Chapter 35
The Heavenly Demon and the Starfish (2)
Inside the large cave of an unnamed mountain was a surprisingly pleasant space.
The ceiling was adorned with stalactites, and embedded among them were glowing stones that emitted a faint, shimmering light.
Cool, refreshing air flowed through the interior.
Deeper inside, an ancient-looking wooden door came into view.
Knock, knock, knock.
When they tapped carefully, the sliding door opened with a soft sound.
Inside was a small room, furnished elegantly with refined and tasteful decor.
“Are you from Bokbok Interiors?”
An elderly man wearing sunglasses greeted them with a warm smile, his white robe fluttering gently.
He was none other than the Earth Dragon God, said to make the soil fertile.
“Hello, sir. I’m Jang Chaewon from Bokbok Interiors.”
Jang Chaewon bowed politely, and the Heavenly Demon clasped his hands and gave a deep martial salute.
“It’s an honor to meet you, elder.”
“You’ve come a long way. Thank you for your trouble.”
When the Earth Dragon God removed his stylish sunglasses, his eyes were revealed to be a dim gray.
Having lived his life underground, his eyesight had degenerated completely.
“You requested a demolition service — what exactly would you like us to take down?”
Jang Chaewon looked around awkwardly.
The room was full of furniture and books, but most of them were made of light wood.
He figured that even he alone could probably clear it all within two hours.
“Hahaha. I’ve grown old, you see. I used to move things myself, but now it’s too much effort.”
“Do you wish for all these items to be carried out, elder?”
The Heavenly Demon asked as he glanced around. The Earth Dragon God smiled gently.
“That’s right. I heard the staff of Bokbok Interiors are famously strong.”
The Heavenly Demon shrugged his shoulders.
“Just give me a moment. I’ll have it done in no time.”
He picked up one of the chairs in the cave—
and suddenly, his expression faltered.
‘What in the world…?’
To his surprise, even with his monstrous strength, he couldn’t lift the small chair easily.
“Ah, that chair weighs about three tons.”
“Three tons?”
The Heavenly Demon’s eyes gleamed.
“That small chair weighs over 800 gwan?”
“Roughly, yes. It’s made from Divine Spiritwood.”
“Wood? There’s wood that heavy in this world?”
“Well, to be precise, it’s closer to metal. It can only be processed with divine power, though its surface looks wooden — hence the name Spiritwood.”
The Earth Dragon God smiled faintly.
“Most of the furniture here is made from Spiritwood. Ordinary strength won’t even budge it.”
So that was it — the demolition request wasn’t because the god was idle, but because it was truly impossible to move.
“Elder, why is my inner power not surging here?”
“Your inner power?”
“Yes — that fiery energy rising from the ground.”
“Ah, you mean the divine energy from the Sacred Land?”
The Earth Dragon God shook his head.
“I’ve already relocated my dwelling elsewhere. This place can no longer be called a Sacred Land.”
“I see…”
Though his voice was calm, sweat beaded on the Heavenly Demon’s forehead.
His current cultivation was barely equivalent to twenty years of internal power.
Without divine energy present, he’d have to rely entirely on his body and the taxing Heavenly Demon’s Great Power technique to move the furniture.
“Will it be too difficult?”
The god asked with concern, but the Heavenly Demon shook his head.
“This is nothing. Consider it done.”
He waved both hands confidently.
“Two hours. At most two hours and the job will be finished.”
“Excellent. I’m glad to hear it.”
The Earth Dragon God nodded and spread his arms.
“It will be hard work, so I’ll pay you in advance. Generously, I might add — I think you’ll be pleased.”
In that instant, the Heavenly Demon’s body flared with heat.
A surge of divine energy poured into his dantian like wildfire.
‘Ten years?’
The amount equaled nearly ten years’ worth of cultivation — the greatest reward he had ever received.
‘Halfway there. I’ve reached half of one Gapja cycle.’
“It’ll be tough, but please do your best.”
The Heavenly Demon pressed his palms together respectfully.
“Rest assured. I’ll clear everything perfectly.”
The Earth Dragon God smiled and turned to Jang Chaewon.
“While he works, would you accompany me to the town? I’d like some advice on decorating my new home.”
“Oh—of course. Good luck with the work!”
The Heavenly Demon nodded silently.
“Go ahead.”
“Huff… huff…”
The Heavenly Demon’s tongue was nearly hanging out.
