Chapter 101
Four days passed.
By then, countless people had gathered at the Black Heaven Family estate.
Every one of them had come to watch today's sparring matches.
Among them were the heads of all five great families, along with many central figures of the Cult.
Naturally, the participants themselves were present as well.
Everyone except Suhyeok.
"Come to think of it, Heuk Mujin still hasn't shown his face."
"I wonder if he called all of us here only to back out at the last moment."
"That's exactly the kind of bastard he is."
Jeok Seonwoo snorted.
"Hah. A delinquent can only bluff for so long."
"Hopefully he hasn't run away."
"Exactly. Hahaha!"
"Lady Heuk isn't here either."
"I hope nothing happened."
"Maybe she didn't want to watch that delinquent bastard disgrace the family."
"Well, Young Master Jeok can take care of that problem soon enough."
Jeok Seonwoo had harbored feelings for Heuk Seol for years.
For this duel, he'd even placed engagement to her as one of the conditions.
"Congratulations, Young Master Jeok."
"On finally getting engaged to Lady Heuk, I mean."
"Ah, should I call it marriage already?"
"It's all thanks to you."
They were already talking among themselves as though the outcome had been decided.
Then...
The doors opened.
Someone slowly walked inside.
Every gaze immediately turned toward her.
Everyone who had been seated rose and bowed toward the central platform.
Even the heads of the five great families stood and greeted her respectfully.
Cheon Soyeon walked forward without much interest and took her seat.
Resting her chin on one hand, she smiled.
"That's enough greetings."
"Now, begin."
"This lady has been looking forward to it."
Just before the bell signaling the start could ring, Jeok Seonwoo stepped forward and drew everyone's attention.
"Young Cult Leader."
"I'm afraid today's spar may have to be canceled."
"The eldest young master of the Black Heaven Family, one of the participants, has yet to appear."
The crowd stirred loudly.
Everyone had already been summoned here.
If his words were true, the Black Heaven Family's honor would fall straight into the dirt.
"Hmm."
The Flame Heaven Demon Lord, Jeok Seonwoo's father, stroked his long beard with visible displeasure.
"First Elder, do you have nothing to say?"
"The appointed time has already arrived, yet the eldest young master is nowhere to be seen."
Starting with the Crimson Blood Family, the heads of the other families began tying the matter to the Black Heaven Family Head as though they'd planned it in advance.
"This is quite troublesome."
"The Young Cult Leader herself has arrived, yet he still hasn't appeared."
Their goal was obvious.
They wanted to use this opportunity to break the influence of the Black Heaven Family, the strongest family beneath the Cheon Family.
Yet through all of it, the Black Heaven Family Head remained silent.
Meanwhile, the mood among the gathered spectators shifted exactly as the other families wanted.
"I came thinking there might finally be something entertaining to watch."
"So he really ran away."
"Figures."
"A delinquent is still a delinquent."
"Looks like the Black Heaven Family isn't anything special anymore."
"Exactly."
"There were even rumors that bastard overcame his severed meridians."
"Rumors are just rumors."
"You can't trust them."
Then Heuk Seol finally appeared on the platform.
She silently took her seat without saying a word.
Jeok Seonwoo smiled leisurely.
Yeah.
That day was the strange one.
There's no way someone like me could've been toyed with by a bastard like him.
How dare trash like that...
Just thinking about how he hadn't landed a single blow on Heuk Mujin made anger surge inside him.
Then...
"Hahaha."
Cheon Soyeon suddenly laughed.
"How amusing."
Everyone looked at her in confusion.
Still resting her chin on one hand, she tapped her fingers lightly.
"Heuk Mujin isn't coming..."
"Is that really possible?"
"Well."
"I suppose we'll find out soon enough."
Creeeak.
At that moment, footsteps echoed from the far end of the hall.
"Speak of the devil."
Cheon Soyeon smiled.
"He's finally here."
Heuk Mujin stepped onto the sparring grounds.
No.
Suhyeok.
His appearance had changed dramatically.
Unlike before, muscle now covered his frame, and even his skeletal structure seemed sturdier.
The whispers around the arena grew even louder.
I-Is that really the delinquent eldest young master...?
How can a person change that much in five days?
He looks even more handsome than before....
Kyaaaah!
By fully absorbing the Great Restoration Pill, the single ring around his Mana Heart had increased to three.
[Curse ‘Nine Yang Severed Meridians’ overcome.]
[All stats return to their original values.]
And that wasn't all.
As the number of rings increased, the Internal Energy he'd accumulated could finally be absorbed properly.
[Achievement ‘Martial Artist of the Transformation Realm’ obtained.]
[Trait ‘Poison Resistance (A)’ evolves into ‘Immunity to All Poisons (S)’.]
[Title ‘Realm of Harmony’ obtained.]
Jeok Seonwoo stared at him in shock.
"H-How...?"
"How did he change that much...?"
Everyone present was equally stunned.
Only Suhyeok remained calm.
He clasped his fists.
"I, Heuk Mujin, eldest young master of the Black Heaven Family, greet the Young Cult Leader."
"I apologize for arriving late."
"There were several matters I needed to settle before the spar."
"It's fine."
Cheon Soyeon smiled.
"This lady only arrived a moment ago as well."
"As for the people behind me, I'm not sure what they think."
"But as long as the participants are present, I see no issue."
The family heads and others who had been complaining earlier could only cough awkwardly at her pointed remark.
Meanwhile, Leon watched everything from the air and exclaimed.
