Absolute Regression

Chapter 617: Leaving This Martial World to You for a Moment, Brother

“They said the others approached them first.”

Seok Soo, a friend of Gu Yong who handled counterfeit hidden weapons for the Black Hand Faction, confessed everything he knew without even being asked.

Seok Soo was in a state of terror. Never in his life did he imagine he’d be dragged in by the Demonic Cult and subjected to interrogation.

Gu Yong had been stabbed to death in a pleasure house, and the one who tried to fire the hidden weapon earlier had clearly aimed to kill him. He couldn’t forget the look on that madman’s face—smiling like a lunatic even after losing an arm.

“They asked if we were interested in buying weapons from the Demonic Cult.”

The one seated in front of Seok Soo was Ho Myeong, the Branch Leader. It was too important a matter to leave to subordinates, so he had taken the interrogation upon himself.

Seok Soo had already sensed from earlier that Ho Myeong held a high position, and that only heightened his anxiety.

“To close the deal, they even gave Gu Yong some money.”

Ho Myeong, who had been silently listening, finally spoke.

“How much?”

“He didn’t say the amount, but judging by things, he probably got a few thousand nyang. He was in such a good mood, he went to the Flower Reflection Pavilion and splurged on drinks.”

Ho Myeong didn’t fully believe him.

What mattered most right now was discerning whether the man in front of him was spouting nonsense just to save his own skin.

He’s terrified, so he wouldn’t lie? Not a chance.

Having lived his life as a demon, Ho Myeong had seen many people.

Even terrified people lied with ease.

He’d witnessed people lie without blinking an eye, even while pressing their hands over sword wounds and weeping in pain.

You must never underestimate the human will to survive.

“Tell me about the person who gave the money.”

“It wasn’t a man.”

“What?”

“They said it was a woman.”

That part even caught Ho Myeong off guard. A woman had approached?

“Tell me everything you know about her.”

“All I know is that it was a woman. That’s everything I know.”

In that instant, Ho Myeong’s voice dropped with an icy tone.

“Then why did you say you knew about this matter?”

Seok Soo panicked.

“I thought even this much would count as useful information…”

“A woman gave him a large sum of money? And with that, how are we supposed to find her?”

From Ho Myeong’s eyes flowed a chill as cold as his voice.

“So you thought you could bluff your way through and deceive us?”

“No, no!”

Seok Soo frantically waved his hands, his innocent face ready to burst into tears at any moment.

But Ho Myeong knew all too well what kind of scum the Black Hand Faction were. They were like leeches, sucking the lifeblood out of others.

Ho Myeong pulled a small bottle from his robes and placed it in front of Seok Soo.

“Drink it.”

Seok Soo asked in a trembling voice, filled with fear.

“What is this?”

“It’s a truth serum.”

Seok Soo had heard of it before. A drug that made one drowsy and compelled them to answer any question asked.

And he also knew about the side effects. With bad luck, one could go insane—or even die.

“Please spare me!”

His face turned pale.

“If you’re forced to drink it, even if you confess, you’ll die.”

With trembling hands, Seok Soo reached for the vial.

‘I have to remember. Please…’

Seok Soo desperately tried to recall what Gu Yong had said that day. They had met and exchanged some trivial lewd jokes. They went together to the Flower Reflection Pavilion.

Ah, right. While drinking with the courtesans, they chatted a little more about that matter. What exactly did he say then?

That desperation finally worked a miracle. Seok Soo set the truth serum down and shouted.

“Ah! That’s right! He said the woman had a burn scar on the back of her hand!”

He recalled Gu Yong mentioning it—her face was pretty and her figure was great, but the burn mark on her hand was a bit of a shame. He had said it while holding a courtesan’s hand.

“A burn scar?”

“Yes, he definitely said it was a burn scar. I’m certain.”

Seok Soo looked at Ho Myeong with hopeful eyes. He thought that since he had recalled something important, he wouldn’t have to drink the truth serum anymore.

But Ho Myeong, though his eyes and voice softened, simply said:

“Got it. Now drink it.”

'These damned Demonic Cult bastards…!'

Half a beat later, Ho Myeong exited the interrogation room.

Behind him, Seok Soo remained slouched in the chair, still dazed.

Ho Myeong headed to another room not far from the one he had just left. Inside, the interrogation of the armless assassin was underway.

The armless assassin was truly out of his mind. Proper questioning was impossible. Torture didn’t work either, so rather than extracting information about who was behind him, the investigation focused on how the man had been brainwashed.

Geom Muyang stood at the back, arms crossed, observing the scene.

