Episode 96: Return to the Demonic Sect
Swish! Swoosh! Thud!
Mae Seol-ran moved gracefully through the air, her earrings catching the light with every motion.
‘Incredible. It’s like I’ve been reborn!’
She could hardly contain her excitement. Her inner strength had definitely increased.
By converting the mana she had accumulated using the technique taught by Sabi-gang, she achieved astonishing results.
Thud!
She leapt into the air, as if stepping on falling petals, and spun, wielding her sword with precision.
Whoosh!
The sound of her sword slicing through the air was as beautiful as it was deadly.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
She struck from behind, pulled back, and struck again, her movements fluid and unpredictable.
Her swordplay was like a snake coiling and striking, a hallmark of the Serpent Sword Technique she had mastered.
The more enemies there were, the more serpents seemed to dance in her embrace.
The technique was renowned for its complexity and effectiveness with a flexible sword, but it was notoriously difficult to master.
For Mae Seol-ran, the hardest part had been overcoming the plateau in her skills.
The only way to break through was to enhance her inner strength.
With greater inner strength, her swordsmanship naturally improved.
But increasing inner strength was easier said than done.
She pondered over what other martial arts could protect her and enhance her inner strength, ideally complementing the Serpent Sword Technique her master had taught her.
That’s when she learned the Soul Absorption Technique.
It allowed her to protect herself while absorbing inner strength, though it had the drawback of not fully assimilating the absorbed energy.
Yet…
‘To think I could enhance my inner strength so easily.’
Mae Seol-ran sheathed her sword and exhaled deeply.
Normally, her legs would have been trembling by now.
But today, she was only slightly out of breath, and her depleted energy was recovering much faster.
The Yin-Yang Elixir she had consumed also helped.
‘Still… ugh. I’d rather not think about it.’
The elixir, prepared by Sabi-gang himself, had significantly boosted her inner strength.
However, the thought of it being made from snakes and the memory of the beautiful couple she had seen that day made her stomach churn.
In the end, everything had improved.
A small smile crept onto her face.
When was the last time she felt this confident?
Less than a year into her martial arts training, she had secretly hoped someone would pick a fight with her.
Ironically, she felt the same way now.
‘But where on earth has that man gone this time? And with the kids, no less.’
**
“Ugh.”
Two figures peered anxiously into the dark cave.
They were Jo Mun-tak and Gok Bo-ok.
Gok Bo-ok, arms crossed, tapped his thick forearm with a finger.
After staring into the cave for what felt like an eternity, he finally tilted his head back and sighed.
“Ugh! This is so frustrating! How long are we supposed to wait?”
Jo Mun-tak scratched the back of his head and replied.
“Yeah… he’s not coming out.”
“How long has the instructor been in there?”
“Feels like it’s been more than half a day…”
Jo Mun-tak muttered, glancing at the shadows.
Six days ago, Sabi-gang had suddenly summoned them to his office.
“I need you to prepare for a trip.”
Jo Mun-tak and Gok Bo-ok exchanged confused looks.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll find out when we get there. We leave tomorrow morning, so be ready.”
And that was it.
The next day, Sabi-gang took them on a relentless journey, pushing them to their limits.
For Jo Mun-tak and Gok Bo-ok, it was grueling.
Sabi-gang insisted it was all part of their training.
After much hardship, they arrived at their destination.
Sabi-gang left them outside the cave and ventured in alone.
Half a day had passed since he disappeared into the ominous cave.
“Ugh, damn it! How much longer do we have to wait?”
Gok Bo-ok finally lost his patience and shouted.
Jo Mun-tak frowned and turned to him.
“You don’t think… something happened to the instructor, do you?”
“Don’t jinx it.”
“But… he’s been gone a long time.”
“Hmm.”
“Why did we come here in the first place?”
“Should we… go in?”
Gok Bo-ok raised an eyebrow, eyeing the cave.
Jo Mun-tak hesitated.
“Should we? He told us to stay put…”
“He did.”
But the strange noises they heard from the cave after Sabi-gang entered were unsettling.
They were anything but pleasant.
Suddenly, a thought struck Jo Mun-tak.
“Could this… be a test?”
“A test?”
Gok Bo-ok looked at him, puzzled.
“Remember when the instructor said he’d be choosing a leader for the special class? Someone who’s quick to assess situations and has leadership qualities.”
“Yeah, he did say that.”
Gok Bo-ok nodded.
Sabi-gang had gathered the students at the secret division meeting and mentioned appointing a leader soon.
Jo Mun-tak stared intently at the cave.
“Maybe this is the test.”
“To see who’s fit to be the leader?”
Jo Mun-tak nodded.
“Hmm.”
Gok Bo-ok rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.
If it were Sabi-gang, known for his unpredictable methods, this bizarre test seemed plausible.
Jo Mun-tak continued his speculation.
“Maybe the instructor wants to choose between you and me for the leader. We both participated in the martial arts tournament. He might be testing how we handle this situation.”
“Sounds plausible. In that case, we should definitely go in.”
“Why?”
