Hyuk’s Speech

Adam learnt many things from Hyuk and Sebastian.

Separately, they may have taught him the wonders of magic or martial arts, but now was different.

Their combined knowledge let him know of the finer details of power omnipresent within realms.

The first was 'willpower'.

Externalisation of magical energy required one to have a clear heart. If not, things tended to fail.

Magic tended to lose its mystical effects.

Think of it as more a requirement than a curse.

The second component that was the basics of the basics between worlds… was the Mana 'colouring'.

It's like how Pure Mana wasn't exactly 'Attribute-less Mana', but more a rare type of magic power.

The story of the Sword Goddess having 'refined' a new type of energy to overcome her weakness spoke volumes. When you think about it, wasn't what she created similar to what they call 'Qi'?

Or to be more specific: 'Sword Qi'…?

Then there were Qi Centres and just 'piling' up energy in general. Similar to what Sebas does.

Or maybe just how energy reinforces the body.

With all these out of the way, Adam had a clear understanding of just how fucked he was right now.

His 'Heart Devil' was important…

Without it, he'd gradually lose closer and closer to death. His body deteriorating at a faster rate.

Normally, someone of his calibre should have at least 100 years left even without being generous.

But things went awry without his 'Inner Spirit'.

It was like having a hollowed out pillar of a house.

The fragility made it hard to predict when his body would fall over and die. When he'd hit his limit.

Thankfully, he still had his 'Evolutionary Expansion' Intrinsic Skill. He already would've died without it.

Now would be the perfect time to make things loud. To scream and shout that he rush to Hyuk.

Ask him why was it always HIM who had to go through all this nonsense… but Adam was calm.

Almost scarily serene after learning of this.

And had no idea why.

"What happened to me…?" Adam spoke. Unable to grasp why he felt so lethargic at this moment.

Sluggishly realigning his head to look at Hyuk.

"It's hard to say. This is my first time dealing with this situation." He couldn't prescribe anything.

"Then… Fine…" The gamer nodded his head.

Seeing that Adam was about to fall into a coma, the Martial King quickly threw his patient out of bed.

Adam lazily let himself be thrown around like a ragdoll. His body flopped into a sitting posture.

"Adam, concentrate."

"Yeah… Yeah…" The gamer was getting sleepy, and heard a more angry voice resounding in his ear:

"Don't make me take off my slippers…!" Hyuk tried to threaten, only to have been made speechless.

"Are you your feet smelly or something?" Adam tilted his head. Looking at the man innocently.

The way he seemed genuinely ignorant of what he meant made Hyuk remember he had a nice family.

One that never had to give him a beating.

"Yeah… I'll shove my feet in your face. They smell real bad. Don't make me step on you." Hyuk went with it and tried to threaten. He found this actually worked. Adam immediately straightened his back.

Having a stronger sense of smell wasn't all good.

"What do you need me to do?" He spoke with half-tired eyes, trying keep himself from falling apart.

"Meditate." Hyuk made his intentions clear.

But this served to confuse the gamer.

"On what?" Adam tilted his head strangely. Not knowing what there was for him to think about.

"…Love." This words made Adam feel the cringe.

Yeah… 'Love'…

"Is something funny to you?" Hyuk didn't appreciate his life's goal being laughed at like this.

""Ahem… Nothing." The patient decided not to anger the doctor. He closed his eyes and breathed.

Using his 'Geisha Hell Gamer Mentality' Breath Circulation technique, he stabilised his mind.

Keeping his Dao Heart stable.

It was at that point that Hyuk turned to the elf girl next to Sebastian. He beckoned her to approach.

"…What?" She lowered her eyes and fiddled with her fingers. Feeling awkward under his gaze.

"You sit down and meditate next to him."

"What? Why?!" She didn't want to listen.

"I'll step on your face as well. Don't make me come over there." Hyuk gave an empty threat to her.

He wasn't really going to do it.

But he underestimated how much of a pervert they saw him as. Disregarding that he was a person.

It made him a bit angry at them.

He taught her a cultivation technique and looked at how they resonated after sitting near each other.

Looked like that breath circulation Adam was using really did originate from his own, at the very least.

They both tried to enter a state of emptiness.

Trying to throw out the world to focus on breathing.

Eva was using the 'Duality Demon Ruqya Method' Breath Circulation he'd recently created after being inspired by Sebas. It was a demon taming technique mixed with his dual cultivation wisdom.

He himself was unsure what effects it would have.

But it seemed like Eva was gaining more control over her demonic nature. Her evil aura lessening.

While Adam was regaining his previous composure.

His unusual lack of strength was cleared away, and what replaced it was his normal indifferent look.

A face that annoyed the Martial King really bad.

"What do you two bitches think sex is?" Hyuk spoke aggressively to them for the first time.

A red glow like Eva's appearing in his eyes…

Sebastian watched with fright. Feeling that Eva and Adam were in danger now Hyuk was like this.

But he didn't stop his friend from talking.

"What did you call me?" Adam felt a bit hurt.

"Don't insult my mast-" Eva opened her eyes, only to be scared into silence by the look in Hyuk's eyes. There was no love or affection. Only the dangerous feeling of looking into a killer's eyes.

She had no choice but to close them again.

"You didn't answer my question." His voice grated at their nerves one step at a time… Very slowly,

Making the atmosphere even more uncomfortable.

"Sex is… a form of pleasure. It's needed to make the next generation." Perhaps feeling the change in attitude despite his closed eyes, Adam decided it was best to start talking. Telling Hyuk his thoughts.

"And what about you?"

"Sex is… a way to express love." Eva didn't elaborate on her thoughts and tried to keep calm.

Her face was sweating heavily.

Almost like she washed her face earlier.

She seemed more fearful of Hyuk than Adam, who seemed to know nothing of his true personality.

