Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Heading to the Secret Cave
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‘Internal energy... of the same vein.’
Demonic energy wasn’t fundamentally different from the internal energy built up by those who practiced martial arts. It was just that its nature was extremely destructive and corrupting. The state of this man right now was one where his internal energy had been completely eroded by demonic energy, blending into one tangled mess. Like pouring thick black ink into clear spring water.
‘If I separate the demonic energy...’
He instantly intuited the outcome. Pulling out just the black thread of demonic energy from this knotted tangle was impossible. The moment the demonic energy was removed, the internal energy that had served as its foundation would vanish along with it. He would lose all the martial arts he had built up over a lifetime and have to start from scratch. He might even end up a cripple who could never cultivate internal energy again.
‘...Not my problem.’
Whether this guy became a cripple or not was for Byeok Cheonwi and the Murim Alliance to handle. His mission was simply to turn this rampaging beast back into a ‘human.’
He issued a low command toward the core of that chaotic vortex of demonic energy.
“Disperse.”
The command, infused with his will, became an absolute law etched into the demonic energy’s core.
That instant.
Kwaaaaa—!
The fiercely spinning dark-red vortex screamed as it exploded. The pitch-black mental world was swept in a flash of light in an instant. The overwhelming pressure that had been crushing him with ferocious momentum vanished like a lie. He slowly opened his eyes.
“Puhak!”
The man beneath his palm shuddered violently, spewing dark-red blood. The iron chains rattled madly, scraping against the tent floor. His body arched like a bow before going limp, repeating the cycle. As if locked in a death struggle with some invisible force.
Byeok Cheonwi and the squad members held their breath, watching the scene. The sinister, ominous aura that had filled the tent was rapidly fading.
How much time passed.
The man’s violent convulsions stopped. With a final jangle, the iron chains fell silent. Covered in blood, the man hung his head limply, utterly still. Like a corpse.
A heavy silence blanketed the tent.
Byeok Cheonwi cautiously spoke up.
“...Is it over?”
He removed his hand from the man’s forehead. The limp body let out a rough cough, “Kolok.”
And then, slowly, very slowly, he raised his head.
His eyes were still bloodshot, but the feral madness blazing in them had vanished completely. In those vacant pupils, confusion, pain, and faint human emotions had returned.
Byeok Cheonwi’s eyes widened in shock. He looked back and forth between the man and Shadowless in disbelief.
Staggering back a step. His head throbbed as if it would split from the extreme mental strain, and the world spun before his eyes.
“I’ve removed all the demonic energy for now. But his internal energy likely vanished with it. He’s probably in worse shape than an ordinary person right now...”
He turned without finishing the sentence.
“I’ll leave the rest to you, Squad Leader.”
There was no more business here. He stumbled out of the tent. He thought he heard Byeok Cheonwi calling from behind, but he lacked the energy to respond.
Outside the tent, the clamorous air of the training grounds filled his lungs deeply. His mind grew hazy.
‘I overdid it with the mental energy.’
He couldn’t even twitch a finger. The urge to collapse and sleep was overwhelming. But he couldn’t. Right now, he had something more urgent than rest.
He staggered toward the lodgings. The only way to refill his drained mental energy. The most effective and reliable recovery method.
Soso.
He desperately needed her soft skin and warm body heat. He had to get back to the room and spend recovery time with her.
.
.
.
.
A night passed.
The extreme fatigue from last night had vanished without a trace. The room was filled with a faint scent of Soso’s body fragrance and the smell of sunlight, a pleasant mix. His mental energy was fully restored—in fact, clearer and more refreshed than usual. His senses throughout his body were keenly alive, enough to feel the subtle flows of air. As expected, communion with Soso was the ultimate restorative.
Leaving Soso rolling around behind him, he stepped outside. The diligent squad members were already sweating it out in the training grounds early in the morning, while the physicians tended their wounds or sorted herbs in a bustle. It was the usual scene, but perhaps because of yesterday’s incident, the air felt strangely heavy with excitement.
That was when.
“Brother!”
A booming voice rang out as Paeng Daesan came running toward him. The guy’s face was shining even more with excitement and awe than yesterday.
“The Squad Leader’s looking for you!”
Gazes turned their way. Paeng Daesan’s voice had been too loud. Damn, doesn’t this guy know how to speak quietly?
