Chapter 20: Nine Yin White Bone Claw
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 20: Nine Yin White Bone Claw
Its name was definitely Titanoboa.
The same name and species as the master of the Snake Fist I had hunted.
But its size was beyond comparison.
According to the information I gathered with my wild senses, this species grew up to 15 meters at most. But this thing was far, far larger than that.
The term ‘Imugi,’ a creature from legends, didn’t feel out of place at all.
“Saaaaaah!”
It flickered its tongue, glaring at us.
My whole body trembled.
This thing was more dangerous than the caiman.
Worse, this wasn't near water, so there was no chance of escaping it.
“The martial art you used on that small snake is from Shaolin.”
Baek Yeon-yeong began her explanation as if nothing was wrong.
It was the same tired explanation she'd given several times.
This was no time to be listening to that.
If we just stood here, we'd be eaten by that snake together.
I grabbed Baek Yeon-yeong's finger and pulled.
“Gek…!”
Hey, lady.
What are you doing!
We should be running for our lives.
“This lady does not care for Shaolin's martial arts. How could I, when all they preach is non-killing?”
…Right.
That was it.
Just like the toad and the turtle who froze in the face of death, this woman must be paralyzed with fear.
Chomp.
I bit down hard on her finger with my sharp teeth.
A person.
And one I’d just met. I couldn’t watch her die before my eyes.
We had to escape together, somehow.
“Are you worried for me? How commendable.”
Baek Yeon-yeong stroked my head once.
And then she walked.
Not away from the Imugi, but toward it.
Her steps were natural. She did nothing but walk.
But then.
RUMBLE!
The world began to shake.
The air grew heavy.
A profound internal energy sent a tingling shock through my body.
I felt a thrill from the overwhelming power, the likes of which I had never experienced in my life.
…This was Baek Yeon-yeong's power?
“If all of Shaolin's martial arts were based on the principle of non-killing, I wouldn't have given them a second glance.”
Baek Yeon-yeong caressed the mural.
The part with the martial art I had seen and copied.
“It is of Shaolin, yet it is overbearing.”
Baek Yeon-yeong took a stance.
The Imugi, which had been overwhelmed by her aura, snapped out of it and let out an aggressive hiss.
“Saaaaak!”
“Do you know what that means?”
The snake's massive maw shot toward Baek Yeon-yeong at high speed.
She simply waited, her fingertips poised.
Her gaze wasn't even on the snake.
“Shaolin's martial arts are meant to draw curves. The arts of those monks were not created to kill people.”
CRUUUNCH!
“This is why I dislike the ways of Shaolin.”
The snake's fangs flew at her, ready to swallow her whole.
Baek Yeon-yeong was looking at me.
Her lips slowly parted.
“But the Dragon's Claws are the exception.”
Her white fingertips moved.
From point to point.
Like a renowned artist drawing a line with a single stroke of the brush, her fingertips met the snake's maw.
CRACK!
The snake's countless teeth shattered on impact.
“It is a martial art like the claws of a dragon. Those monks, who pretend to be so lofty, draw a straight line.”
Baek Yeon-yeong withdrew the hand she had thrust forward.
CRACK!
As she pulled back, she slammed the snake's head into the ground.
“Every single one of its thirty-six forms is a killing technique.”
CRAAACK!
The overwhelming force cracked the cave floor.
“I don't know how long this thing will last, but watch closely and remember.”
The Imugi quickly shook its head and got up.
Despite its shattered teeth and having its head smashed into the ground, it still had strength left.
The snake charged again, trying to bite with what teeth it had left.
“Do you know the difference between a ‘Su’ and a ‘Jang’?”
CRACK!
She struck the snake’s jaw with her palm.
“They say using the edge of the hand is ‘Su’ and using the palm is ‘Jang.’ That is the common misconception, but it is not so.”
CRACK!
A flurry of punches, too fast to see, flew out.
CRACK!
“‘Su’ has always referred to all techniques of the hand, encompassing the palm, fingers, and fist.”
They were straight lines.
Each one a killing technique, filled with the intent to murder the enemy.
CRUNCH.
For a Shaolin art, the forms were far too brutal.
CRACK!
The Imugi's blood splattered everywhere.
And yet, not a single drop touched Baek Yeon-yeong's body.
She was looking at me.
“What do you think? It is of Shaolin, but is it not truly overbearing?”
The great white snake now looked as if it would be better called a red snake.
Its body was riddled with holes, and all of its sharp teeth had been knocked out.
“If I were to choose a martial art that you could perform with your body, these Dragon's Claws would be perfect. You must have known that as well, which is why you used it on that small snake, is it not?”
I didn't know anything of the sort.
I just copied it because it was a martial art you performed with your hands.
