Absolute Regression

Translator: FenrirTL
Editor/Quality Checker: Saphartlantis
Murim Term Consultant: Kopke
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< Chapter 173: It Doesn’t Matter Who I Am >

Jin Haryeong couldn’t regain her senses.

She had never experienced such speed in movement arts in her life. Everything around her passed by so quickly that she couldn’t recognize any of the scenery.

She couldn’t open her eyes properly, and it was hard to breathe.

‘How can he run without bumping into anything?’

It was astounding and extraordinary. At the same time, she felt a peculiar sense of joy.

‘Was this person always such a master?’

The level of martial arts required to exhibit this degree of movement skill was unimaginable.

‘He’s no ordinary attendant.’

She wasn’t sure if this realization was something to be so happy about, but she was. It felt like the insurmountable line between him and her had vanished.

As Geom Yeom who had been running at a crazy speed, came to a brief stop, she said,

“…Let me get down for a moment.”

Jin Haryeong, who dismounted from his back, stumbled and sank to the ground. It took several deep breaths before she could calm her racing heart.

“What are you? Did you learn how to walk using movement arts?” 1

Geom Yeom was smiling as he looked off into the distance. Naturally, her gaze followed his, and at that moment, Jin Haryeong was startled.

She had thought he stopped to let her rest, but that wasn’t it.

Far ahead, she saw the back of someone running. Astonishingly, it was her grandfather who had gone on ahead.

‘He caught up to Grandpa!’

It became clear that the reason for pausing was to avoid overtaking her grandfather.

‘He is faster than Grandpa?’

She was so shocked that she almost screamed. She had always believed her grandfather to be the greatest master in the world. While there were those who claimed the Heavenly Demon was stronger, she believed her grandfather could defeat him. 2

But this man had caught up to her grandfather. Her grandfather had been running with the one who had attacked her tucked under his arm, and this man had been carrying her. Even under similar conditions, he had managed to catch up with her grandfather?

It was frustrating that she had to ask such a cliché question at a time like this, but she couldn’t think of anything else.

“What is your true identity?”

In response, Geom Yeom replied,

“Geom Yeon. Once this task is done, I will disappear like smoke.” 3

“Fine, if you’re going to vanish like smoke, at least tell me the truth before you go. Who are you really? Now that you’ve revealed your skills, weren’t you planning to reveal your identity as well?”

Geom Yeom finally showed his true intent. It was a feeling on a completely different level from the presence he had shown so far. At that moment, a particular image surfaced in her mind.

The sky was vast and clear. The endlessly stretched sky was so wide and blue.

Entranced by its beauty, she reached out her hand.

Splash!

She soon realized that it was the sky reflected in the water.

She dipped her hand into the water, and slowly, her body began to sink.

She thought it was shallow, but it was deep. When she looked down, she couldn’t see the bottom. What could be down in that deep sea? As soon as she felt a moment of fear, the image in her mind vanished, and she returned to reality. 4

Then, a voice spoke.

“Geom Mugeuk. The second son of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s leader.”

Jin Haryeong stood there, stunned.

‘What? Heavenly Demon Divine Cult? Leader? Son?’

At first, she thought she had misheard. But what part of what he said could she have gotten wrong? The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult? The leader? The son?

“I misheard you. Which sect did you say?”

“Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”

“I misheard you again. Which one?”

“The one you all call the Demonic Cult. The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”

Jin Haryeong’s eyes widened as if waking up from a dream. Were her eyes always this big? Just as she thought that, she drew her sword and stepped back.

Her sword was pointed at Geom Mugeuk. From behind the sharp blade, she spoke.

“I can take any other joke, but joking about the Demonic Cult is off-limits!”

It was clear how the successors of the Martial Alliance viewed the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. To them, the Demonic Cult was a fundamental fear instilled since childhood, an evil force, and the very reason they trained in martial arts.

Considering that he had just said he was the son of the Heavenly Demon, how great must her shock have been?

