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Translator: uly
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Enduring the Tribulation
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"The sword will come to you."
The First Demon said. An invisible hand smacked the back of my head.
"I told you not to grab it on your own."
"...But."
"No buts. What's not allowed stays not allowed."
"Can't you at least tell me why?"
"A reason?"
The First Demon stepped in front of me.
"No need for words. I'll show you."
Something jabbed into my jaw, and I lost consciousness in an instant.
When I opened my eyes again, she had her foot on my back.
"Ghost Hand One Demon of the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art. It's the first form you learn after initiation. It has one overall shape, but its applications branch into several variations. Being the most basic, the form itself is simple. Its four core applications focus on striking, retreating, and slashing."
The First Demon lightly struck the air.
A ripping sound-crack-echoed. Even without infused internal energy, it whistled through the air.
"Powerful techniques require big wind-ups. But weaker ones can be unleashed repeatedly. Weaving them together artfully-that's the technique. Sometimes you infuse internal energy into special motions and give the motion itself meaning. The Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art is complex. Far from simple. So, what about the sword derived from it? Simple? No, it's even harder. It's not something a punk like you can touch right from the start."
"......"
"Talk all you want about techniques and forms-they're useless unless your body offers itself up first. Just swing a sword recklessly? Your qi and blood will tangle, and you won't even mimic it properly. Third-rate. Trash."
"..."
"Did I say something wrong? You're third-rate. Pathetically third-rate."
The First Demon snorted.
"Smart, though? Not in the slightest. Pathetically stupid. Your qi sense is abysmal. Nothing outstanding about you. At best, you're decent at improvising... but even that's nothing special. Your actual brain might be sharp, but your martial brain is dumb as rocks. You idiot."
"......"
"Red Cloud. Everything you were born with doesn't mesh with martial arts. Heavenly Tribulation might chisel away at that nature bit by bit, but will your innate flaws vanish completely? Never."
"...Then why teach martial arts to someone as hopeless as me?"
"Because the Cult Leader commanded it. Nothing more, nothing less."
Every word chipped away at my pride. But deep down, I knew she was right.
I wasn't a genius. I was worlds apart from those freaks.
She was spot on. Teach me one thing, and I only learn that one. And even then, I can't get it right without repeating it endlessly.
"What I'm teaching you now is to build the body you'll need when you finally wield a sword later. So shut up and follow my lead."
My shattered pride rolled across the floor. I didn't pick it up. Just bowed my head.
I knew she was right. But it still hurt, making everything I had feel so small and pathetic.
I knew I was just an ordinary man.
Even so, I...
I wanted more than my vessel could hold.
"...Even so."
I pushed myself up.
"I want to get there even a little faster."
"..."
"If I'm ever going to hold a sword, I want it sooner. First Demon. Even if what I've been given is worthless, it can't crush my ideals."
"Greed fits you like a glove."
"I didn't used to be like this. But..."
I pictured the Heavenly Demon's face.
I gave a bitter smile.
"The Cult Leader changed me. First Demon. I swear I won't touch a sword. But... teach me how to grow stronger faster."
"Rush too hard, and you'll trip."
"I'll keep my balance so I don't fall."
"Not something a third-rater can handle. Damn fool. Tell me this-what's the damn rush? You really..."
The First Demon sighed in exasperation.
"You think that body of yours can stand where the Cult Leader stands?"
"If not, I'll carve away at my soul until I can try."
"......"
"I've already died once that day. First Demon. The Cult Leader breathed dreams into this hollow shell of a corpse."
The pain of Heavenly Tribulation surged.
But I welcomed it.
It made me feel alive.
"I want to grow stronger. As a martial artist."
"...Stubborn bastard."
The First Demon stepped back, putting distance between us before looking up at me.
"Stupid bastard. Dullard. Your talent sucks. I said it already. But even for a damn fool like you, it's not like you have nothing going for you."
"Pardon?"
