Episode 02: The Shadow of the Cult Is Everywhere
Sado Hwan.
Ranked 23rd in the Demonic Cult, and the legitimate son of the Sado Clan, one of the six major families that lead the Cult.
He was the master of the Black Shadow Corps, one of the Cult’s elite militant units, and was known as a Peak Expert on the verge of reaching the Super Peak level.
Famous for his arrogant and aristocratic deanor, he wasn’t just an expert in martial arts—he also enjoyed calligraphy, painting, and tea ceremonies, and was said to be musically talented as well.
In short, he had the image of a disgustingly perfect, jack-of-all-trades third-generation chaebol.
“But the reality was different.”
The truth was, he was a carefully fabricated master.
Why am I suddenly saying this?
Because I had beco Sado Hwan.
In front of stood about twenty people.
An elderly man at the front spoke in a panicked voice to a masked man beside him.
“How can the body not have changed?! Didn’t you say the grand technique succeeded?!”
“The ritual proceeded correctly. I’m certain his soul left the body.”
At my feet lay an unfamiliar man, collapsed in a pitiful state of disheveled clothing.
And the luxurious clothes I was wearing—
It didn’t take long to grasp the situation.
The collapsed man was Mujin, the protagonist of Return of the Murim.
And I was Sado Hwan.
I had entered the world of Return of the Murim, right at the mont when the protagonist Mujin and the Cult’s Sado Hwan switched bodies.
It wasn’t a dream. I secretly pinched my thigh—it hurt like hell.
“What the hell is this...”
It was sothing straight out of a .
The “grand technique” they ntioned was a forbidden ritual known as the Soul-Switching Technique—a sorcery that swaps souls between bodies.
That’s how Mujin had ended up in Sado Hwan’s body in the original story.
The problem was: I got caught in the middle.
Could it be that my perfect acting fooled the ritual into recognizing as Sado Hwan?
I had no way of knowing.
As I pieced things together, the people around beca visibly more cautious.
“There’s only one possible explanation.”
The masked man spoke in a grave tone.
“What is it?”
“His level is far beyond what we anticipated.”
“No way...”
The elderly man looked at with twitching cheeks.
“You’re saying... he’s reached the Super Peak?”
“There’s no other explanation.”
In Return of the Murim, the martial rankings went:
Third-rate → Second-rate → First-rate → Peak → Super Peak → Enlightened Realm → Sage Realm → Life-and-Death Realm.
From Sage Realm onward, it was considered the stuff of legends and history.
Most agreed that Enlightened Realm was the highest achievable stage for a human.
Even reaching Peak status ant you could rule over a region.
Super Peak—those were the top-tier powerhouses of the world.
So now, they thought I was one of those top-tier powerhouses.
‘I’m screwed.’
Because I wasn’t.
Like I said earlier, Sado Hwan was a fabricated master.
One grood by the Sado Clan, not through training, but by fraud.
Sado Hwan suffered from a rare condition that blocked the flow of internal energy to the outside.
He could endlessly accumulate inner energy, but he couldn’t release it.
In this world, warriors who could project their internal energy were called first-rate.
By that standard, Sado Hwan was no better than second-rate.
Of course, the sheer amount of energy stored was enormous.
When circulated within the body, it could emit an intimidating aura.
Even I could feel the imnse force within —like a waterfall surging, a vortex spiraling inside.
Inner energy.
I didn’t know a thing about martial arts techniques or cultivation thods, yet I could sense the absurd amount stored within .
But that was it.
I couldn’t manifest sword auras or energy blasts like true Super Peak experts.
In other words, Sado Hwan was a martial artist who only had bluff.
“Even the Sword Saint didn’t reach Super Peak at that age...”
The elder continued in shock.
“First the Cheonma, and now Sado Hwan. Why does heaven grant such power to that wicked cult?”
Thinking of forcibly swapping soone’s soul just for your gain seems more wicked, but that was the average view of the Demonic Cult.
Still, one thing was certain:
I had beco Sado Hwan, and these people were my enemies.
A truly screwed-up situation.
The people before were martial artists.
Martial artists, by nature, think of nothing but killing and fighting.
There was no way a regular guy like could fight them off.
“No choice. Collapse the cave.”
“W-What?! If we do that, we can’t perform the ritual again! Besides, this is an ancient ruin of the Jeonjin Sect!”
“Do you think the ritual or the ruin matters now? Weren’t there other ruins?”
“They’re not in our territory. A misstep could spark war!”
The elder pointed at .
“If that man leaves here alive, there will be war. Then better to be buried with him—for the sake of peace in the Murim.”
“But soon, the Black Shadow Corps will arrive looking for him. We can’t collapse the cave in ti!”
“Then I’ll buy us ti.”
The elder drew the sword from his waist.
“No matter if he’s reached Super Peak, he lacks experience. I can at least buy so ti.”
“But sir, if you do that—!”
“If my death can bring peace to the martial world, I offer it gladly.”
“Sir...!”
Looking at them, only one thought crossed my mind: What a load of crap.
They acted righteous, but they were the ones stealing souls for their benefit.
They were probably still plotting how to stab each other in the back.
