Chapter 477
Chapter 478 – Rotten Things
Boom!
The blue flames clinging to the pillar fragments looked extraordinarily vigorous.
So strong, in fact, that they seemed almost dazzlingly brilliant.
“…”
Crank.
In that moment, the gaze of the Red Water Clan (former) felt like needles.
The bitterness of betrayal stung, yet I forced myself to ignore it.
‘… Isn’t life all about helping each other?’
Ah, but come to think of it, is it even appropriate to use the word ‘life’ now?
Neither of us were human, after all.
Hehe.
‘… Damn it.’
I made a silly joke to myself, but it didn’t improve my mood at all.
– Successor.
Tang Je-mun called my name.
A chill faintly laced in her voice pierced my heart.
“What’s… how did it come to this… ha ha.”
I awkwardly tried to pass by with an embarrassed expression, but then clamped down hard on my lips and spoke again.
“… I’m sorry.”
When I offered my apology, Tang Je-mun nodded slightly.
Then she glanced at the fallen pillar and said.
– Indeed, no matter how you look at it, you resemble Shin Cheol quite a bit… even though you didn’t have to in this regard.
“No, I think that’s a bit…”
[What do you mean we resemble? How could I be compared to such a dullard!?]
I winced as Noya suddenly cut in, anger spilling over.
This old geezer?
“Why is Noya speaking for me?”
[Well, I should be the one to. Do you have any right to speak?]
“Of course I do! What’s so great about Noya…?”
Honestly, Shin Noya is due some respect.
The Hwasan Sword God is considered one of the most revered figures of the Hwasan Sect.
In addition, he’s treated as a hero who saved the Central Plains.
He’s on a completely different level than a turncoat like me.
‘Of all things, don’t compare me to this clueless human.’
Separate from the warrior known as the Hwasan Sword God, being compared to Shin Cheol is absolutely unacceptable.
Hearing my thoughts, Shin Noya chuckled softly.
[Hehe. This little brat…]
“… What?”
He was poking fun, which only irritated me more.
The most annoying part was that I didn’t really have a comeback for him.
“… I’ve grown, you know?”
I spat through clenched teeth.
In actuality, with my physical body changing, I’ve grown at least half a span taller.
Ah, of course.
[So what? Are you taller than me?]
“…”
The problem was that I was still shorter than this old geezer.
‘Damn it… If I’m going to grow taller, why not help me grow a bit more!’
Though I had grown compared to my previous life, it fell far short when standing next to towering figures.
Even now, I was shorter than Woo Hyeok and Yeongpung.
I should at least be taller than this cantankerous old man.
But why the heck was he so tall? Nothing ever goes right.
“Are you going to keep throwing insults?”
[I thought it was funny. What are you gonna do about it?]
I sighed deeply as I sensed his brazen attitude.
“… Well, I suppose I can’t really do anything about it.”
[Aha… finally getting it.]
“You old guy who hasn’t even held a woman’s hand should understand my plight.”
[…!]
Thud-!
I could hear a loud rumbling inside him as I grinned and shot my words back.
[Hehe… you little punk…]
“Look who started it, Noya.”
Just as we were baring our teeth at each other.
– That’s enough.
A cold voice pierced through our ears, and Noya and I simultaneously shut our mouths.
– … Sigh.
The sigh carried an unusual weight.
– You both really are the same…
[No, we’re not the same…!]
– Be quiet. Shin Cheol.
[…]
As Tang Je-mun spoke another word, Noya shrank back.
It felt like poetic justice.
‘From the looks of it, she seems to know everything, huh?’
[…]
‘Like this, she knows that Tang Je-mun isn’t a man.’
[Why does the title sound so off? What do you mean by ‘Lady’?]
Seeing how he didn’t deny anything else, it seemed he was indeed aware of Tang Je-mun’s gender.
I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of conversation had led to Noya looking so pathetic.
But for now, I had to focus on something else.
– Successor.
“Yes, Senior.”
When I responded to Tang Je-mun’s call, she had already approached me.
She looked at the pile of Poison Heavenly Pills on the stone and spoke.
– As I mentioned earlier, you can take the Poison Heavenly Pills.
“… Thank you.”
Honestly, I was going to take it regardless.
