“Fuhuh! Sister! Would you mind taking off your mask just once? Your expression must be a work of art!”

“Shut up.”

“I’ve never seen you speak like that before.”

“It’s the Master’s command.”

“Isn’t there a bit of personal interest mixed in there?”

“I believe I told you to shut up.”

Ilma growled. Sama shrugged.

“The situation is amusing, but sadly I’m not that bold. You know that, sister. I’m not crazy enough to go after the Master’s treasures. No matter how greedy I get, I can’t forget my lines, can I?”

“……”

“I came to recruit the one who brought down Teacher Bai, the Twenty-Nine. The Blood Demon clan might be yours, but when you think about it, it could be seen as belonging to all the Heavenly Eight, can’t it?”

“That’s nonsense.”

“Sister, please just give a little. I’m not here for your pet dog, am I? In terms of talent, someone like Twenty-Nine is overflowing for you, isn’t it?”

Sama leaned slightly.

“The leader of the Black Heaven Sect has come forth, so please give me a little leeway. I have a face to maintain here, you know?”

“…sigh.”

Ilma stepped back. Realizing the meaning, Twenty-Nine turned her gaze to Sama.

Sama let out a chuckle.

“I want to give you time to think, but I’m not in a hurry either. So decide right now. Well, you’ll soon know which side is favorable for you.”

“…….”

Twenty-Nine turned to me with trembling eyes. It seemed she was asking something, and I smiled slightly.

This is an opportunity. There’s no doubt this is a chance for her. Thus, if she hesitates, shouldn’t I give her a push?

I set aside the connections we built. I whispered softly to her.

“Let’s go, Twenty-Nine.”

“……!”

Twenty-Nine bowed her head to Sama. A somewhat bitter gaze passed over to me.

“Master.”

Her title had also changed. She spoke in a trembling voice.

“I have a request.”

“Well, if it’s not too unreasonable, I’ll grant it. You’re worth it.”

“Could you turn the elixir that Thirty holds into a proper one?”

“…Hmm?”

Sama waved his hand. I was also taken aback by the unexpected proposal.

Sama looked interested and waved his hand at me.

“If you’ve got something, bring it out.”

I pulled out the black elixir from my robe. It was hardly something to be called an elixir.

“…Ho?”

Sama exclaimed. Ilma’s eyes narrowed.

“You fool. Where did you get that?”

“I got it after defeating Maeng-so-un.”

“…You were planning to make a puppet from the outset in Man-ma-jong, weren’t you? Still horrific manipulation.”

“Fuhuh. Sister, didn’t you know? That’s why I controlled the Blood Demon clan.”

“I only tried to eliminate the manipulators to fulfill the Master’s command. Even if the circumstances were urgent, we have to deal with righteous factions. Traitors. Those we face are such people. No matter how good the reputation of the leader of the Black Heaven Sect, it doesn’t mean he can cross the line.”

“It’s a pity that the Black Heaven Sect’s leader ended up that way. Even if he reached out, it didn’t mean he actually allied with the righteous faction, and the assistance he managed to obtain was a scheme orchestrated by Man-ma-jong.”

“The very act of reaching out is the problem itself, Sama. It’s an irretrievable mistake.”

The leader of Black Heaven Sect.

Maeng-cheon.

In that conversation, I understood why he was targeted by the Blood Demon clan.

His son was suffering from an unknown disease, so he must have reached out for help. Yet he couldn’t find the cause and tried to contact the righteous faction while concealing the truth from Cheon-ma.

He probably dared to hope and attempted contact, but it ultimately failed. Later, he came into contact with someone claiming to be a disciple of Man-sa-shin-ui, but that person turned out to be the one who taught his son White Demon Body.

A tangled power struggle.

Man-ma-jong deceived the leader of the Black Heaven Sect and pretended to be a savior to swallow up the Black Heaven faction.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the leader of Black Heaven Sect was a victim of that plan.

“Jeok-un. Do you know what this is?”

“I don’t know.”

Sama laughed.

“This, you see, is a form of ‘Je’ (祭) of the White Demon Body. It achieves radical martial arts accomplishments, but in the end, it’s just a ‘pocket’ that carries the elixir.”

“…What do you mean…?!”

