Chapter 180: Without Extraordinary Resolve

TL: FoodieMonster007

The sound of the wind was indescribable.

If I had to describe it, it was like wind blowing through a mysterious valley at the end of the world. It was a refreshing, brisk sound that seemed like it should not exist in this world.

The moment I heard the sound from the fully mastered Swift Step, I knew it instinctively. I will become addicted to this sound. It was as captivating as its insane speed.

At first, I was faster.

The fully mastered Swift Step was truly, indescribably fast. It was naturally much faster than the Composition stage. When I first suggested a race, I was prepared to crash into trees and tumble on the ground for Father's amusement.

I was prepared for Father to watch and laugh. I was even prepared to cause a big commotion.

However, I ran better than I expected. My vision and body kept up with the incredible speed. I had likely grown completely accustomed to the Composition stage of the Swift Step while traveling between our Cult and the Murim Alliance.

So, despite just reaching complete mastery, I could match Father's speed.

However, it required extreme concentration and immense mental energy. While running, I grew so dizzy and exhausted that I had to slow down. As my speed decreased, Father surged up beside me.

"Quite impressive!"

"Whose son do you think I am!"

Father looked surprised and admiring, but his face showed no hint of concession. Whether it was his son or anyone else, once Father was fired up, he would never accept defeat.

"Son, I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

His serious tone made me tense up.

It happened at that very moment.

KKWANG!

Distracted by Father, I crashed into a tree and sprawled on the ground.

"I was about to tell you to be careful!"

I could feel Father's triumphant laughter fading into the distance.

I shot back up and ran after him. Fortunately, my protective qi shielded my body, so I got up without any injuries.

"That's a foul, a foul! Father!"

I insisted it was a foul, even though I had crashed from my own carelessness. Of course, Father did not even look back and just ran faster.

I started running after Father again.

As I ran, I realized something. This contest would not be decided by which martial art was superior. The Swift Step of the Four Strides of the Wind God and the Heavenly Demon Flight Step were movement arts of a nearly identical level.

The problem was vision. My eyes could not keep up with the maximum speed the movement arts could achieve.

Eventually, once I got used to it, I would win unconditionally. Thanks to the Divine Eye Technique, my vision surpasses its limits.

I ran, watching Father's back in the distance. Just like when I saw Father's back during our first hunt, now I saw his back while running. He looked lonely then, and he looks lonely now, but one thing has changed. The me who is watching him has changed.

This was better than any other moment I had ever run in my life. I did not know how Father felt, but I could feel my own feelings for him growing larger.

The moment I thought of Father, I fell once more. Even the slightest loss of concentration led to a crash and a fall.

I got up again and gave chase, but in the end, I could not catch up to Father.

When we arrived at our Cult, Father had already gone ahead to the Heavenly Demon Hall.

If it were me, I would have waited to tease him for a while, but Father knows how to hold back his teasing. He'll probably tease me the next time we meet.

I bowed my head toward the Heavenly Demon Hall and offered my thanks once more.

Achieving complete mastery of the Four Strides of the Wind God was entirely thanks to Father. The Swift Step was not the only thing that had improved. The Shadow Step had become stealthier, the Vanishing Step could now escape even greater dangers, and the Hell Step had truly become the steps of King Yama.

That evening, the drinking trio gathered at the Alluring Inn.

"It's been a while, so the drinks are on me today."

The owner, Jo Cheonbae, announced he was treating them to celebrate Seo Daeryong's safe return. Seo Daeryong accepted the sentiment but refused the offer.

"I won the duel tournament and brought back some prize money. I'm buying a hefty round today, so please bring out all your delicious dishes."

"You won! Congratulations, Investigator."

"Thank you."

"Second Young Lord, you're doing well too, right?"

"Of course."

After Jo Cheonbae went downstairs, Seo Daeryong finally began to boast.

"Ah, where should I begin this lonely investigator's magnificent tale of adventure? Hah! When I first saw the Murim Alliance building, I felt it was destiny…"

Watching Seo Daeryong begin his epic saga, Lee Ahn and Jang Ho looked at each other and smiled.

