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**

“Let the sword come to you.”

Ilma said, and an invisible hand struck the back of my head.

“I told you not to grab it recklessly.”

“…But.”

“Don’t whine. What’s not allowed is not allowed.”

“Could you please tell me why it’s not allowed?”

“Why?”

Ilma stood right in front of me.

“No need to explain in words. I’ll show you.”

Something pierced my chin, and I lost consciousness in an instant.

When I opened my eyes again, Ilma was stepping on my back.

“The Ilma of the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique. This is the first technique you learn after entering. The overall form is single, but its applications are numerous. As it’s the most fundamental, the shape itself is simple. There are a total of four applications focused on striking, retreating, and swinging.”

Ilma lightly struck the air.

A cracking sound echoed. Even without any energy infused, a ripping sound resonated.

“A strong technique requires a significant preparation movement. However, a weak technique can be scattered multiple times. The art of weaving in between these is the technique itself. Infusing energy into special movements and also imbuing meaning into those movements. The Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique is complicated. It’s not simple at all. So, how about the sword deriving from the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique? Is it simple? Rather, it’s even harder. It’s not something you can just pick up from the start.”

“…….”

“Even if you chatter about techniques, they ultimately require your body to support them before you can even start. Just picking up a sword without thought? Your energy will get tangled, and you won’t even replicate its semblance properly. You’re third-rate.”

“……”

“Did I say anything wrong? You are third-rate. Pathetically so.”

Ilma scoffed.

“Then are you smart? Not at all. You’re painfully stupid. Your sensitivity is terrible. You don’t have anything outstanding. The only thing that’s passable is your improvisation… but even that isn’t impressive. Your actual intellect might be smart, but your martial side is utterly dumb. What a fool you are.”

“…….”

“Jeok-un. What you were born with doesn’t suit martial arts. Thanks to Cheongeop, your disposition will improve a bit, but can your innate nature completely vanish? Absolutely not.”

“…Then why are you teaching martial arts to one who’s hopeless like me?”

“Because it is Master’s order. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Every word felt like it was chipping away at my pride. But at the same time, I knew.

I’m not a genius. I was light-years away from such folk.

Her words were right. I learn only one thing when taught one, and even then, I can’t learn it properly, requiring repetition several times for what little I’ve learned.

“What I’m teaching you now is the process to prepare your body for when you will eventually wield a sword. So just shut up and follow my instructions.”

My broken self-esteem lay scattered on the ground. I couldn’t even pick it up and hung my head.

I knew she was right. But at the same time, everything I had felt so pathetic that I couldn’t bear it.

I know I’m an ordinary person.

But still, I…

I wanted to crave for something beyond my capacity.

“…Still.”

I raised my body.

“I want to go faster, even just a bit.”

“……”

“If I’m going to hold the sword someday, I want to grasp it sooner. Ilma, even if what I was given is dreadful, it cannot shatter my ideals.”

“Full of greed, aren’t you?”

“I originally had none. But…”

I recalled the face of the Heavenly Demon.

I smiled bitterly.

“The Master has transformed me. Ilma, I will certainly not grab a sword. But… please teach me how to become stronger faster.”

“If you rush ahead, you’ll stumble.”

“I’ll try to keep my balance to avoid falling.”

“That’s not something a third-rate should be doing. Damn you. Let me ask you. What is the rush? What’s got you so desperate?”

Ilma sighed as if bewildered.

“Do you really think you can stand where Master stands with that body?”

“If it’s not enough, I’ll challenge it even if it means tearing my soul apart.”

“…….”

“I already died once that day. Ilma, it was Master who breathed dreams into a corpse that was merely a shell.”

The suffering of Cheongeop surged.

But I found pleasure in this pain.

It made me feel alive.

“I want to become stronger. As a warrior.”

“…Foolish kid.”

Ilma took a step back. Creating some distance, she looked up at me.

“You stupid fool. Your talents are terrible. Just as I said earlier. But even someone like you has something, at least.

“Yes?”

“Patience. That’s your sword. And if you can endure it, there’s a weapon you can use. Something I wouldn’t want to recommend to fellow disciples. But if you have that, you might manage to add one molar to your toothless mouth.”

“…What is it?”

“Cheongeop. But neither I nor the Master has used it. The reason is simple. It lacks grace, is akin to a mud fight, and to others, you’ll look insane.”