“To lead a group, you need quick judgment and flexibility.”
“But he told us not to go in. That would be disobeying orders.”
“That’s where flexibility comes in. In the martial world, sometimes you can’t just follow orders blindly.”
“Hmm.”
“Well, you stay here. I’ll take the risk and find the instructor.”
Gok Bo-ok shouted, as if hoping Sabi-gang inside the cave would hear him.
Finally, he started walking towards the cave.
Seeing this, Jo Mun-tak grew anxious.
Absolute obedience to orders? Or flexibility based on judgment?
‘Ah, to hell with it!’
In the end, Jo Mun-tak decided to follow Gok Bo-ok into the cave.
“Let’s go together.”
“Hey, if you follow me, how will they tell us apart?”
“I was just being more cautious…”
Jo Mun-tak began to reply when—
Rumble…
A faint sound echoed from deep within the cave.
Both men frowned and looked at each other.
“Did you hear that?”
“Yeah, it was strange.”
“Now that you mention it… I can feel vibrations too.”
They slowly looked up.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
The vibrations from the ground grew stronger.
“Something’s definitely wrong.”
Gok Bo-ok’s expression turned serious.
Just then, a man’s scream echoed from inside the cave.
“Aaaaaaah!”
Both men snapped their heads up.
“Instructor!”
Without a second thought, they dashed into the cave.
How far did they run?
“Aaaaaaah!”
The scream grew louder.
As they rounded a gentle bend, Jo Mun-tak and Gok Bo-ok skidded to a halt.
“What the—?”
“What is that?”
Molten lava filled the cave, surging towards them like a tidal wave.
Rumble!
“Aaaaaaah!”
Sabi-gang was sprinting towards them at breakneck speed, screaming.
When he spotted them, he shouted angrily.
“You reckless fools! I told you not to come in, so why did you?”
“Uh, instructor… Aaaaaaah!”
“Aaaaaaah!”
Jo Mun-tak and Gok Bo-ok had no choice but to turn and run, using their martial arts to escape.
The three of them fled, chased by the fiery wave of lava.
“Aaaaaaah!”
Flames licked at Gok Bo-ok’s back, setting him alight.
“Aaaaah! Fire, fire, fire!”
With his back ablaze, Gok Bo-ok sprinted past Jo Mun-tak.
When they finally burst out of the cave—
Rumble!
Crash!
Just before the lava could spill out, the cave entrance collapsed completely.
The three narrowly escaped disaster.
Gok Bo-ok quickly rolled in the grass to extinguish the flames on his back.
“Ugh.”
His clothes were charred, and his back was covered in soot.
His skin was red and blistered from the burns.
Sabi-gang scolded them.
“You idiots. Why didn’t you listen and stay put?”
Jo Mun-tak and Gok Bo-ok exchanged guilty glances before confessing the truth.
Sabi-gang looked at them, incredulous.
“What kind of ridiculous fantasy were you imagining? There’s no way they’d test us on something like that.”
“I’m sorry.”
In the end, both of them bowed their heads in apology.
Sabi Kang let out a sigh and pulled a leather pouch from his coat.
What he took out from the pouch was a leather shoe, larger than the pouch itself.
A shoe so big, it seemed impossible that it could have fit inside.
In truth, the pouch Sabi Kang held was known as “Ragel’s Pouch,” an artifact from the demon realm.
It served as a sort of dimensional gateway, capable of storing anything that could fit through its opening, no matter the size.
Sabi Kang tossed the leather shoe to Jo Muntak.
“Catch.”
The shoe was adorned with unusual patterns.
When Jo Muntak looked at it, puzzled, Sabi Kang gestured with his chin.
“It’s called ‘Hames’ Shoes.’ Put them on.”
“Hames… his shoes, for me…?”
“Just try them on.”
Jo Muntak did as he was told.
And then, in the next moment—
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
“Huh?”
The leather shoe shrank to fit his foot perfectly.
As soon as he changed into the shoes, his body felt inexplicably lighter.
‘Could this be… an artifact?’
The thought barely crossed his mind before he tested his speed.
Zoom!
‘Wow! Unbelievable!’
He was definitely faster.
Astonishingly so.
His body felt light, and his footwork was quicker than ever before.
Moreover, he sensed his presence becoming more concealed.
In fact, the original owner of these shoes, Hames, was a legendary thief in the demon realm.
As such, Hames’ Shoes were a rare treasure even there.
They were imbued with passive skills that concealed one’s presence and increased speed.
When the demon realm’s invasion began, the wearer of these shoes was Ruinhark, the realm’s top assassin.
He alone had claimed the lives of over a hundred warriors from the central lands.
But now, the shoes were on Jo Muntak’s feet, and Ruinhark would never have them again.
‘These are definitely artifacts!’
After joyfully sprinting through the forest, Jo Muntak returned to Sabi Kang and asked, “Are you really giving these to me?”
“Yes.”
“Wow! Thank you, Instructor!”
Jo Muntak beamed with a wide smile and cheered.
Meanwhile, Gok Bo-ok could only watch Jo Muntak with eyes full of envy.