Chapter 606: I Have a Gathering, You See?

TL: FoodieMonster007

What had they been discussing below before coming up?

Seeing the Sword King's confidence, Geom Mugeuk made him a proposal.

"Let's make a bet. If those two are on the duel stage!"

"To become friends?"

He naturally assumed that was the case, but Geom Mugeuk shook his head.

"No, we can't decide such an important matter based on other people's affairs."

"Then what should we bet on?"

"Let's agree that the loser grants the winner one favor. Separate from whether we become friends or not."

What trick is he trying to pull now? The Sword King eyed Geom Mugeuk suspiciously, but how could he possibly know what was on his mind?

"But you must grant it, no matter what."

Normally, the Sword King should have said this.

How can I make such a promise without knowing what the favor is?

He should have asked for the details and set conditions. Things like, 'I can't grant a favor like this,' or 'Don't even think of asking for something like that.'

However, the Sword King asked nothing.

"Fine, let's do it."

This was what made the man known as the Sword King so captivating.

"Why don't you tell me what your favor is first?"

"Are you admitting you've already lost?"

"Of course not. I won't have to grant your favor anyway, so I'm just curious what it is. You won't tell me if you lose the bet, will you?"

The Sword King scoffed.

"Then shall I ask for my favor in advance?"

"Go ahead."

Geom Mugeuk had said it playfully, but the Sword King answered in all seriousness.

"If you confirm the Demon Supremes are dead, don't try to get revenge. Just leave for today."

The once-light atmosphere naturally grew heavy.

"Are you afraid you'll end up killing me?"

The Sword King did not answer and changed the subject.

"Let's go up now. Oh, there's something I need to grab before we go."

The Sword King walked to a bookshelf, selected a manual to give to Yeom Baekyin, and tucked it into his robes.

"You even keep your promises. You're so cool."

"Is that really so?"

The Sword King gave him a look that was meaningful for some unknown reason.

The two of them left the last room. They left the Secret Box for now. They could always retrieve it after things upstairs were settled.

The two retraced their steps, passing the gates they had breached and the mechanisms they had dismantled, until they reached the chair that led to the surface.

"I'll go up first."

But the Sword King stopped Geom Mugeuk and stepped forward.

"No. I'm going up first."

"Are you… worried about me?"

"I'm worried about my own people."

However, Geom Mugeuk could tell. The Sword King was worried about him. If the enemy was truly strong enough to kill two Demon Supremes as he was so sure, he would not be worried about the Sword King. He was worried that Geom Mugeuk would go on a rampage for revenge and attack him.

The Sword King silently activated the mechanism.

"Ah, I should have gone up first. Don't fight, just greet each other!"

And so, he sent the Sword King up first.

After Geom Mugeuk followed and reunited with the three, he turned to the Sword King and said something.

"Now, shall we continue our conversation?"

At Geom Mugeuk's words, the Fist Demon and the Flower Sword Supreme looked at each other. The two of them were thinking the same thing.

As expected! The Young Cult Leader is still the Young Cult Leader!

They had fully grasped what a formidable master the Sword King was from the clash of energies just a moment ago.

He came up with such a powerful foe and wants to continue a conversation? It seems they were fighting with their mouths, not their swords, down there.

Lee Ahn voiced their thoughts exactly.

"At least our Young Cult Leader hasn't had his soul stolen by someone."

At her quiet words, the Fist Demon and the Flower Sword Supreme showed faint smiles.

Finally, the Sword King opened his mouth.

He readily admitted that he had lost the bet.

"What's the favor?"

It had seemed like a bet made with a specific favor in mind. But Geom Mugeuk did not say it right away.

"It's a favor I'll ask of a friend."

Meaning he would tell him after they became friends.

At that, the Sword King spoke as if all the rapport they had built had crumbled, returning them to square one.

"Then you'll never be able to ask."

Geom Mugeuk understood. Yes, the feeling now was different from when they were alone.

His comrades were dead, and Demon Supremes stood in their place. He must feel like he has been snapped back to reality.

The remaining persuasion had to be done in this reality.

Persuading him in the presence of the Demon Supremes would be twice as difficult. Becoming friends with a much younger man while others were watching would not be an easy thing to do.

Geom Mugeuk sent a telepathy to the Sword King.

[It would be best to send those three away and speak with you alone, but they're worried about me and will never leave.]

It meant they had to finish their conversation in the presence of the Demon Supremes. It was right at that moment.

"I need to go wash up."

The Fist Demon was the first to turn away.

Geom Mugeuk urgently shouted at him.

"Master! You're leaving me alone?"

At the title 'Master', the Fist Demon now treated Geom Mugeuk as a disciple, not the Young Cult Leader.

"I haven't washed in days waiting for you, and I feel really grimy."

With those words, he strode away.

The Flower Sword Supreme followed him.

"Young Cult Leader, I'll go on ahead to the safehouse. Finish up here and then come."

"What if someone else shows up while I'm alone?"

