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

Chapter 60: Laziness (懶怠) (1)

Early the next morning.

“Phew. Thankfully, I didn’t catch a cold.”

After a quick self-check, an odd feeling crept over me.

“Guess this is what they mean by you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.”

It was the moment I truly felt Jin Hayeon’s absence.

She used to prepare water for washing my face and hands, and bring breakfast as soon as I woke up.

Although I had lived my entire life without anyone’s service in my past life, I had somehow become accustomed to Jin Hayeon’s care in just one year.

Shaking off this unnecessary sense of loss, I rose from my bed and headed to the bathhouse.

After a quick wash, I went to the dining hall to get breakfast.

Obviously, I had no intention of socializing.

‘What’s the point of hanging out with those lunatics?’

Right after quickly finishing my meal and returning to my room, I sat on the bed to rest.

Normally, Jin Hayeon’s nagging would’ve forced me to practice my breathing exercise.

“It’s more peaceful without her around.”

My appreciation for her instantly morphed into a nagging person.

As I enjoyed my peaceful moments, the distant sound of a bell jolted me to action.

It was the signal for the first class at the Hall of the Demonic Way.

“Huaaahm.”

A yawn escaped my mouth as I arrived at the class. Excluding myself, there are already nine people gathered in there, all with tense expressions.

These were the top ten students from the Hall of the Demonic Way entrance examination, Members of the so-called ‘Upper Class’ of the Hall, including myself.

Glare

Among them was Dokgo Pae, glaring at me as if his gaze could kill me.

I ignored him and casually scanned the other present and realized something very important.

‘As expected, that woman isn’t here.’

I suspected as much from seeing her result on the lightness skill test yesterday. She’s probably in the Lower Class.

‘Good things, I won’t have to deal with her during the day.’

Just as I was sighing with relief, an increasingly familiar mischievous-looking face of a certain instructor appeared.

Somehow, I felt like he was smiling at me again. My hair stood on its end and I subtly moved behind the other recruits.

Chu Il-hwan glanced over the assembled students and said, “Hmm. Thankfully, we have no fools who are late or lost on the first day. We already exchanged greetings yesterday, so I’ll skip the introductions. I will be in charge of your martial arts training. Now, you’re probably wondering…”

He paused dramatically.

“…how I can possibly teach ten students with varying martial arts backgrounds.”

Some nodded in agreement, while others simply stared at Chu Il-hwan with serious expressions.

“That would be true if you were fledglings learning martial arts for the first time. However, this is the Hall of the Demonic Way, a place that selects and nurtures talents who will lead our Divine Cult. It means this isn’t a place where we teach everything from the basics. So, how do you think the training will proceed?”

Chu Il-hwan posed a serious question before falling silent.

A moment of silence hung over the training ground.

A fellow in the front row who gave off a military vibe raised his hand and shouted.

“You’ll observe our forms and correct flaws, sir!”

“Hah! Half-right. But do you think we’d just watch demonstrations here?”

This time, a fellow whose name I knew raised his hand.

It was Dokgo Pae.

“I believe you’ll observe combat between disciples and then point out our flaws!”

“Hahaha. Correct! I’ll award you both extra points.”

As soon as Chu Il-hwan finished speaking, a young martial artist standing behind him diligently jotted something down on a piece of paper.

As soon as Chu Ilhwan’s clear voice ended, a young warrior standing behind him scribbled something on a small piece of paper he had brought.

Apparently, that young warrior was an assistant instructor.

Dokgo Pae raised his hand again. “I have a question, Instructor!”

“Speak.”

“Can we choose our opponents for the duels?”

Though he was speaking to Chu Il-hwan, his eyes were already directed at me.

‘Haah. Doesn’t he ever get tired of this?’

As I sighed inwardly, Instructor Chu Il-hwan answered the question.

“Your combat opponents will be chosen by me. Also, starting today, unauthorized combat without an instructor or assistant present will be prohibited. Violating that rule will result in your points being deducted.”

For once, I felt a surge of gratitude to this dubious instructor.

‘Great! Now I can just laze around!’

While I was inwardly shouting with joy, Dokgo Pae couldn’t hide his sour expression and exclaimed.

“But why, Instructor?!”

“Because you are still fledglings. We can’t let those who will lead our Divine Cult in the future waste their talent and future because they end up dead or become crippled from reckless combat.”

“But—”

“Enough. One more word, and it’s penalties. If you really want to duel someone outside of the teaching hours, find an instructor or an assistant instructor to officiate your duel.”

When the usually smiling Chu Il-hwan became serious, Dokgo Pae had no choice but to shut his mouth.

‘…What a half-assed fellow.’

A true delinquent would defy even teachers if they’re going to act up. He was oddly obedient to the instructor’s words.

In any case, thanks to Dokgo Pae’s shutting up, the lesson went smoothly.

Instructor Chu Il-hwan called out the names of two recruits, and they stepped forward to duel.

