The Hundred-Year Eung-hyeol-sa's Secret
The Poison Hall of the Tang Clan.
The trainees of the Tanggidae rotated through various divisions of the Tang Clan for set periods of education. Today, the third-year trainees—including Tang Oryong—were studying poisonous creatures and toxic herbs.
“Today we will learn about the Eung-hyeol-sa. Does any trainee know about it?”
At Deputy Head Tang Dok’s question, everyone fell silent like they had swallowed honey, glancing at one another before all eyes turned in one direction.
Tang Dok spotted a boy at the end of that gaze, his hand raised.
“Trainee Tang Oryong. Speak.”
“The longer an Eung-hyeol-sa lives, the darker its color becomes. They usually live ten to fifteen years, and the longer they survive, the deeper their body color grows. There are even stories that those nearing or exceeding a hundred years turn completely blue.”
Tang Dok smiled with satisfaction at the smooth answer.
“Correct. We call beings that transcend their natural lifespan and survive spiritual beasts.”
“Spiritual beasts……”
“And Eung-hyeol-sa spiritual beasts are neither easy to find nor easy to catch.”
“Are they difficult to catch?”
Thanks to Tang Oryong opening the floor for questions so casually, the other trainees asked without hesitation.
“First, whether a hundred years old or ten, they are not very large, so they are hard to spot. When they attack, they fly forward like an arrow. Think of it as similar to the extreme thrusting technique of the Point Spear Sect’s Four-Leaf Sword Art.”
Tang Dok mimed a thrusting motion with his brush, then straightened and continued.
“They use the recoil of their tail like drawing a bowstring, making them incredibly fast. Even the most skilled experts can fall victim if they let their guard down. They are stealthy and swift.”
Tang Dok set the brush down for a moment.
“Moreover, these long-lived Eung-hyeol-sa have one additional trait: they can sense internal energy. This is a common characteristic of all creatures called spiritual beasts.”
Because spiritual beasts absorbed the natural energies of the world to achieve longevity, they easily detected internal energy and fled before being found, making them difficult to locate. Yet bringing along those with insufficient cultivation risked accidents. That was why harvesting spiritual beasts was so challenging.
“They really do sound hard to catch.”
“Yes. That is why, when a hundred-year Eung-hyeol-sa is discovered, many people are mobilized. Furthermore, catching them is usually left to ordinary people or those like you who have only just begun learning internal energy methods. For them to capture an Eung-hyeol-sa… requires considerable courage. One wrong move and a bite means certain death.”
“Ah~”
The trainees’ expressions brightened, clearly understanding the explanation.
“Even the poison of an ordinary Eung-hyeol-sa is not easy to handle with Odok Shingong. The pain makes proper energy circulation extremely difficult. Still, if someone were to endure the Eung-hyeol-sa’s poison and successfully circulate Odok Shingong……”
“If they circulate it……?”
Tang Dok paused at the trainee’s question, then shook his head with an expression that said it was impossible.
“For those who have not yet entered Odok Shingong or have only just begun, like yourselves, ingesting an Eung-hyeol-sa’s poison is extremely dangerous.”
No matter how he thought about it, Tang Dok could not see it working.
“But what if they did it anyway?”
“They would achieve a considerable increase in internal energy. And they would be able to consume most of the poisons found in Guya-rim without issue.”
The trainees’ eyes sparkled with interest. They looked ready to ingest an Eung-hyeol-sa’s poison the moment they learned Odok Shingong.
Tang Dok decided to give them a light warning.
“Go ahead and try. It should be quite enjoyable.”
Some things were better learned through experience than words. Most of them would likely fail to properly operate Odok Shingong and end up vomiting blood. Without an antidote in that state, they would simply die. That was how dangerous it was to ingest an Eung-hyeol-sa’s poison right after learning Odok Shingong.
“Ah……”
Being told to experience it themselves resonated more than being told not to. The trainees resolved to wait until later before attempting to consume an Eung-hyeol-sa’s poison, even after entering Odok Shingong.
Then one trainee, suddenly curious, raised a hand.
“What if someone who has just entered Odok Shingong catches a hundred-year Eung-hyeol-sa and ingests its poison?”
Those who had already consumed many poisons and reached Shipdok or even Baekdok were one thing, but someone who had only just begun?
There was no need to even consider it.
“They would die.”
“Is there really zero chance of success?”
Tang Dok could not flatly deny it. According to the Poison Hall’s records, a few Tang Clan members in the past had survived.
“Less than a ten percent chance.”
That was Tang Dok’s answer. But that was not what the trainee wanted to know.
“Still, what if they succeeded?”
Understanding the intent, Tang Dok stroked his beard.
“Hmm……”
After organizing his thoughts, he spoke slowly.
“They would gain a massive increase in internal energy and a body perfectly suited for learning poison arts. It would be similar to a form of bone-and-marrow cleansing. Of course, I am not saying they would actually achieve bone-and-marrow cleansing. It simply means their body would undergo a change.”
Even if it was not true bone-and-marrow cleansing, a body optimized for cultivating and operating poison arts was something no Tang Clan member could resist desiring.
“Oh!”
“Of course, even with a protector nearby, do not attempt this. If you must, wait until you have advanced Odok Shingong to Shipdok or Baekdok. The effects would diminish, and you would need to add other herbs to reduce the toxicity somewhat. Ingesting the raw poison of a hundred-year Eung-hyeol-sa immediately after entering Odok Shingong is essentially suicide. Do you understand?”
Tang Dok warned them firmly, knowing they would do anything for a boost in martial prowess.
‘Unless they are an extraordinary poison fiend… enduring it would be nearly impossible.’
The pain was too much for an ordinary person to bear. Yet if someone succeeded?
