Late that night, Gwak Yeong was cleaning up the forge with a body that felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
She wiped the worktable with a damp cloth and swept the ash and iron filings on the floor into one pile.
Once the youngest master artisan of the Murim Alliance, she was now doing menial chores in the forge of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Ever since coming here, she had silently devoted herself only to the work assigned to her.
At first, many had looked upon her with displeasure. They disliked that she had come from the Murim Alliance, and they disliked that she was a woman.
Enduring that disregard and contempt in silence, she never shirked the dirty work. Thanks to that, the way people looked at her these days had changed greatly.
The nature of those who worked iron was like fire. What they hated, they hated with fiery intensity, but what deserved acknowledgment, they acknowledged without fail. Without question, she had worked hard enough to earn everyone’s recognition.
It had also been a time for her to look back on herself.
‘That’s right. This was how I felt when I first learned forge work.’
When had it begun? After becoming a master artisan, her shoulders had unknowingly risen with pride, and she felt she had lost that venomous determination. Perhaps the reason those men who had kidnapped her younger brother had targeted her was because they had slipped into that loosened state of mind.
Just as she finished the exhausting work for the day and was about to be the last to leave the forge, someone called out to her. The one who had not yet gone home and remained in his office was none other than Master Gwak of the forge.
“Starting tomorrow, use the fire.”
To be told to use the fire meant she was being told to make weapons. As the permission she had been waiting for finally fell, Gwak Yeong’s face brightened.
“Thank you.”
Master Gwak had treated her indifferently, but he had been watching her all along.
“There are still people who look upon you with displeasure.”
“I know.”
“Prove yourself with the sword you make.”
“Yes!”
As Master Gwak left the forge, Gwak Yeong bowed her head again and again in thanks.
Gwak Yeong walked over to the extinguished furnace.
At last, she could make a sword! How long had she waited for this moment?
She forced herself to hold back the tears that threatened to spill out. She must not grow weak.
Her younger brother, who had applied as a low-ranking martial artist, had begun his life as a demonic cultist. She could tell just by looking at his face how hard and difficult it was, yet he too was gritting his teeth and enduring.
‘We’ll be able to do this.’
After looking around the empty forge, she stepped out.
As she closed the door and came out, someone spoke to her.
“Congratulations.”
Startled, she turned around to find Geom Muyang standing there.
A look of gladness flickered across her face, but it soon hardened as she asked,
“By any chance?”
“If you are asking whether I asked Master Gwak to let you make swords, then no. If I had done that, you would never be able to work here.”
He was right. The Master Gwak she had experienced was not someone who would accept such external pressure, even from the eldest young master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. On the contrary, if such a request had been made, she would never be allowed to make swords for the rest of her life.
“I simply wanted to tell you congratulations.”
Yesterday, Master Gwak had come to find him and said that the time had come to let Gwak Yeong make swords. That was how he had learned of it, and why he had come today.
The reason Geom Muyang paid attention to her was because she had come all the way to this distant Heavenly Demon Divine Cult because of him.
Having said that, Geom Muyang was about to turn away when Gwak Yeong spoke.
“Buy me a drink.”
When Geom Muyang turned back to her, her old self appeared for the first time in a long while.
“Why are you looking at me like that? You know I was originally this bold, don’t you? I’ve just been holding it in since I came here. Eldest Young Master, please put up with my temper just for today. I was one step away from collapsing from pent-up frustration.”
She spoke so confidently that Geom Muyang ended up letting out a faint laugh. Encouraged by his favorable response, she continued.
“Today, at least, I want someone to congratulate me. As for asking you to buy, as you know, I’m not yet in a position to receive proper monthly pay. A month from now, I’ll buy.”
Geom Muyang nodded. As it happened, he had been debating whether or not to suggest a celebratory drink. He had turned away because he worried it might burden her, but she had spoken first.
Yes, he wanted to congratulate her. She truly had worked hard. He did not regret introducing her to Master Gwak in the slightest.
There was someone watching from afar as the two walked off together. It was none other than Geom Mugeuk. He had gone to see his older brother’s face, only to be told by a subordinate that he had gone to the forge, so he had come looking.
His brother had not forgotten Gwak Yeong and was looking after her.
If it had been his former brother, it would have been something he would not have cared about at all. Seeing how much his brother had changed, Geom Mugeuk’s gaze deepened.
“You have to become even cooler from now on, hyung.”
* * *
Geom Mugeuk returned straight to his residence.
During the time he had promised his father, Geom Mugeuk unfolded the Space-Time Transposition Art and trained in martial arts. At this time, his father would also be learning the Space-Time Transposition Art. He himself unleashed the Nine Flames Demonic Art again and again.
Because he had activated the Time-Heaven Secret Art, he was not merely waiting five si-chen.
The Time-Heaven Secret Art, which had once granted him seven times as much time, now granted him nine times as much. Five si-chen in reality was forty-five si-chen for Geom Mugeuk, nearly four days.
Geom Mugeuk had no intention of telling his father about the Time-Heaven Secret Art, which slowed the flow of time within the Space-Time Transposition Art.
