Seojin was training in swordsmanship in the courtyard of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s safehouse.
The sword art she was performing was the Yellow Dragon Sword Art.
The Yellow Dragon Sword Art as reinterpreted by Geom Mugeuk was not difficult, yet it was profound.
It was the sort of sword art that revealed a different facet each time one’s skill improved. And so, the stronger she became, the more deeply she would come to admire it.
Over the past few days, she had devoted herself to training. During the day, she practiced swordsmanship, and when night fell, she cultivated ghost arts. It was the first time in her life she had ever trained in martial arts so earnestly.
Even before this incident, she had known well that the murim was a frightening and dangerous place. But as someone born of the Ghost Gate’s bloodline, she had never once felt true fear.
Yet through this incident, she realized something. The murim she had lived in until now had been a murim inside a greenhouse. A murim where one merely punished local ruffians.
The real murim was a place where a young man smiling brightly in front of you might be the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, and a barefoot martial hall instructor might be someone aiming for that Young Cult Leader’s life.
She had learned that once she opened the greenhouse door and stepped outside, it might not simply be a fierce wind waiting for her, but a sheer cliff of a thousand gil.
If Geom Mugeuk and Ian had not come to help her this time, would she truly have survived here?
Seojin’s gaze turned once more toward the entrance.
It felt as if the door might open at any moment.
The two Demon Venerables and Ian, who had left to bring back the Young Cult Leader, had not returned for several days.
‘You said that when you recruited me, didn’t you? That I should trust only you. I’m trusting you. So hurry back.’
When she thought about it, this whole affair had begun because of her, which made her worry all the more. It had started with the investigation into the death of Im Hyeon, the elder brother from her hometown.
Just then, Gyoseok and Yugwang of the White Dragon Class, who had come to the safehouse with her, emerged into the courtyard.
Now that they knew who she was, they treated Seojin with extreme caution.
“Were you training?”
Seojin smiled at the two of them.
“You can act comfortably around me.”
“We still can’t do that.”
To an ordinary martial artist, the demons of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult were terror itself.
Even while staying at the safehouse over the past few days, they had felt as though they were sitting on pins and needles. Afraid they might run into the demons managing the safehouse, afraid they might offend them, they had not even raised their voices.
“It’s stifling, isn’t it? Everyone should be back soon.”
Gyoseok, who had been watching Seojin’s expression, spoke as though half resigned to his fate.
“In the end, you’re going to kill us, aren’t you?”
Seojin asked back with a puzzled expression. They had been fine for days, so why now?
“Why are you suddenly saying that?”
At that, Gyoseok glanced at Yugwang beside him.
“He said his anxiety disappeared this morning.”
Yugwang, who had always gone around saying he felt uneasy, had suddenly said today that his anxiety had vanished.
“I don’t know why, but my heart feels at ease.”
At Yugwang’s words, Gyoseok let out a sigh.
“Thanks to that, I feel even more ominous.”
“I said the anxiety disappeared!”
“That’s why I’m asking why it suddenly disappeared!”
“Maybe something good is going to happen.”
“No, you have to keep feeling anxious! That’s what lets me feel at ease.”
Gyoseok was not saying it as a joke. His anxiety was sincere.
“I have one request. I wrote a letter in my room to send to my parents. If I die, please make sure it gets sent. Ah, don’t worry. I didn’t write a single word related to the Demonic Cult—no, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. No one will ever know that we were silenced by the Divine Cult.”
It was right then.
“You think just anyone is worth killing to silence?”
The three of them turned in surprise and saw Ian entering.
“Commander! You’ve returned?”
Seeing that she had come back safely, Seojin was overjoyed.
Behind Ian, the Fist Demon and the Ilhwa Sword Venerable followed in.
Seojin greeted the Fist Demon and the Ilhwa Sword Venerable respectfully as well. Gyoseok and Yugwang retreated, lowering their heads and not even daring to breathe.
After the two Demon Venerables went inside first, Seojin asked Ian,
“What about the Young Cult Leader?”
“He’ll be here soon.”
Leaving Seojin to feel relieved, Ian teased Gyoseok and Yugwang.
“If you want to send a letter, go out and send it yourself. You brat, if you’re going to have useless worries like that, at least make them big enough to actually get you killed to silence you.”
At that, Gyoseok asked happily,
“You’re really sparing us?”
“If we were going to kill you, we’d have done it already.”
“Thank you.”
Then Gyoseok looked at Yugwang.
‘But why is your intuition so accurate?’
Thinking that his intuition had been right, Yugwang mustered his courage.
“I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“I want to follow you to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult too.”
Gyoseok was startled and tried to stop Yugwang.
“You! Are you insane?”
Ian quietly looked at Yugwang. It would not be bad to have at least one subordinate who could sense ill omens well. But he was far too young and innocent to take along for a reason like that.
“I refuse.”
“May I ask the reason?”
What was she supposed to say to a naive boy who had no idea what it meant to live as a demon? If war breaks out, you’ll have to point your sword at your friends? Could you kill Gyoseok beside you? Your parents, who sent you to a martial hall to learn martial arts, would faint. Are you still fine with that?
