The Heavenly Demon Is Heading to Destroy the Murim Alliance (1)
Shinseon are those who have achieved transcendence from the human flesh after endless years of training. Each and every one of them possesses abilities beyond comparison with ordinary humans. If I could secure the help of such a shinseon, then heading to save Mount Hua might not be impossible after all!
With that thought in mind, Baru dashed straight toward the place where she sensed powerful energy. However, there was no shinseon there. The only thing present was a small child radiating a faint aura.
Baru felt disappointed, but with a sliver of hope, she spoke to the child who stood there. If the shinseon had just left, she could still track them down even if she was a little late. Unfortunately, there had never been a shinseon in that spot to begin with. The only one there was a child staring at her with eyes full of curiosity.
What was fortunate, at least, was that this child had earned the recognition of a shinseon. Shinseon, having reached transcendence through great hardship, were arrogant and lofty beings. The fact that one of them had acknowledged another person meant this child possessed considerable power.
That was why Baru offered the child a drink. She had heard from other mountain spirits that when asking someone for a favor, one should first bestow a grace upon them and use that as leverage.
At the time, the child—Min-ga—had smiled upon seeing the drink Baru offered, then refused it. Still, she agreed to listen to Baru’s request.
From that day onward, Baru’s life began to move far faster than anything she had experienced before.
When Min-ga first spoke her name, Baru was utterly bewildered. It wasn’t unusual for outsiders to have strange names, but hers was on another level. Mint… Choco… Pineapple Pizza? Ugh. Even now, Baru still couldn’t pronounce Min-ga’s name properly. She was trying, but some things were simply difficult.
Min-ga also told her stories about the outside world she came from. More precisely, she spoke about the food there. Every dish Min-ga described was so magnificent that it overwhelmed Baru’s imagination—someone who had lived her entire life on the mountain. Baru made up her mind right then: the moment she went outside, she would absolutely eat those foods.
Even after that, Min-ga’s name kept appearing in every chapter of Baru’s life. She transformed into a fox and played with Min-ga. She rode on Min-ga’s shoulders along the path to Mount Hua. The lightness skill Min-ga used was truly exceptional; with every step, the scenery of the world whipped past in a blur.
She witnessed Min-ga display a terrifying side against uninvited guests. She confirmed that evil forces had already laid their hands on Mount Hua upon their arrival. She located the mountain spirit of Mount Hua. She had to personally kill him after he had been corrupted by sorcery. Min-ga exacted revenge on the sect leader of the Mount Hua Sect who had caused it all.
She decided to continue traveling with Min-ga. They ate delicious food together. She reunited with the child Min-ga had once saved. They resolved to rebuild Mount Hua. When Baru used her Taoist magic, she met children who began to worship her like a god. She played pranks on people alongside the spirits in the forest. And then. And then again.
Over a long period of time, Baru came to know a great deal about the person called Min-ga. First, she was an extraordinarily skilled martial artist. In her long life, Baru had met many warriors, yet none could match Min-ga’s prowess. And even fewer could perform such miracles with so little inner energy. Truly, she was a warrior acknowledged by a shinseon.
Next, she was kinder than expected. Even when Baru, excited about stepping into the outside world for the first time, threw all sorts of tantrums, Min-ga patiently played along.
There were countless other things to say about Min-ga. The way she would sigh in admiration at delicious food, only to suddenly glare at it with a sharp expression. The way she would panic after accidentally destroying a shop, unsure what to do. The way she would sometimes stand still, lost in deep thought.
The joyful days she spent with her made up only a tiny fraction of Baru’s long life, yet within that short time, Min-ga had become someone precious to her. Those experiences had been that meaningful to Baru. And those experiences continued to pile up even now, in the present.
Life on Mount Hua—which was no longer a barren rocky mountain but a place bustling with people from dawn till dusk—was the most enjoyable period Baru had ever known.
Living on a mountain like this must make every single day delightful. That Na-yul fellow. So he had been enjoying all this by himself? How truly despicable. It will be quite some time before he returns, so until then, I shall enjoy it in his stead.
Even after Baru emerged from her long reverie, Na-seol was still diligently training in martial arts.
She roughly knew the child named Na-seol, who was currently training beneath the moonlight. After all, she was the one who had shown such entertaining reactions out of fear of ghosts. That was precisely why Baru had ordered the spirits to torment her even more persistently.
Perhaps because of that incident, Na-seol always reacted coldly toward Baru. She would smile brightly whenever Min-ga was around, but the moment the two of them were alone, her face would turn icy. She probably couldn’t forget the grudge from that day.
What a narrow-minded child. I was simply doing as Min-ga ordered. Of course, I won’t deny that I enjoyed it a little… but it’s been several days. Shouldn’t she let it go by now?
Ever since Min-ga rebuilt Mount Hua, Baru had been spending far more time here than on the rocky mountain she was supposed to protect. Having someone who hated her around made her uncomfortable.
Hmm. Should I try talking to her and clearing up the misunderstanding? We’ll be seeing each other often from now on, so we can’t stay on bad terms forever. Besides, if I apologize sincerely, she might accept it!
Trusting her own optimistic prediction, Baru hopped out the window with a light leap.
