Chapter 3: First Young Master Jin Yeomyung (1)
To be honest, she wasn’t a good superior.
Perhaps it was because the prestige of the previous Cult Leader, who had earned the title of “Heavenly Demon,” was simply too overwhelming.
In order to escape the shadow of the previous Cult Leader, that woman had always reigned as an arrogant and violent tyrant.
Ah, don’t get me wrong. I didn’t just misspeak by calling her that woman.
You know how people curse out their king when no one’s around? It’s like that.
“Ah, damn it.”
Frankly speaking, she had already shown signs of being rotten to the core ever since I first met her during her days as the Young Cult Leader.
She was the kind of person who would use anything at her disposal to maintain her position.
The reason I was appointed as the Inner Administrator had a lot to do with the Cult Leader's direct intervention.
She had aimed to keep the Heavenly Demon Pavilion and those bastards from the Cheon Clan, who had almost taken over the cult, in check.
Before Cheon Clan could claim the seat of Inner Administrator, she probably thought it was the right move to insert someone like me—who had no real martial arts skill but came from a powerful family—into the role.
“...Young Master, ...Young Master!”
In the end, her reform failed.
All because of that damn husband of hers, the only one she had ever trusted.
Well, I didn’t exactly feel sorry for her.
After all, this was the Heavenly Demon Cult. A place of deadly struggle, where the weak couldn't survive.
She had merely struggled to survive in her own way. She had simply failed because she lacked the luck and the ability.
“...Young Master! Grand...Young Master!”
And yet, I couldn’t get that face of hers—smiling foolishly at the very end—out of my mind.
How deep must her resentment have been for her to take my words so seriously?
Words that sounded like utter fantasy—about reincarnation.
So seriously...
...So seriously?
Gurgle! Glub!
No, I’m trying to have a serious flashback here—why the hell is it so hard to breathe?
Did I just get water up my nose?
The moment that thought crossed my mind, a familiar voice stabbed through my ears.
“Young Master Yeomyung!”
Puhwaaah!
And with another splash of water, I came to my senses.
***
“Damn it.”
I was sure the last scene of my life had been a burning beam about to smash my skull in.
Did I get doused with water to put out that fire?
“Young Master! You’re awake!”
“Ghh...!”
Sniff! Sniff!
I was still dazed.
I coughed harshly to get the water out of my nose.
After a moment, as I fully regained my senses, a much younger version of a familiar servant came into view.
“What the... Gu Chil?”
“Yes! I am your loyal servant, Gu Chil, Young Master!”
Whether in the past or the future, that smooth-looking face hadn’t changed a bit.
Gu Chil was a servant my father had assigned to me.
‘He had a lot more wrinkles on that forehead last time I saw him...’
It seemed the regression had worked properly.
‘Judging by that face, I’ve really gone back quite a bit, haven’t I?’
Wait—what the hell is that in his hand?
“Gu Chil.”
“Yes, sir?”
“What’s with that washbasin?”
“Ah! Th-that is...!”
Me, drenched like a drowned rat. And Gu Chil, holding a washbasin.
The situation was clear as day.
“I mean, you could’ve just shaken my shoulder to wake me up, you little—”
He could’ve just pressed my acupoint or something. Gu Chil should be capable of that, right?
“Th-that’s not it! That’s—!”
“What? Why are you so flustered?”
Gu Chil looked genuinely shaken by something.
This was the same guy who used to boast that, since he had no hair, he had nothing to fear in life—so it took a lot to rattle him.
“I was the one who ordered it.”
Gasp!
A heavy, middle-aged voice came from behind me.
A voice that, no matter how many times I heard it—whether in the past or the present—was familiar and yet never grew comfortable.
The moment I realized who it belonged to, my shoulders went stiff.
‘Shit. Don’t tell me...’
The joy of regression would have to wait.
I hastily fixed my posture and turned my gaze.
At the end of my gaze stood a massive man in an elaborate red robe, staring quietly in my direction.
“Ah, Fath—no, Patriarch.”
“Foolish brat.”
With eyes like a demon from the depths of hell, the long-haired giant glared at me.
Just making eye contact made my knees weak and my groin tighten in fear.
One of the Six Great Demonic Clans that ruled alongside the Cheon Clan over the Heavenly Demon Cult—this man was the current patriarch of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan and a Grand Elder of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
He was the Asura King, Jin Gun-ak.
Behind him stood the elite warriors of the clan, the Ten Stones of Demonic Heaven.
Jin Gun-ak picked up a bottle scattered nearby and said,
“A brat who hasn’t even undergone his coming-of-age ceremony snuck into a brothel and drank?”
