[Chapter 5]
A lone sailboat cut through the vast, open sea.
In appearance, it was no different from an ordinary sailboat, but its sixteen masts were dyed black.
Swoosh.
Atop the deck of the sailboat that sliced through the wind, an old man with hair like a lion's mane stood tall.
It was Hyeok Ryeon-eung, the Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall of the Demon Palace, and the Chief Instructor of the Ten Demon Successors plan.
"Hmm."
Gazing at the remote island visible in the distance, he spoke in a low voice.
"I just don't understand."
"What is it that you don't understand?"
When Baek Jeon-cheon, who was following beside him, asked, Hyeok Ryeon-eung shook his head.
"I'm talking about that boy, Bu Eunseol."
"Ah."
"His physique isn't outstanding, and there's not even a trace of him having learned martial arts. Yet, he dealt with a practitioner of the Ink Soul's Saber Technique in a single move."
Hyeok Ryeon-eung was a master of practical combat techniques who had survived countless decisive battles.
But even he could not figure out why Bu Eunseol had been able to defeat Neung Un-gang.
"From his movements, it seemed he already knew the counter-move. But that makes no sense."
Standing beside him, Baek Jeon-cheon smiled faintly.
"From what I saw, it seemed he observed Neung Un-gang's saber forms on the Training Grounds and figured out the counter-formation."
"That's impossible."
Hyeok Ryeon-eung shook his head.
"If that boy could find the flaws in a technique just by watching, he would be a peerless talent surpassing the legendary Heavenly Demon Emperor."
"No. It's just that there were times he would gaze intently at the fallen."
"Being able to discern an enemy's techniques by looking at their wounds is something only old veterans who have rolled around the Martial World for decades can do. And even then, they must be well-versed in the martial arts of both the Righteous and Demonic Factions."
"That is true."
Hyeok Ryeon-eung and Baek Jeon-cheon were masters with exceptional discernment.
But they had no way of knowing that Bu Eunseol had followed Bu Janyang since he was young, studying the causes of death in corpses.
"Even if he knew the weakness, countering with a single move was as good as suicide. What if Neung Un-gang had not been careless and had executed his techniques in succession? No matter how I think about it, it makes no sense."
"But he succeeded, didn't he?"
Baek Jeon-cheon smiled calmly.
"He might have gambled with his life."
"A gamble, you say."
Hyeok Ryeon-eung shook his head.
"In a battle where life is on the line, there can be no such thing as a fluke. That boy definitely has something."
Though he did not say it, Hyeok Ryeon-eung seemed dissatisfied that Bu Eunseol had defeated Neung Un-gang and become a candidate for the Ten Demon Successors.
"Whatever he has, it will be revealed this time."
Baek Jeon-cheon shrugged.
"All we need to do is produce the Ten Demon Successors."
Before long, the boat had almost reached the remote island.
Hyeok Ryeon-eung, who had been deep in thought, nodded his head.
"Indeed."
***
Bu Eunseol opened his eyes.
He slowly sat up, and as he surveyed his surroundings, his expression turned strange.
This was for two reasons.
'My wounds.'
He had suffered wounds, both large and small, all over his body, and had fainted without realizing it as soon as he passed the Second Trial.
But now, the wounds torn and split open by the Sakjeong Blade were meticulously stitched up.
Not only that, Golden Ointment had been applied, and they were even bandaged.
There was no pain, and his body felt refreshed, as if a renowned doctor from the Medicine King Hall had treated him personally.
'I was on a boat, going somewhere.'
The second reason for his surprise was that the place he was lying in was a cabin inside a boat.
All around him, boys and girls wearing martial robes of various colors were staring at him intently.
Seeing a few familiar faces among them, he guessed they were likely the participants from the First Trial who had passed due to their good physique.
"...."
Bu Eunseol calmly sat up, but the expressions of the boys and girls in the cabin were not pleasant.
Although there was an occasional flicker of curiosity, most of the gazes were of dismissal and contempt.
'I'm used to such looks.'
