Chapter 26
"Please come this way, Young Master."
As Bu Eun-seol walked down, the servant standing in front politely guided him to a window seat.
"What would you like to order?"
Bu Eun-seol, who had been gazing out the window, opened his eyes wide.
For what should have been the desolate landscape of Hell Island was instead an ordinary marketplace spread out before him.
"Young Master."
At the servant's prompting, Bu Eun-seol, who had been sitting blankly, asked.
"Where is this place?"
"It is the center of Hell Island."
"The center..."
Bu Eun-seol nodded as if he had realized something.
For during his investigation of Hell Island, this center was precisely the region he had never been able to enter.
"Will you order later?"
"What do you have?"
"If there is a dish you desire, we can prepare it for you. In particular, what the cook here excels at are six-variety cold platters, stir-fried shark fin, fried shrimp, and..."
"Noodles."
"Pardon?"
As the servant, who had been rattling off dish names, opened his eyes round, Bu Eun-seol said in a low voice.
"Two bowls of noodles will be enough."
"Ah, understood."
The servant went to the kitchen, and before long set down two bowls of noodles with steam rising gently from them on the table.
"Please enjoy."
When the servant left, Bu Eun-seol stared down at the noodles with an unfocused face.
—You little rascal. We finally come to a guest inn, and you order noodles?
The year Bu Eun-seol turned ten.
Bu Jan-yang took him to the largest guest inn in the Bu Estate.
But even there, the only food Bu Eun-seol ordered was noodles with not a single bit of topping.
When Bu Jan-yang asked the reason, Bu Eun-seol said with clear, bright eyes:
—You said it yourself. Once a person tastes sweetness, they will never want to eat bitterness again.
Upon hearing the answer, Bu Jan-yang nearly burst into laughter.
But Bu Eun-seol's gaze was so earnest that he could only let out a sigh.
—You little fellow. That saying meant... if you fall into the temptation of taking the easy and comfortable path even once, you will not walk the righteous path.
—Either way, I will not fall into the temptation of delicious food. Because if I do, I might never reach for noodles again.
It was an absurd thing to say, but Bu Jan-yang smiled and nodded. And he truly ate only one bowl of noodles with Bu Eun-seol and left.
—Do you know why your grandfather went along with your wish and ate only noodles?
When Bu Eun-seol shook his head, Bu Jan-yang laughed cheerfully and stroked his hair.
—Because today will be a day neither you nor this old man will ever forget.
Bu Jan-yang's certainty proved correct.
Bu Eun-seol could never forget that day for the rest of his life.
"Bu Eun-seol."
Across from Bu Eun-seol, who was lost in recollection, a bright shadow appeared.
"What is it? Are you still not feeling well?"
When he came to his senses, a beautiful boy with long flowing hair was seated in the chair across from him. It was Seo Jin-ha.
"Do you like noodles? You ordered two of them."
"..."
"Well, is your body all right now?"
"If you have something to say, say it directly without beating around the bush."
"You insolent brat. I went out of my way to worry about you."
He frowned his sword-like eyebrows, shook his head, and let out a deep sigh before speaking.
"No, I'm not in a position to be annoyed with you."
"What do you mean?"
Seo Jin-ha cleared his throat and licked his lips.
"I'm saying thank you. If it weren't for you, I too would have become a wandering spirit at that moment, drifting through the netherworld."
"I never saved you. I merely cut down the enemy in front of me."
Seo Jin-ha, who had been watching Bu Eun-seol's expression, blinked.
"You... do you really not know? Or are you feigning ignorance?"
"Know what?"
"From what I hear, there were originally supposed to be twelve people remaining in the Third Trial."
"So."
"So?"
Seo Jin-ha, who had crossed his arms, could not hide his dumbfounded expression.
"When you, who had cut down three in an instant, were placed in a situation where you were about to be killed by the Killing Ghosts, the Chief Instructor halted the Third Trial midway. And that is why you and I are alive like this."
"What?"
As the startled Bu Eun-seol raised his eyebrows, Seo Jin-ha scratched his cheek with a flustered look.
"What? You really didn't know? Well, it's already been four days, so..."
"Four days?"
Only then did Bu Eun-seol realize why his limbs had grown slightly thinner.
