Chapter 504 - Let Me Hold It Just Once.
Right after finishing my training, as if loosening up, I looked up at the sky.
It was still too early for the sun to set.
*Hmm.*
And likewise, it was far too early for my body to have loosened up, but.
I had to put on the martial uniform I had taken off.
It was quite a shame that I hadn't even broken a drop of sweat, but it couldn't be helped.
*Because now is not the time to train.*
In my heart, I wanted to hole up in a cave or something and enter closed-door training.
But the situation wasn't favorable.
*Still, I moved around pretty diligently.*
I had moved so intensely to make even a brief moment worthwhile, and yet.
I hadn't even sweated a mouse dropping's worth.
My body didn't even tire.
*Tch.*
Was it because my realm had risen, or because my physique had changed? Whatever it was, it should have been a welcome development, yet somehow I felt uneasy.
It was probably because I hadn't properly examined my body.
*Not knowing my own body well... there's nothing more absurd than that.*
Because of the drastic changes, I didn't properly understand this physical body.
Even after checking it for several days straight.
How firm were my strengthened skin and muscles? How much did I need to move before tiring?
As my vessel widened, what had become of the amount of qi?
How much compression and rotation could I withstand?
I simply lacked the time to verify all of this.
In other words.
*My body's limits have increased that much.*
My physique had grown so strong that even after taking this much time, I couldn't fully grasp it.
That, at least, was something I knew for certain.
*At this level, how much of my previous life's capacity does it represent?*
I had thought it was roughly twenty percent. But now, I wondered if it wasn't fifty percent.
Of course, it wasn't exact. As I said, I lacked the time to verify this.
*Especially regarding durability, it's rather troublesome...*
The fastest way to know the strength of my muscles and the toughness of my skin
was to cut and tear them myself.
You might think that's insane.
But a martial artist's skin grows tougher the more it is torn and regenerates.
There were even people who burned themselves with fire when training external arts.
And it was something I had done in my previous life for the sake of training.
If you simply endured the pain, you grew stronger.
There was no easier or faster method than this.
[...So, you mean to tear your own flesh. Is that what you are saying?]
*If necessary, later.*
For better combat, I needed to understand my body's condition.
How much it could endure. How many hits it took to get hurt.
Where the brink of death was. I needed to know all of this.
*Just when I thought I had finally adapted. Tch.*
The body before the molting had finally begun to settle into a framework after all that use and training.
To think it had changed so much that I couldn't find my bearings again.
*Clench.*
I furrowed my brow while making a fist.
I needed time.
But I knew that what I lacked most right now was also time.
What should I do?
Just as I thought about delving a bit deeper, I recalled the matters before me and moved my qi.
*Dr-dr-dr-dr—!*
As qi seeped into my body, it immediately reacted.
The sensation of my flesh shifting and my bones twisting.
Compared to the pain of Tuapacheonmu, this pain was laughable.
At most, it was just a few bones breaking.
Compared to Tuapacheonmu, which constantly gave the sensation of being torn apart, this was child's play.
*Crack—!*
The bones that had been creaking for a while stopped. It meant the body's transformation was complete.
I could feel my sight lowering and my physique shrinking.
After confirming the Body Transformation Technique had worked properly, I put on my martial uniform properly.
Right after.
"You're late."
I spoke while looking at the woman who had arrived behind me.
It was Nahi.
She averted her eyes the moment she saw me; I wondered why.
I supposed it was because she had witnessed my body transforming.
"...I apologize."
"Why are you late?"
I had called for her quite some time ago, yet Nahi had arrived later than expected.
I asked out of curiosity, but perhaps she took my words differently, for Nahi trembled and fell to her knees.
"...I... I'm sorry."
"...Hmm."
Seeing that, I had to scratch my cheek lightly.
Had I been too rough when I subdued her? She seemed completely cowed.
"...No, well... Did someone say they were going to kill you?"
Or wait, I think I might have said that.
"Anyway... Just tell me why you're late."
Setting aside the awkward feeling, I asked for the reason.
"It is... because the First Elder assigned me a task...."
When she said First Elder, she must mean that old man—Dangmyeon or Dangbi or whatever.