An ordinary person might have shown a bit of bewilderment at being stared at so intensely.
But Bu Eunseol had been a mortician for a long time and had been scorned by countless people.
Even if hundreds of times more people were to stare at him, he would not be bothered in the slightest.
Thud.
Just then, a low vibration was felt, and a low voice came from outside the cabin.
"Disembark."
The boys inside the cabin mechanically got off the boat.
Then, the scenery of a desolate island revealed itself before their eyes.
"This place is."
As someone muttered, the man in black robes leading the boys at the front spoke.
"This is Hell Island."
Hell Island.
The name perfectly matched the island's scenery.
A remote island that one could not leave without a boat.
At its center was a huge rocky mountain where not a single blade of grass or tree was planted.
Looking at the desolate island scenery, it felt as if one had set foot in hell to pay for the sins of one's life.
"What are you spacing out for?"
The man in black robes standing at the front tapped the shoulder of Bu Eunseol, who was standing dazedly at the very back.
"Hurry and move."
At that moment, Bu Eunseol's eyes widened.
'It was this good?'
The shoulder the man in black robes had tapped was a spot where not just the skin but a chunk of muscle had been torn away.
Yet, to think it had recovered so perfectly that he felt no pain at all from a simple tap.
—As long as you don't die, there are doctors from the Medicine King Hall here who can perfectly heal even the most severe wounds.
This point was a very important fact.
And only Bu Eunseol, who had survived the Second Trial, knew it.
"This is where you will be staying."
Following the long, snake-like procession, they arrived at the large rocky mountain they had seen when they got off the boat.
Looking closely, numerous caves could be seen scattered across the rocky mountain.
'Was this made by people? No, that can't be.'
The massive rocky mountain was too large to have been made by man, and yet there were too many caves for it to have formed naturally.
"Leave all your existing clothes and weapons, and take one of these sets of clothes and a sword."
The man in black robes pointed to a wide table beside him.
On the table were baggy, drab clothes.
The sizes were not varied, but there were strings to tighten the waist and chest, so they could be worn one way or another.
And next to them lay ordinary iron swords that could be bought at a forge for just twenty nyang.
"You can enter any cave you wish. The choice is yours."
Scramble.
As soon as the man in black robes finished speaking, the boys in the line hurriedly grabbed their clothes and ran towards the caves.
The location and structure of the caves were different at a glance.
The difference between a comfortable cave and a dirty one is significant.
It could take time to clean, or it might be so filthy that cleaning is not even an option.
Above all, since it was a place to rest, they wanted to choose a slightly better spot.
'Caves…'
But Bu Eunseol did not hurry and slowly climbed up the rocky mountain.
Having lived in a single-room house at the Pyeongan Funeral House on the outskirts of the capital, he did not care where he stayed as long as he could lay his body down.
"This place looks good."
"I thought it would be damp because it's a cave, but it's quite comfortable, isn't it?"
Caves that were spacious and cozy inside were already occupied by the quick-footed participants.
The problem was that in the few remaining caves, a commotion had arisen as they fought over who would use the better spots.
"Hey, I'm going to use this place, so why don't you give it up?"
"Don't you think it would be better for a girl like me to use this one?"
As the argument grew louder, one boy, who could not stand it any longer, pointed to his own cave.
"Don't fight. I'll just go to another place."
As Bu Eunseol watched the scene, a peculiar light once again flickered in his eyes.
'These people don't know what happened in the Second Trial!'
What if they knew what happened in the Second Trial? If they knew the results of that bloody fight?
There would be no such peaceful conversation.
But the attire of the participants here was all luxurious, and some of the boys even exuded an air of elegance or nobility.
'Are all these people descendants of noble families?'
Only then did Bu Eunseol recall a frightening fact.
Come to think of it, most of those who remained in the Second Trial were people who had learned martial arts on their own or were from minor sects.
In other words, they were all people who were disposable.
Grind.
Bu Eunseol bit his teeth.
'I will survive.'
The faces of those who had died in the Second Trial still surfaced in his mind.
