So? Did Someone Force You to Become the Heavenly Demon?

Chapter 15: Tradition (3)

Late at night, while Heavenly Demon was having a private audience with the head of the Hyeokryeon Family, as usual, Il-mok was in his room after finishing his daily routine, doing something while leaning against the lamplight.

However, he wasn’t writing in his diary.

Engrossed in his work, Il-mok furrowed his brows.

“Is someone talking ill of me?”

He grumbled irritably while picking his ear.

Though he cleaned it thoroughly, it didn’t quite clear up his unease.

“Haa… It’s been a while, so I’m a bit rusty,” he sighed. Examining the strange, half-finished object in his hand, he found it a frustrating sight.

‘Well, the final deadline is before entering the Hall of the Demonic Way anyway.’

With that thought, he pushed aside his impatience.

After all, it was something he had created once before.

The problem was that it had been quite some time ago, and he’d only done it once, as Seo Ji-hoon.

Gazing at the bizarre, nearly unrecognizable object, Ilmok resolved himself.

‘For now, let’s consider this practice.’

* * *

Despite the stifling aura of Lady Cheonghwa’s unwelcome visit, nothing out of the ordinary occurred at Windrock Palace. As usual, I endured Jin Hayeon’s relentless tutelage, diligently preparing for the entrance examination.

If there was one change, it would be…

“Big Brother~!”

That little one who visits every day when I finish my martial arts training.

Since I couldn’t let her come at random times, we made a promise that she would only visit at this specific hour.

Also, unlike the first day, she now came with a stern-looking man who appeared to be a martial artist― perhaps a sign of tacit permission from the Hyeokryeon Family.

Due to that cursed tradition, the bodyguard did not say a word to Seon-ah and simply waited at the entrance of Windrock Palace.

“Hehehe.”

Seon-ah also showed no interest in the guard. She would just run over and beam brightly beside me.

Despite the pungent smell of sweat from my body after being rolled around by Jin Hayeon under the guise of martial arts training, this child approached me without minding the smell at all.

Seeing the little one’s smile makes me feel more at ease.

‘I made the right decision by pushing forward.’

It wasn’t just for Seon-ah’s sake. In this prison-like environment, conversing with a little one who shared my predicament was like sweet rain to me.

People need to relieve stress to live. Without leaving at least a minimal breathing space, one is bound to go mad.

Though in this place full of lunatics, it probably wouldn’t be noticeable if I went crazy.

‘Which makes it even more dangerous.’

Since everyone here is crazy, they might just think someone like me is fine and let it slide.

Anyway, it was a peaceful daily routine.

“What were you doing at home today?”

I listened to the little one’s daily stories as she chattered beside me.

“Today I learned how to apply the tenth form of Blood Fox Crimson Claw Art. Hehe. They said if I put my fingernails like this and stretch them like this, I can easily put a hole in a bad guy’s heart.”

As Seon-ah demonstrated with various hand gestures, I smiled wryly.

‘What in the world are these lunatics teaching a child?’

At any rate, it was peaceful. By the standards of the Demonic Cult, that is.

* * *

Just as I was enjoying this peaceful afternoon and blowing off stress.

“I greet the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons,” the bodyguard’s voice boomed from beyond the gates of Windrock Palace.

It seemed that training time with Master had arrived.

“Rise.”

Master’s voice echoed from beyond the gate. Soon, the doors opened, revealing his figure.

“We pay our respects to the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons.”

Jin Hayeon and Seon-ah, along with myself, promptly bowed before Master, performing the most respectful bow.

“Hahaha. Rise. Now that the time has come, let the child of the Hyeokryeon Family return to her home.”

“I… I shall obey your command.”

Seon-ah replied nervously, rising and scurrying towards the gate, sometimes turning back to look.

In the meantime, having been allowed to rise, I gave the child a small wave. Seon-ah, who had been nervous since Master’s appearance, brightened up and left with a smile as she waved back at me.

My Master who was watching from the side, suddenly brought up an odd topic.

“You seem to be getting along well with the Hyeokryeon Family’s daughter.”

“It just happened that way.”

“Hahaha. It just happened that way… Very well. You must have your reasons. Do your best.”

“???”

I couldn’t comprehend what he meant by doing my best.

‘Surely, he doesn’t mean that way, does he?’

Although our physical ages were only three years apart, that was simply out of the question. My feelings were akin to those one feels towards a cute puppy or kitten, or the fondness one has for a young niece’s silly antics.

‘Perhaps the old man’s preferences lean that way….’

As the saying goes, one sees what one wants to see.

After briefly looking at Master with a somewhat contemptuous gaze, I quickly turned my head away when his eyes suddenly met mine. If he caught me with such an expression, my head would surely roll.

“Well then, let’s begin our training.”

“Yes, Master.”

* * *

The Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword consists of twenty-two forms in total, divided into fourteen main forms and eight secret techniques.

Nearly a fortnight had passed since I began learning the sword art, and I had successfully mastered all fourteen main forms.

After teaching me all fourteen, the perverted old… No, Master explained the true essence of the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword.

