Chapter 1
It was the day a new batch of students was to enter the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Martial Arts Academy.
Head Instructor Cheon Ha-seong, who was attending a meeting presided over by the Principal, had been finding it hard to concentrate for a while now.
“This time, Young Master Cheok Gyo-woon, a direct descendant of the Cheok Demonic Clan and the adopted son of the Fourth Marquis, will be entering, so everyone must pay special attention.
The Cult Leader has only one direct heir, the Young Supreme One, and there has never been a female Young Cult Leader in our cult's history, has there? Considering that, the possibility of the next Young Cult Leader coming from among the Marquis' adopted sons is high, so we must look after him with special care. We can't let someone who could become the future Young Cult Leader get hurt in the Martial Arts Academy, can we?”
Usually, the meeting would have ended after the Principal's address, but not this time. Cheon Ha-seong's patience had finally reached its limit.
“The Fourth Marquis isn't the only one with adopted sons; all Demonic Marquises have them. Must we give them special treatment every time one of their adopted sons enters? Isn't it right to treat everyone equally within the Martial Arts Academy, regardless of their status? I believe that is how strong martial artists can become the leaders of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, which in turn will make the Divine Cult stronger.”
The reactions of the others were all similar. Their faces seemed to ask what had taken Cheon Ha-seong so long to lose his temper.
From Cheon Ha-seong's perspective, it seemed most of them had already sided with the Fourth Marquis. It was something that happened every time new candidates arrived, so it wasn't surprising.
It was safe to assume that most of the people who came to be Head Instructors at the Martial Arts Academy, a dead-end position within the Divine Cult, came hoping for the bribes offered by the prestigious Demonic Clans when their famous members entered the academy.
Despite being sought after by all sorts of places, it was safe to say that Cheon Ha-seong was the only one who had come out of a sense of duty.
There were twelve gates in the Martial Arts Academy, and to become a leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, a martial artist had to pass all the gates within six months before turning twenty-two.
The opportunity to enter the Martial Arts Academy came only once in a lifetime, and failing to pass all the gates after entering was considered a lifelong shame not only for the candidate but also for their family. For that reason, the number of people who contacted the Martial Arts Academy's Head Instructors in advance naturally increased.
“Head Instructor Cheon, the Martial Arts Academy ultimately exists for the well-being of the Divine Cult.”
“Survival of the fittest is an important value of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. The strong should be the ones to survive, not those from good families. Besides, those people shamelessly kill the strong just so they can survive. I cannot let that happen.”
The Principal sighed with a look on his face that said, 'What am I supposed to do with this guy?' The others also looked frustrated.
If they all took the bribes together, their consciences wouldn't bother them, but since Cheon Ha-seong alone stood righteous, they couldn't help but be bothered.
“Everyone, just do as you're told! If you think you're so great, become the Principal yourself!”
Having nothing else to say, he was trying to crush him with his authority as Principal, but that wouldn't work on Cheon Ha-seong.
As everyone was heading to their respective sections, a person approached.
Seo Hyo-eun, who had never taken off her mask since becoming a Head Instructor, was an oddball in the Martial Arts Academy. The first day he met her, he had asked why she wore a mask, and she had said it was a consideration for others, as they might be blinded by her deadly beauty.
“Cheon Ha-seong, take it easy. Loosen up. You really live such a difficult life.”
Seo Hyo-eun approached quietly, said what she had to say, and left.
Coming to his senses, he realized those were the words he had once said to Seo Hyo-eun. She was now giving them back to him.
After that, the events that happened countless times at the Martial Arts Academy repeated themselves.
This batch also had close to a hundred students, so managing the candidates was not easy.
‘Am I the only one making a fuss?’
Cheon Ha-seong had that thought and decided that he should probably just stay quiet and let things pass.
As he was thinking that, the candidates entered.
First, the Principal introduced the Head Instructors, and all the Head Instructors went forward to exchange greetings with them.
Cheon Ha-seong felt the gazes of many candidates lingering on him.
Because he was the one who had passed the twelve gates in the shortest time since the Martial Arts Academy's inception—a mere six days—Cheon Ha-seong was known as a legend in the Divine Cult. He was thirteen years old when he had accomplished that feat, and it was already nine years ago.
The Principal only stated Cheon Ha-seong’s name and said nothing of who he was, but it seemed the candidates already knew.
When it was his turn to give a brief greeting, Cheon Ha-seong spoke very simply.
“You do your work. I will do mine.”
Most candidates glanced around cautiously after hearing his words, but not all of them did. Cheok Gyo-woon, whom the Principal had mentioned, had five people trailing behind him like subordinates. And he carried himself as if he were reigning over those pathetic individuals.
Cheon Ha-seong found the sight so ridiculous that he glanced at it once and turned his head away. As long as they didn't cross the line, he had no desire to cause conflict either.
A few times, he sent a meaningful look toward Cheok Gyo-woon. It was a warning not to try anything funny, that he was watching. However, it seemed the look had no effect; an incident occurred before half a shichen* had passed.