Their progress in poison arts would far outpace others. That much was certain, even if other aspects remained unknown.
“Now then, shall we look at another poisonous creature? One of the five basic poisons that can be found in Guya-rim—the venomous toad.”
Tang Dok’s lecture grew longer, energized by the unusually motivated trainees.
* * *
“Ugh!”
How much time had passed?
I slowly woke to the familiar scent stabbing at my nose.
“A wild mint colony.”
The fragrance was so strong it made my head throb. Must be because it was a natural patch.
“At least I won’t get rhinitis.”
Leaving my now-clear nose behind, I looked around.
“Did I pass out?”
I had clearly lost consciousness while operating Odok Shingong.
“Am I dead?”
Probably not, considering how much my whole body ached and how the stench made me grimace.
The bizarre combination of mint and foul odor was enough to torment anyone just by existing.
“Why is my skin like this?”
My skin had turned as dark as someone from Southeast Asia. Probably a side effect from forcibly ingesting the Eung-hyeol-sa’s poison.
‘Hmm. I think I heard something about side effects that appear during poison cultivation.’
They said it would return to normal once I reached a certain level, so I did not worry much about the skin color.
“I’d worry if I were handsome, but there’s no need.”
As someone who was merely average rather than good-looking, investing time in appearance felt inefficient. You only cared about looks if there was a chance of improvement. Otherwise, it was better to just live as you were. Spending that time circulating my internal energy method would be far more productive.
“Still, the Eung-hyeol-sa’s poison worked better than expected.”
My body felt lighter than I thought it would, and the circulation of Odok Shingong was smoother.
‘I might reach Shipdok Shingong sooner than anticipated……’
Before I passed out, there had been a frustrating blockage in my internal energy flow, like one nostril was clogged. That was gone now.
‘I should catch every Eung-hyeol-sa I see from now on.’
Of course, I had no idea I had consumed the poison of a hundred-year specimen. I simply resolved to catch every Eung-hyeol-sa I encountered.
“First, I should wash up. And find a place to sleep quickly.”
Guya-rim’s dense jungle grew dark earlier than other places. Wandering around after sunset was no different from begging the poisonous creatures to kill me.
“Not easy from day one. But why am I so hungry?”
I had no idea I had been unconscious in the mint colony for three whole days.
Crunch, crunch.
Completely unaware, I pulled out one of the wall-grain pills Aeng-hwa had packed and chewed on it. A hard lump of compressed grain the size of a fist. Its peculiar musty smell assaulted my mouth and nose. The rough texture made it feel like my palate would be scraped raw, but this was no time to be picky.
“Tastes nutty.”
Hunger really was the best seasoning. It was not bad at all.
After wandering for a while, I found a trickling stream and washed my body.
Then—
“What the hell is this?”
Every time I rinsed myself, grime streamed off.
“Ugh!”
The stench was worse than several-day-old excrement.
“Eugh!”
I could not tell if this was a human body or a lump of filth.
“Screw it.”
Rather than scrubbing bit by bit, I decided it would be better to just soak in the flowing water. After finally washing myself clean, I wandered near a rocky hill while watching the sky grow darker.
“Huh?”
I spotted traces of someone who had camped here before. Probably a Tang Clan member who had come to Guya-rim to harvest poisons.
After examining the campsite for a moment, I nodded in satisfaction.
“This should work for a while.”
Having camped in dungeons in my previous life, it was not perfect, but when you had no teeth, you used your gums. I was grateful for what I had.
“Let me fix it up a bit.”
Thud! Swish! Clatter!
Before long, a simple tent stood on the low slope of the rocky hill. Even with memories from my past life, this was my first time doing it with my current body, so there were plenty of flaws. Still, as a member of the Tang Clan, my dexterity was not bad.
“Maybe the Ironware Hall would not be so bad either?”
The Ironware Hall handled hidden weapon crafting and mechanical devices for the Tang Clan. It had not been on my list of candidates before, but making things turned out to be more fun than expected.
“Let’s consider everything except combat-focused groups.”
After roughly organizing my future career plans, I gathered some branches.
Thud! Thud! Whoosh!
Skillfully starting a fire, I sat down.
Whoosh!
And as if it had been waiting for this exact moment, rain began to fall again.
“Ah… damn it……”
Thanks to the tent, the fire did not go out completely, but it was hanging by a thread.
“It rains way too often here.”
My body was already damp from washing, and now the rain made everything—clothes and all—feel clammy.
“Let’s dry the clothes first.”
Deciding it was better to dry them by the fire than keep wearing them, I stripped completely and sat cross-legged on the soft grass.
“Huu……”
As I slowly operated Odok Shingong, I was slightly surprised.
‘This is……?’
It was a sensation I had never felt before.
‘Is this the state of no-self?’
“Huaa……”
When I finished circulating my energy, my body felt dry and fresh, as if it had never been damp.
“This is hard to get used to.”
My senses had become far sharper than before. As a result, the sounds of my surroundings reached me more vividly.
‘How did I not get bitten in a bug-infested place like this?’
Was it thanks to the mint scent? Or because of the stench that had been coming off my body?
I slowly stood up.
“Hup! Hup!”
I tried to mimic the poison manipulation Tang Munseong had demonstrated. Surprisingly, it worked similarly.
“So this is how you release the poison?”
Pop!
Was this Odok Shingong?
The insects flying around dropped dead from the poison I had scattered.
“Hmm. Mostly harmless flying bugs.”
The more dangerous poisonous insects were still buzzing around energetically.
Watching the bugs drawn to the firelight, I eventually picked up the hidden weapon case Tang Oryong had given me.
“Since I’m already awake, I might as well practice hidden weapons. And collect some poison while I’m at it.”
I decided to practice my hidden weapon throws by aiming at the bugs.