Chapter 3 - What Is Your Wish?

I opened my eyes.

I had opened and closed them countless times throughout my life, but never with such desperate longing.

Please, let me return to a time when I could undo it all.

Please!

And the sight unfolding before my eyes rewarded me for every hardship I had endured before my regression.

I stood on a dueling platform as broad as a public square.

Beyond the thousands of martial warriors filling the stands, I could see enormous statues of demons. Red, blue, and yellow, the three demons were posed as though clashing with one another around the training grounds. Their gigantic swords, sabers, and fists formed the roof over the dueling arena.

Farther beyond them stood an even larger statue. The black demon gazing haughtily down upon the world with its arms folded was the very symbol of the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon.

'I've returned to the past!'

My heart began pounding as though it would burst.

“Woooo!”

Cheers rose from every direction, almost as though they were celebrating my regression. Demonic martial artists of the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon packed the area around the training grounds.

'Come to think of it, today is—'

Just then, a man stepped onto the opposite side of the dueling platform.

'It's the day of the New Demon Tournament.'

Around this time, my father had made a sudden announcement: he would not limit the position of the next cult leader to his own bloodline.

The announcement sent the Cult into an uproar. Now anyone with sufficient ability could become the Heavenly Demon.

As though to lend weight to his declaration, Father held a martial tournament for the Cult's promising young talents. That was the New Demon Tournament.

He gave its winner the opportunity to challenge either of his two sons.

The Heavenly Demon promised to grant one wish to whoever won, whether the tournament champion or his son.

Imagine the excitement surrounding the New Demon Tournament. The Cult's young talents entered in droves to test themselves against one another.

After ten days of fierce combat, a champion emerged—and the opponent he chose was me.

“Geom Mugeuk! Geom Mugeuk!”

The warriors chanted my name. The very name the Ghost Adept had been so eager to learn. I was Geom Mugeuk, the younger of the Heavenly Demon's two sons.

As the warriors cheered for Geom Mugeuk, my opponent, the tournament champion, scowled deeply.

“Hmph! They'll be chanting a different name when this match is over. Even against you, I won't hold back.”

Back then, I had resented his choosing me. It meant he thought I was an easier opponent than my elder brother.

But in hindsight, the bastard had chosen me for another reason.

“Why not concede while you still can?”

He was already certain of his victory.

And I had indeed lost this duel.

It wasn't because I lacked skill. It was because of my opponent's despicable scheme. He had bought off my cook and had an energy-dispersing poison added to my rice, temporarily preventing me from using my internal energy.

It wasn't an ordinary energy-dispersing poison. It caused no symptoms at rest, only scattering one's internal energy during strenuous activity such as a duel. I learned later that it was a special poison called Black Consort, developed by the Unorthodox Alliance and secretly circulated on the market.

In any case, after losing the duel that day, I reported what had happened to Father, but he had little to say. If anything, I remembered his gaze reproaching me for falling for such a paltry scheme.

Afterward, I made one reckless move after another to make up for that day's defeat.

My enemy then was neither my brother nor the other candidates for succession. My enemies were impatience and wounded pride. Whenever I closed my eyes, I saw Father's gaze, looking at me as though I were pathetic.

Through repeated mistakes and failures, I tripped over my own feet and fell out of contention for the succession.

It had all begun with today's defeat.

Standing at that turning point in my destiny, these were my first words:

“What was your name again?”

Laughter erupted around us, and my opponent's expression froze. He must have thought I was mocking him, but I genuinely couldn't remember his name.

“To slight me, Gu Pyeongho, is to insult my master!”

“Ah, right. Gu Pyeongho.”

Gu Pyeongho, fifth among the seven disciples of Gu Cheonpa, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon, one of the Eight Demon Supremes. Though I couldn't say for certain, he had probably won the New Demon Tournament through all manner of cowardly tricks as well.

“Listen, get your facts straight. I'm slighting you. Why drag your master into it?”

Laughter immediately burst from among the warriors. It came from the demonic martial artists aligned with the Single Flower Sword Supreme, who was on poor terms with the Blood Heaven Saber Demon.

