The Heavenly Demon Gets Raided (1)

The alchemist stared at me with a face that clearly said he never expected me to gather all these materials in less than a day. He gazed blankly at the items laid out before him, then began checking each one to confirm they were genuine. Of course they were real. I had personally hunted every last one of them—how could any fakes have slipped in?

The alchemist kept examining them one by one, gasping in awe each time, until he finally let out a long sigh. He looked up at the ceiling with an expression of pure bliss.

"What nonsense are you spouting? You need to make the shampoo."

"...Do you truly intend to use these priceless materials to make something as mundane as shampoo? With these, we could create something far greater!"

He rattled off countless items he could produce, but none of them sparked even the slightest interest in me. After all, most of what he described were things I could accomplish with my own two hands. I saw no reason to borrow the power of tools for such trivial tasks. Washing Neukneuk's fur until it was perfectly clean and fluffy was far more valuable.

When I told him as much, the alchemist was rendered speechless.

In the end, it was up to me—the client—to decide what would be made from the gathered materials.

"If I tell you to make it, then make it. Do you really want to hear me beg you to please make something?"

Irritated by his constant attempts to dissuade me, I half-threatened him. Only then did the alchemist finally nod. He looked like he'd rather bite his own tongue than agree, which made me a little uneasy when he said he'd prepare the shampoo.

"Just in case— if you run off with the materials..."

"Do I look like the kind of person who would do that?! An alchemist has his pride!"

The alchemist, thoroughly offended by my suspicion, shouted angrily and stomped back to his workshop with heavy footsteps.

After waiting for some time, I heard all sorts of crashing and banging from inside before he finally returned. He set down a glass bottle ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠filled with a pink liquid in front of me.

"This shampoo can penetrate the Forest Ruler's magic resistance. Throw it into a suitable river, let it soak, then lather up with this and rinse three times."

"The effect is guaranteed, right?"

"Of course! Who do you think I am?!"

Hmm. So I just need to wash with this? Given Neukneuk's massive size, washing him will be quite the chore. Still, if it makes his fur soft and fluffy, it's worth the effort. Just imagining the sensation of riding on his back made me feel good.

"Good work. Here's your payment."

I offered him gold coins as proper compensation for creating a quality product, but he didn't accept them right away. What was this? Why wasn't he taking it?

"Um, well... Most of the materials were used to make this shampoo, but there were a few leftovers."

The alchemist fidgeted and awkwardly explained his situation. As I listened, I quickly figured out what he wanted.

"You want to use the remaining materials for yourself?"

"Do I look like such a shameless scoundrel?!"

Huh? I naturally assumed that was the request. Besides, those materials were worthless to me now anyway, so I had been planning to give them to him.

"Of course I do want to use them!"

"Then..."

"But I won't use them for personal gain! I'll offer you the byproducts instead!"

"...I don't need them?"

I had no idea what he planned to make, but whatever it was would only be a burden to me. Nothing he could create would yield better results than what I could achieve by moving my own body.

"What are you saying?! Can you shatter a mountain with your bare hands?!"

"I can."

I literally just did that on my way here.

"Can you pierce a dragon's scales?!"

"Of course."

Cutting with a sword is trivial, and if I overload its pressure points, smashing them by hand is simple enough.

"Can you walk on water?!"

"I told you, yes."

That's actually quite easy.

"Can you fly through the sky?!"

"Yes. I can do that too."

Do you take me for some amateur who can't even perform Void Walking? I may not look it, but I am the one they once called the greatest under heaven.

"Stop lying! No human could possibly do all that! Are you a dragon out on a pleasure trip or something?!"

Watching the alchemist shout in frustration, I could only sigh. No matter how many times I explained it, everything he mentioned was something I could achieve through my own cultivation realm.

"Rather than giving you useless junk, just take it all. I have no need for it."

"I can't do that!"

Why is he so stubborn? If I offer it, he should just accept it. If he keeps bothering me, I'll have no choice but to knock him out, stuff him in my sleeve, and leave.

While I was considering whether to act on that mental image, a good idea suddenly came to me. Weren't alchemists usually quite skilled with their hands? At least, that was what I'd vaguely heard.

