Heavenly Demon Cultivation Simulation - Ch 406
The time when dawn breaks.
Yang-dae, who was pressed closely under the roof, felt his concentration gradually loosening.
Since Seol-Hwi left, there had been no more commotion around, not even the usual screams.
“Could it be that he dealt with all the Shadows of Dawn around here?”
That seemed to be the case.
The loud noises gradually quieted down, and morning came with no sign of life for a while.
“Was that guy really a god?”
“He’s not a god. Though he’s thinking of killing one.”
“Gasp!”
Yang-dae quickly turned his head to the side.
There he saw Seol-Hwi placing much more stuff on the ground than before.
“When did you get here?”
“Oh, just now.”
“Ha ha. Is that so?”
“Yes. I brought everything, but… it’s too crude. Just take what you need at a glance and discard the rest.”
Among the items Seol-Hwi brought were a massive polearm, stealthy hidden weapons, and rare spiritual pills.
There were many things that made him wonder how he acquired them.
“Wow, this is amazing!”
Yang-dae exclaimed in awe as he picked up the gigantic sword. He had seen it once during a martial arts meeting.
A weapon named Ghost Cry Blade, said to emit the wails of spirits when swung.
It was a prized possession of the Seven Dragons Captain, so why was it here?
Wait, if it’s the Seven Dragons Captain…
“Could there have been the Seven Dragons Captain among the Shadows of Dawn?”
“Yeah, there was.”
“Wow…”
Yang-dae was momentarily speechless with admiration.
To defeat a master he could only look up to, just like that.
He had once thought of swinging the captain’s sword, never imagining today would be that day.
“Shouldn’t this life be a bit special for you too?”
Seol-Hwi, the person handing over various items with a smile.
To Yang-dae, he was nothing short of a divine presence.
As Yang-dae carefully selected the items, Seol-Hwi popped a spiritual pill into his mouth.
“This time, I will help you absorb the spiritual pill slowly. If you become too strong, the eyes around you will change.”
“Ah, I suppose so?”
“Yes. Well, if you’ve gathered everything, let’s go quickly. You must complete the martial arts test now.”
He faithfully followed Seol-Hwi’s advice and urging.
And as he walked, he secretly hoped.
Perhaps life could become a bit more special.
Unlike the miserable past.
Yang-dae thus left the final examination hall of the Martial Arts Island.
Seol-Hwi accompanied him to guard against any possible ambush on his final journey.
As morning dawned and the exam ending time approached, he moved once more.
‘Seo Ryeong was nowhere to be seen.’
Shadows of Dawn.
He searched everywhere, but among them, Seo Ryeong was not there.
He even checked all the buildings and terrains, thinking she might be hiding, but it was all in vain.
‘This might be due to the influence of Earth Demon.’
He did not know where her origin was.
What he did know is that the process of issuing separate orders was skipped due to Earth Demon’s absence.
It seemed that was why she had not entered the martial arts island.
“Well, maybe it’s better not to meet now.”
Seol-Hwi looked around once more.
Still, there was no sign of life.
Seeing that everyone had left, it seemed that the Shadows of Dawn sensed something strange and moved in advance.
Of course, some of them might be dead.
Creak.
As Seol-Hwi entered, he smiled briefly at the familiar sight.
The guardian was sitting as usual, and the space was empty without people.
“Old man. I’m here.”
The old man showed an indifferent reaction to such words.
Ignoring his reaction, Seol-Hwi approached and slowly laid down what was in his arms.
Thud, thud, thud.
As the number of bamboo slips exceeded ten, the guardian’s brow twitched.
He had easily surpassed the required number.
“I put in extra.”
It wasn’t intentional, but as he dealt with this and that, the numbers increased.
At that moment, words appeared before his eyes.
[Congratulations. You have passed the martial artist trial training.] [You will receive +10 lives.] [You will be able to choose events for important figures.]
