Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"What happened?"

I didn't know how much time had passed.

After resting in the shade for a while, I finally regained enough strength to ask Jin Woon what had happened.

All I had done was draw up my internal energy and throw a single punch.

Then every bit of strength left my body.

But Jin Woon had moved as though he'd known this would happen.

So I had to ask.

"You consumed far too much internal energy at once."

"I only threw one punch. Is it because I'm not used to using internal energy?"

"If you were simply inexperienced, the technique would have failed. Or nothing would have happened at all. This is actually the opposite."

"Because Cheon Sowol reached a high level before?"

"Yes. Young Master once reached the Peak Realm. Because of that, when you release internal energy, force naturally gathers in your fist and is discharged."

"But I can't control the output?"

"Correct. That is because you currently lack a proper cultivation method. A cultivation method provides both a framework and a path for the internal energy inside your body. You once possessed such a method, but now you do not. That is what causes this difference."

"Haa... One problem after another."

Murim was surprisingly consistent.

Whenever one thing was solved...

Something else became insufficient.

Whenever I achieved something...

Another obstacle appeared.

"Should I quickly learn some basic cultivation method?"

"There is not enough time. And wasting the Demon Spirit Pill's energy on a basic cultivation method would be regrettable."

"Then what?"

"At this point, you can only hope to obtain a suitable one inside the Dark Demon Well."

"Haa."

"Until then, you should become as familiar with controlling your internal energy as possible."

"Haa... I thought I was almost ready."

The answer hadn't changed.

There was less than a week left before I entered the Dark Demon Well.

At least I still had some time.

I would have to spend the remaining days practicing control.

If I was lucky, I might learn to regulate the output before entering.

If not...

I'd have no choice but to save my internal energy for the final emergency.

One punch.

With thirty years of internal energy poured into it.

That would be my last resort.

"No choice. I'll just have to train myself into the ground until it's time to leave."

"That is the destiny and sacred duty of a follower."

"Of course. Of course. Sacred Moooon Manifeeests in the Heaveeens~."

"Ten Thousand Heavens Bring Light... However..."

Normally, before entering the military, a man should spend his remaining days doing everything he wants.

Apparently, things were different this time.

I was destined to spend every remaining day inside the training ground.

At least I had Jin Woon beside me.

If I collapsed, there was someone there to catch me.

That wasn't much comfort.

But it was still comfort.

"What?"

"What was that punching technique you just used?"

"Huh? Why? Was there something strange about it?"

"I did not notice it at first, but it is slightly different from the ordinary punches I know. Your balance remains stable, and just before impact... you rotate the fist like this, correct?"

"Right. Just before it lands. It makes it easier to slip through someone's guard, and it adds more body weight and speed. Look. See how the shoulder rises too? It protects the chin at the same time."

"So there was such profound reasoning hidden within it. Impressive."

Apparently, Jin Woon had been learning quite a bit from watching what he considered my strange new martial art.

Today, he seemed particularly fascinated by an ordinary straight punch.

To a martial artist, even something that simple apparently looked like a mysterious technique.

Jin Woon held his chin and thought for a while.

Then he nodded as though he had finally understood.

"I should apply this principle to my own fist art. What is the name of the technique?"

"Huh? The name? It's just a straight..."

The moment the word left my mouth...

I realized I had made a mistake.

It wasn't even a special technique.

It was just a basic movement.

So naturally, I had answered using the modern name.

But...

"Sutareido...?"

Jin Woon's eyes widened.

"Su-ta-re-i-do... Hand-Striking Thunder Principle Arrival?"

"Huh?"

His Central Plains ears had somehow transformed the word straight into something that sounded like a profound martial technique.

Jin Woon's expression became deeply impressed.

"As expected. It means reaching the principle of thunder with one's bare hands! What a perfect name that completely captures the essence of the technique!"

"Uh...?"

Talk about an interpretation being more impressive than the original.

This was exactly that kind of situation.

"R-right! Wow. Sutareido! You understand it. That's exactly what it means. Of course."

I immediately went along with it.

At times like this, the correct choice was to ride the wave.

The name and meaning sounded surprisingly convincing.

Now I had a martial arts technique name I could proudly use in public.

If anyone asked in the future...

I would repeat Jin Woon's explanation with an extremely serious expression.

"All right. Shall we continue?"

Before Jin Woon could say anything else, I climbed back onto the training platform.

Training continued.

I had finally obtained internal energy.

Yet my daily routine didn't change at all.

I threw punches.

I collapsed.

I stood up.

Then I collapsed again.

That continued...

Right until the day I had to enter the Dark Demon Well.

"Have you finished preparing?"

One week passed like lightning.

And eventually...

The worst day arrived.

I remembered feeling exactly like this when I first entered military training.

My eyes felt strangely heavy.

My shoulders ached.

And my feet refused to move forward.

Today was the day I would be dragged into the place called the Dark Demon Well.

"Would they let me skip it if I said I'm not ready?"

"Of course not."

"What if I accidentally forgot about it?"

"If you are curious about receiving a Pursuit-and-Kill Order, you are welcome to try."

"Tch. Guess I'm ready, then."

There wasn't much to prepare anyway.

I carried the weapons appropriate for someone calling himself a martial artist.

Everything else was just my body.

"You must travel to the Dark Demon Well alone. Here is the map and some simple clothing."

"Yeah. Traveling alone is more comfortable anyway."

"There is also something I must report before you leave."

"About the Second Young Master?"

"Yes."

Once I finished packing my few belongings, Jin Woon handed me the final bundle.

He had been investigating several things alone over the past month.

He wanted to tell me the results before I entered the Dark Demon Well.

