Chapter 61
Chapter 61
Chapter 61
Master Craftsman Showdown (2)
Heavenly Demon Cult Invitation
Inviting craftsmen who make weapons.
It was the Heavenly Demon Cult's first invitation message to outsiders.
You can see Torto and Cheollu in person.
It was natural that it became a hot topic.
"Cult Leader, isn't this too serious of a fraud?"
"It's not a fraud."
"Cult Leader, you seem to be going too far."
"It's not a fraud. Both will come eventually."
I would go too. If someone claims to be the Heavenly Demon and this becomes a worldwide issue, one would have no choice but to go out of curiosity.
"If they've been reincarnated, they will definitely come."
The only thing I'm anxious about is if they haven't been reincarnated, or if they have but are already dead.
'They wouldn't have become targets of hunters.'
They're not the type to openly use martial arts.
"There are 3 weeks left now. Wait and see. It'll be a grand feast."
I was walking in front of the lodging while talking with So Iryeon. Then I heard several voices coming from the direction of the house.
"Mother! I'll do it!"
"Father! I'll do it!"
It was the voices of the Hundred Hundred White Blood Corps. I discreetly watched them.
Father had brought out a lawn mowing machine, and Mother was trying to prepare vegetables she had grown herself. My parents, who had been feeling stifled just staying at home, farmed in a vegetable garden, and recently they had been expanding the area of the field.
But the Hundred Hundred White Blood Corps didn't just leave my parents to their work. Hundred Tiger Ghost was the worst.
"You only need to give orders for such work!"
He spoke in a booming voice. To this, Father waved his hand and replied.
"It's fine, I'm doing it for exercise."
My parents regarded everyone in the house as their child's friends.
"No! If you hurt yourself doing that...!"
That's Hundred Tiger Ghost's problem.
"Everyone, stop!"
I had no choice but to step in. When I appeared, Hundred Tiger Ghost and the Hundred White Blood Corps straightened their posture. Seeing the Hundred White Blood Corps standing with their backs straight, my nose stung without me realizing it.
'Is this what people should look like?'
They were drenched in sweat and covered in traces of treatment. Recently, under Hundred Tiger Ghost's leadership, the Hundred White Blood Corps had been undergoing hellish training.
—Can you call yourselves the Hundred White Blood Corps with that level of skill!
To Hundred Tiger Ghost, the Hundred White Blood Corps was like his life. He hated seeing its honor diminished more than death.
—Whoever wants to give up can give up anytime! Those who follow, I'll drag along even if I have to risk my life!
That was Hundred Tiger Ghost's way. And so far, five members of the Hundred White Blood Corps had been enduring in hell.
'They endured in their previous lives, too.'
None of them gave up.
'But there might also be those who don't join because they hate this.'
This was also true. I waved my hand to ease their tension and smiled while making eye contact with my parents.
"You don't need to help with work, my parents are doing for exercise. Only help when they're lifting something heavy or doing dangerous work. Understood?"
"Yes!"
Hundred Tiger Ghost answered vigorously and immediately went to Mother.
"What is it?"
"Mother! I'm good with knives!"
He was doing this after seeing Mother's knife as she trimmed vegetables.
'That guy...'
Curses rose to my throat, but I held them back. It was in front of my parents and the Hundred White Blood Corps. Cursing him now would do more harm than good.
"Hundred Tiger Ghost."
I looked at Hundred Tiger Ghost and slightly shook my head.
"Now, everyone's training hard, right?"
I drew the Hundred White Blood Corps' attention and spoke to Hundred Tiger Ghost.
"There will be an evaluation for the new five members, but I'm only counting on you, Hundred Tiger Ghost."
When giving encouragement, one must do it properly. Hundred Tiger Ghost raised his voice with a resolute expression.
"I will evaluate them thoroughly!"
"Good."
Hundred Tiger Ghost bowed again and disappeared with the Hundred White Blood Corps.
"Mother, let me give you a massage."
