Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: A Pat from the First Demon
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The First Demon examined my body.
"...What is this... Myo Ye-rin!"
"You told me to control the personnel, didn't you?!"
"Leave it to the Fourth Demon House warriors and get in here! What did you do?!"
"I did a great job, really! Leader! I can look up at the sky without a shred of shame!"
Myo Ye-rin, who had been dragged in, sat down in front of me. She whispered something to the First Demon.
"I see... So that's how it is... But why did you make that choice here?"
"He was one breath away from death. I figured it would be easier and better to just lop off the limbs. But then I'd be the one ruining the Leader's toy directly."
"Not wrong. But why did you leave that part untouched?"
"You had to see this kid fight. Even the Soul-Escape Sword itself said it 'couldn't cut' him. I swear I'm innocent. I just barely stitched together a rag on the verge of falling apart into something human-shaped, that's all."
"...Tch."
"Leader? For someone just clicking their tongue, your voice sounds oddly bright..."
"Shut your mouth."
"Ack! Don't hit me!"
The First Demon let out a sigh.
"Stitched together... and it's fallen completely apart. Just barely salvageable for repairs. You still know how to turn a quick scheme. Was using cold qi to prop up the body your idea?"
"Of course. Who else? So... you get it, right?"
"Fine... Money-grubber. I'll cut you a piece of my personal funds."
"No need to refuse! That was my goal from the start!"
"Now get out."
"Don't kick my butt! I said I'd leave on my own!"
In the now-quiet room, the First Demon fiddled with my back.
"You dullard."
"Pardon?"
"Whatever you did, it was a close call. One more step, and you'd never hold a sword again."
"......."
"Why did you take the Bingbaekseol spirit pill?"
Why did I take it...
In that situation, my job was to endure. But as our swords clashed, desire welled up.
I wanted to win. As a martial artist. Isn't it common for any swordsman, sword in hand, to yearn to defeat the foe before them?
I conveyed that straight to the First Demon. Her eyes, which had been glaring steadily at me, let out a sigh.
"...What am I supposed to do with you?"
"I endured, though. First Demon."
"If the Blood Demon Squad hadn't arrived on time, you'd be dead."
"...Isn't that uncertain?"
"No. You'd have died for sure. Even if you'd won, you'd have collapsed right there, body neglected until your breath gave out."
The First Demon's gaze was cold. I hesitated before speaking.
"...Still... it should be satisfactory to some degree."
"Why?"
"Didn't you say that when you must fight an unbeatable foe, you cling on tenaciously?"
I remembered the Soul-Escape Sword. That seemingly invincible strength.
But the face I saw at the end was definitely distorted. He had even drawn his ultimate technique against me, who was leagues below him.
I had etched it in clearly.
Tooth marks.
"I dragged it out, and I held my sword to the end. I even tore the Soul-Escape Sword's clothes. First Demon."
"......"
"I left my mark. Tooth marks on an unbeatable foe. Just as you taught me."
The First Demon's black mask rustled. Her mouth opened as if to speak, then closed again.
"...Haa."
Only helpless sighs piled up.
I fidgeted with my fingers for no reason.
"...I'm sorry."
"Don't give me an insincere apology."
The First Demon growled.
"...Your body's condition is now irreparably wrecked. It's right to say your entire body was rebuilt around your heart. You're maintaining that precarious state with cold qi as thread via the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art."
"That means..."
"Without Heavenly Tribulation, you'd have died long ago. But that's why you're still alive."
The First Demon removed her hands from my body.
"Have you felt Heavenly Tribulation acting strangely lately?"
I thought back. Come to think of it, while swinging my sword, didn't Heavenly Tribulation occasionally feel like it was 'wriggling'?
"Yes."
"Once Heavenly Tribulation takes root, it gradually reshapes the body to its ideal form. It has stages. The first is the exterior, the second the dantian. It forges a sturdier vessel to hold itself---that's the idea. And a reinforced dantian like that can accommodate any kind of qi."
"That means...?"
"Accommodation. That's Heavenly Tribulation's second form. The process before it merges with its host beyond the root itself. Did the pain lessen? If so, you've approached the second form. And with it, your dantian can now hold that mass of qi that saved your life."
I examined my internals. The vicious cold qi hiding in my dantian, refusing to emerge.
I could feel the ice mass confronting Heavenly Tribulation whispering.
