Geom Mugeuk stepped into the main headquarters of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“Welcome, Young Cult Leader!”
The martial artists guarding the main gate all bowed their heads in unison. Until just moments ago, they had been trapped in suffocating tension.
When the Demonic Flame had risen, they had not even been able to come out here. Every mechanism installed at the main gate had been activated, and they had remained on standby at their assigned positions.
But once the Demonic Flame died down and Geom Woojin and the Demon Supremes returned safely, they realized the battle had ended in victory.
The past few days, when the Demonic Flame had surged, would be talked about for a long time among the juniors. Perhaps, with exaggerations piling upon exaggerations, it might eventually be passed down as a tale of adventure—“That day, when the main gate was breached….”
Instead of returning to his residence, Geom Mugeuk headed toward the temporary lodgings where the residents of Maga Village were staying.
“It’s the Young Cult Leader!”
“The Young Cult Leader has come!”
The residents of Maga Village were overjoyed at his appearance. Although they had been brought here by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult for their sake, they had been dragged here so suddenly that everyone had been anxious.
But now, the Young Cult Leader they trusted most had returned.
The villagers crowded around him. Geom Mugeuk looked over the temporary shelter where they had been staying. No matter how much care had been taken, how comfortable could a temporary lodging truly be?
“You have all endured much hardship.”
From among them, Jo Chunbae hurried forward.
“Young Cult Leader! You are safe.”
“Tavern Owner, have you been well?”
Geom Mugeuk took Jo Chunbae’s hand.
“Oh my, how could someone as esteemed as you do such a thing?”
For the Young Cult Leader to hold his hand in front of so many people was an immense honor and joy.
“The battle outside has come to an end.”
At Geom Mugeuk’s words, everyone cheered with delight.
“Does that mean we can return home now?”
“That is true, but there is a problem.”
At their puzzled expressions, Geom Mugeuk spoke.
“Follow me, all of you.”
Geom Mugeuk led them all out of the main headquarters.
When they arrived at Maga Village, the villagers were struck speechless.
There was nothing left where their homes had once stood. How could even the ruins have vanished so completely? Even seeing it with their own eyes, they could not believe it.
Geom Mugeuk spoke to them.
“A great battle took place, so it could not be helped.”
Everyone stood dazed, unable to say anything. A sigh escaped someone’s lips, and from there, all of them began to reveal their emotions.
Some were lost in despair, others clutched their heads in anguish. Some collapsed where they stood and burst into tears, while others could not hide the resentment in their eyes as they looked at Geom Mugeuk.
Geom Mugeuk silently watched as each of them vented their emotions.
“How are we supposed to live now?”
“Young Cult Leader! Please save us!”
“This is too much!”
The shock of losing their entire home made them forget that the person before them was the Young Cult Leader.
At that moment, Jo Chunbae shouted.
“You fools! How dare you behave so rudely toward the Young Cult Leader? If we had been here, we would have vanished just the same!”
At his words, everyone came to their senses. The loss of their homes was not the real issue. If Geom Woojin had not taken them away in the first place, they would all have died.
Jo Chunbae spoke to Geom Mugeuk.
“Thank you for saving us.”
He showed that expressing gratitude came first. Soon after, the residents of Maga Village also conveyed their thanks to Geom Mugeuk.
“Thank you, Young Cult Leader.”
Yes, they could resent anyone else, but not the Young Cult Leader. Everyone knew well how much he had done for them.
Only then did Geom Mugeuk finally speak to them.
“Then the Cult will step forward and rebuild your homes.”
Only then did everyone feel relieved. If the Cult did not help, their lives would have been utterly uncertain starting today.
That was not the only good news.
“Not only the houses, but we will also restore the furniture and belongings that were lost inside as closely as possible to their original state. We will also provide financial support so you can live for a while.”
At that, one of the Maga Village residents who had complained earlier spoke up.
“If you had told us from the beginning, we would not have shown such an unsightly side. We apologize, Young Cult Leader.”
Geom Mugeuk spoke to him with a gentle expression.
“I did not think of it as an unsightly side.”
There was a reason he had not said those words first.
“Even if we build better houses here and furnish them anew, we cannot recreate the memories you have built over decades, can we?”
At those words, not only Jo Chunbae but all the residents of Maga Village were startled. They had never imagined the Young Cult Leader would consider even such things.
“So you may grieve more and even resent me. If you force yourselves to endure it, it will only turn into illness. So vent your anger now and resent as much as you need.”
Some people finally broke into the tears they had been holding back. Indeed, how could something like this be resolved entirely with money? Better, taller buildings were good, but there were things that had to be taken care of before that.
