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Chapter 173

‘…How did it come to this?’

It wasn’t just Moon Gi who was watching Yeon-woo’s situation. Shar, who had previously sensed the anomaly occurring with Yeon-woo, was also an observer.

The fact that Yeon-woo was showing signs of awakening an attribute was… to be honest, almost unbelievable.

Of course, it couldn’t be said for certain. Yeon-woo’s current state was something you’d expect to find only in myths or legends, even in Shar’s world.

What were the chances of a mana-impaired individual—one with a low probability of being born—killing a dragon to obtain its heart or forming a contract with a dragon to gain mana?

Honestly speaking, Shar thought that just having two cases was already a lot to handle.

So, no matter what happened, nothing could be said with certainty. The samples were simply too few.

Generally, the foundation for drawing conclusions stems from numerous samples, but in Yeon-woo’s case, the number of samples was practically unique.

In any case, what Shar needed to do now was less about verifying theories and more about understanding what was happening with their father.

In other words, team doctor. It was always Shar’s job to closely investigate what was happening in Yeon-woo’s body.

‘The attribute being manifested is…’

Shar filled their mouth with black mana. While analyzing through touch and sight was their specialty, nothing beat directly tasting it.

Unlike Tae-oh, Shar couldn’t digest the mana they consumed and turn it into their own, but they were quite confident in their ability to recognize mana through taste.

Of course, the efficiency was markedly lower than Tae-oh’s since they couldn’t absorb mana at that point, but humans sometimes needed to step outside the realms of efficiency.

Having reassured themselves, Shar nodded.

Om nom nom. Om nom nom. The mana rolled around in their mouth for quite a while. They wore a blissful expression, akin to savoring candy.

‘…Delicious… Is this, perhaps…? Tae-oh, Tae-oh! Come here quickly!’

Lost in their thoughts of identifying the attribute, Shar absentmindedly murmured and hurriedly called for Tae-oh. Startled by Shar’s urgent summons that had never happened before, Tae-oh rushed over.

[What’s going on! Sis, what’s the matter!]

‘You’ve got to taste this, Tae-oh!’

[What’s happening? Did Dad get cursed or something?]

Tae-oh, obviously saying that it was his job to check that out, confidently bit into it with a big chomp. Mana flowed into Tae-oh’s mouth.

[……!! This is so good!! This doesn’t seem like a curse; something’s definitely wrong here!?]

‘No, Tae-oh. That’s not it!’

A warm sensation spread throughout their body. It revitalized them, making them feel like they could move immediately. Only then did Shar spot the glittering starlight against the dark background, gasping in surprise.

They had seen dark mana capable of deceiving not only their own death but sometimes even the world. That being had done all sorts of nefarious deeds, relying solely on mana.

At one point, they had witnessed beautiful golden aura glowing with light. They thought deeply about the majestic golden sword path that wouldn’t tolerate anyone stepping on it.

‘Unique Elemental Mana (Personal).’

A seed of starry mana named ‘Courage’ was sprouting from Yeon-woo’s body.

*

‘No wonder I feel lighter than usual.’

At that point of thought, Yeon-woo pulled a shadow from their own body and slapped their own cheek. This was a death flag, after all.

Of course, this was not the time for such jokes. Although Yeon-woo had split the Poison Dragon with the Aura Blade, they couldn’t do anything to stop the poison spray splashing on their face.

Plop, splatter—each time the toxic liquid touched their skin, they could feel it corroding away.

This was absurdly lethal poison. No wonder the traitors of the Tang Family fell helplessly to Dang Sa-ryeon.

A child wielding the strongest poison, stronger than any poison pursued at the expense of betraying humanity, now ran rampant in the hands of someone who once belonged to, and betrayed, that very group.

‘Should I call this a positive change?’

The unique poison martial art of the Dang Family, Chaos Blossom, was a well-guarded secret, known to very few, even within the Tang Family. At this point, even the family head might still be unaware of it.

How the traitors, who initially planned to betray the family, would react upon witnessing Chaos Blossom was something that intrigued Yeon-woo quite a bit.

If they betray, they must be killed; if they don’t, well, then maybe just asking the Dang Family to manage the kids better would suffice. Yeon-woo found the former option far more convenient.

‘Especially for some of them.’

The unintentional surge of murderous intent sharpened the Aura Blade. In that fleeting moment, the strength gathered in the sword shattered the experience of the Poison Dragon, severing it. With the control of the Dang Family lost, the Poison Dragon exploded overhead.

However, cutting it didn’t mean the threat from the Poison Dragon was over. Toxic liquid that composed the now-exploded Poison Dragon began to rain down like a storm.

Yeon-woo quickly created a barrier to cover their head and charged towards Dang Sa-ryeon.

If they didn’t hurry, it would be Yeon-woo, along with the barrier, who would melt away first.

In the meantime, Dang Sa-ryeon was staggering with a pale face. They likely struggled to manage the backlash caused by the explosion of the Poison Dragon right in front of them. Dang Sa-ryeon’s wobbly gaze turned towards Yeon-woo, who was rushing in.

“Cough…!”

It was clear that Choi Yeon-woo could navigate this situation with ease, thanks to the information gap.

