The Martial Master - 74 Questions.

“Work for me, and I’ll grant you any wish you desire!”

“..?”

…

…

*COUGH*

“Wha..? I’m still alive?”

A confused murmur escaped in a strangely blackened world. This world was encompassed in numerous streaks of bladed wind, and in front of the source of the murmur, a shaky hut stood.

Nevertheless, the entire world seemed to be vague, fogged. Incomplete to a drastic degree.

“Yes!”

All of a sudden, and responding to this murmur, a pitch-black figure materialised and stared at a beaten down boy. This boy, though, didn’t seem to be real but more of a ghost.

His entire body was semi-transparent and shrouded in a pale white. What was also odd was that the uncountable streaks of sharp wind didn’t even react to his presence…

“But…”

The boy’s eyes shivered as an onslaught of memories battered him. Tears welled, and as he stared at that insidious figure in front of him, he clenched his teeth!

“Goddammit!!”

Rage fermented as he pummelled the blackened dirt beneath him, but the ground didn’t even tremor. It remained deathly still, not even a speck of dirt reacted.

“Oh..?”

The black figure’s stark white eyes widened as an etching grin encapsulated his being. The boy took a glimpse of this, but this only magnified the rage in his broken heart…

“You’re one of them as well!! Then, then… Just kill with me then! I don’t have anything left anyway!”

Indignation shrouded him as the boy stuttered to a halt and awaited death. There was no grace for him being alive, he would rather be dead and forget about these disturbing memories. They irked, seethed in his soul-like body and forming an invisible and elusive pain; one that stabbed much harder than anything physical!

He doesn’t even know where he is right now and how he got here, but he felt horrified. He felt as if he were in a slaughterhouse, and his heart would unendingly thump due to this; no matter how hard he tried to calm down.

Those streaking black blades of wind, that strange hut, they all terrorised him! Yet, these all ignored him as if he wasn’t even worth their time, and this left a bad taste in his mouth.

‘I’m not even worth death, am I? Death isn’t worthy for someone who deserves much worse!’

Despair was riddled in his dark eyes as he found his existence to be pointless. But that black figure remained still.

“How could I let you die when you have been so masterfully transported into the world you fear and I love? Hehe, you see, you may be of use for the Martial!”

The black figure’s eyes brightened as he lifted his hand into the air.

“Boy, I will form a body for you and set you out to serve the Martial! For this could be considered a chance for you, so don’t go thinking about death but think about bringing death to appease your cracked heart! Fill that heart with that feeling, and tie it up so that you can forget! Because death won’t be your saviour, trust me.”

Following this, a strange haze of concentrated black got puffed out of the figure’s hand. It swished and churned in the placid air of a fake world, glistening like a precious jewel.

“Form the bloodline of the Martial’s first servant, the Martial Warrior of the high realm!”

As these words echoed, a bright everlasting light pierced the world and emerged before the figure! It shone with an ethereal atmosphere, and within this light, two wisps of dark blood swayed!

These wisps brought with them a disastrous aura, and the world responded with a fierce shake! In fact, within the world’s sky, dormant heavenly energy began to seethe.

“I have to fight your races High Heaven’s to do this, so Kid, you better be grateful!”

A serious twitch flickered around the figures grin as he stared at the sky that was beginning to waver. The limitless streaks of black wind also replied, humming and then pulsating with anger toward the sky!

“By the catalysed nature of the true Martial Bloodline, I command creation itself to form a bloodline! Because, through the power of the Martial, creation is my plaything!”

The two wisps in front of him shook with a strange tremor as fierce energy escaped from the figure and into it. The energy formed a constant black stream of obscureness, one that caused the boy’s heart to shake even further.

*ROARRRR*

Yet, with a shocking emergence, a blood-curdling roar echoed out of the sky! A fierce killing intent then formed, aimed right at the black figure!

“Man, I wish I could just form this bloodline in the lower realm and face that shitty version of the heavens, but the world still has laws I can’t go against…”

He sighed, then with eyes beginning to seethe amidst an old power, he ignored the growl and clenched his fogged palm and grasped the two wisps of blood in front of him.

*MMMMMM*

An even denser concentration of darkened energy spewed into the two wisps, causing them to shake with keen cries of excitement!

“I guess I’ll need to push myself to activate the required law within these wisps… The Martial Bloodline never ceases to amaze me…”

His eyes narrowed as a rare sense of nostalgia shined, but he quickly revoked such feelings as that killing-intent in the sky hastened!

…

…

“… So you want me to guard your daughter?”

A confused expression was etched on Su Min’s face as he gazed at the old man.

“Yes! I have seen your heart, and it is perfect for the situation!”

The old man clapped as his face’s smile widened even more, full of brimming hope.

Though, Su Min didn’t really understand why the old man was going all through this…

“Then why don’t you just force someone else to guard her? Isn’t threatening to take their life enough to stop any apparent ‘lust’ filled thoughts from entering their minds?”

Common questions emerged that anyone would ask to the strange situation. Because, death is what most fear, so why would they go against the commands of a powerful overseer all to appease a heartful desire?

“Hahaha! Good questions, but you’ll understand when you see her!”

A perplexing laugh escaped out of the old man as he awaited the answer anyway.

“… Mhm, so why don’t you just force me?”

Su Min still wasn’t having it as caution flashed.

“Well, if I were to force you then you might not work to your fullest potential, or even do something that disregards my command! No employer wants their employees to hate them when they aren’t even there to supervise, right?”

The old man smirked as he continued to wait for the response.

“That’s fine then… Uh, but aren’t you a heavenly being, whilst I’m an ancient? Shouldn’t you hate me?”

*Rumble*

“Bwah, that stuff is stupid if you ask me! Not that it matters right now, as my daughter will be going to the Martial section to train in a rare sect that cultivates heavenly energy! And as I said earlier, I need you to guard her and stay with her at ALL times. The Heavenly section is too boring for my taste, so she needs to feel the danger of the other energies, like your ancient nature!”

Su Min’s eyes shined for the first time. If he was going to be transported to the Martial section then finding humanity would be a lot easier! If so then he could disregard using the wish he would be granted if he could find their location himself.

Well, that’s if what the old man is saying isn’t a lie. But, why would he lie?

“There are sects that cultivate Heavenly energy in a Martial Zone?”

Though, Su Min was still puzzled by that fact…

“Heh, you see that these three sections are formed to be biased to a certain energy, but that doesn’t mean you can’t cultivate and comprehend the others! You should know that sensing ancient energy in this realm is more difficult compared to doing it in the Ancient Section.”

The old man explained, and Su Min nodded half-heartedly.

‘So there are three sections in the world… Though I wouldn’t benefit from any of it as I cannot even go any further with ancient energy right now, so Martial cultivation is the only path I can take.’

As this thought entered Su Min firmed his mind…

“One final thing… How long do I have to do this for?”

“…”

“A year!”

Su Min froze whilst the old man’s eyes narrowed.

‘Agh. That’s way too long… Hm… But, there will be a possibility if I am able to convince this old man’s daughter to, let’s say, explore and coincidentally find the human sect… I can’t refuse anyway, as what will happen to me then?’

*RUMBLE*

A strange rumble shook around Su Min as his dormant aura sprung back and covered him in a haze of gold. An atmosphere of a pinnacle being spread, causing shivers to crawl on the ground and the chains that bound him.

*RATTLE*

“I accept!”

The old man’s face lifted into joy as he appeared before Su Min and patted his back.

“Good good! You’re bringing great help to this old man here!”