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Chapter 138

“Eat this before doing anything else.”

Starting from the next day, for some reason, the figure of Crow Jeong, a.k.a. Namgung Yang, began to catch my eye.

Whenever our eyes met, he would suddenly clear his throat and waddling over, it felt like I was being handed some sort of tonic by a grandmother during a long-overdue visit to the countryside.

Of course, it was food given by a high elder of the righteous sect, so I wouldn’t refuse. There wasn’t any poison in it, and the warmth in his voice was dripping with kindness—how could I say no?

But it wasn’t without its issues. For one, just accepting it felt burdensome.

I quietly gazed at the exquisite tonic that rested delicately in the palm of my hand, a mix of red and blue hues.

It would probably be clearer if I looked with my spiritual eyes, but even without that, I could easily discern the true nature of this precious medicine.

‘Another dose of the Changnyeo-dan was brought today…’

The Namgung family’s elixir, Changnyeo-dan.

Of course, among all the elixirs of the Namgung family, it held the most ambiguous standing. While it wouldn’t be an issue for someone like Namgung Yang, who was practically the former head, it was still among the higher-tier low-level elixirs.

I didn’t know what intention Namgung Yang had for giving this to me, but I first wrapped it up in paper again and set it down nearby.

Since I would be renting this training room for a while, it wouldn’t be a problem to leave it there.

‘I should eat it after my workout.’

As my days turned into a routine of exercising vigorously and then recovering my stamina by swallowing Changnyeo-dan like a snack, my aura reached a point where the total mana amount wouldn’t increase with just low-level elixirs anymore.

Of course, Changnyeo-dan not only increased mana but also had the effect of clearing the mind and purifying the blood vessels, so there was no reason not to eat it.

‘If I’m lucky, I might be able to break through into the Imdok Yangmaek by the end of first year.’

The mana quantity was sufficient, and the purity was undoubtedly excellent.

At this age, the only people who could compare to me in terms of having such pure aura were probably only the late talents of the Wu Dang, Kunlun, or Shaolin schools. Even they would less likely be purer than me.

In the end, since the purity was directly related to output, and since my aura was unparalleled in its purity, I would be able to break through the Imdok Yangmaek ahead of others.

Plus, I had a wonderful teacher named Yuri who could help me initiate my cultivation, so there were no better conditions than this.

‘Honestly, I’m not too sure what effect it has to break through the Imdok Yangmaek, but I just want to do it because it seems beneficial!’

I mean, who wouldn’t want to get stronger as a hunter?

Lost in such thoughts, I humbly picked up the Changnyeo-dan. Carefully unwrapping the luxurious paper, I tossed the elixir into my mouth.

As soon as it touched my tongue, the bitter taste melted away in an instant and flowed down my throat. At that moment, I felt energy rushing back into my body, which had been drained from rigorous exercise.

“Whew…”

Having eaten it for several days, I felt accustomed to the clean taste that followed and sighed deeply. Although I tried to encapsulate the vigor spreading through my entire body, I could only confirm that barely a handful remained.

‘If I’m alone, I won’t lack mana, but it’s a bit pressing since I have to share it with Shar.’

Even though Shar had gained some existential stability in this world from birth and was personally accumulating mana, ultimately, the heart was still shared with me, so the amount that could be stored in the aura core would only be minimal due to its expanding capacity depending on mastery.

Tae-oh hadn’t really played a significant role in terms of combat from the beginning, so he had a small mana consumption.

Feeling a hint of regret, I left the training room and headed toward the shower. I thought while washing off my sweaty body.

‘If only I could get the Changcheon-dan… or even the Byulyeok-dan, that would have brought me to a meaningful level.’

Of course, it was like asking for more after rescuing someone from drowning, but it was such a shame nonetheless.

Byulyeok-dan, comparable to mid-tier elixirs, and the Changcheon-dan, which is a top-tier elixir, would be of no comparison. Those were secret elixirs that could only be manufactured in the Namgung family.

It was like asking for a grand elixir after getting a summon elixir from Shaolin—such rudeness hardly made sense.

‘Let’s accept what we are given and not feel too disappointed if we don’t get something!’

While I could think it, the moment it showed in my attitude, I would be marked as human trash. After savoring the last moments of the shower, I headed towards the guest room where the children were.

After exercising, playing with the kids was the simplest way to summarize my daily routine.

“Kids, Daddy’s back!”

As I swung open the door and stepped into the room, my body suddenly lurched forward. An immense shock ran through my body.

“Graaaah!!”

Screaming in agony, I collapsed to the ground. Shar and Tae-oh, startled by the sound, rushed over.

“Are you okay, Daddy!? What happened!?”

“An ambush?! Is it an ambush!?”

Of course, it couldn’t have been an ambush. There was no way a madman would do such a thing in the backyard of the Namgung family, after all. Looking up at the kids who had run over, I was dumbfounded.

“It was you guys…!!”

Seeing the assembly-type block toys in their hands, I pulled out a block embedded in my foot. Only then did I notice the landmines made of blocks scattered all over the room.

*

“You were told not to make such a mess, weren’t you?”

“B-but we always tidy up properly after playing…?”

“That’s right. You do tidy up properly.”

