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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Demonic Arts (2)
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But now, there was no way I could confess, "Actually, I'm a bad son!"
I thought of my last hope and asked my Master.
"Then, can you tell me what arts there are and what side effects each one has?"
"Good question. I was just about to explain that part. First, there is the Explosive Demon Net Sword Art. If mastered, it boasts destructive power capable of blasting even a mountain peak."
"What are the side effects?"
"The higher the realm, the more internal heat builds up in the body. Often, one loses reason to fits of rage."
I nodded at my Master's words.
'It means developing intermittent explosive disorder.'
Not the selective kind we encounter in everyday life, but the real deal.
'Then this one's definitely off-limits.'
Unlike selective rage, true intermittent explosive disorder doesn't discriminate.
A stronger opponent. A dangerous situation like a trap. It ignores all that and charges in blindly, likely getting yourself killed.
"What other arts are there?"
"Hmm. How about the Bare Hand Demon Art? If mastered, it's a fearsome ice art that can freeze an entire region in one go."
"What are the side effects?"
"Hmm. Regrettably, for a man to cultivate this art, he must accumulate yin energy, which requires maintaining chastity. On top of that, the buildup of yin energy gradually heightens sexual desire."
"Wh-what happens if you can't overcome that desire…?"
"If you fail to suppress it even once, lust turns into a raving demon, driving you to rape women relentlessly until you've exhausted all your yang energy and die."
"...."
While I was speechless, my Master kindly continued explaining another art.
"By the way, that one suits you well too. The Mad Soul Sword Art—an art with ever-changing, erratic movements that surpass the Plum Blossom Fourteen Sword Techniques of the Central Plains."
"…What are the side effects?"
Asking without much expectation now, my Master stroked his beard with a nonchalant expression.
"The higher the realm, the more you suffer auditory hallucinations or visions."
"...."
This time, it was schizophrenia.
* * *
After that, various demonic arts kept coming up.
Thunder Emperor Demon Fist, Wind Demon Asura Blade Art, Demon Spirit Kick, and so on.
And the aftereffects were just as varied. Depression, mania, binge eating, multiple personalities, etc.
'Pick from these options?'
Was I choosing a martial art or a mental illness?
Amid all this, one question came to mind.
"I have one question, Master."
"Speak."
"Then, have you mastered all these many demonic arts?"
There were over ten arts listed, and if he'd mastered them all, my Master should be suffering from more than ten mental illnesses by now.
A walking psychiatric ward. Given his lofty realm, he'd be no different from a powder keg ready to blow at any moment.
Catching my implication, my Master stroked his beard and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha. No need to worry. The arts I've mastered to perfection are the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and Blood Shadow Eighteen Swords. The others, I learned after perfecting the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, solely to teach them to others."
"If you perfect the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, do the side effects of other demonic arts disappear?"
"The Heavenly Demon Divine Art is the most difficult and dangerous demonic art. Thus, if you perfect it and reach Transcending Demon, you can overcome the side effects of any demonic art. However, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is permitted only to the Cult Leader of our sect. Unless you ascend to the Leader's position, you cannot learn it."
"Then, before perfecting the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, you learned the Blood Shadow Eighteen Swords?"
"Indeed. However, I cannot pass the Blood Shadow Eighteen Swords to you."
Seeing my puzzled look, my Master added an explanation.
"The Blood Shadow Eighteen Swords is the signature art of the Hyeok-ryeon Sword Clan, my birth family. Even if I've become the Heavenly Demon, how could I arbitrarily teach an outsider an art passed only to direct descendants of the clan?"
In the end, the two arts my Master had mastered most deeply were ones I couldn't learn right now.
A bit of regret lingered, but a more important issue prompted another question.
"But must you perfect the Heavenly Demon Divine Art to overcome the side effects of demonic arts?"
If you couldn't become the Heavenly Demon, you'd suffer mental illness your whole life. What could be scarier than that?
Fortunately, my Master shook his head.
"The stages of demonic arts can be broadly divided into three. Entering Demon, when you first begin cultivating. Extreme Demon, when the side effects reach their peak. And Transcending Demon, when you escape the side effects. Starting from Entering Demon, the higher your realm, the worse the side effects become. But as with all things in the world, once it's full, it empties. After reaching Extreme Demon, the higher your realm, the freer you become from the side effects."
My Master spoke as if escaping the side effects was easy, but I wasn't fooled.
With years of social experience, how could I fall for such wordplay?
"What if, at the Extreme Demon stage, you gain no further enlightenment and succumb to the side effects?"
It wasn't like you automatically advanced from Extreme Demon to Transcending Demon by sitting idle. There was that qualifier: "when your realm rises higher."
It meant climbing to a higher realm through training and enlightenment amid peak mental illness.
Easy to say, but clearly, most would fail and turn into lunatics.
To my question, my Master just stroked his beard and spouted nonsense.
"Hahaha. That's why I chose you, with your brilliant mind and upright heart. You'll surely reach Transcending Demon."
"...."