"What is it?"
"...He ordered me to separately compound a paralytic poison."
"A paralytic poison. Who are you trying to feed it to?"
"..."
"Judging by your state, is it for me?"
There was no answer, but looking at Nahi's eyes, I felt I knew without even hearing it.
*Stupid old man.*
I had been watching silently, wondering if he would pull off some grand scheme.
A paralytic poison.
*He doesn't plan to kill me, but to paralyze me?*
If his intention wasn't to make a lethal poison but to make and use a paralytic poison,
it seemed there was something else going on.
*Hm.*
I pondered what to do after hearing that.
Curious about what he would do, should I just watch for now?
Or....
*Should I just go and overturn everything?*
*Tilt.*
I tilted my head and looked at Nahi.
Nahi trembled as her eyes met mine.
The reason I had been hurriedly gauging my body's strength and limits was none other than this.
*At this level.*
Was it possible to flip everything over?
I had been verifying that.
And.
*It doesn't seem that difficult.*
I became certain it was possible.
Originally, it would have been impossible to overturn things because of the Dang Clan's characteristics.
But now, precisely because it was the 'Dang Clan,' it had become possible.
And for good reason.
*Because I am impervious to all poisons.*
A state where I had developed resistance to poison. And a very strong one at that.
With just this alone, running wild in the Dang Clan was no longer a difficult task.
*I've seen all sorts of things in life.*
Impervious to all poisons.
Whether my body had truly reached the state of being impervious to all poisons, I didn't know. What mattered was that I had developed a strong resistance to poison.
That was enough.
*It's more than enough to kill the rotten old monster.*
If I had to pick a problem,
*it was whether I could settle matters after starting this.*
For that purpose, I had brought it up with the Poison King and even handed him the justification, but.
Since I didn't properly know the Poison King, it was not enough to fully trust him.
Therefore.
*I have to keep all possibilities in mind.*
Trust no one.
It was the aspect I valued most in this life, having experienced as much in my previous one.
[If you do, what do you intend to do?]
I turned my thoughts to the old man's words.
*I had planned to finish it within a few days at most.*
Today, or tomorrow at the latest.
I would have to end it by matching the Poison King's movements.
For that, I had captured Nahi and kept her under control.
I had even deliberately shown an opening to consume poison.
As I assembled the situation piece by piece, if there was one thing that bothered me.
*It's my father....*
My father, who had come to Sacheon now, was the problem. I wasn't sure if he had really come after receiving a letter.
Setting that aside, I was worried about whether I could handle things without my father finding out.
*...Hmm.*
What a hassle. In so many ways.
"Hey."
"Y-yes...!"
I called Nahi. I could see her flinch at my call.
"Have you talked to your brother?"
"...Yes."
"That's a relief."
At the mention of Dangdeok, Nahi's expression darkened.
She must have realized that Dangdeok, too, had fallen to me.
*Come to think of it, they had that kind of purpose too, didn't they.*
Nahi from the inside, Dangdeok from the outside.
They must have intended to do something for their own ends, but.
*Both of them failed, after all.*
When I thought back to my previous life, Dangdeok had been obsessed with power.
He was a demonic human struggling under an inexplicable desire for revenge to destroy the Dang Clan.
Judging by how he flew into a rage upon hearing that the Demonic Cult had conquered Sacheon and that I had killed Dokbi.
*Whatever they tried to do, they ultimately failed.*
It could be that what Dangdeok was doing on the outside had failed.
*Or.*
My gaze turned to Nahi.
*She could have messed up on the inside.*
That might have been the case.
Recalling the events of my previous life,
I could tell things hadn't gone properly.
"This is an order."
I spat out the words infused with qi.
Immediately, Nahi's body stiffened rigidly.
"You just have to answer honestly."
I approached her and met her gaze.
"I'm thinking of killing the First Elder from now on."
"...!"
I could see Nahi's eyes flash upon hearing my words.
From that, I knew.
Just now, Nahi had felt a faint thrill at my words.
Sensing this, I smiled and asked.
"For that purpose. How far can you go?"
How far can you go?
