Episode 31
Episode 31
Translation: Godtl
After gathering everything he needed, Cheon Mu-jin immediately stepped into the game.
[Entering Devouring the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.]
This time, he intended to stay until he had at least secured a much firmer position as a Young Cult Leader candidate.
The moment he entered the game, the first person to seek him out was Gu Il-myeong.
"You were looking for me?"
"Yes, Cheon Mu-jin. No—Young Master Cheon."
Gu Il-myeong's attitude toward him had changed considerably.
In the past, it had felt like a tentative investment on his part, but now it seemed he had realized that standing by Mu-jin's side would be far more beneficial.
"What is it?"
"Take me as your subordinate! Like Ye-ryeong of the Dark Ink Sword Family, I too wish to become your sword!"
Cheon Mu-jin hesitated slightly.
He didn't know much about Gu Il-myeong. Even in the game, little had been revealed about who he truly was.
So blindly accepting his offer based on those words alone was far too risky. And above all, he had no desire to keep a male subordinate.
'Is his real target Ye-ryeong?'
Whereas before he had seemed somewhat hesitant, now he appeared fully resolved.
Judging by that, there was no doubt something had shaken him. And considering recent events, the only things that could have changed his mind were Ye-ryeong swearing loyalty and his own victory over Cheon Yu-rin.
'Is it the former? Or the latter?'
The more he thought about it, the more uncertain he became.
Someone like Gu Il-myeong—who had boldly declared his ambition to become an elder—was clearly no weakling. That meant he would undoubtedly be a valuable asset to Mu-jin, whose faction was still weak.
But did that mean he should willingly bring such a potentially dangerous threat into his ranks?
His deliberation continued for a while.
Eventually, he reached a conclusion.
"Fine. I'll accept you."
"Truly?! No—"
Gu Il-myeong immediately dropped to one knee and made his declaration before Cheon Mu-jin.
"Gu Il-myeong of the Enlightenment Sect swears his loyalty to Young Master Cheon Mu-jin!"
"Good."
Cheon Mu-jin smirked and patted Gu Il-myeong's shoulder.
'If he tries anything strange, I can just kill him then.'
Or drive him away.
Either way, it didn't seem like it would be much of a problem.
After sending Gu Il-myeong off, the next person he sought out was, of course, Ye-ryeong.
"Long time no see."
"Huh? It's only been a day?"
"A day is long. That's how much I missed you."
Come to think of it, he had forgotten that time in this world stood still while he was in reality.
"So, when are we moving?"
"Moving?"
"Yes. Since you passed the third trial, you'll be given private quarters, right? You didn't say anything about it yesterday."
Ah, right.
He had nearly forgotten. Now he wouldn't have to stay in the sweaty, stinking dormitory with the other male disciples anymore.
And since it was a private room, he could do whatever he wanted inside without it being strange.
"Let's go right now. First, let's try to get adjacent rooms!"
Fortunately, there were private quarters located right next to each other.
Cheon Mu-jin immediately stepped inside his new lodgings.
The private quarters were comfortable—quite spacious for one person. By modern standards, it would be about the size of a two-room apartment.
Of course, there were no modern amenities.
The only thing inside was a small oil lamp, casting a faint glow over the room.
"I probably won't change much here until I become the Young Cult Leader. Maybe I should add some furniture later."
No matter how much power he gained in this Murim, he couldn't bring himself to give up the comforts of modern life.
"It's bigger than I expected."
Compared to the communal dormitories, this was a far better environment. Ye-ryeong had also mentioned that the female disciples' quarters were quite rough.
"I wonder how soundproof it is?"
He knocked on the wall with his fist—thud thud—and heard a dull echo.
It didn't sound hollow, meaning it was likely made of sturdy material.
"It probably won't carry sound, right?"
"That's a relief."
If that was the case, he could enjoy himself in the privacy of his room without worry.
Of course, the real reason for such sturdy construction was probably to minimize disturbances during training.
But who cared about that?
He'd use it however he wanted.
"Your room is right next to this one, right?"
"That's correct."
"Should we break through?"
"Huh?"
Ye-ryeong momentarily looked surprised, but soon nodded in agreement.
"Now that I think about it, if we're going to be spending so much time together, connecting the rooms does seem like a good idea."
"Right?"
So he wasn't the only one who had thought of it.
"Then should we break through right now?"
"Wait, Master! That's Azure Jade Stone!"
Azure Jade Stone was famously durable. Only those at the Peak Realm or higher could leave even the slightest scratch on it.
"If it doesn't break, then so be it!"
CRASH!
Cheon Mu-jin's fist collided with the wall. Immediately, a cloud of dust erupted, followed by the sound of crumbling stone.