“See, Daddy knows that too. But even so, this is a bit excessive. If you scatter blocks like this, there will be people like Daddy just now, who will be in pain.”

“Is it such a big deal if we can’t just scatter this toy?”

“It is. This toy is dangerous, Shar. Many people have lost their lives stepping on this toy.”

At that, both Shar and Tae-oh’s faces turned pale in shock. It seemed they couldn’t believe they had committed such a heinous act.

“Daddy, are you okay!?”

“Eep… I’m sorry…”

‘It was a joke.’

After contemplating for a moment, I decided not to correct myself and to keep pushing forward. Sometimes, a little lie in the education of children might be necessary, right? Plus, the reactions are fun.

“Now that you know, will you clean it up next time?”

“Sure! Is Daddy okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Tae-oh, don’t cry. I mean, dying is a lie after all.”

“Eh-!?”

Shar reacted as if she wanted to protest, while Tae-oh narrowed his eyes. I nonchalantly added.

“Instead, many people have lost one leg.”

“Gah…!!”

Logically, stepping on this wouldn’t lead one to lose their life or even a leg, but the kids were genuinely worried, reacting in their innocent way. They were just so adorable.

“Who do they take after to be this cute, my kids?”

“Mommy!”

“Daddy!”

“Then Shar, go find your daddy! Daddy will live with Tae-oh!”

“But what if I only take after Mommy?”

Puffing out her cheeks, Shar said so, and I hugged her tightly. With both kids in my arms, I rolled around on the floor.

“Graaahhh!!!”

Just like rolling a lint roller on a puppy, the blocks stuck all over my body were a just punishment for the lies I told.

“What the heck is this?”

Namgung Seong, who happened to see that scene, burst into laughter, which didn’t even need to be mentioned.

*

The day to leave the Namgung family had come. Aside from the recent Demon Cultist incident, there was no sign of unrest in Cheonju City.

I had played joyfully, while Namgung Seong had been hard at work. Je Gal Seong-ryong had been maintaining a work-life balance in between.

Fortunately, Namgung Seong appeared with a much healthier face to send us off after finishing his work to some extent. Perhaps because he didn’t get a lot of playtime, he looked somewhat disappointed, but coincidently, I didn’t have any thoughts regarding that since I had played enough.

Beside him, Seong-ryong was stroking his beard with a nonchalant expression, like he had discarded his past working with the Black Association, wearing sunglasses.

“You look good.”

“Thanks, even if it’s just a compliment.”

“I didn’t have much fun, but I’m glad you guys did.”

“What’s your true intention?”

“Those bastards. They all had fun without me? I won’t forget this grudge.”

At that, the two burst into hearty laughter. During that, Seong-ryong greeted the two kids who were holding my hands.

“Shar and Tae-oh, did you have fun?”

“Yes, it was fun!”

“Yeah! Thanks for the toys!!”

“Give your thanks to Seong, who was offering those. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“Hey, anyone would think you are the son of this house.”

“The head of the Namgung often said that…”

“Really? No way, really?!”

“Is it real?”

When faced with Namgung Seong’s urgent question and my ridiculous mumbling, Seong-ryong merely averted his gaze slightly. What was that guy doing? Suddenly giving it credibility?

“Just like Yeon-woo said. Could the head truly have said that? Hahaha.”

“Hey, right? You gave me a shock, buddy~”

In Seong-ryong’s gaze was a hint of guilt. It seemed he must have just said it as a compliment in passing. After all, it was something true, so perhaps he felt guilty about it?

“Anyway, if we part now, we’ll meet again in a week. Have you finished your holiday homework?”

“That can be substituted with my achievements. I’ll be fine since I’ll bring in a few credits!”

“Seems like you’ve been getting into trouble again?”

“Ah, I’m the wandering hero Choi Yeon-woo.”

While the topic was being exchanged just before parting, a figure appeared from inside the Namgung house that was familiar to me as well.

“““We greet the Changcheon Sword King.”””

The three of us simultaneously bowed our heads, and Namgung Yang waved his hand as though he was used to that reaction.

“Ah, that’s enough. Just came to see some friends of Seong’s, so no need for excessive politeness. I came out to give a gift in place of my grandson, as they are leaving.”

While saying that, Namgung Yang cackled like a crow and handed out small envelopes that he held in both hands to Seong-ryong and me. Stunned by the unexpected gift, we stood there blankly, and Namgung Yang’s eyes crinkled in a smile.

“Open the gifts in turn. Don’t tell anyone what’s inside. Understood?”

“Ah, understood. Thank you, Sword King.”

“Is it really something we shouldn’t tell anyone?”

“Hmm… I think it’s better for this old man if you don’t tell anyone, at least.”

“G-Grandpa?! What on earth did you give us?!”

“Ah, of course, I prepared something for our grandson as well. And Seong, don’t tell Moong about this, okay?”

As Namgung Yang walked back inside, leading Seong-ryong with him, we could only watch him in a daze. After a moment of silence, I finally spoke up.

“Didn’t you plan on leaving today?”

“Yeah, that’s true. I didn’t expect to say farewell to the Namgung family like this.”

Both of us chuckled and turned around. No matter what was inside those gifts, it was evident that it was something outstanding if Namgung Yang said so.

(To be continued in the next part)

 

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