Episode 6
The Shrine Goddess
Riiing.
A loud bell echoed through the store.
It was coming from an antique-looking desk phone tucked into a corner of the shop.
“Hello, this is Bokbok Interior.”
Lifting the cylindrical receiver that looked like something out of World War II, Jang Chaewon spoke into the horn-shaped mouthpiece.
“Oh, yes. Right now?”
Her eyes widened slightly, then she nodded.
“Yes, of course. I’m at the store, so you can stop by anytime.”
Then, very carefully, she placed the receiver back down.
A few moments later—
The soft jingle of a wind chime sounded as a young woman slowly stepped into the shop.
Dressed in a light, flowing dress, the woman exuded an elegant aura. Her eyes were long and luminous.
Upon seeing her face, Jang Chaewon bowed deeply, wearing a respectful expression she’d never shown before.
“Welcome, Elder.”
The woman smiled faintly.
“It’s been a while.”
Chaewon returned a bright smile, about to respond—when Cheonma, who had been heading toward the storage room, suddenly poked his head out.
“Elder? So she’s not human?”
“Can you be quiet for once?”
Chaewon glared sharply, but Cheonma only shook his head.
“I truly cannot tell. Based on appearance alone, it’s impossible to distinguish whether one is human or a demon—”
Before he could finish, Chaewon’s eyes blazed like lightning as she stepped up to his face.
“Stop spouting nonsense and go clean the storage room.”
Her icy whisper made him close his mouth.
In the world of the Murim (Martial Realm), he had been the strongest of all.
But here—things were different.
Chaewon was formidable in her own right, but beyond her, this world was full of gods.
The title Greatest Under Heaven meant nothing here; Cheonma was, at best, an ordinary man in this world.
“Very well.”
Letting out a low sigh, he slumped his shoulders and walked into the storage room.
“My apologies. He’s a new worker… not quite settled in yet.”
When Chaewon bowed, the woman let out a soft laugh.
“Oh my, an outsider from another world, I see.”
“Oh, you’re aware of that?”
“There isn’t a single human in this world who’s trained the body to that degree. Not an easy feat.”
“But he’s clumsy. All strength and no sense.”
The woman turned toward the storage room where Cheonma had disappeared, studying him with interest.
“Are you planning to use that outsider as an employee?”
“No, not really. I just don’t have anyone else to help right now, so I’m giving him some odd jobs.”
“No workers?”
Chaewon bowed her head, embarrassed.
“He broke the spirit vessel we had at home.”
“Heh. If it’s him, he might be able to replace that vessel.”
“Pardon? Him?”
A faint smile crossed the woman’s lips.
“He has the body of a vajra warrior and carries tremendous power within. He could handle divine work just fine.”
“But he’s got no sense, and he’s still adjusting to this world and society. I can’t possibly entrust him with a god’s task.”
“Not at all. With proper guidance, he could become a better servant than a spirit vessel. After all, he doesn’t belong anywhere—he’s a free human.”
“It’s not that I haven’t considered it…”
Chaewon’s face clouded.
“To be honest, I think something’s a bit off with him.”
“…”
“He calls himself Bonjwa (the Supreme One). And whenever he sees something large and solid, he just… destroys it.”
“He breaks anything big and hard?”
The woman tilted her head—then smiled mysteriously.
“Then that’s perfect. Bring that outsider to me for this task.”
Meanwhile, inside the storage room, Cheonma sat crouched, his eyes filled with frustration.
“My recovery… isn’t progressing at all.”
No matter how much he tried to circulate his internal energy, not a drop of qi gathered.
“In such a case, the only method would be external energy transference…”
If he couldn’t gather inner strength, he’d have to receive it from another.
But here, outside the Murim world—how could he possibly find anyone capable of transferring six hundred years of cultivated energy?
“Damn it.”
He couldn’t bear the weakness welling inside him.
He, who had conquered the demonic path and rewritten fate itself, would never accept helplessness.
Words like despair or powerlessness did not belong to him.
“What are you doing?”
A small voice came from behind—Chaewon again.
“I was thinking. What is it?”
