Obtaining Heavenly Demon Martial Arts in the Magic Era - Chapter 49

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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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49
When Do Hyeon returned to Byeol Gwan, the dawn over Yung Joong Mountain had already given way to morning, slipping into mid-morning.
As he quietly opened the door to his quarters and stepped inside, Lee Ye-rim, who had been sitting on the living room sofa, lifted her eyes.
She held a teacup in one hand, steam rising gently from it.
“Where’ve you been.”
Her voice was drowsy despite the hour.
“Out for a walk. The garden.”
“That’s quite a morning stroll.”
She looked like she’d only just woken, yet she knew exactly when he’d left.
Do Hyeon smiled faintly and settled into the sofa across from her.
“I found something worth looking into.”
At that, Lee Ye-rim set down her cup. A moment later, the door to the adjoining room opened and Lee Dae-gwang emerged, grooming his unkempt beard.
“You found something?”
Do Hyeon turned between them both and delivered what he’d seen at dawn, brief and precise.
The young man in Yeon Moo Jang was Jegal Yun, a Minor Family Head.
The impression he’d felt from him.
Even the fact that in the Underground Library, there was a Family Head’s Blood Oath bearing the name Cheon Song-gyeong.
Lee Dae-gwang exhaled a long sigh and adjusted his glasses.
“So that dignified fellow turned out to be human after all.”
Lee Ye-rim held silent for a moment, then spoke briefly.
“Is it a card we can play immediately?”
“Not immediately. It needs time.”
“I’m not sure Korea will give us that time.”
Lee Ye-rim spoke while sipping her tea, her cat-like eyes turned up toward Do Hyeon.
She was worried about the people of Gae-bang in Korea. Now that he thought about it, it made perfect sense.
Back in Korea, the Family Head of the Iron-Blooded Zhang Family would be hunting for Gae-bang with eyes blazing.
It was understandable to feel anxious.
Do Hyeon felt his light mood cool and settle heavily.
It was past noon, into the afternoon.
A knock on the door broke the silence.
When Do Hyeon opened it, a Jegal Family servant in formal dress bowed respectfully.
“The Family Head wished me to inform you in advance. An important guest will be arriving this afternoon.”
“A guest?”
A faint, fixed smile appeared at the servant’s mouth.
“Therefore, we must ask that you refrain from leaving the pavilion this afternoon.”
It was a professional smile, devoid of emotion.
“What sort of guest could that be?”
“I’m afraid I cannot say. The Family Head only asked that I convey his sincere request for your understanding. That is all.”
The servant bowed politely and withdrew.
The moment he left, Lee Dae-gwang approached quietly, hands clasped behind his back.
“Hwan-un Dan Family.”
“Pardon?”
“The important guest coming today. People from the Hwan-un Dan Family.”
Do Hyeon groped through his memory for that name.
One of the Demon Path Named Families with bases in China.
“Why would the Hwan-un Dan Family…”
Lee Dae-gwang pushed his glasses up and slowly narrowed his eyes.
“The Hwan-un Dan Family—one of the Demon Path Named Families. From what I’ve learned, they’ve maintained a long-standing Magic Engineering accord with the Jegal Family.”
“The Jegal Family conducting exchanges with a Demon Path Named Family…”
Do Hyeon murmured in a hollow voice.
He was beginning to understand why the Family Head of the Jegal Family had said he’d abandoned Martial Arts.
Why he’d firmly pushed back Do Hyeon’s request for help.
They hadn’t abandoned Martial Arts at all.
They’d abandoned the Martial World to survive,
And perhaps abandoned their sacred oath in the process.
Even as they were ashamed of themselves for it.
Lee Dae-gwang slowly removed his glasses. The eyes visible beyond the thick lenses were not those of a simple country gentleman as they usually seemed.
“The Hwan-un Dan Family.”
His voice sank low, and Lee Ye-rim turned her head.
“You know of them?”
“I hear they’ve been making Blue Dust in Korea and sending it over.”
Lee Ye-rim’s fingertips trembled slightly.
A curse nearly escaped her lips before she pressed them firmly shut.
Blue Dust.
The narcotic that gnawed away at human minds, spreading through every corner of society. The Hwang-geum Yun that Jang Ki-han had operated also dealt primarily in Blue Dust.
So the source of the drug ravaging Korea was the Hwan-un Dan Family.
And the Jegal Family had joined hands with them?
“…The Jegal Family and the Hwan-un Dan Family shaking hands — that’s no ordinary sign. Something significant is about to unfold.”
