Jamma Cave Graduation
Shin Gi-woon was facing the greatest crisis of both his past and present lives combined. When he had fallen into the Martial Alliance’s Heavenly Net, the sheer absurdity of it had been greater than anything else.
Now, though, it was more accurate to say he simply wanted to die. At any rate, he finally understood why people said their guts were on fire with terror.
Ryu-jin. What the hell am I supposed to do? I’m not gonna die like this, right?
Should I use the All-Power Realm?
Are you crazy? You wanna get snuffed out in an instant?
In the Demonic Cult, the position of Cult Leader belonged to the strong. Even being the previous Cult Leader’s blood relative brought no special treatment—only a better starting environment.
If a talented person grew and claimed victory in the struggle for Young Leader, that person became Cult Leader. The fact that they made no distinction between men and women was something worth learning from.
He had once spoken with Se-hwa in Jamma Cave about her parents. The Cult Leader had only one child—her. And now, because of this incident, that precious daughter had nearly died. What must her father be feeling?
The mere mention of it had already twisted the atmosphere of the Cult Leader’s hall; the conclusion was already decided. Cheon Yu was unmistakably a doting father.
“Continue.”
Even so, he was still the Cult Leader. He could not allow private emotion to show in an official setting, so he forced his feelings down as far as they would go.
Shindogun waited until the Cult Leader had settled himself, then resumed his report.
“The investigation is still underway, but the former leader of the Heavenly Net Black Death Squad—Lee Hyeong-seop—appears to have already established connections with a secret branch of Kunlun as well.”
“Connections?”
“He already knew about the infiltration operation. In the worst-case scenario, everything could have been over before I even arrived.”
“Is that so.”
Gi-woon was a nervous wreck. Kneeling through the entire report left his throat burning dry; he could not even swallow comfortably. He watched every single movement, terrified of rubbing the Cult Leader the wrong way. Still, he kept his ears open.
The reason they had deliberately left him here while delivering the report was clear: to inform him of the truth of the incident and to hear the opinion of the person involved. He also had to prepare falsehoods just in case, so he tried to imagine the most favorable outcome possible.
“—And that was when I found this boy. He was shaking off the pursuit unit all by himself.”
“Alone?”
Cheon Yu’s gaze settled on Shin Gi-woon once more. Gi-woon kept his head bowed and never met those eyes, yet he felt as though the back of his skull was about to be drilled clean through.
Still he did not move. In truth his mind was racing, but remaining still was the best courtesy he could offer.
“He was clever. He sent his entire group back to Jamma Cave and held the pursuit unit off himself. Even though he was caught by Lee Hyeong-seop’s ambush, I still cannot believe he saw through my disguise.”
“He saw through the Squad Leader’s disguise?”
“Thanks to that, I was able to kill Lee Hyeong-seop. If it were up to me, I would take him into my own unit right now.”
“Is he truly that impressive, Squad Leader?”
Cheon Yu’s eyes swept over Shin Gi-woon. It was nothing more than the movement of a pair of pupils, yet Gi-woon felt as though his entire body had been laid bare.
Then it came.
“Shin Gi-woon.”
“Yes, Cult Leader.”
“I hear you became friends with my daughter in Jamma Cave.”
“…That is correct.”
What was he about to say? That he would kill him for associating with his daughter? That he would have him torn apart for putting her in danger?
Just as every grim possibility tangled itself into a knot inside his head—
“She was always an outsider. Thank you for becoming her friend.”
“I—I am the one who should be thanking you!!”
“I hope you will continue to stay close to my daughter. She never had anyone her own age she could truly call a friend while growing up.”
“I receive the Cult Leader’s command!!”
“There is no need to treat it as a command. Simply treat her as you always have—not as my daughter, but as your friend.”
“Yes!”
Shin Gi-woon let out a silent sigh of relief. The worst scenario he had imagined had not come to pass. If anything, the Heavenly Demon seemed to regard him favorably.
That thought lasted only a moment.
“There is one thing I wish to ask.”
“Please command me.”
“I heard you asked about Lee Hyeong-seop’s true identity. Do you, by any chance, know something about it?”
The atmosphere shifted once more. Moments ago he had been a gentle father; now he was the cold, absolute ruler who led the Demonic Cult.
This was not a man one could ever relax around.
Never forget: Cult Leader Cheon Yu was the sole expert of the Escaping Demon realm within the entire cult.
Lies will be caught. Even if I mix them cleverly, he won’t believe me.
He had to speak only the unvarnished truth. The Cult Leader’s hall was no different from an execution ground.
“I was in the middle of the second examination of Jamma Cave. An Imugi invaded the training grounds.”
“An Imugi? How could an Imugi appear in a sealed training ground?”
“I was shocked as well. I managed to defeat it somehow… and then that Imugi told me something. It said there was a group of people who had obstructed its ascension.”
Both Cheon Yu and Shindogun’s faces hardened. An Imugi was a being destined to ascend as a dragon after a thousand years of cultivation.
To obstruct the ascension of such a creature was nothing short of suicide. It was also an act that defied fate itself—something that must never be done.
“To be precise, I saw a fragment of the Imugi’s memories. Among the group that was interfering with its ascension… Lee Hyeong-seop was there.”
“If there is even a single lie in those words, you will not leave this place unharmed.”
“I stake everything I am that it is the truth. Please believe me.”
Thud.
Shin Gi-woon slammed his forehead against the floor as he pleaded. There was no falsehood. He had heard it directly from Ryu-jin, and he had witnessed the scene of the obstructed ascension with his own eyes.
Cheon Yu and Shindogun seemed to recognize the truth as well, for they remained silent. A group that had blocked an Imugi’s ascension.
