Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Revealed Truths (2)
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The words on the wall were a diary entry, and they read as follows.
『Greed.
It is the driving force of human life, the very foundation of growth.
But, as always, it is not without its flaws.
Greed clouds rational judgment.
Thus, humans sometimes envy others and fail to recognize their own limits.
I became the Heavenly Demon to erase such greed from this world.
However, I am dying, my will unfulfilled, thwarted by those who hide their dark intentions behind the names of justice and chivalry.
The only solace is that there is a child who will carry my will to my followers.
A child named Maeng Eun-ho.
To you, with your frail body, I will pass down the Divine Arts of the Tiger, one of the foundational arts of the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon.
Therefore, you must strengthen your body and pass on my will, embodied in the Sacred Black Flame and the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon, to the followers.
Then, one day, the era of the Divine Cult will dawn once more.』
Following this, another diary entry, written in a different hand, was inscribed.
『The Divine Cult, having lost the Heavenly Demon, has changed so much it can no longer be called as such.
It has become a Demonic Cult, shunning outsiders like myself.
Therefore, I intend to leave this place.
Before I go, I tried to pass on the Sacred Black Flame and the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon as the Heavenly Demon commanded, but the ostracism was so severe that I could only pass on the Sword Arts of the Heavenly Demon.
The external martial art required to complete the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon, the Divine Arts of the Tiger, unfortunately, leaves the Demonic Cult with me.
However, I will leave the Divine Arts of the Tiger to my descendants, along with my name.
It shall be returned on the day the Demonic Cult comes to its senses and is reborn as the Divine Cult.』
“……”
The truth was so incredible that words failed me.
‘If the information written here is true, then my master, Maeng Eun-ho, was a descendant of the one who inherited the Heavenly Demon’s will, and the Divine Arts of the Green Forest Tiger is actually a part of the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon!’
I didn’t know exactly what it meant to be ostracized as an outsider, but my master’s ancestor felt betrayed by the Demonic Cult.
And because of that, they passed on an incomplete version of the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon, without the Divine Arts of the Tiger.
‘This… The pieces are starting to fit together.’
I understood why the Hwan Cheon-hwa Gate mistook me for the current Heavenly Demon.
‘Because I am the only one who has perfectly mastered the Divine Arts of the Tiger, which contains the Heavenly Demon’s will.’
As far as I knew, throughout all my past lives, I am the only one who has mastered the Divine Arts of the Tiger to its absolute peak.
‘Does that mean no one has mastered the Sword Arts of the Heavenly Demon mentioned in the records?’
Even without mastering the Divine Arts of the Tiger, according to the records, there is another martial art that contains the Heavenly Demon's will.
Its name is the Sword Arts of the Heavenly Demon.
However, the fact that the Hwan Cheon-hwa Gate’s prophecy pointed to me meant that for some reason, the Sword Arts of the Heavenly Demon must have been lost to time.
‘Could it be?’
I shifted my gaze to the coffin beside me.
‘What if the Sword Arts of the Heavenly Demon are in this coffin, which I cannot open even with my strength?’
Then it would all make sense.
If it is still stored in this coffin, then no one could have learned the Sword Arts of the Heavenly Demon.
Of course, I couldn’t be certain yet, so I continued reading what was left on the wall.
『If you are deciphering this, you must be one of two.
Either the Divine Cult has been revived, or someone who inherited the Divine Arts of the Tiger from one named Maeng Eun-ho has arrived.
If you are the former, find the latter.
If you are the latter, achieve the peak of the Divine Arts of the Tiger and open the coffin.
Within it, you will find the Sword Arts of the Heavenly Demon and the Heavenly Demon Sword.
And uphold the will of our founder, the Heavenly Demon, and erase greed from this world. May the Heavenly Demon reign for a thousand years.』
‘So after the Heavenly Demon died and the Demonic Cult walked the path of ruin, no one strong enough to open this coffin ever appeared.’
The pieces have more or less fallen into place.
All that’s left for me is to achieve the peak of the Divine Arts of the Tiger, just as the inscription on the wall says.
