The Monster Emerges
One day, as winter was slowly creeping in.
Inside Cheongwol Gate, a prestigious sect in Henan, a young man was stomping down the corridor, huffing with rage.
"Damn it!"
His outburst drew the eyes of the disciples passing by.
But the moment they recognized him, they quickly looked away.
It was a sight they had all grown accustomed to.
"...That absolute bastard...!"
His already fierce face contorted, making him look downright villainous.
Those who caught a glimpse of him couldn't help but shudder.
The young man's name was Dang Cheon-il.
He was a direct descendant of the Poison King, Dang Gyeong-ak, the Lord of the Sichuan Dang Clan, and one of the Seven Great Talents, known as the Poison Dragon.
Fuming, Dang Cheon-il continued his march.
His destination was the most remote corner of Cheongwol Gate—an area so far on the outskirts it could barely be considered inside the sect grounds.
Ordinarily, a guest like Dang Cheon-il wouldn't even be allowed near the place.
"I already got permission from the Moonmaster, so come open it in a month."
But because he had the permission of the Moonmaster, Wolseongeom, he was allowed to pass. Much to his absolute annoyance.
That goddamn bastard.
Dang Cheon-il ground his teeth, thinking of the culprit who had ruined his mood.
How long has it even been since we made our agreement, and he's already pulling this crap?!
He was practically boiling with rage. And how could he not be?
A month? A whole month?
Not seven days, but a full, uninterrupted month.
He had promised to teach him every few days, and yet he was already pulling this stunt.
I knew I shouldn't have trusted him.
He hadn't trusted the guy from the start. No matter how strict his father's orders were, being forced to learn from a guy like that was humiliating.
How many times had he practically bowed his head to the floor just to get a single lesson?
He had basically lived like a servant, but he had endured it all through sheer grit.
And yet.
"I'll be gone for a month. Just so you know."
The notification had come out of nowhere. A ridiculous, one-sided declaration that he would be gone for a month, so deal with it.
Before Dang Cheon-il could even argue, the bastard had vanished straight into closed-door seclusion.
Crazy bastard.
How could anyone be so shamelessly arrogant?
This was an agreement made with the great Sichuan Dang Clan—specifically with the Lord of the clan himself.
Did he think he could just treat them like dirt?
I don't care if he's the successor of the Sword Saint.
Dang Cheon-il bit his lip so hard it nearly bled.
He admitted it. Even if he hated to, he had to acknowledge the truth.
The bastard was indeed the successor of the Sword Saint. Dang Cheon-il grimaced as he recalled their duel.
The sword-force he had displayed back then.
Its brilliant, unfathomable power was burned deep into his memory.
He had even reflected on his own arrogance, realizing he had judged the man solely by his appearance.
Cowardly bastard. Hiding his strength like that.
If he had paid closer attention, he might have noticed the hidden power.
It was a bitter self-reflection for underestimating his opponent.
...Once I master the Mancheonhaewoo.
He would crush that bastard. That was the sole thought that had kept him going day after day.
And he dares to play me like this?
They had barely had a few lessons, and he was already pulling this nonsense.
Dang Cheon-il's anger reached its boiling point.
At this point, he didn't care about the lessons anymore.
I'm going to beat him to a pulp.
It would be different from last time. He might have lost due to carelessness then, but not now.
Besides, closed-door seclusion?
He was just finishing his seclusion, so his body was bound to be exhausted and unstable.
He would take advantage of that weakness and break him.
With that thought, Dang Cheon-il arrived at his destination.
A guard had tried to block him at the entrance, but he was allowed through after showing the token he had received from that dog-like successor of the Sword Saint, Bang Seong-yeon.
A massive boulder with an iron door embedded in its center.
It was the seclusion chamber used by the members of Cheongwol Gate.
Once inside, it could not be opened from the within; someone had to unlock it from the outside.
"Tsk."
Dang Cheon-il clicked his tongue and stepped forward. The moment he opened the door, he would strike.
A preemptive strike. He would beat the weakened bastard within an inch of his life.