"Hey. Are you good at making things?"

"Of course! The foundation of alchemy is creating objects with one's own—"

"Then, if I give you blueprints, could you make something decent?"

"Huh? Sure, as long as the design isn't completely bizarre."

"Good. Let's make a deal. I'll give you all the materials I gathered if you make one item for me."

What a pleasant surprise—this pipe just fell into my hands.

*

After I explained the design and purpose of the smoking pipe, the alchemist grumbled that it was too simple a request. Still, he didn't refuse. The byproducts from the materials I'd brought must have been quite tempting. In exchange for making the pipe, he added all sorts of extra features to it, claiming he couldn't be satisfied with something so basic.

"First, there's a device that automatically lights the tobacco when you put it in, and..."

From what I understood, the pipe included automatic ignition, constant self-cleaning to prevent tar buildup, natural ventilation to avoid tobacco smell lingering, and various other convenient functions. To me, it was an incredibly desirable item. It magically solved all the annoying aspects of smoking a pipe. It even had actual magic imbued in it.

The alchemist wasn't satisfied until he also handed me some high-quality tobacco leaves. Only then did he finally let me go.

After leaving his dwelling, I climbed onto Neukneuk's back and pulled out the pipe while riding on his swaying shoulders. Let's see. First, I put the tobacco leaves into the pipe, placed it in my mouth, and gave the end a light tap.

"Ohh."

The tobacco caught fire. I inhaled the smoke, and a mild, pleasant aroma lingered in my mouth. Not bad. It felt like it was calming my mind.

As I watched the smoke drift behind me, we soon arrived at the river where I planned to wash Neukneuk. Hmm.

"The river is too narrow."

If I were traveling with an ordinary beast, this would have been sufficient. However, Neukneuk was far beyond the realm of "ordinary," so this clearly wouldn't be enough.

"Neukneuk, let's head downstream and take a look."

"Woof!"

Hehe. What a powerful howl. Are you also looking forward to becoming a soft, fluffy wolf?

As we followed the river downstream, we encountered various people. Most of them fled the moment they saw Neukneuk. Even those who considered hunting him immediately begged for their lives and ran away the instant they recognized my face. Thanks to that, I didn't have to engage in a single battle.

"There's no reason to take anything from them."

According to Pipi, the supplies Byeol-ttuk had brought last time would last us at least two days without needing to gather more resources. So there was no point in harassing the weak.

"Just what kind of being do you people imagine the Heavenly Demon to be?"

The Heavenly Demon is the ruler of all demons and the one who shatters the oppressive heavens. I am not some bandit leader or a criminal who deserves the wrath of both heaven and earth. Of course, the latter made up a rather large portion of my life, but that was only my personal history. The life of the Heavenly Demon has nothing to do with crime! Probably!

I tried explaining this to the viewers, but they simply laughed, calling it an unconvincing attempt at persuasion. Damn bastards.

"This should be enough space to wash Neukneuk."

I dismounted from his back and pointed at the river with my finger.

"Enter the water."

However, Neukneuk hesitated to jump in. What was this? Was he afraid of water? Are you secretly a cat?

"Enter the water."

Get in. Otherwise I'll throw you in myself.

Neukneuk looked back and forth between me and the water, then squeezed his eyes shut and hurled himself in. Apparently my terror was greater than his fear of water. There was a loud splash, but none of it reached me. Avoiding something of that level was child's play.

Neukneuk looked up at me with his soaked fur, clearly wanting to get out immediately.

"Stay in there and roll around for at least two minutes."

"Whine..."

"What's with the whining? Don't throw a tantrum. This is all for your own good."

*

"Alright, is everyone here?"

When Bae Min-hwang ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spoke and looked around, everyone nodded. The people gathered there were all leaders of their own teams in Thread. Normally, they would be plundering, hunting, and antagonizing each other. The only reason they ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had gathered in one place was to face an overwhelming, absolute disaster that threatened them all.

Instead of submitting to Hwaryeong, they were trying to figure out how to defeat her.