Monster Hunt.
That was the operation name the Daeju had given them. His naming sense was utterly pathetic.
That bastard had tossed out the main point, then vanished just as he had yesterday.
Who did he think he was, acting so damn busy?
I stared hard at the entrance through which he had disappeared, then turned my gaze away.
The moment the demonic energy filling the room vanished, the demonic men let out the breaths they had been holding.
“…He’s no joke today either. It feels like the pressure’s gotten even stronger.”
One of them began speaking, as though opening the floor for discussion. Huh, was this the time they talked behind my back?
I found myself listening with interest.
‘Though I’m sure it’ll be nothing but curses.’
If I had been stuck with a bastard like me as my superior, I might have slit his throat too. So how must these men feel?
Thinking that, I strained my ears.
“He grows stronger by the day. As expected, our Daeju is different.”
“Exactly. An old codger like Heavenly Venerable, shut away in some back room… He’d be nothing but a fistful of dust before our Daeju.”
…Huh?
‘…What did he just say?’
As I stealthily listened, a conversation completely different from what I had expected flowed forth.
What the hell were these lunatics talking about…?
“His prestige ought to spread even farther throughout the Central Plains.”
“Even if he doesn’t want it to, it’ll spread in no time. There’s no way those righteous sect bastards can hide our Daeju’s glory.”
‘What?’
The more I listened, the more I felt my mind slipping away.
What the hell were these bastards saying?
‘…What is this?’
No matter how long I listened, I couldn’t understand them. Their conversation only grew more intense.
“The monster who burned Mount Hua from the ground all by himself.”
Not alone.
The Heavenly Demon had dealt with the major experts, including Plum Blossom Sword, and I had merely captured the disciples who remained.
“Not only Mount Hua, he also wiped out the Sichuan Tang Clan all by himself.”
That, too, had been right after Sword Demon and the Green King’s forces attacked, followed by the Black Flame Squad’s support.
I had merely approached the exhausted Poison Fiend and finished him off.
‘What the hell is wrong with these bastards?’
The more I watched them, the less I understood.
As their unheard-of praise continued without end, I had to frown deeply when I noticed the nausea and the heat rising in my ears.
Perhaps someone noticed my expression amid all that, because one of them spoke to me.
“Looks like the new recruit doesn’t know much?”
“What…? A demonic man who doesn’t know our Daeju’s glory?”
My displeasure must have shown, for the demonic men’s gazes turned toward me.
They were icy. Every one of those bastards looked utterly sincere.
‘This is driving me insane.’
This was unexpected. I had naturally assumed they would think of me as dirt, but what the hell were these looks?
“…You all seem to like that bastard… I mean, the Daeju.”
“The Daeju is the hope of all demonic men. It seems you don’t know that.”
“Judging by your age, you must have become a demonic man only recently. How old are you?”
Hmm… How old should I make myself? I pondered for a moment.
“Twenty… two.”
That should be about right.
“Twenty-two. Have you crossed the Wall?”
“Yes… more or less.”
“To reach the Peak Realm at that age… You’re a monster.”
“…”
I had to cough several times at the demonic man’s words. Since I was forcibly suppressing my energy, it would not be easy for them to determine my realm.
While I continued coughing, another demonic man approached and asked,
“What caused such a promising young man to become a demonic man?”
“…Hmm.”
Why had I become a demonic man?
Why had Paljeolyeop, at the age of twenty-two, become a demonic man…?
“…My family was ruined by those righteous sect bastards.”
“Revenge, then.”
“Yes.”
The demonic men did not particularly doubt my casually fabricated answer. In a way, it was the most common and convenient excuse.
If I wanted to win these bastards over, nothing worked better than cursing the righteous sects.
“…Filthy righteous sect bastards….”
“They pretend to be kind and clean on the surface, putting on a show of hypocrisy, but the world behind the scenes is all like this.”
“Don’t worry, little brother. Our Daeju will grant your revenge.”
No, no, you lunatics.
Your Daeju doesn’t grant anyone’s revenge. He’s simply too busy staying alive to care about any of it.
I had no idea where these people got such faith.
‘They’re even calling me little brother now.’
This sort of faith generally came from being bound by the Heavenly Demon’s demonic energy.
The fact that betrayal was absolutely impossible had helped create such faith.
Under the Heavenly Demon’s demonic energy, faith was generated with laughable ease.
Regardless of what kind of person that bastard was, he would never betray the Demonic Cult.
That was the sense of security it brought them.
Absurd. Demonic men finding a sense of security among themselves.
