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

Chapter 39 : The Little Divine Monk (1)

The first match of the semifinals was over. People in the spectator seats stood up one after another. They were all moving busily to rest or to fill their hungry stomachs before the second match of the semifinals, which would start in an hour.

But there were still people here and there who were keeping their seats. Their appearances were a little different from ordinary people.

They looked somewhat fierce, or were large in build, or were carrying swords or sabers; at a glance, you could tell they were martial artists.

Although the duel was over, they were still unable to pull themselves out of the duel.

No! If they were to get up from this place as if nothing had happened after watching that duel, they were not worthy of being called martial artists. That's what the people sitting there thought.

The Mad Demon knew that this duel would be helpful to him. Of course, it was natural that the one who had taught him the direction and identity as a martial artist was Yoo Jae-ha. It was a duel he was having. And his opponent was Soma of the Blood Cult, who had defeated him.

He believed that Yoo Jae-ha would show him something new, different from himself.

...He did show something. It's just that it was beyond his imagination, so he's dumbfounded now. To be honest, he thought he had caught up a little, but that was his own misunderstanding.

It feels like the gap has widened even more than before he learned martial arts. Still, the duel just now had shown him the direction he should go.

At the end of it stood Yoo Jae-ha.

The Mad Demon decided to run with all his might, looking at his back, as he had always done. His heart was already pounding. He wanted to move his body right now. But he held it in. Because the next match was also very important.

And so, the Mad Demon realized once again.

'As expected of the Captain!'

The Captain was the best.

* * *

The Sword Demoness was also not moving from her seat. She was still looking at the empty tournament stage. In the Sword Demoness's eyes, the duel that had already ended was being replayed endlessly.

No matter how many times she watched it, she couldn't understand.

How he could perform such an attack there.

How he could block such a defense there.

How he could make such a quick judgment.

And how he could put it into practice.

A fast-paced exchange of blows that made it impossible to count the moves was continuing.

The important thing was that all those attacks were the result of a battle of wits. The time it took to exchange each other's moves was less than a second. In an instant, 10 clashes pass. The result of analyzing it through a review was that there were a total of 100 battles of wits to perform those 10 clashes.

Does this make sense in less than 10 seconds?

Since it actually happened, it must make sense. It's about to become absurd. But Yoo Jae-ha had shown directly that it was not in the realm of impossibility.

There were so many things she was curious about. It felt as if a large number of bombs had suddenly been dropped in her head.

At the same time, the solutions to the difficult problems just now were being interpreted quickly.

The Peak... a realm that everyone desires. The Sword Demoness had achieved it at a young age, without anyone's help.

To be honest, she was confident. She felt that she could reach the Peak realm easily enough.

And the same went for the duel just now.

At first, she was just surprised, and even now, it was so far away that she couldn't reach it, but she felt that if she just tried, she would definitely be able to reach that place.

But she couldn't give an answer to the one thought that had just come to her mind.

Can I catch up to the being named Yoo Jae-ha?

The Sword Demoness knew that the Mad Demon had entered the Peak earlier than her. She also knew that someone was helping the Mad Demon. Even knowing all that, the Sword Demoness did not envy the Mad Demon.

Because she believed that if time passed, she would surely be ahead of the Mad Demon.

But when she substituted Yoo Jae-ha for the Mad Demon, she couldn't be sure.

She pictures Yoo Jae-ha leaving her behind and going far away. No matter how much she struggles, the distance does not narrow. Rather, it gets farther. For some reason, the Sword Demoness could find herself becoming impatient.

She wanted to become stronger than now. This wouldn't do. To do that, she had to find a way. And the Sword Demoness knew that way.

-Do you want to save your younger siblings? Then become stronger than me. By any means necessary.

The Sword Demoness recalled the First Elder.

* * *

Soma, who had returned to the waiting room, looked at his stomach.

He could see his skin, which had turned red.

If he hadn't unconsciously moved all his Blood Demon True Qi to the front, he would have died on the spot with his stomach pierced.

Smirk.

A laugh came out.

"Are you laughing?"

At the voice coming from the entrance, he turned his head, and there was the Blood Demon.

"He was strong."

Soma said, recalling Yoo Jae-ha, and the Blood Demon also recalled Yoo Jae-ha and answered.

"Yes. He was damn strong. To be honest, I was also surprised by the last attack."

The Blood Demon swallowed his next words.

'That was neither the Peak nor the Transcendent Peak.'

He was also honestly surprised at Soma, who was fine even after being hit by such a thing.

Soma looked at the Blood Demon and asked.

"Can I become stronger than now?"

"You have inherited the true teachings of this Blood Demon. What kind of question is that?"

"I can't just become strong. I have to become strong enough to kill Jae-ha."

"You have just learned how to use the Blood Demon True Qi. And the ways to use the Blood Demon True Qi are endless. You don't know that. If you had known, you would have been able to win the fight just now."