‘Oh ho. What’s this now?’
Seol-Hwi’s eyes widened at the new change.
He didn’t care about the lives, but he was curiously intrigued by what these important events might be.
▶ The Path to Becoming the Commander of the Hidden Truth Troops (Nominated by Heuk-gu) Recommended! ▷ The Path to Becoming a Member of the Third Unit of the Bloody Troops (Nominated by Yu-pae) Not Recommended! ▷ The Path to Becoming a Trainee of the Shadowless Ghost in the Sub-Unit of the Shadowless Ghost Twelve Guardians (Choice of Hyang-gae) Absolutely Not Recommended! ▷ Choose Later.
‘Ah, the first one is the path to becoming the Commander. The path chosen by Player Seo Ryeong!’
Seeing the choices, she inevitably came to mind.
In several repeated past lives, she had come as the member when he was inaugurated as the Commander.
‘Huh? This looks like a choice that changes the path?’
Upon seeing the first and second options, the intent of the one who posed the question became clear.
The first is Heuk-gu of the Hidden Truth Troops. If choosing the Earth Demon side, then the second is Yu-pae of the Bloody Troops. Choosing the Demon Lord’s side.
‘Wow. This even includes the choice of the First Disciple?’
Shadowless Ghost Twelve are twelve warriors following Hyang-gae, and he played the role of strategist for First Disciple End Demon.
As Seol-Hwi pondered over the three choices, his brows gradually furrowed.
The level of the final test of the martial arts.
Moreover, ten lives.
A deliberate crossroads.
As he recalled what these intentions were, he realized one thing.
‘Wow… That absolute bastard. Truly a wicked guy.’
The three paths suggested by Earth Demon. The reason they were far more unpredictable.
Probably, it was a calculation made for cases where answers couldn’t be found even at the highest difficulty level.
In other words, this path was.
After choosing the highest difficulty path suggested by Earth Demon, when no further solution could be found.
Simply put, isn’t it akin to a fourth path?
‘Wait, what does choosing again next time mean?’
This is the first time he was seeing this.
And it was a rather curious choice window.
Does saying ‘later’ mean he can choose again at any time?
‘Let’s try it.’
Out of curiosity, he tried selecting it.
– You can choose again at any time.
With these words, no more status windows appeared.
Just in case, he stepped back once and then approached the Guardian Instructor again.
▶ Path to becoming the Commander of the Hidden Truth Troops (Chosen by Heuk-gu) Recommended! ▷ Path to becoming a member of the Bloody Troops 3rd Unit (Chosen by Yu-pae) Not recommended! ▷ The Path to Becoming a Trainee of the Shadowless Ghost in the Sub-Unit of the Shadowless Ghost Twelve Guardians. (Chosen by Hyang-gae) Absolutely not recommended! ▷ Choose again later.
The text appeared again.
‘Aha. So that’s what it was.’
He wondered why there was no time limit, and this was the reason.
A choice window that allows you to choose whenever you want if it’s a situation you desire.
Of course, judging by the choices, it didn’t seem like he could choose anytime he wanted.
Once the set time for the training passes, the choices won’t appear again.
‘Really, what a bastard. Sa Yu-kang feels remarkable all over again.’
AI friend, who sought strength through numerous paths.
He must have passed such a route as well.
Also, considering the perverted tendencies of that Absolute One, this important choice won’t be the only time.
Surviving there and challenging further, eventually becoming an AI.
That determination was etched very strongly into Seol-Hwi’s mind.
‘For now, let’s think a little more.’
Seol-Hwi decided to temporarily withhold judgment.
He needed to ponder a bit on what’s best, and right now, summoning the AI was the priority.
Not to mention the bet.
A feeling that it wasn’t just hiding or gathering energy, but that it couldn’t be felt at all.
‘Shall we find out about this?’
Seol-Hwi picked up a bamboo board and casually tossed it at his face.
