Spirit Hunt
After the spirit hunt, we kept up the monster hunting without a break. It was as if our slow pace up until then had been solely to avoid beasts—Yang Japyeong now blazed ahead, carving a path without hesitation. And as we moved so relentlessly...
"Urgh... Uwaaaah...!"
As if to prove why this place was called Mukrim, monsters sprang out one after another. From Blue Scale Golden Thread Snakes and Flying Heaven Five Gongs to even a rare Human-Faced Earth Vine. Ah, of course, when we ran into the Human-Faced Earth Vine, Seong Moran fainted dead away.
Monsters that were a rare sight even one of in the Central Plains popped out here like rabbits scampering around the neighborhood hills.
'Of course, rabbits don't charge at people with their eyes rolled back, ready to devour them.'
At first, the team members hesitated at their terrifying appearances, but as we piled up one kill after another, they gradually adapted—and our hunting speed picked up accordingly.
"Looks like another rice-grain-sized one this time."
The most dramatic change was in Seong Moran. She no longer freaked out even at the sight of bugs. After facing a Human-Faced Earth Vine, pretty much anything seemed tolerable now? But she went beyond just tolerating it.
"Whose turn is it this time? Dongryong's?"
She even took the lead. A proud smile crept onto my face unbidden.
Seong Moran deftly pulled out a spirit core and offered it to Dongryong, who just stared at it blankly. She pushed her hand closer.
"Come on, eat it quick and circulate your energy."
"......"
Dongryong gazed silently at the core before turning to me.
"...But Big Brother hasn't had a single one this whole time."
Emotion welled up in my chest at Dongryong's thoughtfulness. Yeah, this is why I'm putting up with all this hardship—for these kids. I held back tears and patted his shoulder.
"What I want is for you all to eat them and take that next step forward."
"But..."
As Dongryong tried to hand me the rice-grain core, Seong Moran chimed in with a mocking tone.
"That's not it, Dongryong. That guy wouldn't feel a thing even if he ate it."
"......"
"I heard the Namgung family fed their kids spirit cores, and the Moyong too. Sigh... I was so worried the Iron Heart Pill wouldn't heal your dantian wound, and I didn't even know."
Ahem. Where the hell did that secret leak from? They always say in the martial world to hide seventy percent of your strength.
I pretended not to hear her and said, "Dongryong, just watching you guys eat them makes my own inner energy surge on its own. Don't worry about me—eat up."
In truth, my inner energy was growing. Most monsters with spirit cores also carried poison cores, which I was secretly absorbing. They weren't as potent as spirit cores, but with the Azure Dragon Ring, I could extract plenty of inner energy from them. So the tiny rice-grain spirit cores weren't strictly necessary.
The problem was using the Azure Dragon Ring openly—it just wasn't feasible.
'Sigh, how many poison cores have I missed because I had to watch my step?'
If I could wander off alone, I'd backtrack and absorb them in secret no problem. But who in their right mind would roam solo in this hellhole just to snag poison cores? Even I have enough sense for that. Of course.
As my sighs piled up, a commotion echoed from the hill below.
"Hm?"
We all looked down, spotting around two hundred academy students moving together.
'What the...?'
Sharpening my gaze, I saw a mixed group from the Jeongdohoe and Baekdohoe.
"What are they doing?"
"Yeah, they must have exploration missions... Why are they grouping up like that?"
As Seong Moran and Eunho said, their behavior was downright bizarre. Less like scouting and more like a hunting formation. They bulldozed trees and hacked brush indiscriminately, focused solely on advancing.
"Nngh..."
Yang Japyeong let out a long groan, as if he knew something.
"I wondered from the start why the instructors ordered something this dangerous..."
"Do you know something?"
"Sigh... Looks like they're after the spirits."
I froze on the spot.
"Spirits?"
"The Four Great Spirits that rule Mukrim. What are they thinking?"
"Is that for real?"
"Exactly. Why attempt something so insanely risky..."
Rage boiled up to the top of my head.
"Jin Representative, don't let it get to you..."
"There are spirit beasts in Mukrim?!"
Why the hell are you only mentioning this now?
"They really exist?"
"......"
