“What the heck is this…?”

Seol-Young, the first disciple of the Hwasan Sect and in charge of training the Three Great Disciples, couldn’t help but frown at the situation.

“…This is a disaster.”

As she looked at the chaos unfolding, her face contorted in dismay.

BANG-!

“Gwaek!”

With a loud crash, someone flew through the air.

Rolling on the ground from a distance was one of the Three Great Disciples.

“Kreeuh…”

The fallen disciple twitched for a moment on the ground, trembling, before losing consciousness entirely, flopping down like a rag doll.

“Yikes…!”

“Once again…!”

“How many is this now…?”

The other disciples froze in terror at the sight.

Just how many had it already been? Over ten for sure.

More than ten disciples lay piled up in a corner, all unconscious.

“…Ah…”

Seol-Young clasped her forehead with her hand.

“…This is ruined.”

What in the world was she supposed to do about this?

Her mind went blank at the sight before her.

How did it turn into this? She pondered but came to one conclusion.

‘…I shouldn’t have brought him.’

She shouldn’t have dragged this insane monster here.

At that moment.

“Next.”

The figure standing in front of her, utterly oblivious to Seol-Young’s headache, spoke.

The Author. That was the cause of her headache.

“Yikes… no way!”

As the next disciple’s turn approached, he tried to flee in terror, but—

“What do you mean ‘no’? This is an incredible opportunity! Hurry up and get over here!”

“Augh! Master!”

“…”

Seol-Young could only watch as the disciple was yanked back by the nape of his neck.

She couldn’t even manage to run away properly.

Flame Burst-!!

Unidentifiable flames surrounded the training grounds, unleashing an intense heat that barred anyone from escaping.

The author had clearly set up some mechanisms to prevent escape.

“Draw your sword.”

“P-please…”

“Eh? You can’t even draw your sword before a spar? You really are out of it, huh? Want me to pull it out for you?”

“Eeeek…!”

“Damn.”

‘…What kind of person is this?’

Seol-Young gasped at the ridiculousness of forcing a sparring match.

She had been shocked when he knocked out the first disciple, but back then, she tried to rationalize it.

‘That kid really messed up…’

She had been curious about Gu Bong’s skills because he had crushed him.

‘What the…’

But facing it directly felt entirely different. He had been facing over ten of the Three Great Disciples without moving a single inch.

He hadn’t budged from his spot.

All attacks had been dodged effortlessly, finishing with a single blow.

It was overwhelming.

Could she ever do that?

‘No way.’

Seol-Young was painfully aware of her limitations.

If Gu Bong, who the Sect Leader viewed favorably, could do it, maybe. But—

‘Gu Bong lost to a noble person.’

She had never seen them fight directly, but she had heard he lost even in moonlight.

Later, when she visited the infirmary, he was in a pitiful state.

That solid fellow had suffered extensive injuries.

It was bewildering.

‘How could he have been hit like that?’

How could someone even begin to inflict that much damage? She was curious.

KWAANG-!!

“Grrk!”

“…”

Now she understood.

That was how it was possible.

Another disciple fell, and he casually tossed the unconscious disciple aside.

“Next.”

He spoke ominously, brushing his hands off.

“Ma-Master…”

“Help me…!”

The other disciples looked at Seol-Young with desperate eyes.

“…”

Seol-Young responded by ignoring their pleading gazes.

“Master…!?”

“Master!”

“Are you deaf? I said ‘next’.”

“Gyahhh!”

Fear and betrayal swirled in the disciples’ eyes.

Fear directed toward the Author and betrayal toward herself.

‘Sorry, kids.’

She felt a sinking guilt but still ignored them.

Was it fear of that noble young man? No.

Was it the desire to show them a new approach, as she said?

Half-right, half-wrong.

It was true she wanted to instill a new spirit, but—

‘Not like this….’

This didn’t feel like a new approach; it felt like violence.

Way too brutal, and—

‘Why is he enjoying this…?’

It was clear from his expression; he was relishing tormenting the disciples.

‘…I brought the wrong person.’

She grimly realized her massive blunder, but it was too late.

‘Ah… is that why?’

At that moment, Seol-Young recalled the situation from when she had sought permission from the Sect Leader.

When she had asked if she could request a favor from a noble person, the Sect Leader had smiled warmly.

She knew from experience that that kind of smile usually meant something was up, but caught up in thoughts of her disciples, she had briefly forgotten that.

‘No wonder.’

Now she understood why he had smiled so brightly.

As if he had known this would happen.

‘…Oh…’

What should she do? The thought of a looming disaster crossed her mind.

