Chapter 211
Chapter 211
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 211
Chapter Title: Reunion with the Ailing Swordsmith
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"Yes. Please, come this way."
Shim Hyo greeted Hyeok Mulin with a bright smile.
Then he turned on his heel and began leading the way toward the Door Lord's residence.
As Shim Hyo walked, the master smiths parted to either side, opening a wide path down the middle. Hyeok Mulin caught sight of this and glanced back over his shoulder for a moment.
His eyes landed on the Heavenly Windcloud Platoon.
"This place..."
"Is the South Iron Gate?"
Even amid the sudden turn of events, they showed no signs of panic.
They quickly scanned their surroundings to assess the situation, then waited patiently for Hyeok Mulin's command.
Seeing this, Hyeok Mulin slowly turned to them with a faint smile.
"Heavenly Windcloud Platoon, stand by at your lodgings. As Heavenly Demon troops, I'll summon you when the time comes."
"Understood."
At his words, the deputy door lord and the master smiths flinched.
Hyeok Mulin's command carried two layers of meaning—not just for the Heavenly Windcloud Platoon, but for them as well.
The first was that they needed to prepare accommodations for the Cult Leader's personal guard.
These were no ordinary men; they were the Heavenly Demon Army itself, and not just a handful of them. The master smiths were already racking their brains over how best to host them.
But that wasn't the only issue.
The real problem lay in the words that followed.
'I'll summon you when the time comes.'
Breaking it down, it meant he didn't need them right now—but there would come a moment when he did.
In other words, they could infer the Cult Leader wouldn't be staying here just a day or two.
He had arrived at the South Iron Gate without a word of warning. What exactly did he plan to accomplish?
No matter how hard they pondered, the master smiths couldn't fathom his true intentions.
Hyeok Mulin glanced around at their furrowed brows, deep in thought, then turned away.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
Shim Hyo, who had paused to wait, resumed walking.
The path to the Door Lord's residence was quiet.
All the master smiths had gathered at the entrance to greet Hyeok Mulin, leaving the interior utterly deserted—not a soul or even a shadow in sight.
As they strolled down the empty street, Hyeok Mulin quietly observed Shim Hyo's back as he led the way.
The young man's gentle demeanor was the same as ever, but now there was a solid, unyielding strength both inside and out.
'He used to seem like nothing more than a talented boy.'
The last time he'd seen him, Shim Hyo had been in his mid-twenties yet still carried the air of a youth.
But now, his talents had fully blossomed. He stood as a reliable young man with broad shoulders you could trust.
The only constants were his innate gifts and the confidence they bred.
Clearly, he hadn't wasted his time under the Door Lord.
Now, from his hands, his back, his shoulders, even his gaze—Hyeok Mulin could already sense the aura of a master smith surpassing the deputy door lord.
"You've grown."
Shim Hyo froze at Hyeok Mulin's words.
At the Cult Leader's lavish praise, he didn't know how to respond and stammered awkwardly before expressing his gratitude with humble words.
"Thank you for seeing it that way, but I'm still sorely lacking."
The more skilled a warrior, the more keenly they feel their own shortcomings.
The master smiths were no different.
The very fact that he so acutely sensed his deficiencies was, paradoxically, proof he had set foot on the path to mastery.
"Good. Keep at it."
With that drive, he'd naturally rise to the Door Lord's seat in time.
At least in Hyeok Mulin's memory, smiths who reached that level were rarer than divine weapons—even across the entire world, let alone among those below the transcendent realm.
And with such talent, plus the insights he'd gained watching Hyeok Mulin forge the Sky-Splitting Demon Sword, it all made sense why his growth outpaced even his previous life.
A little further along their walk, Hyeok Mulin posed a question.
"Is the Door Lord's condition that poor?"
The first time Hyeok Mulin had visited the South Iron Gate, the Door Lord hadn't come out to greet him.
He'd holed up in his workshop, claiming illness.
But now, after forging the Sky-Splitting Demon Sword together, their bond was close enough that there was no reason for him not to emerge.
Yet he hadn't. It was easy enough to infer his health had deteriorated severely.
Shim Hyo let out a sigh and nodded at Hyeok Mulin's question.
"Yes. These days, he hasn't set foot in the workshop at all. He can barely lie down in his bedchambers."
"I see."
In truth, Door Lord Gundo Sang was already at an age where he could pass away at any moment without it being unusual.
Rather than injury from foes or sudden illness, it was simply the natural frailty of old age.
'Good thing I came before it was too late.'
Hyeok Mulin hadn't spent much time with Gundo Sang.
But as the world's greatest smith who had co-forged his beloved sword, the Sky-Splitting Demon Sword, Hyeok Mulin felt a deep bond with him.
So he was relieved to see him one last time before the end.
"When the Door Lord hears you've come, I'm sure he'll be overjoyed."
Shim Hyo smiled as he spoke, then came to a stop not long after.
A narrow-entried pavilion stood before them.
"This is it?"
"Yes, that's right."
Hyeok Mulin stepped forward, while Shim Hyo remained standing still.
Hyeok Mulin had only instructed him to guide the way. Now it was time for a private audience with the Door Lord.
Creak.
As Hyeok Mulin opened the door, the first thing he felt was the warm air inside.
It was like a blazing brazier set into the floor—the entire residence was filled with cozy warmth.
In the midst of it, Gundo Sang lay on the bed with his eyes gently closed. He parted his lips.
"I've eaten. Didn't I say I have no appetite?"
Hyeok Mulin responded.
