So? Did Someone Force You to Become the Heavenly Demon?

Chapter 36: Intoxication (2)

A world painted entirely in black and white.

In a stark corner of this monochrome world, I was waving something around.

It was bizarre to watch myself, yet I felt no sense of strangeness.

I just stood there, blankly observing what I was doing.

As I continued to watch, I finally realized what I was wielding.

A brush.

Then it dawned on me. The world wasn’t made of black and white.

I was the one painting the white world black.

“This isn’t right!!”

And then I—the one wielding the brush—screamed in frustration, blacking out what I had written before writing new characters.

‘Man… I’m such a nutcase.’

That was my first thought as I watched my other self, accompanied by an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

The scene was familiar.

After all, I had been repeating this behavior every night recently.

After realizing the onset of the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword’s side effects, I tried to find a solution.

But I couldn’t immediately think of a way to completely resolve these side effects. That’s why I chose this as my next best option.

If obsessive-compulsive disorder was inevitable, I would channel it into a specific outlet.

Essentially, I wrote in my diary every night while obsessively correcting my handwriting.

This way, other obsessive symptoms wouldn’t manifest.

The raving lunatic before me was, in essence, me—or rather, a version of me consumed by worsening side effects.

Even now, I occasionally experience OCD symptoms, but thanks to my obsessive focus on handwriting, the frequency is very low.

I had believed this condition manageable, but deep down, I dreaded becoming that uncontrolled version of myself.

As this realization dawned, the scene before me suddenly made sense.

‘Is this what they called as Qi Deviation?’

But I quickly dismissed the thought. I wasn’t meditating or circulating energy.

Drawing on my hazy memories, the last thing I remembered was going to bed.

Which meant…

‘This is just a nightmare.’

The moment I realized this was all a nightmare.

“Phew.”

The image of my frantic self vanished, replaced by darkness.

The reason for the darkness was simple. My eyes were still closed.

Flick.

I opened my eyes forcefully to shake off the unsettling nightmare, but strangely, everything remained pitch black.

Was I still dreaming? Or was today particularly dark?

As these thoughts crossed my mind, a faint moonlight filtered through the paper windows, as if the clouds had finally parted.

Within the shadows, A faint reflection within the shadows snagged my attention.

I squinted, trying to make out what that small, weak light was.

It didn’t take long to realize what it was.

Eyes.

Tiny, narrowed eyes, inches from my own, stared with unsettling intensity.

“Holy shit!”

I cursed in shock, jerking upright as if having a seizure.

As I moved, the eyes hovering near my face retreated.

Goosebumps erupted across my skin at the terrifying sight of disembodied pupils floating in the air.

“Th-this is fucked.”

I thought this forsaken cult only housed madmen, but were there ghosts too?

Then the darkness below those ghostly eyes split open, and a faint light leaked through.

It was human teeth.

“Are you alright, youngest?”

And the voice that emerged from the ghost’s mouth was quite familiar.

“Third Brother?”

It was the voice of Third Brother, Seo Wan-pyeong—the delusional assassin plagued by paranoia.

He used to visit me at night, but he’d stopped after I asked him to come during the day.

Right then, two assigned guards rushed in and called out.

“What’s wrong, Young Master?”

“Are you alright!?”

A heartbeat later, Jin Ha-yeon’s voice followed.

“Young Master!”

Only after hearing their voices did I finally gather my wits and respond in the most calm tone I could manage.

“Don’t worry. Third Brother came to visit, and we were just having a conversation.”

I answered while reminding myself that I was essentially a hostage.

If I were to call for help here, Third Brother would slice my throat faster than they could burst into the room.

But oblivious to my predicament, Kwan Mu-yeol’s voice boomed from beyond the door.

“Third Young Master, sneaking in at such a late hour shows disrespect to us!”

Why were these supposed guards provoking an assassin who had come in the dead of night?

As cold sweat ran down my back, Third Senior replied in a gloomy tone.

“I merely came because I suddenly had something to ask our youngest. I’ll be more mindful next time.”

After Third Senior’s apology, the guards and Jin Hayeon eventually withdrew.

Breaking the silence that fell between just the two of us, I cautiously asked.

“So, what brings you here at this late hour?”

