Appearance of the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 56

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 56
“….”
Hwan-yeong Majun fell silent.
But this silence did not stem from a failure to understand what Yo-hwa Majun had said.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
To belong to the Shadow meant the boy was under Am-yeong Majun’s protection.
In other words, behind the boy stood Am-yeong Majun, and behind Am-yeong Majun stood Gyojoo.
Which meant that laying a hand on the boy risked incurring Gyojoo’s displeasure.
“You’re not usually one to concern yourself with gossip, so I’m making a special point of telling you—I’d hate to see your pride provoke you into killing the boy, that’s all.”
“….”
“Though I’ll admit, the thought of Majun fighting amongst yourselves has its appeal….”
Yo-hwa Majun’s gaze settled slowly on Hwan-yeong Majun’s lips, rigid beneath the black cloth covering his face.
“But I’d rather not see any unnecessary strength accumulate behind the Shadow.”
“…!”
In that instant, Hwan-yeong Majun’s eyes snapped toward Yo-hwa Majun. His sharp gaze burned with barely contained fury.
She had, in essence, laid bare her meaning with brutal clarity.
‘I don’t care if you and Am-yeong Majun fight. You’ll lose anyway, and that would only strengthen his position. So please—spare me the pointless theatrics.’
Hwan-yeong Majun understood her perfectly.
The Majun were not equals. Power gaps existed between them.
Though Yo-hwa Majun and Hwan-yeong Majun both ruled palaces within the Three Sanctums, the disparity between their forces was unmistakable.
“If you wish to test yourself against me, then…whenever you please, Hwan-yeong.”
Crack—
Something crumbled within Hwan-yeong Majun’s clenched fist, a sound like breaking stone.
He swept past Yo-hwa Majun’s shoulder and left.
Having acknowledged the gap between their forces, he withdrew of his own accord.
Watching Hwan-yeong Majun’s retreating form disappear into the distance, Yo-hwa Majun hummed softly and brushed her chin.
“Well, that went rather smoothly, didn’t it?”
She stood for a moment longer, then gave a light shrug and took her leave.
* * *
One hundred and twenty candidates had been selected.
The moment the one hundred and twentieth student passed through the Illusion Formation, the rest returned to reality.
Or rather, by the time they came to their senses, the failures had already been swept outside the gates.
Cast out without mercy.
“Where is the justice in this?! This is unfair! Unfair, I say!!”
“Please, just one more chance! I can do better if you let me try again!!”
Expelled so abruptly, they lodged their protests at once.
But the gates of Maryong Hall remained sealed.
A barrier had been erected from the Outer Court onward, cutting off all sound from beyond, so their voices never reached inside.
Student quarters were assigned in the same manner as meals—according to the order of passing the first examination.
The top twelve received individual quarters.
Down to thirty-sixth place: private rooms.
Down to sixtieth: shared rooms for two.
Down to ninety-sixth: four to a room.
Down to one hundred eighth: six to a room.
The remaining twelve shared a single chamber.
Accordingly, Yeon-woo was assigned the largest and finest quarters in Maryong Hall.
A spacious residence with a training ground, private bath, and a modest garden besides.
At the window of his room, overlooking the garden, Yeon-woo gazed out at the darkening sky.
In the mountains, the sun set quickly, and the sky was often obscured by layered peaks, but here the heavens stretched wide and clear.
It was natural, then, that his thoughts turned to Un-hyeon, who had departed for the Central Plains.
‘I wish Grandfather were here.’
He’d want to brag about Yeon-woo making first place….
“Yep.”
“…!”
Suddenly, violet eyes materialized before Yeon-woo’s own.
He jerked his head back reflexively, then broke into a broad smile.
“Am…hmp!”
Yeon-woo clapped his hand over his mouth and glanced about nervously.
He’d nearly revealed that he knew the creature.
Am-yeong Majun gently patted the top of Yeon-woo’s head.
“It’s fine, really. When we’re alone, you can drop the act all you want. There’s no one around anyway.”
It’s thanks to you passing the first trial.
Remembering what had happened during the day, Am-yeong Majun broke into quiet laughter.
Then, with a light hop, he settled himself on the window frame.
Yeon-woo’s eyes widened.
‘Where was he just a moment ago?’
Now that she thought about it, there was nowhere to stand outside.
Where had he even come from?
“I can never quite tell where Am-yeong comes and goes.”
Am-yeong Majun’s lips curved in a sly smile.
“If you could figure that out, you’d be ready to become a Heavenly Demon.”
“Really?”
But is becoming a Heavenly Demon even a good thing? She wasn’t sure.
Am-yeong only spoke in riddles she couldn’t quite grasp.
“Anyway, you were impressive. The Entrance trial, I mean.”
“So Am-yeong was watching too?”
“You knew?”
“Yes. I saw you on the roof. I caught Am-yeong’s scent as well. There were at least ten others besides Am-yeong, weren’t there?”
Behind the mask, her violet eyes flickered with interest.