Her sword, aimed at him, trembled. She had never been this shocked and frightened in her life. In contrast, Geom Mugeuk, standing at the tip of her sword, was incredibly calm. He was as clear and serene as the sky and as profound and mysterious as the sea. 6

Then, one question suddenly arose.

“Does Grandpa know your true identity?”

“He knows.”

She couldn’t comprehend it. If he was the second son of the Demonic Cult, there was no way her grandfather would let him be alone with her.

“At the very least, he believes I’m not someone who would harm you. So, lower your sword now.”

She slowly withdrew her sword. She had been too startled a moment ago, but hearing that her grandfather knew calmed her down.

Geom Mugeuk began to explain the situation to her.

“A mysterious force called the Heavenly Society has emerged in the martial world. While tracking them, we discovered that they intend to recruit you during this Soaring Dragon Tournament. After that, I revealed my identity to the Alliance Leader, and we’re now working together to track down those behind it. If it wasn’t related to his granddaughter, the Alliance Leader would probably never have taken action, especially not with the second son of the Demonic Cult.”

She understood the situation at once.

“The Alliance Leader wanted to keep my identity hidden until the end. But I argued against it.”

“Why?”

“Because that would be disrespectful to you. I believe that knowing my identity shouldn’t change anything. Whether I am an attendant or the second son of the Heavenly Demon, nothing should be different.”

“How can nothing be different? The only commonality between those two is that they’re both men—everything else is worlds apart!”

“Is that so?”

Geom Mugeuk laughed, and Jin Haryeong, initially looking dumbfounded, ended up laughing along with him.

The line drawn by the status of an attendant had disappeared, only to be replaced by a new line drawn by the status of a successor to the Demonic Cult. The previous line could be crossed by force, but this new line was so high and perilous that one misstep could lead to an all-out war between the orthodox and unorthodox factions.

“If I offended you, let it go.”

“I can’t. You scared me this much; how could I let it go? I’ll hold onto it for life.”

But contrary to her words, she wasn’t that upset. Instead, she felt a strange thrill knowing he was the second son of the Demonic Cult.

“So, what did you mean earlier in Dongho when you told me to become the Alliance Leader?”

“I meant it literally. Get stronger, gain more experience, and become the Alliance Leader. I think you’d do a great job.”

“And would the Alliance Leader’s friend be the Heavenly Demon?”

“That would be nice, but it’s pretty rough on my end. I’m not sure I’ll survive to see you again.”

Jin Haryeong couldn’t take his words as mere jokes; she hoped he would survive. With that sentiment, she extended her hand.

“Now that I know your true identity, let’s shake hands officially.”

Geom Mugeuk grasped her hand.

Jin Haryeong held his hand tightly, then playfully shook it, feeling slightly awkward.

“Who would’ve thought the day would come when I’d shake hands with the second son of the Demonic Cult?”

“Same here. Come on, let’s go. We need to hurry.”

Geom Mugeuk turned his back, gesturing for her to climb on.

She climbed onto his back once more. The feeling now was completely different from the first time.

“I’ll have to brag to people later. I’ll tell the story of when I was carried on the Heavenly Demon’s back, hoo-hoo-hoooooooo!”

* * *

Cheolgwon was trapped in a secret room.

Since the Alliance Leader himself had subdued him, no one else could undo the seal on his pressure points, even if they tried.

Sitting alone in the room, he struggled to make sense of the situation.

It wasn’t a random occurrence. The Alliance Leader wouldn’t have shown up there by coincidence.

Nor was it about protecting his granddaughter; if that were the case, the Heavenly Dragon Guard would have handled it.

In other words, it could only mean that he knew about this ambush in advance. The only person who could have known was Jo Sohyeop.

Just then, someone entered the room.

“Who are you?”

Cheolgwon recognized the person and was shocked. It was Geom Yeom who had entered. Even just from his eyes, it was clear. This was not the cowardly servant whose arm he had intended to cut off.

“Ah!”

Cheolgwon sighed. He thought that Geom Yeom was surely one of the Alliance Leader’s subordinates. The Alliance Leader personally got involved to root out the Heavenly Society? If that were the case, then all the inexplicable events made perfect sense.