‘Well, I don’t care about the Heavenly Demon’s will, but purging the Orthodox Faction bastards is a similar goal.’
It was more shocking than I expected, but I got the information I wanted, so there was no need to stay here any longer.
There is only one thing to do now.
‘Become stronger.’
With that, I left the cave.
But as I exited the entrance, I saw the Demonic Doctor still standing there.
“Were you waiting for me?”
“Yes. Did you find what you were looking for inside?”
It was rather uncomfortable, having an old man of indiscernible age speak so formally to me.
However, since I had been reincarnated, I wasn't exactly young myself, so I answered without much thought.
“I found what I wanted, and what I lack.”
“Hoh… I see. If there is anything I can do to help with what you lack, please tell me.”
“Hmm.”
It seemed the Demonic Doctor, like the Hwan Cheon-hwa Gate, had decided to follow me.
‘In that case, shall I make use of him? A Demonic Doctor would surely have a few elixirs stocked away.’
I was currently lacking the internal energy needed to reach the peak of the Divine Arts of the Tiger.
“Elder, could you perhaps help me increase my internal energy?”
After all, the memories of my past life were enough for enlightenment.
The problem was whether my body could support it.
“Increasing internal energy… As it happens, I have been making a pill called the Demonic Transmutation Pill for the past few days.”
“So that’s why you haven’t been in the infirmary lately…?”
“Yes, that’s right. However, one of the pills I had prepared for it has gone missing. If I can just find it, I will have it ready for you.”
The Demonic Doctor replied, his expression one of true disappointment.
‘Wait, a pill went missing?’
But his words sparked a question in my mind.
‘Didn’t Dang Hyeon-woo say he traded a poison pill from that Kim Mu-myeong bastard for another pill?’
“Elder, by any chance, was that missing pill hidden in the medicine room?”
“H-How did you know…?”
“Hahaha, the connections between people are truly fascinating. Let’s go back to the infirmary and talk.”
I had to find Dang Hyeon-woo.
If the missing pill was indeed the one Dang Hyeon-woo swapped for the poison pill, then at least we wouldn’t have to waste time searching for something that was already gone.
And so, I returned to the infirmary with the Demonic Doctor.
Creaak.
Thankfully, as I opened the infirmary door, I saw Dang Hyeon-woo right away.
“Hyeon-woo!”
I called him over, and together with the Demonic Doctor, we confirmed the pill’s identity.
“Hmm……”
After hearing the story, it was unfortunately confirmed that the pill he had traded for the poison was the very one the Demonic Doctor was looking for.
Since he had done it for my sake, neither I nor the Demonic Doctor could bring ourselves to scold him.
“I apologize. Given the circumstances, I acted rashly.”
“It’s fine……”
Just then, the Demonic Doctor swallowed his disappointment and muttered.
“It will take quite some time to make that pill again… Should I go to the Dok Cheon-roe Gate and ask for a potent poison?”
His words sparked an idea in my head.
“Wait, Elder. What do you mean by potent poison?”
“Ah, it’s because poison and medicine are two sides of the same coin. Please do not misunderstand.”
“It’s not a misunderstanding. Hyeon-woo!”
If I remembered correctly, Dang Hyeon-woo said he traded a pill for a poison pill.
That meant there was a chance he still had the poison pill.
“Yes?”
“Do you still have the poison pill you swapped for that pill?”
“Ah! Why didn’t I think of that…!”
Dang Hyeon-woo quickly understood what I meant, took a black pill from his robes, and handed it to the Demonic Doctor.
“This is it.”
“Hoo……!”
Fortunately, the Demonic Doctor’s expression brightened upon seeing the poison pill.
“A poison of this potency is not something one sees every day… This will save a great deal of time.”
It was a moment where the Geom Cheon-ha Gate’s desire for revenge against me ended up being to my benefit.
‘How badly did those bastards want to kill me to prepare such a potent poison? Well, thanks to them, things worked out.’
“Elder, how much time will you need?”
