Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Into the Demon Vein
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The Demon Vein Mountains were dangerous.
The chaotic mana spewing from the demon vein acted as a deadly poison to all but the creatures of the Great Demon Vein.
The moment one came into contact with chaotic mana, ordinary mana became corrupted, and everything tied to mana began to crumble.
That was why hardly anyone approached places with demon veins.
Of course, the reason a city existed in the Demon Vein Mountains despite that was the unique specialties only obtainable from the demon vein.
"The air's murkier than I heard."
"Yeah. That's the residue of chaotic mana, right?"
"People who enter and exit the demon vein carry chaotic mana with them and recover here, so the remnants inevitably build up."
At the mention of chaotic mana residue, Geon-woo waved his hand to create a barrier enveloping himself and Paeng.
"Heh. Thanks."
"You could avoid the residue by erasing your presence."
"I could, but it's tiring. It's easier just sticking close like this."
Paeng used the barrier as an excuse to press right up against Geon-woo's side.
"No business in the city, so let's head straight to the demon vein where those guys went."
The only reason they'd come to the city in the Demon Vein Mountains was the spatial transfer gate here. Nothing else.
Right now, finding Muhammad and the others even a second sooner was the priority.
"Yeah, that way."
Paeng knew the urgency too and immediately pointed in the direction Muhammad and the group had gone.
"Let's go."
"Oh! Hohoho."
Geon-woo immediately wrapped an arm around Paeng's waist and launched into the air.
Paeng, clinging to Geon-woo after so long, burst into laughter as they soared through the sky.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
With Paeng at his side, Geon-woo unleashed Mana Propulsion Technique to its limits.
It wasn't jumping through space but skimming over it swiftly, making it ideal for unfamiliar terrain.
On top of that, the Mana Propulsion Technique Geon-woo was using now had evolved beyond compare to before.
"Wow, it's fast. Almost as quick as spatial transfer."
"Not quite, but it's safer than spatial transfer."
"You could chain Blinks or Teleports for decent mobility, right? You can do that stuff."
"Spatial transfer involves too many variables—headache-inducing. Doing it repeatedly? The migraine would be no joke."
"Didn't you say you were going to massively boost your mental power this time? No results?"
Paeng subtly probed about his training progress with Heavenly Brain and Divided Mind.
"No matter how abundant the mental power, calculations are a separate issue. My realm advanced and sharpened my mind, sure, but it didn't turn me into some supercomputer."
"Hoho. From the way you talk, sounds like you did make progress."
"I wanted gains in spirit commanding, but unexpectedly, insights came in Heavenly Brain and Divided Mind."
"Still good, right?"
"Haha. Well... Ah, looks like that's it?"
Geon-woo, regretting cutting his training short due to Muhammad and the others' disappearance, scratched his head and spotted the demon vein.
A cluster of boulders that had rolled down the mountainside and come to a stop.
Purple light peeked from the gaps between them.
In the Demon Vein Mountains, purple meant the entrance to a demon vein.
Chaotic mana flowed only from demon veins, reacting with ordinary mana outside to cancel out and produce that purple hue.
"Let's go in."
Geon-woo stepped toward the demon vein entrance visible between boulders several times his size.
"Ah, wait for me!"
Paeng hurriedly caught up to Geon-woo's side.
"Stay back a bit?"
"No way, it's dangerous outside the barrier. Chaotic mana's scary."
"If it's urgent, you can put up your own barrier or erase your presence. Erase it, and mana won't even touch you."
"That's hard. It uses mind power!"
"That's why I told you to stay in Theopolis."
"But how can I? They're my comrades, even if they're hopeless idiots."
"Then do it properly. Don't hang on me like baggage."
"Hohoho. I'll do it when I need to. But it's fine now, right? Huh?"
"Sigh, whatever. Do what you want. Who's gonna stop you?"
"Who else? If you got serious and told me no, I wouldn't. You're the only one who can rein me in. Hohoho."
"Cut the joking. Get serious from here on. This isn't an ordinary demon vein—it's a tributary of the Great Demon Vein."
"These idiots didn't really go all the way into the Great Demon Vein, did they?"
"If they did, it wasn't by choice. They must've had no option or didn't know."
"Yeah, no one dives to their death on purpose. So, how is it?"
