Woong.
The moment Cheol Jiseon sensed a presence, a barrier formed around him.
He steadied himself, suppressing his trembling as he turned around.
The one he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
âYou must have waited for a long time.â
âNot at allâ¦â
Cheol Jiseon turned toward the voice behind him.
A handsome man with a gentle smile stood before him.
The Meteor Sword, Jang Seonyeon.
He came for Cheol Jiseon.
Cheol Jiseon remained still, silently staring at Jang Seonyeon.
From a distance, Gu Yangcheon observed the two of them.
******************
Hmmâ¦n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
I watched, but the barrier kept me from hearing anything.
I would try to listen if I could.
To hear anything, Iâd need to get closer, but using my Qi to break the barrier would alert Jang Seonyeon.
His personality may be shitty, but I canât deny his talent.
As far as I was concerned, he was worse than trash, but his talent was undeniable.
I sat beneath a tree, and observed Cheol Jiseon and Jang Seonyeon.
When Cheol Jiseon confessed earlier, he mentioned that he had to meet Jang Seonyeon afterward.
Hmmâ¦
Cheol Jiseonâs earlier expression lingered in my mind.
For some reason, he looked at me with a face full of fear.
Why though? I told him that I would let him go.
I didnât lie.
I had told him Iâd let him go, even though I planned on killing him.
So why did you get scared then?
If that wasnât the issue, maybe it was when I told him to obey Jang Seonyeonâs orders.
That was possible.
Cheol Jiseon was smart, but he probably didnât expect me to say such a thing.
Perhaps he thought I had no real intention of letting him live, and that he should take Jang Seonyeonâs side regardless.
Thatâs his problem if he took it that way though.
It wasnât something I needed to be concerned about.
Still, I hoped Cheol Jiseon would follow Jang Seonyeonâs orders.
If Cheol Jiseon really wanted to stand by my side,
There is a way I could make use of his power.
But for now, I needed more time to think.
It wasnât something I expected.
If Cheol Jiseon really was indeed the future strategist of the Murim Alliance, as I remembered from my past life, then his power was truly dangerous.
Though I didnât know if the current Cheol Jiseon had the same power he had in the future.
The important part was that it was a dangerous power.
It could definitely be useful, but I had to decide if it was worth the risk to accept his power.
What if I turn him into a Demonic Human and put a Shackle on him?
That was the first thought that crossed my mind when I considered making him my servant.
If I turned him into a Demonic Human, I could control him completely.
However,
Just⦠not yet.
I didnât want to.
I was reminded of Yeon Il-Cheon calling me a calamity.
I also didnât want to do the same thing that the Heavenly Demon did in my past life.
ââ¦â
I didnât think for long.
I shouldnât even be hesitating.
I was letting my emotions cloud my judgment when I should have been using every tool at my disposal.
However, this was the last line I was willing to cross.
The one that would either transform me into a Demonic Human once again or allow me to remain a normal martial artist.
There was no going back if I crossed it.
I knew it instinctively.
I rubbed my left arm as an ominous feeling settled in my stomach.
It was where the bandage was.
Please wake up now.
The old man appeared and helped me in a crucial moment, but he had fallen silent again, with no response when I called.
Elder Shinâs words lingered in my mind because of that.
-Trust in yourself.
To trust in myself.
It was a very difficult thing to do.
If it were easy, I wouldnât have lived the way I did in my past life.
âWhat a pointless thought.â
It was a bitter regret.
I was no different in this life.
Just focus on the future. Thatâs what matters now.
I needed to organize the information I gained back in the secret vault.
And I still needed to figure out the mystery behind the bandage on my arm.
I wasnât able to gain anything special from the secret vault, so I had to find the fastest path to reach the Fusion Realm.
Is it the White Demonic Stone, after all?
I considered the method of explosively increasing my Qi capacity to achieve the Fusion Realm.
If I could get the White Demonic Stone buried deep beneath the ocean, I could ascend to the next level.
If that wasnât an optionâ¦
Iâd need the legendary herb from Shaolin.
The herb was less potent than the White Demonic Stone, but it could still make the leap possible.
How nonsensical.
The thought left me speechless.
Where would I be able to find a legendary herb like that in the first place?
In the end, the real answer was that I needed to strengthen my mind.
