“You need to start training again. The enemies that are coming... they might be stronger than you think. No—far stronger.”
“How strong?”
“That idiot who was pretending to be the strategist was Mystical-View Stage Three.”
“What?”
“And in Hundred Demon Heaven, Mystical-View Stage Three was only ranked ninety-fifth.”
“Is that really true? Couldn’t he have lied to make Hundred Demon Heaven sound frightening?”
“I don’t think so. He was absurdly proud of being ninety-fifth. If he was bragging about that, it wasn’t a lie.”
“If that’s true... then the ranks above him might include people stronger than me.”
“Right. Things stronger than you could pour into the martial world.”
“Haa... this is serious to a level you can’t even compare to the Four Heavenly Demon Fiends.”
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll blow them all away. Just—when they come, hold out as long as you can.”
Hearing me say I’d blow them all away—smiling, confident—Jeok Mugun let out a hollow laugh.
If someone else said that, he would’ve barked, Is this the time for jokes?
But not me.
Because I had the power to back it.
“When you fought me... how much of your full strength did you use?”
All of a sudden, he genuinely wanted to know.
My true power.
“When I fought you, Grandfather?”
The awkward look on my face made him realize it.
I’d held back more than he thought.
He’d felt it during the fight too.
That I wasn’t going all out.
“About two-tenths.”
“What?”
He’d expected around five-tenths, and I was saying two.
Even that was me inflating it for his sake.
In truth, I’d used about one-tenth.
“You... when you threw punches at me, you definitely said it was a ‘Stage Three punch.’”
“That was just me bumping it up so you wouldn’t lose face.”
“Huh...”
Then how strong was my full strength, exactly?
It made him feel secure.
Like no enemy could ever make him worry.
He’d wondered why heaven had sent someone like Jeok Wigang into the world.
Hearing about Hundred Demon Heaven, he finally understood.
“Are you disappointed?”
The way I checked his mood—pure grandson.
“No. I’m not disappointed. I’m proud.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Having you makes me feel secure.”
I grinned.
“Don’t worry. Whether it’s Hundred Demon Heaven or Thousand Demon Heaven, I’ll blow away every last one that shows up.”
“Hahaha. Alright.”
“But I can’t protect the entire Central Plains by myself. So the whole Central Plains—including Heavenly Martial Castle—has to get stronger.”
“It does. I don’t know if others will believe this.”
“What if we use the Four Heavenly Demon Fiends?”
“They’ve been gone so long it won’t work anymore.”
“Really? Then if they reappear and threaten the Central Plains, people will work harder to get strong, right?”
“...Right?”
“Okay.”
What was this feeling?
Like I was about to go drag the Four Heavenly Demon Fiends out of somewhere.
No, come on.
That had to be my imagination.
“Compared to an insane story like Hundred Demon Heaven, the Four Heavenly Demon Fiends will feel more real.”
“That’s true. But it’s strange—you’re talking like you’re going to bring them.”
“Huh? Was I?”
“Yeah. You were. You... do you know the Four Heavenly Demon Fiends?”
“No. How would I know them? How old do you think I am? You said they were active before I was even born.”
“R-right.”
“Of course. What I mean is—we’ll stage it like they appeared.”
“That’s what you mean?”
“Yes.”
Something still felt off, but since it was Jeok Wigang talking, Jeok Mugun decided to believe him.
Honestly, even if I did know the Four Heavenly Demon Fiends, it didn’t matter.
Even if they were standing right in front of him, in front of Jeok Wigang they’d just be rats in front of a white tiger.
That day, Jeok Mugun made up his mind.
He would absolutely seat Jeok Wigang as the Lord of the Castle.
‘To do that... I’ll have to coax my son.’
He didn’t like it.
But if it meant putting Jeok Wigang on the throne, he’d do anything.
If his son had to kneel, then he’d make him kneel.
If it meant securing Jeok Wigang.
“So. When do you think those Hundred Demon Heaven bastards will invade the Central Plains?”
“From what he said... probably around ten years from now.”
“Ten years... long if it’s long, short if it’s short.”
“That sounds like the minimum. It could take even longer.”
“Then we prepare on the assumption of ten years.”
“Right.”
“Do you know where Hundred Demon Heaven is located?”
“He said it’s another dimension.”
“Another dimension? It’s not hell or something, is it? Hahaha.”
He joked—but my face hardened.
“...Huh? Is it real?”
“I don’t know. When that guy ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) who disguised himself as the strategist died, his body changed... he wasn’t human. He turned into a grotesque monster.”
“What? Then is Hundred Demon Heaven a nest of monsters that aren’t human?”
“I’m not sure. We don’t have that much information about Hundred Demon Heaven yet.”
“Hm. Preparing for an unknown enemy... that makes it harder.”
“They’re not coming right away. We can start preparing properly from now. And it’s still good—we got information about the enemy.”
“That’s true.”
“So don’t worry too much. I’ll blow them all away.”
“Hahaha. You little punk. Leave some for this grandpa, too.”
“Should I?”
“Of course.”
“Okay. Then our grandpa needs to train hard.”
“Ugh. Fine, fine. From now on I’ll train viciously and get even stronger.”
“Yes. I’ll come check on you from time to time.”
“Hearing you’ll come check on me... it makes me nervous for no reason.”
If people saw this, they wouldn’t believe it.
A grandson telling the world’s strongest man to train—and Jeok Mugun getting tense because the grandson was going to inspect him.
“How long are you planning to stay here?”
“I’m thinking I should head up soon and take the Metropolitan Exam.”
