Chapter 302: Now is the Time to Grow Stronger |
Editor/Quality Checker: Saphartlantis
Murim Term Consultant: Kopke
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"Are you serious?"
In that single question from my father, there was an underlying meaning: "Are you really making such an uncertain choice?" There was a chance that this would lead to nothing, and even if it did, what emerged might be of no help at all.
“If it turns out that I have no connection with it... I can just use it to smash an enemy’s head. Or, I could melt it down and forge a sword.”
“Well, the choice is yours after all.”
“I’ve always shown you a perfect image until now, so I’ll choose this as a way of showing you that I can make mistakes from time to time.”
I slowly reached out my hand toward the box.
"Aaah!"
Hearing my deep sigh, my father asked.
“What’s wrong?”
“When I picked it up, I expected some sort of electric sensation or a mysterious sound only I could hear...”
I sighed and added, “But there’s nothing at all.”
My father shook his head.
“It was your choice. If you look between the Millennium Snow Ginseng, there was probably a bottle with a few drops of Sky-Clear Jade Oil.”
“No way?!! Please, tell me you’re joking!!!”
I ran to where the elixirs were stored. Sure enough, there was a bottle filled with Sky-Clear Jade Oil nestled among the elixirs and herbs, as if mocking me. Didn’t you see me? Look at my milky brilliance!
“You should’ve told me sooner!”
“In a situation where I should be hiding it, why would I tell you?”
I asked my father with a pained expression, “You’re not hiding anything else, right?” 1
My father was clearly enjoying teasing me.
“It’s the treasure vault of our cult. You think that’s all? There’s also the Extreme Ice Snow Fruit.”
I sidled up to my father and spoke quietly, “Pass it down to me.”
“Impossible!”
Of course, if he agreed, he wouldn’t be my father.
“Please don’t touch any of these! Make sure to leave them untouched until I become the Cult Leader! Promise me, Father!”
I couldn’t help but be impressed by my father for keeping these things in storage. Could it be that he had no greed? No, he was probably saving them for a critical moment. My father truly was seeing the bigger picture.
Looking down at the box, I spoke to it.
“You, you better be more precious than Sky-Clear Jade Oil!”
Even though I joked with my father, my instincts continued to draw me toward the box. There was no sinking feeling in my box like when I made the wrong choice.
Even if I were given the chance to choose again, I had a feeling that I would still pick the box. This feeling definitely wasn’t just a foolish stubbornness trying to deny a wrong choice.
After all, this dull hunk of metal was still pulling me in with an intense force.
My father wasn’t much different from me. Though he had an expression as if he was teasing me for messing around, deep down, there was a glimmer of hope in his eyes. A hope that maybe I could unlock the secret that he hadn’t been able to.
"When the time comes, I will open. Chosen One, you made a great choice! I would have felt insulted if you compared me to that measly Sky-Clear Jade Oil!" he said, as if speaking in the box’s voice. 2
“Yes, we must hold on to such hope to keep going.”
Shouting “Chosen One!”, I hugged the box close.
Ah, why is it so heavy and pointy!
I left the Heavenly Demon Vault with my father.
As we retraced our steps, we exchanged words. Truth be told, today I received a gift far greater than the box. The fact that my father gave me a congratulatory gift—that was the real present.
“So, what will you do now?”
“More training, of course. When I get tired of training, I’ll play around with the Demon Supremes. Even if you say, ‘Are you playing around again?’, I will play. Even if you ask, ‘Aren’t you tired of it?’, I’ll still play.”
I glanced at my father, testing the waters as I asked, “Should I invite you to join us when I play?”
He scoffed, but he didn’t say not to invite him.
“Father, I wasn’t just joking earlier when I said I wanted to go on an outing with you. Let’s go together soon. If the Strategist Advisor tries to stop us, we’ll sneak away at night. We’ll run off using the Heavenly Demon Flight Technique and Star Light Step.”
In the end, he didn’t say, Let’s do it. 3
“Well, I’ll take my leave now. Thank you so much for the gift.”
I bowed respectfully and turned to leave when my father spoke.
