Chapter 2
Chapter 2: The Demonic Heaven Sect's 700 Billion Won Debt
'How can something like this exist in this world?'
Mu-yeong, seated inside the taxi, was inwardly astonished.
In terms of appearance, it was somewhat similar to a carriage.
But in every way one could compare, it was overwhelmingly superior.
First and foremost, the speed and stability.
The scenery outside was flashing past, yet inside, it was so stable that one wouldn't even know they were moving.
And the ride quality—what could be said about that?
The soft cushioning against his back and seat drove away all fatigue, making his eyes naturally fall shut.
An entire group could travel hundreds of li, and yet their stamina would remain fully preserved?
"If this had existed in the Martial World, it would have completely changed the balance of power."
Divine Dragon, who had heard Mu-yeong's murmur, opened his mouth.
"It is too early to be surprised by this. This can only hold a few people at most, but sometimes you'll see vehicles passing by on the roadside that can comfortably seat thirty."
"Thirty, you say?"
"Ah, one just happens to be passing over there now. That is what they call a bus."
The moment Mu-yeong laid eyes on it, one word came to mind—big.
With a log attached to the front, it would easily pass as a siege weapon.
What was even more astonishing was that it was moving along at roughly the same speed as them.
"You may not believe me, but there are vehicles that fly through the sky as well."
"Fly through the sky? Is that not the Sky-Treading Step?"
"Ah, well…… Strictly speaking, it is not the Sky-Treading Step. However, a mass of iron far larger than a bus flies at several times this speed."
"Good heavens……"
At first, when talk of another world and such things had come up, he hadn't quite grasped it—but it was beginning to feel real.
If this was the level of just the vehicles, what else was waiting for him ahead?
Filled with anticipation, they rode for thirty minutes before arriving at the place where the Iron Blood Witch was staying.
But what stood before Mu-yeong's eyes was nothing like he had expected.
"……This is it?"
"Yes, this is it."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes, I am."
A two-story house with a surrounding wall.
Had it simply been ordinary, he wouldn't have asked twice—but it was a remarkably run-down building that looked as though it might crumble at any moment, the sort of place that seemed fit to house a ghost.
The only saving grace was the absence of any creeping vines, giving the faint impression that some minimum level of upkeep was being maintained.
'I could have sworn she had received a great many donations from broadcasts…… so why does she live in a place like this?'
Could it be that only the outside was like this, and the inside was lavish?
A kind of deliberate disguise, perhaps?
While he was looking over the outer wall, Divine Dragon pressed a small protrusion sticking out from one side in rapid succession.
―Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong
"Pressing it three times like this is our signal to each other. In just a moment—"
Before his words were finished, the door swung open.
It was not the suggestive outfit she wore during her internet broadcasts, but the Iron Blood Witch in plainly dressed clothes who revealed herself.
She looked at Mu-yeong and her eyes went wide.
"First Young Lord! I offer you my most sincere congratulations on completing your Closed Door Training."
"It has been a while, Iron Blood Witch. Have you been well?"
"I have been so fraught with worry over you, my lord, that I spent every night sleepless. The image of you training so diligently, unaware that the world had changed…… hic."
At her sudden gesture of dabbing at the corners of her eyes, Divine Dragon's face twisted with visible exasperation.
His lips parted and closed several times before he let out a dry cough.
"For now, let us speak inside."
"It is a humble place to receive you, but welcome."
.
.
.
Mu-yeong entered and took the seat of honor.
While the Iron Blood Witch went to fetch refreshments, he looked around the interior.
'Reasonably tidy.'
The first impression was not bad.
Yet something about it gave him a subtle sense of incongruity.
How to put it—the Hao Clan Leader's office that Mu-yeong remembered was the very pinnacle of extravagance.
But this place had only what was needed and nothing more, to the point that he found himself thinking it almost austere.
In that time, the Iron Blood Witch returned with drinks.
"This is a tea called Citrus Honey. The blend of sweet and tart is exquisite."
Having praised it proudly, the Iron Blood Witch sat down across from Mu-yeong.
Mu-yeong took a sip and broached the main topic.
"I heard the gist of the Great Unification from Divine Dragon. And that you are doing something called an internet broadcast."
"My, so he showed that to you. How embarrassing."
"……You have certainly changed a great deal. I never would have dreamed you could show a side like this."
"Time changes everyone. But more importantly—did you make any progress in your training, my lord?"
"I achieved tremendous results. I have mastered the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, no less."
"My goodness! Is that truly so!? With that level of mastery, you would rank easily within the top five even across the entirety of the Central Plains—!"
The Iron Blood Witch clapped her hands together and rose to her feet, but then, catching herself, she calmly returned to her seat.
Divine Dragon was much the same.
When the atmosphere suddenly grew subdued, Mu-yeong tilted his head.
