The Heavenly Demon Does Home Repairs

Crack.

A deep red light flashed from the Heavenly Demon’s eyes, darker than blood, as his pride took a blow. Despite having lost his inner energy, failing to destroy an old shrine was beyond humiliating.

“Fine!”

With a thunderous shout, the Heavenly Demon stepped forward, thrusting both fists toward the shrine with all his might.

Thunderclap Annihilation!

Although he no longer wielded inner energy, the pure physical force behind his fists—one of the signature moves of his demonic martial arts—tore through the air, accompanied by booming thunder.

Bang! Bang!

The strikes shook the surface of the shrine, but it remained intact.

Frustration surged in the Heavenly Demon’s eyes.

“Is this really all my strength amounts to?”

Furious, he raised his right leg, summoning all his physical strength, and slammed it down upon the shrine’s door.

Crack!

Finally, with a resounding noise, one of the shrine’s doors broke and fell to the ground.

“Haah… haah…”

Gasping for breath, the Heavenly Demon stared at the shrine, murmuring to himself.

“This is absurd. Even without inner energy, my Demonic Scare Soul Kick should have obliterated this door.”

For a moment, the damage felt like a personal affront to his pride, a stark reminder of how weak he had become.

“That was an impressive display of power,” a voice remarked.

The woman, who had been observing him, nodded in admiration.

“To break through a door infused with divine power using brute strength alone.”

But the Heavenly Demon wasn’t pleased with the compliment. His gaze dropped as he muttered.

“Impressive? Hardly. I’ve lost my inner energy since arriving here…”

His expression shifted as he noticed something strange—the woman’s body was slowly fading, becoming translucent.

“What is happening to you? Your body is disappearing!”

The woman’s eyes, now somber, retained their soft smile.

“I’ve lasted this long… guarding this place alone, without anyone to believe in me.”

“What do you mean?”

Rising from her seat on the porch, the woman smiled faintly.

“I am the spirit of this forest’s shrine. The shrine you just broke was built by humans who once believed in me.”

She looked up at the sky, a touch of sadness in her eyes.

“But the world has changed. People no longer fear the forest, nor do they believe they have anything to gain from it.”

The shrine spirit looked down at her fading form, sighing softly.

“I should have let go long ago, but I couldn’t muster the courage. Even when I visited the lands of the gods, I couldn’t make up my mind. But after seeing you, I’ve finally made my decision.”

“You made up your mind after seeing me?”

“There is something about you—perhaps it’s just a feeling, but you remind me of something familiar, something I miss.”

The Heavenly Demon stood still, unsure of how to respond. The shrine spirit, however, simply smiled.

“Forgive me. I’m rambling about meaningless things.”

Her gaze shifted back to him, filled with a sense of finality.

“At the very least, I wanted to entrust my last moments to a human who still cared for the forest. That was my final wish.”

With that, the shrine spirit extended her hand toward the Heavenly Demon.

“You may not be able to restore your blocked meridians, but if you continue working in the spiritual realm, you’ll slowly regain your strength.”

Her use of the term meridians caught the Heavenly Demon’s attention. She was no ordinary being.

“What do you mean by regaining strength?”

The shrine spirit smiled warmly as a soft blue energy flowed from her fingertips toward him.

In an instant, his dantian, once devoid of any energy, flared up with a small but pure stream of inner energy.

“My power…?”

“For completing divine commissions, you can receive not only grace but also divine energy as a reward.”

“Divine energy…”

The Heavenly Demon’s eyes widened in realization, his mind racing. The shrine spirit smiled at his newfound understanding.

“I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Even though he had only destroyed part of the shrine, her form had already grown faint. If the shrine were to be completely demolished, she would surely disappear.

‘Hmm.’

The Heavenly Demon weighed his options.

‘Having a favor from a god might come in handy later.’

Even as she was fading, the shrine spirit had gifted him with a fragment of inner energy. With her divine status, she could become a valuable ally.

