The Collar of Obedience

“And you.”

Seol Ah-heon was startled out of his thoughts by Baek Geon-ha’s call.

“Yes?!”

Something flew through the air. He caught it by reflex, and it turned out to be an iron box.

“This is…….”

“Open it.”

For some reason, memories of when he first retrieved the Soul-Snow Divine Pill overlapped. It, too, had been kept in a wooden box of similar size.

Seol Ah-heon opened the iron box, just as he had done back then.

“……Argh!”

However, what popped out this time was not a valuable item like the Soul-Snow Divine Pill.

“B-bug! What kind of bug is this……!”

A jet-black larva that looked like a sea cucumber was wriggling inside the box. Just looking at it made him feel nauseous.

“Swallow it.”

“Pardon?”

He was so shocked that the question slipped out before he could stop it.

Surely not. Even if he was a demon, making him swallow a bug was going too far.

But Baek Geon-ha shattered any remaining hope with his gentle tone.

“Didn’t you hear me? I said swallow it.”

“…….”

Seol Ah-heon stared down at the bug with a pale face.

He had already been bold enough to question Baek Geon-ha once. He had been lucky enough to get away with it that time, but it wouldn’t happen twice.

‘……Right, just close your eyes and swallow it.’

He truly didn’t want to, but Seol Ah-heon picked up the bug.

Suddenly, a ‘balance game’ he had seen on the internet crossed his mind.

[Living with a cockroach for 1 billion won vs. living alone]

Netizens in the comment section had been arguing back and forth. There were opinions ranging from “I’d consider it if they added another 500 million” to “I’m already living like that, so just give me the billion.”

But here he was, having to eat a bug without getting anything in return.

And judging by the vibe, this wasn’t just any bug; it was a Gu-poison.

Gu-poison (蠱毒).

A bug used by the Demonic Cult to control their subordinates.

The effects varied depending on the type of Gu, but one thing remained the same: whoever swallowed it could no longer refuse orders.

As expected, Baek Geon-ha spoke.

“Do you know what this is?”

“……It looks like a Gu-poison.”

“No. This is your leash.”

A chill ran down his spine, as if a cold iron chain had touched his neck.

“If you defy me while this is inside you, the Gu will go berserk. You will feel pain unlike anything you’ve ever experienced in your life. If you’re curious, try it. You’ll find out for yourself.”

“N-no, I won’t. I won’t defy you.”

“That’s how it should be.”

Baek Geon-ha smiled deeply. Was it just his imagination, or did his voice drip with wicked delight?

Regardless, it was clear that resistance was impossible.

Seol Ah-heon squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed the Gu.

“……Ugh…….”

The Gu slid down his throat. He felt the bug travel down his esophagus into his stomach, and suddenly, heat gathered around his navel.

He could feel something wriggling and settling in. This sensation was just like……

‘……It’s like a giant parasite.’

That wasn’t exactly wrong, either. In martial arts novels, the setting that “a Gu settles in the host’s dantian” appeared quite often. It seemed the Gu he had swallowed was that type.

‘Is this around where my dantian is?’

He hadn’t wanted to feel the existence of his dantian in such a way.

Just as he clutched his stomach, where a heavy pain was spreading, Baek Geon-ha started walking.

“Don’t dally, follow me.”

“……Am I going with you, Young Cult Leader?”

Seol Ah-heon added, realizing he’d spoken out of turn.

“I do not mean to defy you, it is just, I was worried I might be a burden to your glorious journey…….”

Flattery is a skill one must practice, and his attempt felt awkward. As expected, Baek Geon-ha’s reaction was unimpressed.

“Then? Do you wish to remain in the Cult?”

“N-no, not at all.”

If he answered ‘Yes’ here, he would definitely be sent back to the Thunder Jail. He’d rather go on an outing with the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult than be locked up in that boring space.

‘Wait, is that true? No matter how terrible the Thunder Jail is, can it really compare to being at Baek Geon-ha’s side…….’

Baek Geon-ha brushed his sleeves and walked away. His stride was so long that he was already far ahead in an instant.

Seol Ah-heon stopped his fruitless comparison and hurried his pace.

Yes, why worry? I never had a choice to begin with.

Before he knew it, evening had arrived. The scorching sunset was dyeing the world red.

The shadow of the man crossing the center of it stretched out long.

Seol Ah-heon looked down at the shadow that was on the verge of touching him, feeling unsettled, and gently stepped aside.

**************************************

The Demonic Cult’s headquarters was as flamboyant and vast as its reputation. He had been walking for quite a while, but there was no end in sight.

They finally reached the exit, but there were so many stairs that it felt like rolling down them would be faster.

“Huff, huff…….”

Seol Ah-heon panted.

He hadn’t been like this when he first possessed this body, but it seemed his physical stamina had deteriorated while locked in the Thunder Jail.

Baek Geon-ha’s fast pace was also a problem. Perhaps it was because his legs were long. He looked like he was walking leisurely, yet with one blink, he would be far ahead. Thanks to that, Seol Ah-heon was in the position of a small bird trying to keep up with a crane.

