3
2
7.
Don’t lie.
Yang Ja-pyeong’s eyes were shaking violently.
“Why do you lie?”
“……
To sense the spiritual vein, one must possess ceaseless time and effort, as well as eons of patience spent throwing oneself into suffering… … .”
“No, I’m telling you, I can feel it.”
I spoke while moving to a different spot for a moment.
“Here, a spiritual vein of this size is flowing, and over here, a thin vein of this size is flowing. Isn’t that right?”
It took three years just to get started… … .”
Yang Ja-pyeong, muttering meaningless words with a dazed expression.
I felt a bit awkward asking anything more, so I started looking it up on my own.
That’s fascinating.
As Yang Ja-pyeong said, Mukrim’s spiritual vein was affecting the entire forest.
Unlike air, which becomes thinner as it rises, the energy of the spiritual vein could be felt uniformly from deep within the ground to the tips of the trees, as if the space itself were a vessel where the vein resided. ‘So there was a reason why natural energy was appearing throughout the forest.’ Not only animals and insects, but even trees and grass roots were receiving the energy of the spiritual vein.
Thus, beings who received the energy of the spirit veins created strange phenomena that could not be seen in the Central Plains.
What forms in that spot is natural effluent.
As I reached out and inserted my hand into the natural formation, the distortion of space became clearly visible. ‘How could I possibly find my way in this condition?’ As I took a step forward, the strange phenomenon felt even more distinct.
The ley line beneath my feet tells me to go to the left, but the path in the forest is a straight line.
The moment you take a step according to the given visual information, you lose your sense of direction.
As the sense of direction becomes completely twisted, the level of martial arts skill becomes meaningless.
Only the spiritual veins reveal the direction and point the right path.
The reason why only Namgwonmun can manage Mukrim.
“…………
That’s impossible… … a lie… … .”
Yang Ja-pyeong, still unable to face reality, muttered blankly to himself.
at that time.
Pow pow!
A loud explosion was heard from the distant forest.
I had been hearing shouts and the sound of trees falling all along, but this was the first time I heard them this loudly.
Yang Ja-pyeong, who had been sitting blankly, also gets up from his seat and looks towards the source of the noise.
I’ll be right back.
Yang Ziping untied the thick rope attached to his waist, wrapped it around a tree, and climbed it quickly. ‘Hmph, his speed is almost faster than using the Flying Dragon Bird.’ While I was admiring the strange Wall Tiger Technique for a moment, Yang Ziping came down from the tree a short while later.
A dumbfounded expression.
“It seems… I have met a spirit.”
Then, he cautiously glances at me.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Just in case… he might ask to go…”
Honestly, what do you think of me?
No matter how obsessed you are with the elixir, what good is it if your life is in danger?
Moreover, there are even the disciples and members of the Taeeulmun here.
I shook my head obediently.
“Don’t worry. Didn’t Lord Yang clearly say it was dangerous? The chances of a successful hunt are low, too.”
That’s right.
“Then I will trust Great Hero Yang.”
“…….”
Yang Ja-pyeong seemed worried that I might go hunting after reading the spirit veins.
Looking at his relaxed face, I asked again.
It really is dangerous, isn’t it?
“So it’s certainly hard to hunt, too?”
“It’s definitely going to fail. Right?”
Yang Ja-pyeong with a somewhat detached expression.
Still, it’s better to be sure.
He asked again.
“Please tell me you can’t do it.” #A night when everyone is asleep.
I quietly opened my eyes and checked the night watch. As scheduled, Eun Seol-ran was on duty.
This is exactly why I woke up at this hour.
Seol-ran has the weakest sense of energy, at least.
I turned over.
And I started to crawl stealthily, keeping my presence as quiet as possible.
I can’t believe crawling on the battlefield is coming in handy at a time like this.
I’m a little grateful to those Mine bastards.
I’m definitely going to smash my head in the next time I see you.
After moving about ten paces like that, he stood up and began to perform the Spirit-Foot Movement, and after thirty paces had passed, he unleashed the Heavenly Solo Movement and ran. ‘It was definitely over there.’ Following the flow of the spiritual vein rising from deep underground, he retraced the path he had walked during the day.
When night falls on the already dark Mukrim, absolutely nothing can be seen.
There are only occasional light-emitting insects or flying bugs.
However, this made movement easier.
Since there is no confusion in my field of vision, I just have to follow the flow of the ley lines.
After exerting all my strength for about a moment, I arrived at a place where the carcass of Mukhongsa, whom I had hunted that afternoon, lay.
“Hehe. I mean, they can come on their own now.”
