The Cult's Resolve
“A goal, huh.”
At the sudden question, Han Seo-woo tilted his head. In Apis, he was considered the best in the world when it came to playing the Heavenly Demon. He had heard questions like this many times before. How to handle the Heavenly Demon character better. How to use the Heavenly Demon Divine Art more efficiently. So the answer he usually gave was already set.
“Well—”
He was about to recite the answer that had become second nature when a thought struck him. Maybe Seol-ah wasn’t asking about that at all.
“Is this about the mindset you asked about last time?”
“Yes.”
Back then, Han Seo-woo hadn’t been able to give a proper answer. His master had answered in his place. The living god of the Heavenly Demon Cult had spoken to someone else, so what could he possibly add? Since there had been no further contact after that, he had never shared anything with Seol-ah. This would be the first time.
“My goal was always just one thing. To get stronger.”
From the moment he reached the top ranks in Apis with the Heavenly Demon character, Han Seo-woo had only one goal. To become stronger. To crush everyone above him and stand at the very peak. Even then, he had been a skilled gamer, but he was far from the best. Hoping it might help improve his skills, he had spent months repeating the tutorial like a shut-in until he finally defeated the Three Elders and claimed the reward, yet the wall ahead remained impossibly high. He had achieved some meaningful results a few times, but that was all. Han Seo-woo’s story always ended in defeat.
That was why he had thrown himself into the world of Hwaryong Muin and wandered in search of the Heavenly Demon Cult. To break through the wall standing in his way.
“I never thought about anything else.”
“What? But—”
“It’s the same when I use the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. How can I crush the opponent in front of me? How can I break down the wall? How can I end it with victory?”
Han Seo-woo had never really thought about something like “mindset.” From the moment he decided to become the best, his goal had never changed. No matter how many times he was crushed by his master, ignored by the other elders, or defeated by other skilled pro gamers, his goal never wavered.
“So I don’t really know much about mindsets or enlightenment. I’ve never thought or worried about those things. I once asked my master after watching other people struggle with it, but he just said I didn’t need to worry about it.”
Even knowing it might sound like nonsense, Han Seo-woo spoke his true feelings. Twisting his words out of some misguided consideration wouldn’t help Seol-ah at all. If she had been someone competing against him, he might have wrapped his words in pride, but she was just a girl who wanted to learn the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. He simply hoped he could be of some help to a child who seemed lost.
After finishing, Han Seo-woo quietly observed Seol-ah. Her hands with nowhere to go. Her slumped shoulders. The reflection of himself in her dazed eyes.
Seol-ah was doing the same. She saw the foolish version of herself reflected in Han Seo-woo’s eyes. In front of a man who had already walked far ahead on the path she wanted to take, yet still only thought of moving forward, she felt small.
To Seol-ah, it seemed like Han Seo-woo didn’t understand what he had just said. But she was different. After endlessly worrying and pondering this problem, she understood the meaning behind his words. He had never worried about what the right answer was, never even thought about it, yet the one teaching him had said there was no need to worry. That could only mean he had already reached the answer without realizing it. Since he had arrived at the answer without knowing, there was no reason to agonize over it. It was an answer that others could never reach no matter how many nights they spent thinking and worrying.
Seol-ah hid her hands behind her back and dug her nails into her palms. Hard enough that blood might seep out.
Han Seo-woo was someone to be jealous of, but at the same time, he was also helpful. The fact that the Heavenly Demon of the Cult had called him right meant that Han Seo-woo himself was the answer.
“We’ve been talking for a while. We should get going. Master told us to come ahead.”
“Okay.”
As Seol-ah followed behind Han Seo-woo, she thought to herself. The desire to become stronger. Was that the answer? But she had always kept that in her heart. She had wanted to become stronger. That was why she wanted to learn the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. That was why she had lived like a madwoman in the world of Hwaryong Muin. Yet Hwaryeong had said she couldn’t do it. Simply wanting to become stronger wasn’t enough. Then what was the problem? What was she lacking that made it a problem?
“Disciple. This place does not permit outsiders.”
As Seol-ah and Han Seo-woo tried to cross the threshold, someone stepped forward to stop them.
“Master has given permission.”
Han Seo-woo’s voice was completely different from the friendly tone he had used moments ago—heavy and serious. Just as the Heavenly Demon who teased Baru and the Heavenly Demon of the Cult seemed like different people, so did Han Seo-woo. Was everyone in the Cult like this? Come to think of it, Hwaryeong’s atmosphere also changed greatly between when she was relaxed and when she was serious.
“However—”
“Are you doubting Master’s will?”
