Surviving on a Deserted Island (13) — ‘Mad Demon Kim Mugong’
The content itself was shocking enough, but what really hit me was this part. I never imagined that something written by my future self would appear as a file. Mad Demon. Just what the hell had I done to earn such an ominous nickname?
Mad Demon literally meant a crazy bastard, yet when I looked at the records, he seemed surprisingly rational. Was it rational madness? My thoughts were a tangled mess, but that wasn’t what mattered right now.
I immediately went back inside and woke the others. From my experience, the appearance of a ‘file’ meant we didn’t have much time to spare.
“...Kim Mugong?”
Han Yeoreum looked up at me with sleepy, disheveled eyes.
“We’ve got a problem.”
“...A problem?”
A spark of interest flashed in Cheon Hayeon’s eyes.
“The Blood Sect. It looks like they’re about to make their move.”
“...Wasn’t this island under the Academy’s management?”
“Instructor Pung Jihae of the Wolf Fang Fist is a Blood Sect spy. I just found out.”
“No fucking way. There was a Blood Sect bastard among the instructors?”
Han Yeoreum asked in disbelief. I nodded.
“Yeah. I’ll fire a flare to call the other instructors first.”
“That sounds best.”
Seomun Yerin couldn’t follow our conversation and simply wore a blank expression. There was no helping it. This wasn’t the time to explain everything one by one.
The moment I reached into the corner of my backpack to pull out the flare I’d stashed away—
Rumble—
The entire island shook as if struck by an earthquake. And then the ‘air’ changed.
I rushed outside with the flare in hand. Just like the altered atmosphere, the clear blue sky had turned a dull ash-gray.
“We’re fucked.”
I knew this phenomenon. Spatial Isolation. It was one of the worst disasters that occurred when a gate couldn’t be properly sealed. Gate Breaks came in many forms, but this spatial isolation type was the most troublesome.
We had to destroy the gate core using only the people inside, or hold out until the core’s power ran dry. Without external support, the difficulty skyrocketed. A martial artist above the Profound Realm could forcibly break through spatial isolation from the outside, but the Academy only had one such person.
And that one person wasn’t here right now.
The name listed as the overall supervisor for this uninhabited island evaluation was the Jangbaek Sword Lord. It was possible that the Invincible War God Dokgopae might be waiting nearby by chance, but if that were the case, someone like Pung Jihae would never have dared to pull this off in the first place.
As always, relying on luck was for amateurs.
“What’s going on?”
Han Yeoreum asked in a serious voice, sensing the shift in the atmosphere.
“Gate Break. Likely a spatial isolation type. You know what that means, right?”
“...There isn’t even a gate here, is there? Spatial isolation would be a real pain.”
“We’ll have to confirm the details. It’s possible they used something to create a similar effect.”
“That makes sense. It could be a type of formation,” Cheon Hayeon added.
Indeed, the Blood Sect specialized in sinister formations. To pull off something on this scale, there must have been ‘something’ on the island from the beginning. But if they had the foundation, the Blood Sect had more than enough capability to exploit it. They weren’t called the worst villains even amid the chaos of gate incidents for nothing.
“Let’s split up.”
“Will that be alright?”
“We don’t have a choice.”
“What would you have me do?”
Her voice was low. It seemed Cheon Hayeon was willing to follow my lead obediently.
“Cheon Hayeon, you circle the island clockwise and gather the students. Most of the shelters are near the coastline anyway. Once they sense something’s wrong, they’ll probably head toward the shore.”
With her wide sensory range, she should be able to detect most of them. I had considered sending her to the center, but I couldn’t spread my own senses as broadly. She was the best person for quickly gathering the cadets.
“And Han Yeoreum, Seomun Yerin. You two go counterclockwise. Your priority is securing the students’ safety. I’m counting on you.”
Though not as good as Cheon Hayeon, Seomun Yerin was still better than me. To be brutally honest, she was basically there as Han Yeoreum’s bodyguard. If they moved together, Han Yeoreum was unlikely to get seriously hurt.