Hyuk let them contemplate their answers while monologuing. He patted them on the shoulder…

…then continued pacing around them.

He started his speech with a sigh:

"Sex is just rubbing bodies together until fluids come out. It's nothing. Only a tool for lovers." His first statement was cold. There was a disillusioned heart being opened up before this naive duo.

Those who thought sex had a deeper meaning.

That it could mean something to one another. Be something. Make them feel complete… or broken.

But Hyuk dispelled those useless illusions in them.

There was no depths to the intermingling of bodies by itself. Nothing gained or lost from doing it.

Thus, the act was merely a tool to each person.

Nothing more.

"…" Both Adam and Eva didn't interrupt him. They felt his words were getting deep under their skin.

"Men are fools to love, and so are women. All trying to seek it through pleasure, but not through self."

"They do not love themselves, but they attempt to give what they do not have to one another."

"Humans are creatures like that."

"We laugh. We grieve. We cry. Our hearts never able to control itself. Being just like a storm."

"Wrecking the world around us."

"Don't give yourselves to temptation. Don't sell your bodies cheap and fall into self-indulgence."

"Because…"

"…sex is a relationship!"

"When you play with someone. When you give them a kiss. Or connect yourselves to unify."

"All of that are words."

"Silent whispers of affection given to the one you let sleep on your body. Who you entrusted yourselves with. Even if it's not 'love'. That act is a form of trust. It should be more than indulgence."

"Don't give in to pleasure."

"Selfishness of those who only want to make love with themselves is what causes hearts to dry out."

"It burns our insides."

"Making us less than others."

"But you two aren't mindless. You're a man and a woman. Your hearts contain that compassion."

"I know you do." Hyuk kneeled down and heavily nudged them. Showing his support for them.

"You both aren't children. Immature brats having kids are the worst thing that could ever happen."

"You're adults. You two have gone through numerous hardships to get to where you are."

"So I should be confident in thinking you two won't be petty. To act like your privileged for pleasure because you've experienced agony. Knowing rage and despair. Because you're much more."

"I believe in you two." Hyuk spoke with heaviness.

Eva may have been part Lust Demon, but he believed in the human sides of both of them.

That they wouldn't let him down so easily.

He ended his speech by telling a bit about his own world. Feeling his emotions being all put out there.

Hyuk seemed less energetic than usual.

"People in my world thought strength is the solution for everything. That wealth could return kindness and fists used to protect can show just how 'manly' they were. Puffing out their chests."

"They were all inept at family management, and subjected their children to cruelties from youth."

"The more esteemed the Clan, the more they put pressure on their children… those kids did the same. They pressured those under them. And those people pressured their servants, and so on."

"Their toughness made it so they wouldn't reach the breaking point easily, but at times… it did."

"Families would slaughter each other. Brothers would spill blood for empty titles and wealth."

"Greedily seeking nothing but pleasure."

"That's why I tell you two to 'love'."

"Love yourselves. Love others. Stay kind. And don't let your past dictate who you are. Be better than your parents. Better than your brothers. Better than everyone who had ever made you feel small."

These words sounded more like a goodbye, which made the duo open their eyes to look at him.

Hyuk finally turned to Sebastian.

"I leave them to you." Hyuk grasped his shoulders and shook him. Putting his faith in the Magician.

"B-but… Where are you going?" Sebas didn't know what was going on. Why was he saying this?

"Someone has to go get his Heart Devil back. Don't worry, I'll take Simon with me." Hyuk patted his shoulder, but Sebastian wasn't eased. He wasn't sure how to deal with adults like Adam and Eva.

It wasn't good to leave them in his hands.

"You can do this. I believe in you." Hyuk showed his confidence, which gave the Magician no choice…

"How long?"

"Not sure. Depends how big 'Hell' is."

"And your way of actually getting there?"

"Don't worry about it."

"But-"

"We'll both be fine. It's just a walk in the park." The way he spoke felt like it REALLY WAS a short leave.

So what else could Sebas say?

Sebas scratched his head. He trusted that Hyuk wouldn't make light of this or endanger himself.

But Adam felt differently.

Just as the Martial King was about to leave, the gamer grabbed his wrist. He couldn't help it.

"Why?" Adam asked. His blind eyes looking on.

Even if he couldn't make out the expression on that face, he somehow knew how Hyuk looked at him.

Hyuk warmly spoke back:

"Why what? I'm doing my own thing."

"You don't need to go there." Adam insisted. There was no need to go to such a dangerous place.

"Why not?"

"It's not worth it."

"You'll die if I don't." Hyuk spoke. He dropped those words down to get Adam to let go of him.

The man knew the strength of his survival instinct.

"…I'm not worth risking your life for." These words from Adam made the man turn to face him.

"Why do you think that?" Hyuk tilted his head.

"I'm… not respectful and suck at talking. Even before, I laughed when I knew you'd get hurt."

"But you're still trying. I can see that." The man knew that Adam was trying his best regarding it.

"Effort has no value. Others would get better results with less effort. I'm just an asshole by nature." Adam admitted. He couldn't pretend that he wasn't innately the type to disregard others.

"Even so, you're trying."

"You don't get what I'm trying to say."

"I do. Adam… Listen." Hyuk put his hand on Adam's shoulder, then spoke with a clarity in his tone:

"I don't care about others. You, Adam Graham, are putting your effort in. That will always have value to me. Regardless of how much you compare yourself to others." Hyuk said these words and started leaving. He left a few more while Adam was still:

"Just be sure to see me off." The Martial King's smile before he left wasn't seen by Adam, but he found himself unable to say anything. Hyuk had left his pride in tatters. He… really did care for him.

This realisation had only came for him now. The gamer had lived heartlessly for so long, he forgot…

…others had hearts too.