Lee Hyeong-seop had been involved with that group, and from the very beginning he had risen to the position of Heavenly Net Black Death Squad Leader for the purpose of betrayal.
Could that truly be coincidence?
“Raise your head.”
Shin Gi-woon lifted his face at the Heavenly Demon’s command. How would the man respond? Would he walk out of here alive and finally begin his revenge?
Countless thoughts crossed paths, and then Cheon Yu’s mouth opened.
“The leader of the Thousand Transformations Soul Chasing Squad has been begging me. He says he wants to recruit you into his unit no matter what it takes.”
“Pardon?”
“Shin Gi-woon, top graduate of Jamma Cave. I bestow upon you the Demon Heaven Pill and assign you to the Thousand Transformations Soul Chasing Squad.”
Shin Gi-woon was stunned. It was fortunate he had kept his expression under control; if he had let his mind go blank, his jaw would have dropped clean open.
Being assigned to the Thousand Transformations Soul Chasing Squad was surprising enough, but the words “I bestow upon you the Demon Heaven Pill” nearly emptied his skull of all thought.
The Demon Heaven Pill—said to rival even Shaolin’s Great Return Pill. No, for those who possessed demonic energy, it was considered equal to the Clear Void Spirit Oil itself.
A pill that was granted only to a Young Leader whose succession as Cult Leader had already been confirmed… had just been given to Shin Gi-woon.
“Ten thousand years to the Heavenly Demon, and may all demons bow in reverence!! The Cult Leader’s boundless grace leaves this humble one overwhelmed with gratitude!!”
“Everything spoken in this hall today must remain secret. Do you understand?”
“Yes!”
“You may leave. And here and now, I appoint you, Shindogun, as temporary Chief Instructor of Jamma Cave.”
“I receive the Cult Leader’s command.”
Everything after that proceeded smoothly. With Lee Hyeong-seop gone, the position of Chief Instructor of Jamma Cave passed to Shindogun.
Of course, with only graduation remaining, there was almost no work left to do. They would handle Lee Hyeong-seop’s absence by claiming he had gone missing during a mission.
At the same time, they declared a sweeping reorganization of the Heavenly Net Black Death Squad. The spies who had belonged to Lee Hyeong-seop’s faction would no doubt be sitting on pins and needles.
After Shin Gi-woon and Shindogun left the hall, Cheon Yu sank into thought.
I have never seen my daughter look like that before.
She had come running with tears welling in her eyes, saying her friend was in danger, begging him to help just this once.
She called me… Dad.
In the days when she still knew nothing, Cheon Se-hwa had followed Cheon Yu without hesitation. But after her mother died, the only daughter of the Cult Leader could no longer escape the countless gazes of the cult members. From that time on, she had gradually sealed herself inside a prison of transparent walls.
Yet the daughter he saw again after so long had already broken those walls to some degree. The word “Dad” was proof of it.
If Shindogun had not rescued Shin Gi-woon and returned when he did, Cheon Yu would almost certainly have wiped the Kunlun Sect from the face of the earth.
Grow well, Shin Gi-woon.
Cheon Yu hoped his daughter would reclaim the self she had once been. The one who had provided that thread was Shin Gi-woon.
The reason he had forced the Demon Heaven Pill into the boy’s hands was simply because he wanted him to live.
Meanwhile, once Shin Gi-woon stepped out of the Cult Leader’s hall, an old man stood before him. He was holding a black wooden box—almost certainly containing the Demon Heaven Pill. The moment Shindogun saw the old man, he reacted with pure agitation.
“O-Old man? Why are you doing menial work like this?!”
“Menial work? Transporting the Demon Heaven Pill can hardly be called menial.”
“Hey, greet him properly. This is the leader of the Guangming Guard.”
“…! I greet the leader of the Guangming Guard. I am Shin Gi-woon.”
“A pleasure. I am Ma Jin-cheon.”
It was an identity he had never expected. Ma Jin-cheon, leader of the Guangming Guard—also known as the Great Law Protector of the Demonic Cult.
The Guangming Guard was a unit founded solely for the Cult Leader, and its commander had always been the Great Law Protector of the Demonic Cult. The Ma clan, a family of deep prestige within the cult, had held that position for generations.
“The Cult Leader places great expectations upon you.”
“Pardon?”
“I hope you will not disappoint him. You know the value of the Demon Heaven Pill, do you not?”
“I do. I will make certain I never give him reason for disappointment.”
“Good. You may go.”
Shin Gi-woon accepted the wooden box Ma Jin-cheon held out. The man seemed to have no further interest in conversation; he immediately turned and strode off somewhere. The Guangming Guard’s work must have been extremely busy.
“Heading straight back to Jamma Cave feels wrong. Let’s go to a safe house first and take the Demon Heaven Pill.”
“Um… could you help me with that?”
“Of course I have to help. You’re about to become our unit’s bold new recruit, after all.”
Perhaps it was fortunate. Because of its nature, the Thousand Transformations Soul Chasing Squad frequently operated outside the cult.
Originally the unit had simply been called the Soul Chasing Squad. Then Shindogun—known by the moniker Thousand Transformations Ghost—took command, and his epithet was added to the front, giving birth to the Thousand Transformations Soul Chasing Squad.
In other words, if Shin Gi-woon had been forced to choose among the five units belonging to Guangming Palace, the Thousand Transformations Soul Chasing Squad would have been his first pick. Next would probably have been the Black Killing Ghost Shadow Squad.
Either way, it was nothing to complain about. What would happen after he joined the Thousand Transformations Soul Chasing Squad was something he would only know once he got there.
For now, dissolving the Demon Heaven Pill into his body came first.
“Let’s go. I’ll show you to the safe house.”