Appearance of the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 77

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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 77
Yeon-woo drew out his Axe and gripped it tight.
He fixed his gaze on the Black Mask, which for some reason looked infuriating.
Snap!
Yeon-woo charged toward Gu-yeong.
Whoosh—
Gu-yeong shifted his Spear toward the incoming Yeon-woo. In that instant.
‘Left!’
Clang!
Yeon-woo changed direction.
Opposite to the way Gu-yeong was moving his Spear.
‘He underestimated me!’
Since we’re here, I’ll land this strike!
Whoosh—
Yeon-woo drove into Gu-yeong’s guard, Axe raised high.
Or rather, in the moment he thought he was driving in.
Clack!
“…!”
Gu-yeong’s Spear had blocked the space before him.
What had been sweeping in from the right now stood before Yeon-woo, cutting off his path.
Whoosh—
Yeon-woo quickly ducked his body.
He meant to slip under the tilted Spear. But.
Whirl—Tap!
The Spear suddenly spun before his eyes and struck a diagonal line just in front of his advancing feet.
Snap!
One more step forward and he would have tripped. Yeon-woo hastily planted his feet and retreated.
“….”
Yeon-woo steadied his ragged breath for a moment, then fixed his eyes on the Spear blocking his path.
“Why so hesitant? Are you giving up already?”
“I never said I was giving up!”
“Then come again. You’ve only tried twice so far.”
“Hah….”
Yeon-woo gripped his Axe once more.
He was certain he had succeeded, yet why couldn’t he break through?
Had he failed to track the Spear’s movement properly?
Had he missed Gu-yeong’s shift?
‘I can do this.’
Again. Again.
Snap!
With his breath steadied, Yeon-woo charged at Gu-yeong once more.
Snap—Tap-tap—Whoosh—Clack!—Tap-tap-tap!
As Gu-yeong swung his Spear, Yeon-woo would sometimes move in the opposite direction, sometimes circle wide to strike from behind.
He leapt over it, darted side to side trying to slip past.
Yet every move Yeon-woo made met the barrier of Gu-yeong’s Spear.
And yet Yeon-woo did not yield.
Half a Double Hour passed like this.
“….”
Gu-yeong observed Yeon-woo’s eyes, which had grown colder and more settled than ever before.
At some point, his breathing had become even—neither rushed nor labored—measured and calm.
Undisturbed by emotion or distraction, his focus had narrowed to follow only himself and the movement of the Spear—a concentration that was remarkable.
Whoosh!
Yeon-woo drove again into the blind spot of the Spear.
Beneath the Black Mask, Gu-yeong’s eyes flickered.
‘He’s faster again.’
Though only half a Double Hour had passed—a brief span of time—Gu-yeong could sense it plainly.
Yeon-woo was growing.
In that short interval, his change was already palpable: his speed, his technique to penetrate the guard, his footwork.
All of it was advancing rapidly.
And as his partner, watching a young warrior’s growth proved far more rewarding than he had anticipated.
How far this growth would reach, what position this child would climb to within the Demonic Sect.
Perhaps, truly….
“…!”
In that instant, Gu-yeong’s movements froze.
‘What was I thinking….’
Whoosh—
Yeon-woo seized the opening without hesitation.
He pushed hard off the ground and leaped, swinging his Axe toward Gu-yeong.
The Spear remained rigid, and this time Yeon-woo was certain.
‘Victory…!’
But then.
Whip-crack—Thud!
The Spear spun rapidly, intercepting Yeon-woo’s Axe.
For a brief moment, Yeon-woo’s gaze locked with Gu-yeong’s beyond the Black Mask.
Tap—Push!
Gu-yeong applied light pressure to the Spear, sending Yeon-woo backward.
Yeon-woo landed lightly at a distance beyond the Spear’s reach.
He clicked his tongue softly.
“Failed again.”
He’d been so sure he’d succeed this time.
That was when—
“See how the instructor never lost his center? Even with one hand held behind his back.”
“How does he move so fast with just one hand? Look—he’s spinning it so cleanly.”
“Actually, I think it’s all about finger strength, isn’t it? I’m going to start training my fingers from today.”
At the murmur of voices, Gu-yeong’s gaze turned toward one direction.
The trainees who’d been practicing Spear Technique had gathered to watch the two of them spar.
As he looked at them, Gu-yeong’s attention returned to Yeon-woo.
“Impressive. At least you won’t be helpless if you meet a warrior skilled with a spear.”
Yeon-woo twisted his lips.
“It’s still not enough. I haven’t landed a single strike on you.”
“That’s ambition beyond your station. A true warrior must first know his place.”