“Arm. Focus on your nerves. Is that the right angle for swinging your sword? It can’t be.”

She spat out the words and swatted at a disciple’s sword. The disciple’s wrist lost strength, and their sword slipped from their grip.

They were knocked out cold when their chin was struck.

“Your lower body is shaking. You should know by now not to lean in like that. Are you pleading to get hit in the face? If so, I can oblige.”

Their face met the ground with a dull thud. The disciple teetered and then fell once more.

“Your abdomen is left wide open. If you’re going to defend, do it properly. If you must block, at least avoid attacks you can’t block. You think giving flesh to take bones is okay? Tsk tsk. You might as well die without a trace.”

The disciple, struck in the solar plexus, retched before collapsing entirely.

And it continued in this manner.

The disciples fell one after another, and although it was unfortunate,

‘This is actual training sparring, isn’t it?’

Seol-Young couldn’t help but be amazed.

As he struck fiercely, he pointed out each disciple’s weaknesses and areas to improve.

Then he’d exploit those weaknesses, leading to realizations for the young disciples.

“The lower body, you fools! You think you can compensate for it with useless moves? What can you achieve with those worthless tricks! Basics are essential, basics.”

“Grrr!”

“…”

Of course, the brutality couldn’t be dismissed, and it was utterly pathetic to witness.

As time passed,

“Next.”

The young man, with a painfully contorted face, shouted, but this time, not a single scream was heard.

Wondering what was wrong, Seol-Young turned to look.

“Hmm? Ah.”

It seemed that the young man realized something upon seeing the situation.

“Is that all?”

There were no more disciples left.

This meant that all of them had succumbed, rendering them too incapacitated to continue sparring.

“Ah…. I still have to hit—no, teach them more.”

Wasn’t he just about to say that he needed to hit them?

With a face full of regret, the young man turned to Seol-Young.

“Any more disciples?”

“…No.”

Even if there were, it didn’t seem wise to bring them here.

“I feel like I just need a bit more.”

“What… are you saying?”

“I think if I just hit them a tiny bit more… or teach them, I’ll feel better.”

“…”

Ah, so now he was no longer trying to hide it.

Seol-Young realized how much she had messed up as she forced a smile.

Just then, as she was hiding her rotten feelings,

“If there are no Three Great Disciples, I suppose the second-tier disciples wouldn’t be so bad. Aren’t there any?”

When Gu Yangcheong spoke up, Seol-Young paused for a moment.

“…Oh. The second-tier disciples are currently unavailable.”

“Hmm? Why?”

He tilted his head, puzzled. At that, Seol-Young suddenly recalled.

He was subtly slipping into a more familiar tone?

It seemed he intended to maintain that level from earlier.

She thought about calling him out on it but held back. Something told her that wouldn’t end well.

Considering how he had been hitting the disciples indiscriminately, it seemed quite likely.

“They are on a mission outside of the Abyss…”

“Ah, on a mission… wait, what?”

“Huh?”

Before she could finish her sentence, Gu Yangcheong raised his brow.

“What did you just say?”

“What do you mean…?”

“Where exactly are we now?”

“The Hwasan Sect, of course.”

“No, no, the other thing you just said.”

“Oh, um…”

Seol-Young quickly realized what she had just said.

“I said the Abyss.”

The answer echoed not from Seol-Young’s mouth but from behind Gu Yangcheong.

Hearing that voice, Gu Yangcheong abruptly turned around.

KWAANG—!!

“Gwaaaah!”

With a punch striking his head, Gu Yangcheong let out a shriek.

The pain was intense enough to make him stagger. Watching that, Seol-Young involuntarily thought, “That’s amazing.”

In a brief moment, she focused on the owner of that fist.

“Sect Leader.”

The one who appeared was Shin Cheol.

He greeted Seol-Young with a gesture while glaring at the fallen Gu Yangcheong.

“You crazy bastard.”

He opened with a harsh insult.

“How many times do I have to tell you to behave? How about you start acting your age?”

Gu Yangcheong rubbed his head and glared defiantly.

“It’s not my fault! I heard you allowed everything I wanted, so why are you flipping out now?”

“Flipping out? Are you kidding me?”

“Is this flipping out? I’m just pampering them a little!”

“Pampering? What do you think happens if you pamper someone too much?”

“…”

The argument escalated wildly.

From the get-go, they were both riled up, and Seol-Young found herself at a loss for words.

Just moments ago, the fierce Gu Yangcheong was now bellowing defiantly, refusing to back down from the Sect Leader, while the normally quiet Sect Leader let loose a verbal barrage at Gu Yangcheong.

It was a sight Seol-Young had never witnessed.

