Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Even More to My Liking!
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Even more to my liking!
The 11th Heavenly Demon, Cheon Mu-gang.
He gathered all the cultists in one place and solemnly proclaimed,
"Under the heavens, one Demon is enough. That name is the Heavenly Demon!"
That day, the Nine Great Sects and One Clan and the Five Great Families.
And the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, which had divided the martial world into four parts alongside the Blood Cult, made their move.
They declared total war on the dinosaurs, all to make the Heavenly Demon the one and only Demon.
The result?
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult completely collapsed.
And 100 years later, to the present day.
"Step aside. I'll handle it."
"Oh! A-ryeong! You gonna do that move?"
The farmer stepped back with an expectant look on his face.
A-ryeong more than satisfied his anticipation.
"Hah!"
With a resounding shout, she lifted her right foot and stomped the ground once.
The earth flipped over, plowing the field in an instant.
It was the Heavenly Demon Supremacy Step.
The 13th Heavenly Demon, Cheon A-ryeong.
She was using the Heavenly Demon Supremacy Step to plow the field.
"Ugh! That's always impressive no matter how many times I see it, A-ryeong."
"Hmph. Consider it an honor. In the past, this technique shook the very heavens..."
"Ah, A-ryeong. That story again? I'm hungry, so tell me later."
Cheon A-ryeong's eyes turned icy.
But the moment she saw the copper coin in the farmer's hand,
her expression softened right away.
"...Ahem. I'll let it slide today, just this once."
"Ah, thanks to you, we finished early again. I added a little extra as thanks."
At the words that he'd put in more than the agreed pay, A-ryeong's lips twitched faintly.
It was the face of someone holding back a smile.
"Ahem. I, the lady, shall remember you."
"Haha! What an honor. See you next time then."
A-ryeong pocketed the copper coins after the farmer's bow and unleashed her lightness skill.
In an instant, the village scenery around her vanished.
It was only natural.
The 13th Heavenly Demon, Cheon A-ryeong.
At just 21 years old, she was already one of the martial world's absolute experts, having reached the Superb Realm.
This level of lightness skill was child's play for her.
Thus, Cheon A-ryeong swiftly ascended the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains using her lightness skill.
Yet even as the scenery flew by like arrows with every step she took, her actual pace wasn't all that fast.
"Oh! Fiddleheads!"
"Acorns already? Perfect timing!"
"Strawberries! My mouth's in for a treat after so long! Nom nom nom!"
She was foraging for food as she climbed the mountain.
Finally, with both hands full of ingredients, she reached the peak of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
There lay the ruins of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult in all its former glory from a century ago.
The collapsed halls stood desolate and forlorn.
"I, the lady, have returned!"
The mountains echoed her voice, but only silence answered.
It was to be expected.
She was the only member left in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Yet before this bleak sight, Cheon A-ryeong smiled.
Not a lonely smile, but a challenging one.
"Every time I see it, my fighting spirit boils over! Good! I'll rebuild the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult all by myself!"
With that laugh, she passed through the creaking main gate and headed straight for the Ten Thousand Demons Hall.
It was the sanctuary founded by the first Heavenly Demon for the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
But the term "sanctuary" rang hollow—the hall inside was completely empty.
She'd sold off everything one by one just to eat.
All that remained was a single large urn.
And in front of that urn stood a sign.
[Heavenly Demon Divine Cult Revival Fund Box] The urn came up to her waist and was already half-filled with coins.
A-ryeong dropped in there,
Clink-
today's earnings from her work.
The urn filled up a bit more.
She stared at it for a long while, then laughed.
"Heh heh. Pathetic."
She knew it full well.
No amount of this would bring back the cult's former glory.
And she knew it better than anyone.
But there was nothing else she could do.
Of course, she had tried.
She'd entered the Martial World Conference to showcase the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's prowess and recruit new members.
She'd even taken on escort missions to earn money using her supreme martial arts.
But every time, the Nine Great Sects and One Clan, who dominated the current martial world, got in the way.
She couldn't even participate in the conference.
And for missions, they'd snatch them at prices no better than free.
Their intentions were obvious.
They were nipping in the bud any chance of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult rising again.
"But Nine Great Sects and One Clan, no matter how much you block me, it's futile."
A black aura flickered in A-ryeong's eyes.
"The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult is eternal. And when that time comes, you'll finally realize it. That the will of the Demon can never be broken."
But despite such grand ambitions,
Clink-
her daily life remained unchanged until the urn was full of copper coins.
"...I'm starting to get tired."
Just as A-ryeong's resolve began to waver under that reality,
a fun guy appeared in her one and only hobby: the Unique Gallery.
"Heh heh. A guy similar to me."
At first, it was just a sense of kinship.
