Chapter 9 – River Pirates (2)

As the group passed by the riverside, they discovered boats hidden in the reed beds. They seemed to be boats used for piracy. Hwangbo Ja-gyeom had cheerfully punched holes in all the boat bottoms.

Satisfied with his work, Hwangbo Ja-gyeom and the group shortly arrived at the northern riverside of the fortress.

“It seems there was a lot of rain upstream. The water is tremendous.”

As Hwangbo Ja-gyeom said, the Yangtze River water was flowing in torrents alongside the island.

However, the northern riverside where the pirate stronghold was located was surrounded by small hills like breakwaters, blocking outside view and preventing water from rushing into the stronghold.

“Tsk. The terrain is so low that it would be submerged during the rainy season, but it turns out to be a natural fortress.”

Hwangbo Ja-gyeom grumbled while looking at the stronghold, but Sun-woo, who had surveyed the hills and village, had a satisfied expression. It was as he had expected.

But it would be better to be more certain. Sun-woo immediately opened his skill window and spent 50 points out of his remaining points to upgrade <Spirit of the Earth> to 2nd class.

Sun-woo could hear the whispers of earth spirits. Their voices seemed to be right next to his ears.

Having confirmed that his body and mind had adapted to the enhanced sorcery, Sun-woo knelt on one knee and placed his hands on the ground.

At this sight, Nan-seol drew her sword and began guarding the surroundings, while Hwangbo Ja-gyeom stood to one side watching Sun-woo with curious eyes.

Preparations were complete. Sun-woo, having drawn up his qigong to the fullest, began calling upon the earth spirits.

Rumble rumble.

Sounds began coming from underground.

***

Inside the largest log house in the pirate stronghold, a feast was in full swing. The pirates were creating chaos with alcohol and food they had taken from a recently plundered boat spread out everywhere.

However, the atmosphere inside the house was too eerie to be considered an ordinary(?) bandit feast. Blood was painted all over the walls and floors, and even the food and alcohol were covered in blood.

But the pirates didn’t seem to care and were busy eating and drinking.

While they had been making noise for quite some time, a thick voice came from the innermost part.

“Why is the floor so soggy?”

The pirate speaking was like a huge bear. With disheveled hair and wearing a large fur coat that didn’t even cover properly, he was stomping the floor with thick feet and scowling.

He was their leader and the chief of this Water Dragon Stronghold, the self-proclaimed Water Dragon God General.

At his single word, the pirates stopped moving and all looked down at the floor.

The floor was completely flooded. Rippling water was pooled abundantly on the floor.

“Someone go check!”

At the leader’s words, a pirate sitting near the outside opened the door, and he saw water rushing toward the fortress.

“Ch-chief!”

The surprised pirates all rushed outside.

Crash crash crash!

All the pirates’ mouths fell open. They saw waves rushing toward the village.

“You idiots! Evacuate quickly!”

At the leader’s words, the pirates began running to avoid the water.

The pirates ran with all their might, but the rushing waves were faster. The water overwhelmed the fortress.

The waves destroyed houses and smashed the wooden palisades. Along with it, numerous pirates were swept away by the water.

Although the pirates were confident swimmers, they had no way to withstand such rapid currents.

The Water Dragon chief, who had barely escaped the current with a few subordinates, raised his red eyes and ground his teeth. The stronghold had completely disappeared.

Filled with rage, he checked the direction the water was rushing from. The water was rushing in from the north.

“Let’s go! Let’s find out what happened and who played this prank, and completely tear them apart.”

The leader and pirates carefully headed toward the northern hill while avoiding the rushing current.

Shortly after arriving at the hill, he witnessed an absurd scene.

Several large holes were drilled under the hill, and river water was pouring out from them.

“Ha! It really turned out just as you said.”

A booming voice reached the ears of the chief, who was looking at the holes with a bewildered expression.

It was Hwangbo Ja-gyeom shouting from the top of the hill. He grabbed his large sword and jumped down the hill.

“Hey! Let’s have a one-on-one fight this time!”

“What! It’s that rat bastard from before! Boys, get him!”

Seeing Hwangbo Ja-gyeom, the Water Dragon chief shouted to his subordinates. To him, who had lived as a pirate, talk of one-on-one was just ridiculous.

But he had no choice but to face Hwangbo Ja-gyeom alone. Nan-seol had followed Hwangbo Ja-gyeom and jumped down.

The battle began. On the muddy water reaching up to their ankles, Hwangbo Ja-gyeom and the chief with an axe faced off, while a fierce fight broke out between Nan-seol and the pirates.

“Huh? Were you originally this strong?”

After exchanging several sword strikes, Hwangbo Ja-gyeom was surprised by the chief’s skills.

“Hahaha! I am the Water Dragon chief of the Yangtze River Pirates Alliance, Water Dragon God General!”

“I know that. Weren’t you just barely first-class top level?”

“The Water Dragon descended upon me recently. Now I’ve become the true Water Dragon God General!”

“Damn! Was he the type that gets stronger when contaminated?”

Hwangbo Ja-gyeom’s face twisted. He had thought there would be at least one level difference, but they had become almost equal level. Although there was quite a difference in martial arts, the tremendous divine strength gained from contamination had equalized their abilities.

Meanwhile, Sun-woo was sitting on the hill, putting all his effort into recovering his internal energy through breathing exercises.

With his sorcery and internal energy, it was difficult to collapse the hill to create a waterway, but it was possible to dig tunnels.

However, creating a tunnel from the riverside under the hill was not easy with the internal energy he possessed.

Although he was diligently practicing breathing exercises, his energy channels were damaged, making it seem difficult to participate in this battle.

