Disciple of the Heavenly Demon
I posted a respectful comment for my master.
What would he say?
My heart gave a small, nervous thump.
A moment later, a reply appeared.
Still as understated as ever.
I typed another comment.
For a while there was no answer.
What was he thinking?
Heart tight with tension, I hit refresh. A new comment appeared.
The iron rule he had impressed upon me before he ever began his teaching.
I had not forgotten it for a single breath.
In that instant my eyes burned hot.
It was only a short line, yet the weight it carried was anything but light.
I forced the surging emotion down and typed my reply.
People on the gallery would probably roast me for getting this serious.
But in this moment I did not care about anyone's eyes.
Through hundreds of days of ink-black despair I had received a salvation of learning from my master. Offering wholehearted gratitude for that was simply the duty of a human being.
What would he answer this time?
When the next comment arrived a moment later, I found myself smiling without meaning to.
So this was Master's idea of flair.
It felt as if he could see my expression right through the gallery, roughly soothing me not to take things so hard.
The sharper ones among them had already figured it out.
The true identity of the man I had taken as master while locked in that cell—Baram-gwa-deulpan.
He was the one known on that distant eastern continent as the Heavenly Demon.
I had received my training from him solely through the text of the Witch Trial Gallery.
Learning martial arts just by reading words? Is that even possible?
For an ordinary human it was close to impossible.
There was no one to map meridians or correct clumsy stances.
Even Master had been doubtful at first, wondering whether this fool could truly awaken to teachings delivered only in writing.
But my stubborn pleading moved him, and more than that, I had the System—a correction window of my own.
The more I trained, the clearer it became: the System massively assisted the flow and control of inner force that Master described. Thanks to that, my growth speed left every historical prodigy in the dust.
Every night I sat cross-legged and accumulated internal energy through Simyeon Gucheon-gyeol, the absolute core method and essence of Cheonma Shingong.
The power the Saintess had used to suppress me was the Goddess's energy, and the Hero's force that had resided inside me was likewise the Goddess's authority.
Ironically, the pure inner force I had cultivated began to resonate and fuse with those divine energies in a strange harmony. The result was a terrifying, unknown power growing within me—something that belonged neither to ordinary murim internal energy nor to a Hero's holy power.
And that was not the end of it.
Ten thousand thankful punches.
By day, in that cramped solitary cell, I threw ten thousand punches and palm strikes at empty air, drilling the forms.
The guards only sneered, "That bastard's having another episode."
They never dreamed that inside this narrow prison I was polishing the martial arts that would tear the world open.
Mention the Heavenly Demon and people picture an utterly wicked, bloodthirsty axis of evil. My master was nothing of the sort.
He had stood face-to-face against a rotten imperial court and the eunuchs who held power by the throat, fighting to free the ignorant common folk of the Central Plains—a true hero.
Yet in the end he fell to the base betrayal of those he had trusted within his own ranks, and was sealed inside Bokmadong, the labyrinth from which no one who enters ever returns.
In that deep, dark hollow he had simply waited for death—until, by miracle, he connected to this gallery. Later he found me, a complete newbie, and took me as his disciple.
If my father and mother gave me life and raised me, then it was Master who gave birth to the broken man I had become and raised him again into a human being.
Now that even the Saintess's binding had been completely erased, no restraining force remained to interfere with my meridians. The speed of my energy circulation had become incomparably faster than before.
"Haaaah…"
I let out a long breath and gathered the internal energy into my dantian.
Then—
Thud-thud-thud-thud—!
From the far end of the silent prison corridor came the urgent sound of running feet.
A small silhouette soon appeared before the iron bars, gasping for air.
Tousled short pink hair. Ears that stuck out just a little more pointed than a human's.
It was Erin, the half-elf girl.
She was the young laborer who handled every dirty chore in this filthy, stinking underground prison. The rotten guards who hated bothersome work dumped every heavy task on little Erin, who never knew how to refuse. They never even gave her a proper meal, treating her like disposable equipment that could break at any time.
Back on Earth those bastards would have been in handcuffs for child abuse on the spot.
Erin had always shown a particular interest in me, the one who still carried the title of Hero. Whenever she found a chance she would sidle up and start a conversation; I simply answered her in a half-hearted, decent way.
Yet she beamed as if I were truly kind and gentle, and—unlike the world's opinion—she believed I was a real Hero.
What kind of life had she lived that a normal answer alone made her so grateful?
