[Chapter 5]
There was no need to go far for the hunting ground.
The mountain behind the main Cult was known for its ruggedness, with defensive formations and mechanisms installed everywhere, making it a place no one could enter. In this desolate area, only my father and I were present.
'Ah, there were three of us.'
Father's bodyguard, Hui, must be following us while hidden somewhere.
I called him Uncle Hui. I used to see him often when I was younger, but as I grew older, the opportunities became rare. Hui was a bodyguard my father trusted absolutely. If I had Ian, my father had Hui.
I raised my qi and surveyed the surroundings, but I couldn't detect Hui's presence. His stealth skills were indeed top-notch. Of course, even Hui… died to Hwa Moogi on that day.
The first thing my father said to me that day was this:
"What is all that cumbersome baggage?"
I was carrying a backpack as large as my body.
"These are things I might need for the next few days."
"A few days? We're only staying for one."
"Well, you never know. You might find hunting with me so enjoyable that you want to stay a few more days."
My father's expression openly showed how preposterous he found that idea.
"Dream on."
Not even half an hour had passed with my father, but I realized one thing I hadn't known before. It was that my memories of my father were quite distorted.
I remembered my father as a man of few words. However, he spoke more than I had thought.
"You were quite impressive."
This was his assessment of my match against Gu Pyungho. Although I had moved without internal power, my skills honed in my life before regression must have shown through. I did not try to deceive my father unnecessarily.
"I was hiding my true skills."
"It looked that way."
Taking advantage of the mood, I added a joke.
"I'm not a hissing cat but a beast hiding its claws."
My father stopped walking and looked back at me.
"If you're a beast, why hide your claws?"
"Ah, I hadn't considered it from that perspective."
"So you're a cat."
Just as he was about to turn away, my father suddenly asked,
"At what level have you reached in the Soaring Sword Art?"
The Soaring Sword Art was a martial art passed down to the Heavenly Demon's bloodline. Although it couldn't be compared to the Nine Calamities Demon Art transmitted only to the Heavenly Demon, it was considered an extremely advanced technique, comparable to the martial arts practiced by the Demon Supremes.
Of course, just because one mastered a higher-level martial art did not necessarily make them stronger. Depending on who wielded it, one could easily kill someone with a strong martial art using a weaker one.
I judged that I couldn't deceive my father, so I answered honestly.
"I have mastered it."
At that moment!
Whizz!
A gust of wind shot from the tip of my father's finger and grazed my cheek. If I hadn't instinctively turned my face to avoid it, my cheek would have had a hole in it.
My father asked with a surprised expression.
"You really have mastered it!"
I rubbed my stinging cheek from the wind and shouted.
"Good grief! You sent a wind attack even though you didn't believe me. What if I couldn't avoid it?"
"That would be the price for lying. If you've mastered it, you should be able to dodge it."
"A scar on this handsome face, which resembles yours, would not suit me!"
After letting out a snort, my father started walking again.
'The old me would have been terrified.'
What kind of father in this world would send a wind attack at his child without hesitation? And to the face! It was an attack that would have left a severe wound if not dodged, though it wouldn't have killed me.
My father, walking ahead, spoke without looking back.
"Mastering it at your age… is impressive."
In my past life, I only achieved mastery well into my thirties, so it was natural for my father to be surprised. Since he was genuinely passionate about martial arts, his praise was sincere.
"Thank you."
After that, we climbed the mountain without speaking for a long time.
If we were in a room and stayed silent like this, it would have been suffocating. But climbing the mountain was different. Just walking in silence felt like we were having an unspoken conversation.
It was I who broke the long silence.
"Who taught you to hunt?"
After a moment's pause, my father answered.
"My older brother taught me."
"Do I have an uncle?"
"He died. When he was about your age, I killed him."
There was a brief silence. Instead of offering polite condolences, I spoke my honest thoughts.
"You did well."
My father stopped in his tracks and looked at me with a sharp gaze.
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have been born."
My father, who had been staring at me coldly, started walking again.