If it was his father, he would surely achieve great mastery of the Time-Heaven Secret Art as well, and he might even try to obtain the true pinnacle of martial essence.
In doing so, he might become a Demonic Immortal and ascend, or he might spend the rest of his life absorbed in martial arts training and never come out of the Space-Time Transposition Art. It was not a joke; he truly might lose his father.
‘I’m sorry, Father. I trust that you would control it well, but this son of yours is the sort who worries far too much.’
Geom Mugeuk focused on training the Nine Flames Demonic Art.
‘I will break through the great mastery of the tenth level of the Nine Flames Demonic Art and reach great mastery of the twelfth level!’
Since they had lost the Twelve Branch Kings, there was no telling when Hwa Mugi might appear.
Even so, he intended to struggle until the very last moment. If, despite working this hard, he still could not defeat Hwa Mugi, then at that time he would acknowledge it like a martial artist. Yes, you won.
When he grew tired from training, he opened the hot spring and soaked his body; when he grew tired from training again, he opened the island and rested while feeling the sea breeze.
Throughout his training, he was curious.
Would his father be able to succeed within the time limit?
In that way, five si-chen passed in reality.
Geom Mugeuk went to see his father again. His father was waiting in the private training ground.
First, he gauged his father’s mood.
Had he learned it within the time limit? Or had he failed?
But from his father’s expression, he could not tell whether it was failure or success. At times like this, only one thought came to mind.
‘Father, you truly should have become a gambler!’
For now, there was a chance he had failed.
“Even if you failed, please do not be too ashamed. Five si-chen is an absolutely impossible amount of time. I do not like such an inhuman father. So please speak frankly. ‘My son, five si-chen is too much. Give me a little more time.’”
One corner of his father’s mouth, filled with confidence, rose slightly.
Snap.
His father flicked his finger.
Geom Mugeuk and Geom Ujin were standing in a new space. A white space with nothing in it.
It was his father’s Space-Time Transposition Art.
“You did it!”
Geom Mugeuk jumped up and down in delight. He was happier than when he himself had succeeded. For now, as long as his father could unfold it, whether or not he used it was a matter for later.
That was a matter his father would choose, and Geom Mugeuk was satisfied enough that he now had a hidden move to protect his father.
“I will definitely tell Cult Leader Pungcheon. That Father took five si-chen.”
“Four si-chen.”
“What?”
“I finished it in four si-chen.”
“Cult Leader Pungcheon will probably faint from shock!”
That would not be the case. He already knew that Geom Mugeuk had learned it in two si-chen. He would probably say this instead: Ugh, those dreadful Geom men!
“You are truly amazing! I respect you, Father.”
The fact that his father could open a space so instantly left Geom Mugeuk not merely impressed, but astonished. He himself had learned the Space-Time Transposition Art in two si-chen, half the time his father had taken.
But after that, he had trained and refined it for a long time in order to open a space so instantly. Yet his father had opened this space in an instant.
Was it due to some special enlightenment he had obtained by achieving great mastery of the twelfth level of the Nine Flames Demonic Art? Or was this Space-Time Transposition Art itself a martial art that innately suited his father perfectly? Whatever the reason, it was certain that this was an astonishing result.
Seeing his son sincerely rejoice, a satisfied smile appeared on Geom Ujin’s face.
It felt as though the wholehearted concentration and effort he had poured into learning the Space-Time Transposition Art had been fully rewarded. No, his son was far happier than that.
There was another reason for Geom Mugeuk’s joy.
He knew that his father had accepted this bet that was not quite a bet not simply because of competitive spirit.
He had accepted it because he knew his son was worried. Geom Mugeuk was deeply grateful for that.
Of course, his father likely still did not think a situation would come in which he would have to open the Space-Time Transposition Art and take refuge.
“When you first succeed, you can only make an empty space like this. But as your level in the Space-Time Transposition Art gradually rises, you can create various things. You can even perfectly recreate a place from your memories. I will show you. I do not know whether my Space-Time Transposition Art can unfold inside this place.”
Unfolding the Space-Time Transposition Art within the Space-Time Transposition Art; it was his first attempt.
Snap.
Geom Mugeuk unfolded the Space-Time Transposition Art again inside the Space-Time Transposition Art.
Amazingly, it unfolded even within.
Whoooosh.
The two of them stood together at the top of a snow-covered plain. The wind that blew in whipped their clothes and hair.
Geom Ujin touched the snow on the ground. It was truly cold snow. The ice cliff across from them shone as it reflected the sunlight.
“Isn’t it incredible?”
Geom Mugeuk flicked his finger again.
Then a plum tree appeared beside them, and winter plum blossoms bloomed amid the snow-laden wind.
When he flicked his finger again, a small rock appeared beside it.
“You can create anything you want like this. Ah, and you do not need to flick your finger. I only do it because it looks cool.”
At that moment, his father said something unexpected.
“Like this?”
Snap!
Their surroundings changed again.
This time, within the Space-Time Transposition Art that Geom Mugeuk had created, his father’s Space-Time Transposition space appeared.