[N: 1 shichen = 2 hours]
The sound of people fighting loudly came from a section that wasn't Cheon Ha-seong's. It was customary not to interfere if it wasn't one's own section, but Cheon Ha-seong couldn't just stand by.
It was obvious that Cheok Gyo-woon, knowing he couldn't intervene, was trying to eliminate a talented competitor beforehand. There was no way he would fall for that.
When Cheon Ha-seong arrived, three of Cheok Gyo-woon's subordinates were indiscriminately beating one person. No matter how strong the opponent was, there was no way they could have withstood five people ganging up on them with intent.
Even after seeing Cheon Ha-seong appear, Cheok Gyo-woon was not intimidated and nodded at his subordinate. At that, one subordinate raised his foot towards the hand of the person on the ground, while another held the fallen candidate's hand down. It was clear their intention was to make it so he could never hold a weapon again.
Cheon Ha-seong immediately used his lightness skill to push away the one who had raised his foot. He didn't just push him; he sent a fist filled with internal energy flying, and Cheok Gyo-woon's subordinate was thrown back, spewing thick blood from his mouth.
Cheon Ha-seong didn't stop there. He grabbed the one holding the fallen person's hand by the scruff of his neck, lifted him high into the air, and repeatedly slapped his cheek with his other hand. Though it looked like a simple slap, his palm was imbued with internal energy, causing the man's face to burst open. The skin tore, blood erupted from his mouth, and white teeth clattered out, falling with blood-mixed saliva.
When Cheon Ha-seong turned around, the remaining three people stepped back, trembling with pale faces. At that, a terrified Cheok Gyo-woon screamed.
“Pr-Protect…! Protect me!”
However, having already witnessed Cheon Ha-seong's rampage, it seemed difficult for them to recklessly carry out their duty.
Cheon Ha-seong decided to clean up the trash that attracted the flies rather than just swatting them. With that thought, as he strode towards Cheok Gyo-woon, the Principal suddenly flew in front of him.
The Principal seemed out of breath from just briefly using his lightness skill, a testament to how much he had neglected his training.
Cheon Ha-seong stared intently at the Principal, as if asking what the matter was.
“If a candidate does something wrong, you should determine right from wrong, advise them, and guide them to the right path! How can you beat a person to this state!”
“If you were going to say that, shouldn't you have appeared a little sooner, or warned the other Head Instructors more carefully?”
“Th-This…!!”
The Principal, furious, could only clench his fists and tremble. He seemed unable to hide his rage at the thought that he had somehow ended up serving a superior.
“Young Master Cheok, are you hurt?”
The Principal asked, looking at Cheok Gyo-woon as if this was no time for arguing.
“My mother will surely hear of this. I doubt you will be free from responsibility for this either, Principal. I will be leaving for today.”
The Principal looked at Cheon Ha-seong as if to say, ‘What are you doing not apologizing immediately?’, but Cheon Ha-seong had no intention of doing so.
“Principal, aren't we supposed to treat all candidates who enter this place informally, without exception? Cheok Gyo-woon's actions deserve punishment. Give him demerits immediately and expel him.”
Cheok Gyo-woon flinched, as if he never thought Cheon Ha-seong would go that far.
To the Principal, who had accepted bribes, it felt as if the sky were falling, but Cheon Ha-seong had nothing to fear.
He liked his job as a Head Instructor at the Martial Arts Academy, but he didn't have to stay here. He stayed because he enjoyed drawing out the potential of the martially talented individuals who occasionally entered among the new candidates, but his patience was reaching its limit because of the Principal and the arrogant candidates.
As Cheok Gyo-woon shook his robes and left, the Principal anxiously followed him. Cheon Ha-seong let out a dumbfounded laugh. Then, he looked back at the remaining candidates.
“You are the ones who will become the future leaders of the Divine Cult's martial artists, guiding them and protecting the followers of the Divine Cult. Decide properly what you will learn and how you will live. If you're going to let the Divine Cult rot, you'd be better off dying early.”
Cheon Ha-seong unleashed his venomous words on them, then helped up the candidate who had been beaten by Cheok Gyo-woon's gang and was lying on the floor.
“Can you get up?”
After pressing his acupoints to stop the bleeding, Cheon Ha-seong asked the question, and the candidate wore a guilty expression.
As a martial artist from a common follower background, Cheon Ha-seong himself had reached his position with more difficulty than others, so he couldn't help but feel a particular affinity for candidates from the same background. Their starting lines were different, and endless traps would be laid before them. Therefore, if someone like him didn't step up, there was a high chance they would end up as corpses without ever seeing their abilities blossom.
After finishing his daily routine through many twists and turns, he left the Martial Arts Academy, and Seo Hyo-eun naturally followed him.
“Shall we go to the inn for a drink?”
Cheon Ha-seong just nodded his head without a word.
Seo Hyo-eun was famous for not speaking at all in front of the candidates; Cheon Ha-seong was nearly the only person that the strangely taciturn Seo Hyo-eun would speak to.
But it wasn't as if the two of them were on good terms; they would argue at the drop of a hat, yet strangely, they stuck together.
At first, he acted as if he were going reluctantly, but once they were at the inn, it was Cheon Ha-seong who drank more enthusiastically.