Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: gumo hwicg fumdik-48i
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: The Dam Bursts
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'Aha. Come to think of it, that white smoke is the Zhongli Pure Heart Method. The black smoke must be something like the Hongmong Great Law!'
Han Ibi had a major realization.
It was then.
"Aaak!"
So Eun-ri's voice rang out.
Han Ibi rolled his eyes as far as he could in place of his immobile neck, turning toward the sound.
Sriiiik! Sriiiik!
With a harsh tearing noise, So Eun-ri's clothes were ripping apart.
The areas struck by the whip were tearing away without mercy, turning into rags.
She flailed about in panic, trying to flee.
But the whip, like a possessed thing, blocked her escape routes, encircling and tormenting her.
Han Ibi realized what was happening.
That perverted villain could probably subdue her easily with the whip.
Yet instead of doing so, he was using ghostly skill to shred only her clothes.
Gu Cheon-se's intentions were obvious without further thought.
Han Ibi grew anxious and quickly glanced back at the status window.
The black mist...
He felt a twinge of fear toward the bizarre internal energy that had seeped into him.
He hadn't used it even once since absorbing it.
But with his entire body acupointed, the only thing he could use in this situation was the Hongmong Great Law's basic energy, rampaging like a wounded beast.
"Stop, stop!"
So Eun-ri's voice came again.
Her upper body was now completely exposed, so she had given up fighting and was desperately clutching at her slipping top.
Han Ibi made up his mind.
He'd worry about the aftermath later.
He decided to activate the Hongmong Great Law to unblock his meridians.
The moment he resolved himself, the black energy began surging like wildfire.
It was like a carbonated drink with the cap popped off.
It obeyed his command yet moved with a grotesque life of its own.
The energy poured toward his sealed Conception Vessel acupoint with tremendous pressure.
Kwaaakwaa!
Only Han Ibi, the master of this body, could hear that tyrannical roar.
His lower abdomen ached dully.
A fierce clash began between the dam and the raging torrent.
At the same time, the red gauge in his upper display shook wildly.
Han Ibi focused his mental energy, pitting it against the force Gu Cheon-se had used to seal his Conception Vessel acupoint.
His lower abdomen now felt like it might burst.
'Ugh... damn. This feels way too much like holding in piss... so hard to endure...'
Then Gu Cheon-se's laughter echoed.
"Little miss. Why go to such lengths to hide what's so natural? Huh? There's no one here in these mountains but us. Who's there to see that you're struggling so? Hahaha."
Peering through the translucent status window, Han Ibi saw that sure enough, So Eun-ri was barely covering her chest with both arms raised.
Her white garments, now in tatters, offered no protection at all. Her skin, even fairer than the cloth, was exposed defenselessly.
'Gasp!'
Seeing it, Han Ibi unwittingly gulped, his heart racing.
He scolded himself.
'You... you crazy bastard. Even now...'
Whether because of it or not, the Hongmong Great Law's energy raged even fiercer.
Han Ibi's face flushed red.
The red dot marking the Conception Vessel acupoint was gradually turning orange.
It was working.
The gauge bar shifted to orange as well.
Han Ibi opened the path wider, letting the energy rampage more freely.
Pop!
It felt like a clogged toilet finally clearing...
Or like a dam swept away by floodwaters...
The tightly blocked lower abdomen burst open, internal energy flowing in, and the numbness easing somewhat.
'Yes!'
Han Ibi cheered inwardly and turned his mind to shattering the blocked Central Pole acupoint next.
With the paralysis easing, it should be easier now.
Then another sound came.
"Ugh!"
It was So Eun-ri, staggering helplessly under the whip's assault.
She stumbled left twice, right three times, then suddenly dropped to her knees.
Han Ibi thought inwardly, This is bad, and pushed his self-acupoint release harder.
So Eun-ri said weakly.
"You... you bastard..."
Her face was flushed, her breathing ragged.
She looked like a dog slumped in midsummer heat.
Something was off.
Gu Cheon-se spoke.
"Little miss, this old man prefers things natural. I hate anything forced. But since you're untouched like a wild mare, bottomless and endless, I just gave a little help to save time. Bear with it a bit longer, and it'll end soon. Heh heh heh."
Only then did Han Ibi grasp the situation.
Gu Cheon-se had clearly poisoned her with an aphrodisiac or some lust-inducing drug.
According to Han Ibi's vast experience with such plots, it wasn't lethal like poison...
But it could lead to far worse outcomes.
In other words...
It created exactly the situation Gu Cheon-se wanted.
And sure enough...
So Eun-ri could no longer muster her energy, slumping further, gasping heavily.
Without an antidote, she'd be helpless.
Helpless!
Nothing could be more horrifying in this moment.
Han Ibi grew desperate and gathered his energy more fiercely.
