Eat? In the middle of a life-or-death battle?
The moment he heard those words, the first thought that came to Hwa Mugi’s mind was this—the very thought that many who had experienced Geom Mugeuk had entertained at least once.
‘Is he insane?’
Of course, there was no way he was insane.
‘He’s aiming for something.’
He knew the Young Cult Leader was no ordinary man.
In truth, what was even more surprising was everyone else’s reaction. Shouldn’t at least one of the seven have looked dumbfounded, or reacted as if to ask what nonsense he was spouting in a situation like this?
Yet reactions he had never expected began to appear.
The Pungcheon Cult Leader rubbed his stomach.
“Come to think of it, we’re hungry too.”
Just as Baek Jagang had finished cooking, Hwa Mugi had barged in, so no one had been able to eat.
That Pungcheon Cult Leader had been saying all sorts of absurd things from the beginning, so perhaps that much could be excused.
Baek Jagang said to Geom Mugeuk, as if boasting,
“I learned how to cook from the Cult Leader.”
Why in the world was the leader of the Evil Path Alliance saying something like that? So what? Was he going to cook? A man who had been fighting like that only moments ago?
Even more, a look of pride crossed the Demon Cult Leader’s face when he heard it.
It felt as though some device had switched on the moment the Young Cult Leader arrived, and the whole group had become different people.
Those who had not taken their eyes off him for even an instant began looking elsewhere, and all their grave expressions brightened.
The Sword King looked up at the sky for the first time, and the Poison King, who had been staring at him with eyes as deep as an abyss, was now looking at a tree uprooted by the roadside.
You’re not seriously looking at that bug crawling out of the roots, are you?
The emotion they all shared was relief.
Even if the Heavenly Demon had arrived in the place where the Young Cult Leader stood, he would not have given them this sort of relief.
Hwa Mugi was dumbfounded, yet his curiosity was stirred.
‘What is this bastard?’
Even when he had heard from the Dark Palace Lord that the Young Cult Leader was influencing everyone, he had not imagined that influence would be this great.
Geom Mugeuk spoke to Hwa Mugi again. He did not make some pointless threat like, I’ll kill you after we eat.
“Even if you’re going to kill them, feed them first.”
“Is there any reason I should?”
“There is.”
Geom Mugeuk said something unexpected.
“Because this moment will be the last of your life.”
“What?”
He thought he meant, Because you’ll die here today. But this too was the complete opposite.
“If you win and all of us die, then this atmosphere, this feeling, this tension—it will be the last of your life.”
Before he knew it, Geom Mugeuk’s expression had turned serious.
“Once we’re all dead, the only people left before you will be those who tremble in fear and swear loyalty. More precisely, people pretending to be loyal. You’ll be unable to endure your own boredom and temper, so you’ll kill this one, kill that one, and go on killing indiscriminately.”
After gazing into his eyes for a moment, Geom Mugeuk added,
“But no matter how many you kill, your heart will never beat the way it does today.”
“!”
Hwa Mugi’s gaze left Geom Mugeuk and moved to Geom Ujin standing behind him. He had been mindful of that man throughout the entire battle today. Though Geom Ujin had yet to draw his sword, it already felt as if he had fought an intense battle with him.
Beside him, the Fist Demon’s fists still revealed lingering regret.
Next to him stood Jin Paecheon and Baek Jagang side by side, and beside them were the Pungcheon Cult Leader and the Sword King. And at the very back stood the Poison King.
Yes, those words were right. At least a moment like today would never come again.
Standing before them, Geom Mugeuk smiled and said,
“So let’s eat.”
Hwa Mugi was strangely persuaded. From the moment that Young Cult Leader arrived, for some reason the tension kept fading.
“If you don’t feel like it, then let me eat at least! Don’t be so petty about food!”
Geom Mugeuk was stimulating his curiosity far too much for him to simply launch an attack.
In the end, Hwa Mugi nodded.
“Very well.”
With this deflated fighting spirit, he could not unfold a proper battle anyway.
Geom Mugeuk smiled brightly.
“Now, let’s go in.”
The moment Geom Mugeuk turned toward Pungryu Tavern, he screamed.
“Aaaah! What is this!”
One wall of Pungryu Tavern had collapsed, and the second-floor wall where the writing had been carved had been blown away entirely.
Geom Mugeuk whirled around toward Hwa Mugi.
“You bastard, you destroyed that? Do you know how precious that wall was? This won’t do.”
Geom Mugeuk looked ready to draw his sword at any moment.
“No matter how hungry I am, you need a beating first.”
At Geom Mugeuk’s abrupt change, Hwa Mugi also brought his hand to the black sword.
I welcome a fight, but you’re misunderstanding something right now.
Then Geom Ujin tossed out,
“I broke it.”
