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**

Ilma examined my body.

“…What is this… Myo Ye-rin!”

“Didn’t you say to control the personnel?!”

“Leave it to the warriors of Sma Clan and you come in for a moment! What did you do?!”

“I actually did really well?! Master! I looked up at the heavens, without a single shame!”

Dragged in, Myo Ye-rin sat in front of me. Ilma whispered something.

“Indeed… I see… But why did you make such a choice here?”

“I was on the verge of death. I thought it might be easier and better to cut off my limbs. But then it would mean I’d ruin the Master’s toy directly.”

“You’re not wrong. But why did you leave that place just like that?”

“You should have seen that kid fighting, right? The Soul Stealing Sword was so helpless it could say ‘I couldn’t get free.’ I really did nothing wrong. I just wove the rags that were about to scatter into a human shape, you know?”

“…Tch.”

“Master? For someone clicking their tongue, your voice is oddly bright…”

“Shut your mouth.”

“Ah! Don’t hit me!”

Ilma sighed.

“Woven in a messy way… and it’s all tattered. Just barely on the edge of fixable. You still manage to be clever enough. Was it your idea to support your body with one breath?”

“Of course. Who else could it have been? So… you know?”

“Seriously… you seem like someone who’s only interested in money. I’ll treat you with some of my personal funds.”

“I won’t refuse! I aimed for that from the start!”

“Now get lost.”

“Don’t kick me out! I’ll leave on my own!”

The room fell silent again as Ilma fiddled with my back.

“You dense idiot.”

“Excuse me?”

“No matter what you did, it was too close. One step further and you would never touch a sword again in your life.”

“…….”

“Why did you eat Bing Baeksul’s spirit?”

Why did I eat it, you ask…

In that situation, what I needed to do was endure. But as I sliced with the sword, desire welled up inside me.

I wanted to win. As a martial artist. When holding a sword, wanting to defeat the opponent right in front of me is a common trait among all swordsmen, isn’t it?

I conveyed this to Ilma. The glare directed at me exhaled a sigh.

“…What should I do with this?”

“I held on.”

“Had the Blood Sea Organization not arrived in time, you’d be dead.”

“…Isn’t that unknown?”

“No. You’d definitely be dead. Even if you did win, you would have self-destructed. You wouldn’t have been able to maintain your breath without taking care of your body.”

Ilma’s gaze was cold. I hesitated to speak.

“…Still… I would have felt somewhat satisfied.”

“Why?”

“If I have to fight someone I can’t win against, I was taught to cling to my fight tenaciously, right?”

I remembered the Soul Stealing Sword. Its formidable strength seemed insurmountable.

But the face I saw at the end was clearly distorted. Even drawing the blade against someone much weaker than him.

I branded it clearly.

The bite mark.

“I held out and kept my sword until the end. I even tore the Soul Stealing Sword’s clothes apart. Master.”

“……”

“I left a bite mark on an opponent I couldn’t win against. Just as you taught me, Master.”

The mask Ilma wore rattled. I heard the sound of wanting to say something, but then it was shut again.

“…Hah.”

Only a desperate sigh continued.

I fidgeted my fingers.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Don’t give me insincere apologies.”

Ilma growled.

“…Your condition is currently beyond repair. It would be right to say your entire body is strained from your heart. Using chill as a thread, you’re maintaining that precarious state with Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique.”

“That means…”

“Had it not been for Cheongeop, you would have long since been dead. But the reason you’re still alive must be that.”

Ilma withdrew his hand from my body.

“Have you felt something strange about Cheongeop recently?”

I recalled. Indeed, while wielding the sword, I sometimes felt as if Cheongeop was ‘wiggling.’

“Yes.”

“The rooted Cheongeop slightly alters your body to match its ideal form. It means there are stages. The first is appearance, and the second is the lower dantian. It solidifies the vessel that will house itself— think of it that way. And the stronger this lower dantian becomes, the more any energy can be housed within it.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Acceptance. That’s the second form of Cheongeop. It’s the process before it mingles with the master, beyond the roots. Has the pain diminished? If so, it means you’re approaching the second form. Along with that, you can now house the energy mass that saved your life.”

I inspected myself. The chilling energy stubbornly lurking within me refused to come out.

I felt the ice block whispering as it faced off against Cheongeop.

“Is it simply ‘capable of being housed’ that’s the end?”