He observed quietly when the duels proceeded normally, but if a recruit was in danger of serious injury, he would swiftly intervene.

Clang!!

As one disciple’s spear was about to pierce another disciple’s side, Chu Il-hwan launched himself to block it and said.

“This is precisely why duels are only permitted under supervision. Understood?”

“Yes, Instructor!”

And after each match, Chu Il-hwan would offer advice based on the capabilities they had demonstrated.

“Your martial art emphasizes the principle of strength, doesn’t it? In such cases, it’s better for you to overwhelm your opponent with a greater force rather than forcibly altering your trajectory and losing your momentum.”

“The transition between these two techniques is somewhat awkward. This is less about insight and more about your body not being able to handle it. Focus on honing your body for a while.”

Like a master tutor pinpointing issues precisely, the disciples couldn’t help but felt awe at Chu Il-hwan’s explanations.

Everyone except me.

‘Fucking lunatic!’

I couldn’t help but frown every time Chu Il-hwan touched a male recruit under the guise of providing guidance.

While I silently debated whether or not to report Chu Il-hwan’s sexual harassment—

I missed the matches ending.

Only two disciples, including myself, remained.

I thought it was finally my turn to duel, but I was mistaken.

“Disciple Il-mok will spar with the assistant instructor.”

“!?”

While I was staring in disbelief, someone else tried to protest first.

“Why does he—”

But before Dokgo Pae could finish his sentence, Chu Il-hwan’s cold glare shut his mouth.

‘Good thing I didn’t speak up.’

While I wasn’t thrilled about sparring with the assistant instructor, I was grateful that Dokgo Pae had unwittingly stepped into the trap first, sparing me from the same fate.

I reluctantly faced the assistant. He was a man in his late twenties, a warrior of the cult who cultivated a saber art.

“Begin.”

As soon as Chu Il-hwan gave the order, the assistant quickly closed the distance between us and executed iaido.

Swish

That single strike was enough for me to gauge the characteristics of his martial art.

‘A martial art that emphasizes speed, is it?’

Stepping back and narrowly dodging the first attack, I effortlessly drew my sword and counterattacked.

Clang!

The assistant also easily blocked my initial strike and unleashed a flurry of attacks.

Clang!

Clang!!

The more I blocked or dodged, the faster the assistant’s saber blurred.

When I finished assessing his strength, I got a rough idea of where he stood.

‘Similar to Jin Hayeon’s level… I think?’

It was hard to gauge who was stronger, but in terms of realm, they are roughly on par.

To be precise, he is comparable to the current Jin Hayeon, whose realm improved after overcoming Qi Deviation triggered by Ouyang Mun’s confession attack.

According to her, my current state is roughly on par with her when we first met.

Knowing her personality, she wouldn’t exaggerate this just to flatter me.

Adding a few facts I knew to this observation, I was able to realize one very important truth.

The first day Ouyang Mun came knocking at the Windrock Palace, he had said that her skills hadn’t improved much since graduating from the Hall of the Demonic Way.

What’s important here is that Jin Hayeon graduated from the Hall as the second in her year.

In other words.

‘Even if I were to graduate from the Hall right now, I’d be at least second at the top.’

Of course, there was a flaw in this logic: the skill level of graduating classes wasn’t consistent every year.

But after yesterday’s duel with Dokgo Pae had eliminated that concern had been eliminated.

‘If someone like him is second place, I don’t need to worry about falling behind anytime soon.’

Thanks to reaching this amazing conclusion, I established guidelines for my remaining time in this den of madmen.

‘I’ll spend the first year resting and managing my side effects. In the second year, I’ll train just enough to barely maintain first place and graduate!’

I wanted to play around for both years, but the damn tradition was the problem.

That outdated tradition demanded that every single disciple of the Heavenly Demon had graduated from the hall as the top seat.

Additionally, to play around and eat for the first year, a very important prerequisite was needed.

I couldn’t let anyone discover my laziness.

I was, after all, the Heavenly Demon’s disciple.

A position that required being a role model for others. Failure to do so could result in getting my head chopped by Jin Hayeon or my Master.

Then, how could I pretend to be working hard while lazing around all year?

Swish!

As the assistant’s blade nearly grazed my face, I realized that this was the turning point of my life in this mental asylum.

I blocked or dodged the swift saber strikes the assistant relentlessly poured down dozens of times.

Seeing his attacks having no effect whatsoever, the assistant began to increase his speed even further.

Once the assistant’s saber blurred to a certain level

Once the assistant’s quick dao became faster than a certain level—

Thud!!

“Ugh.”

Staring at the saber now pressed against my neck, I put on a frustrated face.

Secret Technique: Young Master Low-key Hiding His Strength.

Start by hiding your actual skills, then gradually reveal your true abilities, pretending that your skills are improving without actually training.

No matter how I thought about it, there couldn’t be a more perfect plan.

‘It didn’t work with my senior brother and Master, but please, let it work this time!’

I silently prayed, desperately trying to suppress the corners of my mouth from twitching upwards.