I wondered whether the Heavenly Demon had begun all this with that very intention.
But that, too, was something I could not know.
What mattered in the end was—
‘Why do these bastards like me?’
I could not understand it. I had done nothing but create situations in which they could never like me.
Why, then, did they show such profound faith?
“…Excuse me.”
Just as I was about to ask them about it, someone appeared through the opening door. Once again, it was Muk Gwon.
“Paljeolyeop.”
“That bastard, the Dae—”
“Paljeolyeop. Can you not hear me?”
“Ah.”
I was about to continue speaking when I realized that Muk Gwon was calling me.
Right. Whether I was Seven-Leaf or Eight-Leaf, I had introduced myself that way yesterday.
“…D-did you call me?”
“Follow me.”
The instant Muk Gwon appeared, the demonic men straightened their postures as though they had never been relaxed at all.
Their hierarchy was remarkably well established.
‘…’
I stared at them with a strange expression, then followed Muk Gwon outside.
Even as I forced my feet to move, my face remained twisted by the incomprehensible situation.
******************
Following Muk Gwon, I left the main force and arrived outside.
We had not gone far from the main camp. If I had to be precise, it was a position from which to keep watch.
Muk Gwon had come out with me because he was supposed to stand guard.
‘What a nuisance.’
I clicked my tongue inwardly several times.
It was obvious he had come to obtain information.
A demonic man of Muk Gwon’s caliber standing watch?
What kind of lunatic would have an elite guard duty like that?
“Paljeolyeop.”
“Yes.”
“You said you were twenty-two?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“You’re young.”
If I told him I was five years younger than that, he would probably faint.
Looking at Muk Gwon, I found myself thinking something similar.
‘It’s been a while.’
His intentions were irritating, but seeing Muk Gwon himself was not unpleasant.
Among the demonic men I knew, he was one of the more normal ones.
Had he not done such vile things at the Hwangbo Family, he would never have become a demonic man.
Until the moment of his death, Muk Gwon had been more suited to being called a martial artist than a demonic man.
That was probably why I was all the more glad to see him.
Of course, unlike my feelings, Muk Gwon made no effort to hide the wariness in his eyes.
“You seem to have reached the Transcendent Realm. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
At my casual reply, Muk Gwon’s eyes narrowed. He appeared quite surprised.
Of course, he would have been shocked even if I had reached the Peak Realm. The Transcendent Realm would be even more astonishing.
‘My realm may be there, but I can’t use the flames, so I’m only half the martial artist.’
I had already been in an incomplete state, and without the ability to use the Nine-Flame Ringing Wheel Technique, it was more accurate to say that I had grown even weaker.
“…The Transcendent Realm at twenty-two.”
Muk Gwon seemed genuinely astonished. If I had heard the same thing, I would have been speechless as well.
That was why he had been sent to keep an eye on me.
And that also meant there was another problem.
“How could a martial artist like you have never once appeared in the rumors? That is what puzzles me.”
I should have become famous as one of the greatest rising talents of the current generation, at the very least.
How could I have appeared out of nowhere like this?
It was more than enough to raise questions in Muk Gwon, as well as everyone else.
This was something that worried me too.
“I gathered a little information about you yesterday.”
The Demonic Cult was fairly quick and accurate when it came to information.
“Paljeolyeop… There’s no information about any particular family, nor even about where you lived….”
A chilling killing intent lingered in Muk Gwon’s body and eyes as he spoke.
Rumble.
The sensation of my shoulders being crushed beneath a weight was considerable.
“What, exactly, are you?”
“…”
Killing intent spread around his body. What should I do?
“Your name is clearly an alias. Is your face covered by a human-skin mask?”
Muk Gwon reached out. Before his fingertips could brush my face—
Grip.
“…!”
I seized Muk Gwon’s hand.
“What are you doing?”
Before Muk Gwon could react, I looked at him and smiled faintly.
The expression made Muk Gwon hesitate.
“Doesn’t everyone have a secret or two?”
“Ha. Do you think it makes sense to have secrets under the name of our sect? Do you even know who stands above you, to dare act so brazenly?”
“At the very least, it would not be you or the Daeju.”
Rumble—!
At my arrogant tone, Muk Gwon finally tried to release his power, but after hearing my next words, he could not bring himself to do so.
“In our sect, only the Cult Leader is Heaven.”
Muk Gwon faltered.
At the mention of the Heavenly Demon, his actions halted once more.
“As for my secrets, the Cult Leader already knows them. Moreover, he sent me here despite knowing everything.”
