HSA 13

“What?”

Then, Mae-yeong visibly panicked and looked around before quickening his pace.

“Don’t mention that group if you can help it.”

“The Demonic Cult? Why?”

“Because people don’t like them.”

“Oh….”

Jin Geum-ryeon rummaged through his memories. Even in that situation back then, the word ‘Demonic Cult’ had clearly been on the adults’ lips.

“People don’t like them?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

They had already reached the entrance of the village. A little further on, Son of Heaven Mountain, where they were staying, was spread out. Mae-yeong pondered for a moment, trying to explain it in a way that the child could understand.

“It’s probably because they’re a group that constantly commits bad deeds.”

“Bad deeds?”

Jin Geum-ryeon kept asking questions. Mae-yeong was annoyed by the child’s questions, but he was used to it now, so he replied patiently.

“Yes. They’re people who don’t care about the means if it’s for the sake of improving their Martial Arts. Sometimes they engage in human trafficking, and they don’t hesitate to commit kidnapping and murder.”

Jin Geum-ryeon felt strangely eerie. It had been a long time since the sun had set, so the mountain they were about to climb was also very dark, which made the atmosphere even more eerie. But since Mae-yeong said so, Jin Geum-ryeon had another question.

“Then aren’t there any good people among them? Not even one?”

“Well…. Some of them might exist. But why are you asking that?”

“Just curious.”

Jin Geum-ryeon felt a little relieved at Mae-yeong’s answer. No matter how he thought about it, the person called ‘Ahn…’ something seemed to be a member of the Demonic Cult. But he hadn’t killed Jin Geum-ryeon, and instead, he had brought him to Mae-yeong, hadn’t he?

That’s why it was even stranger.

‘That person might not be a member of the Demonic Cult.’

Thinking that way, the child climbed the mountain with Mae-yeong.

Time flows like water. The only difference is that water can be blocked and contained, but time cannot.

That was an absolute law that even Ak Mujin, who had created this world, could not defy. He had been maintaining his position as Vice-Leader well, somehow mingling with them and living within the Demonic Cult.

Still, life with the Demonic Cult members wasn’t all that bad. They also had parents and siblings, and even though they were set to be cold and cruel, they took care of each other within a group, so he had become attached to some of his subordinates.

Of course, he wasn’t on very good terms with First Young Master Kang Mu-hwi, but the fact that he was still alive meant that Ak Mujin was doing well.

The years he had lived like this amounted to a whopping 15 years.

15 years? Isn’t that crazy? 15 years is half of the 28 years that Ahn Do-hyun lived in South Korea.

In fact, Do-hyun had some expectations at first. Wouldn’t he be able to return home if he lived for a while? Wasn’t all of this just a dream? Wouldn’t whatever force that had dragged Do-hyun into this world see how painfully Mujin was living and think to cut it off appropriately?

But such a thing was just Ahn Do-hyun’s wishful thinking. He had truly come to live as a member of the Demonic Cult.

Living as Ak Mujin for 15 years, he now naturally had the attitude ingrained in him without having to try to pretend to be Ak Mujin. At first, Ahn Do-hyun was worried that he would lose his identity, but now he didn’t even worry about that.

At this point, having completely permeated the Demonic Cult like this, the approaching ‘day’ made Ahn Do-hyun feel quite complicated.

What is this ‘day’? It is the day ‘Ak Mujin dies at the hands of Jin Geum-ryeon’.

Ak Mujin, who had become too familiar with this world, began to wonder if he could readjust to modern times if he returned to the real world.

Of course, even rolling in shit would be better than the Demonic Cult – not that he really meant it – he had tried to get used to it for 15 years, but he just couldn’t enjoy the murder that they gleefully committed.

In any case, as ‘that day’ approached, Ahn Do-hyun spent more time wandering outside than usual, feeling restless.

Honestly, isn’t everyone afraid of dying? Now that he thought about it, it was uncertain whether he would be able to return to the real world even if he died at the hands of Jin Geum-ryeon.

Therefore, the apprehension was growing much larger than the anticipation he had felt when he first possessed this body.

“…Leader. Vice-Leader?”

Ak Mujin, who had been thinking for a long time, suddenly came to his senses at the sound of someone calling him. The one who was calling Ak Mujin so desperately was none other than Seo-mok.

“What’s going on?”

“There’s a formation inside the forest.”

Seo-mok seemed to think that Ak Mujin wasn’t focusing on this matter, but she couldn’t ask and reported what a subordinate had just witnessed.

Ak Mujin stared silently at the other side of the bushes that the subordinate was pointing to.

