Chapter 131

“Sajae.”

It was afternoon, and I was immersed in training.
Yuk Ja-heung’s voice dug into my ears.
I clicked my tongue.

‘He came again?’

It had been two days since I visited the Illusory Hwang Clan.
Yuk Ja-heung had made it part of his daily routine to come to the Hidden Cloud Pavilion several times a day.
It was not as if he had any important business.
Had I found certain information? Had I made a decent plan? Was I really not going to abandon him?
He kept spouting useless nonsense like that.

‘This won’t do anymore.’

Pushing Yuk Ja-heung hard was already the decided course.
But before that, I had planned to finish my own training to a certain degree.
My attainment in Lightning Step felt as if it was just within reach, yet not quite.

“Why are you here again?”

I snapped lightly.
Yuk Ja-heung spoke as if making an excuse.

“I came because I’m anxious. You won’t tell me the results of your investigation and just keep training all day.”
“What’s the rush? Do you think I won’t tell you when the time comes?”
“Hey, damn it, my life is on the line. How could I not be in a hurry?”
“Fine. I’ll tell you.”

I relayed exactly what I had discussed with Hwang Si-mong.
That the No-Return Cave had three routes, and somewhere among them was a space created due to a construction mistake. If he stayed there, he could remain safe until ten days later, when the No-Return Cave’s mechanical formations stopped.
Color returned to Yuk Ja-heung’s face.

“Wow, damn. I really might not die?”
“That’s not it.”
“What do you mean, that’s not it?”
“I don’t know which route the safe zone is in. It could be in all three routes, or it could be in only one of them.”
“……!”

Yuk Ja-heung’s face instantly turned pale.

“T, then that means the chance of dying is higher!”
“That’s about right. In any case, even if it exists in all three routes, nothing changes.”
“What does that mean now?”
“How are you going to get to the safe zone?”
“……Huh?”
“It’s not like it’s just sitting there the moment you enter, and we don’t know how many trials you’ll have to get through. Getting there is the real problem.”
“…….”

Yuk Ja-heung’s eyes went wide.
It seemed he had never once thought of it from this perspective.
Well, he had only just heard about it.

“Hey, what is this! You went on about conditions and all that like there was some surefire method, and this is what you end up saying?”
“The story did change a little, but in the end, I just have to make sure you don’t die, right?”
“How?”

Instead of answering, I placed my hand on Yuk Ja-heung’s shoulder.

“You’re far more useful than you think.”
“W, what are you talking about?”
“You’re seventeen and already at the late Peak Realm. That’s a tremendous attainment.”
“That’s true.”
“Of course, it’s thanks to your family’s backing. You received marrow-cleansing from birth and grew up stuffing yourself with all kinds of elixirs. If you couldn’t even reach this level, would that be human? That would be a beast.”
“…….”
“Still, it is impressive. Thanks to being a direct descendant, you’ve learned both the inherited martial arts of the Violet Lightning Yuk Clan and Master’s martial arts in one body.”
“Right, right.”
“Do you get it now?”
“What?”
“You already possess the elements needed to pass through the No-Return Cave.”
“……!”

Yuk Ja-heung opened his mouth and gaped silently.
It seemed he could predict what I was going to say.

“T, that won’t do!”
“Why?”
“The danger level goes up!”
“Why are you so scared?”
“I’m not scared. I’m wise. Most of the geniuses from the previous generation and the generation before that, the ones who were supposed to be amazing, couldn’t even have their corpses found. What could I possibly do?”
“You’re a Little Demon.”
“Does death avoid me because I’m a Little Demon? I’m going to live a thin and long life, until my eyebrows go beyond white and turn transparent.”

It was a realistic thought.
There were more than a few Demon Cult members who risked their lives for empty pride or ambition for fame.

‘This guy’s problem is that he has too little of that.’

It would be fine if he had a little of it.
Well, that would soon change.
If only to survive.

“What stage is your Violet Lightning Descent Step?”
“Why are you asking that?”