When I had considered how to resolve a situation like this, the answer had not been difficult.
Just as I had done with the Demon Sword Empress, I only needed to invoke the Heavenly Demon in every word I spoke.
These brainwashed bastards could not defy the being they regarded as Heaven.
And in their eyes, I was probably the same.
“…Can you take responsibility for those words?”
The Heavenly Demon knew everything, and had sent me to the Black Flame Squad in secret despite knowing it all.
Could I take responsibility?
“Yes. I swear upon the Cult Leader that every word I have spoken is true.”
I answered with a bright smile.
Responsibility? Why would I take that?
“There is not a trace of falsehood in them. I am the Cult Leader’s loyal servant.”
When I said this firmly, Muk Gwon’s killing intent faded somewhat.
There could be no lies in words spoken by a demonic man while invoking the Heavenly Demon.
At least this part was fortunate. From my perspective, I could invoke the Heavenly Demon as often as I pleased.
It meant there was at least one avenue of escape I could exploit this way.
“My secrets are my own, but I will never do anything that harms the main force. This, too, I swear upon the Cult Lea—”
Bang! Crack-crack-crack—!
Just as I was about to finish speaking, Muk Gwon’s fist grazed past me.
Immediately afterward, the area behind me erupted with a thunderous roar.
I had not even noticed Muk Gwon throwing his punch. These lunatics were absurdly strong—truly, they were filthy strong.
Wondering what kind of sudden ambush this was, I looked at Muk Gwon.
“I understand what you are saying, but do not carelessly put the Cult Leader’s name in your mouth. There is no one in our sect who can call him so lightly.”
“…Ah, yes. I apologize.”
His loyalty was truly extraordinary.
I watched him and smiled bitterly.
Your Daeju, on the other hand, probably did not care about any of this.
‘Besides.’
This monster hunt was the same.
The Heavenly Venerable’s objective.
The appearance of the Tyrant Venerable.
That bastard clearly knew about it all in advance.
Yet even knowing that, he intended to proceed with the operation. He would even go so far as to meet the Tyrant Venerable in person.
‘In the first place….’
Was he going because of his loyalty to the Heavenly Demon, despite this being a battle he could not win?
‘As if.’
There was no way I felt any loyalty to the Demonic Cult. Even so, there was only one reason I was deliberately engaging in such pointless nonsense.
My purpose at this point was—
To reduce the Demonic Cult’s military strength.
******************
Rumble—!
As dawn began to break, the training ground remained as noisy as ever.
Golden sword energy moved ceaselessly through the air, taking the place of the sun.
Beneath it, a woman with her hair pulled tightly back moved her body, drenched in sweat.
Whoosh—!
Unlike the sword’s smooth movements, the results displayed by its tip were sharp.
Sword winds erupted from the blade and continued to slice across the air.
Whoosh—! Swish, swish—!
The sword floating in the air moved in tandem with the woman’s motions.
It might have been Yugi Eogeom, the sword art said to be the pinnacle of swordsmanship, but this was somewhat different.
Drip.
After moving for some time, a bead of sweat fell from the woman’s chin, and the sword that had been cleaving through the air soon plunged into the ground.
Boom! The earth shattered as the sword struck the ground.
Then—
Boom!
The sword embedded in the ground emitted a flash of light before exploding.
The neat-looking ground was instantly reduced to a mess.
As though leaving a mark behind, internal energy still scattered widely through the air.
Only after confirming this could the woman finally release the breath she had been holding.
“…Haa….”
Just as she was about to wipe away her sweat roughly with her sleeve, someone approached and handed her a towel.
“You’ve worked hard, Little Sword Saint.”
At the voice, the woman turned her head and looked at the man.
“…You must be very busy. What brings you here?”
The man’s appearance was so shabby that anyone might have frowned at the sight of him, yet the woman’s expression remained as calm as ever.
The woman called out to him.
“Beggar King.”
At her call, the Beggar King smiled bitterly.
His eyes clearly held a painful emotion.
“…There is something that requires your assistance, miss.”
The guilt in the Beggar King’s voice was unmistakable.
He tried to speak calmly, but in the end, he could not.
For the Beggar King, asking this delicate woman to sacrifice herself was still something he could not bring himself to do.
Knowing that, the woman merely looked at him and nodded without a word.
“Let’s go.”
After uttering those brief words, the woman walked past the Beggar King.
Her golden hair fluttered in the breeze.
The season was gradually growing colder.
And the woman’s eyes were as cold and sunken as ever.