A silence flowed for an instant.
Geom Mugeuk lowered his voice and said seriously,
“Well done. It is best to remove any wall that might hinder a fight in advance. To tell the truth, I’m only saying this now, but since it was everyone’s first time leaving writing, it wasn’t that great. Now that they’ve practiced once, they’ll leave even finer words next time.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Geom Mugeuk went inside.
Geom Ujin followed him in, and Jin Paecheon and Baek Jagang followed after with smiles. Astonishingly, the three of them entered without even looking at Hwa Mugi.
Only the Fist Demon remained wary of Hwa Mugi moving until the end; the rest simply filed into Pungryu Tavern.
They’re all going in and leaving me behind? It was truly something he could not believe even after seeing it with his own eyes.
‘These bastards!’
Only moments ago, he had been fighting over whether he was a hero or a villain.
Yet now… he felt as if he were nothing at all.
He had been the main character, only to suddenly become a supporting role—no, not even a supporting role.
He was an extra left standing alone in the street.
Yes, there were stories where everyone died to an extra.
After quietly staring at the tavern, Hwa Mugi entered last.
Geom Mugeuk, who had entered first, looked around the interior.
“It’s more broken than I thought.”
The remaining walls were cracked in places, and broken tables and chairs lay scattered everywhere.
Looking up at the place where the second-floor wall had been, Geom Mugeuk said,
“I once spoke with the owner here about something. We said that if that wall were destroyed, then its destruction would have meaning in its own way.”
At that moment, Geom Ujin asked an unexpected question.
“Are you disappointed that I didn’t protect it?”
The broken tables and walls alike were part of the demonic path his son had sought to protect.
Geom Mugeuk looked at his father.
You have no idea how much it means to me that you would ask me a question like this, Father.
“You already protected it, didn’t you?”
When Geom Ujin looked puzzled, Geom Mugeuk looked far out the window toward the demonic fire rising from the main headquarters.
“What I was trying to protect wasn’t that wall or those tables, but the owner of this place and the people of Maga Village. You already protected them, even going so far as to raise the demonic fire.”
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze returned to his father.
“The people of Maga Village will never forget that grace for the rest of their lives. It was a truly magnificent choice, Father.”
Geom Ujin only looked at his son in silence.
The one who reacted instead was the Fist Demon, who had been listening. A faint smile formed at the corners of his mouth.
The Cult Leader was human too, so while sheltering the people of Maga Village within the cult, how could he not have thought of Geom Mugeuk? He must surely have hoped for the moment he would hear such words from his son.
“Simply by choosing this place as the battlefield where the fate of the murim is at stake, Father, you have given the owner a source of pride for a lifetime. It will carry a meaning far greater than the words left on the wall ever could.”
The Fist Demon knew just how pleased the Cult Leader must be right now. If he himself felt this gratified, how much more so would the Cult Leader?
“Still, luckily, there are some things here that are intact.”
Geom Mugeuk brought an unbroken table and chairs from the corner to the center.
“Please sit, Father.”
Hwa Mugi stood at the entrance, watching Geom Mugeuk’s words and actions. His eyes seemed to say he would see just how far he went.
This time, Baek Jagang stepped forward first.
“I learned a few dishes from your father. What do you think? Would you like to taste them?”
“Please make them! In the history of this murim, how many people have ever eaten food made by the leader of the Evil Path Alliance?”
Baek Jagang went straight into the kitchen and looked around here and there.
“You’re blessed when it comes to food. Fortunately, the kitchen isn’t badly damaged.”
“May I look forward to it?”
“Look forward to it!”
Even if it tasted bad, he had an escape route.
“After all, the skill was passed down by your father.”
The hand that had been unleashing the Tyrant’s Heaven-Shaking Sword Art only moments ago now held a kitchen knife again.
For some reason, he looked even more excited and thrilled than when he had been fighting.
“Is there anyone who can help me cook?”
At Baek Jagang’s request, Geom Ujin remained seated. He could not enter the kitchen while he was in the same space as Hwa Mugi.
The Poison King, who had shed streams of tears while peeling onions, turned his head far away toward the window. He clearly expressed that he had helped because it was the Cult Leader, but anyone else could forget it.
“I would like to help, but I have far too little talent.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader would obviously only cause trouble rather than help.
The Sword King, who might have been useful, was suffering from internal injuries.
Jin Paecheon had also been wounded externally, and even if he had not been, it was an awkward situation for him to step forward.
Then one person rose from his seat.
“I will help.”
The one who came forward was the Fist Demon.
He had already shown himself slicing carrots in the kitchen earlier. Though his appearance did not suit it, his cooking skills were far superior to Baek Jagang’s.
The Fist Demon entered the kitchen. The two men who had been about to fight Hwa Mugi continued a new battle in the kitchen.