Ilma drew her sword.

“If patience is the only thing you boast about, then I’ll teach you this. It may not be elegant, but it can make you stronger. And your progress might just improve a little.”

“I want to learn.”

“My words aren’t over yet. There’s a price to pay. It will be based on your endurance. It will likely bring you more suffering than what you’re experiencing now. Throughout the entirety of the process, headaches will flood your mind, and the terrible pain might stab at your neck.”

“…….”

“Still, do you want it?”

Ilma asked.

I answered.

“If there’s a way to improve yet I refuse to learn, that would be more painful for me.”

“Tch.”

Ilma mumbled.

“You are the craziest person I’ve ever seen.”

—

**BAM!**

A hand brushed past my view. Blood splattered from my cut nose.

First-rate. The hand of Lee Ho, who was close to the peak of martial arts, was sharper than steel. A strike infused with energy sliced through the air.

“You little pest. How dare you.”

His voice was cold. As if he’d killed before, the tips of his fingers didn’t waver.

I drew out the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique to its limit. Distributing my energy, I unleashed the Ilma form.

Our hands clashed. I was the one flung back. Stinging pain shot through me as my arm was forced back.

He laughed.

“Pathetic. Trash.”

**BOOM!!!**

My body flew back. It felt as if my abdomen was being pierced.

Blood mixed with my struggling breath. As I staggered backward, Lee Ho advanced, cracking his knuckles.

“Let’s have a chat. What’s your reason for targeting me? Seongja Myung? Who even is that?”

“…Shut your mouth…”

“Seongja Myung… Seongja Myung… Damn it. I still don’t get it. I don’t know that name either. I don’t know why you’re targeting me.”

My chin was kicked.

“But looking into your eyes, I see you’re not like my kind. There’s reason in those eyes. You don’t seem to enjoy killing. Then it’s even stranger. We’ve never met. There’s no connection. I’m not holding anything to eat, so why are you targeting me?”

“……”

“Could it be… because of that pathetic kid I killed yesterday? Can’t remember the number. But he was weak, pathetically weak. Just like you. That kid, by any chance, was he Seongja Myung?”

Lee Ho burst into laughter.

“Looks like the fools teamed up together! Hahaha! You came here for revenge? With hands that can’t even swing properly? Seongja Myung will be weeping in hell. You’re pathetic. A trash to be chewed up. Oh… where are you going? Trying to crawl away?”

My back was stomped.

“You and I are worlds apart. Thirty. It’s been a while since I’ve laughed. Ah, let’s see… I can’t even remember his number. But I do remember other things.”

“…Cough!”

“That kid thought I was a rookie. He came up with a freshly caught snake. Do you know what his first greeting was? ‘Little brother. You look hungry. Why not eat this?’ It was such a foolish thing to say. But his words weren’t entirely wrong. I was hungry. Hungry in a different sense…”

My neck was grabbed. I was thrown away.

The wood I crashed into shook. Leaves fell upon my face.

I couldn’t see ahead.

“I took that snake he handed me. Wondering if he was playing a joke, I took a bite. ‘Eat first to see if it’s safe,’ I said. So he ate it. He must have been quite hungry, as it was amusing to watch him swallow it without chewing. Isn’t that ridiculous? Even when hungry, he offered food to others before filling his own.”

Lee Ho drew his sword.

“You stupid fool never had a clue. After some time, I played along then pulled his arm. It seemed a bit lacking, so I scored across his abdomen. When his intestines spilled out, his expression changed. Unable to speak, he choked, so I devoured his arm right before his eyes.”

“…….”

“It was a ridiculous sight. The arm was quite tasty. After so long since my last kill, my sword sang beautifully. Thirty. Or was it Jeok-un? You smell just like that punk.”

Lee Ho slowly approached me.

“What would you say when your insides spill out?”

The face of the guy who threw off his hood was grotesque. His distorted features were far from human.

A beast. A blood-soaked killer. I lifted my body leaning against the tree.

Just a brief exchange was enough for me to clearly feel my limits.

What the Twenty-Nine said was right.

It’s too early. I can’t win against that guy.

…But.

That doesn’t mean I can back down.

“Third Brother. The Demon Valley is a very cold place.”

It really is. Jeong-ja.

The Demon Valley is far too cold. It has no place for someone like you.