I had worked my butt off to obtain this, so I surely deserved it.
If she had told me not to take them, I would have burned everything to the ground.
As soon as the permission fell, I reached out to grab the pills.
But then, it suddenly hit me—I hadn’t asked one important thing.
“Excuse me, Senior.”
– Yes?
“Am I allowed to take this as well?”
I pointed to the White Horse Stone right next to the Poison Heavenly Pills.
– This one?
Tang Je-mun tilted her head.
This was the item Shin Noya had killed a White Grade Demon Beast to show off to others.
Since it was the main purpose of my visit, I casually asked.
‘Does Noya know about this?’
[What are you talking about?]
‘This was meant to show Noya!’
[… I already heard that.]
Her tone was pitying, which felt odd.
Did Noya take a beating or something?
I couldn’t see Noya’s face as I could earlier, so I had no idea.
Praying silently, I hoped he didn’t have a purple bruise.
– Do you need this?
“Yeah… it would be nice to have.”
Really nice.
Aside from how many Poison Heavenly Pills were piled up, the White Horse Stone was also brimming with considerable energy.
It would probably hold more than one Poison Heavenly Pill.
‘If I’m going to gather, I might as well take everything.’
If I was going to be greedy, I might as well go all out.
Was that kind of audacity too much?
Hehe.
Suddenly, Tang Je-mun started laughing while covering her mouth.
“… Senior?”
I looked at her with slightly anxious eyes. I knew I had crossed a line.
Fortunately, she wasn’t put off and kept smiling as she spoke.
– Shin Cheol said something like that.
“Noya?”
– He said you would try to take everything. He was right.
“…”
I couldn’t help but frown at Tang Je-mun’s statement.
What exactly had he said?
Rather than helping me, he seemed to have gotten in my way beforehand. I clicked my tongue in frustration upon figuring it out.
‘I guess I’ll have to give up.’
For now, I’d let the White Horse Stone slide.
Ah, but of course, I plan to come back later for it.
I couldn’t just leave this behind.
As I sighed, feeling a bit frustrated.
– If you plan to take it, you may do so.
“Really?”
My eyes widened at her words. She’s actually allowing me to take this?
– Yes. If you desire more.
As she spoke, her gaze skimmed the walls and around the pillars.
– You can also take this Night Bright Wine as well.
“…”
Oh no.
It seemed she had noticed my keen interest in the Night Bright Wine.
This was getting awkward.
“… Ahem.”
I cleared my throat, trying to dispel the awkwardness.
– But instead…
Tang Je-mun gently tapped the White Horse Stone.
Yet the White Horse Stone did not budge.
Her fingertips seemed to pass through the stone instead.
Watching this, I was reminded once more that she was not a living being.
– I have a favor to ask of you.
“…”
A request.
Those meaningful words made me step back a bit.
– Successor?
“I refuse. I don’t need anything from you.”
After suffering due to the so-called heroes of the past, the very mention of a request made me feel annoyed.
“… I’ll just head out quietly. It was an honor to meet you, Senior.”
I hastily cradled the Poison Heavenly Pills and made my way out.
I needed to get out of here fast.
“Damn it, but where’s the exit?”
Crank.
As I looked around for the exit, the former Red Water Clan stepped forward.
Seeing that, I nodded.
“Great! Can you help me find the exit? You’re good at that.”
Grung?
This creature was the one who had shown me the entrance when I was searching for Biwaegun by the lake.
Yet when I asked, he merely tilted his head in confusion.
“… Tsk.”
Doesn’t he know either?
Just when I thought I’d have to go find it myself…
– Tang Soyeol.
Startled—
Upon hearing my name echo, my head snapped back around.
“… What did you just say?”
My heart sank coldly.
It was an unexpected name coming from Tang Je-mun’s lips.
Glaring at her, I sensed something odd.
– It’s about the Child. Aren’t you curious, Successor?
For some reason, her expression was filled with sorrow.
As I met her gaze, my mind raced.
It was already strange that she would bring up anything about Tang Soyeol, but why was she appearing so crestfallen?
It was clearly an unusual situation.
I could’ve easily fled right then, but my feet refused to move.
The scale was always tipped in my heart.
This time, the weight was canted to one side.
Feeling that, I killed my emotions and responded to Tang Je-mun.
