Entering the Murim

After beating the Soul-Snatching Elder to a pulp, we headed toward the Murim. Strictly speaking, we had been on the outskirts where the Murim and the monster lands overlapped. Actually, the boundaries of the Murim were incredibly vague to begin with. The great sects acted like local gentry, but they technically operated under the control and recognition of the government. Yet they weren't really influenced by it either, since the officials left them alone as long as they paid their taxes on time. "Thus, wherever there is martial arts and righteousness, that is the Murim." Or so the Soul-Snatching Elder had said. As we walked toward the pass after giving him a merciful death, So-wol raised her head as if she had just remembered something.

"But Master, why did his moniker include 'Soul-Snatching'? This low one understands 'Elder' since he was old, but perhaps we disposed of him before he could cast some soul-snatching spell? For instance, he might have been a spellcaster who favored techniques with extremely long casting times. No wonder his body was so weak for someone from the Murim, where they supposedly practice martial arts."

"Uh, I don't think that's it. Or is it?"

Come to think of it, the Murim was just a setting I used to enjoy reading about in my past life, so there was no guarantee So-wol was wrong. Still, he was ranked somewhere around the top eighty—one of the top one hundred masters. Would a guy like that really get beaten like a dog by So-wol? She hadn't even used her full strength. She didn't even touch the consumable talismans I'd given her; she just beat him to a pulp with her gauntlet-type dharma treasure. For a guy like that to be called one of the top one hundred masters... wasn't that just too cruel? I'd heard there were countless martial artists in the Murim, so for one of the absolute best among them to get thrashed by a single So-wol Punch... it didn't just ruin his life, it practically devalued the very concept of a Murim martial artist.

"He should've picked a better spawn point."

If he'd been born a monster, he might have at least put up a decent fight against So-wol. Tsk, tsk. Being weak is a sin, but being born human is the real tragedy. Personally, I absolutely loved my current body and status. Unlike humans, the only differences were my horns and claw-like nails, which didn't ruin my appearance at all. Yet, I possessed a vastly superior lifespan. Honestly, humans didn't have a single advantage over Dokkaebi. If I had to name one, maybe it was that they maintained their reason better? But even that could be easily covered by learning a cultivation method to control one's mind.

"Master, what is this?"

"It's poison. Don't touch it."

Jeongha pulled So-wol's hand away... then gently shook the small vial before pouring its contents onto the ground with a disappointed sigh.

"Is this... really poison? I mean, technically it is, but it's so crude. Even without being in the Qi Circulation realm, you could burn this crap away just by circulating monster qi through your body."

"It says 'Seven Steps Yin-Shattering Poison' on the label."

"Ha, hilarious. They think they can just slap any fancy name on it and make it work?"

Dokkaebi—and monsters in general—simply possessed incredible natural resistances to all sorts of things. They were born with the sturdiness of bears and the offensive power of tigers. Stories of slave races stealing and drinking the strong liquor favored by Dokkaebi, only to die of alcohol poisoning, were a favorite topic among those who boasted of racial superiority.

"Let's move quickly."

"Yes, Master."

"Got it."

In a single bound, we leaped up a massive wall that strongly resembled the Great Wall of China. Midway up, the runes carved into the stone tried to repel us as monsters, but it was futile. I threw a talisman provided by my family, and the formation engraved on the wall instantly faded. It was a barrier carved by cultivator sects at the front line separating humans and monsters, but to those at the Qi Circulation realm, it was nothing more than a minor delay. Even then, it could be bypassed with a special talisman. This wasn't because the cultivator sects were incompetent; rather, it was simply impractical to install high-grade formations along the entire border of a nation like the Seohang Kingdom, so they had probably just cut corners.

After crossing the wall, we ran for about a day. A slightly fatigued So-wol took a sip of water and asked, "Are we safe now?"

"Yeah. I heard cultivators are usually only stationed at the border walls. It's rare to run into them past this point."

At best, they would only be at the equivalent of the Core Condensation realm, but killing them wouldn't solve anything. Our goal was to quickly assassinate the Heavenly Demon and get the hell out.

"But Master, why did the family order you to deal with a mere band of mortals instead of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a cultivator sect? If they wanted to utilize the element of surprise, wouldn't it be better to launch a sudden raid on the headquarters of a cultivator sect instead?"

"I don't know either."

"Why not?"

"Because they didn't tell me."

I might be pretty impressive, but I was still far from being part of the leadership in Yagwi City, let alone the Gang family. From what I'd heard, it wasn't just the Gang family; all three major factions were mobilizing to completely wipe out the humans this time. At first, I thought it was just some annual event, like harvesting eggs from a farm—just a bit of population control since the human numbers had grown too high. But it wasn't. My sister had given me a quiet warning. She said the movements of the family, and of Yagwi City as a whole, were highly unusual.