Truthfully, if I gave an order infused with qi, I could make her throw away her own life.
Yet I asked anyway.
It was not to gain loyalty or to raise morale.
Such useless things weren't needed.
This was merely for confirmation.
"You want that too. Don't you?"
"...I... I...."
At my question, Nahi's pupils kept shaking.
It was as if an earthquake had struck.
As I quietly looked into those eyes, Nahi, who had been trembling, finally spat out words.
"An... anything.... I can do anything."
"Anything?"
"Yes...."
Hearing that answer, I nodded.
"Good. Then let me ask one thing of you."
"..."
This time too, there was no refusal.
It wasn't even a particularly difficult request.
At most, it was to resolve a question that had arisen when I thought of the Dang Clan in my previous life.
What I had recalled earlier.
Setting aside that Dangdeok had become a demonic human in my previous life, considering that he had preserved his life,
I had to consider the possibility that not just Nahi, but all those entangled in this matter had failed.
If so, a certain hypothesis naturally arose.
*The possibility that the rotten roots knew from the start about those who moved to sever their own sprouts.*
That Nahi and the others were trying to do something.
Whether they realized that later,
or whether they already knew now, I didn't know.
If.
If they already knew something now,
that was a rather troublesome aspect.
*Did he say paralytic drug?*
The paralytic drug they had prepared.
Nahi said she had prepared it to use on me, and due to the prohibition binding her, she could not speak falsely.
However.
*What if she knew the truth differently from the start?*
Then a problem would arise. She may have heard it as such.
But if the reality was different, it was all for nothing.
*...In that case.*
If such a situation really occurred.
*Who else could it be intended for, if not me?*
I thought on this, my eyes gleaming.
Because there was a part I could guess.
If, as I suspected, that too would become an annoying problem.
*It'll be fine.*
Contrary to my unease, my behavior was somewhat relaxed.
The reason was simple.
*Because I've prepared countermeasures.*
No matter what blew up, I was prepared to resolve it.
What I had to do now was simply to confirm.
******************
The outskirts of the Dang Clan, a large dwelling near the mountain.
This was a residence used by the Dang Clan's blood relatives, and among them, it was where the Poison King's precious daughter stayed.
One might wonder why a blood relative so cherished by the patriarch stayed in such outskirts, and near the mountain at that.
This was because she had personally requested it of the patriarch.
*Grrr.*
A large wolf growled contentedly in the courtyard.
A giant mountain wolf with black fur.
It was a Sacheon-born wolf of which few remained due to the appearance of demonic beasts.
And it was the cherished pet of the Dang Clan blood relative, Dokbong Dang Soyeol.
"Are you in a good mood?"
Dang Soyeol smiled upon hearing the wolf's cry.
It seemed the brushing after so long put it in a good mood.
"Sorry. I should have done it more often."
*Grrr....*
"You understand? Thank you."
At Dang Soyeol's words, the wolf moved its body and acted cute.
Seeing such a large wolf acting coquettish was amusing but also cute.
At least, in Dang Soyeol's eyes.
Petting the wolf's exposed belly, Dang Soyeol thought.
*I wish the young master would approach me like this too.*
Recalling a certain young man who resembled a savage wolf, Dang Soyeol let out a sigh.
It was a sigh filled with frustration.
The cause was not the young man, but herself.
*...No. Even if he approached, I couldn't do anything anyway.*
It was a kind of complaint.
Dang Soyeol had realized there was a problem ever since she was embraced in Gu Yangcheon's arms last time.
When she heard the huge heartbeat in his embrace.
When she realized that, despite thinking he had a small frame, his chest was far broader than expected.
She hadn't been in her right mind since then.
She couldn't properly meet Gu Yangcheon's eyes, let alone hold a conversation with him.
*...Why is this happening?*
Did she only now realize her feelings? That couldn't be it.
She had realized her feelings of love long ago.
Then what was the problem?
*...This isn't the time for this...!*
It wasn't the time to be staying far away with such a pounding heart, yet Dang Soyeol had to feel suffocated by her own situation.
The betrothed Namgung Bia was firmly entrenched in her place, composed as if she knew her position.
