So? Did Someone Force You to Become the Heavenly Demon?

Chapter 29: Audit (2)

Without considering my feelings, Eldest Brother continued speaking with a foolish grin.

“Of course, it’s still early to say since our little brother hasn’t even completed the Hall of the Demonic Way yet, but I believe in you. I’m sure you’ll become a magnificent martial master in no time.”

I had no desire to become one. An “outstanding martial master”? What a joke.

“Y-you flatter me, Eldest Brother. How could I possibly become your strategist?”

“…It seems I’m inadequate as a leader if you reject the position so adamantly.”

“!!!”

Cold sweat ran down my back at Eldest Brother’s murmured words of disappointment.

Though he claims to have achieved Transcendence and can now control his anger… Having witnessed his previous rampage, his words sounded more like a death threat to me.

“W-what are you saying! How could you be inadequate, Eldest Brother? I-I only said that because I’m not good enough.”

“Hahaha! Don’t worry about that! You’re more than capable of being my strategist. But you do have a point. I haven’t yet shown you that I’m worthy of being your lord! Hahaha! Just wait and see! I’ll become a man worthy of your loyalty!”

“…”

This crazy boar wasn’t even listening to a word I was saying.

And having said his piece, he simply left Windrock Palace.

“……”

As I wallowed in despair, sensing my life in this damned cult taking a sharp turn for the worse, Jin Hayeon chose that moment to pour oil on the fire.

“Congratulations, Young Master. It seems the First Young Master has properly recognized your abilities.”

“Is this really something to celebrate?”

“Indeed it is. If the First Young Master becomes the next Heavenly Demon, he might appoint you either as the Left or Right Protector or even appoint you as the Chief Strategist.”

“Hah…”

A deep sigh escaped my lips.

And misunderstanding my sigh, Jin Hayeon spouted more nonsense.

“Could it be… you are already planning to guide the First Young Master to the position of the next Heavenly Demon?”

Though her question was absurd, I could roughly guess why she had made such a misconception.

It was something I learned only after spending about a month in this damned cult, but being the Heavenly Demon’s disciple didn’t automatically qualify one to inherit the position.

Once the current Heavenly Demon ascended, a race to become the next leader would begin within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

This competition is overseen by the Left and Right Protectors chosen by the previous Heavenly Demon, and there was only one minimum requirement to participate:

Victory in combat against the Left and Right Protectors.

Throughout generations, the Left and Right Protectors’ positions were held by those who had mastered specific Demonic Arts passed down only to the Protectors.

To defeat either the Left or Right Protectors, one needed to master at least one of the highest-ranking Demonic Arts in the cult to the level of Transcendence.

In other words, even if you were a disciple of the Heavenly Demon, if you hadn’t mastered a high-level Demonic Art to Transcendence, you couldn’t aim for the position of the next Heavenly Demon.

Conversely, even if one wasn’t the Heavenly Demon’s disciple, an exceptional master could aim for the position of the next Heavenly Demon.

The reason for adopting this system was simple. To learn the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, which symbolizes the Heavenly Demon, one must first master at least one advanced Demonic Art to the level of Transcendence.

This tradition emerged inevitably because the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, while being the most powerful Demonic Art, also boasted the most vicious side effects.

The one who wins this competition and begins to learn the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts is called the ‘Cult Leader,’ and only when they, like Master, fully master the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts and achieve Transcendence are they truly called the ‘Heavenly Demon.’

When I finally heard this story from Jin Hayeon, I understood why the damned cult was run in such a haphazard manner.

From the moment a Heavenly Demon ascends, the cult enters a dark age lasting anywhere from a few years to several decades.

This is because a fierce internal war begins among the cult’s top masters who have achieved Transcendence, all vying to become the Cult Leader and master the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts.

Even after one becomes the Cult Leader through this internal war, the situation remains chaotic due to the side effects of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, with a madman at the helm.

And if that leader dies from Qi Deviation without mastering the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, another competition for the Cult Leader begins again.

Only when someone extraordinary successfully masters the Heavenly Demon Divine Art can they escape this terrible era.