His serious expression told me the answer was probably exactly what we had expected.

"It seems the Second Young Master's side has moved, just as we suspected."

"They really don't know how to surprise me. How did you find out?"

"I confirmed that the list of people entering the Dark Demon Well was changed. It appears someone from the Council of Elders interfered."

"You don't know who?"

"No. However, I was able to learn how many people were added."

"How many?"

"Four in total."

"That's a lot."

Apparently, someone had hired four assassins just to deal with me.

Most people would probably be shocked.

I wasn't.

Back when I worked as a mercenary, there had been bounties placed on my head.

Being important enough for terrorist groups to issue a bounty was practically proof that you had become a top-class mercenary.

It had happened to me twice.

This kind of threat wasn't new.

"Well. Once I'm inside the Dark Demon Well, they'll probably come looking for me themselves."

"You must remain cautious. They may not be Peak experts since they are entering the Dark Demon Well, but people like that are often reckless and unpredictable."

"Those are usually the most dangerous ones. I'll be careful. Still, compared to one month ago, I have a lot more now. Don't worry too much, Jin Woon."

One month ago...

My body had been ruined.

I had no internal energy.

Now my body had recovered.

And I possessed thirty years of cultivation.

On top of that, inside my dantian...

Grrrrrr...

A beast almost like a spiritual creature lazily wagged its tail.

"I'm not exactly going alone."

I rubbed my stomach while muttering to myself.

For some reason, simply knowing that creature was there made me feel more secure.

Unexpectedly...

Jin Woon responded.

"So you already knew."

"Huh? Knew what? What do I know now?"

"You just said you would not be going alone... Did you not say that intentionally?"

"I mean... Is someone else going?"

"One of the newly added people entering the Dark Demon Well. We managed to identify one of them. It is someone you know very well."

"Someone I know?"

That sounded strange.

There was only one person I genuinely knew well right now.

Jin Woon.

While I was still confused...

Jin Woon gave me the answer.

"The Fifth Young Master is also entering the Dark Demon Well."

"...The fifth? The youngest?"

"Yes. Young Master Cheon Gangwol's entry has been confirmed. He is one of the four people newly added to the list."

"Haa. So is he after me too?"

"We cannot know for certain. You were never particularly close. However, according to what I heard, Young Master Gangwol's inclusion may have come from the Cult Leader's Palace rather than the Council of Elders."

"So there was probably some deal behind the scenes. The Council gets to add someone, the Cult Leader's Palace gets to add someone. Something like that. Still... he's hard to judge."

"I recommend remaining cautious around him as well. In terms of martial arts talent, he is said to be a genius comparable to you. I prepared some information you can read on the way."

"I should. At least I'm lucky enough to know a few things before going in. Cheon Gangwol, huh... I'll read it. Thanks."

What had the youngest son done to be sent into the Dark Demon Well, the so-called furnace that remade people into Demonic Warriors?

What was the Cult Leader's Palace thinking?

And what kind of relationship had existed between Cheon Sowol and Cheon Gangwol?

Nothing clear came to mind.

There was barely anything about him in the memories transferred to me.

This was something I would have to discover personally.

If he isn't an enemy...

It would be nice if we could actually feel some brotherly affection.

But considering this was the place everyone called the Demonic Cult...

That seemed unlikely.

If martial arts stories had taught me anything...

Brothers here weren't usually very brotherly.

"Whatever. I'll find out when I get there. I should leave now before I'm late."

"Young Master. One moment."

I was about to leave after hearing everything I needed.

Jin Woon stopped me by grabbing my sleeve.

Then he approached.

He pulled something small from his clothes and placed it around my neck.

A tiny pouch hung at the end of the necklace.

It looked exactly like the kind of pouch that would hold a talisman.

"This is a protective talisman containing the blessing of the Sacred Moon God. I had great difficulty obtaining it from a mage of the Demon Scripture Hall. Please keep it with you at all times."

Jin Woon paused.

Then his expression softened.

"I, Jin Woon, still remember."

"When you were young, you promised to obtain a precious medicinal herb for my sick mother."

"Did... I?"

"You ran on those little legs until you fulfilled your promise. I can still see it clearly. You were covered in sweat and completely exhausted, yet in the end, you came running back while holding that medicinal herb."

"Even when you became obsessed with alchemy, I remembered that child and continued waiting."

"I will wait again this time."

"I will wait for the day you return."

What Jin Woon gave me wasn't just a talisman.

It was the loyalty that had remained in his heart all these years.

Until now...

I hadn't understood.

Why did Jin Woon care so deeply for Cheon Sowol?

Why was he so loyal?

Apparently...

Cheon Sowol had been surprisingly blessed when it came to people.

And maybe...

He had once been a decent human being when he was young.

"Yeah. I'll come back."

"I'll promise you again."

"I will pray for you. And I will prepare everything so that I am ready for the day you return."

Jin Woon dropped to one knee and raised his hands in a martial salute.

"May the Sacred Moon protect you."

I lightly patted his shoulder.

Then I left March Pavilion.

This situation was familiar.

Someone stayed behind waiting for me.

Meanwhile, I walked toward a place from which my return was uncertain.

Every time this happened...

I always said the same thing.

I would return.

I knew that, to some people, those words could sound like empty confidence.

Or just a polite farewell.

But whenever I said them...

I meant them.

And until now...

I had always kept that promise.

This time would be no different.

Walking into a place called a death trap...

Then walking back out again.

A mission wasn't complete until you returned alive.

That had always been what I was best at.

Before passing through the main gate...

I looked back one last time.

"I'll be back."

The familiar tension I felt after so long...

Wasn't entirely unpleasant.