Chapter 7
“If you’re curious, why don’t you try finding out by force?”
At Cheon Mujin’s provocation, the man spat out the blood pooling in his mouth.
“…Ptuh!”
“Oh, looks like your mouth is all busted. Don’t worry, you won’t have trouble eating tomorrow.”
“Even without a mouth, I can write with my hands. I’ll drag you off with just one arm left.”
“What a gruesome thing to say.”
Clicking his tongue, Cheon Mujin lightly loosened up his body.
“You really think you can pull that off? After getting beat up like that? Or did you forget where we are?”
The man’s eyes turned sour with irritation at Mujin’s continuous taunting.
“They’ve probably already set out.”
“…The horn whistle?”
“A handy little tool.”
On a battlefield crawling with beasts, you couldn’t use flashy smoke or flare-like fire projectiles to ask for help.
That’s why the Cheonma Cult used magically-enhanced horn whistles.
A specially trained member was always on standby. The moment the horn was blown, reinforcements would immediately mobilize.
“Considering who I am, even the vice commander himself will probably come.”
“…Your identity?”
“Now that I think of it, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Cheon Mujin.”
“A blood descendant of the Heavenly Demon?”
“When someone gives their name, shouldn’t you do the same?”
“No need.”
“You’ve clearly never heard of manners.”
Clicking his tongue again, Mujin watched as the man stood up.
Retreat.
He could probably kill Mujin, but if the vice commander arrived with backup, he’d likely be captured.
Now was the time to run.
But the moment the man turned to flee—
“You’re making one mistake.”
“What?!”
When did he—?
Mujin was suddenly right in front of him, smiling. Instinctively, the man swung his sword.
But it was too obvious. Reflexive. Predictable.
The blade didn’t even graze Mujin.
“Who said I’d let you go?”
Smack!
A powerful blow to the jaw sent the man’s body reeling.
A familiar beginning.
Baekwoo shuddered slightly. His body remembered what would follow more than his mind did.
“Watch and learn.”
It wasn’t clear who Mujin was talking to, but with that, his fists began to move.
He struck from blind spots with precision. Every motion was one step ahead of the enemy.
When necessary, he used elbows or legs to block the man’s counterattacks.
His balance remained flawless, never faltering. His blows weren’t overwhelmingly powerful, but consistently targeted the man’s vital points.
Vital points.
Yes.
That was the only difference between how Mujin fought Baekwoo and how he fought now.
A very small difference—but enough.
Gulp.
Baekwoo couldn’t help but swallow dryly as a cold fear trickled down his spine.
“Gah!”
Even as the man spat blood in pain, Mujin kept his fists flying.
Strike after strike.
He didn’t kill with a single blow, but the accumulation of dozens—hundreds—would eventually destroy the body.
A battle of pure endurance.
By the time Mujin’s breathing grew ragged—
“Kraaagh!”
With a scream, the man released a blast of sword energy and leapt back.
…Tch.
Mujin wanted to chase him, but realized his legs wouldn’t move. He clicked his tongue in annoyance.
As expected.
Still too much for this body.
Taking down a peak-class expert in this physical state was too difficult.
He had been building his foundation, but his body hadn’t strengthened much yet.
“Pant… pant… You damn brat… What the hell did you do…?!”
“What do you mean? I just beat you up. I didn’t hit your head that much, but you’ve already lost it?”
The man, now bruised, bloodied, and looking like a beggar, clenched his teeth.
A monster… This guy’s a monster.
He wasn’t particularly fast or strong.
He just couldn’t be avoided.
That alone was enough to completely break the man’s rhythm.
Defend and counter?
For some reason, even that didn’t work.
The moment he tried to block, Mujin would instantly shift and strike somewhere else—like a ghost.
That meant Mujin had complete control over his movements.
Otherwise, there was no way he could react and adjust his attacks that precisely in an instant.
The problem was—how could someone of merely second-class skill do that?
Is this what it means to be of the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline?
As the man’s eyes trembled with disbelief, he noticed something else—Mujin’s body was subtly shaking.
“…Heh… Heheheh! So you’re paying for your indulgent lifestyle now!”
“I didn’t live indulgently. Just lazily.”
People might misunderstand if they heard that.
Mujin replied casually to the man’s laughter, then turned to those who had approached him.
“I’m the current leader of this patrol unit.”
Thinking Mujin was trying to stop them, Sochun stepped forward with a stiff voice and pointed his sword.
The enemy was a peak-level martial artist.
Though heavily injured, their chances of winning were less than 20%.
Still, there was no way they’d abandon Mujin, who had risked his life for them.
Baekwoo also moved to the other side, flanking the enemy.
Despite their killing intent, the man twisted his lips into a sneer.
All it took was seeing him get beaten, and these insects now dared bare their fangs.
He was seething with fury.
“I’ll kill you all—and drag that bastard away alive.”
“Whew, I told you already—this isn’t necessary. I’ve said it multiple times.”
At the man’s growl, Mujin clicked his tongue.
“I’m Cheon Mujin.”
“What’s that sup—?”
“Which means, before being a member of Mupungdae, I’m a special VIP.”
Just then, a voice called from behind, and the man urgently turned around—
Crack!!
