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**

Blood dripped from my fingertips. I exhaled the breath I’d been holding in one go.

My head was spinning. My whole body was shaking, and the pain kept raging on.

Lee Ho opened his mouth. His trembling eyes stared at me in disbelief.

“Clearly… you… were… weaker… than… me…”

“…….”

“Ho…w…?”

I pulled my hand out. Staggering back in intense pain, I couldn’t hold myself up.

Lee Ho’s knee touched the ground, his chest pierced through. After staring at me for quite some time, he collapsed directly onto the floor.

—Thud.

I leaned back against a tree, feeling as if my mental energy was drained. If I closed my eyes now, I feared I would faint immediately.

But I desperately held on.

How did I win this? I couldn’t close my eyes now.

This place is the Dark Forest. Even in Demon Valley, it’s a home to dangerous beasts.

If I were to faint, I’d surely be devoured by beasts through the night, leaving nothing but bones behind.

I stood up, wobbling. For some reason, I could walk. Besides that, I noticed my body was different from usual.

I had become somewhat stronger. I could feel power in my outstretched hand, and my movements were livelier than before.

Top tier.

I felt as if I was just barely stepping on the ledge.

Is this what Ilma was talking about?

He had mentioned that if I fought across the battle lines using Cheongeop, there would be solid rewards.

“…….”

I limped toward Lee Ho’s corpse. I had no time to worry about the surplus of my energy right now.

I grabbed onto his unresponsive clothes and dragged him forward.

Seongja Myung’s body lay right there. So, I placed Lee Ho’s corpse right in front of him.

“…Ja Myung. The wind sounds are still absent. I can’t hear anything at all.”

I wondered if he could hear this.

I couldn’t know. Yet, I still spoke. Kneeling down, I held his cold hand.

“I wanted to at least show you his screams, but I ended up killing him before you arrived. Looks like what you taught me still hasn’t sunk in completely. Winning was quite tough. If you weren’t here, I probably wouldn’t even have dared to fight.”

I caressed his cold hand.

“Still, I won. Ja Myung.”

Instead of taking his sword, I reached for the sword strapped to Seongja Myung’s waist. Carefully, I unwrapped it, and then I tied it at my own waist.

“…I won.”

I sat in front of the corpse for a while. After staring at him in silence, I finally stood up.

I was tired but felt refreshed.

For the first time in life, I felt successful at something I thought I couldn’t do.

…

The next day during roll call, I encountered Twenty-Nine.

She asked casually, “How did it go?”

The meaning behind her question was obvious, so I answered.

“I fought while taking hits.”

“You don’t have any injuries.”

“I’m a unique breed.”

“I saw your clothes stained with a lot of blood.”

“It was an intense battle.”

“The person Lee Ho killed was an acquaintance of yours?”

“I met him here.”

“…Was he important?”

“I was just keeping my honor.”

She didn’t pry deeper. She left with a look of surprise, just like usual.

I also trained in martial arts. The form of Ilma was different from before—it was stabilized. The battle of crossing the lines gave me insight, and though I hadn’t built up my inner energy, it became easier to handle my body than before.

A turning point.

I realized the path I needed to take. Rather than stacking martial arts normally, engaging in these extreme battles would lead to faster growth.

To do that…

I must not avoid the fights that come my way.

I practiced martial arts. The second form of the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique was much harder than the first.

It was my first time properly wielding a sword. From the second form of the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique onward, I had to use a sword. After all, the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique itself is a complex martial art blending swordplay and energy techniques, so it was only logical.

The second form of Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique.

Dan Hoon Choo.

If the first form resembled a violently ferocious beast.

Then the second form took the shape of a deadly sword that extracts severed souls.

A swordsmanship prioritizing cutting. I lightly settled into position and swung.

The reason why it’s called ‘Nine Heavens’ with ‘Nine’ in front is simple.

Each of its forms is akin to a separate martial art, resembling nine martial arts joined together.

Thus, while the initiation itself is easy, mastering each individual form is nearly impossible, or so I’ve heard. Even the manual on Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique given to me by Ilma hinted at this.

Having somewhat mastered Ilma’s form didn’t mean I had completely awakened the first form. It merely indicated that I had grasped enough of the basics to learn the second form.

I didn’t rush forward. While learning Dan Hoon Choo, I kept practicing Ilma as well.

Calmly.

One step at a time.

While I was focusing, Twenty-Nine was the first to speak to me.

“You suck.”

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t know how you reached this level, but you’re terrible. Your grip on the sword is all wrong.”

Twenty-Nine drew her sword.

“Hold it like this.”

She struck lightly.

“You strike like this.”

—Crack.

The rock in front of me shattered.

“This is Dan Hoon Choo.”

I was shaking with excitement.

The clean cut surface reflected like a mirror. Where on earth did she stand?

I glanced at her briefly, unable to gauge her position. The consumption of energy didn’t seem severe at all. Even in the moment she put her sword back into its sheath, her movements remained steady.

Master.

Probably a master standing at a position I couldn’t even imagine. At the very least…

The pinnacle.

I followed her lead and changed my grip on the sword. Infusing my inner energy into the sword, I unleashed Dan Hoon Choo against the rock.

—Thud.

The sword bounced off. But unlike before, a thick mark remained there.

I couldn’t break it, but I left my mark on the rock.

This is unreal.

It finally made a sound that didn’t just clang.

I couldn’t hold back a smile.

“Thank you.”

“……”

She turned her gaze away from me, as if saying it was a whim, and walked past as usual.

I practiced Dan Hoon Choo endlessly. Afraid of injuring the blade, I only struck the rock once a day, whenever I had ample inner energy.