"Is 'accommodating it' all there is?"
"Yes. 'Accommodating it' is everything. The qi you're holding is completely different in nature from what you can handle. Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art can't touch it. In the first place, you can't control this kind of energy without knowing Bingbaekseol's martial arts. Vicious yin qi. And... you're not even a woman to begin with, are you? It's like deliberately distorting your body's balance. Shoving a rock into a calm lake by force. The balance breaks, and the water overflows."
"......."
"Idiot. Dumbass. I've never seen someone as reckless as you."
The First Demon layered sigh upon sigh. She grabbed my face after exhaling deeply.
She pinched my cheeks and stretched them---repeating.
"Do you break out in hives if you don't cause trouble?"
"...First Demon. Is there no way to fix it?"
"Of course there is. That's why I'm here now. Lie down."
The First Demon infused her inner energy into my body. It paused briefly, then advanced, repeating.
She even injected it into my veins like she was clearing blocked meridians. She lightly gripped my heart, then quickly checked my organs.
"Hmm... Myo Ye-rin!"
"What now?!"
"I need paper. Bring it."
"Ah, damn! I'm busy too!"
"Rebelling?"
"As if. Leader. Hehe. I was just saying it."
Three days passed without meals as she examined my body.
Bits of information accumulated on the paper she was scribbling on. Drawings and writing filled it densely, stacking up past the volume of a single book.
"Roughly like this... that should hold it together."
Suddenly, uncontrollable pain surged in. Like forcing a torn body back together.
My body shuddered violently. At the same time, the constant foreign sensation leaked out of my body.
Black sweat beaded up. It felt like all the waste between my bones was pouring out.
The pain was intense. I wanted to scream but clenched my teeth and endured. Afraid that voicing it would make it worse, I just trembled.
The First Demon, wiping her hands, clicked her tongue.
"You endured that silently? You really are good at holding out. It must've felt like thousands of needles stabbing and twisting through your whole body."
"Is it... over...?"
"I tightly sealed what was barely stitched. Like surviving death ten times over. Anyway..."
The First Demon chuckled softly.
"It's not without gains. Heavenly Tribulation devoured some of the cold qi that was supporting parts of your body. You must've picked up a few things from it. Circulate the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art."
I circulated the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art as instructed. A sense of dissonance lingered around the blood qi enveloping my body according to the formula.
"...This is..."
"You can consider the rookie vibes completely gone."
The inner energy boiling inside me had increased somewhat. And that was not all.
The Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art, which had felt slightly obstructed, now flowed completely naturally.
The bizarre sensation of blood qi following my every gesture.
Peak of the pinnacle.
I had clearly reached that realm.
"...Haha."
I'd been worried about dropping my sword, but I'd grown stronger instead. What was this?
My chest swelled; I couldn't hold it back. The First Demon nodded at me.
"How far have you mastered the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art?"
"Up to Form 2. First Demon."
"Move on to the third form, Tyrannical Demon Path. With that, you'll gain another sword you can wield. And... separately from that, there's one more thing you need to learn."
"Pardon?"
The First Demon shook the Bingbaekseol manual.
"I'll rework this to suit you. It'll take time, but no choice. Might as well make use of what you've taken in, right?"
"...First Demon."
"Cut that creepy look! I'm just following the Leader's orders! If you're going to spout nonsense, shut your mouth."
One more debt added. I smoothly asked.
"At least a nominal apprenticeship ritual..."
"Don't talk shit. You think I'd take a disciple like you?"
"......."
"Again with the face!"
The fuming First Demon sighed. She glared at me before pinching my nose.
"...You caught the Soul-Escape Sword?"
"I didn't catch him, but..."
"You endured, so you caught him. He was an impossibly distant foe for your level. Standing after taking a falling boulder to the body..."
The First Demon spoke primly.
"Well. Good job. Not bad enough to ignore."
"......!"
Praise.
I tried to respond with a smile. But suddenly, something snapped and fell.
Transparent liquid trailed down my cheek. Only after blinking and checking my hand did I realize it was tears.
"W-Why are you crying?! Why?!"
"...Uh... uh."
I wondered too.
Why I was crying.
I wiped it quickly, but more leaked out. Embarrassed, I hid my face.
"S-Sorry..."
"You lunatic! Are your tear ducts broken?! Stop it! What kind of man cries over a single---!"
The flustered First Demon stood. She opened the door as if to leave.
