The Heavenly Demon and the Heavenly Demon (1)
That’s a bit…
At my words, Han Seo-woo froze mid-laugh. From his perspective, he was being asked to deliver a provocative message to his own master. Still, even if it put him in an awkward spot, I had no intention of changing my mind. Why on earth should I have to set foot back in that detestable Divine Cult just to revisit my own dark history? In this particular matter, the one in a hurry was my other self inside Hwaryong Muin. Therefore, this seat had zero plans to yield even an inch.
“If she doesn’t like it, tell her not to come.”
“My master is currently in a situation where she cannot leave the Divine Cult.”
“That’s possible.”
“Pardon?”
“It means she can leave the Divine Cult whenever she wishes.”
Since the strongest person in that place is none other than this seat, who could possibly stop me? If I wanted, I could knock down everyone trying to hold me back and walk out in broad daylight. Sneaking out at night and slipping back in was also entirely feasible. In fact, I had done similar things quite often during my time staying at the Divine Cult, so I knew it well.
“How do you know that?”
“There are ways. I’ve said all I need to say, so I’ll be going now.”
“Wait, what?! Just a moment! Hwaryeong-nim!”
Now that my curiosity was satisfied, there was no need to keep playing around with this guy. I should go check on the Enri team members’ streams to see if they’re actually practicing properly. If anyone’s slacking off, I’ll drag them over myself and make them suffer.
After his spar with Hwaryeong ended and he returned to reality, Han Seo-woo agonized over how to explain this to his master. It was good that he had met the person she was looking for. Even up until the point where he was being completely toyed with during the spar, that part was fine. He had been played with in Hwaryeong’s hands like a child’s doll, but at least he had confirmed that the person was indeed someone worthy of his master’s interest. So he couldn’t say the ordeal had been in vain.
The problem was what Hwaryeong had said to him after the spar ended. That she had no intention of going to the Divine Cult, but if they came to the Mount Hua grounds, she might meet them. How was he supposed to relay those words to his master?
Baek Hwaryeong, his master, was a person who carried the title of Heavenly Demon. As such, she possessed an exceedingly high sense of pride. Having witnessed the chilling atmosphere when she spoke with the Divine Cult’s elders, Han Seo-woo was genuinely afraid to deliver this message.
After lying in the capsule and worrying for a long time, he eventually threw caution to the wind with a whatever happens, happens attitude and dove back into the VR world. Even if something went wrong, it wasn’t his responsibility. This was all the fault of Hwaryeong-nim, who had refused to cooperate obediently. If she had simply visited the Divine Cult, none of this would have been a problem.
Once inside Hwaryong Muin, he headed to the training grounds as usual. Normally, his master would be there smoking her long pipe and waiting for him, but today was different. The one occupying that spot in her place was a man holding the position of Seventh Elder in the Divine Cult.
Despite his elder title, his noticeably youthful appearance stood out. The moment he saw Han Seo-woo, he offered a light bow. Within the Divine Cult, Han Seo-woo’s status was quite high. After all, everyone gathered in the Cult worshipped the absolute powerhouse known as the Heavenly Demon like a god. They all lived beneath the shadow of the Heavenly Demon in the sky, revering and adoring her.
Han Seo-woo, the first person the Heavenly Demon had taken notice of and accepted as a disciple, had become part of that very shadow. Therefore, even from the Divine Cult’s perspective, he was someone who must be respected. Even if they didn’t like him. Even if they were so jealous of this insignificant outsider who had stolen the position of the Heavenly Demon’s first disciple that they wanted to kill him.
“It’s been a while. Have you come to see the Heavenly Demon?”
Feeling the unfriendly gaze directed at him, Han Seo-woo let out a bitter smile. This sort of thing happened all the time when he stayed at the Divine Cult. They respected him because he was the Heavenly Demon’s disciple, but that respect stemmed solely from the title. In other words, no one in the Divine Cult respected Han Seo-woo the individual.
“Yes. I have something to tell my master. May I ask where she is?”
“She’s in her office organizing documents. You should find her there.”
“Thank you, Seventh Elder.”
Han Seo-woo performed a fist salute and quickly fled the area. The people of the Divine Cult—especially those in high positions—always left him with an increasingly uncomfortable feeling the longer he spoke with them.
When he arrived in front of the office where Baek Hwaryeong usually worked, he opened the door without a word. Inside, beneath a thick haze of tobacco smoke that filled the entire ceiling, Baek Hwaryeong was reading documents. She spoke in a nonchalant voice.
“You’re here?”
There was no sign of surprise. That was only natural. The Qi Sense spread by his master, the absolute ruler of the Divine Cult, extended widely around her. She would have detected his presence long before he even reached the room. If his visit had been inconvenient, she would have told him to get lost the moment he arrived at the door.
Next to Baek Hwaryeong was a mountain of scrolls she needed to review. Even a rough count suggested it wasn’t something that could be finished by pulling one all-nighter.
“Did you put off your work again?”
