The thought of breathing the same air as that monster who had sacrificed hundreds, perhaps thousands of people for their experiments was enough to make him sick. And now, with Tang Seon Yeong’s face before him, the figure claimed that this was their true form.
“Hoho… Are you that surprised?”
The sticky tone of her voice, the seductive laugh, the hand caressing his face, the strange and affectionate look, her unique body odor mixed with a faint scent seeping into his nose, and even the atmosphere radiating from her entire body.
Every detail matched perfectly with the woman he knew, lending credibility to the claim that seemed utterly ridiculous.
Was this performance meant to evoke doubt, to make him wonder if he had been played by a villain all along? To stir feelings of betrayal and suspicion?
“How is it? Convincing, isn’t it?”
The face she revealed seemed meant to resolve his questions while also aiming to shake his composure. Yet Jin Mi Yeon abandoned the act shortly after.
It lasted only an instant. Baek Woo Jin’s eyes had wavered fiercely when her face transformed, but beyond that fleeting moment, his eyes did not falter again, not even for a second.
“Impressive transformation technique.”
Bark Woo Jin remarked with genuine admiration.
The ability to change one’s face or body wasn’t unheard of, as such martial arts techniques had existed since ancient times. Reverse Appearance Technique and Bone Shrinking Technique were among them.
Reverse Appearance Technique allowed one to change the shape of their face, while Bone Shrinking Technique could reshape one’s bones. This allowed subtle adjustments to one’s physique, making it slightly smaller or larger.
However, both techniques had clear limitations. Even with a transformed face, one could only make slight modifications to the original features, and Bone Shrinking Technique couldn’t produce extreme changes. An adult couldn’t shrink to the size of a child, for example.
That was why the transformation technique she displayed was so astonishing. It wasn’t just that she had flawlessly taken on someone else’s face; she had even matched their voice.
“This is a martial art personally devised by the Cult Leader. Isn’t it incredible?”
Her tone brimmed with pride.
The Cult Leader she referred to was known to the world as the Heavenly Demon.
“This is a martial art that can be called a divine art, where you can change your face to whoever you desire with just a touch of your hand”
As she continued to brag, Tang Yeon Shin who had been standing behind her interrupted her before she could say more.
“That will be enough. You’re talking too much.”
“Oh my.”
It seemed she hadn’t intended to reveal so much from the beginning. With a flustered expression, she covered her mouth with her hand.
“I must have gotten a little carried away.”
“…Be careful.”
Jin Mi Yeon, who had reverted from Tang Seon Yeong’s face to that of the maid, bowed deeply toward Baek Woo Jin.
As she bent forward, the loose folds of her robe slipped, revealing the deep curve of her chest that had been hidden beneath.
“With this technique, I can become any woman you desire.”
Tang Seon Yeong, Je Gal Yeon Ji, Shin Ye Hwa, Yoo Hwa Yeon, and countless other beautiful women. All of them.
“If you become mine, I will also become anything you want.”
Her eyes burned with intense longing.
If she allowed the demonic energy to slowly consume him, initiating the process of turning him into a demon, she could make him hers. But she knew she couldn’t have him completely.
Suppressing the rampaging tendencies of demonic energy and slowing its corrupting progression was the crucial key to preserving a demon’s sanity. It was a hypothesis she had tested many times.
She had found a clue in her failed experiments.
The slower the process of demonic energy consumption, the longer the thread of sanity could be maintained. However, changes in personality were just inevitable.
The rational mind in its struggle against the bloodlust and carnivorous instincts of slaughter inevitably underwent a transformation. It became more impulsive and more destructive.
It’s worth dying for.
At first, his stunning appearance and sculpted physique felt like a masterpiece, a work of art she couldn’t help but admire. She wanted to turn him into an ornament, a decoration to stand proudly behind her.
But as time passed, her feelings began to change. His composure as he lay bound on the experiment table, the insight that allowed him to discover most of their plans just by examining the surroundings. This all stirred something deeper in her.
Even his inner self, filled with qualities she couldn’t bear to lose, made her want to claim him entirely.
Her proposal had been enticing enough. It was no different from telling him he could have any woman in the world if he wanted.
But Baek Woo Jin refused.
“Sorry, but I’m not the type to be satisfied with just one.”
He delivered that incredibly trashy statement with a dazzling smile as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“No one can replace me in front of you. No matter what face or body you wear, I’d still recognize you.”
“Oh? And how would you recognize me?”
Her smile stiffened. Her pride was visibly wounded as she asked the question.
Baek Woo Jin stared straight into her eyes and answered.
“You reek. And it’s not just a faint smell. It’s a really bad stench.”
“What…?”
Caught off guard by his unexpected words, her dazed expression reflected her disbelief as she instinctively asked again.
“Your body, soaked in the blood of hundreds, no, thousands, is already rotting to the core.”
Baek Woo Jin continued with a faint smile. Though his tone was cold and merciless.
“No matter how much you try to mask the stench of rotting flesh with the finest spices to craft a gourmet dish…”
“…….”