Geom Yeom sat down across from him.

“I know you’re affiliated with the Heavenly Society.”

Cheolgwon remained silent.

“If you reveal who the leader of the Heavenly Society is, I’ll spare your life.”

Still, Cheolgwon said nothing. Geom Yeom observed him quietly, faintly exuding a killing aura, feeling the presence of the Heavenly Society. Theirs was an organization characterized by sinister silence and deadly intent.

“Fine, even if you wanted to talk, you probably don’t even know who the leader of the Heavenly Society is.”

In any case, Cheolgwon’s usefulness had already ended by showing Jo Sohyeop that he had been captured by the Alliance Leader.

For the first time, Cheolgwon spoke.

“Release my pressure point, and let’s have a proper fight, man to man.” 6

Cheolgwon’s eyes blazed with killing intent.

Swoosh! Thud!

In an instant, Geom Mugeuk’s sword pierced through Cheolgwon’s heart. Even if he had released the pressure point and fought, it would have been over in a single second, but Geom Mugeuk didn’t even allow him that chance.

This was because of the Martial Alliance Leader, Jin Paecheon, who was waiting outside.

As he exited the room, Geom Mugeuk said,

“Do not grant them any opportunities.”

Jin Paecheon silently stared at Geom Mugeuk. He showed no concern for Cheolgwon’s death. What stirred Jin Paecheon’s heart now was the unrestrained presence of this young successor of the Demonic Cult.

“Now, it’s time to apprehend Jo Sohyeop.”

“He might have panicked and gone into hiding.”

Geom Mugeuk smiled and said,

“He will come to me of his own accord.”

* * *

Sure enough, things unfolded exactly as Geom Mugeuk predicted.

As Geom Mugeuk was about to enter the inn, Jo Sohyeop, wearing a bamboo hat, approached and grabbed his arm, pulling him into an alley.

“What’s going on here?”

“That’s what I’d like to ask you. That guy tried to cut off my arm. What exactly happened?”

“I was supposed to step in before your arm was cut. But the Alliance Leader appeared before I could. Why did the Alliance Leader show up?”

“How would I know that?”

“You don’t know?”

“Of course not. How would a mere servant like me know what the Martial Alliance Leader is up to? Didn’t the secret leak because of how Master Jo handled things?”

“It’s hard not to believe that. Yeah, that’s right. Asking this punk about the Alliance Leader was a ridiculous thing to do. So? What happened?”

“The man who tried to kill me was captured by the Alliance Leader, and Lady Jin and I returned.”

Jo Sohyeop, who had been silently staring at Geom Mugeuk, spoke coldly.

“You bastard, this is all because of you!”

Swoosh!

With the dagger he had intended to gift Jin Haryeong, Jo Sohyeop thrust it toward Geom Mugeuk’s neck.

But Geom Mugeuk had already caught Jo Sohyeop’s wrist.

“Yes, it’s because of me.”

Tap-tap!

In an instant, Geom Mugeuk sealed Jo Sohyeop’s pressure points, striking both his Ma blood point and Ah blood point.

Jo Sohyeop’s eyes widened in shock, as wide as they could possibly go.

Moments later, Jo Sohyeop found himself dragged into the same secret room where Cheolgwon had died. The body had been removed, but the scent of the blood still lingered in the air.

Jo Sohyeop sat there with a fearful expression.

He was bewildered. The fact that the servant boy was more skilled than him was shocking. He couldn’t make sense of the situation.

Then, the door opened, and Geom Mugeuk entered.

Jo Sohyeop, looking terrified, asked,

“Who are you?”

“It doesn’t matter who I am. Whether I’m the servant you tried to cripple out of your foolish pride or a member of the Heavenly Society you secretly allied with, what does it change? What matters is the situation you’re in right now.”

Jo Sohyeop sensed instinctively that Geom Mugeuk wasn’t someone from the Heavenly Society.

‘He’s with the Alliance Leader!’

Jo Sohyeop concluded.

“The person who ambushed Jin Haryeong has confessed to everything.”