Just like my current Master.

The cycle repeated: a true Heavenly Demon who mastered the Heavenly Demon Divine Art would briefly revitalize the cult, followed by another dark age, which explained the cult’s current state of affairs.

In any case, now that Eldest Brother had finally reached Transcendence with the Raging Demon Sword Art, he had finally qualified to compete for the position of the next Heavenly Demon.

However, the Demonic Sect already had several masters like Hyeokryeon Cheongang. This meant Eldest Brother was merely a late contender.

So Jin Hayeon had misunderstood my sigh, thinking I was contemplating strategies to help this late contender overtake those who had already qualified.

But I was just sad that my dream of living a carefree, unemployed bum life was getting further away.

‘Indeed, only Seon-ah truly understands my heart.’

Unlike Jin Hayeon, who kept offering congratulations for whatever reason, Seon-ah was sighing along with me.

* * *

The place Wi Jin-hak visited after leaving the Windrock Palace was a familiar one to Il-mok.

Entering the estate marked with the characters Hyeokryeon (革連), Wi Jin-hak met privately with a certain man in the innermost hall.

“It’s been a while, Family Head.”

“Indeed it has, First Young Master.”

As they exchanged greetings, Hyeokryeon Cheongang was quite surprised inside.

“It seems you’ve achieved something significant recently.”

“Hahaha. It was thanks to my youngest brother.”

“Oh…”

A sigh containing various emotions escaped Hyeokryeon Cheongang’s lips.

Looking at the Hyeokryeon Family Head, Wi Jin-hak spoke.

“Actually, I came here personally to apologize for the previous incident. Though Master has already punished me, I felt it proper to visit and apologize myself.”

“There’s no need to concern yourself with that matter, as we’ve agreed not to make an issue of it.”

While responding thus, Hyeokryeon Cheongang was lost in various thoughts.

‘He truly seems to have reached Transcendence in the Raging Demon Sword Art.’

He had changed significantly in just that one month. In the past, he would have been unable to contain his anger at being insulted, yet now he came to apologize instead.

‘And he even says it’s thanks to that youngest disciple.’

Naturally, Hyeokryeon Cheongang’s thoughts turned to Il-mok.

At first, he merely watched over him because of the Heavenly Demon’s order.

But after the youngest disciple’s direct visit to the clan, his granddaughter had changed.

And in a very positive direction.

Since that day, his granddaughter had been immersing herself in martial arts voluntarily.

Until then, it was clear that she was only reluctantly following the family’s orders, so it was a truly dramatic change.

He still found it annoying that she went to see that youngest disciple for two hours every day, but aside from that time, she spent all her time in the family compound, focused on martial arts training or studying.

Given her already outstanding talent, her rate of growth was truly remarkable.

And now, even the First Young Master claimed to have reached Transcendence thanks to that youngest disciple, causing Hyeokryeon Cheongang’s opinion of Il-mok to shift somewhat positively.

However, he still didn’t know exactly why his granddaughter had changed so dramatically.

* * *

Late at night.

In a corner of the vast estate at the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s main headquarters.

Three men gathered in the darkness to hold a meeting.

As always, it was a meeting to discuss various matters occurring within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, but—

Today’s topic inevitably centered on First Young Master Wi Jin-hak, who had emerged from his punishment several days ago.

“You must have all heard the news. That dim-witted First Young Master has finally mastered the Raging Demon Sword Art and reached Transcendence.”

“Although we anticipated this risk since there’s still time before the Heavenly Demon’s ascension, I never expected him to achieve Transcendence so suddenly.”

Though their faces were hidden in darkness, they all spoke in equally serious tones.

The conversation primarily focused on predicting Wi Jin-hak’s future moves and how to deal with them.

“While preparation is wise, we needn’t overreact about this. Not only might that risk exposing our activities, but he’s merely a novice who was barely qualified.”

“However, being the Heavenly Demon’s eldest disciple means gaining qualification alone puts him in an advantageous position. If the Heavenly Demon throws his support behind his eldest disciple before departing, it will inevitably work against us.”

