Chapter 479: Transforming into Heavenly Dragon Sword Kang Myeong-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 479: Transforming into Heavenly Dragon Sword Kang Myeong-2
"AAAAAAARGH!"
Kang Myeong let out a blood-curdling scream.
An indescribable, excruciating agony had surged through every inch of his body.
It hurt. It hurt so much.
This was a pain unlike anything he had ever experienced in his life. From the tips of his fingers to the ends of his toes, his entire body felt as if it were being incinerated. There was no way he could have ever prepared for such a sensation.
Save me! Please! Please!
Kang Myeong screamed a silent plea over and over again. He begged and pleaded, promising to do anything if only his life were spared.
However, Jang Sam showed no sign of relenting. He merely stood there laughing, completely indifferent to the desperate gaze Kang Myeong cast his way.
"It hasn't even been one gak yet. Why are you giving me that look already?"
Jang Sam continued to mock him, a cruel smile playing on his lips. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the sight of Kang Myeong’s suffering.
Despair washed over Kang Myeong. It was clear that this demon had no intention of releasing him from this torment.
"AAAAAAARGH!"
He screamed again and again. How long had the torture lasted?
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
Suddenly, Jang Sam began to strike various points on Kang Myeong’s body with his fingers.
"AAAAAAAAARGH!"
As the Acupoint Striking was undone, the screams that had been trapped in his throat finally burst out into the air.
"Ah, right. I forgot to withdraw the poison."
Jang Sam placed his hand on Kang Myeong’s chest.
Sshhhhhhh.
In an instant, he began to draw out the Scorching Poison that had been ravaging the man's body.
"AAAAAARGH... Aaagh... Ah... Ah..."
The agonized shrieks gradually subsided into low moans as the pain began to recede.
"Did that hurt a lot?" Jang Sam asked with a snicker, his expression incredibly obnoxious.
"..."
Kang Myeong couldn't answer. The horrific pain had left him without even the strength to speak.
"No answer? Do you want to go through that again?"
"Save... me..."
"Who said I was killing you?"
"I'd... rather die... than face that... again..."
"Then you'd better answer me properly if you don't want a repeat performance."
Jang Sam continued, a bright smile on his face.
Shiver.
That smile sent a chill down Kang Myeong’s spine. His fear of the man before him reached a new peak.
"Here."
Flutter, flutter.
Jang Sam tossed a stack of papers at him—a very large stack.
Thud.
He also threw down a brush dripping with ink.
"Write."
"Write... what?"
"Everything."
Jang Sam’s smile widened.
"Cram every single detail of your twenty-five years of life onto those pages. Your origins, your martial arts, your hobbies, your habits, your sexual preferences, your history with women—everything."
"..."
"You have half a shijin. If you don't fill them by then, I'll circulate the Scorching Poison through you again. Consider yourself warned."
Jang Sam’s voice was laced with a murderous aura.
"H-how... in half a shijin..."
Kang Myeong looked aghast. How could he possibly condense twenty-five years of life into a single hour? It was impossible.
"And... start... NOW!"
Jang Sam didn't care about the impossibility; he simply gave the signal.
"Dammit!"
Kang Myeong scrambled to grab the brush.
Scratch, scratch.
He grabbed a sheet of paper and began to write frantically, recording every detail of his life without omission.
*
Clap.
"Alright, that’s enough!"
Jang Sam clapped his hands once and snatched the papers away from Kang Myeong.
"W-wait! I'm not finished yet!"
"Not my problem. Let's see here."
Ignoring the excuse, Jang Sam scanned the text. Soon, his brow furrowed.
"This is insufficient."
"Half a shijin is too tight!"
"Again, not my problem."
Jang Sam reached out with a hand that glowed a dull red.
Thwack!
He struck Kang Myeong square in the chest.
"AAAAAAARGH!"
Another agonized scream erupted as the overwhelming pain coiled around his body once more.
"You should have put in a little more e-f-f-o-r-t," Jang Sam said, watching him with a mockingly sympathetic tone.
"AAAAAAARGH!"