When I considered the conditions to reach the Fusion Realm, I had enough Qi, and though my physique was slightly lacking, that wasnât what held me back from advancing.
This meant that my mind was the problem.
I have so many problems regarding this, so I donât know where I would even start tackling it.â
It wasnât just one or two problems plaguing me, so I didnât know where to start.
But I had to do it.
I had to begin now if I wanted to surpass the Fusion Realm and even consider aiming for higher levels.
If I relied on the White Demonic Stone to reach the Fusion Realm now, Iâd hit my limit far too quickly.
If I chose that path, no matter how many Demons I hunted, Iâd never reach the next stage.
Starting from that level, it wasnât just Qi that mattered after all.
There is no way, seriously.
There was a shortcut, but I knew I wouldnât reach my ultimate goal if I took it, so I found myself back at square one.
Thatâs why martial arts could be so frustrating.
There were no shortcuts, but I needed to reach my goal quicklyâyet there wasnât enough time.
There simply wasnât enough time for me to train properly.
After thinking for a while, I stood up.
Yes⦠thatâs the only way.
Reaching the next level through normal means while saving time.
The problem is, Iâd need that bastard to use this method.
Though the problem is that I needed that bastard if I wanted to use this method.
I thought about it while staring at Cheol Jiseon.
Originally, I wouldâve given up on this method after killing Cheol Jiseon,
But heâs more useful than I thought.
Cheol Jiseonâs willingness to side with me over Jang Seonyeon gave me reason to consider giving him a chance.
A little more.
I wasnât certain yet, though.
I still planned to observe him further⦠but my opinions of him were slowly shifting.
The Heavenly Dragon Academy was a sanctuary for me.
Once I left this place, Iâd need to kill whoever stood in my way, gather the important people, and make preparations for what lay ahead.
If I couldnât trust anyone and had to act alone, then I needed to get rid of the people who were potentially going to become my enemies in the future.
That was the simplest and fastest way.
I kept rubbing my left arm while watching, and it seemed that Cheol Jiseon and Jang Seonyeonâs conversation had come to an end.
I couldnât see Jang Seonyeonâs disgusting smile anymore since he left the scene.
Seems like there were no issues.
I only had one reason to watch Cheol Jiseon despite already knowing everything.
If something went wrong between them and Jang Seonyeon tried to harm Cheol Jiseon, Iâd have to intervene.
Jang Seonyeon wasnât the type of bastard to kill Cheol Jiseon just because his plans went wrong, but I had to come just in case.
Thankfully though, nothing seemed to have gone wrong.
Once Jang Seonyeon and Cheol Jiseon left, I stood up as well.
âHow long is left I wonder.â
In a few days, Jang Seonyeon would likely reach his limit and begin to act.
All I had to do was wait.
I felt excited since I was finally able to get rid of him soon.
I forced that excitement back down.
Tingle.
ââ¦!â
I quickly scanned my surroundings.
ââ¦What was that?â
It felt like something had just brushed past me.
I sharpened my senses, but there was no presence to detect.
âWas it just my imagination?â
I wouldâve looked harder if it was a stronger sensation, but it was faint.
Shaking off the thought, I made my way back to my room.
******************
The next day arrived.
Morning sunlight streamed through the windows.
While the other students were making their beds and preparing for the day, I remained in bed, disheveled and dumbfounded, my hair a mess from just waking up.
ââ¦Hmm?â
I wiped the drool from my face, still questioning what had just happened.
The others had stopped what they were doing, all staring in my direction, their faces frozen in shock.
Following their gaze, I saw someone kneeling on the floor, staring right at me.
Their white hands on their knees and their golden eyes staring right into my soul, wasnât something that belonged in this room at all.
âWhat did you⦠just sayâ¦?â
âI like you.â
Just as I was about to ask again, wondering if I had misheard, their elegant voice repeated the words.
The same words as before, the ones I thought I had misheard.
ââ¦Uh⦠Wha?â
I pinched my arm, wondering if I was dreaming, but the sharp pain told me otherwise.
It wasnât a dream then?
Maybe I could actually feel pain in my dreams.
That seemed more plausible than this bizarre reality.
As I stood there, unsure what to do, the lady continued to stare at me with those same, unwavering eyes.
The woman who had come to me early in the morning to say something so unexpected was none other than Wi Seol-Ah.