So? Did Someone Force You to Become the Heavenly Demon?

Chapter 54: Foundation (4)

As consultations with the Heavenly Demon and his disciples concluded, the Demonic Physician began counseling sessions with new individuals.

These included the Right and Left Guardian, the Elder Council, the Law Enforcement Division Master, the Pavilion Lord of the Hidden Guard Pavilion, and the heads of the Five Great Families—all counted among the top martial artists in the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect.

The reason these sessions began right after Heavenly Demon and his disciples was due to Il-mok’s suggestion.

“We should start with those who have already achieved Transcendence with high-level Demonic Arts.”

Hearing his suggestion, the Demonic Physician couldn’t help but express doubt.

“Do you really think they will participate earnestly in counseling?”

“We have already obtained justification. If even Master decided to participate in counseling, why won’t they?”

“As the Deputy Master said, since the Heavenly Demon participated in counseling, they won’t be able to refuse. But, whether they respond honestly or not is another matter, isn’t it?”

“There’s no need to worry about that. You mentioned it yourself, regarding Master and Eldest Senior Brother.”

The Demonic Physician, understanding Il-mok’s intention, asked, “You mean they can speak more freely because they viewed them as past memories, not current side effects they’re suffering from?”

“Isn’t that common? People hide their problems when they’re actively struggling, but once everything has passed, they feel much lighter about discussing them.”

“That’s true to some extent. But, even so, aren’t there memories one would rather keep hidden?”

“That won’t be a major issue. It doesn’t matter much if they don’t participate actively.”

The Demonic Physician could barely hide his bewilderment, so Il-mok added an explanation to resolve his confusion.

“Didn’t you say it yourself, Hall Master? That the experiences of those who’ve achieved Transcendence with high-level Demonic Arts aren’t very helpful to those currently struggling because they’re simply too exceptional.”

“…Then why exactly should we prioritize counseling with them?”

“While they may not be of great help, there’s still a possibility they could be of some assistance. And the most important thing is that we can gain justification.”

“Ah!”

Only then did the Demonic Physician fully understand Il-mok’s intention.

“If we start counseling with the higher-ups, those currently suffering from side effects won’t easily refuse either.”

“Additionally, they’ll think that even their superiors honestly discussed their problems, so they are more likely to respond to counseling a little more honestly.”

The Demonic Physician, who accepted Il-mok’s logic, went to the Heavenly Demon and told him about the conversation they had, and the Heavenly Demon accepted the suggestion.

Il-mok’s Master issued an order as the Heavenly Demon, instructing the key figures of the cult to receive counseling from the Pure Mind Hall.

Soon, these consultations concluded, even before those of Jin Hayeon and the other disciples.

As with the Heavenly Demon and the First Young Master, the sessions with those who had achieved Transcendence were more about listening to their experiences than conducting in-depth counseling.

With the consultations of the highest-ranking members completed, Il-mok proposed a new idea.

“Now that we have some case studies, shouldn’t other physicians begin conducting consultations? It’s impossible for you to handle all the Cult members alone, Hall Master.”

“That’s true.”

The Demonic Physician couldn’t deny it. Regardless of his ability, time was severely limited.

But Il-mok’s next words were something that even the Demonic Physician hadn’t anticipated.

“And from now on, please omit the patients’ names when documenting the consultations.”

“!? That’s absurd Deputy Master!”

“Exactly what I said. Who would want their mental illnesses and the dark history they committed because of them to be recorded?”

“But if we remove the patients’ names, the records will get mixed up and become indistinguishable. You know that counseling doesn’t end in just one session.”

“That’s why I said ‘when documenting.’ Each physician can identify patients by name during the sessions, but after the consultation concludes, they should organize the records, omit the names, and categorize them solely by the type of Demonic Art and side effects.”

The Demonic Physician now understood Il-mok’s intention but pointed out a flaw.

“Your intention is good, but ultimately, the physicians conducting the consultation will still know whose record it is, won’t they? Their colleagues could easily deduce it as well. It won’t be very effective.”

“That’s why, as I said before, the most important thing is to keep the currently active physicians’ mouths shut. As for future generations, without names, it will be much harder to identify individuals.”

“Keeping them silent…”

“That’s the most important part. So…”

Il-mok shared with the Demonic Physician the measures he had devised over the past few days to ensure the physicians’ silence.

He continued to propose solutions and improvements to Pure Mind Hall’s operations almost daily.

The Demonic Physician, the Hall Master of the Pure Mind Hall, couldn’t hide his astonishment. How could so many different wisdoms come from the head of that young boy?

True to his title of the Demonic Physician, he almost wanted to open up Il-mok’s head to study his brain.

However, Il-mok wasn’t acting out of pure altruism.

Even after being appointed as the interim Deputy Master of the Pure Mind Hall by his Master, he still had to endure the relentless onslaught of killing intent and demonic energy from the training with the Heavenly Demon.

The daily life-or-death sparring sessions, saturated with killing intent and demonic energy, had reawakened his dormant instinct, accelerating his growth.

—If we continue like this, there’s no way to catch the physicians if they leak information.

—What if people lie?

His obsessive-compulsive tendencies worsened daily. He was constantly bombarded by worst-case scenarios, and his mind raced to find solutions.

Only after sharing solutions with the Demonic Physician and seeing improvements did he find some peace of mind.

In other words, he wasn’t doing this because he enjoyed it. He was merely pouring out his opinions as if vomiting out the worms crawling in his brain.

If there was a silver lining.

‘That’s right. Once the Pure Mind Hall succeeds, it might be able to cure my side effects.’

