Chapter 90: Obtaining a Mystical Artifact-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 90: Obtaining a Mystical Artifact-1
Grip.
Whoosh!
Sun-woo grabbed hold of something and pulled it straight up. He examined the object in his hand intently.
'Cloth?'
What he held was indeed a piece of fabric. Sun-woo grasped it with both hands and spread it wide.
Snap!
As the fabric unfurled, its shape took form, and its identity was revealed. It was a set of clothes—specifically, a dragon robe with a black base embroidered with golden dragons.
Despite being centuries old, the luxurious ink-colored fabric shimmered with a deep luster, and the golden-threaded dragons embroidered throughout emphasized its magnificence.
Sun-woo stared at the dragon robe, looking puzzled.
How was this a treasure?
Admittedly, it looked impressive, but it didn't seem like something that could be called a "treasure." Was it made of some special material?
Sun-woo began to rub the fabric between his thumb and index finger. It felt incredibly soft, almost like he was touching the finest silk.
His confusion grew.
No matter how he looked at it, this seemed like an ordinary item. Why would the Poison Emperor have cherished it so much?
Just in case, Sun-woo reached back into the box. He couldn't shake the feeling that there had to be more than just this robe.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of him tapping the bottom of the box echoed.
Then...
Thud.
He felt something else. Sun-woo cheered internally.
'Exactly! There’s no way it was just clothes!'
As he expected, the robe wasn't the only thing in the box. Sun-woo pulled the object out.
"Huh?"
A dumbfounded sound escaped his lips. What he pulled out was completely unexpected.
The final item in the box was a book.
Sun-woo stared at it, feeling utterly dejected. He had built up so much anticipation, and for what?
Of course, he had obtained the precious Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron from the box itself, but the contents were so underwhelming that disappointment took precedence. Seeing a book, he assumed it was just the Poison Emperor’s personal insights or realizations on martial arts written in his later years.
'What's wrong with that guy?'
Watching Sun-woo’s grim expression, the Human-Faced Spider began to watch him warily. The man who had been throwing a fit of joy when he first found the box was now cycling through expressions by the second.
She found his erratic behavior difficult to adjust to. What beat was she supposed to dance to?
Secretly, she was maximizing her recovery. She planned to wait for an opening and bolt the moment Sun-woo let his guard down.
"Sigh."
Whether he noticed the spider's sly intentions or not, Sun-woo let out a deep sigh. The items in the box didn't seem as great as he had hoped. It looked like he’d just have to settle for the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron.
Flip. Flip.
Sun-woo opened the book and began to leaf through it slowly, clinging to the faint hope that it might be a map to some hidden treasure.
[I am the one known as the Poison Emperor. I have written this book to pass on my will to the descendant who opens it.]
'So it really was the Poison Emperor.'
[They say heroes are lecherous, and as a great hero who saved the Murim, I naturally had many wives and concubines. Consequently, I faced great difficulty regarding my succession. To me, they all seemed like mediocre fools, and I could never understand why they fought so hard to prove who was superior.]
He already knew this part. Wasn't that why the Godok Hall was built in the first place?
[Eventually, even the in-law factions got involved, turning it into a power struggle. From the Tang Clan's perspective, the situation was dire. It was so severe that the clan might have been torn apart upon my death.]
A succession struggle fueled by powerful in-laws must have been a nightmare for the Poison Emperor, given his many consorts.
[Therefore, I devised a clever plan to select a successor while simultaneously purging the in-law factions. That plan is the very Godok Hall you are standing in now.]
In short, the Godok Hall was a scheme designed for the stability of the Tang Clan.
[I crammed even more poisonous creatures into a poison zone the Tang Clan had already artificially created and built a massive structure over it. Then, I forced all the Young Lord candidates inside and made them fight for their lives. Even I must admit it was a brilliant move. In the end, I appointed the sole survivor as the Young Lord and wiped out all the in-law factions.]
Sun-woo shook his head as he read. He truly couldn't understand the mindset of martial artists—creating a situation where one's own flesh and blood had to kill each other for the sake of the clan.
