Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Underground World (4)
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Blood and flesh scattered throughout the great cavern were drawn toward the snake yokai.
Thick blood flowed backward, defying the natural order of heaven.
As if time itself were rewinding, the Black Scale Reverse Flow Blood Snake's wounds began to regenerate.
Totocer shouted.
"Deputy! Aim for the Inner Pellet under its throat!"
Seoran immediately charged at the massive serpent.
In her enlarged state from the Growth Art, she couldn't use any other spells.
But that was fine.
Ryu Seoran, master of the Heel Strike Art, shone brightest when stripped bare.
Her heel came crashing down like an axe, smashing into the giant serpent's skull.
The impact, backed by a giant's weight, made the entire nest rumble.
The Black Scale Reverse Flow Blood Snake, experiencing a concussion for the first time in its life, lost its senses.
Seoran clamped the serpent yokai's neck between her legs.
Then she thrust her right hand deep into its enormous maw.
She planned to target the soft flesh unprotected by its thick hide.
Naturally, the Black Scale Reverse Flow Blood Snake thrashed desperately.
But a giant serpent that swallowed prey whole had no fangs to sever the intruder in its mouth.
Seoran shoved her right arm in up to her shoulder without taking any damage.
Sensing the crisis, the Black Scale Reverse Flow Blood Snake wrapped its long body tightly around Seoran.
Its severed waist had long since healed.
It intended to crush her windpipe and kill her just like this.
The naked giant and the enormous serpent tangled together.
And then Seoran's fingertips touched something hard.
The Inner Pellet, hidden deep beneath its throat.
Seoran gripped the round Inner Pellet tightly.
Threatened at its vital point, the Black Scale Reverse Flow Blood Snake resisted even more fiercely.
Its muscle-packed body strained with all its might to pulverize Seoran.
Seoran tightened her legs, choking the Black Scale Reverse Flow Blood Snake's neck even harder.
And then she tore out the Inner Pellet along with the thin membrane covering it.
The Black Scale Reverse Flow Blood Snake convulsed in agony.
It was an excruciating pain unlike anything it had ever felt.
Unknowingly, the tension in its jaw muscles slackened.
Seizing the opening, Seoran yanked out her right arm and hurled the Inner Pellet in her hand far away.
Totocer, who had been waiting for the chance, shouted.
"Everyone, gather up! Stick to the plan!"
Labyrinth Moles hidden in every corner of the nest rushed out all at once.
Their role was to immediately remove the extracted Inner Pellet.
The mole miners cooperated to push the massive Inner Pellet.
The Labyrinth Moles quickly rolled the Inner Pellet into a tunnel and vanished.
The Black Scale Reverse Flow Blood Snake grew frantic.
If it didn't recover the Inner Pellet soon, it would surely die.
It tried to chase the moles that had stolen it.
At that moment, the mole soldiers who had been lying in wait unleashed a barrage of offensive spells.
Their targets weren't the Black Scale Reverse Flow Blood Snake, but the tunnel entrances where the mole miners had fled.
The excavation experts, the Labyrinth Moles, neatly collapsed only the targeted tunnel entrances.
Its sole hope of retrieving the Inner Pellet vanished.
Plunged into panic, the Black Scale Reverse Flow Blood Snake lost its wits.
Seoran hugged the giant serpent from behind.
She locked her arms around it and pushed off the ground with her legs.
Seoran's waist bent like a bow.
A perfectly executed German Suplex.
The serpent yokai's skull and spine screamed.
From then on, it was a one-sided group beating.
Seoran pinned the serpent under her mounted position and unleashed a flurry of blows like lightning.
The Labyrinth Moles gleefully bombarded it with spells as well.
Humans and moles transcended racial boundaries through the power of friendship to subdue the serpent yokai.
The last Black Scale Reverse Flow Blood Snake remaining in the world finally perished.
*****
Seoran soaked her body in the warm bathhouse.
Her spiritual power was depleted, and bruises covered her entire body.
Without the Labyrinth Moles' assistance, she surely wouldn't have won.
Upon returning to the Black Bamboo Sect, she planned to start studying spells first thing.
Rock Bombs were powerful, but came with too many conditions.
She needed versatile spells that could handle a variety of situations.
As she was unwinding alone, the door opened, and female Labyrinth Moles poured in.
The spacious communal bath quickly filled with moles.
It seemed their workday had ended.
The moles, having washed off sweat and dirt, plunged straight into the baths.
They splashed around indiscriminately in the hot and cold tubs.
Curious, Seoran asked a young mole beside her.
"Kid, your kind lives underground, but you're all great swimmers?"
"That's because! Moles who can't swim all die! Like, when underground water bursts during construction. That's what my mom said."
Seoran nodded, convinced.
It made sense.
This bathwater was heated groundwater, after all.
After finishing her bath, Seoran headed to the plaza.
