The Heavenly Demon Copies Martial Arts
The thought of holding back never even crossed my mind.
“This… is the inner energy of a human?!”
Those were the words torn from the assassin who had attacked me, ripped in half.
Thump.
I stared at the Maho Line, my fingers pressed together.
An old man.
He was definitely a master.
Right now my strength was still too low to afford any mercy.
I was no longer capable of that level of strength.
The world was not as easy as I had imagined.
I understood that nothing I could do according to my own will was more than a delusion.
The only way I could survive in this world was to give it everything I had, every single time.
That was the Jianghu. That was Murim.
But now, at least, I had something I could call my own.
The massive inner energy I had accumulated in my dantian shook violently.
Crack.
I gritted my teeth until they felt like they would shatter.
Drrrrrrrr…
The table shook.
The water in the glass on the table rippled, forming concentric circles before cracks began to spread across it.
I could see the color draining from Maho Line’s face.
“Y-You… you brat!”
No matter what cards he was hiding, I didn’t care.
He was overwhelming to the point that even looking at me and thinking of counterattacking felt impossible.
Yes… that was exactly it.
With overwhelming power…!
ZZZAP! ZZZAP!
A vision rose in my mind—red flames and lightning surging from the depths of the abyss.
It was so massive and unfamiliar that moving it felt like stirring a colossal wave.
But the wave grew larger and larger, crashing against the shore with ferocious force—
“I lost! I really lost! You crazy bastard!”
He was unmistakably a peak expert.
In that split second when the giant wave failed to adjust its flow, Maho Line peeled his fingers from mine and thrust both hands upward.
“Eh?”
“Can’t you even think straight? You lost! You attacked like you meant to kill someone over a stupid bet?! Who the hell taught you manners?! How did you receive such barbaric upbringing?!”
「……」
I looked at the old man who was jumping around like a flea.
Something inside my chest felt like steam was finally escaping.
Zip.
The flames and lightning that had gathered at my fingertips faded helplessly.
The restless body started to cool.
“Now that you’ve come to your senses, huh? You eyes are spinning!”
I blinked rapidly.
Then I rubbed my stiff eyes with my palm.
“I keep hearing lately that you’re ‘eyes spinning.’”
[……]
It must have been a coincidence, I told myself.
“Maho Line lost?”
“First time I’ve ever heard someone admit defeat in a bet like that.”
The surrounding people began to murmur.
[How unfortunate. If only they’d cut the throats of the Heavenly Demon Cult bastards and let them die.]
You were all cocky until the very end, weren’t you?
“Either way, I won, right? No more complaints now.”
Maho Line clicked his tongue and stood up abruptly.
“What do you take me for?! Follow me. My room is upstairs. Waaah!”
With loud thuds of his feet, he took the lead and started climbing the stairs.
I was about to follow him when someone grabbed my arm.
“Whoa, what kind of power did you use?! You beat Maho Line?!”
The man who had grabbed me was the one with the curly black hair—Moyong Ryu.
This was the first time I had seen him since the Chunmu Hall exam began.
He grinned and punched my elbow with his.
“Honestly, I was worried about your inner energy being too low, but you passed the Chunmu Hall promotion exam with flying colors!”
“Looks like you’re regretting passing, huh?”
“Huh?”
Moyong Ryu’s expression hardened.
I unleashed the words I had been holding back, my tone sharp and cutting.
“I know you think of me as some dirty illegitimate son in your head. Why bother pretending to be friendly in front of me? You don’t have to.”
“What?”
“Anyway, I already know your nature better than anyone else.”
“No, hey…! Hey, Moyong Bi! Bro!”
I frowned at the man shouting in panic.
“Bro is what? You think the guy who asked you to stab his own brother in the gut is some big brother?”
Moyong Ryu’s face twisted.
“Do I look like one of those other brothers who would do something so dirty?! I was just asking! I don’t know what happened between us to make you this prickly…!”
“I’m going up first. I’m waiting upstairs.”
“Hey, hey! Moyong Bi!”
With that, I climbed the stairs.
It seemed Maho Line had claimed the entire floor for his private use.
When I entered the room where Mahosan’s aura could be felt, there was a pile of random junk piled up on one side, as tall as a person.
“I lived my whole life and lost to some bet… Now I’ll never be able to hold my head high among the Murim. Especially to a brat who just got promoted from Ha-mu-gwan. This is ridiculous…”
Buried up to his hips in the junk pile, Maho Line was frantically searching for something.
“You’re here. Just wait a little. My body is already a mess anyway. Sit on that chair and rest.”
“How did you know I was coming…? Young Master…”
“You damn bear of a kid. Who’s your master? Anyone who radiates such strong inner energy like you is either a martial artist or not. So tell me—who was your master? Why didn’t he ever scold you?”
At the mention of “master,” I thought of the red-haired, boisterous Pahwanggun.
