The Heavenly Demon's Suggestion
“How about we build up internal energy through sexual intercourse?”
“...Master?”
At the woman’s sudden words, something clicked in my mind. More accurately, the memory of an existence I had long forgotten surfaced. ‘If she says Master...!’ There was only one being who called me Master. ‘My clone?!’
I wasn’t entirely sure yet, but I had a strong feeling that it was indeed my clone. I turned my head back to look at the chat window.
The reaction in the chat had completely shifted. The messages mocking me had vanished entirely.
Real-time viewers: 5,135
The viewer count had already surpassed 5,000. I watched the numbers for a moment before turning my gaze back to the camera. I opened my mouth.
“You saw that, right?” My voice cracked. “The ability verification is complete.”
I stopped talking after that. I moved my hand and clicked on the mission success button.
Mission Success
With this, I’d earned 3 million won in one go. It was unbelievable. Of course, now wasn’t the time to be happy about the money. I moved the mouse cursor over the broadcast end button. Something absurd had happened. I couldn’t continue the broadcast.
“I’ll end today’s broadcast here.”
The chat was in chaos. It was lagging for a second. But no matter how I thought about it, ending the broadcast was the right call. I terminated the stream.
Broadcast has ended.
The screen went black. The chat window disappeared. Silence remained in the room. I slowly turned my head. The woman in the black robe was looking up at me.
“...Master.”
I still couldn’t get used to that word. It felt strange because an unfamiliar being was saying it. I decided to ask her the most important question first.
“Um, by any chance...”
“Yes.”
“Are you my clone?”
“That is correct, Master.”
She didn’t hesitate for even a second. She answered my question immediately.
“But as far as I know, my clone is a man who looks exactly like me. And his hair is black. But you have red hair and you’re a woman?”
“That is due to the side effects of martial arts. I learned the Yin-Yang Divine Art, a forbidden technique, which allowed for rapid growth, but the side effect was that I became a woman.”
“Wait? Yin-Yang Divine Art?”
An unfamiliar term I’d never heard before popped up. I looked confused. “Hold on. Let’s say you are my clone. Then, where have you been all this time?”
“I was in the Murim.”
“Murim? That Murim from martial arts novels?”
“Yes. After joining the Demonic Cult there, I became the Heavenly Demon.”
“If it’s the cult... the Heavenly Demon Cult? And you’re the Heavenly Demon?”
“That is correct, Master.”
I had read a few martial arts novels, so I could understand the gist of it. However, just because I understood the words didn’t mean I actually grasped the situation.
“Let’s summarize. You suddenly disappeared. And you reappeared 10 years later as the Heavenly Demon?”
“Yes. I suspect I was caught in a dungeon distortion nearby and fell into the Murim. And it is true that I became the Heavenly Demon.”
“Haa... and the gender change and hair color change are because of the Yin-Yang Divine Art?”
“The gender change is a side effect of the Yin-Yang Divine Art, and the hair color is a side effect of learning the Fiery Yang Divine Art.”
“Hmm... I see, so that’s how it is.”
Honestly, I couldn’t believe it. Anyone would feel the same. But there was one way I could be sure she was my clone. I was going to try it right now.
“I’m going to unsummon you for a second. If you’re my clone, you’ll disappear.”
“Yes.”
I swallowed hard. Then, looking at her, I spoke.
“Unsummon.”
Pop-!
And just like that, the woman really vanished from before my eyes. She disappeared as if she had simply evaporated. At the same time, I felt a sense of mental fullness. ‘My clone really came back?’ I had often felt like a part of my heart was empty. I’d just felt hollow. But that feeling vanished in an instant. It seemed the woman I had just unsummoned really was my clone. There was no other explanation.
I tried summoning her again.
“Summon.”
Pop-!
Instantly, the beautiful red-haired woman appeared. It was the same woman I had just unsummoned. Looking at her now, I had to admit it. Even though something absurd had happened, I had no choice but to accept it.
“You really are my clone, aren’t you?”
“Yes, Master. That is correct.”
“I see...”
A storm raged in my head, bringing a mix of emotions—relief, regret, anger, happiness. They all swirled together, making me dizzy.
“More importantly, Master. May I ask for one favor?”
“Um, a favor? What is it?”
My clone had never asked me for anything like this before. It seemed that living out there for 10 years had caused her to change a lot.
“Could you please refrain from unsummoning me if possible?”
“Huh? Why?”
“Because it’s hard for me to endure being alone there anymore.”
“Endure?”
Come to think of it, I hadn’t really known where my clone spent its time when unsummoned. But it seemed she was in a place that was quite lonely and difficult.
“Well, that’s not hard to do.”
“Thank you.”
I had always been able to summon my clone for a very long time. I’d even given up on tracking the exact duration because the summon lasted so long.
“Anyway, how long are you going to stay like that? Stand up.”
“Yes.”
The clone stood up. I looked at her. ‘Ahem, thankfully she’s shorter than me.’ It seemed her body had shrunk when she underwent the gender-bend(?). That was a relief.
“What should I call you from now on?”
“In the Murim, I used the name Kim Shin-hye.”
“Kim Shin-hye? Did you choose that on purpose? The name is almost identical to mine.”