With partial relief from paralysis, operating the Hongmong Great Law became much easier.
He summoned all his power and charged bodily at the dam blocking the Central Pole acupoint.
But that wall was even stronger than the Conception Vessel one, refusing to yield easily.
Han Ibi grew ever more urgent.
Meanwhile, the whipping had stopped.
So Eun-ri had collapsed to the ground.
"You filthy mongrel..."
She spat the worst curse she knew, but her mind seemed dazed.
She probably wouldn't even remember what she'd said.
That was the aphrodisiac's effect!
Gu Cheon-se chuckled, coiled his whip, and slowly approached her.
He knelt by her limp form on the ground.
Grinning lecherously, he said,
"I saved the best part. Use it all at once, and it gets boring fast."
Then he roughly yanked open her lower garments.
Gu Cheon-se giggled in delight.
She was already half-unconscious, like a doll.
No strength left to resist.
Han Ibi's chest felt like it would explode.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
His heartbeat pounded straight to his ears.
In that instant.
Ku-ku-ku-kwa!
Like an unexpected tsunami, the Hongmong energy surged in.
The massive dam at the Central Pole acupoint had finally shattered.
The force swept onward, instantly demolishing the wall at the Blocked Gate acupoint.
Good. Now we're talking.
+ Internal Energy +15
+ Strength +10
+ Agility +8
+ Wisdom +1, Charm +5, Reputation +1
+ Hongmong Great Law Level 1 ↑
+ Eagle's Eye Technique Level 1 ↑. Hidden Skill Imprint Eye activated.
[Would you like to view current stats? (Yes/No)]
It had been ages since he last checked his status window, so Han Ibi selected 'Yes'.
Rank: Mid-Grade Warrior
Title: Zhongli Ruffian
Occupation: Server
Yeah.
The stats had risen nicely.
Except for that damn stubborn Wisdom...
It was interesting that the Eight Trigrams Step he'd luckily acquired last time was now listed.
It was then.
Main Quest: Rescue So Eun-ri
🎁 Reward: Unknown reward
Damn... you crazy girl...
I was already planning to save you anyway.
Leveling up feels like it restored my body too...
But... it'd be better if Jong Ri-hyeok handles it than me.
Saving her together should still complete the quest, right?
Even RPGs have co-op play...
So what I can do right now is...
"Jong Ri-hyeok! Get your ass over here right now! Where the hell are you hiding, you damn bastard?!"
Han Ibi squeezed every last drop of Zhongli Pure Heart Method energy and bellowed.
He was calling for Jong Ri-hyeok.
With the original story plus the hints he'd dropped, he shouldn't be far.
He'd come flying in no time.
All Han Ibi had to do was buy time.
I'll let Jong Ri-hyeok handle it and just freeload off the victory! But in the original, he doesn't fight this guy, so I wonder if the combat balance works out...
Anyway, the one most shocked by the shout was none other than Gu Cheon-se.
He'd been one step from ravaging So Eun-ri.
Startled, Gu Cheon-se jumped up and turned toward him.
His enraged 'precious sword' bobbed up and down.
'No matter how I look at it, I can't get used to that...'
As Han Ibi grimaced, Gu Cheon-se tilted his head and said,
"Well, well. Did I misjudge? How could my acupoint seal, top-tier across Central Plains and beyond, come undone?"
Han Ibi blustered boldly.
"Hmph! The feeble finger poke of a doddering geezer about to rot in the dirt in a couple days is nothing to me."
He spouted nonsense to stall...
But with no sign of Jong Ri-hyeok, anxiety crept in.
As if reading his mind, Gu Cheon-se chuckled and said,
"From your shouting earlier, seems you're hoping for rescue. Then this old man won't wait any longer. The order's swapped, a pity, but I can go a dozen times in a night..."
"Shut your mouth, you repulsive lecher."
Han Ibi snapped in fury despite himself. But Gu Cheon-se didn't seem offended.
On the contrary, he was calm.
This unflappable steel mentality amid his sleaziness seemed Gu Cheon-se's greatest strength.
Gu Cheon-se said,
"Fine then. Guess I'll sample you first."
Han Ibi doubted his ears.
Not 'I'll let you taste it,' but 'I'll taste you'?
Seeing Gu Cheon-se slither closer, licking his lips, it was no bluff.
Desperate, Han Ibi came up with a ploy.
He's convinced I use poison.
"You lecherous scum. Dare approach me, and you'll taste the poison hand again!"
Gu Cheon-se chuckled calmly but recalled the mountain lodge incident, hesitating as he slipped a hand into his bosom.
"That's why I prepared this 'Black Ink Whip' of mine."
Gu Cheon-se unfurled the long Black Ink Whip, incomparable to his shriveled precious sword, and slammed it into the ground.
Harmless red soil flew everywhere, screaming in protest.
(To be continued in the next chapter)
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