“So, today is the day, huh.”

Yi Myeong-Hwan had already fully resolved himself.

Mara Blood Flame Qi—that was the name of the demonic art Kang Jin-Ho had handed down to Yi Myeong-Hwan and the rest of the Demon Flames.

Vator or Kang Jin-Ho would have to personally guide the Demon Flames in the finer points of this method, but it was still up to Yi Myeong-Hwan and his peers to master the basics themselves.

‘Aaand it sure was hellish, wasn’t it?’

While trying to master the Mara Blood Flame Qi, Yi Myeong-Hwan got a rude awakening—that the previous demonic art he mastered was basically scratching the surface of a humongous boulder!

Demonic cultivation was dangerous. It gifted the cultivator enormous power at the cost of their humanity. At least, that was what Yi Myeong-Hwan believed. However, as it turned out, he had been a bit naive about this whole situation.

What he had mastered so far was nothing more than a foundation. The basics. This became starkly clear as soon as he began cultivating the Mara Blood Flame Qi. Simply breathing in qi and circulating it through meridians was enough to rouse murderous urges to the near-boiling point while his emotions were thrown into total disarray.

‘And I’m supposed to endure all that.’

What a dreadful thing this was. On the other hand, Yi Myeong-Hwan's anticipation ballooned. His strength grew in leaps and bounds simply with a starter's cultivation method. In that case, how much stronger would he be by mastering this Mara Blood Flame Qi?

One could not gain something without losing something else in return. If that notion was flipped around, however… Didn’t it mean one had to pay a steep price for a great reward? Since the Mara Blood Flame Qi would grant Yi Myeong-Hwan a great deal of power, he was prepared to pay any cost.

Knowing how far his horizons would broaden by his strength improving… Yi Myeong-Hwan was fully resolved to do whatever it took to acquire that power.

Bloodlust? Various other urges? Even torturous pain? No matter how difficult to endure they were, Yi Myeong-Hwan was confident he could handle them all.

...Until not too long ago, that was!

***

Going back slightly in time…

“Have you all mastered the basics?” Vator asked.

“…”

According to his expression and the aura emitted by his humongous frame, Vator should be saying something like,

‘We told you to master it, so I shall personally separate the bones and flesh of anyone who didn’t do that and cast them into a dog bowl!’

Yet, what he said sounded rather… docile? Civil?

Of course, nobody here was dumb enough to miss the subtext of those gentle-sounding words. Without that much discernment, you’d be dead already in this line of work!

‘What’s wrong with him, though?’

The one and only Vator stood tall and imposingly before the Demon Flames.

This here was Vator, a man acknowledged by everyone in the Martial Assembly! For his strength, for his unwavering conviction!

Vator had reached a lofty realm that the Demon Flames wouldn't even dare dream of belittling, yet he still continuously strove to improve himself. And how noble was his no-nonsense attitude toward martial arts, too?

In almost every aspect, Vator truly deserved everyone's respect and awe.

Of course, some people discriminated against Vator for being a foreigner who used to work for the Crimson King's faction. However, that was when he first showed up. Now, practically everyone in the Martial Assembly genuinely respected and admired him.

Even those who still found his presence unacceptable no longer downplayed Vator's greatness as a martial artist. But someone that great was currently…

‘Is that a… panda?’

Vator's eyes were blackened and swollen. However, that wasn't all!

The Demon Flames didn't even have to take a closer look. Clothes were meant to cover a person's body as much as possible, but completely hiding Vator's humongous frame was still an impossible challenge.

Many parts of Vator’s uncovered body parts were also black-and-blue with scary-looking bruises and swellings!

‘That’s… freaking terrifying.’

It required something special for a battered and bruised person to come off as utterly threatening. But here was Vator, ably pulling that feat off!

Vator got clearly beaten up. Since someone hit him, Vator was understandably pissed. And his anger…

‘...Could be directed at me!’

This miraculous chain of logic ensured that every Demon Flame would cower and shrink back as much as possible. And their deductive reasoning was even further reinforced by Vator's distorted expression containing his rage, irritation, and all the unaired grievances!

The Demon Flames sneakily lowered their heads, having forgotten to even breathe!

‘Looking at this situation, maybe the notion of demonic cultivators being short-fused and violent is all a lie?’

After all, everyone here was so good at controlling their temper, no?!

Look at how calm and docile the Demon Flames are!

It was like staring at a pack of previously troublesome dogs who finally met their match in a master-tier animal trainer. Every single Demon Flame had their tail firmly tucked between their legs in a concerted effort to stay in the trainer’s good books!

Yi Myeong-Hwan was getting an unforgettable lesson on how everything depended on something else for human beings.

Not just him, but to all the Demon Flames, Vator was no different from a grim reaper. But that terrifying creature had been beaten up black and blue by someone else even more terrifying!

None of these people required a second guess to figure out who was responsible for this state of affairs.