“Let’s have a game of Go sometime soon.”
Grinning broadly, I replied, “You’ll have to stay on your toes from now on. My strategist has just started learning Go.”
* * *
As I exited the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, Jeokyeon and the rest of the daytime escort team quietly lined up behind me. It was a silent greeting and a gesture of welcome.
“You’ve all been training hard.”
Just from the aura they emitted and the way they moved, I could tell the results of their training. It seemed they had undergone some pretty intense practice.
Yes, let’s all get stronger. Now is the time for all of us to grow stronger.
I immediately headed to find the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
“Elder!”
As usual, I ran to greet him warmly, but then stopped in my tracks.
An unfamiliar sight unfolded before me.
A flower garden had been created in the yard, and Gu Cheonpa was delicately trimming the branches of the flower trees with his massive Heaven-Extinguishing Saber. 4
“Oh dear! I thought I was coming to the Southern Heavens Blade Family, but it turns out I’ve come to the Northern Heavens Sword Family. It’s been a while, Sword Supreme. What happened to you? Why have you become so unkempt?”
“Enough with the nonsense, just water those plants over there.”
“Yes, of course.”
Lately, it seemed that old man Blade had been getting along well with the One-Slash Sword Supreme, even learning how to grow flowers from her.
At first glance, it seemed like something that didn’t suit him at all, but I knew better. Gardening was actually quite fitting for someone like the Blade Demon, who enjoyed reading books. Behind his masculine exterior lay a softer side.
“Don’t water one spot too much, or the plants will die. Spread it evenly.”
I did as the Blood Heaven Blade Demon instructed, watering the other areas.
“You seem to be getting along well with So Yeonrang these days.”
“She’s been obsessed with martial arts training lately. She’s so busy she won’t even see me because she doesn’t want me to see her without makeup.” 5
Ever since our last sparring session, it seemed she had been dedicating herself completely to martial arts training. The fact that someone like the Sword Supreme, who loved to adorn herself, wasn’t wearing makeup meant she was truly serious.
“It’s because of you, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Of course it is. Why would she have this sudden drive for competition at her age?”
Well, sometimes things only hit you as you get older. Things that didn’t seem important in youth take on new meaning with time. Isn’t that true for you as well, Elder? You’ve given your disciple your training saber, and now you’re growing flowers in the yard? Would that have ever been imaginable in the past? 6
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon added one more thing.
“Don’t just take care of the masked one, look after the drunkard too.”
“You mean the Great Drunken Demon?”
“The day I returned, he was on the roof drinking, waiting for you.”
“Oh, my poor brother. Drunk again, making a fool of himself.”
Gu Cheonpa didn’t say anything further about Song Sa-hyuk. The fact that he even mentioned him was enough of a change.
“Alright, that’s enough for today.”
The Blade Demon stopped trimming the branches and headed inside.
When I tried to follow him, he tried to push me away.
“You’ve seen my face, that’s enough. Don’t bother worrying about me.”
“This is where I feel most comfortable.”
“Well, I’m uncomfortable. I prefer being alone.”
I quickly darted inside and tried to throw myself onto the bed, but old man Blade used Void Telekinesis to suspend me in mid-air.
“I’m the Young Cult Leader! The Young Cult Leader, I say!”
My body slowly floated toward the window as I loudly protested.
“Even if you become the Cult Leader, no! Go wash up and change your clothes before lying down.”
While the Blood Heaven Blade Demon changed his clothes, I sat by the window. On the table lay the book he had been reading, a guide on how to cultivate a garden.
It was a book unrelated to martial arts, but I believed that his Heaven-Extinguishing Saber would only grow stronger and more fearsome. Sometimes, cutting the branches of a tree can bring more enlightenment than cutting down an enemy’s neck. 7
Moreover, if the One-Slash Sword Supreme throws herself into training, there’s no way that Gu Cheonpa, who was already diligently training, would just stand idly by. He would definitely push himself to keep up, if only to not fall behind her. Though this wasn’t my intention, everyone was growing stronger together.
“Elder, do you know what this is?”
