༺ First Chapter – Childhood (5) ༻
The next morning in the courtyard of the straw-thatched house.
With his arms crossed, Ma Il-seok said to Mok Riwon.
“I won’t apologize. I still believe that was the best means to make you aware of your nature.”
His tone remained stern, but there was a new sense of warmth within.
The reason was simple, he had overheard their conversation the other night.
Ma Il-seok cared about the greater good and valued righteousness and humanity. As one who cherished such ideals, hearing the child cry that he knew his very nature was wrong, he could not treat him cruelly.
“But promise me this. If you do not forget your goal to become a hero, I swear on my name that I will do everything I can to help.”
Naturally, not everything made sense to Mok Riwon, so all he could do was smile back and answer.
Now that he was facing his dream straight on, the child could smile even in the face of adversity.
“Yes! Please take good care of me!”
Mok Seon-oh’s face lit up with satisfaction as he observed the two of them.
‘Well done.’
He was filled with joy to see that the relationship he had feared might go astray had instead evolved into the dream he had always envisioned.
His sworn brother was by his side, his disciple was present, and he himself was here.
Mok Seon-oh held onto his conviction that the child would grow up to become a hero without fail.
“Now, Won, the time has come.”
“What?”
“Master’s reluctance to teach you his internal cultivation technique must have upset you, no?”
Mok Riwon’s eyes widened, and his mouth dropped slightly open.
Mok Seon-oh continued.
“In truth, I was unable to continue with your training because of some concerns. They were matters related to your nature, Won.”
Shiver–
The boy shuddered.
Mok Seon-oh held down his shoulders, adopting a delicate tone.
“It is a story about your constitution, will you listen?”
His otherwise cheerful face was mixed with concern and tension.
Mok Riwon could tell from his master’s expression that the story he was about to tell would not be a pleasant one.
“Yes…!”
And so he listened intently, with the same tension as his master.
The Supreme Demonic Body.
A constitution solely for mastering demonic arts, possessed by the most vile demonic practitioners in martial arts history.
Mok Riwon was shocked to learn this was the constitution of his own body.
Fortunately, there was a bright side to all of this.
Mok Riwon was no longer a child who would be brought to his knees, or despair that his innate gifts were evil.
“Master.”
“Speak.”
“…Even so, I can still become a hero, right?”
Mok Riwon asked.
Upon hearing those words, Mok Seon-oh was suddenly overcome with gratitude.
The fact that the child did not fall into despair and faced it head-on filled him with immense pride.
“You have my guarantee.”
“Then that’s enough!”
Mok Riwon beamed brightly.
Watching him, Ma Il-seok wrinkled his nose and then stepped forward while saying.
“The Supreme Demonic Body is a constitution meant for demonic arts, but that does not mean you cannot learn the internal cultivation of the Orthodox Faction.”
The boy’s gaze shifted to Ma Il-seok.
Holding his head high, Ma Il-seok looked directly at Mok Riwon and continued speaking.
“Matters like your reversed meridians, or your internal cultivation going out of control and clouding your judgment can be overcome with your own will. You only need to focus on one thing!”
Uncrossing his arms, Ma Il-seok clenched his fist tightly and slammed it against his chest.
“To conquer that part of you and master that innate nature as your own, so that you can live up to the name Brother gave you.”
Mok Riwon.
Taking the Mok from Mok Seon-oh’s surname.
Ri as in Control, and Won as in Origin.
It was a wish that the child would take control of the origin within him and alter his fate.
Mok Riwon understood that very well.
As he looked at Mok Seon-oh, the old man smiled and nodded.
“…Yes, I’ll do my best.”
Mok Riwon once again steeled himself.
The training proved grueling.
With Mok Seon-oh no longer guiding him and relying solely on his own efforts to circulate his inner qi, underlying issues emerged.
Mok Riwon’s body was inherently suited for demonic arts, and he possessed the Heaven-Slaying Star, which was imbued with killing intent.
These factors, combined with his cultivation technique, resulted in a savage qi that threatened to devour his very own flesh.
It was impossible for him to circulate through the microcosmic orbit. The mere act of drawing forth his inner qi from his dantian inflicted such excruciating pain that it felt as if his entire body would tear apart.