Wi Seola seemed to be doing nothing, yet she was marking her territory beside him.
Moreover, Moyong Hia, despite arriving latest, had outstanding abilities and had naturally taken her position.
*...What about me?*
Dang Soyeol had to recall that she alone was left out in this situation.
*What should I do...?*
She was not as talented as Namgung Bia or Wi Seola. She knew she was pretty, but not absurdly beautiful like those two.
Nor was she as good at handling people or as outstandingly smart as Moyong Hia.
She had recently become firmly aware that she herself possessed far too little.
The only thing she could lean on was her family.
Namgung Bia was born into the Namgung family, and Moyong Hia was a blood relative of the Moyong family.
And Wi Seola was said to be the granddaughter and successor of the Sword King.
Even her own enviable background felt subtly lacking.
*....*
There was no answer. Really, there was no answer.
At this rate, staying by Young Master Gu's side would gradually become too burdensome.
*...What do I do. What do I really do?*
Was it okay to stay by his side without any ability?
Gu Yangcheon might say it was fine, but that was not what Dang Soyeol wanted.
She mustn't be incompetent.
Gu Yangcheon was outstanding—too outstanding. It was a problem for an incompetent self to be beside him.
To be by his side, she had to accomplish something, anything.
Dang Soyeol recalled what Moyong Hia said to her every day.
"You have to be someone who isn't ashamed to be by his side."
When Gu Yangcheon was away, Moyong Hia was always looking at thick, mysterious letters.
Namgung Bia and Wi Seola swung their swords every day.
Then what was Dang Soyeol doing in the meantime?
*Freeze.*
The brush grooming the wolf stopped. And Dang Soyeol examined her palm.
Cracked, rough skin and thick calluses were visible.
It was proof that Dang Soyeol was always trying, but.
*There are no results.*
Unlike her efforts, the results were meager.
Her martial arts didn't improve. The only thing growing was her hair.
She carefully touched her hair, which she had diligently maintained and beautifully grown.
*...*
All the women by Gu Yangcheon's side had long hair, so Dang Soyeol, who had worn her hair short, was trying to grow it out.
Yet the strange sense of self-loathing within that pained her.
*If I do this... I'm just an imitator.*
She always tried to improve.
But it was hard to keep up with those flying ahead.
"Hah."
A sigh escaped.
She had come all the way to Sacheon with Gu Yangcheon, yet having failed to advance much, Dang Soyeol could only let out breath after breath.
She was pondering what she should really do when.
"Hoho, are you there?"
A voice was heard from outside the residence. When Dang Soyeol raised her head, an old man's face appeared.
She hurriedly rose.
"Ah... Elder."
"I apologize for coming suddenly."
"Not at all...."
The old man was an Elder of the Dang Clan.
One of the people who had cherished her like his own granddaughter since she was little.
Dang Soyeol forced a smile at him.
"To what do I owe the visit?"
"It is nothing important.... I happened to want to see your face, so I came for a moment."
"Ah, then shall I have a servant bring some tea...."
"Oh."
The First Elder's eyes lit up with interest at Dang Soyeol's words.
He then took something out from his bosom.
"It felt a bit awkward to come empty-handed, and I happened to bring some good tea as a gift. How fortunate."
"My... you didn't have to."
"Haha, how could I come empty-handed?"
The First Elder smiled kindly and tried to hand the tea he held to Dang Soyeol.
Just as Dang Soyeol was about to receive the First Elder's gift with her hand.
*Clamp—!*
*Tap—!*
The object in the First Elder's grasp fell to the floor with a tap.
Because someone had grabbed the First Elder's wrist.
"...!"
The First Elder's eyes widened at the sudden contact.
It was a large hand and tremendous pressure.
"What...!"
Though the First Elder showed a flustered expression and looked at the one who blocked him in surprise,
the man who stood in his way only looked at the First Elder with cold eyes.
"You rascal...! What do you think you're doing right now!"
Though the First Elder roared, the man's reaction remained unchanged.
Then.
"Unauthorized approach is forbidden."
The man, Dangdeok, spat out the words while looking at the First Elder.
Upon hearing those words, the First Elder's brow furrowed deeply.