He followed behind Paeng Daesan. The guy stuck close, chattering away. Stories of how the Azure Dragon Squad had been turned upside down after he left the tent last night, how the beast-like Demonic Cultist had truly turned back into a human, how the Senior Physician had praised him endlessly.
He listened with one ear and let it flow out the other, walking silently. Their destination was the Azure Dragon Squad’s nerve center at the far end of the training grounds: the Squad Leader’s office. In front of the heavy door guarded by two escort squad members, Paeng Daesan knocked with a solemn expression.
“Squad Leader, I’ve brought Physician Shadowless.”
“Let him in.”
A thick voice echoed from inside. Paeng Daesan flashed him a fist-pump like a fighting cheer, then returned to his post. With a light sigh, he opened the door and entered.
The office was spacious and bold. The walls held stuffed massive beasts and maps, while in one corner, a greatsword as tall as a man leaned against the wall, exuding an intimidating aura. Byeok Cheonwi stood by the window, back turned, gazing outside.
“How’s your body holding up?”
He asked without turning.
“You looked awful yesterday.”
“Thanks to you, I got some solid rest. I’m fine.”
He slowly turned. His gaze was markedly different from yesterday. The beastly sharpness was set aside for the moment, replaced by pure curiosity and a cautious weighing of something.
He expected a barrage of questions about yesterday. How did you do it? What technique was that? What’s your true identity? He had prepared a few answers in advance.
But what came from Byeok Cheonwi’s mouth was completely unexpected.
“Lately, there’ve been rumors that the murim world is getting rough. Demonic Cult activity spotted here and there, even bandits surrendering to the imperial army in droves. Mountain King, they say... Heh, what bizarre times.”
He rambled on like chatting with an old friend about trivialities. Starting with the weather, then the Murim Alliance’s situation, even recent trendy tales from the Central Plains. His words flowed disjointedly, and Shadowless just stood there listening silently.
‘...What’s his angle?’
His patience was wearing thin. Was this hulking man playing psychological games with him? Or was he just bad at small talk? His expression was utterly serious, but his words were all empty fluff.
Finally, he couldn’t hold back and cut in.
“Squad Leader. What’s this about?”
Byeok Cheonwi’s face stiffened for a moment. He cleared his throat with a ‘hem’ and awkwardly averted his gaze. And in the next instant, Shadowless doubted his eyes.
The broad-shouldered, mountain-like Azure Dragon Squad Leader Byeok Cheonwi was scratching the back of his head awkwardly. The expression was exactly like Paeng Daesan’s when he was in a bind.
“Uh... Physician Shadowless. You know the vice-squad leader position in our Azure Dragon Squad is vacant, right?”
The air in the office shifted in that instant.
Then it clicked. This boisterous man wanted to fully fold him into the Azure Dragon Squad’s fold. He didn’t see him as a temporary dispatched physician—he wanted him as one of his own limbs. The vice-squad leader position was the perfect bait. Second-in-command of the Azure Dragon Squad. A shocking offer for a mere physician.
But.
“Not interested.”
Byeok Cheonwi’s face crumbled. He looked like a kid who heard it’d rain on a picnic day.
“I’m a physician of the Healer Immortal Sect. I was only dispatched here temporarily. If I wish, I can return to the sect anytime. That position belongs to someone more qualified than me.”
His decisive words drove the nail in. Byeok Cheonwi let out a massive sigh, enough to flutter the papers on the desk. He gazed at Shadowless with genuine regret. His eyes brimmed with reluctance and disappointment.
“Haa... I figured as much. How could we tie down a talent like you just to the Azure Dragon Squad?”
He smacked his lips in regret, then his eyes lit up as if he’d made up his mind.
“Fine. Forget that offer.”
He continued.
“Then how about another? If you won’t be vice-squad leader, come with me to the Secret Cave?”
“The Secret Cave?”
“Yeah. We captured that guy alive yesterday, but the investigation’s not done. We need to check what they were scheming there, if there are any other remnants. We’ll bring physicians along, of course... but honestly, it’d be much smoother with you. Their demonic energy is no joke.”
His proposal was reasonable. Shadowless himself had grown interested in the Demonic Cult and their demonic energy. It could be a good chance to test his ability’s limits and gain new intel.
He pondered briefly. Then decided.
“Alright.”
Byeok Cheonwi’s face brightened.
“I’ll go. But I have one condition.”