Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Replenishing Forces
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Though his liege had innovated the Cheonnoe Bunsim Jeryeong Jiangshi Technique by merging the Cheonnoe Bunsim Jeryeong Gong and the Ungga Jiangshi Gong, he could only command eleven jiangshi in total.
After entering Onbiroad, Ilryeong began briefing Geon-woo as he set out to hunt demons.
= Of the jiangshi you've commanded so far, the ones your liege will continue using are the teleporting Amryeong, and the Gongryeong with its phantom transformation ability, along with the poison-wielding Dokryeong.
Only these three jiangshi were fully formed, fitted with demon jiangshi spirits implanted into user bodies.
The rest of the jiangshi remained in their base state.
Of course, there were other completed user living jiangshi and demon living jiangshi.
But they didn't suit Geon-woo's style, so they simply slumbered in stone coffins as reserves.
"The problem is my greed keeps growing. The finest jiangshi I can make right now is by injecting a demon jiangshi spirit into a user living jiangshi."
= We already have plenty of user living jiangshi prepared. The issue is the demon jiangshi spirits—only the Dokryeong, Amryeong, and Gongryeong are properly done, so we've got a long way to go.
"First, let's hunt some demons suited for the Sulryeong and Gungryeong."
= Can't we get a jiangshi spirit for the Sulryeong where we're headed? They're a demon race specialized in magic, right?
"It's not quite accurate to call them a single race. They're more like a demon subspecies. Demons encompass dozens of such subgroups. In any case, the ones we're targeting now are indeed magic specialists."
Thanks to the Helparis leader Gongryeong, Geon-woo had learned quite a bit about demons.
Naturally, that intel had been passed on to Onbiroad's natives via Kolon.
= So we'll secure the Sulryeong's jiangshi spirit through this hunt. Next up is the Gungryeong...
"There's just the right bunch for that too. The ones specialized in archery—Lerazier, was it?"
= Oh, those exist?
"Let's focus on gathering materials to create the Sulryeong and Gungryeong this time."
= Yes, my liege.
"We're almost there. That's where the Foras hang out—the demons known for their magic prowess."
= Foras. If demons are amphibian-insect hybrids, the Foras are the closest to humanoid among them. Without the blue skin and scales, you could mistake them for humans.
"Yeah. Their build is fairly human-like. They're on the smaller side among demons, so their physical abilities are probably weaker compared to others. That might explain their magical development."
= That said, we need to ensure the current Sulryeong's abilities can be preserved.
"If we extract a decent Foras jiangshi spirit, implant it into a user living jiangshi, and then draw out the blood core from the original Sulryeong, that should do it."
= Transferring the existing jiangshi's abilities via the blood core...
"We won't preserve 100% of the power, but the abilities themselves should transfer. If we can utilize them that way, it's a win."
= True enough. Even as base jiangshi, they're incomparably stronger than before. It'd be a waste to discard them.
Ilryeong's regret lingered, but she nodded with a bright expression nonetheless.
In the meantime, Geon-woo activated the tattoo on the back of his left hand to summon his jiangshi.
A dimensional rift opened, and the ten jiangshi inside lined up before him.
"Ilryeong, you'll handle the Dokryeong, Sulryeong, and Gungryeong again this time."
= Yes, leave it to me.
"Target is the Foras lord with the seal."
= He'll be our capture target, then.
"Yeah. I'll take him when he shows. Support me later with the Sulryeong and Dokryeong. I can kill him no problem, but capturing alive is trickier."
= Hehehe, got it, my liege. Leave it to me.
"Foras magic is powerful. But they can't touch us. Alright, let's go! Sweep them away!"
Geon-woo issued the bold command, and the jiangshi linked to him by heart spirits raced toward the Foras outpost.
Kwarrrrk! Boom boom boom!
Before the jiangshi even arrived, the Sulryeong and Gungryeong's attacks hammered the outpost, kicking off a one-sided slaughter.
The Foras tribe, caught off-guard and robbed of distance, often faced jiangshi assaults before they could chant their spells.
This forced them to rely mainly on low-tier magic with quick casts, which posed little threat to the jiangshi.
Worse, creatures infected by the jiangshi's contagion blood kept multiplying, deepening the Foras chaos.
* * *
"If not for the scales on your body, you could pass for human."
"Is that the one who wiped out the Helparis?"
The Foras demon asked in confirmation at Geon-woo's words.
He was the leader holding the seal that commanded the entire Foras contingent in Onbiroad.
That seal granted him equal standing with other expedition commanders for meetings and votes.
Now, the bearer of the Foras tribe's seal stood before Geon-woo with a resigned expression.
"It seems, in this state, our expedition is likely to fail."
The Foras seal-bearer muttered out of the blue.
