Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: True Peak Realm
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The massive wave stirred up by Paeng Daesan instantly shifted the flow of the entire battlefield. As he overwhelmingly cut down the Demonic Cultists, carving open a path, the unorthodox faction's defensive line—plunged into chaos—finally managed to catch its breath.
Watching the scene from the very rear, I inwardly flashed a satisfied smile.
And then, making sure no one noticed, I slipped my hand behind my back and grabbed Bang Soso's plump rear, right there beside me where she stood in line.
"Eek!"
Bang Soso's shoulders twitched in shock. She glanced around with a panicked expression, but I paid no mind and kneaded her full, ripe buttocks like a well-ripened fruit. The soft, springy texture filled my palm completely.
I could feel the mental energy I'd expended enhancing Paeng Daesan being coolly sucked back in through my palm. It was like clear water flowing into a parched riverbed.
At first, Bang Soso fidgeted in embarrassment, not knowing what to do, but soon she seemed to resign herself. Instead, she even subtly pressed her hips closer to me, making it easier for me to grope.
By then, the battlefield situation had been fully resolved.
With Byeok Cheonwi's Azure Dragon Squad and the orthodox faction's masters joining from the vanguard to clean up the Demonic Cultists, the ragtag unorthodox bunch instantly became surplus manpower. The few remaining Demonic Cultists fell powerlessly before the elites' combined assault.
"Combat end! Rest up, then we move!"
Byeok Cheonwi's booming voice echoed through the cave.
With the fierce battle over and my mental energy substantially recovered, I quietly withdrew my hand from Bang Soso's rear.
"Ah..."
A small sigh, dripping with regret, leaked out from right beside me.
Bang Soso's face turned beet red at the sound she'd unwittingly made, and she bowed her head deeply.
The battle cleanup proceeded swiftly. Most of the Demonic Cultists had been slain, and the survivors were sealed at their acupoints and tightly bound. They were to be sent out of the Secret Cave along with those too injured to continue exploring.
But then something strange happened.
The bound Demonic Cultists thrashed about in fits, violently resisting as they were dragged toward the exit. It was as if they'd hidden something more precious than their lives deep within this cave.
Thanks to this battle, the Azure Dragon Squad and orthodox faction suffered no deaths, only minor injuries. But the unorthodox side had quite a few corpses scattered about. Most were third-rate ronin at best. They'd ventured into this dangerous place chasing quick riches, only to meet a futile end.
Even if they'd reached the end of the Secret Cave, they likely wouldn't have gotten a share. The martial world was a ruthless realm of the strong devouring the weak. And even if luck had let them snag a treasure, they probably couldn't have dodged the knife in their back.
They each had their own desperate stories, no doubt, but I felt no pity. The unorthodox scum were busy rifling through the corpses of their comrades they'd just fought alongside for anything useful.
Just then, Paeng Daesan came rushing over to me, his face flushed with excitement, chattering away.
"Brother! Did you see it? My heroic exploits!"
"Not bad."
I tossed him some moderate praise. Paeng Daesan looked as if he'd conquered the world.
As that happened, I felt a sharp gaze from among the unorthodox group rummaging through bodies.
It was the Acupoint Master.
He stared straight at me before approaching without hesitation.
"That bastard!"
Paeng Daesan immediately blocked my front, baring fierce wariness toward him. I clicked my tongue inwardly. No matter how much I'd enhanced Paeng Daesan, he couldn't beat a Peak Expert like this.
I raised a hand to stop Paeng Daesan.
"It's fine."
Paeng Daesan reluctantly stepped aside, still on high alert.
The Acupoint Master was already right in front of me. Not a single scratch marred his body despite the brutal melee.
I gave him a faint smile and spoke politely.
"Senior, are you injured anywhere?"
The Acupoint Master gave no reply to my courteous question. He merely stared at me for a moment with dry, hollow eyes.
Then, with a scoff as if it were ridiculous, he nodded toward Paeng Daesan, who'd stood in my way.
"Do to me what you did to that insolent pup."
His voice was dry. It wasn't a command or a request—it was a declaration of fact.
This old fox had seen right through the fact that I'd enhanced Paeng Daesan. But I couldn't show it. It might just be a shot in the dark.
"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, Senior."
I feigned innocence, as if it were news to me.
The Acupoint Master's piercing eyes fixed on me. Like a snake eyeing prey, his gaze was tenacious and unrelenting. The surrounding noise faded, leaving just the two of us in illusionary isolation.
"I saw."
He murmured lowly.
"Yesterday, you placing your hand on that pup's forehead. And the changes in his body afterward."
Any further lies were pointless. The Acupoint Master was already convinced.
I let out a short sigh and shrugged.
"That's impossible."
"Ho?"
"What reason would I have to lend my power to you, Senior?"
The corner of the Acupoint Master's mouth twisted into a bizarre smile.
"Aren't you afraid of death?"