‘Besides, as a forest spirit…’

“Perhaps you’re mistaken,” he said, clearing his throat and turning toward the broken door.

“Humans still believe in the spirits of the forest.”

“What?”

“I, too, have been indebted to the spirits of the forest.”

He channeled the small amount of inner energy she had given him. His eyes flared once more, burning like the sun.

Demonic Flame Extinguishing Finger!

With his index finger extended, a vibrant green light emanated from the tip. Slowly, he pressed his finger against the broken door, and to the spirit’s astonishment, the door repaired itself, fusing back together seamlessly.

“You… used divine power to fix a door humans built with divine protection?”

For the first time, the shrine spirit’s calm expression wavered.

“What exactly are you doing?”

The Heavenly Demon grinned, baring his sharp teeth.

“Just because some humans no longer believe doesn’t mean all of us have forgotten the forest spirits.”

He carefully placed a stone back atop the repaired shrine, his expression solemn.

“In the world I come from, there are still many who revere the forest. Even hardened warriors like myself understand the grace and kindness of the spirits.”

Then, in a rare display of humility, the Heavenly Demon knelt on one knee before the shrine.

“I thank you for protecting me in my youth, forest spirit.”

The once-dominant master of the martial world, kneeling in respect, was an uncommon sight, but it was the greatest honor he could offer.

“I see.”

The shrine spirit’s eyes softened once more as she let out a soft laugh, her body glowing brighter as if infused with newfound energy.

The pure and sincere belief of just one human had been enough to restore her divine power.

“So, a god has been saved by a human.”

“It’s nothing. I merely returned a small fraction of the grace I received.”

The shrine spirit walked toward the Heavenly Demon, her radiant smile filling him with an unexpected warmth.

“Thank you.”

Her body slowly dissolved into a beam of light, rising toward the sky. The shrine and the stone statues within shimmered with new life, appearing as if they had been restored to their prime.

‘So, by completing divine commissions, I can gather inner energy again!’

The Heavenly Demon clenched his fists in excitement.

Having successfully completed the task and regained some of his inner energy, he returned to the car, where Jang Chaewon was waiting, clearly shocked.

“How did you end up with three blessings from a single demolition job?”

“Blessings?”

She held up a red envelope adorned with three silver flowers.

“The contract was for just one blessing. How did you manage to get three?”

“I simply corrected a mistake in the request.”

“A mistake?”

The Heavenly Demon grinned.

“The job wasn’t demolition. It was restoration.”

Chaewon’s eyes widened as she stared at him, noticing for the first time how similar his smile was to that of the shrine spirit.

“Aren’t you full of surprises? I didn’t expect a guy like you to smile like that.”

“That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

“No, it is. I mean… you did a much better job than I expected.”

“I found out something useful too. By completing these divine tasks, I can recover my inner energy.”

“You mean… divine energy?”

“Exactly. I received enough for ten years’ worth of cultivation.”

The Heavenly Demon gazed off into the distance, his confidence restored.

“From now on, leave all the divine commissions to me. I’ll complete every single one.”

“You want to take on divine commissions?”

“Absolutely. If you let me, I’ll see them through.”

“Hmm.”

Chaewon thought for a moment, then nodded, starting the car’s engine.

“Alright. Since we can’t afford to delay any more divine commissions, and since you broke the spirit beasts… you’re hired.”

Turning to him with a smile, she added.

“Welcome to Bokbok Interiors, full-time.”

“For now, you can keep staying in the storeroom until you find your own place.”

Chaewon sounded apologetic, but the Heavenly Demon was more than content with his current accommodations.

The cozy wooden interior was not only comfortable but also lined with books about interior design.

“Interesting…”

His eyes gleamed as he scanned the shelves, eager to dive into the reading material.

Contrary to his warrior-like appearance, the Heavenly Demon was an avid reader. Having devoured every martial arts manual back in the demonic world, he found joy in these new books as well.