"Psychopath bastard," Sun-woo muttered under his breath.
[Afterward, the Godok Hall was closed, but after I retired as the Clan Head, I often came here to stay for a few days. To others, this place full of poisonous creatures might be a nightmare, but to me, it was more comfortable than a mother's embrace. As I spent my idle time wandering the Godok Hall, I came up with a rather good idea. I decided to leave a gift for the descendant who would eventually find themselves here when the hall opened again.]
Flip.
Curious about what came next, Sun-woo hurriedly turned the page. Was the "gift" he mentioned that dragon robe?
[Since I had retired and needed a hobby, it was a very entertaining thought. I fell into deep contemplation: what gift would a descendant of the Tang Clan need most? I reached a conclusion: the ultimate elixir and the ultimate armament.]
Flip.
Gulp.
Sun-woo swallowed hard and turned the page again. It seemed the main point was finally arriving.
[For poison users, I decided the ultimate elixir was none other than the inner core of a Human-Faced Spider. I captured a pair of them from the Southern Barbarian lands and threw them in here. By the time the Godok Hall opens again, they should be grown to a delicious size. And the item I selected as the ultimate armament is the Black Dragon Robe, which I obtained after killing the Blood Buddha.]
'The Black Dragon Robe?'
Sun-woo was skeptical. He was clearly talking about the garment he had pulled out earlier, but how could a piece of clothing softer than silk be the "ultimate armament"?
[The Black Dragon Robe boasts the single best performance of any armament I know. It is a garment made by twisting threads of Heavenly Silkworm Silk, harvested from silkworms that grew while absorbing spiritual energy for over a hundred years. I do not know who crafted it, but it is a mystical artifact among mystical artifacts, possessed of its own soul.]
'Whoa.'
Sun-woo stroked his chin with interest as he read the Poison Emperor's words. He had thought it was just a high-end outfit, but it seemed to be much more impressive than he’d imagined.
Flip.
Sun-woo turned the page again, wanting to know the specific capabilities of the Black Dragon Robe.
[Due to the nature of the Heavenly Silkworm Silk, the Black Dragon Robe is impervious to blades and swords, and it is immune to both fire and water. Furthermore, it possesses the trait of halving the impact of incoming internal energy. Moreover, it can expand or contract its size depending on the situation. How could this not be a treasure?]
Thump.
Sun-woo felt his heart race. Immunity to blades, fire, and water just by wearing it? Such absurd functions... and it even halved the damage from internal energy strikes? It truly deserved to be called a treasure. To think that this scrap of fabric was a peerless treasure... it was a completely unexpected revelation.
[And above all, its greatest advantage is that the Black Dragon Robe possesses its own self-awareness. It recognizes the first person to inject internal energy into it as its master. If the master is in danger, it moves on its own to save their life. It truly is an object worthy of being called a mystical artifact.]
Sun-woo was marveled. Its base defense was already incredible, but it even had sentience? It sounded like the Overlord Ghost-Face Armor, one of the Six Great Treasures of the Murim.
[Many gossips place the Overlord Ghost-Face Armor at the top of the Six Great Treasures as the ultimate defensive gear, but I disagree. The Black Dragon Robe is the best. No matter what armament you bring, even the Overlord Ghost-Face Armor cannot compare to it.
Descendant, wear this robe and show the world once again that the Tang Clan's power remains.]
With those words, the Poison Emperor's record ended.
Snap.
Sun-woo quietly closed the book. A smirk slowly began to spread across his face.
"Hehehe... Hahahaha! Hahahahaha!"
Laughter burst out of him. He had hit the jackpot. The mother of all jackpots.
Sun-woo quickly threw the Black Dragon Robe over his shoulders. Since it was styled like a robe, it wasn't difficult to put on. Then, he circulated his Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art and injected his internal energy.
Hummmmm.
A resonant sound echoed as the Yin-Yang Harmony Qi permeated the entire robe. As the energy sank in, the Black Dragon Robe fluttered violently before shrinking to fit his body perfectly.
