The First Assassin's Choice
"*Pant, pant...*"
Thud!
Elder Hwang gasped for breath as he collapsed to his knees.
He had squeezed out every last drop of his strength to slay Yayul-gi, but this was his limit.
There was no strength left in his body. His face was deathly pale, shriveled like wet parchment.
It was the backlash.
Not only had he forced his energy to rise to face the Beast Poison Demon, but he had also endured all of those monstrous attacks.
He had gone far beyond mere exhaustion; he had completely depleted his life force.
Is this the end...?
Elder Hwang could sense his impending demise.
As the backlash shook his meridians, the lingering traces of the demonic art left behind by the Sword Demon began to stir.
Until now, he had managed to suppress it with his inner energy.
But now that his meridians were shattered and his inner energy was completely drained...
There was no longer a weight to keep the demonic energy down.
...And yet, I couldn't even kill the Sword Demon.
If only he could have dragged the Sword Demon down to hell with him.
He would have welcomed a death like this with a smile.
As Elder Hwang trembled with resentment, Jeok-un, who had been standing nearby, approached him.
Since Jeok-un was the master who had utterly crushed Yayul-gi, he must have noticed the elder's condition.
Elder Hwang looked up at Jeok-un.
...An utterly unpredictable man.
He had suddenly swallowed the Golden Spirit Thread and crossed the threshold into the Transformation Realm in a single breath.
The Golden Spirit Thread was notorious even among spiritual items for having an energy that was incredibly difficult to control.
To control its energy so perfectly and instantaneously could only be explained by an overwhelming, transcendent talent.
And it wasn't just empty talk. Had he not unilaterally crushed Yayul-gi, who was already at the established stage of the Transformation Realm?
Even at his age, I was nothing like that.
Though Elder Hwang had grown at a shocking pace that made history in the Assassin Gate, he could not compare to Jeok-un's rate of growth.
Furthermore, what of the power he displayed while beating Yayul-gi to death?
Is it not beautiful?
In all likelihood, his current state was not even his completed form.
If he were to reach the pinnacle of that martial art...
...He would surely be able to slay the Sword Demon and all the other monsters of the Demonic Cult.
Reaching that conclusion, Elder Hwang fell into deep thought.
Faced with an unavoidable death right before his eyes,
Elder Hwang finally opened his mouth slowly.
"...Leader."
"Speak, Elder Hwang."
"*Cough*, do you truly hold a grudge against the Demonic Cult?"
"I do. Even more than against those damn Orthodox bastards."
A strange light flickered in Elder Hwang's eyes at those words.
Though blood bubbled in his throat just from speaking, he grit his teeth, endured the pain, and continued.
"...Then, may I make a single request?"
"Hmm, let's hear it."
Jeok-un replied without much of a reaction.
Elder Hwang poured his heart into every single word.
"It seems my time ends here. Therefore, please avenge my son. Avenge my grudge."
"..."
"Kill the Vice Leader of the Demonic Cult, the Sword Demon."
Jeok-un remained silent.
Assuming the silence meant rejection, Elder Hwang quickly offered the price for his revenge.
"I am not asking for a favor for free. *Cough*!"
There was only one price a martial artist could offer to another.
"In exchange, I will give you all of my martial arts. Especially the Ghostly Steps... *cough*, it will be of great help to you, Leader."
"..."
It was his martial arts.
He intended to hand over all the secret techniques that had earned him the title of the First Assassin Under Heaven.
If he could achieve his revenge, nothing else mattered.
The Ghostly Steps.
It was the footwork technique that had elevated Elder Hwang to the position of the First Assassin Under Heaven, and it was undoubtedly worthy of being called the greatest in the Murim.
"And lastly, to Hae-yeon..."
Hae-yeon.
The girl who reminded him of his deceased granddaughter. If his granddaughter had grown up safely, she would have been around Hae-yeon's age.
Perhaps because of that, when the Night Lord began to violently abuse Hae-yeon, he couldn't stand it and ended up teaching her martial arts to protect herself.
In the process, a deep bond, like that of a real grandfather and granddaughter, had formed between them.
Just as Elder Hwang was about to ask Jeok-un to deliver his final farewell to her—
"I refuse."
"...!"
Jeok-un cut off his proposal without hesitation.
As Elder Hwang stared at him in blank bewilderment, Jeok-un spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Hey, you should take care of your own revenge. Why dump it on someone else?"
...Ah, was that it?
Indeed, to someone with such monstrous talent, his martial arts might not hold much value.
Elder Hwang could not hide the bitterness on his face.
But then.
"And why are you suddenly trying to leave a dramatic will? If you have something to say to Hae-yeon, just go back and tell her yourself."
"...What?"
"Stop trying to set a tragic mood and just eat this."
"Mmph—?!"
Before Elder Hwang could say anything, Jeok-un roughly shoved whatever was in his hand into the old man's mouth.
