Chapter 199: Do I Look Like the Type to Have Things Taken from Me?
Chapter 199: Do I Look Like the Type to Have Things Taken from Me?
Go Wol, who had been buried in documents at his desk, asked without lifting his gaze.
"Cult Leader, has something been weighing on you lately?"
The Pungcheon Cult Leader was leaning against the window frame, staring blankly outside.
"Weighing on me? What do you mean? Why so sudden?"
The two had been busy traveling across the Central Plains, focusing entirely on establishing an information network. Go Wol was always occupied, while the Pungcheon Cult Leader—acting as both bodyguard and assistant—was relatively idle.
"You just look like you have a lot on your mind."
"Where else would you find someone with a life as leisurely as mine? I haven't a single worry."
"Usually, it’s the busy people who have no time for worries."
"I told you, I’m fine."
At the firm reply, Go Wol looked up from his papers and studied the Pungcheon Cult Leader. Fine, my foot. Staring out the window, the Cult Leader’s mood was clearly subdued; he had definitely seemed troubled lately.
"Is this life hard for you?"
"Hard? Not at all."
"Well, it’s hard for me."
At Go Wol’s words, the Pungcheon Cult Leader turned to look at him. Go Wol added, his voice sounding sincere.
"It’s exhausting. If you hadn't been by my side helping me, I wouldn't have been able to endure it."
"Then who told you to work so hard? Since when were you so overflowing with loyalty?"
"Should I start slacking off from now on, then?"
"As if you ever could."
The Pungcheon Cult Leader turned his head back toward the window.
"Usually, saying things like 'it's hard' or 'I'm dying' is the Cult Leader's job. This isn't like you."
"What exactly is 'like me'? Never mind. You’re just going to spout more nonsense to annoy me. Don't say it!"
Go Wol wasn't the type to stop just because he was told to.
"A man who seems petty on the surface but possesses a heart as vast as the sea. Someone who seems to live aimlessly but is actually drawing a grand masterpiece in his mind. Someone who bickers constantly but is deep-seated in his convictions. That is what the Cult Leader is like."
"Hmph! You’re saying the exact opposite, aren't you? You mean I'm petty, I live aimlessly, and I'm a nag?"
"And someone who is quicker on the uptake than anyone else!"
The Pungcheon Cult Leader made a face that said, I knew it. Normally, a barrage of retorts would have followed. However, the Cult Leader kept his gaze fixed outside. Go Wol stood up from his chair and walked over.
"Are you perhaps homesick?"
"Speaking of homesickness, this trip has made me realize for certain that I’m not someone who particularly loves his hometown. I don't think of home at all. I have no desire to go back. Maybe I'll visit once before I die, but I don't see myself returning anytime soon."
"So it’s not homesickness. Then what is it?"
The Pungcheon Cult Leader’s lips twitched. He clearly had something to say, but he changed the subject instead.
"Why isn't the Second Young Master here yet? Did you contact him properly?"
"He’s a busy man, isn't he?"
"Busy, my foot. We’ve just been pushed down his priority list. He’s doing whatever he wants, and then—oh? That 'shackled man' from back then sent word that he wants to see us. Should I grant him an audience? Or not?"
"If that were the case, wouldn't he be investing far too much money in 'that shackled man'?"
A massive amount of capital was being poured into this operation. The information network hadn't even covered the entire Central Plains yet, and funds were already running low again.
"Maybe he just has money to burn."
"Cult Leader. What are you really angry about? Are you depressed because you haven't lost any weight?"
"Hmph! If I set my mind to it, I could lose it all in a month."
"You said that a month ago, too."
"When you get older, if you're too thin, you look pathetic."
"Well, you certainly look... substantial."
The Pungcheon Cult Leader whipped around with a scowl, and Go Wol gestured as if to say it was just a joke.
"So, what’s the worry?"
After a brief pause, the Pungcheon Cult Leader finally spoke.
"If I tell you the reason, you’re just going to tease me again, aren't you?"
"Let me hear it first."
"So you won't even promise not to tease me."
Eventually, the Pungcheon Cult Leader opened up.
"Do you remember that guy Seok Chung we met a while ago?"
"I remember."
The process of building an information organization in the Central Plains involved an immense amount of work. They had to meet countless people. Naturally, they encountered people like Seok Chung.
"That bastard... he misspoke to me that day and acted quite rudely."
Go Wol nodded. Would the man have acted that way if he had known the Cult Leader’s true identity or strength? Since he had been introduced merely as a wealthy merchant, Seok Chung had put on airs and acted insolently, relying on his meager martial arts.
"You showed great restraint, Cult Leader."
"I keep thinking about him. I should have crushed him then. No, at the very least, I should have lectured him on how to behave. At the time, I held back because I wanted the business to go smoothly. But now, the memory keeps coming back to haunt me."
The Pungcheon Cult Leader didn't know how many times he had killed the man in his imagination. In truth, the mistake wasn't even grave enough to warrant death, but a surge of rage—a desire to kill him—kept bubbling up.