‘Why the hell are you here again, you crazy bastard?’ almost slipped out of my mouth, but I managed to hold them back.

I’d already cursed in my surprise, but since it was in Korean, it would likely go unnoticed.

“Because of what happened during the day.”

“During the day?”

When I asked with a puzzled expression, Third Brother nodded in the darkness and replied.

“During the day, I felt awkward. I thought everyone was praising me. But tonight, I keep thinking, I wonder if you were all making fun of me for being so easily flustered. Were you all secretly laughing at me, thinking, ‘Is this all you are proud of?’”

“……”

They say people become more emotional at night, but it seems Third Brother became more paranoid instead.

‘Well… Progress… I guess??’

The man who had been depressed all day now was only depressed at night, so that was progress of sorts.

Come to think of it, his stealth skills seemed to have improved compared to when he first started visiting at night.

Back then, I could at least vaguely discern his shape in the moonlight.

Now, even bathed in moonlight, only, only his eyes glinted faintly. And that was only because he’d leaned inches from my face.

While I was lost in these thoughts, Third Brother brought up something out of the blue.

“More importantly, are you alright?”

“???”

“Actually, I was going to wait until you woke up since you were sleeping so soundly. But you were whimpering as if you were having a nightmare. So I was debating whether to wake you and then you woke up.”

“Ah…”

So that’s why he had his face so close. And here I thought he was contemplating how to kill me.

“Ahem. I did have a nightmare, but it’s nothing serious.”

“That’s truly a relief.”

“Yes. And don’t worry. Everyone’s congratulations earlier were genuine.”

“Hmm. If it’s coming from our youngest who is sharp enough to read even Master’s thoughts, it must be true.”

Satisfied, he nodded and turned to leave.

But just before leaving the room, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned back and asked.

“By the way, what was that word you shouted when you woke up? Si-pal? Shi-bal? It was my first time hearing it.”

“……”

Survival instincts kicked my brain into overdrive.

“Th-that was a local expression from my hometown. It’s, it’s a kind of dialect. Like ‘Oh my!’ or ‘Good gracious!’ That sort of meaning. Y-yes, that’s exactly it. Ha, hahaha.”

“Oh? An exclamation. How interesting. Ssi-bal. It rolls right off the tongue.”

Saying this, Third Senior kept muttering ssi-bal to himself like a foreigner practicing Korean for the first time.

Feeling uneasy about letting this continue, I quickly spoke up.

“Ah! Come to think of it, while Eldest Brother and the others might not be interested, why don’t you try talking with Gu Yang-mun?”

“You mean that energetic fellow we saw earlier today?”

“Yes. Didn’t he say he wanted to experience your Shadowless Fourteen Moves? Wouldn’t sparring with him give you a better idea of whether he was mocking you or being sincere? Ha. Hahaha.”

“Oh? That’s not a bad idea either.”

Nodding as if pleased, Senior opened the door and left.

‘…Sorry, Yang-mun.’

There was a chance that a maidenless young man might evolve into a virgin ghost.

* * *

The next day.

For better or worse, neither Third Senior nor Gu Yang-mun came to the Windrock Palace.

Moreover, Sixth Brother, who had visited yesterday out of mere curiosity, didn’t show up either.

Thanks to their absence, Windrock Palace was much quieter, but I couldn’t shake off an uneasy feeling.

‘Did one of them die?’

There was a ninety-nine percent chance it would be Gu Yang-mun if someone had died, but that didn’t explain why Third Brother hadn’t shown up.

‘Is he disposing of the body….’

I wanted to ponder this grim thought, but…

“Hahaha! So I told him—”

“So, that’s what happened. Hahaha.”

Eldest Brother and Hang Geon’s constant chatter prevented any serious contemplation.

The topic of their conversation was the school project they were in charge of because of me.

What puzzled me was why they felt the need to come report to me about it almost every day.

Hang Geon was understandable, he’s my subordinate after all. But I am not Eldest Brother’s superior.

The likely cause was he was trying to gain my recognition and become my liege, as he’d mentioned before, but—

‘…This feels off.’

Not only did the approach feel wrong, but I had no intention of serving Eldest Brother as my liege.

