The first scenery that Mok Ing-gwang remembers was a cold winter.
Even in the severe cold, he had to endure days of hunger and thirst while living on the icy ground of an alley with other orphans.
He never knew why he ended up living like that.
To him at that time, it was just the way things were, and neither he nor anyone else around him cared about the reasons behind it.
Besides, knowing wouldn’t change anything.
He spent his childhood in such an environment.
The one lucky thing was that he had the ability to survive in such circumstances.
Born with a sturdy body, he never fell ill even as many children around him wasted away, and he had enough talent for fighting to stand up against those bigger than him.
However, he also had one fatal flaw.
That was his infuriating temper, which only worsened as he grew older.
There were countless occasions when he could have let things slide but instead, his character would take a sudden turn, causing minor issues to snowball into bigger problems.
Naturally, fights were never-ending around him, and he lost the little reputation he had left until his name was buried in the mud. Eventually, he had no choice but to isolate himself.
Even in that situation, one day, he couldn’t contain the rage surging from within and lived a life like a ticking time bomb, causing disturbances now and then.
Then came the turning point in his life.
About twenty years ago.
At a time when he felt the entire city was in turmoil for some reason, young Mok Ing-gwang met someone.
“Ugh, how does a child like this end up here… What on earth is going on in this world?”
An old man with a long beard, dressed in tattered clothes, stared directly at the lifeless-eyed boy who was merely surviving and slowly spoke.
“Hey.”
“…?”
“Get your head together.”
Mok Ing-gwang tilted his head at the sudden blunt remark.
Wait, was it always like this…?
His voice seems a bit strange too?
But the elderly man didn’t seem inclined to wait for him to ponder those questions and continued speaking with a kind expression.
“Ugh— This poor child is carrying burdens he shouldn’t. I suppose this is fate. So, kid, what’s your name?”
“….”
“Oh dear, I’m in such a hurry I forgot to introduce myself first. I am…”
The old man slowly introduced himself to the still silent boy.
“I am the Mad Demon.”
“…?!”
His consciousness surged back sharply.
“Ugh!”
The lifeless eyes of Mok Ing-gwang opened wide.
Immediately, he felt excruciating pain coursing through his body.
It was as if he had been tortured, with no part of him untouched by pain.
“Ah! You’re awake? I was hopeful, and you actually responded to my words! Hahaha!”
Suddenly, as he involuntarily twitched from the pain, the voice he vaguely heard in his dreams grew louder and more annoying.
A man in an unusual outfit, totally disconnected from the usual emotions of this world, crossed his muscular arms and confidently declared.
“But it’s too late now! In any case, I won, so!”
Harley, who claimed victory in the duel titled Mad Demon, nodded solemnly.
His resolute demeanor radiated an unwavering belief that he would never back down, no matter how the opponent reacted.
“Ha…”
Mok Ing-gwang sighed as if deflating.
However, his reaction wasn’t merely born out of disbelief at the opponent’s words.
No, rather, he couldn’t even grasp what Harley was saying at that moment.
‘Was there really a possibility of this?’
Beyond the pain coursing through him was the presence of madness.
The energy that had been wildly flaring during the fight now obediently followed his control.
He had indeed risked being completely swept away by madness, suffered until the very end, and accepted the consequences.
Yet somehow, his energy now felt more stable than ever.
He could hardly remember the last time his head felt this clear.
“…So, I thought of a new nickname for you. Why not simply call you Mad Dog? Giving off the vibe of something that bites and never lets go! If you don’t like that…”
Even amidst this chaos, Harley, as if they weren’t even fighting moments ago, casually pitched various nickname options.
Mad Beast, Soul-Eating Madness, King of Bone Dragons, and so on.
Their words bore no consideration for the feelings of the person in question, but neither Harley nor Mok Ing-gwang paid it any mind.
‘Can it be… he could control the madness within me too? Just who is he?’
His thoughts became tangled.
Perhaps due to the madness that had tormented him his whole life finally abating, he found that his animosity toward his opponent had mostly diminished.
At this point, it seemed pointless to rebel now that everything had crumbled.
What he felt most strongly now was curiosity and excitement, merely wanting to understand what had been done to him to achieve this.
How was this even possible?
Until now, he had thought it was impossible and almost given up…
‘Perhaps I could use that guy to find out.’
As he mindlessly gazed at Harley, it seemed Harley interpreted his stare as something else and took a step back, frowning.
“Sigh, no way. I have no intention of backing down. I like this, so choose another one.”
It seemed that only the nickname was occupying Harley’s mind at this point.
If things went this way, wouldn’t it make him look foolish to have his head spinning with various thoughts?
“…You crazy bastard.”
Eventually, he let out a resigned voice sighing.
Unbeknownst to him, since they faced each other, he had already called Harley a “crazy bastard” three times.
In other words, he was out for a third strike against a crazy bastard.
It was the moment a fake madness knelt before true madness.
*
Harley came down the mountain with the former Mad Demon, Mok Ing-gwang, who had turned docile as a lamb right after awakening.
Though he put effort into controlling his strength so nothing was broken, his body was still a ragged mess, yet he walked steadfastly without a single complaint.
Watching him a few steps behind, Harley slowly stroked his chin and nodded.
‘Hmm, I expected it, but the effect is better than I thought. Though I don’t know when he’ll revert, for now, I don’t have to worry much.’
