Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: The Frog's Gift
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'Wow! No more explanations needed... Found another one! Gotcha! Good thing I looked closely. Any hero worth his salt needs observation skills like mine. Heh heh heh. A compendium of mechanisms, though? What the heck does that even do? I still have no clue about that tactical stratagem thing from last time. Whatever, if it's in the database, it must be good.'
That was when it happened.
The frog's eyes glowed red once more.
Han Ibi watched tensely.
The frog's mouth slid open.
Something else dropped out with a clunk.
'Oh ho! What's our froggy friend gifting us this time?'
Han Ibi eagerly unfolded the scrap of silk that had fallen to the ground.
His expression froze in an instant!
- O fateful one. This is the final trial. Fail it, and you shall be buried here forever alongside the Compendium of Mechanisms. Even so, I harbor no regrets. All is heaven's will.
Suddenly, a deafening boom and rumble echoed through the chamber.
At the same time, grayish-white powder rained down from the ceiling above.
Yes.
"Buried" was no mere metaphor.
This area—the most secretive nook within the Demonic Taoist's hidden mechanisms—was now sealing itself shut at its master's command.
'D-Damn it all!'
Han Ibi's eyes darted wildly.
For a moment, he had no idea what to do.
The grayish-white sand pouring from the ceiling was gradually turning into hail-sized rocks.
'W-What do I do... What...'
Then he remembered the "Compendium of Mechanisms."
Han Ibi opened his status window and activated the Compendium of Mechanisms.
Detailed skills appeared, though many were grayed out. They must be tied to his level, too.
Rumble.
In an instant, Han Ibi stumbled, losing his balance.
The ground itself was shaking.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the floor.
Time... He was almost out of time.
Han Ibi focused and scanned the detailed skills.
"Design Analysis" caught his eye.
Without a second thought, he activated it.
His vision shifted.
'W-What is this...'
Han Ibi felt the same eerie sensation as when he'd first used Eagle's Eye Technique.
'It's like...'
Yes.
A scene that lived up to the name "Design Analysis."
It was just like a colleague's CAD screen back at the office.
Everything in the pitch-black space was reduced to simple white lines.
Contour lines like those on a topographic map softened the flatness a bit.
But...
'What the hell is this? What am I supposed to do?'
Boom!
A massive crash rang out.
Even as mere white lines, Han Ibi recognized it.
Nan Mok-in's statue... struck by a huge boulder from the ceiling and crumbling to the floor.
Han Ibi frantically scanned around.
Then he spotted something odd.
The spot with the luminous pearl.
Unlike everywhere else, it glowed in bright fluorescent yellow.
The rod holding the luminous pearl.
Its structure seemed connected to mechanisms behind the wall.
Right then, a sharp rock plummeted toward Han Ibi's head.
He dodged in shock, but it grazed his forehead.
A sticky, nauseating sensation spread across his face.
'D-Damn it... No other way.'
Han Ibi took a deep breath and launched Zhongli Swift Leopard Step.
Using the stone wall as a springboard, he shot into the air.
Twisting his body 720 degrees mid-flight, he unleashed a spinning kick straight at the luminous pearl.
Crash.
With a loud shatter like a lightbulb exploding, the pearl broke into pieces.
Instant darkness.
Han Ibi thrust his hand out, relying on the fading afterimage in his mind.
He grabbed the rod that had held the pearl and threw his weight onto it.
To his amazement...
The rod sank smoothly downward.
A beam of light pierced in at the same time.
Without hesitation, Han Ibi hurled himself toward that sliver of light.
Finally...
Finally, he escaped that hellish room.
The entire ceiling collapsed behind him, sealing the small hole.
A few rocks rolled out into the passage.
Fortunately, the secret chamber's collapse was designed not to affect the main path.
"Hah! Hah!"
Han Ibi gasped for breath.
Moon Won-bi rushed over with a startled look.
Han Ibi had burst out from an unexpected spot on the wall.
"Young Master Zhongli! What happened? There was a huge racket."
Baek Mi-hu and Wang Qing-lin followed close behind.
Han Ibi, sprawled on the floor in a big X, replied.
"This damned frog."
Wang Qing-lin said.
"What?"
"Damn it. That hell-bound damned frog, that's what!"
Two men stared at the wall where the secret chamber had collapsed.
Han Ibi's group had already moved on to the next trial.
"Can't believe it. How did this happen?"
"No kidding. We inspected it so thoroughly—how did we miss it?"
"If Master finds out, I'm dead meat."
"What about me?"
"Those damn Demonic Cult bastards... Apricot Show."
"Yes, Senior Brother."
"Clear those rocks quick. Let's check it out before reporting to the Martial Alliance."
"Huh? All of them?"
"Yeah. Got a problem?"
"N-No, not that, but..."
"Then get to it!"
And so, Nam Haeng-su of the Azure Sun Sect found himself on unexpected excavation duty.
All thanks to Han Ibi.
Moon Won-bi said with worried eyes.
"Should you really be moving already? That cut on your forehead..."
Han Ibi, who'd torn his sleeve to bandage it, replied.