Violet Lightning Descent Step was the inherited footwork technique of the Violet Lightning Yuk Clan.
I had recently gained a certain realization.
In that it had been created to swiftly annihilate enemies rather than evade, it had some things in common with Death-Line Step.

“I’ve recently gained a great realization regarding footwork. I’m going to graciously bestow this realization upon you too.”

I couldn’t teach him Death-Line Step, but the realization I had gained from it was not insignificant.
If applied to Violet Lightning Descent Step, it might be able to draw out a certain degree of attainment.
If so, this guy’s survival rate would increase greatly.

I spoke to Yuk Ja-heung, who was hesitating to answer.

“Trust me.”
“But…….”
“You don’t want to? Then die.”
“……I hate that more. Fourth stage.”

Right, I think it had been like that around this time before my regression too.
Only after five or six years in this state had he barely reached the fifth stage.

“Good. Let’s register first, then begin.”
“Register what?”
“Register to enter the No-Return Cave. I heard registration starts today. Who knows? If we register early, we might be assigned to a good route.”
“……!”

I sauntered toward the main gate.
From behind me came the sound of someone running.
“Hey, let’s go together!”

I smiled in satisfaction.

Registration to enter the No-Return Cave began about a month before the opening period.
Once opened, the No-Return Cave didn’t close for ten days.
To control what happened inside, the entrant list and schedule had to be managed strictly.

There was only one requirement for applying, age.
The purpose of building the No-Return Cave was to cultivate the talents of the next generation.
In keeping with that purpose, only Demon Cult members aged twenty-five or younger could enter the No-Return Cave.

The Black Shadow Pavilion in the afternoon.
Many people had gathered at this place, which handled various administrative tasks for the cult.
That was because the registration desk had been set up on the first floor of the Black Shadow Pavilion.
At a path where that place was clearly visible, Yuk Ja-heung frowned.

“Wow, damn, why are there so many people?”
“They probably gathered to see what kind of idiot is walking to his death on his own feet this year.”

The people who spotted us began to murmur.

“It’s the Seventh Young Lord!”
“It really is the Seventh Young Lord!”

People rushed toward me in a stampede.

“Please do not crowd around him!”
“Do not come any closer!”

Im Yeon and the guards suddenly became busy.
They desperately blocked the space between me and the crowd.
And caught between the guards and the crowd, Yuk Ja-heung was undergoing hardship.

“D, don’t push! I’m a Little Demon too!”

As always, this guy was being treated like cold leftovers.

“Are you entering the No-Return Cave, as the rumors say?”
“You mustn’t enter the No-Return Cave. It is too dangerous!”
“We respect your spirit of challenge, Seventh Young Lord, but please reconsider!”

Listening to their cries, I felt very proud.
Since when had I become someone who received the concern of this many people?
I expressed my gentle gratitude with gestures and glances as I moved toward the Black Shadow Pavilion.

Once I entered the interior.
The first thing that caught my eye was a large notice posted on the wall.
It was packed with precautions for entering, but one line caught my eye clearly.

[The cult bears no responsibility for any accidents that occur after entry.]

It was wording meant to make one think carefully about entering.
I smiled faintly.
Would someone who had come all the way to the registration area change their mind after seeing this line?
I did not think so.

“Hey.”
“What?”
“Should I just go back and think about it for a few more days?”

Of course, there were people who would change their minds.
I frowned and asked.

“If you think about it for a few more days, will you have a way not to enter?”
“……No. Father will flay me alive.”
“Then stop saying useless things and just register.”

I pushed Yuk Ja-heung’s back and strode toward the room with the registration desk.
But unexpectedly, there was someone already there.

“Oh?”

It was someone whose face I knew, but whom I had not met in a while.
Jin Si-myeong of the Radiant Moon Jin Clan.
When I returned to the Demon Cult after my regression, the Elder Council Lord had held a banquet for me.
It was called a banquet, but in truth, it was a gathering made to humiliate me.
At that time, Jin Si-myeong picked a fight with me, only to get beaten badly instead.
I remembered that he was a drug addict and lied that there was powder on his sleeve when there was none, and the sight of him turning deathly pale and becoming obedient had been amusing.
What was that guy doing at the No-Return Cave registration desk?

