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6. After
As if moving slowly until now was to avoid monsters, Yang Ja-pyeong began to open the way without hesitation.
If you keep moving so unhesitatingly.
“Ugh, aaaah……!”
As if to prove why Mukrim is called Mukrim, monsters burst out.
Not only Cheonglin Geumseonsa and Bicheon Ogong, but even Inmyeonjiju, whom I met for the first time in a while.
Ah, of course, when she met the human-faced landowner, Seong Moran fainted.
Monsters that were hard to spot even once in the Central Plains popped out here at any time, just like rabbits living on a neighborhood hill. ‘Of course, rabbits don’t go berserk with their eyes rolling back to devour humans.’ The squad members, who had initially hesitated due to their fearsome appearance, gradually began to adapt as prey piled up one by one, and consequently, the speed of the hunt also increased.
“Another tiny one came out this time.”
The most dramatic change is the Virgin Mary.
She no longer freaked out even when seeing bugs.
Did you say that after seeing the human-faced giant, you can endure most things now?
But it went beyond what was bearable.
“Whose turn is it now? Is it Dongryong?”
He even takes the initiative.
It brings a heartwarming smile to my face.
As Seong Moran skillfully takes out the spirit pill and hands it to Dongryong, the boy stares at her quietly.
Then Seongmoran reached her hand even closer.
“Why, you should eat quickly and practice your exercises.”
“…….”
Dong-ryong, who had been silently gazing at Yeongdan, soon turns his head toward me.
“……
But Senior Brother hasn’t eaten a single thing so far.
I am deeply moved by Dong-ryong’s thoughtfulness.
Yeah, I’m going through all this trouble because of these kids.
I patted Dong-ryong’s shoulder, barely holding back my tears.
“It is what this Senior Brother desires for you to eat and take one step further.”
“but…….”
Seeing Dong-ryong wanting to give me the millet pills, Seong Moran spoke in a sarcastic voice.
“That’s not it, Dong-ryong. Even if he ate that, it wouldn’t even register in his stomach.”
“I heard that the Namgung family and the Moyong family both took the Spirit Elixir? Haa… I didn’t even know that, and I was so worried that the Iron Heart Elixir wouldn’t be able to heal the wound in my Danjeon.”
Ahem. Where on earth did the secret leak from?
They say in the martial arts world to always keep seven-tenths hidden.
I pretended not to have heard the story about the Virgin Mary.
“Dong-ryong, just watching you guys eat makes me feel like my internal energy grows automatically, so don’t worry about me and eat.”
Actually, my inner strength is actually growing.
Most of the monsters possessing spirit pills had powers larger than their spirit pills, and I was secretly absorbing them.
Although the energy itself is not great compared to the Spirit Elixir, using the Blue Dragon Pill allowed one to draw out sufficient internal energy even from a solitary elimination.
As a result, there was no need to eat the tiny, millet-sized pills.
“The problem is that using the Blue Dragon Orb is just not easy at all. ‘Haa, I wonder how many times I’ve missed out on a solo move because I was too self-conscious.’ If only I could wander around alone, I would gladly retrace my steps, secretly use the Blue Dragon Orb, and come back.”
How could he go out to eat that, knowing what kind of misfortune he might suffer traveling alone in such a dangerous place?
No matter how out of my mind I am, I can still distinguish right from wrong to this extent. Of course I can.
As sighs only grew louder, a noisy voice echoed down the hill.
“huh?”
As I and all the members of my group lowered our heads, we saw nearly two hundred academy students moving together. ‘What is this?’ I strained my eyes to look, and it was a group of members from the Jeongdohoe and Baekdohoe mixed together.
“What are they doing?”
“I’m right. They must have been assigned an exploration mission… so why are they sticking together?”
As Seong Moran and Eunho said, the members’ behavior was extremely strange.
It looks as if the formation was arranged for hunting rather than for exploration.
Regardless of what was around, they ruthlessly felled trees and cut grass to clear a path, focusing solely on moving forward.