His laugh would probably sound something like “Hahahaha, this brat’s spirit is pure manly!” as he clapped me on the back.
“The room is filled with a lot of things.”
One entire wall of the vast room was packed with all kinds of items.
It wasn’t just weapons. There were wooden dolls, strange necklaces that looked like they were for sorcery, and even old armor.
“To some people these are trash, but among them are treasures. Only inside Cheonsubaekryeonsa can you just have these lying around. Take any of these out and you’d be hunted by all sorts of thieves. Anyway, I finally found it.”
Emerging from the junk pile with great effort, Maho Line held up two items.
“Two items?”
“Have you lost your mind? Choose one from these two.”
Just by looking, I could tell they were no ordinary swords or spears.
One was a dark sword with an imposing blade.
The other was a blue spear with geometric engravings.
“Do these have special names? They don’t look like common weapons.”
“You’ll learn about whichever one you choose after you pick. If your main martial art is sword-based, pick a sword. If it’s spear-based, pick a spear. If neither suits you, pick any item from the things in this room. The guy who lost the bet has the right to take any one of them. But the one I just showed you is the best.”
Though I didn’t show it, I was at a complete loss.
I still hadn’t decided what my foundational main martial art was.
Of course I hadn’t deeply examined what kind of weapon would suit me.
I first grabbed the sword.
The moment I held the jet-black blade, it felt like it was glued to my palm.
I swung it a few times in the air, then grabbed the spear.
The spear was almost as tall as I was, yet swinging it around felt perfectly balanced—no matter where I held it.
Honestly, I still preferred the sword.
“I’ll go with this….”
That’s not it.
I hesitated.
I gently lowered the sword I had been lifting.
I caught the exact moment when Maho Line’s mouth opened in surprise, then snapped shut.
What you should choose isn’t some shiny thing in front of you.
I had overlooked something.
Mumyeong’s detection ability was exceptional.
He was particularly good at sensing spiritual items or qi.
The urgent thing for you right now isn’t a weapon. I’ll tell you which direction to move in—don’t answer my words out loud, just do as I say.
“……”
I stood still, staring at the empty air.
Maho Line looked at me with a strange expression.
Let me add one more thing. You can trust me right now. Your growth helps my survival too. Put the sword down and look to your right.
I turned my head to the right.
A wall completely stacked with weapons and junk.
Any ordinary person would have trouble picking something from that chaotic pile.
I walked over.
“Ah, you don’t like swords and spears? You want to pick them yourself? Haha, young people really do have surprising eyes!”
Maho Line’s urgent voice came from behind.
Go straight ahead. Three steps left.
“By the way, once you hold it, there’s no way you can lose, got it?! Don’t regret it!”
Maho Line’s voice sped up.
In front of you there should be a red rod. Move it aside.
Uruuru.
I pushed the red rod to the side.
Pull out the shield right next to it. It’s a bit farther back.
I pulled out the large round shield and shoved it aside.
“Eh…? Eh-eh-eh?”
A strange voice began to come from Maho Line.
Look, there it is. The big thing behind the things you moved.
“Y-Young Master…?”
From behind the junk pile stood a statue carved to almost the same height as me.
It depicted a monk, with a belt wrapped around its waist.
That’s it. Among all the items here, it has the strongest aura.
Clank.
I separated the belt.
It was a red belt studded with seven jet-black beads that seemed to float like oil.
“Then this one—.”
NO!
Maho Line shouted in a thunderous voice and snatched the belt from my hand.
“Do you have any idea how hard I had to work to get this?! I know you have some inner energy, but this thing only works if your inner energy is at least above Grade 9. Lower than that and it’s worthless—like giving a pearl necklace to a dog! Look around and find something else!”
“You said there’s no way I can lose if I hold it once.”
Maho Line coughed awkwardly, his face red.
“I-I mean! Hum-hum! I’ll take care of you!”
“I’ll take this one. This is it.”
Instead of doubting me, I was now certain.
Maho Line, clutching the belt, had a face that looked like he was about to cry.
“Y-Young… What I mean is… Hahaha, you really do have surprising eyes. I never thought you’d choose this. Of course, I have to keep my promise, so I’ll give it to you. After all, it’s not a weapon for a martial artist, right? Isn’t that right?!”
Maho Line gestured wildly with his trembling hands.
“Over there is the Heavenly Flame Spear that feels cool, eh? And that roaring white dragon spear, eh? It’s really expensive! If I sold it, I’d get a fortune! Hey, what are you going to do with a waist belt like this for a young lady?”
Hand it over.
“Young master, please give it to me. It’s a promise. It’s the prize for choosing the strongest pack! You have to hand it over willingly.”
I grabbed the belt firmly.
“Ah, aah… Honestly, I wasn’t planning to give something like this… This isn’t something I should give…!”
Smirk.
With a bright smile, I gripped the belt even tighter.
Maho Line’s face had turned the color of dark clay.
“You filthy bastard!!”