Having completely exhausted his strength, Elder Hwang couldn't even lift a finger, let alone resist.
"...?!"
He reflexively chewed what had entered his mouth, and his eyes flew wide open.
A refreshing, grassy aroma and a faint scent of earth spread through his mouth.
Following closely behind was a dense, surging true qi.
At this point, it was impossible not to recognize it.
Could this be...?
As Elder Hwang realized the identity of the object, Jeok-un's voice echoed in his mind, confirming his suspicion.
Shhhhh!
Starting with the voice, the true qi of the Golden Spirit Thread began to flow down from his throat.
It traveled down his esophagus until it reached the center of his abdomen, his dantian.
Elder Hwang reflexively crossed his legs into a lotus position and began to regulate the incoming energy.
What in the world...!
Elder Hwang realized just how incredible the legendary Golden Spirit Thread truly was.
He could feel energy filling his dantian, which had been like a cracked, parched rice paddy, like a gentle spring rain.
They say the root is inferior to the fruit, but even the root alone is said to rival a thousand-year-old wild ginseng...!
It was a spiritual herb where not a single rootlet could be wasted, let alone the fruit.
Ugh!
However, Elder Hwang could not afford to celebrate blindly.
As mentioned before, the root of the Golden Spirit Thread was still a spiritual herb containing a massive amount of true qi.
Even with a healthy body, absorbing its energy was no easy task.
But right now, his body was in tatters, and his meridians were completely unstable.
He trembled violently.
This is... not easy.
As the true qi of the Golden Spirit Thread flooded in, his entire body began to shake.
To use a metaphor, it was like a massive tidal wave crashing against a heavily cracked dam.
It wouldn't be surprising if the dam burst at any moment.
Shhh!
At that moment, a new energy made contact with his back.
It was a majestic yet warm, mysterious energy.
Ah.
It was indeed Jeok-un.
He truly intended to guide his qi.
Yet, Elder Hwang was filled with doubt.
His wounds were beyond healing, even with the root of the Golden Spirit Thread.
He had spent the last twenty years focusing entirely on recovery, yet he hadn't even restored half of his original strength.
...Perhaps it would be better to transfer all my remaining energy to him through Qi transmission and beg him for revenge.
Just as he was agonizing over this decision,
Jeok-un's voice echoed in his mind once more.
...!
Strangely enough, those words changed Elder Hwang's mind.
Yes, perhaps it was fine to trust this man.
Shhh...
Elder Hwang slowly let go and surrendered his body entirely to Jeok-un.
Good. Shall we begin?
With that, Jeok-un began to unleash his true qi in earnest.
Whoosh!
In an instant, the Tyrant Heaven Divine Qi took control of Elder Hwang's major meridians.
As the Tyrant Heaven Divine Qi stabilized the trembling and collapsing eight extraordinary meridians, the true qi from the root stopped resisting and began to follow his guidance meekly.
Before starting the healing process, Jeok-un assessed Elder Hwang's current condition and clicked his tongue.
This is terrible. It's a miracle he's even alive.
If not for his obsession with revenge, he would have died long ago.
The wounds carved by the demonic energy were that severe.
Indeed, the only good Cultist is a dead Cultist.
The demonic energy lingered in the scars of his dantian. Whenever the wound tried to heal, the demonic energy would rage, settle down, and repeat the cycle, endlessly eating away at his body.
It was like termites burrowing into a pillar, slowly eating away at the body until it could no longer withstand the passage of time and collapsed entirely.
Before his regression, when the Demonic Cult's offensive began, this was the exact reason both the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions suffered devastating losses.
Once infiltrated by demonic energy, it was nearly impossible to recover one's original realm.
Especially in a case like Elder Hwang's, where over twenty years had passed. Not even Hwa Mu-il, the Leader of the Black Medicine Hall, nor the legendary physicians Hua Tuo or Bian Que could have cured him.
But of course...
I can.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, Jeok-un infused the power of the stars into his Tyrant Heaven Divine Qi.
It was the star that had played the most crucial role in defeating the Beast Poison Demon.
It was Nok-jon.
The application of Nok-jon was not limited to combat.
Its power lay in control, purification, and neutralization.
No demonic energy could withstand the power of Nok-jon; it was like an icicle melting under the spring sun.
First, I will destroy all the demonic energy embedded like thorns.
Blaze!
In an instant, the energy of Nok-jon flared up like fire, incinerating every trace of demonic energy it encountered.
Sizzle!
When cutting grass, one must pull it out by the roots.
Under the power of Nok-jon, the demonic energy was completely eradicated, leaving not even a speck behind.
However, the demonic energy did not go down without a fight.
"Urgh...!"
Elder Hwang groaned despite himself.
The demonic energy went wild, desperately burrowing deeper into his dantian in a frantic bid to escape and survive.
