episode_0009

[Title: A Study on Cheongpungjeon Strategy]

20,000 hours. Playtime confirmed. I’ve truly cleared every single ending, and it’s true that these bastards from the Demonic Heavenly Cult are beyond help. There’s simply no room for redemption. Starting with their Cult Leader, he’s brimming with so much malice towards the Jianghu, full of grievances against society, and every single one of his underlings is completely out of their minds too. Unless you plan to become the Demonic Heavenly Cult Leader yourself, don’t even think about joining the Demonic Heavenly Cult. Want an easy playthrough? Then you absolutely must target the Demonic Heavenly Cult from the start, seriously. No worries about getting tangled in grudges either. People will welcome you for killing those Demonic Cult members, not hate you, lol. Make the Demonic Cult your enemy *and* the Righteous Alliance your enemy? That’s impossible unless you’re a crazy troublemaker. By the way, even a public enemy of the Murim, marked everywhere, gains reputation points by killing Demonic Cult members, hahaha. It’s the same for those who just want to roam freely, enjoying the open world without bothering with the ending. If you leave those Demonic Cult members alone, the genre changes from Wuxia to apocalypse, I’m telling you! LOLOLOL. At that point, there’s practically no way to stop them, so if you don’t want to reset, keep that in mind. If you leave these bastards alone, the Murim will be utterly ruined.

****

Cheongun was honestly excited. Hong Soyeon was a Demonic Cultist. A precious Demonic Cultist who had cultivated Demonic Arts, no less. Demonic Arts were, literally, evil and strange martial arts. They offered faster attainment than any orthodox martial art but came with a myriad of side effects… like steroids in the bodybuilding world, perhaps? It wasn’t merely a matter of one’s personality becoming a bit eccentric. It could cripple one’s dantian, shatter one’s mind, or drastically shorten one’s lifespan. In severe cases, parts of the body might even melt away. The side effects varied wildly depending on the specific Demonic Art cultivated. The very act of risking such dangers meant one was half-mad with martial arts, and with such lunatics gathered tightly on mountaintops, it was no wonder the Demonic Cult was branded as a mad religious group that worshipped power.

However, their numbers weren’t particularly large. This was because cultivating Demonic Arts itself was taboo in the Jianghu. In fact, that was why Cheongun had held such expectations. Not only had he encountered such a rare Demonic Cultist, but he had even captured her intact. For Cheongun, whose martial arts level rose just by being near a Demonic Cultist, this was truly a stroke of good fortune. Consider it. If a special ability activated just by being nearby, and its duration had no limit, wouldn’t it be possible to keep the ability constantly active by simply tying them up and dragging them along? A ‘companion Demonic Cultist,’ as it were! Of course, he’d have to endure ethical controversies. In the Jianghu, there was nothing dumber than caring about one’s reputation anyway. It was a judgment perfectly befitting Cheongun.

However.

“…It’s not working?”

Exactly five hours later, the ability ended, and he returned to his original state. Oh no! My battery! It seemed this unique ability also had what was commonly known as a duration. The fortunate thing was that the ability reactivated a day after it ended.

Duration: 5 hours. Cooldown: 24 hours.

He had gained new information.

And so, day after day, for three days… Cheongun never failed to visit her, sitting cross-legged and wasting time. Of course, each time, Hong Soyeon looked at Cheongun as if he were a madman.

“Are you insane?”

“None of your business.”

“Oh, dear. Even if you’re going to be crazy, you should do it gracefully. Do you know how frightening and humiliating it is for a woman to have some madman come every day and stare so persistently?”

“Isn’t it better than dying?”

“…”

Hong Soyeon had her pressure points sealed and her entire body bound, unable to move a muscle. Moreover, the location was the Righteous Alliance’s branch underground prison. On top of that, some madman came every day, grating on her nerves, almost driving her insane.

‘I really seem to have fallen into the wrong hands.’

Hong Soyeon was quick-witted. However, Cheongun was the first person whose madness she could perceive just from his gaze. It wasn’t merely based on his eyes, though. She had sparred with him and conversed with him, which allowed her to be certain. A madman of the highest caliber. That was her assessment of Cheongun. It was always best to avoid madmen. Even more so, madmen who were also powerful martial artists.

Hong Soyeon sharply turned her head. Seeing her do so, Cheongun spoke.

“Hey.”

“Don’t talk to me.”

As Cheongun threateningly raised the fishing rod in his hand, Hong Soyeon grumbled and opened her mouth.

“What do you want?”

“What stage is your martial arts at?”

“How ignorant. Don’t you know it’s rude to ask about someone’s cultivation stage?”

