Chapter 182: Career Path (7)

Right after that chaotic first meeting ended, Dam Bin gave Jeong Hyeon and Ju Seo-yeon a stern warning with a serious expression.

“Though you may be serving the Eighth Young Master now, you must be aware that you could one day be serving the future Lord of Ten Thousand Demons. There must be absolutely no mistake when serving the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons. You need to start practicing for that from now on."

With those words, the Hidden Guard Pavilion's four-person team began their full-scale servant training program.

"You must put your heart and soul into everything. Laundry is no different. Imagine if the Supreme One were to wear clothes you had washed improperly. How dreadful an incident would that be?”

After Dam Bin finished speaking, she turned to look at Jin Hayeon who immediately took the lead by demonstrating proper laundry techniques.

As she washed the clothes with an expressionless face, Jin Hayeon spat out a warning of her own.

"Young Master Il-mok is particularly sensitive about hygiene due to the side effects of his Demonic Art, so you must make everything extra clean."

Following that, Jeong Hyeon and Ju Seo-yeon spent time learning about simple cleaning, organizing the house, sewing, and were given time to try the tasks themselves.

Watching this scene from a distance, an odd feeling struck him.

‘It’s like some kind of bride-training class.’

From that perspective, Ju Seo-yeon and Jeong Hyeon didn't exactly seem like ideal bride material.

First, there was Ju Seo-yeon's case.

She'd start following Jin Hayeon's demonstration, but her attention would then wander almost immediately.

She'd be washing Il-mok's clothes when suddenly she'd turn to look at Jin Hayeon with a dopey grin on her face.

Riiip.

Thanks to that, she'd lose control of her strength and tear Il-mok's clothes.

Or while sewing, she'd turn to stare at Jin Hayeon and—

Prick.

She'd stab her own finger, drawing blood.

If it weren't for her having saved Il-mok's life, he probably would've kicked Ju Seo-yeon out that very day.

"Sigh."

Eventually, Jin Hayeon let out a light sigh and pulled out some healing ointment to apply to Ju Seo-yeon's finger.

Naturally, Ju Seo-yeon's lips curved into another dopey smile.

She'd come for bridal training, but she seemed more interested in the instructor than her future husband.

It was like watching a student who only went to school because of a handsome teacher.

Then there was Jeong Hyeon's case.

"Eep!"

She would recoil in shock if Dam Bin or Jin Hayeon so much as drew a little close to explain the details of a chore.

Il-mok watched this scene for a moment before losing interest and drawing his sword with a light sigh.

"Whew."

It was a sigh meant to shake off his tension.

He might have started overcoming Extremity, but that literally just meant he'd barely begun to escape it.

Another self was still coiled up deep in his mind, constantly looking for a chance to take over his body.

Even so, the reason Il-mok willingly drew his sword was simple.

Things were different now compared to the past.

Instead of side effects getting worse as his skills improved, now he could be freed from his mental illness as he gained more insights.

The only risk was that he could still get totally taken over by that crazy son of a bitch while he was practicing to get better.

—Show me!

—That single sword strike from that day!

'Shut the fuck up.'

Il-mok cursed at the other ego in his mind and began his sword practice.

He was just a greenhorn who'd barely graduated from the Hall of the Demonic Way. At eighteen, he was too young to even be called a rising star of the new generation.

And yet, his sword dance held the seasoned skill of a veteran of a hundred battles with countless insights melted into his every move.

***

While Il-mok could afford to disregard the attendants' training, Dam Bin, as their supervisor, had no such luxury.

Realizing that the two new recruits they'd accepted based on their merit of saving Il-mok were in absolutely terrible condition, Dam Bin let out a light sigh and turned her head to the side.

There, a guest who'd arrived at some unknown time was sitting there.

A young lady boasting red nails, red hair, and red eyes was somehow doing needlework alongside Jeong Hyeon.

And doing it perfectly, at that.

