Chapter 10

Izela, the only daughter of the Rug family head, grumbled incredulously, "Father is really something, to think he'd even recruit a guest for monster hunting. Were we that unreliable?"

Wearing a tunic and pants suitable for activity instead of an elaborate dress, she turned to Turan and said, "Ah, I'm not criticizing our guest. Just saying father is being too fussy."

"How can you call the family head fussy? That's too much, sister."

"Mind your own business."

Another noble standing beside her, Rug's nephew, spoke in a low voice.

As their gazes met and sparks seemed to fly, the nephew turned to greet Turan.

"This is our first time meeting properly? I'm Marvin Baltas. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Likewise."

After greeting Marvin, Turan looked at the twelve knights standing behind the two nobles.

Unlike their masters who seemed to be out for a stroll, they all showed clear signs of tension.

It was natural, given they were hunting an unknown enemy that had already devoured four knights without leaving survivors.

Soon after, the army consisting of three nobles and twelve knights marched proudly toward the north gate.

All passing residents knelt and bowed deeply at the sight of them.

The only ones who merely bowed their heads while standing were those wearing armor and carrying swords, whom Turan now knew were called police.

Commoners given weapons to maintain order within the city…

Naturally, they could never be used as troops in monster hunting or wars between houses.

Even a novice noble like Turan could probably kill thousands of such armed civilians.

As they left the city walls heading north, they were greeted by a brick road built during the old empire era.

There were no passersby, as monsters had been attacking people for ten days.

"I want to finish this quickly and go back to rest."

Izela grumbled while kicking stones along the road.

Walking slightly behind while staring at her back, Marvin quietly approached and asked in a low voice.

"Turan, are you perhaps interested in my sister?"

"No."

Turan immediately shook his head in denial.

Over the past few days, after their shocking first meeting, Izela had consistently flirted with him.

Though not seriously, more in a light, joking manner.

But Turan wasn't particularly attracted to her.

Her frivolous, almost flippant demeanor was far from his ideal type, and above all, marrying someone of different lineage would mean becoming a son-in-law adopted into her family.

Though the library here was impressive, he didn't want to be bound here for life because of it.

"That's a relief."

Marvin's face brightened at the answer.

Though unsure of the intent behind the question, Turan's response seemed to satisfy the young noble.

* * *

After about an hour of chatting while heading north…

The subjugation party discovered a broken cart and several bloody, torn pieces of clothing in the middle of the main road.

Signs of someone being attacked.

"Is it that creature?"

"Probably. Since we've banned northward travel on our side, they must have been attacked while coming down from the north…"

While they conversed, Turan examined the debris to deduce the monster's identity.

The blood smell wasn't too pungent, suggesting it happened hours ago. The torn clothing indicated penetration by something sharp. The abnormally large handprint on one side of the cart had five fingers like a human's…

The final clue confirmed the creature's identity.

"It's a monkey."

"A monkey?"

"Look at this hand shape."

"Ah."

In fact, Turan had never seen a monkey in person either.

He only mentioned it because it perfectly matched the example illustrated in the monster guide.

Had he not seen the book, he would have just assumed it was some unknown monster.

"It seems to have attacked the merchants and returned to the forest. We should be able to track it by following the traces."

"Tracking… I'm not very good at that kind of magic. Marvin?"

"Me neither. Perhaps among the knights-"

"I'll try looking."

When Turan volunteered, Izela brightened and asked.

"Oh, is that your bloodline ability?"

"I'm just familiar with it from frequent use."

After calmly lying, Turan immediately activated his tracking magic.

The condition was the bloodstains on the torn clothes.

With the spell, his senses expanded and the blood smell intensified, revealing a trail leading to the left of the road.

More precisely, all other smells were blocked out allowing him to identify this unknown victim's blood trail.

"This way."

Following Turan's guidance, the subjugation party immediately left the road and entered the forest.

The lack of proper paths didn't matter much.

Not only the three nobles but even the knights could easily leap four or five meters from where they stood.

After following the bloodstains for thirty minutes, they arrived at a stream.

Several deer drinking water fled in surprise at their arrival.