“Already?”
“I have to go. I only meant to see your face before leaving, but a lot of time passed.”
“Heavenly Martial Castle still hasn’t fully settled into place.”
“Come on. I’m not the Lord of the Castle. The rest is for you, Grandfather.”
“Just do it yourself.”
“I’m the guy who didn’t even want to be Sect Master of True Martial Sect and handed it to the second. Do you think I’m going to take on Heavenly Martial Castle, which is even more complicated?”
“Grr...”
For now, he decided to step back, discuss it with his son, and find a way to seat Jeok Wigang as Lord of the Castle.
“Fine. I understand. After you take the exam, will you stop by again?”
“I don’t know. If I pass, I’m thinking I’ll become an official.”
“The martial world is hanging by a thread, and you’re talking about becoming an official?”
“Haa. It’s a pain for me too. But you never know. Those Hundred Demon Heaven bastards might be hiding in the imperial court. I have to check.”
Jeok Mugun had nothing to say.
“What you say makes sense. If they managed to sit in the strategist’s seat of Heavenly Martial Castle—the very place that bragged it was the greatest under heaven—then there’s no guarantee there aren’t Hundred Demon Heaven bastards in the position that manipulates the Emperor.”
“Yes. If they manipulate the Emperor, break the Court–Martial Non-Interference Pact, and mobilize the imperial army to declare war on the martial world, the Central Plains will become absolute chaos.”
“That’s right. If we refuse an imperial command and fight, we become rebels... but we can’t just sit still and die either.”
“Yes. So I have to go confirm it.”
“You’ve got a lot to do.”
“Tell me about it. I only came out using the exam as an excuse so I could travel the Central Plains.”
Seeing me sigh, Jeok Mugun felt guilty for no reason.
The Heavenly Martial Castle he’d built to protect the martial world had been getting trampled by enemies.
And he’d realized he, too, had grown complacent in the long peace.
It was shameful.
He felt like he couldn’t meet his grandson’s eyes.
“It feels like I’m only putting a huge burden on you.”
“Come on. What are you saying? The peace of the martial world is the peace of our family. Of course I have to do it. Anyone who touches our family—I’ll chase them to the end of the world and blow them away.”
For a moment, Jeok Mugun envied his son, Jeok Rihyeon.
Seeing his expression, I added one more line with a grin.
“You know you’re included in that ‘family,’ right?”
Jeok Mugun’s face—depressed until just now—brightened instantly.
“Hahaha! Right?”
“Of course. Grandpa—if anyone messes with you, tell me. I’ll run over and blow them away.”
Jeok Mugun snapped back, bristling.
“You punk! I’m not dead yet! Anyone who touches me, I’ll blow them away myself.”
“Right? I knew you’d say that.”
Watching me smile brightly, Jeok Mugun smiled too.
Then he startled without meaning to.
Had he ever smiled this brightly before?
With Jeok Wigang here, it felt like half the weight on his shoulders had vanished.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, my burden’s gotten a lot lighter.”
“You’ll be seeing a lot more ‘thanks to my amazing grandson’ from now on. Look forward to it.”
I winked.
Jeok Mugun threw his head back and laughed.
“Hahaha. Fine. Let me enjoy some grandson benefits too.”
“But Grandpa. I worked my ass off for Heavenly Martial Castle. You got anything for me?”
“What should I give you?”
“The liquor I drank before was good...”
“What? Hahahaha! Fine! I’ll bring out everything in my cellar! Tonight, we’ll drink until morning!”
“Yes!”
I headed for Martial Star Hall.
Before I left, I was going to say goodbye to people one last time.
From afar, I spotted people drenched in sweat, fully absorbed in training.
Hwang Jinhyeok saw me and broke into a bright smile.
He wiped his forehead and walked over.
“You’re here? You’re later than I expected.”
“You’ve come.”
At Hwang Jinhyeok’s greeting, everyone behind him bowed to me at once.
I waved, then looked around.
Unlike the first time I came here, Martial Star Hall felt lively.
This was probably what Martial Star Hall was supposed to look like.
“Promotions are now completely forbidden by any method other than the Seven-Star Ascension Tower. And people who got promoted before through the Seven-Star Ascension Method got an order to be re-verified in the Seven-Star Ascension Tower. So everyone’s gathering now, trying to get re-checked before the crowd gets even worse.”
“Yeah? Who told you that?”
“Earlier, a bunch of guys—something called the Inspectorate—swarmed in, arrested Ascension Officers and Cloud Ladders, and told us.”
“They arrested all the Ascension Officers and Cloud Ladders?”
“The Ascension Officers who were stationed at the Seven-Star Ascension Tower got special promotions, actually. They only arrested the Ascension Officers who handled the Seven-Star Ascension Method.”
“Really? Looks like the Lord of the Castle finally moved.”
“Right? The Ascension Officers guarding the Seven-Star Ascension Tower are saying the Lord of the Castle didn’t abandon them, and they’re all happy.”
“The Cloud Ladders didn’t do anything wrong. They were just doing what they were told.”
“The Lord of the Castle will probably take that into account.”
I nodded.
Then, from far off, the Ascension Officers spotted me and bowed.
When I gave them a small nod with a faint smile, they immediately snapped back into their work.
“I won’t be here for a while.”
“Huh? Where are you going?”
“I have something to handle. I need to go somewhere else.”
“How long?”
“Who knows. I’ll have to see.”
“You’re coming back, right?”
Not just Hwang Jinhyeok—everyone I’d crossed paths with stared at me.