Seo Daeryong told his story so entertainingly that it was not boring at all.

"That's really amazing. Even though it was a duel, it was real combat, wasn't it? You don't have much real combat experience, yet you managed to win."

Jang Ho had plenty of real combat experience, but Lee Ahn only trained. That was why Seo Daeryong's achievement was so surprising and enviable to her.

"Of course, there was a fateful and tragic encounter along the way."

Seo Daeryong spoke about the woman who had cheered for him and about their sad ending.

"…She was a woman sent by the Heavenly Enlightenment Society."

Lee Ahn jumped up and cursed a storm. Jang Ho comforted Seo Daeryong, saying it was all part of the experience. The two of them got so worked up that Seo Daeryong felt his pent-up wounds healing.

"This is why I looked forward to this drinking session the most."

"We were looking forward to it even more."

"Well then, let's have a toast to that."

Seo Daeryong was incredibly grateful to the two of them. The world's most beautiful woman and the head of the Demonic Army, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's elite organization, were waiting for him and listening to his story. Who am I to deserve this?

"I have something to tell you both. I've also decided to walk the path of a true martial artist."

His direct influences were Geom Mugeuk and the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, but Lee Ahn and Jang Ho were also significant. He had always wanted to be someone they would not be ashamed of.

Lee Ahn and Jang Ho congratulated him sincerely. An investigator of the Sanzu River Hall was a martial artist in a sense, but they knew the martial artist Seo Daeryong now spoke of was something different.

"This is something to be congratulated for, right? To be honest, I'm scared I'll die early. Aren't you two scared?"

Lee Ahn smiled and said, "I believe that life and death are already decided. When and how I'll die is all set in stone. Thinking like that puts my mind at ease."

"So Martial Artist Lee is a fatalist."

"I suppose so."

Jang Ho, however, had a different view.

"I live in constant fear of death."

"Really? I would've thought you, General Jang, would be the one who doesn't fear death."

"No. I wake up multiple times while sleeping. I often have dreams of dying, too."

It was something neither Lee Ahn nor Seo Daeryong had known.

The conversation about life and death continued. Then, a drunken whim struck Seo Daeryong.

"I almost died this time, too."

Seo Daeryong shot up and opened his shirt.

"I have four scars left on my body from those bastards from the orthodox sects. This scar on my shoulder, I got it in the quarterfinals. See the two holes here? This was from the finals, and this scar here is…"

I stood by the first-floor counter, listening to them talk.

When Seo Daeryong threw open his clothes at the end, Jo Cheonbae and I laughed together.

This is truly a drinking group the Drunken Demon would rush to join.

Jo Cheonbae spoke with a good-natured face.

"They're truly good people. When one is missing, the other two come and miss that person."

There were times when Lee Ahn was absent, and times when Seo Daeryong was absent.

"I'll be heading back now."

"Weren't you here to join them?"

"They're having so much fun. I think I should let the three of them be together today."

"Then please wait just a moment."

Jo Cheonbae went to the kitchen and brought back a bottle of wine.

"This is a bottle I've been saving. Please take it, have a drink, and get some rest. It's a gift to celebrate your safe return. Welcome back."

Jo Cheonbae was genuinely happy about my return, as if I were family.

"I met a distinguished person from the murim this time. If we have a chance to drink later, I'll introduce you."

"I would be delighted."

He would never dream the person was the Murim Alliance Chairman, but who knows? Maybe one day the Murim Alliance Chairman will be drinking at the Alluring Inn.

"Thank you for the wine."

With that farewell, I left the inn.

I returned home under the moonlight. There were others I wanted to see, Go Wol and the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader. I wanted to run to them with the Swift Step right this instant, but they were too far from our Cult right now.

I had been away from the cult for a long time, so there was much to do. It seemed I would have to postpone seeing them for a while. I was not worried about them. They were together.

On my way to my quarters, I turned toward the Great Drunken Forest. The Drunken Demon was the first person I thought of who would be awake and willing to drink.

As expected, the Drunken Demon was drinking alone in the Drunken Dream Palace.

Yeo Bin, the drunkard, ferried me toward the island in the middle of the lake.

