Chapter 173
Chapter 173
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 173
>Chapter Title: Extreme Demon (3)
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Il-mok's voice echoed through the quiet hallway, and a moment later.
Ssslk.
The door slid open, and Jeong-hyeon stepped out to greet him.
Il-mok looked at her with a surprised expression.
He hadn't expected her to open the door and come forward herself.
Thanks to that, the distance between them now was barely a pace, let alone a zhang.
That didn't mean Jeong-hyeon had reached Transcending Demon, however.
Even in the pitch-dark night, he could see her body trembling visibly.
"I'm sorry."
Il-mok stepped back considerably to give her space, and Jeong-hyeon took deep breaths repeatedly until she steadied herself.
After watching her for a moment, Il-mok explained why he had come to see her in the dead of night.
"Truth be told, I came to express my thanks. My memory is hazy, but I think I saw an arrow flying toward that bastard at the end."
If Jeong-hyeon's arrow hadn't targeted the leader at the last moment, Il-mok himself would have been the one to die instead.
The simple reason he had waited until this late hour was that she would be at the clearing with her club in the afternoon, and the Demonic Path Academy halls were bustling with cadets in the evening.
To accommodate her aversion to attention, he had timed his visit for when hardly anyone would pass by.
In response to Il-mok's gratitude, Jeong-hyeon took several deep breaths before speaking.
"Young Master. Do you remember what you said last time about my future?"
It was an odd reply to his thanks, so Il-mok searched his memory for a moment before answering.
"I do."
At the time, he had suggested she consider taking on assassination and espionage missions at the Shadow Assassins Hall, or perhaps shadowing and protecting someone from the darkness.
"After graduating from the Demonic Path Academy, I'm thinking of joining the Silver Shadow Guards."
"The Silver Shadow Guards?"
While Il-mok tilted his head at the sudden topic, Jeong-hyeon continued.
"Yes. I want to be the one who protects you from the shadows from now on. So, you don't need to thank me."
* * *
Over a month ago, on the evening of the zealots' attack.
A tense atmosphere hung over the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's main headquarters.
The Demonic Path Academy cadets who had been ambushed by the zealots had returned.
Rather than heading back to the academy as per tradition, they had come straight to headquarters.
It wasn't just because the youngest disciple, Il-mok, was in critical condition.
Despite the desperate efforts of the Black Tiger Unit, instructors, and assistants to protect the cadets, half of them had suffered severe injuries.
Even the other half were all lightly wounded, so they had come to headquarters instead of returning to the academy.
In the medical ward handling the cult's healing arts.
"Produce more disinfectant alcohol right now!"
"Soak more cloths, quick! We saved them through surgery—do you intend to let them die from infection?!"
"Medicine Master, sir! We're running out of herbs!"
"Then drag some martial artists in here and scour them up! Comb the Heavenly Myriad Mountains if you have to—get those herbs now!"
It was a battlefield in there.
The severely injured weren't just the academy cadets. There were plenty among the assistants, instructors, and Black Tiger Unit members who had thrown themselves into the fray to protect them.
In one corner of the medical ward, amid the frantic warlike atmosphere.
A group sat together, exuding a somehow melancholic air.
They were the lightly wounded academy cadets, who had received only basic treatment and were resting.
Each one kept silent, staring into space or hanging their heads.
The experience of hundreds of zealots charging at them, heedless of their own lives, had inevitably left deep mental scars.
Among those lightly wounded, one cadet rested alone a short distance away.
A female assistant instructor, classified as lightly wounded herself, approached him but stopped at a certain distance.
That was the range Jeong-hyeon permitted.
"Cadet Jeong."
"...Instructor Eun-ryeo."
Jeong-hyeon, who had been resting with her head bowed, looked up at the one who had called her.
"What had you thinking so deeply?"
Eun-ryeo asked out of worry that Jeong-hyeon might be consumed by negative thoughts.
"...I've realized I'm just not suited for the Combat Unit."
Hearing Jeong-hyeon's response, Eun-ryeo realized her concern hadn't been unfounded.
"What are you talking about? Everyone makes mistakes. You fell into an inner demon once this time—are you planning to give up everything over that?"
Even at Eun-ryeo's affectionate rebuke, Jeong-hyeon just shook her head.
"I've simply come to clearly understand that the Ghost Spirit Divine Bow I practice isn't suited for group operations like in the Combat Unit."
Eun-ryeo, about to scold her for the negative words, paused with her mouth open.
She realized belatedly.
Despite the negative content, Jeong-hyeon's eyes weren't darkened by despair.
On the contrary, they shone with conviction.
"Instead, I've realized what truly suits me, Instructor."
"And what is that?"
"Protecting an important someone from the shadows, where no one can see."
Jeong-hyeon was recalling that moment.
The memories of saving allies on the brink of death with her arrows.
Above all, the instant seared into her mind like a brand: when Il-mok clashed with the zealot leader.
Amid the brilliant clash of stars, the explosive roar and shockwaves—her single arrow had saved Il-mok.
In the hideous, gruesome heart of the battlefield where they killed and were killed, Jeong-hyeon had—absurdly—felt a thrill she'd never known before.
It was the moment when she, whom she'd always seen as pathetic, had protected someone precious.
"...Impressive."
At Jeong-hyeon's resolute words—always seeming so fragile—Eun-ryeo nodded with a serious face.
While everyone reeled from the mental shock, the one they'd thought weakest, Jeong-hyeon, was already thinking of her future.
Or perhaps her subconscious had led her there to overcome the shock.
Lingering in depressive thoughts could have led to serious inner demons or Demonic Deviation.
And a few days later.
Eun-ryeo, Jeong-hyeon, and the other lightly wounded cadets returned to the Demonic Path Academy first.
