Wild Ginseng Breakthrough
In elixir games, nothing beats a good matchup. That's why in some games, the top laners desperately try to snag all five picks. Meet the wrong enemy laner, and you could get smashed flat the whole match.
In that sense, Namgoong Juhee's martial arts had a great matchup against the Whirlwind Ghost. In truth, the pure skill of his quicksword was equal to hers, or maybe even superior. The realm he'd built up in his heart over long years wasn't something to scoff at.
Honestly, if the fight had gone normally, Namgoong Juhee would've already been a guest in the afterlife. She might've woken up at a save point. Or maybe popped out of the VR headset cursing it as a trash game.
Anyway. The reason she could beat the Whirlwind Ghost despite all that? Her acting skills, of course.
A quicksword demands constant sword swings. You spot the tiniest opponent movement and decide in that split second where to strike. But those cues kept falling flat.
He'd glance right, so he'd swing right—and there was Juhee on the left. Same thing the other way. No matter how many dozens or hundreds of times he swung, he was just slicing empty air.
To break it, the Whirlwind Ghost had to tap into the massive internal energy he'd built with his Heart Subduing Art. But Namgoong Juhee didn't give him the chance. She pinned his weakness before he could figure hers out, then lopped off his head.
In the end, the Whirlwind Ghost lost his life to a master way below his level. Happens all the time in the murim.
"Lemme see. Anything worth taking?"
Searching corpses is taboo in the murim, but in games, it's basic etiquette. Namgoong Juhee patted down the Whirlwind Ghost's body.
Tap tap, swoosh?
She felt a rough texture at her fingertips and pulled it out. What was it?
"Ginseng?"
A tree root. Green leaves and red berries on top. A fresh green energy seeped from it, like it captured the vibrancy of spring itself.
Namgoong Juhee instantly knew this was one of those legendary spiritual herbs. Otherwise, it'd be extinct by now. In wuxia novels, plants like this deserve to go extinct. Damn right.
Without hesitation, she popped the root into her mouth. She was already starving for stronger internal energy and martial arts. No reason to save a spiritual herb that fell right into her lap.
"Hoo…."
She sat cross-legged with the root in her mouth, and damn, it was a sight. Yeah—surprisingly, with her mouth shut, she was a total beauty! Not just any beauty, but top-tier in the land, hell, the Central Plains.
And the spiritual herb put the finishing touch on the picture. A faint green flame rose behind her, illuminating Namgoong Juhee's face. The root of the su you risk your life for in the cliffs of Joseon shores by the East Sea. The green energy blooming behind her back was proof.
Soon, that green energy fully absorbed into her body. Suddenly, her whole body felt light. Namgoong Juhee quietly sensed it. This is a level-up.
"Hoo."
Juhee exhaled, then twisted her body this way and that. Rolled her shoulders, hopped a bit, even did some wind-ups.
And—whoosh!
She swung her sword, and the sharpness was totally different from before. Definitely, definitely different. Namgoong Juhee's stamina had jumped all the way to early 2nd Rate! Her internal energy hit early 1st Rate too. Pitiful for a Peak realm master, sure.
"Oh, nice."
She had no way of knowing that, but a bright smile bloomed on her face anyway. You gotta try the good stuff to know it's good.
Someone using cheap 9,900-won earbuds doesn't know they're crap. Sound comes out, music plays, volume's fine.
But try some high-end ones, and bam—you realize how trash the sound quality was. Classic reverse contrast.
Juhee wanted to savor that reverse contrast more. But stamina, man. She could barely move.
Run into bandits like this, and it'd be game over. Right as she thought that, two figures appeared in the distance.
One was Namgoong Sihoon, the other Hwangbo Gang.
"They got here fast."
Namgoong Juhee flopped down flat.
. . .
The subjugation force captain has a strong stomach. So do his men.
Subjugation ain't exactly fun, after all. The goal's killing people, and if needed, torture's on the table. Like it or not, you see gruesome shit constantly.
"Urp…."
But right now, the faces of the Namgoong clan's Cheoncheon Squadron looked rough. Like they were holding back vomit. Even the Hwangbo clan's Ironsteel Corps wasn't faring better.
"Is it the young lady?"
Sihoon scowled. Namgoong Juhee was already missing, and now this squad member spouts something stupid.
"Who else would it be? Think the bandits offed themselves?"
"But… for the young lady to do this, her hands are too ruthless."
"……."
