The Regressed Young Master’s Guide to Living on Easy Mode

Chapter 24 : Preliminary Round (3)

On the day the Murong family fell and everything was said to be over.

The Sword Demoness also tried to leave the world. Because there was no reason to live.

If even those children had not been left, the Sword Demoness would no longer be in this world.

-Noona?

-Unni?

Her last hope and treasure.

Her younger siblings, for whom even her life would not be enough to trade.

Her only reason for living.

-Are they your family?

When she arrived home during the vacation and opened the door, a beautiful woman was sitting there.

She didn't look that old, but the Sword Demoness knew instinctively that the woman was quite old.

And her instincts were telling her something else.

This woman is a martial artist.

A very strong one at that.

-I am called the Bewitching Demon.

A bad premonition was never wrong.

The beautiful woman who introduced herself as the Bewitching Demon continued to speak to the Sword Demoness.

-In the Heavenly Demon Cult, I am called the First Elder. You are Murong Seryeong, correct?

At that question, the Sword Demoness's body couldn't help but stiffen. The Sword Demoness's eyes turned to the two children clinging to the beautiful woman's side.

Since when were they here? She couldn't tell.

The two children immediately ran to her and hugged her.

The Murong family had fallen, and everyone related to her was dead.

The Sword Demoness also tried to follow them and die. But she couldn't.

There were children left behind. Seeing them, the Sword Demoness once again found a reason to live.

After that, she did any work that made money. Then, by chance, she was noticed by the Heavenly Demon Cult, her talent was recognized, and she was now enrolled in the Little Demon Academy.

Above all, the biggest reason she entered the Little Demon Academy was because they said they would send her a house for her family to live in and money every month.

She had never expected that it would become her new leash.

But even if she could go back to the past, the Sword Demoness would have made the same choice.

Because whether they put a leash on her neck or a knife to her throat, she didn't care as long as her younger siblings could live happily.

Therefore, the Sword Demoness was rather pleased with this situation.

Because it felt like her value was being recognized.

-The children are pretty.

And as soon as she heard these words, the Sword Demoness knew that it was not a leash on her neck, but a blade being held to it.

A threat that she could kill her siblings at any time.

-What do you want from me?

-I like you. I like smart children. It wouldn't be bad to give you a chance. Prove your worth. If you win the Divine Demon Tournament, I will take responsibility and free you from this whole situation.

The Sword Demoness raised her head and looked at the Bewitching Demon's face. For some reason, only the Bewitching Demon's face looked like darkness.

Even now, when she tried to recall the beautiful woman's face, she could remember all the other parts, but only the beautiful woman's face was stained with pitch-black darkness.

And that darkness was smiling at her.

The darkness grew larger and tried to swallow her.

Tap.

"What are you doing here?"

The Sword Demoness turns around.

A man who had not yet shed his boyishness was standing there.

The Sword Demoness uttered the boy's name.

"Jae-ha."

The being who had first extended a hand to her in the Heavenly Demon Cult.

"You seem to have something on your mind. What is it?"

At Yoo Jae-ha's bright question, the Sword Demoness momentarily considered telling him about the darkness that had taken root in her heart.

For some reason, it felt like this child would listen to her.

Above all, unlike her, this child was bright.

He was uninhibited in whatever he did, and the results were always good. So she got the feeling that she wanted to be with him.

It felt like the feeling of wanting to be childish if she had parents.

-This is a secret between us. You know what a secret means, right?

The Sword Demoness recalled the beautiful woman's words.

She was afraid that her darkness would swallow even Yoo Jae-ha's light.

So, the Sword Demoness decided to hide her darkness tightly again today.

"No. It's nothing."

"Then, that's a relief. By any chance, did you apply for the Divine Demon Tournament?"

"Yeah."

"As expected! Hehe. Me too."

The Sword Demoness looked at Yoo Jae-ha with a surprised face.

"Why... did you participate?"

It would have been fine if it were someone else. Anyone would have been fine. She had no hesitation in inflicting wounds, cutting off arms, and even taking lives.

But she hesitated with the being in front of her.

"There's someone I have to drop. I'm going to beat that bastard and then withdraw."

"Who is it?"

"The Flame Saber, Yang So-pyeong. Do you know him?"

"A little."

The Sword Demoness, relieved that the target was not her, stared at Yoo Jae-ha.

If someone else had said this, she would have told them to stop talking nonsense and spewed all sorts of criticism and harsh words at Yoo Jae-ha.

Because according to the rumors, the Flame Saber, Yang So-pyeong, was the person evaluated to be closest to the Young Lord of the Sura Divine Cult.

"You can do it."

The Yoo Jae-ha the Sword Demoness had seen was a being who did not fail.

He was a person who could overcome any situation.

Like a protagonist in a fairy tale.

Yoo Jae-ha is staring at her.

The Sword Demoness stared blankly at his eyes. She felt her heart calming down. She thought that those two eyes directed at her were like the moonlight in the darkness.

"You look like you have no energy. You're not sick, are you?"

"No. I'm not."

"That's a relief. Take good care of your health. We have to work in the support team for another two weeks. We're already at a disadvantage, so we have to go into the preliminary rounds in the best condition."