Perhaps having nothing more to say after hearing the Heavenly Demon’s name, the person blocking them stepped aside without another word. Following Han Seo-woo into the room, Seol-ah took in the faces of those participating in the Solitude Ritual. They looked far more normal than she had expected. In most stories, members of the Heavenly Demon Cult were portrayed as madmen. Eyes filled with bloodlust, incapable of normal speech, people who would cut down anyone they disliked without hesitation. But the people here were ordinary martial artists you could find anywhere. Some were chatting with acquaintances, some were checking their weapons or meditating in preparation for the ritual, and others were lying on chairs trying to sleep, seemingly unbothered by tension.
“What brings you here, Chief Disciple?”
While she was thinking how strange it was to see him, someone approached. A woman who looked like someone you might see at a roadside café continued with a lively smile.
“I don’t think I’ve seen the person behind you before.”
“She’s Master’s guest.”
“The Heavenly Demon’s guest!”
When Seol-ah saw the sparkling eyes directed at her, she unconsciously took a step back. This person was the complete opposite of her. The vitality in her eyes proved it.
“This is the first time I’ve seen the Heavenly Demon invite someone else! What kind of talent do you have? What makes you special enough to form a connection with the Heavenly Demon?”
“Uh. I. Well. That is—”
Seol-ah, a loner who stayed in her room, was at a complete loss when faced with someone at the extreme end of extroversion. If the woman had shown hostility, it might have been easier, but faced with such goodwill, she had no idea how to respond.
“That’s enough. You’re making her uncomfortable.”
While Seol-ah was silently pleading for help, another man approached the woman and stopped her.
“Ah! I’m sorry! I wasn’t paying attention!”
“No, it’s fine.”
What was with this person? No matter how she thought about it, she didn’t seem like someone who belonged in the Heavenly Demon Cult. She looked more like a first-rate disciple from some righteous sect. You’re the reason the higher-ups dislike you, the man scolded, while the woman loudly insisted that they actually liked her too. Watching them, Seol-ah suddenly had a question. If these two were participants in the Solitude Ritual, they would soon have to kill each other. How could they be so bright and cheerful? They weren’t players in a game. This world was reality to them. They would have to kill their own friends with their own hands.
“Um.”
“Yes?”
“How can you smile like that? You’re going to have to kill each other soon.”
When Seol-ah voiced the doubt in her heart, the woman’s eyes widened slightly before she smiled.
“Because I’m a believer of the Cult! If even one more person can reach a higher place because of this, that’s enough for me.”
“It may be difficult for an outsider to understand, but our goal is not personal glory, but the advancement of the Cult. A single death holds no meaning.”
There was not the slightest doubt or hesitation in their voices. They spoke as if stating an obvious fact. Fanaticism. The word flashed through Seol-ah’s mind.
“Um. Can I ask one more thing?”
“Yes! Of course!”
“Why do you all want to learn the Cult’s martial arts?”
Hwaryeong had said these were people who possessed simji. That was why they could handle the Cult’s martial arts without losing their minds. If Seol-ah watched the martial arts they displayed, she might gain enlightenment too.
“I want to stand above all the Ten Thousand Demons! I get scolded for being arrogant and unrealistic, but it’s good to have big dreams, right?!”
“I want to repay the Cult that has taken care of me since I was young. To do that, I need to become strong.”
“What? You’re talking about dreams before entering the Solitude Ritual? Then I should join in too!”
Perhaps intrigued by their conversation, a man who had been checking his martial arts in the back suddenly jumped forward and began sharing his own story. He wanted to become the strongest. He wanted to be called the best under heaven. He shouted it out. Maybe because his voice was so loud, another martial artist came out, calling it nonsense, and started sharing his own story. Standing at the center of the sudden commotion, Seol-ah felt she could finally understand what Hwaryeong had meant. These people were fanatics of the Heavenly Demon Cult, but they were fanatics with their own firm beliefs. Even if what they held in their hearts was based on someone else, the act of setting it as their goal and pursuing it was entirely their own will. Even while revering the Heavenly Demon as a god, their goals belonged to them.
What about Seol-ah’s goal? It was hers, yet it was hard to call it entirely her own. It was a vague admiration. A desire to follow the path of someone she admired. Not a wish to stand beside that person, but to become that person. Not becoming stronger for the sake of a goal, but wanting to become stronger because she wanted to be like that person. That was the feeling. Had she entrusted her dream to someone else, or did she carry it herself? That was the difference between her and them.
Then. If so. Did she need to have her own dream to earn Hwaryeong’s recognition?
While Seol-ah stood silently among the bustling crowd, lost in thought, the door to the room burst open. Stepping inside were the Heavenly Demon with a pipe in his mouth and Hwaryeong wearing a mask.
“Come out. The Solitude Ritual will begin.”