“Well, who is this? Isn’t it Martial Artist Jin of the Radiant Moon Jin Clan?”
“Oh-ho. To meet the Seventh Young Lord here.”
“What brings you here? Are you registering to enter?”
“That is right. I have a tendency to enjoy challenges.”
“These people too?”

Jin Si-myeong had several people from the Radiant Moon Jin Clan with him.

“These friends also enjoy challenges.”

He looked strangely triumphant.
He could not have forgotten what happened before, so what was this?
Jin Si-myeong grinned.

“Thank you, Seventh Young Lord. Thanks to you, my life changed greatly.”
“How?”
“The elders of my family treated me like trash. Because I suddenly crawled before the Seventh Young Lord. Thanks to that, I gained a reason to open my eyes every morning. Each day became fulfilling.”

So, he was saying he worked hard at training every day to get revenge on me?

‘Looks like that’s right.’

Seeing him subtly raise killing intent made it certain.
Killing intent toward a Little Demon.
That was rather insolent.
I exaggeratedly looked over his sleeve.

“Your sleeve is clean. It looks like you manage yourself well these days?”
“…….”

Jin Si-myeong’s face stiffened.
Why act up when the word ‘sleeve’ alone was enough to make him behave?

However, surprisingly, he soon regained his smile.
Then he came close and whispered into my ear.

“I will be eagerly awaiting the day we enter. If we meet inside, I will greet you warmly.”
“Warmly? No, before that, there shouldn’t be any reason for us to meet inside.”
“One never knows how things will turn out. Huhuhuhu.”

Jin Si-myeong let out an unpleasant laugh.
I became inwardly puzzled.
What in the world was this guy talking about?
Was there information I didn’t know?

“Oh, right, Ja-heung.”

Jin Si-myeong turned his gaze to Yuk Ja-heung.
Unlike with me, he spoke down to him.
Since they both belonged to the Seven Demonic Houses, it seemed they already had some sort of acquaintance.
Judging by Yuk Ja-heung’s expression, as if he had chewed dirt, it didn’t seem to be in a positive direction.

Jin Si-myeong silently moved his lips.
He was sending a voice transmission.
However, Yuk Ja-heung’s complexion brightened noticeably.
His gaze brushed over me for a moment, then quickly returned.
As if confirming something.

Jin Si-myeong leisurely left the Black Shadow Pavilion with the corners of his mouth raised high.
I asked Yuk Ja-heung.

“What did he say?”
“Huh? N, nothing much.”

Yuk Ja-heung avoided my gaze.
Normally, he would have complained about every little thing, but now he even clamped his mouth shut.

‘There’s something.’

Jin Si-myeong’s composure and Yuk Ja-heung’s brightened expression.
There was clearly a reason for these two things.
Perhaps it might even be the same reason.
I would have to find out what that was from now on.

‘First, I’ll register.’

I headed to the registration desk.
After confirming my identity, the registrar explained the entry procedures in detail.

“After hearing all of that, does your intent to enter remain unchanged?”
“It does.”
“Mine too.”

Yuk Ja-heung answered readily.
Until just now, he had wanted to avoid it somehow, yet his attitude had suddenly changed.

“Please sign this section.”

I roughly signed the document the registrar handed over.
He asked.

“Is there anything in particular you wish to ask?”
“Yes. Are there any rules or facilities that have changed starting this year?”
“……Rules or facilities, you say?”

A subtly awkward reaction.
I asked more specifically.

“I feel like there is something I should know in advance. For example, something regarding the internal routes.”

Just now, Jin Si-myeong had spoken as if we would certainly meet inside.
In that case, there had to be something related to the routes.

“That is, well…….”
“Did someone above issue a gag order? Something like ‘to not tell the Seventh Young Lord anything?’”

The registrar’s shoulders flinched.

