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Translator: uly
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: I Am the Heavenly Demon (2)
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"Eek."
With a short groan, the Heavenly Demon opened his eyes.
"To think I lost consciousness."
The Heavenly Demon had mastered even the Cold Soul Heart Technique that assassins trained in. His mental fortitude was tougher than a cow's sinew.
"In all the years since I began cultivating martial arts, I've never once fainted."
Looking around, he saw yellow earthen walls.
Dawn must have broken, as faint light seeped through the wooden door pasted with rice paper.
"Just where is this place?"
As he tried to sit up, his head thunked against the ceiling.
The ceiling was far too low for the Heavenly Demon, who stood nearly seven feet tall.
Creak.
Opening the wooden door revealed stacks of objects he had never seen before in his life.
The surroundings were dim and carried a humid smell, suggesting it was probably a storage shed for goods.
Passing through a narrow aisle to the outside, he entered an unfamiliar space where light poured down from above.
"Hmm."
It was a neatly organized office.
On the tidy desk were various items and stacks of books, and right in the center sat a round table for people to gather around.
"Remarkable. Is this a sorcerer's abode?"
Gazing at the ornate lights hanging from the ceiling, the Heavenly Demon opened a transparent glass door and stepped outside.
Bwaaang.
A horn blared from somewhere, accompanied by unfamiliar scenery he had never witnessed before.
Well-paved streets. Iron masses racing by at tremendous speeds. People walking the streets in clothes of peculiar styles.
"Just where is this?"
As he tilted his head in confusion, a shadow approached him from the entrance.
It was the girl he had seen last night in the front courtyard of the hanok.
The girl, carrying a large bag, blinked at the sight of the Heavenly Demon.
"You're finally awake?"
"Are you addressing this seat?"
"Who else is here besides you?"
"How did I end up in this place?"
"Oh, you wouldn't wake no matter how much I tried… I couldn't just leave you there, so I let you sleep in the storage room for a bit."
The girl pointed at the shop from which the Heavenly Demon had emerged.
"This is my store."
Now he saw it: the inner part of the hanok was the living quarters, while the outer section near the entrance was the shop.
The Heavenly Demon looked up at the wooden signboard with its antique design.
"Bokbok Interior?"
He had no idea why he could read it.
Yet the Heavenly Demon was reading these completely unfamiliar characters as if it were the most natural thing.
"What sort of place is this?"
"You don't know Hangul? It's an interior design shop."
"A term I've never heard before."
Alternating his gaze between the slender girl's face and the proper shop, he nodded.
"To already be running a shop like this. Impressive, young… miss."
Fortunately, he managed to swallow the word "kid" just in time.
"I'm not a kid, okay? I'm actually pretty old."
The girl, wearing an embarrassed expression, pulled a business card from her pocket and handed it to the Heavenly Demon.
"If you feel unwell or anything, give me a call. It's my fault anyway."
"What fault do you speak of?"
"Uh, that thing over there."
Recalling how she had struck the Heavenly Demon's lower abdomen twice, the girl flushed red.
"If it hurts, call me."
Staring intently at the business card, the Heavenly Demon murmured.
"Jang Chaewon. So that is the young miss's name?"
"I told you, I'm not a young miss."
"Then you must be a case of returning to youth in old age."
The Heavenly Demon stared fixedly at the girl, Jang Chaewon, who looked about eighteen, and nodded.
"Indeed… Your inner energy must surpass all imagination."
Recalling last night's events, the Heavenly Demon narrowed his eyes.
'That explains how she shattered this seat's Diamond Body.'
The Heavenly Demon was overcome with successive waves of astonishment.
He had thought he had reached the absolute peak, with no further room to ascend. Yet there was still potential he had never imagined, room yet to climb.
"You really got way too immersed in those wuxia novels, huh."
"What do you mean by that?"
The girl sighed as she looked at the Heavenly Demon's clothes, which exposed his chest and arms.
"Wear stuff like that at home. Aren't you embarrassed in front of people?"
"Stuff like that?"
With a dignified expression, the Heavenly Demon pointed to his robes.
"These Blood Battle Demon Robes are priceless, the finest garment in the martial world."
"What's that?"
"Impervious to water and fire, resistant to blades and swords as a given, and they even maintain a comfortable temperature whenever worn."
