The Heavenly Demon Chronicles was a popular novel of high excitement and drama. It was known for the main character's rise against all odds, crushing his rivals, and for its pertinent character development and great character building.
The main character of the novel was a man named Cheon Jin-woo. He was one of the princes of the Demon Sect who was a candidate for the throne. Although being one of the princes sounded nice, when the other candidates for the throne were involved, the story took on a completely different dimension.
Jin-woo lost his mother when he was very young. His father, the sect leader, never came to see him. Raised by a fallen bodyguard, Jin-woo had never learned any martial arts until he entered the Demonic Academy.
The other six candidates for the throne had been strengthened by their supporters and had surpassed Jin-woo. Since Jin-woo had no supporters, he was ostracized by the others. He had no supporters because he was uneducated, ill-mannered and weak.
Fortunately, Jin-woo was extremely intelligent. He bypassed the traps set by the other candidates and discovered a secret area in the entrance exam. Here he inherited the legacy of Cheon Ma, the first Celestial Demon.
The main story of the novel begins from there. Silent Night's plans to invade Zhongyuan, the battle for the throne, the harassment of the Murim Alliance... Each volume was filled with action and danger. As Jin-woo grew stronger, he made friends, met a beautiful woman, and was eventually betrayed by them all.
Unable to take the pressure any longer, Jin-woo escaped from the Demon Cult and set sail on new journeys. He had trust issues, suffered, and grew stronger by training until he died.
He made new friends and returned to the Demon Sect to seize the throne in a coup. By the time he did so, he had already lost his sanity.
The novel, of course, did not have a happy ending. Jin-woo was left alone after a succession of betrayals and deaths.
Byeol was resting in a makeshift warehouse. It had been a few days since she had been reincarnated and she had already realized that this was not a dream. She hadn't accepted it at first, but as time went by, she had accepted it.
Moreover, she was not the main character or one of the supporting characters. She was reincarnated as a character not even mentioned in the novel.
Her father was a former martial artist who had made a name for himself in Henan. Her current stepmother was the Magistrate's niece. As a clan, they were not that weak. But Sun Byeol's life was tragic.
After losing her mother, she grew up under the tyranny of her stepmother. She had a timid and weak personality.
Byeol thought aloud.
"I am a low-level member of an average clan. In a few years my stepmother will marry me off to a man I don't know to get me out of the clan. Until then, every day will be a day of beatings and slavery. My fate will be decided by my stepmother and the clan elders."
"I cannot allow that. Even death is a better option. Then I have two choices. I can accept my situation and take control of my destiny into my own hands. I may face consequences worse than death, but everything will happen because of my choices. And Jin-woo..."
Jin-woo's heart filled with grief when she remembered their encounter.
"I'll save him."
She wouldn't do it just for Jin-woo.
Once he lost his mind, all of Zhongyuan would face destruction.
"There are six months until the opening of the Demonic Academy. Jin-woo must have been seriously injured by the assassins from the Poison Palace. I'm currently in Anyang, Henan, and it will take me four and a half months to get to the Tian Shan Mountains."
"If I go there in my current state, passing the exams of the Demonic Academy will be a dream. No. I'll die before I reach the Tian Shan Mountains. So I must use my knowledge of novels to gain power."
She created a diagram in her mind. She remembered all the treasures that the main character and his enemies would obtain.
"Let's get out of here first."
She closed her eyes and tried to sleep. She had already planned her escape, she just had a few things to take care of before Byeol left. If she left without a penny in her pocket, she would starve.
She would escape tomorrow.
The next day Sun Byeol came out of the warehouse. Although a medium-sized clan, the Anyang Sun Clan lived in a large mansion. This mansion was one of the favorite places in Anyang. So it was not difficult to get out of here.
Although the gates were guarded, the walls were not. After a few days of investigation, Sun Byeol discovered that there were holes in the wall big enough for her to pass through. The question was how she would survive once she was out of there.
"Where have you been, you little bitch!?"
Her stepmother, Baek Min-hee, was waiting for her with a broom and cleaning tools. Furious, she raised her hand to hit Byeol when she came near her, but she didn't. She bit her lips and clicked her tongue.
"You will sweep the mansion. We have important guests coming here in the evening. Finish everything and stay out of my sight until they arrive! Do you understand me?"
"I understand..."
After Baek Min-hee gave her the brooms, she left and entered the mansion. Sun Byeol took the cleaning supplies and went inside.
The mansion was quite big. There were so many places to dust and clean. It was impossible to finish by the evening. But Sun Byeol didn't mind. There was a reason she chose today to escape.
Normally there would be some eyes on her. Baek Min-hee and a few maids would always be on her, making her work. But the increased workload due to the visit of important guests did not give them that luxury.
Also, many of the guards would go with Sun Byeol's brother to welcome the guests. So the shift change would be early. That meant she had a few minutes to go into the storage room and get what she needed.
There were two storerooms in the mansion. One was the old storage room where Sun Byeol stayed, where old materials were thrown away. The other was for the family's valuable materials and money. Sun Byeol's storage room was located outside the mansion, in the far corner of the backyard.
The treasure store was a guarded warehouse inside the mansion. Guards always stood guard over it. After all, it was the lifeblood of the clan.
An hour passed and Sun Byeol passed by the treasure room several times. Although the guards had noticed her the first time after a few times they had become familiar with her. By the end of the second hour, the shift change had come.
Sun Byeol took a deep breath and calmed herself. Then she came to the front of the treasure store with a bucket of water, two dust rags, and a dirty mop. The water was quite clear, you could see inside the bucket.
The guards looked to be in their twenties. They were trained in martial arts, but their level was low.
"Stop! You can't come in here!"
A relatively tall one of the guards stopped Sun Byeol. He had thick eyebrows and a stern temperament.
"I have to clean the treasure room on Madame's orders."
The word 'Madame' was the most powerful thing in this manor. But the guards did not serve Madame, but the clan leader directly. So they didn't just give permission out of the blue.
"We were not given such information. No one is allowed to enter. Please don't be difficult..."
Sun Byeol didn't budge.
"I'll just dust and clean the floor. Madame has strict orders. They are very special for guests from Hebi. Please don't give me any trouble... You know how much Madame's anger hurts."
Sun Byeol rolled up the sleeve of her dress and showed the bruises on her arm. Large bruises stained her white skin.
"It's..."
Madame's bullying of the servants was no secret. And they knew that this girl was also a servant. But they were under strict orders that no one was to enter the treasury room.
" Sunbae, is there a problem?"
At that moment, two young men in uniform came out from the corner of the corridor.
"It's nothing, Little Brother Na, the treasure room needs cleaning. That's why they sent this maid."
One of the uniformed youths looked at Sun Byeol and rubbed his chin. Then he looked into the bucket. After seeing the clear water, he checked the cleaning cloth and mop.
"I don't think it will be a problem. Besides, what can a little girl do? We'll check her in and out. So you can leave it with us... It's not worth the hassle."
"She's in your care then. We're tired, we'll rest."
"Enjoy yourselves..."
After the young men had taken their seats, the one called Little Brother Na searched for Sun Byeol. He was very gentle, checking him with a sword without using his hands. Once he knew she was clean, he let her in.
"Finish her quickly."
"Yes, sir."
Sun Byeol walked through the door.