“Three days should be enough.”
“Three days… That’s perfect. It gives me time to wrap up some things I’ve started.”
With that, I taught Dang Hyeon-woo three forms of the Divine Arts of the Tiger and a portion of its internal arts before leaving the infirmary.
“First, let’s go back to the cave and rest.”
The array of mechanisms I had encountered on the way in was no ordinary thing.
It would be the perfect place to circulate my energy and recover from the fatigue accumulated during the tournament.
And so, I devoted the first of the three days to rest.
* * *
“Did you see our lord?”
“Yeah… He came back even more of a monster.”
“How can a person get that much stronger every time you see them?”
So-so, who had been in Maeng Ak’s group during the joint battle, was talking with Ha Song, who had formed a separate group.
They had been stunned to see Maeng Ak, who had appeared a day after the tournament ended.
The others—Jo Gwang-uk, Do Gwang, and Chang On—were so shocked they went straight back into the training hall.
Something about needing to close the gap with their lord, even if just a little.
Of course, So-so and Ha Gyeong were no different, but Maeng Ak stopped them, saying he had something to take care of before the final, fourth test.
“Anyway, what do you think the lord’s orders will be?”
“I don’t know… Our lord has already surpassed the level of a disciple, so it’s probably not about preparing for the test.”
“Hmm……”
The two of them put their heads together, but they couldn’t come up with a proper answer.
Just then, the man himself appeared.
“So-so, Ha Gyeong. You’re here on time, as I said.”
The largest frame in the entire cult, packed with solid muscle. And contrasting it all, a handsome face. It was Maeng Ak.
“There is one month until the fourth test. I will be away during that time, so make the internal art I’m about to teach you your own. Ah, and teach it to the others who aren’t here.”
“An internal art? But……”
“Yes, it might conflict with or be incompatible with the internal arts you’re currently using. But don’t worry. The one I’m teaching you can be combined with any demonic art.”
It was just as he said.
The internal art of the Divine Arts of the Tiger was a divine art designed so that anyone could master it to its peak, allowing them to complete the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon once they obtained the Sword Arts of the Heavenly Demon.
While resting, Maeng Ak had learned a few more things inside the cave, and this was one of them.
The true name of the Divine Arts of the Green Forest Tiger was simply the Divine Arts of the Tiger, and it was originally a fundamental martial art the Heavenly Demon had intended for all members of the Demonic Cult to learn.
Of course, over time, it had become corrupted like a deviant art, so he had to put some effort into correcting it.
But thanks to that, Maeng Ak was able to perfect the original Divine Arts of the Tiger that the Heavenly Demon had intended to pass down.
He even gained some enlightenment in the process, so it was killing two birds with one stone for him.
Having finished his preparations for the Divine Hall of the Latent Demon’s fourth test, Maeng Ak sought out Ha Song.
Ha Song gave a detailed report on the cult’s political currents, which he had observed for the past two days.
“Is that so. I expected the Five Heavenly Pillar Gates to become the Four Heavenly Pillar Gates with the Geom Cheon-ha Gate gone, but it’s surprising that no power struggles broke out.”
“That is probably because……”
“Yes, it’s because of me.”
The Four Heavenly Pillar Gates were afraid that if they engaged in needless power struggles, they would be devoured by the fearsomely rising Maeng Ak.
So they made a pact amongst themselves and divided the Geom Cheon-ha Gate’s influence appropriately.
This was an unexpected development for Maeng Ak.
‘Power factions are supposed to fight amongst themselves at every opportunity, even those Orthodox Faction bastards. But to think the members of the Demonic Cult would divide influence without any trouble, no matter the reason.’
Of course, Maeng Ak had no regrets.
It simply meant less troublesome business for him to clean up.
‘The Cult Leader and the Council of Elders are probably busy hatching their filthy schemes anyway.’
All that was left for Maeng Ak now was to take the Demonic Transmutation Pill from the Demonic Doctor the next day and complete the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon.
Of course, it would be the most difficult task he had ever faced.