"Yeah. I will."

"Then, I'm going. I worked all day at the visitor center, so my mental energy is at rock bottom."

"Yeah. See you."

Yoo Jae-ha leaves.

The Sword Demoness watched until his figure disappeared.

* * *

I sometimes get a creepy feeling when I see the Sword Demoness. So I deliberately spoke to her.

It could be said to be just a passing feeling, but as someone who is on their second life and had reached something close to the peak in their first life, I considered my intuition to be quite good.

Above all, I knew what the Sword Demoness had done in my first life.

As I said before, the Sword Demoness became the youngest elder.

And the cases where the position of an elder changes are usually divided into two.

Succession or usurpation.

Succession, as the name suggests, is when the current elder passes on their position to the person who will succeed them.

In this case, it was usually done within the same family or passed on to a disciple.

On the other hand, usurpation is literally taking away the position of an elder.

The practical definition of this act was only one.

Killing the existing elder and taking their place.

That's right. Before my regression, the Sword Demoness had killed the First Elder and became the youngest elder.

I remember that it was about three years after I became the Young Lord.

I was a little flustered by the sudden change in the elder position. And the fact that the person was about the same age as me made an even deeper impression.

At that time, I didn't know the detailed reason why the Sword Demoness had killed the First Elder among the many elders. I didn't particularly want to know either.

I just thought, "She probably killed him because he seemed the easiest," and moved on.

The reason this thought came to mind was because the Sword Demoness's gaze just now was very similar to the Sword Demoness's gaze when she had just become an elder before my regression.

"Sometimes, she's just creepy."

As expected, it seemed that people who succeed early have to have a different level of tenacity than others.

I felt like I had to be good to the Sword Demoness from now on.

And as I said before, the preliminary rounds were to be held in two weeks.

I wish it would be held tomorrow, but unfortunately, because the land of the Central Plains is so damn wide, there was a rather long grace period until the preliminary rounds of the Divine Demon Tournament.

People who came from far away also had to rest to relieve their fatigue.

"I wish I could just meet him in the preliminary rounds."

I wanted to finish it quickly and enjoy the Divine Demon Tournament.

"If I meet him in the preliminary rounds, what should I do for fun after that?"

The Little Demon Academy is on break during the Divine Demon Tournament. The period is a whopping one month!

I entered the house, letting my happy imagination run wild.

* * *

At night, people become emotional.

Is it because of the quietness, or because darkness has fallen on the world as the light has disappeared? The exact reason is unknown, but what is certain is that various thoughts come to mind at night.

The Blood Twin Axes, Pi-ram, was also one of these types of people.

He had been abandoned in the mountains. He had lived without even knowing who his parents were, or if he had any siblings.

No! To spend time in the mountains as a child was just to die. If he hadn't met that man that day, Pi-ram would have been torn to shreds by the pack of wolves surrounding him and died.

He, on the other hand, tore the pack of wolves to shreds. He was strong. He fell in love with that strength at first sight.

He was a king. Everyone who passed through the mountain bowed their heads to him.

He was called the Fortress Chief by everyone in the mountain.

At that moment, Pi-ram set a goal in his life.

He tried and tried to become a person like him.

The reason Pi-ram participated in this Divine Demon Tournament was all to spread the greatness of him, the Grand Marshal.

The Green Forest is strong.

That you are not something to be ignored.

"Pi-ram. What are you doing, not sleeping?"

"I greet the Fortress Chief. I just couldn't sleep, so I came out."

"Guh guh guh! For you, who came back even after fighting a tiger bare-handed, to be nervous is quite surprising."

"Fortress Chief. I have something I want to ask."

"Speak."

"Is the Green Forest weak?"

"It is strong. No one can ignore us."

"But why do we have to live while watching the Heavenly Demon Cult's every move?"

The King of the Green Forest noticed what Pi-ram's concern was.

"Pi-ram, how old are you this year?"

"A little over twenty."

"Has it been that long already? It's been a long time since you came to our mountain fortress as a baby. I raised you, changing your diapers and all."

"I wasn't a baby, I was five. For the record, I was potty-trained from the beginning."

"Ahem. Was that so. My memory is not so good as I get older. Guh guh guh! Yes. It's important that you've reached an age where you can think like that."

The Pi-ram the King of the Green Forest saw was a human who belonged to the category of a genius. He had already learned 5 stars of his ultimate technique, the Green Forest Demolishing Axe, and he also had a naturally gifted body.

There were not a few times when he thought that perhaps he had been sent down from the heavens for the Green Forest.

Therefore, he naturally knew.

That he was different from others.

That he was superior to others.

His blood must be boiling.

Because the age of twenty is a time for that.

Compared to his past self, Pi-ram was on the very quiet side.

If it were him, he would have picked a fight with anyone and couldn't control his strength, causing all sorts of trouble.

That must mean he's that calm.

The ability to maintain a cold reason in an excited heart.

It was something he didn't have.

A being who will surpass this King of the Green Forest.

A being who will raise the Green Forest to a higher place.

That was why the King of the Green Forest had Pi-ram participate in the Divine Demon Tournament.