He had thought he'd lost consciousness for just a moment, but before he knew it, four days had already passed.
"I thought a day had gone by."
At Bu Eun-seol's words, Seo Jin-ha held back a bitter smile.
"You really were lucky. Because Mad Doctor was staying on this island."
Mad Doctor, Cheok San-rim.
In the past he had been called Divine Hand, but after failing to cure his beloved's illness in the end, he had fallen prey to a strange affliction that made his mind wander.
Even so, his medical skill was unrivaled under heaven, and so the martial world called Cheok San-rim the Mad Doctor.
'So it was Mad Doctor.'
The physician who had cleanly treated his injuries all along had been the Mad Doctor, the one said to save anyone who still had breath in them.
"Anyway, thanks to you, I owe you my life. So I'll say this much: thank you."
By nature, Seo Jin-ha's personality was cold and aloof, not the sort to speak to others without reserve.
But not only had he crossed the death line together with Bu Eun-seol, upon learning that his sword studies rivaled his own achievements, he had come to feel considerable goodwill.
'And though he's cold and distant, he's not the kind to betray someone or stab them in the back.'
The closer you keep an outstanding rival, the better.
Because he knew this truth, Seo Jin-ha had approached Bu Eun-seol in a friendly manner.
"Hm."
Bu Eun-seol swept his gaze around the interior of the guest inn.
Here and there he saw the faces of the boys who had fought with their lives on the line. Their expressions were very bright, and things like killing intent or hostility had vanished without a trace.
"Then everyone here now has become a Ten Demonic Heir?"
At Bu Eun-seol's question, Seo Jin-ha nodded.
"For now."
"For now?"
"The high command of the Demonic Path Ten Gates is scheduled to visit Hell Island soon to select the Ten Demonic Heirs."
"How do you know that?"
"You were unconscious, but everyone who remained heard the explanation from the head of Myriad Talents Hall."
Upon hearing that, Bu Eun-seol immediately stood up.
He had realized that he alone was ignorant of the various pieces of information he should have learned during the four days he had been unconscious.
"There's no need to wander around."
Seo Jin-ha, having guessed Bu Eun-seol's inner thoughts, spoke calmly.
"If there's anything you're curious about, I'll tell you everything."
"Why?"
"Let's just call it goodwill toward someone who was once a comrade."
Seo Jin-ha held back a strange smile.
"I also wanted to have a bit of a conversation with you."
"Hm."
When Bu Eun-seol sat back down at the table, Seo Jin-ha looked out the window and opened his mouth.
"Ask me anything. I'll tell you everything I know."
"By what method are the Demonic Path Ten Gates going to select those who remain?"
"What method?"
"Are they going to decide after hearing the opinions of the Chief Instructor or the head of Myriad Talents Hall?"
The only ones who had directly witnessed the bloody battle on Hell Island were Hyeokryeon Eung and Baek Jeon-cheon.
If that were the case, then the successors of the Demonic Path Ten Gates would be chosen according to the opinions of Hyeokryeon Eung and Baek Jeon-cheon...
Considering the scale and gravity of the Ten Demonic Heirs Tournament, this was a story that didn't quite make sense.
"Ah."
Seo Jin-ha let out a short laugh and shook his head.
"The masters of the Demonic Path Ten Gates were watching the Third Trial directly. No, you could say they were participating outright."
"Participating?"
In that moment, a thought flashed through Bu Eun-seol's mind.
"Don't tell me—it was them."
"That's right. Those Killing Ghosts were each masters dispatched from the Demonic Path Ten Gates."
Seo Jin-ha held back a bitter smile.
"They were watching us fight tooth and nail, and had already decided in advance who would become a Ten Demonic Heir, and who they would take if they survived."
"Is that so."
Only then could Bu Eun-seol understand why the martial arts of the Killing Ghosts—who were supposedly just there to kill applicants—had been so high as to rival the instructors.
"But what did you mean earlier when you said the Chief Instructor stopped the Third Trial to save me?"
"Originally, the Third Trial was supposed to end when twelve people remained. But the Chief Instructor stopped the trial midway to save you."
As the question of why lingered, Bu Eun-seol stared intently at Seo Jin-ha.
"Actually... the head of the Myriad Talents Hall didn't tell me the reason. But even without him saying it, it's obvious."
