The Flames of Chaos
Whoosh.
Crackle! The high-quality silk blanket caught fire.
Startled, the boy, Yeo Ha-ryun, paused for a moment.
"Fire?" His gaze shifted to the flames licking the blanket.
If he relaxed his stance, Jin Cheon-hee would escape.
But if he maintained it, he would be the one burned by the fire.
As this thought crossed his mind, Yeo Ha-ryun's pupils slowly began to return to their original dark color.
The madness subsided, and his mind seemed to calm down.
Yes.
Until just moments ago, Yeo Ha-ryun had been speaking coldly and bluntly, appearing to act normally, but that wasn't the case.
It was the madness of the Thousand Killing Star that had driven him.
"Just like in the novels, his eyes really do change color. That was close..."
"Where... am I? I was clearly..."
It's not uncommon for soldiers who survive the battlefield to attack those nearby in a moment of confusion.
As Yeo Ha-ryun looked around, regaining his senses, his grip loosened, and Jin Cheon-hee took the opportunity to kick him in the stomach.
Thud! "Ugh!" It was a strike delivered in the midst of chaos.
In that brief moment, Jin Cheon-hee immediately broke free from his grasp. 'Phew.
I think I might survive now.' The blanket was burning.
The boy was still lying on the bed, covered by the flaming blanket.
He flung the blanket aside and rolled off the bed, standing up.
But perhaps out of anger, the redness in Yeo Ha-ryun's eyes deepened. 'Just like in the novels, when his blood boils, his desire for destruction grows stronger.' Whenever he loses his sanity or his life is in danger, he becomes consumed by bloodlust.
It will take a long time for the Heavenly Demon, Yeo Ha-ryun, to learn to control this bloodlust.
The Demonic Cult of the Non-Human Path will save his life multiple times, but at the cost of losing precious things. 'The secret of his birth and his uncontrollable madness are staples of martial arts novels.' But having such a person right in front of you is a different story.
In books, it's just a game you pay 100 won per chapter for, but in reality, he's an uncontrollable murderer.
And every time his bloodlust manifests, his eye color changes. 'What is this, middle school syndrome...?' And of all colors, it had to be red.
The only saving grace is that, like the protagonists of martial arts novels, he's good-looking.
For now, calming this murderer down is the priority.
Indeed, Yeo Ha-ryun was slightly crouched, adopting a stance similar to a tiger.
It was the posture right before unleashing a martial arts attack! 'Damn it.
To calm him down...
Ah, right! That's it!' In a very brief moment, Jin Cheon-hee surprised himself.
An idea to calm Yeo Ha-ryun down immediately came to mind. 'Stay calm, stay calm.' Managing emotions is a basic skill for a surgeon.
He had always felt this way on the operating table.
This time, the life he was operating on was his own.
In a way, it felt lighter than someone else's life.
Perhaps because of that.
"The debts and grudges of the martial world are like the two sides of a blade."
The still-young Yeo Ha-ryun paused. "...?" 'Good.
It worked!' He didn't miss the slight hesitation in Yeo Ha-ryun's eyes.
And this was exactly what Jin Cheon-hee had intended.
The words he had just spoken were the very words Yeo Ha-ryun's mother had left as her dying wish. -Ryun.
The debts and grudges of the martial world are like the two sides of a blade.
Whether it's a debt or a grudge, it will inevitably lead to bloodshed.
Please, don't get entangled.
Live a life different from mine.
To Yeo Ha-ryun, his mother was his only family.
That's why, until the very end, she didn't reveal the secret of his birth to him.
She wanted him to live an ordinary life, free from debts and grudges.
But her wish didn't come true.
After her death, Yeo Ha-ryun learned that he was the Thousand Killing Star.
And to suppress this, and for a few other reasons, he headed to the Demonic Cult. 'Now, what will you do?' Jin Cheon-hee recalled the novel's contents as he looked at Yeo Ha-ryun.
When the words of his family's dying wish came out, Yeo Ha-ryun's eyes widened.
Jin Cheon-hee added, "Do you think you'll be safe if you go to the Demonic Cult? If you take the Blood Gu, even someone like you will become their puppet. Snap out of it, Yeo Ha-ryun."
As the word "Demonic Cult" left his mouth, the redness in Yeo Ha-ryun's eyes began to fade, returning to a clearer black.
And his expression changed.
Wariness.
Confusion.
These emotions colored his face.
"How do you know that...?" The Demonic Cult.
It's a name that ordinary people would flee from in fear.
But here was a boy willingly heading to the Demonic Cult.
Wherever the boy went, a trail of blood followed.
Unless he was kidnapped, no one who knocked on the Demonic Cult's door did so without a tragic story.
Especially if it was a child.
That was the current Yeo Ha-ryun.
And Jin Cheon-hee guessed that the original owner of his current body was the same.
"How I know isn't important. What do you know about the Demonic Cult?" Seeing Yeo Ha-ryun's confusion, Jin Cheon-hee continued, "Shall I tell you? To join the Demonic Cult, you have no choice but to take the Blood Gu. There are no exceptions."
