Chapter 160: The Newcomers (2)

“So the famous Eighth Young Master is among them, right?"

A classmate whispered the question while they were supposed to be training. Cheon Su-ryong, the new recruit who’d entered the Hall as the top of his class, simply nodded.

They were watching the upperclassmen walking past the main gate of the Hall of the Demonic Way toward the training grounds.

It wasn't just those two talking about it. Every newcomer in the training grounds was doing the same thing, and sensing something was up, others who'd been elsewhere started trickling out to get a look at their seniors.

Their goal was pretty much the same across the board.

It was to see with their own eyes the most talked-about figure within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult in recent years, second only to the Heavenly Demon himself, the Eighth Young Master, Il-mok.

The only problem was that most of them had no clue what Il-mok actually looked like.

"Do you know which one of them is the Eighth Young Master?" asked Cheon Su-ryong’s friend, a guy he’d grown up with at the main headquarters.

"I never went near Windrock Palace where the Eighth Young Master's quarters were supposed to be, so I've never seen him in person either."

"Then I guess we'll have to figure it out ourselves."

Just like the other newcomers, the two of them started studying their seniors' faces and trying to guess which one was the Eighth Young Master.

As they examined the upperclassmen's appearances, auras, and qis, both their faces gradually hardened.

"Every single one of them has this intense presence."

"...A year really makes that much difference, huh."

Maybe it was all the dust caked on their weathered robes from traveling through Xinjiang. The seniors carried an aura that was not easily approachable.

"How are we supposed to figure out who the Eighth Young Master is?"

"Well, at least that guy's probably not him, right?"

When Cheon Su-ryong gestured with his eyes toward someone, his friend followed his gaze to look at the man in question.

Among all the intimidating seniors, there was exactly one guy who stood out.

A man who was smiling foolishly with his mouth twitching upward.

"There's no way the famous Eighth Young Master would be such a frivolous-looking man.”

His friend nodded in agreement with Cheon Su-ryong's assessment.

"Did he even go on the field training? He's the only one who looks clean."

Among the dusty wind-cloaks, his neat and clean attire stood out conspicuously.

***

"Did something good happen to you?"

Il-mok, who'd been grinning like a fool, replied in a flat tone.

"It's just nice being back at the Hall of the Demonic Way after a month away. Feels like coming home."

Il-mok had been daydreaming about his bright future when this party crasher showed up and killed his mood.

Noticing Il-mok's shift in attitude, Chu Il-hwan pointed toward the training grounds with a mischievous expression.

"Looks like the juniors are looking for you."

"Why would juniors I've never even met be looking for me?"

"Well, you're pretty famous, aren't you?"

Il-mok let out a bitter laugh.

'Don't they have anything better to do?'

For Il-mok, who dreamed of living a carefree life, other people's attention wasn't exactly welcome.

Il-mok's indifferent attitude made Chu Il-hwan smile.

‘Huhu. As expected, he’s quite composed.’

Most people would be self-conscious when a bunch of eyes were focused on them.

Even if they claimed they didn't care about others' gazes, they couldn't control their subconscious reactions.

But Il-mok genuinely couldn't care less.

'Then again, he was praised so much by the villagers during this field training. It'd be stranger if he got nervous just because a few juniors were staring at him.'

Having organized his thoughts that far, Chu Il-hwan maintained his playful expression as he spoke.

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you something before the mission. You remember that senior-junior competition from last year?”

"...I remember."

Il-mok hesitated for a moment before answering. Not because he couldn't recall it instantly.

Because he suddenly had a really bad feeling about this

‘That whole damn tournament only happened because of me…’

A bunch of crazy seniors led by Mak Ho-yeol had swarmed him and asked him for duels. So he had done the most logical thing in that situation, he had reported them.

For bullying at that.

But this was the Hall of the Demonic Way, a place full of martial arts fanatics. Instead of punishing the seniors, the instructors had created a pointless tournament and called it a “Senior-Junior Exchange Match.”

'No way... it can't be?'

Remembering what happened a year ago made Il-mok anxious. And Chu Il-hwan was kind enough to turn that anxiety into reality.

"The Hall Master was so satisfied with last year's tournament that he's decided to hold a senior-junior exchange every year after the first field training."

“…Is it the same format? One-on-one, based on rank?” Chu Il-hwan nodded.

“Yup. And you, Disciple Il-mok, are slated to fight the top-ranked kid from the new class.”

Il-mok let out a light sigh.

‘What a massive pain in the ass.’

He couldn’t give a damn about winning or losing.

***

That evening, Chu Il-hwan officially announced the news to the rest of the students.

In a few days, the Senior-Junior Exchange Match would be held once more.

"Just like last year, anyone who catches the eye of the Hall Master and Vice Hall Master will receive special training for a month. Additionally, after the tournament ends, there'll be a brief club recruitment session."

It had been about half a year since Vice Hall Master Yu Geuk was dismissed after getting involved with Il-mok's affairs. A new Vice Hall Master had taken the position. Of course, Il-mok couldn't care less about that.

He barely had anything to do with the instructors, let alone the administration.

