"Sect Leader, this...!"

"Silence, Ilma."

".......!"

The black-robed figure bit her lip. The Heavenly Demon casually wiped away the string of saliva with her hand, breaking it with a flick.

My heart raced unnaturally fast. I realized this wasn’t just adrenaline.

An erratic rhythm.

It felt as if something was tightening around my throat.

Something from the Heavenly Demon’s lips had entered me.

"Ugh...!"

"I will raise you from now on. The process will be harsh, as I do not raise dogs gently. A dog raised too softly forgets it’s a dog and starts crawling wherever it pleases."

The Heavenly Demon smirked.

"What I’ve placed on you is a leash. There’s no need for me to explain—it’s something Ilma can handle. I’ve planted a small seed within you. Your physique is lacking, your senses are pitiful, and your internal energy is shallow. Your intelligence seems slightly above average, but not exceptional. You were right, Jeok Woon. You were born as trash, and you’ve lived a life befitting trash."

"......."

"But this seed will change you. I am the strongest. Under the heavens, no one can meet my gaze. I reign supreme, and to someone like you, I might as well be a god. So accept this as a gift from a god."

The Heavenly Demon crouched down and poked at my cheek with her finger.

"A human’s blood vessels and bones should not be tampered with carelessly. Forcefully altering them can cause unintended side effects—madness and pain. But if you overcome that, everything will be yours. That’s the kind of dog I like. I despise tame dogs. I prefer men who can commit any madness for their master."

"Argh...!"

"The seed I’ve sown is only working on a single part of you right now. If you cannot endure even this first step, then you might as well die now."

Her fingers were slender and graceful. They stroked my cheek like moonlight imbued with a cold radiance.

"But if you can, show me. Jeok Woon. Even though your body is pathetic, didn’t you just prove that even prey can have dignity?"

"Aaaaargh!!!"

"I quite liked that. So, Ilma, train him and bring him back to me. I don’t have time to waste on a mere dog. There’s too much to do, isn’t there?"

"......."

"Oh? Haven’t I told you to fix your habit of staying silent when you dislike something? I’ve said it three times now, Ilma. You only get three. There won’t be a fourth."

"...As you command."

Her fingers lifted. The Heavenly Demon’s voice grew distant as I writhed in unbearable pain.

"The next time we meet, I expect you to at least resemble a dog. One capable of surviving even if thrown into a ravine."

I felt something burrowing into my mind.

It was as if my soul itself was being swallowed. As if the balance of heaven had been disrupted, leaving me grasping at the forbidden.

"I look forward to our reunion."

I closed my eyes, my body twisting in agony.

Death loomed before me. I could feel it licking at my cheeks.

Yet, why was it that I still clung not to my life, but to the traces the Heavenly Demon had left behind?

Her strength. Her arrogance.

Everything about her.

It was something I had never possessed. And because of that, I wanted it all the more.

***

I opened my eyes. I was lying in my shabby room.

I sat up, expecting some change in my body, but there was none.

Looking into the cracked mirror, I was still the same me. But I didn’t believe that what I experienced was a dream.

Something had changed.

Something small and imperceptible.

"Third-rate."

Someone was outside the door. I tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge.

"The Sect Leader has a message. Send a carrier pigeon to the Moorim Alliance, as usual. Immediately."

...So, it wasn’t a dream after all.

The voice outside was familiar. It must have been the black-robed woman who stood behind the Heavenly Demon.

"Write a reason explaining why you’re still alive within the Heavenly Demon Sect. The Moorim Alliance already discarded you once. Whether you live or die, they don’t care. Include a plausible explanation for why you couldn’t leave."

Hearing her words solidified my understanding of my current situation.

"Are you telling me... to become a double agent?"

"You’re not worth such a title, third-rate. You’re merely the Sect Leader’s dog. And right now, you’re not even a proper dog—just a human incapable of holding form. Calling yourself a double agent is far too arrogant."