His face carried a strange sense of pride.
Jang Chaewon's shoulders slumped at the sight, like a child proudly showing off a toy of unknown purpose.
"F-Fine. Since you're up, get going."
The Heavenly Demon tilted his head.
"Get going? Didn't you cling to me so desperately last night?"
"I think I lost my reason in excitement back then. No matter how big and strong you are, how could you break a Spirit Tree protected by the Earth Spirit? Something else must have happened."
"You said it was something expensive."
"Oh, yeah, I'd forgotten about it since it was so old."
Jang Chaewon smiled brightly and waved her hand.
"I had it insured. Damage from natural disasters is covered."
"Hmm."
It was all incomprehensible to the Heavenly Demon.
But seeing her beaming smile, he could guess the matter had been resolved satisfactorily.
"Very well. I shall take my leave then."
"Yeah, yeah. Be careful."
As the Heavenly Demon opened the glass door and stepped out, Jang Chaewon sat at her desk and turned on her laptop.
But something felt off. Looking at her monitor, she leaned forward to peer outside.
"That guy. He still hasn't left?"
For some reason, the Heavenly Demon was still standing prominently in front of the shop.
He looked around vacantly, standing there in a way that pitifully resembled a lost child.
"A deranged mind wandering about half-naked…"
Resting her chin on her hand as she watched the Heavenly Demon, Jang Chaewon shook her head.
"With that build, he's gotta be some kind of mountain goblin type, right?"
At that moment, the Heavenly Demon, who had been standing blankly, suddenly dashed into the street.
Screeech!
With a deafening brake sound, the cars speeding down the road swerved to zigzag stops.
The Heavenly Demon merely looked around at the halted vehicles in bewilderment.
"Hey, you wanna die?"
"What the hell are you doing? Move!"
As drivers stuck their heads out to yell, the Heavenly Demon's eyes flashed with crimson bloodlight.
"Are you picking a fight with this seat right now?"
When the wrestler-built Heavenly Demon scowled, the protesting drivers quickly ducked back into the road.
"Looks like an Awakener."
"Tch, those types pop up sometimes."
"Low-rank ones always strut around in front of civilians."
The drivers, venting through open windows, maneuvered their cars around the Heavenly Demon.
"What's going on?"
Jang Chaewon emerged from the shop and took the hand of the Heavenly Demon, still standing blankly in the middle of the road.
"Are you crazy? What are you doing in the street?"
Led by her hand, the Heavenly Demon replied with a impassive expression.
"I was merely curious about the nature of those things."
The Heavenly Demon pointed to the colorful automobiles racing down the road.
"Curious? About what? Cars?"
"Automobiles… self-moving carriages, is that it?"
Resting his chin on his hand, the Heavenly Demon shook his head.
"I cannot fathom it at all. Just where is this place?"
"Don't tell me you lost your memory?"
"As if. I simply have no idea where this is. Which direction must I go to reach the Ten Thousand Demons Palace?"
"Ten Thousand Demons Palace?"
Jang Chaewon scanned the Heavenly Demon's attire up and down, then nodded.
"Do you work at a Chinese restaurant by any chance?"
"I don't understand the meaning. What is a Chinese restaurant?"
"You know, the place that sells jjajangmyeon. Do you work at a restaurant?"
Staring at her, the Heavenly Demon suddenly burst into roaring laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
His clear, gravelly laughter echoed through the neighborhood, resounding off the hills and trees—no, the streets.
"That was the funniest thing I've heard yet. Hahahaha!"
"Fine. Whatever."
Jang Chaewon looked around and let her shoulders droop.
It seemed she couldn't keep hanging around this guy.
"Before I learned martial arts, I once thought the same. I was so hungry back then."
As if reminiscing on the distant past, the Heavenly Demon's gaze deepened.
However, it didn't seem like a painful memory; a faint smile played on his lips.
'His eyes are too clear for someone who's lost his mind.'
Staring intently at him, Jang Chaewon cautiously asked.
"Hey, were you born not too long ago, by any chance?"
The Heavenly Demon, who had been gazing around wildly, flinched as he looked at her.
"Are you in your right mind saying that?"
"Wh-who's questioning whose sanity? I mean, you seem so clueless about the world…"
As she scratched her head and tried to explain,
"Manager Jang. What're you doin' out here?"
