The Young Cult Leader's Reckoning

The Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult 1-2

The white flowers that had settled upon the young cult leader ignited into pure white flames, using the impurities buried deep within his body as fuel. The rotting hands and feet burned away in those white flames, and fresh new flesh immediately filled in. The angry red rashes subsided, and the scabs and ulcers were consumed and vanished. Compared to the long years of suffering the young cult leader had endured, the treatment finished in an instant.

—Chik, chik.

"Huu—"

"Even calling it impressive feels insufficient. Countless physicians came and went, yet none could even identify the illness…"

"Child, what happened to your appearance?"

"I would believe it even if the Great Sage Equal to Heaven had descended in the flesh."

"It's nothing like that."

While receiving endless praise from the grandfathers, the young cult leader lying on the bed began to stir, groaning as he opened his eyes.

"Ugh… Where…?"

"Patient, are you all right?"

When I leaned in and looked at the young cult leader, he blinked.

"Ah, ah… Are you a goddess? Have you finally come to end this pain?"

I climbed onto the bed and sat on the young cult leader's stomach. His face flushed red.

"O Goddess, I do not dislike this, but is it not too soon?"

"Your head still isn't healed. I'm not a goddess—I'm the grim reaper here to end your miserable life, you bastard."

"Goddess, what are you doing now?"

"Grandfather, you didn't forget our promise, did you?"

"What promise…? Surely you don't mean to actually hit him?"

"Neng. A man's word is his bond, right?"

"······A thousand gold pieces of the central heavens."

BOOM!!

"Guuuaak!"

I drove my fist into the young cult leader's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠face from the mount position. His once-handsome features instantly turned into a bloody pulp.

BOOM!!!

"Keoheok!"

Blood and teeth sprayed into the air.

"Wh-why…?"

"You have to ask? How many stonemasons did you grind up making that egg?"

The young cult leader, now a bloody mess, trembled as he stared at the stone.

"All the stonemasons who worked on it probably died, didn't they?"

"·····."

"That kind of craftsmanship must have taken years. How many died?"

"Th-three hundred…"

"Kya. I've got a condition where I can't stand seeing someone with a worse personality than me. They say a monk can't shave his own head, and this one couldn't fix himself either."

"B-but I am the young cult leader…"

BOOOOM!!

"Jueeeek!!"

The Blood Demon Grandmother, who had raised her hand as if to stop me, lowered it again after hearing the conversation.

BOOOOM—!

"Keoheok."

"Because of you, I feel inferior now."

BOOOOM—!!

"How the hell do you manage to be even more rotten than me? You're one hell of a bastard."

The young cult leader's entire body trembled violently; not a single tooth remained in his mouth. I stepped down from the bed, grabbed him by the neck, and lifted him up. He was still making choking sounds, apparently not having passed out yet.

"Close your eyes."

"L-let go…"

"Martial artists really are something else, being able to glare in this situation."

Crack! Snap.

"Kuaaaaak!!"

With the sound of something tearing, the young cult leader's eyeballs began to spin. Blood poured from his eyes.

"Aaaaaak!! That's enooough!!!"

Even while being strangled, he somehow managed to scream at the top of his lungs.

"Goddess, that should be enough."

"Neng."

Crack!

"Heal."

The young cult leader's eyeballs rolled back and recovered.

"Can you see properly?"

"Uuuugh…"

Judging by the drool dripping from his mouth, he didn't seem to be in his right mind. I shook him by the neck a few times, and he regained some clarity.

"Answer."

"I-I can't see. I really can't see anything."

"That's your future."

Crack, BOOM—!!

I kicked his shin. The young cult leader flew into the corner with his leg bent at a grotesque angle.

"Your dildo is broken too, you bastard."

BOOM! Crack! BOOM! Crack!

Two kicks crushed both of his arms.

"Keoheok— Now my breakfast is finally digesting."

I picked up the strangely twisted young cult leader and carried him back to his original spot. The gathered crowd's heads naturally followed the movement.

"There. I kept him alive just like you asked, Grandfather."

When I handed over the rag-like young cult leader, Grandfather's face crumpled.

"If you give me one more treasure, I'll restore him to perfect condition."

"·····I suppose I'll have to have another child."

System notifications kept ringing in the middle, and I suddenly felt stronger. Something strange had been added to the status window.

