Chronicles of the Demonic Cult Conversion-Chapter 42 : Chapter 42

Chapter 42. You've Got Talent.
Jin Yeong-in threw himself to the side, dodging the incoming object.
Kwajik!
Someone's foot struck the cliff, right where Jin Yeong-in had been.
It ended up being a kick that hit nothing.
“Tsk.”
The Blood Wolf who had attacked Jin Yeong-in clicked his tongue as if it were a waste.
Wang Geon-ho.
He was one of the Lead Blood Wolves leading another group.
“The Soma Pill is mine, so give up on being the first to the top.”
“Oh?”
“You fall, and I go up.”
After saying so, Wang Geon-ho launched himself at Jin Yeong-in again.
He had initiated the fight to eliminate Jin Yeong-in, his most powerful competitor and the one he was most wary of.
‘He shows some talent, but.’
Jin Yeong-in inwardly smirked.
Wang Geon-ho's movements were certainly worthy of being called prodigious.
The way he executed fist and foot techniques while dangling from the cliff was impressive, and his use of the rope was also at a considerable level.
It was clear that he had been training in martial arts for a long time before entering the Blood Wolf Corps.
But no matter how talented he was, Jin Yeong-in was not one to be defeated by a mere fledgling.
Pow, paak.
Jin Yeong-in’s fists repeatedly struck Wang Geon-ho’s chest.
“Keuk!”
At the moment Wang Geon-ho was in pain.
Baaam!
Jin Yeong-in's kick struck Wang Geon-ho squarely on the jaw.
“……!”
Wang Geon-ho's eyes shot open as if he had been struck by lightning, and then he went limp.
The impact of Jin Yeong-in's strike had shaken his brain, causing him to pass out.
While dangling from the cliff…….
“Sleep.”
Jin Yeong-in said so and resumed climbing the cliff.
However, Jin Yeong-in's journey was not easy.
Swish, swish!
An arrow flew from the opposite cliff far away, aiming for Jin Yeong-in.
“……Do you have some kind of grudge against me?”
He could feel a blatant intention from the arrow.
Rightfully so, as the intermittent shots of single arrows were getting on his nerves.
Moreover, judging by the consistent direction of the arrows, it was clear that a specific person was targeting only Jin Yeong-in.
‘It must be my imagination.’
Jin Yeong-in tried to shake off the unsettling feeling and focused solely on climbing the cliff.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
“The Soma Pill is mine!”
Meanwhile, attacks from other competitors continued.
This was not a story that applied only to Jin Yeong-in.
The cliff had already turned into a giant battlefield.
The Blood Wolves were engaged in a fierce close-quarters battle, hitting and getting hit by each other to push off the Blood Wolves from other groups.
At the forefront of this pandemonium, Jin Yeong-in displayed the feat of staying ahead of everyone else and shaking off his competitors.
Swish, swish!
Amidst all this, the arrows that flew in whenever he was about to forget them were extremely bothersome.
‘Just as I thought.’
When he turned his head, he saw one of the instructors on the opposite cliff waving his hand.
Seuk.
That instructor pointed his finger at Jin Yeong-in and then made a motion of drawing a bowstring as if to taunt him.
It was clear to anyone that he intended to continue tormenting Jin Yeong-in.
‘I don’t know who it is, but do they not like me?’
Otherwise, there was no reason to so relentlessly shoot arrows with the intent to wear him down.
In fact, shaking off the other Blood Wolves was already quite nerve-wracking, but with the arrows flying in, it felt like walking on thin ice.
However, no matter how bad the situation was, he could not give up on the Soma Pill.
‘Fine, shoot a hundred times. See if I get hit even once. Your arm will just get sore.’
With that mindset, Jin Yeong-in raised his concentration and sharpened his senses.
‘I will get my hands on the Soma Pill, no matter what it takes.’
Jin Yeong-in's desire for the Soma Pill was no different from that of the other Blood Wolves.
No, it was even more intense.
Right now, Jin Yeong-in needed internal energy more than anything else.
He had the heaven-sent constitution of the Heavenly Demon’s Physique, and the martial arts knowledge he had accumulated in the Demonic Prison was stored intact in his head, yet he lacked the internal energy to display it.
‘Let’s go.’