“I am sorry for destroying your memories.”
Representing the residents of Maga Village, Jo Chunbae spoke.
“No, saving us like this and even rebuilding our homes is already more grace than we deserve. Thank you, Young Cult Leader.”
Following Jo Chunbae, the other residents all bowed their heads to the Young Cult Leader.
“Thank you for saying that. Starting tomorrow, we will mobilize all the Cult’s manpower to rebuild a new Maga Village. Let us discuss it together and create a new home.”
If the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult truly set its mind to it, rebuilding Maga Village would not take long.
“Now then, you have all worked hard, so think of it as life giving you a vacation and get plenty of rest! Ah, and that money is all my father’s. Thank him, not me.”
At those words, laughter burst out here and there. The faces of the Maga Village residents brightened considerably. Their gazes toward Geom Mugeuk were filled with indescribable gratitude and loyalty.
Suddenly, Jo Chunbae recalled something the Young Cult Leader had said in the past. When he declared that he would never allow external pressure, he had said this:
—If anyone tries to scare me by saying they will call their father like that bastard earlier, then I will call my father too!
Even though he mentioned the Cult Leader again now, the Young Cult Leader of then and the Young Cult Leader of now felt entirely different.
‘The Young Cult Leader is truly growing magnificently.’
Geom Mugeuk walked over beside Jo Chunbae.
“Tavern Owner, at least that one thing survived.”
Where Geom Mugeuk looked, only a single table remained.
“I have a good idea. Since it is a historic table, make anyone who wants to sit there and eat, pay double.”
At Geom Mugeuk’s joke, Jo Chunbae laughed. He planned to take this table and keep it safely at home, intending to pass it down as a family heirloom.
“Do not regret that the writings on this wall have disappeared. Once the building is rebuilt, I will invite all those people again and have them write new ones.”
“No, please do not.”
At Geom Mugeuk’s consolation, Jo Chunbae spoke honestly.
“To be frank, I feel relieved. Even though I said before that I did not mind, I worried every day that someone might steal them or scribble over them while drunk. Honestly, this feels refreshing.”
Geom Mugeuk smiled as he spoke.
“That is true. There is no need to show it through writing. You experienced it yourself, did you not? Tell the customers about that day in your own words. You, yourself, are a legend.”
Jo Chunbae looked at Geom Mugeuk with trembling eyes. The Young Cult Leader always made him feel this way.
Someone like me…
And yet, here was the Young Cult Leader who turned an old tavern owner into a legend.
As Geom Mugeuk sat down at the table, he spoke to Jo Chunbae.
“Tavern Owner, bring me some liquor.”
He said it jokingly, knowing full well that everything was gone and it could not be brought.
At that very moment—
Tap.
“The liquor is right here.”
Startled, Geom Mugeuk shot to his feet. Someone he had never expected stood behind him. It was the old man who had sent him to the past.
“Sir.”
At some point, everyone around them had frozen. Jo Chunbae had stopped, and the people of Maga Village who came with them were all motionless, as if time itself had halted.
“When we met the second time, you were abstaining, so you could not drink, right? It should be fine now.”
The old man smiled as he sat down at the table.
This was the third time he had met the old man. When he had met him the second time in the Valley of Wind, the old man had patted his shoulder and said—
—It’s been tough, hasn’t it? You are doing well.
He did not know how much strength those words had given him.
Geom Mugeuk picked up the bottle and filled the old man’s cup.
“Please accept a drink from me.”
He filled it to the brim.
This time, the old man filled Geom Mugeuk’s cup.
“You have finally achieved your long-cherished wish—killing those who needed to be killed, and saving those who needed to be saved.”
“It is all thanks to you, Sir.”
“Not everyone who returns to the past can live the kind of life you have. It is not thanks to me—it is something you accomplished yourself.”
The two clinked their cups and emptied them. The liquor he had given was no ordinary drink.
A single cup brought a remarkable change.
Within Geom Mugeuk’s body, multiple Innate Qi and Internal Energies were mixed together. From the demonic art-based energy of Hyeok Do-cheon, to the orthodox energy of the Martial Emperor Divine Sword, the unorthodox energy of Joo Ga-shin, and even the unique energy of the Heavenly Will Palace Master. Not only that, but different types of Innate Qi were also intertwined.
Because Geom Mugeuk possessed immense and pure Internal Energy, he could normally convert newly absorbed energy into his own pure form.
However, this time, the sheer quantity of Internal Energy was overwhelming, and even different types of Innate Qi were mixed in, making it no easy task to merge them into one.
