Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: This Works?
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After safely exiting the library,
he escorted Mina back to her dormitory, then Sin Bihyeong returned to his own.
"Phew."
It was 2 a.m.
A lot had happened, but only three hours had passed since he'd left.
'Fortunately, just like with the Subway Monster, the time ratio was different for that one.'
He'd gained some good information.
'This could come in handy.'
For example, like that mental world and room of time from a certain anime.
Sin Bihyeong was about to collapse onto his bed when he turned his head toward the training room.
"Sleeping now would be a waste."
He wasn't sleepy anyway.
So why not use the remaining time to review what he'd gained?
Sin Bihyeong opened the training room door and stepped inside, then opened the shelf near the entrance.
"Elder, what are these?"
It was filled with countless talismans.
Eoduk tilted his head at him, and Sin Bihyeong smiled as he answered.
"A perk given only to the Chief and Vice-Chief Students."
Sin Bihyeong picked up one talisman and stuck it to the training room wall.
Fwoosh!
In an instant, the density of the ambient spiritual energy in the training room increased dramatically.
Eoduk felt it too and started bouncing around excitedly.
"Elder! The energy's gotten so thick! It's like a paradise of immortals!"
The little guy was exaggerating.
"You could get the same effect in the academy's public training grounds, but they're always packed."
With so many people competing for the energy, even if the density was high, the benefits each person got were limited.
But for cadets above Vice-Chief and Chief Student level, they provided private training rooms in the dorms, allowing them to enjoy the effects of the public grounds all alone.
'It was designed that way because players grow too fast, so they balanced it by having party members catch up.'
Now, he was the one reaping those benefits.
Sin Bihyeong smiled, feeling the abundant spiritual energy surging around him.
"Alright then, shall we do some cultivation?"
He sat comfortably in place and focused on his lower dantian.
Colorless Peach Blossom.
Recalling the cultivation method he'd just obtained, he drew in the surrounding spiritual energy and locked it inside his body.
Visualizing the image of the sun, he felt his rice-grain-sized spiritual power slowly, ever so slightly expanding.
'The bigger this gets, the stronger the anti-demon power will become.'
He vowed to ensure the yokai nature could never act out again.
With that resolve, Sin Bihyeong concentrated on his cultivation.
The more he did, the worse Eoduk's expression grew, until he started writhing slightly in discomfort.
"Eek...! E-Elder! This is too much!"
Sin Bihyeong opened his eyes and looked at Eoduk.
He was trembling like a frightened puppy.
"Th-the energy leaking from you during cultivation stings so much..."
"Really?"
It seemed that when he pulled in external energy, his own spiritual power stirred, exposing Eoduk to the anti-demon effects.
'Definitely effective.'
Having unintentionally tested it, Sin Bihyeong withdrew his spiritual power.
"Got it. Let's stop here for today."
Looks like he'd have to cultivate away from Eoduk.
As Sin Bihyeong gathered his spiritual power, Eoduk finally relaxed.
Phew.
He let out a sigh of relief and resumed bouncing around Sin Bihyeong excitedly.
"Such amazing power! My yokai energy instinctively recoiled from it!"
Something that shouldn't normally happen.
Because yokai energy slumbered in Sin Bihyeong's dantian.
However, thanks to the Impenetrable Seal's airtight blockage of the Demon Core,
Sin Bihyeong didn't have to writhe in agony like Eoduk.
"As expected, you're incredible, Elder!"
Sin Bihyeong let out a hollow laugh.
He appreciated the flattery, but he wasn't that impressive.
'This was only possible because the goblin's abilities were so good.'
Even thinking back, releasing the goblin's limits right after arriving in this world had been a godsend.
If he'd chosen a dragon?
He probably wouldn't have even considered this route and would have struggled endlessly trying to make a yeouiju.
'Still, I need to keep its nature from rampaging.'
It had done a lot for him, but in return, it was itching to seize control of his body.
Hadn't he experienced that in the monster's domain before?
When it tried to devour him.
'I can't let that happen again.'
On that thought, he checked his status window.
Perfect Neutrality's disruption had stopped, returning to its original form, and the nature ratios were back to what he'd set initially.
But Sin Bihyeong didn't relax.
'The yokai nature. It ate the library monster too.'
Was that why?
Sin Bihyeong frowned at the subtle sense of alienation in his lower dantian.
'Something's there.'
Sin Bihyeong focused his consciousness on the Demon Core pooled at the bottom of his lower dantian.
Piercing through the Impenetrable Seal's fortress, he descended.
Like diving into the deep sea, as his consciousness sank deeper, the source of the alienation gradually came into view.
Sin Bihyeong's eyes widened.
'...Colorless Peach Blossom. The cultivation method has taken root in the Demon Core too.'
Sin Bihyeong pulled back his consciousness with a troubled expression.
"Eoduk."
"Yes, Elder."
"Do yokai normally learn cultivation methods?"
Cultivation methods were humanity's domain.
A product created to combat monsters.
Yet one had taken root in his Demon Core.
The only one he could ask was Eoduk, with more yokai experience than him.
Eoduk pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"They don't call it a cultivation method, but yokai do learn something like it."
"Why?"
As far as Sin Bihyeong could tell, the way to grow a Demon Core was by devouring monsters.
So yokai could probably amplify their energy by killing and eating each other.
Then why bother with an unnecessary cultivation method?
Fortunately, Eoduk had some answer for that too.
"I heard the high ones learn it mandatorily. They say refining yokai energy lets you gain even stronger yokai energy!"