“You can’t fool a true connoisseur.”
Her expression began to harden. The gaze that had been filled with desire just moments ago was quickly consumed by hatred.
And his final remark put the finishing touch on her spiraling emotions.
“I don’t even need to taste it to know. You’re flavorless.”
The mercilessly scathing and crushing tone of his words struck Jin Mi Yeon’s reverse scale.
“Youuuuu!”
She had devoted decades of her life solely to experiments for the sake of the demonic cult. The acrid stench of chemicals had ruined her sense of smell, and the time spent with toxic substances had robbed her of both youth and beauty.
Her experiments had undeniably succeeded in strengthening the foundation of the demonic cult. But the life crushed beneath that success crumbled like the dry leaves of autumn.
The Reverse Appearance Technique given by the cult was something almost worthy of being called a divine skill and it had somewhat compensated for her sacrificed life. But even that only served to cover her rotten heart with layers of spices.
“How dare you insult me?!”
Her fierce kick struck Baek Woo Jin square in the chest.
Thud!
His body rolled across the ground from the impact.
“Urgh!”
It wasn’t an ordinary woman’s kick.
The body Jin Mi Yeon once considered beautiful was honed to perfection by years of experience as a warrior. It embodied strength without excess.
Even without the use of internal energy, there was no way a seasoned body like his would collapse so easily under the kick of a normal woman.
“You! How dare you! To me!”
Thud! Smash! Thud!
Her furious kicks rained down on Baek Woo Jin, pummeling his entire body. Each blow lifted him off the ground as she trampled and struck him again and again.
“Hah… hah…!”
Bones cracked, and blood splattered.
Only after she had beaten him into a blood-soaked mess did Jin Mi Yeon begin to catch her breath. She regained the reason she had momentarily lost.
Her gaze fell upon Baek Woo Jin’s crushed muscles and fractured bones. Yet, despite his ravaged state, his unwavering eyes remained the same.
The gaze that had filled with admiration just moments ago was now filled with disappointment.
“Yes… I was wrong to think otherwise.”
She didn’t need someone who would spout nonsense without knowing their place.
She had decided to abandon the idea of having him entirely. It was enough for him to serve as a mere decoration to embellish her life sacrificed for the demonic cult.
“I’ll completely destroy that personality of yours.”
She forcibly twisted his tightly closed lips open. Into the gap she had pried apart, she shoved a pill imbued with demonic energy and made him swallow it by force.
“If it were up to me, I’d turn you into a demon in one go… but I’ll hold back on that, for now.”
Doing so wouldn’t simply stop at making him lose his reason; it would reduce him to something less than a dog baring its fangs at its own master.
Instead, she intended to drastically increase the quantity of the pills, which she had previously fed him sparingly, one at a time, in deference to his sense of self.
“Just wait a little longer. Soon, your hell will begin. The moment the dormant demonic energy crosses a certain threshold, it will slowly awaken, corrode your sanity, and stain your insides black.”
The process would be so painful and tormenting that he would beg to be killed.
“When that pain comes… beg me for mercy. I might consider offering some relief as I crush your groveling head underfoot.”
Baek Woo Jin could feel the demonic energy invading his body, and just like before, it started spreading to every corner.
The much denser energy had already started showing signs of a slow, pulsating rhythm. At this rate, it wouldn’t take more than a few days for the transformation process she described to begin.
As her swollen eyes met his eyes, she felt the composure she had barely regained slipping away again.
“What a lofty dream…”
His tone, as if declaring such a thing would never happen, made Jin Mi Yeon clench her fists tightly. Her body started trembling until she finally scoffed and turned away.
“Hmph! Let’s go.”
Tang Yeon Shin gave Baek Woo Jin who was sprawled on the floor a brief glance before quickly following after her.
***
After thoroughly turning Jin Mi Yeon’s mood upside down, Baek Woo Jin lost most of the freedoms he once enjoyed.
He was no longer allowed to roam the shared space freely, and the single pill he had been given at a time became three. This accelerated the accumulation of demonic energy within him.
“This is fine… even better.”
Now, he could gauge the remaining time by observing the demonic energy, which had grown to a level noticeable with just a little focus.
It seemed that in roughly three or four days, the suppressed demonic energy would begin to stir and awaken.
“Please eat.”
The third meal of the day arrived. It was a modest meal, a far cry from the extravagant feast that had once been so lavish it had broken the table legs.
After storming off in a rage, she tossed a single bowl of pale watery porridge that could hardly be called food onto the table.
Baek Woo Jin had protested furiously, and what he received in return was this meager improvement.
“Wait a moment.”
He stopped the woman who was about to leave after placing the meal down.
She turned back to face him.
“What is it?”
“I have a question.”
She remained silent and just stood there staring at Baek Woo Jin, which he took as a sign that she was willing to listen.
“Why did your clan pledge allegiance to the Demonic Cult?”
Her gaze flashed like the edge of a blade.
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