First of All... To Survive
"First of all... it's to survive."
"To survive...?"
Seong-il frowned at him. "I'm not some blood-crazed murderer, you know...?"
Saekma smiled slyly. "Of course that's what I think too, ya know. But the secret you mentioned is pretty damn important. To keep it under wraps, you might need to silence me permanently. And even if I head back to the Demonic Cult, the Chief Guardian will definitely kill me. I'm the only one the young cult leader personally took in, and I'm a walking contradiction to the Chief Guardian's goal of seizing control over her position."
He fidgeted for a moment before continuing. "And this is just my personal wish, but..."
"What is it? Spit it out."
"Let me learn the Taeguk Geomgyeol with you."
The young cult leader's face twisted in disgust. "You crazy bastard. You have the nerve to ask for another sect's secret martial art? There's a limit to how shameless you can be!"
Saekma flinched at her words, looking properly embarrassed as he went on. "The young cult leader is right. It's ridiculous. Didn't you say earlier that he lost to someone with only fifteen years of training? Truth is, that's partly because we dual cultivation types have no decent martial arts to speak of aside from our excellent mental techniques."
"We used to have some pretty useful ones back in the day. But as is the nature of our... line of work, there were so many grudges and disputes that the successors kept dying young. Most never properly learned the arts, or died before they could pass them on, so a lot of them were simply lost. It's embarrassing as hell, but I desperately need a proper sword art!"
His honest answer earned a measure of trust from Seong-il.
Yeah. It's way more reliable to hear him say he'll help for his own benefit than some bullshit about loyalty for sparing his life.
Seong-il nodded in understanding and gave his approval. Saekma looked so overjoyed he nearly bowed his head in gratitude, but Seong-il stopped him.
"It's an exchange anyway... Alright. When do you want to start?"
"Right now, of course!"
The young cult leader sighed in defeat and turned her head away from the pair.
Seong-il handed over the sword manual, and Saekma passed him the mental technique he'd been carrying. But since Seong-il couldn't read it, he explained his situation honestly and asked to be taught verbally.
"I'm illiterate when it comes to this. Tell me out loud."
"...Huh?"
Saekma looked utterly dumbfounded, but eventually resigned himself to reciting the formulas orally. For the sake of mutual trust, they agreed that Seong-il would keep the original copy of the mental technique.
The young cult leader, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, suddenly cut in.
"Excuse me. Then what exactly are you going to do for me?"
"...?"
Both Saekma and Seong-il stared at her as if she were speaking nonsense. She continued, looking thoroughly fed up.
"According to your plan with that Saekma bastard, it sounds like I'm an indispensable asset. So you're just going to keep me locked up like this, torture me, and use me however you please...? In that case, what's the difference between you and the Chief Guardian you keep going on about with all that heavenly secret nonsense?"
"Whether I know those secrets or not, living like a beast—getting raped and exploited every day—is worse than just killing myself. Don't you agree?"
"Hmm..."
Seong-il felt the sharp logic of her words strike home. He needed to redefine their relationship.
"Fine. Then I'll share the benefits with you as well."
"Ha! Listen to you. Even if I was nothing but a puppet like you say, I was still the young cult leader—the rightful supreme heir to an entire cult. And you think you can win me over with mere 'benefits'? Are you joking?"
She wore a venomous expression Seong-il had never seen before as she pressed him aggressively.
He sighed inwardly and fired off his trump cards in rapid succession.
"The Great Recovery Pill, the Purple Origin Divine Pill, the inner core of the Blood Cult Dragon. The lost secret manual containing the previous cult leader's signature technique, Heoksarmasang, along with the divine weapon, the Heaven Destroying Sword. I'll give them all to you."
"And if I successfully learn the martial arts and grow stronger, I'll unconditionally cooperate with you taking control of the Demonic Cult and becoming the strongest under heaven."
The young cult leader's eyes widened in shock. "Leaving the second part aside... you're saying you possess not only those legendary elixirs but our cult's martial arts and sacred items as well?"
Look at her switching to polite speech the moment things tilt even slightly in her favor.
