CHAPTER: Chapter 18
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Chapter 18.
“Hoo... if it is until the day of the Comprehensive Evaluation, then more than half a year still remains....”
Do Chansu’s hand, which had been flicking the beads of his abacus, came to a halt.
“...These Instruction Tokens will be more than enough.”
His eyes widened at the tremendous quantity of Instruction Tokens Uncheon had poured out.
‘How in the world did a mere cadet gather this many Instruction Tokens? Even for a Head Instructor, collecting such a number would not be easy....’
Then Uncheon began reciting, one after another, the names of rare medicinal ingredients that would stabilize his twisted meridians.
“The ingredients I need are Cheongung, Hwanggi, Jinpi, Seungma, Siho....”
Do Chansu’s eyes narrowed.
The ingredients flowing so readily from the brat’s mouth were the sort that one would not even know existed unless one were deeply versed in medicine.
‘This boy... he is no ordinary cadet. He has considerable knowledge of medicinal ingredients. However, if the prescription is built this way....’
All the ingredients he had named shared one common trait.
They were all prescribed when one’s qi and blood were weak.
‘It does not seem as though he received any formal medical training....’
In truth, Uncheon did not even seem aware of how much knowledge of medicinal ingredients he possessed.
And for good reason. Uncheon had never formally studied medicine or pharmacology.
It was merely that gathering and drying herbs used for external and internal injuries had long been part of his daily routine.
“If there are any other medicinal ingredients that would help with internal injury recovery and the stabilization of qi and blood, I ask that you add them to the prescription as well.”
Do Chansu furrowed his brow.
‘...At this level, it is no simple internal injury. It is severe enough to suggest a congenital flaw in his qi and blood. Could it be?’
Do Chansu recalled the state Uncheon had been in when they first met.
A body emaciated and drained of all vitality.
‘Could he be suffering from the Severed Meridian Affliction? Interesting... a cadet of Hidden Demon Cave afflicted by the Severed Meridian Affliction.’
On the day Uncheon’s first order had come in, Do Chansu had made a few spare Medicinal Pills in advance and now handed them over.
“Heh heh... I did not expect you to return this quickly. For now, this is the best I can do.”
From beneath the counter, Do Chansu produced a small bundle of Medicinal Pills and set it down.
“It will take some time to prepare the rest of the ingredients. I shall send word when they are ready.”
“...Understood.”
After taking the bundle of Medicinal Pills and the remaining Instruction Tokens, Uncheon left Myriad Treasures Pavilion at once.
“How truly strange. They said even the Demon Physician Hall was researching a way to treat the Severed Meridian Affliction....”
As he idly rolled his abacus beads beneath his fingers, complicated thoughts passed through his aged eyes.
“To think there are several people suffering from such a vicious illness, one a man would be hard-pressed to see even once in several decades....”
***
Uncheon’s steps were heavy as he left Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
The fatigue that had built up in his body from sparring with Instructor Jeok Mugwang came crashing down upon him.
At that moment, his body felt as heavy as waterlogged cotton.
Even so, his senses had been sharpened by the aftermath of that spar.
And something caught in those sharpened senses.
‘...Who is it?’
He faltered for just an instant, but, so as not to arouse suspicion, merely rubbed the arm wrapped in Iron Weights and kept walking.
Pretending to be sunk in thought, he entered the damp, dark corridors of Hidden Demon Cave.
‘This presence... it does not seem to belong to a cadet....’
Cadets returning from training passed by in twos and threes, but his attention was fixed elsewhere.
Since when had it begun?
Since the spar with the instructor?
Or only after he left Myriad Treasures Pavilion?
‘In any case, someone is definitely following me.’
The gaze was persistent.
It was not as sharp as killing intent, yet it tracked his every move.
‘So they have no intention of harming me at once.’
Uncheon did not stop walking.
To turn around rashly would only provoke the other side further.
Instead, he naturally headed toward the places where more cadets were gathered.
As though he had noticed nothing, Uncheon blended among the other cadets and returned to his stone chamber.
‘...Are these the shadows he meant, the ones watching the evaluation?’
Knock knock.
Just as he was finally about to catch his breath, someone knocked upon the stone door.
When he opened it, Yuha was standing there with his usual easy expression.
“Well now, there is a smell of medicine. Did you spend all your Instruction Tokens at Myriad Treasures Pavilion?”
Uncheon’s brow narrowed.
“I have not even received the medicine I ordered yet. What is your business?”
