20
Chapter 20: Rent
The reason why young Cheol Gun-ak reluctantly continued his life was twofold.
First was his mother.
Though she was the grand lady of the most powerful family in Nokju, the Manbyeong Cheolga, there was no one to rely on except for him and Halmeom.
And in the end, his mother perished in the corner of the forge, turning into nothing but ash.
Halmeom.
The last remaining reason was Halmeom.
Halmeom had gone through all the ups and downs with his mother.
However, in Cheolga, no one would call her by name—she was only referred to as the Chammo (Lady).
In his previous life, Cheol Gun-ak, foolishly, never even heard her name before watching her die.
That’s why, returning to this world, the greatest joy was that he could protect Halmeom.
Halmeom!
And now, Halmeom threw herself in front of the swinging steel hammer of Cheol Woo-seng.
Please!
Cheol Gun-ak moved desperately.
Watching Halmeom die once was enough.
He couldn’t bear to see it twice.
He moved as fast as he could, using Heukya (Black Demon Sword), extending his arms.
He thought that if he could block it with his arm guard, Halmeom could be saved.
But the wind blew.
Cheol Gun-ak’s struggles were far too weak to protect Halmeom.
He had only practiced martial arts for a few days.
But in one night, he had fought off the ambush of the Black Shadow Society, killed a guard from the Cheongmyeong Clan, beheaded Cheol Wi-geuk, dealt with the warriors from the Iron Fang Fortress, and even killed Kim Jung-tae.
He had already surpassed human limitations.
His body, though incapable of doing much, still moved on.
I can’t let Halmeom die again!!
Teeth clenched.
Cheol Gun-ak stared at Cheol Woo-seng, his killing intent flaring higher.
If Halmeom was even touched, he would kill them all.
He would wipe out everyone who shared the same name and bloodline as Cheol Woo-seng, even if they were buried underground, he would dig them out and crush them.
He would show them how he came to be known as the Man of Indestructible Might.
Please.
Please stop.
Please miss.
“…!”
Cheol Woo-seng, swinging the small hammer, noticed Halmeom intervening.
Cheol Gun-ak hoped he would twist his wrist.
After all, Halmeom was just a commoner who knew no martial arts.
Cheol Gun-ak, who had been disappointed by his father countless times, hoped that, for once, he would act as a martial artist and a head of the family.
If that happened, he could…
Hugh!
Cheol Woo-seng did not change.
Having led his wife to her death and even killing his own daughter, why would he care to spare Halmeom, who was of the same lineage?
He seemed pleased as he swung the hammer more forcefully.
“No─!”
Cheol Gun-ak screamed through the agony, his heart nearly bursting.
But Cheol Woo-seng remained unmoved.
“───.”
The only thing that remained was Halmeom’s tear-filled eyes staring at him.
…Master.
Halmeom’s lips parted.
Although no sound left her mouth, Cheol Gun-ak knew what she was about to say.
It was the same as her words in the previous life.
The men of Bukcheon do not retreat.
By those words, Halmeom was more than anyone else, a true man of Bukcheon.
She risked her life.
To save Cheol Gun-ak.
【Do you want to save her?】
Thud─.
Cheol Gun-ak’s heart pounded.
The dark blood of the Amaje began to pour out like a dam breaking.
【Do you wish for a miracle?】
Thud─, thud─.
The red blood was swallowed up by the black Amaje blood.
At the same time, the raindrops slowly froze in mid-air.
The small hammer, aimed at Halmeom’s skull, slowed down.
Halmeom, trembling with her eyes tightly closed, stopped moving.
【If you promise me one thing.】
Cheol Gun-ak’s white sclera turned black in an instant.
In the darkened vision, Cheol Gun-ak saw the Amaje approaching from afar.
She looked exactly the same as the one he had seen on Hae-nam Island.
With sorrowful eyes and long black hair that seemed to sharpen the night, with black, distinct eyes.
‘…No, it’s her.’
He had mistaken her for the Amaje, but as she approached, he realized it was a woman who looked exactly like the Amaje.
But her gender was irrelevant.
Whether she was the Amaje or not.
Winter was coming.
【I’ll make it happen for you.】
The blood of the Amaje created miracles.
It could make someone fall in love, fill the gaps in one’s abilities, and if the Yang was enough, even bring the dead back to life.
Thanks to these miraculous powers, the Amaje sect had survived the harshest oppression.
And the one who consumed the Amaje’s blood…
The one with Amaje blood in his heart…
Was he a member of the Amaje sect or not?
That question began to resolve itself now.
Thud─.
Her white and long fingers, resembling winter, touched the small hammer.
If she pushed it away now, Halmeom would be saved.
【Even though it may be difficult for you, it is very easy for me.】
Swish─.
This time, her hand touched Halmeom’s clothing.
In this frozen moment, the only thing that could move was her illusion.
And with that, the Amaje-like figure, as if to seduce him, whispered temptingly to Cheol Gun-ak.
【If you pull me like this, I’ll fulfill your desires.】
Slowly.
The figure that had been touching Halmeom now approached Cheol Gun-ak’s face.
Up close, she looked slightly different from the Amaje he had seen on Hae-nam Island.
But if the Amaje were to become a woman, she would look exactly like this.
【Just say you’ll join us.】
The Amaje Cheol Gun-ak had met on the island had been a solitary warrior. But the woman standing before him now seemed like a seductive mistress of some dangerous cult.
She embodied what everyone imagined the Amaje sect leader to be like.
‘…’
Cheol Gun-ak only stared at her, not offering any response.
Then, she smiled seductively.
【I see.】
Snap─.
Her illusion snapped her fingers.
Then, the small hammer that had been stopped slowly began to move toward Halmeom.
Halmeom closed her eyes tightly.