That meant the yokai nature wouldn't grow for now.
Colorless Peach Blossom was a method that grew through visualization and imagery.
As long as he controlled and responded well, he wouldn't be overwhelmed by the yokai nature again.
"By the way, these 'high ones'?"
Something in Eoduk's words caught Sin Bihyeong's attention.
"From what you're saying... they sound pretty strong. Right?"
Eoduk had always called him 'Elder'.
Even if older, Eoduk was just a low-grade yokai whose existence wasn't even fixed,
while he was an EX-grade goblin.
But from the way Eoduk spoke, those 'high ones' didn't seem low-grade either.
"Yes! Beings low-grade yokai like me can't even compare to—true yokai worthy of the name!"
Hah, really.
'I thought I was a hardcore Solo Biography player, but there's still so much I don't know.'
It couldn't be helped.
Those kinds of guys never appeared in Solo Biography.
'Looks like I'll have to fight them eventually.'
It just felt that way.
'If so, I need to make use of everything I can.'
Sin Bihyeong sensed the Colorless Peach Blossom rooted in his Demon Core and let out a groan.
'...I'll think about this later. I can't choose self-destruction out of preemptive fear over something that hasn't happened yet.'
Then, other things he could use.
'The warehouse.'
It was about time to make use of it.
'For the first items, maybe spiritual medicines? Preferably yang energy-related ones.'
He decided to grow that sun infused with anti-demon power a bit more.
The moment Sin Bihyeong was about to enter the warehouse—
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ You have successfully formed 'yang energy -attributed spiritual power' in your lower dantian. Confirmed that its size has grown beyond a certain threshold. The Bloodline Ability 'Captured Sun's' additional effect, 'Uncontrollable Yang Energy,' is affected. Ding!
A message sounded.
Why this time...
'Messages like this never pop up when I'm about to do something resolveful, do they?'
Sin Bihyeong cautiously read the appearing text.
His eyes widened.
Eh?
'Why is this happening all of a sudden?'
A boiling sensation surged through his blood.
It wasn't the half-demon nature stirring—it was purely his blood heating up.
Uncontrollable Yang Energy.
True to its name, Sin Bihyeong couldn't contain the scorching heat.
'My whole body... feels like it's burning...'
Every internal element burned endlessly, only to regenerate.
Due to the yang energy's overactive vitalizing effect.
Sin Bihyeong knew about this trait.
'No way... is that story generating?'
And sure enough,
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Derived Story, 'Nine Yang Severed Meridians,' has been generated. Ding! With the alert, a derived story appeared.
"...You can acquire this postnatally too?"
Sin Bihyeong was very familiar with the derived story called Nine Yang Severed Meridians.
How could he not be?
It was the main story of an NPC that newbie Solo Biography players had to prioritize recruiting to their party.
'That character was born with Nine Yang Severed Meridians, which led to that story.'
But to gain it postnatally...
It was astonishing.
"...Truly surprising."
Sin Bihyeong let out a deep sigh.
Nine meridians extending from his heart.
Each one was clogged full of yang energy, radiating scorching heat as if aflame.
'If you don't resolve Nine Yang Severed Meridians, your original meridians fray and snap.'
As an exorcist, you'd be out.
Even as a human, you'd need luck just to vegetate.
'But resolve it, and great rewards follow.'
Constitution: Nine Yang True Body.
Your body would accumulate yang energy just by breathing,
and your muscles, bones, and vitality would develop evenly, granting exceptional talent.
'The problem is how much it costs to fix.'
To resolve Nine Yang Severed Meridians, you needed yin energy spiritual medicines,
extremely rare ones only found in monster domains.
'Can't grab low-quality ones either. They might get you devoured by a monster.'
As a half-demon, he probably wouldn't,
but still, who knows.
'Even if not devoured, it could scar the meridians.'
That would be internal injury, taking quite some time to heal.
For him, who couldn't abandon Chief Student status because of Path to the Apex, it would be a painful drawback.
Sin Bihyeong sighed deeply.
"Should I use the Chief's perk here?"
The Chief Student could request any spiritual medicine or pill-refining materials from the academy.
He'd planned to save it for something essential, since it was limited to once per semester.
'Or use the warehouse...'
That wasn't ideal either.
The warehouse allowed only one hour per key.
And who knew how much he could take out? He wanted only essentials.
'Between the two, requesting from the academy is more efficient...'
Then, a sudden idea struck him.
'...Yokai and monsters are inherently yin in nature. Overflowing with yin energy.'
Sin Bihyeong's gaze naturally turned to his own Demon Core.
'The energy it holds is yin too. And of extremely high grade.'
Maybe it could work?
'Let's try right now.'
Sin Bihyeong suppressed his spiritual power, opened the Demon Core's lid, and drew out yokai energy.
'Heart meridians. Direct it there.'
At his will, the yokai energy circulated through his body.
Shwaaa...
A chilling, eerie energy enveloped Sin Bihyeong's flesh.
The cold, ghostly energy pierced through his meridians before finally reaching its destination: the heart meridians.
In that instant,
Sizzle...!
Like dropping ice into a sizzling hot pan,
steam erupted from Sin Bihyeong's body.
Checking his heart meridians afterward, Sin Bihyeong let out a hollow laugh.
One of the nine clogged meridians had cleared.
Nine Yang Severed Meridians—no, now it was Eight Yang Severed Meridians.
"This works."
Spiritual medicine?
'No need.'
It was the moment his troublesome yokai energy became a spiritual medicine.