Hiding his exasperation, Seong-il began to explain.
"To be precise, I know their exact locations through heavenly secrets. So it's as good as already having them in my possession."
She scoffed. "Oh really? So you're going to steal the Great Recovery Pill from Shaolin? Revive the dead Medicine Immortal to refine the Purple Origin Divine Pill? Or hunt down the Blood Cult Dragon yourself?"
"No. Obviously I won't touch anything that has an owner. The items I mentioned are all hidden in ownerless secret vaults. And since those locations are completely unknown to anyone else, no one has ever found them."
"If you still can't trust my words, I'll hand over the Demonic Cult's sacred item first. I've already visited the hiding place of both the manual and the divine weapon once before."
Seong-il didn't miss the way her expression wavered and immediately pressed his advantage.
"If you return to the cult, the only future waiting for you is having the entire organization stolen through the Chief Guardian's betrayal. You'll be reduced to his concubine, turned into a sex slave, and used miserably until you die. But I'm different. I'm offering you an equal partnership, and for the sake of building trust, I'll listen to your opinions as much as possible."
The young cult leader bit her lip, falling silent for a long time as she wrestled with her thoughts. Finally she spoke.
"...Fine. But the deal only becomes official after I receive the manual and sacred item you mentioned."
"Deal."
Seong-il had originally planned to monopolize the second-playthrough perks and hidden opportunity events, but he decided to yield them to her.
Phew... Thank god it's an old-school game with no fancy tricks attached to the perks.
As expected of a classic, Pokso Muhyopjeon had no system for linking second-playthrough ending saves. The second-playthrough perks did exist, however. How? Upon completing the first playthrough and reaching the final moments of the ending credits, the game revealed the location of a hidden item. It was a small secret chamber located in the basement of the Primitive Heavenly Lord shrine behind the Sodang Sect. Even in a first playthrough, anyone who knew the location could enter freely. Inside, players could obtain Heoksarmasang—the game's strongest single-target attack technique—and the Heaven Destroying Sword, its most powerful blade. It was a notorious perk that veterans warned against using because it turned the player into an unstoppable munchkin who could massacre enemies with ease, completely breaking the game's balance and fun. After all, the perk had been designed as a cheat item for players who missed minor sub-events during their first run.
"By the way... what's your name, young master?"
"Oh?! Now that you mention it..."
The three of them finally exchanged proper introductions. Once that was done, the bizarre party's adventure began—a strange group formed of a fake Taoist, a lust demon, and a demonic cultist who had no business being together.
"Whoa... so this is a human skin mask? It's flawless."
Following Saekma's advice, the party disguised themselves with the human skin mask the young cult leader possessed before heading toward the Sodang Sect to retrieve the secret manual and sacred item. The mask was so sophisticated that it allowed for natural facial expressions and even proper ventilation. Seong-il found it utterly fascinating.
Even in modern society where supernatural abilities and advanced engineering exist, something this intricate would be nearly impossible to create.
With that thought in mind, they unpacked their belongings in a brothel on the outskirts of the city below the Sodang Sect. Seong-il went to wash up.
Finally! I'm starting my martial arts training too!
On the day they arrived at the village near the Sodang Sect, while eating lunch, Seong-il and the young cult leader agreed to begin their first session of dual cultivation that very night.
She had stubbornly insisted she couldn't do it until she received the promised advance payment, but after Seong-il's persistent persuasion, her resolve finally crumbled.
"Do you want to retrieve the items from the shrine and do it in front of the Primitive Heavenly Lord statue? Or would you rather do it comfortably in the cozy guesthouse nearby? Getting rid of several days' worth of travel fatigue is a bonus."
"C-can't we retrieve the items first and then go down to the guesthouse?"
"What are you talking about! Once we have the items, I won't return to any previously visited location to avoid possible pursuit. So choose. Either we rest here tonight and do it, or we do it in the front courtyard of the Sodang Sect!"
The young cult leader sighed at his stubbornness and eventually accepted the condition of resting in the village.
That night.
Knock. Knock.
At the sound of someone knocking on his door, Seong-il went to answer it. Standing there was the young cult leader. She had removed her usual outer robes and wore only a thin, plain nightgown.