“How cold. I merely came because I was concerned for a comrade’s well-being.”
Yuha’s gaze briefly settled on the bundle of Medicinal Pills hanging at Uncheon’s waist.
“Judging by how prickly you are, it seems eyes have begun following you as well.”
“...You as well?”
Yuha nodded.
“It seems they are already watching us. So what do you intend to do? Is there any organization to which you wish to be assigned?”
“...I am not sure.”
For Uncheon, the best choice would naturally have been the organization through which he could approach the Demon Physician.
The problem was that Uncheon knew nothing about the organizations of the Demonic Cult.
“There is no need to be so wary. I merely wish to offer advice as your investor.”
“Advice...?”
“Since you are not from within the cult, you likely know nothing about its organizations.”
Yuha struck the heart of it at once.
Then, facing Uncheon across from him, he raised three fingers.
“There are, broadly speaking, three places that I think might interest you.”
He lifted the first finger as he spoke.
“First, the Inspectorate. It is the organization that enforces the cult’s laws and ferrets out traitors and corruption within the cult. One might say it has the authority to investigate and interrogate anyone deemed suspicious. If you wish to dig into the cult’s power structure, it is the ideal place.”
Uncheon nodded.
The blade of the Inspectorate pointed inward, toward the cult itself.
‘If my targets are members of the Demonic Cult, I can cut down as many as I please....’
It was attractive precisely because he would not need to turn his blade against those outside the cult.
‘...However, if I begin as a mere underling in the Inspectorate, how far will I truly be able to climb?’
If one had powerful backing, it would be a comfortable post, but not an easy organization through which to rise.
That was how Uncheon judged the Inspectorate.
Yuha folded the second finger.
“Second, the Black Shadow Corps. They are the blades that move in the darkness of the cult. Assassination, espionage... they handle every filthy task there is. They do not care about one’s background or pedigree. After all, you would be sent into the Central Plains under an assumed identity anyway.”
This was the exact opposite of the Inspectorate.
If the Inspectorate was a blade turned inward, then the Black Shadow Corps was a hidden blade swung outward.
‘...The chance to move under a concealed identity is appealing.’
In the end, however, the hand that held that blade would still belong to the upper echelons of the Demonic Cult.
If matters went well, he might become a planted agent among the orthodox sects, but the odds were high that he would instead be burdened with missions he did not want.
‘If I am not careful, I may become nothing more than a disposable tool.’
Watching Uncheon’s expression, Yuha continued.
“Well now, neither of those seems particularly to your liking. In that case, only one remains.”
He lowered the last finger.
“The Hall of Myriad Demons.”
A meaningful smile curved upon his lips.
“On the surface, it is a place that serves the elders of the cult. It may look the least attractive of the three, but....”
Yuha looked directly into Uncheon’s eyes as he spoke.
“If you can earn an elder’s trust, the situation changes. While serving at an elder’s side, you can move freely both inside and outside the cult. And you can lay hands upon the cult’s deepest secrets and resources as well.”
He paused for a moment, then delivered the decisive point.
“...Besides, the Demon Physician is one of only five Exalted Ones among the elders. So the Hall of Myriad Demons is the place closest to him.”
From the start, Yuha seemed to know exactly what Uncheon needed most urgently.
“...You are sharp. You had already realized there is something wrong with my body?”
“Of course. The state you were in when you first arrived, and the two places where you spent your Instruction Tokens. Nourishment Hall and Myriad Treasures Pavilion. That much was enough. It does not seem the others have noticed yet.”
“...Did you come here to recommend that I go to the Hall of Myriad Demons?”
“Well... the choice is yours. A man like you would stand out wherever he went in the end.”
Yuha spoke as though he had absolute confidence in Uncheon’s ability.
“Personally, however, I would rather you did not take the long road around, and instead fixed your body first. That would be far more interesting.”
“...That information helps. Thank you.”
“It was nothing. Is it not an investor’s nature to hope that his returns will be maximized?”
After saying all he had come to say, Yuha vanished soundlessly, and silence once more filled the stone chamber.
Uncheon turned over the information Yuha had left behind.
‘Fox-like fellow... does he have backing within the Hall of Myriad Demons?’
Even as Uncheon saw through Yuha’s intent in appearing at precisely the necessary moment to offer that information, he had no choice but to acknowledge its value.
‘...Even so, thanks to him, the road has become clear.’
He began coldly weighing the three organizations.
‘The Inspectorate. The power to stir up the inside of the cult is tempting... but if I cannot cure the Severed Meridian Affliction, then power is nothing more than an illusion.’