"You still need to eat. Starving will only sap your strength further."
Gundo Sang, who had expected no rebuttal, let out a somewhat irritated voice.
"I'm the Door Lord, and I've said I won't eat—who dares to argue...!"
But he couldn't finish his sentence.
The strangely familiar situation and voice gave him pause.
"Could it be...?"
Gundo Sang slowly lifted his eyelids.
His eyes met Hyeok Mulin, standing there with hands clasped behind his back, watching him.
"...A dream?"
These days, Gundo Sang slept over ten hours a day and dreamed frequently.
So this unrealistic scene of the Cult Leader in his bedchambers felt just like one.
As Gundo Sang stared blankly, Hyeok Mulin spoke.
"It's reality."
"...!"
Gundo Sang's eyes flew wide. He pinched the back of his hand.
It hurt. Undeniably real.
Only then did he grasp the situation and hurriedly try to sit up.
"It is an honor to meet the exalted Cult Lead—!"
But in mid-sentence, his face twisted.
"Urk!"
The sudden movement must have tweaked his back; a pained groan escaped his lips.
Hyeok Mulin calmed him.
"No need to strain yourself. Your sincerity has come through clearly enough."
"...My thanks for your consideration, Cult Leader."
Only after Hyeok Mulin's permission did Gundo Sang lie back down.
He settled comfortably on the bed, but he couldn't control his furtive glances.
Sensing them, Hyeok Mulin chuckled softly and unfastened the sword at his waist.
He set the Sky-Splitting Demon Sword down beside Gundo Sang and said,
"Don't hold back—look as much as you like."
The sword belonged to Hyeok Mulin, but Gundo Sang had forged it.
Hyeok Mulin had provided crucial aid with his extreme heat and cold energies, but the masterpiece had emerged from Gundo Sang's hands all the same.
So it was only natural for him to hold such deep attachment and affection for the Sky-Splitting Demon Sword.
"The Sky... Sky-Splitting Demon Sword!"
His eyes rolled back in shock as he snatched it from the scabbard and drew it forth.
Finally facing the gleaming blade again, he was swept up in ecstatic bliss.
To be so thrilled just by looking at it.
Gundo Sang examined the sword inch by inch with eyes brimming with brotherly love, as if reuniting with a sibling from childhood.
Then, noticing something, he opened his mouth in astonishment.
"Unbelievable. Not a single nick anywhere, and the edge is even sharper than before."
Seeing the Sky-Splitting Demon Sword after so long, Gundo Sang had assumed its durability would have worn down and planned to refurbish it.
But upon inspection, he realized it was unnecessary.
There were traces of the Cult Leader wielding it several times, yet not only was the blade undamaged—it was keener and more razor-sharp than ever.
'So this is Impervious Demon Light Iron.'
Having handled hundreds of ores over a lifetime, he couldn't help but marvel at it.
Any ordinary sword would have shattered the moment it took on the Cult Leader's demonic energy.
Yet the Sky-Splitting Demon Sword not only contained it perfectly—it was growing alongside it.
"Even though I made it myself, it still gives me chills."
Gundo Sang slid the sword back into its scabbard with a serene expression.
Then he returned it to the Cult Leader.
Click.
Hyeok Mulin refastened the Sky-Splitting Demon Sword to his waist and drew something from his bosom.
A tiny wooden box, about half the size of his palm.
He handed it to Gundo Sang.
"Cult Leader?"
To Gundo Sang's question, Hyeok Mulin replied simply.
"Open it."
Gundo Sang turned back and carefully unsealed the box.
The moment he saw what was inside, his eyes widened round.
"This is!"
Nestled within was a yellowish, round pill.
At the faint, bitter scent wafting from it, Gundo Sang instantly identified it.
"Isn't this the Yellow Luminous Three-Hundred-Year Ginseng Pill?!"
It was made by condensing the essence from three hundred-year-old ginseng roots, filtered down to the purest, most potent nectar.
While it offered little aid to a martial artist's internal energy cultivation, its restorative effects on depleted vital energy were unparalleled.
"How did you obtain something so rare..."
Gundo Sang couldn't close his mouth at the overly generous gift from the Cult Leader.
But the body is honest.
Drawn by the pill's aroma, drool was already trickling unwittingly from the corner of his mouth.
"I thought it might help with your recovery. It wasn't hard to come by, so no need to feel burdened."
Emotion swelled in Gundo Sang's chest at those words.
This pill was what wealthy clan patriarchs, merchant lords, and fortress commanders desperately sought in their old age.
As if it extended their lifespan, it restored vital energy.
Countless tycoons vied for these ginseng pills, yet even money couldn't always buy them.
'And he says it wasn't hard to obtain.'
Gundo Sang's eyes welled up at Hyeok Mulin's thoughtful words.
But Hyeok Mulin had simply spoken the truth.
He'd barely lifted a finger, and the Myriad Li Merchant Association had offered up three pills as tribute.
He'd already taken one himself and given another to Jang Wi.
This last one was for Gundo Sang.
Aside from himself, he'd given them only to those in dire need of them due to advanced age.
Truly effortless acquisitions—no burden required. Yet Gundo Sang's gaze shone with the same deep emotion he reserved for the Sky-Splitting Demon Sword.
Then, feeling another pang in his back, he furrowed his brow.
Seeing this, Hyeok Mulin said,
"You can take it right now."
"My deepest thanks for your permission."
At Hyeok Mulin's approval, he immediately swallowed the ginseng pill.
And in that instant...
Gundo Sang's breath stopped.