With an intimate understanding of the characteristics possessed by the Poison Dragon, Yeon-woo could perfectly handle the circumstances surrounding their confrontation with it.

The Poison Dragon was a formidable opponent. The very poison it was based on was so lethal that it could dissolve human skin, stone, or even mystical metals, courtesy of the Chaos Blossom.

However, if strictly comparing the raw power of that poison, it wouldn’t reach the level worthy of being called a unique technique or a lethal strike.

One could tell by looking at the current situation. It wasn’t an all-out moonlight slash, and it had been cut, after all.

The goal of the Poison Dragon was meant for wide-scale suppression or extermination. The devastatingly poisonous dragon surging through the battlefield and exploding was intended to spread poison and dominate the area.

In other words, what mattered most about that attack was the timing of the explosion that followed the initial rampage.

Truth be told, it was an unfair story for Dang Sa-ryeon. The Poison Dragon was tailored to their personal vision, crafted in their own way.

While it couldn’t be said that the vision surpassed the family’s prospects, it was a technique praised even by their uncle for its considerable accomplishment.

‘Could it be that my uncle…!?’

Caught off guard by that thought, Dang Sa-ryeon shook their head. They couldn’t imagine that their uncle would act that way. Even if he did, it would make sense if it benefited the family, but why would he share it with a rookie from the Academy?

The Poison Dragon was undoubtedly a powerful technique even without accounting for the aftershocks. It merely meant that Yeon-woo’s downward strike was strong enough to be compared to a unique technique; beyond that, it was Yeon-woo’s transcendental understanding of the situation.

“Unbelievable, really…! Are you peering into my mind or something!?”

“Isn’t that a bit unsettling?”

With a serious expression, Yeon-woo replied, eliciting a chuckle from Dang Sa-ryeon. It was similar to their previous encounter in the gorge; how could they know so much about themselves?

It was a technique they had never shown to anyone, except their uncle, yet they were wondering how Yeon-woo knew to prepare countermeasures.

Relying on pure instinct could explain meeting them face to face, but how did they predict the explosion would occur right after that?

‘Ugh, just a little…!’

If only the circulation of their energy could stabilize, they could escape from this situation.

Dang Sa-ryeon trembled as they drew a vial from their sleeve. The poison from the Chaos Blossom surged through their body.

“What’s this? Are you trying to keep going? Taking this stuff multiple times a day seems risky; are you sure about that?”

“…Ugh, just how much do you know…!!”

Yeon-woo’s interruption came at a truly exquisite moment. When the poisons that would stimulate the muscles and sedative were just about to be released from their body, Dang Sa-ryeon hesitated upon hearing Yeon-woo’s words.

Yeon-woo’s sword seized that very brief moment of hesitation. In an instant, Dang Sa-ryeon found themselves staring at the black sword looming over their neck.

“Phew, I’m just glad we can call it good all around. At least I think we can expect to win this.”

“…Hah.”

Dang Sa-ryeon’s eyes flickered strangely. Yeon-woo recognized that look well. It was the look of someone who wanted to say something but hesitated because they were afraid of looking petty.

“It seems you have quite a lot to say, but I understand. This wasn’t exactly a fair fight, was it?”

“…What do you know about me?”

Looking at Dang Sa-ryeon’s wary gaze, Yeon-woo exhaled roughly. This was no easy battle. They felt pressure to end it while their body was still intact, which meant that, in terms of pure injuries, Yeon-woo was much worse off.

Despite pouring mana to burn away the poison instead of allowing it to touch their skin, they bore multiple wounds where the poison had seeped in and corroded their skin.

“That’s… hard to explain. But remember this, Dang Sa-ryeon.”

“What is it?”

At Dang Sa-ryeon’s prickly reply, Yeon-woo couldn’t help but laugh. Realizing their own attitude, the tips of Dang Sa-ryeon’s ears turned slightly red.

“There are ominous movements within the family.”

“…What did you say?”

With eyes wide open as if they couldn’t believe what they were hearing, Dang Sa-ryeon’s face hardened. The suddenness of the news was too shocking to process.

“I’m not asking you to believe it blindly. Still, if you have any suspicions, I hope you’ll look into it.”

“…On what basis should I trust you to do that? You could just be trying to sow discord in the family.”

“What could I possibly gain from asking you to trust me? Especially to suspect your own kin; that would be absurd.”

To be honest, that was true. If someone you happened to meet a few times told you that someone in your family was stealing, you’d likely brush it off saying, ‘What kind of nonsense is this?’

Thus, in practical terms, Yeon-woo’s words would hold little meaning.

Unless the other party wasn’t from the Tang Family.

“Understood. Let’s do that. If nothing comes up, I’ll come back to question you about it, so be prepared for that.”

With a calm face, one that had been skeptical only moments ago, Dang Sa-ryeon nodded in agreement. They then raised one arm.

“As the representative of the Changhae family, I concede.”

With that statement, Dang Sa-ryeon’s form scattered. Watching them dissolve into a sprinkle of mana and sent back outside the gate, Yeon-woo sheepishly rubbed the back of their neck.

“Even so, it feels a bit awkward that they trusted me so easily.”

(To be continued in the next episode)

 

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