To be attacked by someone just trying to look out for others, does that even make sense?

It’s unreasonable.

I can’t accept it.

So…

I’ll show you.

“…Hoo.”

**The moment that unreasonableness is shattered.**

“Slice me through.”

The guy walked forward. His unsteady steps vanished in an instant.

Ghostly Spirit Step. It’s at a higher level than mine. But I too, simultaneously unleashed my Ghostly Spirit Step.

I didn’t infuse energy. I saved as much as I could. Compressing and compressing, I charged forward.

I reach out. I only have one thing to do. The basics I’ve honed since arriving here.

The Ilma of the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique.

**BAM!**

The air was ripped apart. My hand struck fiercely ahead.

But only the air burst. Blood stained the ground as my blood scattered in the darkness from the grazed blade.

Nine Heavens Blood Demon Sword.

His sword devoured my right arm.

“Ugh!!!”

“Haha! That expression is quite the sight!”

He licked the tip of his sword. Chuckling, he trailed his hand along the blade.

“My blood is sweet. Yours is quite tasty too. A rebellious flavor. I’ll specially chop all your limbs off rather than your insides. It’s going to be an entertaining time. An incredibly entertaining time that I hope never ends.”

I searched for the severed arm. A wave of pain surged.

I wanted to scream. But I held it back. The terrible pain wasn’t solely from losing an arm.

Cheongeop was writhing.

It was just like that time.

Just like when Ilma once cut off my arm.

“It’s based on patience. You will pay for the pain you’re currently facing with double.”

I sought my lost arm in the agony of Cheongeop. I buried my face in the earth.

I didn’t want to cry, so I laughed. I reached out for the arm that had been cut off.

“But if you can surpass this, you’ll become slightly stronger than before you collapsed. The Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique is a martial art learned in the face of death. The more blood you shed, the deeper your understanding of martial arts.”

I grabbed it with one hand. Lee Ho’s smiling expression froze.

“What… are you doing?”

I struck my arm. The pain that even I had gotten used to with Cheongeop flooded in, too unbearable to bear for a moment.

Cheongeop roared. It squeezed my entire body’s blood vessels as it noticed my intent.

I wanted to die. But at the same time, I couldn’t die. I couldn’t slit my own throat when I undertook this to avoid death.

Instead, I stood up. Swallowing the agony, I clenched my fist. The severed arm stubbornly reattached, whispering to me all the while.

Don’t stop. Jeok-un.

Even if you’re drenched in blood, crawl forward.

That’s…

That’s the path you chose.

“…My, my arm… it… reattached… what nonsense…?!”

I set my stance towards the astonished guy. Whispering, I turned the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique through my entire body.

I was born in the mire. I didn’t see sunlight even when I first opened my eyes.

A life beneath the clouds.

That’s me.

**—And I hated it madly.**

“I see, entering the Demon Valley isn’t entirely a bad thing.”

Jeong-ja. What about you?

Did you love your life?

“The Third Brother was truly a joy to have in here.”

I don’t know much about you. I don’t even know what your dreams exactly were.

Just like skimming the surface of a watermelon, we never asked each other in depth. We just laughed seeing the surface.

But still, that was fine.

“Third Brother. You…”

Jeong-ja.

So, please do not feel sorry for this.

It’s just what I want to do. If you’re watching from the afterlife, smile brightly instead.

That’s my friend.

A snake crawling through this unequal world, striving to climb up from the mire—.

“Live… for your sake as well.”

A snake cannot become a dragon.

But I dare to aspire to be one.

To touch an unreachable dream.

“…Jeong-ja.”

I staggered and took a step. Something welled up in my eyes.

It seemed like something had popped out of every blood vessel in my body. But I stepped forward one more time.

The pooled tears mixed with my blood and fell to the ground. But I raised my lips.

My friend is watching.

I can’t show a disgraceful sight.

“Look here.”

My voice. Let it reach.

Let it pierce even the whispers of wind.

“See how I survive.”

Roll around in the mire. Jeok-un. Roll until your body is covered with blood.

Even if covered in wounds, keep moving forward. Towards the far-off heights you may someday reach.

Underneath it all, there will always be one martial art sticking by.

“Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique.”

I clenched my fist.

I painted the time I laughed and chatted with him in blood.

“Ilma…!”

The crimson aura enveloped my body.

Cheongeop screamed.

 

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