Chapter 5
The moment I entered the room, I knew.
Someone was inside.
The window I always closed before leaving was open.
Cold night air flowed through it.
But that wasn't the only reason.
There was something else.
A powerful presence pressing against my entire body.
It wasn't simply the sound of someone moving.
It was difficult to explain.
Almost like the sheer presence of someone strong.
My instincts were screaming.
Someone was here.
The door definitely...
Hadn't changed.
I wasn't a high school student hiding a murder notebook, but ever since my military days, I had a small habit.
Whenever I left a room, I placed a simple indicator on the door.
If anyone other than me opened it, I would know immediately.
But when I returned this time...
The indicator hadn't changed at all.
So they didn't enter through the door.
This wasn't a polite guest.
They had entered someone else's empty room without permission and hadn't even used the door.
On the other hand...
They probably weren't here for openly hostile reasons either.
If their objective had been to ambush me, they had already wasted the best opportunity.
Whenever you attacked a target indoors, the moment they entered through the doorway was ideal.
That was when they were least prepared.
But tonight's guest hadn't moved at all.
They were simply sitting in my room.
Waiting.
Step. Step.
I deliberately made noise as I walked.
Slowly, I entered deeper into the room.
Once I passed the wall, I saw bright moonlight entering through the open window of the darkened chamber.
And sitting directly in that moonlight...
Was a black-haired man.
He sat beside the window with a table in front of him, quietly enjoying the scenery.
A refined bottle of alcohol and a cup had been placed before him.
It almost looked as though he were drinking while using the moonlit scenery as his side dish.
Who...?
I wondered.
Then something flashed through the vague memories transferred from Cheon Sowol.
A scene.
A long-haired man lifting the young Cheon Sowol high into the air while saying something to him.
The man in that memory looked exactly like the person sitting here.
And then another realization followed.
That man...
Was Cheon Sowol's father.
Cult Leader Cheon Sangmyeong...!
If he was Cheon Sowol's father, his identity was obvious.
The master of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
The leader of every follower within the Divine Cult.
And one of the strongest martial artists in Murim.
The moment that fact entered my mind, my body moved toward the floor almost automatically.
"Th-the Third Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Sowol, greets the Cult Leader! The Heavenly Demon Reigns, Ten Thousand Demons..."
Swish.
Cheon Sangmyeong raised one hand without changing his expression.
My mouth immediately closed.
Only then did I realize it.
The heavy, mysterious pressure filling the room belonged entirely to this man.
Even if...
I had a gun...
Could I actually defeat someone like him?
The sheer presence I felt from him made such a ridiculous thought enter my mind.
I had never felt energy like this from another human being.
Fear.
That was the only word for it.
A pressure so overwhelming that fear appeared naturally.
This man was my father.
Cheon Sangmyeong.
"Come inside."
It was only a short sentence.
Yet even his voice carried weight.
Like someone struggling beneath a heavy load, I barely managed to stand and enter the room fully.
The man's gaze remained outside.
Only after I had completely entered did he slowly turn toward me.
Even his eyes felt extraordinary.
They almost looked as though a pale moon existed inside them.
I naturally lowered myself again.
"The view from this room has not changed."
"...I am able to enjoy such luxury thanks to the Cult Leader's grace."
What was I supposed to say?
Were conversations between a father and son always this awkward?
The atmosphere had gone from heavy to cold.
I swallowed dryly and couldn't bring myself to look directly at him.
Cheon Sangmyeong turned his gaze away again.
He lifted his cup and looked out through the window.
Sip.
"I heard smoke no longer rises from March Pavilion these days."
At least he was the one who finally broke the awkward silence.
Hearing what sounded like ordinary conversation eased some of my tension.
I answered more naturally.
"If you mean the alchemy, I have given it up."
"Why?"
"Because I realized it was not the answer."
"I also heard your body has recovered."
"Thanks to the Sacred Moon's protection, I have recovered. However, I do not believe it was because of alchemy."
"I heard Jin Woon took weapons from the armory. I also heard you have not left the training ground for a month."
"Because I have to enter the Dark Demon Well..."
For a father who supposedly hadn't visited me even once since my mother died, he knew quite a lot.
I thought he had completely stopped caring.
Apparently, he still received reports about his son.
"Are you afraid?"
"I am worried."
Perhaps he understood the difference between fear and worry.
The man who had been staring outside turned back toward me.
He lifted his chin slightly, as if my answer had caught his interest.
"It will not be easy, after all..."
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly and gave him an honest answer.
I wasn't afraid of dying.
I was worried about the process of coming back alive.
The possibility that I wouldn't return wasn't even included among my choices.
Maybe he didn't dislike that answer.
No criticism followed.
Apparently, it wasn't a bad answer.