“The conditions to learn it are quite demanding. Various prerequisites must be met. That doesn’t mean it’s efficient either. However, the shape of White Demon Body’s Je allows you to store gathered genuine energy in the form of an elixir. That’s what ‘Je’ means.”

“…A storage box.”

“Exactly. A storage box. Looking at this, it seems to be the genuine energy of the Black Heaven Sect’s leader. It’s not purely built upon the White Demon Body’s foundations. Its purity is so low it’s hard to believe it’s a martial art.”

“With this, I’ll be able to recycle it. They must have harvested it before it completely mixed with the White Demon Body. They must have seized the genuine energy and condensed it into a lump… It’s more appropriate to call this the refined genuine energy of a spiritual being, not just an elixir.”

“Now you understand why the White Demon Body is called a forbidden martial art? An elixir can be mass-produced using a person’s life. Of course, it’s filled with impurities. The moment one consumes it, breaking through to the peak becomes impossible. Their essence becomes tainted, and their mind dulls as well. But it has the advantage of being able to create high-class warriors comparable to the entrance of the peak in large quantities. In war, that’s an endless help. Good thing you didn’t consume it, Jeok-un. Had you swallowed this, you would have had to struggle your entire life to reach a high-ranking level.”

Cold sweats trickled down my back. Ilma clicked his tongue.

“When you see something fall on the ground and it’s said to be an elixir, be suspicious. No real dog would swallow something like that without hesitation.”

“If you’re going to worry, just worry. If you’re going to curse, go ahead, sister.”

“That’s my lesson. Don’t meddle.”

“Keu khuh. Understood.”

Sama fiddled with the elixir.

“You have to do something that doesn’t make sense to turn this into a proper elixir. It’s the same amount of money as making a high-grade elixir.”

“…….”

“But I can’t just throw away nonsensical words right after taking in a disciple. I’ll accept the terms. So, who is going to consume this?”

Twenty-Nine deeply bowed her head.

“Please give it to Thirty, Master.”

“Sure. I’ll give it.”

“…….”

“Your face seems to say why you aren’t opposing it, but is there really a need to oppose?”

Sama smiled gently.

“There’s no reason to oppose when she wants to connect with your disciple. This is the Blood Demon clan, but who knows what it’ll become later.”

“She’s not my disciple. Sama. If you say anything presumptuous one more time, I’ll split your head open.”

“Keu khuh. What? You’ll call her a toy. Sister, is time needed?”

“…If you give it, I will gratefully accept.”

“Sister, let’s make some space. The little ones are saying their goodbyes.”

“Don’t lay a hand on me, bear cub.”

Sama dragged Ilma away, as did the leader of the Blood Demon Sect.

Twenty-Nine turned to me. She slightly lowered her head as if in sadness but soon raised it with vigor.

“You’re right. Your real face is much better, isn’t it?”

“…You too, Twenty-Nine.”

“Don’t you hold any grudges? You’re running away all by yourself.”

“What’s there to resent?”

I was very happy she seized the opportunity.

“I’m deeply in debt now, Twenty-Nine.”

“So am I. I guess we break even, right? If you hadn’t insisted on going into that mansion that day, none of this would have happened.”

“Even so, I owe more.”

“…Stubborn.”

Twenty-Nine swept back her flowing hair.

“If you’re deep in debt, come to pay it back. When you get out of here. Understand? Since I’m Ilma’s disciple, you should somehow manage to get out, right?”

“Of course, Twenty-Nine.”

“…Call me Eun Seol-ran. Add ‘senpai’ at the back.”

“Why ‘senpai’?”

“Because I’m your senpai, you fool. Whether in the Blood Demon clan or out there, it’s the same?”

Twenty-Nine grabbed my clothes.

She pulled me in.

“If you escape from Demon Valley, come find me. I’ll make a space next to Sama. Let’s live together as we did in here. Don’t think of going to another faction. I don’t want to cut you down.”

“Am I the one getting cut?”

“Of course. Thirty. You won’t be able to defeat me. Even if you grow stronger, I’ll be above that.”

Twenty-Nine laughed. I laughed along.

“I’m not Thirty, I’m Jeok-un. Senior Seol-ran.”

“…Much better than Thirty.”

“I look forward to our reunion.”

“Yes.”