The Fist Demon wanted to help him partly because there was no one suitable to do so, but more than that, it was because he simply wanted to help Baek Jagang.
He had learned something from him this time.
A choice made for practical benefit.
It had especially affected him, who had placed great importance on honor and pride.
Hwa Mugi watched the sight.
‘They’re all out of their minds.’
Baek Jagang and the Fist Demon, who had been trying to fight him only moments ago, disappeared into the kitchen. If they were sane, they should not have gone in to cook; and even if they did, at the very least—
We’ll postpone our fight with you until after the meal.
Shouldn’t they have said at least something like that?
Do you truly believe that Young Cult Leader can handle me? Or has the Poison King released some poison that makes all of you go mad?
Then his eyes met Geom Mugeuk’s.
“Come sit here.”
When Hwa Mugi still did not move, Geom Mugeuk added,
“We don’t kill people who are eating. So come quickly.”
Hwa Mugi thought Geom Mugeuk’s eyes were dangerous. Looking into those eyes, it seemed as if he was truly speaking the truth.
Hwa Mugi slowly moved his feet and sat down.
Geom Mugeuk went to the kitchen and brought out liquor and cups.
“I’ll pour you a drink for the first time in a while.”
Geom Mugeuk poured liquor for his father first.
“I should have brought the Drunken Demon’s delicious liquor, but it’s all gone.”
With those words, everyone understood. A battle had taken place where the Drunken Demon had needed to drink all his liquor.
Perhaps the fight on that side had been the truly fierce and terrible one.
Starting with Jin Paecheon, Geom Mugeuk poured liquor for the others one by one.
It was a drink that carried a more exceptional feeling than ever before.
Only moments ago, they had been frustrated as they faced the monstrous Hwa Mugi, and now they were receiving liquor poured by Geom Mugeuk.
Finally, Geom Mugeuk filled the cup placed before Hwa Mugi to the brim, then held the bottle out to him.
“Pour me one too.”
Geom Mugeuk wanted to receive liquor from him.
Glaring at Geom Mugeuk over the bottle, Hwa Mugi asked,
“What are you doing?”
“I’m having my first and last drink with the archenemy of my life.”
Hwa Mugi stared intently at Geom Mugeuk. But no matter how he looked, he could see only sincerity from Geom Mugeuk, not some ploy.
“In any case, before today is over, one of you and me will die. Even if you come to rule the murim later, live with at least this much composure.”
In the end, Hwa Mugi took the bottle and filled Geom Mugeuk’s cup. He prepared himself in case Geom Mugeuk tried a surprise attack after making him pour, but no such thing happened.
Geom Mugeuk raised his cup high.
“Now then, let us have a drink with the Heavenly Slaughter Star.”
Except for Hwa Mugi, who had not picked up his cup in the first place, everyone drank.
Until Geom Mugeuk arrived, Jin Paecheon had vaguely hoped that things would improve once he came.
But when he arrived, the entire board itself changed completely. Even when the opponent was the Heavenly Slaughter Star, there was no exception.
A short while later, Baek Jagang brought out a dish in a large bowl. The Fist Demon served portions into the small bowls he had brought.
Baek Jagang looked slightly tense with anticipation.
“Now, everyone, try it.”
When Geom Mugeuk smelled it, he exclaimed in admiration.
“It already smells delicious.”
Geom Ujin said to Baek Jagang,
“Let us eat together.”
Baek Jagang and the Fist Demon also joined them at the table.
Hwa Mugi looked down at the dish before him.
When Geom Mugeuk first said they should eat, he had never imagined such a situation would truly unfold.
And it was not only Hwa Mugi. Who could have imagined they would sit at the same table as the Heavenly Slaughter Star?
“It’s truly delicious!”
At Geom Mugeuk’s exclamation, Baek Jagang asked suspiciously,
“Are you only saying it’s delicious because you’re thinking of your father?”
“I have about nine tongues, and the tongue I’m using right now is the one for tasting food, not the one for flattery. It really is delicious.”
Only after the others each said that it was delicious did Baek Jagang’s expression brighten radiantly. He definitely had a talent for cooking.
“When I visit next time, please make it again!”
“Come anytime.”
A sneer formed at the corner of Hwa Mugi’s mouth as he watched. There is no next time for you.
Geom Mugeuk looked at Hwa Mugi.
“Why aren’t you eating?”
Hwa Mugi had not even picked up his chopsticks. Everyone else had lost their minds, but he could not allow himself to lose his as well.
As he quietly stared at Hwa Mugi, Geom Mugeuk said something astonishing. Hwa Mugi had been surprised by Geom Mugeuk several times today, but among them, these words surprised him the most.
“Actually, this is the second time I’ve eaten with you.”