“Yaaawn~…”

Behind Vator was another man half-slouched on a chair and yawning loudly away. This man’s attitude went totally against the current prickly atmosphere, but none of the Demon Flames found this scene awkward or weird. That was because almost everyone here was a human being, though!

A napping lion wouldn't need to get up just because a rabbit and a rat were bickering in front of it, now would it!

‘The power scaling in this place has gone to the dogs!’

Just Vator alone was too big of a wall that no one here was strong enough to overcome. Back when everyone was living in peace and minded their own business, the power scaling in the Martial Assembly wasn't this broken.

Lee Jung-Geol and Bang Jin-Hun were considered two of the most powerful experts in the Assembly. They were certainly stronger than most martial artists in the organization. However, they would still turn into chunks of bloodied meat in seconds if this many people jumped on them.

Despite being stronger, they were still human beings like the rest. Maybe the difference was about the same as between an MMA fighter and a regular person off the street? One could fight multiple opponents by relying on their advantages, but dealing with dozens would still be too much. That was the extent of the difference.

But then… This power scaling went totally out of whack after Kang Jin-Ho made his entrance to the scene.

‘We can’t win against him.’

Could people here take on Vator if they put their lives on the line? They wouldn’t even put a scratch on that tough exterior of his!

If this had been a video game, the players would've bitterly complained about the broken balance and power scaling. It was already impossible to raid the mid-boss, yet the final boss was so strong that it could casually punt said impossible mid-boss around for sh*ts and giggles!

In that case, what were the players supposed to do?!

“I said, have you mastered the basics?!” Vator roared, his glare sharpening. It seemed he didn’t care whether Kang Jin-Ho behind him was yawning away or not.

“Y-yes, sir! We have!”

“We faithfully did as you ordered, sir!”

Vator slowly, oh so very slowly, nodded in silence.

Yi Myeong-Hwan grimaced a little.

‘What the hell. That motherf*cker. I don’t think I like that guy...!’

For a while now, the interpreter had been getting on the nerves of everyone here. Whenever Vator spoke in an imposing roar, Zhang Dajing stood next to the big man and also shouted threateningly as well. At least on the surface, it looked as if Zhang Dajing was condescendingly rebuking the Demon Flames.

‘Bloody hell, that stinking foreigner bastard. How dare a mere interpreter act like he owns this place? How about I drag you somewhere and break your little neck, you piece of…!’

Just as Yi Myeong-Hwan’s dark thoughts reached that far…

“Yi Myeong-Hwan!”

“Y-yes, sir!” Yi Myeong-Hwan's mind snapped back to reality in the blink of an eye when Vator's booming voice registered in his hearing. And he quickly switched to the Disciplined Soldier Mode.

Vator’s eyes, as he glared at Yi Myeong-Hwan standing at attention, could only be described as fiercely burning. The sight of a giant glaring at you with burning, angry eyes was the personification of pure terror!

Vator growled. “You dare get distracted?”

“No, sir! I wouldn’t dare!”

“Oh? Are you implying that I was wrong?”

“No, sir! I wouldn’t dare!”

“Then, that means you were distracted!”

“No, sir! I wouldn’t dare!”

“…”

For the foreseeable future, all of Yi Myeong-Hwan's replies would be,

‘No, sir! I wouldn’t dare!’

Whether such a reply made logical sense or fit the context didn't even matter right now. The important thing to remember in a situation like this was to be very agreeable with the other party, no matter what. If providing a perfectly acceptable reply was nigh-on impossible, one should demonstrate their willingness to respond favorably, at the very least!

“You all are a bunch of weak-ass trash with no discipline!”

Yi Myeong-Hwan tutted inwardly.

‘Would you look at that dude’s language skills?’

What did Vator say in Chinese for Zhang Dajin to translate it like that? Yi Myeong-Hwan was genuinely mystified by it. Maybe that Zhang Dajing dude was an incredibly capable interpreter, after all?

“Now, listen closely, you bunch of brats!” Vator’s roar echoed thunderously within the auditorium. “You are all too weak!”

Despite his threatening tone… Vator was only speaking in cliches.

“Weak! Too weak! That’s why you’re all useless! However, we still need to use you! So, you must become stronger! Thankfully, our Assembly Master has gifted you with his grace! Do you all understand what I’m saying!”

“Yes, sir!”

A loud, spirited reply rocked the auditorium.

“No matter how famous the treasured sword is, it will be worse than a kitchen knife if the wielder can’t even properly use it. But it’s my job to help you wield it to its full potential!” Vator smirked deeply. “To improve your skill level… Nothing beats the real thing!”

“…”

“Be grateful, you brats! Even though! I am! A busy man! This Vator… Shall personally spar with each and every one of you! This process will help your body remember everything more naturally!”

“…!”