As soon as Chu Il-hwan left, the room buzzed with reactions.

“Hahaha! Too bad Brother Mak left first. I hope some decent newcomers showed up!"

That was Dokgo Pae.

The battle junkie was already fired up.

“Ohohoho. My only worry is that the freshmen will be too distracted by my looks to focus on their practice."

And that was Bang Mi-hwa, completely off her rocker as usual.

"This is my chance! A chance to catch Young Master Il-mok's attention!"

And there was Ju Seo-yeon's muttering with her head filled with nothing but thoughts of becoming Il-mok's attendant alongside Jin Hayeon.

Il-mok himself had zero interest in the tournament, but she was practically vibrating with excitement.

While his classmates each showed their own kind of excitement about the tournament in their unique ways...

'Should I just surrender the moment the match starts?'

Il-mok, who found everything bothersome, let out a deep sigh.

"Haah."

"Haah."

Almost in perfect sync, another sigh came from right beside him.

Curious, Il-mok turned his head to see who had sighed and nodded in understanding.

“I have to get up on that dueling stage again…”

It was Jeong Hyeon, her face deathly pale as she hung her head.

Seeing her pitiful state, Il-mok called out to her in a loud voice instead of approaching.

If he got too close, she'd have a panic attack.

"Are you stressed about taking part in the competition?"

The sudden loud voice made Jeong Hyeon flinch, breaking her from her solitary complaints as she raised her head.

Only then did she realize Il-mok was staring right at her. She answered in a flustered voice.

"P-people staring at me is b-burdensome."

"Hmm. But aren’t you fine during the tournament a few months ago?"

"W-when I focus on the Ghostly Spirit Divine Bow, everything around me gets b-blurry, but I just find the whole situation u-uncomfortable."

After replying, she soon dropped her head and muttered, "I-I think I'm pathetic too, Young Master."

"???"

He'd never thought of her as pathetic, but she had suddenly started digging herself into a hole.

"H-how can I handle proper assignments after graduating from the Hall of the Demonic Way if I'm like this?"

She was recalling the events of the recent practical training. How she'd panic every time the White Sparrow Corps members tried to talk to her or approach her. On top of that, Instructor Eun Ryeo's advice kept echoing in her head.

'I-I won't make it. W-without Instructor Eun Ryeo, I can't even get along with people. S-she'll probably get tired of someone like me and leave too...'

Just as she was about to spiral deeper, Il-mok’s voice cut through. “Then wouldn’t it be fine to do a job where you don’t have to interact with people?”

Jeong Hyeon snapped her head up to look at Il-mok.

"There's no need to force yourself to fit into an organization. Just find an organization that suits you."

Those words coming from Il-mok's mouth sounded like a divine revelation to her.

"On the flip side, aren't there organizations that could make full use of your particular traits and martial arts?"

To her, who was hoping for salvation, Il-mok suggested the perfect organization.

"For example, a place like the Dark Shadow Pavilion."

It was a strange sort of savior who recommended a career in assassination. Yet, from Il-mok’s perspective, the advice was entirely sincere.

'It's not like organizations take care of you just because you try to fit in and show loyalty.'

From Il-mok's experience living in the modern world, trying to force yourself to fit into a company that doesn't suit you only leads to mental illness.

In that sense, Demonic Cult members especially needed to choose careers and organizations that matched their aptitudes.

They were already dealing with mental issues to begin with.

One wrong move and they might end up with a double dose of psychological problems.

On top of that...

'Just looking at Third Brother, Jeong Hyeon would probably fit right in at the Dark Shadow Pavilion.'

Someone who couldn't get along with people and had a gloomy personality.

Jeong Hyeon, who had no idea Il-mok was putting her in the same category as a paranoid patient.

“D-Do you really think I can s-succeed there?”

“With your archery and stealth skills, what better place could there be? If not that, you could also work as a Hidden Guard, protecting important people from the shadows."

"M-me? A g-guard?"

“A guardian who moves about openly would be uncomfortable, but wouldn’t one who operates in secret suit your disposition? Hmm, between protecting people and killing people, think about which one appeals to you more."

Following Il-mok's advice, Jeong Hyeon used her imagination.

She pictured herself hiding somewhere, aiming at a target, and likewise, herself hidden somewhere else, aiming at a target.

The former was aiming for an assassination, while the latter was waiting to shoot anyone approaching her protection target.

Maybe because she'd been listening to Il-mok's advice...

When she tried to imagine herself protecting someone, Il-mok's face naturally came to mind as the person she'd be guarding.

The moment a villain dressed entirely in black approached to kill Il-mok, she would shoot an arrow to take down that assassin.

—Thank you, Warrior Jeong! I knew I could only count on Warrior Jeong!

A deeply moved Il-mok expresses his gratitude to her and embraces her.

Naturally, the face of the girl with her eyes closed turned bright red, and she started squirming all over, not knowing what to do with herself.

"......"

Il-mok watched this scene with a peculiar expression.

'...What the hell is she imagining?'

She's not fantasizing about killing people and getting off on it, is she?