The reason those scrolls had piled up wasn’t because the Divine Cult had unreasonably dumped tasks on her. The Heavenly Demon was someone worshipped by the Cult. Who would dare demand excessive work from her? No, the scrolls had accumulated purely because Baek Hwaryeong was the kind of person who refused to work until the Cult Leader brought up her mother. In short, she had brought this upon herself.
“Close the door and come help me. It looks like it’ll take quite a while to finish all this.”
“If I help, won’t the Cult Leader complain again?”
“Are you telling your master to suffer through this dog’s work all by herself?”
“Isn’t this something you’re supposed to handle alone in the first place?”
“Hah. What an irreverent disciple.”
At Han Seo-woo’s firm reply, Baek Hwaryeong grumbled. Truly, when it came to martial arts, his master was undoubtedly an absolute expert, so why did she become so sloppy with everyday tasks? Having watched this side of her for several years, Han Seo-woo found it even harder to understand why the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult worshipped her as a god. If a person this sloppy could be considered divine, wouldn’t the world have collapsed long ago?
“I’ve fed you elixirs, taught you martial arts, and even lent you my strength all this time. Yet you don’t know how to repay kindness.”
“It’s something that can be solved by staying up just one or two nights anyway.”
“Must this seat really lock herself in her room and work for two whole days?!”
“Yes, that’s exactly what you should do. What else can we do about it?”
Dismissing Baek Hwaryeong’s whining with one ear, Han Seo-woo walked deeper into the room, opened the windows, and cleared out the smoke that had turned the enclosed space into a fog. Then, with practiced movements, he located the teacups and tea leaves on one side of the office and placed them in front of her.
“Could you heat some water for me?”
“You’re the only one who uses this seat like a bonfire.”
“Isn’t it all so I can brew tea for my master?”
“Next time, light the flame yourself and brew your own tea.”
“Me using Samadhi True Fire? That’s a story for the far future.”
“Why would this seat wish for that? I’m telling you to go outside and bring back hot water.”
Even as she spoke, Baek Hwaryeong created a flame beneath the teacup and began boiling the water.
“So, did you find out anything about that person called Minga?”
“I met her in person.”
“Oh? Tell me more.”
“Your hand that was working on the documents has stopped, though.”
“Working without rest isn’t efficient. Sometimes you need to take a break.”
The person who used to say that rest was a luxury when training him was now preaching the necessity of breaks only at times like this. She truly was the incarnation of hypocrisy. Even if he brought this up later to ask for a break, she probably wouldn’t listen. Han Seo-woo grumbled endlessly in his heart but kept his mouth shut. He had learned the hard way more than once or twice what happened when he said unnecessary things.
While adding tea leaves to the heated water, he continued speaking.
“One of my acquaintances happened to know her, so we were able to meet through that connection. She seemed much closer to the people of the Divine Cult than to outsiders.”
“Why?”
“The moment we met, she said we should start with a spar, didn’t she?”
Han Seo-woo began recounting everything that had happened when he met Hwaryeong. How they had met by chance through a connection. How he had tried to resolve things through conversation, but she had insisted that when two users of divine arts met, they should exchange fists. How they had sparred and he had suffered a crushing defeat.
As Baek Hwaryeong listened to the entire story with her long pipe in her mouth, a smile formed on her lips.
“How amusing.”
“Is it?”
“Of course, that aside, I have a lot to say to you. Do you really think it makes sense for a user of divine arts to try solving things with conversation when meeting another user of divine arts? This seat did not teach you that way!”
She was starting from there? As expected, he should have left that part out.
“I’ll fix that rotten mentality of yours later.”
Han Seo-woo wondered just how harshly she was going to train him this time, but he stayed quiet and simply listened to his master.
“An outsider child overwhelming you. What a strange occurrence. You are strong enough to stand among the top ranks even in the Murim world.”
That part was strange to Han Seo-woo as well. He had never imagined there would be a user who handled the Heavenly Demon Divine Art better than him, who received direct instruction from the Heavenly Demon of the Murim. Was that what they called talent?
Han Seo-woo was someone who had always been called a genius by others. However, in his own eyes, he wasn’t particularly worthy of that title. He was simply a person with a bit of talent. Look at it this way—above the sky, there was always a higher sky.
“My disciple. But tell me. Didn’t you forget the most important part?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you not convey that this seat wishes to meet her?”
It was the part he had wanted to delay as much as possible, but once Baek Hwaryeong pointed it out, he could no longer postpone it. Han Seo-woo hesitated for a moment before finally relaying Hwaryeong’s exact words.
“She said if you want to meet, you should come to the Mount Hua grounds.”
“…That person called Minga said that?”
“Yes.”
“Even after you told her who I am?”
“That’s correct.”
Upon hearing the answer, Baek Hwaryeong stared blankly at Han Seo-woo’s face for a moment. Then, without saying a word, she put the long pipe back in her mouth. After exhaling smoke a few times, she let out a laugh. It was a laugh mixed with genuine delight, as if she had heard a very entertaining joke.
“I’m becoming more and more curious about what kind of person this Minga child is. The Mount Hua grounds, you say?”
“You’re not thinking of running away from the Cult and going to Mount Hua, are you?”
“…”
“Right?”
Han Seo-woo asked desperately, but Baek Hwaryeong simply smiled.