Kulkul

Seol-Hwi poured the drink carefully. As the well fermented drinks were being poured, the sound of the flowing alcohol resounded.

Ack Bi was holding something like a stone cut glass and savored the smell of it, and Cho Ah-ran had already gulped it down.

“Kyaak… This is a nice thing.”

Cho Ah-ran’s face brightened after drinking it. Seol-Hwi smiled too, but on the inside he felt complicated.

Shaoxing alcohol—

Depending on the situation, it was a drink which had the effect of increasing internal energy. This made his eyes tear up, and to give it away, was…

If only I can get these people to listen…

They were Supreme Demon warriors who lived in these snowy mountains. If they were here, then they probably know Cheon Miryo.

If lucky, they might help him convince her as well.

“You are a pretty interesting guy.”

After drinking a cup, Ack Bi smiled.

“Ah, thank you.”

Seol-Hwi thought it was a compliment but—

“What are you so thankful for? Is this an alcohol technique? Or something else?”

“…?”

“Wasn’t the air shaking and then the bottle appeared?”

Seol-Hwi was shocked.

Did they notice the existence of the toolbox?

No one had paid close attention to the toolbox being used.

Even if they saw it, most of them would think they were wrong, but these people sensed the subtlest things.

“Usually those abilities are more of a curse than a chance.”

At Cho Ah-ran’s words, Seol-Hwi turned to the side. Both noticed the existence of the toolbox.

“But is there more?”

“This is all.”

“Is that so?”

“Then, now…”

Cho Ah-ran got up and said,

“Do we kill?”

“…?”

Cho Ah-ran pulled out her cursed blade from her waist.

Shhhhhh

At once, a ferocious force began to rise, and the smell of stale blood hit his nose.

S-she is really trying to kill me…

Seol-Hwi was now on alert. The image of her laughing and tasting the drink until a second back had vanished, and only death was ahead.

“Now, get lost.”

Kakak… kak!

The light scent of blood—

Thung!

Blood red, the color of death was blocked by pure white ice arts.

A dozen or so towering ice walls began to block it.

“What is this? To the guest who brought us good drinks…”

It was Ack Bi who blocked it. Was it because of the alcohol? Unlike the woman, this man was protecting him.

“How far are you willing to go for this justice faction guy?”

“I am telling you he isn’t. This guy is from our sect.”

“Haa… I guess I need to fight now.”

“Sure. This will show whose martial arts are stronger.”

The fights which followed—

It looked like a life and death based one, Seol-Hwi was now sure.

I… might have to stop this…?

The Earth Demon was short on talented people. If he can bring them to the Earth Demon, they would turn into allies.

But if one died now, it would be a huge loss of power. So should he not try to take care about finding Cheon Miryo?

“I want to speak!”

Seol-Hwi shouted.

Clench

When their verbal fighting stopped, both of them looked curiously at him.

“Because I know someone who possesses strong martial arts.”

“…!”

“…”

Saaa

The atmosphere changed rapidly.

Cho Ah-ran, who had been showing a killing gaze until a while back, now had a look of curiosity on her face.

“Well, we will see it more objectively than anyone else.”

Ack Bi said with a friendly expression. And he turned around as he asked,

“Whose martial arts do you think is stronger?”

“That…”

Seol-Hwi turned his attention to Cho Ah-ran.

“You have to choose one. If you say anything other than that, I will rip your mouth out.”

Seol-Hwi felt the neck of his clench at the warning.

I am going insane.

He yelled to prevent the fight at first, but now he had no idea what to say. So at once he said what he could,

“Then, will you show me?”

“Show…?”

“What…?”

At Seol-Hwi’s words, the two looked puzzled, and then picked up two stones from the ground.

“These two stones. I will throw them to the side.”

“…?”

“Before the stone touches the wall, try smashing it with your martial arts and I will judge them.”

A stone thrown with internal energy. In a way, the words sounded like he was taunting them.

“Will the cave collapse?”

Cho Ah-ran frowned and asked again.

“Well, that is nothing! If one doesn’t have that level of precision then how can that be called skill?”

Seol-Hwi hurriedly added, and the moment Cho Ah-ran frowned—

“Right. Let us do it.”

Ack Bi agreed.

Shhhh

The killing intent which subsided for a second began to rise again.

“When it is my turn, if the stone is any faster or any slower…”

Cho Ah-ran looked at Seol-Hwi.

“My sword will come to your neck.”

It ended with words which sounded like a threat but also like consent.

Seol-Hwi was caught in a confrontation between the two absolute warriors.

Seol-Hwi changed the stone.

The first stones he had were different in size, so if he decided to go ahead, they would kill him

I managed to stop them…

But now was the tough part.

It was a fight between the two warriors, but the future was the problem now. If Cho Ah-ran won, she would kill him. But what if he tried to make Ack Bi win? It would still lead to him being killed for being unfair.

And Ack Bi isn’t even on my side.

There was a risk of dying regardless. Even so, Seol-Hwi believed in one thing.

Four Peak Demonic Martial Arts—

Seol-Hwi tried to not use them, but now the situation was forcing him to throw the stones extremely fast.

To prevent both from touching the stones, he had to think of something as such.

“Ready? Dog of the justice faction?”

At Cho Ah-ran’s words, Seol-Hwi smiled awkwardly and nodded.

I need to make sure she never hits it.

Fortunately, he has Martial Supreme Peak Wind God technique.

If it was not for that, he also had the Martial Supreme Peak Wind God. so he was confident.