It was a final, desperate struggle.
Jeok-un had seen this countless times and knew the most effective countermeasure.
Whoosh!
Rumble!
Suddenly, the Nok-jon energy within the Tyrant Heaven Divine Qi began to explode, doubling and tripling in intensity.
Astonishingly, the power of another star was being added to Nok-jon.
Adding Tam-rang to Nok-jon.
By crossing the wall into the Transformation Realm, he had become capable of combining the powers of the two stars.
The amplification of Tam-rang further boosted the purification capabilities of Nok-jon.
Roar!
Sizzle!
The flames of the Tyrant Heaven Divine Qi grew even fiercer. The demonic energy, stripped of any place to hide, was burned to ashes.
Incredibly, the demonic energy that had tortured Elder Hwang for decades was completely gone.
But it wasn't over yet.
Good. Now that the demonic energy is gone, it's time to rebuild the dantian.
The true healing began now.
Jeok-un hadn't given Elder Hwang the root of the Golden Spirit Thread just to purge the demonic energy.
I have to repay him for protecting my subordinate.
With that thought, Jeok-un withdrew Tam-rang and channeled the energy of the Geo-mun star.
Swoosh!
This time, the precisely concentrated energy of Nok-jon began to soothe the damaged dantian.
A truly miraculous sight unfolded.
Shhh...
The crushed and mangled dantian began to restore itself, like new flesh growing over a wound.
It was a miracle worthy of a divine physician.
After a long time had passed,
Jeok-un finally pulled his hands away from the elder's back.
"Whew, my body is a bit stiff after using so much energy for the first time in a while."
Jeok-un stood up and stretched.
Elder Hwang slowly opened his eyes next.
"...What in the world...?!"
He was instantly seized by shock.
An impossible miracle had occurred.
The demonic energy, which had refused to budge no matter what he tried, was gone without a trace. The scarred dantian was completely healed.
Was such a thing even possible?
Elder Hwang looked dazed, unable to believe reality.
At that time, Jeok-un spoke casually.
"You've probably recovered to the beginning stage of the Profound Realm."
"Y-Yes..."
"Hmm, it looks like your original cultivation was at the established stage. You won't reach that level immediately, but after a few more treatments from me, you'll make a full recovery."
"...!"
"Of course, it's not free. Let's call it even with the martial arts you offered earlier. What was it, Ghostly Steps? That seemed pretty useful."
"?!"
Elder Hwang was utterly dumbfounded.
He could hardly believe this was real.
Not only had that dreadful demonic energy vanished in an instant, but his cultivation realm had also been significantly restored.
That alone was earth-shattering, yet the leader before him was acting as if it were completely natural...
Is he not a genius, but a monster...?
As he stared blankly at Jeok-un,
"What? Are you trying to go back on your word already?"
"N-No, of course not."
"Good."
Having agreed on the payment, Jeok-un smoothly transitioned to the main point.
The trap was set, and it was time to reap another harvest.
"So, what are you going to do now, old man?"
"...I do not know."
Elder Hwang answered honestly when Jeok-un asked about his next destination.
Until just moments ago, he had truly believed he was going to die.
With the situation completely overturned, his mind couldn't keep up.
Jeok-un pointed at Yayul-gi's mangled corpse lying on the ground.
"The information about the Demonic Cult this guy was going to tell you was definitely a lie. But well, if you still want to attack the Cult alone, I'll gladly share what I know about them."
"...!"
Elder Hwang's eyes shook as if hit by an earthquake.
After losing his family, he had always been alone, and he had assumed he would carry out his revenge against the Demonic Cult alone as well.
Therefore, if he could restore his original strength, Jeok-un's suggestion would indeed be the most logical choice.
Yet, strangely, the words "I will do so" would not leave his mouth.
As if reading his mind, Jeok-un spoke.
"But that would be a foolish choice."
"...!"
"Following me is, without a doubt, the fastest way to destroy the Demonic Cult."
"!!"
Jeok-un was speaking directly to Elder Hwang—no, to Hyeong Seok-yeong.
He was telling him to follow him and achieve his revenge.
Indeed. The harvest Jeok-un was aiming for was Elder Hwang himself.
"Well, they say the enemy of my enemy is my friend. What do you think, old man?"
In a way, this was more valuable than killing the Beast Poison Demon or consuming the Golden Spirit Thread.
Once he fully recovers, he'll be an Established Profound master. And with my help, he could easily reach an even higher realm.
If he could secure a trustworthy Grandmaster as his subordinate, it would be an immense asset in the war against the Demonic Cult.
And that outcome depended entirely on the choice made right now.
"I..."
Elder Hwang finally spoke, having made up his mind.
"...will follow you, Leader."
Jeok-un smiled brightly.
It was the moment the former First Assassin Under Heaven entered Jeok-un's fold.