The Demon Palace was even discriminating in something as fair as death.
"Still haven't chosen?"
Just then, a low voice came from behind him.
When he turned his head, a man in black robes was looking down at him with a stern expression.
"You've been slow since a while ago."
When Bu Eunseol bowed his head with a nod, the man in black robes waved his hand.
"There's no time. Decide quickly."
"Then... I will take this place."
Bu Eunseol, who had been examining the inside of each cave one by one, pointed to the most remote and cornered spot.
There was a pile of dirt and filth there, and the entrance was so narrow that one had to lower their body to enter.
"You'll take that place?"
The boys nearby smirked.
It was not a good place, but there were many caves left that were more comfortable than that one.
Yet he was insisting on entering a dirty and narrow cave.
"He must like dirty places."
"Seeing him in that ceremonial robe, maybe he's gotten used to filth."
Despite the surrounding mockery, Bu Eunseol calmly walked into the cave.
At that, the eyes of the man in black robes flashed.
'A genius.'
The cave Bu Eunseol had chosen looked dirty and narrow, but it actually had many advantages.
The entrance was so narrow that there was no fear of being ambushed, and inside, there was a space large enough to practice martial arts alone.
Not only that, because no light came in, he could also get a deep sleep.
"If you've all changed, come out."
At the words of the man in black robes, the candidates who had changed their clothes in the caves lined up again in the open space.
"On this Hell Island, there are ten Martial Halls where you can learn the martial arts of the Ten Demonic Gates."
The man in black robes said as he swept his gaze over the crowd.
"You can learn all of them, or you can choose one. That is up to you."
The boys stirred.
Wasn't it a good thing to learn the martial arts of the Ten Demonic Gates, even if one could not master all of them?
"Also, your daily routine is free."
The man in black robes spread a large piece of parchment on the table.
It was a map that showed in detail the locations of the ten Martial Halls set up on Hell Island.
"If you want to sleep, you sleep. If you want to learn martial arts, you learn martial arts."
At that, the expressions of the gathered participants brightened.
To be able to learn the martial arts they desired as much as they wanted, and to be able to use their time freely without a set schedule.
'Something is strange.'
But Bu Eunseol's expression hardened coldly.
These were cruel people who had planned to make the participants fight each other to the death.
There was no way they would train the Ten Demon Successors, on whom the fate of the Demon Palace arguably rested, in such a lenient manner.
"Well then, I wish you good fortune in your martial path."
With those words, the man in black robes turned his body and disappeared somewhere.
"Let's go quickly."
The gathered participants looked at the map and most of them ran in one direction.
That was the place where the Martial Hall of the Fire Rain Sword Sect, the strongest power among the Ten Demonic Gates and where one could learn absolute sword techniques, was located.
"I have learned the saber technique, so I will go to the Bloodflame Saber Hall."
"I have long wished to learn the White Horse Whip of the White Horse Temple."
"This one's specialty is palm force, so I must go to the Annihilation Palace."
"I've heard that the poison cultivation of the Blood Hell Fortress is harmless to the human body."
A few boys chose a Martial Hall of the same type as what they had learned.
Before long, all the participants gathered in front of the rocky mountain had disappeared, leaving Bu Eunseol standing there all alone.
'What I need to learn right now is not advanced martial arts.'
Bu Eunseol had never learned martial arts systematically.
And on Hell Island, one never knew what would happen next.
Bu Eunseol, who had been staring blankly at the parchment with the locations of the Martial Halls, made his eyes flash.
Trudge, trudge.
And he started walking in the northern direction, where no one else had gone.
The place Bu Eunseol arrived at was in front of a small hut.
'This is a Martial Hall?'
The man in black robes had clearly said that there were Martial Halls set up.
But upon arriving, there was not even a Martial Hall, just a single hut built in front of a vast, empty field.
"Excuse me."
Bu Eunseol, who had been looking around, approached the front of the hut.
"Is anyone here?"
Gurgle.
Then, the front yard of the hut moved like a belly, and soon a large head popped out from under the ground.
"What is it."