Apparently, the three major ruling factions of Yagwi City—Seolyogok, Pasumun, and the Gang family—were all moving in a frenzy. The Gang family was targeting the neighboring human nation of the Seohang Kingdom. Seolyogok was moving to 'harvest' the dozens of minor races living in the Great Underdark. And Pasumun was marching to do the same to the hundred allied tribes of the steppes. Monsters raided other races' villages, settlements, and castles all the time, but a massive, coordinated campaign of this scale was almost unprecedented. Wondering if she knew anything, I asked Ryeo-ah.

Well, there was that. However, according to my sister, the monsters and the human cultivator sects usually engaged in a sort of staged wrestling match. The humans wanted the monsters' inner cores, while the monsters used humans as food, slaves, or cultivation resources. They would send out low-level combatants at the Core Condensation or Qi Circulation realms to hunt each other in a controlled manner. But those days were over. From the looks of it, they didn't plan on stopping after just crushing the Murim. My sister had mentioned the movements of combat units led by Samgeuk elders and the family head, as well as the sudden redeployment of war-grade ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dharma treasures. There was definitely something going on, but since my sister had only picked up on the general atmosphere, I couldn't exactly go around asking questions and sell her out. Sigh, they were definitely up to something. But if they really wanted an all-out war with the humans, they should have ambushed the cultivator sects first.

"Whatever. I don't care."

When the higher-ups tell you to jump, you jump. It was during our night march through the deep mountains that it happened.

"Master."

"Yeah?"

"I'm tired."

"Want a piggyback ride?"

"No, it's not that. I want to take a bath. Is there anywhere around here?"

"You too?"

The two of them began whining at my side, begging for a break. I was anxious and wanted to get the job done as quickly as possible, but surely a short rest wouldn't hurt. In the middle of the forest surrounded by rugged peaks and steep slopes, I pointed toward a mountain fortress built on a relatively flat clearing.

"That place looks pretty big, doesn't it?"

"Indeed, Master. Judging by its size and the rising smoke, it must have cooking facilities, and if we are lucky, perhaps even a bathhouse."

It was a cluster of several mountain fortresses built close together. It was quite large and constructed in a surprisingly clean, orderly style.

"Then let's rest there for the night."

"Yay!"

"Understood, Master."

We were Dokkaebi—specifically, Night Dokkaebi—but we weren't strictly nocturnal. We weren't diurnal either; we were just a race that ate, slept, and shat whenever the hell we felt like it. However, we were called Night Dokkaebi because our wild instincts grew stronger after dark. Because of that, I preferred to either sleep through the night or completely burn off that energy with sex. The unpleasant sensation of having my mind slowly gnawed away by that wild nature was hard to bear.

"Let's take a bath. Hurry."

"Alright, alright. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Let's go."

It wasn't exactly stress, but if I didn't let loose, a heavy, suffocating feeling would build up inside me, so I always needed some way to release it. For Jeongha, that release apparently took the form of a bath followed by sex.

"Your concubine shall scout ahead."

As for So-wol, she just seemed genuinely exhausted. It made sense, considering she hadn't just been walking, but running for over a day across rugged, towering mountains.

"I shall go first."

"Hey! Wait for me, servant!"

The two of them instantly closed the distance to the fortress, which had previously only been identifiable by its distant lights. When leaping with a burst of monster qi, there was no need to tread along the mountain paths. As long as there was a place to land, they could easily leap from one peak to another as if it were their personal playground.

I wonder if the beds there are clean.

Wanting to play the part of a cool Murim martial artist, I leaped leisurely from branch to branch for a moment. Soon, I arrived to find So-wol standing over the owners of the fortress, whom she had turned into minced meat. Ah, I didn't particularly enjoy the smell of blood. It was summer, which meant it would attract bugs and stink up the place.

"Why did you kill them all? If you'd left them alive, we could have made them cook for us."

"This bastard tried to touch your concubine's backside."

"What a son of a bitch."

I gave the corpse a light kick, sending it rolling down the slope. He got off easy dying like this; he should be grateful he didn't survive. Scanning the fortress with my external circulation senses and sorcery, I didn't detect anything impressive. It was just a gathering of rabble who couldn't even reach the Core Condensation realm, let alone Qi Circulation. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Well, maybe there were a couple of Core Condensation equivalents. Jeongha, looking thoroughly disgusted, was already heading toward the scent of water, while So-wol seemed entirely focused on food and rest. Perfect.

"So-wol."

"Yes, Master."

"Leave a few alive to prepare food and guide us, and kill the rest. Oh, and don't make a bloody mess inside. The smell will linger."

"Understood."

"With enough of this experience, you'll eventually master it, right?"

"This low one shall devote herself to her training."

So-wol bowed her head deeply and headed inside. I wasn't worried about her at all.

"Huh? What's this? Did we capture a chick like this? No, she's way too pretty..."

"Who cares, you sexy little thing! Come give this great hero a hug—Aaargh!"

I only hoped those bastards would serve as decent experience points for So-wol. Really, that was all I could ask for.