Because the world is wider than you think, and the breed called monsters are surprisingly common.

Unfortunately, the King of the Green Forest knew from past experience that the sooner the frustration, the better.

If you fall from a higher place, you only get hurt more.

The current timing was just right.

There was something to be learned from defeat.

Even if he were to be broken like himself.

For Pi-ram, who had monopolized victory since birth, this defeat would be a truly bitter memory.

But the King of the Green Forest hid that heart from Pi-ram. Because he had no intention of breaking his spirit before he even started.

And you never know what will happen in the world.

"You might be able to prove it. If you win this Divine Demon Tournament, the Green Forest will no longer have to watch anyone's every move."

His king had spoken. Pi-ram swore to his king.

"I will prove it."

"Guh guh guh!"

'Will you be able to overcome the great wall called the Heavenly Demon Cult, which even the leaders of our Five Heretical Factions could not overcome?'

In two weeks, everything would be proven.

* * *

For the Mad Demon, the first big change in his life was meeting Yoo Jae-ha.

And the second was meeting Gwang Se-hyeon.

Gwang Se-hyeon and the Mad Demon got along quite well. So they often played together. Then, the Mad Demon happened to meet Gwang Se-hyeon's grandfather, and Gwang Se-hyeon's grandfather, the Spear Demon, introduced the Mad Demon to the Fist Demon.

That day, the Fist Demon and the Mad Demon became master and disciple.

The Mad Demon always had a place he went to after his daily routine was over.

Today too, the Mad Demon was heading there.

The Mad Demon ran without a single break to the middle of the ninth peak among the high peaks of the Heavenly Demon Cult, and a large clearing revealed itself in front of him. In the center, an old man was shirtless, with heavy stone weights hanging all over his body, and he was throwing punches.

The strange thing was that despite his rough movements, the stone weights were perfectly still, without any shaking.

The Mad Demon stood next to him and threw punches together. After a while.

The old man finally stopped his movements and looked to the side. A little kid who only came up to his waist was following him and throwing punches.

He was so proud of that, that a smile naturally spread across his face.

"My disciple."

"Yes, Master!"

"Didn't I tell you to tell me when you've arrived?"

"But when I see you throwing punches, Master, my heart boils and I want to follow you too!"

"As expected of this Fist Demon's disciple."

"Heeheehee."

"Did you participate in the Divine Demon Tournament?"

"Of course."

"Did you consistently do what I told you to do?"

"Of course! Ten thousand punches a day! Always wear the specially made iron rings! Do the breathing technique my master taught me three times a day!"

"Yes. I can see you've worked hard. To what extent have you learned the Annihilation Chain Fist?"

"It's so difficult that I've only learned up to the 2nd star."

At those words, the Fist Demon's eyes widened slightly and then returned to normal.

Because the age at which he had reached the 2nd star of the Annihilation Chain Fist was when he was twenty.

The Mad Demon had reached it a whopping 8 years earlier than him.

The Fist Demon, pretending to be calm, reprimanded the Mad Demon.

"Tsk tsk. At that slow pace, how can you expect to get good results?"

"Hehe."

"For this Fist Demon's disciple to laugh so frivolously. Tsk tsk. Don't go around saying you're my disciple. Understood?"

"Yes! I haven't told anyone yet!"

"Really?"

"Yes! Because my master told me not to, I didn't even tell my friends!"

"Not a single one?"

"Yes!"

"Even your parents?"

"Yes!"

"You really didn't tell them?"

"Yes!"

The Fist Demon had wanted to show off subtly, but he didn't know that his disciple would follow his words so literally.

Well, it didn't matter much anyway.

Because when his disciple uses his signature ultimate technique, the Annihilation Chain Fist, at this Divine Demon Tournament, everyone will know.

"Let's build a strong bond between master and disciple by throwing punches all night long after a long time!"

"Keuk! This is what I missed the most!"

* * *

The Six Yang Divine Meridian.

One of the legendary constitutions, it was known to be able to freely control fire energy.

Yang So-pyeong had been waiting for this day.

He had been chosen by the heavens.

The given situation was also the best.

Above all, he had not been lazy for a single day until now.

He could guarantee that there was no human under the heavens who had lived more diligently than him.

To achieve only one goal.

He had finally reached it.

"I will make the Sura Cult the best!"

It might be arrogant to say this with the Heavenly Demon Cult in mind, but Yang So-pyeong had the right.

He sat on a tree branch and crossed his legs to practice qi circulation all night long again today.

The tree branch was so small and fragile that it wouldn't be strange if he fell down if his concentration wavered even a little.

But for Yang So-pyeong, this kind of environment was just right for maintaining his concentration. In his eyes, a single man was caught.

It was that foolish man he had seen at the visitor center today.

"Tsk tsk. To think that a place with guys like that is the strongest."

Stagnant water rots.

The Heavenly Demon Cult had been at the top for too long.

From his point of view, he didn't know about the upper water, but the lower water had already rotted long ago.

"The Heavenly Demon Cult's true face is also shabby in the end."

He quietly closed his eyes and entered qi circulation.

And so, two weeks passed, and the day of the preliminary rounds arrived.

(End of Chapter)