Chapter 39: Assassination (1)

Once the boisterous break ended and Windrock Palace emptied, Master arrived.

"I noticed your rapid progress with the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword last evening."

"All thanks to Master's guidance."

My response was a mix of conflicting emotions. I feigned respect and gratitude outwardly, but inwardly, I cursed.

‘Damned Demonic Art!’

The escalating OCD was driving me nuts.

"Were you immersed in sword practice today as well?"

"About that..."

After contemplating Master's question briefly, I answered with some honesty.

"Since my level rose so quickly, the side effect have worsened too, so I'm restraining myself for now."

That was putting it mildly, minus the cursing.

"Oh?"

I expected some disappointment, even a reprimand, but Master simply stroked his beard with a curious look.

Why?

"I was about to address that myself. It's commendable that you're exercising caution."

"???"

"Demonic Arts, unlike those practiced by unbelievers, are known for rapid progress. The level is incomparable. Do you know how long it takes for unbelievers to become Peak Realm masters who can freely manipulate Sword Qi or Fist Qi by opening the Governing and Conception Vessels?"

Caught off guard by the sudden topic change, I thought for a second.

"I'm not sure."

"It varies a lot depending on talent and luck, but generally, people with some talent can reach Peak Realm around middle age. Even among the elite geniuses of the vast Central Plains, only those who consumed copious amounts of elixirs reached Peak Realm in their twenties. What about Demonic Arts, then?"

"Hmm... If ordinary martial arts take that long, wouldn't Demonic Arts take about ten years or so?"

"Hahahaha. Not a bad guess. Depending on your talent, it usually takes between five and ten years to reach what they call the Peak Realm.”

"F-five years?"

"Hehehe. This is just an average timeframe. Your Eldest Brother only took three years. When he joined the Hall of the Demonic Way, he was already tossing Sword Qi around like it was nothing."

Pride tinged Master’s voice, but his laughter faded as his expression hardened.

"However, there is a critical flaw in Demonic Arts. You’ve felt it yourself, haven’t you?”

“The chances of losing one’s sanity are too high.”

"Exactly. Therefore, being drunk on gaining power itself is very dangerous. While progressing your Demonic Art is important, being able to control yourself and refrain from progressing further until your mind stabilizes is undeniably more important than that.”

After hearing the explanation, I could roughly paint how cultists trained their Demonic Arts.

They use the fast leveling of Demonic Arts to boost their skills quickly, but when the crazy side effects start hitting too hard, they stop. Only after they are sure that their sanity is intact and safe do they push further until the next mental breakdown. They repeat this cycle until they hit a limit and settle at that level.

Basically, those branch members and Branch Leaders I saw on that business trip were people who halted their progress at a certain level. This explains why, even with the fast growth of Demonic Arts and their age, their levels were far lower than the much younger Jin Hayeon.

This constant tightrope walk fueled their growth; failure meant Qi Deviation or a total meltdown. And in case of a meltdown, nearby demonic cultivators would intervene, like the case with Eldest Brother back then.

It struck me then.

Perhaps Demonic Arts were meant for those with weak talent but strong willpower.

You have zero talent and you are broke? No problem.

Ten years of sheer stubbornness could still get you to the Peak Realm. Everyone could become a master with enough grit.

What martial art could be more ideal than this for those stubborn enough to grind even knowing they are talentless?

Then, what happens if someone overflowing with talent but with the mental fortitude of a goldfish learns Demonic Arts?

From this perspective—

‘Damn. My compatibility with this shit is absolute garbage.’

This body was blessed with an absurd amount of martial talent that even Master covets. Additionally, it had undergone Bone Marrow Cleansing and is now essentially a perfect vessel for cultivation. Combined with the rapid growth of Demonic Arts, my realm might skyrocket with each cultivation session.

The problem was my mental fortitude.

‘Do I have what it takes to progress further?’

Me, whose life goal was a cushy work-life balance?

As the word doomed endlessly floated through my mind, Master's voice cut through.

"However, there's no need to fear the side effect too much. Once you surpass Extremity and achieve Transcendence, everything will be resolved. Besides, avoiding training out of fear defeats the purpose of learning Demonic Arts."

‘I never wanted to learn this garbage in the first place!’

The words itched in my throat, but I managed to hold them back with my last ounce of patience.

"Understood."

How much crazier would I get with the next level?

While I was stressing about that, Master continued speaking instead of immediately resuming training.

"And today, I have one more thing to tell you, Il-mok."

"Yes, Master."

“We’ve identified those who ordered the assassination at the inn, the ones who hunted me when we first met.”

"!!!"

Shock painted my face as Master listed the culprits.

"First, the one who tracked me and reported to the Murim Alliance, the Sober Beggar, the Eight-Knotted Beggar of the Beggar’s Gang. Second, the one who dispatched the Alliance's warriors and requested support from surrounding sects, the Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance, Gongsun Hyeon. Finally, the one who ordered the innkeeper's death and the poisoning of my food and tea, the Murim Alliance's Flying Dragon Pavilion Lord, Jeong Yeong."

Just from hearing their positions, I could tell they were all major figures. The only title that seemed even remotely manageable was the Pavilion Lord mentioned last.

But the truly shocking part was the Demonic Cult's intelligence network.

"Such detailed information. The Divine Cult's intelligence network is astounding, Master."

"Hahaha. While our Divine Cult's intelligence is indeed impressive, we learned this through the Murim Alliance itself.”

"???"