Red blood dripped from the Imugi's body.
“Well? Have you engraved it into your memory?”
I couldn't tell if I was dreaming or seeing an illusion.
She was a woman who hadn't seemed all that strong.
At best, I thought she was a Third-Rate martial artist.
The way she taught me martial arts felt so awkward. But that wasn't it at all.
She was someone who had reached a realm I couldn't even fathom. That's why she couldn't teach me properly. Geniuses, after all, are often poor teachers.
“This lady rarely uses the Dragon's Claws, so I was worried I might make a mistake.”
Rarely uses it? Worried about making a mistake?
After turning that giant snake into that?
Even if she had made a mistake, who would dare say so?
“…Gek gek.”
I won't complain even if you touch my belly.
“Kek….”
It was then.
Guooooooh.
A powerful flash of light erupted from the Imugi's body.
Kkudeuk.
Kkudeudeudeuk.
A membrane formed around it, like a giant egg.
I instinctively knew what it was.
Evolution.
“Geeeeek!”
I urgently tried to tell Baek Yeon-yeong.
There was no telling what would emerge if a monster of that level evolved.
If you don't break that thing, we're in big trouble.
…I can't break it, so you do it.
“It seems going easy on it paid off. I'll be able to show you more.”
What?
With a relaxed expression, Baek Yeon-yeong waited for the white snake.
Crack.
The egg began to crack.
KWAAAAANG!
With a tremendous roar, the creature began to hatch.
It was a giant, five-headed white snake.
[Target cannot be appraised.]
The same message that appeared when I looked at this woman.
If I were to venture a guess with my meager knowledge, that thing was a creature from myth, like a Hydra or a Yamata no Orochi. Its five massive heads were proof.
And if it was what I thought it was, I also knew that simply cutting off its heads wouldn't be enough to kill it.
No matter how strong this woman was, fighting it without knowing how to deal with it would be dangerous.
“Kek kek!”
It's too late now; running is the best option.
A woman like her should be able to escape safely.
…With me, of course.
I bit Baek Yeon-yeong's finger.
“Little lizard.”
Baek Yeon-yeong pulled her finger away and stroked my head once more.
“There is a saying that for a martial art to be truly effective, one must learn the corresponding mental cultivation method.”
This was no time for explanations.
We either had to attack it while it was still immobile or run away.
“The Murim of today accepts this as an obvious truth. There are rumors that without the mental cultivation method, a martial art is only half-complete, and one could fall to a Heart Demon.”
She stopped stroking my head.
She looked directly at the snake emerging from the egg.
“However, that is not always the case.”
She walked slowly.
Step.
Kuuuung.
Step.
Kwaaaang!
A tremendous amount of internal energy spread out in all directions, as if seizing control of the space itself.
“There is a martial art called the Nine Yin Divine Claw.”
But the white snake held its heads high, as if to mock such a display. It had become incomparably stronger than before.
“‘Focus strength into your five fingers and seize the enemy's head.’”
Baek Yeon-yeong spread her hand.
“People say this is the correct passage.”
Step.
Kwaaaang!
Another step.
“But you see, this lady has never read the Nine Yin Manual.”
Step.
Kwaaaang!
The five maws surged toward Baek Yeon-yeong.
Each one was more powerful than the single Imugi she had just faced. Even for her, it seemed impossible to withstand a combined attack from all five.
With fluid movements, Baek Yeon-yeong evaded the five snakes' attacks.
“I never had a formal education. Born the daughter of a laborer, what could I have possibly read or studied?”
Step.
Another step.
Kwaaaang!
“A single book, found by chance. It was titled the Nine Yin Manual, but no matter how I looked at it, it was clearly not the original.”
“‘White bones are scattered everywhere. The kid next door was killed for offending one of the Five Great Families. I am hungry. I am thirsty.’ It was like a diary, filled with someone's laments.”
Finally, Baek Yeon-yeong came face-to-face with the white snake.
“I believed that to be the Nine Yin Manual.”
The snake did not miss its chance. All five heads lunged at her at once.
Each one was a deadly threat, capable of taking her life.
“And so, I interpreted it differently.”
There was nowhere to dodge; it was a perfect blind spot.
“‘With your five fingers, crush the enemy's head.’”
Crack.
Killing intent filled every joint of her fingers. Her hand took the shape of a dragon's claw.
And with that hand, Baek Yeon-yeong swung.
Yes.
She simply swung.
BOOOOOM!
In that same instant, all five of the snake's heads exploded.
A rain of blood fell.
“This is my Nine Yin Divine Claw.”
Once again, she was not touched by the blood.
Standing loftily amidst the fountain of gore, the demonic figure was more beautiful than any sight I had ever seen.
“No, my Nine Yin White Bone Claw.”