The Elder of the Ami Sect
The elder of the Ami Sect, Beop Yeonhui. Right now, she was walking quickly."Elder, where are you going alone? Let me accompany you!""All of you, stay back. I have a place I need to visit quietly by myself."She cut off her tactless disciples who tried to follow her with a single sharp dismissal.Where she was heading now was the underground lab — the place where "that thing" she had painstakingly cultivated for nearly ten years was kept.Today would be the day. The day she finally put an end to that long, drawn-out harvest.'Hmph! I wonder if that old man No Okpyeon did his job properly.'Beop Yeonhui — no. Her real name was Seo Cheongha. A spy leading a double life, moving between the Blood Religion and the orthodox sects. Like No Okpyeon, she was a long-term agent who had infiltrated the orthodox martial world since childhood.'Working with that insufferable old man ends today too.'Her face twisted into a grimace as she recalled No Okpyeon's lecherous face, always scanning her with a sinister gaze.Unlike No Okpyeon, who bore the full brunt of the years on his weathered features, her appearance remained a beauty that, to an outsider, looked barely thirty. Perhaps that was why. No Okpyeon, who had always pawed at her, must have completely lost his mind this time — he'd even dared to propose marriage.
"Heh heh... Cheongha, once this business is done, please, won't you be mine..."
"...Shut that mouth of yours."'Has he truly lost his mind?'A filthy old man, daring to covet her body. His greed was far too excessive.Yes. His greed was far too great.Moreover, he even coveted higher positions within the sect, beyond that of elder. Far, far too great.'Tch. Pathetic old man...'Hadn't the higher-ups already acknowledged their past merits and granted them honorary elder positions, even though they no longer remained at the main sect?'An old man who doesn't know contentment...'No, they should be grateful and dedicate themselves to serving the sect. But instead, he was blinded by women and power.'Well, whatever.'Seo Cheongha shook her head lightly. After today, she'd have nothing more to do with that old man anyway.'Whether that thing survives or not...'Number one hundred. The hundredth test subject that had endured all manner of experiments for ten years.'That old man had high hopes, but...'She wasn't so sure. And she had reason to be skeptical.'That medicine... or rather, it's hard to even call it medicine.'A deep furrow formed between her brows.'That thing's body isn't immune to all poisons. There's absolutely no way it can withstand this.'All those years of injecting various poisons and conducting live experiments had confirmed one thing: that thing's body had become immune to a hundred poisons — no, close to a thousand. Even that alone was an incredibly rare and special physique in the history of the martial world.But no matter how resilient it was, she was certain it couldn't withstand the compound No Okpyeon was about to pour into it. That concoction was made by indiscriminately stuffing it with every extreme poison imaginable, solely focused on boosting the test subject's combat power.That wasn't an elixir. It was pure poison.He had mixed in not only the ultimate poisons of the Sichuan Tang Family that he'd siphoned off during his time as a spy, but also the Blood Religion's own blood poisons — substances so dangerous that even the sect itself handled them with extreme caution.And so.'Even if, by some miracle, the body manages to endure...'The mind absolutely wouldn't. The compound was also filled with components that destroyed the psyche — enough to drive even that Mad Demon madder still, perhaps even to kill him from qi deviation.'...Not that it matters either way.'If it succeeded, a fine weapon would be born, one that would serve the sect forever.If it failed, they could just use the scattered corpse and the experimental data to create poison weapons.Having finished her cold calculations, Seo Cheongha had already arrived at her destination.And then."...?"She couldn't help but blink.Instead of the massive stone door that should only open by manipulating the mechanical lock, there was... nothing. It had been cleanly smashed to pieces."What in the world is this...!"Just as Seo Cheongha, her mouth agape with shock, tried to say something—THWACK—!"Gh—k...!"With a dull, heavy sound, she instantly lost consciousness.---"Kyahahak~~!"A clear, innocent laugh.The sound slowly pulled Seo Cheongha's consciousness back."Ghk... Wh-where..."As she struggled to open her eyes, what came into view was—"!?"A literal hell on earth."