"Remember when I said the Murim Alliance would pin the blame on me? Well, they did exactly that. They claimed that the Beggar’s Gang caught this old one's trail, and the Chief Strategist ordered the capture."

"......"

I almost facepalmed at their idiocy.

What kind of idiots would announce their crime out loud?

But after hearing Master's subsequent explanation, I roughly understood why they had done so.

"They spread rumors that this old one escaped by taking the innkeeper and waiter hostage. They're saying they had to let me go to save the hostages, but sadly, the hostages were brutally murdered by me after I broke through the encirclement."

In short, they’d framed Master for the massacre at the inn.

"Using their own lies as clues, the Divine Cult tracked down the masterminds. Who ratted me out from the Beggar’s Gang and who led the Alliance's operation that day. Identifying the Sober Beggar and the Flying Dragon Pavilion Lord wasn't difficult."

After finishing the explanation, Master's expression turned solemn.

"Now, you decide. Will you take revenge with your own hands? Or will you entrust it to me?"

"......"

I fell into contemplation for a moment.

Truthfully, I wanted to dump all three on him.

But—

'Something feels off.'

How should I put it... I was suspicious about why he was even asking me. It felt like some kind of test.

Maybe it's just the side effect of the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword messing with my head and making me overthink, but this just felt wrong.

Besides—

'I should avenge Uncle Taehyun myself.'

He was the one who looked after me when I suddenly woke up in this fourteen-year-old orphan body. Since I couldn't repay his kindness, I should at least avenge him.

"I will take my revenge with my own hands."

"Oh? You mean to deal with all three yourself?"

I shook my head at Master's question.

“Just the Flying Dragon Pavilion Lord, the one directly involved in Uncle Taehyun's death. While the Sober Beggar and the Chief Strategist played a role, I believe only Jeong Yeong was directly involved in the murder."

Beyond those directly involved, there was also a practical issue.

How am I supposed to kill the Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance?

Killing him would probably require an all-out war to wipe out the entire Alliance.

However, simply admitting that killing all three would be difficult wasn’t an option. That’s why I opted to target the Flying Dragon Pavilion Lord.

"Hmm. So, you’re limiting your vengeance to those directly involved in the murder. A wise decision."

Satisfied with my answer, Master stroked his beard and nodded.

"Then, I'll leave the Flying Dragon Pavilion Lord to you. But remember, you're not even close to his level right now. They said it’s not too late for a gentleman to take revenge ten years later; dedicate yourself to your training for the sake of vengeance."

"I will do so."

I gave him a fist-clasp salute, but at the same time, I was thinking…

'Somehow, it feels like my workload has increased again.'

I had planned to laze around after joining the Hall of the Demonic Way, but now I had another target, the Flying Dragon Pavilion Lord.

'This really is the last one.'

Once I kill him and avenge Uncle Taehyun, I'll truly just retire and enjoy life.

* * *

That night.

The Heavenly Demon was in his office in the main palace, doing some paperwork. He put down a letter he was reading and glanced out at the moon hanging high in the night sky.

He was looking east, toward the territory of the Martial Alliance.

‘Hmm. So he wants to kill the Flying Dragon Pavilion Lord himself.'

He recalled his youngest disciple's vow.

Indeed, his youngest disciple's talent was outstanding.

So outstanding that despite a considerable amount of time being taken up by their conversation today, his youngest disciple still made progress after only an hour of training.

‘He didn't look too happy about it. Perhaps grief for the innkeeper still weighs on him.’

The Heavenly Demon knew nothing of Il-mok’s true thoughts.

'I wonder if he'll succeed in his revenge during this old one's lifetime.'

The Heavenly Demon was acutely aware of his dwindling lifespan. Though he couldn't put a number on it, he knew he had less than ten years left.

Jeong Yeong, while inferior to Wi Jin-hak, had surpassed Seo Wan-pyeong in skill.

In other words, to kill Jeong Yeong, Il-mok would need to surpass Extremity and advance several levels further at the very least. And that assuming Jeong Yeong wouldn't grow stronger in the interim, otherwise Il-mok would need to raise his level even higher.

But an even greater problem existed.

The Flying Dragon Pavilion Lord was the right-hand man of Gongsun Hyeon, the Murim Alliance's Chief Strategist.

In terms of rank within the Murim Alliance, he's somewhere between fourth and fifth in command.

Not only was his level high, but he also never travels alone. Except for extremely important missions, he was always holed up in the Murim Alliance.

In truth, among the three, the one most vulnerable to assassination was the Eight-Knotted Beggar of the Beggar’s Gang.

In any case, to kill him, Il-mok had to meet one of two conditions.

Reach a level strong enough to just plow through any defense and instantly kill the Flying Dragon Pavilion Lord, which means achieving Extremity with the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword at a minimum.

Or, achieve Transcendence and set an unbreakable trap—one that even the Chief Strategist couldn't overcome—to isolate and eliminate Jeong Yeong.

Since he knew all this, the Heavenly Demon wasn’t actually planning on letting Il-mok do the job at all.

He had simply informed Il-mok—as the person directly affected—of the masterminds' identities and asked for his thoughts as a minimal courtesy.

In other words, Il-mok's paranoia had led him to misinterpret the situation.

But oblivious to this, the Heavenly Demon smiled softly at the moon.

'Hahaha. If he gets it done after I’m gone, that's fine too. Revenge takes time, after all.’

He was simply proud of his youngest disciple for daring to challenge such a formidable foe.