How could my father not have wounds in his heart from such family strife? I saw it often in my past life. The stronger someone appeared on the outside, the deeper their emotional scars tended to be.
So, I blurted it out like squeezing pus from a wound.
From my past life, I had learned a lesson.
Bury the corpses, but don't bury the wounds of the heart.
That's why I could hear such words from my father.
"Back then… I couldn't find a way."
I understood what he meant. He couldn't find a way to win the succession battle without killing his brother.
My response was firm.
"Don't expect me to either."
My father glanced at me. His gaze was colder than before, but I said what I needed to.
"What you couldn't do, I can't do either. And one can only say such things if they have a brother worth the trouble. You know how vile and cruel he is."
"You're good at badmouthing him behind his back."
"He deserves it."
In fact, this much wasn't enough. Considering what my brother would do to become the successor in the future.
"He's struggling in the frontier while you talk comfortably from a safe place."
"Even if he's struggling in the frontier, someone like the Great Heir of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult wouldn't suffer even if he was locked in the deepest cell of the underground prison."
My brother was currently active under my father's orders. At this time, he hadn't shown his true colors yet, and he was quite capable, so my father trusted him more than me. Not only that, but many within the Cult were trying to align themselves with him.
"He will never give up the position of successor. Thinking I can become the successor while keeping him alive is the arrogance of a fool."
My father's expression as he looked at me seemed to say, "Were you always like this?" My determined eyes answered, "Yes!"
My father resumed walking.
In my past life, I didn't marry. So, I didn't know exactly what kind of feelings children evoke in a man.
That's why I was curious.
What kind of existence was I to my father?
How long had we been climbing the mountain?
"Shh."
At my father's signal, I raised my head. He was pointing far ahead with his finger.
"Do you see it?"
I opened my eyes wide, but all I could see was the dense forest.
"I can't see anything."
"I can."
"What's there?"
"Dinner."
"Then we should catch it."
As I reached for the bow hanging on my shoulder, my father stopped my impatience.
"How are you going to catch something you can't even see? First, close your eyes and sense the surroundings."
"Yes."
Experts assess their opponents by sensing the air's vibrations. This is commonly referred to as reading the opponent's energy.
The only qi I could sense around me was my father's. It was calm. And that made it frightening. I knew better than anyone how fierce this qi could become when angry. Beneath that serene sea lay a storm capable of turning the world upside down.
"Now, release a single thread of qi. Just one."
I emitted a thread of qi as my father instructed.
"Slowly, without breaking it. Imagine your body is a spool of thread and release it slowly."
In my previous life, I had never emitted qi as fine as a thread. There was always a clear reason to emit qi—to suppress my opponent's momentum. But now, I was emitting qi in a way I had never imagined.
"Finer. It must not break!"
I discovered for the first time that my qi could extend this far.
"More, more, more."
If it weren't for my father's encouragement beside me, I wouldn't have been able to release my qi this far.
Then, in the next moment, my qi touched something.
"Did it reach?"
My father realized as quickly as I did that my qi had touched something.
"Yes, I can feel it."
"What do you think it is?"
"It seems to be a tree."
Amazingly, I could sense what it was. I couldn't explain how, but I was sure it was a tree.
"Now, explore the area around it. Slowly."
It felt like the thread tied to the spool was about to unravel and fall apart. But I didn't lose focus.
I extended my qi even further to explore the surroundings. Then, I detected a living qi under the tree.
"Could it be a wild boar?"
When my father didn't respond, I opened my eyes slightly. He was looking at me with a surprised expression.
"Or is it a bear? Its fur was stiff and its body long, so I thought it was a wild boar."
"It is a wild boar."
I looked towards where my qi had reached. I still couldn't see it with my eyes. But I had identified a wild boar in the distant forest.
"Hitting it in one shot from this distance isn't easy."
Even my father, having experienced it firsthand, seemed to find it hard to believe.
Come to think of it, the technique I had just used wasn't just some hunting trick. It was an incredible secret technique applicable in martial arts.
"You were planning to tease me when I failed, weren't you?"
"Of course, you were supposed to fail."