“Want to find out how ignorant I can be, with a beating?”

“I’m at the initial Peak Stage.”

Initial Peak Stage, huh? No wonder the internal energy imbued in her hidden weapons was extraordinary. That level was enough to proudly call oneself a master in the Murim. And with this, a fact became clear. It seemed the higher the martial arts level of the Demonic Cultist he faced as an enemy, the more his special ability was strengthened. Was the name of the first Demonic Cultist he met Sauncheon of the Black Forest Gate? Hong Soyeon was definitely a more powerful master than that guy. Perhaps that’s why, compared to Sauncheon, the extent of the ability’s enhancement, though subtle, was clearly greater. Well, it was good news regardless. To get stronger the stronger the opponent one faced. This could be considered quite significant information. A few days later.

“Excuse me.”

Hong Soyeon spoke to me first for the very first time. And she did it with an eye-smile, as if wagging her tail.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor?”

“About why the Great Hero kept me alive. Surely you kept me because I’m useful to you, right? Even though I belong to the Demonic Heavenly Cult, my life is more important to me than anything else.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“If I were so deeply loyal, I would have swallowed a poison pill the moment I was discovered by the Great Hero.”

Hmm, that made sense. It was the first time in his life he’d encountered an assassin who would spit out a poison pill because they didn’t want to die.

“So? What do you want to say?”

“From the moment I spat out that poison pill, it means I’ve already betrayed the Demonic Cult. If Biyeongmun finds out I’m confined in this prison, they’ll likely send assassins to eliminate me immediately, before I can blab any internal information.”

“I see.”

“As I said earlier, my life is what matters most to me. So, if the Great Hero guarantees my life, couldn’t I cooperate fully with you?”

“What kind of cooperation?”

“Don’t you have business with the Demonic Heavenly Cult?”

Cheongun stared intently at Hong Soyeon. It was true that Cheongun had business with the Demonic Heavenly Cult. Because to Cheongun, Demonic Cultists were like internal energy batteries. Hong Soyeon alone wasn’t enough. The more batteries, the better! For efficient internal energy growth, a periodic supply of batteries was absolutely necessary. And it wasn’t just for martial arts. Cheongun had been pondering this very issue. To achieve his ultimate goal of a carefree life of peace and simple contentment, the Demonic Heavenly Cult absolutely had to be eliminated. Just then, Hong Soyeon, who had been gazing at Cheongun, parted her lips.

“I have a good idea. Would you like to hear it?”

“What is it?”

“Lean in. So, what it is…”

****

In the dead of night. The underground prison was pitch black. Panting breaths broke the silence. Hong Soyeon sat leaning against the wall, still bound. Her pressure points sealed, her body utterly immobile. Through the disheveled folds of her clothing, a smooth thigh was revealed.

*Swoosh—*

In that instant, the darkness subtly rippled. A black shadow swept across the floor, approaching, until a woman in a black mask appeared beyond the iron bars. She was an assassin from Biyeongmun. Beneath her mask, her piercing eyes scanned the surroundings. Soon, she looked down at Hong Soyeon and spoke.

“You’re quite a sight, Senior Sister Hong.”

Senior Sister Hong? At those words, Hong Soyeon’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“Junior Sister Baek? Why are you here?”

The woman scoffed.

“Why, you ask? I came by the Gate Lord’s command. Please forgive my disrespect.”

“I can’t forgive it. Couldn’t you just go back empty-handed?”

“That would be quite difficult, I’m afraid. You know what happens when an assassin disobeys orders, don’t you?”

“What happens?”

“Hoho! I’m about to show you.”

The masked woman laughed like a madwoman.

“Don’t misunderstand. I bear no personal malice, truly?”

“As if.”

“Before that, would you give your final report? Depending on the value of the information, I’ll grant you a special opportunity! To meet an end without pain.”

Hong Soyeon’s breathing paused for a moment. Soon, a sigh-laced voice escaped her parted lips.

“Lean in a bit, would you?”

At those words, the masked woman subtly pressed her ear to the iron bars. Hong Soyeon, with difficulty, pulled her body closer and whispered into the woman’s ear.

“Idiot.”

“What?”

“You, you got hooked.”

It was then.

“!!!”

*Whizz—!*

A fishing line, shot out from a blind spot, instantly wrapped around the woman’s neck. At that moment, a finger shot out from the darkness like lightning. Hong Soyeon deftly sealed the woman’s shoulder pressure point with a finger imbued with internal energy. Soon, forcing open the woman’s jaw, she rummaged inside her mouth…

*Thud—*

A poison pill dropped to the floor.