Black Forest (3)

Spiritual medicines were auspicious beings born where the energies of heaven and earth converged. For ordinary folk, they extended lifespan; for martial artists, they granted power beyond common sense. Since life was the most precious thing to everyone, and strength was what all desired, spiritual medicines held value surpassing mere treasure.

In particular, martial artists who would stop at nothing to grow stronger sometimes even staked their most precious lives to obtain them. To Yang Japyeong, such thoughts seemed utterly foolish.

'The problem is they never imagine they'd have to trade their own lives for it.'

There was no other reason why the Black Forest had been designated a forbidden zone by the Murim Alliance. Too many martial artists recklessly set foot inside. Too many died easily.

Most flora, fauna, and insects inhabiting Mukrim carried vicious poisons, and due to the wild environment, even those blessed by spirit veins often grew into demonic beasts. The arrogance of martial artists—that they could overcome anything if they just found a spiritual medicine and became experts—was utterly shattered the moment they stepped into the forest.

Poisonous insects swarming from all directions. Natural formations that confused one's sense of direction. Toxic creatures attacking day and night. Before they could even find a spiritual medicine, martial artists became mere prey for Mukrim.

That was why Yang Japyeong's Namgwonmun received annual subsidies from the Murim Alliance amounting to tens of thousands of nyang for managing Mukrim.

And hadn't it just happened again? A three-horned serpent, which never appeared near the forest's entrance, had suddenly lunged out, chilling Yang Japyeong to the bone.

"……There are no records of inner cores coming from three-horned serpents."

He didn't know how they'd spotted it, but seeing the academy representative talk of spiritual medicines after catching one suggested he still didn't grasp the forest's terrors.

"……What about poison galls, then? This one's pretty big—must be pretty aged."

"Creatures in Mukrim don't follow Central Plains standards for size from the start. They don't hibernate in winter and grow year-round."

The academy rep's sullen expression…… What was his name again? Something Jin.

"What about the poison? No poison gall?"

He'd heard he was from a Daoist sect. Why care about poison if he didn't use it himself? No way……

"You don't think poison galls are spiritual medicines, do you?"

He had no idea how such absurd rumors spread. The nonsense that surviving a poison gall would grant greater inner energy. Eight out of ten who entered Mukrim died with their bodies melted by poison galls.

'If they had the inner energy to neutralize a poison gall, they wouldn't need to come here in the first place.'

Even if digested, all one gained was meager inner energy and poison resistance. The risks far outweighed the rewards.

"Absolutely do not think that. Digesting a poison gall won't give you inner energy—it'll just kill you. A three-horned serpent's venom only causes brief paralysis anyway. They swallow prey whole right after."

At Yang Japyeong's words, Jin Sowoon—who'd been wearing that sullen look—curved his lips into a smile.

Why? Why did a smile from this man feel so unsettling……?

"Paralysis level, huh……."

As he released the thread sealing its mouth, the three-horned serpent's maw gaped wide, venom misting out.

"Wh-what are you doing?!"

What was that guy's name again? Yang Japyeong was terrible with men's names, so it wouldn't come to him.

……He should've remembered this idiot no matter what. The idiot named Jin-something was bringing his arm right to the serpent's maw.

"J-Jin gongzi! What are you doing?!"

Seong Moran bellowed.

Hong Saryeon shouted sternly, "Jin Sowoon! Put that down! Now!"

Right! The idiot's name was Jin Sowoon.

"Jin So……!"

As Yang Japyeong tried to stop him by calling the idiot's name, he saw it.

"Nah, don't wanna?"

Jin Sowoon flashed an utterly innocent smile as he let the serpent bite his arm.

Snap!

Shrrrrk.

The three-horned serpent's paralysis venom wasn't that potent—by Mukrim standards. Compared to poisons that melted flesh on contact, one that left you immobile for half a day seemed minor.

Having injected its prey, the serpent began coiling from the legs upward.

Crack, crack, crack.

Strong enough to snap an average person's bones with ease, it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gaped its maw wide as it coiled around Jin Sowoon. Venom dripped from its head-sized mouth.

"Damn it!"

"Block it!"

Jin Sowoon's group lunged at the serpent, but they couldn't match its instinctive speed.

Chomp!

Seong Moran fainted at the sight of it swallowing his head in one bite. Yang Japyeong shouted around him.