Just thinking of the hard road she must have walked alone made something in my chest twist.
"H-Hero! Something terrible's happening! Everything's chaos right now!"
Erin clutched the bars and stamped her feet as she cried out.
"What's going on?"
"The demon legion… the demon legion has filled the ground right up to the walls! This prison will be completely surrounded any second!"
"Is that so? They've already come this far?"
I dusted off my backside and stood up with calm unhurriedness.
My casual attitude clearly frustrated her; Erin's face crumpled almost to tears.
"This isn't the time to be so relaxed!"
"Why are you still here, though? You should run too."
"How could I leave you here and go alone…!"
Strange feelings swirled at those words.
While countless humans of this world slandered and condemned me, this tiny half-elf girl still believed in me.
A powerless child who could barely protect herself refused to flee and stayed by the side of someone like me who was already half-dead, simply because she was worried.
Most of the guards and the other prisoners had already fled days ago. Ever since the prison had been buzzing with news of the war, the moment the intelligence of a demon invasion was confirmed they had vanished without a trace, one after another.
Proper management was impossible in a place this thoroughly corrupt. The guards were too busy saving their own skins to care what became of the inmates, which was why the prisoners could escape as well.
Yet even amid that pandemonium, Erin had remained for my sake.
"You could have run by yourself long ago and left me."
"If I did that I'd regret it for the rest of my life. …I don't want to lose the first precious relationship I've ever had."
It was a line that made a great many emotions cross at once.
Regret for a lifetime. Not wanting to lose a precious bond.
Simply hearing that pure sincerity from her mouth made something warm and tight gather in my chest.
I never imagined I would receive this kind of comfort from a girl so much younger than me.
…This world is mostly shit, but not everyone in it is garbage.
The mere fact that a child like Erin still existed made this world worth protecting one more time.
That was why I would go forward and fight—for people like her.
Just as Master had taught, I had no intention of going blind with betrayal and grudge and turning into a beast.
Looking back, I realized I myself had probably leaned on Erin quite a bit during this prison life.
Of course Erin, knowing nothing of my complicated feelings, was only in a hurry.
"We have to run right now. If we're lucky we might not get caught."
"I'm sick of running."
"What? What do you mean?"
"If I'd planned on running, I would've run a long time ago."
"Even in this situation you're going to be stubborn, Hero?!"
Erin got angry.
Not knowing the truth, she must have seen me as throwing around reckless bravado. That was only natural. Even that anger was born of genuine worry for me, and for that I was simply grateful—unlike those goddamn bitches.
"One confession: I'm not a Hero anymore."
"That's not true. I believe you really are a Hero."
"I was a real Hero, but I just quit a moment ago."
"What?"
"I terminated the contract. Now I'm not a Hero or anything else."
"Terminated the contract…?"
She made a face as if the word was too hard for her. Explaining it properly would take forever, so I decided to put it off.
"Shall we go?"
"Ah, I brought the keys, so…!"
Erin hurriedly tried to pull a jingling keyring from her clothes. I shook my head.
"No need."
"Huh?"
I reached through the bars and simply closed my hand around the massive metal lock.
Is this the right way?
I loaded internal energy into my grip and applied a light squeeze.
CRUNCH.
The lock crumpled like paper.
"Eh…?"
Erin's eyes went round.
The solid lock had been crushed and crumbled pitifully inside my fist. With a soft clink the shattered metal scraps fell limp to the floor.
"No way…"
I walked out toward Erin, who was still frozen in a daze, and lightly patted her head once.
She was tiny—her head barely reached my chest. She looked up at me, eyes shining.
"Hero, did you get your power back?"
"I keep telling you I'm not a Hero anymore."
"Then what was that power just now?"
"I'll explain later, bit by bit. More importantly, how's the situation outside? How many enemies did it look like?"
Only then did Erin snap back to her senses and answer in a rush.
"Th-there was no end to them… at least five hundred, maybe more!"
"Five hundred?"
Even hearing the number, I felt no particular fear.
Cheonma Shingong, the art Master had passed down to me.
I had never once used it in real combat.
Yet somehow I felt an absolute, almost eerie certainty in the power boiling inside me right now.
Perhaps because I had once experienced the strength of the powerful as a Hero.
"Perfect number for a light warm-up to celebrate getting out of jail."
"What…? What do you mean?"
"Let's go."
I strode ahead without hesitation. Erin scrambled to catch up behind me.
"Hey, wait! Let's go together! Hero!"