“Ugh…….”
Yang Ja-pyeong let out a long groan as if he knew something.
“I wondered from the start why the instructors were ordering such dangerous tasks…….”
Do you know anything?
“Phew… It looks like they are planning to hunt spirits.”
I had no choice but to freeze up right there.
“What do you mean by spirit?”
“I mean the Four Great Spirits that rule Mukrim. I wonder what on earth they are thinking.”
Is that really true?
“Exactly. Why would you do something so dangerous…?”
I was filled with rage.
Representative Jin, don’t worry too much about it……
“Is there… a spirit creature in Mukrim?!”
Why are you only telling me that now?
“Is it really true?”
Yang Ja-pyeong stared at me with blank eyes.
If I had to put it into words, it was a look that said, “Was that what you were curious about?”
Suppressing my excitement, I asked again politely.
“If there is a spirit creature…… it must possess a huge spirit elixir, right?!”
Don’t you hear that it is extremely dangerous?
“If there is a spirit altar, how big is it? If they are called the Four Great Spirits, it would be enormous, wouldn’t it?”
Excuse me, Student Center Representative?
“Amazing…… Hehe…….”
“Hakgwan…… Hey! Representative Jin! You punk! Can’t you hear me?!”
“The Four Great Spirits…… Hehe…… The Four Great Spirits…….”
Yeah, you can’t make a mountain out of dust.
Life is all about that one big shot!
“Look here! Representative Jin! Your eyes are messed up right now! Do you realize that?!”
I could no longer hear what Yang Ja-pyeong, who habitually told nothing but lies, was saying. #“The Sun Lord.”
Hehehe.
Blue Snow Ice White Sand.
“Hahaha.”
Mannyeontoung.
“Puhahaha.”
Golden armored phoenix.
“Pahahahaha!”
Cold stares pierce my gaze.
I cleared my throat and kept a straight face.
But I mean, you can’t help it when laughter just bursts out without you realizing it.
These four together are the Four Great Spirits of Mukrim
It is called that.
“Ah, ah, I’m sorry.”
Yang Ja-pyeong pressed his temples repeatedly as if his head were throbbing.
As I mentioned, these are not beings that can be hunted. After all, they are non-human beings to begin with. That is why they are called spirits.
Yang Ja-pyeong spoke passionately.
“Furthermore, whether the spirits possess spiritual elixirs has never been confirmed. Do you know why?”
“well.”
Because I have never succeeded in hunting even once.
“Not even once?”
Namgung Seon-hwa asked in surprise, and Yang Ja-pyeong nodded.
“It is cunning enough to put a human to shame and possesses strength on the level of a monster, and isn’t Mukrim its home? Far from hunting, it is easy to get lost while tracking it.”
“If you say you will hunt the spirit, I will stop guiding you. No matter how much I must fulfill my duty, I cannot sacrifice my life.”
My excited emotions soon subsided, and my reason returned coolly.
If Yang Ja-pyeong, who readily helped with poison resistance work and monster hunting, is refusing so firmly, it means it is truly dangerous.
No matter how much they coveted the elixir, it wasn’t something that warranted risking the lives of the priests and squad members.
I bowed my head slightly toward him.
“Understood. I will accept Grand Hero Yang’s words.”
Yang Ja-pyeong let out a long sigh of relief.
Just as I was about to move on, having put aside my regret about the spirit hunt.
“Senior Brother, there are people coming this way.”
Some of the people hunting spirits approached us.
The ones who appeared cutting through the bushes were none other than the instructors and the academy students.
“Huh? We came to warn you that some weasel-like fellow was trying to interfere with our hunt… Huh, to think the Academic Hall representative showed up.”
No Jin-ha spoke with a smirk.
That ugly face has gotten even uglier.
“Why did the instructor, who should be at the base, crawl out all the way here?”
“What? Are you crawling out?!”
As No Jin-ha was about to suddenly pop out, Kang Tae-ha stopped him and said
We came out on an expedition to protect the academy students as well.