Ho Myeong approached cautiously and reported.

“The broker was a woman. She had a burn scar on the back of her hand. Given that the statement was made under the effect of the truth serum, I believe it’s true. I’ll report everything to the Heavenly Communication Pavilion and have them search for her.”

It was still like finding a needle in a haystack, but at least now there was a thread to follow.

As he turned to leave, Geom Muyang suddenly spoke.

“That woman… she might be someone who works at an Iron Workshop.”

'Why would she work at the Iron Workshop?' Ho Myeong wondered, confused—until he realized something a moment later.

“Ah! Because of the burn scar!”

At Ho Myeong's words, Geom Muyang nodded. He had frequently worked with Iron Workshops on behalf of the Main Division. Because of that, he had encountered many who worked there. For people who dealt with metal and fire, burn scars were a common occurrence.

"I'll report that there's a possibility she works at a Iron Workshop."

Ho Myeong looked at Geom Muyang with renewed interest. Once he heard it, the connection seemed obvious, but on its own, it wasn’t easy to link the two.

"If the woman works at the Iron Workshop, and on top of that, she has a scar on the back of her hand? The number of women working there is relatively small, and the scar is a distinct feature. The Heavenly Communication Pavilion might just be able to find her. If they do, it’ll be thanks to you, Great Young Master."

It wasn’t flattery—he was genuinely impressed. What kind of person must this Great Young Master have been, for someone like him to lose and for the Young Cult Leader to take his place?

Just then, the martial artist who had been inspecting the armless man turned back to them, having completed his examination. He was one of the Main Division martial artists dispatched for this case and had deep knowledge of advanced techniques.

"It appears a command was embedded in his subconscious. Normally, he functions as usual, but when a certain condition is triggered, he carries out a specific command. It’s a form of high-level technique."

That meant the armless man had suddenly gone berserk while kneeling because Seok Soo had been about to reveal the secret—one of the specific trigger conditions.

"Moreover, once the technique is activated, it causes immediate loss of reason and forces self-destruction."

If they hadn’t quickly suppressed his vital point after his arm was cut off, the man would’ve taken his own life.

"The person who cast the technique is no ordinary martial artist."

They had forged counterfeit hidden weapons almost indistinguishable from the real ones, and now this kind of advanced technique too. These weren’t just people trying to make a quick profit selling fake goods.

"To identify the exact technique used, we’ll need to escort him to the Main Division for further investigation."

Geom Muyang looked toward the interrogation room, where the man was still smiling.

"Is there any chance he might return to normal?"

"If the technique is of this level, only the caster can undo it."

"Then it's something that can never be undone."

A person who used such a technique to control others like puppets and then make them commit suicide would never lift it willingly.

Shhhhik.

With a flash of sword light from Geom Muyang, the man who had staged the ambush was cut through the heart and killed instantly.

"From now on, we’ll be seeing many people afflicted by such techniques. And…"

Geom Muyang walked out of the room with cold eyes and said,

"We’ll find out exactly what kind of technique it is—directly from the one who cast it."

*         *         *

Geom Mugeuk opened a massive door and stepped inside.

Before him spread a vast plaza.

There stood ninety-nine towering bookshelves.

Each was filled with supreme secret manuals that could stir the hearts of martial artists.

This was the very Heavenly Demon Library, where the Wind God’s Four Steps had once been found.

“Father! I came in here without your permission! I might mess this place up! I might just sit anywhere and start eating food and everything. So hurry up and come out!”

Now that he had become the acting Cult Leader, the places that required the Heavenly Demon’s permission to enter were naturally accessible to him. Of all those places, the first one he entered was the Heavenly Demon Library.

As Geom Mugeuk walked between the shelves, he pulled books from here and there.

He wasn’t selecting them carefully—just grabbing whatever caught his eye.

There were books on the fundamentals of martial theory, advice from masters for actual combat, histories of the martial world, and foundational texts on martial arts as a whole.

There were secret manuals explaining energy flow and meridians, guides on how to maintain body balance, how martial artists should use their bodies, basic offense and defense, how to anticipate the opponent’s movements and find their openings, and how to operate and apply internal energy.

Some books he picked because he liked the title, others because he liked the calligraphy on the cover, and some simply because he wanted to read them once.

In the end, he selected over twenty volumes.

Snap!

With a snap of his fingers, the surroundings changed, becoming an open green field.

Sssst.

In the center of the field appeared a large desk and chair.

With another flick of his hand, a cool breeze blew through.

Geom Mugeuk activated the Heavenly Time Secret Art.