"The trail ends here. Seems it washed itself."

"You're saying a mere beast did such a thing to avoid being tracked?"

"It probably just wanted to clean itself."

The guide had mentioned that monkeys were among the animals with bathing customs.

Turan deactivated the blood-tracking magic to try a different search method.

At that moment, a strong scent hit his restored sense of smell.

As he quickly turned around, he saw large golden eyes staring at them.

"Behind!"

Along with his shout came a shrieking cry.

A giant monkey about two meters tall.

The animal, similar yet strangely different from humans, burst through the undergrowth and threw handfuls of gravel.

Due to its hands being disproportionately large even considering its huge body, dozens of stones rained down on the subjugation party.

Moreover, they were imbued with strong magic, making them much faster and stronger than stones thrown by normal people.

"Aagh!"

"Dodge!"

While several were knocked down by the stones, Turan fortunately managed to leap aside immediately after shouting and avoid the barrage.

Looking back, surprisingly, Izela and Marvin had each used a knight as a shield to block the attack.

"Ugh, are you al-"

"Attack!"

Izela threw aside the knight who had taken the hit for her and shouted in a sharp voice.

The eight uninjured knights immediately drew their swords and spears and charged, but the monkey let out one "Wukeek!" scream before leaping into the bushes and jumping from tree to tree to escape.

Despite its huge body, its speed was like the wind, far too fast for the knights to chase on foot.

While everyone stood dumbfounded, a single stone pursued the fleeing monkey.

Stone throwing enhanced with Turan's most familiar three spells: strengthening, acceleration, and pursuit.

The stone curved around several trees before striking the monkey's waist, causing it to scream and tumble down.

It seemed unable to get up, only writhing as if its waist was broken.

"Die!"

Izela stretched her hand toward the writhing monkey with a shout.

Flames bloomed before her fingers, taking the form of a snake with a trunk-like body, biting into the monkey and burning several dozen meters of surrounding forest.

Both its speed and range were on a completely different level from what Turan could create.

This was the power of the Baltas family's pyromaniac bloodline.

'So this is…'

While any magician could create fire, even instinctively, it was nothing compared to those with bloodline magic specialized in it.

When Marvin followed up by creating and throwing down dozens of flame spears, the monkey monster was completely reduced to ashes.

Seeing this, everyone in the subjugation party breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wow, I got chills for a moment when those stones were flying."

"Were you scared, sister?"

"Shut up. You're the one who screamed like a girl…"

"I did not!"

While the two nobles bickered, Turan checked on the knights who had fallen from the stone barrage.

"Ugh, I think my arm's broken…"

"This one's head is still bleeding, what should we do?"

"Apply this medicine first."

Fortunately, none of the knights seemed to have lost their lives.

Those who had been used as shields by the two nobles were the most severely injured, but even they just had concussions from stones to the head or a broken bone or two.

Turan clicked his tongue remembering what Izela and Marvin had done.

Considering that physical abilities increase with magical power, their bodies should be at least several times tougher than ordinary knights.

Yet they used much weaker individuals as shields out of fear for their own safety?

He keenly felt the truth of what his mother had said – that to nobles, knights were just dogs to be sacrificed at any time.

Noticing Turan's gaze, Marvin asked curiously.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Though he brushed it off, Turan's eyes held subtle contempt for the two cousins.

Just then, Izela waved and called to Turan.

"By the way, guest, come quickly! Let's absorb the magic!"

"Yes."

The three nobles stood side by side next to the half-incinerated monkey.

As they reached out and absorbed the magic, the now-familiar pale green light flowed out and seeped into their bodies.

While shivering at the pleasure rushing through him, Turan checked how much his magic had strengthened.

The growth gained from absorbing the monkey's power was stronger than the leopard but weaker than the rabbit.

Considering the monkey's strength wasn't particularly exceptional, it was an unbelievable amount for three people absorbing together.

'Indeed… as I heard, the enhancement doesn't seem to decrease when absorbed by multiple people.'

When absorbing magic from killed monsters, up to four people could absorb together and each receive the full amount of magic.

Though unclear why specifically four people rather than three or five, this was why noble houses with many members formed hunting groups of four.