I kneaded Mother's shoulders after a long time. While doing so, I examined Mother's body. The Witch and I checked on my parents' bodies whenever we had time. So their health was no less than that of young people.
"I'm sorry. You can't even go out freely."
Mother reached out and held my hand that was massaging her shoulder.
"What are you sorry about? I'm grateful to you all. I've been grateful since you were born."
My nose stung for no reason.
"Father, come too."
So Iryeon, who had been watching nearby, took charge of Father's massage.
"Oppa! Unnie!"
Yuna, who had been napping, ran out holding a puppy. Then the puppy, cat, mole, and fox that had been playing in the yard all rushed to Yuna. The quiet yard quickly became noisy. My parents laughed cheerfully, and I felt good too.
'All of this is probably being filmed, isn't it?'
There would be cameras capturing this scene from afar. Right now, I really hated that.
Then, sparkling ice powder fell from the sky. And a barrier was created that enveloped the entire house. A rainbow appeared inside it, and ice powder scattered, changing the hot air to cool.
"You won't be visible from outside."
The Witch had joined us at some point. And So Iryeon discreetly read the situation and returned to the lodging.
Family time.
In the fairy tale-like space the Witch created, our family spent precious time together.
***
August 10th. It was 3 weeks before D-Day.
The number of people who applied to visit the event that the media had arbitrarily named the Master Craftsman Showdown was a total of 90. Among them, we filtered out all those with a high proportion of modern machinery. So those allowed to visit numbered 15.
It was a smaller number than expected, but looking at their profiles, they were by no means inadequate. Seven qualified based on their career alone, and the remaining eight sent items they had personally made. Jimun Seo-saeng examined these with his own eyes and selected the eight.
Even if not Torto or Cheollu, each of the 15 individuals' skills were worthy of being called craftsmen. Among them, a family that had been blacksmiths for five generations in Germany and a blacksmith from Japan boasted such outstanding skills that I wanted to bring them to the Heavenly Demon Cult immediately.
However, even they didn't specialize in weapons or armor. They had experience several times, but most were orders for decorative items.
Along with the Master Craftsman Showdown, there was something else being prepared in the name of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
For this purpose, Kim Mu-jin came to the house early in the morning.
"I've heard the rough story."
"So, will you do it?"
"Of course, I must. I was thinking it was absolutely necessary anyway. But I have one request."
"What is it?"
"Give me a spot too."
At Kim Mu-jin's words, Jimun Seo-saeng showed a slight smile. But I was different.
"You're not part of the Heavenly Demon Cult."
"Aren't I a sponsor? I think I can receive that much treatment."
"Alright. But in a corner."
"Let's agree on a corner, but a good spot."
I accepted that much.
"Good. Then I'll attach the elite of our Hanjeong Construction. Since it's the main base of the Heavenly Demon Cult, we must build it properly."
Heavenly Demon Cult main base construction.
Recently, as the household had grown, more buildings were needed, and we had reached the point where we would need to cut into more of the mountain. The Witch also didn't want this, so we decided to build the Heavenly Demon Cult main base instead.
The first thing we did for this was to buy up the surrounding land. People who had many complaints due to the many reporters and visitors accepted the offer. However, two problems arose.
The first was cases where they demanded much more money than the market price. We ended up successfully purchasing the land by paying up to three times the market price.
The second problem was the Witch.
"I'll buy the mountain."
Our house is surrounded by mountains like folding screens. All those mountains were owned by the Witch.
In the end, the fields and village stretching from our house to the road were purchased in the name of the Heavenly Demon Cult, and the mountains extending behind were additionally purchased by the Witch. In terms of territory, it was about equal, and with our house as the reference point, it was divided half and half.
With Hanjeong Construction's workforce heavily invested, the contract was completed in a week, and when another three days had passed, blueprints were placed before me.
A total of three different styled blueprints were created by computer, so everything could be viewed in detail.
The first was a structure like a Korean royal palace, where, upon entering the entrance, fifty tile-roofed houses were built symmetrically centered around a main hall built with ample space and a wide courtyard.
