The Price of the Blood God's Seal
Seong-il had agreed to begin learning martial arts from the Martial Alliance Leader starting the next day, using the delivery of the Blood God's Seal as his reward. But the leader had told him to study the manual in advance.
"Could you interpret it for me first and then explain it?"
"Hmm... Well, it would be nice to get a look at the secret manual of someone close to the greatest under heaven. But aren't you taking advantage of me a little too much, young master?"
"Haha... Come on, don't be like that between us."
At Seong-il's words, Eun-wol twirled a lock of her hair around her finger and gave him a mysterious look.
"Well... if you put it that way..."
Before long, Seong-il had lain down beside her. His hand gently caressed her waist and hips as he spoke.
"You'll do it for me, right?"
"...I understand."
Under his touch, she had become as docile as a lamb. Their eyes met with that same mysterious gleam before their lips naturally came together.
Then Eun-wol suddenly pushed against his chest.
"S-still... doing it here feels a bit risky. If we're caught, it's at least a death sentence."
"Tsk... You're right. What about our every-three-days dual cultivation training then?"
"I'll take care of you with my mouth then. Don't worry."
She gazed at him with seductive eyes while her hand stroked his most intimate place. Seong-il kissed her once more.
"If you'll do that, I'd be grateful... Shall we start with the martial arts first?"
"Yes!"
And so, until the sun went down, Seong-il hid beneath the bedcovers and received a thorough theoretical lecture from Eun-wol before falling asleep. The next day, he naturally made his way to the training ground where he had promised to meet the Alliance Leader.
"You've come?"
"Yes! Alliance Leader!"
"Haha... Then shall we begin right away?"
The leader began explaining the core concepts behind the martial art.
"The Mountain Shattering Divine Fist is a fist technique created with pure destructive power in mind. Because of that, it consumes an enormous amount of internal energy, so it's not well-suited for prolonged battles."
"However, up to its eighth form, it possesses such overwhelming might that even skilled fist fighters would find it difficult to block. Used properly, it can be incredibly effective."
"It's also excellent for ambushes and surprise attacks. Well? Do you understand its strengths and weaknesses?"
Having already grasped the technique's characteristics in broad strokes from Eun-wol the previous night, Seong-il nodded and focused intently on the leader's guidance.
After roughly two hours of instruction, Seong-il had completely exhausted his internal energy. Drained and gasping for breath, he lay sprawled on the ground.
The leader smiled at the sight.
"This should be enough for today. We'll continue with the rest tomorrow. I'll be leaving now, so train on your own and feel free to ask me any questions tomorrow."
With those words, the Alliance Leader departed. As he moved away from the training ground and distanced himself from Seong-il, another martial artist approached him.
"Azure Dragon Hall Master. How was that young friend yesterday?"
"Ah. There wasn't anything particularly unusual. However..."
"However...?"
"There were reports of faint whispering sounds coming from inside the room. I personally inspected the surroundings and the interior, but found no traces of any outsider entering or leaving."
"Hmm... How strange."
The martial artist replied to the leader.
"Could he be a spy planted by the Demonic Cult?"
"Well... I'm not sure. When I examined him myself yesterday, I didn't sense anything like that. The martial arts and internal energy he displayed were genuine."
"He might be a spy who stole the manual from the True Person's corpse and practiced it poorly."
"That doesn't make sense. The Blood God's Seal the boy brought was real. Why would members of the Demonic Cult, whose primary goal is that very seal, hand it over to us?"
"Hmm... That is..."
"Still, there are too many suspicious points. A kid who's only been in the sect for three months possessing four or five years' worth of internal energy. Surviving and making it all the way here despite having mediocre martial skills..."
"Then perhaps we should interrogate him..."
"Absolutely not! Even if there are suspicious aspects, the fact remains that this boy has performed a great service! If we oppress a young martial artist who has rendered such a significant contribution to the Alliance simply because he seems suspicious, who would offer their sincere loyalty to an organization like ours that's formed by the union of various sects?"
"Ah..."
"Therefore, handle this by monitoring him as discreetly as possible. Do not escalate the matter any further. I'll keep him occupied under the pretext of training."
"Understood."
"What about the Demonic Cult?"