"Not the best in the world, just Murim? So there's still someone worse than me out there?"

The world really is vast. While I was examining the status window, the grandfathers and grandmother who had been keeping their distance approached.

"Kekeke, our little one is quite fiery."

"From the moment you started kneading my shoulders with those tiny hands, I could tell your grip was quite strong."

"Child, if you're done with your business, give this old man another chiropractic adjustment."

"Chiropractic? Doing it too often is actually bad for you."

"Aigoo, this grandfather's back is aching."

"Sword Demon Grandfather, your condition is perfectly fine right now."

More than fine—his eyes were practically glowing. Combined with his massive frame well over 190cm and his fierce face, even a sturdy young man would probably wet himself if they met his gaze.

—Chik, chik.

"Huu—"

The Blood Demon Grandmother was right. Most of the people here weren't in their right minds. To survive in this insane world, I had to be the craziest one of all.

"Now it's time to head to the Heavenly Demon Cult's treasury, right?"

The Sword Demon Grandfather, who had been pouting in a way that didn't match his age, suddenly approached with excitement.

"Child, it's the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword! Go bring that first."

"Kuhuhu, the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword sounds good!"

The other grandfathers chimed in, so it must really be something special.

"You crazy old men!!"

The Heavenly Demon Grandfather suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs.

"That's the sacred relic of the cult! And it's hanging right at my waist!!"

"Huh? Was it?"

"Ugh."

The Heavenly Demon Grandfather rubbed the back of his neck. High blood pressure really is a dangerous disease. If even the Diamond Warrior couldn't avoid it, there's no way the Heavenly Demon could either.

***

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Child, it's the Black Blood Soul-Devouring Spear. That's the best one!"

"Spear Demon, have you gone mad already? Why recommend such a crude demonic spear to such a small child?"

"Crude? This is why I can't stand those twig-wielding midgets."

"What did you say?"

In front of the treasury guarded by dozens of martial artists, the grandfathers kept arguing.

"Kahaha. Shut up, you lot. After seeing that fist and kick technique earlier, you're still spouting nonsense. Obviously it's the gauntlets."

While they were all shouting about what was best, from the Heavenly Demon's perspective their behavior must have been infuriating.

Grgrrk!

With a loud noise, the treasury door finally opened.

"I'll be back."

As I stepped into the treasury, the grandfathers and grandmother all rushed in after me.

"You're coming with me?"

"Hehehe, it's been decades since the treasury was last opened. We might as well take a look."

The Blood Demon Grandmother approached from the side and patted my head. I thought only one supervisor would follow, but it seemed everyone was coming in together.

"Let's go together."

As I walked deeper into the treasury, various items were neatly displayed on stone platforms carved from rock. A strange aura flowed from each one, as if to announce how precious they were.

"Child."

"Yes, Grandmother."

"Take that first."

What Grandmother pointed to was an ordinary-looking white porcelain bottle.

"It's difficult for someone who hasn't learned martial arts to consume spiritual medicines. Spiritual medicines are artificially condensed medicinal energy through human hands, after all."

"It looks like alcohol. Is this okay?"

"Nothing harmonizes medicinal energy better than alcohol. Even ordinary people can consume medicinal wine."

"Oho. Thank you."

"Kekeke, you're welcome."

The long, wide corridor was filled with items. Seeing this, I understood why the Heavenly Demon Grandfather had set a limit on the number of items. Each one was extraordinary.

"Kong!"

"Huh? You're awake?"

Baek Seol, who had been in my pocket since I treated the young cult leader, poked her face out. She seemed to have woken up from sleep.

"What do you mean by 'kong'?"

I followed where Baek Seol was pointing with her front paw and found a round object the size of a baseball.

"Baek Seol, do you want to play with this?"

"Eung!"

Just in case, I squeezed it tightly in my hand. It was cold, but it didn't freeze me.

"Here. Play with your toy."

"Fun!"

Roll, roll.

When I placed Baek Seol on the platform, she immediately started rolling the ball around, clearly enjoying it. I got medicine and a toy for Baek Seol. Now I just needed to grab one last thing and leave.

"Ugh!"

"Child! The Heavenly Demon has collapsed!"

"What? Why all of a sudden?"

"He got high blood pressure after seeing the little rabbit playing with the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal."