Episode 009
The sound grew closer.
Like a fully loaded sack of rice being dragged across the ground—
a long scraping noise, jiiiik, jiiik, mixed with the heavy thud of firm footsteps.
In my hazy state, I wondered who it could be.
‘Aunt Yuk…?’
No.
That couldn’t be.
Aunt Yuk was…
dead.
“……!”
My eyes snapped open. I immediately turned my head toward the source of the sound.
A few candles flickered around me, barely illuminating my surroundings.
Black stone walls.
Stalactites hanging from the ceiling.
I was lying on top of a rock inside some kind of cave.
Then—
the moment I looked ahead—
“Mmgh!”
I had to swallow the scream that nearly burst out of my mouth.
Right in front of me…!
A monster stood there—far more terrifying than any wolf.
“Grrrrr…!”
I didn’t even see when it climbed up, but the massive, pitch-black creature loomed over me on all fours, tilting its head as it stared down.
Its appearance was horrifying.
Wild, tangled black hair spread in all directions like a mess of thorns, and from its eyes flowed a crimson glow like dripping blood.
“Mm… mmph…!”
I almost fainted.
But I forcefully grabbed onto my slipping consciousness.
‘If I pass out… I die!’
I forced my eyes open and glared at the creature.
It wore a black mask over the right side of its face, and its right upper body was covered in something like iron armor. Every movement produced a sharp clanking sound.
And then I realized—
‘No! It’s not a monster!’
That was the Heavenly Demon.
Ak Gunhwi.
At that moment—
“Grrrrr…!”
The “monster”—no, the Heavenly Demon—opened his mouth wide and slowly lowered his head toward me.
I immediately understood what was about to happen.
‘I’m going to get eaten!’
I quickly shoved my hand under my clothes and grabbed what I had hidden.
The branch of wild pear blossoms tucked into my waistband.
My way to survive!
Pulling it out, I shouted:
“A-Ak Gunhwi!”
At my cry, the Heavenly Demon—his jaws wide open right before my face—blinked.
His pitch-black eyes rolled once before locking onto me.
Without hesitation, I smacked his forehead with the flower branch.
“C-come to your senses—!”
The small white blossoms scattered as they struck his face—
“Grr… gh—ghaaah…!”
The Heavenly Demon trembled violently, groaning in pain.
Not because I hit him.
But because of the flowers.
It was a scene from Absolute Young Master.
(Hyeok Murin flashback excerpt preserved conceptually)
The Heavenly Demon Ak Gunhwi always surrounded himself with pear blossoms.
According to rumors, it was to worsen his madness.
But—
the truth was the opposite.
Pear blossoms were the one thing that could suppress his madness.
“Kh…!”
As expected, after being struck with the pear blossoms, the Heavenly Demon trembled and crouched down in front of me.
That was my limit.
“Haa…!”
I let out a choked cry and rolled away from him.
‘I need to run!’
I wanted to escape.
‘But… where?’
There was nowhere to go.
Then—
suddenly, the Heavenly Demon let out a roar that shook the heavens.
“AAAAAAAH—!”
He swung both arms wildly.
His long sleeves billowed—then collapsed.
At the same time—
BOOM! BOOM!
Massive explosions erupted above.
“Waaah!”
Caught in the shockwave, I was thrown and rolled across the ground like a dry leaf in a storm before slamming hard onto the stone floor.
Above me, the ceiling groaned like a roaring dragon.
I blinked weakly upward.
The ceiling was collapsing.
Sharp stalactites came crashing down.
I shut my eyes tightly and curled up.
‘So this is how I die…’
Really…
I have no luck.
Not in my past life, and not in this one either.
It hurt to realize I didn’t even have someone to miss at the end.
A life filled with pain—twice over.
So this is how it ends.
And yet…
why was the last thing I saw—
the Heavenly Demon’s face?
I quietly looked at him.
Strangely… he looked completely different now.
His once wild hair had settled neatly, shining softly.
His twisted, monstrous expression had relaxed into something composed.
The crimson glow in his eyes had disappeared, replaced by deep black.