The Green Forest 72 Strongholds. Among them, the main headquarters where the Chief resided was special. The presence of top-tier masters was a given, but above all, the mountains were their domain. They weren't just strong. They actively utilized every feature of the mountain terrain, swinging from tree to tree like monkeys, and had mastered martial arts optimized for this environment. The natural surroundings of their fortress were nothing short of a massive trap. There were venomous insects and wild beasts that left only the Green Forest bandits alone, primitive traps, and even a formation specially provided by the Blood Cult to deal with powerful masters in a terrain too rugged for large armies to march through. With a Chief who was proudly counted among the top one hundred masters of the land, they should have been able to withstand an invasion even from the great orthodox sects. Or so they had thought.

Crack!

"Guh..."

"Vice Chief..."

The Vice Chief was dead. It wasn't an unusual occurrence in itself. The position of Vice Chief was the only one that could pose a threat to the Chief. Hwang Su-yong, the Chief of the Green Forest, had periodically replaced his Vice Chiefs whenever their martial power or popularity grew too high. The problem, however, was that Hwang Su-yong wasn't the one who had killed him. The Vice Chief of the Green Forest had been slain. And right in the middle of a banquet, right before the Chief's very eyes.

"You wench..."

Instead of charging forward in a rage, Hwang Su-yong warily assessed the situation. Why didn't the barrier activate? No, it did. Even a master of the Transformed Realm would have half their internal energy sealed once caught in it. Damn it, who is she? He had never heard of someone like her. She had flawless skin, a voluptuous body with alluring curves, and a breathtaking beauty that could make any man's cock rock-hard at a single glance.

"Rebirth through marrow-cleansing! You are a hidden master of the secular world! The Profound Realm? Are you in the Profound Realm? No, you couldn't just be a slightly strong master of the Transformed Realm..."

"Rebirth through marrow-clensing? What on earth is that?"

"It is marrow-cleansing, not clensing!"

"Understood. Marrow-clensing."

Even in the presence of an unidentified master, as a man of the Murim, he simply could not let this slide.

"Clean! Sing! Cleansing! How can a master of your caliber not even know that?!"

"Is marrow-clensing really that important?"

Neither her Master nor Jeongha needed any of that to fight incredibly well. It was a question born of pure curiosity. However, taking it as a mockery, Hwang Su-yong's expression hardened as he grabbed the massive saber resting beside his chair.

"Damn it. Your polite tone sounds like the Orthodox faction, but are you actually from the Unorthodox faction? Playing dumb just to mock me... how infuriating!"

"That saber..."

Did she recognize it? A small smirk played on Hwang Su-yong's lips.

"Hmph! This is a cold iron saber forged from ten-thousand-year cold iron! I had to beg that bastard, the Shadowless Divine Thief, and pay an astronomical price to have it made, but I have no regrets! Thanks to this, the efficiency of my internal energy has increased by thirty percent!"

"Internal energy. Master told me about it on our way here. The imitation power used by the people of the Murim."

"What did you say?!"

"This low one wishes to experience it for herself."

With those words, So-wol raised her fist. Her knuckles were drenched in the blood of the enemies she had slain on her way to the Chief's hall. It meant she had advanced at a breakneck pace, slaughtering them continuously without giving the blood even a moment to dry. A murderous glint flashed in the Chief's eyes.

"Do not... underestimate me!"

Sword Qi manifested along his saber. It was the Saber Qi, said to be forged from the very starlight of the night sky. Combined with the mystical properties of the ten-thousand-year cold iron, a freezing, sinister energy enveloped the blade, making its aura even more ferocious. The Chief roared,

"I may only be at the late stage of the Transcendental Peak, but with this cold iron saber and the support of the formation, I can exert power a whole realm higher within this space!"

"Oh, is that so?"

"Taste the power of the Creation realm!"

"W-wait. The Creation realm?"

"Indeed! The Creation realm! That is what I possess!"

So-wol's body began to tremble... but then she stopped.

"You are in the... Creation realm? Senior? You?"

"Indeed! It seems you were merely a slightly stronger Transcendental Peak master after all!"

"The Creation realm... Why would such a supreme being be in a place like this?"

"Kuhahaha! It is too late now. First, I shall incapacitate you in a single strike, and then I will thoroughly enjoy that delicious body of yours!"

Kuaaaaah!

The cold iron saber swung, unleashing a torrent of Saber Qi that resembled a massive tidal wave. The vortex of energy surged forward to cleave her shoulder. The fact that he didn't aim for her head laid bare his filthy, lingering lust.

Ah, Master...

Rather than being defiled by a creature like this, she would rather end it here. Instead of letting her shoulder be sliced open and being violated, So-wol decided to choose her own fate.

"Master, run! He is in the Creation realm!"

She thrust her head forward. The monster qi concentrated in her fist was her final pride, a desperate attempt to show she had at least resisted. Soon, So-wol's soft-looking fist clashed with his ferocious slash.

Clang!

The saber forged from ten-thousand-year whatever shattered. Flesh had clashed with metal, yet it was the metal that broke. She stared blankly at her torn, bleeding hand.

"..."

Slap. Poof.

I slapped a talisman on her hand, and it healed instantly.

"...?"

So-wol blinked in confusion for a moment, then proceeded to beat the living shit out of the Chief.