‘Ah.’

Seol-Young began to understand something.

‘So that’s why Gu Bong disliked him so much.’

Now she comprehended what that feeling was like.

Despite appearing angry as they bickered, Seol-Young knew from watching the Sect Leader for a long time that he was actually smiling.

‘So that’s it.’

That was why.

As Seol-Young nodded,

“Augh! Damn it!”

Gu Yangcheong finally took another hit and screamed.

“…Argh… it hurts.”

He walked away, rubbing his head. He felt like he might have a bump from just a few hits.

He barely escaped the grasp of the Sect Leader, who seemed intent on further punishment.

His entire body ached.

He could only think about how much pain he was in after receiving just three hits.

‘That old man’s hand is heavy.’

It wasn’t just heavy; it was unbearably painful.

If he made a wrong move, his tongue might get burned off from the heat.

“Grrr….”

After barely escaping, he reached where he had entered earlier.

He needed answers about something.

“Hey.”

Turning around while walking, he noticed the Heavenly Demon quietly following behind him.

“…?”

The Heavenly Demon tilted his head, confused at his call. Looking at that innocent expression, he spoke again.

“When you said you’d protect me, where the heck were you? Just standing there watching me get beaten up?”

The confidence he had displayed in front of the Blood Demon had vanished, replaced with the image of him watching from the shadows.

He found it absurd and directed his question at him.

“Hmm?”

The Heavenly Demon maintained his clueless expression.

“Ha…”

Seeing that made Seol-Young sigh. He realized how childish he was being.

“Forget it… why would I bother talking to you?”

That would earn him nothing but venting his frustration. Shaking his head, he resumed walking.

Why was he so irritated? Was it because he was busy with hectic work? That must be it.

He was determined to find out more. Just as he thought that and was about to continue,

“Are you done with your jealousy?”

He stood frozen.

At the Heavenly Demon’s words, he turned to look at him, his expression serious.

“…What?”

“Jealousy.”

“Where did that come from?”

Jealousy? He frowned at the sudden and bizarre statement.

“What are you talking about?”

“You were jealous earlier.”

“Who the heck am I supposed to be jealous of?”

“Was it not?”

“Of course not….”

He started to retort but stopped mid-sentence.

“…”

Oh, damn.

His head spun.

‘Wait a minute.’

Was that the reason he had felt so anxious and irritable?

‘…Was I jealous of the disciples?’

Jealous of the disciples of Hwasan Sect, made by Noya?

He grasped at straws, wondering if that was true.

He hadn’t even received that much teaching, yet it felt like the disciples were thriving.

Was that what made him envious?

“That’s insane. Absolutely insane.”

He chuckled bitterly, shaking his head.

He refused to admit it. That notion was too absurd.

‘Don’t be ridiculous.’

He was way past that age; to feel jealous over something so trivial?

If he did, it would mean he was no different than Gu Bong, that pathetic brat he found so laughable.

He couldn’t accept that.

But at the same time,

‘Damn.’

In the back of his mind, he felt such a thought surfacing unbidden.

“Ah… this is mad.”

If it truly was for that reason, then that could be the most embarrassing realization of all.

As a result, his irritation flared, and he turned away.

“…Hah.”

He exhaled deeply, running a hand over his face.

He controlled his heat to ensure his cheeks didn’t flush.

And to avoid letting any emotionsshow as he swiftly moved on to a different topic.

“Forget that… did anything strange happen while you were out yesterday?”

He forced those words out to divert his feelings.

The Heavenly Demon remained silent for a moment before responding.

“Ah.”

As if recalling something, he spoke to Seol-Young.

“Someone was watching me.”

“…That’s not surprising. This is a busy area.”

“Out there.”

“Out? Beyond here? You went outside?”

“Yeah.”

At his nonchalant answer, Seol-Young blinked in surprise. He had actually ventured outside the Abyss?

“But someone was watching you out there…?”

“Yeah.”

“…Did they look like someone from here?”

“No.”

“…”

So, it wasn’t someone from this place who watched him as he stepped outside?

What was going on?

His previously flushed head now felt cold.

“And what happened next?”

“They vanished.”

“…”

They had disappeared after watching him.

Just from hearing that, she sensed something unusual was at play.

But—

“…Why are you mentioning this now?”

Why was he only bringing this up now?

Upon hearing his question, the Heavenly Demon looked at her like she was being unreasonable.

“You didn’t ask.”

“…”

With that response, she pressed her fingers against her closed eyes, feeling painfully overwhelmed.

‘Oh, I wish I were home.’

At that moment, she genuinely longed for the peaceful Central Plains.