Lee Dae-gwang opened his mouth slowly, lending weight to his conjecture.
“The Hwan-un Dan Family — they’ve enshrined Illusion Magic in their very name. They’re a lineage devoted exclusively to one branch of magic: hallucination and illusion. And the Jegal Family, too, is unmatched under heaven in deceiving the human eye through the Ki-moon Formation. If these two clans were to unite…”
Do Hyeon recalled the Ki-moon Formation he’d encountered at the foot of Yung Joong Mountain.
“…it might become possible. Creating a true illusion. No — an illusion that transcends illusion itself.”
In Lee Dae-gwang’s final words lay a tangle of complex emotions.
#
Whirrrrrrr—
The front entrance of JG Investment had become a procession of descending Self-Levitating Automobiles.
At the head of the convoy — vehicles worth tens of billions alone — a banner fluttered bearing the cloud sigil of the Hwan-un Dan Family.
The vehicles came to a synchronized halt, rigid as a military formation. Doors opened in unison, and black-suited guards descended in perfect alignment.
Do Hyeon’s group watched the scene unfold from a second-floor window of the Byeol Gwan.
“Coming as guests, yet parading their ceremony like that.”
Lee Ye-rim muttered quietly.
Then, from the rearmost vehicle, an elderly man descended slowly.
A gaunt frame. A black suit draped like darkness. Yet the dignified bearing with which he leaned upon his cane bore a strange resemblance to Jegal Gyeong.
“…Dan Jin-myeong. Family Head of the Hwan-un Dan Family.”
Lee Dae-gwang breathed the name softly.
A man in his late thirties, wearing glasses, stepped down a pace behind. His expression was composed — neither a smile nor a threat visible — merely the face of someone observing the landscape from behind his lenses.
Dan Ho-yeol. The eldest son.
And finally,
with an entirely different cadence, a young man emerged from the vehicle.
Hair dyed silver-grey. Lips curled upward at the corners. The youth, who appeared considerably older than Do Hyeon, moved with effortless grace as he stepped out.
Dan Cheon-u. The third son.
Lee Ye-rim’s tongue clicked sharply as she read the atmosphere he gave off.
Do Hyeon watched Dan Cheon-u’s face without speaking.
Then, slowly, Dan Cheon-u lifted his gaze toward the Byeol Gwan.
As though he’d known all along that someone was there.
And his eyes, whether by chance or design, locked precisely with Do Hyeon’s.
The young man’s smile deepened further.
#
The reception took place in the Main Hall Guest Room.
Jegal Gyeong rose from his seat to receive the Family Head of the Hwan-un Dan Family.
“Thank you for making the long journey.”
“It’s been a quarter since our last visit. We’re grateful for your continued favor.”
Dan Jin-myeong’s tone was gentle and courteous. Beneath that smooth delivery lay calculation without a single flaw.
“…I’ve heard mention of a guest from Korea visiting us.”
Dan Jin-myeong’s gaze shifted quietly to Jegal Yun, who stood motionless.
It seemed an attempt to probe the young Minor Family Head’s poor composure control.
Just as expected, Jegal Yun couldn’t hide his alarm, his eyes widening like lanterns as he stared at Dan Jin-myeong.
His reaction was undeniably suspicious to anyone watching.
At the sight of that guileless, transparent expression, Dan Jin-myeong finally burst into laughter.
“…You’re cruel, sir.”
Beside him, Dan Ho-yeol, the eldest son, rebuked him quietly.
“Hmm, I suppose I went too far with my jest. Do be seated.”
At Dan Jin-myeong’s invitation, the members of the Jegal Family finally took their places.
Having been seized with the initiative from the start, the Jegal Family’s expressions grew dark.
Of course, that too had been Dan Jin-myeong’s deliberate design.
The negotiation began with surface courtesy.
Renewal of the Magic Engineering technical accord. Supply rates for Mana Stone refining technology. Korean export limits on the Hallucination Control System. Capital flows.
And when the final agenda item was broached, Jegal Gyeong felt his fingertips stiffen without his knowledge.
“…I’d appreciate it if you could secure a somewhat larger distribution volume of Blue Dust for Korea in the next quarter.”
The words flowed naturally from Dan Jin-myeong’s lips.
As if it were merely some kind of commodity.
Jegal Yun and Jegal Seo-rin’s shoulders stiffened perceptibly. Jegal Seo-rin’s fingers in particular trembled faintly.
The only one whose expression remained unchanged was Jegal Gyeong.
