Rest (2): The Fire Demon Core
Grade: None
Description: None
The Fire Demon Core. It had no grade or description. That was all that was written in the traits section. Given that it had the word “demon” in it, it didn’t seem like anything good. But since even the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and my body’s condition had no normal aspects to begin with, it was impossible to predict how this would come into play later. On top of that, it wasn’t just any core but one with “fire” attached, which meant it was yang energy again.
When I observed my inner self, the thing sitting like a star near my heart remained aloof, showing no reaction whatsoever.
This is dangerous.
If it contained extreme yang energy, given my body’s characteristic of already overflowing with yang, the slightest mistake could make it explode with a bang. If that happened, it would be instant death, obviously.
They called him the Heavenly Hand Divine Physician, right? I thought I’d heard the name in passing. The physician himself was famous as quite a powerful martial artist. I had no choice but to hope he would provide some kind of solution.
“Got something on your mind?”
Han Yeoreum, who had finished her chicken at some point, stared at me intently.
“My body feels stiff. If you’re done eating, let’s get moving.”
“Mhm.”
I handed her a wet wipe, stood up, and ruffled her hair a few times. Having a time bomb inside my body wasn’t exactly a pleasant feeling, but worrying about it now wouldn’t give me any answers anyway.
The voyage ended smoothly, and we finally arrived back in Okinawa. We checked into the hotel the academy had reserved in advance, and the luggage we’d left behind before heading to the uninhabited island was still there, untouched.
“Let’s see… Cheon Hayeon, Kim Mugong?”
Han Yeoreum tilted her head while looking at the list of assigned rooms.
“Problem?”
“No. You and Cheon Hayeon are in the same room.”
“So?”
“…If you try anything funny, you’re dead.”
Han Yeoreum crossed her arms and glared at me. Ah, so this was jealousy.
I pretended not to notice and asked, “Try anything funny?”
“You two have been way too close lately.”
“We’re friends, so of course we’re close.”
“No, it’s not that kind of feeling.”
“You think Cheon Hayeon would even look at me as a man?”
She did have a vigorous curiosity toward men, but that would have been the same no matter who it was. Young maidens were usually curious about the male body.
“It feels like she does.”
Han Yeoreum pouted after thinking for a moment.
“I’m not badmouthing her without any basis.”
“No. You have basis.”
“Tsk. Saying stuff like ‘a woman’s intuition’ will get you in trouble.”
I spoke sternly and solemnly.
“No, seriously…!”
Han Yeoreum tapped the floor with her toes in frustration.
“What? No basis, right?”
When I kept teasing her, she whipped her head away and muttered quietly.
“Your face. It’s worth looking at.”
“I don’t really get it. Maybe I’m just your type?”
“Wow… You can say that without feeling embarrassed?”
Han Yeoreum let out an exclamation with a fed-up expression.
“Not at all. You’re my type too. Well, appearance-wise, anyway.”
Her personality was kind of cute, so I didn’t dislike it, but saying that outright would only make her cocky. Sometimes you had to keep things vague.
“S-shut up. Anyway, Yerin too…!”
“Why is Yerin coming up now?”
Thump—
“Oof. Use your words, you brat.”
Han Yeoreum’s fist had buried itself in my side. The lingering injuries had dulled my senses, so I failed to guard. Besides, her attacks had clearly become more refined than before. Talent really was talent. Even if she was lacking in martial theory, when it came to fighting instinct she was definitely superior.
“I don’t know. Anyway, you can’t fall for it if Cheon Hayeon tries to seduce you, got it? The atmosphere in a hotel room is dangerous. You could slip up naturally.”
“Her seducing me? I can’t even picture it.”
Cheon Hayeon and seduction. Honestly, it was dangerous. Was there any man who wouldn’t fall if she openly tried to tempt him? Of course, she would never do that.
“Just taking off her male disguise is already seduction. That face, that body. Everything about her is dangerous.”
Han Yeoreum gripped my sleeve tightly and narrowed her eyes.
“Instead of that, why don’t you get along with me a bit more?”
I messed up her hair while scolding her. I couldn’t really argue with the claim that just removing her male disguise was already seductive.
“Ugh…!”
Han Yeoreum shook her head wildly to shake off my hand.
“We are close. This is separate from that. Even close friends can go to war.”
“What a strange kind of war.”
“Anyway. If you cause an accident, we both die.”
She threw my own words back at me in a similar way.
“Me? Not a life-or-death duel with Cheon Hayeon?”
“What did Cheon Hayeon do wrong? It would be your fault, so we die together.”
“Stop saying scary things. Hurry up and go. Yerin is waiting.”
I spotted Seomun Yerin staring blankly at us from afar. When did she even get here?
“Oh, yeah. See you later.”
“Sure.”
After parting with Han Yeoreum, I entered the assigned room.
“You’ve arrived.”
“Yeah. I’m here.”
Cheon Hayeon was sitting on the bed wearing only a white bathrobe, tidying her hair. She seemed to have already showered. Naturally, she had removed her male disguise.
…It really is dangerous.
Even on the uninhabited island she had maintained her neat dignity, but in this half-enclosed space the thick peony scent she gave off made the effect far more powerful. Just sitting there quietly felt like seduction. It was like becoming a bee instinctively drawn to a flower. The pale limbs visible between the robe kept drawing my eyes.
I subtly averted my gaze and started unpacking.
“Is your body feeling better now?”
“It’s almost recovered. I still can’t train properly, though.”
