The Demon Within
"Cheongo." Jekyeong clung to his fading consciousness as he watched Cheongo, who was circling his head, crying out and occasionally pecking at him with its beak.
Damn it. Once his senses returned, Jekyeong immediately assessed the situation. Seeing the devastated surroundings and his subordinates—some fleeing in a panic, others sprawled on the ground unable to even run—he gritted his teeth and made his way off the island.
"No! If you go into the water, I won't be able to wake you up!" Cheongo warned, realizing his intentions.
"It's fine. I won't lose consciousness again." Answering with great effort, Jekyeong slowly submerged his body into the water.
A moment later, the surface of the water began to bubble and boil, sending up a thick shroud of steam that completely enveloped Heukgyodo and the surrounding area.
***
After Jekyeong entered the water, Hyeongu crawled back onto Heukgyodo.
"Phew." Wiping the sweat from his brow, he stared at the boiling water.
That was close. I almost got boiled alive.
The moment the Lord Dragon submerged, the cool water had heated up like a ball of fire. If he had been even a moment later in escaping, it would have been a disaster.
"Father! It's too hot!" Bigu screamed at the top of his lungs, rolling around on the ground.
Hyeongu couldn't understand why he was making such a fuss. The boy had clearly scrambled out of the water before him, so how hot could it possibly be for him?
"You brat! Stop making such a pathetic spectacle of yourself and get up this instant!" Hyeongu barked angrily, trying to force him up, but his strength was nowhere near enough to budge his pig of a son. After straining for a while, he only succeeded in exhausting himself.
"You foolish fool!" Hyeongu glared disapprovingly at his son, who was sprawled out on his back with his tongue hanging out, before finally turning to look at the devastated Heukgyodo.
Truly terrifying. If the Lord Dragon had regained his senses even a moment later... Heukgyodo might have been split completely in half.
No matter where he looked, everything was scorched black and cracked. It might have been his imagination, but even the small mountain in the center of the island in the distance seemed to be tilting slightly.
I hope this ends without further incident. Hyeongu stared anxiously at the water, which was now boiling furiously.
The others felt the same. Whether they were of the Beast Race or the Human Race, everyone stared with anxious eyes at the water where Jekyeong had submerged, united in their apprehension.
They all knew. If Jekyeong were to burst out in a frenzy again like before, the lives of everyone present would be in mortal danger.
Thump! Every time the ground shook, the anxiety in everyone's eyes deepened.
Aside from Bigu making a fuss, whining about what to do and suggesting they run away, no one spoke a word. They simply watched the thickening steam in silence.
"Father, Father! Let's run away quickly! What if the Lord Dragon gets angry again!"
"Will you shut up and stay still!" Unable to take it anymore, Hyeongu leaped up and smacked Bigu on the head with his splayed webbed foot.
Rumble! Right at that moment, a massive tremor shook the entire island, making all the previous vibrations seem like mere child's play.
"Gasp!" Bigu, who had been pouting after getting hit, instantly withdrew into his shell. Hyeongu did the same.
The humans prostrated themselves on the ground, while the low-level water beasts fainted or shrieked in panic.
Whoosh! A wave of scorching wind swept over them like a tidal wave.
Sensing something amiss, Hyeongu poked his head out slightly and spotted a colossal silhouette beyond the steam dispersed by the wind.
The first thing that caught his eye was a pair of savagely grown horns.
Next were the glowing red eyes beneath the horns, and only then did the massive body, towering as if about to soar into the heavens, come into view.
***
He desperately wanted to just let go of his consciousness and let this moment pass.
But because he already knew what would happen if he did, Jekyeong rejected that sweet temptation again and again.
Every single moment was a relentless cycle of endurance.
It was similar to his first shedding, yet entirely different. The intensity of the pain was incomparable, and with the constant temptation added to it, it was absolute torture.
He wanted to give up. If he just closed his eyes and opened them, it would all be over. Was there really a need to suffer like this?
What did it matter if the island was destroyed? The world was vast, and there were plenty of places to settle.
What did it matter if the subordinates on the island died? Where couldn't he find such insignificant creatures again?
No. Jekyeong violently shook off the temptation creeping into his mind.
If I close my eyes, what I am giving up is not the island or those insignificant creatures, but my own mind.
To know what was right yet make the wrong choice simply to avoid pain would be to break his own will and kneel before weakness. In other words, it was submission.
Yes. In that moment, Jekyeong realized. This is a demon.
Stripping away the sweet outer shell of temptation, he found his own weakness hiding within. It was cowardly, lazy, and above all, fragile.
Jekyeong could not accept that such a loathsome thing was a part of him.
Summoned by his rage, the Origin Earth Fire erupted and swept in all directions. The fierce Yokai Fire spread even further.