“The reason it’s called the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword is because, as the name suggests, it’s a sword art that snatches away the opponent’s soul. The significance lies in making the opponent lose their wits through a continuous and natural flow of movements.”

“While it resembles the Mad Soul Sword Art in its emphasis on linking and transforming movements, its essence is completely different. The Mad Soul Sword Art aims to take the opponent’s head by surprise with unpredictable and bizarre movements. The Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword, on the other hand, corners the opponent little by little, taking their head when they’ve given up everything. That expression of utter despair, as if their soul has departed, is why it’s called the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword (奪魂無情劍).”

Master didn’t merely explain the physical movements but also elucidated the underlying meaning of the entire sword art. His explanation allowed me to grasp the crucial element of the fourteen forms I had learned.

‘The lower body and waist are key. It’s about maintaining balance while performing demanding movements and steadily pressuring the opponent.’

Upon reflection, I realized that all the movements of the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword could seamlessly connect with each other regardless of their order, as long as balance was maintained.

Having organized my thoughts, I sheathed my sword then drew it according to the principles of the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword and performed the stances I had learned so far in various ways.

Initially, I moved slowly, focusing on finding the right rhythm for the unfamiliar sequences. Then, I gradually increased the speed and power in my arms and legs. Naturally, as the speed increased beyond a certain point, I felt my balance falter.

‘Is this the best I can do for now?’

As I continued to link the movements at a speed and force that allowed me to maintain balance, Master’s satisfied chuckle reached my ears.

“Hahaha. It seems you have grasped the core of the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword with just my brief explanation. As Hayeon said, Il-mok’s innate talent is quite remarkable.”

“How could that be attributed to this lowly one’s discernment? It is solely thanks to the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons who found  Young Master Il-mok and brought him to the Divine Cult,” Jin Hayeon responded.

Though I was the one rolling around swinging the sword back and forth, somehow the two of them were creating a warm atmosphere while patting each other on the back.

I felt like a child performing in front of the elders on a holiday, so I put the sword back into its sheath and regulated my breath.

Observing my actions, Master spoke.

“The latter forms can only be learned after reaching the realm where one can generate Sword Qi. For now, focus on refining the main forms.”

He then approached me and placed his palm on my abdomen.

“Hmm. It seems you’ve been consistently practicing your breathing techniques.”

After gauging the amount of internal energy gathered in my dantian, Master suddenly threw a question at Jin Hayeon.

“How is Il-mok’s doctrinal studies progressing?”

“He is learning very quickly. It’s hard to believe he just joined the cult. He’s progressing so fast that one might think he had already studied the doctrines to some extent before.”

She praised me with her signature business-like tone and a cold expression.

Well, it would be hard for her to criticize me.

Although only a fortnight had passed, I had already studied nearly thirty percent of the Secret Record of the Heavenly Demon, the cult’s sacred scripture.

“At this rate, he should be able to master all the scriptures, historical texts, and law books within half a year at the latest, after which just simple reviews would be sufficient.”

“Hahaha. Good understanding of studies, and quick progress with the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword as well. That means he has plenty of time.”

“That’s how it has been so far.”

“Hahaha.”

Master’s gentle laughter turned into a pointed gaze directed at me. A sense of déjà vu washed over me.

‘This is… that, isn’t it?’

That uniquely Korean custom of piling on more work when you finish early, instead of letting you leave on time.

The so-called ‘filling up spare time.’

Remembering what happened at a company dinner, I hastily opened my mouth.

“Ah, it’s still too early, Master. I’m only able to progress quickly with the scriptures because I just started studying. As the material to study piles up, there will inevitably be less time for review.”

Master had clearly said at the banquet that he would ‘assign me a mission later.’

And now, he was undoubtedly creating justification to give additional work.

In a way that was all too familiar to me.

― Hahaha. Our Ji-hoon is such a hard worker. Since you seem to have some free time, how about you also handle this? Since it’s related work, so you should be able to process it quickly.

The memory of my team leader dumping work on me after I had worked like crazy since the morning for the sake of work-life balance and leaving work early came to mind.

I absolutely could not suffer the same fate as back then.

“The same applies to the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword. I may have quickly learned the forms, but my internal energy is still lacking, is it not? Therefore, I believe it would be beneficial to dedicate the remaining time to cultivating my internal energy through breathing exercises.”

I won’t go down easily.

“Hmmm. You make a valid point,” Master conceded.

The battle of wits between Master, seeking to assign extra tasks, and myself, desperately trying to avoid them, had begun.

“Then, to supplement your lacking internal energy, I shall instruct the medical chamber to prepare the Raging Demon Pill (爆魔團) for you.”

“…What is the Raging Demon Pill?”

“It’s one of the elixirs crafted by our Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, renowned for explosively increasing one’s internal energy. A truly remarkable elixir.”

And with that, my defeat was sealed.

“Besides, since you’ll be accompanied by Hayeon anyway, it won’t greatly interfere with your studies.”

Master swiftly blocked even my last escape route.