“...Then what about you?”
“I’ll take the center. That way we’ll cover everything, right? Circle around and link up with Cheon Hayeon.”
There were more detailed instructions, but I kept them hidden for now.
“Got it. What if we gather everyone?”
“Once everyone’s gathered, head to the center of the island. I’ll send you the coordinates.”
I wrote the coordinates on the ground. I even sent them to Han Yeoreum via chat.
“Yessir. Confirmed.”
“Do not push yourselves. If anything feels even slightly off, retreat immediately. Avoidance over fighting. Understood?”
I grabbed Han Yeoreum’s arm and emphasized my warning. Saving others was important, but to me, Han Yeoreum was far more precious. If it weren’t for the ‘file’ as a guide, I would never have sent her off separately. Since my future self had determined that ‘the group had to be split,’ it probably meant that even if she moved alone, the chances of her falling into danger were extremely low.
Still, variables could arise at any moment.
Han Yeoreum stared at me for a long moment before letting out a deep sigh and nodding.
“You be careful too. You look like you’re overthinking again. I’ll let it slide for now. But if you overdo it, I’ll get mad.”
“...Yeah. Let’s move. We don’t have time.”
We locked eyes one last time, then immediately split up.
Thud—
With every step, a deep footprint was carved into the ground. Ripples of internal energy spread from the soles of my feet. Fierce winds clawed violently at my face.
Magi.
The air carried a faint scent of demonic energy. It was hard to describe, but Kim Mugong could instinctively identify it.
It was commonly accepted that orthodox martial arts displayed overwhelming effectiveness against demonic energy. However, there was one hidden truth. While Taoist and Buddhist martial arts were indeed polar opposites to demonic energy, the reverse was equally true. They were like two sides of the same coin. It wasn’t a matter of superiority, but of level and quantity.
Just as the demon Mara Papiyas, who sought to tempt the Buddha, possessed immense power. In the end, it all came down to enlightenment and realm.
As Kim Mugong cut straight across the land following the coordinates, he felt an unprecedented sense of comfort. It wasn’t the feeling of crushing an opponent with overwhelmingly superior orthodox arts. Rather, this space filled with demonic energy felt like a stage prepared specifically for him.
…No way.
A possibility flashed through Kim Mugong’s mind.
He had known for a while that the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was an insane martial art. The part about craving virgins was one thing, but even the Heavenly Demon Dominion Step alone made it clear it wasn’t a proper orthodox technique.
He inhaled the magi-tainted air once more. Naturally, the true energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art stirred, refining and absorbing the demonic energy flowing into his body.
Demonic art.
The energy itself was extremely pure, but this alone proved that the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was a demonic art. The vague suspicion he had felt since experiencing resonance with Cheon Hayeon’s Heavenly Demon Divine Art had now turned into fierce certainty.
The thicker the demonic energy became, the faster Kim Mugong’s Heavenly Demon Dominion Step grew. The shockwave ripples generated with each step grew larger and larger.
The red-eyed Tamatoma didn’t even dare approach him.
Finally reaching the coordinates, Kim Mugong came to a stop. A wide cavern existed there.
Was there a place like this?
He had been constantly roaming the island, yet this was the first time Kim Mugong had seen such a location.
A formation, huh.
Normally, the Academy’s formation must have been sealing this place. Now that things had gone to hell, the formation had collapsed and revealed it.
Demonic energy was flowing out from inside the cave, which only emitted a faint red glow. This was clearly the source of the magi spreading across the entire island.
Ssssh—
A strange wind sound flowed from the cave. Kim Mugong walked forward warily. Aside from being covered in red energy, the interior was surprisingly clean. Even the Tamatoma that had filled the surroundings earlier couldn’t get close to this place.
At the end of the long, straight tunnel, a faint light appeared. Emerging from the cave, he found a basin that looked hundreds of meters wide.
Inside the basin were faint glowing red lines everywhere. Starting from the cliffs surrounding the basin, densely packed lines converged toward the center. Naturally, red lines were also drawn right in front of where Kim Mugong now stood.
