Smack!
Her palm came flying at me again at high speed.
Is slapping people her hobby or something?
I pouted slightly, bending my knees as I leaned my upper body back.
It wasn’t a perfect horizontal lean like a top master skimming the ground, but it was still an acrobatic feat that would’ve drawn admiration from any ordinary person.
“How long do you think you can keep dodging?!”
The hand that had been shooting toward my face suddenly twisted into a claw.
In this bent position, the easiest way to avoid it would be to roll on the ground, but that would definitely earn me those maids’ pathetic sneers.
Grandma told me not to reveal my martial arts if possible, but this was practically a battlefield.
Since it had come to this, showing them a lesson once more wouldn’t be so bad.
Hoping this commotion wouldn’t reach 적이건’s ears, I extended my left foot while still leaning back and lightly pushed at Senior Jiae’s hip as she rushed in.
The recoil made her waist jolt, and her nails barely brushed past my chest.
I used that opening to snap my upper body back upright.
“So this bitch knows martial arts too?”
Enraged that her decisive blow had failed, Senior Jiae glared at me fiercely.
She seemed slightly surprised by my counter, but the condescension hadn’t left her eyes.
“Even so, you’re not even third-rate. Must’ve stolen it from somewhere. Today I’ll beat some manners into you!”
She shouted and resumed her footwork, her steps carrying a decent amount of force.
But… how should I put it.
It felt clumsy.
I might not know everything, but that wasn’t how you were supposed to step.
Grandma always said footwork isn’t just about stepping. You move according to set patterns, but within that you adjust strength and softness, releasing internal energy with control.
But she was charging like an enraged colt.
Too many openings.
I could pick anywhere to strike.
Maybe I’ll rile her up first.
I shifted half a step sideways and subtly stuck out my foot.
“Ugh!”
With a loud cry, Senior Jiae tumbled across the ground.
“Y-you wicked bitch! Where did you learn such vile tricks?!”
All I did was trip her, and she calls it a vile technique.
Her face flushed bright red with embarrassment as she glanced nervously at her friend and sister. It was almost pitiful.
Seriously, why pick a fight with someone who was minding her own business?
My life motto is to endure quietly.
“Damn it, I’ll kill you!”
Despite all her bluster, she couldn’t even leave a scratch on me afterward.
The difference in skill was already obvious, yet her pride drove her to keep charging.
Watching her, Senior Do-ae seemed to realize something was wrong, her expression souring.
Senior Gaye also looked flustered, as if betrayed by someone she trusted.
Alright, I should wrap this up and go.
Hopefully, 적이건 hasn’t started looking for me.
“Hah!”
Once I made up my mind, I moved quickly.
In an instant, I slipped into her range and struck upward at her chin with my palm.
Bang!
With a heavy impact, Senior Jiae’s body lifted into the air before dropping limply to the ground.
It was the same move I used earlier, but with much more force this time.
“U-unnie!”
“Jiae!”
It probably hurt quite a bit, but it was nothing more than a harmless knockout.
Still, shocked, Senior Do-ae and Senior Gaye rushed over, pale-faced and shouting.
Whoosh—whoosh—
That was when martial artists poured down from atop the wall.
Dozens of them suddenly appeared, surrounding the seniors.
Each held sharp weapons, their bodies radiating dense killing intent.
W-what is this?
Startled by the sudden turn of events, I sucked in a breath and stepped back.
Even after five years in this martial world, I had never experienced anything like this.
Scenes like this only felt tense in novels—but facing it in reality made my legs tremble.
But the real danger was elsewhere.
“Make way! Or I’ll kill this girl!”
A cold sensation suddenly pressed against my neck.
I didn’t even need to look to know it was a blade.
In other words, I had become a hostage to someone I didn’t even know.
The martial artists surrounding us hadn’t come for me, but for the man using me as a hostage.
But… is this guy an idiot?
What’s he planning to do by taking a maid hostage?
Hostages are meant to be valuable, someone worth bargaining for.
To succeed, he should’ve chosen someone important, not someone like me.
Who on earth would step forward to save me?
Tch!
See? The martial artists kept closing in as if I didn’t matter at all.
As if to prove he wasn’t bluffing, the man’s blade cut into my skin.
It was only a sting for now, but it felt like it could pierce my throat at any moment.
The faint scent of blood reached my nose.
Only then did I truly realize how dangerous my situation was.
Should I try to escape?
No. He was a master far beyond me.
If I tried recklessly, I might only hasten my death.
Grandma… what do I do?
Fear made my entire body tremble.
Realizing I could do nothing alone, I found myself silently praying for someone to save me.
And perhaps that desperate wish reached the heavens—
Bang!
“Ugh!”
A sharp sound rang out, and the hostage-taker groaned.
His body staggered, and the arm around my neck loosened.
“Hah!”
I seized the moment and quickly slipped free.
And then I saw him.
적이건, leaping over the wall, flicking his fingers.
Bang! Bang!
It was like bullets.
Transparent, bead-like energy formed at his fingertips and shot toward the man like projectiles.
“Aaagh!”
One pierced the wrist holding the dagger, another struck his supporting ankle.
Though I hadn’t seen it clearly, the first shot must’ve targeted his ear.
Blood poured from one side of the man’s head as he collapsed, gasping.
His wrist and ankle were no different.
“Ah!”
Paoktan Jagyeol.
Now I remembered.
A technique 적이건 often used casually when facing enemies.
A supreme martial art where internal energy is gathered and projected outward.
One of his specialties.
What shocked me wasn’t the technique itself.
It was the timing.
He was only nineteen.
If he could already use this, then his other martial arts must be at a similar level.
I knew he was a monster from reading the novel, but this far exceeded my expectations.
He might be far stronger than I ever imagined.
“Are you alright?”
While I stood there stunned by this realization, 적이건 approached.
Wait… what?
Did he just ask me that?
There’s no way I heard that right. Say that again?
적이건 asking after a mere maid… my ears must be broken.
Unaware of my confusion, he stared at me briefly before walking toward the man writhing on the ground.
Raising one hand above his head, a violent storm of energy gathered in his palm.
If that struck, the man would be torn apart like paper.
Was I really about to witness murder on my first day as his personal maid?
Unable to watch, I turned my head away—
“Stop!”
A commanding voice rang out.
The martial artists who had surrounded the area all lowered their weapons at once.
As if by prior agreement, they all prostrated themselves fully on the ground and shouted:
“We greet the Heavenly Demon!”
“We greet the Heavenly Demon!”
I was just as shocked as when I first met 적이건.
Why is the Heavenly Demon here?
Even so, my forehead had already hit the ground.
The absolute ruler of the Demonic Cult.
One of the Ten Supreme Masters—and the greatest among them.
The strongest under heaven.
The Heavenly Demon.
At the thought of facing the one Grandma had always warned me about, my heart began pounding wildly.
