Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 54
>Chapter Title: Foundation (4)
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Consultations with the Heavenly Demon and his disciples continued, and around the time the first one, between the Heavenly Demon and Young Master Il, wrapped up.
Ma-ui began consultations with a new group of people.
The Left and Right Guardian Beasts, the Elder Council Leader, the Guardian Council Leader, the Dark Shadow Pavilion Master, and the heads of the Five Great Families, among others. Consultations with the top experts in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
The reason consultations with them started right after the Heavenly Demon and his disciples was due to Il-mok's influence.
"We should begin consultations with those who have already successfully Transcended Demon through superior demonic arts."
Ma-ui had expressed doubt at Il-mok's suggestion.
"Do you think they will truly engage actively in the consultations?"
"We've already secured the justification. Didn't Master go first for a consultation?"
"With the Heavenly Demon having participated as the Deputy Director suggests, they won't be able to refuse. But whether they'll respond honestly is another matter, isn't it?"
"No need to worry about that. Didn't you mention it yourself? Regarding Master and Eldest Senior Brother's cases."
Having grasped Il-mok's intent, Ma-ui said,
"You're saying that since it's not an ongoing side effect but a past memory, they'll be able to speak about it more easily?"
"Isn't that common with mental issues? They seem like huge problems while experiencing them and get hidden away, but once it's all in the past, they feel much lighter."
"That's true to an extent. But even so, there are memories people want to keep buried, aren't there?"
"That won't be a big issue. It doesn't matter much if they don't engage actively."
Ma-ui could hardly hide his bewildered expression. To resolve his doubts, Il-mok added an explanation.
"Didn't you say it yourself? The 'experiences' of those who successfully Transcended Demon with superior demonic arts won't be of much help to those currently suffering side effects. Because they're just too exceptional."
"...Then why on earth should we start with consultations with them?"
"Even if it's not a huge help, there's still a chance it could offer at least some assistance. And most importantly, it gives us justification."
"Ah!"
Only then did Ma-ui fully understand Il-mok's intent.
"If we start consultations from the top ranks, even those suffering immediate side effects won't be able to refuse easily."
"Plus, since they'll think even the much higher-ups have honestly shared their issues, they're more likely to respond a bit more openly themselves."
Accepting Il-mok's logic, Ma-ui went to the Heavenly Demon and relayed their conversation, and the Heavenly Demon approved the suggestion.
As the Heavenly Demon, he issued an order for the cult's key experts to receive consultations from the Pure Heart Pavilion Chief.
Not long after, their consultations concluded. Even before Jin Ha-yeon or the Heavenly Demon's disciples, who had started earlier.
Just as with the Heavenly Demon and Young Master Il, for those who had already entered Transcendence, it was less a "consultation" and more like listening to their experiences.
By the time consultations with the cult's highest echelons were wrapped up.
Il-mok made yet another new proposal to Ma-ui.
"Now that we have some cases accumulated, how about having the other physicians start consultations as well? It's impossible for you alone to handle every warrior in the cult, right?"
"That's true."
Ma-ui couldn't deny it. Regardless of ability, time was woefully insufficient.
But Il-mok's next words were something even Ma-ui hadn't anticipated.
"And from now on, when compiling records after consultations, please omit the patients' names."
"! ? What do you mean by that, Deputy Director?"
"Exactly as I said. Who would want their mental illness and the dark history from it recorded with their name attached?"
"But if we remove the patient's name, the records will get mixed up and indistinguishable, won't they? Consultations don't end after one session."
"That's why I said to omit names in the 'record compilation process.' During consultations, each physician manages by patient name, but once finished, organize the logs neatly, then record them categorized only by demonic art and side effect type, excluding names."
Ma-ui now understood Il-mok's intent but pointed out a flaw.
"The intent is good, but the physicians conducting the consultations will still know whose record it is, won't they? And the other physicians working together will know who consulted with whom, so they could easily infer it. It's likely to end up as a meaningless measure."
"That's why, as I mentioned before, sealing the lips of the current generation's physicians is most crucial. And for future generations, without names, it'll be hard to infer whose records they are."
"Sealing lips..."
"That's the most important part. So..."
Il-mok shared with Ma-ui the measures he had devised over the past few days to ensure the physicians' silence.
Beyond that, Il-mok pointed out issues in the Pure Heart Pavilion's operations daily and proposed fixes, no matter how minor.
Ma-ui, the Pure Heart Pavilion Chief, was astounded. How could such a diverse wisdom spring from that young boy's head?
True to his moniker, he almost wanted to crack open Il-mok's skull to check his brain.
But Il-mok wasn't doing this because he wanted to.
Even after being forcibly appointed as Pure Heart Pavilion Deputy Director by the Heavenly Demon, Il-mok was undergoing grueling training under him daily.
Thanks to repeated life-or-death spars exposed to intense killing intent and demonic energy every day, he had regained forgotten sensations, and his realm was rising steeply.
- If we stick to this method, there's no way to catch physicians gossiping secrets on the sly?
- What if people lie?
Obsessive symptoms surged daily. Worst-case scenarios kept popping up, and he couldn't rest his mind until he found ways to prevent them.
Only after voicing the solutions he came up with to Ma-ui and confirming improvements did a sliver of peace come to his heart.
In other words, it wasn't something he enjoyed. He was just spewing out the bugs crawling in his brain.