The sight of a young lady who was not only a direct descendant of the Hyeokryeon Family but also the current Family Head's only granddaughter doing needlework was strange in many ways.

"It seems Lady Hyeokryeon has experience with needlework."

Seon-ah, who'd been absorbed in her sewing, looked up with a serene smile.

"I've been preparing in advance."

As she answered, Seon-ah's gaze had already turned toward Il-mok who was swinging his sword.

She'd come to Windrock Palace, but since Il-mok was focused on training, she was spending time with the others for now.

Hyeokryeon Seon-ah's stare made Dam Bin recall some information.

'If I’m not wrong, the Eighth Young Master was supposedly close with that young lady before entering the Hall of the Demonic Way.'

She wondered if the young lady might join the Hidden Guard Pavilion after she graduated from the Hall of the Demonic Way.

Her goal would be serving the Eighth Young Master rather than the Heavenly Demon, so it would be for rather disloyal reasons, but Dam Bin decided to ignore it for now.

Either way, having a talented subordinate join was a good thing.

"Needlework helps calm the mind."

"Eep!"

The sight of Hyeokryeon Seon-ah teaching the three-year-old Jeong Hyeon needlework brought a strange expression to Dam Bin’s face.

She turned her gaze elsewhere, toward where Ju Seo-yeon and Jin Hayeon had been doing needlework.

There, for some reason she could not fathom, another man had somehow mixed into their group.

Ouyang Mun was doing needlework with a perfection that made Ju Seo-yeon look incompetent by comparison.

Though he was from the Ouyang Family, his time as a combat unit member had naturally made him skilled at sewing.

Especially since he was naturally gifted with his hands, he had quite the talent for needlework and other household tasks.

After doing such excellent needlework for a while...

Ouyang Mun began looking around before suddenly pricking his own finger with the needle.

"Ugh."

Then, in a manner very unbefitting of a Demonic Cult warrior, he let out a groan that was way too dramatic for such a small wound and looked at Jin Hayeon with puppy eyes.

It was as if he were asking her to apply the wound salve for him, just as she had for Ju Seo-yeon.

"Tsk."

Jin Hayeon clicked her tongue while looking at Ouyang Mun like he was some kind of bug, then threw the entire bottle of healing ointment at him.

Captivated by Jin Hayeon’s mannerisms, Ju Seo-yeon dropped the clothes she'd been sewing onto the floor and dirtied them in the process.

After confirming all of this, a deep sigh escaped Dam Bin's lips.

'I'm really not sure if bringing those two into the Hidden Guard Pavilion was the right decision.'

The fact that they were being outshone by Hyeokryeon Seon-ah and Ouyang Mun of all people was giving her a throbbing headache.

***

Il-mok was too busy training and fighting his other ego to notice all the dramas at Windrock Palace.

He moved his sword in a state of trance for quite a while until his reserves of internal energy were exhausted. With a deep exhale, he sat cross-legged and started meditation.

His time in the Meditation Club had evidently served him well; he sank into a profound state of inner awareness almost immediately and operated his cultivation art to replenish his depleted dantian.

What greeted him when he opened his eyes was six figures who had somehow taken protective stances around him.

'When did Seon-ah get here?'

While Il-mok was wondering about discovering Hyeokryeon Seon-ah so late...

"Big brother!"

Hyeokryeon Seon-ah called out with a radiant smile.

"Will you spare with me?"

Her way of speaking was completely different from before he entered the Hall of the Demonic Way. She seemed to want to emphasize that she was no longer a child, but to Il-mok, she just looked like a kid trying to act grown-up, which he found nothing but cute.

Seeing his cute little sister like this, Il-mok smiled lightly and answered.

"I am curious to see how much you've improved in these two years."

Since he needed to move toward Transcendence anyway, Il-mok had no reason to avoid the spar.

As soon as Il-mok gave his permission, Seon-ah took her combat stance, and those who'd been standing guard stepped far back.