Yang Japyeong stared at me blankly, his eyes saying, That's what you were wondering about?
I tamped down my excitement and asked politely again.
"If there are spirit beasts... they must have huge spirit cores, right?!"
"......Didn't you hear how insanely dangerous they are?"
"How big would the cores be? If they're called the Four Great Spirits, they must be massive, right?"
"Academy Representative?"
"Massive... Heh... kekeke..."
"Academy... Hey! Jin Representative! You bastard! Can't you hear me?!"
"Four Great Spirits... kekeke... Four Great Spirits..."
Yeah, who builds a mountain from dust motes? Life's all about that one big score!
"Hey! Jin Representative! Your eyes are freaky right now—notice anything?!"
Yang Japyeong's words, usually full of lies, fell on deaf ears.
"Solar Tiger."
"Hee hee hee hee."
"Azure Snow Ice White Serpent."
"Kuhahaha!"
"...Myriad-Year Earth Bear."
"Puhihi!"
"Golden Armored Peng Bird."
"Pahahahaha!"
"......"
Cold stares pierced me. I cleared my throat and schooled my expression. Come on, I can't help the laughter bubbling up.
"These four are collectively known as Mukrim's Four Great Spirits."
"Hee hee hee hee."
"......"
"Ah, uh, sorry."
Yang Japyeong pressed his temples as if his head throbbed.
"...As I said, these aren't things you can hunt. They're otherworldly beings—that's why we call them spirits."
He expounded at length.
"Moreover, no one's ever confirmed if they even have spirit cores. Know why?"
"No idea."
"Because no one's ever succeeded in hunting one."
"Not even once?"
Namgung Seonhwa asked in surprise, and Yang Japyeong nodded.
"They're as clever as humans, with monster-level power, and Mukrim is their home turf. Forget hunting—you'll lose your way just tracking them."
"......"
"If you're set on hunting spirits, I'll quit guiding. I have to fulfill my duty, but not at the cost of my life."
My excitement cooled, reason kicking in coldly. If Yang Japyeong—who'd cheerfully helped with poison resistance and hunts—was this firm, they truly were dangerous. No matter how tempting the spirit medicines, I couldn't risk my juniors' and team's lives.
I bowed lightly to him.
"Understood. I'll heed Great Hero Yang's words."
Yang Japyeong let out a long sigh of relief. Just as we put aside regrets about the spirit hunt and prepared to move...
"Big Brother, people are coming this way."
Some of the spirit hunters approached us. Emerging from the brush were instructors and academy students.
"Hm? I was coming to warn some weasel messing with our hunt... Huh, if it isn't the academy rep."
No Jinha sneered, his ugly mug looking even uglier.
"Why's a garrison instructor crawling all the way out here?"
"What? Crawling?!"
As No Jinha lunged forward, Kang Taeha held him back.
"...We're out scouting too, to protect the students."
I nodded at the leaf-clad hunters beside Kang Taeha.
"And you need to bring guides who aren't from Namgwonmun?"
One leaf-clad man scowled and stepped up.
"Namgwonmun doesn't know everything about Mukrim. They're just greenhorns guarding the entrance."
"Grrrr."
Yang Japyeong, recognizing them, ground his teeth and glared before growling at the instructors.
"Spirit hunting during an expedition...? What are you thinking?!"
"We're not cowards like you lot. Now that we're here, we gotta at least see a spirit's face."
"Spirit hunting is..."
"Ah, save the nagging. We've prepped for natural formations and such."
The leaf-clad men sneered.
"Natural formations are scary only if you dodge them. Just bulldoze through."
"Ha...!"
As Yang Japyeong gaped in disbelief, No Jinha turned to me.
"Why's the rep who's supposed to scout Magyeong still loafing here? Dying to join the spirit hunt?"
They shared a laugh before No Jinha spoke again.
"What, wanna kowtow? Might let you tag along."
"...!"
My body twitched forward, but Eunho grabbed my arm right on cue.
-Snap out of it.
Whew, almost bowed there. The guy's sharp.
I brushed off my sleeves and shook my head.
"Pass. Spirits aren't stray dogs. How could I trust idiots like you to lead a hunt?"
"What?!"
