Chapter 15
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: The Birth of a New Art
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“…And that is everything I know about the Solitary Bamboo Forest.”
“Chew, chew. So that's the gist of it.”
“Y-Yes, sir.”
“Hm? What are you doing? You have some too, Mr. Ma. It's great that it has so many legs.”
“I'm quite alright. Please, eat your fill, Young Master Seo.”
“Come on, just have a piece. One leg is more than enough to fill you up. The meat is tender, and there's no gamey taste. It's a real delicacy.”
Ma Dongpil's face was stiff as a board.
The sight of Seo Ryang, his hands and mouth slick with grease as he tore into the meat, was a shock in itself.
For the past few years, he had managed the bamboo forest, coming and going from the Solitary Bamboo Forest. To him, the Siren Vultures were creatures to be wary of and killed, never a source of food.
*To think he would actually boil and eat it.*
And it was the very bird of prey that had tried to kill him.
Seo Ryang looked blissful as he chewed and swallowed the finely shredded meat. Then again, he hadn't had a proper meal in days, so it was understandable, but still…
*Ugh!*
The wound on his waist, a ridiculous scratch from a Siren Vulture's claw sustained while fleeing from a few fiends, was still there. The thought made the savory aroma of the boiled meat suddenly nauseating.
Seo Ryang frowned.
“What's with that look? Find it disgusting?”
“N-No, sir!”
“You guys never ate them like this?”
*I'm the one who wants to ask a question. How could you even think of boiling and eating such a vicious fiend?*
“We never really…”
“Right, when you finish your mission and go back, you'd have plenty of delicious food waiting for you. No need to go through the trouble of preparing it yourself.”
“Th-That's right.”
“Tsk, tsk. It's perfect for restoring your strength, though. You should have at least tried it. It's not like you're idiots.”
Ma Dongpil screamed internally.
*Idiots? There are plenty of other dishes to restore one's strength without resorting to fiends! No, setting that aside, how could a fiend possibly be good for you?!*
He barely managed to swallow the words about to burst from his throat. Thoughts should remain thoughts. If this utterly irreverent idea escaped his lips, he would find it hard to forgive himself.
But Seo Ryang hadn't called them idiots just because of the taste.
“You said the bamboo became Spirit Bamboo because of the concentrated spiritual energy, right? That it's a potent medicinal ingredient, enough to be the main component of an elixir?”
“That is correct.”
“Then wouldn't these things be similar?”
“...?”
“Look at this thing's body. It's a far cry from common sense, isn't it? Why would it change like this? Isn't it because of the concentrated spiritual energy, just like the bamboo here?”
“...?!”
“In other words, doesn't that mean their bodies are packed with spiritual energy too? Who knows, eating them might even help increase your internal energy. And if not, it might at least restore your vitality.”
Ma Dongpil's eyes trembled violently.
*I've never thought of it that way.*
But the more he heard, the more plausible it sounded.
“There's one more thing I'm curious about.”
“…”
“Mr. Ma?”
“Yes? Ah, yes! Young Master Seo. Please, ask your question.”
“Why is this chicken-head called a Siren Vulture?”
Ma Dongpil scratched his head, a gesture that didn't quite suit the stoic soldier he appeared to be.
“My seniors called it that, so I'm not really sure…”
“Really? Well, I guess that's that.”
Seo Ryang wiped his hands on his clothes. Ma Dongpil's expression darkened for a moment as he saw the front of the robe glisten with thick grease.
*I'm the one who has to wash those clothes.*
They were already blood-soaked, which would be a pain to clean, and now there was grease on top of it all. He seriously considered requesting a new set of clothes from the Garden of Joy.
*I also need to repair the Young Master's room and rebuild the defensive formation in the forest. I should probably sprinkle some vinegar scent around, just in case another Siren Vulture shows up… they hate that smell.*
Lost in his various worries and sighing deeply, Ma Dongpil was startled to realize that Seo Ryang had disappeared.
“You… no, Young Master Seo?!”
Just then, a voice came from the direction of the courtyard.
“Stay put. I just came out for a drink of water.”
“Ah, yes.”
As Ma Dongpil squatted there hesitantly, his eyes fell upon the cauldron.
*…*
*There really is a lot of it.*
*Increase my internal energy?*
The tempting possibility made Ma Dongpil's nostrils flare.
For some reason, the rich aroma of the boiled meat didn't seem as nauseating as before.