"Does the Drunken Demon still drink a lot these days?"

"He's drinking much less than before. Today, too, he's only having one bottle."

"That's a relief."

"It's thanks to you, Second Young Lord."

"How could it be because of me? It's thanks to Martial Artist Yeo taking care of and worrying about him."

I knew Yeo Bin liked the Drunken Demon, so I spoke favorably of her. A woman like her would be good for him. For her words to have real weight, though, she would need to be his wife, not his subordinate.

I would connect them if I could, but I won't meddle recklessly. If I interfere wrongly, I could ruin a relationship that might have worked out.

From the railing of the Drunken Dream Palace, the Drunken Demon spotted us and waved.

I called out to him in a loud voice.

"Hyung."

Since it was just the two of us, I called him 'Hyung' comfortably. The Drunken Demon's expression showed just how much a single title could please someone.

"My little brother is here?"

"I came because I thought my useless fourth-ranked hyung would be drinking alone."

"Where do you think fourth place is among the Eight Demon Supremes? Even the middle isn't easy to reach."

The boat arrived at the island, and I went up to the Drunken Dream Palace.

"What brings you here all of a sudden?"

"I wanted to have a drink."

"You came at the right time."

The Drunken Demon and I drank together. We said nothing, just drinking quietly.

The Drunken Demon knows alcohol, so he knows drinkers. He knew I wanted to drink quietly, with only the moon on the lake as our companion.

"I went hunting with Father."

"It seems you were gone for quite a long time. That's amazing. How could you spend so much time alone with the Cult Leader? I'd go crazy."

"It could be unexpectedly, insanely fun."

The Drunken Demon shook his head, as if to say that was impossible.

He needs to see our father cooking. It's a shame I can't tell him.

"I was talking with Father, and it seems he thinks highly of the Poison King or the Fist Demon?"

"If the Cult Leader thinks highly of someone, it would be the Fist Demon."

The Drunken Demon stated it as if it were a fact.

"Not the Poison King?"

"The Cult Leader has never liked the use of poison. He's never said it outright, but it's something everyone knows. The Poison King knows it too but pretends not to."

"Then why does he think highly of the Fist Demon?"

I had said I would investigate the Demon Supremes, but after regressing and meeting them, I realized something new. To truly know a person, you must meet them, talk with them, and experience things together. Even then, people are hard to understand. What I had known were their deeds, not them. The Fist Demon was no exception.

"I had a drink with the Fist Demon, just the two of us, exactly once."

"How was it?"

The Drunken Demon looked down at his cup for a moment, recalling that time, then took a sip.

"It made me think, without extraordinary resolve, it would not be easy to defeat this man."

It was the first time I had heard the Drunken Demon speak highly of another Demon Supreme.

"But why the Fist Demon?"

"I was thinking of making someone fifth-ranked, right behind you, Hyung."

I meant to pull the Fist Demon to our side, and the Drunken Demon asked worriedly, "First Young Lord won't stand still if you mess with the Fist Demon in the current situation."

"That's why. I don't want him to stand still."

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't it about time I had a showdown with my older brother?"

The full-scale succession battle was about to begin. The Drunken Demon's eyes intensified.

"Are you confident?"

"I'm going forward, trusting in you, Hyung."

I said I was trusting him, and the Drunken Demon laughed, shaking the empty bottle.

"Hearing that makes me want to drink another bottle."

I poured the last of my drink into his cup.

"Endure it. From now on, you'll need to spend more time awake."

The next afternoon, I went to the Eastern Fist Garrison, home of the Undefeated Fist Demon.

"I've come to see the Fist Demon."

The Iron Fists at the entrance stared, surprised. It was public rumor that their leader, the Fist Demon, had sided with the First Young Lord.

"Please follow me."

One of the Iron Fists guided me.

The gazes of the Iron Fists in the garrison focused on me. I saw white, blue, red, and black martial arts uniforms, their colors differing by rank. Their gender, age, and builds also varied, but they all had one thing in common.

They were all bare-bodied, without a single piece of metal on them.

I walked slowly through the ranks of the Iron Fists who had bet their lives on nothing but their bare fists.