In fact, once I entered the Hall of the Demonic Way, I planned to slack off and enjoy life. I had no intention of serving anyone as my liege.

“Hahaha. That was a brilliant decision, Eldest Brother.”

Of course, there was no point in revealing such thoughts to Eldest Brother, so I just played along with some flattery.

And after Eldest Brother and Hang Geon finished their report or to be precise, boast, and left.

Once only Seon-ah, Jin Hayeon, and the guards remained, I casually asked Jin Hayeon.

“By the way, didn’t Eldest Brother also enter the Hall of the Demonic Way as the top seat?”

For someone who had an inferiority complex about his intelligence, getting the top spot made me question the academy’s standards.

It made me wonder if I really needed to study and train this hard.

“Despite the First Young Master’s inferiority complex concerning his wisdom, he wasn’t inherently lacking. He just didn’t meet the standards expected of the Supreme One’s disciple.”

So he had average intelligence at best.

“The Hall of the Demonic Way’s entrance exam involves an interview and a duel. The First Young Master barely scraped by the interview, but his martial arts prowess secured him top rank.”

I nodded in response to the explanation, concluding that it made sense.

‘The interview is one thing, but isn’t the duel basically a free pass??’

It seemed the stronger you were, the more bonus points you received.

‘Well, Eldest Brother did reach the Extremity in his early twenties and earned the title of Mad Demon for rampaging across the Central Plains like it was his own backyard.’

Now, in his early forties, he’d mastered the Raging Demon Sword Art. His martial arts talent was indisputably exceptional.

As I was investigating Eldest Brother’s potentially unfair admission.

“The Heavenly Demon arrives! Ten thousand demons bow!”

Jang Hwi’s shout came from the entrance of the Windrock Palace.

It meant Master was coming for his scheduled visit.

Seon-ah, who had been clinging to me, rose and headed for the entrance. It was time for her to leave.

“I greet the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons.”

“Hohoho. Go.”

Master and Seon-ah exchanged brief greetings. Then, he produced a small box from his sleeve.

“Here’s the Explosive Demonic Pill I promised.”

“!!!”

The legendary elixir that frequently appeared in martial arts novels.

However, instead of being overjoyed, I approached cautiously.

“Master, last time you said my skills were still lacking and it was too early for me to consume the Explosive Demonic Pill.”

“Hohoho. Haven’t you built up a solid foundation by now? Of course, your dantian is still too small to fully handle the Explosive Demonic Pill properly. But I didn’t want to keep delaying your reward, so I’ll personally guide your absorption process with True Qi Guidance.”

I prostrated myself at Master’s explanation.

“Your grace is boundless!”

“Hahahaha. Excessive formality is unnecessary. Get up. I’m not doing this solely out of affection for you. This is part of your reward for your excellent suggestions regarding the school.”

Master went on explaining his justification, but the details weren’t particularly important.

What mattered was that I was about to consume an elixir.

What was an elixir?

If you compared martial arts to modern sports, it was like doping.

Performance enhancement!

Of course, elixirs weren’t always good.

Compatibility was key. The wrong elixir for the wrong constitution could be disastrous. Hence the need for specialists who tailored dosages and ingredients to each individual.

In that sense, having Master personally assist with the medicine absorption was an incredible stroke of luck.

After all, he was the leading expert in this field.

“Take the Explosive Demonic Pill and sit in lotus position.”

I took the small pill from the medicine box Master handed me and assumed the lotus position.

‘Hehehe. Once I absorb this, my acceptance into the Hall of the Demonic Way is practically guaranteed.’

According to what I’d just heard from Jin Hayeon, the duel carried more weight than the interview. With sufficient strength, simply avoiding utter failure in the interview was enough.

“Once you swallow the pill, absolutely do not open your mouth. Also, you must not lose consciousness, and maintain focus on the energy flow I’ll guide.”

Following Master’s warnings and instructions, I swallowed the Explosive Demonic Pill I’d been holding, and Master placed his palm on my back.

As the small pill I’d swallowed began to dissolve and release an enormous energy, an equally powerful force invaded my body through Master’s palm on my back.

I focused my mind, determined not to die a pathetic death from consuming an elixir.

But a nagging feeling lingered in the back of my mind.

That I had forgotten something important.