The marks on the rocks became clearer with each strike. Eventually, I could leave distinct prints.

Twenty-Nine, who always observed me from a distance, began to talk to me more frequently.

“Why are you working so hard?”

“I want to get stronger.”

“Is it because you want to get out?”

“That’s part of it, but it’s not the main goal. There’s someone I admire.”

“Who is it?”

“The Heavenly Demon.”

“That’s a mountain you can’t climb.”

“That’s precisely why I’m dreaming.”

“…Weirdo.”

I knew that. But even so, I didn’t put down the sword.

Persistence and patience.

That was my greatest weapon.

Time passed. The stance of Dan Hoon Choo matured, and the sound of wind slicing through my movements from Ilma grew clearer.

I could feel that I was getting stronger, albeit little by little. My inner energy still remained stagnant, but I definitely felt that I had entered the realm of the top tier.

I still had a long way to go to reach the pinnacle. It might be something I may never reach.

I heard that the realm of the pinnacle belonged to geniuses.

But I didn’t give up. I kept practicing martial arts.

When I lightly counted the days carved on the rock, it easily surpassed two hundred, reaching three hundred.

“Twenty-Nine. Thirty.”

For the first time, words different from the usual survival checks came from the person.

“It’s a mission.”

…

The orders we received were conveyed to us through documents. After reading them once, we neatly burned the whole document.

The order itself was simple. To bring the head of a man named Maeng-cheon, the leader of the Black Heaven Sect.

I recalled the content written in the document.

His martial skill was estimated to be at the top tier level. It might even be higher.

Leave no traces. There is only one chance. If we fail the mission and become captured, take the antidote.

The execution date is twenty days from now. Until then, we should hide in the nearby villages.

Each of us was given an Infi Myeon Gu. Though the skin-tight mask felt somewhat strange, I quickly adapted.

I could finally remove the suffocating black hood. Formally, we couldn’t remove it while inside the Demon Valley unless we were alone, so even though it was a fake face, I savored the fresh air for the first time in a while.

From below to above.

Twenty-Nine and I exited the Demon Valley.

“…Phew.”

The light I hadn’t seen in a while was excessively bright. For a moment, I couldn’t open my eyes properly, and I had to squint.

Seeing Twenty-Nine under the light felt surprisingly unfamiliar.

She was small.

Wasn’t she practically like a girl?

But her martial skill level was no girl’s. There must be some reason. I stared intently at her face. The fake face. A plain appearance you could find anywhere.

Twenty-Nine stared back at me intensely.

“You’re ugly.”

“Am I not passable?”

“Not at all.”

“My real face is better than this.”

“Really?”

“…Um, hmm.”

“Pff.”

It was the first time she smiled in front of me. She spun around and looked at me.

“Warm sunlight. It’s a bit chilly, but spring must be coming. Thirty.”

“I see.”

“I’m hungry. How much money do we have?”

“We have quite a bit to spare…”

“Can we eat first?”

“There’s nothing wrong with that.”

We stopped by the nearest restaurant. The food I hadn’t eaten in a long time felt so foreign.

It had a rich flavor. It was also, how should I put it? Something that felt like it wasn’t food from this world.

As I ate with tears streaming down my face, I glanced to the side. She was sniffing too.

“…It’s spicy.”

I put the same cold noodles she had ordered into my mouth.

It wasn’t spicy at all.

“…True enough.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“It’s spicy. Really.”

…

After coming outside, I realized.

The reason she had kept her mouth shut inside was that she genuinely despised that place.

She talked more than I thought. Her youthful voice was clean, making it pleasant to listen to.

“Thirty, did you know the usual mission cycle typically lasts about a month to two months?”

“I didn’t know.”

“This time, it felt unusually long. I even thought it was abandoned—but thankfully we could come out.”

I poked her in the back of her head, humming a tune.

“Why did you enter the Demon Valley?”

“…I don’t really want to talk about it. Shall we change the subject? What do you like?”

“Hmm…”

I stroked my chin.

“I like meat…?”

“You’ve had your fill in the Demon Valley.”

“I mean grilled, not raw.”

“I like both kinds.”

“I figured as much.”

“I’m joking.”

“I’m joking too, Twenty-Nine.”

She chuckled and patted my waist.

“How’s your progress with Ghostly Spirit Step?”

“I’m still inexperienced.”

“While the sword is important, moving fundamentals is the basic foundation. If you learn hard, it’ll definitely be beneficial.”

“I feel like my bones might shatter from stepping on them.”

“What will you do if you can’t walk?”

“I’ll crawl.”

“What if your hands break?”

“I’ll just roll around, what choice do I have?”

The conversations I shared with her, who was talking more frequently, delighted me. It was nice to talk lightly without delving into deep subjects; it allowed for easy conversation.

But soon, our enjoyable time came to an end as we quickly arrived at the place where the Black Heaven Sect was located.

Fifteen days remained.

We mixed into the crowd. After securing accommodations, I surveyed the Black Heaven Sect’s sect.

Quite a few warriors were present. Even at night, there seemed to be a good number of people, making it challenging to infiltrate simply.

Twenty-Nine, looking familiar with the surroundings, pulled out a map to sketch it out at the inn.

“Learn what I do, Thirty. It’ll help you later.”

“I’m always receiving help from you, Twenty-Nine.”

“You’ll pay me back later.”

Twenty-Nine gave me a quick glance. I subtly adjusted my collar.

“If you want my body…”

“I wouldn’t take it even if you offered.”

Thirty put down the brush and unfurled the completed drawing.

 

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