The Return of the Heavenly Demon

Soon, a bubbling pot of kimchi stew was placed before me. I could tell just by the scent—there was no way this could taste bad. I scooped up a generous amount of pork and kimchi and popped it into my mouth. Across from me, my older sister watched with teary eyes.

"You must have had a hard time eating properly out there."

I shook my head. "I just couldn't get anything spicy. I ate well enough. I even had a personal chef."

"You're just saying that so I won't worry, right?"

"No, it's the truth. Didn't you see how the association staff treated me earlier?"

"Still..."

Just then, my brother-in-law emerged from the kitchen with stir-fried pork and rolled omelets. "My brother-in-law might be a bit blunt, but he’s not the type to lie," he added, taking the seat next to my sister. "I like that he eats everything with such gusto."

I answered with a smile. "Are you going to have a glass of soju after dinner?"

"I'd love that."

The kimchi stew was perfect—great with rice while the broth was plentiful, and excellent as a snack once it reduced. It wasn't for nothing that I’d asked my brother-in-law for it. After polishing off two bowls of rice, the drinking session began. My brother-in-law filled my glass, then his own, and asked, "Let's hear how you lived."

"I just went to sleep like normal, and when I woke up, I was in the Murim."

It had been a training camp for recruits entering the Cult. I’d ended up going through that grueling life twice, which was never in my cards. "If you were dropped in the Murim, you must have belonged to a sect. Don't tell me... the Nine Great Sects?"

I shook my head.

"Must have been a mid-sized sect, then."

"No."

"Then what? Did you work as an instructor at a martial arts hall? Or a caravan guard?"

My brother-in-law, a fan of martial arts novels, started listing every profession imaginable. "It couldn't have been a constable, the Imperial Guards, or the Eastern Depot, right?"

"Of course it wasn't the Eastern Depot!" I bristled at the mention of the eunuch faction.

"Was it an unorthodox sect? Maybe the Green Forest?"

"No, the Heavenly Demon Cult."

"The Heavenly Demon Cult?" My brother-in-law’s eyes went wide. "You didn't learn any strange martial arts, did you? Like mortgaging your soul? Or getting stronger by drinking blood?"

I shook my head. "I don't know about other places, but our Cult didn't have such arts." In the first place, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠such techniques didn't even exist in the Cult I led.

"That’s a huge relief." My brother-in-law drank a shot of soju and asked, "Did you learn any martial arts? Isn't it common to be unable to learn anything if you start late?"

What he said was common sense. Normally, I would have learned a few third-class techniques and spent my life as a perimeter guard. But I possessed a talent that defied all common sense: the greatest martial talent of all time. Why else would I have earned such a nickname?

"I had the talent."

"Then, are you going to climb the Tower from now on?"

"Well, I'm used to fighting, so I suppose I should."

"Still, be careful. Don't get hurt."

I grinned and nodded. "I will."

I drank soju with my brother-in-law until late into the night. My sister had gone upstairs early to look after my nieces, and the table was piled high with empty soju bottles. Unlike me, who was immune to all poisons and therefore couldn't get drunk, my brother-in-law’s face was beet red.

"Brother-in-law, that's enough."

"Just one last glass."

No sooner had he nodded and downed the shot than he suddenly started nodding off. He must have really overdone it. As I was supporting him to head up to the second floor, he muttered, "I'm so glad you came back in one piece."

"I’ll make sure you, my sister, and the kids live in luxury."

He continued, talking like he was sleep-talking. "No, forget luxury. Let's just stay healthy. Don't push yourself and get hurt."

I chuckled and made a promise. "I'll climb at a reasonable pace."

When I opened my eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling greeted me. Right, I had returned home. I sat up on the sofa. As I was heading to the kitchen to drink some water, the bedroom door opened and Daeun came out.

"Did you sleep well?"

Daeun gave a slight nod. "Yes. Did you sleep well, Uncle?"

Perhaps because it had been so long, she was still keeping her distance. Well, time would solve that. "Yeah, I slept well too."

Just then, the master bedroom door opened. My sister came out, yawning widely. "What time did you drink until yesterday? I woke up and was shocked because the smell of alcohol was everywhere."

"Hmm, 1 AM? I don't remember exactly."

"Take it easy."

"I'm perfectly fine."

"Sure, sure."

My sister took various ingredients out of the fridge and started boiling something. "What are you making?"

"Pollack soup. You might be fine, but your brother-in-law needs it."

"You're hurting my feelings."

"Got a problem with that?"

