Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Human-Faced Spider's Descent
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Lee Seon couldn't believe his eyes.
Isn't that guy succumbing to qi deviation?
They say even a short iron blade can kill—
and he half-killed the man with mere words.
One of the greatest flaws of demonic arts was their instability.
A tower built on shaky foundations could crumble at any moment.
Lee Seon clicked his tongue.
Just some offhand remark from a kid—laugh it off and move on.
No need to take it to heart and let it wound you.
"Arrrghhh!"
Wi Yu-gi, eyes half-rolled back, charged forward in a frenzy.
His movements had lost their precision, growing awkward and unnatural.
He'd clearly lost all reason.
That was a boon for them.
Lee Seon pulled out one of his last remaining poison needles.
Wi Yu-gi's eyes snapped toward it.
Even in his mindless state, he was still wary of the poison.
This is something I can use.
If he could just buy a little more time with poison, the man would collapse on his own.
As Wi Yu-gi lunged like a wild beast, a needle whistled threateningly toward him.
"G-Get lost!"
Such a trivial poison needle didn't even register as a threat anymore.
Wi Yu-gi barreled ahead undeterred.
A dark crimson aura enveloped his body, neutralizing the needle in an instant.
"Protective astral energy!"
How could he channel his qi properly in that state?
Forcing qi to surge while it was already rampaging was suicidal.
Especially something as qi-intensive as protective astral energy.
Cough!
Dang Ha-ryeong gritted her teeth.
"Even on the brink of death, he's ferocious as ever."
Wi Yu-gi thrust out his hand, seizing at Dang Ha-ryeong's form.
But his fingers clutched only empty air.
"Charging in like that, of course you won't catch me."
Shadowless Blood Poison Step.
A footwork technique exclusive to the direct descendants of the Sichuan Tang Family—one of the top ten stealthiest steps in the jianghu.
The legendary warrior hailed as the strongest in Sichuan Tang Family history.
The founder, Dang Hyeok.
So overwhelmingly powerful that he had no enemies left, feared by all who dared not approach—that was the footwork he created.
Shadowless Blood Poison Step embodied the desperate wish to linger unseen by one's side without revealing one's identity.
The steps of an absolute being, deceiving the world.
In a flash, Dang Ha-ryeong circled behind Wi Yu-gi.
Wi Yu-gi twisted his body on animal instinct.
Yet once more, his hand sliced futilely through empty air.
"Attacks stripped of form, pure murderous intent."
Wi Yu-gi was in his death throes, lashing out wildly.
A beast surrendering to slaughterous rage, heedless of its own ruin.
"Let's just end this."
She had no poison reserves left, no hidden weapons prepared.
But the Tang Family wasn't just about poison and darts.
No fangs? Use gums.
Nothing at all? Bare hands and fists.
Nine Absolutes Ten Thousand Jade Hands.
Her palm shimmered with an ominous green glow.
Claaaang!
Bloodstained fingers clashed violently against a palm steeped in toxic qi.
In the midst of their brutal entanglement, there was nothing Lee Seon could do.
Butting in clumsily might only make things worse.
Wi Yu-gi's veins bulged grotesquely across his skin.
His muscles swelled, turning him into a monstrous giant.
No trace remained of the pale, eerie man from before.
Poison had rolled back his eyes, foam bubbling at his mouth.
Now he moved like a puppet driven by ingrained instinct, pure bestial motion.
"This isn't good."
Lee Seon's face hardened.
Dang Ha-ryeong was gradually being pushed back.
She was swift and nimble.
Her masterful footwork lived up to its shadowless name.
Her strikes had landed on Wi Yu-gi's massive frame multiple times.
Wherever her hands touched, green poison spread, flesh bloating.
Yet Wi Yu-gi swung his arms as if unscathed.
"Raaarghhh!"
A razor-sharp claw grazed Dang Ha-ryeong's hair.
"Tch, why is he so damn tough!"
With her attacks proving ineffective, momentum shifted.
Wi Yu-gi pressed with his hulking bulk, leaving Dang Ha-ryeong scrambling to evade.
"Haa. What a headache."
There was nothing he could do in this situation.
The old man had taught him how to handle darts and poisons, not this.