As mentioned earlier, Ak Mujin took on various missions and wandered outside whenever he became anxious.

This time as well, he had heard the news that a Cult Traitor had been discovered in the Central Plains and had been able to ask the Cult Leader to come out himself to resolve the matter. The total number of people was five, including Ak Mujin, and he had brought only the elite.

Honestly, he wasn’t interested in punishing the Cult Traitor and just wanted to look around some famous places since he had come out of Heavenly Mountain. He wanted to make good use of the time he had left to live since he didn’t have much time left until the day he died.

Actually, Ak Mujin vaguely thought that if he died at the hands of Jin Geum-ryeon, he might be able to return to his original world, but that was just his guess and not a definite fact. Therefore, as the future, in which nothing was guaranteed, approached, he felt restless and wanted to find a place that would make his heart comfortable.

But anyway, that would only be possible after all of this was over.

This Cult Traitor had stolen <Manbi Seollok>, one of the Demonic Cult’s most difficult-to-obtain secret manuals, so they had to catch him quickly to prevent the loss of the manual.

This <Manbi Seollok> was a trophy that the Demonic Cult’s previous Cult Leader had infiltrated the Martial Alliance to steal, so its symbolism within the Demonic Cult was quite significant. That’s why the Vice-Leader himself was directly involved in the mission to track down a mere Cult Traitor.

They chased the Cult Traitor and arrived in Shaanxi Province before they knew it.

“The Cult Traitor Cheon Dan-ho might be there. It doesn’t matter whether Cheon Dan-ho is alive or dead, but we must find out where the secret manual is.”

“Yes, Vice-Leader!”

They hurried, moving quickly with the subordinate who had discovered the Severing Formation leading the way.

“……!”

The Severing Formation that the subordinate had discovered was unexpectedly simple. Moreover, Cheon Dan-ho, whom they found inside, was injured and unable to move properly, so Ak Mujin was somewhat puzzled. He was extremely nervous, wondering if all of this was a trap, and gestured to his subordinate to subdue Cheon Dan-ho and tie him up securely.

“It seems someone beat us to it. Who is it?”

“Keuk….”

Cheon Dan-ho couldn’t answer Ak Mujin properly, as if his wound was painful. Ak Mujin hadn’t even drawn his sword since entering, but he felt like he was committing a sin.

“Even, cough, even if it’s the Vice-Leader… that guy is not someone he can handle….”

No sooner had Cheon Dan-ho finished speaking than he coughed and spat out a mouthful of blood. Ak Mujin tilted his head. Could there be anyone with Martial Arts surpassing him at this point, one year before Jin Geum-ryeon made his debut in the Jianghu? He was already the Vice-Leader, not just the Second Young Master of the Demonic Cult. When he became the Vice-Leader 15 years ago, there were few who could easily defeat Ak Mujin.

But still, there could be stories hidden in this 15-year gap that even the author, Ahn Do-hyun, didn’t know. Even within the Demonic Cult, he was often assigned important missions, so he couldn’t say that there were absolutely no side stories he didn’t know about.

Therefore, he began to think of the masters he had personally set up in his mind.

‘Is it Lee Jae-gang of the Kunlun Sect? Or Je-gal In-hwa of the Je-gal Clan?’

The Kunlun Sect was close to Heavenly Mountain, where the Demonic Cult was located, and had often clashed with the Demonic Cult since ancient times. So, Lee Jae-gang of the Taecheong Sword might have chased Cheon Dan-ho to the Central Plains, or he might have found him in the Central Plains and tried to execute him. Or maybe it was Je-gal In-hwa, a master of the Iron Blood Swordplay who would later become Jin Geum-ryeon’s woman?

However, both of them were formidable masters. If they had fought an extra like Cheon Dan-ho, they would never have left him alive.

Ak Mujin thought that far, then shook his head, thinking it wasn’t that important, and stood in front of Cheon Dan-ho, who was kneeling.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m just grateful to that person for making it easy for me to find you.”

Cheon Dan-ho gave a hollow laugh at Ak Mujin’s words.

“So, where is the <Manbi Seollok>? I’m busy with official duties, so I hope you don’t waste too much time.”

Ak Mujin wanted to quickly retrieve the secret manual and enjoy the serene beauty of Dongting Lake. However, Cheon Dan-ho didn’t answer at all, as if he was thinking about something. Then, Seo-mok suddenly stepped forward and pointed a knife at Cheon Dan-ho’s neck.

“Speak quickly!”

“Cough, cough…. I don’t… have it now.”

Ak Mujin sighed inwardly. He knew it would be like this. If someone had already robbed Cheon Dan-ho, they wouldn’t have left the secret manual he had.