...?"Her thoughts ground to a halt. Her brain simply couldn't accept the surreal carnage.First — why was she lying in the middle of this horrible slaughterhouse, with bloody chunks of meat scattered everywhere?And more importantly —Why couldn't she move a single hair on her body..."KYAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"A scream tore from Seo Cheongha's throat as she realized the cause.Because—'My body...!'Both arms and both legs — her four limbs had been cleanly severed!"AAAAH!! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!!??"In her chaotic ears—"Kyahahak~~"A cheerful laugh pierced through once more.Turning her head toward the sound—"You... you are...!"Seo Cheongha's pupils dilated to the point of tearing, frozen in sheer terror."Hi! I missed you!""That thing" was smiling brightly at her and saying hello.And in its tiny hand was a dagger. The blade was dripping with sticky blood, as if it had just been used to slice someone up!"Th-this...!!!"Was it because the scene was so horrific that her mind was trying to escape reality? Or was it because the image of the girl — who had been treated worse than an animal and left to crawl miserably on the floor — was still burned so deeply into her mind?"Do you want to die! How dare a wretched little thing like you—!"Seo Cheongha, despite having her limbs severed, still tried to intimidate the girl with her haughty tone.But then—Gulp, gulp.A very flippant yet rich sound of liquid being swallowed struck her ears with viscous force.Seo Cheongha's gaze reflexively turned."...?"Where she looked stood a man.He was drenched in blood, as if he had just enjoyed a full-body bath in human gore.Do Gwang.He looked at her and smirked."What are you looking at, ajumma?""A-ajumma...!?"Seo Cheongha flared up. Where in the world did this crazy bastard crawl out from like a dog bone off the street? And more importantly, how dare he call me — an elder of both the Blood Religion and the Ami Sect — ajumma!No, that wasn't what mattered right now!'What he's holding in his hand is...!'That was the bottle of extreme poison compound that No Okpyeon, the old man, had brought with him today! He had called it his life's masterpiece, the very concoction they were supposed to inject into the child!"Huh?"Do Gwang immediately noticed her stare.He casually turned the bottle upside down and shook it, saying nonchalantly:"Oh, sorry. I was a bit thirsty, so I drank it all."His tone was as calm as if he had just finished a glass of water."Yo-you crazy bastard...!"A dazed, incoherent murmur slipped from Seo Cheongha's lips.A man who casually gulps down a concentrated curse — the ultimate poisons of the Sichuan Tang Family and the Blood Religion combined!And on top of that, why was he perfectly fine! It was a lethal poison that wouldn't be strange if it killed him in less than a second!'D-don't tell me... immunity to all poisons...!?'Immunity to all poisons! A crazy bastard like this was immune to all poisons!And why was a crazy bastard like this standing right in front of her!'No Okpyeon...! Where are you and the Blood Shadow Squad! Aaah... aaaah!!!'Seo Cheongha was calling out to those who had long since departed for the underworld. Her mind felt like it was about to completely shut down, far beyond mere dizziness.Meanwhile."...Ah, seriously..."Do Gwang wrinkled his face in annoyance.This Blood Religion hag kidnaps innocent children, enjoys performing live experiments, and treats human lives like flies. And this crazy hag has the nerve to call him a crazy bastard!"A Blood Religion old monster hag of a spy has no shortage of things to say. Tch..."Do Gwang clicked his tongue irritably."Wh-what did you say...!?"Seo Cheongha's face turned pale as a sheet.An old monster! A hag! No, forget those insults!How did this unidentified man know that she was a spy for the Blood Religion!"Who, who the hell are you...!"Before Seo Cheongha could even shout in her confusion—"Can I kill her?"The girl's clear, beautiful voice echoed brightly through the underground lab."Wh-what...?"Seo Cheongha was dumbfounded.How dare "that thing" ask who it could kill! The wretched creature that used to just crawl on the floor like an animal every day, crying, dares to say it wants to kill me...!But Seo Cheongha's petty thoughts were ruthlessly ignored."Yeah."As Do Gwang gave his permission in a flat voice—"Kyahahak~~!"The girl burst into a joyful laugh, as if she had been waiting for this moment.Swish—!She raised the dagger high above Seo Cheongha.Only then—"Ah...!"Seo Cheongha finally realized the reality that was upon her."W-wait...!"She opened her mouth to desperately plead, but—"Kyahahak~~!"THUNK—!The mercilessly descending blade sliced her excuses clean off."KYAAAAAAAA!!!!"THUNK—!THUD—!The elder of the Ami Sect, Beop Yeonhui — no, the elder of the Blood Religion, Seo Cheongha — now followed the exact same path as the pile of diced meat lying next to her: No Okpyeon.---
Sidokhwaryeong (): Devour all poisons and forge them into sacred spirit energy.
