---

Chapter 172

Some people inherit the wings of insects; others inherit the jaws of insects. Sometimes, most of the body takes on the form of an insect, and that is the bloodline of the Tang family.

Some call it a curse, while others see it as the result of mingling with corrupted beings. One can understand their viewpoint.

Unlike Namgung’s Shin Eung or Jegal’s Huang Long, their ancestor, “Chaos,” was said to have been created by gathering all the insects of the world into a human-shaped mass of insects.

However, the Tang family does not accept this fact negatively. They are devoted to the principle of survival of the fittest. They don’t care if their appearance is ugly if it helps them grow stronger.

In that sense, cases like Dang Sa-ryeon are genuinely unwanted in the Tang family.

An existence that could not be called a loyal subject. Neither appearance nor essence resembled an insect.

A mutant born only with human traits. Her mother, a member of the Tang family, deemed Dang Sa-ryeon a shame and ran away, while her father, an outsider, looked at her with pity.

Only her grandfather and her father, the current head of the Tang family, sheltered her.

Thus, Dang Sa-ryeon grit her teeth and dedicated herself to training. To avoid getting caught by anyone, to not disappoint her beloved father, she focused on her poison techniques and stealth skills.

Fortunately, stealth techniques weren’t difficult. Given that human hands are more delicate than insect hands and coupled with Sa-ryeon’s talent, her skill in stealth improved day by day.

However, the issue was with poison techniques. The primary focus of the Tang family’s poison techniques was on manifesting innate venom.

Born as a complete human, Sa-ryeon lacked the unique venom she was supposed to manifest as a member of the Tang family.

A Tang family member who had only mastered stealth skills was treated as half a person. Even though her father was the head, the rumors and criticisms circulated inevitably. No matter how much he was the head, it was hard to suppress such whispers.

Thus, Dang Sa-ryeon did not think deeply about it. She didn’t even have time to think. She injected samples of the Tang family’s poisons into her arms. She consumed poison and poured it into her body.

She faced death hundreds of times and lost count of how often pain drove her mad.

What would someone think if they saw her? They might question her sanity as she repeatedly engaged in behaviors that could easily be deemed madness. She never told the only human head of the family. Before being the head who wanted to raise a strong successor, he was simply her father.

Amidst an environment that could be considered madness of the Tang family, Sa-ryeon excellently secured her position.

After enduring the horrific times of pain, she was finally able to manifest the desired poison within her body.

By injecting every poison into herself, she received praise for being closer to her ancestors than any member of the Tang family ever had.

The unique martial art of the Tang family and the poison technique that only she could create, the Chaotic Transformation Technique (混沌化原功).

Poison Lotus and Poison Person, Dang Sa-ryeon hoped that one day her wish to wield this poison would come true. It would also serve as proof that she was indeed a member of the Tang family.

*

“Are you trying to kill me!?”

Before my eyes was only a silver needle cloaked in emerald magic. It looked like it was haphazardly scattered without thought, but upon closer inspection, each trajectory was calculated down to the tiniest detail, to the point of annoyance.

If I try to block this, then that will hit me. If I try to stop that, then this will hit me. They say it’s hard to deal with someone whose mind works like that, and that was precisely Sa-ryeon.

If I were to strike into the shadows, it would pierce through because of the narrow contact area that the needle has, and if I try to sweep it away, the varying speeds of each needle would make it difficult to remove without using substantial magic.

Although it was possible to retrieve the shadows, I had to be cautious since they’d pursue right at the moment my vision was slightly obscured, which made it troublesome.

Amidst this, Yeon-woo deduced that very conclusion and moved. Confronting such a situation head-on was not something a swordsman should do. It was a hectic identity mixture of being a swordsman and a mage.

The implementation was a landslide of earth. The reason Yeon-woo cast magic solely from the shadows wasn’t due to the lack of ability but because it was more efficient. After all, being a dragon, they could command all elements of magic if necessary.

Boom!!

As if making a deal with the laws of nature, a certain amount of magic instantly disappeared, and at Yeon-woo’s will, the ground surged. A tremendous sound heralded a landslide on the plains.

As if the god favored only one person, the earth swept away everything around Yeon-woo, leaving him untouched.

“… So, you can do that?”

“Is a dragon easy to underestimate? And you shouldn’t talk either.”

Dumbfounded at the situation, Sa-ryeon immediately melted the landslide rushing towards her with a handful of poison. What was she doing? That’s the definition of a destroyer of the environment.

“What a naughty kid. Don’t you feel sorry for the land soiled with green?”

“It was green from the start!”

Really? Me? Yeon-woo frowned as if he didn’t understand. At the same time, the landslide that surged behind Yeon-woo spat out a massive rock. The name of the spell was Rock Buster. Ah, this isn’t plagiarism. Look, it’s not blue.

As the giant rock was suddenly fired, Sa-ryeon’s face twisted, and she exuded poison. The sinister dark green liquid engulfed the rock. The most dangerous slime was right there.

Meanwhile, Yeon-woo hid behind the rock and rushed forward. Is it better to get close? I don’t know. Or should I keep my distance and fight as a mage? I don’t know.

A Tang family member who had mastered poison techniques could engage in melee or ranged combat. The only advantage Yeon-woo had was that.

“I fight as if there were two of me.”

Only Choi Yeon-woo could simultaneously become a front-line warrior and a back-line mage across all humanity.

To do the work of two people alone, especially in a rapidly changing battlefield, was exceptionally taxing on the mind.