His heart pounded, accompanied by a splitting headache.
All Mok Riwon could do was grit his teeth and endure until his inner qi submitted to his control.
“Won, you can do it,” Mok Seon-oh said, encouraging him.
“Stay strong. If you truly long to be a hero, you cannot fall here,” Ma Il-seok said, giving him a little push.
And so that went on for about two weeks.
The day finally came when internal cultivation was no longer painful.
It was the day he succeeded in circulating his microcosmic orbit through his strength alone.
For the first time in his life, Mok Riwon saw tears in Mok Seon-oh’s eyes.
“Well done…”
Mok Seon-oh embraced him.
Mok Riwon had a blank expression on his face.
Neither his master’s tears nor the searing emotion in his trembling voice seemed quite real.
After a brief hesitation, the gravity of his accomplishment dawned on him. Mirroring his master, he too began weeping as they held one another tight.
“I did it…!”
There was a certain warmth in the scene of the master and disciple locked in an embrace.
Ma Il-seok’s lips curled up as he approached them with a light cough.
“Excellent work.”
Mok Riwon trembled.
This was the first time Ma Il-seok had directly praised him.
Looking up, Mok Riwon saw the man beaming awkwardly before him.
“Such a feat worthy of praise deserves a fitting reward.”
Ma Il-seok brought out a book from his robe and handed it to Mok Riwon.
The boy’s eyes flew wide open.
‘Tales of the Martial Heroes…’
It was a book he knew well.
Or rather, precisely the one he heard about.
The very book Mok Seon-oh had promised to show him the first night he confronted his own mania.
“Congratulations. You’re a second rate expert now.”
The Second Rate Realm.
A realm where one could truly be called a true martial artist.
The turning point when he could finally take a step on the path of a real hero.
As Mok Riwon became more aware of the reality of the situation, his heart pounded with excitement, and a red flush emerged on his face.
Mok Riwon kept glancing back and forth between Mok Seon-oh and Ma Il-seok, unsure how to contain the emotions blazing within.
At last, a brilliant smile spread across his face as he cried out.
“Thank you!”
『 Tell all of the Central Plains – The vilest evil has come to punish you.
A demon has crawled out from the depths of hell to drag all of you sinners into the abyss.
Sinners, covetous of another’s wealth, you shall possess nothing more.
Sinners, shatterers of another’s family, none shall remain by your side.
Sinners, desirous of another’s affection, you shall reap what you sow a hundredfold.
They say to fight poison with poison and fire with fire.
Then, so too, must evil be conquered through evil.
As your reaper, I will cleanse the evil staining the Central Plains.
Sinners of the Central Plains, tremble in fear as you behold me.
I am the man who will stand above all the evils of the world and become the demon who punishes them.
Thus, I will rightfully claim the title, Demonic Hero. 』
Thump–
In a cozy lamp-lit room, Mok Riwon closed the book with his cheeks flushed.
‘The Demonic Hero…!’
A hero who became the most feared demon to punish evildoers.
Having read through the entire story, Mok Riwon trembled with excitement.
‘So cool!’
Cool.
No other word could explain that tale, or so Mok Riwon thought.
Mok Riwon shut his eyes and imagined.
Himself standing on an open plain, fully grown up, with all sorts of dangerous sinners lined up tense before him.
When he drew his sword, the color drained from their faces.
As he stepped forth with a cool foot technique, the sinners screamed.
In front of the sinners groveling on their knees and wiping their tears, he declared.
–Tremble in fear! For I am the Demonic Hero, a demon from hell who has come to punish you all!
Shiver–
Mok Riwon’s body trembled.
Alone beneath the blankets, giggling to himself, he soon found it unbearable to remain still.
Throwing them off, he looked at the door.
‘I have to go train!’
He wanted to hurry up and become a martial arts master so he could venture into the outside world, and make a name for himself by punishing villains just like the Demonic Hero in Tales of the Martial Heroes.
Slowly and carefully, Mok Riwon snuck out from the sheets.
He cautiously slid the door open and peered out through the gap.
No one was around.
Now was his perfect chance to sneak out and train.
