Late in the night, when the moon was at its peak and most people were asleep, Hyeolmu sat alone in his usual cave, his mind in constant disarray. To get revenge and grow stronger, he needed both strength and people. But now, ranked close to last, he had almost zero influence among the children.
"I need to climb the ranks, but I can't afford to draw too much attention. If I grow too strong too quickly, I risk getting cut down before I'm ready, before I accumulate enough power and influence. But if I stay weak, I'll get bullied and potentially even killed— especially now that people have noticed my presence."
"How do I handle this? I can't grow too fast, and I can't remain weak if I want revenge. If only there was a way to join the power struggle without being noticed by the guards… especially Red Mask."
Hyeolmu thought to himself, completely immersed in his thoughts, unaware of his surroundings.
"Hey loser, why are you looking so lost? You missing me already?"
A voice echoed from the entrance of the cave. Mia walked in casually.
"Mia! What are you doing here again? Why do you keep following me?"
Hyeolmu said, startled by her sudden appearance.
"Relax. If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already. At least be happy it's me that came here and not one of those orthodox demons. You'd probably be half-dead by now," Mia said — half worried, half mocking.
Hyeolmu replied, still unsettled,
"Why shouldn't I be worried? No one comes here. And now you're following me too. I know I'm weak, but you don't have to make it so obvious."
"But seriously," Mia asked, her face growing serious, "why are you so deep in thought? It's not like you're getting bullied like before."
"It's nothing… I'm just thinking about how to stay out of the guards' eyes. Now that they've noticed me, they'll report it to the elders. I don't want their attention before I'm strong enough to defend myself."
Hyeolmu said, face lowering.
"So that's why you're all gloomy," Mia sighed. "It's true — you've definitely caught the eyes of the children and the guards. Especially Red Mask. That freak is obsessed with talent. With the power level you showed a few days ago, you'll definitely be targeted by the stronger kids before you grow."
She paused, catching her breath before continuing.
"But if you let that intimidate you, then I guess you're destined to be a side character your whole life."
She smirked slightly before extending her hand.
"Why don't you join my group? You'll be able to grow without drawing too much attention, since all the attention will be on ME. And you really wouldn't want to turn me down again… not if you want to survive."
Even though the cave was dark, Hyeolmu could clearly sense the seriousness in her tone.
"Sigh… seems like I don't have a choice, do I? I won't reject the Poison Ivy twice — not if I want to live."
Hyeolmu smiled slightly and grabbed her arm.
"Okay then. Let's see how far I'll go under the wings of the top predator of this hell."
Mia smiled back.
"Good. Now we just need to take over this hell completely. I can't have any low-level chicken challenging this dragon. We'll start from the bottom and break their wings before they grow too large."
"Let's go. I'll introduce you to the rest. You won't have much trouble — they'll welcome you." Mia said confidently.
****
"We're definitely not welcoming some low-life, low-budget, weak-ass demonic dog into our group!"
Jang Woon-hyeok shouted, his voice full of anger and disgust.
Woon-hyeok was the only son of the Grand Guardian Sect leader of the Azure Sky Temple, a prestigious orthodox sect famous for its strict discipline and sky-themed martial arts.
His father, Jang Mu-cheon, was one of the Four Great Sect Leaders of the Orthodox Alliance, making Woon-hyeok a known figure in every major Murim gathering.
He was the same boy who assaulted Hyeolmu in chapter 4 when Hyeolmu first rejected Mia's invitation.
"Mia, how can you let this demonic bastard into our group? He's probably a spy sent here to gather information. Don't you think that's why he suddenly wants to join us, now that we've accumulated so much power? Even the guards are wary of us now," Woon-hyeok said, pushing the issue.
"What do you mean us?" Mia snapped. "I was the one who gathered the power that we have today. The guards look have interest in this group because of ME. Do you really think they would pay attention to any of you without me here?"
Many of the group members felt bitter — because everything she said was true.
"I am the sole holder of the group, and you all are nothing without me, absolutely nothing."
"But still, Mia! You can't let this bastard in. This son of a b*tch, He'll ruin everything!" Woon-hyeok insisted, not even letting the matter to lay at all.
"I invited him. You have no right to question me."
Her voice grew cold.
"If you are not pleased with my decision you can always challenge me for the leader position, that's if you have the balls to do so anyways. If I hear another complaint from you, you'll understand exactly why I'm called Poison Ivy."
Woon-hyeok's face twisted in disgust as he looked at Hyeolmu standing behind her, before storming off with some of his followers. It was a clear sign that he was angry. Even though he might be ranked in the top 50 people, he stood no chance before the mighty Mia. But still he wasn't pleased and his actions were a clear evidence of it.
One thing was certain —
another power struggle was about to begin.
And this time, Hyeolmu was right in the middle of it. Either he gets strong or remains weak, only the future knows. For revenge, survival or for absolute power, only the strong shall reign and the weak shall be consumed.
To be continued...