Even after returning, Jeong-hyeon devoted herself fully to realizing that resolve.
She trained diligently every day.
Even now was no different.
'How can I protect him if he has to dodge around to avoid the harm I cause?'
When Il-mok suddenly appeared at her door in the dead of night, she had stepped out to open it and approach him, despite nearly having a panic attack.
Because he was the one she had vowed to protect from now on.
"I want to be the one who protects you from the shadows from now on. So, you don't need to thank me."
Jeong-hyeon boldly stated her ambition, unlike her usual self.
Her heart felt like it would burst, her breathing ragged, but she somehow mustered the courage.
Seeing Jeong-hyeon's uncharacteristically bold demeanor, Il-mok tilted his head, then furrowed his brow and asked.
"By any chance, did Cadet Joo Seo-yeon brainwash you with some weird nonsense?"
Il-mok believed that when people changed suddenly, it was either because they were about to die or because they'd been influenced by some lunatic around them.
* * *
Yeom Ga-hwi, summoned by the Heavenly Demon, arrived at the Heavenly Demon Hall.
"I pay respects to the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons."
As Yeom Ga-hwi offered utmost courtesy, the Heavenly Demon spoke.
"Rise. I called you here today because I have something to say regarding Il-mok."
"Please command me."
"For the third field exercise coming up soon, exclude Il-mok."
"!!"
Yeom Ga-hwi, wearing a shocked expression, swallowed once before replying with a grave face.
Like a loyal retainer offering advice at the risk of his life.
"If my lord commands me to fight the heretics with my life, I shall. However, this would shake the cult's long-standing rules."
Yeom Ga-hwi now knew all too well Il-mok's absurd talent.
But no matter how talented, granting special treatment to just one was problematic.
"I know what you mean to say, Academy Head Yeom. But this isn't merely for Il-mok's sake."
"???"
To the puzzled Yeom Ga-hwi, the Heavenly Demon explained Il-mok's condition.
His sword realm was already trying to surpass Extreme Demon, but his external and internal arts hadn't caught up.
"He's already close to Extreme Demon, with severe side effects. With his realm and body so imbalanced now, how unstable do you think Il-mok is?"
"But..."
"Hear me out. If Il-mok goes out on the exercise in that state and swings his sword, then rampages—what do you think would happen? He's already at the level of academy instructors. No, if he rampages again, ignoring his body's state, even instructors would struggle to stop him."
Realizing what the Heavenly Demon meant, Yeom Ga-hwi asked calmly.
"Then, you're saying to bench Cadet Il-mok to protect the other cadets?"
"Exactly. To my eyes, Il-mok right now is like a cracked porcelain vase."
The Heavenly Demon recalled the scene just before, when Il-mok had nearly convulsed during their conversation.
He had pushed back the side effects with his Heavenly Demon Divine Art's demonic qi, but that wouldn't last forever.
"Until those cracks are all sealed, we must handle him with care. Think of it not as watching a cadet, but as monitoring an instructor."
The Heavenly Demon wanted to keep him by his side, not send him back to the academy, to prevent any rampage.
But as the leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, which revered martial arts and was rooted in demonic arts, he couldn't overprotect his disciple.
From the Heavenly Demon's perspective, sending him back to the academy was already a significant concession.
To set an example for the cult's followers as the Heavenly Demon.
Understanding his intent, Yeom Ga-hwi bowed deeply and replied.
"I shall follow my lord's will."
Seeing the steadfast loyalist bend his will, the Heavenly Demon smiled softly and added.
"And don't you know? The second-year cadets going on field exercises is to help them integrate quickly into the cult's organizations after graduation. In that light, do you really think Il-mok needs another exercise?"
Yeom Ga-hwi had no reply to that.
Nearly two months had passed since Il-mok fainted, and news of the zealot attack had spread throughout the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Especially those who had watched Il-mok fight up close that day—all praised him to the skies.
It wasn't just about his brilliant realm.
Despite being a cadet with little real combat experience, his adeptness in rushing to the most critical spots at every moment.
Plus, his bravery in facing the enemy leader alone, even as he sustained severe wounds.
'...He wouldn't fail in a Combat Unit or other organization as a newbie. No, it'd be better if he entered as squad leader right upon graduation.'
Realizing the Heavenly Demon's judgment was correct, Yeom Ga-hwi slammed his forehead to the floor and cried out.
"Punish this fool's ignorance!"
Gazing down at him with an inscrutable expression, the Heavenly Demon spoke gravely.
"For that sin, repay it slowly from now on. Il-mok is in a dangerous state where he could rampage anytime, so ensure he graduates the academy safely without harming the cadets. That will be your punishment."
The Heavenly Demon had succeeded in assigning Yeom Ga-hwi as Il-mok's dedicated nanny.
And the Silver Shadow Guard Captain, tasked with always escorting the Heavenly Demon, had to struggle to keep a straight face.
'Il-mok's talent goes without saying, but I'm worried my lord is doting too much on him alone.'
Always at the Heavenly Demon's side, the Silver Shadow Guard Captain knew.
It had all been planned.
Even though he could have ordered Yeom Ga-hwi to bench Il-mok by force, he had persuaded him step by step.
To make him naturally take on the nanny role, just like now.
As she wondered why he doted on his youngest disciple so much, the Silver Shadow Guard Captain snapped to attention.
'Heavens. To think such irreverent thoughts without realizing! My lord surely has his reasons for this.'
She had nearly fallen into temptation unwittingly.
'This is Il-mok's fault too! Perhaps Il-mok and my lord orchestrated this to test me.'
Divine trials were indeed—like earrings in the ears or rings on the nose—whatever stuck would stick.