After a moment's hesitation, he tore off a piece of the breast meat. The creature was so large that even a thin strip was as long as a noodle.
Ma Dongpil put the piece of meat in his mouth and chewed.
*Hmm?*
*This is better than I thought.*
He had expected it to be dry, but it was surprisingly good. It wasn't greasy, but chewy and light. He felt like he could eat it forever.
Ma Dongpil tore off and ate a few more pieces of breast meat. The more he ate, the more it seemed to delight his palate.
*If I just get over my prejudice, it tastes like a proper dish…*
As Ma Dongpil tore off another long strip of meat, he flinched, sensing a dark shadow.
He turned his head.
Seo Ryang, who had returned to the kitchen at some point, was snickering.
“How is it?”
Ma Dongpil answered awkwardly.
“…It's excellent.”
“See? I told you to eat some, you rascal.”
“My apologies.”
“Enough with the apologies, let's get to chewing. Grab a leg.”
“I'm fine now…”
“Grab it, man.”
“Yes, sir.”
And so, the two of them squatted in the kitchen and devoured the enormous boiled creature in the blink of an eye.
Not even the great Lee Cheonsang could have imagined that his own disciple would be living in the Solitary Bamboo Forest, catching and eating fiends.
“Ugh, I'm stuffed.”
“Slurp.”
“You're drinking the broth too?”
“…”
“Drink up.”
“Slurp.”
* * *
The two of them entered the bamboo forest surrounding the residence.
“You set it up around here?”
“Yes, sir. It's a formation that covers the eight cardinal directions, a basic one that can be constructed with just tree branches if you're skilled with the terrain…”
“It's an Octagonal Formation.”
“Ah, have you studied formations as well?”
“Here and there. Anyway, you've built it well. It's been irregularly modified, but it's still managing to do its job.”
“You can tell?”
“There's nothing to tell. It's obvious just by looking.”
A look of admiration filled Ma Dongpil's eyes.
The study of formations was a discipline entirely separate from martial arts. It wasn't something one could understand at a glance just by having a bit of knowledge.
*He's incredible.*
Seeing this, it became clear that not just anyone could become the Cult Leader's disciple. It seemed one had to be skilled in many fields, not just martial arts.
Moreover…
*That gaze.*
Seo Ryang, carefully surveying the bamboo forest.
Watching him, Ma Dongpil's face was a mask of confusion.
*Just what kind of person is the Third Young Master?*
He could seem endlessly flippant, but when he became serious, he exuded an unapproachable presence.
His gaze alone was so impressive that one would believe he was a supreme master who had already reached the pinnacle of the world. Furthermore, despite having lost his martial arts to internal deviation, he showed no signs of despair. If it had been him, he probably wouldn't have been able to lead a normal life due to extreme depression.
His knowledge of formations, which took an ordinary person two or three years just to begin to grasp, was also astounding. He had lost many memories of the Divine Cult, yet he hadn't lost the memories essential for surviving in the treacherous martial world.
The more he learned, the more puzzling the man became.
“Mr. Ma.”
“Yes, Young Master Seo.”
“Eat dinner by yourself tonight.”
“Do you not have an appetite, Young Master?”
“I'm not thinking about dinner, but I have too many other thoughts. I need to sort them out. Just do some basic repairs and get some rest yourself.”
“Ah, I understand.”
Seo Ryang strode into his bedchamber.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he picked up the manual for the True Demonic Arts he had left by his pillow and read it carefully once more.
*No matter how I think about it, this has to be the way.*
To start learning demonic arts now?
Yes, he could do it. Although he had been an assassin, he had participated in the process of devising the Shadow Arts. His eye for martial arts was a cut above the other great masters.
But even with such insight, it would be difficult to quickly master a high-level demonic art. He wasn't familiar with them.
He would be several times faster than others, but that wasn't enough.
He needed a martial art that was the fastest, the strongest, and the most farsighted.
“As I thought, I can't give up on the Shadow Arts. It has to be the Shadow Arts.”
So, would he not learn demonic arts?
No.
Seo Ryang shook the manual.
“Looking at it from every angle, there's nothing better than this.”
The True Demonic Arts.
One of the two foundational arts that supported the Divine Cult, along with the Demonic Illusion Arts.
It wasn't because they were high-level. On the contrary, compared to the Ten Great Demonic Arts, these two were like fireflies before a full moon.
However, the True Demonic Arts and the Demonic Illusion Arts had one advantage that was incomparable to the Ten Great Demonic Arts.