As Ian was wondering what answer she could use to convince him,
A refreshing reply came from the entrance.
“Because you’re not skilled enough yet.”
They turned and saw Geom Mugeuk entering the safehouse. This time, Ian and Seojin welcomed him together.
“Young Cult Leader!”
Ian had answered Seojin with conviction that Geom Mugeuk would arrive soon, but inwardly, she had still been worried. After all, his opponent had been who he was.
She had said, Who worries about whom? But if not her, then who else would worry about Geom Mugeuk?
“Become exactly ten times stronger than you are now, and then come find Ian.”
At that moment, Ian knew. That was the correct answer. No matter how many explanations they gave him, Yugwang would only be left with lingering regrets and a complicated heart.
But if he strove to become ten times stronger, he would grow into an excellent martial artist.
And by the time he became ten times stronger, this affair would have become a memory of his youth. If he still did not forget this matter and came to find them then, that could truly be called fate.
“Can you do that?”
At Geom Mugeuk’s question, Yugwang answered with vigor.
“Yes! I’ll become ten times stronger and come see you again!”
After making that bold declaration, Yugwang’s expression darkened.
“Ah, I feel anxious again.”
At that sight, Gyoseok let out a sigh.
“So you’ll be anxious until you become ten times stronger. And I’ll have to live the rest of my life hearing you say you’re anxious.”
“You said I had to be anxious!”
Geom Mugeuk felt that the friendship between the two of them would continue just like this. Even if they came back after becoming ten times stronger, he had a feeling the two would come together. Yes, when you look back on this friendship, don’t lose it over something trivial. Protect it well.
Just then, Yeon Baekjin walked out to them. When he appeared, Gyoseok and Yugwang withdrew to their quarters and gave them space.
“You’ve returned?”
Yeon Baekjin was curious about what had happened to his older brother, but he did not dare ask first.
How could Geom Mugeuk not know what was in his heart?
“From now on, you are the hall master of the Yellow Dragon Martial Hall.”
With those words, he understood. His brother was dead. He was about to ask who had killed him, but stopped. That would be no different from asking the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, “Did you kill my brother?”
He was not as shocked as he had expected, nor did he feel as relieved or delighted as he thought he might.
“He went without pain. He died without even realizing he was dying, so do not be too grieved.”
Though it was the brother who had tried to kill him, the thought that it was fortunate he had died without pain came to him. Blood was blood, after all.
“From now on, the Yellow Dragon Martial Hall will change.”
His brother had run solely toward making it the greatest martial hall in the Central Plains. Yeon Baekjin had no such ambition.
“Even if I raise only one person, I will raise a martial artist with proper character.”
“You may start with the two fellows who just went inside.”
Yeon Baekjin nodded and looked at Geom Mugeuk, Ian, and then Seojin.
Geom Mugeuk could feel it. In the way he looked at Seojin, there was no sign of the tragic fate that had gone all the way to the end.
After all, Geom Mugeuk had begun this affair to change the fate of those two.
‘I did it.’
Thus, the matter of the Yellow Dragon Martial Hall was completely concluded.
* * *
Geom Mugeuk told the Fist Demon and the Ilhwa Sword Venerable about what had happened with the Sword King.
“I’ve decided to get along with that man like a friend.”
He spoke honestly, thinking the Demon Venerables ought to know as well.
If the one who had said this had not been Geom Mugeuk, neither the Fist Demon nor the Ilhwa Sword Venerable would ever have believed it.
The aura of the Sword King that they had seen.
There had been no room between those densely packed sword blades for another person to step in.
“What kind of man is he?”
The Ilhwa Sword Venerable showed her curiosity. Since the other party was a swordsman, her interest naturally arose.
“To be honest, I don’t know him deeply either, but I did get this impression. He is someone who wants to be freer than anyone, yet is bound hand and foot by them.”
At that, the Ilhwa Sword Venerable said something unexpected.
“Like you?”
Geom Mugeuk looked at her and smiled. In the Ilhwa Sword Venerable’s eyes, it seemed he too appeared to be someone tightly bound and longing for freedom.
“Since there is someone who understands me this well, I think I can endure even if the ropes that bind me hurt.”
“Who in this world could bind the Young Cult Leader? You must have bound yourself.”
Because of that, she thought the freedom Geom Mugeuk longed for must be even more desperate.
“That’s right. I am someone who wants to roam this murim freely. The reason I took Father on a journey was because I hoped Father would also live a free life.”
Another layer of honesty was added to that.
“But as much as I desire freedom, I also have exactly that much desire for power. It is not some other position, but the seat of Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Freedom is fine for a day or two, but what sort of grand freedom would make me kick away this position without hesitation? I certainly have the desire to inherit it and manage it well.”
Of course, before that, he first had to persuade his father to give up on unifying the murim within the five years he had promised him.
Then the Fist Demon, who had only been listening, spoke calmly.
“You will become a good Cult Leader.”
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze turned toward the Fist Demon. At times like this, he could feel just how much power the silence of taciturn people possessed.