Kang Myeong’s screams grew louder. After some time had passed, Jang Sam finally withdrew the Scorching Poison again.
"Haa... Haaa... Ugh..."
Kang Myeong groaned, sounding utterly spent.
"Alright, keep writing. You have two gak this time."
Jang Sam tossed more paper at him. With trembling hands, Kang Myeong readjusted his grip on the brush and resumed writing.
When the time was up, Jang Sam snatched the papers again and began to read through them intently.
"Oh, you did much better this time."
He spoke as if impressed.
Rip! Tear!
Then, he proceeded to shred the record of Kang Myeong’s life into pieces.
"W-what are you doing?!" Kang Myeong shrieked in shock. How could he just tear it up like that?
"Write it again."
Jang Sam looked at him with cold eyes.
"W-what?!"
"I said write it again. Since you've already written it once, two gak should be plenty, right?"
"That’s insane!"
"If there’s even a single discrepancy from what you wrote before, things are going to get very unpleasant for you."
Jang Sam raised his glowing red hand. It was a clear threat to inject the Scorching Poison again if he failed.
"..."
Facing that smile, Kang Myeong looked utterly lost. He had no idea what to even say.
Clap.
Jang Sam clapped his hands sharply to get his attention.
"And... start... NOW!"
He announced the start, looking like he was having the time of his life.
"D-dammit!"
With bloodshot eyes and tears streaming down his face, Kang Myeong picked up the brush from the floor. He realized he had no other choice.
Jang Sam watched him with the mischievous grin of a wicked child, finding the whole situation immensely entertaining.
*
"Wrong again."
Slap!
With a playful expression, Jang Sam struck Kang Myeong across the cheek.
"AAAAAAARGH!"
Kang Myeong screamed as the Scorching Poison was transferred through the slap.
"I told you to write it carefully. Why won't you listen?"
Jang Sam beat his chest as if he were the one frustrated.
"AAAAAAARGH! Please... Plee-ease! Forgive meeeee!"
Slap!
Jang Sam struck the other cheek, withdrawing the poison.
"Let's try to do better, okay?"
He tossed the paper back to him.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
Kang Myeong began to write with desperate speed. He looked like a man possessed.
"You have one gak this time."
Scratch, scratch.
Kang Myeong didn't even bother to answer; he just wrote and wrote. When the fifteen minutes were up, Jang Sam held out his hand. Without a moment's hesitation, Kang Myeong handed over the papers. It was a stark contrast to when they were being snatched away by force.
"Let's see... Hmm... Oh... Ah..."
Jang Sam began to read, sounding impressed. The content was identical to what had been written before. Perfectly identical.
"Impressive."
Pat, pat.
Jang Sam patted Kang Myeong on the head in praise.
"...Is the... Scorching Poison... finished now?"
Kang Myeong asked, his face filled with emotion. Hope surged within him that he wouldn't have to endure the poison again.
"Unfortunately, no."
But that hope was ruthlessly crushed by Jang Sam.
"Why?!"
Kang Myeong shouted, his voice rising in protest. The text was a perfect match to the previous version. Why did he have to be injected with the poison again?
"You missed one thing."
"What could it possibly be?!"
"You forgot to put a period at the end."
Jang Sam spoke with a look of mock disappointment.
"......What?"
"Right here, at the very end. You missed the period."
Jang Sam pointed his finger at the very bottom of the last page.
"No... how could you... over something like that..."
Kang Myeong was flabbergasted. To use a missing period as an excuse? He was so stunned he couldn't even form a proper sentence.
"Anyway, it's a shame."
Touch.
Jang Sam placed his glowing red hand on Kang Myeong’s chest once more.
Vroooooom.
The Scorching Poison began to seep into Kang Myeong’s body at an incredible speed.
"Grrrgh!"
Grit, grit.
Kang Myeong clenched his teeth to endure the pain, but it was futile. His molars shattered under the pressure.
Crack!
"AAAAAAARGH!"
As his teeth gave way, agonized screams filled the air once more. He was now suffering a double torment: the excruciating toothache and the burning agony of the Scorching Poison.
