Book 16 Chapter 11

Second Contract

- Letter-

Clatter! Bang!

Even when he returned to his lodging, roughly twisting and turning the doorknob as if to wring it, the anger and resentment that coiled around his mind and body like a snake had not subsided.

Wiji Cheon's eyes were bloodshot like a ghost's, his heart, unable to overcome his rage, pounded violently like a madman's, and the blue veins on his temples pulsed so fiercely they looked like they would burst through his forehead at any moment. The image of him, once considered one of the greatest geniuses of Cheonmu Academy alongside Samjeolgeom Qinghen and Jiryeong Baek Muyoung, was nowhere to be seen.

"Ughhhhhhhh!"

Crash!

With a tremendous noise, the desk was overturned. Under the violent assault, the objects on the desk shattered with a loud din, defenseless.

"Ughhhhhhhh!"

But as if that wasn't enough, he hurled the only ceramic vase adorning the room to the floor. Though these were items he had deliberately chosen to decorate the place, they were beyond his notice.

Another deafening sound of destruction echoed in the room as ceramic shards, water droplets, and flowers flew up simultaneously. Noticing the scattered flowers, he trampled and crushed them without a second thought.

"Huff, huff, huff!"

Even after raging like that for several minutes, his excitement only grew, becoming more uncontrollable rather than subsiding. His heart pounded violently like a drum beaten by a madman. His eyes were bloodshot like a ghost's, and his mind grew hazy.

He couldn't think of any other way to quell his excitement without drawing blood. A compulsion arose from the depths of his exhausted mind and body. This compulsion quickly seized and dominated his psyche. There was no resistance. He knew well what kind of compulsion this was. Having felt it more than once, it was as familiar to him as a friend. Except that compared to previous times, this compulsion was unparalleled in its quality and intensity. It didn't matter what happened now.

His mind, fallen into chaos, was paralyzed by rage, rendering his reason numb. He felt no imperative to control the swirling emotions. Everything was chaotic. Only the impulsive desire to see blood remained. Because of this, it took some time before he found it. It was only after a considerable amount of time had passed since he slammed the door shut with such force that it felt like the hinges would break that he noticed the anomaly in his room. The anomaly was a note placed on the table. His eyes widened as if they would tear open when he discovered the note, fixed by an incredibly thin and long needle.

The western forest at the end of the midnight hour, at Tiger Rock.

Nothing else was written. However, what surprised Wiji Cheon was not the content of this overly simple message. What surprised him was the thin, long needle used to fix it. Despite it being a very rare and dangerous object, he knew well what it was.

An item not easily found in the current martial arts world… But Wiji Cheon wasn't surprised by its rarity. This needle alone was not enough. It exerted its greatest power the moment it was inserted into a small, silver, cylindrical device. Due to its terrifying power and excessive danger, it was a perilous item, comparable in power to the "Thunderclap Divine Tube" of the Sa Cheon Tang family, classified among the "Seven Great Forbidden Treasures of the Martial Arts World." Possessing such an item, let alone using it, could lead to being branded a public enemy of the martial arts world.

However, despite its rarity and danger, he had, fortunately or unfortunately, used it before. Along with another forbidden item, the Flame Demon Thunder. That silver needle was one of thousands of needles contained within the "Flying Phoenix Divine Needle." He had used it only once in his life.

'Could it be him?'

Wiji Cheon looked at the note in his trembling hand, again and again.

His throat felt burning hot.

The western forest at the end of midnight, Tiger Rock.

That rock was also called Maengnoseok (Fierce Tiger Rock) because it resembled a roaring tiger.

"Good evening, Young Master Wiji. It's been a while."

As soon as Wiji Cheon arrived, a man appeared. The man wore a mask, but Wiji Cheon recognized him at a glance as the very person who had given him "those things" before. The only change was his voice, which had become strangely gentle. If he only heard his voice, he wouldn't have been able to tell if it was the same person as before. Perhaps he was deliberately trying to hide his identity by creating different impressions each time they met.

"How did you get here?"

The masked man replied with a cheerful voice and a smile.

"I'm so glad you recognize me, Young Master Wiji! You haven't forgotten… Ah, I'm so touched. That you remember a nameless masked man like me…"

He had become very talkative. He couldn't distinguish which was his true self, his previous solemn demeanor or his current lighthearted one.

"How did you get here? This is not a place anyone can just enter, is it?"

"There is no place a fairy who grants wishes cannot go. I go anywhere to fulfill the dreams of others. The fulfillment of others' wishes is my true joy."

His actions and voice were exaggerated, as if he were fulfilling a heavenly mandate.

"Wishes? Are you talking about me?"

"Of course. I have an interesting story."

"A story?"

"Yes, it's a story about a man."

"I'm not interested!"

He was very interested in a certain woman, but not so much in men. That wasn't his taste. The only goddess he was interested in and captivated by was named 'Naye Rin.'

"Oh, no. You will definitely be interested in this story. I guarantee it."

The masked man said with great excitement, trying to persuade Wiji Cheon. Reluctantly, he asked,

"So, who is the story about?"

At first, he intended to just listen and ignore it. However, when he heard the masked man's words, he was unable to carry out his decision, as if he were under a spell.

"Have you heard of him? The name Biryu Yeon?"

The masked man said with a sly smile. And the moment that name struck his ears, Wiji Cheon trembled as if struck by lightning. The flame of jealousy, which he had suppressed for a moment, flared up again in his heart. His psychological state quickly showed on his face. The masked man inwardly smiled. That was exactly the state he had intended to induce.