Then, moving to a spot a short distance away, Yang Ja-pyeong dug up the ground where he had buried the poison.
As I removed some of the soil, a dog emitting an ominous green light was revealed.
“Hehe…….”
Ever since I became able to read the spirit veins, I have been waiting only for the night to come.
Now that I can absorb as much dogmatism as I want while avoiding people’s attention.
Moreover, if you use the Blue Dragon Pill, there is no need to practice Qi circulation to dissolve the stubbornness.
“Since I just swallowed the poison pills and left, there was no reason to arouse suspicion. I’ll just say I went to see Sophie.” As a result of moving so diligently, I absorbed the poison pills of Bihongsa, Cheongeum Dokgaksa, Dokgak Gwaeryong, and Samsaek Dokwa in less than half an hour.
Is there a limit to the number of times this can be used, too?
I clenched and unclenched my left hand, checking the sensation.
For some reason, I feel like my senses are a bit dull.
I also feel like only my fingertips and the floor are numb.
It seemed like it would take some time for the sensation to return.
Still, I could feel the internal energy in my dantian growing slightly, and the numbness transmitted to my hands felt like nothing.
I mean, just because you don’t have much sensation doesn’t mean you can’t use your hands, right?
Instead, if you are full of internal energy, you can smash your opponent’s head more easily.
“Hahaha.”
The disappointment regarding the spirit has been somewhat satisfied with this.
Right, it is better to safely increase your internal energy than to do something dangerous.
Pow pow pow!
Far away in the forest, a flash of light flashes for a moment accompanied by a loud bang.
Right, safety first. Safety first.
Yang Ja-pyeong is right.
Spirits cannot be hunted.
Just look at the state those guys are acting right now, doesn’t that tell you?
The deafening roar that echoes through the entire forest has already continued for three days. Day and night, no less.
There must be some who got trapped and lost in the natural sandbar while hunting, and others who suffered deep injuries and were in danger of losing their lives.
But because of the spirit right before his eyes, he probably couldn’t bring himself to stop hunting.
Right. This is the correct one.
I barely managed to turn my heavy, reluctant feet around and headed toward where my companions were.
Puff puff puff!
For some reason, I wasn’t in the mood to unleash the Heavenly Solo Movement, so I just walked slowly.
On the way back as well, I was taking steps while repeating the flow of the spirit veins. Thanks to this, I was able to quickly ignore the sounds of the spirit hunt.
“This is a seriously messed-up forest.”
I was clearly walking the exact same path I had taken earlier, but it had changed into a completely different road.
Moreover, not a single trace of the knife cuts I made on the way here remains.
It makes me wonder if it is even possible to get out of this forest without reading the flow of the spirit veins.
I use my internal energy to become a god
I boosted my senses.
It puts a strain on the head, but doing this allows you to feel the spiritual pulse more clearly.
I thought about asking Yang Ja-pyeong about this, but I decided against it.
He seemed like he didn’t know for some reason.
Whenever I asked about the spirit vein, he looked like he was about to cry, going beyond mere skepticism.
To think it took three years… it worked right away for me. Tsk.
Eventually, the faint spiritual veins become more clearly felt.
Although I am not seeing it with my own eyes, it is conveyed that the entire Mukrim is densely filled.
The sensation of being able to see without actually seeing is truly fascinating beyond measure.
As I walked along, scanning the ley lines, I noticed something like a small star shining on the ground that I hadn’t seen on the way. ‘What is this?’ I approached slowly and saw that the energy of the ley lines was gathered together like jewels, emitting light.
As I stopped reading the spirit veins, the energy that filled the dark forest vanished, and the gathered light also disappeared without a trace.
And in that spot that shone like a star, there was a fruit that looked like a Cornelian cherry.
“Hmm…….”
Suddenly, Yang Ja-pyeong’s words come to mind. [Most beings in the Mukrim harbor poison, so they will eat just anything… … No, that is not it.]
Yang Ja-pyeong, who stopped talking halfway through.
It seems like they wanted to warn about the poison.
Well, it wasn’t exactly a story that resonated with me since I was already working on poison resistance.
“Hehe…….”
I absorbed one fruit with the Blue Dragon Pill. ‘Oh.’ A warm energy surged into my hand and was absorbed into my Danjeon.
I didn’t feel the characteristic coldness of Dokdan. ‘I could actually eat this.’ As I plucked another fruit and put it in my mouth, a warm sensation slowly rose from my stomach a moment later.
An effect similar to the elixir commonly spoken of in the Central Plains.
“Well, considering the spiritual veins of Mukrim influence everything, there must surely be a miraculous elixir like this.”