A small chair weighed 800 gwan, a little table 1,300 gwan, and a small dresser — over 2,400 gwan!
“At least not everything here is made of that wood…”
If all the furniture had been, he’d have been hauling things all night long.
“Huff… huff…”
About an hour passed.
Half the furniture was gone, and his face was dripping with sweat.
“Strange… why am I so exhausted already?”
Panting heavily, he suddenly remembered what happened that morning.
Bloodline Marionettes.
He had injected his inner power into dozens of wooden dolls linked by steel wire to make them fight like martial experts — a technique that consumed tremendous energy.
To train the swallow, he had recklessly overused the Heavenly Demon’s Great Power, straining his body.
“Mm…”
He looked up at the massive bookshelf still left in the room.
It was wider than his entire body and probably weighed over 3,000 gwan.
He summoned all his strength again — his pupils gleaming with light, his body radiating crimson mist.
“Hup…!”
As he lifted the bookshelf onto his back, his body wavered.
Veins bulged, and his muscles trembled violently.
Finally—
Thud!
He dropped to one knee as the shelf crashed to the ground with a metallic hum.
“To think that I, conqueror of the martial world, would kneel before a mere piece of furniture!”
Lifting nearly thirteen tons with no internal energy left was beyond human limits.
Yet he felt utter despair at being unable to move even one bookshelf.
“This cannot be…”
Soon, Jang Chaewon and the Earth Dragon God would return.
If they saw him sprawled on the floor like this — the humiliation would be unbearable.
“Urgh…”
He tried again, mustering every ounce of strength—
but after a few steps, he collapsed completely.
“Damn it…”
No matter how hard he tried, the bookshelf wouldn’t budge.
For the first time since mastering martial arts, he felt defeat — and helplessness seeped through his body.
As he lay there drained, his eyes began to close.
Then—
“Kkyu?”
A clear cry echoed, and a small white creature appeared before his eyes.
It was the starfish, the swallow.
“You again. Sneaking in here, huh?”
The swallow was lightning-fast and could shrink its size to fit even inside a rice bowl.
No matter how carefully the Heavenly Demon checked his toolbox or Jang Chaewon’s car, the creature always managed to sneak along.
“Kkyu-gyu.”
It let out a sad little sound at the sight of him collapsed.
“Are you mocking me?”
“Kkyu.”
“Yes, yes. I wasted my power training you. Laugh all you want.”
The Heavenly Demon shut his eyes in self-reproach.
This peaceful world had made him forget even the instinct to save a bit of strength for danger.
Crunch, crunch…
Suddenly, a strange sound came from behind him.
He turned his head — the swallow was chewing on the bookshelf that had pinned him down.
“What the… a starfish eating wood?”
Then he remembered the Earth Dragon God’s words—
“It’s closer to metal. Only divine power can process it…”
“This stuff’s metal?”
The weight pressing on his back lightened quickly — the swallow had eaten more than half the shelf!
Thud.
As the Heavenly Demon stood, the remainder crashed to the ground with a heavy clang.
Then the swallow began devouring the rest enthusiastically.
Crunch, crunch. Chomp, chomp, chomp.
It munched through the Spiritwood — heavier than steel — as if it were a cracker.
“As expected of a divine beast…”
When it finished the entire bookshelf, the swallow stared up at him, then turned toward the rest of the furniture and let out another cry.
He finally understood what it meant.
“Kkyu? (Can I eat those too?)”
The Heavenly Demon nodded.
“Go ahead. We’re clearing it all anyway.”
“Kkyu! (Thank you! Immense gratitude!)”
In less than thirty minutes, the swallow had devoured almost everything in the room.
When the exhausted Heavenly Demon stepped out of the cave, the creature followed behind him.
Outside, piles of furniture he had already moved were stacked neatly.
“You’re not going to eat those too?”
Normally, the creature would have started there first.
“Don’t tell me… you came to ask permission before eating?”
“Kkyu. (Nope.)”
“So you are listening to me now?”
“Kkyu-kyu. (Nah, I just didn’t want my owner to scold me.)”
Completely misunderstanding the cries, the Heavenly Demon’s face brightened.
“I see. The Bloodline Marionette training worked!”
Smiling proudly, he crossed his arms.
“Very well. From this day forth, you shall serve under me. You are now an official employee of Bokbok Interiors.”
The swallow drooped its shoulders.
“Kkyuu… (Delusion is free, I guess…)”