Now, his Heavenly Time Secret Art granted him seven times the speed compared to the outside world. When he fought the Sword King, it had only been six times faster, but he had made progress since then.

One hour outside now equaled seven hours here.

‘You’re the only one I can rely on!’

Geom Mugeuk stacked the books on the desk and began to read.

They were all different in type, but one thing was clear—they were handpicked works worthy of being placed in the Heavenly Demon Library.

Geom Mugeuk began to read, one volume after another.

There was a reason behind this session of reading.

Although he had told Sima Myung that his anxiety stemmed from him, the deeper cause was the Nine Calamities Demon Art.

It had reached the Eighth Star.

Even compared to past Cult Leaders, the speed of his progress was unparalleled, but Geom Mugeuk was not satisfied.

‘The gap between the Eighth and Ninth Star is the real hurdle.’

It felt like standing before a massive, impassable wall.

Once he crossed it, there would likely be an even greater wall ahead. But for now, he had to overcome this one.

As a way to surpass that wall, Geom Mugeuk resolved to read the books of the Heavenly Demon Library.

Until now, he had advanced in the Nine Calamities Demon Art through relentless, grueling repetition. At times, he surpassed himself through life-or-death battles. At other times, he transcended through his father's teachings.

And now, he sought to break through by diligently reading the martial arts manuals here.

Why this method, of all things?

It was a pull from instinct.

His father had entered seclusion, and now that he had become the acting Cult Leader, he could enter this place freely. If that was fate, then so be it.

And there was another reason.

After meeting the Sword King, he began to think deeply about the fundamentals of martial arts. Most likely, it was the process of creating martial arts by applying the Golden Dragon Sword Art that had influenced him greatly.

Geom Mugeuk trusted his instincts. Just like when the body craves meat because it needs certain nutrients, if he was feeling the urge to read all sorts of martial books now, then this must be the time when they were most needed.

He read freely. He didn’t read with the pressure of having to gain something. If a book was too dull, he simply closed it and moved on to the next. Was there anything too difficult for someone at Geom Mugeuk’s level? He read every book without a hitch.

Two hours, four hours, six... fourteen hours.

How long had he been immersed in this reading trance? From outside, the voice of Jeokyeon, the chief of security, was heard.

“A message has arrived from the Heavenly Communication Pavilion.”

At that, the space around Geom Mugeuk began to change.

Sssssss.

The countless bookshelves of the Heavenly Demon Library reappeared around him.

Carrying the book he had taken into the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique, Geom Mugeuk began to walk.

Whik. Whirik. Swish.

The secret manuals lifted into the air in various directions and flew away.

Each book returned precisely to its original place. It may have seemed like a simple trick, but inserting all those books simultaneously through Void Telekinesis was a feat that no martial technique in the library could replicate.

Geom Mugeuk exited the Heavenly Demon Library.

Jeokyeon delivered the report from the Heavenly Communication Pavilion.

“The Great Young Master is gathering elite martial artists from Honam.”

It was a report that things on that side were serious, but instead, Geom Mugeuk smiled.

“Looks like they’ve really pissed off my brother.”

The fact that his brother was in a state of tension was actually reassuring. At least he wasn’t being careless.

“And he’s only informed the Martial Alliance and the Unorthodox Alliance that the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult is in the middle of an operation.”

Upon hearing that, Geom Mugeuk let out a satisfied laugh.

“If Father were here, he would’ve been absolutely delighted.”

Father, your favorite eldest son is shaking up the entire martial world.

If he teased his father about this, he’d surely look at him and make that signature mocking smirk of his.

And he probably would’ve loved hearing news about his brother.

“My brother’s doing his part, and as for me—I’m just too hungry. Since I’m already out, I might as well grab a bite to eat.”

Jeokyeon looked at Geom Mugeuk with a puzzled expression. It had only been two hours since he’d last eaten, yet here he was, hungry again.

Another perk of becoming the acting Cult Leader:

He could now eat meals prepared by the chef of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.

“What I envy most about Father isn’t the Heavenly Demon Treasury or the Heavenly Demon Library—it’s the chef!”

And with that, he was able to see the chef’s bright smile again for the first time in a while.

Geom Mugeuk ate until he was full, then even packed the food the chef had prepared for him and returned to the Heavenly Demon Library.

He selected books from the shelves again. Just like before, he didn’t choose them carefully. He picked whatever matched his mood. It didn’t matter.

After all, he intended to read every single book in the Heavenly Demon Library before leaving.

'Father, I’ll leave the martial world to my brother for a while. I’m going into seclusion in the Heavenly Demon Library.'