Their sense of superiority could be seen in how they wouldn't include knights even with one spot remaining.

"Ah, I can't absorb any more."

"Me neither."

Izela and Marvin said this while releasing some of the pale green light that had been absorbed into their bodies back into the air.

This was the process of 'dispersing' magic.

When reaching their innate limit for magic growth, they would absorb only a tiny portion of the magic and release the rest back out like this.

Turan could feel their envious gazes directed at him for absorbing all the magic.

* * *

On the return journey to Orem City, Izela and Marvin kept recounting their battle with the monkey, going on about how heroically they had fought.

Though amusing considering how they had used knights as shields, Turan played along appropriately.

"Come to think of it, we definitely couldn't have caught it without Turan. From the tracking ability to striking it down, it was all thanks to Turan's attack."

"It wasn't that much."

Though he showed modesty, he privately agreed.

Without him, the subjugation party would have taken a hit without even being aware and suffered greater losses, and they wouldn't have been able to chase down and kill the fleeing monkey.

What could they have done if they kept getting hit-and-run attacks without tracking ability?

Izela and Marvin might have survived by just running like mad back to Orem City, but the knights would have all died from the stone barrage without being able to resist.

Even those two might not have survived if they'd been hit by large rocks instead of small stones.

Though they caught it easily due to favorable circumstances, it was definitely a monster capable of killing four knights without resistance.

"If anything, I regret noticing too late and giving it the first strike. I didn't expect it would have tracking abilities too."

"Tracking abilities?"

"Yes."

Turan recalled the appearance of the monkey they had just encountered.

The huge body and superior physical abilities were typical characteristics of almost all monsters.

What particularly stood out were its abnormally large hands and eyes.

The shadow leopard they met before had developed the ability to hide itself, able to move like a shadow, and the front-toothed rabbit had developed its grinding ability to cut through anything in its path.

He guessed the monkey's large hands had developed into the ability to throw things strongly, and its large eyes into the ability to see farther or through forests.

When he shared this, everyone in the subjugation party exclaimed in amazement.

"Wow…"

"To notice all that in such a short time!"

Everyone looked at him like some unparalleled sage – it seemed none of them had read the monster guide in the library.

When he carefully inquired about this, Izela tilted her head and said:

"The library? That stuffy place… no one goes there."

According to her, the Sky Library served only as a famous cultural heritage site, with few people interested in the books inside.

Access required the family head's permission, making it difficult, and there were far more things to do and could be done than reading books.

At most, people like Turan would come for tours once every few years or to look up materials for special occasions.

Come to think of it, there hadn't been any other users in the past few days.

"I went in once out of curiosity long ago, but there were only difficult books so I left before finishing even half of one."

From this, Turan learned another new fact.

Not everyone finds joy in gaining new knowledge.

"Next time you have the chance, try asking the librarian if there are any easier books."

Since he too might have quickly lost interest in reading if he'd started with difficult books right away, Turan offered casual advice.

But an unexpected response came back.

"Librarian?"

"Yes. The person who manages the library."

"Was there such a person in the library?”

Chapter 10: Two Walk the Path Together (Part 1)

Sage Hyeon-so's gaze as he looked down at Dam Ho was exceedingly complex. Dam Ho's entire body was covered in crushed medicinal herbs, pasted on in various places, and fine silver needles had been inserted into his acupoints.

To save Dam Ho, Sage Hyeon-so had mobilized every medical technique he knew. The healing arts he had learned five years ago to save Dam Ho's life were once again being put to use.

Sage Hyeon-so reached out and stroked Dam Ho's forehead.

"Ho-ya, do not ever give up. Just as you always have."

Dam Ho was in a wretched state. Had he not spent years training his body, it would have been impossible for him to walk again.

Sage Hyeon-geom's intentions were now unmistakable.

"So you intend to leave him no room to practice martial arts at all? How cruel you are, Sage Hyeon-geom."

It would take at least three years for these injuries to fully heal. For Dam Ho, the present was the optimal time to learn martial arts. If three years passed and his muscles and bones stiffened, even learning martial arts would never allow him to reach his full potential.