“I'm sure of it. I don't know about the Demonic Illusion Arts, but several of the Ten Great Demonic Arts were created based on the True Demonic Arts.”
Of the three of the Ten Great Demonic Arts that Cheon Hajin had mastered, two of them contained more than eighty percent of the True Demonic Arts' formulas.
They had been twisted to the point of being unrecognizable, but they couldn't deceive his eyes. The Blood Calamity Demonic Art and the Heaven-Capturing Forbidden Demonic Art were clearly modified versions of the True Demonic Arts.
In the case of the Heaven-Capturing Forbidden Demonic Art, in particular, it was a martial art that combined several other demonic arts from the other fourteen manuals.
In terms of wickedness, the Blood Calamity Demonic Art was a step above, but in terms of power, the Heaven-Capturing Forbidden Demonic Art was superior. It had been created by deconstructing and reassembling lower-level demonic arts into a much more advanced one.
And the same was true for the Shadow Arts.
*The Shadow Arts are different from the ultimate techniques of the Nine Great Sects, which were perfected over generations of refinement. It is a young martial art, not even a single generation old.*
It was an outstanding energy art in its own right, but it was incomplete. In other words, its nature, character, and level could all change depending on how it was modified.
And as the missing piece, Seo Ryang chose the True Demonic Arts.
If he did that?
“…It would become a demonic art.”
A single drop of ink in clean water taints the entire bowl.
Demonic arts were just like that. The True Demonic Arts, in particular, far surpassed the Ten Great Demonic Arts in the application of primal demonic energy. It could literally be called the parent of the numerous demonic studies possessed by the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon.
Seo Ryang hesitated.
Was it because he thought there would be a problem in modifying it? Not at all.
The problem was that the combination was *too* easy. The Shadow Arts was an art with room for improvement, and the True Demonic Arts was the perfect piece to complete it.
As they say, extremes meet.
Although they were martial arts from opposite poles, their compatibility was so good that if he put his mind to it, he could organize all the formulas within ten days.
The newly born martial art would likely be more destructive than the Shadow Arts and more stable than the True Demonic Arts.
Seo Ryang bit his lip.
*Damn it! There's no other way. I've already made up my mind, haven't I? If I hesitate here, I'll never escape this place.*
It wasn't just about not being able to escape. He could end up living as the incompetent Third Young Master, get caught up in political strife, and be killed by some random person's sword.
And crucially, this place, the Solitary Bamboo Forest.
It was perilous, but it was also an opportunity. If he played his cards right, he could even extract a huge amount of elixir from this place.
The Spirit Bamboo could be poison? Nonsense!
He had the Unhindered Arts, which could even purify the turbid energy in the air. It might take some time, but turning it into a pure elixir wouldn't be a problem.
“Every situation is pushing me toward a single choice.”
A light of determination flickered in Seo Ryang's eyes.
“Then I'll just have to do it. There's no other way, anyway.”
Perhaps there was another way, but wasting more time on complicated thoughts was a greater waste.
“Let's begin.”
Seo Ryang began in earnest to modify his martial art, selecting his Shadow Arts, the True Demonic Arts, and a few other demonic arts to serve as a foundation.
As he had guessed, modifying the martial art was not difficult. It went so smoothly that it felt like fate itself had brought him to the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon with the Shadow Arts in hand.
Thus, after twelve days, he created a new martial art.
The new art was of such a high level that it blew away even a trace of his bitterness. He had created a martial art so advanced that even after establishing its system himself, he wondered if he could ever achieve great mastery.
He slowly adapted to the Solitary Bamboo Forest, training in the new martial art he had created.
Fifteen days after creating the new martial art.
He was attacked by fiends and easily claimed victory.
Another month later.
Venturing deeper into the forest to explore in earnest, he encountered other fiends. In that battle, he nearly died.
Three months passed, and with the momentum from his martial arts, he went even deeper into the Solitary Bamboo Forest.
And there, he discovered a single stalk of Spirit Bamboo that had not yet fully matured.
He fought a bloody battle with the fiend guarding the area, and fortunately, he was able to remove the poison from the Spirit Bamboo he had barely obtained using the purifying true energy of the Unhindered Arts.
Adventures into deeper regions, a martial art that he mastered quickly, and countless life-or-death experiences.
A month, another month, and then another.
Eight months had passed since Seo Ryang had entered the Solitary Bamboo Forest.