Seo Jin-ha, who had uncrossed his arms, flashed his eyes.
"The Chief Instructor absolutely wanted to put you among the Ten Demonic Heirs."
After pausing for a moment, he asked calmly.
"So I'm asking... is your sect somehow connected to the Chief Instructor? Or do you have some kind of acquaintance with him?"
"What do you mean?"
"No matter how outstanding a prodigy you are... I can't understand him saving you even at the cost of breaking the rules."
"We have no relationship whatsoever."
Seo Jin-ha, who had been staring fixedly into Bu Eun-seol's eyes, shook his head.
"Then I truly don't understand."
"Understand?"
"The Chief Instructor received a heavy disciplinary punishment for this incident."
Seo Jin-ha's eyes were fixed squarely on Bu Eun-seol's face.
"He was removed from his post as Chief Instructor and returned to the Demon Hall. There are also rumors that he was assigned to deal with the Demonic Path factions that haven't joined the Demon Hall."
Not all demonic sects were affiliated with the Demon Hall.
In particular, factions with independent power were openly sharpening their blades against the Demon Hall, so it seemed that, instead of punishment, Hyeokryeon Eung had been entrusted with handling them.
'It's full of things I can't understand.'
He had no connection whatsoever with the Chief Instructor, and had never even exchanged words with him.
So why had he saved him, prepared to face such punishment?
Bu Eun-seol could not even imagine it.
The desperate persistence and killing intent to survive, the outstanding talent to mimic the Practical Sword Study in a short period.
That all of it had made the Chief Instructor Hyeokryeon Eung's heart pound.
Deng-deng.
At that moment, the sound of a great bell rang out from afar.
At once, Seo Jin-ha's sword-like eyebrows furrowed deeply.
"If you're done eating, let's get up."
When Bu Eun-seol looked at him wordlessly, Seo Jin-ha bit his lip.
"That's the sound summoning those remaining on Hell Island."
"Then..."
"Yes."
With an utterly serious expression, Seo Jin-ha flashed his eyes and spoke in a low voice.
"The high command of the Demonic Path Ten Gates has arrived on Hell Island."
On the southern shore, shadows were disembarking one by one from ten anchored sailing ships.
Their attire varied, but the energy emanating from their bodies uniformly exuded a sharpness that seemed as if it would tear the sky apart.
The ten pillars upholding the current Demonic Martial World, the sects and clans that had achieved the extreme point of Demonic Path Martial Arts.
They were the masters dispatched from each of the Demonic Path Ten Gates.
"Welcome."
Baek Jeon-cheon, standing before the ships, clasped his hands together.
"You must have endured much hardship on your long journey. I have prepared a feast at Snow Sound Pavilion..."
As the head of the Myriad Talents Hall, he was a high-ranking official corresponding to the twentieth rank in protocol, yet his attitude toward them was extremely courteous.
"We did not come here to sightsee."
Among the ten masters, a gaunt man carrying a spear split into two parts on his back cut off Baek Jeon-cheon's words.
"Let us begin immediately."
"Pardon?"
"I mean there is no need to waste time. Bring all the Ten Demonic Heir candidates right now."
"Understood."
Baek Jeon-cheon nodded without another word.
It was true that he had prepared a feast just in case, but he had known all along that they would not attend.
There were invisible tensions among the Demonic Path Ten Gates. Even so, some were on good terms with each other, while others growled at one another like sworn enemies.
"The selected prodigies are waiting at the Eternal Demon Pavilion. Please follow me."
At that, the ten masters looked at the Killing Ghosts behind Baek Jeon-cheon.
Only when the Killing Ghosts lightly nodded their heads did they finally begin to move.
The Eternal Demon Pavilion.
A massive hall located at the center of Hell Island.
Originally, this was a place where the masters of the Demon Hall secretly honed their martial arts or undertook closed-door cultivation.
And now, inside the Eternal Demon Pavilion, fourteen boys stood with rigid expressions.
Ku-ung.
With a low vibration, the doors opened, and Baek Jeon-cheon, dressed in scholarly robes, entered with over twenty people behind him.
They were the masters dispatched from the Demonic Path Ten Gates, and the Killing Ghosts who had been staying on Hell Island.