Ah.
The moment I heard those words, I knew exactly at which point I had regressed.
I quickly crawled forward and knelt before my father, Jin Gun-ak.
“P-Patriarch. The thing is...”
“Silence.”
“Yes, sir.”
I shut my mouth. Saying the wrong thing here could literally cost me my head.
“Well, be that as it may.”
But from past experience, I knew this rage wasn’t just about a minor drinking offense.
“The firstborn of the Jin Clan—passed out from half a bottle of liquor?”
Yes. That was what Jin Gun-ak was truly angry about.
“...I apologize.”
“And at a drinking party with members of the other Six Great Clans, no less?”
“...I have no excuse.”
“You fool!”
This must have happened when I was seventeen.
Born with a golden spoon in my mouth, I had dreams of becoming the Casanova of the Demonic Cult, and I spent my days playing around without restraint.
As usual, during that time, I had been “exploring” the pleasure districts with friends and boldly stormed into the most prestigious brothel under the Heavenly Demon Cult.
And the result?
‘Looks like the others all got caught.’
Whether orthodox or unorthodox, all prestigious clans had absurdly strict rules.
Especially since we had brazenly entered Machunru, the top brothel in Miyok Castle, it wouldn’t have taken long for word of it to reach our main house.
‘Right, we were all caught by warriors dispatched from the main clan not even half an hour after we started drinking.’
And in my case, I was oh-so-honored to have none other than the patriarch of my clan personally show up to drag me out.
Of course, someone like the Asura King wouldn’t normally come out over something this trivial. He wasn’t even the type to care much about his children to begin with.
“You pathetic brat. And you call yourself my son, with such a weak constitution? Tsk tsk tsk!”
“……”
Honestly, I felt wronged.
In my previous life—before I ended up in this medieval Murim world—I could drink like a fish.
Sure, I got cocky trusting in that, but who would’ve thought that I’d get knocked out after just half a bottle of liquor, even if it was distilled?
How was I supposed to know my body was this weak to alcohol!?
“If you’re weak in constitution, at least your brain should be sharp.”
I stayed quiet with my head bowed, despite Jin Gun-ak’s continued scolding.
Because I knew the real reason he had come here would soon come out.
“Do you have any idea why I came to apprehend you myself?”
“O-of course, sir.”
Of course I did.
Humans are creatures of forgetfulness, but some events leave a deep enough impression to be remembered.
“It’s time for me to fulfill my duty as the firstborn of the clan, isn’t it?”
“Oh?”
Jin Gun-ak’s eyes curved with interest.
“Interesting. Speak it clearly from your own mouth—what is the reason?”
I cleared my throat a bit.
Last time, I couldn’t say it properly and ended up getting dragged home like a beaten dog.
But this time would be different.
“The exchange with the Young Cult Leader must have been finalized.”
“Hmph. So you’re not completely brainless after all.”
Exchange with the Young Cult Leader.
This referred to a meeting between Cheon Yura, who had been appointed the Young Cult Leader at the age of seventeen the previous year, and the heirs of the Six Great Demonic Clans, the most prestigious lineages of the cult.
In truth, it was more like a selection event for her future consort. Representatives from the Six Clans were selected to meet the Young Cult Leader in turn and interact with her over a set period.
‘The timing is perfect.’
Needless to say, I already knew the outcome of this event.
All the heirs of the Six Clans failed to handle Cheon Yura’s vicious temperament and ended up dropping out—or, like me, had no interest and let the meetings fizzle out.
Because she couldn’t find a match during this time, the Cult later expanded the candidate pool to the entire organization.
Eventually, this led to the Demonic Faction Lord Selection Tournament, where the winner would be the man who would doom the Cult to destruction: the traitor Han Mubaek.
‘I won’t let things play out that way this time.’
With my resolve firm, Jin Gun-ak spoke.
“The only reason you, a brat with neither talent nor drive, have been allowed to live this long is for this moment.”
Jin Gun-ak was never a kind father.
He was a ruthless man who would use even his own child as a tool if it served the glory of the clan.
“Of course, sir.”
“Well, well. How rare to see you so full of enthusiasm.”
Of course I was.
If I didn’t act now, the Cult would fall.
And so would my third life.
“The other Clans won’t hold back either. Their direct heirs are no pushovers. Can you win over the Young Cult Leader’s heart ahead of them?”
“The other heirs will never be able to win her heart.”
Jin Gun-ak gave a satisfied laugh at my bold declaration.
