novelraw Chapter 3 : This Isn't It (2)
Chapter 3 : This Isn't It (2)
As winter passed, half of the trainees were eliminated.
And the remaining half were now waiting for the end on Heavenly Demon Mountain, which was fast approaching.
One of them, Yoo Jae-ha, was shedding tears of emotion.
Trickle, trickle, trickle.
A stream of piss arcing powerfully downwards.
Some might wonder why he's crying over something as simple as urinating, but to Yoo Jae-ha, the joy given by that gentle, rainbow-like curve was an emotion that couldn't be expressed in words.
This fresh feeling in his lower body even after urinating.
The nightmare of the past, where he had to endure constant dampness from being perpetually soaked, was now forever gone.
Zipping up his pants, Yoo Jae-ha hummed a tune as he headed towards the cave that had been his sanctuary for the past year.
The two children who had been sleeping earlier were nowhere to be seen, probably out hunting, and only one was sleeping so soundly inside, stuck so close to the bonfire that one might worry he'd catch fire.
Poke, poke.
He nudged him with his foot, but he didn't budge.
"How can you sleep all day long?"
Sleeping is a natural human act, but there's a limit to everything.
Sleeping for almost all of the twelve hours in a day, except for eating and shitting, made it hard to tell if he was a bear cub or a human child.
Lying down like that should have made his back hurt, but the kid was sleeping just fine.
Still, the reason he was able to live a relatively comfortable life in these mountains was largely due to the role of that sleeping bear cub over there.
"It's strange how he knows everything I ask."
Whether this mushroom is edible or not.
Whether it's a medicinal herb or a poisonous one.
How to hunt in winter.
How to find a good spot.
And so on.
In his past life, it was somewhat understandable, but now he was just a five-year-old child.
If I were to find an answer, it might lie in the secret of the surname he possessed.
The Demonic Brain's real name was Zhuge Myeong.
One might wonder why a person of the Heavenly Demon Cult would use the surname Zhuge, but it was a very natural thing in the current situation.
Because most of the children on this Heavenly Demon Mountain, excluding those related to the cult, were those abandoned by the Orthodox Faction when they fled.
They acted all righteous by themselves, but when it was time to run, they packed up their assets with only their direct descendants and left for Jiangnan.
The abandoned branch families were naturally absorbed into the Heavenly Demon Cult.
And the Heavenly Demon Cult generously accepted them.
The Demonic Brain, Zhuge Myeong, was one of those abandoned children.
The Orthodox Faction probably never dreamed that one of the children they abandoned would become the Demonic Brain, the third-in-command of the Demonic Cult, and in turn, grab them by the throat.
If they had known, they wouldn't have done it.
Although Yoo Jae-ha also never dreamed that such a guy would become a burden who only sleeps like this now.
"Aigoo. Anyway, this tedious mountain life is finally over."
He had regressed, but the verbal tics he had developed when his dantian was broken in the past just wouldn't disappear.
As Yoo Jae-ha entered the cave, he pretended to look around and cast his gaze here and there.
Though he couldn't see them, the examiners using concealment techniques would be positioned everywhere.
They were probably scoring each person.
He smiled with satisfaction.
He knew what his score would be without even having to ask.
'It's either Low or Lowest.'
All he had done on Heavenly Demon Mountain was follow these kids around, mooching off them or being protected.
"Good, good! The weather is nice today too!"
Just then, the Sword Demoness and the Mad Demon, who had finished their morning hunt, were returning.
The two were carrying a fish as big as their own bodies.
All he had taught those two was a simple way to fish.
But he couldn't quite understand how that, over the course of a year, enabled them to catch such a huge fish.
To call something like that a talent, isn't life too unfair!
Normal children would show envy and jealousy towards those two.
But Yoo Jae-ha greeted the two children with a bright smile.
"You're back?"
"Yeah! Today we caught a catfish that lives in Heavenly Demon Lake!"
"This thing was so strong, I was almost dragged to the bottom of the lake and almost died."
Ah... so you caught it by throwing your body in. Amazing.
"Rest by the bonfire. I'll handle the cleaning. I should at least do this much."
"Uh. Okay."
The Mad Demon replied and headed to the bonfire. The Sword Demoness was still by his side. It seemed she was planning to help him with his work again today.
Jae-ha gave a simple greeting to the Sword Demoness.
"Thanks."
The Sword Demoness silently bowed her head and stood still.
The person whose perception had changed the most among the people he knew before his regression, after living together for the past year, was none other than the Sword Demoness.
To think that she, who was even called the Cold-Blooded Witch, was actually such a considerate child.
Yoo Jae-ha took the catfish the Sword Demoness was holding.
And as he led the way, the Sword Demoness naturally followed behind him.
The Mad Demon, who was watching them, nudged the Demonic Brain, who was pretending to be asleep while warming himself by the bonfire, and said.