"You remember that guy with the nasty look from before? I held back fine then. But this time, I just can't seem to let it go. Ah, I know. Don't say it. I know exactly how narrow-minded I'm being. But what can I do when it keeps coming back to me?"
"I understand."
"You understand?"
"He was a pathetic fool. Even if you had beaten him to a pulp, I wouldn't have stopped you."
"Really?"
The Pungcheon Cult Leader’s face brightened.
"Then should I have thrashed him? Should I go find him and beat him up right now?"
Go Wol simply watched him in silence. Only then did the Cult Leader’s excitement die down.
"Go ahead, say what you want to say."
"I have nothing to say."
"I said, say it!"
"Everyone lives like this. Because you were the Cult Leader, you’ve lived until now without having to deal with such filth. But everyone else lives while enduring things like this. Beating someone just because you're angry, because you're in a bad mood, or because they're rude... there are very few people who can live a life like that."
"You’re trying to say that only people like the Second Young Master live like that, aren't you?"
"It was the same for you, Cult Leader. You lived that way too. You lived comfortably your whole life; it’s only been a short while since you started living with restraint."
The Pungcheon Cult Leader nodded as if conceding at least that much.
Go Wol understood the Cult Leader’s struggle. How difficult must it be? After living a life that anyone would envy, he was now following Go Wol around without a single servant, acting as a bodyguard. That was why Go Wol often thought:
The Cult Leader must have committed a grave sin against me in a past life.
Go Wol walked over to the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s side and stared outside with him.
"It’s not that you’re narrow-minded; it’s because pent-up frustration is building in your chest."
"Pent-up frustration?"
"Traveling the Central Plains and doing this work—this is the first time you've done something like this, isn't it? Meeting people, and then meeting even more people. It might seem like nothing, but it’s the kind of work where anger accumulates unknowingly. You’ve been enduring it all this time for my sake."
"I'm glad you recognize that. Still, now that I've said it out loud, I feel a bit better."
"In the future, don't hold back. Just beat them up."
"No. I’ll still endure. If I was born narrow-minded, I should at least make an effort. Whether I live like this or like that, life ends in death anyway; I won't let mine end pathetically."
Go Wol looked at him. The Pungcheon Cult Leader was being sincere.
"Do you want to vent and curse out the Second Young Master once? It'll clear your head."
"Can I?"
"Go ahead, for old time's sake!"
As if he had been waiting for this, the Pungcheon Cult Leader shouted at the top of his lungs.
"You lazy Second Young Master! If I tell you to come, you should get here quickly! What are you doing that’s making you so late? Have you forgotten about us? You’d better not! Have you ever been eaten by a pond fish? I’ll just— gulp! —swallow you whole starting from your head! No matter how much you treat us like 'that cult leader' or 'that shackled man' from back then, we’re doing just fine! You wicked Second Young Master! You ugly Second Young Master! You Second Young Master who cheats with his Lightness Skill! Ah! Screaming like this really does clear my head. Strategist Go, you do it too! Your internal congestion will vanish. As I thought, cursing the Second Young Master is the most refreshing thing there is."
Then, Go Wol spoke with a solemn expression.
"Cult Leader, what is this insolent nonsense you are spouting?"
"Huh?"
Blinking at Go Wol’s sudden change in demeanor, the Pungcheon Cult Leader soon felt a presence behind him.
He slowly turned around.
Geom Mu-geuk was standing there; he had arrived at some point without them noticing.
"I see you were badmouthing me again."
Why now, of all times! He had been caught red-handed once before, too. The Pungcheon Cult Leader was flustered, but he wasn't one to simply back down.
"Second Young Master! Fix the way you always appear right when I'm talking about you! Of course, I'm not the type to hold my tongue just because you're here, but..."
Just then, the Fist Demon followed him inside.
The moment he saw him, the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s expression instantly turned serious. The playfulness vanished from his face as he returned to being the leader of a cult. He greeted the Fist Demon in a low, weighted voice.
"It has been a long time."
"It is a pleasure to see you."
The two greeted each other with a fist salute. The Fist Demon also radiated an aura different from when he was alone with Geom Mu-geuk. In this moment, they were a Cult Leader and a Demon Lord. They were originally people of this stature, but they had all been changing since meeting Geom Mu-geuk.
Geom Mu-geuk introduced Go Wol to the Fist Demon.
"This is my strategist, Go Wol. He would be perfect if only he were better at Go."
Go Wol said with a smile.
"I am refraining from learning it because I do not wish to clash with the Chief Strategist just yet."
He was referring to the fact that the person who taught Go to the Heavenly Demon was the Chief Strategist. His words were also a display of confidence—that if he were to learn and then teach Geom Mu-geuk, he could make him defeat the Cult Leader.
"Now, please, come in."
Geom Mu-geuk and the Fist Demon entered and sat down. Go Wol served tea.
"This is all I have to offer you."
"You’ve worked hard, coming all this way."
"I’m enjoying the work, thinking of it as a tour of the Central Plains."
Geom Mu-geuk spoke politely to the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
"You are going through a lot of trouble. Because you are protecting him, I don't have to worry about Strategist Go at all."