However, safe practice could not continue forever. One wouldn’t get used to it unless tested in real combat, and Yeon-woo thought this was the right moment for it.

Attempting to explode the dissolving rock engulfed in poison, but control was futile. It probably meant that the extreme venom was potent enough to dissolve even the dragon’s magic.

Clicking his tongue in disbelief, Yeon-woo slipped beneath the dissolving rock.

As he dove into the narrow space, Yeon-woo thrust in his sword.

“Crap…!!”

Caught off guard by where Yeon-woo might pop up, Sa-ryeon clicked her tongue and extended her poison needle.

Sa-ryeon’s wrist twisted effortlessly as the needle gripped the blade. She felt the thrust of the sword meet something as solid as a steel wall.

‘I’ve never fought Baek In-hwa, but is this what it feels like to fight the White Blood Sword?’

The poison enveloping that hand was indeed a remarkably powerful item, rivaling the legendary White Blood Sword. Even in her immature state, it was easy to see why she had gained fame as the Poison Blood Lady before her regression.

This girl had transformed into something even more ethereal than spirits using her own body. By injecting poison into herself, she performed her own horrific human experimentation.

“It’s not working…!!”

“Heh heh, don’t underestimate me.”

With a playful smile, Sa-ryeon grinned. Her beautiful yet deadly smile made Yeon-woo hurriedly roll to the ground. He sensed the poison diety dripping down above him.

Following that, as Yeon-woo rolled, the silver needles were driven deeply into the ground.

Bouncing up flexibly, Yeon-woo stood up in an instant, spinning around and stretching out his sword once again towards Sa-ryeon.

The silver needle that had been lying on the ground was stuck there, and Sa-ryeon, still grasping needles of unknown origin between her fingers, reacted immediately.

Clang!!

The needles caught between her fingers clashed with Yeon-woo’s sword. It was an unbelievable event. In the hunter world, there’s no distinction between men and women, but for a sword to be blocked like that with such unsteady needles was shocking.

“Poison can also be medicine if used well.”

As if to answer Yeon-woo’s curiosity, Sa-ryeon muttered while twisting her wrist.

The silver needles pinned between her fingers were shot towards Yeon-woo’s face, and the sword slipped under Sa-ryeon’s arm.

Yeon-woo’s response was simply to purse his lips and blow out air. The resultant gust of wind turned into a powerful gale infused with magic.

The suddenly created whirlwind sent the needles flying down, tumbling like petals on a spring day.

And the magic didn’t stop there. Behind Sa-ryeon, the swamp surged. Sticky, filthy liquid flew towards Sa-ryeon’s neck like an octopus’s tentacle.

“Ugh!”

Startled, Sa-ryeon kicked off the ground with a loud slap and leaped. Spinning in mid-air, she launched her needles once more. Yeon-woo, who aimed to chase her, had no choice but to stop.

Splash, the swamp lost its shape and collapsed as its target was lost. Sa-ryeon’s face twisted in dismay as she stepped into the swamp.

“Is nature all on your side? Isn’t that cowardly?”

“Isn’t that pot calling the kettle black? Especially with such extreme poisons? In martial arts, no one calls the Tang family cowards, so did you forget? I’m calling you a coward!”

Yeon-woo spat, kicking his right foot off the ground. Although it was dirty fighting on the streets, things changed with Dragon Aura magic.

Transformed quickly into earthen projectiles, the clumps of dirt were hurled towards Sa-ryeon.

Of course, Sa-ryeon, who expected to control the swamp, waved her sleeve to deflect the projectiles.

If it were a normal outfit, it would have been riddled with holes, yet it looked bulletproof as not a speck of dust got on her sleeves.

“Ho ho ho! You’ve got quite a variety, Choi Yeon-woo! Let’s see how far you can go!”

“Damn, I told you not to mess with obsessed women!”

“Even someone as broad-minded as me finds it hard to overlook that statement. Were you thinking of me like that!?”

“Specialty of the Tang family: Obsession!”

To be honest, arguing back would be morally wrong. Is it that serious just because I spoke to her once?

Sa-ryeon’s fingertips turned red as poison seeped from them, transforming into a massive Oriental dragon. The Chasing Soul Poison Dragon (追魂毒龍), famous as the eighteenth technique of the Poison Blood Lady.

Seeing this, Yeon-woo clenched his sword tightly with both hands and raised it above his head.

The method to overcome the Chasing Soul Poison Dragon wasn’t to evade but to face it head-on.

Though he never fought against the Poison Blood Lady, he was glad he had learned the counter against Chasing Soul Poison Dragon; it was proving useful now.

Though it was embarrassing to be called a technique, aside from the Moonlight Ten Thousand Heavens, Yeon-woo prepared his most powerful strike.

“…That’s a wise decision, yot!!”

“Damn, thanks for the compliment!!”

At the moment when the Chasing Soul Poison Dragon was about to intersect with the downward slash, Yeon-woo took an unintended step forward. The golden aura surrounding his body momentarily glimmered like starlight.

*

“…They’re fighting like they’re trying to kill each other~”

In a distant place, hidden behind a tree, Moon Gi was watching the battle between the two. Enjoying the exciting spectacle, Moon Gi watched leisurely until suddenly, he opened the third eye on his forehead.

The multi-colored pupils captured the starlight generated from Yeon-woo’s body.

“…Oh ho.”

With an admiration as if he had met something longed-for, Moon Gi rubbed his cheeks with his loose sleeves.

(Continued in the next chapter)

 

---