"Endurance. That's your sword. And if you can endure it, there's one weapon you can wield. Something no fellow cultist would ever recommend. But with that alone, I can wedge a molar into your toothless maw."
"...What is it?"
"Heavenly Tribulation. But neither I nor the Cult Leader use it. Simple reason: it's low-class, just mud-wrestling, and makes you look like a madwoman to others."
The First Demon drew her sword.
"If endurance is all you've got, I'll teach you this. No flair, but you'll get strong. Your growth might even pick up a bit."
"I want to learn it."
"I'm not done. There's a price, rooted in endurance. It'll bring pain tenfold what you feel now. Headaches crashing with every step, agony so bad you might stab your own throat."
"......"
"Still want it?"
The First Demon asked.
I answered.
"Not learning it when there's a path forward-that would hurt me more."
"Tch."
The First Demon muttered.
"You're the craziest bastard I've ever seen."
...
--Bam!
A hand flashed before my eyes. Blood sprayed from the tip of my sliced nose.
First-rate. Number 2's hand, nearing that level, was sharp as steel. His internal-energy-charged strike tore through the air without mercy.
"Filthy worm. Who the hell do you think you are?"
His voice was ice-cold. Like he'd killed dozens of times, his hand didn't hesitate.
I pushed the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art to its limit. Distributing my internal energy, I unleashed Ghost Hand One Demon.
Our hands clashed. Mine bounced back. Numbing pain flung my arm rearward.
He laughed.
"Pathetic. Trash bastard."
--Kwaaaang!!!
My body flipped. My gut felt pierced, rattling like it would burst.
Blood mixed into my ragged breaths. Stumbling back, I watched Number 2 crack his knuckles and close in.
"Spit it out. Why target me? Seong Ja-myeong? Who's that?"
"...Shut your damn mouth..."
"Seong Ja-myeong... Seong Ja-myeong... Fuck if I know. Never heard the name. No clue why you're after me."
My jaw got kicked.
"But those eyes... you're not like me. There's reason in them. You don't enjoy killing. Makes it weirder. First time we've met. No ties. I'm not carrying food or anything-so why target me?"
"..."
"No way... because of that punk I killed yesterday? Can't recall the numbers. But he was weak as hell. About your level. Yeah... that must be Seong Ja-myeong?"
Number 2 burst into laughter.
"Dumbasses pairing up! Haha! Here for revenge? With those fists you can't even swing right? Seong Ja-myeong's crying in hell. You're pathetic. Chewable trash. Oh, where you going? Crawling away?"
My back got stomped.
"You're worlds below me, Number 30. Been a while since I laughed. Ah, right. I didn't even remember his number. But I remember the rest."
"...Kuh!"
"That punk thought I was a newbie. Came at me holding a fresh-caught snake. Know what his greeting was? 'Little brother. You look hungry. Won't you eat this?' Top-tier moron talk. But not entirely wrong. I was hungry. Hungry in a different way..."
My nape got grabbed. I was hurled away.
The tree I hit shook. Leaves rained on my face.
I couldn't see.
"I took the snake he offered. Bit it quick to check if it was poisoned. 'Eat it first to prove it's safe,' I said. So he did. Must've been starving-swallowed it whole without chewing. Hilarious, right? Starving but feeds others first."
Number 2 drew his sword.
"What a sucker. Played along a bit, then sliced his arm. Felt a tad light, so I carved his gut open too. When his insides spilled, his face changed. Couldn't even speak, just gurgled. So I ate his whole arm right in front of him."
"......"
"Funny face. Arm was decent. Sword sang sweetly after ages. Number 30-no, Red Cloud? You reek like him."
Number 2 approached slowly.
"What'll you say when your guts spill?"
He'd tossed off his hood. His face was grotesque, twisted far from human.
A beast. Blood-soaked killer ghost. I pushed up against the tree.
Just that brief exchange showed the gap clearly.
Number 20 was right.
Too soon. I can't beat him.
...But.
I can't back down.
"Third Brother. Demon Valley is awfully cold, isn't it."