“……”
No reaction.
This time, he picked up the bamboo board and hurled it strongly at his face.
Thunk!
It hit the face of the guardian. But still, there was no response.
‘So that’s how you’re going to play it?’
Seol-Hwi promptly kicked the table away.
Thunk!
The table shattered, and the chair flipped over simultaneously.
Naturally, Ho Gyo-sa, the guardian, who had been sitting in the chair, rolled backward and fell on his backside.
“…….”
Yet, there was still no response.
Unlike his initial reaction when he first came here, he was acting like a person whose emotions had been completely erased.
“Look at this.”
Seol-Hwi smiled slyly.
He seemed to finally understand what this guy’s behavior was.
“You’re not human, are you?”
Ho Gyo-sa’s expression remained the same as he lay on the floor.
Even though he had been hit by a trainee, he showed no emotion.
Even the uncomfortable feelings when he stepped in with the long-haired man seemed to have disappeared.
‘If that situation was also a planned reaction by someone, it makes sense.’
Seol-Hwi stared at him seriously.
“It can’t be done halfway, right? Fine. How about this?”
Swish.
Seol-Hwi summoned yang qi into his hand to create flames.
It wasn’t just to give him a beating; it was a will to deliver a strong blow.
“Take this too.”
Paat.
Seol-Hwi closed the distance as soon as he finished speaking.
Before the guy could even react, he mercilessly unleashed it.
It was the Sura Exploding Flame Arts, impossible for even a top warrior to withstand head-on.
Kwakwang!
Due to the swift attack, the old man couldn’t possibly withstand the blow.
He was flung away, his entire body igniting as he soared through the air.
Moreover, it was so powerful that the building behind him exploded entirely.
Kuwaaaang!
The fragments of the building soared up with a roar, either crushed by flames or blazing.
Where the Sura Exploding Flame Arts swept through, intense heat mixed with dust shimmered.
“Wow… Look at this guy.”
Amidst the gradually clearing smoke, an old man sat as if in meditation.
The old guardian was indeed alive, and more surprisingly, he seemed to have suffered little damage.
“Is he some kind of immortal body?”
However, there was a slight change from before.
For some reason, he was repeatedly opening and closing his eyes.
Of course, there was still no emotion on his face.
“Alright. Let’s see if you can handle this too.”
Seol-Hwi, who was furrowing his brows, opened his palm.
At the same time, his gaze slowly shifted.
It calmed, then sharpened again, before sinking deep like an abyss.
Ssshhh!
Simultaneously, flames surged from his palm.
For a moment, the qi layered and grew, and then a purple flame, unseen in nature, shot upwards.
“This is a qi that can kill even a master of extreme martial arts.”
It was a martial art called Hellish Annihilation.
It was a qi that a mere Guardian Envoy could not contend with.
“…What is this?”
Seol-Hwi had condensed the power of flames in preparation for the worst, intending to block the opponent’s retreat so they couldn’t escape.
But then, he caught sight of the Guardian, who had been still, suddenly rising from his seat.
Well, he thought that was possible.
What really bothered Seol-Hwi was something else entirely.
“Your eyes… they’ve returned.”
The Guardian he believed to be blind. Somehow, his pupils had formed like those of a human.
Moreover, there was a reaction from him.
“If you don’t want to die, leave. Someone like you cannot dare to face me.”
An inexplicable warning.
And it wasn’t spoken aloud, but conveyed through telepathy.
“I can’t let you do that.”
As Seol-Hwi expected, there was something about him.
The system window for combat power still didn’t appear about this man.
Someone he would have overlooked in the past.
But now it was different.
Seol-Hwi’s ability to read others’ minds and qi was already godlike.
The choice text, too; There was something about this guy.
“I’m so curious about your existence right now that I can’t stand it.”
Seol-Hwi let out a small laugh.
Then he immediately shot the qi from his palm towards him.
It was a preemptive strike.