Chapter 1198 – 1198. The Ascent To Light
I was dragged away by the martial artists and met with the instructor.
After getting an earful from the instructor, I went out to the plaza. I had stabbed him in the eye with a brush, but since I hadn’t killed him, it ended with just a lecture.
‘He just checked my level and let it slide.’
I was currently at the 9th level of Entry Stage.
Originally, I was at the 10th level of Aura Stage, but with Mireung’s help, I had placed a seal on my body using sorcery. If I tried to hide my strength halfway, I would definitely be found out, so I had sealed it completely.
‘A 9th level Entry Stage at 21 years old is top-tier talent. A talent they wouldn’t want to miss.’
That was why the instructor had only lectured me and let it go.
Any faction would value talent, and they would want to have it.
Entering the plaza, I quietly looked around. All the people lined up in the plaza were new recruits who had entered the Demonic Training Camp today. They were quietly frozen in place, observing the atmosphere.
I felt a prickling sensation on my back.
‘The instructors are watching me.’
They were watching to see if I would cause trouble. The instructors were wearing black clothes with red belts.
I had no intention of causing trouble right now. However, I had to cause trouble from time to time. The guy I was playing, Yeom Guseok, was someone who caused trouble often.
‘About 700 people, huh?’
Few.
Considering the ridiculously large population of this world, it was very few. And half of them would die before completing the Demonic Training Camp.
‘The Demonic Training Camp isn’t the only way to enter the Heavenly Demon Church.’
Those without connections, those who wanted to test themselves, and those who were aiming for success entered the Demonic Training Camp. The Demonic Training Camp had a notorious reputation, but if you could complete it, your path to success was practically guaranteed.
A middle-aged man wearing red clothes appeared. He walked confidently among the recruits and stood in front of the plaza.
His face was half-covered with a beard, and he quietly looked around. His eyes were so sharp that they reminded me of a tiger.
“Welcome. I am Bae Taekju, the head of the Demonic Training Camp. I am the chief in charge of the Demonic Training Camp.”
“……”
The plaza was silent. Bae Taekju smiled as if he liked the recruits’ silence.
“Number 1, come forward.”
Bae Taekju suddenly called out number 1. A man with a stiff expression walked forward from among the recruits.
Bae Taekju placed his hand on the top of number 1’s head.
“…Mid-Mid. Group 2.”
An instructor approached and handed number 1 a training uniform and a number tag. Number 1 followed the instructor’s instructions and moved to the place with the flag that said Group 2.
“Number 2, come forward.”
Bae Taekju called out number 2.
“Low-Mid. Group 3.”
It was a classification based on the recruits’ levels. It meant that they would teach everyone here according to their level.
It was reasonable. Everyone gathered here had different starting points, so treating them all the same would be unfair.
‘Most of them are going to Group 3.’
Group 3 was where the average people gathered. Well, the talented ones would rise to the top on their own.
“Number 88!”
Bae Taekju had already called out number 88.
I focused and looked at the man walking forward. He was a handsome man. The expressionless man was the ‘Possessed Heavenly Demon’.
‘Looking at his face, it’s definitely him. Thankfully, he got number 88 as in the original story.’
Cheon Yuun.
He was the protagonist of [I Woke Up and Became a Heavenly Demon]. I called him the Possessed Heavenly Demon.
Perhaps Cheon Yuun had judged that he had possessed a villain from the martial arts novel [Heavenly Martial God]. Even though the world’s background had slightly changed to a Xianxia setting due to the Ascent to Light, the basic story was still following the content of [Heavenly Martial God].
‘The Little Heavenly Demon, Cheon Yuun.’
He wasn’t a Heavenly Demon yet.
He was the son of the Heavenly Demon. And he was the person who would later become the Heavenly Demon.
‘This bastard isn’t as easy as Shin Jongwoo, the Heavenly Demon of this world. He’s not stupid either. He’s already built a foundation called the Ink Land Alliance.’
Why would such a thorough guy enter the Demonic Training Camp?
It was to gain talent. He had already grasped most of the talented people through the martial arts novel [Heavenly Martial God].
‘That includes Yeom Guseok, whom I killed and took his identity.’
Cheon Yuun knew about Yeom Guseok, but he didn’t know his face. He would only know Yeom Guseok from the novel.
‘He’ll see the red demon tattoo on my back and be sure that I’m Yeom Guseok.’
Things were progressing as I had planned.
“…Top-Tier. Group 1.”
Bae Taekju said, looking at Cheon Yuun. As the head of the Demonic Training Camp, he knew Cheon Yuun’s identity in advance.
‘He knows that Cheon Yuun is trying to prove his worth in the Demonic Training Camp.’
I quietly looked around.
There were quite a few people with striking appearances. Guys who looked like they were from prestigious families at first glance. They were actually the children of the Heavenly Demon Church’s executives. They had entered the Demonic Training Camp to get on the good side of Cheon Yuun, who would become the next Heavenly Demon.
“Number 123!”
Bae Taekju called me.
I stood confidently in front of him. Bae Taekju looked at me with a strange gaze. He must have received a report that I had caused trouble as soon as I arrived at the Demonic Training Camp. Bae Taekju reached out and placed his hand on my head.
‘For an old man to touch the top of my head… it feels fucking awful.’
Bae Taekju’s energy entered through my Baihui point. I didn’t resist. Bae Taekju’s energy soon disappeared. I was a little nervous here. It was unlikely, but he might have recognized my true strength. If that happened, my plan would be messed up.
