Chapter 182
Chapter 182
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 182
>Chapter Title: Path Forward (7)
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After wrapping up the distracted first greeting, Dam-bin warned Jeong-hyeon and Joo Seo-yeon with a solemn expression.
“You are serving the Eighth Young Master now, but know that you may one day serve the Master of Ten Thousand Demons. In serving the Master of Ten Thousand Demons, not a single mistake can be tolerated. From this moment, you must begin your practice.”
With those words as the starting point, the Silver Shadow Four launched into full-scale training on miscellaneous chores.
“You must pour your heart into every task. This applies to laundry as well. Imagine if the exalted one wore clothes you washed poorly. How horrifying would that be?”
Dam-bin finished speaking and turned his head to look at Jin Ha-yeon, who promptly took the lead by demonstrating how to do the laundry first.
Jin Ha-yeon washed the clothes with an expressionless face, issuing stern warnings all the while.
“In particular, Young Master Il-mok is sensitive to hygiene due to the side effects of his demonic arts, so you must wash them even more thoroughly.”
After that, Jeong-hyeon and Joo Seo-yeon received explanations on simple cleaning, housework, sewing, and the like, then put them into practice themselves.
Watching the scene from a short distance away, Il-mok felt something peculiar.
‘It’s like a bride training class.’
Viewed in that light, Joo Seo-yeon and Jeong-hyeon didn’t seem like promising bridal candidates.
First, in Joo Seo-yeon’s case.
She would imitate Jin Ha-yeon’s demonstration, only to quickly lose focus.
While washing Il-mok’s clothes, she’d suddenly turn her head toward Jin Ha-yeon and grin broadly.
Rip.
Thanks to that, she failed to control her strength and tore Il-mok’s clothes.
Or while sewing, she’d turn to look at Jin Ha-yeon.
Prick.
And stab her own finger, drawing blood.
If not for her merit in saving Il-mok’s life, it was a scene that might have gotten her kicked out on the spot.
“Haah.”
In the end, Jin Ha-yeon let out a light sigh and applied some golden sore medicine to Joo Seo-yeon’s finger.
Naturally, Joo Seo-yeon’s lips curved into another broad grin.
She had come for bride training, but she seemed more interested in the instructor than her future husband.
It felt just like looking at a student who attended cram school solely because of a handsome teacher.
And in Jeong-hyeon’s case.
“Eek.”
Whenever Dam-bin or Jin Ha-yeon drew even a little closer to explain housework in detail, she’d throw a fit.
Il-mok watched the spectacle for a moment before losing interest, letting out a light sigh as he drew his sword.
“Whew.”
It was a sigh to shake off the tension.
He had only just begun escaping the Extreme Demon state, after all—literally only just.
Another self still lurked in his mind, coiled up and eyeing his body covetously.
Even so, the reason Il-mok voluntarily drew his sword was simple.
Things were different from before.
Rather than side effects worsening with growing strength, from now on, each enlightenment would free him further from his mental affliction.
The only risk left was getting devoured by those side effects while swinging his sword in pursuit of that enlightenment.
- Show us already!
- That sword strike from that day!
‘Shut up.’
Il-mok spat curses at the side effect inwardly and began his sword dance.
A fresh graduate who had only just completed the Demonic Path Academy. Barely eighteen, too young even to call a late-stage Asura.
Yet his sword dance carried the seasoned finesse of a battle-hardened veteran, infused with countless insights.
* * *
Unlike Il-mok, who ignored the women’s maidservant training and moved on, Dam-bin as the person in charge couldn’t do the same.
Realizing that the two newcomers—accepted for their merit in saving Il-mok—were utterly hopeless, Dam-bin let out a faint sigh and turned his head to the side.
There, unbeknownst when she had arrived, was a guest.
A young lady boasting red nails and hair, now sewing alongside Jeong-hyeon.
And doing it perfectly, at that.
It was an odd sight in many ways: a direct descendant of the Hyeok-ryeon Clan, the current family head’s only granddaughter, sewing.
“Lady Hyeok-ryeon must have prior experience with sewing.”
At Dam-bin’s words, Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a looked up from her focused sewing and smiled faintly.
“I prepared in advance.”
As she replied, Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a’s gaze had already shifted toward Il-mok, who was swinging his sword.
She had come all the way to Wind Rock Hall, but with Il-mok focused on training, she was passing the time with the others.
Seeing Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a watch Il-mok, Dam-bin naturally recalled certain pieces of information.
‘Come to think of it, they said the Eighth Young Master was especially close to this young lady before entering the Demonic Path Academy.’
Perhaps she would join Silver Shadow Pavilion after graduating from the academy.
Well, her goal would be serving the Eighth Young Master rather than the Heavenly Demon, so it was a gravely disloyal reason, but Dam-bin decided to ignore it for now.
Either way, gaining a talented subordinate was a good thing.
“Sewing helps calm the mind.”
“Eek.”
Dam-bin watched Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a begin teaching sewing to Jeong-hyeon—who was three years her senior—with an odd expression, then turned to look somewhere else.
Toward where Joo Seo-yeon and Jin Ha-yeon were sewing.
There, for some reason, one more man had joined them.
Goo Yang-mun, sewing perfectly—far better than Joo Seo-yeon.
From the Goo Yang Clan or not, having lived a nomadic life in the combat unit, he had naturally picked up sewing skills.
Especially gifted with his hands, he had a knack for sewing and housework in general.
He sewed with such fine skill for a while.
Then, as he looked up and glanced around, Goo Yang-mun suddenly pricked his own finger with the needle.
“Urk.”
