Chapter 204: You're the Ones Who Should Endure

TL: FoodieMonster007

When Geom Mugeuk released Ilseon's acupoint, Ilseon suddenly remembered money he claimed he didn't have.

"I forgot. I've got some money saved separately at the Continental Bank."

"How much?"

"About four hundred thousand taels."

"You saved up quite a bit, didn't you?"

Ilseon also revealed the password for the Continental Bank, which Go Wol noted.

They had now secured one million two hundred thousand taels, combining the eight hundred thousand from the Miracle Deity Loan with Ilseon's four hundred thousand. Iseon blinked, his face contorted with anger.

The turn passed back to Iseon.

"You gave us a measly fifty thousand taels this whole time, and you kept four hundred thousand for yourself?"

Ilseon looked defiant, not sorry, but the sealed acupoint kept him silent.

"Ilseon has more assets. I know he bought gold and hid it."

Ilseon could not hide his shock. He had clearly intended to feign ignorance about the gold until the very end.

As Iseon scored points by revealing the gold, Ilseon blinked nervously. The two brothers began a frantic war of blinking.

It was Ilseon's turn again.

"I was about to mention the gold, too! Please give me credit for it!"

"I can't do that. If it feels unfair, you should've kept track. Your second brother might try to take credit for your assets again."

Ilseon completely gave up on his wealth. He figured he could always make more money as long as he survived.

"I have some land that I bought."

"How much?"

"It's quite a bit."

Geom Mugeuk had started this to gain information, not assets, but the two men misunderstood. He found their mistake a welcome development.

The more assets Ilseon revealed, the more betrayed Iseon felt.

"Brothers? You son of a bitch! You were hoarding it all for yourself."

Iseon didn't mind hoarding money himself. He was just furious that Ilseon had done it secretly.

On his next turn, Ilseon retorted.

"Don't you know you only earned that fifty thousand taels because of me? If it weren't for me, you'd be stabbed to death in some gambling den by now. Kaak, ptui!"

Their loyalty had forged their relationship, but once that bond crumbled, it shattered instantly.

The two men proceeded to reveal all the assets of the deceased Samseon and Saseon. Their only thought was to impress Geom Mugeuk and survive. Iseon also harbored a vengeful desire to see Ilseon dead.

Once they had no more assets to reveal, Geom Mugeuk pressed both of their acupoints.

The two men, who had been hurling insults at each other, finally fell asleep.

Geom Mugeuk turned to Go Wol.

"Tomorrow morning, take these two to the banks and recover all the assets."

"Yes, I understand."

Geom Mugeuk intended to keep them alive until then, just in case Ilseon had provided the wrong bank password.

Geom Mugeuk then made a request to the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

"Please help Strategist Go tomorrow."

"I will."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader nodded obediently.

"I thought you'd give me an earful for squeezing money out of villains like this."

"Do you have any idea how much Go Wol and I suffer because of that squeezed money?"

"I apologize."

"I didn't say it to take credit. I meant that the villain's money is being put to good, valuable use."

With the funds from the Miracle Deity Loan, the task of organizing the intelligence network could finally be completed.

"I heard all about what kind of men they are from Go Wol. Why are you letting those bastards sleep? Hang them upside down!"

"Understood. When they wake up, I'll start by pulling out their fingernails."

Of course, that was a joke. No matter the evil, Geom Mugeuk's established rule was to end it by granting death. He did this for his own sake, not for theirs.

After speaking with the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, Geom Mugeuk approached the Fist Demon. The Fist Demon stared up at the moon, seemingly unconcerned with the events unfolding nearby.

Geom Mugeuk stood beside him and also looked up at the moon.

"Do you know what I realized while traveling this time? That I've lived a life too buried in martial arts. I've spent my whole life training and my whole life fighting."

Geom Mugeuk had once said something similar to Lee Ahn, warning him not to live a life of only training. The Fist Demon was now feeling that same regret.

"I realized it just a moment ago. This is the first time I've looked up at the moon for so long. Does that make any sense? To have lived my whole life without ever looking at the moon for even a short while."

Geom Mugeuk's gaze also turned to the moon.

"From now on, you should try to enjoy life a little."

"I plan to."

If the Fist Demon could keep that promise and truly step back from martial arts, perhaps he could shatter the cliff before him. For one's martial arts to change, one's life must change first.

