the powerful?"
It was a highly provocative question.
She was still in a state of shock from that single move earlier. At the same time, she was furious at herself for being so helplessly defeated. Because she was someone who hated to lose, she would likely be the one to eventually succeed the title of Fist Demon.
I calmly asked her back, "How could learning a fist technique be mere play?"
"Then why do you want to learn it?"
Why? Because a desire had bloomed within me to crumble that cliff with these very fists.
"When my sword flew toward you earlier, my hands were empty. What if I were attacked then? What if I faced a master who wouldn't give me the chance to retrieve my sword? I want to learn for those moments. Because a fist thrown when an opponent lets their guard down is what will save my life."
Cheon So-hui stared at me intently. She was likely wondering if I was being sincere, but it was impossible for someone as young as her to read my mind.
Leaving her with those words, I also departed from the training ground.
Just as the fates of everyone connected to me were shifting, their destinies would also change in one way or another. I only hoped they would change for the better.
*
That night, I was practicing my fist techniques.
I slowly and meticulously went through every form I had learned, from the White Fist to the Black Fist basics. Only when these fundamental techniques were firmly established could I properly learn the Fist Demon’s unique martial arts.
Pa-pa-pa-pang!
I loved the sound of my fists striking the air. A burning desire to learn the Fist Demon's techniques and reach Great Achievement as soon as possible welled up within me.
"You are working hard, even though it is late."
The person who came to find me was the Fist Demon. Every time I heard it, I was surprised by how calm his voice was, in stark contrast to his terrifying face. Which one resembled his true nature more—his face or his voice?
In truth, I had a feeling the Fist Demon would come. I expected him to react to the skill I had shown earlier.
"Since I started late, I must put in twice the effort."
"Even if you put in ten times the effort, I will not take you as my disciple."
"May I ask why?"
The Fist Demon didn't answer, but the heat in his eyes spoke for him. He wanted to fight me. And he couldn't fight his own disciple.
"You want to fight me, don't you?"
Just as he had set a fire in my heart, I had ignited one in his.
"I will not fight you."
The moment I fought him, I would lose the chance to learn his fist techniques. There was only one way to learn from the Fist Demon. Succession battles, political issues—none of that mattered. We had to be bound by martial arts. I had to make him want to fight me so badly that he would eventually be forced to teach me. That was my plan.
"And your reason for refusing to fight?"
Like him, I offered no answer. As the Fist Demon stared at me, he realized the meaning hidden behind my refusal.
"You are worried that you might defeat me."
A flicker of intense emotion crossed the Fist Demon's face. Since earning the name 'Undefeated,' he had likely never experienced someone worrying about beating him. He had only ever seen people struggling desperately just to stay alive in his presence.
"Second Young Master, you need not worry about that. The martial arts you have mastered were taught to you by the Cult Leader himself. Even if I were to lose, it would be no disgrace."
I looked into the meaning behind his words as well.
"Do you want to fight me? Or do you want to win?"
For a moment, the Fist Demon flinched.
"Is there a difference?"
It wasn't a comment born of arrogance; it was more like this:
"You are so accustomed to winning that you cannot even perceive the difference."
He took several large strides toward me and thrust his face close to mine again. Having to look at that terrifying face from such a short distance was truly more intimidating than a fist flying at me.
"What is it you are trying to say?"
I recalled what the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon had told me. That I would only know what kind of person the Fist Demon truly was when he lost.
"If you were the Blood Heaven Blade Demon or the Extreme Evil Fist Demon, it might be different. But as long as you are the Undefeated Fist Demon, it will not be easy for you to accept defeat."
"You think I would break my promise out of the shock of losing? What do you take me for!"
The Undefeated Fist Demon’s expression contorted hideously. He was so terrifying it felt as if the ground beside him would split open and demons would crawl out of hell.
"Teach me your fist techniques first. Then, I will settle the score with you."
The Fist Demon snorted, his expression saying that such a thing was out of the question.
"You will have to fight me first."
Leaving those words behind, the Fist Demon turned and walked away.
I’m sorry, but that isn't your card to play. As long as you are obsessed with martial arts, and as long as you have built a myth of being undefeated, that card belongs to me.
I can wait, but you won't be able to.
*
Cheon So-hui watched Geom Mu-geuk in silence.
Despite the uproar that had occurred yesterday, Geom Mu-geuk participated in the Black Fist training as usual. He was immersed in his practice as if nothing had happened.
But the Black Fists were different. Those who showed up with golden wound medicine applied to their sides displayed a fervor unlike the day before.
"I was reborn yesterday," one Black Fist even said openly.
Whether he noticed this change and agitation or not, Geom Mu-geuk focused solely on his own training.
His movements were more precise than anyone else's there, and he understood the forms better. Any suspicion that someone had secretly taught him the forms because he was the Cult Leader's son had vanished after the skill he displayed yesterday.
"I have something I'd like to ask, if that's alright?"
Just as the warriors of the Red Fists had done, members of the Black Fists began to approach Geom Mu-geuk to ask about the forms.
"Of course."
Geom Mu-geuk sincerely explained whatever they asked.
In just one day, the atmosphere of the Black Fists had changed completely.
When the training ended that day, Cheon So-hui went to Geom Mu-geuk.
"I lost the bet, so I will keep my promise. Tell me what your request is."
Then, Geom Mu-geuk said something she hadn't expected.
"Make me the Fist Demon's disciple."
Cheon So-hui stared at Geom Mu-geuk for a moment with an incredulous expression.
"Then you make me the Cult Leader's successor," she said as a joke.
However, she soon realized through Geom Mu-geuk's expression that he was being serious.