“I won’t ask who is behind this. Just answer what I asked.”
“…….”
“Well, if you don’t want to answer me, you can do it at the Disciplinary Court instead. No, wait. In this case, since you toyed with a Little Demon who still has the possibility of becoming the next Cult Leader, maybe I should send you to the Heart Demon Court?”
“Huk!”

The registrar gasped.
The Heart Demon Court was a symbol of fear to all cult members.
He would never want to enter that place.
As if he had no choice, he spoke quietly.

“T, the truth is, until previous years, three routes were operated for various reasons, but starting this year, they have been integrated into one for efficiency.”

‘Integrated into one?’

Oh-ho, so this was it.
I finally understood the whole story.
First, the Heavenly Demon and Hwang Si-mong.
The Heavenly Demon had said there were three zones, and Hwang Si-mong had said there were three routes.
Now that I saw it, neither of them had been wrong.
Originally, it had been a structure where one entered through the same entrance and then split into three branching paths.
But these had been joined into one, so the three routes had become three zones.

What phenomenon would occur if this happened?
The trials that had to be passed through would triple, and all entrants would share the same passage.
That meant there was a possibility they would encounter one another.

‘And Jin Si-myeong.’

He had moved quickly and registered to enter from the very first day.
Not alone, but with several others.
Naturally, he had not dropped by by chance and suddenly made up his mind. He had come intending to enter from the beginning.
That meant he had known in advance that the routes would be integrated.

‘Someone was pulling tricks behind the scenes.’

They were surely aiming for me.
Jin Si-myeong was small fry, and above him there must be someone with powerful authority. Perhaps even the route integration itself was that person’s will.
Nine times out of ten, it would be someone I knew.

‘The Heavenly Demon knew all of this, didn’t he?’

Of course he did.
He was a man who believed one had to undergo trials to grow, so he might have considered this part of training as well.
Still, that was too much.
What was he planning to do if I went in without knowing and something went wrong?

‘In any case, that means they’re determined to kill me with this opportunity, is that it?’

Those who considered me a thorn in their eyes must surely be excited.
They must believe they can deal with me secretly with this opportunity.
It was a foolish thought.
Because in a cave full of murder traps, it was still unknown who would end up dying.

“Hey, let’s go. We need to train.”

I said while looking at Yuk Ja-heung.
The guy, who had been deep in thought until now, hurriedly shook his head.

“Ah, m, my body feels a bit chilly.”
“Suddenly?”
“Y, yeah. S, see you later.”

Yuk Ja-heung disappeared before I could say anything in reply.
It was not hard to guess.
Jin Si-myeong must have told him something tempting through voice transmission.

“Tsk, tsk.”

Senior Brother or whatever, it was all useless.
He had clung to me like that for days, yet the moment he saw a way to live, he immediately abandoned me.
I wondered what I had expected from that guy, but I couldn’t help feeling bitter.

‘Right. Who am I to meddle? I should just think about how to survive myself.’

Suppressing my bitter feelings, I headed to the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons.
The Heavenly Demon, a training addict, unusually stopped training and turned his head toward me.

“What is it?”
“I have something to ask.”

I continued while looking into his indifferent eyes.

“To get straight to the point, if I am attacked by multiple people inside the No-Return Cave, can I overcome it with Death-Line Step and Lightning Step at the third stage?”

A faint interest appeared in his indifferent eyes.

“It is possible. If you give up one arm or leg.”
“What if I don’t want to give one up?”
“Then your attainment only needs to rise by one stage each.”

In other words, I had to reach the fourth stage.
A small sigh came out.
It was only one stage above my original goal of the third stage, but it was an extremely burdensome goal.
Putting aside the training difficulty of the two footwork techniques, there was not enough time right now.
However, I had something to rely on.

I looked at the Heavenly Demon and said.

“Master, I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“Please train me twice as hard as now.”

A strange light appeared in the Heavenly Demon’s eyes.

“I will train you ten times as hard.”

……Ten times is a bit much.