Just in case, I headed toward where my team members were, checking to see if the beings buried underground were emitting light.
“Elixirs like wild ginseng and Polygonum multiflorum usually grow underground.” “There aren’t any.” I had walked quite a long distance, carefully scanning the ground, but I couldn’t find a single root of wild ginseng or Polygonum multiflorum.
I realized once again that Mukrim is a truly wretched place.
Spiritual energy dwells in places like Cornus fruit, yet the power of spiritual energy does not dwell in common wild ginseng or Polygonum multiflorum.
What kind of wild forest is this?
Anyway, such dissatisfaction was only temporary.
I made a cautious return to the campsite.
“Go somewhere…”
“Ugh, that startled me.”
Why are you so surprised?
Yang Ja-pyeong was staring intently at me from the darkness. ‘Damn it.’ The only downside of the Ghost-Sik Haengbo. It can hide its presence, but it cannot hide its appearance.
“Ah… haha, for a moment, Sophie….”
“While using stealth techniques?”
“Ah! I was worried someone else might wake up.”
Wouldn’t this be seen as the image of a student center representative who is considerate of others?
Are you saying for an entire shijin?
Huh? Has it already been that long?
As I tilted my head, Yang Ja-pyeong’s voice grew even lower.
“Where… are you coming from?”
Yang Ja-pyeong took a big step closer.
It seems they are displeased that I wandered around the forest as I pleased, especially since they had warned me about safety several times.
Hmm… how do I explain this?
“I can’t exactly say that I went to absorb the dogmatism.” “Ah!” Just then, I remembered the cornelian cherry fruit I had brought in my bosom.
Actually, I saw this earlier in the day, so I was on my way back from picking it.
What is that?
“It seems to be a young fruit of the spiritual vein energy. It seems to be somewhat helpful for increasing internal energy.”
Are you saying you went out of your way to pick that in the middle of the night?
I guess it doesn’t make sense. They could have just picked it during the day, so why bother…
But considering how much experience he has working in the Sojeong Unit where lying was the norm, it doesn’t make sense if he can’t overcome a crisis like this.
Actually, I wanted to avoid the kids’ eyes.
“Why?”
Yang Ja-pyeong looked at him with even more suspicion.
“Although the elixirs are minuscule, Great Hero Yang hasn’t consumed a single one all this time, has he?”
Since Yang Ja-pyeong could not help with the monster hunt, he was always excluded from the turn to eat the spirit pills.
Therefore, I targeted that point.
Isn’t the best way to avoid suspicion precisely to make them harbor other suspicions?
I made a special trip here at night because I thought you might not be able to eat due to the kids.
Yang Ja-pyeong’s fierce gaze twitches subtly for some reason.
“Since you’re going through so much trouble because of us, I thought I should at least take care of you with something like this.”
And soon it changed gently.
I… I’m fine…
“Hey, I’ve put a lot of effort into this……..”
“No, but still…”
Are you going to keep making my sincerity feel awkward?
Come on, forget about the refusal and just eat.
Because I have to keep moving at night from now on.
It would have been better to just make Yang Ja-pyeong pretend not to know and let it slide.
“Uh, then I’ll try just one.”
Hesitantly, he put a fruit in his mouth and chewed.
Then, as if sensing something, he suddenly opened his eyes wide.
I smiled contentedly and nodded.
Please hurry up and breathe. The kids will wake up.
Yang Ja-pyeong, who had been conflicted, soon sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.
This was also permission to continue absorbing the dogmatism in the future.#We have finally entered the realm of demons.
Certainly, the number of monsters appearing increased as soon as we entered the Demon Realm.
Still, there were no major problems.
Because the members of the group, now half-Mukrim people, hunted with skilled hands, cut open the bellies to remove the poison, and then shared the elixir.
Other than that, there was nothing particularly special.
Normally, as the power of the spirit veins grows stronger, finding the way should become more difficult, but…
It’s this way.
In our group, there is one more person who can read spirit veins besides Yang Ja-pyeong.
“Eunho.”
“Yes, Senior Brother.”
“Aren’t I pretty amazing?”
I helped Yang Ja-pyeong in the places where he was confused, and thanks to that, the speed of exploration within the Demon Realm did not decrease much.
Anyway, the noise has stopped.
Namgung Seon-hwa looked into the forest on one side and said.
Just as she said, the sound that had been ringing for four days and nights suddenly stopped, and no more noise was heard.
You are alright, aren’t you, Confucius?
For some reason, Namgung Seon-hwa asked me a question.
I answered nonchalantly.