Her words dripped with disdain, a familiar feeling I had long grown used to.

...So the Heavenly Demon intends to use my position to kill those who betrayed her.

Martial artists who leave the Heavenly Demon Sect are inevitably exposed. It’s not easy to hide one’s origins.

But I was different. I was born into the righteous sects, and though late, I trained as a martial artist under the Hua-Yeong Sect. I was just one of many recruits, far from remarkable...

Still, that connection meant I could operate within the Moorim Alliance without suspicion.

Of course, I’d have to return there first.

I moved my arm, weak and sluggish. A bitter taste lingered on my tongue, and my body felt unnaturally light.

Was I drugged? For now, I wrote the letter. When I handed it through the door, I could hear her rustling as she read it.

"Where’s the carrier pigeon?"

"If I signal, it’ll come from the forest."

"Call it."

I made a soft birdcall, and with a fluttering sound, the carrier pigeon landed outside the door. She tied the letter to it and gave me another command.

"The drug’s effects should wear off soon. Sit in a lotus position and perform a *small circulation of qi*."

I didn’t disobey. I sat cross-legged and began to gather my qi.

A single thread. That was all the internal energy I had. My breathing technique was poor, and all I could manage was circulating a shallow amount of energy through my body and storing it in my lower abdomen.

It lacked depth. But I had practiced this for nearly ten years.

So, performing a *small circulation* should be simple...

"Ugh?!"

Blood burst from my mouth. My qi flowed backward, and heat surged through my entire body.

My meridians were blocked. Pathways that had always been narrow were now completely obstructed. I couldn’t even control a single thread of energy.

Dark roots.

Something beyond comprehension was filling my meridians.

"What... is this...?!"

"It seems the roots have settled," the woman outside scoffed.

"This is the Sect Leader’s whim, third-rate. Be grateful. Your body is now a blank slate. Except for one thing, it’s as if everything has been erased. Your meridians are blocked, and even moving your body will be a struggle. Your limbs won’t respond, and you won’t even be able to stand properly."

She was right. As I belatedly examined myself, I realized my body wouldn’t move. It felt shredded, both physically and mentally.

"Bow in gratitude to the Sect Leader. What she has given you is nothing short of a blessing."

"......."

A blessing?

This was nothing short of a curse.

I gasped for breath, struggling to think. I couldn’t afford to remain idle.

What was my purpose? It had once been survival. After that, it was earning money for my sister.

But in a single moment, I had lost both. So what was left for me now?

Why was I even trying to survive?

*"I am the Heavenly Demon, Jeok Woon. Red Cloud. Beneath the sky where I roam, you will be. It may not be the peak of the world, but..."*

...Ah.

*"They will no longer look down on you."*

Admiration.

That was the reason.

Now that I had remembered it, I steadied my resolve once more.

"...Then."

I spoke, biting the inside of my cheek to endure the pain.

"What must I do?"

"...How amusing," the black-robed woman said, stepping away from the door.

"Your task is simple. Seven days. Within that time, walk and move. Eat and stand on your own two feet. Stroll through the garden and prove you are functional. If you can’t, you’ll be discarded."

"Explain..."

"What’s been planted in your body is the Sect Leader’s *Cheongyeop* (*Heavenly Tribulation*). If you have ears, you’ve probably heard of the Heavenly Demon’s Heart Technique."

I had. At least to some extent.

The Heavenly Demon’s Heart Technique was a peerless martial art, spoken of whenever supreme techniques were discussed. It was said to be passed down through a single lineage, its secrets unmatched.

"*Cheongyeop* is the seed. It’s one of the foundations necessary to master the Heavenly Demon’s Heart Technique. In simpler terms... it’s the gaze of a predator. You could see it that way."

"......."

"*Cheongyeop* is a strange thing. No one knows its true nature. Perhaps the Sect Leader knows, but I certainly don’t. What I do know is that those born with it inevitably make a name for themselves. And you... you’ve been forcibly implanted with it."