'Oh.'
It looked as though it had been custom-made for him. It seemed the robe had recognized Sun-woo as its master.
'I want to test this out.'
Sun-woo fell into thought. Isn't it human nature to want to run in new shoes or swing a new sword? He was overcome with the urge to test the Black Dragon Robe immediately.
That was when his eyes locked onto a suitable living creature.
"Hey."
"....Yes?"
Sun-woo was calling out to the Human-Faced Spider behind him. She responded in a small, timid voice, seemingly unable to keep up with his sudden mood swings. To her, he looked completely insane.
"Hit me."
"Wh... what?" she asked, bewildered.
"I won't retaliate, so just hit me once. As hard as you can."
Her confusion deepened at his answer. Was he serious, or was this a trap to give him an excuse to beat her? Countless thoughts swirled through her head.
'Should I hit him? Or not?'
"It's really okay, so just give me one good hit."
As she hesitated, Sun-woo urged her on with a broad smile. She was already weakened to the extreme anyway. If the Poison Emperor's words were true, he should be able to easily withstand an attack of her caliber.
"You... you won't hit me back, right?" she asked again in a tiny voice, fearing his retaliation.
"I won't. I won't."
"Really?"
"Really."
"For real?"
"For real."
Despite his consistent answers, the Human-Faced Spider glared at him suspiciously. He was such a lunatic that she found him hard to trust.
"If you really can't trust me, I'll make a pinky swear."
"A pinky swear?"
"It's a human promise. Once you make a pinky swear, you have to keep it no matter what."
Sun-woo explained, pointing to his pinky finger.
"Really?"
The spider's face brightened as she held out her pinky. Sun-woo extended his own, hooked it around hers, and gave it a firm squeeze. The promise was sealed.
As soon as they made the pinky swear, the spider cheered inwardly. Not long after harboring her grudge, the time for revenge had arrived.
'Hehehehe.'
A wicked laugh bubbled up inside her.
'You're dead!'
She clenched her dainty fist and concentrated.
Pshhh!
Using the energy she had been using for recovery, she sprouted a massive leg from her back. A huge, terrifying limb emerged—thick as a woman's thigh and incredibly sturdy.
She grinned widely. she intended to swing it with enough force to pierce right through his body.
Boom!
Whoooooosh!
With a sound like a sonic boom, her leg swung toward Sun-woo at high speed. Even though she wasn't at full strength, it was a blow packed with significant power.
She smiled with satisfaction. This was the best move she could make right now. Even if it didn't kill him, it would definitely land a heavy blow. The leg moved rapidly, flying until it was just about to strike Sun-woo's chest.
"Die!!!!!"
The spider screamed her true feelings, putting even more strength into the limb.
That was when it happened.
Thud!
The moment her leg touched Sun-woo's chest, a massive rebound force erupted, sending the limb flying back.
"Ugh!"
The tip of the leg that had struck Sun-woo's chest was crushed beyond recognition. It had been shattered by the rebound.
Tears welled in her eyes from the pain. To have her leg crushed so suddenly... what kind of sorcery was this?
But that wasn't the end.
"Wh... what!?"
Suddenly, the hem of the Black Dragon Robe lengthened and flew toward her.
Whack! Thwack! Smack! Crack!
The extended robe began to mercilessly beat her.
Whack!
"Ow!"
Thwack!
"You said you wouldn't hit me!"
Smack!
"We made a pinky swear!"
Crack!
"Stop it!"
WHACK!
"Waaaaahhhhh!"
Unable to endure the robe's violence any longer, she burst into tears. He had clearly said he wouldn't hit her. He had even made a pinky swear, a "human promise." So what was this brutal assault?
She cried and cried, overwhelmed by both the physical pain and the sense of betrayal.
Snapping out of it at the sound of her wailing, Sun-woo quickly withdrew his internal energy to stop the Black Dragon Robe. It seemed the garment was even more ill-tempered than he’d thought.
He approached her and tried to comfort her, but her crying showed no signs of stopping, leaving Sun-woo in a very awkward position.