“Oh, by the way, here’s a gift. I can’t explain everything about this world, so this will help guide you.”

Chaewon handed him a small, round device.

“A dungeon navigator?”

“Huh? Yeah, how’d you know?”

The Heavenly Demon pointed to a page in one of the interior design books on the table.

“See? It’s advertised here.”

Sure enough, a colorful ad for a dungeon guide system was printed in the book, featuring a cute robot helper.

“Right. This model will guide you through the types of monsters, their danger levels, and even offer navigation services.”

“Hmm.”

“What’s with that face? It’s a high-tech, high-performance nanobot that’ll make your life a lot easier. Don’t you like it?”

“I don’t know. Something about it feels… off.”

“Off? Come on, don’t be ridiculous. It’s mandatory for the job. Go plug it in.”

Grudgingly, the Heavenly Demon picked up the device and nodded.

It didn’t take long for him to realize why he felt so reluctant.

[Heavenly Demon-nim.]

The round nanobot floated over to the Heavenly Demon, who had been up since dawn, engrossed in an interior design book.

[Are you heading to a dungeon today?]

Unlike standard dungeon navigators, this particular model had been custom-built with advanced AI, as Chaewon had proudly explained.

[Heavenly Demon-nim?]

The nanobot floated closer, hovering right in front of him.

“I’m not going.”

Despite its persistent prodding, the Heavenly Demon remained glued to his book.

[Why not go out and at least gather some treasure?]

“I’m not idling. I’m reading a book on interior design.”

[Will reading make you rich? Will it put food on the table? You’d be better off exploring a dungeon.]

The Heavenly Demon’s hands clenched the edges of the book, his patience wearing thin. He wanted nothing more than to crush the chatty machine, but Chaewon’s stern warning echoed in his mind: “Don’t break it! It’s ridiculously expensive!”

‘Ugh.’

Grimacing, the Heavenly Demon set the book down and stood up.

[Are you heading to the dungeon now?]

“Not at all. I’m going to work.”

The clock showed 8:30 AM, and Bokbok Interiors would open at 9:00. By now, Chaewon would be making her way from the back to the storefront.

The Heavenly Demon always made sure to clean and organize the shop 30 minutes before opening. This was not because he was a diligent employee, but because it helped him cultivate his inner energy. Even mundane tasks like cleaning seemed to provide some strange benefit within the store.

“Working in the spiritual realm offers benefits just by being part of it.”

That’s how Chaewon had explained it.

While he didn’t fully understand the intricacies, he could feel that performing these tasks helped build something akin to spiritual merit.

Squeak, squeak.

The Heavenly Demon diligently mopped the floor, relishing the clarity and rejuvenation that came with each sweep of the mop. It was almost addictive—more satisfying than meditation.

Click.

The sound of the back door opening caught his attention. Chaewon stepped in, dressed casually in black jeans and a red long-sleeve shirt, waving as she entered.

“Morning. You’re at it early.”

Her jaw dropped when she noticed the spotless store.

“Wow, you really didn’t need to clean this thoroughly.”

“Don’t worry. I’m doing it because I like it.”

The Heavenly Demon, mop in hand, methodically cleaned every corner with the utmost care.

Chaewon couldn’t help but nod in approval.

“Alright, then let’s head out to get your foreigner registration card today.”

“Registration?”

“Yeah, like an ID.”

“Didn’t you say something about complicated procedures before?”

“I was talking about the Awakener ID. Awakeners have to have biochips implanted instead of a regular ID. But what you’re getting is just a foreigner registration card.”

“Do you have one as well?”

“I do, but mine’s a little different.”

The Heavenly Demon pondered her words before shaking his head.

“Hm. This sounds like a hassle. I’d rather skip it.”

“You can’t. If you don’t get registered, your presence here will be illegal.”

After a moment of deep thought, the Heavenly Demon nodded.

“Alright. Let’s get this over with.”