Yi Myeong-Hwan’s eyes shot open wide. Why did it sound like Vator wanted to vent his stress accumulated by getting beaten up on the poor Demon Flames?!

‘Please tell me it ain’t so. Please, Sir Vator?’

That was when Vator sneakily stepped aside. Once he got out of the way, Kang Jin-Ho addressed everyone while still slouching on the chair.

“We believe we need to up the pace a bit,” said Kang Jin-Ho in a calm, flat voice. Despite his calm demeanor, though… The contents of his announcement were rather visceral and unforgiving. “Time we're given isn't infinite. Since we don't have a lot of leeway, we need to be more efficient with how we spend our time. Your job now is not only to improve your cultivation, but to teach others at the same time.”

Kang Jin-Ho casually shrugged before continuing on with his speech.

“...Which means you must become stronger as soon as possible. You will have to risk a little bit of side effects in the process.”

Yi Myeong-Hwan desperately wanted to cry out,

But, sir?! This doesn't look like ‘only a little bit’ of side effects to me?

“That’s what our master has said!” Vator loudly roared. “Now… Let’s stop wasting time and begin right away! Yi Myeong-Hwan!”

‘Why?! Why does it have to be me always?! Whyyyyy?!’

Yi Myeong-Hwan had an epiphany just then. Although his performance in China had given him some confidence, the status he acquired had fundamentally put him in a disadvantageous position that only saddled him with losses!

Good things always came late, while the crappy stuff happened first in his new position. And today happened to be the day for the crappy stuff.

“Yi, Myeong, Hwan!” Vator roared again.

Like a cow being dragged toward an abattoir, Yi Myeong-Hwan trudged unwillingly toward the podium and stood before Vator.

Yi Myeong-Hwan cautiously raised his voice. “Excuse me… sir?”

“What is it?”

“Is this the only way?”

“Why? Are you dissatisfied with this method?”

“...No, sir. Rather than dissatisfaction, I’m having a hard time understanding this situation. It’s not like I’ve started mastering the Mara Blood Flame Qi properly, you know? In that case, how would a sudden sparring session improve my strength?”

Yi Myeong-Hwan almost added,

Won't I just get beaten black and blue in this so-called sparring, sir?

But he wisely didn’t.

Vator never got a chance to respond as Kang Jin-Ho beat him to it.

“Have you heard about the idea of adversity breeding heroes?”

Unfortunately for Yi Myeong-Hwan, Kang Jin-Ho’s seemingly unrelated reply only confused him further.

‘What on Earth is he on about?’

Yi Myeong-Hwan tilted his head this way and that. Still, he figured he should answer. “Yes, sir. I’ve heard of it before.”

“Do you think that idea is correct?”

“...To a degree, yes.”

“Adversity breeds heroes... We can interpret it as

‘Chaos in the world will force heroes to rise to the occasion.’

However, I don't really agree with that idea for two reasons.”

Everyone focused on Kang Jin-Ho’s voice.

“Let’s use South Korea as our example this time. Not many Koreans will disagree with the notion of Admiral Yi Sun-Sin being Korea’s greatest general in history. Wouldn’t you say?”

“Yes, sir.”

“However, would you also say Admiral Yi Sun-sin was the most capable general in Korea's long history?”

“…?” Yi Myeong-Hwan fell into a dilemma just then. He couldn’t understand what Kang Jin-Ho’s intentions were with that question. So, he didn’t reply.

“The answer is… You can't tell,” said Kang Jin-Ho as if to help everyone understand. “Do you know why? It's because you can't really compare. Even if we had even more capable generals and admirals than Yi Sun-sin throughout this country's history, it's impossible for them to prove their abilities if their time was during eras of peace.”

“Oh…”

“Had Admiral Yi Sun-sin been born in the current era, he would have probably served his time as an anonymous general before getting discharged.”

Yi Myeong-Hwan secretly disagreed with that opinion, as such a situation seemed highly unlikely. Admiral Yi Sun-sin was famous for not knowing how to butter his superiors up, after all! Which meant he'd most likely fail the Navy promotion exams multiple times, get kicked out, and… And probably opened a fried chicken diner somewhere!

…And name it the Turtle Ship Chicken or something!

To think that the one-and-only Admiral Yi Sun-sin would be demoted to a fried chicken diner owner…! Merely thinking about that alternate universe was enough to depress Yi Myeong-Hwan.

In the meantime, Kang Jin-Ho continued to speak.

“Adversity simply creates environments where those with heroic natures can rise to prominence. Heavens don't send heroes to the mortal realm every time there is chaos afoot in our world. People like that are already among us. But they are simply living a normal, plain life, out of sight.”

Everyone silently nodded. What Kang Jin-Ho said made some sense to them.

“But the really important bit is the second reason…” Kang Jin-Ho muttered, the corners of his lips subtly curling up. “Adversity may not breed heroes… But it can certainly temper the heroic spirit.”