His desperate struggles to survive while trapped on Dinosaur Island looked a lot like her own efforts to revive the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult somehow.
But that feeling changed the moment she saw his talents.
Her brilliant mind had glimpsed the spark for reviving the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
"A man with overwhelming talent and the hot topic of Dinosaur Island."
What if the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's martial arts were added to that?
The moment that thought crossed her mind,
A-ryeong's heart, stagnant for 25 years, began pounding wildly.
"I can see it."
In A-ryeong's eyes, a near future unfolded.
People across the continent marveling at Shihanbu displaying Heavenly Demon Divine Arts.
Talented individuals, captivated by that overwhelming power, climbing the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains to join the cult.
What she'd longed for so desperately—what the Nine Great Sects and One Clan feared most—was coming into view.
"Go!"
Shivering with excitement, A-ryeong immediately hit the chat window.
💬 Chat — Heavenly Demon I shall accept you as my disciple. But her offer was met with rejection.
Still, she wasn't disappointed.
She led the utterly ruined Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Being ignored like this was nothing new.
No, on the contrary—A-ryeong's spirits soared.
"Muahaha! Even more to my liking! Of course! A true Heavenly Demon Divine Cult member wouldn't fall for such a petty offer!"
Rejected, yet she grinned in satisfaction.
"But in the end, you'll stand by my side. I've decided it. Muahaha!"
With that laugh, A-ryeong moved.
Her destination: the Ten Thousand Demons Hall.
More precisely, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult revival fund box in front of it.
Standing before it, she
Bam-
stomped down hard.
The urn shattered in an instant.
But the coins inside, demonstrating the purity of her inner energy, didn't scatter—they held their shape perfectly.
Gazing at her war chest, A-ryeong laughed.
"Heh heh. I'll make you mine no matter what. Go ahead, struggle all you want."
The moment she checked the Unique Gallery again after that declaration,
Bam-
the floor of the Ten Thousand Demons Hall exploded.
A-ryeong was that furious.
Something unforgivable was happening in the gallery.
— Knowledgeable Person Fine then, prove it! I'll teach you one martial art, so learn it! Someone was messing with her prospective disciple.
"How dare you... lay a hand on the one I've marked..."
Demonic energy surged from Cheon A-ryeong's entire body.
It was the aftermath of someone touching the first thing this Heavenly Demon, alone for decades, had ever claimed as "hers."
"No one can have him before me."
The walls around the shouting A-ryeong crumbled down.
The explosion of her possessiveness.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The lake between rocks after the wolf turtle battle.
I sat slumped on the ground, letting out a sigh.
"I need Gallery Points."
A Unique Gallery window floated before my eyes.
Specifically, the trading tab was open.
📰 Trading Post [Zelkova Log for Sale.] - Perfect for building a house. [Price] 300 Gallery Points 📰 Trading Post [Exploring Boots for Sale.] - Size-adjusting magic and lightweight magic enchanted. Practically new. [Price] 3,000 Gallery Points Scanning through them one by one, I glanced at the top right corner with a sigh.
Gallery Points: 43 Just 43 points.
Not even enough for the cheapest zelkova log.
"Survival takes so much, but I got no points."
Should I stream more often?
Or hunt for sellable stuff in the forest?
Lost in such thoughts,
Rattle-
my makeshift fishing rod—cobbled from twigs and bark—jerked.
A fish had finally bitten.
"Gotcha!"
The moment I yanked it,
Snap-
the flimsy stick broke clean off.
I'd lost the fish after waiting an hour.
"Nooo, my dinner."
Staring blankly at the broken rod in despair,
"Awoo!"
a silver-furred wolf pup dove into the lake.
Moments later, it emerged with a fish as big as a person's torso in its jaws.
"Good job, wolfie!"
"Awoo!"
I petted its head in praise, and it wagged its tail like a helicopter.
After some more head pats, I turned my attention to the fish.
"Crucian carp...? Why's it so huge? Safe to eat?"
After pondering, I fired up the stream.
Chats exploded immediately.
💬 Comments — Anonymous Oh, crucian carp. — Anonymous Whoa, that size for real? Abandoned Land Ghosts aside, everything there's huge. — Anonymous Might have parasites. Cook it first. Cook it?
"I don't know how to make a fire..."
— Anonymous ?? A guy who can't even make fire? — Anonymous Was he some noble young master? — Anonymous Try trading. I'll throw in some flint. — Anonymous Flint lol. I'll give a fireball scroll. Trade me. Seeing folks offer help so readily, I scratched the back of my head.
"Their personalities are shit, but their hearts are warm."
A bit touched, I was about to trade with the guy offering long-term flint,
— Azure Cloud Swordsmanship Ha! You suckers all idiots? Why show kindness to a con artist? when some weird loach started muddying the chat.