I climbed the mountain with my father.

It felt like just yesterday when I climbed the mountain with him right after my regression, yet much had happened since then. If I had to pick just one thing, it would be that my relationship with my father had improved a lot compared to back then.

So even though the same two people were climbing the same mountain, it was definitely a different situation.

“What made you want to come hunting?”

“I wanted to spend time with you, Father.”

He stopped and looked back at me. Because I was sincere, I could meet his gaze calmly.

Father, when I saw you at Taesa’s place upon returning, I honestly felt choked up.

He resumed walking and asked me,

“Why are you carrying so much stuff?”

“As you saw last time, all of this is necessary. It might be uncomfortable now, but later it will make our bodies and mouths comfortable and happy.”

Father led the way again. I quietly followed behind.

When I first suggested going hunting together, I thought I’d talk a lot like a chatterbox, but now that I was with him, I had little to say.

The fortunate thing was that even walking in silence like this wasn’t awkward at all. If anything, it felt like we were having a silent conversation, which was even better.

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

Even though I have no intention of marrying in this life, if I do marry and have children, would there be a day when I go hunting with my son like this? Could I become the kind of father my son can comfortably say, “Dad, let’s go hunting”?

Would my son walk behind me thinking like this? And what would Father be thinking right now?

After walking for a while longer, I broke the silence.

“The Martial Alliance Leader said he wants to see you.”

Since I had already reported my meeting with the Martial Alliance Leader by letter, Father knew this.

“How is he?”

“He’s vigorous for his age. He’s boisterous and skilled in martial arts, quite different from the leader I had imagined.”

“He’s different from the rumors.”

“The leader said he wanted to see you. When I said you probably wouldn’t want to, he said no, that you would want to kill him.”

“He knows me well.”

“Are you serious?”

“Did you think the Demon Sect Leader would miss the Martial Alliance Leader?”

“Isn’t there some respect for the opposing faction’s leader, a martial artist’s respect?”

“There’s none of that. Respect among martial artists only comes after fighting.”

“Do you want to fight the leader?”

Father paused for a moment and then answered,

“He’s someone I want to face at least once.”

The victory of that fight would mean the death of one side. The clash between the Celestial Demon and the Martial Alliance Leader won’t end by simply dusting off their clothes.

And the result would change the fate of the entire martial world. That’s why this fight can’t be arranged easily.

I knew Father dreamed of uniting the world. Since the topic of the leader came up, I probed his thoughts.

“If the main sect and the righteous faction clash, will the Evil Sect side with us?”

“If the Evil Sect thinks they’re closer to us than the righteous faction, that’s a mistake.”

“Isn’t it?”

“If the Evil Sect has to choose between us and the Martial Alliance, they’ll side with the righteous faction.”

“Why are you so sure?”

“Because the Evil Sect hates us more than the righteous faction. They probably want to eliminate us and divide the martial world between the righteous faction and the Martial Alliance.”

I thought Father’s words were correct. Before regression, I had talked to a high-level sect member from the Evil Sect. He truly hated the main sect for a simple reason: as the Demon Sect became the symbol of orthodox evil, the Evil Sect degenerated into a cheap evil organization.

Why shouldn’t the Evil Sect be the master of the martial world?

Though it was just the sigh and personal thought of a single Evil Sect member, I wondered if many Evil Sect members shared that feeling. Perhaps the Evil Sect’s hatred of the main sect that Father mentioned originated from there.

I didn’t try to stop Father’s ambition. We would have to fight a war one day anyway. The enemy would be the Demon Sect, not the Martial Alliance or the Evil Sect.

“Father, please become stronger too!”

That evening.

We settled at a quiet place where a stream flowed.

I spread thick leather for Father to lean on and lie comfortably. It was the most important piece of luggage I brought.

After preparing a comfortable resting place for Father, I made a fire and cooked the hunted game.

I didn’t just sprinkle salt and eat roughly. I applied the special marinade Im Suksu had prepared, and also brought plenty of vegetables and other ingredients.

“How does it taste?”