"They appear to be holding an unusual meeting with the Four Evils Alliance."
"Since when?"
"The day after that young hero delivered the seal to us..."
"Hmm..."
Completely unaware that he was under suspicion within the Martial Alliance, Seong-il focused solely on training the Mountain Shattering Divine Fist without a single stray thought.
"Ugh... This is hard. So damn hard."
"Still, learning it at all is something. I need to master it quickly so I can ask about all sorts of things tomorrow too~!"
After training like that all day, when dusk finally fell, Seong-il returned to his room and collapsed into a deep, exhausted sleep.
He continued training to the point of death until the promised seven days had passed.
"You've worked hard these past days."
"Thank you! Alliance Leader!!"
"Haha... While it's not perfect, you've at least grasped the basic form. How far you develop the Mountain Shattering Divine Fist from here will depend on your own effort."
"Yes! I will continue to strive for improvement!!"
"Good... By the way, now that our business is concluded, what do you plan to do next?"
"I think... I'd like to return to the Sodang Sect today. It's been empty for a while, and I want to hold a memorial service for my master and senior brother."
"Ah, that's a fine idea."
Of course, the memorial service was just an excuse. Seong-il had lied to escape the Martial Alliance as quickly as possible.
I've been feeling strange gazes through my Induction for the past few days...
The martial artist tracking him had hidden their presence so perfectly that they had even fooled Seong-il's Induction ability. But after monitoring him consistently for quite a long time, Seong-il's sharp senses had gradually begun to detect the Martial Alliance's watcher.
They're definitely watching me. I need to leave before any unnecessary trouble arises.
The nightmare of dying from an ambush in Pocket Girls flashed through his mind. Seong-il's body began burning with the urge to escape danger.
But the leader's next words shattered his expectations.
"However, it doesn't feel right to send off a talented young martial artist who has performed such an outstanding service without proper hospitality. I'll prepare a banquet for this evening. Could you at least enjoy the feast before leaving tomorrow?"
Although he wanted to leave immediately, Seong-il couldn't find any excuse to refuse an offer made specifically for him. He reluctantly agreed.
"Ah... If that's the case, of course I must attend."
"Then I'll see you this evening. I have work to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."
"Please take care!"
Seong-il bowed deeply with a polite smile. The leader waved his hand once before departing. As soon as he was gone, another martial artist approached Seong-il.
"Young hero. There will be a banquet this evening, so it would be best if you cleanse yourself and change into proper attire."
"Ah... Should I?"
"Yes. If you follow me, I'll guide you properly."
"Thank you. I'll be in your care."
Following the guide, Seong-il washed himself and waited quietly inside his room. But even after evening arrived, the expected banquet never began.
What the...? Dinner time has long passed. Why hasn't anyone come to escort me? And why is it so bright outside...?
As Seong-il grew anxious, a loud alarm suddenly rang in his ears.
'What?!'
Startled by the sudden news of an attack, Seong-il rushed outside in shock. The moment he stepped through the door, he grabbed a martial artist who was shouting nearby.
"What's happening?!"
"A massive fire has broken out on the city's outskirts! While a large number of our warriors were diverted to deal with it, a small group of Demonic Cult bastards launched a raid on the Alliance!"
"What?!"
"Young hero! This place is dangerous! Please move to the central area of the Alliance! The banquet hall you were guided to earlier should be easy to find!"
"Ah... Yes! Yes!"
At the urgent warrior's words, Seong-il sprinted with all his might toward the banquet hall he'd been shown during the day.
Are you kidding me? What kind of game is this where random events keep exploding nonstop?
The Ruler of the Game world had already been heavily distorted ever since the young cult leader's disappearance. Seong-il felt the story progressing far differently from what he remembered.
This won't do. I've already learned the basic martial foundations and training methods. I should stabilize the situation here, then escape and build up my strength somewhere else.
As Seong-il ran desperately toward the banquet hall, something strange caught his eye.
Huh... Isn't that the Black Tortoise Hall Master?
During the brief introduction to the Alliance's key figures a few days ago, he'd seen this large, imposing man along with several subordinates. For some reason, they were moving in the exact opposite direction from the security forces.
What the...? Why are they heading the opposite way from everyone else? And they're trying to hide their movements too.