"Wow... did you see that pretense? Acting all innocent only in front of the Captain. Ugh! I feel like throwing up."
Slightly.
The Demonic Brain, who had only slightly opened his eyes, saw the scene and nodded his head so slightly that it would be unnoticeable unless one looked closely.
As the two of them moved away, the Mad Demon opened his mouth excitedly.
"You know, right? That I just came here without saying anything. That bitch said she'd kill me if I didn't, so I had no choice but to come! Demonic Brain! You be honest too. You're scared of that bitch too, right?"
The Demonic Brain nods briefly again.
"Tch! I want to play with the Captain too!"
The Demonic Brain slowly raises his arm and comforts the grumbling Mad Demon.
After a short wait, the Sword Demoness, who had left with Yoo Jae-ha, returned.
Yoo Jae-ha and the Sword Demoness skillfully skewered the catfish on a branch and propped it up diagonally next to the bonfire.
Just as the catfish was about to be fully cooked, the Demonic Brain woke up as if by magic. Seeing that, Yoo Jae-ha shook his head.
After they finished eating and the sun was setting, the instructors who had been hiding in the bushes revealed themselves one by one.
They all put the thin whistles hanging around their necks to their lips.
Peeeeeeeeee!
The high-pitched sound of the whistle echoed throughout Heavenly Demon Mountain, and a deep voice filled with internal energy followed.
"The nursery selection test is now over. All who have passed, gather at the nursery!"
Cheers could be heard from here and there.
The instructors didn't stop them.
It was an easy test compared to having to kill someone to survive in the past, but it must have been overwhelming for a mere five-year-old child to endure a year on Heavenly Demon Mountain.
Moreover, most of the children who passed were the children of the cult's members.
When would a plant grown in a greenhouse ever experience the wild?
In the Great Demonic Era, which was like a time of great peace.
Yoo Jae-ha expressed his joy of passing by stretching and followed the instructors' guidance.
Because the real beginning was from now on.
* * *
More than half were eliminated in the selection process, and the surviving trainees, after a day of rest, were now gathered in the large open space within the nursery.
Those who were eliminated in the selection process will probably live as the lowest-ranking members of the cult. If they don't like that, they will leave the cult.
They'll each choose for themselves.
Children gathered in groups here and there in the open space.
A few noticeable groups stood out here and there.
'Hoh! Over there is the young master from Elder Oh's side.'
'That little girl is the young lady from Elder Three's side, I see.'
They didn't have to take the test, but they graciously showed up. There were two main reasons for such cases.
They either wanted to show off their greatness in front of others, or they wanted to prove themselves.
Whatever it was, it had nothing to do with me.
Well, the real of the real will be separately incorporated into the Little Demon Academy later.
By then, I won't be here.
"Captain! Here, here!"
At the Mad Demon's call, I turned my head to see that our group was also all gathered.
The Sword Demoness, standing as if indifferently separated from the group.
The Demonic Brain, who was dozing off while standing, though I don't know how he does it.
And the Mad Demon, glaring at his surroundings.
A year is a short time if you think about it, and a long time if you think about it, but the one who showed the most remarkable progress during that time was none other than the Mad Demon.
The coward now knows how to growl to protect his people.
To me, he just looks like a kitten hissing, so he just looks cute.
"Everyone was gathered here."
It had only been a day since I saw the kids, but perhaps because of the affection that had grown between us, I was quite happy to see them.
And I have to take good care of the three future elders so that I can live comfortably too.
Grow up big and strong and become my reliable backers.
I gave a friendly greeting to the Sword Demoness who was staring at me.
"Hello, Seryeong."
The Sword Demoness nods her head.
For reference, Seryeong was the Sword Demoness's real name.
After a short wait, the instructors came in.
The relaxed atmosphere of the place instantly became tense.
I could feel the Mad Demon, Gu Gwang-hyeon, and the Sword Demoness, Murong Seryeong, next to me, also getting tense.
The only people here who weren't tense were me, who knew what was waiting next, and the Demonic Brain, Zhuge Myeong, who was still showing the divine skill of sleeping while standing.
And in fact, after the selection process, there was nothing to be tense about until the final test.
The nursery was, after all, a place to build a foundation.
The real deal starts at the Little Demon Academy.
The instructor opened his mouth.
"From now on, you will all head to the Nine Demon Hall."
Nine Demon Hall.
If you interpret the name literally, it's a place where nine demons reside.
Unlike its grand name, it's just a place where the cult's basic martial arts are stored.
Here, the first character of Nine Demon Hall, Nine, was also a derogatory term for the Nine Great Sects that represented the Orthodox Faction in the past.
As proof of that, the Nine Demon Hall also housed the basic martial arts that the Heavenly Demon Cult had obtained as spoils of war when they subjugated the Nine Great Sects.