Jin Yeong-in conspicuously dodged another incoming arrow and continued to climb the cliff.
* * *
It was when Jin Yeong-in was about five jang from the summit.
‘Fast.’
When he happened to glance down, he saw one of the Lead Blood Wolves pursuing him at a furious pace.
‘Ah.’
Jin Yeong-in recognized him at once.
Na Mi-ho.
The one who had earlier recognized the Soma Pill and raised her hand, the only rose among the thorns in the Lead Blood Wolves.
“Stop there. The Soma Pill is mine.”
“As if I’d stop just because you said so.”
“Then I have no choice but to catch up.”
Na Mi-ho frighteningly increased her speed, and soon she was at Jin Yeong-in's heels, starting a fight.
Normally, at Jin Yeong-in's pace, she wouldn't have dared to chase him, but the reason it was possible was because of the arrows.
Paang!
Swishhhhh!
The power of the incoming arrows had become at least three times stronger, and their speed was also much faster.
It was so extreme that the arrow with its blunt arrowhead, instead of just hitting the cliff, plunged deep into it with a thud.
If he were to be hit by something like that, even Jin Yeong-in would suffer at least a serious injury, and if he were hit in the head, he would die instantly while hanging from the cliff.
‘Damn it. Are they trying to kill me for real?’
Jin Yeong-in whipped his head around and glared at the opposite cliff.
As expected, that instructor was waving his hand at Jin Yeong-in.
The problem was that the other instructors, far from stopping him, didn't even seem to care, not even glancing over.
It was absurd that they were letting him shoot arrows imbued with internal energy.
But the situation was too urgent to complain.
“I heard you defected from the Righteous Faction, right? Let me see some of the Righteous Faction’s martial arts.”
Na Mi-ho, who had caught up to Jin Yeong-in in no time, swung her fists and feet at him.
‘Different.’
Na Mi-ho's attacks were several levels above those of the other Blood Wolves.
Her movements were much more precise and fierce compared to Wang Geon-ho, who had been knocked out after being hit in the head.
At this level, he even felt a slight sense of anticipation for how outstanding her skills would be on flat ground, not while hanging from a cliff.
It seemed there was a reason why no one had looked down on or picked a fight with Na Mi-ho for the past ten days.
‘She has the talent of a top-tier prodigy.’
But that was only a story when comparing those of similar age and level.
Tak, tadak!
Jin Yeong-in leisurely blocked Na Mi-ho's fierce attacks and countered, exchanging blows.
The fist and foot techniques Jin Yeong-in used were based on Shaolin's martial arts, and the reason was simple.
It was because he believed that when it came to close-quarters combat based on fist and foot techniques, that is, hand-to-hand combat, Shaolin's martial arts were the closest to perfection.
If one were to discuss pure hand-to-hand combat without internal energy and weapons, Jin Yeong-in's opinion was that Shaolin's martial arts were the best in the world.
That's how much depth Shaolin's martial arts had, not only in internal arts but also in external arts, with nothing to be discarded.
The sayings "Thousand-Year Shaolin" and "All martial arts under heaven originated from Shaolin" were not for nothing.
Geudeuk!
Na Mi-ho, whose hands and feet had become disoriented, gritted her teeth.
Now that she was facing him, Jin Yeong-in's skills were far greater than she had thought, and it was suffocating.
The reason Na Mi-ho was not knocked out in an instant was none other than the arrows.
Swishhhhh!
Pook!
The arrows that flew in at crucial moments were preventing Jin Yeong-in from landing a decisive blow.
But that too was only for a moment.
Swish, swish!
An arrow flew in, aiming for Na Mi-ho.
“……!”
Startled, Na Mi-ho momentarily lost her balance and staggered.
It was an arrow shot by someone else, not the instructor who had been relentlessly targeting Jin Yeong-in.
Jin Yeong-in was not the only one being checked.
Pow!
Jin Yeong-in seized the opportunity and planted a punch into Na Mi-ho’s side.
“Heok!”
Na Mi-ho gasped as if she had received a great shock.
The power in Jin Yeong-in’s fist was so strong that it felt like her internal organs were all shaken up.
He hadn't used internal energy, nor had he planted both feet on the ground to put his weight into it, yet it was simply astonishing how such powerful force could be generated.