“Second Young Master! You must be confident in your skills to provoke me like this.”

Ignoring him, I looked at the Heavenly Demon seated in the place of honor in the distance.

Even among thousands of demonic martial artists, his presence declared unmistakably: I am here.

Bring someone who had never met Father here and tell them to identify the Heavenly Demon, and they would find him without fail. His presence was like a blood-red circle in a black-and-white painting.

Seated on either side of him were the Eight Demon Supremes, the eight masters who represented our Cult. They too possessed powerful presences; they were merely keeping them subdued because Father was beside them.

My eyes met Father's. In his gaze, I read a question.

How will you escape this predicament?

It was something I had never perceived in his eyes back then.

'Ah! Father already knew I'd been poisoned.'

He pretended indifference, acted as though he knew nothing of the struggle for succession, yet he had understood everything.

The same events were unfolding as before, but now I could see an entirely different situation.

'So you knew everything? In that case...'

Losing and then tattling, as I had before, was the worst course.

Asking to postpone the match because I had been poisoned was the middling course.

Winning without internal energy was the best course.

Naturally, I had to take the best course. I was no longer that shaggy-haired greenhorn. I had lived a far longer life than even Father.

Truthfully, even without internal energy, someone like Gu Pyeongho was an opponent I could defeat in a single move.

But I couldn't reveal my true skills before so many demonic martial artists.

I raised my hand high, drawing everyone's attention, then spoke as loudly as I could.

“Here, before the assembled heroes of our Cult, I proudly declare that I will face Gu Pyeongho without using internal energy! I am confident I can win without it!”

A moment of silence followed my declaration, then thunderous cheers erupted.

“Woooo!”

Gu Pyeongho's face, on the other hand, visibly twisted. He hadn't expected this response. He must have wanted to ask:

'How did you know you'd been poisoned? The poison shouldn't take effect until the fight begins.'

Dying to know, aren't you?

In any case, if he alone used internal energy now, he would look like a coward.

Flustered, Gu Pyeongho shouted with his face blazing red.

“If that is how the Second Young Master intends to fight, then I won't use internal energy either.”

He reacted exactly as I had expected.

A few of his followers applauded, but there were no cheers. His decision had turned an exciting battle between someone using internal energy and someone without it into a dull fight between two men using none. I even heard deflated sighs.

Gu Pyeongho was rattled, and his embarrassment turned to anger at me.

“Second Young Master! Even without internal energy, my blade has no eyes. You would do well to be careful.”

I paid little attention to his warning, busy examining my body. The unfamiliar strangeness of being young filled my senses. The sword I had used back then felt as light as a toy.

'Will this body really move the way I want it to?'

Gu Pyeongho drew his saber with a swagger. I, by contrast, unfastened my sword and set it on the ground. Using it would only increase the likelihood of revealing my skill.

Cheers erupted again. Wasn't it in the nature of demonic martial artists to cheer when someone utterly scorned and mocked an opponent?

Naturally, Gu Pyeongho's anger exploded.

“You're the cult leader's flesh and blood, so I'll spare your life—but I'll take an arm!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Gu Pyeongho leaped toward me, closing the distance and bringing his saber down at my shoulder.

SWISH!

I watched the incoming blade until the very last instant, then twisted aside.

'Good. Very good!'

My fear that my body wouldn't obey me had been groundless. It responded immediately, faster and more vigorous than I had expected. It was as though my body were saying:

'Have you forgotten? This is you in your youth.'

Those days when I felt I could run all day, when my clenched fist seemed capable of smashing anything.

'So this is how powerfully my heart beat at this age!'

A smile came unbidden. I was so happy I wanted to shout for joy.

Seeing my smile drove Gu Pyeongho into an even greater frenzy.

“You crazy bastard! You're laughing?”

Wild with rage, he swung his saber openly at my vital spots. He was liable to start using internal energy and unleash saber qi at this rate, so I stopped drawing things out.

Dodging the saber that kept coming for my arm, I rushed in toward his chest.

Gu Pyeongho gasped and tried to defend himself, but my elbow was already driving into his solar plexus.

THUD!

As he recoiled, I followed him like a shadow.