Naturally, it was abnormal for a man who had just been rampaging wildly to suddenly calm down like this.
It was probably a sort of psychological side effect resulting from the somewhat violent process of suppressing the madness raging inside him.
Of course, despite being a bit lethargic, this obedient state suited him well, so there was nothing to complain about.
‘Meeting this fellow was coincidental, but… well, good things lead to good things.’
There were numerous gains from it.
That included martial arts he could use and a chance to learn more about the madness itself, as well as various useful information he acquired through him.
‘Most importantly, establishing a connection with such a talent is the biggest win.’
Even though they had just been exchanging blows a moment ago, it would be foolish to trust blindly.
The fact that they had accidentally formed something similar to a temporary ceasefire wasn’t something to rely on either.
To keep him firmly in check, additional measures would be necessary, but…
‘Well, judging by his reaction, it seems just being able to control his madness will be sufficient.’
Since he had already obtained the necessary clue, there was nothing to hold back.
Whatever the circumstances, that seemed to be a very sensitive issue for him.
Of course, the minor problem lay in the fact that he didn’t know when he might bare his teeth again…
“What’s with that look? Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Uh? Oh, it’s nothing. Hahaha!”
“…First, lower your fists, will you? Unless you truly intend to kill me.”
It appeared that the other party had some ulterior motive too, as he showed no signs of resistance even in this sudden partnership.
Although being physically subdued played a part in it.
“Alright, then let’s go, friend!”
“…Where to?”
Thus, the two, each with their own schemes, set off towards their next destination.
“Hey, this friend is quite frustrating. What’s the hottest spot right now?”
“Hottest…?”
“Ah— I mean, where is the place everyone is talking about these days?”
“That would be Sung-San. It’s a gathering of representatives from the Correct Faction. Of course, they won’t all be elite, but the symbolic significance is… Wait, you can’t be-”
“Hahahaha! Let’s go!”
“You crazy bastard! What the hell are you thinking?”
What was he thinking?
Now that they had come this far, he might as well make a mark, right?
There couldn’t be a better place than that for the showcase of the new “Mad Demon.”
‘I can’t miss such a big event!’
As Harley boldly moved forward, turning back to glance at Mok Ing-gwang, who was reluctantly following behind with a face like he’d eaten something bitter, he casually tossed out a line.
“So, what will your new nickname be? Personally, I think Mad Dog is the best! Or if not….”
“….”
Ah, he was really grinding his teeth.
It seemed he hadn’t completely settled on it just yet.
*
At the guest hall of the Shaolin Temple, Hugo stepped out, following the monk guiding him.
It was once again time for the recently routine task before the official meeting began.
“Then I appreciate your help today as well.”
“Don’t worry. The herbs have been in good condition till now.”
He soon entered a room filled with the scent of herbs and turned his gaze to one side.
In the center lay a lanky young man, seemingly dead to the world.
Just like in the Zhuge Family, he was the subject of the current treatment request.
‘How about using the Holy Power from another dimension while at the temple?’
Of course, he had taken additional measures to prevent the Holy Power’s energy from leaking out due to any unforeseen events, but…
It was fortunate that the Shaolin Temple was not intolerant of other religions.
Initially, what they sought wasn’t blind faith and worship of divine beings, but rather to emulate them and attain enlightenment.
Woowoo—
Hugo, with the holy emblem in hand, placed it on the patient’s forehead, narrowing his eyes to observe the change.
Having had practice, he could sufficiently monitor the reactions to treatment by now.
And the diagnosis revealed…
‘Interesting. Just like with Je Gal Hye-mi, the reaction is identical.’
No matter how he looked at it, this did not seem to be some form of illness.
Yet, it also didn’t seem to be simply a physical constitution issue…
“…Ah, you’ve come.”
At that moment, the young man, who had been silently lying, slowly opened his eyelids, and a dry voice escaped his lips.
“Ah, please lie still. It’s almost done.”
“I’m indebted to you once again. Thanks to the divine, I’ve improved greatly. Now I can at least take a simple walk.”
His voice indeed sounded much better than before.
Nodding slowly, the Zhuge Family guest and the Nameless Divine Doctor, Ha Seung-hoon, recalled his conversation prior to departing with Grand Chief Zhuge Gunak.
Shortly after his joining the Shaolin Temple, the Zhuge Family had requested him for one favor.
They had a person on the Shaolin side with symptoms similar to Je Gal Hye-mi; could he take a look at them?
They mentioned that they had worked together on studies for treatment before, so it wouldn’t be easy to keep her recovery under wraps.
While it might be okay for now, wouldn’t there be considerable betrayal felt by the Shaolin if the fact of her recovery leaked out someday?
She couldn’t hide in the family forever.
‘The Shaolin Temple stands at the forefront, both symbolically and practically, in the Correct Faction. It might be good to establish connections.’
And there was no reason for Hugo to refuse this request.
After all, this aligned perfectly with his goal of expanding influence within the Ganghwan Realm.
Additionally, there was another fact that influenced this decision…
“Things are progressing faster than expected. It seems the Shaolin has been paying a lot of attention to this matter.”
“Hahaha… I’m just ever grateful. I hope I can repay the favor someday. Ah, and of course, to the divine one as well.”
“Your words alone are enough, Your Highness. Now, let’s finish this up.”
The identity of the patient entrusted to the Shaolin Temple was the Crown Prince.
Specifically, he was the legitimate descendant of the last Emperor.