“Yes. ‘Capable of being housed’ is everything. It’s entirely different from the energy you’re currently holding. It’s a type that cannot be handled with Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique. In the first place, this is an energy you cannot control without knowing the martial art of Bing Baeksul. A vicious Yin energy. Furthermore… you’re not even a woman, are you? It’s just like deliberately distorting the balance of your body. It’s like tossing a rock into a calm lake. It breaks the balance, and the water overflows.”

“…….”

“Fool. Silly idiot. I’ve never seen someone like you, charging headlong.”

Ilma added another sigh on top of his exasperation. After puffing out air, he grasped my face.

He pulled and stretched my cheeks—again and again.

“Do you feel the need to stir up trouble?”

“…Ilma? Is there no way to fix this?”

“Of course there is. Naturally, I came here to do just that. Just lie down.”

Ilma began to fill my body with inner energy. Pausing briefly, then moving on repeatedly.

Like trying to unblock a clogged vein, he injected energy straight into my bloodstream. He gently gripped my heart and surveyed my insides.

“Hmm… Myo Ye-rin!”

“Why again?!”

“I need paper. Bring it.”

“Ugh! I’m busy too!”

“Resistance?”

“No way. Master. Hehe. Just saying it once.”

Three days without a meal while examining my body.

Information gradually piled onto the paper I was scribbling on. The densely filled drawings and letters piled up to exceed the height of a singular book.

“If I weave it like this… it’ll be fine.”

In an instant, an uncontrollable pain surged within me. It felt as if my ripped body was being forced into shape.

My body trembled. At the same time, the persistent discomfort felt like it was leaking from my body.

Black sweat beads formed. It felt as if all the waste hiding between my bones was pouring out.

The pain was intense. I wanted to scream but held it in, biting my tongue. I shook with the thought that releasing it would only amplify the pain.

Ilma, who wiped his hands, clicked his tongue.

“You hold this in without letting a sound out? You really are quite good at enduring. It must have felt as if thousands of needles were stabbed all over your body.”

“Is it over…?”

“I sealed everything that was haphazardly woven in. It’s like escaping death about ten times. By the way…”

Ilma chuckled softly.

“Well, it’s not that there are no results. The cold energy supporting parts of your body was consumed by Cheongeop. Thanks to that, you must have salvaged a few things. Use Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique.”

I followed his instructions to wield the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique. As per the formula, a viscous blood energy pulsed around my body.

“…This is…”

“You should consider that you’ve completely shed the beginner’s phase.”

The internal energy boiling within me swelled a bit more. Not only that.

The once slightly impeded operation of the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique now flowed completely naturally.

Blood energy (血氣) followed whatever I reached for with my hand.

The pinnacle of extremes.

I was certain I had reached that realm.

“…Haha.”

I had worried about dropping my sword, yet I grew stronger instead. What is this?!

My heart was overwhelmed and I couldn’t contain my excitement. Ilma gestured with his chin to me.

“How far have you mastered the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique?”

“I’ve mastered it up to the second form, Master.”

“Proceed to the third form, Overlord Demon Technique (覇力魔道). That’s like gaining another sword you can wield. And… aside from that, there is one more thing you need to learn.”

“Uh?”

Ilma shook the secret scroll of Bing Baeksul.

“I’ll modify this to suit you. It’ll take some time, but it can’t be helped. Since you’ve already taken it, you might as well use it, right?”

“…Ilma?”

“What? Put that creepy gaze away! I’m merely following the Master’s orders! If you’re going to say something absurd, close your mouth!”

I’ve gained yet another gift. I asked.

“At least a bit of reciprocity…”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Do you think I’d take in a disciple like you?”

“…….”

“Stop! Your expression!”

Ilma, who had been angry, sighed and glared at me, pinching my nose.

“…You held the Soul Stealing Sword?”

“I wasn’t able to catch it…”

“Enduring means you caught it. For someone of your level, it was almost an unfathomable opponent. You stood back up even after getting hit by a falling rock…”

Ilma said playfully.

“Well, well done. It’s not something I can’t overlook.”

“……!”

I was praised.

I tried to respond with a smile. But for some reason, suddenly something dropped.

Clear droplets flowed down my cheeks. I blinked and checked my hand and realized it was tears.

“W-Why are you crying?!”

“…Uh… uh.”

I wonder why.

Why am I crying.

Wiping again, tears rolled out once more. Embarrassed, I hid my face.

“I-I’m sorry…”

“You crazy fool! Is your tear duct broken or something?! Stop it! What kind of man gets emotional over a single compliment…!”

A flustered Ilma stood up, opening the door as if to leave.

But no noise came from him exiting. His footsteps returned, standing before me.

I felt his hand gently land on my head.