"Hm?"
Geon-woo didn't catch the implication right away, furrowing his brow in confusion.
"The fact you can communicate with me in language means you've already grasped much about our expedition force."
The Foras seal-bearer murmured to himself.
"What are you getting at? You're the last one left here, and you don't seem able to do anything."
Geon-woo stayed alert, suspecting some ploy from the demon before him.
"Just curiosity. It's our Foras tribe's pesky nature—we can't hold back questions and infer answers from them."
The Foras seal-bearer replied calmly, as if plotting nothing.
"Is that so? But what do you mean our expedition will fail?"
"You've already crushed the Helparis and us Foras. As you know, we're independent factions."
"So if I pick you off one by one methodically, your demon race has no choice but to lose?"
"Exactly. If your group were larger, maybe not—but with such small numbers, the tribes won't unite."
"Ah! So if the enemy force is big, you band together? But since I'm a small elite squad, no alliance forms?"
"Precisely. Uniting tribes against a handful of foes would be shameful."
"So what happens then? To your expedition?"
Geon-woo eyed the Foras seal-bearer with keen interest.
"Naturally, with failure looming, reinforcements will come from the home dimension to prevent it."
"Not just cutting losses here, but reinforcements?"
Geon-woo looked slightly disappointed at the unexpected answer.
But moments later, he nodded, realizing it made sense.
"Well, yeah, they wouldn't give up easily."
"Correct. A noble strong enough to subdue you and your kin will be dispatched. Of course, that means less profit for the current expedition force."
The Foras seal-bearer wore a genuinely regretful look, then gave a wry smile as he remembered it no longer concerned him.
"Well, it's none of my business anymore."
"Time to end this. Don't resist—I want you intact."
Geon-woo issued his final warning to the Foras seal-bearer.
"You're not going to kill me after all?"
The Foras seal-bearer asked, as if he'd anticipated Geon-woo's words.
"Killing makes sense when talk fails, but if we can converse, there's value in sparing you."
He didn't mention turning him into a jiangshi servant.
No need to heighten his guard with that.
A clean capture would make him Geon-woo's loyal servant upon revival as a living jiangshi anyway.
"Hmm."
"Suicide won't be easy either. Just accept it."
Geon-woo spoke to the darkening Foras seal-bearer, then nodded to Ilryeong beside him.
Ilryeong, who had concealed her spirit body form, approached the Foras seal-bearer's forehead and affixed the Monster Emperor Paper Talisman.
"Wha—?!"
The Foras seal-bearer flinched at the foreign sensation on his forehead and the immediate mental suppression that followed, attempting resistance.
But facing Geon-woo's glare, he abandoned the effort at once.
He knew rebellion led only to death.
The Foras seal-bearer believed life preferable to death in any case.
Only the living could see the future, grasp even a sliver of hope.
= Hehehe. You'll awaken as the Sulryeong.
Of course, as the new Sulryeong, the Foras seal-bearer would have no hope left.
* * *
"Who are you?"
Amid the outpost strewn with thousands of fallen creatures and dozens of demons.
Geon-woo faced off against one lone demon at the center.
The demon, with its triangular snake head, one arm severed, staggered while glaring at Geon-woo.
"Hiss! Figures words won't work anyway. Heh."
Realizing his question was futile, he let out a self-mocking laugh.
"You've got me surprised. Never heard of someone like you in this world. Anyway, end it now. Kill me!"
As one of the Lerazier tribe's commanders in the Onbiroad expedition, he decided to accept this absurd defeat.
The enemy was overwhelmingly strong; not a single one felled, yet his creatures and tribesmen—meant to block them—were annihilated.
In such a state, any man of honor could find no excuse for the loss.
Best to meet death cleanly, without disgrace.
At least his tribesmen had escaped with the main force while he held the line—there was hope for the future.
"Bullshit."
"What? What did you say?"
"You invade our peaceful world with your vermin, stir up hell, yet act like you've done nothing wrong."
"How... No! H-How do you understand our language...?"
"No need to explain it to you. In any case, you'll serve me as the Gungryeong from now on."
"What do you—"
Rumble rumble rumble! Crack crack!
"Grraaah!"
The moment the Lerazier commander looked puzzled at Geon-woo's words.
Thick tree roots erupted from the ground, binding the startled Lerazier commander's body.
The awakened Sulryeong—former Foras seal-bearer—had unleashed his power.
Then Ilryeong approached the bound Lerazier commander and slapped a Monster Emperor Paper Talisman on his forehead.
"Wh-what is this? What are you— Aaaargh!"
The Lerazier commander couldn't detect Ilryeong's half-spirit form.
But he felt something affix to his forehead, and another mind burrowing into his own.
He resisted fiercely, but soon crumbled pathetically.