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I summoned the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique. I concentrated the tiny bit of internal energy I had in my hand.

Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique (구천혈마공)

First Form (제일형).

Ilma (귀수일마).

—Paaang!!

The falling leaves were shattered. I was extremely pleased with the skill that I could not have accomplished with bare hands.

The pain that enveloped my body had also eased a bit. Previously, it was the kind of pain that kept me from sleeping, but now it felt like a dull ache had settled throughout my body.

The situation had changed. I used to have to settle for moss, but now I could eat something a bit more valuable.

What I was aiming for was the snake that slithered oddly between the trees. I had tried to eat it before but ultimately failed.

I waited for the tiny bit of internal energy to refill again. When the time came, I swiftly scattered my hands like lightning.

—Shaak!

The first strike missed. The snake that jumped up bit my neck. I immediately grabbed it and threw it to the ground, but the poison surged within me at once.

It was the same as before. After being bitten, I suffered a terrible pain. It wasn’t fatal. However, the aftertaste of the poison was a nasty reminder of past memories.

“Son.”

I turned around. My father, crouched in the darkness, was beckoning me.

I approached him. I tore through his trembling form and answered the voices coming from all directions.

“Shut up.”

I am not who I used to be. I am not Jeok-un…

You are a specter. Even if you are alive, I will consider you a specter.

“Didn’t you say you’d eat?”

It was a new voice. I saw the illusion of the Heavenly Demon peeking out from behind the tree.

“If you do that, you’ll have to eat moss again, right?”

The world wavered. Unable to maintain my balance, I leaned against the tree.

Where had the snake gone? Which direction did it disappear to?

I strained my ears, but I couldn’t hear much. To begin with, the sound of a snake slithering was quite minimal.

But I focused.

“That’s right. There it is.”

“…….”

“Concentrate and focus. It has to come up.”

The illusion wasn’t giving me poison for free.

Sometimes, there were moments like this that activated my goals.

“She’s waiting for you. At a height you can’t even look at.”

Would she say something like that? I don’t know.

But I had one job to do.

I had to struggle and climb up there.

The grass rustled. I used the last bit of internal energy to unfold Ilma.

I grasped something at my fingertips. This time, I made sure to break its neck securely before it could bite me.

The snake I caught went limp. The illusion of the Heavenly Demon smiled faintly.

“You might be able to live as a hunter.”

“…What I catch is, after all, just a sword.”

I chased after her image again. But she was nowhere to be seen.

Had the poison in me diminished? I watched as Cheongeop moved and the poison that had penetrated my body crawled out through my skin.

I put the snake’s head in my mouth. The taste of meat I hadn’t tasted in two months.

It wasn’t that delicious.

But it was better than moss.

“…Just wait a bit. Heavenly Demon Cheon Sosso.”

I murmured to the now unseen Cheon Sosso.

“I’m chasing after you. Always.”

…

After catching the snake, I caught an unknown beast. The squirrel-like creature was fierce, and I ended up with quite a few injuries.

The claw marks were also seeping with poison. But Cheongeop took care of the poison naturally. The healing of the wound also progressed at an astonishing rate.

If you take away the pain, it was a bizarre substance that was almost omnipotent.

Every night, I felt my skeletal structure distort slightly. The Cheongeop that stubbornly took root seemed to be altering my body to suit its taste.

To be suitable for martial arts.

So that I could learn anything.

But I instinctively realized something. Even if Cheongeop changed my skeleton, it wouldn’t bring me any innate talent.

Among warriors, those who were naturally gifted were known for their cleverness. I heard they possess exceptional sensory abilities or can see what others cannot.

Compared to that, what was I? I had internal energy, but it was just a handful.

Just correcting the skeleton wouldn’t be of any use.

I had to try harder.

I reduced my sleep. I used the minimum time to focus on mastering the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique.

My internal energy accumulated little by little. Surprisingly, the life I consumed in this Demon Valley was nearly like an ethereal fragment.

Blood, flesh, bones.

Each of them contained a terrible demonic energy. Of course, to absorb it, I had to struggle and wriggle through the poison, but that wasn’t an issue for me.

Cheongeop naturally filtered out the poison. All I had to do was eat, tear, and accumulate the demonic energy. Certainly, all of this wasn’t pure internal energy.

After all, it was just corrupted demonic energy. The quality was completely inferior compared to righteous internal energy, and I couldn’t help but think it was just a way to overpower it with quantity.

The pure output was likely lower than righteous internal energy. Even at its peak, I would have to avoid a head-on confrontation with the sword energy of the same level.

But the longer it took, the more likely it was that my internal energy would drop before my opponent’s.

“Twenty-Nine. Thirty. Confirm survival.”

Twenty-Nine didn’t exchange a single word with me. That suited me fine, so I deliberately refrained from speaking.