Il-mok just stood there looking relaxed, his sword down, and spoke leisurely. "Come at me."

Hyeokryeon Seon-ah felt a strange sensation.

His posture looked full of openings, but for some reason, her instincts were warning her of danger.

After hesitating for a moment, Seon-ah finally charged in boldly with a battle cry.

"Hyaa!"

She knew that nothing would change by simply remaining in a standoff.

Using her lightness skill to close the distance instantly, Hyeokryeon Seon-ah thrust her qi-coated left hand like a dagger.

'Hmm. She's grown quite a bit compared to two years ago.'

Il-mok thought casually as he dodged the attack as if he were evaluating her performance.

It wasn't just her martial arts. Having gone through puberty over the past two years, her height and limbs had grown longer and expanded her reach.

It was like watching a kid who used to toddle around now taking long strides as she ran.

After dodging Hyeokryeon Seon-ah's Blood Fox Crimson Claw Art with footwork or lightly deflecting it with his sword several times...

Clang.

He trapped her in his rhythm and his sword stopped right in front of her throat.

“You’ve changed so much I almost can’t recognize you. You're at a level where you could take the top seat if you entered the Hall of the Demonic Way right now."

It wasn't an exaggeration. Seon-ah's current level was similar to that of Dokgo Pae or Cheon Su-ryong when they first entered the Hall of the Demonic Way.

Hyeokryeon Seol-ah smiled brightly at Il-mok’s praise. She didn't seem to care at all that she had been defeated so effortlessly.

"Will you spar with me just once more? I feel like I might grasp something. Big brother."

Seon-ah, who wanted to play with Il-mok more, used the excuse of gaining insights, but Il-mok wasn't fooled.

“There is wisdom in the saying, ‘too much is no better than too little.’ Do not let impatience guide you, especially not with Demonic Arts. That impatience tends to bring disaster."

Coming from one who had intimately known the torment of such side effects, it was profoundly valuable counsel.

—More! Swing it more!

Because right at that moment, a psycho was having a meltdown in his head.

***

The next day, the Hidden Guard Pavilion's four-person team and Hyeokryeon Seon-ah came to Windrock Palace as usual.

To be precise, the Hidden Guard Pavilion's four-person team had started living at Windrock Palace while Hyeokryeon Seon-ah was visiting as a guest.

And in the afternoon, that pitiful fellow Ouyang Mun came with his sworn brother, who was basically a paranoid patient.

"Youngest, congratulations on graduating from the Hall of the Demonic Way."

"I greet the Eighth Young Master!"

Hiding his inner thoughts of Ouyang Mun, Il-mok bowed to Seo Wan-pyeong while Ouyang Mun did the same.

"I greet Third Brother."

"I wanted to visit from the day of my little brother's graduation ceremony, but I had a mission and could only come now."

"Just coming to visit is more than enough. Third Brother."

"Haha. Of course, I had to come now that my little brother has graduated from the Hall. Besides, I am also here because our Master has given an order.”

"What did Master say?"

Seo Wan-pyeong replied to Il-mok’s question.

“He said that five days from now, you are to head for Gulang County in Gansu Province.”

At his Third Brother's message, Il-mok struggled to manage his expression.

'Finally!!'

Il-mok tried really hard not to smile lest they get the wrong idea.

Seeing Il-mok's serious expression, Seo Wan-pyeong spoke with a proud look.

"That's my little brother, alright. To think you would take on a solo mission the moment you graduate from the Hall of the Demonic Way. And to the Central Plains, no less.”

“Hahaha! One could talk about Young Master Il-mok’s excellence until one’s mouth hurt, and it still wouldn’t be enough, brother!”

Prompted by Ouyang Mun’s cheer, Seo Wan-pyeong suddenly said something out of the blue.

"Oh, that reminded me, I heard the rumors, little brother. Hahaha. Never thought you were already thinking about getting married.”

A storm raged in the eyes of all the women in Windrock Palace.