Episode 18
Episode 18
Translation: Godtl
After finalizing all his secret plans, Cheon Mu-jin immediately returned to his quarters.
Though he longed to have a private room all to himself, unfortunately, personal quarters were only granted to those who had at least reached the rank of Squad Leader within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
In other words, it meant he would have to pass all three stages of the trials before he could claim one.
"Tch. So I have to share a room with those bastards again."
Irritation was already creeping up on him.
Honestly.
If he could secure a private room, he would've wanted Ye-ryeong to stay with him right away.
And if possible, after breaking Cheon Yu-rin, he wouldn't mind bringing Ju-rin to his quarters either.
'No, wait—by then, I should bring Cheon Yu-rin along too.'
There was a certain pleasure in breaking a haughty woman.
Just as he was about to enter the dormitory, that unpleasant voice rang out again.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Turning his head, he saw none other than Cheon Gi-baek.
Was this guy really that bored? Or was he some kind of pervert with a thing for men?
If not, why else would he keep seeking him out like this?
'Which faction was he from again? The Fist Demon Clan?'
The Fist Demon Clan specialized in fist techniques. Unsurprisingly, most of them were brutish and foul-tempered.
The candidate for Young Cult Leader standing before him, Cheon Gi-baek, was no exception. Behind him, several disciples stood in a row like bodyguards, following his lead.
'Judging by the fact that they trail after a guy with such a rotten personality, they must be cut from the same cloth.'
A thought flashed through his mind.
Should I just kill him?
Killing him outright would be easy enough.
But the aftermath was the problem.
If it was outright murder, getting caught would mean immediate expulsion from the Demon Path Pavilion. And if he were expelled, any chance of growing stronger to exact revenge for Cheon Gi-baek's provocations would vanish entirely.
"What, you planning to start something?"
As the standoff between Cheon Gi-baek and Cheon Mu-jin—already a hot topic in the capital—continued, the attention of other Young Cult Leader candidates heading to their quarters also turned toward them.
At this point, it was safe to assume no one would ignore this situation.
For Cheon Mu-jin, it was nothing but a nuisance. But for Cheon Gi-baek, who had orchestrated all of this, it was downright delightful.
'Quite the audience we've gathered...'
If he thoroughly humiliated Cheon Mu-jin here, it would be clear to everyone that the latter had no business even dreaming of the Young Cult Leader position.
And by making an example of this lowborn bastard, he could vent some of the frustration that had been building up.
"To think a mongrel like you would dare step foot in the Demon Path Pavilion—what kind of delusions are you under?"
"Delusions? Well, you certainly have plenty of confidence, I'll give you that."
"...Huh?"
Instead of retorting, Cheon Mu-jin's sudden agreement left Cheon Gi-baek momentarily speechless.
"But still. To call someone 'lowborn' in the presence of our Cult Leader, who reigns like the heavens over our sect—that's bold."
"What—?!"
"Obviously, when you say that to me, you're implying the same about our Cult Leader, right?"
"What nonsense! When did I ever say that?!"
Cheon Gi-baek's words caught in his throat, leaving him flustered.
"Pfft. Typical of the Fist Demon Clan. No brains at all."
Cheon Yu-rin of the Sword Demon Clan smirked as she passed by. Cheon Gi-baek's brow twitched in irritation.
Far from crushing Cheon Mu-jin into the dirt so thoroughly he'd never dare show his face again, he was the one being humiliated. Rage surged through him.
"Enough. I shouldn't have wasted words on you. A martial artist settles things with strength!"
WHAM!
"Guh—!"
Before Cheon Gi-baek could even finish speaking, Cheon Mu-jin's fist slammed into his face.
Silence instantly fell over the surroundings.
It wasn't even a strike reinforced with Internal Energy—just pure physical strength. His nose must have been throbbing painfully.
"Even the mighty heir of the Fist Demon Clan can't speak after getting punched in the face, huh?"
"Y-you—!!!"
At Cheon Mu-jin's final jab, Cheon Gi-baek's eyes bulged with fury.
He immediately tried to unleash the Fist Demon Clan's signature technique—the Demonic Dragon Evil Fist.
But things didn't go as planned.
While Cheon Gi-baek, still reeling from the punch, struggled to regain his footing, Cheon Mu-jin had already fled.
Even the disciples lined up behind Cheon Gi-baek hadn't expected his opponent to choose escape.
"A-after him!"
"Get him!!!"
After a brief hesitation, Cheon Gi-baek's underlings rushed to pursue Cheon Mu-jin.
But catching him once he fled using a movement technique was nearly impossible for the group.
Furious beyond measure, Cheon Gi-baek himself used a movement technique and gave chase.
In truth, no one present surpassed Cheon Gi-baek or Cheon Mu-jin in movement techniques, so in the end, it became a one-on-one pursuit.