Twenty-Nine, Eun Seol-ran turned around.

“See you later, Jeok-un.”

She left. Sama and the leader of the Blood Demon clan also vanished.

Only Ilma was left to smack my head.

“Even a little puppy would listen better than you.”

“……”

“You look like you can’t accept it, so I’ll teach you everything. After that, you’d better be ready to die.”

“…Is it okay to do that to a cherished toy? I might break.”

Ilma drew his sword.

“I should just cut it off and throw it to the beast cubs.”

“I’m sorry!”

“Tch.”

Ilma examined my body.

“You’ve barely crossed a wall. Not at the entrance of the peak… It’s still the foundational level. Those spirits are playing around, so you haven’t crossed over properly. Can you draw your sword?”

“I can’t.”

“I thought so. You’re just eager but… there was some realization, wasn’t there? What was it?”

“…Just…”

I spoke about the Three-Weapon Martial Art. Ilma sighed.

“For ten years, the sword you swung with weak hope unexpectedly has a use. It’s fate. That’s how you should see it. Don’t think that something like this will happen twice. Only effort will be your way to survive.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“It seems like the parts you lack can be filled with the elixir that Sama will bring… but the completion and structure of your foundation are still vague. Show me your back. I’ll check your body.”

Ilma poured energy into me.

“Cheongeop is still moving little by little. It seems it’s taken root but is still expanding. You’re still feeling pain, aren’t you?”

“I can endure it.”

“Endure? Those who are guilty will likely ask to be killed within a moment. You foolish fool. If it hurts, just say it hurts.”

“Then will you take care of me?”

“Don’t crawl up. You silly fool.”

I got hit, but honestly, I was happy.

The fact that Ilma came to protect me from Sama.

“I don’t like the look in your eyes. I think I should tear them out.”

“…A cherished toy…”

He kicked my abdomen.

I rolled around in pain.

“How was your first mission?”

“…….”

“Are you feeling guilty about something?”

“I didn’t kill the leader of Black Heaven Sect.”

“And?”

“…Even if I had drawn my sword, I don’t think I could have killed him.”

“Are you talking about skill or will?”

“Both, I guess.”

Ilma sat atop me, leaning back.

“You’re the Master’s dog. Dogs shouldn’t have thoughts. Thinking is something humans should do.”

“…….”

“If it’s to kill, just kill. There’s no other option. Jeok-un. And like this time, building unnecessary relations with the target is forbidden.”

“…Yes. Understood.”

“You have a clueless face. You foolish fool.”

Ilma sighed.

“I wonder why I received such a thing.”

“…It’s not Ilma, it’s Master…”

“Just sew your mouth shut.”

“I’m sorry.”

…

“The Blood Demon Leader will fill the void. Train hard until the next mission comes down. You must drill the second form of Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique, Dan Hoon Choo, to the point you can wield it freely.”

Even Ilma left. I poured myself into training afterward.

The vacant position of Twenty-Nine felt hollow, but there was nothing I could do about it. All I could do was wish for her future.

The second form of Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique, Dan Hoon Choo.

Beyond the basic forms, applications began to feel familiar. However, the first application form “Pei Mawu” required an appropriate opponent for correct practice.

There was no one in Demon Valley to seek help from. Only sharpened individuals, most of whom wouldn’t even show gratitude when given food.

So I ignored those who didn’t show appreciation. I only hoped that the new arrival would be someone similar to Twenty-Nine.

But before someone could fill the vacancy of Twenty-Nine, my elixir arrived faster.

“It’s a command from Sama. Accept it, Thirty.”

The Blood Demon Leader personally sought me out. With a somewhat hesitant gaze, he handed me a wooden box.

“…If the opportunity arises, could you convey my story to the connected person?”

“In what way?”

“That I do the job well… something along those lines.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Haha! Thank you!”

With a face like that of a typical middle manager seen everywhere, the Blood Demon Leader left. I opened the wooden box at the Nest.

A fragrant scent wafted past my nose. The murky black elixir had vanished, replaced by a blue-green glowing elixir.

This is an elixir.

A pile of energy containing the genuine energy of the leader of Black Heaven Sect.

I fiddled with the elixir, looking around to ensure no one was watching, and then…

—Gulp.

I swallowed the elixir.