“H-how…… did…… you get such power…… heok!”
Na Mi-ho couldn't even speak properly, clutching her side in pain.
Her bones weren't broken, but even breathing was difficult.
“You were curious about that in the midst of all this…….”
Jin Yeong-in accurately understood Na Mi-ho's meaning and was impressed.
Na Mi-ho was curious about the secret of the single punch that Jin Yeong-in had delivered.
How he was able to utilize the subtleties of force generation while hanging from a cliff, where his movements were not free.
“Your martial talent is good. It’s not easy to be curious about that. Most people would be busy cursing.”
“Heok, heok.”
“Keep up that attitude and work hard. You've got talent.”
Leaving those words behind, Jin Yeong-in headed for the summit, which was not far off.
Na Mi-ho could not follow him.
“Heok, heok, heok!”
The shock was so great that a slight paralysis had even set in on her upper body, making it impossible for her to climb the cliff again.
* * *
Jin Yeong-in shook off even Na Mi-ho and finally reached the summit.
Only a few steps and a few hand movements remained to the top of the cliff.
Moreover, the relentless instructor seemed to have given up, as no more arrows flew in.
Therefore, there was nothing to hinder Jin Yeong-in on his way to the top, and the Soma Pill that everyone coveted seemed to be his.
Everyone envied Jin Yeong-in.
“Haa.”
“My Soma Pill…….”
“Damn it. It’s going into his mouth.”
The few top-ranking Blood Wolves who were chasing Jin Yeong-in from afar, and even the low-ranking ones hanging at the very bottom, each grumbled a word.
The Soma Pill was that precious of a spiritual medicine, so obtaining it was enough to earn everyone's envy.
“Number forty-four. Why are you not coming up?”
Yi Mu-baek, who had already climbed to the top of the cliff, looked down at Jin Yeong-in and asked.
It was because he found it strange that Jin Yeong-in was not coming up to the top in the end, but just hanging on the cliff, staring blankly.
“What happens if I go up?”
“You must have heard. I said I would give the Soma Pill to the one who comes up first.”
Yi Mu-baek frowned.
“That's not it. Once I go up, can I not go back down?”
“Go back down? What do you mean by that?”
“Can I not go up the cliff and then go back down to help my comrades?”
“……!”
Yi Mu-baek’s eyes widened.
To think that he would think of his comrades with the Soma Pill right in front of him…….
“That would be your choice. I, the Commander of the Blood Wolf Corps, will not care whether you go back down or not.”
Yi Mu-baek replied with a cold expression and tone, as if he had never been surprised.
“Thank you for your words.”
Jin Yeong-in gave a slight bow and then climbed onto the cliff.
“Good work, number forty-four. This is yours.”
“Thank you.”
Jin Yeong-in smiled broadly, stored the Soma Pill given by Yi Mu-baek in his bosom, and then turned to head back down the cliff.
“Number forty-four, what is the reason for going through the trouble of helping your comrades?”
“I learned that the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult does not abandon its comrades. Even if it is a corpse.”
As Jin Yeong-in said this, he recalled the events of a few months ago.
The Iron-Blooded Demonic God, who had brought back every single corpse, even if they were just low-ranking martial artists.
The members of the Bat Squad and the Iron-Armored Ghostly Demon Squad who had carefully cleansed the bodies of their fallen comrades and transported them with due respect.
And Jin Yeong-in himself, who had cleansed the bodies of the fallen soldiers with them.
He just couldn't turn a blind eye to the comrades hanging down there.
Besides, weren't the group members who had not yet come up the ones who followed him, calling him 'Big brother, Big brother'?
“It’s not like I’m giving up the Soma Pill, so what's the big deal about helping my comrades? Well then, I'll see you again later.”
“…….”
As if to prove his words were not empty, Jin Yeong-in went back down the cliff and settled in a suitable spot.
And he hindered the Blood Wolves from other groups from climbing up, and helped the Blood Wolves who followed him to climb the cliff.
“Hmph.”
A faint smile appeared on the lips of Yi Mu-baek, who was looking down at Jin Yeong-in.
This was because the actions Jin Yeong-in was showing now were the most fitting for the ethos of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult since the Iron-Blooded Demonic God came to power, and the most consistent with the purpose of the Blood Wolf Corps.