"I do it because I want to."
Go Wol added to the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s credit.
"If it weren't for the Cult Leader, I would have died several times already."
In fact, danger had struck a few times, but they had overcome the crises thanks to the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
Geom Mu-geuk looked at the Pungcheon Cult Leader with a soft gaze. He knew well how much the man had sacrificed to come to him. Of course, the reason was Go Wol, but regardless, he was the one reaping the benefits. Every time, he called him "that cult leader from back then," but he had no intention of actually making him that way.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader spoke to the Fist Demon.
"I heard the news that you left the Cult with the Second Young Master."
"I have been enjoying some leisure for the first time in a long while."
The Pungcheon Cult Leader asked tentatively.
"By any chance, have you had anything taken from you by the Second Young Master?"
"Taken from me?"
"If I let my guard down for even a moment, my things end up in the Second Young Master's hands. I was wondering if our Fist Demon had experienced something similar."
The Pungcheon Cult Leader’s gaze was practically saying, 'You must have had something taken too, right?' so the Fist Demon shook his head firmly.
"Nothing of the sort happened."
As he spoke, the Fist Demon sent back a look that said, 'Do I look like the type to have things taken from me?'
Amidst this invisible battle of nerves, the Pungcheon Cult Leader felt inwardly upset.
Am I the only one who had everything taken by the Second Young Master?
He still occasionally thought of the Sacred Relic he had given to Geom Mu-geuk. Since he had already left the Cult, he didn't harbor any lingering attachment or greed for the relic itself.
However, he sometimes felt a sense of skepticism—wondering if he was a fool who gave away things he didn't have to, or if he was the only one living at a loss. Such feelings played a part in his recent bouts of depression.
Then, Geom Mu-geuk spoke.
"By the way, I have come to serve the Fist Demon as my Master."
Hearing those words, the Pungcheon Cult Leader was startled.
"Is that true?"
"Yes. The Fist Demon is now my Master."
The Pungcheon Cult Leader could not hide his surprise. Soon, his mood brightened as he looked at the Fist Demon.
You were taken, too! You had your entire self taken!
This was what ultimately made the Pungcheon Cult Leader happy.
I wasn't the only one being played!
It was a source of great comfort to him. Of course, the Fist Demon would never admit to it.
Go Wol offered a fist salute in congratulation.
"I congratulate you on forming the bond of master and disciple."
The Pungcheon Cult Leader also congratulated the Fist Demon.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."
The Pungcheon Cult Leader’s mouth was itching to say more.
I hope you don't end up as 'that master' from back then.
If he had been just a little closer to the Fist Demon, he would have ended up saying it.
"I will go and speak with Strategist Go for a moment."
Geom Mu-geuk and Go Wol went outside.
Now, only the Fist Demon and the Pungcheon Cult Leader remained. Breaking the awkward silence, the Pungcheon Cult Leader spoke first.
"You have made a grand resolution."
"It just happened to turn out that way."
Indeed. If you lose focus for a second, that’s how it ends up. A smile played on the Pungcheon Cult Leader’s lips.
This time, the Fist Demon asked.
"The Cult Leader has also made a grand resolution."
"To a Demon Lord, my situation might look a bit ridiculous."
"Ridiculous? Why would you say such a thing?"
"Abandoning the Pungcheon Cult, entering the Central Plains, and doing this all alone."
Normally, these two would never have shared a single word of conversation. But because of the focal point that was Geom Mu-geuk, a dialogue that would have been impossible before was taking place.
"Why are you alone? You have the Strategist from earlier. And you have my disciple, do you not?"
"I heard from Strategist Go that you support the First Young Master."
"That is correct."
The Pungcheon Cult Leader said something unexpected.
"Do not treat him carelessly just because he is your disciple."
The Pungcheon Cult Leader showed no fear toward the Fist Demon.
"You have only placed half a bet, but we have staked everything on your disciple."
The Fist Demon said nothing and simply drank his tea.
Meanwhile, Geom Mu-geuk and Go Wol came out into the yard. Once they were alone, Geom Mu-geuk comforted him for his hard work.
"You’ve been through a lot."
"It was likely less of a struggle than becoming the Fist Demon's disciple."
Geom Mu-geuk didn't deny it and laughed.
"Before I tell you the reason I sent word to see you, I have one separate favor to ask."
"Tell me."
"The Cult Leader has been struggling lately."
How? For what reason? To what extent?
Geom Mu-geuk didn't ask these questions. He could guess the weight of it all simply from the fact that Go Wol was bringing it up separately like this.
"I still dream of the time I was bound in shackles. Sometimes I even have conversations with the Sound Thunder Bell. It seems it is truly not easy for a person to escape their past. It must be the same for the Cult Leader."
Geom Mu-geuk looked at him and smiled.
"I will speak with him personally."
"Thank you."
Now that he had told Geom Mu-geuk, Go Wol no longer worried about it.
"So, what was the reason you wanted to see me?"
Then, Go Wol brought up an unexpected topic.
"Have you perhaps heard of the 'Immortal's Debt'?"