And if you go to a higher-level library than the Nine Demon Hall, not only the cult's higher-level martial arts but also the ultimate techniques of the Nine Great Sects were stored.
Seeing this, one could indirectly know what an absurd feat the previous Heavenly Demon, the World-Dominating Heavenly Demon, had achieved.
Before my regression, I heard rumors that he had surpassed the Soul Detachment Realm. Honestly, I don't even believe there's a realm after Soul Detachment, but my guess is that he was at the peak of Soul Detachment.
And after the World-Dominating Heavenly Demon, the Soul-Stealing Heavenly Demon, who ushered in the current Great Demonic Era, was also enough to be called a monster. The Soul-Stealing Heavenly Demon's realm was precisely Soul Detachment.
In terms of the Orthodox Faction, it was the Profound Realm.
And it was clear that the Heavenly Demon Cult, led by the next generation, my junior sister, would also face an even greater golden age than now.
Hehehe. It's a reality that can't help but bring a smile to my face.
Being just one step away like this, what a reliable workplace this is.
While I was drawing a sweet future, the instructors' long and boring explanation had ended.
We were currently following the instructors to the Nine Demon Hall.
"W-what do we do?"
The Mad Demon, who had been showing his reliability just a moment ago, asked with a trembling voice, his shoulders slumped like a frightened kitten.
"What about?"
When I asked nonchalantly, I soon found out the reason.
"They're telling us to find the martial arts ourselves, and even learn them ourselves."
"So what?"
What's in the Nine Demon Hall are basic martial arts like the Three Talents Divine Art.
It was by no means a martial art that the children who had passed the nursery's selection process couldn't learn.
The children here now would not be lacking even if they were to learn the secret ultimate techniques of each sect right away.
"Captain, you know too! Unlike the others, we're from the streets. We don't even know the 'ma' in martial arts!"
"Is that so?"
Well, that's true. This bastard, he actually uses his brain. But why did he seem so thoughtless before my regression?
"But it's obvious that the young masters over there probably learned martial arts from their mother's womb!"
"Probably?"
That's not true, but let's just say it is for now.
"That's what I'm saying! As far as I know, martial arts have affinities, and I heard you have to learn one that matches you!"
"That's true."
Where did you hear such useless trivia. But affinity is important. So?
"I don't even know what my specialty is, so how do I choose! If I choose a martial art that doesn't suit me, I'll be eliminated from here, and then I might have to part with you guys! I don't want that!"
I glanced at the Mad Demon, who was trembling all over with anxiety, the Sword Demoness, who was calm and composed, and the Demonic Brain, who was still walking while dozing off, and said.
"Don't worry. Just trust me!"
"R-really, is that okay?"
"Of course! When have my words ever been wrong?"
"Never! Everything the Captain said was right!"
Before his regression, the Mad Demon learned the Tyrannical Force Demonic Art in the Nine Demon Hall. Contrary to his worries, the Mad Demon found a martial art that matched his specialty, Tyranny, very well.
The Sword Demoness seemed to have a vague idea of the martial art she would learn. She would probably learn the Moon Shadow Art, the basic martial art of the Murong family.
I don't know what the Demonic Brain kid is thinking, but if it's the same as before his regression, he will learn the True Demonic Brain Art.
And the martial art chosen now was very directly related to the final test that would come later.
Because the final test was none other than a martial arts tournament.
The period for learning martial arts in the nursery is only two years, but there is a clear difference between learning a martial art that suits you and one that doesn't.
This is even more so in the case of growing children.
I, of course, intended to fail the final test. I also had no intention of standing out from now on.
Because if I acted like I was hiding my strength, I might get caught by the test supervisors.
Before my regression, among the supervisors, the outstanding chief supervisor personally oversaw the progress of the tournament.
It would be close to impossible for me, who was inexperienced in martial arts, to deceive their eyes.
Therefore, I intended to do my best in the given environment.
Demonic Plain Heart Method.
This is the martial art I will learn in the Nine Demon Hall.
As the name suggests, it's a normal heart method that simply accumulates demonic energy, with no advantages or disadvantages.
It was also the most outdated heart method in the history of the cult, one that wouldn't show any results even if you learned it for two years without sleeping.
"We have arrived. From now on, choose the martial art you will learn for yourselves! Of course, you must be careful in your choice. It is the martial art you will learn for the next two years! We will give you exactly seven days and nights, so choose well!"
As soon as the instructor's words ended, the children scattered.
"I'll be back in a bit."
As expected, the Sword Demoness went off somewhere.
Shamble, shamble.
The Demonic Brain walked off somewhere while sleeping.
"C-Captain..."
The Mad Demon grabbed my collar.
"Well then, shall we go too?"
"U-ung...! I'm counting on you, Captain!"
Two years passed.
(End of Chapter)