“Yes. I chose a name as similar as possible while thinking of you, Master.”
Her words tugged at my heartstrings. It seemed my clone hadn’t forgotten me all this time. The thought warmed my heart. ‘Right, there’s no need to feel awkward just because she’s the Heavenly Demon.’ She was still my clone. I realized that just now. However, the clone who had become the Heavenly Demon was definitely different.
“By the way, what do you call what you were doing just a moment ago, Master?”
“Ah, that? It’s called streaming...”
I explained streaming to her. It seemed necessary to inject her with the knowledge of the 10 years she had lost.
“Hmm, I see. Then the number 5,135 from earlier refers to the number of people who were showing interest in you, Master?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
She certainly didn’t become the Heavenly Demon for nothing. Her speed at absorbing knowledge was incredibly fast. ‘As expected of my clone.’ I smiled with satisfaction. A smart clone meant the original, me, was also smart. I couldn’t help but feel good. However, there was something I hadn’t anticipated. As I said before, 10 years of time had changed my clone too much.
“Then you have already gathered 5,000 followers!”
“Hmm? Followers?”
“As expected of you, Master. That is a sufficient number to begin the Great Cause.”
“Great Cause? What are you talking about?” I asked with a puzzled look. I had no idea what she meant.
“By Great Cause, I mean establishing the Heavenly Demon Cult for you here in Seoul, is it not?”
“The Heavenly Demon Cult?!” My eyes widened. The scale had suddenly become too big.
“Yes. I intend to establish the Heavenly Demon Cult here and make you the great Heavenly Demon.”
“No, the intention is good, but isn’t the Heavenly Demon Cult... a religion?”
“Yes. It is a religion solely for the Heavenly Demon.”
Something occurred to me at her words. ‘Isn’t this a cult?’ Of course, I didn’t say that out loud. I felt that if I said something like that, she wouldn’t let it slide, no matter how much of a Master I was. Just in case, I asked about the doctrines and rules of the Heavenly Demon Cult. She excitedly told me all sorts of things.
“What? Immediate execution upon withdrawal?”
“Yes. Isn’t that natural? Those who forsake their faith in the cult deserve only death.”
“Ahem, and tell me more.”
“If you steal, your arms are cut off; if you lie, your tongue is pulled out...”
The more I heard, the more certain I became. ‘If I set this up in Korea, I’ll be in prison immediately.’ It was obvious I’d be branded a cult leader and face massive backlash. I immediately racked my brain. I couldn’t just stand by and watch the Heavenly Demon Cult be established. ‘What excuse should I make? Should I say I don’t want to be the Heavenly Demon?’ Then, one thought occurred to me.
“Ah, right. You said I would become the Heavenly Demon, not you, right?”
“Yes. That is correct.”
“But look. I’m just an ordinary person, right? Can I become the Heavenly Demon? I don’t even have any martial arts skills.”
Her expression stiffened at my words. It seemed she hadn’t thought that far.
“Hmm...”
I let out a sigh of relief inwardly at that sight. It seemed my excuse had worked well. However, the Heavenly Demon was the Heavenly Demon. She didn’t give up easily.
“I can teach you martial arts, Master.”
“Huh? Can I learn martial arts too?”
“Yes. It is possible. However... there is too little Qi here. So we will have to use a special method.”
My heart went cold at her words. It didn’t seem like it would be a good method.
“What method?”
“What are your thoughts on your body changing into a woman? If that is acceptable, my Yin-Yang Divine Art...”
“Absolutely not!”
I had no intention of becoming a TS (transsexual). One clone was enough.
“Hmm, then, are you a virgin?”
“What? A virgin? Why are you asking that?”
“If you master the Virgin Art, you can accumulate internal energy faster than others.”
I smiled at her words. I, Kim Shin-hyuk, was unfortunately(?) not a virgin.
“I’m not a virgin.”
“Hmm, then there is only this method left...”
She fell into deep thought at my words. It didn’t seem like an ordinary dilemma. Her face suddenly turned red, and she shook her head left and right. ‘What is this?’ And soon, her deliberation ended. She spoke to me with a look of determination.
“What are your thoughts on the Yin-Yang Dual Cultivation Art?”
“Yin-Yang Dual Cultivation Art? What is that?”
“...Ahem, it is a method of increasing internal energy through... sexual intercourse.”
“What? There’s a martial art like that? But who am I supposed to have sex with?”
She didn’t say anything at my words. She just remained silent. At her behavior, something occurred to me.
“Hey, no way, right? Tell me it’s not.”
“Th-that is... Master and I would practice martial arts together through sexual intercourse...”
“No way!”
I immediately rejected it. It was true that she was beautiful. But she was clearly a man. I could still clearly see her appearance when she was a man. Besides, she was my clone. Having sex with her? That was absolutely impossible. She looked slightly disappointed(?) at my words. Of course, it was only for a moment. She quickly returned to her cold expression from before.
“Then, I suppose there is no other choice.”
“Right? So don’t set up things like the Heavenly Demon Cult...”
I tried to persuade her again, but it didn’t work. Instead, I only heard something even more terrible(?).
“There is only the method of aiming for martial arts improvement through daily hellish training...”
“That is absolutely not happening!”