An awkward silence stretched between them at the threshold. Without a word, Seong-il took her by the shoulder and led her inside to the bed.
He laid her down gently, brushed her bangs aside with tender fingers, then kissed her lightly. Smiling, he spoke.
"I'll begin."
"Y-yes... Young master."
Seong-il untied the strings of her nightgown and slipped it off, revealing her flawless, snow-white skin. He spent a long moment simply drinking in the sight. Her complexion was so pure it was almost blindingly beautiful.
Like a massage, he kneaded her full breasts, pressing them together. When her two adorable pink nipples met, he greedily took them into his mouth, sucking and licking. He teased them with his front teeth, occasionally giving them light bites as he played with her chest. Before long, soft moans began escaping from between Eun-wol's tightly pressed lips.
"Hup... Hng..."
Her cute little sounds tickled his ears. A fierce desire to make those moans louder surged through him, and he surrendered to it completely.
His right hand massaged her plump rear before sliding downward. His fingers brushed teasingly around her anus. The unfamiliar stimulation must have embarrassed her, because even that light touch made her snow-white buttocks bounce upward like a startled rabbit.
Enjoying her reactions, he gradually shifted his fingers toward her labia, continuing to toy with her body. The moment his fingers reached her folds, he discovered her lush garden was already wet with dew.
He gently slid a finger into her slick valley.
"Huk!"
The unfamiliar intrusion sent both dizzying pleasure and anxiety crashing through Eun-wol at once. Sensing her reaction, Seong-il's finger moved carefully inside her, stroking and soothing as if to say there was nothing to fear.
"Ahk! Huk!"
The scraping pleasure made her hips buck up and down. Like a musician playing a beautiful instrument, Seong-il carefully coaxed her body, his fingers performing with exquisite care while his mouth returned to her breasts. He sucked, licked her neck, and nibbled gently.
Her body trembled under the relentless pleasure. Her moans grew louder and more urgent. By the time her love juices flowed freely enough to soak the bedsheets, he withdrew his fingers, spread her legs wide, and hungrily sucked on her labia and clitoris.
As her moans deepened, he lifted his mouth from her sex and slowly kissed his way upward—from her navel to her breasts, then higher still. When his lips reached her neck, he took his throbbing member in one hand, positioned it at her entrance, and rubbed the head against her folds.
"Huk...!"
Eun-wol instinctively spread her legs even wider, surrendering to what was about to happen. Seeing her like that, Seong-il smiled with deep satisfaction and gently pushed his hardened length inside her.
The soft, elastic grip of her inner walls against his glans nearly melted his brain.
"Huk! Young master... Young master!"
Watching her beautiful face as she lost all reason and called his name like a broken record, Seong-il began thrusting with rough intensity. At the same time, he recited the mental technique Saekma had taught him.
A refreshing, clear energy flowed from inside her into his body. As it entered him, an indescribable pleasure raced through his meridians, stimulating every inch of his being.
Driven by that ecstasy, he began slamming his hips like a madman. Under his fierce pace, Eun-wol let out wild, animalistic moans as though she were drowning.
"Aang! Young master! Haak... Stop! Huk!... Heug!"
The refreshing energy from her body merged with the warm energy inside him. After circulating through him several times, an overwhelming urge to climax surged through his shaft. Unable to hold back, he prepared to release.
With his back straight and her breasts gripped roughly in his hands, he poured an enormous load of semen deep inside her.
The moment his seed flooded her, he felt it being absorbed into her body. The strange sensation made Eun-wol murmur in confusion.
"Eh...? Ahk... Something's... inside me... Heuk!"
That warm energy circulated through her, granting her vitality, before flowing back into Seong-il.
At that mysterious experience, both of them momentarily forgot to continue. They simply stared into each other's eyes.
In that awkward gaze, they smiled at one another as if by silent agreement. Then, like starving beasts, they fell on each other again, kissing deeply and wetly.
"Chuuup... Chup..."
Seong-il began the act once more while sharing that sticky kiss. For them, the night had only just begun.