Once, briefly.

A cute petting.

Ilma cleared his throat awkwardly.

“…What a fool.”

Those words sounded delightful, and I quietly stayed still.

If I had a master…

Would it feel like this?

…

Standing in the Sma Clan’s garden late at night, I lightly checked my body.

Cheongeop cried properly for the first time in a while. There was still pain but my gripping hand moved normally.

I lightly jumped in place. My body felt light. The retrieved sword also came out smoothly.

Countless slashing trajectories were drawn from my fingertips. The Nine Heavens Blood Demon Sword ripped through the air.

A body that stood firm without wavering. It felt like I would never tire no matter how I moved.

Then… what about the function of Cheongeop?

I aimed and drew. The sliced palm quickly healed with intense pain.

…What a strangely accelerated recovery.

It felt as if Cheongeop grew in accordance with my growth.

I was thankful for what was given to me. Thankful once again for being able to grasp a sword after stepping beyond death.

I was steadily making progress, albeit slowly.

Surely, one day…

I’ll reach your back, Heavenly Demon.

Until that moment, I won’t stop. I won’t doubt anymore.

I’ll walk alongside you until the end of the path…

“Kid.”

I turned at the voice piercing the silence.

The gaze directed at me was partially obscured by shadows. But the slightly raised corners of her mouth were quite visible.

“What are you doing out here so late at night?”

Myo Ye-rin of the Blood Sea Organization.

Glimpsing at her back, it seemed to sway like an endless shadow.

I couldn’t gauge her size or strength.

I heard the Blood Sea Organization consisted of the best masters from the main school. In that case, where exactly was she positioned?

I lightly grasped the sword hilt. Myo Ye-rin chuckled.

“Can you do it?”

“…….”

I can’t see.

Beyond that.

It’s different from the somewhat visible Soul Stealing Sword’s Hohyeon. It felt like it was completely shrouded in darkness.

If I had to give that feeling a comparison, it resembled Ilma. Of course, not to that extent.

However, it was certainly clear that I was inching closer to her.

If I were to draw my sword…

—I would surely die.

It’s undeniable that it is a mountain I still cannot climb.

“I don’t think I can.”

“You’re not blind.”

I bowed my head to Myo Ye-rin.

“Thank you for saving my life.”

“Yeah. Of course, you should be grateful. But you don’t need to overdo it. Why? I personally don’t like mere verbal gratitude. A much more important expression of thanks comes in a different form.”

“…Huh?”

“Your life’s worth. What you received from the Head of the Sma Clan is something you should be grateful to each of us as well, right? Twenty-Nine… and Thirty. Though your lives may hold little value to me, they certainly don’t to you. It’s something worth buying with millions.”

Myo Ye-rin waved her hand lightly.

I understood her words. I had no intention of refusing to repay this debt.

It’s just that what form it takes is important.

“How shall I repay you? If it’s money, I don’t have much on hand…”

“Money. Good. But since you don’t seem to have it, I didn’t necessarily think in that direction. Instead, can you vow? That you’ll lend your life for me once…”

—Crack!

A sharp sound erupted from Myo Ye-rin’s back. I flinched without realizing it.

With her face pressed to the ground, Myo Ye-rin slowly rose.

“…D-Master? What are you doing?”

“If you’ve taken the money from me and Sma Clan, then do that much.”

“No, but it’s not wrong to say I’m their lifesaver…”

“I said to do it.”

Ilma, who had been around without my knowledge, grabbed her by the nape. Myo Ye-rin struggled as she was dragged away.

“Ah, hey! This is way too much favoritism!”

“What favoritism?”

“Ugh! When I touch the others, you don’t say a word! Why are you jumping in now! Is she that special?!”

“She’s the Master’s toy.”

“That doesn’t seem like the only reason though?!”

I felt as if Ilma’s gaze brushed over me for a moment.

“…Of course, that’s the reason. There’s no other reason…”

“Woah! That’s a lie! I can see it’s a habit when you lie! Your voice tone rising subtly is just clear…”

—Crack.

“Gah?!”

With a weird noise, Myo Ye-rin’s neck snapped. Ilma looked back at me one last time.

“Thirty.”

An official title.

I answered to the call.

“Yes, Ilma.”

“Prepare to return in ten days. A dispatch arrived. Once we return to Blood Demon Palace, soon that person will call for you.”

“……!”

There was only one person Ilma could rightfully call “that person.”

Heavenly Demon, Cheon Sososo.

I wandered through the garden for some time in the place where they disappeared.

Since I couldn’t fall asleep.

 

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