I pulled out the box from my robe and showed it to him. I expected him to show some curiosity, wondering what it was, but he simply continued changing clothes, responding casually.
“It’s the Secret Box.”
“How do you know?”
“How wouldn’t I know? Back in the day, your father made quite the fuss trying to unlock its secret.”
This confirmed once again that the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and my father had been close in their younger years. Though their relationship seemed a bit more distant now compared to back then, they clearly had a shared history.
Still, considering how much effort my father had put into it, he could have at least warned me before I chose it. How typical of him.
“How did it end up in your hands?”
“I received it as a gift for becoming the Young Cult Leader. Actually, I picked it myself.”
“Of all things, why did you choose that?”
“How could I resist after hearing, ‘It only opens for the one destined for it’? You wouldn’t have been able to resist either, Elder.”
“I wouldn’t have chosen it. Someone as unlucky as me has no connection with treasure.”
That was something the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had said when we first met.
That his life had always been filled with misfortune.
I stared at him and asked, “But you’re not unlucky anymore, are you?”
He smiled faintly and nodded.
“Perhaps now I would choose it.”
Of course, you should. For someone like me who immediately runs to see you after visiting my father, you absolutely should.
My eyes turned toward the box.
“One day, it’ll click open. I’ll keep wishing for it to open every day, saying ‘Please open, please open.’ It’ll get so tired of hearing me that it’ll open just to shut me up.”
After tucking the box away, I stood up.
“Well then, I’ll be off. Don’t forget—You’re the first one I came to see.”
“Always making a big deal out of things.”
Even though he said that, Gu Cheonpa secretly enjoyed it.
After leaving the Blade Demon’s residence, I returned to my quarters. I had initially planned to visit the Fist Demon King as well, but I decided to push that off until tomorrow.
I didn’t tell the escorts to rest. After all, it was my first day back; they must have been eager to stand guard.
“I’ll be counting on you all!”
“Don’t worry, get some good rest!”
I entrusted them with the watch and entered my home. Even though I had been away for quite some time, it was clean and well-maintained. 8
“There’s no place like home.”
I lay down on the bed and immediately fell asleep.
Since leaving the cult, I hadn’t had a single night of deep rest. I had replaced sleep with circulating my internal energy, spending every other moment on martial arts training.
But tonight, I planned to sleep deeply and shake off all that travel fatigue. Even for a master, long journeys by carriage were exhausting.
* * *
When I woke up, night had already fallen.
I had slept soundly without a single dream. The feeling of refreshment after a good rest lifted my spirits.
I lay in bed for a moment, gazing at the night sky through the window. Now that I thought about it, the view from here was quite nice.
After lounging in bed for a while, I got up and stepped outside.
The night shift of the guards had already taken over.
“Are you awake, sir?”
The leader of the night watch tonight was Dohyeon.
“I’m hungry. I’d love to have some homemade food from your mother.”
A smile naturally spread across Dohyeon’s face.
“Knowing you’d be hungry when you woke, we’ve prepared a light meal.”
One of the other guards brought the food into the room.
“Come in and eat with me.”
“We’ve already eaten.”
“How do you all manage your meals?”
“We eat before the night shift starts, and during the early hours, we take turns eating.”
“Your schedule is all flipped around. Don’t just eat hastily—make sure you eat properly. You’ll ruin your health.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
“Don’t just say thank you, follow through!”
I went into the room and started eating.
Though they called it a light meal, it was a full, proper dinner. Since they didn’t know when I would wake, they had prepared something that would still taste fine even after cooling.
After eating, I sipped a warm cup of tea. Sitting by the window with my tea, I felt my mind calm.
It had been a long time since I’d felt the simple joy of everyday life.
There’s joy in being with others, but there’s also happiness in being alone like this. The more I banter with others, the more I cherish those precious moments of solitude.
My thoughts drifted back to my life before the regression. Back then, I had been sick of being alone. How ironic people can be. 9
After finishing my meal, I pulled out the box from my robe and placed it on my palm.
I carefully examined it.
What exactly was this? If it was a box, what could be inside?