Then Lee Ahn, who was following behind, picked up his words.

"That someone else will have a hard time."

As Lee Ahn passed by, she bowed her head to the Sword King.

"You must be going through a lot."

The Sword King silently nodded, his expression saying, 'So you understand how I feel.'

Geom Mugeuk shouted at Lee Ahn.

"You should be saying that to me."

Lee Ahn pretended not to hear and followed the Flower Sword Supreme.

The Fist Demon, the Flower Sword Supreme, and Lee Ahn knew very well what kind of person Geom Mugeuk was.

If he said he wanted to continue their talk, they now knew that giving him space was the best way to help him.

"Bring back some alcohol and tasty snacks when you come!"

With Lee Ahn's final words, the three of them moved away.

Watching them leave, the Sword King said to Geom Mugeuk.

"Whether they would leave or not. We should have bet on this."

He said that, but the Sword King could tell.

He could tell that they knew this Young Cult Leader better than anyone. And at the same time, that they genuinely and sincerely cared for him. How could he not know? He had seen the imposing aura of the Demon Supremes earlier, and their loyal demeanor when they reunited with Geom Mugeuk.

And so, only Geom Mugeuk, the Sword King, and Yeom Baekyin remained.

In truth, the person most pleased by the Sword King's appearance was Yeom Baekyin.

He had no idea how long he had waited for this moment. He had even forsaken his family ties for this.

Even after the Demon Supremes left, Yeom Baekyin stood there awkwardly, just watching the other two. With the Yellow Dragon Academy destroyed and the Demon Supremes as his enemies, he was not in his right mind. His only remaining hope was the manual.

Having learned that Geom Mugeuk was the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, he did not dare to even meet his eyes.

Just then, the Sword King pulled the manual from his robes and threw it to him.

"Here's what I promised!"

Here, take it! Yeom Baekyin threw himself forward to catch the manual as it flew through the air.

A wide grin split Yeom Baekyin's face.

I endured everything for this moment. Once I master this ultimate martial arts, I'll definitely pay back this humiliation. You're all dead now!

The moment Yeom Baekyin saw the title of the manual, he flinched in surprise. His face hardened as he hurriedly checked the contents.

"Isn't this a spear arts manual?"

"That's right. If you achieve complete mastery of that spear arts, no one will dare treat our Principal Yeon disrespectfully."

It was no easy task for someone who had practiced swordsmanship to learn spear arts from scratch. Moreover, how could a man of his age ever learn it anew and achieve complete mastery?

"You! Did you deceive me?"

The Sword King paid no mind to the man who was fearlessly shouting at him.

"I'm a man who doesn't keep his promises. Do you want to be friends with such an untrustworthy person?"

The Sword King asked probingly, and Geom Mugeuk gave an inscrutable reply.

"This one here is quite a handful himself."

"……"

PWAAAK!

Struck by the sword qi that flew in an instant, Yeom Baekyin collapsed, spewing blood from his heart.

"What do you think? Of a heartless friend like this?"

In truth, he had not killed him out of heartlessness.

Yeom Baekyin had committed several crimes worthy of death. He was responsible for the death of Seo Jin's hometown Orabeoni, Lim Hyeon, and he had tried to kill his own younger brother, Yeom Baekjin.

Furthermore, fearing that the officials from the martial arts academy who came out of the underground would spread rumors about the secret vault, he had hired an assassination group to silence them by murder.

The moment he made that decision, fate had sentenced him to death. It was only a matter of when.

Now, only two people remained.

Only the Sword King and Geom Mugeuk stood on the duel stage.

WHOOOOSH.

The blowing wind swept between the two of them.

Geom Mugeuk thought that perhaps facing him like this on the duel stage was his destiny.

What if this is destiny?

However, he would not accept what destiny offered as it was. He would test it, pull it, and push it. He would shout that this was not right. Only after doing all that would he speak.

If this is destiny, then I must accept it.

"So, I end up standing alone with you on this duel stage after all."

The Sword King nodded. Just as he was thinking that the outcome of this fight would decide whether they became friends…

"Let's use this duel stage in our own way."

Geom Mugeuk desperately pushed aside the great wheel of fate that had rolled toward him.

He knew better than anyone that even a slight change in direction here would lead to a completely different destination far down the road.

"Use it in our own way?"

"Yes, in our own way."

Geom Mugeuk had not the slightest intention of engaging in a life-or-death battle with him.

"We met as an instructor and an official, didn't we?"

To the Sword King, who still did not understand his intention, Geom Mugeuk delivered a surprising proposal.

"Please teach me swordsmanship."

The Sword King was stunned. The earlier session was one thing, it was a class, but he never expected him to ask to be taught swordsmanship in this situation.

"You're crazy to the very end."

"Why else do you think the Demon Supremes abandoned their Young Cult Leader and fled? Even my own heart did."

The Sword King stared at Geom Mugeuk in silence for a moment.

"Fine, I'll teach you a move."