“Ahem, about earlier. Sorry for snapping.”
Her voice carried a touch of empathy, which made his brow twitch.
“No need to apologize.”
“Huh?”
“It’s meaningless for the strong to concern themselves with the weak.”
He acknowledged that Chaewon was stronger than he was right now.
But it wasn’t surrender—it was merely temporary restraint, until he could surpass her and place her beneath his feet once more.
Of course, until then, I’ll have to play the weakling.
Cheonma neither underestimated nor overestimated himself.
He was always calm, always aware of his limits, and always striving to surpass them.
This humiliation would only be fleeting.
“Maybe that’s how it works in your world,” Chaewon said quietly, “but not here. You’re in South Korea now.”
“Understood.”
“And while you’re here, don’t go around talking about ‘demons’ so easily. Most humans here don’t even realize they live among mixed-blood yokai.”
Cheonma’s eyes flashed with confusion.
“They must not know?”
“It’s not that they mustn’t know… It’s that people naturally fear what’s different. History proves it.”
There was a shadow in Chaewon’s eyes as she spoke.
Feeling his curious gaze, she shook her head.
“Anyway, we just got a new commission. I’d like to assign it to you—can you handle it?”
“A divine commission? From a god?”
“That’s right. You catch on quick.”
“Didn’t you say such work would never be given to me?”
“I did. But this time, you were requested.”
Chaewon sighed, shoulders drooping.
“The goddess who came earlier asked for you specifically.”
“I see.”
Cheonma crossed his arms, a proud smile forming.
“As expected. Even the gods recognize my greatness.”
“R-right.”
Chaewon wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead, forcing a smile.
“Normally, divine commissions involve collecting materials from dungeons, but this time, there’s already a spirit-made tool prepared, so you can go straight there.”
“A tool?”
She pointed toward a massive sledgehammer leaning by the storage room door.
Its handle looked like it was made from fused bones, and its head glowed faintly orange—it was anything but ordinary.
“You’ll need it for demolition.”
Chaewon grinned.
“You said you’re good at handling things, right? Practice with that tonight. You’ll use it tomorrow.”
The next day.
As Cheonma squeezed himself into the passenger seat, Chaewon said softly,
“I’ll say it again: rule number one—be polite. Rule number two—be polite. No more of that ‘Bonjwa this, Bonjwa that,’ got it?”
“I refuse.”
“Why?”
Pointing confidently at his own face, he replied,
“Because I am the Heavenly Demon.”
“She’s a goddess, for crying out loud! A god!”
Chaewon shot him a sharp glare.
“And if you want to keep this job, whether it’s a god, yokai, human, child, or elder—be polite to the client.”
“Hmm.”
“All you need to do is clear out a few items. Just do as you’re told—respectfully.”
Cheonma looked uneasy.
Even if he had agreed to the job, he didn’t like doing menial labor.
“If I return the Magic Steel Sword to you afterward, can we skip this?”
“What are you saying?”
“I must restore my severed meridians and recover my lost inner power as soon as possible. I have no time for trivial work.”
“Oh? Already trying to break your promise?”
Chaewon chuckled dryly.
“Who was it that boasted, ‘I never speak falsely. I always keep my word!’?”
Irritated, Cheonma scowled.
“Fine. I’ll uphold my promise.”
“And polite speech?”
He shook his head firmly.
“That wasn’t part of the agreement.”
“Don’t you have any sense of respect? She’s not just older—she’s a goddess, you know!”
“I—”
Before he could finish, Chaewon’s eyes flared with blue fire.
“If you keep interrupting me like that, we’ll lose our license, and our shop will be banished. If that happens… hehe…”
Her eyes rolled back as she gave a chilling, deranged grin.
A shiver ran down Cheonma’s spine.
He remembered the great meteor shower that once nearly wiped him out.
Gulp.
He didn’t want to die—not yet.
He still wanted power.
For now, the only choice was to obey.
“Fine. Since she’s not human, I’ll use polite speech.”
“Good. This is my first time sending a human instead of a spirit for a divine commission, you know. It’s a risk for me too.”