To recognize one’s own position and fight accordingly—to know precisely when to retreat.
That was the most fundamental discipline for survival in this Demon Den, brimming with violent, ruthless fighters.
“But your opponent isn’t me.”
Gu-yeong’s gaze shifted once more toward the gathered trainees.
He walked toward them.
Then he nodded, gesturing for Yeon-woo to come over.
Once Yeon-woo stood at Gu-yeong’s side, he addressed the trainees.
“We’ll spar. Anyone who wishes may step forward.”
The trainees exchanged confused glances.
One raised his hand and asked,
“You mean we fight that trainee?”
“That’s right.”
The trainees murmured again among themselves.
There was no one among them who didn’t know Yeon-woo.
The overwhelming passer of the first trial.
The one who’d pressed even the formidable Gwang-o with such ease—unquestionably skilled.
The brief sparring with Gu-yeong had made it abundantly clear.
Though he fell short of Gu-yeong, the instructor, Yeon-woo’s ability far surpassed the other trainees in this place.
And yet.
“Why should we spar with this trainee?”
Another trainee suddenly raised his hand with the question.
All eyes turned toward him at once.
A frame far more robust than the others; those bulging forearms alone betrayed the owner of tremendous strength.
‘Stone.’
Yeon-woo thought of him that way.
As though a boulder stood upright before him.
Gu-yeong answered his question.
“I’m not forcing anyone. However, this trainee has asked me to teach him how to overcome the distance advantage a spear provides.”
“!”
“…!”
The trainees’ expressions froze in an instant.
The distance advantage that a spear possessed.
To surpass that meant, in other words, to suppress them—the spear wielders themselves.
The trainees’ momentum turned savage in a heartbeat.
No one looked kindly on a tiger that had charged into the enemy’s jaws to claim victory.
“This match will be a fine opportunity not only for Trainee Yeon-woo, but for all of you as well.”
Those who must press forward, and those who must hold their ground.
“Simply exchanging blows will surely prove instructive.”
“Do not underestimate the Spear Technique!”
Thud!
The first to step forward was the trainee who had seemed solid as stone moments before.
“I’ll break that arrogance of yours, you wretch!”
With him leading the way, the other trainees began raising their hands one by one.
“I’ll go next!”
“Fight me! I’ve been wanting to test myself against you!”
Before long, all seventeen trainees in the Training Ground were standing with hands raised, their youthful blood burning bright.
Watching them, Gu-yeong gave a nod.
“I’ll explain the order and rules of the matches. See that you maintain discipline.”
Gu-yeong’s hand settled lightly on Yeon-woo’s shoulder.
“If you defeat all the trainees here, I’ll show you another method.”
Yeon-woo turned to look at Gu-yeong.
The corners of Gu-yeong’s mouth curved faintly upward.
“I’m curious to see how long it will take.”
Gu-yeong turned away from Yeon-woo and faced the trainees.
* * *
“Phew—.”
Back in the Dormitory after washing in warm water, Yeon-woo collapsed onto the bed.
Then, for the first time in a while, she examined her own palms, which ached dully.
“Just a bit more and I’d have had them all.”
There had been seventeen trainees in that place.
Three of them were exceptional—they’d placed within the top thirty in the first examination.
Moreover, one was the child of a renowned demonic family.
Even for Yeon-woo, defeating all of them in one go would have been impossible.
Of course, aside from those three, she’d beaten the rest in under half a Double Hour.
“Rock-solid, that one.”
Yeon-woo recalled the trainee with the massive build.
His name was Jeok-dae-san.
He had fought her to a draw, living up to his boast about breaking her arrogance.
A draw meant that he had not yielded her any distance advantage.
Jeok-dae-san, knowing he would lose the moment he gave ground, had relied not on offense but on defense—meeting her advances with sheer, overwhelming strength.
Where Gu-yeong had used swift, precise footwork to block her approach, he had simply barred her path with raw power.
Because of that, the match between them had ended without a victor.
After Jeok-dae-san, two trainees remained.
Since Gu-yeong had arranged the matches from weakest to strongest, those final two would be even stronger than Jeok-dae-san.
‘Can I beat them?’
Staring at her reddened palms with that thought, Yeon-woo suddenly clenched her fist with a sharp crack.
“Yeah. I can win.”
Confidence settled into the child’s face.
As Yeon-woo gazed at her own fist, her mouth curved upward in a smile.
Still.
“That was fun—.”
“What was?”
Yeon-woo tilted her head back toward the direction of the voice.
The wide-open window above the bed, moonlight flooding through.
Am-yeong Majun sat perched on the windowsill, silhouetted against the enormous moon, looking down at her.

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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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