I pointed with my chin at the people dressed as hunters standing next to Kang Tae-ha.
“Do you really need to bring a guide who isn’t from the Namgwon Sect?”
One of the men dressed as a hunter steps forward, frowning.
“Nam Gwon-mun does not know everything about Muklim. Rather, they can be seen as mere youngsters guarding the entrance.”
Crunch.
Yang Ja-pyeong glared at the men dressed as hunters, grinding his teeth as if he had some acquaintance with them, and snarled at the instructors.
“Spirit hunting in the middle of a great journey…! What on earth are you thinking?”
“We aren’t cowards like you. Since we’ve come this far, shouldn’t we at least see the spirit’s face?”
“Spirit hunting is…….”
“Ah, I won’t listen to nagging. I am fully prepared for things like natural disasters.”
The men dressed as hunters added sneers.
The reason it is scary is that we are trying to avoid natural disasters in the first place. All we have to do is just wipe it all out.
“under……!”
No Jin-ha turned his gaze toward me, leaving Yang Ja-pyeong with a look of disbelief on his face.
“Why is the representative, who is supposed to be exploring the demonic realm, still loitering around here? Does he perhaps want to join the spirit hunt?”
After exchanging a good laugh among themselves, No Jin-ha spoke up again.
“Well, if you prostrate yourself in submission, I’ll consider including you in the spirit hunt.”
“……!”
My body flinched for a moment and I lunged forward, but Eunho grabbed my arm just in time.
Snap out of it.
Phew, I almost bowed.
He’s quick-witted.
I shook my head while brushing off the hem of my clothes.
“That’s enough. It’s not like the spirits are neighborhood stray dogs. How can we trust these idiotic commanders and go hunting?”
“What!”
Well, spirit hunting or whatever, do as you please. I sincerely hope you succeed in the hunt.
After saying that, he turned around.
I heard voices from behind saying, ‘That damn bastard will definitely…’ but I casually ignored them.
As we walked a little further, Yang Ja-pyeong came right up close to me, unable to hide his excitement.
“You have made the right decision. Hunting spirits is nonsense. It’s hard to call you a substitute, but… I will guide you to a place with as many monsters as possible.”
When the distance between Noh Jin-ha and his group had widened to some extent.
I grabbed Yang Ja-pyeong’s sturdy shoulders tightly and asked.
“You’re absolutely sure… we won’t succeed, right?”
“Huh? What, what…….”
“Hunting… I mean spirit hunting. It’s true that you really can’t succeed, right?”
For some reason, Yang Ja-pyeong’s expression turned pitch black like burnt charcoal.
I shook his shoulder violently and asked again.
“Seriously, you’re absolutely sure I won’t succeed, right?!”
“Phew… I really have to fail.”
Otherwise, I think my stomach would hurt too much. We continued hunting monsters even while heading toward the Demon Realm.
There were monsters I had seen in the Book of Gangho’s Elixirs or the Manchoborok, and there were also strange monsters I had never seen before.
As I gradually became more skilled, hunting was no longer a big problem.
Everyone quickly grasped the monster’s nature and acted with certainty, knowing exactly what they needed to do.
Without being told, they instinctively went to their places and helped with the hunting.
Later on, it became possible to hunt small monsters or those that were not highly toxic without me.
The fact that Yang Ja-pyeong let out a cry of admiration at the hunting speed proved that he was sufficiently skilled at hunting monsters.
As seven days and nights passed, the group members no longer seemed to feel any discomfort with life in the forest.
Perhaps due to the effect of the poison consumed to build up resistance, no one was bitten by insects anymore, and thanks to Silver Snow Orchid, we could occasionally take a cool rest.
“It is truly wonderful. An Ice Lord is…”
Yang Ja-pyeong could not stop marveling as he drank the refreshing water with a thin layer of ice.
Unfortunately, Dokdan was still unable to absorb it.