It was the hope that improving this place would secure his future safety.

If not for that, he might have succumbed to a combination of obsessive thoughts and depression.

‘Passing the Hall of the Demonic Way entrance examination is practically guaranteed now. So, I’ll just establish the framework of the Pure Mind Hall, graduate from the Hall of the Demonic Way, kill that Flying Dragon Unit Leader guy or whatever to avenge Uncle Tae-hyeon, and then rest!!’

Fueled by this thought, Il-mok endured the Heavenly Demon’s torment and dedicated himself to Pure Mind Hall’s development.

In any case, thanks to the various improvements Il-mok proposed, the Pure Mind Hall quickly took shape.

As Il-mok had planned, the martial artists of the headquarters also began to receive counseling at Pure Mind Hall one by one, and records of various Demonic Arts were accumulated every day.

One day, the Demonic Physician, now focused on organizing and analyzing the records submitted by the physicians, had a profound realization.

‘…Perhaps the Deputy Master has conceived something truly extraordinary.’

It wasn’t an exaggeration.

He simply foresaw an outcome beyond the imagination of ordinary individuals.

In the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Demonic Arts were synonymous with side effects. Conversely, experience in cultivating Demonic Arts equated to experience in battling side effects.

And here, in this very place, within the countless records of consultations conducted by the Demonic Physicians and his fellow physicians, lay the history of their struggles

For now, records are accumulated mainly by masters, but what if more time passes?

‘From Tainted to Extremity, and even to Transcendence—something that compiles all the growth processes of Demonic Arts and methods to deal with side effects might be created.’

A perfect textbook and guide for mastering Demonic Arts would be born.

If that happened, many more would achieve Transcendence, and the revival of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would be beyond doubt.

After all, Demonic Arts, despite their drawbacks, offered unparalleled growth.

‘Though it may be foolish to envision such a bright future when we’ve barely taken the first step, I can’t help but dream of such a golden age.’

With a sigh of contentment, the Demonic Physician turned his gaze somewhere else. To the direction of the Windrock Palace where Il-mok, the Deputy Master of the Pure Mind Hall and the Eighth Young Master resided.

‘Did the Deputy Master request the Heavenly Demon to create this Pure Mind Hall, thinking of such a future?’

The golden future he envisioned would only be possible after decades of accumulating many more records. He thought it would take at least ten years, even at the fastest.

By then, the next Heavenly Demon would be leading the Cult, and the Eighth Young Master would likely be a prominent figure, perhaps even vying for the position of Heavenly Demon.

‘…Truly a fearsome young man.’

Having thought this far, the Demonic Physician couldn’t help but shudder as goosebumps covered his body.

***

After being appointed as the Deputy Master of Pure Mind Hall, Il-mok’s time flew by.

He was constantly busy with his studies, training for the Hall of the Demonic Way entrance examination, and managing the Pure Mind Hall’s affairs.

“Hehehe.”

If there was some solace in his life, it was watching Seon-ah’s playful antics when she visited daily and watching Ouyang Mun’s embarrassing attempts to woo Jin Hayeon.

At least this time, Ouyang-mun seemed to somewhat understand Il-mok’s advice, showing a bit more caution instead of his usual reckless approach.

And as he lived busily, various changes were occurring.

Il-mok’s cultivation rose steeply, and the Pure Mind Hall quickly established its system.

This didn’t mean Il-mok was a genius.

There were two main reasons why Il-mok could quickly establish the Pure Mind Hall’s system.

One was that, as a modern person, he could draw on the hospital practices he had experienced directly or indirectly and by combining that with the common knowledge he possessed, he was able to swiftly create a rough framework of the psychiatric ward that he had envisioned.

The other reason was that this place was essentially a cult.

Administration was typically a battle against budget constraints.

However, Il-mok didn’t need to consider such limitations.

When Il-mok proposed to the Demonic Physician or Heavenly Demon that certain things needed to be done for a purpose, Heavenly Demon would issue orders.

From that point on, the fanatics would carry out the tasks with their utmost devotion, serving the cult without expecting any material compensation.

Thanks to this, there was no need to worry about labor costs. The only limitation was whether it could be done or not.

Establishing the counseling system of the Pure Mind Hall, training new physicians, gathering medical texts and folk remedies, and acquiring various medicinal herbs and ingredients were relatively easy tasks.

He could simply exploit the manpower through religious fervor.

The real challenge was developing and testing medicines based on the acquired knowledge.

***

As they delved into researching medical texts and folk remedies, the Hall of the Demonic Way entrance examination was only two months away.

Yet, Il-mok still visited the Pure Mind Hall daily.

“Greetings to the Deputy Master.”

“Welcome, Deputy Master.”

The physicians and the Demonic Physician there welcomed Il-mok.

The playful Demonic Physician who had treated Il-mok like a child was now gone.

At some point, the Demonic Physician had begun treating Il-mok as an equal.

And with newfound confidence in the Pure Mind Hall’s work, the Demonic Physician and the physicians were now overflowing with enthusiasm.

Especially with the influx of new medical texts and folk remedies, their thirst for knowledge was bubbling over.

“Deputy Master! According to this medical book that I searched all night yesterday, if you eat this medicinal herb, your mind will be much more relaxed, your body will be lethargic, and you will be freed from all pain.”

A young physician, his eyes bloodshot like a mad scientist, presented his findings to Il-mok.

After examining the contents of the medical text and the herb the physician presented, Il-mok responded with an incredulous expression:

“That… isn’t that a drug?”

The crazed physician was trying to turn the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult into a drug den.