The consequences? Who cared. Dang Cheon-il decided he didn't give a damn anymore.
If he didn't vent his frustration right now, he felt like he would explode.
Steeling his resolve, he reached out to grab the handle of the iron door. But then...
"..."
He froze.
His hand hovered just inches from the handle.
What if I just... don't open it?
They said it was impossible to open from the inside. If so, couldn't he just pretend he forgot and walk away?
That's actually not a bad idea.
Even to himself, it seemed like a brilliant plan.
Dang Cheon-il nodded to himself and began to pull his hand back.
Or at least, he tried to.
Right then.
Slash!
"Huh?"
The sound of something being cleanly sliced echoed.
Crack! A glowing blue line appeared across the iron door and the surrounding rock.
"What the...?"
Before Dang Cheon-il could even process the sight of the line.
Rumble! Crash!
The massive boulder split apart along the blue line, crumbling into pieces.
"Urgh?!"
Startled by the sudden collapse, Dang Cheon-il hastily leaped backward. What in the world was happening?
He kept his distance, narrowing his eyes as he stared ahead.
Something was shifting behind the rising cloud of dust.
Step.
"...!"
The sound of the footstep sent a shiver straight down Dang Cheon-il's spine.
Step.
The footsteps drew closer. Dang Cheon-il looked down at his sweaty hands. His eyes widened. Without even realizing it, he had already drawn his throwing daggers.
What is this?
What on earth was this pressure?
He stared into the dust with tense, wary eyes.
Flash!
A pair of glowing blue eyes flashed through the haze.
Whoosh!
A sudden gust of wind swept away the obscuring dust. Standing there was a young man in a state of complete disarray.
His long bangs covered most of his face, but his eyes still shone with a sharp light. He had lost some weight, making his cheeks look slightly hollow, but his handsome features remained unmistakable.
However.
"Pah. Ugh, what a mess."
Despite his neat and gentle appearance, his tone was incredibly rough.
"Goddammit. I am never doing this shit again."
Growling, the young man sheathed the sword at his waist.
Watching this, Dang Cheon-il was completely speechless.
What is he?
What did I just witness?
How?
How did he get out? Don't tell me...
...Did he cut it?
Did he literally slice through that thick boulder and the iron door? Weren't they supposed to be absolutely impossible to break from the inside?
And more than that.
What is this terrifying bloodlust?
The aura radiating from Bang Seong-yeon was beyond thick—it was suffocating.
He had no idea what kind of training the man had undergone inside, but just looking at him made his knees tremble.
Cold sweat poured down his face. His body remained locked in a defensive stance.
His internal energy instinctively surged into the daggers in his grip.
But regardless of his sharp instincts, only one thought filled Dang Cheon-il's mind.
I want to run.
I need to get out of here.
I must not oppose this monster.
Just as that overwhelming urge to flee took hold of him.
"Hmm?"
"...!"
Bang Seong-yeon's blue eyes locked onto Dang Cheon-il.
Dang Cheon-il flinched under the gaze.
And then.
Grin.
Bang Seong-yeon smiled.
"Oh, long time no see."
"..."
"What brings you here... Oh, right."
Bang Seong-yeon muttered as he walked forward. Dang Cheon-il tried to take a step back, but...
...My legs.
His legs were frozen in place.
"I asked you to open the door for me in a month, didn't I? Did you come to let me out?"
Bang Seong-yeon asked as he approached.
Dang Cheon-il forced his stiff body to move.
They were close. If he threw his daggers now, maybe he could do something.
With that desperate thought in mind...
"Yes... I came... to open the door for you."
Dang Cheon-il pulled a clean towel from his robes and offered it to him.
"Oh, look at you. Pretty quick-witted."
Bang Seong-yeon chuckled and took the towel.
"..."
Watching him, Dang Cheon-il made a silent decision.
It would definitely be better to fight him later.
Right. He just finished his seclusion. There's no honor in ambushing him when he's like this.
It was only right to crush him when he was in peak condition.
Yes, that was definitely the reason.
Having rationalized it, Dang Cheon-il decided to postpone the fight.