The next day, Go Wol and the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader took Ilseon and Iseon to the banks. The password was correct. They recovered the money, the entrusted gold, and liquidated all other assets.

Ilseon had amassed this great fortune in just a few years, which meant there had been many victims.

Ilseon and Iseon tried everything to get on Go Wol's good side, but Go Wol ignored them completely. The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, however, did speak to them.

He only said things they didn't want to hear, like how they would go to the most painful hell or that he had bet on which of them would survive. They pretended not to hear him.

Once most of the assets were settled, Geom Mugeuk had the two men sit before him again.

"Now, I suppose we should talk about the financier?"

Ilseon believed this answer would decide if he lived or died.

I can't tell him everything! But I can't show any sign of hiding anything either!

That was the key. The problem was, he knew very little about the financier.

How can I package this to survive?

Ilseon glanced at Iseon. He thought that since that bastard knew nothing, he had a chance to score definite points here.

I can live. I offered up far more assets, and if I provide information on the financier, I will live!

Ilseon took a deep breath and began to speak.

"I've only seen the financier once."

"When?"

"It was when I first joined hands with him."

"Do you know who he is?"

"I don't. There was a screen between us, so I couldn't see his face, but I'm sure of one thing. Judging by his voice, he was a man who sounded quite old."

"I guess I'll have to start searching for every man who sounds quite old. I wonder how many of those there are in the world?"

Flustered by Geom Mugeuk's mockery, Ilseon quickly added more.

"The men the Fist Demon killed yesterday are the Eight Handed Phantom Sword. They wouldn't move for money alone, so the financier isn't just a rich man. He must be the master of a large sect or someone with great power."

Just then, Iseon blinked.

Ilseon spoke quickly.

"There's no need to release his acupoint. That bastard knows nothing about the financier."

"He says you don't. What should I do? Do you have better information?"

At Geom Mugeuk's words, Iseon blinked even more rapidly.

Geom Mugeuk sealed Ilseon's acupoint and released Iseon's.

Unexpected words flowed from Iseon's mouth.

"I've spoken with him directly. Without a screen."

Ilseon, his acupoint sealed, let out a groan and blinked frantically, trying to signal that Iseon was lying.

"Tell me in detail."

"It was the very day Ilseon met him. I was waiting in the driver's seat of the carriage in the manor's courtyard. The financier came out first, and as he got on the carriage, I saw him give a slight bow to the coachman. It was clearly a gesture of courtesy."

Ilseon struggled so hard that his sealed acupoint was released.

"That's a lie! Why would the financier bow to a coachman?"

"It's the truth. I saw it clearly."

With both men able to speak, the room grew noisy.

"He's making it up. If that happened, he would've told me then. Why didn't you say anything?"

"And say what? That you were fooled by a subordinate like an idiot? That the real financier seemed to be the coachman? What do you think you would've done? You would've beaten me up while telling me to stop spouting bullshit. Am I wrong?"

Ilseon couldn't refute it. That was exactly what he would have done.

"You bastard! What kind of trick are you trying to pull? You want to live that desperately?"

"Desperately? Where did that come from? Is that something you cooked up in that filthy mind of yours?"

I gestured for Ilseon to be quiet, then said to Iseon.

"Keep talking."

"I even spoke with the coachman while I was waiting. He was an ordinary man. He had a round, good-natured face, and oh! He had a tattoo on his chest. I happened to see it when he bent over."

"What kind of tattoo?"

"It was a golden pig tattoo. It was so strange to see a pig tattooed on a person's body that I still remember that tattoo vividly!"

Thinking he was providing important information, Ilseon stepped forward.

"This guy's specialty is lying. Don't believe him. The things he'll do to survive…"

"……"

Ilseon, who stood before Iseon, vanished. His face shattered by my strike, he tumbled into the distance, a corpse.

The startled Iseon stared at me. His shock soon turned to joy.

"I survived!"

He was ecstatic enough to fly.

"That one was clearly the worse of the two. It's only right that you die second."

Iseon flinched. Dying second? Surely he means later, when I'm old and gray, right? But it wasn't. The gaze Geom Mugeuk fixed on him was nothing but cold.

"Please spare me!"

"From the beginning, the four of you committed acts for which you could not survive. Just be content that I'm sending you off cleanly."

"Keep your promise! You son of a bitch! Who the hell are you? Who are you to…"

"……"

Iseon flew to where Ilseon lay and met his end.