【There’s no time left.】
She pressed Cheol Gun-ak.
Her smile was flawless, yet the chilling aura she exuded left an indelible mark on Cheol Gun-ak’s mind.
Hiss─.
His blood ran cold.
Cheol Gun-ak felt the Cheol Yeol Shin Hwa energy dimming.
At the same time, the jade seal fragment that had been shining brightly in his palm began to fade.
It was as if the downfall of the Central Plains had occurred again.
As if it were the day he had torn apart and killed the Amaje.
【One word, and you can achieve your miracle.】
Would he let Halmeom die?
Would he join the Amaje sect, the very thing he despised, just to save her?
In this moment of impossible choice, Cheol Gun-ak closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, glaring at her.
“Enough of your nonsense.”
“Miracles are not given. They are made.”
Young Cheol Gun-ak had lost his mother and Halmeom, vowing to seek vengeance.
Adult Cheol Gun-ak had fought endlessly across the Central Plains.
Thus, he learned how to live.
He accumulated time.
He knew exactly what to do, even in the darkest despair.
The reason he survived the Shiya War until the very end was because…
“So, when I die, I’ll bite and tear until the very end.”
Halmeom had told him this.
If he died, so be it.
But as long as he lived, he would bite and tear till the very end.
Thud─.
His flesh tore.
In the slowed time, as he moved as fast as he could, his joints creaked, and his bones screamed.
The harsh flow of Cheol Yeol Shin Hwa made his energy surge and then diminish repeatedly, causing pain.
But…
“If you don’t like it, just leave and become a concubine or something.”
Halmeom’s angry face flashed before his eyes.
As he thought of her, Cheol Gun-ak smiled, then addressed the illusion of the Amaje-like figure in front of him.
“And you.”
【…?】
“If you are inside me, then pay the rent.”
Snap─.
The illusion could not comprehend what she had heard at first.
Then, she smiled brightly and replied.
【Rent?】
“Otherwise, I’ll scrape out every drop of Amaje blood from me.”
Instantly, her form began to fade.
At the same time, she stretched out her hand to stop the small hammer, as if trying to save someone falling off a cliff.
A scent, like the deep sea, brushed against his nose.
【It’s not a wrong statement. Then I’ve paid the rent, so I’ll see you next time.】
With those words, her illusion disappeared.
Whoosh─.
The arm accelerated even further.
What was supposed to never touch was happening right at this moment.
Boom─!
It touched.
Cheol Gun-ak blocked the Socheonchu (Small Heavenly Hammer), which was aimed at Halmeom’s skull, with the forearm guard of his right arm.
Crunch─.
But the price for this action was inevitable.
Thanks to the forearm guard, Halmeom’s life was saved, but he couldn’t stop the bones from breaking.
Yet, Cheol Gun-ak, unaffected by the pain, smiled with joy as he embraced Halmeom.
“Master!”
Halmeom, who thought she was about to die, cried out in surprise.
Cheol Gun-ak grinned and responded.
“Why step in? I told you I’ll handle everything.”
“But!”
However, Cheol Woo-seng, unwilling to listen to their tender conversation, picked up the Pacheonchu (Heavenly Hammer) from the floor.
Then, he glared at the wobbling Cheol Gun-ak with his blood-red eyes.
“I’ll send you both off together.”
Cheolhon Swaegol Chwi (Iron Soul Broken Bone Hammer).
The Peak of Power.
Whooo─.
The wind surged towards the hammer.
The raindrops falling from the sky twisted in the wind, wrapping around the hammer.
Slowly, the crimson energy of Cheol Woo-seng began to envelop the hammer.
I can’t avoid this.
Cheol Gun-ak, having already taken the rent, glanced at Halmeom with a wry smile.
“Master!!”
Halmeom screamed in horror.
The smile on Cheol Gun-ak’s face was the same one that the warriors, who had prepared themselves for death during the Gukbuk Expedition, wore—an all too familiar, exhausting grin.
Boom─.
Cheol Gun-ak pushed Halmeom away.
Her frail body was thrown into the mud.
By coincidence or fate, her fingertips touched the broken jade ornament lying nearby.
And behind Cheol Gun-ak…
Cheol Woo-seng gripped the Pacheonchu with both hands, preparing to smash it down.
Mancheonjul Byeong (Ten Thousand Heavenly Iron Wall Collapse)!
Rumble─!
With Cheol Woo-seng’s immense strength, the earth trembled underfoot. The deafening sound of the hammer tearing through the air echoed in Cheol Gun-ak’s ears.
Cheol Gun-ak turned his head, eyes fixed on the Pacheonchu coming towards him.
It’s a pity I couldn’t kill the Amaje.
The jade seal fragment, which had regained its light after the Amaje’s blood receded, began to flicker madly.
Heukya (Black Demon Sword) also pulsed strongly, but for Cheol Gun-ak, who had surpassed his limits, it no longer provided him with additional strength.
But at least Halmeom is alive, so this is a good second life.
And thus…
Death poured down.
The rain fell.
Starlight sparkled─.
Star?
Behind Cheol Woo-seng.
The rain stopped.
The dark clouds parted.
A massive cut appeared in the clouds, and behind them, the bright night sky revealed itself.
And then…
Slash─.
A star descended.
It was an old man, dressed in a black robe that shone like the night sky, with stars glimmering across it.
He was gaunt and dark, looking weak as though death was near, but he was the one who carried the entire night sky of Bukcheon on his shoulders.
An absolute being of Bukcheon, one who would never be defeated.
He extended his left hand lightly.
“Dare you.”
Crunch!
The Pacheonchu shattered in his grasp as soon as his hand touched it.
“Disrespecting my woman.”
The identity of the old man became clear to Cheol Woo-seng and, of course, to Im Se-gul, whose eyes widened in disbelief.