He erased the first choice without hesitation.
‘The Black Shadow Corps. The ability to go out into the Central Plains is attractive. I might be able to investigate the hypocrites of the Martial Alliance and perhaps approach the surviving disciples of Gonryun. However....’
Uncheon lowered his gaze to his own body.
‘If I become a one-use blade in a body that cannot even properly wield internal energy, then the only end awaiting me is to be cast aside once my usefulness is spent....’
He would be discarded before he could even exact his revenge.
‘In the end... as he said, is there truly only one path?’
The Hall of Myriad Demons.
For Uncheon, a Taoist of Gonryun, the thought of serving at the beck and call of an elder of the Demonic Cult was galling to his pride.
But at the end of that road lay the Demon Physician and the Demonic Bone Rebirth Art, his only hope.
‘Yes, I had the order wrong.’
Revenge and the seat of the Heavenly Demon alike were matters for after he survived and grew strong.
What Uncheon needed most urgently now was survival.
He had to fix this cursed body.
‘If used well, a place at an elder’s side could become the foothold through which I seize the power of the Inspectorate and the freedom of the Black Shadow Corps alike.’
His judgment was finished.
A hard light entered Uncheon’s eyes.
‘For now, the Hall of Myriad Demons is the best choice.’
To make that happen, he would have to catch their eye in the coming Comprehensive Evaluation.
The kind of talent the elders of the Hall of Myriad Demons would desire was obvious.
‘...What an aged master desires most is a successor blessed with outstanding aptitude.’
At the level of a mere attendant, he could secure neither an elder’s trust nor any freedom.
In the end, the path was clear.
‘Proof of aptitude.’
Uncheon’s gaze fell upon the bundle of Medicinal Pills at his waist.
“For now, this first....”
This was the result of investing no fewer than a hundred and fifty Instruction Tokens.
Uncheon sat cross-legged upon the cold floor and, without the slightest hesitation, popped one Medicinal Pill into his mouth and swallowed it.
The instant the pill passed down his throat, a clear and pristine stream of energy spread through his entire body.
‘Good....’
Like a fine drizzle soaking parched earth, the medicinal power seeped gently into every corner of Uncheon’s dry and twisted meridians.
The faint pain that had been constricting his whole body subsided, and a sense of stability settled over him.
‘Even after pouring in medicinal ingredients of this quality, all they can do is keep it from breaking down further. They still cannot open a path....’
Uncheon clenched his fist tight.
“Even so... for now, this is enough. It is worth spending Instruction Tokens on.”
***
From that day onward, time passed quickly.
Uncheon rose the earliest and trained the latest.
That was not merely because Uncheon was diligent, but also because he wished to maximize the training efficiency of the Heaven-and-Earth Dynamic Art.
Many internal energy methods relied upon seated circulation, but what Uncheon practiced was a moving art, one trained through motion of the body.
Moreover, it did not store qi within the dantian, but spread it throughout the entire body instead.
Thanks to the medicinal ingredients giving some breathing room to his blocked qi and blood, Uncheon’s body changed with each passing day.
When he had first entered Hidden Demon Cave, he had been a ragged boy who looked as though he might die at any moment. Now he had become a youth with a well-shaped body and lean muscle.
‘...It is still incomplete if one is to call it the body of a true martial artist.’
Iron Weights still remained fastened to all four of his limbs.
Though they looked no different from before, their weight had doubled, for he had increased them month by month.
As on any other morning, Uncheon trained the Heaven-and-Earth Dynamic Art, then concluded by settling his breath with the Life-Prolonging Breathing Method.
It was then.
“All cadets, to the training grounds!”
All the cadets of Hidden Demon Cave were summoned to the central training grounds.
Expectation and tension warred across their faces.
“At last... is it today?”
“I will show everyone the skill I have honed all this time!”
It had been a full year since Uncheon entered Hidden Demon Cave.
In other words, it was the day of the Comprehensive Evaluation.
Upon the platform stood not only all the Head Instructors,
but also the two instructors, Mad Blood Saber Jeok Mugwang and Iron Fist Ga Cheonak.
But unlike usual, the very center of the platform was empty.
The instructors had stepped back one pace, leaving the empty place between them.
“...There is an empty place!”
“The instructors are not presiding over it?”
“...This is not what I heard.”
The training grounds stirred.
It was then.
Swish—
As though he had been standing there from the start, a man appeared like a shadow in the empty center of the platform.