After chasing Cheon Mu-jin for quite some time, Cheon Gi-baek began to sense something strange.
'......Why is he so fast? Something's off.'
No matter how hard he pursued, the distance between him and the fleeing Mu-jin refused to close.
But at the same time, Mu-jin wasn't pulling too far ahead either. It was as if he was deliberately luring him forward at that exact pace.
Wiping away the blood still trickling from his nose with a rough swipe, Gi-baek finally came to a stop.
"......Is he toying with me on purpose?"
If he exhausted himself chasing only to fail, that would be another problem entirely. It would be nothing short of utter humiliation.
"Damn it!!!! Cheon Mu-jin!!! The moment you step out of the Demon Path Pavilion—I'll kill you!!!"
In the end, Gi-baek could only scream after him, his nose still bleeding profusely.
Meanwhile, from a short distance away, Mu-jin clicked his tongue as he watched Gi-baek give up the chase.
"What a shame. If he'd followed, I could've killed him in an 'unfortunate accident.' Right?"
"Indeed."
Standing beside him, Ye-ryeong had appeared at some point, sword in hand.
"How disappointing. I thought we'd finally get to kill him properly."
***
As dawn broke, rewards were distributed to all disciples for their performance in the previous day's mission.
The reward for obstructing and repelling the Murim Alliance? None other than access to the Secret Manual Library.
Moreover, this time, the library was different from before—it granted entry to much higher floors.
Which meant it was a place where one could learn Ascending Martial Arts.
"They must've all rushed to the Secret Manual Library by now."
No matter what excuses they might give, the truth was simple: anyone who desired powerful martial arts would have sprinted straight there.
But Mu-jin was different.
What he truly sought was the Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功). The real, authentic martial art of the Heavenly Demon wouldn't be found in some library—so there was no point in learning anything else.
Worse, if he trained in flawed techniques now, it might interfere with mastering the true Heavenly Demon Divine Art later.
So instead, he focused on finding something useful for Ye-ryeong.
"The Bone Alteration Art is here, but as for martial arts suitable for Ye-ryeong..."
Nothing stood out.
This was still just the lower floors of the library. Overwhelmingly powerful Ascending Martial Arts wouldn't be found here.
And as for Ye-ryeong, given her natural physical prowess, she could already defeat most opponents without issue.
'I'll have to wait until the next floor to find proper martial arts for Ye-ryeong.'
For now, the Bone Alteration Art was all he needed.
He also checked if there were any Sexual Arts, but unfortunately, none were available.
'If there had been something like the Demon of Lust Art, I would've liked to try it. What a pity.'
With that, Mu-jin meticulously copied the Bone Alteration Art's passages before exiting the library.
Had this been any other place, Cheon Gi-baek and his lackeys might have been lying in wait—but as it turned out, they too were still inside the Secret Manual Library.
The moment he stepped outside, the first thing he saw was Ye-ryeong, hidden in the trees above.
Her white robes were stained with faint traces of blood.
"Did something happen?"
"I caught someone."
Only then did Mu-jin notice the woman Ye-ryeong had brought with her.
She must have been the disciple from that disguise-worthy family they had discussed earlier.
"The white hair is certainly similar. Height and build match too."
The most striking resemblance, however, was the absurdly large chest—somehow, it was nearly identical.
"Is this the Bone Alteration Art?"
Before he knew it, Ye-ryeong had taken the copied manual from his hands.
Mu-jin nodded.
After quickly skimming through the text, Ye-ryeong smirked.
"A simple technique."
"What, you've already read it all?"
Instead of answering, the sound of bones shifting—crack, crack—filled the air.
In front of a momentarily startled Mu-jin now stood a woman who looked exactly like the corpse lying beside her.
Though slightly inferior to Ye-ryeong's original appearance, she was still far from unpleasant to look at.
"How is it? Close enough?"
"Perfectly identical."
"Good. Since I've already learned the martial arts through interrogation, I just need to change clothes now."
"You interrogated her?"
Mu-jin glanced back at the corpse.
Now that he looked closely, all of its fingernails and toenails had been torn out.
With torture like that, of course she would've spilled everything about her martial arts.
But what truly caught him off guard was Ye-ryeong, who immediately began stripping right then and there.
In an instant, she stood completely naked, baring everything without hesitation.
He had seen her before, but witnessing her like this, in such an open space, carried a different kind of allure.
"Your gaze is practically drilling into me."
"Just a little?"
"Just a little? That's rather disappointing. I take pride in being quite beautiful, you know."
Suddenly stopping mid-dress, Ye-ryeong pressed herself against him.
"What's your inten—"
Mu-jin's words were cut off as her lips sealed over his.
"I'm much better than that big-breasted bitch you called before, aren't I? Master?"
"......"
Only then did he grasp the underlying mood.
Ye-ryeong was jealous of Ju-rin.
Extremely jealous.