If he said something like this to someone, they would say, “More flattery?” But a single sentence like this from the Fist Demon, who spoke little, flew in with great force.
“Of course, a better Cult Leader than Father, right?”
Of course, to the Fist Demon, his father’s existence was an impregnable fortress.
“That will be difficult.”
Geom Mugeuk asked with a smile. Now was the time to express his gratitude.
“The chair that led underground—you left it behind on purpose, Master, didn’t you?”
The person the Sword King had trusted must truly have been a master. Perhaps one of the Twelve Earthly Branch Kings. The Fist Demon had left the chair behind even while fighting such an expert.
The Fist Demon merely nodded slightly and did not boast about it.
The more someone did not boast, the more one ought to express gratitude.
By recognizing his intention and voicing his thanks, the difficult battle the Fist Demon had fought could be brought to a proper close.
Geom Mugeuk respectfully bowed his head and put a period on it.
“Thank you very much.”
* * *
That night, Geom Mugeuk opened the Spacetime Transposition Art.
For the first time in a while, it was not for training, but for rest.
A white sandy beach stretched out before an endless blue sea. Beneath a tree with broad leaves stood a comfortable chair.
“Ah! This is wonderful!”
As he leaned back comfortably in the chair, the words came out on their own.
“Now, you rest a little too.”
He placed the secret coffer on the spot he had made for it beside him.
Then, for a while, he gazed at the blue sky and sea.
As the sea breeze blew gently, carrying warm heat, his mood lifted on its own.
“I learned a great deal about you on this trip.”
As the energy in his body became his own, his feelings toward the secret coffer also grew more familiar.
“Where are the other three energies?”
For now, there was one place that came to mind.
The Murim Alliance.
The secret coffer had come from the main cult, and he had obtained orbs from the Heretical Alliance, the Pungcheon Cult, and the Northern Sea Ice Palace. In that case, would the Murim Alliance not have one as well?
“There is one in the Murim Alliance too, isn’t there? Right?”
If only you could speak.
Even if it was being kept in the Murim Alliance, he could not very well go to the alliance leader or Jin Hagun and tell them to hand over the orb. Like the things he had obtained until now, he would gain it when fate connected it to him.
Geom Mugeuk resolved not to hurry. It had been the same when he first obtained the secret chest. He would leave it to fate and keep his mind at ease.
Geom Mugeuk emptied his head and savored the time alone.
He dozed off in his chair, woke, strolled along the beach, then squatted down to watch the crabs crawling about.
He lay down again and fell asleep, then woke once more and gazed at the sea. Then he shouted.
“I really don’t want to leave!”
* * *
The next morning, the carriages returning to the main cult were prepared.
Three carriages.
The Fist Demon rode at the front, the Ilhwa Sword Venerable in the middle, and Geom Mugeuk, Ian, and Seojin rode in the last carriage. Out of consideration for their comfort, the two Demon Venerables had been given separate carriages.
Seojin expressed her gratitude to Geom Mugeuk, who sat across from her.
“Thanks to you, I was able to avenge my brother. Thank you, Young Cult Master.”
Considering what you did for me in my life before the regression, this is nothing.
With a meaningful smile, Geom Mugeuk asked her,
“How does it feel, going to the main cult?”
She seemed to ponder what to say for a moment.
Then Seojin abruptly held out her hand, palm facing upward.
Sssss.
Black smoke rose from her palm and formed a black wolf. It was small enough to fit in her hand, but it was a handsome wolf, and its gaze was dignified.
“When the Unit Leader first recruited me, this was how I was.”
Sssssss!
More black smoke rose in front of the wolf, forming the face of a huge tiger.
The moment that tiger opened its jaws wide—
The fine wolf burst with a pop and turned into a terrified dog with its tail tucked between its legs.
“And this is my current state.”
Geom Mugeuk laughed as he looked at the dog. So you knew how to do tricks like this, yet you never showed me once when you were a wandering warrior.
“That’s exactly what I look like in front of my father.”
With an expression of shared suffering, Geom Mugeuk stroked the dog, and the dog made of black smoke rubbed its face against his hand.
As he petted the dog, Geom Mugeuk said,
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a tiger, a wolf, or a dog.”
“Then what does matter?”
The same wish Geom Mugeuk held for Ian was conveyed to Seojin as well.
“What matters is whether you’ll be happier than you are now when you go to the main corps. I don’t want an unhappy tiger.”
Seojin had not known the Young Cult Master for long, but she could tell, at the very least, that those words were sincere.
Pop!
The dog disappeared, and in its place, the wolf from before formed again.
“Even if I can’t become a happy tiger, I’ll do my best to become a happy wolf.”
Yes, the woman he had met as a wandering warrior before his regression had been like a lone wolf.
Live just like that, Seojin. But this time, be a wolf who lives with a bright smile.
Now that he thought of returning to the main cult, the faces he wanted to see came to mind one after another. Faces he had not properly seen because he had left the cult in such haste.
Geom Mugeuk stuck his head out the carriage window and shouted loudly.
“All right, departure for the main cult! This time, we’re going as fast as possible!”