"Really? Me?"

Soma tilted his head. Because it didn't seem like he could win at all. To such a Soma, the Blood Demon said.

"Do you know why you lost?"

Soma tilted his head again, and then, as if he had remembered something, he opened his eyes wide and answered.

"I didn't bet?"

"Heheh. It seems you've already got the hang of it. Then, the second question. What didn't you bet?"

"My life?"

The Blood Demon laughed, cackling. Although the defeat was bitter and regrettable, he had just been certain that Soma would move forward because of it.

"To take the opponent's life, you must also bet your own life."

"And I avoided that?"

"Yes."

"Then, if I had bet my life in the fight just now, not later, would I have won?"

The Blood Demon briefly continued the virtual exchange of blows and broke out in a cold sweat.

"P-perhaps?"

"You're lying now, right?"

"Ahem! I am the Blood Demon. A master of the Soul Detachment realm. The strongest man in this world!"

"That's the Heavenly Demon."

"Even the Heavenly Demon, if I try to kill him, I can kill him. I'm serious."

"Can you do that right now?"

"Ahem! It requires a lot of preparation. But if I make all the preparations, I swear. That I can kill even the Heavenly Demon."

"Alright. I'll believe you. The Blood Demon doesn't lie to me. Right?"

"Of course!"

"Then tell me. The way to bet my life."

"Heheh. I'll make it so that you never experience defeat again."

"By the way, what happened to Jae-ha? Is he okay?"

"That guy was carried out."

Hearing the answer, Soma smiled again.

* * *

Gulp.

I swallowed.

The old Demonic Doctor was examining me with a serious face. He brings out that strange rubber hammer.

I doubt if a real examination is possible with that, but seeing the Sword Demoness, it was safe to say that the old Demonic Doctor's skills were beyond doubt. Although his actions were like those of a quack.

"Then, I'll begin."

Gulp.

The tension of a lifetime is running through my whole body.

I wasn't this nervous even when I was ascending to the position of Young Lord, but of course, that was natural. Because what I was trying to confirm now was more important than the likes of the Young Lord.

Tap!

The old Demonic Doctor strikes my knee with the rubber hammer. Unlike last time, my knee stayed still.

"Huh?"

The old Demonic Doctor, who had let out a question, tilts his head and mutters.

"This can't be."

A sense of anxiety creeps in. I squeezed my eyes shut at the reality that was hard to accept. Tears welled up, which I hadn't shown even when I was fighting Soma.

This time, the old Demonic Doctor hit my knee harder than before. Then, my knee automatically went up and down like last time.

The old Demonic Doctor repeated the same process on the other knee.

"The examination is over."

Although it wasn't very credible, I opened my eyes with a slit, feeling nervous.

"H-how is it? Old man."

"It's fine."

"R-really?"

"Yeah. To be more precise, I'd have to do a full autopsy to know for sure, but for now, the outward reactions are normal."

I shed tears.

Oh, God. Thank you!

"Are you crying?"

This is a tear of joy that only those who have bet their growth plates can know, a noble tear, a hot man's tear. How could a quack know my heart right now?

I wiped my tears. And I thought.

The old Demonic Doctor, who mentioned an autopsy, which has nothing to do with the knee, to check whether the growth plates are fine or not, was indeed a quack.

"Phew."

Letting out a sigh of relief, I lay down on the bed. The old Demonic Doctor comes to my side and takes my pulse.

"Is there anything wrong with your body?"

"I don't have any particular discomfort in moving."

To be honest, I was also surprised by this. Even my junior sister, who was a Heavenly Dragon Saintly Bones, had been sick in bed for over a week after using the second form of the Reversal of Heaven, that is, the second technique of the Reversal of Heaven, the Twin Poles, the Three-Legged Crow.

If I were also a Heavenly Dragon Saintly Bones, as the old Demonic Doctor had said, it would be normal for me to be sick in bed with a high fever all over my body, but since I wasn't, the old Demonic Doctor was indeed a quack.

But why am I fine?

I thought I knew the reason.

'Isn't it the difference in the energy I possess?'

Because even if you use the same Reversal of Heaven, the greater the energy in your body, the more the load you have to bear is beyond imagination.

My junior sister's energy was at the Demonic Zenith level.

My energy was at the Peak level.

Because of that difference, I must have been fine. Probably.

"Hmm... there's nothing particularly wrong with your pulse either. But you've consumed a lot of energy, so I'll prescribe you some medicine to replenish your energy, so just eat that and go."

Since I actually had no strength in my body, I nodded my head.

The old Demonic Doctor goes outside to brew the medicinal soup. I lay on the bed again and recalled the duel just now.

I almost really lost. No! I almost died. Soma's martial prowess was beyond imagination. Moreover, the power he had shown at the end, which surpassed his own skills by several times in an instant.