"Those are not words I would expect from you."
"I nearly died once already, so..."
Maybe it was more than simply "not a bad answer."
The way he deliberately raised his cup high made me think so.
Cheon Sangmyeong almost seemed to be hiding the corner of his mouth behind the cup.
"The moonlight from this place is pleasant after so long."
"I'll be away for some time, so feel free to visit whenever you wish."
"For some time."
"I'll return soon. It won't be easy, but I will."
Sip.
Tap.
After hearing my more direct answer, Cheon Sangmyeong drained the cup and finally placed it on the table.
Then he suddenly spoke in a mysterious way.
"The Sacred Moon gives no answers. It merely shines. Yet every shadow takes form because that Sacred Moon illuminates it. Lesser creatures look only at the shadow and falsely call it the will of the Sacred Moon."
What?
His words suddenly became incredibly philosophical.
Maybe this was what happened when someone became the leader of a religion.
His mysterious speech certainly sounded suitable for the head of a religious organization.
Religions were always like that.
Ambiguous words sounded profound.
"Your son lacks faith and cannot fully understand your meaning."
"You need not understand. As I said, the Sacred Moon simply shines. Even this is nothing more than a single night's whim of moonlight. The answer belongs to the shape illuminated by that light. If the shape is destined to crumble, then so be it. If it is destined to remain as a deep Sacred Shadow, then that too follows the natural order."
"...Excuse me?"
He gave me another answer that sounded like some kind of Zen riddle.
I still couldn't understand him.
No matter how many times I repeated it in my head, nothing changed.
So I raised my head to ask again.
Whoooosh.
"Where...?"
He was gone.
Only a brief gust of wind and pale moonlight entered through the open window.
Where he had been sitting...
A small black wooden box remained beside the bottle of alcohol.
"Don't raise your voice. Seriously, don't raise your voice that much."
It was the morning after my rather unwelcome nighttime visitor appeared.
I had called Jin Woon into my room early in the morning.
With an extremely serious expression, I explained everything that happened.
Jin Woon swallowed hard and listened closely.
"And then he said it exactly like that!"
"The Cult Leader truly spoke in such a dramatic manner?"
"Were you there? If you weren't there, don't criticize the man."
"...In any case, according to Young Master's explanation, the Cult Leader visited during the night and left this behind."
"Well, if you summarize it, yes."
I had told Jin Woon everything that happened the previous night.
The fact that Cheon Sowol's father and the leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had personally visited shocked him greatly.
Jin Woon had stayed beside Cheon Sowol for many years.
Yet even he had never seen the Cult Leader visit this place before.
"Then first... I must offer my respects."
"What?"
"The Sacred Moon Manifests in the Heavens, Ten Thousand Heavens Bring Light! The Heavenly Demon Reigns, Ten Thousand Demons Bow!"
Thud!
After hearing the entire story, Jin Woon suddenly straightened his clothes.
Then he threw himself to the floor and bowed deeply toward the table holding the wooden box and alcohol bottle.
No matter how normal he tried to look...
Faith had penetrated all the way into his bones.
To Jin Woon, Cheon Sowol's father and the Cult Leader of the Divine Cult was practically a living Buddha.
"Are you finished?"
"Yes. It is an honor."
"You can have that alcohol bottle if you want. I think there's still a little inside."
"May I truly dare to take it?"
"Sure. I'm not exactly in a situation where I should be enjoying alcohol anyway."
"I shall preserve it as a family treasure for generations! Loyalty!"
"...Do whatever you want."
Before I even finished speaking, Jin Woon grabbed the bottle as though someone might steal it.
That wasn't why I called him here.
Apparently, he realized that too because he soon returned with an awkward expression.
"Ahem. Have you checked what is inside the wooden box?"
"No. Not yet. Honestly, I'm a little nervous. It's okay to open it, right?"
"I did not hear it directly, but I have heard rumors that the Cult Leader sometimes visits the Young Masters like the wind, leaves behind a lesson, and disappears. Perhaps this is something similar."
"Why didn't I know about... Never mind. So you're saying he left it specifically for me?"
"If that were not the case, he would not have left any trace behind. Every trace left by the Cult Leader has meaning."
"Hmm. That's still vague. He comes alone at night without warning?"
"Perhaps that simply means it is not an official gift."
"So it's something I can't brag about publicly, but accepting it won't cause problems?"
"That is how it appears to me."
In a religious organization as large as the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the leader personally doing something was a major event.
Even handing a single object to a follower required ceremony and meaning.
Wasn't he considered the incarnation of the Sacred Moon?
Even when giving something to his own child, there normally had to be procedure and justification.
Apparently, even religious fanatics had rules.
"Then I can open it without worrying."
There was always the chance the box had some religious meaning I didn't understand.