In the end, Sage Hyeon-geom had cunningly eliminated any possibility of Dam Ho ever practicing martial arts.

"But it will not go as Senior Brother wishes."

Sage Hyeon-so extended his hand and took Dam Ho's pulse. A faint energy was perceptible.

Though Dam Ho's body was ravaged, his interior had escaped mortal harm.

"The Heavy Heaven Heart Method protected Dam Ho's heart meridians. Without it, he would have been crippled beyond recovery. This, too, must be the will of the Primordial Celestial Lord. I shall no longer defy heaven's decree."

The energy formed by the Heavy Heaven Heart Method was heavy and blunt. But it was also tenacious and enduring. Those qualities had shielded Dam Ho's internal organs.

For now, it remained in a state of inner energy, difficult to circulate—but once it reached completion, it would be able to encompass every martial art of the Mount Hua Sect.

"Wait just a little longer, Ho-ya. This master will raise you up."

After gazing at Dam Ho for a long while, Sage Hyeon-so finally rose to his feet. His face was set with resolute determination.

Sage Hyeon-so stepped outside and looked up at the sky.

"When the boat overturns, one finally sees who can swim."

It was only when disaster struck that a man's true abilities revealed themselves. Sage Hyeon-so was certain that Dam Ho would be the same.

"I will return soon."

Sage Hyeon-so descended Mount Hua while darkness still clung to the slopes.

After walking for the better part of a day, he arrived at Sangong Mountain—a peak that faced Mount Hua across a rugged valley.

It was named Sangong Mountain because three peaks stood facing the main summits of Mount Hua like three elders. The mountain's terrain was as sharp and jagged as a sword thrust point-down into the earth.

There was not a single place where a person could safely set foot, yet Sage Hyeon-so began to climb.

Sage Hyeon-so's body was quickly drenched in sweat. He had lived his entire life as a Scholar Taoist. His physical abilities were inferior to those of an ordinary person.

After only a short climb, his legs stiffened and his breathing grew labored.

"Hah!"

Sage Hyeon-so paused to catch his breath.

Though it was so close to Mount Hua, no one came to this forbidding place. For Sage Hyeon-so, it had been over thirty years since his last visit.

One misstep could send a person plummeting into a bottomless chasm—it was a place of extreme danger, which was why he had deliberately avoided coming here.

Had it not been for his disciple Dam Ho, he would never have come.

Standing at the edge of the cliff, his legs trembled involuntarily. Fear surged through him.

Sage Hyeon-so let out a sigh.

"Though I have studied the ways of calming the mind for decades, standing before a cliff renders it all useless. How foolish I am, Hyeon-so."

And then he realized:

"The courage to take a single step toward the cliff's edge can never be found in books."

Sage Hyeon-so closed his eyes. When he opened them a moment later, his gaze was far calmer than before.

Sage Hyeon-so stepped onto the treacherous ridgeline. Suppressing the fear that surged from the depths of his heart, he forced his trembling legs to move.

Whoooosh!

Wind swept along the ridge. For an instant, Sage Hyeon-so's body swayed. But he managed to keep his balance.

"Hah… hah…"

Fear flooded through him, but Sage Hyeon-so did not stop walking.

Not for himself—for his disciple.

***

"Mmm!"

Dam Ho opened his eyes with a groan. The first thing he heard was a familiar voice.

"Have you come to? Thank heavens."

"Ma… Master?"

"Yes, it is I. Ho-ya."

He turned his head to see Sage Hyeon-so looking at him. The Master appeared to have aged ten years since the last time Dam Ho had seen him, and tears threatened to spill from Dam Ho's eyes.

"Master."

"Yes!"

"I am… sorry."

"What have you to be sorry for? What have you done wrong? You have done nothing at all. There is no need for apologies."

Dam Ho tried to sit up, but his limbs would not obey him. Only then did he realize that he had been severely injured in his match with Su-gyeong.

"Kuh!"

Dam Ho's eyes reddened.

Though he had been unconscious for a long time, he knew how badly he had been broken. With injuries of this magnitude, recovering his body alone would take years—let alone practicing martial arts.

