Chapter 180 - Without Serious Resolve

There was no way to describe the sound of this wind.

If I had to try, it sounded like wind blowing through a mysterious valley at the edge of the world. It was that refreshing and lively, a sound that seemed not to belong to this world.

The moment I heard the sound of Swift Step at complete mastery, I knew instinctively that I would become addicted to it. The sound was every bit as captivating as this maddening speed.

At first, I was faster.

Swift Step at complete mastery truly was fast beyond description.

Naturally, it was much faster than at the ninth level. When I first suggested the race, I had actually been prepared to crash into trees, tumble across the ground, and show Father what a crashing, stumbling mess I could be.

I had even been ready for him to laugh at me, and for the whole thing to turn into a great commotion.

Yet I ran better than I had expected. My eyesight and body were keeping up with that tremendous speed. It was probably because traveling between the Cult and the Orthodox Martial Alliance had allowed me to adjust completely to ninth-level Swift Step.

Thanks to that, I could run nearly as fast as Father despite having only just reached complete mastery.

But it required extreme concentration and drained my mental stamina. I became so dizzy and exhausted as I ran that I slowed down. As my speed fell, Father surged up beside me.

"Not bad!"

"Whose son do you think I am?"

Father looked surprised and impressed. Of course, that did not mean there was any hint of willingness to let me win on his face. Once his competitive spirit caught fire, he refused to lose to anyone, even his own son.

"Son, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

His tone was serious, and I was just beginning to feel nervous.

That was the very moment it happened.

CRASH!

Distracted by Father, I crashed into a tree and went sprawling across the ground.

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

I could hear his gleeful laughter fading into the distance.

I sprang to my feet and ran after him. Fortunately, my protective concentrated qi had shielded my body, allowing me to get up without any injuries.

"That's cheating! Cheating, Father!"

I insisted it was cheating, even though I had crashed because I wasn't paying attention. Naturally, Father ran even faster without so much as looking back.

Once again, I chased after him.

Running like this made something clear to me. The outcome would not be decided by which martial art we used. Swift Step of the Wind God's Four Steps and the Heavenly Demon's Flight Art were lightness arts of almost equal caliber.

The problem was eyesight. Our eyes could not keep up with the maximum speed our lightness arts could produce.

So once I grew accustomed to it, I would certainly win. Thanks to the New Eye Procedure, my eyesight had surpassed its limits.

I ran with my eyes on Father's back far ahead. Just as I had watched his back on our first hunt, now I watched it while running.

He had looked lonely then, and he looked lonely now, but one thing had changed. I, the person watching him, had changed.

I enjoyed this moment more than any other time I had run in my entire life. I did not know how Father felt, but at least I could feel my own affection for him growing.

The moment I began thinking about Father, I fell again. Even the briefest lapse in concentration invariably sent me crashing into something and tumbling down.

I got up and resumed the chase, but in the end, I could not catch him.

By the time I reached the Cult, Father had already left for Heavenly Demon Hall.

If it had been me, I would have waited and teased him mercilessly before leaving, but Father knew how to hold back even his teasing. He would probably make fun of me the next time we met.

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

It was entirely thanks to Father that I had achieved complete mastery of the Wind God's Four Steps. Swift Step was not the only form that had improved. Dark Shadow Step had become more stealthy, Flicker Step could now carry me out of even greater danger, and Underworld King's Step had truly become the stride of the King of the Underworld.

* * *

That evening, the drinking trio gathered at Merry Life Tavern.

"It's been so long since your last visit that tonight's drinks are on me."

The proprietor, Jo Chunbae, offered to treat them to drinks especially for the occasion, celebrating Seo Daeryong's safe return. Seo Daeryong thanked him for the thought but declined.

"I won the martial tournament this time and brought home some prize money. Tonight, I'm treating everyone to a proper feast. So please bring us every delicious dish you have."

"You won! Congratulations, Investigator."

"Thank you."

"And everything is well with you too, Second Young Master?"

"Of course."

Once Jo Chunbae went downstairs, Seo Daeryong finally began boasting.