"Graaaah!" It was a roar of fury and a shriek of agony. From the depths of the water, Jekyeong roared toward the surface and the sky beyond.
As his cry echoed, his physical body underwent a rapid transformation.
Crack! Countless white granules erupted from his severed horn, gradually taking on a larger, sharper shape. The other horn, which had been intact, also began to shift in form to match it.
Thud! How much time had passed? Unable to bear the endless pain any longer, Jekyeong collapsed onto the lakebed.
"..." His limp, exhausted body twitched occasionally.
The transformation that had begun while he was roaring toward the heavens was now nearing its final stages without his awareness.
Crack! His body, which had reached nearly four hundred meters in length, began to shrink. If Jekyeong could have watched his own transformation from a distance, he would have thought he was being compressed.
However, the simple word "compression" could not truly describe the change taking place.
Creak! His bones, which had already possessed a durability exceeding that of a Dharma Treasure, became even harder. Their off-white color turned dark as if scorched, and faint patterns appeared on the surface, barely noticeable unless examined closely.
Boom! Compared to his bones, the changes in his flesh were not as drastic. However, the strength that could once crumble a hill had grown even further; now, he might be able to shake a proper mountain, not just a small hill.
"Huuu..." As the transformation of his bones and flesh concluded, Jekyeong, panting heavily, slowly raised his body.
Clatter! Clatter! As he barely managed to stand, clumps of dry, cracked scales fell away.
The glow of spiritual energy that the human Spirit Blacksmiths had painstakingly infused into him not long ago had vanished without a trace.
"Ugh." Catching his breath, Jekyeong let out a low groan at the sudden itchiness spreading across his body.
Like sprouts bursting from seeds, new skin began to form over his exposed flesh. Though the newly formed skin was initially small and thin, it rapidly grew as large and thick as his previous scales, and even then, it did not stop growing.
Crack! Snap! The scales, continuing to expand and thicken, suddenly let out a sharp rupturing sound and split open.
The cracking sounds continued to erupt, and soon, dozens of fissures webbed across a single scale.
Just as the cracked and fractured scales seemed on the verge of shattering into pieces, a reddish light leaked from beneath them.
The light slowly melted the tattered scales, causing the countless cracks to fuse back together.
After a considerable amount of time, the cracked scales were gone, but his appearance had actually become much more grotesque.
He was covered in uneven, bumpy ridges, looking as if he had been clumsily patched together.
***
Jekyeong admitted that his post-shedding appearance was somewhat rougher than before.
His smooth scales, which had once resembled an artwork crafted with a master's devotion, had turned into ugly igneous rock. His horns, which could have been generously described as majestic before, had now transformed into something that could only be called savage.
But Jekyeong did not care. What use was appearance in this harsh cultivation world? He was highly satisfied with his reborn body.
"Caw! Jekyeong is ugly!"
"Quiet."
The foolish crow's mockery was a bit annoying, but considering that this silly creature had woken him up when he had briefly lost consciousness during the shedding process, Jekyeong decided to let it slide just this once.
"What are the casualties?"
"There were some casualties, my lord."
He had a faint memory of the unsightly fit he had thrown while out of his mind. The casualties were surely not as few as Hyeongu claimed. This clever fellow was likely downplaying it on purpose to spare his feelings.
"Harvest the Fleshy-Scaled Fish. Let everyone eat their fill."
"Pardon? Are you sure, my lord?" Hyeongu's eyes widened in surprise.
"It is fine."
Jekyeong had been steadily expanding the population of the Fleshy-Scaled Fish. However, with the outbreak of war and the suspension of trade with the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance, the fish had multiplied to the point of becoming a nuisance.
Because of this, Jekyeong had been granting Fleshy-Scaled Fish in small amounts to reward his subordinates and bolster their qi and blood.
Since strengthening one's qi and blood was beneficial for both humans and beasts alike, the Fleshy-Scaled Fish was a reward that everyone deeply coveted.
"Understood, my lord."
After giving Hyeongu his orders, Jekyeong parted his jaws slightly and exhaled his Origin Earth Fire.
A crimson flame that seemed almost alive billowed from his mouth, enveloping his entire head.
It has definitely increased. The volume of his Origin Earth Fire had grown. It felt about fifty percent larger than before. This was the result of the remaining embers of the Sacred Fire completely fusing into his spiritual nature during the shedding.
To grow the Origin Earth Fire further, I must either nurture it slowly myself or devour other rare fires.
The former was simply a part of cultivation, so there was no need to give it special thought. As for the latter... an idea came to mind, but it was not something to be considered immediately.
Whoosh! Retracting the Origin Earth Fire, he tested his Yokai Fire this time.
Its power remained unchanged, but controlling the flame had become significantly easier. This was partly due to the enlightenment he had gained in Jimak Garden, and partly due to his restored horns.
Even this much is an immense achievement, but...