"Why are you all acting like that?"
"At your age, there is every possibility of attaining the legendary Twelfth Stage…… but it is truly a shame that your energy does not support it."
"What do you mean by that? A shame?"
"……Pardon? I mean simply that your energy is insufficient to make use of your martial arts……"
They seemed to be talking about the same thing, yet it was subtly off the mark.
Sensing the strangeness, Mu-yeong immediately examined the energy centers of the two.
'Twenty years…… no, even less than that.'
That was impossible.
The Iron Blood Witch and Divine Dragon were among the highest-ranked masters at the Transcendence Realm within the Sect itself.
They should normally possess at minimum sixty years' worth of energy—and yet this……
As Mu-yeong furrowed his brow, Divine Dragon cautiously opened his mouth.
"My lord, was there ever an instance during your training where your energy suddenly diminished or drained away?"
"Not once."
"Then, are you saying that you currently retain the full energy befitting your level of cultivation?"
"That is correct."
“"Impossible!"”
Divine Dragon and the Iron Blood Witch cried out in unison.
Only then did Mu-yeong fully grasp the situation.
That in the wake of the Great Unification, their energy had been drastically reduced.
'So that is why U Ho-beop failed to sense my presence when I emerged from the Closed Training Chamber.'
No matter how absorbed he had been with his smartphone, the idea that a Transcendence Realm master had failed to notice was something that made no sense.
But with a gap this overwhelming, the circumstances under which that could happen fell perfectly into place.
Everything fit front to back now.
Having gathered his thoughts for a moment, Mu-yeong asked.
"What then is the current martial standing of you two?"
"Our comprehension remains intact, but our energy is insufficient. In our current physical condition, the early stages of the Supreme Pinnacle is our limit."
"If the Sect's greatest forces are only at that level, then those below them need not even be mentioned."
"Masters at the Pinnacle are difficult to come by, and the majority are below the First-Rate level. Furthermore, as the number of those who have ceased training has been increasing of late, I suspect the situation is even more dire."
Mu-yeong let out a low murmur at Divine Dragon's reply.
But it was not something he could not understand.
With their energy gone, who could possibly devote time to growing stronger?
"Then what do they occupy themselves with instead of training?"
"To speak plainly, in this highly advanced civilization, there is almost nothing a member of the Martial World can do. Most occupations demand knowledge. And so they generally work in trades requiring physical labor. Even the most third-rate martial artist possesses physical capabilities that surpass those of ordinary people."
"That is at least something to be grateful for."
"In what way do you mean, my lord?"
"At the very least, none will starve to death or be forced to forage for roots, will they? Whatever the world has become, all I want is for the people of the Sect to be able to live ordinary lives."
From the beginning, Mu-yeong's sole purpose in training had been one thing.
To seize fertile lands across the Central Plains so that no one in the Demonic Heaven Sect would go hungry.
The middle part had turned out somewhat strange, but the goal itself had nonetheless been achieved.
Of course, it would be a lie to say there was no sense of hollow disappointment.
But if this outcome had been reached without triggering a great war between the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions, it was arguably the better result.
Not a single drop of blood would need to be shed.
As Mu-yeong was lost in such reflections, the Iron Blood Witch carefully raised her hand.
"Um…… First Young Lord? I am sorry to say this, but the life we lead is not quite what you would call ordinary."
"What do you mean?"
"On the day of the Great Unification, every sect landed right in the heart of Seoul, did it not? Try to imagine it. What would happen if the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions, who had lived as mortal enemies, were suddenly gathered in one place……"
"Mm……"
A picture formed in Mu-yeong's mind.
Countless martial artists glaring at one another as though they might kill on sight, radiating killing intent.
Those who would bare their teeth at the mere meeting of eyes—gathered together in a massive group?
"It was war."
"The ferocity was beyond description. There were sects that simply held their positions, of course, but most became embroiled in the fighting. As a result, countless buildings and civilians suffered damage."
"……It doesn't sound like something that simply resolved itself. What became of it?"
"It was only after the local military arrived that it finally came to an end. Given the circumstances, they said they would not pursue criminal charges—but the matter of damage compensation was something they would claim in full."
The Iron Blood Witch swallowed hard, then formed a circle with her fingers.
"Before long, it arrived to us. A bill with an almost uncountable number of zeroes……"
One, two, three, four……
With each flutter of her hand, an astronomically large figure began to take shape in Mu-yeong's mind.
Just when he thought it could go no further, the Iron Blood Witch spread her fingers wide.
"Seven hundred billion. The Demonic Heaven Sect has seven hundred billion Won in debt."
"……How does that translate in Martial World terms?"
"It is comparable to roughly twenty years' worth of the Sect's operating expenses."
"What?"
Mu-yeong's jaw dropped open.