"Hunt spirits or blow a horn for all I care. Good luck succeeding."
I turned and walked away. Curses like "That damn bastard, I'll..." trailed behind, but I ignored them breezily.
After a short walk, Yang Japyeong sidled up, barely hiding his excitement.
"Wise choice. Spirit hunting's nonsense. Not that I'm just a guide or anything... but I'll lead you to spots crawling with monsters."
Once we'd put distance between us and No Jinha's group, I gripped Yang Japyeong's sturdy shoulder.
"You're sure... they can't succeed, right?"
"Pardon? What..."
"The hunt... spirit hunt. They really can't pull it off, yeah?"
"......"
His face turned as black as charred coal. I shook his shoulder hard.
"Really, really sure they can't succeed?!"
"......"
"Sigh... They have to fail."
Or my stomach's gonna hurt bad.
We continued monster hunting en route to Magyeong. Some were straight out of martial herb manuals or beast encyclopedias; others were freaky first-timers. As we grew proficient, hunts became effortless. Everyone quickly grasped monster traits, knew their roles, and moved without orders—slotting perfectly into position.
Later, they even handled small or low-toxicity beasts without me. Yang Japyeong marveled at our speed, proving our mastery.
As seven days and nights passed, the team no longer seemed bothered by Mukrim life. No more bug bites—thanks to poison resistance from the toxins we'd ingested—and Eunseollan's ice arts let us cool off occasionally.
"Truly impressive... this ice technique."
Yang Japyeong gulped iced water, sighing in awe nonstop.
Regrettably, I still couldn't absorb poison cores. After Geum Pyo nearly got poisoned searching for spirit cores, Yang Japyeong meticulously removed and buried them, watching until we moved on—no chance to snag them.
I decided to let it go. Inner energy was a shame to miss, but not worth the risk of exposing the Azure Dragon Ring.
That's when I noticed Yang Japyeong's skill. After two weeks together, it clicked: he somehow tracked our bearings.
We'd veered off natural formations or fled beasts multiple times, yet he always ghosted us back to the path.
When I asked, he grinned.
"Of course I can gauge direction and position to a degree."
"But you said no senses work right in here?"
"True. The spirit veins' energy is too overwhelming."
"So how do you navigate so well?"
Confidence lit his face.
"All senses get scrambled by the veins, but one thing isn't disrupted—what do you think?"
"What's not disrupted?"
He pointed at the ground.
"The spirit veins."
"Oh!"
I exclaimed involuntarily. Using the veins that messed with senses for navigation—brilliant.
"The main vein flows north to southeast. Remembering every tiny flow would let you roam Mukrim like home, but that's beyond humans. Still, tracking major veins and flows gets you far enough."
No wonder Namgwonmun managed Mukrim.
"Is there a special way to sense them?"
"Anyone can. Like a martial artist sensing energy, but standard breathing methods won't cut it."
"Can you teach me?"
I asked cautiously, fearing it was a sect secret, but he agreed readily.
"Not hard. Normal heart methods merge essence and qi to store energy, right?"
"Yes."
"Reading veins uses qi and mind. Extend all senses through qi to let your mind feel the veins below."
As he explained, I circulated the Tae-eul Scripture. No lotus position or formal circulation—just merged qi and mind on the spot.
My senses expanded, info flooding in: the fishy reek of monster fluids, humid air on skin, team members in meditative view, distant battle cries, cool water lingering in my mouth.
After the sensory barrage...
Whoosh.
A massive river-roar thrummed underfoot. A chilling, piercing energy—like touching skin. No, not heard—seen, felt. Too light for water, too heavy for air: vast, untouchable earthly power.
'So this is it.'
The moment I grasped Mukrim's spirit veins...
I slowly retracted my senses. Time to ask what next.
"...With five years' practice, you can subtly feel the energy."
Yang Japyeong was mid-explanation. I asked calmly,
"Felt the spirit vein. What now?"
"......"
He tilted his head like I'd said something unbelievable.
"What?"
"I felt the spirit vein. What's next?"
"......"
An awkward silence fell.
"Why the faces..."
"......"
What? Did I mess up again? I scratched my cheek and looked around—no one answered.