"Ah, where should I begin the magnificent adventures of this lone investigator? Ah! When I first saw the Orthodox Martial Alliance headquarters, I felt destiny calling..."

As he launched into his epic tale, Yi An and Jang Ho exchanged smiles.

He was such an entertaining storyteller that his adventures were never boring.

"That's truly incredible. Even if it was a tournament, you were fighting real opponents, weren't you? You don't have much actual combat experience, yet you won the whole thing."

Jang Ho had plenty of combat experience, but Yi An spent every day training. That made Seo Daeryong's achievement all the more astonishing and enviable to her.

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

Seo Daeryong told them about the woman who had cheered him on, right up to its sad conclusion.

"... She was a woman sent by the Heavenly Mandate Society."

Yi An jumped up and unleashed a torrent of curses at her, while Jang Ho comforted him, saying it was all part of gaining experience. The two became so indignant on his behalf that Seo Daeryong felt all the hurt he had been carrying melt away.

"This is why I looked forward to our drinks together more than anything else."

"We were looking forward to it even more."

"Then let's drink to that."

Seo Daeryong was deeply grateful to them both. A woman who could easily be called the greatest beauty under heaven and the commander of the Demon Army, an elite force of the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon, had waited for him and were listening to his stories. Who was he to deserve that?

"There's something I want to tell you both. I've decided to walk the path of a true martial artist myself."

Geom Mugeuk and the Blood Heaven Saber Demon had influenced him directly, but these two had also played a tremendous part. He had always longed to become someone who would not shame them.

Yi An and Jang Ho congratulated him sincerely. An investigator of Yellow Springs Pavilion could certainly be called a martial artist, but they knew he meant something different now.

"This is something to congratulate me for, right? Honestly, I'm afraid I'll die young. Aren't you two scared?"

Yi An smiled as she answered.

"I believe life and death are already determined. When and how I'll die has all been decided. Thinking that way puts me at ease."

"So this martial artist is a fatalist."

"I suppose I am."

Jang Ho, on the other hand, thought differently.

"I live in constant fear of death."

"Really? Of all people, Commander Jang, I would have thought you weren't afraid of dying."

"No. I wake up several times a night. I often dream of dying, too."

Neither Yi An nor Seo Daeryong had known that.

Their conversation about life and death continued. Then Seo Daeryong grew animated.

"I nearly died this time myself."

He sprang up and pulled his shirt open.

"I've got four scars left by those orthodox bastards. This one on my shoulder is from the quarterfinals. See the two holes? This one was from the finals, and this scar here..."

* * *

I was listening to the three of them beside the counter downstairs.

When Seo Daeryong finally pulled his shirt open, Jo Chunbae and I laughed together.

Really, if the Drunken Demon saw this drinking group, he would come running to join immediately.

Jo Chunbae spoke with a kindly expression.

"They're truly wonderful people. Whenever one of them is away, the other two come here and talk about how much they miss them."

There had been times when Yi An was absent, and times when Seo Daeryong was away.

"I'll be heading back now."

"Didn't you come to join them?"

"They're having such a good time that I think I should let the three of them enjoy being together tonight."

"Then please wait a moment."

Jo Chunbae went to the kitchen and brought back a bottle of liquor.

"This is a bottle I've been saving. Take it with you and have a drink before bed. It's a gift to celebrate your safe return. I'm glad you're back."

Jo Chunbae was truly happy to see me return, as though I were family.

"I met someone distinguished while I was out in Murim. If we have another chance to drink together, I'll introduce you."

"I'd be delighted."

He would never dream that the person was the Martial Alliance Leader. But who could predict how things would turn out? Perhaps a day would come when the Martial Alliance Leader shared a drink at Merry Life Tavern.

"Thank you for the liquor."

With that farewell, I left the tavern.

I walked home beneath the moonlight. There were others I wanted to see: Go Wol and the Wind Heaven Cult Leader. I wanted to run to them with Swift Step right away, but they were currently far from the Cult.

Having returned after a long absence, I had much to do. I would have to put off 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 Grove. When I thought of someone who would still be awake and willing to drink with me, the Drunken Demon came to mind first.

Sure enough, he was drinking alone at Drunken Dream Pavilion.