The woman scoffed.

"Be grateful for the Sect Leader’s favor. And at the same time, despair. You, born as prey, cannot make *Cheongyeop* your own. That is fate, and that is the natural order."

Her footsteps grew distant. I wanted to follow her, but my body refused to move.

Even the slightest attempt to stretch my legs sent waves of pain crashing through me. I couldn’t even breathe properly, gasping in short bursts.

Seven days.

I had to overcome this torment in seven days.

I lowered my head to the floor, unable to control even the simple act of opening my eyes.

Pain lashed at me.

I swallowed a scream that refused to come out.

***

"Big sister."

Ilma turned her head.

A shadow flickered beyond the open window. It was human, and Ilma’s expression tightened with displeasure.

"I’m not your sister. I am Ilma."

"And this isn’t an official meeting, is it?"

"Which gives me even less reason to indulge you."

"My, my. I am the fourth, you know. As the eldest, shouldn’t you show some kindness?"

The shadow climbed through the window, landing on the floor and plopping onto the bed with a casual ease, propping his chin on his hand.

He was enormous, almost bear-like. What did someone have to eat to grow that large?

Ilma gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to yank out his unkempt hair by the roots.

"I’ll count to three. Leave."

"Just answer one question, and I’ll be gone. Even if we don’t get along, surely that much isn’t too much to ask?"

The pale man grinned, and Ilma suppressed her desire to punch that smug face.

"What do you want?"

"You brought in something strange. I saw it briefly—it seems the Sect Leader toyed with it a bit. Is it a plaything for the night? Or does it serve some other purpose?"

"Sa-ma. Are you, of all people, presuming to speculate on the Sect Leader’s intentions?"

"Don’t bare your teeth at me, big sister. I’d rather not get bitten. The fangs of Ilma, First Demon—enough to make even the Moorim Lord shiver. Do you think someone like me could stand against that? I’m merely curious. Why plant *Cheongyeop* in something so pitiful? What’s the point?"

"Get out."

"My, so difficult to have a conversation with you. Is it any wonder you’re still single? Such a shame for someone so beautiful."

A dagger flashed past, grazing Sa-ma’s cheek.

"Whoa, whoa. I’ll leave, all right?"

He vaulted back through the window but paused to lean his head against the windowsill, his sly grin unyielding.

"Still, you’re kindhearted, big sister."

"......."

"If you didn’t like him, you could’ve killed him in secret. Yet you’re giving him at least a chance. As expected of someone so lovely in face and spirit..."

"The next one will be a sword."

"Point taken. I’ll be going now, big sister."

The noisy intruder disappeared. Ilma turned to look at her reflection in the mirror.

It was her own face staring back. But her gaze pierced beyond it.

*Cheongyeop.*

Murky blood that could only be harbored by those born with the essence of *ma*.

She still didn’t understand the Sect Leader’s intentions in implanting it into *him*.

Was it truly, as Sa-ma suggested, nothing more than a fleeting amusement?

Or...

Did the Sect Leader genuinely believe that man could overcome *Cheongyeop*?

"...Impossible."

Her words dripped with certainty. Ilma turned away from the mirror.

It was impossible for anyone not born with the essence of *ma* to wield *Cheongyeop*.

It wasn’t just about madness or murky blood.

It was about pain.

Unbearable agony that drove those unfit to madness just by holding it.

For an ordinary person, their heart would likely stop before they even reached the first step. Perhaps they’d take their own life before that, seeking release from the torment.

And this had been implanted into someone who wasn’t even ordinary—someone entirely devoid of talent.

Ilma could say with absolute confidence.

That man, the gatekeeper Jeok Woon...

Would never be able to master *Cheongyeop*.

She fingered the vial of medicine in her possession. The Sect Leader had instructed her to use it if he seemed on the verge of death.

But she had no intention of using it.

A useless dog deserved to die.

A worthless life wasn’t worth wasting a treasure on.