Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: The Hundred Ghosts Pill
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Between Ian's thumb and forefinger, the spirit pill shimmering with a dark blue hue seemed to emit an ominous haze even in the pitch-black night devoid of any starlight.
"Hmm. Getting my hands on the Hundred Ghosts Pill is great and all, but... will this just go down easy without any stomach trouble?"
Ian, from his days as Lucas, had long heard of the aura-enhancing effects of the Khan Empire's Hundred Ghosts Pill.
But in truth, the Hundred Ghosts Pill was far more infamous for its side effects than its benefits.
Knowing full well about those side effects made him hesitate to just shove it down his throat carelessly, so he pondered if there was a proper way to consume it.
And why not? In his previous life as Lucas, the Hegemon, he had no reason to take such a pill.
If he wanted, he could have any superior spirit medicine at his fingertips, and the realm he had reached far surpassed anything elixirs could aid.
But now, the situation was different.
Despite his steady training, Ian's body was still a fragile shell by his own standards—woefully inadequate.
And that wasn't all. Even the ferocious Blood Demon True Qi was shackled by the Solar Meridian Blockage, its chains as unyielding as ever.
Ian had no luxury to be picky about his methods.
"Tch, who knows. It's a spirit pill—what special way to eat it could there be? Just swallow it and circulate my qi to refine it, I suppose."
After a brief deliberation, Ian cast aside his doubts and tossed the Hundred Ghosts Pill straight into his mouth.
For the Hegemon he once was, hesitating over a mere pill's side effects would shame his past achievements.
Huuuuuuu!
After swallowing the pill, Ian began circulating the Blood Demon Iron Chain Art.
No matter how dangerous the pill's rumored side effects, he trusted the continent's supreme Blood Demon Iron Chain Art to more than neutralize its toxicity.
...Gulp!
As the Hundred Ghosts Pill slid fully down his throat into his stomach, the aura core below his navel began to pulse slowly.
The ripples starting small at the core's center soon swelled into massive waves, violently churning Ian's mana pathways.
A qi that was both gentle and explosive—two utterly opposing natures fused into one.
'Was the Hundred Ghosts Pill's effect this potent?'
Startled by the pill's overwhelming efficacy—stronger than even the rarest elixirs—Ian quickly steadied his mind and began guiding the Blood Demon True Qi.
To rein in the pill's rampaging energy.
-Huuuuuuuuuuu!
True to its eerie name, as the Blood Demon True Qi's mighty force bore down, wails of a hundred ghosts echoed through Ian's head.
Chilling shrieks that shattered the living mind and amplified the grudges of the dead.
If he lost focus here, the pill's berserk qi would surge straight to his crown, charring his brain to cinders.
Ssssssssssss!
Pale smoke seeped from Ian's nose and pores.
A sign that the pill's medicinal power was slowly yielding before the Blood Demon True Qi's majestic, unyielding might.
-Kaaaaaaaah!!
Perhaps resentful at kneeling before the Blood Demon True Qi, screams filled with agony and vengeful spirits shook Ian's mind once more.
How much time passed?
As the pill's fiercely resisting energy began to wane, it mingled quietly into the steadily flowing Blood Demon True Qi, like mist blending into the air.
The aura within him had at least doubled compared to before ingesting the pill—yet it chafed against the cramped passages now firmly lodged in his body.
Clank, clank!
One link in the iron chains of the Solar Meridian Blockage began to crack slowly.
Craaaaaack!
As the link shattered, another chain loosened, opening new pathways for Ian's Blood Demon True Qi.
'Success.'
It exceeded expectations.
The pill's power was beyond imagination.
To think its medicinal force could outright shatter one of the Solar Meridian Blockage's chains.
Feeling the qi flow grandly along his mana pathways, Ian smiled in satisfaction.
...Twitch!
His relaxed brow suddenly furrowed deeply.
He had freed another chain—more than enough reason for joy.
Yet for some reason, Ian remained vigilant, gathering his Blood Demon True Qi and intently observing his inner mana pathways.
How much time passed?
Ian heightened his bodily senses to their peak, motionless for a long while.
...Sssssssss!
'Found it.'
It wasn't an illusion.
His brief joy at the vast, river-like qi surging through his mana pathways was short-lived.
A subtle, sinister movement stirred from his toes.
So faint and insignificant that, had he not been focused, even he might have overlooked it.
A wisp of qi rising like haze in fog.
And its quiet, perilous target was none other than Ian's brain.
'Where do you think you're going!'
As Ian sealed the pathway to his brain with Blood Demon True Qi, the hazy qi desperately struggled to ascend.
As if reaching the brain was its sole purpose.
Slither slither!
In response to its frenzied writhing, Ian calmly enveloped it with his qi.
Pop!
And crushed it into oblivion.
-Kiiiiiiiiiaaaah!!
With a blood-curdling shriek, the qi scattered into the air.
That was likely the true culprit behind the Hundred Ghosts Pill's infamous side effect—one that destroyed the consumer's sanity, reducing them to a beast without reason.
Finishing his aura circulation, Ian clicked his tongue.
"Hah, so the Hundred Ghosts Pill's side effect is this severe?"
Experiencing it firsthand, it far surpassed mere "side effect."
If it were just that, such insidious qi wouldn't blindly claw its way to the brain.
Its malice-packed gloom, like the condensed grudges of countless souls, left even Ian agape.
And on top of the pill's unexpectedly potent efficacy.
Whether the Hundred Ghosts Pill was inherently superior to its reputation or an enhanced variant, he couldn't tell.
But one thing was clear.
Someone had deliberately given the Hundred Ghosts Pill to Urk.
That person sought to shake the Great Catastrophe using the ambitious orc chieftain Urk.
'What for?'
What gain could they possibly reap from upheaving the Great Catastrophe?
As Ian's realm advanced another step toward maturity, the night deepened with growing suspicion.
The Middle World, Agena, was vast.
Encompassing four expansive continents worthy of the term "continent," it was only natural.
Among them lay the eastern continent, known to its inhabitants as Zavak.
Unlike the other three, Zavak had developed a unique sorcery rather than magic.
And that was just the beginning.
Its culture, weapons, even national structures—all bore a distinctive hue, earning it a reputation as a mysterious land among outsiders.
Continent-dwellers regarded Zavak with curiosity or goodwill, but none dared scorn it.
How could they?
Siegfried Dupel, Agena's greatest hero, who felled the fallen Northern Hegemon Lucas Alexei and liberated the northern continent Crohoca from tyranny.
Kaidu Ballak, the continent's supreme swordsman and hero his equal.
In the Great War of the Kairun Plains, two of the four great heroes who clashed with Lucas to the end hailed from Zavak.
Their homeland, the Khan Empire, dominated sixty percent of Zavak—a colossal power.
Even with Siegfried's Dupel Empire rising after devouring Lucas's Crohoca, Khan remained the first name on most lips when speaking of Agena's great nations.
The grandest, most imposing building in Khan's capital, Kahorin.
This was Bator Palace, residence of the empire's exalted emperor.
Deep in the heart of Bator Palace.
"...And so, we've successfully activated the seeded Hundred Ghosts Pills in a total of three groups."
A man with a long scar across his face listened quietly to his subordinate's report.
This sanctum, forbidden to all but the emperor, didn't faze him in the slightest.
How could it?
He was Kaidu Ballak, hailed alongside Siegfried Dupel as the empire's foremost hero—perhaps wielding authority even greater than the emperor's.
Short of assassinating the emperor and failing, no place in the palace—or the nation—was beyond his reach.
"Tch! Far fewer than expected."
Amid the cryptic exchange, his face soured at the meager results.
His subordinate hastily added,
"Th-the lands are teeming with dangerous beasts beyond humans. Convincing them of the item's true value is no easy task, it seems."
"Well, that's true enough. But didn't you predict four last time? What variable cropped up in just a few days?"
Scratching his head, the adjutant replied to Kaidu's question.
"Yes, but... for some reason, the orcs around the Fire Mountains were wiped out in days. We expected success against Aslan Kingdom since they'd held firm so far, but regrettably, the martial clan has mobilized their warriors in earnest."
Kaidu had no choice but to accept it.
The Red Fang Orc Tribe of the Fire Mountains.
Their chieftain had some cunning, reportedly tied to Golden Eye, solidifying influence nearby.
But if the Lichtenauer Martial Clan's strike force was fully deployed, it was inevitable.
The Lichtenauer Martial Clan's name carried weight no lesser than Golden Heaven.
In truth, they were annihilated by the rookie strike force Ian led—the Latent Dragon Squad—but from afar, the adjutant couldn't grasp the full details.
Besides, it defied common sense.
"Tch, did that old fart Paon catch wind of it?"
A flicker of irritation crossed Kaidu's face.
The Hundred Ghosts Pill was hard to produce even in the Khan Empire.
These, tailored for monsters to trigger side effects, far exceeded standard potency.
Despite the massive manpower and funds invested, the poor results soured his mood.
Sensing the tension, the adjutant hurriedly continued.
"F-for now, just observe. Though the Fire Mountains failed, it's the least critical site among successes—no impact on the grand plan."
"Tch, as if it's your fault. Unavoidable. Which area's set to sprout first?"
After a moment's thought, the adjutant spoke.
"The Black Rock Troll King ruling the Birch Forest. He's lost most power to Golden Heaven's Iron Mask, but his grudge against Golden Heaven now dwarfs the past. If he regains strength, it'll make for quite the spectacle."
"Birch Forest... that's right."
"Yes. Right at the Magic Tower's doorstep."
The Magic Tower.
One of two pillars safeguarding southern continent Bestrika alongside the Lichtenauer Martial Clan.
Satisfied, Kaidu finally laughed.
"Hahaha! That old coot Alloin will have a real headache. Never liked his holier-than-thou act anyway."
Kaidu's eyes gleamed in the darkness.
"Keep the reports coming. To weaken southern forces, we must shake the martial clan and Magic Tower."
Swoosh!
Glaring north, Kaidu murmured,
"Any obstacles to our great Khan Empire unifying Zavak and ascending as Middle World's ruler must be swept away."
Since the Great War that toppled Lucas's empire, peace had reigned in Agena.
Drip, drip!
Rumble!
Thunder cracked over Khan's capital, Kahorin, amid the rain.
As if mourning that Agena's peace would not endure much longer.