Yeo Bin, one of the Drunken Warriors, took me aboard a ferryboat and headed for the island in the middle of the lake.

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

"He's cut back considerably. Even tonight, he's only having one bottle."

"That's a relief."

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

"How could that be thanks to me? It's because you take care of him and worry about him, Warrior Yeo."

Knowing that Yeo Bin had feelings for the Drunken Demon, I spoke kindly to her. I thought it would be good for him to have a woman like her at his side, looking after him. Though for her words to carry real weight, she would have to be his wife rather than his subordinate.

I would have liked to help bring them together, but I had no intention of meddling carelessly. Intervening badly could ruin a relationship that might otherwise blossom.

The Drunken Demon looked our way from the railing of Drunken Dream Pavilion and waved.

I called out loudly to him.

"Brother!"

Since it was just the two of us meeting, I felt free to call him my brother. His expression showed just how happy a single form of address could make someone.

"You're here, little brother?"

"I thought my sorry fourth-place brother would be drinking alone, so I came."

"What's wrong with fourth out of the Eight Demon Supremes? Even staying in the middle isn't easy."

The boat reached the island, and I went up to Drunken Dream Pavilion.

"What brings you here all of a sudden?"

"I wanted a drink."

"I'm glad you came."

The Drunken Demon and I drank together. Neither of us said anything; we simply drank in silence.

Because he understood liquor, he understood drinkers too. He knew whether the person beside him wanted to drink over conversation, or quietly, as I did now, with the moon reflected in the lake as their accompaniment.

"I went hunting with Father."

"You seemed to be away quite a while this time. Impressive. How can you spend that much time alone with the cult leader? I'd go mad."

"It might turn out to be madly enjoyable."

The Drunken Demon shook his head, refusing to believe it.

He needed to see Father cooking. It was a shame I could not bring myself to tell him.

"Something occurred to me while talking with Father. He seems to think highly of either the Poison King or the Fist Demon."

"If the cult leader thinks highly of one of them, it would be the Fist Demon."

The Drunken Demon spoke with certainty.

"Not the Poison King?"

"The cult leader has never liked using poison. He's never said it openly, but everyone knows. The Poison King knows too, but pretends not to."

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

I had investigated the Demon Supremes, but meeting them after my regression had brought home a fresh realization. To say you knew someone, you had to meet them, talk with them, and experience who they were firsthand. Even then, people were difficult to understand. What I had known was their deeds, not the people themselves. The Fist Demon was no exception.

"There was one time, and only one, when the Fist Demon and I drank alone together."

"How was it?"

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

"He made me think, 'Without serious resolve, it won't be easy to beat this man.'"

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

"But why the Fist Demon?"

"I thought I might give you someone in fifth place behind you, brother."

Since that meant bringing the Fist Demon over to our side, the Drunken Demon asked worriedly,

"If you approach the Fist Demon now, the First Young Master won't sit still, will he?"

"That's why I'm doing it. So he won't sit still."

"What do you mean?"

"It's about time I settled things with my brother, isn't it?"

That meant the struggle for succession would begin in earnest, and the Drunken Demon's gaze grew intense as well.

"Are you confident?"

"I'm counting on you, brother."

At my declaration that I was counting on one brother to face another, the Drunken Demon smiled and shook the empty bottle.

"Hearing that makes me want another bottle."

I poured the last of my liquor into his cup.

"Hold back. From now on, you'll need to spend more time sober."

* * *

The following afternoon, I headed for the Eastern Fist School, where the Invincible Fist Demon resided.

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

The Iron Fists guarding the entrance stared at me in surprise. It was widely rumored that their leader, the Fist Demon, had sided with the First Young Master.

"Please follow me."

One of the Iron Fists guided me inside.

The eyes of the Iron Fists coming and going through the Eastern Fist School all turned toward me. White martial outfits, blue ones, red ones, black ones. The colors differed according to their standing. Their genders, ages, and physical abilities differed too. But they all had one thing in common.

They carried not a single piece of metal on their bodies, relying on themselves alone.

I walked slowly among the Iron Fists, who had staked their lives on nothing but their bare fists.