We were a team, yet felt as if we were strangers. After the roll call ended, we split and headed in different directions, only to regroup when it was time for roll call again.

I swapped the beast I was devouring for one that was a bit larger than a four-legged squirrel. It was harder to catch and much fiercer, but it was still worth hunting.

Everything that could be chewed here contained both poison and internal energy. And its size was proportional to the beast’s size.

The more vicious it was, the greater the power it yielded. A simple principle.

I liked this place. I couldn’t eat warm cooked food, nor could I have a comfortable place to sleep…

But that was never something I had to begin with.

This place felt more familiar to me than the Gatekeeper’s position. Endurance was something I had done anywhere.

“…Hey there.”

While I was in the middle of training, someone spoke to me. The man in the black hood with “Seventeen” written on it asked me in a trembling voice.

“What do we… eat here?”

Ah.

A newcomer.

I guess the one before him had died. I stared at him vacantly.

What did I do when I first entered? I remember everyone being hostile toward me.

…But.

I didn’t particularly feel like it.

Not wanting to become like the same guy, I kindly taught him. I didn’t directly give him a beast, but I explained that he could eat moss and drink water.

He bowed in thanks, and I saw him again three days later. He was groaning in pain and gasped when he saw me.

“How on earth did you eat such moss…?!”

I had told him that moss contained poison. But judging by his reaction, it seemed the pain was worse than he had imagined.

I didn’t quite understand but kindly advised him. It would be okay if he endured.

I met him again a week later. Just before entering the deep forest, he timidly handed me something.

“Thank you for before.”

In his hand was a snake. The headless snake felt slightly warm, as if it was freshly caught.

The warmth I received for the first time.

I accepted that offering silently. With a bright smile, he revealed his name.

“I am Seongja Myung.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t reveal my name.”

“That’s fine. I just wanted to share my name.”

Seongja Myung was a man that didn’t seem to fit in with the Demon Cult. He knew how to give back as much as he had received and was the first to extend a hand to the new recruit.

“It’s only natural to return what you give. And more than anything… I don’t want to become a beast.”

He had a firm personality. He was gentle yet had a stubborn side. I liked him quite a bit. Since he was a rare type even among the righteous ones, I found myself slightly drawn to him.

He’s a good guy. I often hunted beasts with him. Now, I was able to catch not just birds but also small, four-legged horned beasts. Of course, the only targets we could shoot were the young ones, not the adults, but that alone was enough for both of us.

“Why did you come to this place, Third Brother?”

“To go to a higher place.”

“To see the end of the sword… Heh. That’s a common wish for all warriors.”

The character who carelessly shortened the name Thirty to Third Brother was quite reckless.

Yet, he was a friendly man, and his smiling demeanor was quite charming. It was refreshing to see him eat meat while removing the hood.

“It still comes out as half excrement if you eat enough.”

“What kind of conversation is that during a meal?”

“Haha, what does it matter? Eating and pooping is the essence of life.”

He seemed to feel that we had become closer, yet he still didn’t lose his politeness. He sometimes wore a sad expression.

“I have siblings to support, Third Brother.”

“Just one?”

“Three.”

“One body isn’t enough then.”

“That’s right. Since one body isn’t enough, I entered here to bulk up. How far have you progressed in the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique, Third Brother?”

“I haven’t fully mastered the first part yet.”

“I’m the same. Looking at it this way, there are quite a few similarities between us, Third Brother.”

Seongja Myung smiled slyly.

“There are many commonalities. I wonder if we would have forged a connection even if we met outside.”

“…Hah.”

I liked his honesty too. I wiped my mouth with my sleeve.

“Why would it be impossible to not do so?”

“Fufufu. It’s not entirely a bad thing to be inside this Demon Cult.”

Seongja Myung was a funny man. He knew how to maintain distance while also making one feel comfortable.

“You don’t use a sword, Third Brother?”

“I haven’t learned it.”

“Oh dear. If you want, I can teach you.”

“Ah, in that case, are you self-studying the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique? How far have you learned the form?”

“I am still learning the first form.”

“Ilma, is it? That’s right. It’s a simple yet complex martial art. My knowledge is limited, but if there’s anything you could gain from me… what do you think about taking a look?”

“…Willingly.”

He was unreserved in helping others. Through the Ilma I learned from him, I was able to advance a step further.

The structure of the first form became even more refined. I brought him a snake as payment.

He chuckled heartily.

“You are indeed consistent, Third Brother.”

He was a good person.

That’s why I couldn’t say a word when he was found as half a corpse.

“…Haha.”

There was a clear mark of a sword wound on his abdomen as he lay among the weeds. His spilled intestines were mangled beyond repair, and he could barely take a breath while leaning against a tree.

“Third Brother.”

He spoke.

“I’ve shown you an unpleasant sight.”

“…….”

I sat down before him.

 

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