Those eyes reflected me.
Like a clear mirror.
Then Ak Gunhwi slowly spoke:
“…The madness has subsided.”
His voice was low, like the resonance of a string instrument—surprisingly beautiful.
“How did you do it?”
I turned my head slightly.
Broken stalactites were scattered everywhere—
but the space around me was untouched.
He must have protected it.
So…
I survived again.
Suppressing the surge of emotion inside me, I barely managed to speak:
“I-I’m the Heavenly Saint Star…”
His eyes narrowed.
“The Heavenly Saint Star…”
He continued:
“There was a prophecy from Manhye Su-sa. The only way to suppress the madness of the Heavenly Killing Star… is the blood of the Heavenly Saint Star.”
For some reason, his voice sounded hollow.
I looked into his dark eyes.
Strangely…
he looked just as exhausted as I felt.
But that emptiness quickly vanished.
His face turned cold again.
“Then… you may be quite useful.”
In the next instant, he picked me up and kicked off the ground.
“Mm—!”
My body lifted into the air. I grabbed his robe tightly, suppressing a scream.
In a single leap, he soared dozens of meters and landed somewhere else.
In front of him, the warriors of the Heavenly Demon Cult knelt.
“We, the Heavenly Demon Cult, pledge absolute obedience!”
Then a familiar voice rang out:
“Cult Leader, congratulations on your return!”
It was Blood Demon Ranbi.
Striking his chest proudly, he declared:
“I am the one who found the Heavenly Saint Star!”
Ak Gunhwi nodded.
“Blood Demon. You’ve brought a suitable sacrifice.”
Then he handed me over.
“But this one seems useful. Keep it alive.”
Blood Demon Ranbi shouted:
“We pledge absolute obedience!”
Resting against his broad chest, I finally let the tears fall.
Clenching my teeth, I made a vow—
again, for what felt like the hundredth time today.
I would survive.
No matter what.
Even in this insane world where survival seemed impossible—
I would endure to the very end.
Here’s your Episode 009 translation, keeping character names and tone consistent:
Episode 009
The sound grew closer.
Like a fully loaded sack of rice being dragged across the ground—
a long scraping noise, jiiiik, jiiik, mixed with the heavy thud of firm footsteps.
In my hazy state, I wondered who it could be.
‘Aunt Yuk…?’
No.
That couldn’t be.
Aunt Yuk was…
dead.
“……!”
My eyes snapped open. I immediately turned my head toward the source of the sound.
A few candles flickered around me, barely illuminating my surroundings.
Black stone walls.
Stalactites hanging from the ceiling.
I was lying on top of a rock inside some kind of cave.
Then—
the moment I looked ahead—
“Mmgh!”
I had to swallow the scream that nearly burst out of my mouth.
Right in front of me…!
A monster stood there—far more terrifying than any wolf.
“Grrrrr…!”
I didn’t even see when it climbed up, but the massive, pitch-black creature loomed over me on all fours, tilting its head as it stared down.
Its appearance was horrifying.
Wild, tangled black hair spread in all directions like a mess of thorns, and from its eyes flowed a crimson glow like dripping blood.
“Mm… mmph…!”
I almost fainted.
But I forcefully grabbed onto my slipping consciousness.
‘If I pass out… I die!’
I forced my eyes open and glared at the creature.
It wore a black mask over the right side of its face, and its right upper body was covered in something like iron armor. Every movement produced a sharp clanking sound.
And then I realized—
‘No! It’s not a monster!’
That was the Heavenly Demon.
Ak Gunhwi.
At that moment—
“Grrrrr…!”
The “monster”—no, the Heavenly Demon—opened his mouth wide and slowly lowered his head toward me.
I immediately understood what was about to happen.
‘I’m going to get eaten!’
I quickly shoved my hand under my clothes and grabbed what I had hidden.
The branch of wild pear blossoms tucked into my waistband.
My way to survive!
Pulling it out, I shouted:
“A-Ak Gunhwi!”
At my cry, the Heavenly Demon—his jaws wide open right before my face—blinked.