He wore a robe black as spilled ink, and his middle-aged face was utterly ordinary.
And yet, the instant he appeared, an absolute silence fell over the entire training grounds.
Even Jeok Mugwang and Ga Cheonak kept their heads lowered and did not stir.
Gooseflesh rose all across Uncheon’s body.
‘There was... no presence at all!’
It was the first time since entering the Demonic Martial Hall that he had encountered a genuine master.
‘At the very least... Peak Realm... perhaps beyond!’
The man opened his mouth and spoke in a low voice.
“It is good to meet you, cadets of Hidden Demon Cave.”
His voice was low, but it seemed to carve itself directly into the minds of all who heard it.
“I am Gal Muheun, One-Brush Soul-Stealer, the Chief Instructor who oversees this entire Demonic Martial Hall, Hidden Demon Cave included.”
The force contained within his voice alone made it clear.
“This Comprehensive Evaluation, put simply, is a stage upon which you will prove your own growth.”
At those words, everyone’s faces filled with confusion.
‘Prove our growth?’
As though he had expected such a reaction, Gal Muheun continued.
“When you entered this place, each of you stood upon a different starting line. The length of time you had trained in martial arts, your constitutions, your ages... all of it differed.”
It was exactly as he said.
There were cadets who knew neither martial arts nor even letters.
And there were cadets who had entered already standing at the threshold of First Rate, not far below a Head Instructor.
Uncheon recalled the faces of the swaggering brats from the Sagal Muk Family and several other children of the Demonic Cult.
“Therefore, if one speaks only of the superiority or inferiority of your martial arts, it becomes difficult to judge your aptitude. If one who has trained in martial arts for ten years spars against one who has trained for only one, is not the result obvious?”
Several cadets’ expressions twisted.
They were, without exception, the children of great houses who had learned martial arts long before entering Hidden Demon Cave.
‘...Ho. Interesting. To think he would choose such a method.’
Gal Muheun stepped forward and addressed the cadets.
“So even if your starting lines differ, pay it no mind whatsoever. This instructor’s evaluation has nothing to do with that. What matters is how far you have advanced from your own starting line.”
“...?”
The cadets looked baffled, as though asking how such a thing could possibly be judged.
“Heh heh, do not concern yourselves. The Head Instructor who taught you will personally serve as your sparring opponent.”
“...!”
Even the Head Instructors themselves seemed not to have been informed of the details of the test, for clear surprise showed upon their faces.
Enjoying their reaction, Gal Muheun went on.
“The rules are simple. Against the Head Instructor who instructed you, you must endure for the span of a cup of tea. The use of internal energy is forbidden.”
The training grounds broke into murmurs.
“Our opponents are not other cadets?”
“Against Head Instructors who are, at the very least, First Rate experts, for the span of a cup of tea...?”
As though he had expected the reaction, Gal Muheun continued.
“Of course, the Head Instructors will also moderate their hand according to the level each of you stood at upon your starting line. Whoever cannot endure even that... will simply disappear from Hidden Demon Cave.”
A chilling silence fell across the training grounds.
“Merely surviving is the way of the weak. The strong prove themselves, then seize what they desire.”
From within his robe, he drew out a palm-sized Black Iron Plaque.
“Once half the allotted time has passed, the Head Instructors will fasten this plaque to their chests. From that point onward, the Head Instructors will no longer hold back, and you too will be permitted to attack.”
A greedy light flashed in Gal Muheun’s eyes.
“If you do more than endure and succeed in landing an attack upon a Head Instructor, I shall award bonus marks. And if...”
His gaze pierced every cadet in the training grounds.
“If you succeed in tearing this Black Iron Plaque from a Head Instructor’s chest, then I shall grant one wish of yours. Naturally, only within the limits of what I can do.”
“...!!!”
The training grounds erupted as though they might explode.
A wish granted by the Master of the Demonic Martial Hall.
For a cadet of Hidden Demon Cave, it was the greatest reward and authority one could imagine.
While all the others were swept up in excitement and greed, Uncheon alone read the board with cold calm.
His gaze no longer rested upon the Master of the Demonic Martial Hall.
Instead, he stared intently at Head Instructor Ma Chung and Senior Head Instructor Yajin, the men who might become his sparring opponents.
‘...This is a chance.’
While the others worried about merely enduring the allotted span, Uncheon’s mind was already filled with a single thought.
‘Take the Black Iron Plaque, and open the road to the Demon Physician.’
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