Slipping out from his room, Mok Riwon put on his shoes then tiptoed away from the straw-thatched house, not wanting to wake up his master.
After arriving at the stream, Mok Riwon took a deep breath and started to draw forth qi from his dantian.
In his hand was a random twig.
His fierce internal cultivation had only just progressed to the point where his qi could barely fight for control amidst the chaos raging inside him.
Mok Riwon closed his eyes and swung his imaginary sword.
Swish–
He started to clumsily mimick his master’s elegant movements from memory, and what unfolded was – the sword of a young boy who had found his path at last, dancing underneath the moonlight.
“That impatient brat.”
Not far off by the still waters, Ma Il-seok clicked his tongue.
Mok Seon-oh smiled at his attitude and said.
“Passion is a good thing, no?”
“Why must you see the world so brightly, Brother?”
“Brother, you simply see the world in a twisted manner.”
Ma Il-seok’s expression scrunched up.
With a gentle smile on his face, Mok Seon-oh gazed at Mok Riwon, saying in a low voice.
“Is it not admirable?”
“What is?”
“His refusal to give up. To keep rising against all odds.”
The boy was the only thing in Mok Seon-oh’s eyes as the corners of his mouth stretched wide open with satisfaction at the scene before him.
“One who can stand time and again like that, will surely become a true hero.”
Time flew by for Mok Riwon.
As he grew taller by the day, beside him were his two masters, a book, and a wooden sword stained with blood, sweat, and tears.
Swish–
Swish–
His sword dance beneath the moonlight still continued.
Mok Riwon had grown about a head taller than before.
He was now ten years old, never missing training underneath these moonlit nights, but suddenly, he had sensed something odd.
‘My inner qi…’
It seemed to leak out from his body.
No, more precisely, it wanted to lead him somewhere.
Pulse–
But his sword dance did not cease.
Mok Riwon recognized this bizarre phenomenon as the herald of something greater.
“Oh…”
With a faint gasp, a smile formed on his lips. His following movements were executed with newfound strength and vigor.
As happiness surged within him, the itching sensation did as well.
As he continued his sword dance happily, Mok Riwon realized.
‘This is it!’
Swish–
Finally, he had reached the realm where he could channel qi beyond his body and into his sword.
This signified that he had risen to what the martial world refers to as First Rate.
As time passed, his sword dance continued once again.
The young boy who once practiced his sword dance by the streamside, accompanied by the moonlight, had now grown into a young man with a masculine demeanor.
His features were still delicate, with fair skin and long eyelashes, giving an appearance more akin to a pretty boy than a handsome man. Yet, his height was unmistakably that of a man’s.
Swish–
The wooden sword he swung had now become a steel sword, and the once clumsy sword dance had transformed into beautiful, fluid movements.
Amidst the sword dance that had been refined by the relentless flow of time, Mok Riwon suddenly stopped and lowered his sword. His eyes which had been closed throughout were now open, gazing at the moon and stars adorning the night sky.
‘…It’s bright.’
Though the world slumbered at night, the sky remained bright. The dazzling celestial bodies that shined tenderly seemed to banish the loneliness of night.
Mok Riwon raised his sword high into the sky.
With a gentle smile, he traced star to star, and envisioned the Star God Technique.
A path connecting the constellations, himself standing under, and the stream below reflecting the night sky.
Swish–
The afterimage drawn by his sword tip gradually merged into a singular sword path, from which a second path began to rise above.
The sword of heaven, earth, and himself, weaved through the constellations and began to pulsate.
At the same time, his internal cultivation began pulsing.
Mok Riwon gently guided his unpleasant longtime friend along the path he had created.
Whoosh–
A gust of wind blew.
Mok Riwon’s movements ceased.
“It’s done.”
He laughed, stopping his sword dance and gazing at the tip of his sword.
There was something floating above his sword.
A strange wave of qi, like the dark night sky, yet emitting a chilling radiance.
It resembled his beloved master’s eyes.
Mok Riwon knew what to call this somber light.
‘Sword Intent.’
The Peak Realm.
The young man who was now eighteen years old, Mok Riwon, underneath the night sky, had come to this enlightenment during his sword dance.
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