The distance to the wall where the stone would be thrown was around three feet. The distance with Cho Ah-ran was far.

Even if she was amazing, would she be able to hit the stone without practice? It could not be easy.

“Here it goes.”

“Whenever possible.”

She pushed her blade down. There was no scent of blood like before, and no stimulation of demonic arts.

Chak

Seol-Hwi raised his entire body’s internal energy and his body was slowly made used to it.

Soon, he was ready.

“Haaah!”

The stone he threw with the scream flew to the wall in an instant.

Flash

The light flickered and a blood red vision spread out, and the stone disappeared in an instant before even touching the wall.

Shit!

Seol-Hwi shuddered.

This was speed beyond common sense, yet despite the speed of the technique felt so clean that he could not see a trace of it touching the wall.

It was a skill which one could never imitate even after reaching the highest limit.

“Is it my turn?”

Ack Bi appeared with his shoulders being relaxed and gestured.

“Uhm…”

Seol-Hwi, who had been carefully examining this, carefully said.

“What?”

“Hand…”

“Uh?”

As if to shoot an energy shot, Ack Bi raised his hand, but his hands were shaking.

“Ah, since I had a drink… it is fine.”

Ack Bi smiled brightly, but Seol-Hwi could not. His face was red as he began to sweat.

Ack Bi loses to Cho Ah-ran and I die.

At least in a fight that had to be done, he could think of it happening.

So

Seol-Hwi spat out another sentence in a serious tone,

“Well… please go ahead.”

“You don’t have to worry.”

Seol-Hwi raised his energy and soon threw the stone with the same force.

As soon as the stone hit the wall, it shattered and some fragments flew.

…?!

Seol-Hwi was shocked.

He wanted Ack Bi to do something nice, but nothing happened and at the time he thought he was dead.

“Tch. So nice.”

“…?”

Cho Ah-ran was frowning.

She had an expression on her face that she did not like it. Seol-Hwi moved back to the broken stone.

Tuk

“And…”

A stone which rolled on the ground. It was frozen solid and stuck to the ground. When the hell did he use it? The stone was frozen.

I couldn’t even detect it. this…

Seol-Hwi recalled the time bond technique.

Until now, whether the others were aware or not, it was this technique where the time was frozen for a second.

Although different, perhaps it was something similar?

“Enough of this trivial game.”

Cho Ah-ran dismissed it in one sentence.

“Just now you… did you use the Four Peak Demonic Martial Arts?”

This was off topic.

This, she figured it out.

Cho Ah-ran’s eye’s were raging. Thanks to the recent use of demonic arts, the prejudice that he was part of the justice faction disappeared, but a new problem came up.

Four Peak Demonic Martial Arts—

Was this not something which only the disciples of the Heavenly Demon could have?

“Right. Who are you? Are you a new disciple to the Heavenly Demon?”

Ack Bi too seemed curious. He also recognized the technique.

Well, since it came to this…

Seol-Hwi saw their reactions and thought—

Since he had already come here with a lie of being the disciple of Cheon Miryo, he tried to push this to the end.

“I am not the disciple of the Sect Leader… but of Miss Cheon Miryo.”

“What?!”

“What!”

The two were shocked, and seeing their reaction made Seol-Hwi a bit concerned.

Fortunately the two did not ask how Cheon Miryo learned the Four Peak Demonic Martial Arts.

“Actually, I came here because Master sent me. The fight between you two is known to be endless… So she sent me to see the martial arts of the two and conclude with who is stronger.”

He was playing it until the end.

The two were shocked and he continued,

“So, to me! You two will teach the martial arts. If I can compare them… wouldn’t there be a decision?”

“Us?”

“Martial arts lesson…”

The faces of the two were complicated. What would they say to him now?

This… seems to be possible for it to be real?

A story of two warriors who could not compete with each other, so they had their disciples compete for generations. It was being used here, but their reaction was more serious.

The feeling was that it would be beneficial if he learned the martial arts even if he would get caught.

“Teach and win. Not bad. It is the surest way to determine what is superior and inferior.”

“What if he isn’t good enough to learn it though? It isn’t fair!”

“Ha, are you trying to use that as an excuse? Teaching someone properly is also important. If you don’t have the confidence, give up now.”

“You! Who’s going to give up!”

Ack Bi’s words made Cho Ah-ran’s face change.

And—

“I don’t teach martial arts unless they are a disciple.”

Seol-Hwi was shocked at the glaring eyes. This was a refusal.

“Your name?”

“…Seol-Hwi.”

“Seol-Hwi. Right.”

She took a closer look at it.

“Starting today, you are a disciple of mine.”

“…?”

“Don’t want it?”

After this, he responded in fear.

“N-No!”

Seol-Hwi answered in a daze and she nodded.

The middle-aged man was dumbfounded.

“You are a disciple of mine too from today onward. There is only one disciple for Cheon Miryo, but there are several masters.”

“…Yes. Thank you”

This was the end.

With that, Seol-Hwi had two masters in an instant.

The Blood Demon Hand with the scent of blood, it was extremely rare to be able to use it even in the Demonic Sect, and a warrior who used it would have extreme techniques which were difficult to master.

And Ack Bi, a demon with deep knowledge in ice arts.

Amazing!

The secret techniques of the warrior who had gone into seclusion to train more. One who uses blood.

Their thoughts and their experiences, it was a chance for him to learn a lot of things.

“Haa…”

For the first time, his life, he felt like he was being blessed.

Of course, there was the condition that the truth could not be revealed.