"Lady Wang's rushing us, saying there's no time. How could I not go?"
Wang Qing-lin snapped.
"Then why'd you mess around like that? Who told you to touch the mechanisms? Fell asleep in lecture? We learned to be careful."
Yeah, I did doze off...
Baek Mi-hu said.
"Enough already. Young Master Zhongli didn't do it on purpose, right?"
Han Ibi waved his hands dismissively, as if sick of hearing it, and took the lead, opening the door to the next trial.
"Ugh!"
Wang Qing-lin pinched her nose and yelled.
"What a stench! What is this?!"
Moon Won-bi peered down and said.
"Poison, looks like."
Incredibly, a massive pool filled the room below, brimming with thick green liquid like algae-choked water.
Han Ibi grimaced too.
"Yeah... Truly vile."
Wang Qing-lin said.
"Seriously... Do they have to go this far? Isn't it overkill?"
Moon Won-bi scanned the surroundings.
"Anyway... We need to get across somehow."
The distance to the other side was about fifty feet.
No room for a running start—unless you were a top-tier lightness skill expert, one wrong move meant drowning in the toxic sludge.
Baek Mi-hu looked up at the ceiling.
"Grab those vines and swing across?"
All eyes turned upward.
Vine-like growths dangled sparsely from above.
Wang Qing-lin said.
"Urgh! This stink's gonna make me puke. I'm doing something."
She leaped toward a ceiling vine.
Baek Mi-hu startled and tried to stop her.
"Wait! Qing-lin!"
But she was already soaring toward the first vine.
Thankfully, nothing happened.
Wang Qing-lin cheered and launched toward the next.
Chatty and loud as she was, her movements were flawless.
"Hohoho. Everyone turning chicken? Hurry up and follo— Aack!"
The vine suddenly gave way.
With nothing to hold her, Wang Qing-lin plummeted toward the pool.
Baek Mi-hu cried out in alarm.
"Qing-lin!"
Han Ibi's eyes flashed open.
He shouted at Moon Won-bi.
"Grab that rock protrusion!"
Moon Won-bi instinctively clutched it tight.
Han Ibi seized Baek Mi-hu's wrist.
"Lady Baek, pardon me."
Now the three formed a human chain, hands linked.
He swung her outward over the pool.
Baek Mi-hu caught on and poured all her lightness skill into the momentum, flying forward.
Tremendous pressure yanked at Han Ibi's arm.
"Brother Moon! Hold on tight!"
Moon Won-bi clenched her jaw and poured strength into her grip on the rock.
Finally, Baek Mi-hu neared the falling Wang Qing-lin and snatched her wrist.
This was the crucial part.
Han Ibi twisted his body, using centrifugal force.
The two women's weight swung in that direction.
Slim as they were, two grown women's mass was no joke.
Han Ibi strained with all his might.
Finally, the two women swung back.
Baek Mi-hu landed first.
The rest was easier.
Using Baek Mi-hu's pull, Wang Qing-lin returned to the starting ledge.
Han Ibi released his grip, panting heavily.
Moon Won-bi had poured out her energy too.
Both had drained their qi in that instant.
Han Ibi bellowed.
"What was the rush?! Trying to die in shit water?!"
Wang Qing-lin, who'd looked touched for a second, reverted to form.
"The smell! I'm sensitive to odors."
Baek Mi-hu sighed.
"Qing-lin, is that how you treat your benefactor who saved your life?"
Wang Qing-lin huffed.
"Hmph. Who asked to be saved?"
Fire lit Han Ibi's eyes.
"What? Oh man, I must be crazy. Me, saving this woman..."
"What'd you say? 'This woman'? You done talking?"
The two growled like they might throw down any second.
Moon Won-bi spoke weakly.
"Both of you, stop. Crossing quickly is priority one."
Baek Mi-hu said.
"How'd the other teams get across?"
Moon Won-bi replied.
"There must be a way we haven't found."
Then they saw Han Ibi walking toward the pool.
Baek Mi-hu startled again.
"Young Master Zhongli, what are you doing?"
Han Ibi grinned mischievously.
"What else? Swimming across."
"What?!"
Han Ibi dove toward the pool.
Moon Won-bi and Baek Mi-hu rushed over in shock.
But up close, Han Ibi dangled from one arm above the pool.
He was pressing a protruding brick.
Bubbles erupted from the poison pool's surface.
Moon Won-bi and Baek Mi-hu stared blankly at each other, baffled.
Soon, the bubbles revealed their secret.
Wang Qing-lin exclaimed joyfully.
"Hey! Stepping stones?"
Yes.
Metal plates like stepping stones popped up across the poison pool.
Han Ibi pulled himself up with his arm and leaped back.
Moon Won-bi beamed.
"Whoa! Young Master Zhongli, how'd you know?"
"Well... Call it admin mode?"
"Huh? Admin... what?"
"Ah, never mind. Just a gift from the frog. Haha."
"Pardon?"
Leaving Wang Qing-lin to hop gleefully across the stones, Moon Won-bi and Baek Mi-hu could only exchange bewildered glances once more.
(To be continued...)