The second was a structure with a 15-story tower-like building in the center and dormitories and training grounds arranged in a circle.
The third was a modern style where the center of the site had a lake park instead of a building, with training grounds in the north, south, east, and west. Along the main road centered on the lake, a stream flowing with water was connected, and flower beds and trees were planted nearby, giving the feeling of a miniaturized planned city.
"I like the third one."
There was no need to insist on the classics.
"Cult Leader, we need at least one symbolic building."
Jimun Seo-saeng's words also made sense.
"What about doing it as a sculpture? Let's use the exact symbol we used in our previous lives."
The symbol of the Heavenly Demon Cult in the previous life was the form of a dragon looking down from the sky.
"Build this symbol in the center of the lake park. And Jimun Seo-saeng can take care of any other necessary facilities."
Various facilities were needed for it to become the Heavenly Demon Cult main base. From spaces for people doing menial work to warehouses, even a prison and interrogation room were needed. Jimun Seo-saeng decided to negotiate these parts directly with the designer.
The revised blueprints came out a week later.
"Good, proceed."
Thus, the full-scale construction was decided.
"How long do you think it will take?"
"The foundation work alone will take several months."
It wasn't a flat area, and with fields and houses mixed together, demolition would also take a lot of time. The entire village had to be demolished and foundation work done. A construction manager with 30 years of experience mentioned a minimum of six months.
"How long will it take, excluding foundation work and demolition? We'll also dig the land needed for the lake."
"Burying the septic tank and connecting it to the sewer, installing water pipes..."
Construction surprisingly required many things. I said bluntly.
"We'll do everything except construction. Just tell us the exact blueprints."
I wanted to shorten the time needed for main base construction.
"If all such work is finished, it's possible within 3 months."
"Good. Then I'll contact you again tomorrow."
After reaching an agreement for now, I went to find the Witch.
***
I arrived at the Witch's laboratory.
"Want to take a part-time job?"
"I have a lot of money."
"Wouldn't it be good for you too if construction finishes quickly?"
The Witch felt the same way as me. No one likes construction continuing for a long time in front of their house. Once the Heavenly Demon Cult main base was built, our house would be located at the innermost part of the base. The Witch didn't want construction to proceed for over six months in front of it either.
"I'm expensive."
"You said you have a lot of money?"
"Still, labor deserves compensation."
I thought it was a bit petty, but it wasn't wrong, so I just accepted it.
"How much?"
"Money's fine. Instead, expand Yuna's pets' territory to the Heavenly Demon Cult main base, and the condition that I can also freely move around the main base. A kind of family privilege."
Of course, it should be that way. This applied not only to me but also to the families of Heavenly Demon Cult members. However, as Cult Leader, I was allowed in all areas, while cult members had restricted areas depending on their position.
"And I'd like to draw one magic circle on the Heavenly Demon Cult wall. An alarm spell."
The spell currently blocking the reporters.
"Alright."
"Call some trucks when we start."
"How many do you need?"
"As many as possible. So many that you wonder if it's okay to call this many."
The Witch, having finished what she had to say, picked up a book on her desk.
***
The next morning.
Fifty dump trucks were parked on the roadside.
"Call more."
The Witch requested more trucks and looked at the blueprints. Next to her was a construction manager in his late fifties. The Witch stared intently at the fields, cement roads, and village with random elevation.
"Tell everyone to stand back."
One hundred workers and even more reporters retreated outside the area the Witch had designated.
The Witch simply raised her hand.
Then the ground began to twist. And a sharp ice sheet was created and burrowed into the ground. A fierce whirlwind sucked up the scattered soil. The whirlwind sprayed soil into the trucks' beds as if moving alive.
Dozens of whirlwinds were created and disappeared, and the time it took for the boom to repeat hundreds of times was only 5 minutes.
When the dust that had risen cloudily disappeared, only a smooth, flat land remained before us, as if drawn with a blade.