His voice carried a chill threat, but oddly, there was scarcely any killing intent. Even if he'd unleashed his full murderous aura, it wouldn't have been much of a threat to me now. Compared to the pitch-black demonic energy of the Black Elder—which choked the breath from existence just by its presence—this old man's killing intent was mere autumn breeze.
This man didn't want to kill me. He needed me.
"I'm not afraid."
I met his eyes squarely.
"If I die by your hand, Senior, our Squad Leader will gladly avenge me."
The Acupoint Master's eyebrow twitched.
"Severing your neck here and vanishing without a trace would be child's play."
"By all means, try it."
If he lunged to kill me, I just needed to buy a moment's time. This much commotion would bring Byeok Cheonwi running to subdue the sly old fox.
The Acupoint Master snorted in disbelief.
"Hah."
"Fine."
He turned away as if heading back to his group without regret. Then, as he passed, he tossed out a single line.
"I happen to have a rather loose tongue."
Ah.
This bastard was threatening me. He was dangling the revelation of my ability to the martial world as a bargaining chip.
I was cornered.
My mind raced. Ask Byeok Cheonwi for help? To silence this guy? Impossible. Even the orthodox faction couldn't kill or suppress an unorthodox master without cause. Byeok Cheonwi would refuse, claiming no justification.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
I'd lost.
"Senior!"
I called out to stop him.
The Acupoint Master's footsteps halted as he walked away.
He slowly turned around.
The austerity from moments ago was gone from his face, replaced by a gentle smile, like that of a kindly old man.
This old fox was cunning to the bone.
"Press your forehead here."
The kindly smile on the Acupoint Master's lips deepened. Nodding in satisfaction, he took a step closer and obediently brought his forehead to me.
I placed my hand on his brow. Beneath my palm, I felt the texture of his bark-like, desiccated skin and a faint tremor.
I focused my mind.
'Enhance.'
I gathered all my consciousness into a single point and thrust it into his mind. An immense amount of mental energy—far beyond what Paeng Daesan, a third-rate warrior, had required—surged toward his core.
But.
"...Kuh."
Like an egg smashing against a massive steel wall, my mental energy bounced off harmlessly without even touching his mind. The backlash made my head ring.
This couldn't be.
I was just concentrating, yet his mind stood like an impregnable fortress. The realm of a Peak Expert, unreachable without enlightenment. I hadn't anticipated their mental strength would be this formidable.
I bit my lip and tried again. This time, I amassed far more mental energy, compressing it into a vortex and hurling it at his mental barrier.
But the result was the same.
His ironclad mental fortress didn't so much as budge, as if mocking my assault. My reckless attacks only shaved away my energy pointlessly.
Cold sweat beaded on my forehead. At this rate, it was like pouring water into a bottomless jar. Impossible without his cooperation.
I withdrew my hand and told him.
"You'll need to... lower your guard."
The Acupoint Master remained still, eyes closed. I nodded toward Paeng Daesan, who fidgeted anxiously nearby.
The Acupoint Master's closed eyelids trembled faintly, following my gaze. He seemed to recall Paeng Daesan's blank expression. A moment of silence passed.
Finally, a deep sigh escaped the Acupoint Master's lips.
"...Understood."
With his quiet permission, I felt the massive iron wall blocking my path melt away. It hadn't vanished entirely, but it had thinned dramatically, revealing fine cracks.
I squeezed out my last dregs of mental energy and slipped my consciousness through the gap in his mind.
His mental world was an endless abyss. Within it, I first sensed a blazing flame of intense desire. A thirst for greater power. A desperate wish to surpass his limits.
And at the deepest core of that desire crouched an unexpected emotion.
Deep regret and pity for the ronin who'd just died meaninglessly. Not a fleeting sentiment, but one etched into his bones like an ancient wound.
'...What is this?'
It was outside my expectations, but I had no time to dwell.
Swiftly, I implanted two suggestions deep in his psyche.
One was the 'enhancement' he'd craved—a powerful trigger to draw out his potential to its utmost.
The other was a subtle, cunning 'chain.' The moment the thought to reveal my ability to others arose, the pity and sorrow he'd felt for those ronin's deaths would amplify a hundredfold, overwhelming him—a tiny seed planted in his unconscious depths.
"Urgh...!"
The instant I finished, darkness swam before my eyes, and my body swayed. My mental energy was utterly depleted.
"Senior Brother!"
If Bang Soso hadn't quickly supported me, I might have collapsed right there. Leaning against her soft body, I gasped for breath.
Smoothly.
The Acupoint Master slowly opened his eyes.
His appearance hadn't undergone the dramatic transformation like Paeng Daesan's. He was still the same gaunt, eerie old man.
But the aura emanating from his body was entirely different now.
A sharp, chilling energy, like a famed sword freshly drawn from its sheath, enveloped his entire form. An overwhelming pressure that crushed the air around him merely by existing.
It felt just like the first time I'd met Byeok Cheonwi.