Then Sage Hyeon-so reached out and stroked Dam Ho's head.

"Do not worry, Ho-ya."

"Master."

"The time it takes to recover will not be as long as you think."

Sage Hyeon-so propped Dam Ho up against the wall. Only then did Dam Ho notice that his entire body was covered in medicinal herbs. He did not need to ask to know they were the work of Sage Hyeon-so.

After settling Dam Ho, Sage Hyeon-so retrieved a large wooden box from the corner of the room. Inside lay dozens of dark reddish-brown pills.

"What are these?"

"Something good for the body."

Sage Hyeon-so took out a single pill.

In that instant, Dam Ho's pupils wavered. The hand that held the pill was covered in wounds.

"Master, your hand—"

"It is nothing. Do not worry about it."

What reason would a man who had spent his life reading scriptures have for wounds on his hands? They must have been sustained while scouring Mount Hua for the medicinal herbs that now covered Dam Ho's body.

Sage Hyeon-so's tattered Daoist robe was proof of this. There were certainly worse wounds hidden beneath.

"Take it quickly."

"Master."

"What, do you not trust my skill?"

Sage Hyeon-so smiled gently.

"That is not—"

"Then take it quickly."

"Yes!"

Dam Ho asked no further questions and swallowed the pill.

"Now circulate the Heavy Heaven Heart Method to spread the medicine's effects."

Dam Ho nodded and entered meditation. As he did, Sage Hyeon-so collapsed to the floor with a heavy sigh.

"Hah!"

A sigh escaped him unbidden.

What Dam Ho had taken was an elixir called the Cloud Yang Pill—a treasure whose formula had been passed down among Scholar Taoists, so rare that few even knew its name.

Unlike the Plum Blossom Divine Elixir, the supreme treasure of the Mount Hua Sect, it did not cause an explosive increase in power. But with prolonged use, internal energy steadily accumulated, and the muscles and bones were fortified.

Sage Hyeon-so had spent three full days combing Sangong Mountain for the ingredients to make the Cloud Yang Pill. The ingredients themselves were mostly common herbs, but because they grew on cliff faces or in remote, unfrequented places, he had been forced to risk his life.

He had fallen multiple times and plunged into ravines, but Sage Hyeon-so had ultimately obtained every ingredient needed.

Even after obtaining the ingredients, Sage Hyeon-so could not rest. Refining them into Cloud Yang Pills was no easy task.

A momentary lapse in fire control could undo days of effort. The process of making Cloud Yang Pills was grueling.

For days and nights without proper sleep, he had managed to produce only a few dozen pills.

"If the Heavy Heaven Heart Method is an iron furnace, then the Cloud Yang Pill is dry kindling. When dry kindling feeds the flame, the furnace must glow hot."

Sage Hyeon-so had memorized countless martial arts texts as a Scholar Taoist. Though he could not perform them with his body, his insight was far from lacking. His understanding of martial arts exceeded that of most ordinary martial artists.

Sage Hyeon-so sat with his arms crossed, watching Dam Ho circulate his energy. Color was slowly returning to Dam Ho's pallid face. It did not mean he was healed at once, but the worst seemed to have passed.

Still, Sage Hyeon-so could not relax entirely and kept close watch on Dam Ho's condition. One quarter-hour, two—the hours trickled by without end.

Dam Ho completed his circulation at dawn the following day.

"Hah!"

Dam Ho opened his eyes as his breathing steadied.

The first person he saw was, as always, Sage Hyeon-so. He had watched over Dam Ho the entire night.

"Master?"

"Are you all right?"

"I am much better."

He was not merely saying it to reassure his Master. Before the circulation, even breathing had been difficult. Now, his breathing came far more easily.

"That is a relief."

"It is thanks to you, Master."

"For the time being, take Cloud Yang Pills and circulate the Heavy Heaven Heart Method. You will not be able to move about much regardless."

"I will do as you say."

Dam Ho nodded.

Sage Hyeon-so gazed at him steadily. Dam Ho looked back.

"I heard what happened. You sparred with Su-gyeong."

"Yes."