"AAAAAAARGH!"
He screamed piteously, begging and pleading for the pain to end.
*
How much time had passed?
Sshhhhk.
Jang Sam finally withdrew the poison again.
"Did that hurt?"
Jang Sam’s voice was full of playfulness. Kang Myeong feebly lifted his head to look at him. He looked as broken and vulnerable as a child.
"Why... why are you doing this to me...?"
Kang Myeong’s voice cracked with tears. He felt a profound sense of injustice. What had he done to deserve such atrocious treatment? He had nothing to do with the false charges against Jang Sam. Why was he the one suffering instead of Paeng Ga-ryeon, the one who had actually framed him?
"The ones who framed you were Paeng Ga-ryeon and Lee Jae-won! Why are you taking your anger out on me?!"
Kang Myeong poured out his resentment. He couldn't hold it in any longer. The unfairness of it all was too much to bear.
"Because you knew, and you pretended you didn't."
"What?!"
"You knew I wasn't the culprit, but you turned a blind eye. All of you in the Law Enforcement Hall did."
"T-that was a decision from the higher-ups!"
"Whether it was a decision from above or not, isn't it the duty of the Law Enforcement Hall to refuse to see, hear, or act upon anything that isn't justice?"
Jang Sam glared at Kang Myeong with icy eyes.
"You failed your duty as a member of the Law Enforcement Hall, and as a result, you created an innocent victim like me. How can you say you're guiltless?"
Jang Sam’s voice dripped with cold fury. Kang Myeong and the other members of the hall had stood by and watched an injustice occur, hiding behind the excuse of "orders from above." Because of their silence, he had been branded with the disgrace of being a serial rapist and murderer.
If even one of them—just one—had spoken up, if they had shouted that it was wrong, things would never have escalated this far.
"So, take your punishment."
Jang Sam glared at him and slowly placed his palm against Kang Myeong’s. Then, he began to inject the Scorching Poison to its absolute limit.
"AAAAAAAAARGH!"
Once again, the Guan Yu Shrine was filled with Kang Myeong’s screams—screams that were as wretched as they were painful. Jang Sam watched him in silence, as calm as if nothing out of the ordinary were happening.
*
"Wow, it’s absolutely perfect!"
Lee Ye-seol spoke with an expression of pure wonder.
"It really is. Is there anything Sun-woo can't do?"
Joo So-yang chimed in, her face slightly flushed as she agreed with her daughter.
"Really? Nothing looks awkward?"
"It’s identical! Completely identical! You look more like the original than the original himself!" Joo So-yang exaggerated.
"What does 'more like the original than the original' even mean?"
Sun-woo asked, looking puzzled.
"It means you've added a charm that the original lacked," Joo So-yang replied with a satisfied smile.
"...Right."
Sun-woo brushed off her nonsense.
"So, are we starting now?"
"Yes, it’s time to begin," Sun-woo replied calmly. "The plan to bring down Paeng Ga-ryeon."
A meaningful smile played on his lips. The preparations were complete. He had perfectly mimicked Kang Myeong’s appearance and had a solid grasp of his personality, hobbies, and memories. This level of preparation would be enough to deceive everyone for a few days.
"Joo So-yang, make sure you tell the others."
"Yes, I'll tell them you've entered closed-door training with Seol-ah."
Joo So-yang nodded with a bright smile.
"Lee Ye-seol, make sure Kang Myeong doesn't die."
"Don't worry. I'll keep him alive somehow," Lee Ye-seol replied confidently.
"Good... Hehehe."
Sun-woo looked satisfied with their answers. When they were his enemies, they were such royal pains that it made his blood boil, but now that they were allies, they were incredibly reliable. Being as clever as they were, they would surely carry out his orders perfectly.
"Oh, and keep this a secret from the other girls."
Sun-woo put a finger to his lips as an afterthought. He didn't want his beloved wives to know about his revenge plot.
"Understood!"
"Yes, sir~"
Lee Ye-seol and Joo So-yang replied with bright smiles. The thought of sharing a secret with Sun-woo filled them with joy.