I spoke while doing some light stretches. The major injuries had healed quickly, but smaller issues remained. The area around the ribs that took a direct hit still throbbed from time to time. For a normal person, that would have been an injury requiring at least a month of complete bed rest. Of course, even with my absurd recovery speed that let me move comfortably after just a few days, it would still take more time to heal completely.
“That is fortunate indeed.”
“I heard the Heavenly Hand Divine Physician is here. Getting examined by him should settle things.”
“The Heavenly Hand Divine Physician… Then there will be no need to go to the Divine Cult, I suppose.”
“Huh? The Divine Cult?”
The sudden mention of the Divine Cult made me look at Cheon Hayeon.
“In the Divine Cult resides the Life-and-Death Demon Physician. His fame may not match the Heavenly Hand Divine Physician, but his skill is by no means inferior.”
“I see.”
“When I examined the basin where you fought, it was filled with traces of demonic energy. I was going to recommend that you receive an examination from the Demon Physician in case any abnormalities had arisen in your body. Demonic energy is our specialty, after all.”
…The anxiety that getting examined by the Demon Physician might reveal I had learned demonic arts suddenly bloomed. Even Dokgopae hadn’t properly identified the martial arts I practiced, but if he truly specialized in demonic energy like Cheon Hayeon said, it might be different.
“With the Heavenly Hand Divine Physician, there’s no need for that, right?”
“Most likely. For you, who has learned orthodox martial arts, the Heavenly Hand Divine Physician is more suitable.”
Except what I learned wasn’t orthodox martial arts. Should I tell her or not? It seemed like it wouldn’t matter if I told Cheon Hayeon…
“By any chance, do you know about the Fire Demon Core?”
I set that aside for now and changed the subject.
“Fire Demon Core… I have not heard of it. I know of something similar, however.”
“Similar?”
“The Ice Essence. It is an absolute treasure containing extreme yin energy.”
“That actually exists?”
I had heard about the Ice Essence inside the game. It was supposedly a treasure of the North Sea Ice Palace that had now vanished without a trace. Though rumors abounded, the truth had never been revealed. I never expected to hear about the Ice Essence from Cheon Hayeon’s mouth.
“Since it is you, I suppose it is fine to tell you. The Ice Essence does exist and is currently being strictly guarded by the Divine Cult. I have seen it myself. It was an absurd object.”
“….”
I knew the Divine Cult was incredible, but it seemed no matter how much you peeled back the layers, there was no end. At this point, I would believe them if they said there was a giant two-legged spell weapon in the Divine Cult’s basement.
“However, if it is a Fire ‘Demon’ Core, it would not be a good object. Even the Ice Essence had such danger that only an extremely limited number of people could approach it. Why do you ask about the Fire Demon Core?”
“…It seems to be lodged inside my body.”
“The Fire Demon Core, you say?”
Cheon Hayeon set down her comb, widened her eyes, and stared at me. I pressed my lips together and nodded.
“I can feel it near my heart.”
“…May I examine it for a moment?”
“Sure.”
“Come here.”
Cheon Hayeon patted the spot in front of her bed. I obediently sat down facing her.
“Would you remove your top?”
It felt a little embarrassing to take off my top in front of Cheon Hayeon, who was only wearing a bathrobe, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that. Any bit of help was necessary right now.
I took off my top and faced her directly again. Cheon Hayeon slightly averted her eyes.
“…Do not look at me like that. Turn the other way.”
I turned my back as she instructed.
“Calm your internal energy and do not resist.”
I sat in a lotus position and calmly observed my inner self. Soon I felt Cheon Hayeon’s two palms touch my back. Then her true energy began flowing into me through my acupoints. The energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art naturally rose to devour her true energy, but I forcibly suppressed it. I guided her energy toward the area near my heart as if showing the way.
It was an extremely dangerous act. If Cheon Hayeon had decided to kill me, she could have done so immediately. Of course she wouldn’t, and she continued sending her energy toward the slowly rotating Fire Demon Core that shone like a star. Her energy carefully wrapped around the Fire Demon Core as if probing it.
At first there was no reaction from the Fire Demon Core, just like when I had tried. But the moment Cheon Hayeon’s energy nudged it, a ferocious aura erupted from the core. Terrible demonic energy rampaged as it wrestled with her true energy.
“Ugh…!”
Even Cheon Hayeon seemed unable to predict this situation; a groan came from behind me. In the end, she began withdrawing her energy first. As her true energy retreated, the murderous demonic energy also subsided as if nothing had happened.
I stopped observing my inner self and opened my eyes.
“Are you okay?”
When I turned around, Cheon Hayeon’s face was flushed bright red and she was breathing heavily.
“Haa… Truly a vicious power.”
“When I touched it, there was no reaction at all.”
“It would be best to speak with the Divine Physician. Even with my current realm, it is at a level I cannot possibly control.”
“That bad?”
“Yes. It seems best to resolve it as quickly as possible. Leaving it as is would be far too dangerous.”
Cheon Hayeon let out a deep groan and pressed a hand to her forehead.
Knock, knock.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door.
“Kim Mugong! Are you in there?”
It was Han Yeoreum’s voice. I was about to answer and naturally head out when I saw the state of the room and a chill ran down my spine.
Cheon Hayeon wearing only a bathrobe, face flushed red, breathing ragged, covered in sweat.
Me with my top off.
…Wouldn’t anyone who saw this misunderstand?