This time too, thanks to his bullshit trait, Do Gwang had chugged down not only No Okpyeon's Pagongdanhondok but also that insane compound of extreme poisons from both the Sichuan Tang Family and the Blood Religion — and his insides were perfectly fine.No, in fact, they were boiling over.'...That crazy old bastard.'Do Gwang mentally hurled another stream of curses at No Okpyeon.Why?'Whoa, would you look at that internal energy go up...'Thanks to Sidokhwaryeong, he had expected his internal energy to rise after consuming the poison. But he hadn't expected it to rise this much.Thanks to the late Master Jin Hun, he had awakened the energy of the Clear Mind Heart Method, but Do Gwang had never once practiced energy circulation or meditation. Naturally, he had no clue how to manipulate or store internal energy.But the poison in the compound he had drunk was such an off-the-charts lethal venom that the energy was digesting itself without him even needing to learn circulation techniques. He could clearly feel his dantian expanding, his internal energy skyrocketing vertically like crazy, just by standing still.How potent did you have to make something for this to happen?'...Well, it's good for me, I suppose.'Thanks to his bullshit traits, he already had a body that was idiotically strong. But on top of that trait, adding this extreme poison compound, his internal power had also exploded. He was now strong enough to be called a walking calamity.This was clearly a benefit. A very good thing.'...But still.'He couldn't say he felt entirely good about it.Do Gwang slowly turned his head."Kyahahak~~!"The girl was smiling brightly.At the remains of Seo Cheongha, who had already departed for the underworld to have a cozy wedding with No Okpyeon.THUNK—! THUNK—!She was still mincing Seo Cheongha's flesh.Grind.Do Gwang grit his teeth slightly.'To a little thing that small and cute...'They were going to force-feed her that insane poison concoction.'...I should probably learn some necromancy or something later.'Do Gwang had no choice but to seriously plan for some posthumous retaliation.We were wrong! Please, just let us stay in this hell! Yes, that's right! This is where we belong! Heh heh, you think so too, Cheongha? AAAAAH SHUT UP! Just take me... no, don't take me... AAAAAH!!!Do Gwang could almost hear hallucinated voices from somewhere. But he ignored them.'First...'He put aside the bastards who were already dead. There was something else he needed to focus on first.The girl.THUNK—! THUNK—!"Kyahahak~~!"He couldn't just leave the kid to keep doing that.Not because he thought it was bad for her emotional development... or because he thought it was morally problematic.Absolutely not.There was no way Do Gwang, who was even now watching the girl's blade dance with a very pleased smile on his face, would ever think such a sensible thought.'I need to feed the kid.'It had only dawned on him belatedly, after he'd downed that extreme poison concoction.The fact that, since possessing this world, he hadn't had a single proper meal.And the same must have been true for that frail girl.No — that kid had probably suffered from terrible hunger for a very, very long time.'I need to get her something to eat, fast...'And so, Do Gwang, who was about to call the girl—"...Uh."Had to hesitate for a moment.'I can't remember!'He couldn't remember what to call the kid.'...She probably doesn't even remember her parents' faces.'She had been broken to the point where she'd even forgotten her own name.'...Same as me.'Like the body. Not only the body of the character he had possessed, but also like himself from his real world.The girl was alone, too.'...No, that's not right.'Do Gwang shook his head.I'm here now, aren't I?More than anything.This was no longer a game beyond a monitor. This was reality.And so."Do Hwa."Do Gwang called the girl quietly.The girl, who had been happily hacking away at the corpse, froze in place."Kyah...?"Drenched in blood, she turned her head. Her clear, innocent eyes trembled.Blink, blink."...Do Hwa?""Yeah, that's your name.""......!"In an instant, the girl's — no, Do Hwa's empty eyes filled with clear tears.A lump formed in her throat. A warm emotion she had never felt before, so overwhelming it felt like her heart would burst."........."Seeing her small shoulders tremble, Do Gwang was a little flustered. He carefully spoke again."If you don't like it—"No no!"No!"Do Hwa shook her head vigorously."I love it!"She smiled so brightly, like a flower in full bloom.That blooming flower... was covered in blood droplets. It was a deeply chilling sight.'...Cute.'But to Do Gwang, she only looked beautiful.So he wore a soft smile and gently stroked Do Hwa's head.At his touch."Hehehe...."A flush of color bloomed on Do Hwa's face."Do Hwa... Do Hwa..."As if she truly loved her new name, she rolled it around in her mouth several times, murmuring it.That clever girl realized it immediately."Do Hwa... Do Gwang...."That she shared the same surname as this wonderful man who had saved her."...Are we family?"Do Hwa tilted her head, her large eyes sparkling."Yeah."Do Gwang answered without hesitation.Do Gwang, who had been abruptly dropped alone into this brutal world of martial arts. And Do Hwa, who had been left all alone in the world to endure a hellish suffering.He had given her the same surname as himself — the character Do (), meaning "path" — and the name Hwa (), meaning "flower," as a sign that they would walk together from now on.Of course, inside, he briefly lamented his poor naming sense.'Weren't there more stylish names that would suit a kid...'But.'No.'He shook his internal thought, but he shook his head.'It suits her.'It did. Her smiling face, even while covered in blood, was as beautiful as a blooming flower. He thought once again that it really was a fitting name.Whether his rough but warm sincerity had fully reached her—"Hehe...."Do Hwa smiled bashfully.The dagger in her hand had long since been discarded. With her empty hands, she fidgeted...Fidget... fidget...She hesitated for a moment.And then, slowly, she parted her lips to call out to her only "family" in the entire world.Do Gwang secretly anticipated it.'I wonder what she'll call me...?'Do Gwang, just like that? Or Oppa? Or perhaps, to fit the martial arts setting, Orabeoni?Whatever title she used, it would be fine.He was waiting with a contented smile, when—"...Uh?"Since possessing this martial world, this was the first time Do Gwang was truly flustered by such shock.Why?"Dad!"Because a shocking word he had never even imagined came tumbling out of her mouth.