The silver lining was.
'Yeah. Once the Pure Heart Pavilion is established, they might fix my side effects too?'
Improving this place offered hope for his future safety.
Otherwise, obsession might tangle with depression.
'Admission to the Demonic Path Academy is basically guaranteed now! So, just set up the Pure Heart Pavilion's framework, graduate from the academy, kill that Flying Dragon Pavilion Master or whatever, avenge Uncle Tae-hyeon, and then rest!!'
Clinging to such thoughts, Il-mok endured the Heavenly Demon's torment day by day while developing the Pure Heart Pavilion.
In any case, thanks to Il-mok's various improvement proposals, the Pure Heart Pavilion quickly took shape.
As per his suggestion, warriors from the main headquarters began visiting one by one for consultations, and records on various demonic arts piled up daily.
Ma-ui, now delegating consultations to the pavilion's physicians and organizing, classifying, and cross-referencing their reports, realized something crucial one day.
'...Perhaps the Deputy Director has conceived something outrageous.'
It wasn't negative.
It was just that an unimaginable outcome seemed possible.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's demonic arts came with side effects. Conversely, practicing demonic arts meant battling those side effects.
And right here.
Piled high were the results of consultations between Ma-ui and various physicians with numerous warriors—their history contained within.
When they fell into Demonic Deviation, how they overcame it. Detailed records of all that.
For now, mostly from experts, but if more time passed?
'From Entering Demon to Extreme Demon, and on to Transcending Demon. A complete guide to every demonic art's growth process and side effect countermeasures might be compiled.'
A perfect textbook and guide for learning demonic arts would be born.
Then, far more would succeed in Transcendence, and the cult's revival would be beyond doubt.
Demonic arts' growth speed was incomparable, side effects aside.
'It's foolish to paint such a bright future after just taking the first step, yet a golden future keeps shimmering in my mind.'
A grumble that wasn't quite one. Letting out a happy sigh, Ma-ui turned his gaze somewhere.
Toward Wind Rock Hall, where Il-mok—the Pure Heart Pavilion Deputy Director and Eighth Young Master—resided.
'Could it be... the Deputy Director foresaw even that future and requested the Heavenly Demon to create this Pure Heart Pavilion?'
The golden future he envisioned would take decades, with far more records accumulated. Even optimistically, at least ten years.
By then, not the current Heavenly Demon, but the next generation would lead the cult. And the Eighth Young Master would likely hold a pivotal position.
No, he might even aim for the Heavenly Demon's throne.
'...What a terrifying young master.'
Realizing that far, Ma-ui shuddered involuntarily, goosebumps rising all over.
* * *
After taking on the Pure Heart Pavilion Deputy Director role, Il-mok's time flew by like an arrow.
Studying and training for the Demonic Path Academy entrance exam, plus handling pavilion duties—days were packed without a moment's rest.
"Hehehe."
His sole respite was watching Seon-a's antics during her daily visit. And witnessing Gu Yang-mun squirming under Jin Ha-yeon's glare.
This time, having somewhat heeded Il-mok's advice, Gu Yang-mun was being a bit more cautious instead of charging in blindly.
And with such a busy life, various changes emerged.
Il-mok's achievements rose steeply, and the Pure Heart Pavilion rapidly built its systems.
That didn't mean Il-mok was a genius.
The reasons he could establish the pavilion's systems so quickly boiled down to two.
First, as a modern man, he could draw from direct or indirect experiences with hospitals and common knowledge to conceptualize structures.
The second was that this was a cult.
Administration was fundamentally a battle with budgets.
But when thinking of Pure Heart Pavilion matters, Il-mok didn't need to consider budgets.
In administration, personnel costs take the largest share. But here, it was different.
When Il-mok proposed to Ma-ui or the Heavenly Demon that such-and-such was needed for objective A, the Heavenly Demon issued the order.
From then on, fanatics proceeded with utmost devotion as service to the cult. Without material rewards.
Thus, no worries about personnel costs. The only consideration: 'Is it feasible?'
Building consultation systems, planning new physician training, gathering medical texts, folk remedies from the Central Plains and beyond, devising ways to collect various herbs and ingredients—it was almost easy.
Just throw people at it. The power of religion.
The real issue was researching the gathered texts and remedies to make and test drugs.
* * *
Around the time they began seriously researching medical texts and folk remedies.
With the Demonic Path Academy entrance exam two months away, Il-mok still visited the Pure Heart Pavilion without fail that day.
"Greetings, Deputy Director."
"Come in, Deputy Director."
The pavilion's physicians and Ma-ui welcomed him.
The Ma-ui who had teasingly treated Il-mok like a child was gone.
At some point, Ma-ui had begun treating Il-mok as an equal adult.
With confidence in the pavilion's work, Ma-ui and the physicians brimmed with enthusiasm lately.
Especially as new texts and remedies flooded in, their thirst for knowledge bubbled over.
"Deputy Director! According to this medical text I dug through all night, consuming this herb relaxes the mind, induces languor in the body, and frees one from all pain."
A young physician, eyes bloodshot red like a mad scientist, showed Il-mok his all-night results.
Il-mok alternated between the text's description and the herb, then said with a bewildered look.
"Isn't that... drugs?"
The mad physician was trying to turn the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult into a den of narcotics.