That was why I called Jin Woon first.
Now that he had confirmed it was probably safe, I felt a little better.
Still...
I couldn't completely relax.
No one knew what was inside.
For all I know...
There might be nothing inside.
Creak.
With that thought, I carefully opened the box.
A damp, earthy smell immediately rose from within.
My face naturally twisted.
But relief came first.
Fortunately, this wasn't some Xun Yu-style empty-box message telling me to die.
There was definitely something inside.
And the moment I opened the box...
A strange hunger suddenly surged through me.
"Hoo..."
"What is it?"
"A small pill."
"What!? Please excuse me for a moment!"
The instant I explained what was inside, Jin Woon's eyes widened.
He almost snatched the box from my hands and stared inside.
His eyes grew even larger.
Whatever was inside clearly wasn't ordinary.
"This... This is...!"
"Is it good?"
"It's a Demon Spirit Pill!"
"A Demon Spirit Pill?"
I tilted my head.
Jin Woon carefully explained it.
The Divine Cult possessed three famous spiritual pills.
The Demon Spirit Pill ranked second in terms of internal energy provided.
Above it was the Demon God Pill.
Below it was the Lesser Demon Pill.
One Demon Spirit Pill supposedly contained half a cycle's worth of internal energy.
In other words...
Around thirty years.
"It is a spiritual pill comparable to Shaolin's Lesser Restoration Pill. Ah... It seems the Cult Leader truly was worried about you after all. As expected...!"
"Huh. He's the one who sent me somewhere to die, isn't he? And now he does this?"
"A father's heart is different. This is wonderful. Before entering the Dark Demon Well, you can now restore your internal energy as well. As expected, all of this is the Sacred Moon's..."
While Jin Woon continued his endless praise...
My eyes remained fixed on the Demon Spirit Pill.
Perhaps I could interpret it as secret concern from a father.
But what I felt much more strongly...
Was hunger.
An inexplicable desire was pulling me toward the Demon Spirit Pill.
I had no idea why.
"If I eat this, I'll gain internal energy, right? Thirty years' worth?"
"Because your dantian is currently empty, you likely cannot absorb all of it. Even half would be incredible. If you can gain fifteen years of cultivation, that alone would be a tremendous fortuitous encounter."
"Hmm. Really? Would that be enough to survive the Dark Demon Well?"
"It would certainly be far better than having no internal energy."
"Then I should eat it immediately."
"Y-you truly mean that?"
"Why? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"N-no reason. I simply... thought Young Master might once again... Ahem. Yes."
"You thought I'd use it for alchemy?"
"...I will stand guard outside. Please consume it immediately."
Apparently, Jin Woon had been worried that the moment I saw such a precious spiritual pill, I would waste it on alchemy again.
Judging from how shocked he looked when I said I would simply eat it...
He had probably been at least eighty percent certain.
The Cult Leader's strange words from the previous night floated through my mind.
Maybe that had been what he meant.
He had given me something.
How I used it was my decision.
In other words...
Leaving this pill behind was probably another test from the Cult Leader.
Had his third son truly regained his senses?
Or was he only pretending?
Everyone's suspicions were remarkably consistent.
That alone showed exactly how terrible the original Cheon Sowol's behavior had been.
Less than one week remained before I had to enter the Dark Demon Well.
I couldn't delay anymore.
Then what else was there to think about?
I immediately prepared to consume the Demon Spirit Pill.
Jin Woon would wait outside the room and protect me while I cultivated.
He also taught me a qi-circulation method that would help absorb the energy of the pill.
I sat cross-legged in the center of the room and stared at the Demon Spirit Pill.
Its earthy smell continued stimulating that strange hunger inside me.
"Once you are ready, consume it immediately."
"I'll start now. If anything happens, you know what to do. I'm trusting you."
After giving Jin Woon that simple request, I remained sitting cross-legged and picked up the Demon Spirit Pill.
The moment I placed it in my mouth, a strong herbal smell spread across my tongue.
Then came a deep bitterness.
I clenched my teeth, chewed it carefully, and swallowed.
A moment later...
Heat began rising from my dantian.
Wooooong!
My dantian started trembling.
Now I had to suppress that energy and gather as much as possible inside my dantian.
Only then would it remain within my body as my own internal energy.
I focused my mind.
Every bit of concentration went toward my dantian.
The energy of the Demon Spirit Pill slowly began melting into my body.
And then...
Flash!
A completely different energy suddenly appeared inside my dantian.
What?
No one had told me anything about this.
Before I could even properly question it...
Awooooooooooooo!
The roar of a wild beast echoed through my mind.
It sounded both familiar and unfamiliar.
The instant I heard it...
Thick black energy began swirling violently around my entire body.