"I'm your son."
"I couldn't hit it in one shot when I first tried."
"But I have the heavenly martial body, don't I?"
When the heavenly martial body was mentioned, my father's gaze changed slightly.
At that time, I harbored a certain resentment towards my father regarding the heavenly martial body.
―Someone who pursues strength so fervently, who even holds martial arts tournaments to find a worthy successor to crush their own children, why did you neglect me, who possesses the heavenly martial body? Why didn't you support me?
I even thought that perhaps my father was jealous of me. Yes, back then I was that petty.
But now I understand.
The world doesn't move according to my wishes.
It's not about being specially treated because I have a heavenly martial body; it's about using the heavenly martial body well to become a special person myself. When everyone's expectations and desires are placed upon that specialness, only then does the heavenly martial body become a blessing from the heavens. Now I understand that.
"What are you doing? Planning to skip dinner?"
I shot the arrow vigorously towards where I sensed the qi.
Piiing.
In the darkness, a campfire blazed, with well-prepared wild boar meat cooking over it.
"When did you learn to butcher an animal?"
"I learned from books."
"For someone who learned from books, you're quite adept."
Father, I've butchered and eaten hundreds of wild boars.
I subtly changed the subject.
"That thing you're sitting on was prepared as a gift for you. It was worth lugging around despite the effort."
Father was sitting on the tiger pelt I had brought in my pouch.
At my remark, my father's lips curled slightly. It's hard to imagine anyone looking so fitting while smirking, but my father managed to do the impossible.
"Did you want to hunt with me to impress me and become the successor?"
"No. I know well that such things don't work on you."
"Good to know."
"I can become the successor without your help."
"Confident, aren't you?"
"Of course, my greedy, cruel, and ill-tempered brother will try to hinder me."
"There you go bad mouthing him again."
"I have to. How often do I get the chance to openly criticize him in front of the judge?"
Father, if you truly desired a peaceful brotherhood among your family, you should have made a decision from the beginning. You should have declared who the successor was and told us not to entertain any other thoughts. Even with such a declaration, successor disputes are filled with fighting, killing, and chaos, aren't they?
"Why did you want to hunt with me?"
"There are two reasons. The first is to learn something and become stronger. I think I've succeeded with the first."
"And becoming stronger means?"
Father's provocative gaze, questioning if I aimed to take his place, made me respond quickly.
"The reason I want to become stronger is not to become the Heavenly Demon. I don't want to waste my youth dreaming of being the Heavenly Demon while you're still in good health. I'll be satisfied if I become the successor and can learn the martial arts of the Heavenly Demon."
From my father's perspective, both my brother and I likely seemed far too young to become the successor. In reality, it wasn't until about ten years later that he named my brother as the successor.
I couldn't wait ten years. Just waiting to show potential wasn't enough. It was time to take the awl out of the bag and start poking holes everywhere.
So I had to quickly learn the Nine Calamities Demon Art and achieve greatness. No, I had to reach an even higher realm. Even my father, who had achieved Ten Star Greatness, was defeated by Hwa Moogi. I needed to reach Twelve Star Greatness.
"Sometimes, I imagine. What if I encounter someone I really want to kill, but I can't because I'm not strong enough? I want to get stronger to avoid that frustration."
My father's expression remained unchanged, so I couldn't tell what he was thinking.
"And the second reason?"
"I wanted to spend time alone with you. It's a first, isn't it?"
A sneer deepened at my father's lips again.
"Such cheap sentiment, perfect for dying."
"How could anything be cheap with the Greatest in the World? If I sing, it's the greatest song in the world. If I drink, it's the greatest liquor in the world. Even if I defecate…."
"Enough."
"Yes! I'll keep my mouth shut for one whole hour."
I met my father's gaze and smiled cheerfully. It was probably the first time I smiled in front of him. Though my father coldly turned his head away.
'When I thought of my father, there were no memories to cherish. Frightening memories aren't nostalgic, are they? In this life, I won't let my memories be so desolate. But don't be pleased. It's not for you, but for me.'