Indeed, Ja-myeong.
Demon Valley is too cold. Not a place for someone like you.
Offering words to care for others, only to take a blade. Does that make sense?
Unjust.
I can't accept it.
So...
I'll show them. At least me.
"...Hoo."
The moment that injustice shatters.
"I'll split it apart."
He steps forward. His swaying foot vanishes in an instant.
Ghost Spirit Step. Higher level than mine. But I unleash mine simultaneously.
No internal energy. Save as much as possible. Compress, compress, charge ahead.
Hand extended. One thing to do: arrive here and use the basics I've drilled endlessly.
Ghost Hand One Demon of the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art.
--Bam!
Air tore. My fiercely thrust hand struck ahead.
But only air burst. Blood coated his sword that grazed past. My blood scattered in the dark, soaking the ground.
Nine Heavens Blood Demon Sword.
His blade devoured my right arm.
"Grrrrr!!!
"Haha! What a face!"
He licked his sword tip. Cackled as he slid his hand along the blade.
"Sweet blood. Yours has a rebellious tang. I'll slice your limbs off whole before your guts. Gonna be fun. So fun I don't want it to end."
I groped for my severed arm. Agony raged.
I wanted to scream. But I held it. The excruciating pain wasn't just from the amputation.
Heavenly Tribulation writhed. Like that time.
Like when the First Demon severed my arm once.
"It's based on endurance. It'll bring pain tenfold what you feel now."
Heavenly Tribulation sought the lost arm. I slammed my head to the ground.
Didn't want to cry, so I laughed. Reached out, grabbed the severed arm.
"But if you surpass it, you'll be stronger than before falling, even if just a bit. The Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art is learned on the edge of death. The more blood spilled, the deeper your understanding."
Grabbed it with one hand. Number 2's laughing face hardened.
"...What the hell?"
I aligned the arm. Even I, accustomed to Heavenly Tribulation, couldn't bear the instant surge of pain.
Heavenly Tribulation thrashed. Sensing my intent, it crushed every vessel in my body.
I wanted to die. But I couldn't. I'd started this to not die-couldn't slit my own throat.
Instead, I stood. Swallowed the agony, clenched my fist. As the severed arm reattached wildly, it whispered nonstop.
Don't stop, Red Cloud.
Crawl forward, even blood-soaked.
That's...
the path you chose.
"...A-arm... reattached...? What bullshit...?!"
I assumed a stance toward the horrified bastard. Circulating the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art through my body, I whispered.
I was born in mud. Didn't see sunlight even when I first opened my eyes.
Life under the clouds.
That's me.
--And I hated it like mad.
"Pfft. Coming into Demon Valley wasn't all bad."
Ja-myeong. How about you?
Did you love your life?
"Having someone like you here made me so glad, Third Brother."
I don't know you well. Don't know your dreams exactly.
We skimmed the surface, never digging deep. Just chattered and laughed at faces.
But that was fine.
"Third Brother. You..."
Ja-myeong.
So don't feel sorry about this.
I'm doing it because I want to. If you're watching from the afterlife, smile bright.
That's my friend.
A snake crawling through the mud of this unfair world-
"Live... on... for my share too."
A snake can't become a dragon.
But I'll dare to dream it.
A dream beyond reach.
"...Ja-myeong."
I staggered forward. Something welled in my eyes.
Felt like it burst from every vessel. But I took another step.
Pooled tears mixed with blood and fell. But I pulled up the corner of my mouth.
My friend is watching.
Can't show an ugly sight.
"Watch."
Voice. Reach him.
Pierce even the wind and fly high.
"How I survive."
Roll in the mud, Red Cloud. Roll until you're covered in blood.
Press on, wounds and all. Toward that distant peak you might one day touch.
With one art always at the base.
"Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art."
I clenched my fist.
Traced our laughing times in blood.
"Ghost Hand One Demon...!"
Bloody afterimages cloaked my body.
Heavenly Tribulation wailed.