I shook my head and went to the sofa. I looked up various things on the smartphone the association had given me before I left. Just looking at the news on the main portal site, I realized the world had changed quite a bit. It was a sign of the times that a breaking news report about a guild starting to clear the Tower had just been posted.

Just then, sensing someone’s presence, I turned my head. Daeun was sitting a little way off. "What is it, Daeun?"

"I'm just staying here. Jieun is still asleep."

Daeun glanced at me every so often while looking at her smartphone. "Why? Is there something you want to ask?"

"Are you going to climb the Tower?"

"Yeah, I have to."

"I see."

"Are you interested in it?"

Daeun nodded slightly. "A little. But Mom and Dad are against it."

"It's dangerous, after all."

"But someone has to climb it."

"Does it have to be our Daeun?"

Daeun pouted and glanced toward the master bedroom. It seemed my brother-in-law’s injury had left a deep impression on her. "Still..."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"When I met you yesterday, you came with the Association President. You're very strong, aren't you, Uncle?"

I nodded. "I suppose so."

"That's why I'm asking. Can't you persuade Mom and Dad?"

"Well, I don't think this is a decision to be made right now. Let's talk about it later."

"Okay."

I was looking at my phone again when the master bedroom door opened and my brother-in-law stumbled out. "Ugh, my head."

He shuffled into the kitchen and, after a while, came out to the living room. "Did you sleep well, my daughter?"

"Yeah. Did you drink a lot yesterday?"

"A little, just a little."

He sat down between Daeun and me. "Did you sleep well, brother-in-law? I feel bad for making you sleep on the sofa."

I chuckled and told him it was fine. As we were chatting about this and that, my sister shouted from the kitchen, "Everyone, come eat breakfast!"

After a hearty breakfast, I found a message from the association staff member who had dropped me off yesterday, asking when they should come to pick me up. I told them to meet me in an hour. After a moment of thought, I borrowed some of my brother-in-law’s clothes. We were similar in height, but the difference in build made them a bit tight. I’d need to buy some clothes once I earned some money.

"I'll be back."

My sister and brother-in-law, sitting side-by-side on the sofa, waved. "Come back safely."

"I'll make something delicious for dinner, too. Eat at home."

When I stepped outside, the car from yesterday was waiting. As I opened the passenger door and climbed in, the staff member asked, "Shall I take you to the association?"

I shook my head. "To the Tower first."

"Understood."

The staff member didn't say anything else and started the car. When we were somewhat close to the Tower, I asked casually, "Do you have any weapon rentals?"

"There should be beginner weapons in the trunk. If you want something better, I can look into it."

"A sword is enough."

As we got closer to the Tower, the number of expensive foreign cars increased. I guess hunters really do make a lot of money. The staff member parked in a lot near the Tower. "We have to walk from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠here."

When I got out of the car, the staff member followed. "Aren't you going back to the association?"

"The Association President instructed me to follow you for about a week to help you adapt."

The staff member opened the trunk. "Will a sword do?"

I walked over and looked into the trunk. There were various weapons. "I told you, a sword is enough."

The staff member handed me a sword, scabbard and all. "Please, this way."

I followed the staff member into the Tower. Standing at the base, I realized just how tall it really was. It seemed higher than any mountain. "You can just go in."

At that moment, the surrounding scenery suddenly shifted. A massive lobby appeared before me. Knights in armor, mages in robes, people who looked like martial artists, people with summoned beasts—I saw plenty of outfits that you would never find in society.

"How do I enter?"

"This way."

As I followed the staff member inside, a large magic circle appeared. The staff member held out their hand. When I tilted my head in confusion, a glass bottle filled with a red ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠liquid appeared.

"It's a health potion. It works whether you drink it or apply it. I'm giving it to you just in case."

"I'll put it to good use."

The staff member pointed to the magic circle. "If you stand on it, you'll see a system window. I'll wait outside."

As I approached the magic circle, the staff member added, "Besides the fact that you can only enter once a day, floors 1 through 10 are solo-play only."

Actually, it didn't matter ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to me whether I went alone or with someone else. I had looked up the details for the first floor that morning. Catching 10 goblins was something I could do with my eyes closed.

As I stood on the magic circle, a translucent window appeared.

They said I could express my intent in any way here. I nodded and waited to enter, but then—

The windows kept popping up. I guess the difficulty is going up. It didn't really bother me. The Heavenly Demon is a being that never retreats. And no matter how hard the first floor is, how hard could it possibly be?