"Do you want power?"

The masked man asked in a quiet, deep voice.

Wiji Cheon had once made a contract with the devil. The fatal flaw of this contract was that once you made a contract, you were continuously drawn in. Like a debtor borrowing money from a loan shark to avoid a moment's trouble… The paw of a demon that has once caught you never lets go. And now, the devil's hand was reaching out to him again. He found himself, to be honest, feeling an ecstatic attraction to this temptation.

"Power… Is there a way?"

"Of course. As I just said, fulfilling the wishes of others is my mission! The vengeful spirit burning with jealousy… Ah, it's wonderful. So wonderful it makes you want to go crazy!"

The masked man exclaimed, writhing his body.

"Jealousy? Are you saying I'm caught up in such a trivial emotion right now?"

The blue veins on Wiji Cheon's temples twitched. He couldn't accept that he was caught up in such a trivial emotion. He had to be righteous. Biryu Yeon was an evil that harmed his goddess, and he was a messenger of justice, eradicating that evil, that bug, that filth. Justice had to be in his grasp. He was certainly not doing this out of petty jealousy. Such subconscious self-justification was a type of behavior similar to that of many politicians who sell out justice and God.

"It's important to be honest with yourself. I like that kind of passion. It's hot and intense. Enough to burn everything. Including yourself."

His tone was somewhat mocking, which bothered Wiji Cheon greatly. However, he decided it was a waste of time to argue and let it go. He was already learning to ignore the accurate judgments of others. He had already mastered the method of selectively accepting only the eloquent words of his followers—especially the members of the Bingbong Eomgwa Suho Dae.

"So, what's the method?"

Wiji Cheon asked irritably.

"Uh… well…"

The masked man quickly started rummaging through his pockets.

"Huh? Where is it? That's strange."

It seemed he couldn't find it after searching for a long time.

"You don't mean you lost it, do you?"

"Ah, no. How could that be… I definitely put it somewhere here… I wonder where I dropped it… Ah! Here it is! I found it!"

The masked man finally pulled something out from his waistband and thrust it before his eyes.

"The key to victory is this!"

He exclaimed, flustered like a peddler in the marketplace.

"High-purity concentrated special ignition pill! Called the Blood Explosion Pill!"

It was a single, blood-red pill wrapped in red paper.

"What is this?"

"It's literally a specially made ignition pill. A supreme elixir that momentarily amplifies the qi within the body."

The masked man began to explain in detail.

"Generally, even in the martial arts alliance, they use something similar, but compared to this, those are child's play. The effect is truly eeeeeepic. It's five times the usual effect! I guarantee the effect. You can return it if the effect doesn't meet expectations."

Wiji Cheon let out a scoff.

"Return it? Where and what am I supposed to return? Am I supposed to cut open my belly and pull out what's inside?"

Though he responded jokingly to the crude joke, the other party's reaction was different from before. The playful energy disappeared, and a chilling coldness spread.

"Of course. The resolve to cut open your belly! In that island country across the sea, they call it seppuku, don't they? Proper seppuku involves making a cross, like the character 'ten'. One horizontal cut, one vertical cut. They say it's a magnificent sight when the bright red intestines spill out properly. Without such resolve, how can one achieve their dreams? Isn't that right, Young Master Wiji?"

Wiji Cheon couldn't help but feel a shiver. Though it disappeared in an instant, the pressure he had felt just moments ago was exactly the same imposing presence he had seen before. The other party was demanding he risk his life. And today, Wiji Cheon, blinded by rage, was willing to take such a risk.

"However, you must be prepared. After consuming it all, the aftereffects will not be insignificant. I will inform you in advance that it will be very painful. I don't want to be blamed later for insufficient explanation. After all, I am a benevolent fairy."

'You must be a devil!' Wiji Cheon thought.

"You won't back down now, will you?"

"Of course!"

He was now fully prepared to sell his soul to the devil.

He already realized that once you take the first step, even into a mud pit, the second step is much easier.

"By the way, how do I use this?"

"Ah, you're so impatient. You'll naturally find out tomorrow."

The masked man replied with a smile.

"Does this mean it's related to the nature of the trial I have to undergo tomorrow?"

"Of course."

"That means you also know what the trial tomorrow will be?"

How did that person know something that even they themselves didn't know yet? What was that person's true identity?

"I just overheard a few things."

He wasn't so foolish as to believe such a flimsy excuse.

"I don't think security is that lax."

"It's best not to be too curious, Young Master Wiji. We simply share the same goals, and we highly value your intentions, so we want to help. I am on your side."

"Let's assume that for now."

They speak well, these guys who would devour me if I let my guard down! Wiji Cheon sneered inwardly but didn't voice it. They were still united by a common goal. There was no need to break ties before achieving it.

"Then, I wish you good luck, Young Master Wiji! I look forward to seeing your aspirations fulfilled. I don't want to think you're so incompetent that you'll fail twice even with this preparation. Goodbye!"

With words that felt like needles on his tongue, he vanished into the darkness as if melting away.

"……"

Left alone, Wiji Cheon gazed at his palm. What had just happened was indeed not a dream. The red pill in his palm told him so.

"Good! If they've laid out the mat this much, I'll dance on it! As long as I can achieve my goal, I don't care! As long as that guy doesn't disappear, she won't have peace. That guy is evil! He must be eliminated. I'm doing this for her! There's no one in this world who cares about her more than I do… She will be saved by my noble sacrifice!"

Wiji Cheon muttered like a madman with unfocused eyes, clenching his fist tightly.