The Heavenly Demon Manages Her Subordinates (2)
Hak Yeong-chung, who had personally torn apart and devoured the corpses of countless sects, immediately grasped the meaning behind my words. Even while crushed beneath my inner energy, his eyes widened before a smile crept across his face. This is exactly why dealing with someone obsessed with a single pursuit is such a hassle. No matter the danger, if what they desire lies before them, they simply cannot resist reaching out. Now that he was convinced he could obtain what he wanted without lifting a finger, he would refrain from any further foolish antics.
As I withdrew my inner energy, ragged breathing began to echo around us one by one. Still, the fact that so few had fainted suggested these thugs were rather skilled for their kind.
“Well then. That matter aside, Hak Yeong-chung. Shouldn’t you pay the price for attempting to act like a dog and stray from this seat’s will?”
What you have done could easily be labeled betrayal or rebellion, so appropriate punishment must follow. Fear not. It won’t take long. After all, you must resume teaching the people of Mount Hua starting tomorrow morning, so the penalty cannot drag on. Indeed.
I approached Hak Yeong-chung, who was staring at me with uneasy eyes, and seized his wrist. I had already thoroughly analyzed the structure of his body long ago. Therefore, when inflicting torment, I could devise the optimal method without any complicated deliberation.
I channeled the inner energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art through the acupoints in his wrist. It did not require a large amount. After all, most of Hak Yeong-chung’s meridians were blocked, rendering him a half-baked martial artist. He would not even be able to muster resistance with his own energy.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art’s inner energy that burrowed into his body rejoiced at finding new prey and began to rampage. These ferocious entities would devour even their user if control was lost. As for another person’s flesh, the intent was all too obvious, was it not? It would try to tear apart his meridians, grind his bones to powder, and rip into his muscles. The pain would feel as if his entire body were being turned inside out.
I had employed similar torture methods quite frequently in the past, yet few people endured this technique unscathed. I quietly observed Hak Yeong-chung as he bit down on his pipe and writhed in agony. If I overdid it and turned him into a cripple, that would be troublesome, so I needed to adjust the intensity appropriately. Hmm. About now, I suppose.
When I withdrew the energy rampaging inside his body, Hak Yeong-chung immediately collapsed forward.
“Tsk tsk. It’s not over yet, you rascal.”
I forcibly hauled his body upright. The price of betrayal could not possibly end with a single round. Of course, there was no need to worry. There would be no aftereffects whatsoever. He would simply feel as though he wanted to die from the pain right now. Since this seat has done this sort of thing more than once or twice, I shall adjust it cleanly.
“Now then. Let us begin again.”
Even after lightly punishing Hak Yeong-chung, I could not return to Mount Hua. There were matters I needed to attend to.
The Blood Sect’s bastards were like cockroaches. They hid in the shadows and slowly expanded their forces. Then, once they believed their territory was secure, they would reveal themselves and launch large-scale operations. Given their nature, dealing with them required responding in kind—like dealing with cockroaches. I had to root out the hidden ones and eradicate them completely.
Upon arriving at a village near Mount Hua, I settled down in its center and leisurely surveyed the surroundings. The moon was already illuminating the world, so the village was quiet. However, the various energies swirling within it were anything but tranquil. In my ears, the sound of cockroaches scurrying their legs kept echoing.
To draw them out, I would first need to set a fire. Just as I had done when dealing with the Green Forest bandits previously, I created will-o’-the-wisps and scattered them throughout the area. Before long, people came bursting out from within.
“Who the hell are you!”
I decided to clean up the nest quickly. There was more than one or two places that needed handling, after all. Since I had already resolved to move, I might as well wipe out all the annoying pests lurking nearby before leaving.
The night air filled with screams as will-o'-the-wisps danced like vengeful spirits. Blood Sect followers poured from hiding, only to be cut down without mercy.
Minho, a Hwaryong Muin user who had been watching one of the Blood Sect members preach to the villagers about “the finite nature of human life,” rubbed his neck while observing the entranced gazes of those staring at the platform. Cults really were terrifying. They were spouting nonsense about eternal life and salvation, yet not a single person looked skeptical. Look at that guy over there—he was even shedding tears. Was the sermon so moving that ordinary farmers, who should have been asleep by now, were this enthusiastic? It wasn’t entirely incomprehensible. Even in modern times with basic education, plenty of people fell for cults. How much worse must it be for these people who couldn’t even read?
More than anything, the people in this world could actually perform near-miraculous feats. If someone in reality could raise corpses and make them walk around, they would probably be worshipped. Ah, though they’d likely get snatched by the FBI first and turned into a lab rat.
“Haaaawn.”