The Sword King slowly walked toward Geom Mugeuk.

He closed the distance until they were just within reach of a sword strike, then slowly drew his sword.

Then, at a speed neither fast nor slow, he thrust his sword forward.

SHIICK.

There was no artifice, no skill, nor any flashy technique involved. It was a move one would find in a beginner's swordsmanship manual.

The Sword King had simply drawn his sword and thrust it forward.

Watching the sword fly toward his heart, Geom Mugeuk shouted inwardly.

A perfect thrust!

It was a single move that contained the essence of the Sword King's swordsmanship, and that one move seemed to say…

All techniques of the sword originate from this single motion.

PAAT.

The Sword King's sword stopped right in front of Geom Mugeuk's heart.

A moment of silence passed. He did not ask why he had not killed him when he could have. They were past that stage now.

Geom Mugeuk bowed his head respectfully to the Sword King and said something.

"I have learned well."

These were not empty words. The move the Sword King had just shown him was one that would have a profound influence on Geom Mugeuk as he continued to learn swordsmanship.

"……"

The Sword King sheathed his iron sword and spoke.

"Becoming friends with you… is a losing deal for me."

Finally, the word 'friend' had come from his lips first.

"What's there to gain or lose between friends?"

"That's not what I mean…"

He did not mean that Geom Mugeuk was lacking or insufficient.

"One is a Master, another is a Demon Supreme. But I'm just a friend? I'm getting the short end of the stick."

He was comparing himself to the Fist Demon and the Flower Sword Supreme.

A surge of emotion rose in Geom Mugeuk's heart. He was saying it. Just a little, just a little harder, please pull me in.

"The Demon Supremes are the ones at a greater loss."

"……"

"Because they can never become friends with the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult in their entire lives. They'll probably be very envious of you."

Geom Mugeuk took a step forward, gazed at him, and spoke.

"If fate is pushing us this far, shouldn't we accept it?"

"It wasn't fate… you pushed."

Then, in a small, indifferent voice, he said something.

"…Let's do it."

"Huh? What did you say?"

It was a little louder than before, but still as quiet as an ant's whisper.

"Let's do it, friend."

Even after hearing the words he had so longed to hear, Geom Mugeuk asked again, louder.

"I can't hear you. What did you say?"

Finally, the Sword King shouted loudly.

"I said let's be friends, you brat!"

Geom Mugeuk beamed.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

He knew well what a difficult decision he had made. That is why Geom Mugeuk jumped for joy. He was so happy, it made one wonder what he would have done if the answer had been no.

"But even when you become the Cult Leader, we're still friends."

"When you think of it that way, it's not a loss at all, is it?"

The Sword King nodded.

"Being friends with the future Demonic Cult Leader… I suppose it's not a bad deal."

"You'll have to live a long time, though. Father is quite vigorous."

"I'll use Rejuvenation if I have to. I'm definitely going to be friends with the Demonic Cult Leader."

With a pleasant smile, the Sword King bid him farewell.

"I'll be heading back now. I have to pay my debts first."

"You're not going to tell me where that is, are you?"

"Right."

"And you're not going to take me with you."

As expected, the Sword King nodded and started to walk away.

"I'll retrieve the Secret Box myself."

He did not say he would come back. Nor did he say they should meet again.

Looking at the shoes dangling from his waist, Geom Mugeuk brought up something the Sword King had forgotten.

"Now that we're friends, I'll use the favor I've been saving."

The Sword King stopped in his tracks and answered as if he knew what the favor was.

"I will absolutely not die. Don't worry."

WHOOOOSH.

A solemn wind blew between the two of them, but…

"That's not the favor."

The Sword King turned back with an awkward expression.

"Why not? Isn't this the perfect situation to ask for that?"

"How could my friend, who is so strong, possibly die? Just try not to kill people because you get annoyed."

At those words, the Sword King finally laughed. It was a statement that showed just how much Geom Mugeuk trusted him.

"Then what is the favor?"

The favor he had promised he could never refuse was…

"I have a friends' gathering, you see? When it's held later, you absolutely must attend! It's mandatory. It's a gathering where we drink, sing, and dance."

Before he knew it, the Sword King had the shoes in his hand, ready to throw them.

"Just you dare invite me!"

As he walked some distance away, the Sword King looked back at Geom Mugeuk. Had he ever turned back to look at someone like this while walking away?

His new, young friend was standing there silently, watching him walk away.

Was it because he was standing alone on the duel stage? Those clear, deep eyes looked lonely.

The Sword King said in a loud voice.

"My name is Ak Gunhak."

Those eyes that had looked so lonely brightened with a smile.

It was a name Geom Mugeuk already knew.

The First King of the Twelve Zodiac Kings, Ak Gunhak.

This was the Ak Gunhak he knew.

However, in this new life, Ak Gunhak would live on with a different meaning.

As Geom Mugeuk's friend, Ak Gunhak.

"That's a truly wonderful name."