The presence was so obvious that Na-seol’s gaze briefly flicked toward Baru, but she quickly turned her head away again. Her intention to ignore Baru was painfully clear.
I suppose I really did do something bad.
Baru gave a bitter smile and approached Na-seol. Without saying a word, she simply stood beside her and watched quietly.
At first Na-seol blatantly ignored her, but eventually the weight of Baru’s unwavering stare became too much. She stopped her training.
“What do you want?”
“Would you not share a word with me for a moment?”
“I have nothing to say.”
“How troublesome. I might have been able to tell you something good about Min-ga, you know.”
The moment Baru mentioned Min-ga’s name, Na-seol froze. This child really does adore Min-ga. The one who prepared that test was clearly Min-ga herself, so why does Min-ga receive love while I receive hatred? I simply cannot understand it.
“…What do you want to ask?”
Even if she apologized here, the girl would probably just say, “Ah, yes. I see,” and brush it off. So Baru decided to bring up a different topic first.
“Why do you train so diligently?”
“Pardon?”
“Your martial arts training. Why do you put in so much effort?”
All the outsiders Min-ga had chosen for Mount Hua were passionate about training. But Na-seol’s intensity stood out far beyond the rest. While the others seemed to do their best within their limits, Na-seol looked as if she were burning away her very life.
Was she being chased by something? It didn’t feel like that. To Baru, it seemed as though Na-seol was desperately chasing after something.
Na-seol did not answer Baru’s question. She pressed her lips tightly shut and remained silent, as if she had nothing to say.
Is it something you don’t wish to talk about? Very well, then.
“Let me ask something else. Is training in martial arts enjoyable?”
“What is that supposed to—”
“You can at least answer this much, can you not? It is hardly a sensitive question.”
“…It is fun. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be doing this.”
“Could you tell me why it is fun?”
Na-seol hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a small voice. She liked that the more time she invested in training, the stronger she became. She liked being able to unleash that strength freely. She liked that it let her accomplish things ordinary people could never do.
As Baru listened quietly, she noticed that every single thing Na-seol mentioned was related to power.
I see. What you value most is strength.
“Then does that mean you like Min-ga because you are captivated by her power?”
It was true that Min-ga was strong. In terms of pure martial might, there were few beings in this world who could defeat her. If one truly revered martial arts, it was not strange at all to admire Min-ga. Moreover, since she worshipped the martial path, it made sense that she would reject someone like Baru who used Taoist magic.
“No! It’s not like that!”
When Baru spoke those words softly, Na-seol burst out almost frantically.
“The reason I like MintchocoPineapplePizza-nim isn’t just because she’s strong! There are so many other reasons too!”
As she spoke, Na-seol listed every reason why she liked Min-ga. Most of them were so exaggerated that Baru couldn’t help but wonder if the girl was even talking about the same person.
Baru knew Min-ga quite well. She was certainly strong and impressive, but she was far from perfect. One only needed to observe her for a short while to see that. When demonstrating martial arts, she appeared flawless, but in everyday life she was simply an ordinary human full of holes and weaknesses.
Na-seol must have seen those sides of her while living on Mount Hua with Min-ga, so how could she speak like this? Could it be… forbidden love? Had she been blinded by infatuation?!
Baru herself didn’t know much about love, but she had heard others say that love could blind a person. Hmm. Come to think of it, that would explain why this child was training so desperately. She wanted to catch Min-ga’s eye through her efforts?
How pitiful. How truly pitiful. Min-ga doesn’t seem the slightest bit interested in such things. What am I to do with this poor girl?
“While I cannot help someone who loves a person of the same sex, I shall at least offer my support.”
“No!!”
When Baru clicked her tongue and spoke, Na-seol’s face flushed bright red as she shouted. Even so, Baru simply smiled.
Yes, it must be embarrassing. I’ve heard that’s how it usually is.
“I said it’s not like that?! I like men!”
“It is fine. There is no need to deny it.”
“Will you please listen to what I’m saying, you old fox hag!”
“Old hag?! Are you speaking of me?”
“Then who else is here besides you?!”
“Take that back! Among mountain spirits, I am not particularly old!”
“What does that matter?! You’ve lived for over a hundred years!”
“Age is relative!… Wait. Just a moment.”
In the middle of their noisy argument, Baru suddenly fell silent. She pulled a staff out of thin air and turned her body toward the main gate leading into Mount Hua.
“What’s wrong all of a sudden?”
“A spirit that dwells in the forest has come with a message.”
“A spirit?! Is it here right now?!”
The moment Baru mentioned spirits, Na-seol recoiled in terror and frantically looked around. What a terribly fearful child.
“Do not worry. It has already withdrawn.”
“Really?! If you’re lying, I’ll get angry!”
“Yes, it is true. In any case, a guest has arrived. Prepare yourself.”
A guest? Na-seol calmed her pounding heart and opened her map to check the user approaching Mount Hua. There was no way an NPC from the Murim world would visit a sect at this late hour.
There they were—people heading toward Mount Hua. They were all friends with Na-seol. Because of that, she could immediately identify the guest’s name.
Leader of the Murim Alliance
Users from the Murim Alliance faction are approaching Mount Hua.
“The Alliance Leader.”
The users of the Murim Alliance. Why on earth were these people suddenly coming to Mount Hua?