The Double Agent of the Heavenly Demon Sect

Chapter 6

I harnessed the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art. A meager handful of internal energy flowed into my hands.

Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art.

First Form: Ghost Hand, Lone Demon.

—Paaang!

A falling leaf split in half. It was a skill I couldn’t perform with bare hands before, and I felt immense satisfaction.

The pain that had enveloped my body eased a little as well. What used to pound my entire being to the point of sleeplessness now felt like a mild ache settled into every inch of my flesh.

Circumstances had changed. Before, I had to content myself with moss. Now, I could afford something more valuable.

My target was a snake slithering between the oddly shaped trees. I had attempted to catch it before but failed.

I waited patiently for my internal energy to replenish. When the time came, I lashed out like lightning.

—Shk!

The first strike missed. The snake leaped and bit my neck. I immediately grabbed it and slammed it to the ground, but its venom began to seep into me right away.

This wasn’t the first time. I had been bitten before, and the excruciating pain that followed was unforgettable. It wasn’t fatal, but the venom brought with it a cursed aftertaste that dredged up memories I wanted to forget.

“Son.”

I turned around. My father, hunched in the shadows, gestured toward me.

I approached him. His distorted figure wavered as his voice echoed from all directions.

“Shut up.”

I was no longer the person I once was. I wasn’t Jeok Woon anymore.

You’re just a ghost. Even if you were alive, I would think of you as nothing more than a wraith.

“You said you wanted to eat, didn’t you?”

A new voice spoke. I glanced toward a tree where the Heavenly Demon’s apparition peered at me from behind its trunk.

“Otherwise, you’ll be back to eating moss.”

The world swayed. Unable to keep my balance, I steadied myself against the tree.

Where had the snake gone? Which direction had it slithered off to?

I strained my ears but heard nothing. Snakes, by nature, moved silently.

But I focused.

“Good. That’s it.”

“...”

“Concentrate. Keep focusing. You have to climb higher.”

The apparition didn’t only torment me. Occasionally, it inspired moments of clarity like this.

“She’s waiting for you. At a height you can’t even dream of reaching.”

Would she have said such a thing? I didn’t know.

But there was only one thing for me to do.@@@@

Climb. Relentlessly, painfully, climb.

The bushes rustled. I used the last of my energy to unleash Ghost Hand, Lone Demon.

I liked it here. Warm meals and comfortable rest were luxuries I never had to begin with.

This was more familiar than standing at a gate. Endurance was something I’d always known.

“Excuse me.”

During training, someone spoke to me. A man wearing a black hood with “Seventeen” stitched on his chest asked nervously, “What... do we eat here?”

Ah.

A newcomer.

That meant whoever was here before him was dead. I stared at him.

What had I done on my first day here? I recalled being met with hostility.

But...

I didn’t want to be like them.

So, I told him. I didn’t hunt for him, but I explained he could eat moss and drink water.

He bowed deeply in gratitude. Three days later, I saw him again. He was groaning in pain and froze the moment he saw me.

“How did you eat that moss?!”

I had warned him it was poisonous. Judging by his reaction, the pain must’ve been worse than I anticipated.

I didn’t quite understand but reassured him, “Endure it. You’ll get used to it.”

A week later, as I was about to enter the deeper forest, I met him again. This time, he hesitantly handed me something.

“Thank you... for before.”

It was a snake, still warm from being freshly killed.

For the first time, I received something in return.

I accepted it silently. He smiled brightly and introduced himself.

“I’m Seong Ja-myeong.”

“Sorry, I can’t tell you my name.”

“That’s fine. I just wanted to share mine.”

Seong Ja-myeong didn’t belong in the Demonic Sect. He repaid kindness, reached out to new recruits, and seemed to embody principles the righteous sects claimed to uphold.

“Give, and you’ll receive in turn. Besides... I don’t want to become a beast.”

He was steadfast yet gentle. It was rare to see someone like him, even among the righteous sects. I found myself taking notice of him.

He was a good man. That’s why, when I found him lying half-dead later, I couldn’t say a word.

“Hah...”

His abdomen bore a gaping sword wound. His entrails spilled out, beyond any hope of repair. Propped against a tree, he clung to life.

“Jeok Woon.”

He spoke weakly.

“I’ve shown you an awful sight, haven’t I?”

“...”

I crouched before him.