The surrounding objects began to ripple as if alive. The desk, the display cabinet, and even the sword and fan placed on the wall all seemed to melt and flow, as if they were melting under intense heat.

The floor also undulated like waves crashing, making it almost impossible to maintain balance. It seemed like using martial arts in this place was utterly unfeasible.

The walls and ceiling were also swaying, and even lines resembling a Go board appeared, distorting my vision.

The voice of the Soul-Seeking Demon Lord echoed deeply within the cave.

"Your world was but an illusion. What you see before you now is the true world."

Naturally, the Heavenly Demon Art activated. Had I not learned this technique, I would have already begun losing my mind to him.

However, it wasn't the time to simply launch an attack in an attempt to escape the crisis.

The Soul-Seeking Demon Lord standing before me must, in fact, be an ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) illusion.

It was still not the most powerful magic he had unleashed, so I could still control the situation. I calmed myself, focusing on my energy, and spoke evenly.

"So, this world is one where I can save on drinking expenses. I feel just as dizzy as if I had drunk, even without a single sip."

Seeing me calmly make a joke, despite having already collapsed, the Soul-Seeking Demon Lord looked surprised.

In the next moment, his whisper reached my ears. It was a voice overlapped with many others, like people gossiping amongst themselves.

"The rumors were true. The Second Young Master has indeed begun to ascend, like a sleeping dragon awakening."

Before I knew it, he had appeared next to me.

I couldn't tell if the figure standing beside me was real or an illusion.

I had the feeling I would only know by striking him, but doubts arose—could I even kill him? Before even drawing my sword, such thoughts had emerged. If a fight were to break out with him, it would surely be a tough one.

Now I fully understood why my father had come to warn me.

Even with the Heavenly Demon Art activated, this disoriented—how could I possibly defeat the Soul-Seeking Demon Lord if he attacked now?

I turned my head toward him. His face, so ordinary that it almost seemed extraordinary, looked back at me.

"I have no intention of ascending. I wish to live long, at a steady pace, and enjoy this world for as long as I can. That's why I aim to grow stronger."

In truth, this was the life the Soul-Seeking Demon Lord pursued. He had lived a long, drawn-out life, surviving until the very end. Before his death, he left many words, and the one he said often was this:

– "The reason I spent my entire life striving to grow strong is so that no one can take my life."

He truly valued his own life above all else. The Soul-Seeking Demon Art was an extension of that self-love.

The Soul-Seeking Demon Lord grinned at me.

"Quite a nice thought."

At that moment, the surrounding ripples ceased. The darkness that had overtaken the area faded and light returned, revealing a vast plain before me. The scene itself was uplifting.

The Soul-Seeking Demon Lord stood in the middle of the field, distant yet clearly visible.

I shouted toward him.

"Truly magnificent martial arts."

Normally, I would have called it sorcery or trickery to twist his mood, but in his world, it seemed wiser to show some deference.

"Only I can perform this martial art in the world," he proudly declared. But that was not entirely true.

The Lord of the Wind Sky Sect could perform the same martial art. This was something I had learned while searching for the Yomraejong in the past. The root of their martial arts lay in the Blood Sect’s magic techniques.

"How do you feel? Wouldn't you want to live in this world?"

His voice reached me even from a distance.

"If you teach me, I would be grateful to learn."

With that, the Soul-Seeking Demon Lord suddenly appeared before me.

"You're more cunning than I thought. Trying to get the world’s greatest technique for free."

"Thanks to you, I suppose I could obtain it."

He stared into my eyes. His dark pupils shrank into pinpricks.

"I can see exactly what you're thinking. A fool like Blood Heaven Butcher might be deceived, but you won't fool me."

"What am I thinking?"

"You want to grab my hair and slap me across the face. You want to strike me while saying, 'You fool, why don't you listen?'"

"Close, but not quite right. 'You fool, why kill someone like me? Let's see your heart, devoid of conscience! How about that? It's a bit different, right?"

The Soul-Seeking Demon Lord did not get angry. He had the confidence to kill me, exuding the calm demeanor of a strong man.

"You must find it hard to kill the son of the sect leader, right? Is that why you want to die at my hands?"

"That's not it. A living third-rate is better than a dead first-rate, isn't it?"

This was another of the Soul-Seeking Demon Lord’s frequent sayings.

His expression subtly changed, and his black pupils returned to their normal size. He gathered his energy back.

The surroundings returned to normal. We were once again facing each other in the Soul-Seeking Demon Lord’s room.

"What I just showed you was just a taste. If I wish, I can open a hellish place and trap you in it for life. Does that not frighten you?"

"I am frightened, indeed. And that’s why I said I would try to persuade my father."

For a moment, the Soul-Seeking Demon Lord stared at me, then burst out laughing.

"Hahahahaha."

Even his laugh was not ordinary. It was an eerie, disturbing laugh that unsettled the mind and caused my insides to churn.

"At this point, I have to admit. It seems Doma had a good reason to try and work with you."

He was watching my relationship with Doma closely. Of course, not just him, but the other Demon Lords were likely doing the same.

"Now then, young master. It's time for you to leave."

"Out of respect for my father, I will hold back for now! I will leave."

His threat regarding my father would likely hold for a couple of months.

"If you come back, you will never return to this world."

I left without replying. Our conversation had reached its end.