Crunch.
The tires rolled over gravel and came to a stop on the side of a rural road.
Stepping out, Cheonma looked around, puzzled.
“What’s here?”
“Up there.”
Chaewon pointed toward a mountain covered in thick forest.
“A mountain? You want me to go there?”
“Yes.”
“And once I climb it?”
“You’ll see.”
With those cryptic words, she turned and headed back to the car.
“Where are you going?”
“Come back down when you’re done. I’ll be waiting.”
“You’re not coming with me?”
Her voice dropped.
“I can’t go there.”
“Why not?”
“The shrine goddess isn’t feeling well…”
She stopped herself abruptly, then spoke coldly.
“It’s none of your concern.”
Her long eyes turned icy, like a frozen lake.
Cheonma simply nodded—he had no interest in others’ affairs anyway.
As he entered the forest, sunlight filtered through the branches.
Striding forward, Cheonma felt something strange—
A warm golden light seemed to follow him, as though guiding the way.
By the time he reached halfway up, a wide clearing appeared.
There stood a small, picturesque house, radiating a faint, otherworldly glow.
It looked like something drawn from a dream, detached from reality itself.
“That must be it.”
As he approached, he saw a woman sitting on the porch.
“You’ve come.”
It was the same woman who had visited the shop yesterday.
Wearing a pale blue dress, her hair and eyes shimmered with a soft azure hue.
“I come… from Bokbok Interior,” he said awkwardly.
It had been far too long since he’d spoken politely—it felt unnatural.
The Heavenly Demon, ruler of ten thousand demonic sects, hadn’t spoken formally to anyone in two centuries.
“You are the client who requested demolition, correct?”
Thankfully, the woman didn’t seem to mind and nodded gently.
“Yes. You found the place well.”
A serene smile graced her lips, her body bathed in a soft, radiant light—almost divine.
She really might be some kind of goddess, he thought.
“Was the journey here troublesome?”
Her voice was warm, almost grandmotherly.
She looks barely twenty, yet carries the presence of someone who’s lived a thousand years.
“Yes,” he replied curtly, averting his eyes.
“Ahem. So, what exactly needs to be demolished?”
Rolling up his sleeves, he followed her gaze.
“That one. Destroy it completely and clear it away.”
Her slender finger pointed toward a small wooden shrine in the yard.
It was old—so old that it looked ready to collapse in a breeze.
A goddess with an old shack like that?
He almost laughed. One kick and the thing would crumble.
“You really need a person for something like this?”
“It’s not that I want to use a person,” she said softly. “I must. I cannot destroy it myself.”
A strange answer.
Stepping closer, Cheonma inspected the shrine.
Inside stood a small stone statue and a carefully stacked stone pagoda.
“Wait… is this statue supposed to be you?”
The serene smile on the statue did indeed resemble her face.
But the woman only smiled faintly, saying nothing.
Well, I’ll just do what I was told.
He swung the sledgehammer against the shrine’s wall.
A structure that old should’ve collapsed instantly—
“…What?”
The shrine was untouched.
Some mysterious force had repelled the hammer as if bouncing it back.
“A protective energy field?”
Cheonma blinked. How could a lifeless object possess defensive qi?
“So it’s not a simple task after all.”
Taking a deep breath, he crouched low.
Instead of using the hammer, he gathered his strength for a martial strike—
The Eighth Fist of the Demon Path: Rising Dragon Against the Wind.
“Haaap!”
His fist shot upward, blasting toward the shrine wall.
Even without internal energy, his raw power lifted him nearly three meters into the air.
Thud.
Landing back on the ground, he stared in disbelief.
“Impossible.”
The decrepit shrine stood firm, untouched—
a soft, gentle force having deflected his blow once again.
This old shrine repelled my Rising Dragon strike?
He narrowed his eyes.
Was this world so mysterious that even his might was reduced to that of a child?
Then, from the porch, the woman smiled wistfully.
“It seems… some divine power still lingers here.”
She gazed up at the clear sky and murmured softly,
“Or perhaps… a bit of longing remains.”