"D-don't move!"

A reflexive informal command. But etiquette could wait.

"……Don't move. If you stimulate it now, it'll rip off that mad…… No, Representative Jin's head in an instant."

This was Mukrim's terror. Central Plains snakes often died if attacked mid-swallow, unable to react. But this cunning three-horned serpent would shred the prey in its jaws with terrifying bite force and continue hunting.

"Th-then what do we do?"

"……."

What to do? Yang Japyeong had never faced rescuing someone from a three-horned serpent—it was too heavy a question.

"First, we need…… a sturdy iron rod to prop its mouth."

Regular wood wouldn't do—it'd shatter too easily. But even with one, who would pry open the jaws?

'……All we can do is watch him die.'

Ultimately, the cruel choice was slow death or quick—nothing more. He'd mentioned the rod just to avoid voicing the harsh truth. As if they could find iron in central Mukrim……

"Will this do?"

An iron rod appeared before his nose. It looked incredibly solid.

Why was this here?

"Ah, my bow's an iron bow. When unstrung, it looks like this."

"……."

No, this shouldn't be here……

"What next?"

Next, someone with an iron shield stepped forward. Yang Japyeong stammered.

"……First, pry the jaws and fix the rod……."

But words failed. Rescuing someone from a three-horned serpent meant risking your own life. An interrupted hunt made it more ferocious than ever.

"Fix it…… Fix it……."

Did he sense Yang Japyeong's dread? The second of the three brothers—who'd introduced himself as such—sighed and stepped up.

"……We have to clean up after what big bro started."

Stepping up himself? As Yang Japyeong moved to stop this bravado born of ignorance—

"Bro and little bro, hold one side of the mouth each. Dongryong and I will secure it with the rod. If something goes wrong, everyone else jump in."

He approached the serpent like it was routine.

"Wait! A three-horned serpent is more dangerous than you—"

"Yeah, I get it. Yang daehyup's reaction says it all."

"……."

"But we can't just leave it."

He glanced irreverently at Jin Sowoon—only his neck visible—and shook his head.

"……He's a damn bastard, but he's still big bro."

Paralysis didn't block his ears……

As the four sighed deeply and charged—

Crack, crack, crack.

Leather straps snapping. At first, Yang Japyeong thought the serpent was crushing Jin Sowoon's bones tighter.

But instead, the serpent's coils around him loosened?

'The paralysis wore off already???'

The Tae-eulmun disciples halted, staring blankly.

Crack, crack, crack.

Through the gaps in the uncoiling body.

Sloooowly.

……Two hands emerged, gripping both sides of the serpent's head-devouring maw.

"……How dare you…… call our heaven-like big bro…… a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠damn bastard?!?!"

Crunch, crunch.

Then it wrenched the gaping jaws even wider.

The serpent, which had coiled tighter at first, now thrashed desperately to escape Jin Sowoon's hands. But the more it struggled, the more he tore its maw apart.

Crunch, crunch.

Thwack, thwack.

Bones snapped as the massive body whipped like a lash. Yang Japyeong and the vanguard scrambled to dodge the tail.

And moments later.

Thud.

The serpent slumped, its shredded maw limp on the ground.

Jin Sowoon, who had entered and exited its mouth himself, glared sharply at the one who'd commanded.

"Eunho! I heard your voice clearly!"

Eunho casually altered his voice. "What are you talking about? I said nothing."

"Get over here, you punk!"

The Tae-eulmun group returned to normal as if nothing happened. Bystanders sighed in relief, but no one showed trauma from brushing death.

'……What the hell are these people?'

Even to Yang Japyeong—who lived roughly enough to seem barbaric to Central Plains folk—the Tae-eulmun disciples looked utterly insane.

"What…… did you say?"

I'd seen that expression from Saryeon a lot lately. I turned my head slightly from her and said,

"This is something we can't do in the Central Plains……."

"What did you say?"

"I mean, in the Central Plains, we can't……."

"What. Did. You. Say?"

She definitely heard. Her repeating meant she wouldn't let it slide.

Fine, time to change tactics.

"What do you think kills martial artists most in danger?"

"Why…… change the subject?"

"Poison and hidden weapons. You know that too."

"……Even so."

I cut her off quick. "I need to survive longer than anyone. Reviving and protecting Tae-eulmun is more important to me than anything. To do that, I can't die easily."