I gave it a little shake. It didn’t feel like a box at all—just a solid chunk of metal.
My father and the previous Heavenly Demons must have tried every method to open it. They probably infused it with internal energy, submerged it in water, or even applied heat to it.
So, I decided I wouldn’t try anything at all.
They said it would open for the one who was destined for it. It wasn’t a matter of solving its secret. 10
“Alright then, if you don’t want to open now, just do it when you’re ready.”
As I stared at the box, Dohyeon called from outside.
“Elder Evil Smiling Demon is here to see you.”
I went outside, and there he was, standing under the moonlight with his white mask on.
“Soma!”
“Young Cult Leader!”
“I was planning to visit you tomorrow. What brings you here?”
I felt a bit tense, wondering if something serious had happened. But his reason for coming was completely unexpected.
“I came because I wanted to see you.”
“!”
“You’re always the one visiting me, aren’t you? It’s about time I came to visit you too.” 11
Hearing that, I felt a surge of emotion. Every time I went to see him, he would just stand there, staring at a white wall. Even though it was supposed to help with his martial arts training, it always bothered me to see him alone in that empty room.
But now, he had left that room of his on his own to come see me. Today, my father had come down from the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, and now the Evil Smiling Demon had stepped out of his white room.
The expressions of the guards standing on watch around my quarters were filled with surprise. They never would have imagined that the terrifying Evil Smiling Demon could say something like that.
“And how was your time after leaving the cult?”
“Thanks to your concern, I returned safely.”
Soma’s gaze had grown even deeper than before.
“You seem different somehow, Soma.”
“Thanks to the Millennium Snow Ginseng you gave me, I’ve made some progress in my martial arts. I truly appreciate it.”
“How could it be just because of some ginseng? It’s all thanks to your hard work, Soma.”
The phrase just some ginseng seemed to amuse him, and he laughed aloud.
“Well, now that I’ve seen your face, I’m satisfied.”
It really seemed that his only reason for coming was simply to see me, and with that, he prepared to take his leave.
There are times when a single action can be more touching than a hundred kind words. This was one of those times.
I walked alongside him as he turned to leave.
“Satisfied? How can you say that when we’ve met after so long? I can’t just let you leave like this. I’m going to spend the night hanging out with you. I’ve already announced it to my father—I told him I’m going to have fun tonight.”
After a brief pause, he spoke.
“Judging by everything that’s happened so far, I’m not sure if the fate of the martial world will let the Young Cult Leader enjoy himself.”
Even if fate didn’t intervene, I doubt I’d have much time to play around given all that’s going on. Of course, tonight was an exception.
“Then we’d better get started before that thing called fate gets in the way.” 12
1 : As a hoarder/loot goblin, I feel your pain. Must. Loot. EVERYTHING !!!!
2 : Lol, it’s in those kind of moments that you see how much he changed XDXDXD Also, if there’s ever an anime adaptation, I want, no, need to see this XDXDXD
3 : But he didn’t say no either ^^
4 : Awwww, so cute ^^
5 : Oops. Sorry about that XDXDXD
6 : Nah, especially remembering how he pettily used to hit our ribs with his hilt XDXDXD
7 : Besides his motto of martial arts changing when people change, the two indeed need entirely different techniques. To cut a head you need power and speed to inflict the most gruesome damage possible so that even if the opponent is not decapitated, he’s out of the fight. If you try the same thing on a tree, you’ll just explode his branches/trunk before you know it. Plants need precision and softness, and mixing power with softness makes for greater martial arts, look at the ‘Flow of the Divine Dragon’ from Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon for a good exemple.
8 : Don’t forget to give a bonus to the servants.
9 : Humans are never satisfied with what they have ^^
10 : That’s probably a healthier attitude than obsessing over it. If it’s fated, it’s fated !!! At least it can be used as an armored plate over your heart.
11 : Good, friendship goes both ways, only having one person do all the heavy lifting is not a good relationship.
12 : Yeah, he needs to have fun and relax. In fact, given how he always trains even when he’s supposed to relax, it makes all his playing around much more important and precious.