And in a manner unbefitting a cult warrior, he let out a groan disproportionate to the wound, then gazed at Jin Ha-yeon with a desperate look.
Just like Joo Seo-yeon, as if pleading for her to apply the golden sore medicine to him too.
“Tch.”
Jin Ha-yeon clicked her tongue while eyeing him like a bug and tossed the entire jar of medicine at Goo Yang-mun.
Dazed once more by Jin Ha-yeon’s commanding presence, Joo Seo-yeon dropped the clothes she was sewing onto the floor, dirtying them.
Having confirmed that much, Dam-bin let out a deep sigh.
‘I wonder if bringing those two into Silver Shadow Pavilion was truly the right call.’
Worse than Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a and Goo Yang-mun—who weren’t even Silver Shadow members—Dam-bin’s head began to ache naturally.
* * *
Il-mok, locked in battle with his other self while devoting himself to training, remained oblivious to the commotion in Wind Rock Hall, focused solely on his sword.
After swinging in a trance for a long while, his inner energy depleted, Il-mok let out a deep sigh and sat cross-legged right there.
The time spent in the meditation club hadn’t been wasted; he plunged into his deep inner self in an instant and circulated his inner energy cultivation method to refill his empty dantian.
When Il-mok opened his eyes upon fully replenishing his dantian, six figures had already taken up guard positions around him.
‘When did Seon-a get here?’
Amid his belated puzzlement at spotting Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a.
“Brother!”
Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a called out with a radiant smile.
“Would you spar with me?”
Her speech was utterly unlike before entering the academy, as if emphasizing she was no longer a child—but to Il-mok, it just looked like a kid imitating an adult, nothing but cute.
At his adorable little sister’s request, Il-mok smiled lightly and replied.
“I’m curious how much you’ve grown in this past year.”
He had to advance toward Transcending Demon anyway, so there was no reason to refuse a spar.
The moment Il-mok gave permission, Seon-a assumed her stance, and those on guard stepped far back.
Il-mok, sword lowered in a relaxed posture, opened his mouth leisurely.
“Come at me.”
Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a felt a strange sensation.
His stance seemed full of openings, yet her instincts warned of danger.
After a moment’s hesitation, Seon-a charged forward boldly with a kiai.
“Haat!”
Stalemating endlessly wouldn’t change anything, after all.
Unfurling her lightness skill, she closed the distance in a flash and thrust her red-aura-clad left hand like a dagger.
‘Hmm. She’s grown quite a bit compared to before.’
Il-mok dodged the attack leisurely, as if appraising it.
Not just her martial arts, but having gone through puberty over the past two years, her height and limbs had visibly lengthened—a change he could feel tangibly.
It was like watching a child who used to toddle along now striding forward confidently.
He evaded or lightly deflected Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a’s Blood Fox Crimson Claw Art several times with footwork or his sword.
Clang.
The moment Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a lost balance, caught in Il-mok’s swordplay, Il-mok’s sword came to a halt right before her throat.
“You’ve changed beyond recognition. You could take first place even if you entered the Demonic Path Academy right now.”
It wasn’t an exaggeration. Seon-a’s current level was comparable to Dugopa or Cheon Su-ryong at the start of their academy tenure.
Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a beamed at Il-mok’s praise, seemingly unconcerned about her anticlimactic defeat.
“Could we spar once more? I feel like I can grasp something. Brother.”
Seon-a wanted to play with Il-mok more and used enlightenment as an excuse, but it didn’t work on him.
“There’s a saying about excess being as bad as deficiency, so don’t be too hasty. Especially with demonic arts—haste often invites disaster.”
Having suffered through side effects himself, Il-mok meant it as sincere, hard-earned advice.
- More! Swing more, I say!
Even now, a maniac on the verge of rampage was throwing a fit in his head.
* * *
The next day, as expected, the Silver Shadow Four and Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a visited Wind Rock Hall.
To be precise, the Silver Shadow Four had begun residing in Wind Rock Hall, while Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a was visiting as a guest.
And in the afternoon, Goo Yang-mun showed up with his sworn brother—or rather, his paranoid delusion patient.
“Little bro. Congratulations on graduating the Demonic Path Academy.”
“Greetings to the Eighth Young Master!”
Hiding his inner thought that Goo Yang-mun never got tired of it, Il-mok returned Seo Wan-pyeong’s cupped-fist salute.
“Greetings to Third Senior Brother.”
“I wanted to visit ever since your graduation ceremony, little bro, but a mission kept me—only able to come now.”
“I’m grateful just that you came, Senior Brother.”
“Hahaha. Of course I had to come now that my little bro graduated the academy. Plus, Master sent me on an errand, so here I am.”
“What did Master say?”
In response to Il-mok’s question, Seo Wan-pyeong replied.
“Five days from now, head to Guro County in Gansu Province.”
Il-mok struggled to keep his expression neutral at his third senior brother’s message.
‘Finally!!’
He couldn’t let his joy show and risk needless misunderstanding.
Seeing Il-mok’s solemn face, Seo Wan-pyeong spoke with an admiring look.
“As expected of my little bro. Heading out on a solo mission right after graduating the academy—no less, into the Central Plains.”
“Hahaha! Young Master Il-mok’s brilliance could be praised until my mouth wears out, Brother.”
Was it because his faux little brother Goo Yang-mun chimed in? Something occurred to Seo Wan-pyeong, and he blurted out something out of the blue.
“Come to think of it, I heard the rumors, little bro. Hahaha. I never imagined the kid I thought was so young would already be thinking of marriage.”
A storm brewed in the eyes of the women in Wind Rock Hall.