“Ah, ah, it’s not okay, what reason would there be to think it’s okay?”
I’m not sick, my stomach doesn’t hurt at all.
Although it was merely a formality, a map of the Demon Realm gradually began to be created, and once it was all completed, work in the Mukrim would be finished.
Now, go back, complete the remaining days at the garrison, and then return to the academy to finish.
“They say every penny counts… now that I’ve gathered it all up, it really does seem like quite a lot.”
Those who shared and consumed the spirit pills dropped by monsters and the fruits I gathered during the night achieved a reasonably satisfactory increase in internal energy. ‘Well, still, it’s nothing compared to me.’ I realized once again that the Blue Dragon Pill is an anomalous entity; although I didn’t eat a single spirit pill or fruit, I increased my internal energy the most among them.
As night fell and we were spending time after setting up the campsite.
Swoosh.
I sensed a presence in the forest.
All the squad members simultaneously raised their weapons and stood guard.
Shortly after, a familiar face emerged from the bushes.
Instructor?
Seong Moran tilted her head while looking at No Jinha.
That’s understandable, considering his appearance was quite different from Instructor Noh Jin-ha, whom I saw a few days ago.
“What happened?”
One eye is wrapped in a bandage, and there are traces of deep burns on the face.
He growled with a fierce expression.
“Has a spirit come here?”
What kind of nonsense is this?
“Surely you didn’t hunt a spirit, did you?”
Noh Jin-ha and his group glared at me.
“Speak, Jin So-un. Did you capture the spirit?”
“What the… dog-like….”
Before I could even finish speaking, Saryeon strode forward.
We haven’t even seen anything like a spirit.
Lies are not forgiven.
“Why go out of your way to lie? If you caught him, it would be better for us if you just told the truth. It’s not like he committed a major crime.”
No Jin-ha, who had been twitching his lips at Sa-ryeon’s words, snorted and turned around.
“I suppose there is no way a mere foot soldier of the Taeeul Sect could hunt a spirit.”
No Jin-ha, who spouts such nonsense and quickly disappears into the bushes.
Seongmo-ran spoke softly, as if in admiration.
It seems the spirit hunt wasn’t easy.
“That’s true. The instructors right now must all be clan leaders or higher-ranking members from the Alliance… and a lot of personnel from the Council of Righteousness have been mobilized as well.”
I also agreed with what they said and felt relieved.
If we had set out to hunt the spirits, we might have ended up bearing the full brunt of that damage.
“If casualties occur during the spirit hunt, the instructors won’t be able to escape responsibility either… Will that be okay?”
At Seongmo-ran’s words, I curled the corners of my mouth in satisfaction.
“Why would we care about that?”
You have to take responsibility for your own shoveling. #Darkness falls on Mukrim again.
I slowly silenced my presence and stepped away from the spot.
Yang Ziping, who appears every hour, will notice that I have left my seat, but it doesn’t really matter anymore.
Because his mouth was shut tighter than a latch with the fruit I brought him every time.
Since the number of monsters appearing increased after entering the Demon Realm, I had to move more diligently than when I was in the Mukrim near the base, but it wasn’t too difficult.
Because it was also an opportunity to absorb that much more dogmatism.
If you go to the garrison, there will likely be many eyes watching, so you won’t be able to go out at night.
So, this was the last chance to gather inner strength.
Therefore, I absorbed all eight of the solitary acts until the sensation completely vanished from my hands, and calmly returned to where my team members were.
There aren’t many fruits in the Demon Realm.
In this dark forest, which seemed to have grown completely at will, there didn’t seem to be even a speck of consistency.
The power of the spirit vein is stronger, yet there are no fruits that contain the power of the spirit vein.
Still, I am building up my confidence to the fullest and thoroughly scanning the demonic realm.
Whoosh.
Isn’t it that a bright flame is shining intensely in the darkness?
“huh?”
For a moment, I was confused.
What I am sensing right now is strictly the flow of the spiritual veins.
There is no way I should be seeing anything like flames… so why is something like a torch shining?
As I calmed down, the torch vanished without a trace.
no way.
In that moment, I could feel my heart pounding more than ever before. ‘Th-to think a spirit vein of this magnitude…’ I fully extended my Spirit Movement and moved toward the torch of the spirit vein.
And the moment I approached closely and calmed my nerves to confirm its identity.
Something in the shape of a human rose from its seat, engulfed in massive flames.
Ughhh!
A being several times the size of a commonly known monkey.
The monkey was spewing flames from its entire body and glaring at me with fierce eyes.
Huh?
Why are you… coming out of here?