They’re not lines.
When he heightened his vision and examined them from the base, what he had thought were lines turned out to be characters. An ominous feeling emanated from every single one of the unrecognizable symbols.
And at the very center of the basin where these characters converged—
A massive orb sat alone. Beside the blood-red orb stood a middle-aged man with a deep diagonal scar across his face.
The man, who had been pressing his palm against the orb with his eyes closed, slowly lifted his eyelids.
“Cadet Kim Mugong. What brings you here?”
As if nothing was wrong, the man spoke while watching Kim Mugong approach.
“Pung Jihae of the Wolf Fang Fist. Stop what you’re doing right now.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. And no matter how noble a cadet you may be, I am an instructor and you are a student. You should show proper respect, Cadet Kim Mugong.”
“Respect? You dare speak of respect when you’re nothing but a Blood Sect lackey?”
Kim Mugong asked back with cold eyes.
“Hmm. A Blood Sect lackey, you say.”
Pung Jihae calmly clasped his hands behind his back. He didn’t bother denying his affiliation with the Blood Sect.
“Do you know about Mahuika?”
“I don’t.”
“After the Gate Break occurred, the hidden mysteries of the world began to emerge. Ah, Mahuika is the fire goddess believed in by the Polynesian people.”
“Bullshit. There is no such thing as divine power. Martial arts are the power of humans, not the power of gods.”
“Well. Take a look at this.”
Pung Jihae gently stroked the orb with one hand.
“Calling a gate core divine power? How typical of a Blood Sect thug.”
“Similar, but different. Do you know about Maui?”
“Are you seriously giving a Polynesian mythology lecture right now?”
“As expected, you’re sharp. According to the legend of this island, the ‘human hero’ Maui beheaded the fire goddess Mahuika. The severed head of the fire goddess later became a tool for obtaining fire.”
Kim Mugong’s eyebrows twitched. Even as they conversed, both were carefully probing each other.
Pung Jihae’s realm was fully matured Super Peak. And that was a conservative estimate. It wasn’t much different from Cheon Hayeon, who had reached the peak of Super Peak. Originally, there would have been no chance of victory.
“So you’re saying that orb is Mahuika’s severed head or something?”
“That remains to be seen. However, this has existed on this island long before the Gate Break occurred. Therefore, it is not a ‘gate core.’ How do you think they turned the naturally carnivorous Tamatoma into herbivorous ‘variants’? It’s simple. This orb absorbed the malice possessed by the Tamatoma monsters. It’s an unbelievable thing.”
“....”
Professor Pung Jihae, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, continued.
“The problem is, it was too dangerous for humans to handle. The Academy kept it tightly hidden, but the Blood Sect already knew of its danger. What happens if you just slightly stimulate the immense malice contained within.”
“You talk as if you’re not a Blood Sect member yourself.”
“We’re simply using each other. The Murim world isn’t made up only of prestigious sects. There are weeds like me as well. Weeds will do anything to survive. Those noble young masters from prestigious families like the cadets here probably wouldn’t understand.”
Kim Mugong slowly shook his head.
“Enough with the excuses. In the end, it’s just some pathetic reason like clinging to the Blood Sect to obtain a few strands of martial arts. There’s no need to defend your disgusting actions.”
“Indeed. You were a hero of justice. I’ve always found those so-called heroes of justice incredibly tiresome. Why live so exhaustingly? If you just give up a tiny bit, you can gain so much.”
“For a martial artist, you sure have a long tongue.”
Spitting the words out with contempt, Kim Mugong asked himself.
Was the opponent a man? Yes, he was. Was this the path of Hyeop (righteousness)? Of course it was. Even Pung Jihae, a Blood Sect lackey, had called him a hero of justice.
Whether the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was a demonic art or not, what did it matter? What defined a person was their actions, not what they had learned.
And so.
An explosive surge of true energy began racing through Kim Mugong’s entire body’s meridians.