Man, when is this going to end? I only came because they said I’d get a reward for acting as an escort, but isn’t this way too long? No wonder the users who were already in the Blood Sect avoided this quest. The reward was decent compared to the difficulty, so I thought it was strange they were dodging it, but damn, it really is boring as hell. Next time, I’ll pass this crap onto someone else too.
As Minho yawned while thinking that, he checked a message that had just arrived and dragged a hand down his face.
Having played Hwaryong Muin for a long time, Minho was no stranger to the Heavenly Demon. It was a name anyone playing VR games these days would have heard at least once. Treated more like a walking disaster than a person in every game she appeared in, she was currently purging the Blood Sect forces in this area?
We’re screwed. What the hell do I do? I came here as an escort, but there’s no way I can fight against the Heavenly Demon. How could a mere user stand against that monster who could take on the entire Murim world by herself?
“Hey—”
Minho turned to ask the senior Blood Sect member who had been working here longer than him, only to freeze in shock upon realizing the man had already vanished. What the—where did he go? In his bewilderment, he checked the log and let out a hollow laugh upon confirming that his squad leader had already logged out.
Wow. So he decided the quest was impossible to clear and bailed to avoid the death penalty?! That’s actually smart, but you should’ve taken me with you! How can you just run away by yourself when it’s dangerous?! That’s so unfair!
No, this isn’t the time. I need to log out too, fast.
Minho frantically pressed the logout button.
Logging out during combat will result in penalties.
Do you still wish to proceed?
Minho froze solid at the message that appeared before him. Combat? Me? When did I enter combat? He tried to deny reality, wondering if it was some kind of bug, but the screams and shouts of people coming from afar made him give up completely.
“Kyaaaaaah!”
“Fire! It’s fire!”
“Fuck! What the hell is that bitch?!”
“Grab your weapons!”
Aigoo. She has descended.
Whether he logged out or died by the Heavenly Demon’s hand, the penalty would be similar anyway. In that case, wouldn’t it be better to at least get a look at her face before dying? Let’s see… she isn’t streaming right now, is she? Then there’s no risk of getting flamed on stream. Might as well go watch like I’m seeing a celebrity.
Minho pushed through the panicked crowd fleeing in every direction and stepped outside, where he was greeted by a scene straight out of hell. Every house in the village was burning, and those who had rushed out to face the Heavenly Demon earlier were now sprawled on the ground, able to do nothing but twitch. Even now, several people surrounded her, yet none of them could move their feet. They knew that stepping forward first meant being shattered by her hand.
In the center of it all, the Heavenly Demon herself remained expressionless despite the terrified gazes directed at her.
Seeing her in person is even more incredible than on screen. The aura is completely different. That’s why the community always went crazy saying you had to see her in real life. I get it now. Wow… how can someone give off an atmosphere like that?
White smoke from the pipe she was smoking mingled with the black smoke before she opened her mouth.
“You won’t come at me? Then this seat shall move first.”
The moment she lightly waved her hand, the wrists of every villager holding a weapon flew off. The cuts were so clean they looked like they had been sliced by a razor-sharp blade. Blood sprayed, and soon the village was filled with people’s screams.
What? What just happened? What the hell did the Heavenly Demon do? Is that even a martial art?
While Minho stared blankly, unable to comprehend the phenomenon unfolding before his eyes, the Heavenly Demon’s gaze landed on him.
“You are a user.”
Those were the last words Minho heard. He saw her wave her hand, and shortly after, he was faced with a black screen.
“...I’m never taking another job near Mount Hua again.”
There really are so many bugs. I had been focusing on learning Taoist magic with Baru and hadn’t applied any pesticide, so they thought this was their world and ran wild. How strange. In the Murim I originally knew, the Blood Sect didn’t spread this quickly. Could this also be the influence of modern people entering the mix?
Besides the locations Hak Yeong-chung had told me about, there were several other places where I could sense the Blood Sect’s energy. As a result, I spent the entire night circling the villages near Mount Hua. By the time I had nearly finished eradicating them, morning had already arrived.
If I had known it would take this long, I should have told Baru in advance. Maybe I should at least say goodbye before she falls asleep.
When I returned to Mount Hua, I was greeted by the sight of Baek Hwaryeong—who must have arrived at some point—and Baru, who looked utterly resigned as she lay cradled in the woman’s arms.
“You have returned? You are quite late. I almost fell asleep waiting.”
“Min-ga! Save me! This fellow is tormenting me!”
“Torment? Baru, how harsh your words are. This seat merely asked you to play with me.”
“If that ‘play’ is forced, then it is torment! You scoundrel!”
“Scoundrel? How wounding. In that case, I must heal my heart by burying my face in your fur.”
“Gyaaaaaaaah!”
Watching Baek Hwaryeong bury her face in Baru’s fur while the latter screamed, my hand instinctively reached for my pipe. Just why has this fellow come here again?