“Hmm. Ultimately, we must carefully observe how the Heavenly Demon treats the First Young Master.”

As the discussion on this topic was coming to a close, the man on the right cautiously spoke.

“By the way, have you all heard that rumor?”

“Rumor? What rumor?”

“There’s talk that the youngest disciple played a crucial role in helping the First Young Master achieve Transcendence.”

“……”

The other two fell silent, indicating they hadn’t heard this.

Then the man on the left tilted his head and muttered.

“Wasn’t it because of that youngest disciple that the First Young Master went berserk?”

“It’s already a widespread rumor within the Cult that the youngest disciple provoked the First Young Master by relentlessly saying things he hated the most.”

Il-mok’s constant provocation of the berserk Wi Jin-hak couldn’t help but become widespread rumor.

This was inevitable since dozens of people who had come to stop the berserk Wi Jin-hak had all heard the youngest disciple taunting the First Young Master.

“Hmm. We withdrew our attention, expecting the youngest disciple and the First Disciple to have become completely hostile.”

“Who would have thought there’d be other contacts between them in the meantime.”

“We should verify whether this rumor is true, as a rumor is just a rumor.”

At the central figure’s words, the men on both sides nodded.

If the rumor was false, there was no need to pay it mind. They weren’t leisurely enough to worry about a powerless youngest disciple over fake rumors.

But what if the rumor was true?

This clever fellow who had brought about changes in the cult’s system by directly advising the Heavenly Demon had now apparently done something remarkable by directing enlightenment to the First Young Master.

He might be young, but he was a dangerous element who could greatly influence their grand plan.

If such a person sided with the First Young Master, their plans could be disrupted.

“If the rumor proves true, we’ll put the youngest disciple under surveillance. To strike the moment he becomes a liability.”

The man in the center declared with a mix of killing intent in his tone.

* * *

A few days passed.

During my usual training session with Master, he suddenly asked something to me.

“How are your preparations for the Hall of the Demonic exam coming along?”

The question triggered a sense of familiarity within me and before I could answer, Jin Hayeon cut in, “Morning studies have already finished covering the Secret Record of the Heavenly Demon, and we’re almost done with the historical records as well. At this rate, we can reduce morning study time and focus more on martial arts training. Also, his progress in martial arts is rapidly increasing.”

“Hmm. It seems there won’t be major issues with the entrance examination.”

“Indeed. Your esteemed self had mentioned that you would bestow the Explosive Demon Pill upon Young Master Il-mok later as well, so entrance is assured, and in my personal opinion, entering the Upper Class from the start should be possible.”

The Hall of the Demonic Way selected only twenty individuals each year through examinations. Those twenty were divided into two classes based on their scores Upper Class and Bottom Class.

“Hahaha. To potentially enter the Upper Class after only a year of preparation. He truly possesses outstanding talent.”

“All thanks to your discerning eye, Supreme One, for discovering him.”

Why did praise for my efforts always circle back to the Master’s greatness? But a bigger issue loomed.

‘This… feels like déjà vu?’

And my ominous prediction wasn’t wrong.

“Since it seems we have some time to spare, I have a task for you, Il-mok.”

“Ha, hahaha. B-but you never know, right? Shouldn’t we focus on entrance preparation just in case?”

“Don’t worry. After you complete this task, this old one will make time to oversee your additional training, like last time.”

He was saying he would work me like a dog again, just like last time.

And seeing this old-fashioned geezer present it as if he were bestowing some reward, I had no choice but to give up.

“Ha. Hahaha. Come to think of it, we do seem to have plenty of time. There’s n-no need for busy Master to allocate additional time. But may I ask what kind of task it is, Master?”

When I declined his reward, perhaps taking it as modesty, Master smiled contentedly and answered.

“As you suggested before, we’ve started opening schools and providing education at the cult’s branches throughout Xinjiang. So, shouldn’t you go and verify with your own eyes whether each branch is operating exactly as you planned?”

In other words, he was telling me to go on another business trip.

And as a field auditor, no less.