Geom Mugeuk showed no hesitation in eliminating them. He neither hoped for their reform nor granted them the grand meaning of dying at the hands of the Demonic Cult's Second Young Lord by revealing his identity.

When he turned around, the Fist Demon was walking toward him.

"Weren't you planning to dig up the ones behind this?"

"I was."

"But is it alright to kill them all?"

"I've found out who's behind it."

A round build and a golden pig tattoo on his chest. It was someone I knew well before my regression. He sometimes became a coachman, a construction worker, or a waiter. He enjoyed hiding his identity and was an extremely greedy individual.

"To kill him, I need Father's permission."

The Fist Demon was startled by Geom Mugeuk's words.

"Who in the world is it?"

A single name flowed from Geom Mugeuk's lips.

"It's Jisaeng."

The Fist Demon immediately thought of one person.

"Don't tell me? The Golden Pig of the Evil Alliance?"

"Yes. That's him."

"He's behind this incident?"

The Fist Demon's expression hardened. It wasn't because his opponent was Jisaeng or belonged to the Evil Alliance. It was because Jisaeng was the loyal servant of one man.

Jisaeng was the head of the Extreme Army, the Evil Alliance's most elite organization, which took orders only from the Evil Alliance Chairman. He was also the man most favored by the alliance's second-in-command, Yayul Han.

Jisaeng was one of the four most cherished subordinates of Yayul Han. Those subordinates had pledged their loyalty by getting tattoos on their chests, and Jisaeng was said to have tattooed the Golden Pig, vowing to earn a never-ending supply of money for life.

"That money ultimately goes to Yayul Han."

Geom Mugeuk felt as if fate itself was leading him, and not just because of this incident.

Yayul Han.

He was the enemy of one person, someone with whom Geom Mugeuk also had a deep connection. That person was Demonic Physician.

The person Demonic Physician had asked him to kill someday, when he performed the Divine Eye Technique, was Yayul Han. Although Demonic Physician hadn't mentioned the name directly, Geom Mugeuk already knew.

Yayul Han had massacred Demonic Physician's family right before his eyes. From that day on, Demonic Physician had lived for the sole purpose of killing Yayul Han. When he had heard Demonic Physician's request, he had vowed to move when his skills were sufficient. He felt that the time had now come.

The Fist Demon noticed that I was not going to give up.

"You can't touch Yayul Han!"

"Why not?"

"If you mess with him, a war could break out."

"A war won't break out. There will be a commotion and all hell will break loose, though."

"You're serious."

In the past, Demonic Physician had asked Father to kill him, but Father had refused.

Yayul Han held the absolute trust of the Evil Alliance Chairman. He was a figure whose significance went beyond that of a mere villain from the unorthodox sects.

"I considered the mastermind of this incident to be the most vicious. Hiding in the shadows, he used underlings like Ilseon to suck the lifeblood of young people until they died. In a few days, it will probably be reported to Jisaeng that all his pawns are dead. Then Jisaeng will just create other pawns and repeat the same thing. Even if Jisaeng dies, another Jisaeng will take his place."

These were precisely the kinds of people, the absolute evil that Geom Mugeuk envisioned.

It was an evil that the orthodox sects couldn't touch and that ordinary people couldn't even approach.

His father had once asked him what he thought the Demonic Path was. At that time, he had answered like this.

[I believe it is our Cult's unique conviction to strike down absolute evil.]

To capture the great evils that even the orthodox sects were helpless against, that was the Demonic Path as he saw it. The name of the Demonic Cult should make those evils tremble in fear. That was the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult he wanted to create.

"An ordinary person would have to back down and say there's nothing they can do. They'd have to endure it, but we're not ordinary people, are we? We don't have to endure, do we? The reason I trained and worked myself to death was so I wouldn't have to endure in times like these. Why should we endure? They should be the ones to endure. They should stop tormenting people and stop their damn bullshit."

The Fist Demon stared at Geom Mugeuk without a word. Geom Mugeuk stared back silently.

In terms of personality, the Fist Demon was the person most likely to be swayed by this argument. In terms of his relationship with his father, he was the least likely.

Finally, breaking the long silence, the Fist Demon announced the end of their journey.

"Let's return to the Cult. This slacker's journey is over."

The journey that had begun so suddenly came to an equally sudden end, but it was too soon for disappointment. As the Fist Demon turned his broad back, he added something unexpected.

"To get the Cult Leader's permission, all the Demon Supremes will have to step up."