“It’s good.”

It had to be good. I had learned what flavors Father liked through Im Suksu and prepared the marinade accordingly.

After the meal, I served tea — the kind Father liked. Seeing Father’s satisfied expression as he drank made me glad I had prepared so well.

“Has the Wind God’s Step reached the Completion Stage?”

Father immediately saw through my achievement.

“Yes. I sensed something during the fight with Heavenly Fate Sect, but unfortunately, it didn’t lead to the Great Completion.”

It was as if I was almost there but still far away, a feeling both distant and close.

“If you become impatient, you’ll go slower.”

“I will keep that in mind. Would you like another cup of tea?”

Father nodded, and I poured a warm cup for him.

“Do you enjoy spending time with me?”

He had come a long way to ask such a question. At times like this, one principle came to mind: never try to deceive Father.

“To be honest, is it enjoyable? I’m cautious and burdened.”

“Then why did you want to come?”

“Because I feel reassured.”

Father looked at me with surprise. Calmly, I conveyed my heart.

“When I’m with you, I feel so reassured. No matter who stands in front of us, you’ll block them all, won’t you? Even if a monster comes out, if it’s you, you’ll stop it, won’t you? Just being with you makes me comfortable. I don’t have to protect you, nor do I feel the burden of making that person mine or the responsibility of making that person happy through sacrifice. In any situation, I can just stay still and feel at ease. I feel secure because you’re here.”

It was a truly honest heart. Father seemed surprised and looked at me with deeper eyes.

“Aren’t you lonely?”

At my question, Father snorted. It was a hard question to answer, but when else would I ask?

Father lay down on the ground as if to say it was time to sleep. After a moment, staring at the night sky, Father suddenly said,

“I ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) have never been lonely.”

To me, it sounded like,

I am always lonely.

Thus ended the first day of hunting with Father.

On the second day, we moved more comfortably than the first. Though we barely talked, neither Father nor I felt awkward.

We just climbed the mountain together, walked on the trail, and rested in the valley. Hunting was secondary; it was just a leisurely walk and rest.

That evening, as I prepared to grill the meat, Father came beside me.

“I’ll do it.”

“What? Surely you don’t mean cooking?”

“Why not?”

“You cooking?”

Startled, Father calmly asked,

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Have you ever cooked before?”

“Sometimes.”

That lie shocked me.

“Do you have a martial art called cooking? You mean that, right?”

“Nonsense!”

How could I not say nonsense when Father said he cooked?

“Don’t you kill your cook when the food tastes bad? Are you cooking out of guilt that day?”

“Isn’t my cook’s skill too excellent to kill him?”

“Are you really going to cook?”

Father began cooking as if to show me. He was truly skillful. Instead of grilling the whole meat, he cut tasty parts and stir-fried them with vegetables and mushrooms. And to prove he actually cooked, he made soup as well.

Even more surprising was that it tasted excellent.

“What is this? Why is it so good? Did you secretly pour some cleansing oil instead of marinade?”

A smile flickered across Father’s lips — the first since climbing the mountain.

It was a moment I discovered a side of Father I had never known.

The Celestial Demon of the era is a cooking Celestial Demon.

That night, lying by the campfire, Father and I talked about various things. I usually brought up topics, and Father listened, but we couldn’t avoid talking about the Ma Jons.

“You know well, but my side has Blood Heaven Butcher, Geukak Soma, Ilhwa Sword Immortal, and Great Drunken Demon. Your side has Ma Bul, Poison King, and Kwon Ma. We excluded the young Seophon Ma Jon for now. How do you think? Does my side look stronger?”

“Evenly matched.”

“But we have one more person.”

“Yes.”

If they’re evenly matched despite one less, it means one among Ma Bul, Kwon Ma, and Poison King is worth two. Who could Father think that highly of?

“Is it time to chase out our slacker?”

Despite my joke, Father said nothing more on the matter. He was telling me to experience it myself. Who was he thinking of?

“Why do you want to become sect leader?”