She’d sensed that the Majuns had been watching from beyond her line of sight?
The trainees should have seen only Gyojoo.
‘The precision of her awareness means she really did notice.’
Naturally, all the Majuns had concealed their presence.
Today’s gathering was meant to be a casual assessment of the entrance candidates’ aptitude.
There was no benefit in letting the trainees know that Majun-level masters had been observing them.
Though admittedly, a few of the duller ones had let their energy slip through here and there.
‘And yet she’s managed to count even those who deliberately hid their presence.’
A fleeting, icy thrill crossed Am-yeong Majun’s lips.
“You really are remarkable.”
Am-yeong Majun chuckled softly and ran his hand over Yeon-woo’s head once more.
“But do you know something?”
“What?”
Behind the mask, her eyes suddenly grew serious.
“If you’d failed today’s trial, you could have gone home.”
All the magistrate’s office wanted was the fact that their child had entered Maryong Hall.
Whether Yeon-woo passed or failed the first trial, they would have their formality.
So for Yeon-woo, the safer path would have been to fail and return home, not to continue through these dangerous trials.
“Ah, really?”
Am-yeong Majun’s eyes widened slightly.
“Aren’t you sorry? The chance to go home has slipped away.”
“Not really.”
Yeon-woo stretched her arms and legs with a satisfied sigh.
“If I go home, there’s no one there anyway. Grandfather’s gone back to the Central Plains, and Am-yeong will be here, right?”
“…That’s true, I suppose.”
“I’ve learned how much fun it is to live with someone. I don’t really want to be alone anymore. And here I’ve been eating so much delicious food.”
“Just for that…?”
Am-yeong Majun had been about to ask if she was truly content with something so trivial, but he fell silent instead.
Now that he thought about it, Yeon-woo was the sort of child who treasured food above almost all else.
At the banquet hall earlier, her eyes had sparkled as she ate, looking genuinely happy.
That was what surprised him most.
The sight of her sharing those foods with the lower-ranked trainees.
‘When you think about it, though…’
That was simply who she was.
Just as she despised going hungry, she couldn’t bear to see others go hungry—so she shared what she had.
Even though sharing meant she couldn’t fully satisfy her own hunger, she seemed to enjoy eating together with others.
‘That nature doesn’t really suit this place, where you survive only by hoarding.’
But was it such a bad thing?
If you ate your fill and wanted to share with others, you simply had to hoard that much more.
“You saw as much as I did—but to be treated here the way you were treated today, you’ll need to become a leader like you showed today. Can you do that?”
Yeon-woo nodded without hesitation.
“Yeah. That’s why I came!”
“Impressive.”
Am-yeong Majun chuckled softly and stroked Yeon-woo’s head.
Finding the familiar touch pleasant, Yeon-woo laughed with a contented squirm.
“The Illusion Formation was useless because of your sense of smell, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. There was no scent at all.”
“Just as I thought.”
Creating such a vast space meant the scent couldn’t be made entirely convincing.
It was as expected.
An Illusion Formation works by making those trapped inside believe falsehood is reality—that’s where it begins.
The moment the crack in that lie reveals itself, it becomes nothing at all.
“But since Shadow told me to keep quiet about the scent, I didn’t tell anyone.”
“Well done.”
Am-yeong Majun kept Yeon-woo company through the deepening night before taking his leave.
Having spent an evening that could have been lonely in joy instead, Yeon-woo settled into bed early, at peace.
* * *
At early dawn, five o’clock, one hundred twenty students gathered in the Training Grounds at the center of Maryong Hall.
After all of them circled Maryong Hall ten times along the outer courtyard wall, they sat in formation and practiced the Un-gi Jo-sik breathing method.
While it was called Un-gi Jo-sik, for students whose dantians had not yet fully formed, it was a time of meditation.
The moment the breathing practice ended, Gwi-ya-gaek, the Master of Maryong Hall, appeared atop the platform of the Training Grounds.
As he trudged up the platform just as he had the day before, the students held their breath, their bodies tense with anticipation.
From his position on the platform, his gaze briefly swept over Yeon-woo, who sat boldly in the front center of the formation.
“…?”
But he soon turned his attention away and opened his mouth in a listless voice.
“Today we’ll have sparring matches.”
His gaze slowly swept across the assembled students.
“I’m sure many of you are desperate to catch the eye of myself and the instructors in this place.”
At Gwi-ya-gaek’s words, the students flinched, their bodies trembling.
Who would wish to hide in a place gathered for confrontation?
Though they did not answer, the students were already eager to prove their worth.
“The sparring I’m about to conduct is an opportunity for creatures like you. The method of sparring is free. I’ll permit nearly anything as long as you don’t kill your opponent.”
It was, in a word, a chance to show what you were made of.
One corner of Gwi-ya-gaek’s mouth curved upward with a thin, bloodless smile.
“Go on then. Perform to your heart’s content. For today, I’ll be sure to watch all of your tricks.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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