A hunched old man blinked at Jang Chaewon standing on the sidewalk.
"Elder! Hello! What brings you here?"
"What d'ya mean? I was sendin' workers over this mornin', right? They didn't show, so I stopped by on my way to the supermarket."
"Right! Oh, but…"
She clapped her hands, then soon drooped her shoulders.
"Last night, the annex suddenly collapsed, and all the Spirit Trees shattered."
"Huh? The Spirit Trees? Then what're ya gonna do? Manager Jang, doesn't that mean your shop loses its spiritual land status?"
"It's fine. Luckily, I had insurance."
"Hmm. I see."
"First off, I'll hire external workers and send them over. Fortunately, it's work even human laborers can handle."
As Jang Chaewon smiled and replied, she noticed the Heavenly Demon's face frozen in cold sweat.
"What's wrong?"
"What do you mean? Can you not see this elder's face?"
The Heavenly Demon's hand pointed to the back of the old man's head.
There, with eyes closed, was the face of a soundly sleeping old woman.
"What about the elder's face?"
"There's another face attached to the elder's occipital region."
"Oh, you're meeting him for the first time?"
Jang Chaewon smiled brightly and pointed at the old man.
"The elder is a Two-Faced Ghost. He reads fortunes for yokai on luck and misfortune, and sometimes does divinations."
"Two-Faced Ghost? You mean a ghost?"
"What are you talking about? Of course…"
Mid-sentence, Jang Chaewon stared fixedly at the Heavenly Demon's face.
House-sized build, eyes glowing with red aura… If only he had elongated fangs, he could pass for a goblin.
"You… you are a yokai, right?"
"Yokai?"
The Heavenly Demon blinked.
"I've been called every vile name under the sun by the righteous sects, but yokai is a first."
"What? Then why are your eyes red?"
"Mastering the Reverse Extreme Divine Art to its peak causes the Blood Flame Radiance, slightly reddening the pupils."
Staring at the Heavenly Demon, she wore a newly surprised expression.
"You're human? With that appearance?"
"What do you mean by that."
"Oh, no, I mean… You must've lived a pretty tough life."
At her hasty excuse, the Heavenly Demon narrowed his eyes.
"Of course. No one has lived as fiercely as this seat."
"Y-yeah. You look it."
Jang Chaewon smiled awkwardly, then suddenly blinked.
"Then how did you get into my house? And how can you see the elder's Two-Faced side?"
"What are you talking about."
"You're human, aren't you?"
"Hmm."
The Heavenly Demon let out a groan, looking troubled.
"I don't understand a word of it. Could you explain in terms I can grasp?"
Just then, the old woman sleeping soundly on the back of the old man's head snapped her eyes open.
"…!"
The Heavenly Demon startled.
He had fought countless formidable foes, but never one with two faces. Moreover, the old woman's eyes flashed with blue light.
"Let me take a look at you, lad…"
Staring fixedly at the Heavenly Demon, the old woman clicked her tongue.
"Manager Jang, this one ain't a yokai. He's a human from another world."
"Yes?"
As Jang Chaewon blinked, the old woman chuckled.
"His body flows with an aura completely different from humans here. Plus, fragments of space-time still cling to his face."
"What?"
"From another world? Explain in detail, elder."
As the Heavenly Demon stepped forward, the old man's face clicked its tongue.
"Dear me, what a harsh life you've led. So barren and bleak."
Shaking his head, the old man extended his hand. A pale green glow lingered at his fingertips.
"Better than a hundred words—this'll do."
"What is this?"
Flash! The pale green glow gathered on his finger enveloped the Heavenly Demon's face.
At once, a round blue orb appeared, followed by fragmentary knowledge flooding into his mind.
"Urgh."
The knowledge churned his mind, bringing dizziness.
Clutching his head with both hands, crimson bloodlight rose from the Heavenly Demon's eyes.
"What sorcery is this?"
"Not sorcery—it's a bridge to the soul. Lets me transmit what's in my head."
The old man spoke softly to the suffering Heavenly Demon.
"Don't resist. Accept it. Ain't nothin' grand… just lets you know what this world is like."
Meeting the old man's earnest gaze, the Heavenly Demon nodded.
In that instant, his inflamed red eyes returned to normal.
He began accepting the knowledge pouring into his mind.