Because it’s my mission. My lifelong mission that led me to regression. I will protect it even if it kills me.

“To master the Flame Demon Fist.”

“Why are you so obsessed with the Flame Demon Fist?”

“I’m not obsessed with the fist itself, but with getting stronger.”

“You’re strong enough now. Why get stronger?”

“To protect everyone.”

Father, my brother, and all the Celestial Demon’s followers.

And maybe a few more will join. Though some never acted before, now one or more Ma Jons will step forward for real revenge.

But Father’s resolve was firm.

“The Flame Demon Fist will be passed down only to the one who will become the Celestial Demon.”

“Then I will be the Celestial Demon.”

Like Father, my resolve was firm.

Father looked at me briefly, then turned his back and fell asleep.

‘And even if I become the Celestial Demon, I will be a different Celestial Demon from Father. One who roams the world freely. To do that, I’ll have to work much harder.’

On the third day, Father headed for the summit of Daechunsan Mountain.

Along the way, I felt tiger energy twice, but I ignored it, leaving it as a reason for the next hunt.

If I felt it, Father surely did too, but he didn’t mention hunting the tiger. Maybe Father was also looking forward to the next hunt.

“Ah, is the summit really this beautiful?”

The view from the top of Daechunsan was like a painting.

“When I was your age, I used to come here when training got tough.”

Imagining Father standing here in his youth felt strange.

“I should come here whenever I get frustrated during training.”

“Come here for a moment.”

“Yes.”

Father sat on a flat rock at the summit and gave a lecture about the Flying Sword Technique.

It was already a martial art of the Completion stage of the Twelve Stars, and what I needed now was the Wind God’s Step, but even so, Father spoke of the Flying Sword Technique.

It was as if all martial arts were connected in the end, and understanding the one best known could help understand others.

It was a special moment of a Twelve Stars Completion stage master lecturing another Twelve Stars Completion stage master on the Flying Sword Technique.

And I had a new experience. Though I expected to understand everything, there were many parts different from what I thought. Even masters at the same Completion stage had very different paths.

Whenever I didn’t understand something, I asked Father. I didn’t pretend to know. I didn’t deliberately feign ignorance. I simply let the conversation flow like water.

What I thought would be a brief discussion of martial arts lasted until three or four in the afternoon. One day passed, then two, then three.

We kept talking while eating prepared food, drinking tea, and even when drinking the liquor brought for the last day. We continued talking while hunting after the food ran out, and even while grilling meat by the campfire, discussing martial arts. Both Father and I were fully absorbed in the conversation.

It started as a discussion about the Flying Sword Technique but expanded to all martial arts. It was a profound discussion between the Celestial Demon Father and the regressed Celestial Martial Artist.

When the long three-day discussion ended, I suddenly stood up and opened the Wind God’s Step manual. And I realized I could finally properly walk the Four Steps of the Wind God.

I said to Father with a surprised face,

“The Wind God’s Step has reached Completion.”

As if he had expected it, Father was not surprised. He grabbed my collar and threw me down in celebration.

I bowed deeply to Father.

“Thanks to your great teachings. Thank you so much, Father.”

“Get up. Let’s head down.”

“Yes.”

I was filled with a strong desire to run. How fast was the rapid step of Completion? Could I handle the speed? How narrow had the Central Plains become? I wanted to know everything.

“Father, let’s race. From here to the main sect. What do you say?”

I was finally qualified to compete with Father’s Celestial Demon Flight Technique.

Father looked at me with a mocking expression. Why did I like that look so much?

“What’s the wager?”

“Pride.”

“Good.”

Since I didn’t mind losing, it was a condition absolutely favorable to me, but Father willingly accepted anyway. He planned to tease me by winning.

Father and I stood side by side. I realized we hadn’t often stood side by side to see our profiles. Father’s face felt new again. I was so happy to be racing side by side with him like this.

“One, two, three…”

He counted after I started. That way, if I won, Father would have something to say.

When the two masters of lightness techniques began cutting through space, a wind sound I had never heard in my life began to come.