At least... not right now.
The very first thing I did after leaving the seclusion chamber was take a bath.
Having not washed for a month, I smelled terrible, and rolling around in the dust had left me looking like a complete disaster.
I nearly gasped in horror when the bathwater turned murky the instant I stepped in.
"Phew... Now I feel alive."
After scrubbing myself clean from head to toe and changing into fresh clothes, I let out a refreshed sigh.
I finally felt human again.
"Seriously... I am never doing that again."
I shook my head in disgust, recalling the past month. No matter how I looked at it, that wasn't something a human should put themselves through.
I had somehow managed to break out, but it was an experience I never wanted to repeat.
Even so.
Even if I did get results.
Even if I had gained something from the seclusion, I wouldn't do it a second time.
It had been that miserable.
[Tsk, tsk, tsk.]
A chuckle echoed. I looked up to see Yoo Chun-gil grinning down at me.
[Look at you. Anyone would think you gained absolutely nothing from this.]
Yoo Chun-gil's blue eyes flashed as he spoke.
[After everything I spoon-fed you over the past month, how dare you pull such a long face?]
"Spoon-fed, my foot... I was the one doing all the rolling in the dirt."
He made it sound like he had actually taught me something the whole time.
I was the one who had to struggle through it all by myself.
Yoo Chun-gil couldn't manifest during the day because he was maintaining the Yeongmong, so I had to train entirely on my own.
Just repeating the methods he had shown me, over and over, like an idiot.
And whenever I fell asleep after that grueling training, I was dragged into the living hell of the Yeongmong.
That was my routine for a whole month.
And I barely managed to break through at the very end...
It was a constant loop of seemingly impossible situations.
I lost count of how many hundreds of times I died in a single night. Every single day was like that for a month.
It was brutal, absolute torture.
At the end of those days, when I wondered if I would ever be able to win.
On the very last day of my seclusion, I finally managed to wake from the Yeongmong.
Because at the final moment, I had obtained what I needed.
[That alone made this month entirely worth it. You know that as well as I do.]
"..."
I didn't argue. Terrible as it had been, Yoo Chun-gil was right—I had truly gained something at the end of my seclusion.
However.
[My boy. I will tell you once more.]
"Yes, I know. You've said it a thousand times already."
I sighed, looking at Yoo Chun-gil.
"Do not use it recklessly until you are fully accustomed to it. I hear you loud and clear."
[Good.]
There was a catch to the power I had obtained, which was why Yoo Chun-gil was warning me.
And honestly...
I agree with him.
It was a power that was still too difficult to wield freely.
It was incredibly potent, though. After all, I had used it to slice through the seclusion chamber and escape.
I clenched and unclenched my fist, recalling the sensation.
Just how strong have I become?
What were the exact results of my seclusion?
My cultivation realm hadn't jumped dramatically. I was still in the Peak realm, but...
I feel a lot different.
Compared to before, the feeling was night and day.
While I was quietly wondering about the extent of my growth.
[What a ridiculous fellow.]
Reading my mind, Yoo Chun-gil spoke with a smirk.
[How much stronger did you expect to get in a single month? You are far too greedy.]
"...I was just curious."
[Put even that curiosity aside. You will find out soon enough anyway.]
"..."
He had a point.
I smacked my lips and relaxed my hand.
I would find out soon enough.
I knew exactly what those words meant.
After all, I had already brought something up with the Moonmaster.
And that was the very reason I had spent the last month rolling in the dirt.
As I was lost in thought.
"E-Excuse me."
I turned around at the sudden voice.
It was a third-generation disciple of Cheongwol Gate.
"...The Moonmaster is requesting your presence."
"Haha..."
Speak of the devil.
He had somehow figured out I was out and sent for me immediately.
"Tell him I'll be right there."
My breath misted in the air as I spoke. It was the moment I truly realized the season had changed.
And along with that...
The weather was growing colder.
But it wasn't just the cold I had to worry about. Something massive was approaching.
The grand festival of the Orthodox factions, held once every few years.
The Yongbong Association was about to begin.