Jo Sohyeop’s heart sank at those words. That fearsome and deadly Cheolgwon confessed so easily? And it hadn’t even been a few hours since he was captured?

“What exactly did he confess?”

“He said that you ordered him to kidnap Jin Haryeong.”

Jo Sohyeop shouted in anger.

“This is something you planned!”

“When did I ever do that?” 7

“What?”

Jo Sohyeop’s expression twisted.

“You know that trying to harm the Alliance Leader or his family is treated as the most severe crime, right? If the crime is proven, no matter the reason, the punishment is execution.”

At the mention of execution, Jo Sohyeop was consumed by fear. He realized that the man before him had set a trap for him.

“What do you want from me?”

Geom Mugeuk, who had been staring at him, stood up.

“You look tired. Get some rest.”

Geom Mugeuk waved his hand dismissively towards the terrified prisoner.

Thunk.

A gust of wind swiftly suppressed Jo Sohyeop’s blood points.

He immediately collapsed, falling asleep right where he lay.

Outside the secret room, Jin Paecheon, who had been listening to the conversation inside, was waiting.

“What’s the next plan?”

“We need to bait his father, Jo Ryongjang. Alliance Leader, you should inform him that Jo Sohyeop was recruited by a group called the Heavenly Society, and that he was arrested under suspicion of attempting to kill Lady Jin on their orders.”

Geom Mugeuk was utterly unflinching.

“Jo Ryongjang will react in some way. We’ll find out whether he’s the leader of the Heavenly Society or just someone who’s been recruited by them. If he’s been recruited and is unaware that his son was also drawn in, he might feel betrayed by the Heavenly Society and hand over the leader to you, Alliance Leader. Of course, you’d need to provide him a way out.”

“And if he is the leader of the Heavenly Society?”

“In that case, I believe he’d be willing to abandon even his own flesh and blood.”

Listening to Geom Mugeuk’s words, the Martial Alliance Leader had a recurring thought.

‘If this man becomes the Heavenly Demon, the orthodox martial world will be in for a tough time.’

To be so driven and insightful at such a young age suggested that he would be utterly uncontrollable when he grew older. At this moment, Geom Mugeuk seemed a more formidable adversary than even the leader of the Heavenly Society.

Whether aware of the Alliance Leader’s thoughts or not, Geom Mugeuk expressed his concern.

“I have a favor to ask in advance.”

“What is it?”

“If we uncover the leader of the Heavenly Society, please leave the conclusion to me. Not because it’s part of my successor’s test, but because, given his meticulous nature, if he’s left alive, he’ll continue to plot even from prison. He’ll undoubtedly become a future threat.”

By handling it fairly or strictly according to the law, the leader of the Heavenly Society and his followers could end up imprisoned. Geom Mugeuk’s advice was to avoid this troublesome outcome.

Jin Paecheon went silent. It wasn’t easy for him to respond definitively due to his position.

Understanding his hesitation, Geom Mugeuk quietly added, his eyes conveying complete comprehension.

“I’ll sweep everything clean and disappear without a trace.”

1 : Not gonna lie, training children like that would probably give such immense results… Breathing : Always Qi gathering at the first breath. Walking ? Qing Gong. Eating would train their weapon aura by using their teeth…. The sole problem is the ethic problem it causes, and the babies wouldn’t understand. A regressor maybe ? Now THAT’S a good reason for OP character.
2 : Eeeh, I think they’re pretty much equal really. Else Geom Woojin would have acted long ago. And same for the other side.
3 : Can’t say he isn’t dedicated to his cover, but he could have found a better excuse XDXDXD
4 : A beautiful intent. A mirror of calm and serenity, a beautiful sky to spread his wings, and the quiet depth of power. Much more peaceful than the raging sea of the Murim Alliance Leader, and much less frightening than the hungry abyss of his father.
5 : The clearer something is, the harder it is to perceive its nature. Look at the air around you, can someone see it ?
6 : Are you stupid ? Why would he take such a risk over a pitiful slave ?
7 : Shameless trolling in progress ^^