Outside, Seo Daeryong asked me.

"Did everything go well with the Soul-Seeking Demon Lord?"

"If it went well, then it did. If it didn't, then it didn't."

"You know, just the fact that the young master dared to visit such a terrifying figure like the Soul-Seeking Demon Lord to find a solution is remarkable. That alone is something that no one else would have dared to do. I think there's meaning in that."

This dark, cynical fellow trying to comfort me.

"Are you angry?"

"Does it look like I am?"

"Yes."

"When I saw my first corpse, I was furious. But now, I'm fine. I've already made my decision."

Seo Daeryong, who had been staring at me for a moment, took a few steps forward.

"Would you like to answer what decision you've made?"

"I already know. It's the same look you've always given me. The look you had before you achieved the impossible."

I smiled awkwardly.

"This is why having a right-hand man is so important."

"You keep calling me your right-hand man, but isn't this man your right-hand man?"

"Ian? Ian isn't my right-hand man."

"So, am I your right-hand man, surpassing this man?"

He seemed to be hopeful.

"You are my right-hand man, but you can't surpass Ian."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Ian is my heart, you see, my heart."

"Now, even being the right-hand man doesn't seem enough?"

I laughed loudly, and Seo Daeryong followed suit.

"I'll buy us a drink tonight."

"Really? Are we finally going to the best Giru?"

"The Pungnyu Tavern."

I stuck out my lip, and Seo Daeryong yelled out in a playful tone.

"Alright, then. Let's go and drink with the left arm, the heart, and even the left wing, since this tightwad has decided to buy us a drink!"

"The left arm must be the Demon Lord, and the heart is this man, but who is the left wing?"

"We'll see. Let's go."

I strode ahead, glancing back at Seo Daeryong.

"Not coming?"

He spoke sheepishly from where he stood.

"I'm sorry. This is all I can do for you. I wish I could do more..."

"Do more?"

His gaze was fixed on the Soul-Seeking Demon Lord’s residence, burning with the desire to drag him out by the hair. I could feel the heat of his strength.

Our gazes intertwined in the air.

Lately, I had come to rely quite a bit on this small, gloomy man.

"Let’s just take what we can."

"Exactly!"

We left Seo Hwanjin and headed toward the Pungnyu Tavern.

"It looks like it’s going to rain."

Indeed, dark clouds filled the sky, and it seemed the rain would come pouring down any moment.

"Well timed. It's going to be a big bill tonight with this rain."

"At Pungnyu Tavern, it's fine. There are no women, so there's no need to spend money."

"Ah… that's such a sad story, isn't it? I can't have that. I’ll buy the drinks."

"You don't have a woman either, do you, Young Master?"

"I have Ian, don't I?"

Seo Daeryong blinked, not expecting me to mention Ian.

"You're on guard duty, aren't you? By that logic, I too..."

"Do you have that junior you talked about?"

Seo Daeryong’s face turned slightly red.

"She's not a junior, okay?"

We took a seat at the largest table in the tavern.

"Welcome, Young Master."

Lately, the best customer for the owner, Jo Chunbae, was me. Thanks to the Yellow Spring Division, his sales had doubled. Moreover, he said the oppressive behavior of martial artists had disappeared, making life a bit easier.

"Don't worry today. The table won’t break."

"Haha, even if it breaks, who cares? As long as no one gets hurt."

"Just wait. Today, this friend will be revealing the hidden pocket money."

"I'll make sure it's tasty."

Before Jo Chunbae could bring out the main dishes, he brought us some drinks.

We drank quietly without saying anything for a while. Seo Daeryong had his thoughts, and I had mine.

I thought about the Soul-Seeking Demon Lord.

When I thought of him, the desire to kill surged fiercely in my heart.

If it had been the old me, I wouldn't be drinking today. I would have rushed to the training ground, swinging my sword nonstop.

In my youth, when I faced setbacks, all my mind and spirit were exhausted in the effort to overcome those obstacles. At that time, I didn't know that one could escape into effort when desperate.

But now, I no longer did that.

The more anger rose, the more I tried to calm myself. I now knew that drinking with my people was just as strengthening as training.

At that moment, Seo Daeryong spoke.

"But today, I feel a bit strange. My heart keeps pounding."

"Did you see a beautiful woman? Where?"

I looked around playfully, and Seo Daeryong laughed.

"You don’t even like women."

"Who said that? I don't hate women."

"Don’t you? I thought you weren’t interested in women."

Women. In my past life, I had lived alone, lonely at times, but also not lonely for the same reason.

"Feeling lonely these days?"

"Living alone, what’s there to feel lonely about? It's just boring. Isn’t loneliness something you feel when you’re with someone?"

"Oh! I’m going to use that line later."

"Use it on the junior you like."

"I told you, I don’t like her. And we won’t meet anyway."

"Shall I pair you two up for some work?"

"No need. Let the relationship develop naturally."

"See? You do like her."

"No, that's not it... never mind. I shouldn’t have said anything."

He took a sip of his drink.

"Is your heart still racing?"

"Yes."

"Looks like something fateful is about to happen."

"I doubt it."

As we spoke, Jo Chunbae brought out the food.

At that moment, Seo Daeryong didn’t know what kind of change this decision to buy drinks would bring to his life.

"Let’s drink like there’s no tomorrow tonight!"

Even though he wasn't good at drinking.