After Geumpyo faced the risk of poisoning from poison while searching for the elixir in the middle.
Yang Ja-pyeong could not find a moment to absorb the dogma because he did not take his eyes off it until he had thoroughly detached it, buried it in the ground, and moved on.
In the end, I decided to let go of my worries to some extent.
It would be a waste of internal energy, but it’s not worth risking having the Blue Dragon Pill discovered.
Then, what caught my eye was Yang Ja-pyeong’s ability.
I found this out after spending nearly two weeks together.
Yang Ja-pyeong seemed to have a rough idea of his position.
There were a few times when he strayed far from the original path to avoid the natural disaster and was chased by monsters, but every time, Yang Ja-pyeong would miraculously return to the original route.
When I asked about this, Yang Ja-pyeong grinned and answered.
Of course, I can determine the direction or location to some extent.
“But didn’t you say that clearly no senses function properly inside here?”
Of course. Because the energy of the spirit vein is so immense.
“Then how on earth does Great Hero Yang find the directions so well?”
Confidence rises over Yang Ja-pyeong’s face.
“All the senses are obstructed and confused by the spiritual veins, but isn’t there, conversely, something that is not obstructed?”
“Not being disturbed?”
Yang Ja-pyeong pointed his finger at the floor.
I mean the spiritual vein.
“oh!”
I unconsciously let out a small gasp of admiration.
To think that a ley line, which interferes with all the senses, would be used to determine direction.
The spiritual veins flow largely from north to southeast. Of course, if you could remember every minute detail of the energies, you could come and go through the Mukrim as if it were your own living room, but that is an impossible realm for a human. However, even if you only remember the main veins or the flow of the veins, you can find your way within the Mukrim to some extent.
There was no particular reason why Namgwonmun became the sect managing Mukrim.
Then is there a separate method for sensing spiritual veins?
“Of course, anyone can do it. It is similar to how a warrior senses energy. However, it is difficult with conventional earth absorption methods.”
Could I learn how to do it?
I cautiously asked if it might be something like a secret vision of the sect, but Yang Ja-pyeong answered readily.
It is not that difficult. General internal cultivation methods are essence
Qi
Don’t you store energy within your body through the union of the two?
That’s right.
Reading the flow of spiritual veins is Qi
and God
It is to utilize it. Extending all my senses as energy, the energy of the spiritual veins flowing beneath the earth is the god.
It is about making them feel this.
While Yang Ja-pyeong’s story was unfolding, I began to operate the Taeeul Jingyeong.
He did not particularly sit in the lotus position or perform any exercises, but continued the union of Qi and Spirit as is.
In that moment, my five senses expanded, and countless pieces of information began to flood in.
From the pungent smell of monster bodily fluids to the humid air felt on the skin.
The figures of the squad members appearing as if being contemplated, and the sounds of battle heard from afar.
And even the sensation of the cold water still remaining in my mouth.
After the information summoned by the five senses has passed like that.
Whoosh.
I began to hear a sound like huge water flowing beneath my feet.
A chilling, cold sensation, as if felt through the skin.
No, that wasn’t what I heard.
It was something that was seen and felt.
“Too light to be water and too heavy to be air, an unapproachable, vast, and colossal energy of the earth.” “So this was it.” The moment I finally realized what the spiritual vein flowing through the Mukrim was.
I slowly restored my five senses.
Because now I have to ask what to do next.
If you train like this for five years, you can feel the energy, even if only subtly.
Just then, Yang Ja-pyeong was continuing his explanation.
I asked him in a calm voice.
“I sensed a spiritual vein. What should I do next?”
Yang Ja-pyeong, who had been speaking, tilted his head as if he had heard something unbelievable.
What did you say?
“You said you felt a spiritual vein. What am I supposed to do next?”
Suddenly, an inexplicable and uncomfortable silence began to fall.
“Why the long face…?”
What’s with this vibe?
Did I do something wrong again?
I scratched my cheek and looked around, but no one answered.