My fists struck in succession. The swift first punch crushed his nose; the heavy second broke his ribs. Even without internal energy, we were martial artists who had trained since childhood. We could kill an ox with our bare fists. His body had no chance of withstanding mine.

I didn't stop there.

As he screamed and crumpled, I caught his wrist.

“Which hand did you use to add the poison? This one?”

Holding his arm, I sprang up and landed with a forceful stomping strike.

BAM!

With the force rising from the sole of my foot through my entire body, I used my knee as a fulcrum and wrenched his arm.

CRRUNCH!

The shock surged through it like a tidal wave, completely shattering his wrist, elbow, and shoulder.

“Aaaaagh!”

Even without that horrific scream, everyone could tell. His saber arm and shoulder had been utterly crushed. He would never recover.

Cheers erupted from all sides.

“Woooo!”

This was no lackluster match, but a spectacular victory that satisfied everyone.

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon's faction jeered, but their voices vanished beneath the unceasing cheers.

Seated among the gathering, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon merely watched, betraying no emotion despite his disciple's crushing defeat.

Only after the excitement, cheers, and groans of pain had subsided did Father rise. The red dragon embroidered on his snow-white dragon robe looked ready to ascend to the heavens at any moment.

The Eight Demon Supremes rose with him in unison.

RUSTLE!

Like a spreading wave, every demonic martial artist in the arena stood and paid respects to their absolute ruler.

The Heavenly Demon, Geom Ujin.

The strongest man of this era.

... For now.

Father looked at me. His gaze was so powerful it seemed capable of piercing my body.

Back then, I had been terribly afraid of him. I didn't think I had ever properly met that fierce gaze, which seemed to look down on everyone. How could I possibly have held a real conversation with him?

In the end, my understanding of Father had been built on guesses, preconceptions, and rumors.

I wanted to tell my past self this:

When it comes to relationships, don't sit alone imagining things. Look properly, and listen carefully. The answer isn't inside you. The other person is right there.

I didn't avoid Father's gaze.

What was so frightening about that expression? There was only a man striving to preserve his authority over ten thousand demons amid countless challenges and schemes aimed at taking his position. That was all his coldness and brusqueness amounted to. Now I could see what I hadn't seen then.

“What is your wish?”

Father's deep, weighty voice reached everyone without the aid of internal energy. It had the power to make its listeners shrink back.

Everyone listened for my answer. The Eight Demon Supremes beside him were particularly alert to what I would say.

“My wish is...”

I hadn't expected to return to this day, so I followed my instincts.

“I would like to go hunting with you, Father.”

Father gave a slight start, apparently caught off guard. The watching demonic martial artists murmured as well. None had expected such a wish. Since a request to be named successor would be too much to grant, they must have expected me to ask for a treasured sword or at least a secret martial arts manual.

“Hunting with me?”

“Yes. Just the two of us. I heard you enjoyed hunting in your youth, Father. I'd like to take this opportunity to learn.”

Father studied me silently for a moment before replying brusquely.

“We leave at dawn tomorrow.”

With that, Father walked away.

The Heavenly Demon, the lone red figure in a black-and-white painting, moved, and every demonic martial artist bowed their head. Not even a breath could be heard among those thousands.

Only after the Heavenly Demon and the Eight Demon Supremes had left did a venomous voice break the silence.

“You moron. All that just to make a pathetic wish like that...”

I turned to find Gu Pyeongho being carried away on the backs of his fellow disciples, his arm dangling limply.

Scratching my head, I said to him,

“Sorry. What was your name again?”

Dismissed to the very end, Gu Pyeongho shrieked.

“Aaaaagh! Kill him! Senior Brother! Please, kill him!”

But with the duel over, no one attacked me. They merely gave me cold glares before taking Gu Pyeongho away.

'Now that I'm back, your days of running wild won't be so much fun anymore.'

I thanked Heaven for sending me to the most important turning point of my life. I was grateful to the Ghost Adept too, for completing the Great Art, even if he had tried to betray me.

'Thank you. Truly.'

I looked up at the brilliant blue sky, as youthful as I was, and smiled brightly.