"You're not joking."
"Of course I'm not."
"I haven't even become a disciple yet, so how am I supposed to make you one?"
At this point in time, the Fist Demon had not yet chosen an official disciple. A perfectionist when it came to martial arts, the Fist Demon did not make decisions about taking disciples lightly.
"That is for you to figure out, since you lost the bet."
"I didn't think you would make such an absurd request."
"Then why didn't you say so then? That there should be limits to the request."
"Well... I assumed any person with common sense would make a reasonable request."
"Is that really why? Or was it because you thought you would win, so you didn't bother to say it?"
She couldn't refute him. What Geom Mu-geuk said was the truth. When they made the bet, she had intended to say that he couldn't make an unreasonable demand. But her instinct had stopped her.
Since it was a bet she was certain to win, she felt there was no need to say such a thing.
"Fine, I admit it."
Geom Mu-geuk smiled. If she hadn't been so honest, he might have teased her more.
"Admit what? If someone makes such an absurd request, you should just flatly refuse and forget about it."
She stared at Geom Mu-geuk with a momentarily confused heart. She thought he was a truly unpredictable man.
She turned around. After walking a few steps, she stopped. She had lost the bet, after all, and leaving like this wounded her pride. She turned back around.
"Fine, let's say I have the power to do that. Even so, if you become a disciple, the chances of me becoming one decrease. Why would I ever help you?"
"That's where you're wrong. If I become a disciple, your chances of becoming one will actually increase."
"Why is that?"
"Taking the first disciple is the hardest part. After that, it's like a dam breaking; he'll take a second and a third. And I will strongly recommend you as my junior sister."
"Me? Why?"
Geom Mu-geuk looked at her and said calmly, "Because I think you would do better than anyone else. Because you seem like the person most suited to be the next Fist Demon."
She wondered if he was joking again, but Geom Mu-geuk's expression was grave.
A surge of emotion rose in her chest. It was something she had never heard since joining the Eastern Fist Sect.
She, her peers, her seniors, and her juniors—everyone only looked upward and ran. They ran with the mindset that if they failed to move from the White Fists to the Black Fists, they would die.
Though they were all comrades who had suffered together, she had never sincerely said anything kind to anyone. Nor had she ever heard such words.
Instead, she had secretly hoped in her heart that others would have a harder time than her. That they would fail the competition. So that she could become the Fist Demon.
This Geom Mu-geuk, whom she had only known for a few days, said such things without hesitation. Yet in all those long years, they had never once exchanged such words.
It wasn't bitterness from not hearing it that bothered her. It was the realization of how narrow-minded she had been, never having said it to anyone else, that made her heart heavy.
"You don't even know me!"
She snapped at him and turned to walk away.
*
That night, Cheon So-hui couldn't fall asleep easily.
Geom Mu-geuk's words kept coming back to her. Was she really someone suited to be the Fist Demon?
Unable to sleep and tossing and turning, she couldn't stand it anymore and headed toward Geom Mu-geuk's quarters.
Since it was late, she didn't even think she would be able to meet him. She had just gone because she felt suffocated, but to her surprise, Geom Mu-geuk was practicing his martial arts.
He was so serious in his training that she couldn't even greet him. She stood still, fearing she might disturb him.
Eventually, after finishing a set of forms, Geom Mu-geuk sat on a flat rock in the yard and asked, "Would you like a cup of tea?"
"No, I'm fine."
Cheon So-hui sat down beside him. The scent of sweat wafting from him wasn't unpleasant.
"It's late, but I came because I had to confirm this. If you really become a disciple, will you truly recommend me as your junior sister?"
"I will."
How much of this should she believe? When the Black Fist comrades gathered to drink, they always said the same thing: trust no one. That was the first rule of surviving long in the Murim.
"My goal is simply to learn the Fist Demon's martial arts. The one to inherit the title of Fist Demon will be my junior sister."
Now that such a powerful moment of temptation had arrived, she found it hard to judge.
"My junior sister, who will have the Heavenly Demon as her senior brother."
Right, this is why everyone falls for it. Even knowing it's likely sweet talk, your heart flutters like this, so you get deceived.
What if he's just trying to use me like this? What if I'm killed to silence me after being thoroughly used? The image of Geom Mu-geuk's sword flickered in her mind. The sword would pierce through her face as he said, 'You naive girl.'
Right then, Geom Mu-geuk spoke to her in a calm tone.
"Life isn't easy, is it?"
That softly delivered sentence struck deep into her heart.
For a moment, she wanted to scream. Why did he keep acting like he knew her? She wanted to say it was easy, that she was managing her life just fine. What was so hard about it? You just have to run and run. You just have to keep looking up.
But the words that flowed from her mouth now conveyed the will of her heart rather than her head.
"...It isn't easy."
She answered before she knew it. She had never shown a weak side to anyone. She had never told anyone that life was hard. She had endured it well until now.
The moment she admitted it, tears began to stream down Cheon So-hui's face. She was more flustered by the sudden tears than anyone. They had fallen before she even had a chance to hold them back.
Could tears really fall so suddenly? Her emotions certainly didn't feel sad, so why was she crying? Since she hadn't cried since she was a child, she was utterly bewildered.
"Ah, no, this is..."
Just as she was hurriedly wiping her tears with her sleeve, someone stepped inside and spoke.
"I knew it! Investigator Seo was right when he called you the world's greatest womanizer. First it was 'fated love,' and now you're even making women cry."
Geom Mu-geuk smiled broadly at the person who entered, while Cheon So-hui was stunned. She had never seen such a beautiful woman in her life.