Though the amount was vast, its purity had declined, and he had been thinking that he would have no choice but to discard a significant portion—
Sssssss—
All of that energy began to merge into one. The Internal Energy merged as Internal Energy, and the multiple types of Innate Qi merged as one
And then, they became Geom Mugeuk’s original pure Innate Qi and Internal Energy, combining into one. As if they had always belonged to him, they unified completely.
As that immense power became one, Geom Mugeuk’s gaze grew clearer and deeper. A power that had truly surpassed human limits now surged within his body.
“I thought you would reclaim this power.”
When the energies had just merged, he had thought the old man might take them back.
But instead, he had refined them into the same nature as his energy, allowing them to become an even greater power.
“This is power you obtained through your own effort—how could I take it away?”
Geom Mugeuk had already guessed one thing.
“You are the one who arranged the Six-Origin Energies throughout the martial world, are you not?”
The old man merely gave a mysterious smile, as if to say he could not reveal such things, but Geom Mugeuk knew. It had to be him.
Just as he had gone through the process of finding the materials for the Great Regression Technique, after returning, he had undergone the trial of obtaining those six energies.
The old man looked at Geom Mugeuk with gentle eyes and said—
“You have worked hard.”
He was the only one who knew how much Geom Mugeuk had suffered in his life before the regression.
“Do you remember? When I asked what kind of life you wanted to live after finishing your revenge, the answer you gave.”
Geom Mugeuk nodded. He remembered it vividly, as if it had happened just yesterday.
—Even I do not know. Whether I will succeed my father and become the Heavenly Demon, or quietly turn my back on the world and live in seclusion, or become a lecher who takes all the beauties of the world, or leave the Cult and spend my life beating up trash like them, or perhaps I will become trash myself… I have decided nothing.
The old man asked,
“Now, have you decided? What kind of life you will live?”
After a brief moment of thought, Geom Mugeuk answered calmly.
“I still have not found a life that can be defined in a single phrase. Whether I become the Heavenly Demon, or a free spirit wandering the martial world. However, no matter what life I live, there is one thing I will keep—living as enjoyably as possible in each moment.”
Then, as if he had just thought of something important, Geom Mugeuk asked in a slightly indignant tone,
“No, and shouldn’t you be asking this question after I persuade my father, who is trying to unify the martial world? I now have something even harder left than capturing Hwa Moogi! You know, don’t you? What kind of person my father is.”
The old man seemed rather amused by the situation.
“Is not life a series of hardships?”
“You are not saying there is another hardship after that, are you?”
“How can one know the affairs of the world?”
Aside from the matter of his father, was there anything that could not be resolved with his current status and martial prowess?
As if he had read Geom Mugeuk’s thoughts—
“Your child might cause you trouble.”
A child? Geom Mugeuk looked at the old man in shock.
“Surely not? You are not preparing such a thing and looking forward to it, are you?”
“Is that something that goes according to my will? It depends on your own heart.”
“Please do not say such frightening things.”
A child… It was something he had never once considered, but as his relationship with his father deepened, he had thought about it once.
Because he wanted to become a father like him.
“I do not think I could become such a good father like mine. You need to be able to subdue them with just a glance like he does, but I talk too much. Would I not just become a nagging father?”
“You could become an ideal father and son who communicate often.”
Geom Mugeuk stared at the old man and shook his head.
“Do not steer this in a strange direction. I am not getting married!”
The old man, who had been looking at Geom Mugeuk with a pleased smile, bid farewell.
“Now that I have shared a drink with you, it is time for me to go.”
Geom Mugeuk felt reluctant to part with him. This meeting felt different from both their first and second encounters.
“You asked me how I will live, but my life from here on might disappoint you. I have already used up most of the ways I can be impressive.”
“There is no need to worry. The people around you, whom you have made impressive, will lead you to become even more impressive.”
Looking at the old man, Geom Mugeuk smiled brightly.
“Until now, I was too preoccupied to properly greet you.”
Geom Mugeuk performed a deep bow to the old man. With sincerity, he expressed his gratitude to the heavens.
“Thank you truly for sending me back.”
As the old man slowly faded away, he left his final words.
“It has been a great joy for me to watch over your life.”
And just like that, the old man disappeared.
Looking up at the sky, Geom Mugeuk spoke.
“Please continue to watch over me.”
At that moment, Jo Chunbae, who had begun moving again from behind, spoke. He naturally thought that Geom Mugeuk’s words about watching over him were directed at him.
“Whether I watch or not, Young Cult Leader, you will become the greatest Cult Leader in the history of the martial world.”
Comments (0)
Your Reaction?
0 Responses
Join the discussion
Please sign in or create an account to post comments and join the community.
Discussion