[ Wow, there are seriously a lot of people here, nya. ]
[ Did all of them come just to watch you, nya? ]
[ Wherever you go, people really do love watching fights, nya. ]
Some were probably here purely for entertainment.
But most had likely been deliberately gathered by the various families.
They intended to use this opportunity to completely suppress the Black Heaven Family, the only great family supporting the Young Cult Leader.
[ Oh, by the way. ]
Leon suddenly remembered something.
[ What did you talk about at that brothel earlier, nya? ]
[ It sounded like they were talking about those three, nya. ]
Before coming here, Suhyeok had stopped by the Hao Clan to hear the latest news regarding the Martial Alliance.
Apparently, the Martial Alliance would be arriving in this region before long.
And that wasn't all.
He'd also learned where the other three Players were.
They had joined the Dragon-Tiger Unit, an elite force directly under the Martial Alliance Leader.
It's a unit you can't even enter unless the Alliance Leader personally recognizes you as a monster.
They somehow all got in.
They had apparently been deployed near the border between the Demonic Cult and Kunlun.
Just yesterday, the Dragon-Tiger Unit had captured several people attempting to cross over from the Demonic Cult side.
There was only one reason the Demonic Cult kept making moves near the border.
It almost certainly had something to do with the five family heads sitting here.
Other than the Cult Leader and the Black Heaven Family, every one of them belonged to the hardline faction opposing the negotiations.
Seong-a quietly revealed herself from within the sheath.
[ Dad. ]
[ Does that mean we'll all meet up soon? ]
Yeah.
[ But isn't it really far away? ]
[ That border place is far from here too, right? ]
From the mid-level floors onward, starting around the 50th floor, each floor's world was enormous.
That was why regional travel portals existed.
The Martial Alliance would probably use one to reach the Demonic Cult's territory.
Of course, it wouldn't take them directly inside the Cult.
They'd arrive some distance away.
I'll probably meet them after I become the Young Cult Leader's husband and make these people submit.
For now, the spar comes first.
Suhyeok glanced down at Jeok Seonwoo, who was still staring up at him in disbelief.
Then he turned toward Cheon Soyeon.
"I, Heuk Mujin, eldest young master of the Black Heaven Family, have one proposal before the spar begins."
"Go ahead."
Cheon Soyeon's smile deepened.
"If it makes this match more entertaining, this lady will allow anything."
Every eye in the arena focused on Suhyeok.
His changed appearance had already raised expectations.
The highest-ranking figures of the Demonic Cult were all watching.
The stage was perfectly set.
Before continuing, Suhyeok raised one finger.
"One hit."
"I will win these sparring matches without being struck even once."
It was an openly insulting declaration.
The Flame Heaven Demon Lord shot to his feet.
"How dare you spout such arrogant nonsense before us!"
"Even as an eldest young master, there is a line you must not cross!"
A crushing wave of killing intent slammed down over the sparring grounds like Mount Tai.
Any ordinary expert would've been forced to their knees.
But...
[Mythic ‘No.21 Ring of Mental Immunity’ resists the killing intent.]
"...!"
Heuk Mujin didn't even flinch.
Everyone stared in shock.
Even the Flame Heaven Demon Lord briefly wondered if he'd seen wrong.
"As the Third Elder said..."
Suhyeok continued calmly.
"If I'm the one proposing such a wager, then naturally I should pay an equivalent price if I fail."
He looked around the arena.
"If even one valid strike lands on me..."
"I will destroy my own dantian as punishment for insulting everyone gathered here."
Everyone was already watching.
Suhyeok was effectively the challenger.
Now that he'd laid out the wager first, the others had no justification to refuse.
Cheon Soyeon smiled and nodded without hesitation.
"This lady likes Heuk Mujin's proposal."
"Very much."
She glanced toward the Flame Heaven Demon Lord.
"This duel will probably decide this lady's husband once and for all."
"Third Elder."
"What do you think?"
None of the five families had any real grounds to refuse.
Doing so would make it look as though they were backing away from a terminally ill delinquent.
"...Does the Black Heaven Family Head agree to this as well?"
Heuk Yacheol nodded leisurely.
"If such a situation occurs..."
"I will destroy his dantian with my own hands."
The Flame Heaven Demon Lord slowly sat back down, suppressing his anger.
"...Proceed with the spar."
The bell rang again.
The first opponent stepped onto the arena.
He was a tall man, nearly eight feet in height, with long hair falling down his back.
"I am Ya Muyoung, young heir of the Night Soul Family."
The Night Soul Family specialized in assassination and espionage.
Naturally, their martial arts emphasized speed and stealth.
The Fifth Elder, head of the Night Soul Family, was said to have once fought the Shadowless Divine Thief to a draw.
Ya Muyoung, huh.
Not bad for the first opponent.
He held two unusual crescent-shaped blades.
Weapons difficult to control unless one possessed extraordinary speed.
The instant the starting flag dropped...
His figure disappeared.
Not even the sound of footsteps remained.
The spectators failed to notice where he'd gone.
Then...
Grab!
"Huh...?!"
Suhyeok's hand closed firmly around Ya Muyoung's throat.
Both crescent blades shattered at the edges before he could even resist.
[Trait ‘Half-Human, Half-Dragon (S)’ resists the physical attack.]
[The difference in power is overwhelming.]
[The target's weapon is damaged.]
The messages appeared.
Suhyeok immediately slammed Ya Muyoung into the ground.
BOOOOOOM!
The floor shattered.
Dust exploded outward.
Suhyeok stood, casually dusted off his hands, and looked directly down at Jeok Seonwoo.
"Next."
