Tenth level of the Master Dungeon.

Smack!

With a fist that was as quick and destructive as a bolt of lightning, Kiernan destroyed another master of martial arts in front of him.

It was the final master that he was planning to defeat today, as he intended to reach the tenth level today.

It took him barely thirty minutes.

With the announcement of his victory appearing in the air, Kiernan saw the merchant stall appearing at the corner.

It was a different merchant this time around.

"Hello."

Kiernan greeted him briefly and checked his rewards for defeating the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth masters.

While from 6 to 9 levels, the rewards were only "ok." Nothing special, and nothing that he himself would regularly use.

However, the reward of the tenth level was something interesting. Truly interesting.

[Master of the Hall of Masters - Defeated - Reward: Access to Lower Halls]

A doorknob appeared in his hand. It was crafted from pure gold, with intricate carvings of dragons spiraling around the handle.

Kiernan tossed it into the air. The doorknob turned into a full-fledged door. He walked to it and swung it open.

The now-open door showed him the Lower Halls of the Martial Sanctuary. It was a training place for Warriors of Physicality.

Warriors of Physicality would go to this hall to endure harsh training, and it would help their bodies become stronger and more resilient.

"Interesting… I wouldn't mind taking Jock and Cleo there."

Kiernan tossed the doorknob into his inventory and quickly checked the store. He bought several items.

After he was done, he bid farewell to the merchant, even though he wasn't talking back at him, and left the Master Dungeon.

"Hmm?"

Kiernan, while standing in his office, perked up his ears, and he sensed a faint martial energy sighting.

It came right outside his dojo and felt rather familiar.

"…"

He turned silent, left the office, and looked for Aoi, who was sleeping soundly on the mattress, as she had been quite tired lately.

She tried waiting for him to finish his business over in Master Dungeon, even though she didn't actually know that's where he was, but her eyelids unwillingly drooped.

Kiernan softly closed the door, stepped down the stairs, and walked to the front gate. He opened it, stepped out, and stood under the street lamp.

The street lamp's golden glow cascaded down at him, and in that moment, a boy—who was rather tall for someone of his age—appeared beside him.

"You've made your decision?"

Kiernan asked.

"…I can't leave."

Lumian said.

"Why?"

Kiernan asked.

"Why? I will be disavowed. That's why. My father will never forgive me if I leave the Ok Family Dojo, and neither will the rest of my family."

Lumian said.

"Your father cannot help you. If you told him about it, he probably wouldn't believe it, as it isn't a known medical condition.

"It isn't even a medical condition but a mental one, and I have done my research to know that this world has no cure for it.

"However, I conquered it, and I can help you to do it as well."

Kiernan said.

"…Why would you help me? You would just put a big bullseye on the back of your dojo. My father would target you with animosity. He is powerful enough to crush your dojo."

Lumian asked.

"I am not only doing this for you. I am doing this for the people that you will kill in the future."

Kiernan said.

"…Is that set in stone? The fact that I will kill people?"

Lumian asked with a frown.

He didn't want to believe it, as he thought that he would be able to make his own decisions, but the fight against Jock proved it otherwise.

When Uncontrollable Demons took over, he wasn't Lumian Ok anymore. He was Demon Ok, and that one had no compassion.

"You will."

Kiernan said.

"This is crazy. You are not that much older than me. You are younger than my big brother. And you are saying that I have to trust in your word blindly.

"To trust your word, I will lose my family, my heritage, and everything I've ever known. I will be homeless and alone with no one to turn to."

Lumian said, gritting his teeth, and he felt like he had been placed between two boulders to be crushed.

"You can always quit martial arts. That is one way to get rid of those Uncontrollable Demons that are lurking in your body."

Kiernan said.

"My father would never allow me to do that. It would also result in me losing my family."

Lumian sat down on the sidewalk and held his head between his hands, not sure what he was supposed to do.

"I can talk to your father and tell about your conditioning. If it goes well, I will give a few training methods to your father to help you overcome those demons."

Kiernan said and looked under at the sitting Lumian, who raised his head in hope after hearing his words.

"Y-you'll do that?"

"I don't know what will happen in the future, though. I don't know what your father will do with that information.

"I just hope that he is a reasonable man."

Kiernan said.

"…Me too."

Lumian muttered under his breath.

He was quite afraid about how his father will react. If he was going to start treating him as a monster or if he heeds the warning.

"Go home for now. I'll take a visit to your father tomorrow."

Kiernan said.

"Thank you…"

Lumian bowed respectfully and then hurried away. He was wearing a mask, which was covering only the lower part of his face, so no one would be able to recognize him over here.

After he left, Kiernan went back inside and sat cross-legged in the middle of the dojo, calming his breathing.

He lied to Lumian about a few things.

He hadn't "conquered" his Uncontrollable Demons. He had enslaved them, put them in chains, and hidden them away deep within his mind.

However, they were ever-present. Always trying to break the chains. Always trying to get control over him.

It was a constant battle with them.

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