Throngs of Labyrinth Moles were enjoying the festival.
It celebrated the return of all the missing and the slaying of their natural predator, the Black Scale Reverse Flow Blood Snake.
Totocer, sitting in the center of the plaza, called out to Seoran.
"Investigator Ryu, over here!"
Seoran, who had made immense contributions to finishing off the Black Scale Reverse Flow Blood Snake, had become a hero among the Labyrinth Moles.
Being hailed a hero didn't come with any grand rewards, but it felt good.
Weaving through the moles, she spotted the VIP seats.
The heroes who had hunted the Black Scale Reverse Flow Blood Snake together were gathered there.
"You're not calling me Deputy anymore?"
Totocer said amiably.
"You're a hero of the underground world now, aren't you? Plus, we're comrades who've shared life and death. Just speak casually from now on."
"Should I? Man, never thought I'd make mole friends in my life."
"By the way, you sure took your time bathing. And you barely have any fur—just your head hair."
Seoran brushed back her bangs and retorted.
"I've got eyebrows too?"
The mole yokai burst into raucous laughter.
To the Labyrinth Moles, beauty standards were lush fur and large hands and feet.
The situation was so absurd that Seoran chuckled too.
As soon as she sat down, the food arrived.
Chunks of snake meat piled high on a heat-emitting stone radiated warmth.
The broad hot stone sizzled as it cooked the meat.
Black Scale Reverse Flow Blood Snake grilled on a slab.
Snakes probably didn't have parasites, right?
As long as it was fully cooked, it should be fine?
Who knew—if there were any, her spiritual power would burn them off.
Seoran bit into the golden-brown cooked meat.
Contrary to expectations, it didn't have any peculiar taste.
Just the flavor of well-cooked meat.
When the festival ended, an awards ceremony began.
The grand prize went to Seoran and dozens of Labyrinth Moles.
It commended them for slaying the Black Scale Reverse Flow Blood Snake and bringing peace to the underground world.
Seoran received a massive reward of spirit stones.
As a bonus, she was also bestowed the honorary title of Labyrinth Mole.
A few days later, farewell arrived.
Seoran packed her belongings and souvenirs and headed to the underground world's entrance.
Totocer came along to see her off.
Seoran stretched both arms out to the sides in greeting.
"Totocer, let's meet again if there's a chance."
Totocer mirrored her pose in farewell.
"We'll ship the spirit stones and the Black Scale Reverse Flow Blood Snake's Inner Pellet separately. Anyway, safe travels."
Emerging aboveground, Seoran rode Seokyeonhwa toward the capital.
First, she needed to inform Elder Investigator Go that the issue was resolved.
After delivering the news, she returned straight to the Black Bamboo Sect.
She had realized the necessity of studying spells during this journey.
Seoran's second-floor pavilion had already been repaired.
It seemed carpenters had come by while she was out in the secular world.
Ascending to the second floor, Seoran unpacked.
The first item out was a round seed.
She had obtained it from the mountain village she saved while disguised as a bear.
It came from the fruit of the tree offered as tribute.
The second was a shimmering scale.
A reward from the Diamond Lake Toad for reclaiming its lake.
Pretty and sturdy, it lifted her spirits just looking at it.
The last was a statue carved from luminous stone.
It depicted a human and moles beating a serpent.
Made of luminous stone, it glowed in the dark.
Seoran carefully stored the souvenirs in a wooden box.
Night had deepened, so she lay down in bed.
Closing her eyes, sleep came drifting in.
Then suddenly, her eyes snapped open.
She had the feeling she'd forgotten something.
Seoran sat cross-legged on the bed, pondering.
What is this feeling?
Did I forget to bring something back?
No, that couldn't be.
Seoran retraced her long journey.
She had left the Black Bamboo Sect's grand barrier and wandered aimlessly.
Then she found a spring and bathed.
She even caught a tiger.
Tiger pelt? No, tiger hides aren't useful.
She stopped by a mountain village and beat up bandits.
She snacked in a riverside city.
She went to the capital and saw the human-faced bird.
After that, she entered the underground world.
The great adventure of Investigator Totocer and his deputy, Ryu Seoran.
In the end, they slew the Black Scale Reverse Flow Blood Snake and became heroes.
The spirit stones and Inner Pellet as rewards were probably in transit.
No matter how much she thought, she couldn't figure out what she'd forgotten.
Seoran had no choice but to go to sleep.
It left a nagging unease.
The next day, Yi Agum visited.
After a joyful reunion, Seoran recounted her secular world adventures in detail.
Yi Agum listened with sparkling eyes, fully immersed.
Then she suddenly asked a question.
"Sis, did you try the roast human-faced bird? How was it? Is it really so good even royalty come eat it?"
"Ah, right! The roast human-faced bird!"
She had decided to eat the roast human-faced bird later.