His pitch-black eyes rolled once before locking onto me.
Without hesitation, I smacked his forehead with the flower branch.
“C-come to your senses—!”
The small white blossoms scattered as they struck his face—
“Grr… gh—ghaaah…!”
The Heavenly Demon trembled violently, groaning in pain.
Not because I hit him.
But because of the flowers.
It was a scene from Absolute Young Master.
(Hyeok Murin flashback excerpt preserved conceptually)
The Heavenly Demon Ak Gunhwi always surrounded himself with pear blossoms.
According to rumors, it was to worsen his madness.
But—
the truth was the opposite.
Pear blossoms were the one thing that could suppress his madness.
“Kh…!”
As expected, after being struck with the pear blossoms, the Heavenly Demon trembled and crouched down in front of me.
That was my limit.
“Haa…!”
I let out a choked cry and rolled away from him.
‘I need to run!’
I wanted to escape.
‘But… where?’
There was nowhere to go.
Then—
suddenly, the Heavenly Demon let out a roar that shook the heavens.
“AAAAAAAH—!”
He swung both arms wildly.
His long sleeves billowed—then collapsed.
At the same time—
BOOM! BOOM!
Massive explosions erupted above.
“Waaah!”
Caught in the shockwave, I was thrown and rolled across the ground like a dry leaf in a storm before slamming hard onto the stone floor.
Above me, the ceiling groaned like a roaring dragon.
I blinked weakly upward.
The ceiling was collapsing.
Sharp stalactites came crashing down.
I shut my eyes tightly and curled up.
‘So this is how I die…’
Really…
I have no luck.
Not in my past life, and not in this one either.
It hurt to realize I didn’t even have someone to miss at the end.
A life filled with pain—twice over.
So this is how it ends.
And yet…
why was the last thing I saw—
the Heavenly Demon’s face?
I quietly looked at him.
Strangely… he looked completely different now.
His once wild hair had settled neatly, shining softly.
His twisted, monstrous expression had relaxed into something composed.
The crimson glow in his eyes had disappeared, replaced by deep black.
Those eyes reflected me.
Like a clear mirror.
Then Ak Gunhwi slowly spoke:
“…The madness has subsided.”
His voice was low, like the resonance of a string instrument—surprisingly beautiful.
“How did you do it?”
I turned my head slightly.
Broken stalactites were scattered everywhere—
but the space around me was untouched.
He must have protected it.
So…
I survived again.
Suppressing the surge of emotion inside me, I barely managed to speak:
“I-I’m the Heavenly Saint Star…”
His eyes narrowed.
“The Heavenly Saint Star…”
He continued:
“There was a prophecy from Manhye Su-sa. The only way to suppress the madness of the Heavenly Killing Star… is the blood of the Heavenly Saint Star.”
For some reason, his voice sounded hollow.
I looked into his dark eyes.
Strangely…
he looked just as exhausted as I felt.
But that emptiness quickly vanished.
His face turned cold again.
“Then… you may be quite useful.”
In the next instant, he picked me up and kicked off the ground.
“Mm—!”
My body lifted into the air. I grabbed his robe tightly, suppressing a scream.
In a single leap, he soared dozens of meters and landed somewhere else.
In front of him, the warriors of the Heavenly Demon Cult knelt.
“We, the Heavenly Demon Cult, pledge absolute obedience!”
Then a familiar voice rang out:
“Cult Leader, congratulations on your return!”
It was Blood Demon Ranbi.
Striking his chest proudly, he declared:
“I am the one who found the Heavenly Saint Star!”
Ak Gunhwi nodded.
“Blood Demon. You’ve brought a suitable sacrifice.”
Then he handed me over.
“But this one seems useful. Keep it alive.”
Blood Demon Ranbi shouted:
“We pledge absolute obedience!”
Resting against his broad chest, I finally let the tears fall.
Clenching my teeth, I made a vow—
again, for what felt like the hundredth time today.
I would survive.
No matter what.
Even in this insane world where survival seemed impossible—
I would endure to the very end.