"Do not blame Su-gyeong. It was not his choice."

"I know."

"Sage Hyeon-geom has always been extreme. He will stop at nothing to see his will done."

"I think I understand."

"This Master will apologize on his behalf."

"You have done nothing wrong, Master."

"No. All of this is my fault. If I had made my decision sooner, you would never have suffered this."

Sage Hyeon-so fell silent for a moment and gazed out the window. Through the open window, Lotus Peak was visible in the distance. Dam Ho followed his Master's gaze.

The eyes of the two as they looked upon Lotus Peak were strikingly similar.

After a time, Sage Hyeon-so finally spoke.

"Ho-ya!"

"Yes, Master."

"I will help you. Together, we will create a martial art that is right for you."

Dam Ho's eyes wavered.

Jin Ja-gang thought.

He wanted to live.

No matter how little strength he had left, if he stayed like this, he would be tied up again and tortured to death. By then, he would certainly have even less energy than now.

Jin Ja-gang gritted his teeth. With all his might, he planted his arms on the ground and tried to stand up.

But because he had barely used his muscles for so long, his arms gave way, and he nearly collapsed.

‘No! I can’t die here!’

At that moment, he felt something like lightning strike within his body.

From the Baihui acupoint at the crown of his head, a tiny thread-like energy emerged and extended all the way to his right arm.

That strength supported Jin Ja-gang. He was able to hold himself up without collapsing. It was truly nothing more than a thread, but even that was tremendous help for Jin Ja-gang in his current state.

For Jin Ja-gang, it was like a drowning man clutching at straws, but it was also true that hope had been born.

Jin Ja-gang consciously tried to keep drawing out that energy.

The Baihui acupoint at his crown throbbed as the thread-like energy continued to emerge and flow into his right arm.

Gradually, strength entered his right hand.

Jin Ja-gang realized this was due to the treatment Mang-ryo had performed on him earlier.

Thunk, thunk.

The sound of the cane was getting closer.

Mang-ryo would arrive soon.

Jin Ja-gang mustered his energy and used his right hand to grip the wall and stand up. With his broken leg not properly set, even standing was extraordinarily difficult.

Jin Ja-gang practically hung from the shelf and pulled down everything he could reach.

Mesh bags containing snakes, bottles with centipedes and scorpions, bamboo baskets with spiders, and bamboo tubes with toads.

After roughly placing them down, he opened some of the lids and scattered the contents in all directions.

He deliberately poured some small insects like ants near the hole and crushed them underfoot.

While removing, pouring out, and crushing the venomous creatures with his feet, Jin Ja-gang was bitten several times on his hands and feet.

These were deadly venomous creatures that could kill a person with just one bite. Jin Ja-gang started to feel numbness spreading, but he endured it. After all, he had a body that wouldn’t die from being bitten.

And the minimum time it took for the poison to take effect was about one-fifth of an hour.

That would be enough time.

If he could survive a lifetime of suffering by enduring just one-fifth of an hour of pain, that was the right thing to do.

Jin Ja-gang also scattered various plants and poisonous herbs around the room.

He hoped that with all this, Mang-ryo would think Jin Ja-gang had escaped through that hole.

No, that was Jin Ja-gang’s desperate wish—that Mang-ryo would think so.

Thunk, thunk.

The sound of the cane had almost reached the door.

But was this enough?

Suddenly, Jin Ja-gang felt a tingling in his right hand and looked down.

His hand, bitten all over by venomous creatures, was already swollen, and he could see a transparent liquid hanging from the tip of his little finger along with drops of blood.

Below that, a bamboo basket was rolling at Jin Ja-gang’s feet.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***

Mang-ryo paused.

He stopped before opening the door.

A strong fishy smell was coming from behind the door.

Normally, there was always some smell because of all the venomous creatures kept inside, but it had never been this strong.

Something was off.

Creak.

Mang-ryo carefully opened the locked door and entered.

At that moment, a gust of wind brought a strong fishy smell.

Hiss!

A venomous steel-scaled viper lunged at him with its fangs fully exposed. It was completely unexpected.