"It went through."
A gaping hole the size of a door had been torn through the wall. Scattered fragments lay strewn about where the impact had shattered the stone.
"I'll have to clean this up later. Might as well smooth the edges too."
***
After the third stage of the exam, there was still a considerable amount of time before the fourth stage would begin.
Of course, they weren't just meant to idle away the time—they were instructed to raise their martial realms. The minimum requirement to even attempt the fourth stage was reaching the Transcendent Peak Realm.
For that reason, Cheon Mu-jin had been training with the sword alongside Ye-ryeong.
Gu Il-myeong had asked to join them, but Mu-jin had dismissed him without a second thought.
"So, have you properly mastered the Moon Maiden Sword Art?"
"Would you like to see?"
Ye-ryeong immediately drew her sword and settled into stance. The carefree air that had surrounded her moments before vanished, replaced by a razor-sharp killing intent.
The abrupt shift in atmosphere made Mu-jin smile in amazement.
'So this is what it means to be a true genius with the sword.'
No matter how high-tier the Moon Maiden Sword Art was, the speed at which she had grown was nothing short of astonishing.
After just a single day of studying the manual, she was already executing the techniques with near-perfect precision.
At this level, her swordsmanship could already rival that of the Namgung Clan's techniques. It only made him more eager to see how much further she would grow.
'There's no way I could beat her before mastering the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.'
Once again, he felt a surge of relief at having secured her loyalty early.
Every single one of her sword strokes left behind a lingering trace of subtle, deadly intent.
And then, just like that, her demonstration came to an end.
"Did you see?"
"Of course."
Mu-jin nodded.
Ye-ryeong's talent was on par with that of Wol-nyeo, the legendary swordswoman after whom the technique was named. At this rate, wouldn't she naturally become the next Best Sword Under Heaven in this world's setting?
Cheon Yu-rin of the Sword Demon Clan was already a joke in comparison—someone even he had defeated.
'Speaking of which, the Losers' Revival Tournament should be starting soon, right?'
Those who passed the revival tournament would gain the right to take the fourth stage exam. Of course, most would be eliminated before even reaching it.
Either way, there were three people he needed to keep an eye on this time.
Cheon Yu-rin. Cheon Ha-na. Ju-rin.
Ju-rin was skilled enough to make it through if the tournament was structured as individual matches.
Cheon Yu-rin, on the other hand, had to be forced out of the running.
As for Cheon Ha-na... he wasn't sure.
She was probably from the Blade Demon Clan, right?
'She wasn't bad-looking. Her skills were decent too.'
The only reason she'd lost an arm was because she'd been up against Cheon Gi-baek, who had resorted to underhanded tricks.
'Cheon Ha-na, huh...'
If handled right, she might be worth bedding.
Having the Blade Demon Clan as allies wouldn't be a bad thing—they were a solid faction.
The problem was trust.
A one-armed Cheon Ha-na wasn't worth recruiting.
If she had spent years mastering martial arts despite her missing arm, that would be one thing, but as things stood, she'd be lucky to wield even half her former strength.
'Of course, I do have the Regeneration Potion.'
The Regeneration Potion sold at the Sex Mall—though expensive—was something he had splurged on.
He figured it might come in handy someday, and if not, well, it could always be repurposed for other kinds of play.
With the potion, restoring Cheon Ha-na's arm would be trivial. The real issue was ensuring she wouldn't betray him afterward.
'Even if she swears an oath, she's still a member of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Betrayal and backstabbing are just part of the game—only fools trust blindly.'
What he needed was a way to make betrayal impossible for her.
The problem was, that wasn't exactly straightforward.
Mu-jin glanced at Ye-ryeong. Lately, she had been burying herself in books, studying to compensate for her fragmented memories.
If anyone might know of a solution, it would be her.
"Ye-ryeong, do you know of any curses or martial arts that can make it impossible to disobey orders?"
"I'm not sure about martial arts. As for curses... I can think of a few possibilities. But why? If it's just about disobedience, wouldn't killing them solve the problem?"
He agreed with the sentiment, but this time, that wasn't an option.
Killing the heir of the Blade Demon Clan would mean turning the entire faction into an enemy.
'Maybe I could just erase her memories instead?'
But no, that wouldn't work either. If Ye-ryeong found out her memories had been forcibly wiped, her loyalty might waver.
Threats probably wouldn't be effective either.
In the end, the only reliable way to control someone without trust was through absolute coercion.
"She's not someone I can just kill carelessly."
Mu-jin laid out his entire plan to Ye-ryeong in detail.
It was a long conversation.