"Look. One's head is smashed, another's guts are totally shredded. Takes a iron stomach for that. Even then, no one kills like this on purpose. This is the seventh one already."
Sihoon sighed deeply.
"Idiot. Look at the neck cuts."
"The cuts?"
"The necks are clean slices. Only supreme quicksword work leaves marks like that. Forgot the young lady trained in Luk Hap Sword?"
"No, no—that's not the point!"
"Then what is?"
"What late-stage disciple in the world fights this brutally! This is killer ghost territory—"
"Enough."
The squad member shut up at Sihoon's heavy tone.
Sure, gruesome scenes—but that wasn't the priority now.
Namgoong Juhee's survival. Her having this kind of skill, fighting alongside Little Fist King? Big plus.
But the problem: four Peak masters in the bandit stronghold.
Bandit Lord Hupal, Vice Chief Seo Jong, Bandit Chief Ha Seo, and Whirlwind Ghost Sim Seong-su.
Seo Jong and Ha Seo got personally finished by Hwangbo Gang and Sihoon. Word was Hupal was dead too.
The issue was Whirlwind Ghost Sim Seong-su. His massive internal energy from Heart Subduing Art and supreme quicksword? No greenhorns could handle that.
Even Namgoong Sihoon or Hwangbo Gang stepping up—no guaranteed win.
"Haa, damn it."
Suddenly, the family head's voice echoed in Sihoon's mind. Never leave her alone. Who'd guess she'd cause this massive incident before her first day out in the murim?
That's when it happened.
"Namgoong Juhee! Namgoong Juhee's in danger!"
Desperate shout. Little Fist King's voice, for sure. And Juhee's in danger? They must've ganged up on Whirlwind Ghost, only Little Fist King made it back. Sihoon's mind pieced it together in a flash.
Boom!
Sihoon's movement art shot him forward. Infinite Step, the Namgoong clan's supreme footwork.
And right on his tail, another set of steps. Hwangbo Gang's booming voice rang out.
"Danak Sword! Move together!"
"Piss off, Hwangbo Gang."
Sihoon never calls him by name. No room for snark. Hwangbo Gang's brows furrowed with guilt.
"How could I let you go alone! Look at the situation! The Namgung young lady sacrificed herself to save your young master!"
"If you get that, then shut your mouth."
"……Don't you know this is the true way to honor the Namgung young lady! This ain't the time for stubbornness!"
Two's better than one. If dragging Hwangbo Gang along boosted Juhee's survival odds even a bit, no reason to refuse. Sihoon spoke gravely.
"No choice. Temporary alliance—this time only."
"Don't get in my way, Danak Sword. More importantly… ahead!"
A dangerous duo born. But they didn't get to flex.
"……?"
"What the—?"
No struggling Namgoong Juhee in sight.
Instead: an old man's corpse and Namgoong Juhee sprawled out. Sihoon sped up the instant he saw it.
"Young lady!"
"Oh, you… kehuk! Uweeek…."
"Young lady!"
Namgoong Juhee spewed blood. Really just dead blood impurities from circulating energy—proof her body's fine.
But Sihoon, clueless, freaked. Ah, shit—that girl's finally screwed up. Demoted from "young lady" to "that girl" in a heartbeat. He yanked off her outer robe and checked her pulse.
"Young lady, how'd you end up like… Hm?"
"Like what?"
"No… this… shouldn't be. Hm…."
Sihoon's pulse diagnosis? Perfectly normal. Stamina a bit low, but internal energy and dantian stable—couldn't be healthier.
"What shouldn't be?"
"Ah. Nothing. Young lady, any injuries?"
"No, none."
"Hoo…."
Relief. If he'd lost Juhee here, he couldn't face the family head. Sihoon sighed in relief.
Then, mood-killing words from behind.
"So, did the Namgung young lady take down Whirlwind Ghost?"
Hwangbo Gang approached Juhee, dragging the corpse.
"Yeah. So?"
"Danak Sword, your Namgoong clan raised a monster."
"Hey, mutt. Business done? Scram."
"Hm… business ain't over yet."
"Ain't over…."
Hwangbo Gang's aura shifted ominously. Like drawing power from the earth itself.
Sihoon's hand flew to his sword; he turned to Juhee.
"Young lady! Careful!"
And then—thud! Kneeling sound.
"Thank you for saving the Hwangbo young master. In the family head's stead, Hwangbo Gang bows his head."
"……?"
Juhee and Sihoon stared at each other, dumbfounded.