At this rate, I had only one answer.
“… What is it? What is your favor?”
Hearing my question, Tang Je-mun came closer.
– I only have one request.
Her face remained dark, and her gaze was inscrutable.
-… Once you step outside…
The words that flowed from her lips were shockingly heavy, in stark contrast to her calm demeanor.
Swooooosh…
The sound of wind rustling through waves resonated.
The weather was still midday, and the lake maintained its beautiful color.
An ever-familiar sight to me.
“…”
A woman’s eyes observing this scene remained unblinking.
‘What’s going on?’
Ignoring her swollen cheeks and the blood trickling down, the woman focused solely on the lake.
The woman was none other than Nahi, the assassin of the Tang Clan.
‘What in the world… is happening?’
It had been quite a while since Gu Yangcheong, whom she had guided, suddenly jumped into the lake.
Strange enough that he had uncovered his identity, but now he said he needed to dive briefly into the lake, and he simply hadn’t emerged.
‘Did he really die like that?’
From Nahi’s perspective, there was no way around thinking this.
‘Could it really be… suicide?’
The fact that he leaped into the poisonous water could imply nothing else.
Even the Poison King, who had exceptional resistance to toxins, surely could not endure submerged in the center of the lake.
In such a situation, a figure appearing like Gu Yangcheong, seeming to be an ordinary martial artist, could only be perceived as attempting to end his life.
‘What do I do?’
Nahi could only bite her lips.
She was the one who had guided Gu Yangcheong.
But if it turned out he had jumped into the lake and died just like that…
‘How am I to report this to the Poison King?’
It was baffling on how she ought to proceed given the situation.
Even if Gu Yangcheong had asked to jump in, it was evident she would be chastised for not stopping him.
And speaking about what led to this happening in the first place was altogether impossible.
‘… Ugh…’
Caught in a dilemma.
It was precisely the situation encapsulating Nahi’s predicament.
‘Big brother…’
As she nibbled her nails anxiously, Nahi recalled her brother.
Ever since they had held hands, vowing to take revenge against the filthy clan, they had spent their time enduring countless hardships until now.
‘Why… did it come to this?’
That very brother had betrayed them for the sake of a mere child like the Late-Stage Talents.
Nahi found this incomprehensible.
Surely, there must have been some reason behind it.
‘Think… what do I do?’
If she remained like this, it would all truly be over.
Desperation set in as she forced her mind to come up with a solution.
She could not die in vain.
‘At the very least… I have to eliminate the ‘underground’ part of this rotten clan.’
The wretched truths of the Tang Clan, which masqueraded as a noble house while engaging in filth.
She had to eliminate it.
That was the path to avenging her siblings who had perished before her.
Drip…
Having bitten her nails so much, blood trickled from her thumb.
Thud.
As the drops fell and touched the ground.
Swoooosh…!
Unprecedented occurrences began to unfold in the lake.
“…?”
Nahi’s eyes widened, confirming the strange happenings.
“What the…?”
She sprang to her feet and moved towards the lake.
“… Huh?”
The closer she reached, the thicker the odd atmosphere became.
There should be a rise in toxic energy, yet she felt nothing.
“What the hell…”
As Nahi approached the edge of the lake, trembling with unease.
Kwahhhh–!
The lake began to churn violently. It was a whirlpool.
Ravaged by its ferocity, a stormy whirlpool appeared in the center.
And it didn’t stop there; the lake’s water gradually began to recede.
“… Oh… oh no?”
The formerly Poison Lake, which was a treasure of the Tang Clan, was vanishing.
Though startled, Nahi couldn’t afford to remain still.
After several seconds passed.
Just like that, in mere moments, the waters had completely drained away.
It was hard to believe that such a vast body of water could disappear so quickly.
Nahi concealed her trembling hands and scanned the center of the lake.
The center was forming a whirlpool; there must surely be something.
And indeed, where she checked directly was…
“… Huh?”
The center of the now-dry lake.
Someone stood, shaking their body dry.
“Ptooey.”
Spitting something from their mouth, as if something had entered it.
They began to look around restlessly.
After briefly observing the vacant lake, the individual remarked.
“Ah.”
As if assessing the circumstances, they muttered.
“… Shit… I’m screwed.”