He didn't know the exact details of how the Sect was run, but he understood that it required an enormous amount of money.
And he was being told that amounted to twenty years of that.
"Just how much did you all run amok to be billed that much?"
"We were…… a little more than a bit excessive. On top of that, it happened to be right in the heart of Seoul, where land prices are the highest, so the scale of the damages exceeded all imagination."
"Then how much of the debt remains outstanding at present?"
"Everyone contributes a portion of their monthly wages each month, and yet we have only managed to repay one fifth of it."
"Good heavens……"
Just as the saying goes—one mountain cleared, another appears.
Having escaped the crisis of starvation, they were now at the start of what amounted to decades of labor purgatory.
It was naturally better than before, but one could hardly call it a marked improvement.
Bluntly put, it was no different from the life of a beggar from the Beggars' Gang—merely one that did not go hungry.
'So it wasn't for nothing that the Iron Blood Witch was putting on airs through internet broadcasts.'
It wasn't something she was doing simply for fun—she had been straining to keep the Sect afloat by whatever means available.
Thinking that the reason she lived in such a dilapidated house was the same, his nose inexplicably stung with emotion.
Mu-yeong sank deep into his chair.
'I need too must help. Not only for the sake of repaying the debt—but beyond that, to elevate the name of the Demonic Heaven Sect and ensure that no one will ever look down upon us.'
He would never repeat the life he had led in the Martial World.
For that, he needed to earn money.
And a great deal of it at that.
After gazing up at the ceiling for a moment, Mu-yeong spoke.
"Iron Blood Witch."
"Yes, my lord."
"In this world—what is the fastest and most profitable way to earn money?"
"After weighing the efficiency, the conclusion I reached was internet broadcasting. It allows one to receive donations from an unspecified number of people, and there is no ceiling on the amount."
That would make sense.
That would be why she was doing it.
She was a woman who ranked among the very best in sharpness of mind, surpassed only by the Chief Strategist.
After brief deliberation, Mu-yeong reached a decision.
"This internet broadcasting—I shall start it myself."
.
.
.
"Please contact me whenever you need my help. I will be waiting."
"I shall do so."
Having been treated with warm hospitality, Mu-yeong stepped out of the Iron Blood Witch's house together with Divine Dragon.
As they walked in search of a place to stay, Divine Dragon asked.
"My lord, have you given any thought to what kind of content you might broadcast?"
"My martial prowess remains intact, so I will need to find a direction that makes the best use of it."
"I think the same."
"But the question is how. It is hardly as though I can turn on a cam and show off the Heavenly Demon Divine Art the way the Iron Blood Witch does, now is it?"
"Indeed. Using it in this city would quite literally leave the place in ruins."
"In ruins……"
Mu-yeong looked around him.
The countless blazing lights, dazzling to the point of near blindness.
Buildings so tall that merely craning one's neck to look up felt as though it might snap.
If even one of those were to be destroyed, how much more would the damage bill swell?
'Using it here is out of the question.'
Was there no suitable place somewhere?
Somewhere abandoned, or a location where he could freely expend his energy without consequence.
It was at that moment that a long queue entered Mu-yeong's field of vision.
People were staring blankly at a TV as though in a trance.
He turned his ears toward it.
"Wow, how is that kind of movement even possible? No matter how many times I try, I can never do it."
"He's a first-seat disciple of the Namgung Family, right? He's on a completely different level from us to begin with—it would actually be stranger if we could copy him."
"I envy him. I want to fly around and hunt like that too."
"If you level up enough, you can probably get partway there, right? Not completely, but somewhat."
"Is that so? His footwork just seems fundamentally different."
Focusing his Eye Focus Technique, he could see a single man gripping a sword, cutting down creatures unlike anything he had ever seen.
A jade-green Martial Robe. A long mane of hair flowing in the wind.
Divine Dragon, who was looking in the same direction as Mu-yeong, let out a quiet exclamation of wonder.
"That is the Namgung Family. These days, there are more and more martial artists gaining popularity through full-dive games like that."
"Full-dive?"
"It is what they call a virtual reality game—the number of users is growing explosively, owing to the fact that one can move in it directly."
"Moving directly, you say? Could you explain a little more?"
"As you saw back at the Iron Blood Witch's house, rather than clicking a mouse or keyboard, every breath, every movement is something we can replicate exactly as we do in life. Through a device called a capsule."
"A capsule?"
"A pod that an entire person can enter…… it is difficult to explain in words. This is something you would need to see firsthand to understand."
So that was it.
Interest surged wildly within him.
With that, he could freely display his martial prowess while broadcasting, they said.
It was an environment that could not be more perfectly suited to sweep away Mu-yeong's concerns.
Thud.
As though pulled by a force, Mu-yeong began walking toward a place marked [Capsule Room].
Eyes brimming with keen anticipation.