Just thinking about it made my hair stand on end.

It probably wasn't a power he had reached normally. It must have been a power he had drawn out temporarily.

But it wasn't a Reversal of Heaven similar to mine.

Well, it meant that just as I had my way, Soma also had his way. Because I had fought him directly, I knew. That his technique was still incomplete. What if Soma's technique had been completed?

The result came out without difficulty.

I would have lost.

'With just an incomplete version, that much power.'

I shivered.

Goosebumps ran down my spine.

I decided that I should never fight Soma again in the future.

Of course, if we were to fight again, it wasn't that I had no way of winning, but if that happened, I would die even if I won, so it was as good as losing.

After that, I drank a bowl of the medicine the old Demonic Doctor had given me and got up from my seat. A tingling pain was transmitted to my knee, but since the old Demonic Doctor had said my growth plates were safe, I let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm leaving, old man. Thank you."

"Yeah. Next time you get hurt, make sure you come in an unconscious state."

"Yes."

As I answered, I decided that I should never lose consciousness. Because I don't know when I might be subjected to an autopsy. He's a scary old geezer.

"Ah! How much time has passed?"

"About an hour and a little more."

Huh? Then the second match of the semifinals might still be going on?

I quickly ran out of the medical hall.

"Old man. Thank you for just now, and let's never see each other again."

As I almost reached the tournament ground, I could hear cheers. Fortunately, the duel didn't seem to be over.

I entered the tournament ground.

I could see the Flame Saber, Yang So-pyeong, with an intact body on the tournament stage, and the Little Divine Monk, whose body was full of minor injuries.

There was a clear difference between the two that anyone could see.

However, the Little Divine Monk's gaze was calm, unlike his battered body. Seeing that gaze, bad memories from a long time ago were suddenly about to come to mind.

The Orthodox Faction guys always had that kind of gaze and then charged with thunder bombs wrapped around their bodies.

I went and sat on the side where the Mad Demon, the Sword Demoness, and Gwang Se-hyeon were.

The three of them were briefly surprised to see my intact appearance, asked me how I was, and then quickly focused on the duel. The fact that all three of them were watching with their fists clenched suggested that the duel had been quite intense.

In fact, the tournament stage was broken in various places.

When I looked at the seats of honor, the Heavenly Demon and the Blood Demon were not there, and only the Sura Cult Lord and the Divine Monk were in their seats.

The Sura Cult Lord had a triumphant expression, and the Divine Monk had a very cautious expression.

Just then, my eyes met with the Divine Monk's for a very short moment.

-It was a great match. Congratulations on advancing to the finals.

Unintentionally, the Divine Monk sent me a telepathic message. I naturally pretended not to know. If I were to be caught sending a telepathic message with the Divine Monk here, I might be branded as a traitor and killed on the spot.

That's why a cold sweat was constantly flowing down my face now.

"Jae-ha. You can rest if you're tired."

The Sword Demoness took out a handkerchief and wiped my face. I thanked her.

"I-it's okay. I have to see who my next opponent is. So I can prepare."

"That's true."

The Sword Demoness makes a determined face and then focuses on the duel again. I didn't bother to ask why she was making such a face when she wasn't the one having the next duel.

Because I didn't have the mind for that right now. Because the Divine Monk was continuously sending me telepathic messages.

-Don't worry. I didn't hear your advice in vain.

This really makes me feel as if I'm communicating with the Divine Monk. Of course, I was innocent.

Gulp.

My mouth was dry for a different reason than before.

Just then, as if to finish it, the Flame Saber, Yang So-pyeong, sent a huge blow. The energy imbued in the Flame Saber was beyond the Peak. The Little Divine Monk, seeing the Flame Saber approaching him, firmly planted his two feet on the ground, lowered his stance, and raised his two arms.

'He's going to block that with his bare body?'

From my perspective, I wouldn't even dare.

Just then, an upset occurred.

Spin.

At the Little Divine Monk's gesture, the Flame Saber changed its direction and shot upwards. The energy imbued in the Flame Saber was all spewed out into the empty air.

The Divine Monk's telepathic message came almost at the same time.

-It's the Wisdom Sword. How about that?

Towards the bewildered Yang So-pyeong, the Little Divine Monk twisted his arm like a snake and extended it.

-It's the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms. Are you surprised?

As Yang So-pyeong retreated, the Little Divine Monk followed him gracefully.

-It's the Dark Fragrance Dart. There's still more.

The Little Divine Monk extends a fist. It accurately hits Yang So-pyeong's solar plexus.

-It's the Hundred-Step Divine Fist. As expected, the finishing move of Shaolin is the best. Isn't that right?

At the clear explanation, I almost nodded my head.

Shaolin, Wudang, Huashan, Beggars' Sect.

Don't tell me there's more?

It seems that the Orthodox Faction has created a monster.

And the opponent was also a monster.

(End of Chapter)