A different sound rang out—far harsher than when Mujin hit him.
Bones from his shoulder to his neck were completely crushed.
Too much pain to even scream—his eyes bulged wide open.
“Well then…”
Wiping the blood off his hand, the vice commander of Mupungdae gave a half-laugh as he looked at Mujin, who stood calmly.
…He’s really second-class?
His energy, his body—everything pointed to a second-class level.
And yet…
How the hell did he fight like that?
The vice commander, who had arrived just in time to witness the battle, silently wiped the cold sweat on his back.
“Is everyone unharmed?”
* * *
“Complete bed rest. You’ve wrung your body dry like an old rag.”
Clicking his tongue, the middle-aged physician looked over Mujin and sighed.
“Normally, you’d need a full month of rest. But with your body, maybe a week—five days if you’re lucky.”
“Thank you.”
“If you’re grateful, thank your parents for giving you such a strong body.”
“I always do.”
“Then good. I’ll handle the medicine. You just rest.”
Relieved by Mujin’s easy smile, the physician exited the tent.
Shortly after—
“Are you all right?”
“Vice commander. Well… not exactly—but I’ll be fine after some rest.”
“That’s good news.”
Nodding, Oh Jiyeon sat beside Mujin after looking him over.
“We’ve begun interrogating the captured man. He’ll talk soon enough.”
“I see.”
“So, there are a few things we need to clarify. You mentioned the Cheonyang Magaksa, right? What exactly is that? And how did you know where it was?”
Her gaze grew deep and focused.
“You’ll have to answer, Mujin.”
“Well… that’s a bit tricky.”
Despite her penetrating look, Mujin smiled.
“I’ll be honest about what I can explain. You already know our clan is known for certain talents, right? Fast recovery is one of them. I’m on the better end of that.”
“…Is that so?”
Oh Jiyeon’s heart raced at hearing the truth of the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline, once only rumored.
As she swallowed hard, Mujin slowly raised a hand.
“I lack talent in martial arts. But I had a gift in another area. It took me a while to figure it out.”
“I see. And that talent is…?”
“It’s nothing special. I’m extremely—extremely sensitive to demonic energy.”
“…Excuse me?”
“The Cheonyang Magaksa had a strange mix of demonic energy. I noticed it.”
“From a distance even first-class experts couldn’t detect?”
“Which is why I said I’m sensitive.”
“…Understood. I’ll include that in the report.”
Realizing she wouldn’t get more out of him, Oh Jiyeon moved on.
“This next question is the core of today’s inquiry.”
She had been wondering this the most.
“How on earth did you overwhelm a peak-level master?”
* * *
“What the hell was a peak-level master doing lurking around here?”
“…Kill me.”
“Whoa, easy. The man’s thinking.”
The underground interrogation room at the base camp.
A crude space dug out of earth and reinforced with wooden beams—but more than enough to interrogate one man.
“What a waste. All that training, only to end up spying on snakes in the dark. Snakes you released yourselves, no less.”
Shaking his head, the vice commander stared silently at the now-unresponsive man.
He’s nearing his limit.
Any more, and he’d die.
The man’s body was a mess—just skin and dried blood scabs all over.
Unfortunately, Mupungdae didn’t have a torture expert.
If they did, this wouldn’t have needed to get so messy.
It would be different if there were other captives, to instill fear.
Guess I’ll stop here.
It was unfortunate they hadn’t gotten any info, but they couldn’t let him die.
The cult wanted him taken alive.
Any more injuries, and even a peak expert wouldn’t survive.
“Fine. We’ll have the bigger talk back at HQ. Shame I didn’t get to hear it firsthand…”
He gave the man’s shattered shoulder a light tap, then turned to leave.
“Hmm?”
“This is Cheon Mujin.”
“The doctor explicitly said you needed bed rest.”
It’s only been three days.
“…He gave me permission to move.”
“Oh Jiyeon? You were with him—you let a patient walk all the way here?”
“I apologize.”
After Mujin, Jiyeon’s voice followed. The vice commander sighed and turned.
“Come in. But be warned—it’s not a pleasant sight.”
Cheon Mujin had been raised in the cult headquarters.
There were rumors of him drinking and chasing women, but he was mostly a recluse who read books.
Even after being assigned to Mupungdae, he’d hidden away in fear for three months.
Drinking away his denial, unwilling to face reality.
Not someone with a naturally strong heart.
Yes, he’d shown impressive talent recently—but talent for fighting and comfort with cruelty were very different things.
People avoid cruelty because of empathy—feelings.
The moment you empathize, even for a second, it’s over.
Unless someone has either become desensitized by war, or never had empathy to begin with.
The former are broken warriors, the latter—born monsters. Someone like Mujin couldn’t possibly be the latter without it getting around.
If he vomits, I’ll make Jiyeon clean it up.
The vice commander casually considered how to deal with the aftermath.
That’s when Mujin descended the stairs and met the man.
How would he react?
The vice commander watched with interest—
Shiver!
A chill ran down his spine, and he forced a laugh.
He couldn’t see Mujin’s face.
But—
…He’s terrified.
He could clearly see the prisoner’s expression—one of absolute fear as he stared at Cheon Mujin.