His eyes were torn upwards like a wolf's, and his cheeks and sideburns were all covered with a pointy beard.
The man, who had stuck only his head out from under the ground, had the appearance of a wolf.
"I have come to learn the martial arts of Nangya Pavilion."
At Bu Eunseol's words, the man frowned and asked.
"Did you come because you want to become one of the Ten Demon Successors?"
"That is correct."
"Then go."
The man, with a scowl, muttered.
"Learning the martial arts of this Pavilion will be a waste of time anyway. Don't waste your energy."
'An honest person.'
Bu Eunseol knew it too.
Nangya Pavilion was in a state of collapse, so much so that it was barely considered a part of the Ten Demonic Gates.
The only reason it still held the last seat of the Ten Demonic Gates was because of its glorious past, having produced numerous greatest masters under the heavens.
'But I need the martial arts of Nangya Pavilion.'
Bu Janyang, while teaching him how to find the cause of death in corpses, had told him many stories about the martial sects and their figures.
Among them, of course, were stories about the Ten Demonic Gates.
"I will learn the martial arts of Nangya Pavilion."
"You must think I'm joking."
Despite Bu Eunseol's firm answer, the man yawned as if annoyed.
"And don't be mistaken. The time you have to learn martial arts on Hell Island is not infinite."
Yawning once more, the man made a smacking sound.
"If you understand, go somewhere else and learn martial arts. Don't waste your time."
"I will learn the martial arts of Nangya Pavilion."
Bu Eunseol said seriously.
"Please teach me the martial arts."
The man looked at Bu Eunseol with a puzzled expression.
"Why? If you wished, you could learn the sword techniques of the Fire Rain Sword Sect, said to be the strongest martial art among the Ten Demonic Gates. If the sword doesn't suit your aptitude, you could learn the Bloodflame Saber Technique, which is comparable to the Fire Rain Sword. There should be no need to learn the martial arts of this Pavilion."
At the man's question, Bu Eunseol wore a smile.
"Because surviving is my priority."
"Surviving?"
"The martial arts of the Ten Demonic Gates are not something that can be learned in an instant."
Bu Eunseol said with force in his eyes.
"I have heard that by learning the martial arts of Nangya Pavilion, one can possess the most tenacious life force in the world."
At that, the man chuckled.
"That's right. The martial arts of this Pavilion begin with modifying the body. To use our practical combat techniques, one must obtain a body stronger than anyone else's."
The man wore a solemn expression.
"But that is all. Just because you have a more tenacious life force than others, it does not mean you can become the greatest demonic master. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I understand very well."
"I'm glad you understand."
As the man tried to put his head back into the ground, Bu Eunseol prostrated himself.
"Please, I beg you to teach me the martial arts of Nangya Pavilion."
Bu Eunseol's eyes were burning brightly as if the sun had been embedded in them.
"You madman..."
The man realized that Bu Eunseol was not joking, but genuinely wanted to learn the martial arts of Nangya Pavilion.
"Fine."
"Thank you."
As Bu Eunseol was about to prostrate himself again, the man waved his hand.
"Don't be mistaken. I am only teaching you on the orders of the Demon Palace."
"I understand."
Slither.
Just then, the ground around him melted like ice, and the man's body, which had been stuck in the ground, was slowly revealed.
Thud.
The man who came up from the ground seemed to have shoulders twice as broad as an ordinary man, and his height was close to seven feet.
"Nine out of ten who learn the martial arts of this Pavilion die."
"I understand."
Seeing that Bu Eunseol's eyes did not waver, the man revealed his canines and chuckled.
"Your name is."
"It is Bu Eunseol."
"No, your name is just Trainee Ilho of Nangya Pavilion. Understand?"
The man licked his lips and said.
"Though I don't know if there will be an Iho."
"I understand."
When Bu Eunseol nodded, the man pointed to his own face with his thumb.
"This one is the Head of the Secret Transmission Hall of Nangya Pavilion, Sa Woo. From now on, call me Elder Sa."
-End of Chapter 5-