But no footsteps departed. They returned and stopped before me.
I felt her hesitate, then place a hand on my head.
Just once.
A brief pat.
The First Demon coughed awkwardly.
"...What an idiot."
Those words sounded so good, I stayed quiet.
If I had a master...
It would feel like this, wouldn't it?
......
Late at night, I stood in the Fourth Demon House garden. I lightly checked my body.
Heavenly Tribulation roared properly for the first time in a while. Pain lingered, but my gripped fist moved normally.
I hopped in place lightly. My body felt light. The drawn sword leaped out without hindrance.
Countless trajectories etched from my fingertips. The Nine Heavens Blood Demon Sword tore the air.
A firm, unshakable body. No matter how much I moved, it seemed tireless.
Then... how about Heavenly Tribulation's function?
I slashed my palm. The cut healed in an instant amid vicious pain.
...A subtly faster recovery.
It felt like Heavenly Tribulation had grown along with me.
I gave thanks for what I'd been given. And once more for clutching my sword beyond death.
I'm advancing steadily, bit by bit.
Someday, surely...
I'll reach your back, Heavenly Demon.
I won't stop until then. No more doubts.
I'll walk until the path ends, to your side...
"Kid."
I turned toward the voice piercing the silence.
The gaze watching me was half-shadowed. But the slightly upturned lips were clear.
"What are you doing late at night?"
Myo Ye-rin of the Dead Blood Squad.
Her back, glimpsed casually, seemed to have endless shadows rippling up.
The size, the power---immeasurable.
I'd heard the Dead Blood Squad gathered the cult's top experts. So where did she rank?
I lightly gripped my sword hilt. Myo Ye-rin chuckled.
"Think you can?"
"......."
I couldn't see it.
Beyond her.
Unlike the Soul-Escape Sword No Ha-cheon, faintly visible before. This was completely shrouded in darkness.
If I had to name the feeling, it resembled the First Demon's. Though not quite at her level, of course.
But one thing was clear.
Approaching her...
If I drew my sword...
---I'd die for sure.
A mountain I couldn't yet climb.
"Doesn't seem like it."
"You have an eye for it."
I bowed politely to Myo Ye-rin.
"Thank you for saving my life."
"Yeah. You should be grateful. But you don't need to thank me that much. Why? I don't care for verbal thanks. I prefer them in other forms. Much more important ones."
"...Pardon?"
"Your life debt. What you got from the Fourth Demon House head is from her, but don't you owe me separately? Number 20... and Number 30. Your lives may mean nothing to me, but to you? Precious enough to buy with millions, right?"
Myo Ye-rin waved her hand lightly.
I asked. Her words were true, so I had no intention of dodging repayment.
Just what form it would take mattered.
"How should I repay you? I don't have much money on hand..."
"Money. Good. But you don't look loaded, so I didn't think of that. Instead, will you swear? Lend me your life once, for my sake..."
---Crack!
A brutal sound exploded from Myo Ye-rin's nape. I flinched involuntarily.
Myo Ye-rin, faceplanted on the ground, slowly rose.
"...Leader? Why?"
"You've eaten your fill from me and the Fourth Demon House. That's enough."
"No, but it's not wrong. From their position, I'm their life savior..."
"I said that's enough."
"......"
The First Demon, who knows when she'd arrived, grabbed her by the scruff. Myo Ye-rin flailed as she was dragged off.
"Ow, come on! This favoritism is too much!"
"Favoritism?"
"Waaah! You said nothing when I messed with the others! Why interfere now? Is he that special?!"
"He's the Leader's toy."
"Doesn't feel like that's the only reason?!"
For a moment, the First Demon's gaze seemed to brush past me.
"...Obviously that's why. No other reason..."
"Uh-oh! Habit when you lie! Your voice pitch rises subtly, so obvious..."
---Crunch.
"Gek?!"
With a strange noise, Myo Ye-rin's neck snapped. The First Demon glanced back at me one last time.
"Number 30."
My official title.
I responded to the call.
"Yes. First Demon."
"Prepare to return in ten days. A messenger pigeon arrived. Once back with the Blood Demon Squad, Her Holiness won't be long in summoning you."
"......!"
Only one person the First Demon would call "Her Holiness."
Heavenly Demon Cheon So-so.
I wandered the garden for a while after they vanished.
Unable to sleep.