"……."

"Hidden weapons I can somehow block, but poison? Not easy. And with our situation, we can't afford Tang family's Hundred Poison Pills!"

Hundred Poison Pills were the Tang clan's poison resistance tonic. It built tolerance to the hundred deadliest poisons that felled most martial artists. Safe and effective—but prohibitively expensive.

Saryeon knew our plight, so she stayed silent.

I cried out desperately on purpose. "I need it most. Can't be fully poison-proof, but at least a thousand-poison resistance to protect my juniors and the sect!"

"……."

Her sharp glare softened to sadness. Biting her lip, she seemed out of words.

Yeah, understanding beats convincing.

"Haa…… Just buy Hundred Poison Pills. This is…… too dangerous."

Girl, what are you saying?

"Hundred Poison Pills cost a fortune!!! Here, it's free!"

Frustrated, Saryeon ruffled her hair wildly.

"Aargh! Do whatever! Die poisoned for all I care!!"

Yeah, need a new approach. Live venom's fresher, but unexpected stuff like earlier could happen again. Plus, being inside that mouth……

……Wasn't pleasant.

Then.

"J-Jin Representative…… You really let it bite on purpose for poison resistance?"

Yang Japyeong asked, shoulders slumped.

What's with him? Seemed proud of his build before.

I shrugged lightly. "Yeah, that too. Needed to test how dangerous before training the juniors."

"The juniors too???"

Big guy's face paled.

I yanked a three-horned serpent molar.

Crunch.

Long poison sac attached. Looked at the gold-silver-bronze brothers.

Saryeon seemed out in this mood. Geum Pyo and Eunho shook heads no.

I smiled brightly at them. "Want me to go first? Or you guys?"

Then, Dongryong—who'd been staring blankly—stepped up bravely.

"B-big bro, I'll go first."

Dongryong's the smartest of the three, as expected. Better before it wears off anyway?

As I aimed the fang at his outstretched arm—

Dongryong startled. "B-big bro!"

"Not stabbed yet."

"No, behind…… behind you……."

"Huh?"

Turning, Saryeon glared like a demon.

"Not just alone…… now dragging juniors in?!"

I dodged hastily, but.

"Where you going!"

Too late against her refined skill lately.

Smack.

Back burned like a branding iron.

A day after the vanguard arrived, the main force did too. Leaving them, our vanguard re-entered the forest. Destination: the outpost at Mukrim's heart.

Previous classes had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠used it, so the vanguard just tidied up—no heavy lifting.

Yang Japyeong—who'd started wearing a shirt instead of going bare-chested since day one—said that since Mukrim first opened to academy students, they'd always trained in the same spot.

"Moving freely in Mukrim is…… too dangerous."

"I see."

"But…… you plan to keep doing that?"

Yang Japyeong swallowed, eyeing the purple poison mushroom in my hand.

"Haven't even started properly."

Only about ten poisons so far. Securing the outpost delayed hunting. Nothing deadlier than the paralysis venom yet.

I shook the mushroom, grinning. "Still, lucky. Not as dangerous as thought."

"Is…… that so?"

"Won't let us roam freely, right?"

Most regrettable part. Unlike wildfire plains or ice seas, Mukrim confined us to fixed zones.

"Probably…… not."

Yang Japyeong's lukewarm response. Seemed our chats dwindled since then.

Whatever, imagination.

The outpost, reached after a week, was vastly larger than the entrance site. Paved with gravel, no big trees.

With nothing to do, we awaited the main force. Exactly a day later, they arrived.

As students pitched tents in assigned areas for the remaining three weeks, squad leaders gathered at the instructor's tent.

Confirming all present, No Jinha began an intriguing tale.

"The great journey wasn't just empty ritual. Same complaints ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠every class."

Laying groundwork.

"Last class, Yong So-a even subjugated the Takhan tribe."

Stoking rivalry, stirring emotions.

Subtle follow-up.

"So…… compared to them, you lot can't just sit idle, right?"

Finally, the point.

"How about making a Mukrim map? Scout, hunt beasts along the way."

Squad leaders' faces stiffened variably.

'Such a clever idea?'

Wow, this bast…… instructor. Thought he only spewed beatdowns, but occasionally drops gems.

Felt like treasure hunt time.