“Top-Tier. Group 1.”
Fortunately, the thing I was worried about didn’t happen. I received what I had to receive and moved to Group 1. There were not even 10 people in Group 1 yet. Perhaps about 100 people would belong to Group 1 after this tedious classification was over.
“Number 123.”
Cheon Yuun spoke to me. I looked at him with a crooked gaze. From the moment he approached me, the instructors’ gazes were focused here.
“…What is it?”
“There’s no need to be so wary. I just came to say hello.”
“Do I need to say hello to the likes of you?”
“We’re in the same group. We should get along in the future.”
“……I’m warning you. Don’t act up.”
After growling once, I turned my head and ignored Cheon Yuun. Of course, this was also part of the plan.
“Number 567. Top-Tier, Group 1.”
Everyone’s attention turned to number 567.
Number 567 was a woman. And a beauty that would make your eyes pop out. Long black hair, snow-white skin, and features that looked like they were crafted by an artisan. Even with her expressionless face, her beauty couldn’t be hidden.
‘The heroine of the Possessed Heavenly Demon. The daughter of the Sword Demon, Yeon Yeha.’
Cheon Yuun and Yeon Yeha’s gazes met. There was no reaction. There was no connection between them yet. I licked my lips, looking at Yeon Yeha’s back.
The classification was over.
The head of the Demonic Training Camp, Bae Taekju, told us the rules we had to follow in the Demonic Training Camp and then disappeared. Rules like not talking back to the instructors and not fighting among the recruits.
Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3 followed the instructors and moved in different directions.
We arrived at the lodgings where we would stay for the next year. The lodgings were different for each group. Group 3 would have been assigned shabby lodgings, while Group 1 was assigned lodgings at the level of a high-class inn.
The strong are respected.
The Heavenly Demon Church only treated the strong well. Not only the lodgings, but Group 1 would receive the best treatment in all conveniences. Group 3 and Group 2 would try their best to get into Group 1, and those in Group 1 would have to try not to be demoted.
“Men will use this building, and women will use that building. I believe you won’t do anything stupid.”
The men and women separated. The men let out regretful sighs and walked to their lodgings.
“Gather in front of the lodgings in half an hour. If you are even a little late for the gathering time… you can look forward to it.”
The instructor smiled coldly and acted tough. Most of the others were nervous.
I was assigned a room.
I liked that it was one person per room.
After that, I had to run around in circles for a week under the guise of mental training. I seriously considered assassinating the instructor.
•••
“Number 123. Come forward.”
The instructor called me.
I went in front of the instructor. The instructor threw a sword at me as if he was throwing a knife.
“It’s a sparring match. Pick it up and take a stance.”
“Are we sparring with real swords?”
“Is a martial artist of the Heavenly Demon Church afraid of sparring with real swords?”
“Of course not.”
“I’m an instructor. Use honorifics, you impudent bastard.”
I could feel blatant hostility from the instructor. I looked around. The other instructors didn’t seem to have any intention of interfering.
‘Is he planning to cripple me under the guise of a sparring match?’
If I was crippled, I would have no choice but to leave the Demonic Training Camp.
‘The guy whose eye I stabbed with a brush on the first day. Did he order this? Or is he his friend?’
The details of the matter didn’t matter.
However, I had no intention of letting the guy who was trying to harm me get away with it.
When I picked up the sword, the instructor smirked.
“From now on, we will start a sparring match like a real battle. Keep your eyes wide open.”
The instructor stepped forward, using footwork. The instructor’s sword came down from above. It was a clean and honest strike.
‘He’s planning to go easy on me at the beginning of the sparring match and then cripple me when he sees an opening.’
It was clumsy.
I deflected the instructor’s sword and used a fleeting moment to dive into the instructor’s chest.
“Uh, uhck?!”
The instructor was flustered by my speed and waved his palm. Every time his palm moved in the air, heat flared up.
‘Is that a palm technique of the Yang-Heat type?’
The instructor’s palm never touched me. That’s because my sword had stabbed his belly first.
“Cough…!”
The instructor reached for my neck. I could feel his will to kill me.
‘I can easily avoid this much.’
I deliberately didn’t avoid it and raised my left arm. The instructor’s palm, which was aiming for my neck, grabbed my wrist. Sizzle, sizzle. My clothes were burning, and my skin was burning. I endured the pain and kicked the instructor’s body.
The instructor flinched and tried to get up, but the other instructors stepped in and stopped us.
“Stop! This is a sparring match. You both went too far! Take both of them to the infirmary! You guys keep watching them. If an accident happens… I won’t let you off either.”
At the words of the instructor who seemed to be a veteran, the instructors nodded and moved quickly.
I curled up the corners of my mouth, looking at the guy being dragged to the infirmary by the instructors. The tip of my sword had pierced his dantian accurately.
The dantian was the center of the body and the core of martial arts. It was where internal energy was gathered. If the dantian was destroyed, there would be no place to gather internal energy within the body. There might be exceptions for special bodies or special martial arts, but if that guy was special, he wouldn’t be working as an instructor here.
‘Even a god can’t fix that. His life as a martial artist is over. Heh heh.’
That guy would never meet me again.
‘I’ll get disadvantages too… but I’m a victim too. And…’
I turned my head slightly. Number 88, the Little Heavenly Demon Cheon Yuun, was looking at me with shining eyes. He had started to feel interested in me. He would investigate me and find out that I was Yeom Guseok.
‘Heh heh. Things are going well.’