‘He’s not planning on continuing all night, is he?’

It would be ridiculous to rest as soon as they started, but it was already too late. The edge of the sunset was burning in the western sky as if it were glowing. It seemed even that would soon be buried in darkness.

Seol Ah-heon cast his gaze far ahead. Below the steep stairs, a cliff unfolded. That place must already be pitch-black, like the middle of the night.

‘They say nothing is as dangerous as hiking at night…….’

Since he couldn’t see well, it was easy to miss a step and difficult to maintain body temperature.

If that was the case for hiking on Earth, hiking in the Murim world would be far more dangerous. After all, this was a world where tigers hadn’t gone extinct.

If he made a single mistake, he could end up as a tiger’s midnight snack. A particularly diligent snack that delivered itself right to their doorstep.

No matter how he thought about it, it seemed right to rest for today and leave tomorrow morning.

‘Well, that’s only a problem for me. Baek Geon-ha would be fine whether he met a tiger or bandits.’

What is the tiger doing, not biting the future Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult?

He thought, glaring at the proudly shining silver hair. Just then, Baek Geon-ha turned around abruptly.

‘Hick.’

Did he have eyes in the back of his head? Or perhaps, as a master of immense martial arts, he had sensed him with his internal energy.

Reproaching himself for being naive, Seol Ah-heon lowered his eyes belatedly.

But he didn’t know. Baek Geon-ha didn’t care about Seol Ah-heon’s gaze at all. And the fact that the person Baek Geon-ha turned to face was someone else.

“I have handled it as you ordered.”

A voice came from behind. Startled, Seol Ah-heon looked back.

A man wearing a black bamboo hat pulled low and carrying a bundle on his back was coming down the stairs.

His face was hidden, but he felt like it was Mu Il-young.

Baek Geon-ha teased him.

“You’re quite early. I thought you might have been hit by a blind sword.”

“I was a little late preparing proper windbreaks.”

“Ah, I see. Windbreaks are important.”

“However…….”

Mu Il-young turned his head slightly. For some reason, he felt a sharp gaze. It could have been a misunderstanding since his face was hidden by the bamboo hat, but—

“Are you taking the Ice Block along, too?”

“Yes.”

“He will be absolutely useless.”

The fact that he asked right here was to insult Seol Ah-heon. But Seol Ah-heon actually welcomed Mu Il-young’s point.

‘Yes! Please, I want to know too. Why on earth are you taking me?!’

He waited for the answer with a nervous heart. Finally, the seductive lips opened.

“He is the guide.”

“Understood.”

Mu Il-young accepted it easily. But Seol Ah-heon’s doubts were not resolved in the slightest.

‘I’m not a navigation system; how am I supposed to be a guide?’

This was a strange world to Seol Ah-heon. Naturally, the geography was also unfamiliar.

Of course, thanks to reading martial arts novels, he knew the general geography of the Central Plains. For example, that the Mount Hua Sect, the background of The Chronicles of Mount Hua, was located in Shaanxi Province, or that the Shaolin Temple was in neighboring Henan Province.

But he couldn’t do anything with such rough information. In the first place, there was no reason Baek Geon-ha would need a guide.

‘Guide, guide. Is it some kind of slang…….’

No plausible guess came to mind. Seol Ah-heon decided to put this problem aside for now and solve the problem immediately at hand.

“Young Cult Leader, there is something I must tell you…….”

Seol Ah-heon stepped forward timidly. He didn’t want to provoke Baek Geon-ha’s temper if he could help it, but he had to say this in advance.

“What is it?”

“I…… actually, I cannot perform light-foot skills (Gong-gong).”

“……What?”

“I forgot them after being subjected to the Soul-Binding Art…….”

He used the all-purpose excuse of the Soul-Binding Art again. However, when he thought about it, this excuse had never once worked on Baek Geon-ha.

Especially this time, it was worse. Baek Geon-ha didn’t just disbelieve Seol Ah-heon; he seemed to despise him.

“Are you insane?”

“…….”

“You dare try to deceive me with such a half-hearted lie?”

Ha, he finally let out a cold laugh.

It seemed Baek Geon-ha was angrier at the fact that the lie was clumsy than at the fact that Seol Ah-heon had lied to him.

‘It’s not just a lie…….’

Regardless, it was the truth that he couldn’t perform light-foot skills. He just had to use the Soul-Binding Art as an excuse while trying to explain the reason.

Wasn’t this more plausible than saying he had possessed the body of ‘Ice Block’ Seol Ah-heon?

“I suppose the guy who used clever movements to infiltrate the secret library of the Cult ended up dead? And what’s in front of me now is a monkey wearing his skin.”

Baek Geon-ha sneered. But ironically, that statement was the closest to the truth.

Ice Block Seol Ah-heon was dead, and he had possessed the body right after.

Since humans are also primates, the term ‘a monkey wearing skin’ wasn’t exactly wrong.