Not close-quarters combat, fist techniques, or palm strikes fierce enough to join such a brawl.
'All martial arts converge in the end. You'll learn it all when the time comes.'
Lee Seon sighed as if choking on air.
"No idea when that 'time' is, but looks like I'll be heading to the afterlife first."
Mountain life had been boring; he'd half-hoped for some excitement.
But he'd wished for fun mishaps, not disasters like this.
A martial artist from a prestigious clan, bandits come to capture her.
And not content with that, demonic cultists from the Blood Cult pulling the strings.
"Damn it. Doesn't heaven know moderation?"
Just toss in a minor incident, that's all.
Lee Seon let out a heavy sigh.
The balance had already tipped once; left alone, Dang Ha-ryeong would die.
Every time he moved, he burned through his life force at an alarming rate.
Wi Yu-gi's body had reached its limit.
Pain numbed and murderous impulse dominant, that's how he kept moving.
But the problem was he might kill them both before dropping dead.
All the poisons and darts he always carried—just in case—were spent.
He had to create an opening for Dang Ha-ryeong.
Even if it meant baiting him directly, drawing his eyes—that drastic step was needed now.
But then.
Rustle.
Lee Seon sensed a faint presence behind him.
'What now?!'
He leaped back swiftly, sliding to land lightly on the ground, then blinked at what he saw.
"It was you."
Dang Ha-ryeong gnashed her teeth, feet dancing desperately.
At the start of the melee, she'd pressed aggressively with attacks.
Now she knew better.
Vital strikes were dodged with uncanny precision; probing jabs were sensed like a ghost and tanked with his body.
Poison arts demanded wariness even of feints.
But against reckless charges defying death, their advantages vanished.
Yet what truly unnerved her now was—
'Where is everyone? Why is no one here?'
She glanced around, her expression darkening.
"Lee Seon?"
He was the one who'd saved her, a total stranger.
Tended her wounds and poisons, granted new life to one on death's door.
Her benefactor.
'Did he... abandon me?'
Dang Ha-ryeong forced a smile.
If not for him, I'd be dead already.
That was fact.
'If I hadn't come here, he'd have continued his peaceful life undisturbed.'
Right. This fight stemmed from her presence.
His involvement from the start had been the mistake.
Yeah, that's it.
It was an understandable choice. They weren't close enough to die for each other.
She got it, rationally.
But.
Dang Ha-ryeong's lips trembled faintly.
Still... it hurts a little.
In that instant, her guard crumbled.
Her arms, blocking his mighty blow, flew apart, exposing her slender frame.
"Uahaha!"
Wi Yu-gi bared blood-red teeth in mad laughter, unleashing a palm strike.
Dang Ha-ryeong gazed skyward.
She didn't want the demon's face as her final sight.
But regretfully, the sky was pitch black, shrouded in thick clouds.
Not even moonlight pierced through.
Is this my last view of the world?
"Hm?"
Looking closer, something emerged from the darkness, drawing near.
No—plummeting swiftly toward her.
As distance closed, its shape clarified.
A massive silhouette mimicking a human face grew larger in the gloom.
And then.
"Miss me?"
Grinning obnoxiously atop it.
Thud!
From the sky on spider silk, the Human-Faced Spider Queen landed.
The Human-Faced Spider and Wi Yu-gi locked eyes.
The moment gazes met, they charged each other.
Dang Ha-ryeong tried to flee, but her legs buckled, refusing to move.
"Watch out."
Spider silk bound her like ropes.
Poof.
Dang Ha-ryeong tumbled softly into Lee Seon's arms.
Lee Seon immediately withdrew from the spot.
Ruuuuumble!
The Human-Faced Spider and Wi Yu-gi collided, shaking the earth.
Booom!
Vibrations kicked up clouds of dust.
"...You didn't run away?"
Cradled in his arms, Dang Ha-ryeong stared blankly up at Lee Seon's face.
Lee Seon chuckled.
Dang Ha-ryeong was a mess.
Face smudged with dirt, hair shoved in her mouth.
"You idiot."
Lee Seon reached out, gently plucking the hair from her mouth.
"I'd never let my first drinking buddy in life just die."