“Very well. If you’re that eager, I’ll overlook today’s disgrace.”
He stood up from his seat.
“I’ll coordinate the schedule with the Heavenly Demon Pavilion and inform you. Until then, behave yourself…”
For some reason, the corner of Jin Gun-ak’s mouth lifted ever so slightly.
“If you don’t want to bring shame to our family name, you’d best polish your self-defense skills.”
Damn it.
Of course Jin Gun-ak, a high-ranking elder of the cult, would know what kind of personality Cheon Yura had.
He might be a cold-hearted father, but this was probably his idea of a mischievous warning.
“I hope this father won’t be disappointed.”
I silently lowered my head in response.
In my previous life, disappointing my father had earned me a bitter punishment.
‘Well, this time, I won’t be letting you down.’
After all the playing around I did in my past life, I planned to act for real this time.
***
And with that, Jin Gun-ak left Machunru with his subordinates.
As befitted the ceremonial presence of a Patriarch of one of the Six Great Clans, the crowd on the street parted like the miracle of Moses.
I sat on the third-floor balcony, watching his retreating figure.
‘Whew, I didn’t expect to meet Father the moment I opened my eyes.’
Jin Gun-ak was, to me, an incredibly uncomfortable person.
I mean, when you live as a carefree playboy, you’d have to be shameless not to feel pressured by your parents’ gaze.
But aside from that, Jin Gun-ak was someone who had done his utmost to use me as a “tool” to strengthen his own power.
‘It’s a bit unsettling… Having no choice but to play the dutiful son.’
Still, to pull off whatever schemes I had in mind going forward, I’d need Jin Gun-ak’s cooperation at multiple turns.
I slowly calmed my thoughts.
‘It’s unusually quiet.’
This would normally be the time when a place like this was packed with guests. But because I had rented out the entire third floor in advance, only Gu Chil and I were here now.
‘The timing of this regression is perfect. Not ten, but twenty years ago—plenty of opportunities ahead.’
The Heaven-Defying Society, was it?
Looking at the faces of the ones who betrayed the cult alongside Han Mubaek, it was obvious many of them were already active during this period.
‘I’ll uproot every last one of them.’
Just as I was thinking that—
“Young Master! What on earth were you thinking, saying something like that to the Patriarch?!”
Gu Chil suddenly burst out, practically scolding me.
“What now?”
“What do you mean ‘what’? Didn’t you boldly declare you’d become the Young Cult Leader’s consort?!”
“When did I say that?”
“W-What? No, just earlier—”
“I never said I’d be the Young Cult Leader’s husband. I merely said the other heirs from the Six Clans would all be rejected by her.”
“H-how is that not the same thing?!”
“It’s very different.”
At this point in time, Cheon Yura was utterly impossible to win over no matter what you did.
She was currently obsessed with perfecting her martial arts. To her, the participants in this exchange were nothing more than discarded pawns from the Six Clans, or vermin sent in hopes of clinging to power.
‘And since she wouldn’t even glance at someone weaker than her, she’d be even more impossible for the current me to handle.’
I let out a sigh and shook my head.
“That’s not something that can be decided by my will alone.”
“What do you mean—?”
Gu Chil was just about to argue back when—
From the entrance to the third floor, which had been quiet until now, someone’s voice rang out.
“Well, this is unexpected. I didn’t think you’d still be here.”
Both Gu Chil and I turned toward the source of the voice.
There stood a tall young man, looking a year or two older than me, with a handsome and refined expression.
‘Huh? That guy—’
Even if this was the past, that face wasn’t one I could ever forget.
“Ma Chulsoo?”
“What? Did I grow another head or something?”
“That’s not what I meant…”
The Heavenly Demon Cult had countless Clans, but only members of the The Blood Dragon Demonic Clan wore robes emblazoned with such a flashy red dragon.
‘Why is he suddenly showing up? Wait… now that I think about it…’
Yeah, he had been one of the participants in this gathering, hadn’t he?
I raised my hand in a mock-greeting, throwing the usual jab his way.
“Where’s Younghee? You came out alone?”
“Again with that crap! I told you, I don’t have a little sister named Younghee!”
Honestly, I was the only one on the entire Central Plains who got that joke, but I still tossed that line every time I saw Ma Chulsoo.
“So, what do you want with me? I thought you got dragged off by your clan too. Looks like you slipped away, huh?”
“Hmph! I’m just here to finish my business and go.”
Shrrring!
The guy who said he’d just finish his business suddenly drew the sword at his waist.
Then pointed its tip directly at me.
“I challenge you to a duel.”
…Seriously? Just like that?