And Geom Mugeuk, after looking around, was startled. It was not a white space. Things far too familiar to him were visible.
“No, how?”
The Heavenly Demon Hall had been created. Though it had not yet been perfectly recreated, the three most important things were there. The Path of Blood, the stairs, and the grand chair.
His father had already succeeded in creating the space most familiar to him.
With the gait of a victor, his father climbed the stairs and sat in the grand chair.
Before his father, who looked pleased upon the chair, Geom Mugeuk jumped in place.
“I can’t live like this, I really can’t! Father, how can you sit in the grand chair even inside the Space-Time Transposition Art? I taught you the Space-Time Transposition Art partly so that you would please get away from that grand chair!”
With an expression that seemed to say, Is that so? his father rose from his seat and snapped his finger.
Then the grand chair and the other newly created things disappeared.
Seeing his father handle objects freely, though still in a limited way, Geom Mugeuk was amazed.
“You are truly remarkable. Even though you are not the Heavenly Martial Body, you can do this much. If Father had been born with the Heavenly Martial Body, it truly would have been chaos.”
He meant it sincerely. It was certain that the reason he had been born with the Heavenly Martial Body originated from his father’s innate martial talent.
And his father’s sense was different from the Heavenly Martial Body.
“If you are going to make something, you should make a place like this.”
Snap!
The next moment, Geom Mugeuk and Geom Ujin were standing on a snow-white sandy beach where the blue sea stretched endlessly. Since he could not maintain two spaces at once, the snowfield he had made earlier must have disappeared.
A blue sky and a blazing sun.
On the beach stood a tree with large leaves, and beneath its shade rested a chair that looked comfortable.
It was a place he had intended not to show anyone. Yet he felt he wanted to show it to his father.
“This is the space of my own that I treasure most.”
When he flicked his finger again, another comfortable chair appeared under the broad-leaved tree.
“Try lying down here.”
Geom Ujin lay side by side with his son on the white sand beach. Lying in such a beautiful place, where warm sunlight poured down and soft sand lay beneath him, felt new and strange. In his life, had he ever lain in a chair like this on a beach like this?
“When I lie here and look up at that blue sky, all the cares of the world disappear.”
“What cares could a young fellow like you have so many of?”
“Don’t I go around meddling in every last affair of every sort of person? On top of that, I’m even doing the most pointless thing in the world—trying to look good to everyone.”
“At least you know.”
And so the two of them silently gazed up at the sky. As he looked at the heavens, his father suddenly asked,
“Are you lonely?”
His father knew as well. That loneliness was not something felt when one was alone, but when there were many people around.
“Sometimes.”
At that, Geom Ujin turned his head and looked at Geom Mugeuk. Geom Mugeuk looked back at his father and spoke as if it were nothing.
“When I come here, rest a while, and leave, I’m fine again in no time. Father, you have times when you want to be alone too, don’t you? Without Uncle Hwi, without guards—truly alone.”
“If I asked them to leave even now, I could be alone.”
“That’s different. This place is truly and thoroughly my own space. Here, you can curse all you want! You can run around naked if you like!”
His father’s gaze returned to the sky. No matter how real this blue, clear sky felt, to his father it was not real.
“No matter how hard reality is, and no matter how comfortable this place feels, do not become too immersed in illusion.”
“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”
This time, Geom Mugeuk asked,
“Father, are there times when you feel lonely?”
“No.”
“You could at least have worries, couldn’t you? What is your greatest worry, Father?”
At that, Geom Ujin turned his head and looked at Geom Mugeuk.
Geom Mugeuk laughed loudly and answered,
“Besides me.”
I suppose so. A son standing in the way of his father’s dream! To Father, I may be the worst kind of troublesome guest.
“Then I have none.”
“When you put it that way, it makes me sound like too much of a troublemaker.”
Could his father truly have no worries? There was no way.
When would the day come when his father could comfortably say everything in his heart? It felt more difficult than achieving the twelfth-star great completion of the Nine Flames Demon Art. Even so, I’ll keep trying until that day, Father.
Still, it was a relief that he seemed more interested in the Space-Time Transposition Art than expected.
“I’m looking forward to the space you’ll create for yourself, Father. I’m curious where you feel most at ease. Later, please let me have a look as well. Ah, the Heavenly Demon Hall is absolutely not allowed! And not the Grand Preceptor Chair either!”
Geom Ujin gave no answer, but he did not say he would not make one.
What sort of space would his father come to cherish most? Would the day ever come when he would be allowed to see it?
Geom Mugeuk glanced sidelong at his father.
How can it be that seeing you lying comfortably feels this unfamiliar? Please rest as you go, Father.
Still, perhaps he had taken a liking to this place.
“The sea breeze is truly nice.”
Beneath the chair, Geom Mugeuk’s fingers struck swiftly against one another.
A cool wind cutting through the heat blew even stronger, and a flock of seagulls crossed the sky. Beside his father’s chair, crabs scuttled past in a neat single file.
‘Rest comfortably, even if only here, Father.’