The Blood Gu.
A parasite that lives inside the body, gnawing away at it.
You have to take the pills provided by the Demonic Cult, one every ten days.
But if you miss a dose, the Blood Gu will lay eggs inside your body and explode.
Death is one thing, but the pain is described in the books as being 80 to 100 times worse than the pain of being burned alive.
It was the first trial he would face before becoming a minor sect leader of the Demonic Cult and killing other minor sect leaders.
"What if I knew a way to remove the Blood Gu?" "Who are you? How do you know that?" "Well, how I know and who I am isn't important. I know what you need. Isn't that what matters?" Jin Cheon-hee and Yeo Ha-ryun.
On the surface, they were just children.
But Yeo Ha-ryun, due to the genius and tragic fate brought by the Thousand Killing Star, had to mature mentally quickly.
And Jin Cheon-hee, with memories of his past life as an adult, found their conversation not awkward at all.
But to an outsider, it would have been a bizarre and eerie sight.
The blanket was burning more fiercely, now engulfing the bed.
Amidst this, the two boys facing each other seemed out of place. 'This guy... seems to be hesitating a bit? But.
For now, it's best to wait until he speaks.' Jin Cheon-hee waited.
And after a brief silence, Yeo Ha-ryun spoke first. "... Are you also aiming for the Divine Cult? Which family are you from?" 'Ah.
He's mistaking me for one of the Eight Great Families of the Demonic Cult? Well, it's common for the children of the Eight Great Families to wander the martial world, training and spying from a young age.
So... maybe there's no need to clear up the misunderstanding here?' "If a child like you is traveling alone without any adults, isn't it obvious?" Crackle— While they were talking, the flames were spreading even more.
Finally, the guards outside noticed.
But Jin Cheon-hee had already bolted the door and stood in front of it.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The guards pounded on the door.
Yeo Ha-ryun asked, "What are you doing?" "To help you make a choice."
"What?" 'Damn it.
I need to go all out here.
It's do or die!' Jin Cheon-hee felt like his heart would burst.
Even though he had lived through his forties, fear was still fear.
But he knew that if he didn't firmly establish a relationship with this kid now, the opportunity would never come again.
"Will you join hands with me? Or will you die?" "There's also the option of knocking you down and walking out."
"Really? Then I'll shout that you're a spy from the Demonic Cult trying to kill me. There will be evidence of the fight. Who do you think people will believe? Me or you? Even if they only half-believe me, won't they find something if they investigate?" "... You..."
A hoarse voice scratched through the flames.
As the guards shouted, the sound of servants running over could be heard.
The door would soon open.
But before that.
"Choose."
At Jin Cheon-hee's firm voice, Yeo Ha-ryun muttered softly. "... I remember."
What did he remember? "It was you who moved me and treated me when I collapsed. I thought it was a dream because I was in and out of consciousness... but it seems it was real. And you had other intentions too."
Jin Cheon-hee thought.
Even if I say I didn't know you were the protagonist and that it was just a doctor's goodwill, you wouldn't believe me.
It's better to give a plausible reason that you can accept.
"It's a two-for-one deal. What will you do?" The smoke was thick.
The decorative cabinet containing incense sticks had also caught fire.
Bang! A sword strike flew past Jin Cheon-hee's back.
The door, being for VIPs, was quite sturdy.
It didn't break from the first strike.
Yeo Ha-ryun twisted his lips into a smile.
"Let's join hands."
That smile didn't look like it belonged to a child at all.
It was as if something from the depths of the abyss was smiling in his place. 'This is Yeo Ha-ryun, who hasn't killed anyone yet.' This could be considered Yeo Ha-ryun's most innocent (?) smile.
Jin Cheon-hee wore an expression completely opposite to Yeo Ha-ryun's.
"Save meeeee! Waaaaah! Mooooommy~~!!!" It was the pure, kind, and frightened voice of a child that would tug at anyone's heartstrings.
A child trapped in a burning room, screaming—the effect was doubled.
"You...?" Yeo Ha-ryun was stunned by the 180-degree change in expression and muttered.
The door opened.
Regardless, Jin Cheon-hee hugged the most bandit-like guard with tear-filled eyes and pretended to sob.
"You did well locking the door, but didn't you know how to open it?" "Didn't you teach the child how to open the door?" At those words, the bandit-like guard's face turned red.
They had taught him how to lock the door to keep out danger, but they had forgotten to teach him how to open it.
The guard loudly shifted the topic.
"Let's put out the fire first! The child must be so scared!" The servants, while putting out the fire, shot the guard some sharp looks.
Jin Cheon-hee had been nothing but kind and cute since arriving here.
Such a child almost got into big trouble because of that guy.
"Do better next time!" "Right. He's not someone to be trusted!" At that moment, Yeo Ha-ryun didn't miss it.
Jin Cheon-hee sneaking a smile from behind the guard.
It was the unmistakable face of a swindler.