While he was recovering his internal energy, the battle between Hwangbo Ja-gyeom and the self-proclaimed Water Dragon God General became more intense, and Nan-seol was taking care of the pirates one by one.

With her movements that seemed like strolling on water, the pirates splashed muddy water and got smashed into the ground.

As his subordinates fell one by one, the eyes of the Water Dragon chief, no, the contamination source, burned even brighter. If all his subordinates fell like this and even Nan-seol joined in, the problem would become serious.

“Damn, let’s die together!”

The Water Dragon chief abandoned defense and charged at Hwangbo Ja-gyeom. But at such behavior from the chief, Hwangbo Ja-gyeom was rather pleased.

“Stupid fool!”

Slash!

The Water Dragon chief, who had charged in recklessly, had his axe-wielding arm cut off by Hwangbo Ja-gyeom’s sword. Having abandoned defense, the match was decided.

“The stupid one is you!”

But the fight didn’t end there. The moment his arm was cut off, the chief’s opposite fist swung toward Hwangbo Ja-gyeom’s chest.

Surprised Hwangbo Ja-gyeom blocked the fist with his hand, but the chief’s red-hot fist pushed aside his hand and struck Hwangbo Ja-gyeom’s chest.

Thud!

“Such monstrous strength…”

Hwangbo Ja-gyeom spat blood and was knocked backward, while the Water Dragon chief burst into mad laughter, bleeding from his severed arm.

“Hahahaha, this is the power given by the Divine Dragon!”

While the chief burst into mad laughter, Hwangbo Ja-gyeom lay prostrate spitting blood. His internal injuries were severe.

Fortunately, Nan-seol had knocked down the pirates and charged at the chief, but every time his red fist and her sword clashed, the sword blade chipped and she was pushed back. The Water Dragon chief’s divine strength was gradually increasing.

“Hahaha, now it’s your turn, wench!”

Before long, the bleeding from the chief’s severed arm had stopped, and the red aura from his fist was spreading to his arm.

Sun-woo hurriedly checked the Water Dragon chief with his phone and frowned. The contamination source was evolving to grade 3.

Moreover, Nan-seol didn’t seem like she could hold out much longer. This wasn’t a situation where he could just rest.

“This is running at a loss.”

Sun-woo sighed and took out a potion from his inventory and immediately drank it. Instantly, his internal injuries were healed and his internal energy was fully replenished.

Sun-woo first placed his hands on the ground and sent out sorcery. After finishing preparations shortly after, he jumped down the hill.

“Ugh!”

At that moment, Nan-seol was knocked backward with impact. She could no longer withstand the shock of colliding with the fist.

“Damn!”

Sun-woo grumbled lowly and charged at the chief. With Nan-seol out, he had to face him alone.

“What are you supposed to be!”

The chief, filled with murderous intent, stepped forward and swung his fist as Sun-woo charged.

Whoosh!

The fist full of red aura swung toward Sun-woo, but the fist went toward the wrong place. The chief’s stepping foot sank into the muddy water.

“What is this!”

Sun-woo swung his sword toward the flustered chief, but unfortunately, his sword was blocked by the chief’s severed arm. The red membrane that had spread up to his shoulder blocked his sword.

Although it was a sword enhanced with enhancement stones, that red aura was extremely difficult to penetrate. It seemed like he would need the strike that had cut the stone slab before to break through the red aura.

Sun-woo changed his method.

Rumble rumble rumble!

Several earth pillars shot up from under the muddy water, and piles of earth wrapped around the chief’s feet.

“What kind of sorcery is this!”

The surprised chief smashed the rising pillars and jumped around in all directions, shaking off the earth covering his legs. The opponent was strong. Even Sun-woo’s sorcery could barely stop the opponent.

As time passed, Sun-woo was continuously pushed back and eventually had to block the chief’s fist with his sword.

Bang!

Sun-woo was knocked backward like a ball. He flew for quite a while and rolled on the muddy ground.

Surprised Nan-seol ran over with her painful body, but the chief was one step faster. He kicked off the muddy water and flew toward Sun-woo.

“Die!”

The chief’s fist, flying several meters and falling toward Sun-woo, was blazing red.

“Now!”

Sun-woo looked at the falling chief and put strength into his hand on the ground.

Rumble rumble rumble.

All the ground around where Sun-woo was lying collapsed downward along with Sun-woo. A circular trap several meters in diameter had suddenly revealed itself.

“Playing tricks!”

The chief’s expression twisted when he saw the ground collapse. But being unable to change direction in mid-air, he had no choice but to dive into the trap.

This pit was the final trap Sun-woo had made on the hill. Everything Sun-woo had done so far was to lure the chief into this trap.

As the chief dove into the trap, earth began pouring down.

“Puha! Where are you? Can’t come out?”

The chief’s roar erupted from under the trap, but the sound soon became inaudible due to the pouring piles of earth.

Shortly after, the trap was filled, and the ground was quiet for quite a while.

The moment Nan-seol approached with her uncomfortable body.

Burst!

The chief’s body burst out from underground.

Surprised Nan-seol raised her sword, but she soon stopped moving.

Sun-woo’s sword was protruding from the left chest of the chief who had escaped outside. The sword, clearly stabbed from behind, still had a faint aura lingering around it.

Life disappeared from the chief’s red-stained eyes. And he soon collapsed on the ground.

“Huff!”

At the same time, Sun-woo’s upper body burst out next to the chief. With his face turned pale, he struggled to raise his hand toward Nan-seol.

“Could you pull me out? Both my internal energy and sorcery are completely depleted.”

Nan-seol, who had been looking at Sun-woo with surprised eyes, couldn’t help but smile at his words.