Mang-ryo was startled but managed to wrap the viper’s body around his cane and grab its head with his other hand.

Hisssss!

The angry steel-scaled viper made a threatening sound with its mouth wide open. Mang-ryo pressed both sides of the viper’s jaw to keep it from closing its mouth and looked around the room.

Why on earth was the steel-scaled viper out?

Mang-ryo’s question was quickly answered.

The opening of the mesh bag that had contained the steel-scaled viper was open and rolling on the floor. He could even see other steel-scaled vipers slowly crawling out of the mesh bag.

That wasn’t all. The room, which had been in perfect order when he left, was now completely in disarray. The creatures’ cages and mesh bags that should have been on the shelves were on the floor with their openings unfastened.

As a result, snakes were crawling on the floor, scorpions and spiders were climbing all over the walls, and insects were clinging to the ceiling.

It was obvious who had done this.

Jin Ja-gang!

Mang-ryo was so angry that his hands trembled.

“How could this b*st*rd still have the strength to move?”

He couldn’t forgive Jin Ja-gang for ruining his precious venomous creatures like this.

Mang-ryo raised his eyebrows and surveyed the room. One or two creatures might be manageable, but even for Mang-ryo, being suddenly bitten by so many venomous creatures would be difficult to detoxify. Therefore, he couldn’t carelessly enter the room.

But no matter how much he looked from the doorway, Jin Ja-gang was nowhere to be seen.

Mang-ryo gritted his teeth and shouted:

“You b*st*rd! Come out right now! After I saved your life, this is how you repay me?”

Of course, there was no way Jin Ja-gang would come out.

Mang-ryo shouted again:

“If you’re hiding and I catch you later, I won’t let you off easily!”

Still no response. The room was quiet except for the venomous creatures moving around.

“Urgh.”

It would be quite troublesome to catch all the roaming venomous creatures and put them back in their places. Moreover, since most of these creatures contained deadly poison, they would need to be caught by properly equipped people.

“Fine, you little brat. Let’s play hide and seek. When I catch you, I’ll tear off the first part of you I get my hands on.”

Mang-ryo threw the steel-scaled viper into a corner of the room and put on deerskin gloves on both hands.

He intended to go in.

After all, where could Jin Ja-gang hide? Where could he possibly hide in this room?

Mang-ryo closed the door.

Thud.

Killing intent filled Mang-ryo’s eyes as he looked around the room.

But strangely, Jin Ja-gang was nowhere to be seen.

It was just a single room. There was a stone bed, a desk on one side, and shelves on both walls. Mesh bags, broken bottles, and bamboo cages were scattered on the floor.

Mang-ryo quickly circled the room once, avoiding the moving venomous creatures, but Jin Ja-gang wasn’t there.

“Why isn’t he here? Why?”

Whoosh.

Suddenly, Mang-ryo felt a very slight breeze and the smell of rot.

Turning his head, he saw a hole in the opposite side of the floor with its cover slightly open. Wind was blowing in from there. It was a hole used for disposing of garbage, extending all the way to the outside.

The hole was extremely narrow, not big enough for a person to enter.

“Could it be…?”

But there’s always a “what if.”

Mang-ryo became suspicious. He thought Jin Ja-gang might have escaped through that hole.

‘How small was Jin Ja-gang?’

That stubborn child might have dislocated his shoulders to escape.

When Mang-ryo rushed over to check, he saw crushed venomous creatures near the cover. It definitely looked like someone had squeezed through there.

Mang-ryo quickly knelt down. He pushed the cover to check inside.

At that moment.

Something that had been caught on the cover flew toward Mang-ryo’s eye.

Ting!

Mang-ryo was startled and turned his body sideways to dodge. Something sharp grazed his face.

Looking at what it was, it was none other than a bamboo splinter. It seemed the bamboo splinter had been stuck between the cover and the hole and was now dislodged.

“What is this!”

Mang-ryo touched below his left eye.

Blood stained his fingers.

It wasn’t Mang-ryo’s blood.

He had scratched below his eye while dodging, but not enough to draw blood.

Then it must be Jin Ja-gang’s blood.

An ominous feeling came over him.

Could this really be a coincidence?