“…That is not an area the main house directly manages, but…”
“Since we’re working together, do we really need to divide things up by jurisdiction? Everyone just needs to do what’s necessary, don’t they?”
The words came out gently.
Yet it was unmistakably a threat.
Jegal Yun, the minor family head sitting beside the Family Head, drew a deep breath and closed his eyes.
The sensation of the dawn martial contest with Do Hyeon still lingered vividly in his hands.
Jegal Yun was a man of the Martial World to his very bones—a way of life learned from his father.
Yet now he found himself bowing before his enemy for mere survival, his pride abandoned.
‘Do not forget the covenant. That day, we stood beneath the same sky.’
The same sky.
Those who once stood beneath that same sky—we’ve abandoned them. With whom are we building fellowship now?
As the meeting dragged on, Jegal Yun’s mind spun ever deeper into confusion.
The negotiations had paused for a brief recess.
Dan Cheon-u rose from his seat.
He walked slowly toward the Jegal Family group.
“…It’s truly fascinating that martial artists and martial arts still exist even in the 21st century. It feels like I’ve stepped into a museum! How exciting!”
The words seemed innocent enough.
Yet each one struck Jegal Yun like a thorn driven deep.
“…That’s fortunate. Please, enjoy yourself.”
Jegal Yun maintained a surface courtesy, his expression giving nothing away. This was not the reaction Dan Cheon-u had anticipated.
The young man’s smile faltered for a beat.
Then, in a flash, a faint mist began to rise from Dan Cheon-u’s fingertips.
From within that mist, identical faces began to emerge.
One, two, three, four—they multiplied in an instant, filling Jegal Yun’s vision.
Hallucination Mirror.
He hadn’t even sensed the Mana Circle fluctuate.
A secret art belonging to the Hwan-un Dan Family alone.
“I hear the Jegal Family requires preparatory work to create illusions. What about the Hwan-un Dan’s technique?”
Jegal Yun stared intently at one specific face among the illusions created by the Hallucination Mirror, then nodded lightly.
“…That’s a beautiful technique. Truly.”
“….”
Dan Cheon-u dissolved the spell with a single gesture.
Yet his expression showed no pleasure at Jegal Yun’s acknowledgment. Rather, he looked displeased.
In that brief moment, Jegal Yun had pinpointed his own face among all the illusions with perfect accuracy. It had pricked Dan Cheon-u’s pride.
“…Well, since you won’t play along, it looks like I’m just performing tricks here. Next time, I’ll look forward to seeing your skills as well.”
The phrase ‘next time’ didn’t sound light at all.
When the reception concluded,
the Hwan-un Dan members were exchanging farewells with the Jegal Family and filing into their vehicles one by one.
That’s when Dan Cheon-u, who had lingered until the last moment, waited until his father Dan Jin-myeong stepped into the car before suddenly surging toward Jegal Seo-rin.
“I didn’t get to greet you earlier. Pleased to meet you.”
Jegal Seo-rin hastily concealed her startlement and accepted his greeting.
The moment they shook hands, Dan Cheon-u clasped her hand with sticky persistence.
“A beauty like you right before me—I find I cannot tear myself away.”
The expressions of Jegal Gyeong and Jegal Yun hardened into stone.
“It’s grown quite late. The Family Head seems to be waiting, so perhaps you should…”
A servant attempted hesitantly to intercede with Dan Cheon-u.
Suddenly, Dan Cheon-u whipped his free hand around like lightning, striking the servant’s cheek.
Crack—
“How dare a lowly thing like you interfere!”
His words dripped with genuine contempt, and the servant prostrated himself on the spot, apologizing profusely.
“My sincerest apologies! I spoke without knowing my place…”
For the first time, a crack appeared in Jegal Gyeong’s expression.
He trembled—
He had endured every humiliation to protect his family. Yet his own servants were being treated this way by the Hwan-un Dan. The sense of deep shame and defilement cut through him like a knife. The same was true for Jegal Yun.
Oblivious—or perhaps indifferent—Dan Cheon-u continued to make advances toward Jegal Seo-rin.
“Jegal Seo-rin, why don’t you join me for dinner this evening?”
Jegal Seo-rin, her eyes clenched shut, desperately willed for this moment to pass.
Crack—
A crude hand shoved its way in, seizing Dan Cheon-u’s arm in a vise grip.
The force was so brutal that an undignified scream tore from his throat.
“Ah! Aaagh! Ahhhhh—”
A man with cold, cutting eyes looked down at Dan Cheon-u.
“I said I didn’t like it.”
It was Do Hyeon.

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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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