At my incredulous look toward his irresponsible words, my Master seemed embarrassed and changed the subject.
"Ahem. I've explained enough now, so choose. Which demonic art will you learn?"
It sounded like "Shut up and pick one."
And sadly, refusal wasn't an option.
So, which mental illness should I choose?
After some thought, I cautiously opened my mouth.
* * *
Listening to my Master's explanation, I gained a few insights.
The most unique was the concept of demonic art realms.
'It doesn't seem to refer to those Peak Realm or Flower Realm things.'
It wasn't like reaching Extreme Demon let you freely wield qi aura, or Transcending Demon matched a righteous sect's Peak Realm.
Terms like Entering Demon, Extreme Demon, Transcending Demon referred only to the realm of the specific demonic art being cultivated.
Like how the Plum Blossom Twenty-Four Forms has three stars, seven stars, ten stars, great completion, and so on.
Ultimately, mastering a stronger demonic art and reaching Transcending Demon made you a superior expert.
The problem was, the stronger the power, the worse the side effects, making Transcending Demon harder.
And seeing that my Master had perfected Blood Shadow Eighteen Swords before learning Heavenly Demon Divine Art, it seemed possible to master a lower-realm art to Transcending Demon first, then learn stronger ones.
So, I carefully asked.
"Among the demonic arts you mentioned earlier, Master, could you tell me which are the more difficult and powerful ones, and which are easier but weaker?"
Stroking his beard, my Master replied.
"The arts I mentioned are all comparable in power and difficulty. Excluding the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, they're among the top in our Cult."
"...."
No, why start with the hardest ones?!
Such a protest lingered on my lips, but I calmed myself and asked again.
"Since I'm starting demonic arts at a late age, wouldn't it be better to begin with something a bit safer?"
"Why waste time like that? If you have the talent for superior demonic arts, learning lesser ones is pointless. You can handle it, so trust me and choose."
Damn. Checkmated.
Pushing for easier arts here would mean I don't trust my Master.
Sure enough, my Master and Jin Ha-yeon's gazes grew colder.
Having stirred trouble, my mind raced.
For me, survival came first. And a peaceful life.
Naturally, the first art that came to mind was the Bare Hand Demon Art, a chastity-based one.
Plenty of negative preconceptions about chastity arts, but it didn't seem bad to me.
Meaning, if it even reduced sexual desire, that is.
Castration might sound negative, but without desire to begin with, the loss wouldn't feel great.
No need to impress the opposite sex, no sacrifices for dating or marriage—perhaps no art was better for a peaceful life.
But Bare Hand Demon Art was the opposite, so I had to give it up.
A chastity art that heightened lust instead? Pure torture.
Others like rage disorders, schizophrenia, depression, mania.
As a martial artist always facing mortal danger, they all seemed perfect for getting your head chopped off.
So after much deliberation, my choice was this.
"I will learn the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword, Master."
The sword that steals souls, merciless.
The name suggested becoming an emotionless psychopath, but the side effect was different.
"The Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword. As I explained earlier, its side effect is obsessive-compulsive tendencies, unable to overlook even the smallest flaw. Are you sure you want to learn it?"
The side effect of Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword: obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.
In handling tasks, you can't tolerate vagueness; even minor issues cause excessive stress until every gap is perfectly filled.
Society often calls those afflicted "perfectionists."
'For a martial artist, this seems to have the highest survival rate.'
Always calculating risks for perfection. Compared to others, it felt overwhelmingly better for survival.
"Yes. I will learn the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword."
As I gave my firm answer, my Master stroked his beard and looked at me with a strange expression.
"Very well. For today, learn the forms of a few initial stances first, then I'll teach you the inner cultivation method. Once you perfect the forms and build some inner energy, we'll move to infusing them with power."
"Understood."
"Then, bring a sword. Heavenly Demon."
"Hahaha. I have my sword, so fetch one for Il-mok to use."
"As you command."
After her utmost courtesy, Jin Ha-yeon left the room and soon returned with a single sheathed sword.
Taking the scabbard she offered, it felt heavier than expected.
Shing.
Gripping the hilt with my left hand and drawing the blade, I froze without thinking.
'Holy shit.'
The edge gleamed wickedly sharp.
"W-we're starting with a real sword right away?"
At my question, both Jin Ha-yeon and my Master gave looks like I'd spouted nonsense.
"You're learning an art to kill people— what else would you train with if not a real sword?"
"Uh… Don't people usually start with wooden swords? I'm not used to swords yet; I might accidentally cut myself or something."
"I know the righteous hypocrites use that excuse to give young disciples wooden swords. But since you'll wield a sword to kill anyway, worrying about injuring yourself is also hypocrisy. Resolving to kill your foe means accepting you might die too. How can you learn martial arts without that resolve?"
The atmosphere felt like they were asking if I was just another cowardly righteous hypocrite.
"Hahaha. Y-you're right. As a beginner in martial arts, I got confused by Central Plains rumors."
"Hahaha. Ignore the nonsense from those faithless wanderers."
"I will."
Otherwise, some great misfortune seemed imminent.