But suddenly, he felt a stinging sensation below his eye. The vision on the injured side was becoming blurry.

Poison.

It was poison.

Mang-ryo was terrified.

“This little b*st*rd!”

When had he applied poison to the bamboo splinter?

Just blood alone couldn’t cause poisoning!

But the fact was that he had been poisoned.

Mang-ryo grew desperate.

Unfortunately, he had just depleted most of his internal energy when opening Jin Ja-gang’s energy channels. It would be difficult to expel the poison with internal energy.

Mang-ryo pressed the acupoints on his face, but due to his lack of internal energy, he couldn’t even properly seal the points. It only slightly delayed the poison from spreading through his energy channels.

Cold sweat poured down his face. His head was spinning, and his eyes were stinging. They even itched.

These weren’t symptoms of just one type of poison.

“Urgh… what kind of poison could cause this…”

Mang-ryo groaned in pain.

To make matters worse, a scorpion was crawling up his cane.

“Kuk!”

Mang-ryo swung his cane to throw off the scorpion. The scorpion hit the wall and was crushed.

The released venomous creatures in the room were approaching him. With almost no internal energy, he couldn’t respond properly. Mang-ryo swung his cane and kicked to drive away or kill the venomous creatures.

They were precious venomous creatures, but not more precious than his own life. And they were only valuable if he was alive.

The eye on the injured side was already starting to swell and he couldn’t see well. His eyeball was stinging.

There was no time to waste. He wasn’t someone with an unusual constitution like Jin Ja-gang. He needed to get out of this room quickly.

“You b*st*rd, just wait! I’ll chase you to the ends of hell and tear you limb from limb!”

Mang-ryo, overcome with rage, cursed as he covered his eye and ran for the door.

“Is anyone there!”

Mang-ryo burst through the door, almost kicking it open, and shouted as he rushed outside.

In his haste, he misplaced his cane and rolled on the ground several times. Then he began to vomit violently.

“Ueek! Uek!”

Blood mixed with his vomit. After vomiting for quite some time, expelling even his stomach acid, Mang-ryo gasped for breath.

His eye felt like it was rotting, and his head felt like it was about to burst.

Mang-ryo searched his pockets for an antidote. Since he wasn’t sure what kind of poison it was, it took time to find and take various antidotes based on his symptoms.

Suddenly, his lower abdomen felt tight. Absurdly, in this situation, he felt strength gathering in his lower region.

Mang-ryo’s mind cleared instantly.

‘So the main poison was indeed from the twin-spotted paradise widow spider!’

There’s no complete antidote for the twin-spotted paradise widow spider. It’s such a deadly poison. But the symptoms can be somewhat alleviated with an antidote for the widow spider family.

Mang-ryo hurriedly searched his pockets and took out an antidote for the widow spider. He poured the powder, wrapped in oil-soaked paper, into his mouth and sprinkled the rest on the wound below his eye.

The pain subsided a little.

This was only possible because the amount of poison that entered through the wound was not substantial.

He could finally breathe again.

At that moment.

Suddenly, Mang-ryo recalled something from long ago.

“Come to think of it, that cave back then…?”

The cave where Son Wi-hak had been found dead.

Still not trusting the situation, Mang-ryo had ordered people to guard the front of that cave for several days. It was only after hearing that the cave had become filled with corpse poison, making it impossible for anyone to enter, that he allowed them to withdraw.

But Jin Ja-gang was never found anywhere else.

Despite setting up a perimeter everywhere and searching all possible hiding places with the help of Gwak-o, who had betrayed Hundred Flower Valley.

Yet, Jin Ja-gang had finally escaped from there and gone all the way to the Martial Arts Alliance’s Yunnan Branch, complicating matters.

How exactly had Jin Ja-gang escaped from there? Where had he been hiding?

At the time, Mang-ryo had thought the guards had been distracted and lost him, but now he realized it might not have been the case.

Back then, he didn’t know that Jin Ja-gang had a body resistant to poison.

If Jin Ja-gang had been resistant to poison back then, just as he was now, that would change everything.

Mang-ryo felt a chill run down his spine.