They’d pretend to buy ti, then run off when things got dicey.
That was this elder’s true nature.
A walking martial arts cliché—he perfectly embodied the hypocrisy of a so-called “righteous sect.”
But his skill was real.
His blade began to shimr with a sacred, blue glow.
Woom...
The sword vibrated.
This was sword energy—the signature of a Peak Expert.
Though it’s a standard power gauge in martial arts novels, this alone could slice through stone like tofu.
If I fought, I’d be dead in a second.
“Draw your sword, Sado Hwan.”
Even the original Sado Hwan would die in this situation.
Bluffing wouldn't work against sword energy. I’d be nothing more than a practice dummy.
There was only one thing I could do.
The thing I was best at.
And in this mont, my lifeline—Acting.
‘I need to act like a powerhouse. Make them keep believing the illusion.’
They believed I was Super Peak.
Their instincts would force them to be cautious and defensive.
That would buy ti.
And that was all I needed, because the Black Shadow Corps would arrive soon.
They were already outside the cave, only held back by the formation around it.
In the original, Sado Hwan was captured and unconscious when the Corps arrived and confird the ritual site.
As a result, the protagonist was nearly branded a traitor and went through hell.
So I just needed to stall a little.
It wasn’t hard.
I’d just auditioned as a chaebol villain, and Sado Hwan wasn’t far from that mold.
Most of all, I had studied the characters of Return of the Murim more than anyone.
And it had already worked once.
Mujin, the original protagonist, had bluffed through several crises with clumsy acting.
I could do better.
He was a con artist—but I was an actor.
...An aspiring actor, but still.
I just had to hold my nerve.
Trust in my will and acting skill.
If it failed, I’d die anyway.
I focused power into my eyes.
‘Hmm?’
Just then—The vast energy resting in my lower abdon surged upward.
It stopped exactly at the spot behind my eyes.
The inner energy reacted to my will!
Suddenly, my vision beca hyper-clear.
In the dark cave, it was like watching in 8K resolution.
The enemy’s expressions stiffened—they saw sothing.
Of course, I couldn’t project the energy.
If I shot beams from my eyes, I’d be Superman.
But this was enough.
Because in acting, presentation is everything.
‘Hooo…’
I took a deep breath.
Then I opened my mouth for the first ti.
***
“Draw my sword?”
Sado Hwan’s voice echoed through the cavern, deeper than the cave itself.
That alone startled everyone.
It was chilling. Just a single sentence, yet it made the hairs on their necks stand up.
But what truly sent shivers down their spines were Sado Hwan’s eyes.
No word fit better than piercing.
Like a tiger’s—no, a dragon’s—his gaze overwheld and pinned his opponents in place.
The elder read that aura.
‘This young man… has amassed terrifying inner energy.’
Cultivating inner energy takes years.
The younger you are, the less you should have.
But Sado Hwan’s current level defied all common knowledge.
“The power of the Demonic Arts is indeed terrifying. We must eliminate this threat now.”
Even a Super Peak expert couldn’t survive a cave collapse.
Sado Hwan spoke again.
“How impudent.”
“You’re the impudent one, Sado Hwan! Have you no respect for your elders?!”
“Respect?”
Sado Hwan’s gaze swept the room slowly.
The madness in his eyes made people flinch.
“Respect is what the weak show to the strong. In that case, Morong-su... shouldn’t you be the one showing it to ?”
“Y-You... how do you know my na?”
Elder Morong-su was shocked.
They had never t.
How did Sado Hwan recognize him?
‘Was there a leak in our intel…?’
“You’re thinking ‘was there a leak in our intel?’ What a pathetic thought.”
Gasp.
Morong-su instinctively widened his eyes.
Sado Hwan stepped forward—each step oozing leisure and boredom.
He descended calmly to the altar.
“How foolish martial artists are.”
“What did you say?”
“You still don’t realize... there is no place in the world untouched by the Cult’s shadow.”
“You bastard!”
Morong-su stomped hard.
The floor cracked beneath him as he launched forward like a bolt of lightning.
He’s still not drawing his sword?!
Gritting his teeth, Morong-su was stunned—Sado Hwan was watching his every movent, every sword arc perfectly.
Yet he hadn’t even drawn his weapon.
Morong-su’s family sword art, Star-Piercing Sword, was fad for its overwhelming speed.
If he didn’t block it—
“I’ll cut him down!”
But just then—
Kkaang—!
Another blade blocked the arc aid at Sado Hwan’s neck.
A mysterious woman in a black bamboo hat stood there.
“You're late.”
“I apologize, Chief.”
Even while clashing swords, she answered calmly. Her aura was cold and composed.
Morong-su gasped.
“What is the aning of this…?!”
Sado Hwan wore an expression of complete calm, as if he had expected this all along.
“I told you,” he said, voice unwavering.
“The shadow of the Cult is everywhere.”
Pababababat—!
Even before he finished speaking, dozens of figures burst from the darkness—as if they had been there all along.
“W-Who are you?!”
The Black Shadows.
They silently stood with drawn blades, awaiting Sado Hwan’s command.
And with a low voice, he gave it.
“Show them the might of the Cult.”
From all directions, sword light erupted.
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