Instinctively sensing something suspicious, Seong-il unconsciously began tailing them while concealing his presence as much as possible.
"Is this really okay..."
Following them from a distance, Seong-il muttered to himself. Suddenly, someone spoke right beside him.
"What do you mean?"
The whispering voice sent chills down his spine. Seong-il's body froze.
"Hiek!"
"Shh! Making noise will cause big trouble, benefactor!"
...Benefactor?
Recognizing the familiar voice and title, Seong-il regained his composure and cautiously turned his head.
"Hye-myeong... Hye-won, monks...?"
"Haha... Have you been well, benefactor?"
"W-why are you two here?"
The two monks smiled gently and silently pointed toward the Black Tortoise Hall Master and his group.
"Ah..."
"Doesn't it seem strange? Why are they alone trying to hide their presence and moving in the opposite direction?"
"I'm not sure... but it doesn't look like they're up to anything good."
"Exactly. That's why we're following them quietly. What about you, young hero?"
"I just had a bad feeling about it."
"Oh! We're thinking the same thing. Shall we go together then?"
Caught up in their pace before he knew it, Seong-il nodded silently and followed the Black Tortoise Hall Master while suppressing his presence to the utmost.
After trailing them for some time, Seong-il and the monks arrived at a hidden location.
"Hall Master?"
"Ah! Have the Demonic Cult members not reached this place yet?"
"Yes! Fortunately, since it's a one-way passage, they seem unable to break through the forward corridors and haven't made it here yet."
"Phew... That's a relief. It would have been disastrous if the Blood God's Seal had fallen into their hands."
"Don't worry! There's only one path, the formation arrays and guards are still in place at every interval, and now you've arrived as well. What could possibly go wrong?"
"That's true. By the way, why are there only five of you on emergency duty?"
"The standard number for guarding the inner court is five. Since the outer court hasn't been breached yet, we determined this wasn't an urgent situation and remained here alone."
"I see... That's fortunate."
"...Pardon?"
Shuk!
In an instant, the Black Tortoise Hall Master drew his sword and slashed the throat of the warrior he had been speaking with. The other guards stared in horror and tried to draw their weapons to shout an alarm.
"Enemy atta—!"
Just as one guard tried to yell, the warrior standing right beside him drew his blade and stabbed the shouting man.
"Guhk...!"
"Just because I attacked you doesn't mean none of you are traitors, does it?"
Having slaughtered all four in the blink of an eye, the Black Tortoise Hall Master stepped into the secret chamber.
"Traitors?!"
"It seems so. Young hero, we'll handle these men. Could you go outside and request reinforcements?"
"Ah, yes... Huh?"
Before Seong-il could even finish answering, Hye-won and Hye-myeong shot forward like lightning, throwing devastating punches at the traitors.
Hye-myeong's fists moved so fast they were nearly invisible. He struck the face, instantly slipped behind, smashed the ribs with a left palm, then drove his elbow down onto the crown of the head in a merciless barrage. The suspected Demonic Cult member coughed up blood and collapsed after just three moves.
So that's real martial arts!
"Haha! So the Demonic Cult dogs are playing their little tricks. Come quietly this way!"
At Hye-myeong's sudden appearance, the Black Tortoise Hall Master's face twisted in shock. He clutched a small box to his chest and began sprinting away.
"Stop them! This concerns the life and death of our cult! Block them even if it costs your lives!"
The remaining four warriors drew their blades and charged at the two monks all at once.
"Senior Brother!"
"I know!"
At Hye-myeong's shout, Hye-won launched his massive frame forward. Qi wrapped around his fist as he struck the empty air. A powerful fist wind swept over the enemies. Startled by the overwhelming force, the Demonic Cult members hesitated mid-charge.
Seizing the opening, Hye-myeong bent his right fingers like a hawk's talons and thrust his arm forward with ferocious momentum, charging straight at the Black Tortoise Hall Master.
The panicked Hall Master swung his sword to threaten him, but Hye-myeong lowered his body to dodge, then struck the man's arm.
"Ack!"
The Blood God's Seal flew into the air. Seong-il, who had been hiding in the shadows, instinctively leaped toward the wooden box, grabbed it, and let out a roar.
"IT'S AN ATTACK!!!!!"