22
Ep 22
“It… this can’t be.”
Tang Shin-myeong of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Even among rising experts, he was considered one of the strongest in terms of raw power.
Yet a voice of despair escaped his lips.
That man should have been nothing more than a green rookie.
A man who had only just stepped into the martial world.
He seemed confident in his skills, but compared to that confidence, it bordered on recklessness.
Transcendent Peak.
A second wall of talent faced by those who reached the peak stage.
Not impossible to achieve through effort, but never something easily attained.
Tang Shin-myeong himself had reached that level.
And yet… why?
He looked down at his crushed arm.
In the blink of an eye, three peak-level fighters had died.
And one of his arms had been taken.
By that mere rookie.
But in that moment, he had seen it.
The black demonic energy rising from the man’s back.
Only then did everything begin to make sense.
No matter how much they attacked, he showed no sign of exhaustion.
“A new Little Heavenly Demon…!”
Tang Shin-myeong tightened his grip on his sword.
From his shoulder down to his fingertips, a dark aura flowed.
There was no doubt.
That man was using the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
He had to be stopped here.
Realizing that, he unleashed attack after attack.
Until his internal energy ran dry, until his arm was nearly torn apart, he didn’t stop swinging his sword.
“Craaah!!”
He shouted until his throat tore.
Ignoring the screams of his exhausted muscles.
Another strike.
A smile of relief spread across his face, certain the attack had landed.
But—
His opponent, with endless stamina, blocked it effortlessly.
“Ghh—?!”
A black fist slammed into his abdomen.
As his vision turned red, he saw the man looking at him.
“Got anything else?”
His voice carried an unsettling anticipation.
///
“Hup!”
I blocked the incoming blade.
Clang!
The sound of air splitting rang in my ears.
The sword could go no further—and neither could my fist be stopped.
My punch drove straight into his solar plexus, internal energy bursting forth.
Tang Shin-myeong’s body collapsed.
A surge of joy filled me.
I had blocked another of his powerful attacks.
I was getting closer.
Just a few more steps.
The thrill—it was becoming addictive.
At the same time, I wondered what technique I should try next.
If he used a technique openly like that, couldn’t I just evade it efficiently and counter with a punch?
Countless simulations spun through my mind.
‘One more time!’
Driven by greed to take another step forward, I rained punches on him.
Even after saving the city and completing Hong-yeon’s mission, I didn’t stop.
With elixirs boosting my growth, sitting still to train felt like a waste.
No way I’d hold back now.
And once this is all done, I’ll get a pretty good reward.
No—*I will* get it.
If I reach the transcendent level, I’ll gain proper support from Hong-yeon.
And I’ll receive elixirs suited for the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
But there was a problem I hadn’t expected.
I had beaten down so many enemies that there were barely any left to give me experience.
The effect would wear off in about an hour anyway…
But it wasn’t enough.
Just one more step.
One final step.
If I crossed that wall—
I could grow even faster beyond it.
This opportunity to multiply my training efficiency wasn’t something that came often.
So I had to push through.
To the very end.
After some thought, I left one of the strongest enemies alive.
I could have finished him anytime.
But I didn’t.
“Hey. Where do you think you’re going?”
I grabbed his hair and forced him back up.
“Want to get beaten again? Pick up your sword.”
I kicked his stomach, sending him rolling.
Then I tossed his sword back to him.
He glared at me, teeth clenched in humiliation.
“H-how dare you… do this to me…!”
His arm holding the sword was twisted unnaturally, bones clearly shattered.
“Stop talking. Pick it up.”
“You… you monster…!”
With trembling hands, he pushed himself up.
Then charged again.
Even though he looked like he’d collapse any second, he didn’t give up.
He squeezed out the last of his energy.
At first, he had glared at me like he wanted to kill me.
But after dozens of defeats, that turned into desperate screams.
Finally, he slammed his head to the ground.
“Stop! Please, stop! I was wrong! Just stop!”
“Stop what? Do that thing again. Swing your sword.”
“….”
He looked up at me with terrified eyes.
“Come on.”
Eventually, he picked up the sword again.
Now, he looked pitiful.
Not that it mattered to me.
“Good. You’ve lasted well for a leader. Didn’t you say you’d kill every Demonic Cult member you saw?”
“….”
“Let’s go fifty more times. Round it up to a hundred.”
His body flinched.
///
All around, people who met my gaze swallowed nervously.
They looked like they had seen a ghost.
Well… at this point, anything else would be strange.
I had turned their leader into a rag.
I walked back the way I came.
There, someone was waiting quietly.
The moment I saw her face, my mind went blank.
I hadn’t expected her to be waiting.
“You’re here.”
Hong-yeon, draped in a black dragon robe, turned to me with a smile.
“It seems you’ve already taken care of everything you needed to do.”
Her gentle voice brought me back to my senses.
She looked over my body, clearly impressed.
“You really do have talent. I didn’t expect I’d come to you myself.”
She hesitated, unsure where to start, then began examining me.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you mean? This was the plan.”
“Explain properly.”
“You’re on the verge of breaking through. I was looking for the mark. With a little adjustment, you should be able to
cross the wall.”
“…?”
“Then let me ask you something.”
“Go ahead.”
She stepped closer, her gaze slightly suspicious.
“Cheon Hye-rin. The Sword Empress. She seems quite concerned about you.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. What did you do to her?”
“….”
“She’s famous. In a war like this, she’d normally be the first to eliminate threats.”
“And?”
“And yet, she was only worried about you.”
“….”
“If you don’t know, then forget it.”
She smiled faintly.
“You’ve exceeded expectations. I’ll give you that.”
“You didn’t seem so generous when giving me elixirs earlier.”
“That was different. Why would I give something precious to a man I just met?”
“…Fair enough.”
“But now, it’s not a waste.”
She looked satisfied.
“….”
After a moment, I turned and headed straight for Cheon Hye-rin.
///
Now I understood why I couldn’t take that final step.
Something was missing.
The mark.
I didn’t have the mark I was supposed to possess.
So I chose the simplest solution.
Go to Cheon Hye-rin.
She wouldn’t refuse me.
And someone of her level could provide a better mark than Hong-yeon.
Even beyond that, it would help when using other martial arts in the future.
I approached her.
Seeing me, she froze.
“E-Eugene… put your clothes on.”
“I need something.”
She turned her head slightly, flustered.
“Stop… you’re too close.”
She tried to push me away, but it lacked conviction.
“…”
She slowly closed her eyes.
As if preparing herself.
Her tension gradually faded.
“I… I can’t… not here…”
“Why not?”
“…At least… not like this.”
“…What are you talking about?”
I grabbed her hand and placed it on my chest.
“I just need you to leave something here.”
“…!!!”