"Hm?"
"Can you sense them?"
"Hm, no. Not yet."
Geon-woo shook his head at Paeng's question.
The demon vein they were walking through looked like an ordinary stalactite cave on the surface.
The purple light had been only at the entrance; inside, nothing seemed unusual.
But the purple membrane currently enveloping Geon-woo and Paeng vividly demonstrated the demon vein's danger.
The purple surrounding them was Geon-woo's barrier clashing and neutralizing the demon vein's chaotic mana.
The moment that membrane vanished, Geon-woo and Paeng would be exposed to chaotic mana and poisoned.
They had time now, but the duration they could endure inside the demon vein was definitely limited.
So they had to find Muhammad's group quickly.
"They learned Gangsigong, so they should react to spirit command arts, but nothing."
Geon-woo shook his head.
Langjang didn't cast spirit arts on family members who'd learned Gangsigong.
Interfering with the minds of the living was something only a Family Head could do, forbidden by family rules, so it never happened.
But if one intended to, it was possible.
With Heavenly Brain Divided Mind Spirit Command Art, he could connect to the souls of those who'd learned Gangsigong.
That was why Geon-woo had rushed to this demon vein over Muhammad's group's disappearance.
Only he could track the aura of Gangsigong they'd learned.
"They're still pretty far. Let's go deeper."
Paeng tugged Geon-woo's arm with a regretful look.
"Yeah. Probably."
Sensing the aura of a disciple who'd learned Gangsigong wasn't hard.
It wasn't controlling their soul—just probing the aura imbued during training.
"Aigoo, why the long face? This place is thick with chaotic mana. It might've shrunk your sensing range a lot. No need to give up yet."
Paeng worried Geon-woo might accept their deaths and abandon the search.
"Yeah, let's go in. Like you said, chaotic mana might be the issue."
Geon-woo thought it possible too, so he let Paeng lead as they ventured deeper into the demon vein.
* * *
"Kuhuhuhu. You came?"
"Muhammad? Cheon Su-wan? Tucker, Ivan!"
Geon-woo and Paeng eventually found the four.
Fortunately, all four were still breathing.
They were simply collapsed, unable to move, with chaotic mana permeating their entire bodies.
"Haa, what happened? What a mess!"
Paeng shouted in dismay at the sight of them.
Even 20% corrosion was usually considered untreatable and hopeless.
Yet Muhammad and the others visibly had chaotic mana invading most of their bodies.
"Take this."
Cheon Su-wan, sitting cross-legged, tremblingly offered two items.
One was a cylindrical rod densely engraved with magic circles; the other, a box the size of a large brick.
"What's that?"
"The magic tool Jumper requested and mana stones containing chaotic mana."
"The rod's the magic tool, and the box has the chaotic mana stones?"
"Yes, Leader."
"You look better off than the others, Cheon Su-wan."
"Kuhuhu. Want to know why?"
"From the way you ask, I guess I'm right."
"Correct. I'm a bit better off than these guys. Not sure how long it'll last, though."
"You've got a way to delay chaotic mana poisoning? Why not tell them?"
"Don't you think they're alive right now because I did tell them?"
"That's how it is?"
"Yes. And it's a method you know too, Leader."
"What?"
"Curious? Try taking in a ton of chaotic mana, and you'll see."
"Hey! Cheon Su-wan, what nonsense? You trying to kill Geon-woo?!"
Paeng exploded at Cheon Su-wan's baiting.
Cheon Su-wan smirked at her, glancing over.
"You've gone full wildcat. Tsk, a top agent vying for world best."
"What? What'd you say, you bastard?!"
"Ah, shut up. If you're gonna yap, just leave. Annoying."
"Stop! This isn't the time for bickering. Cheon Su-wan! What happened? Why'd you come this deep and end up like this?"
Geon-woo glared sharply at Cheon Su-wan, demanding an explanation.
"That box! That's the answer."
Cheon Su-wan nodded toward the box he'd offered Geon-woo.
"The mana stones with chaotic mana?"
"Yes. We came here to get high-quality mana stones."
"You knew the entrance led to a Great Demon Vein tributary, right?"
"We thought the magic tool would handle it. Just swap mana stones midway..."
"Why didn't you swap them?"
"We figured pull out the drained stone, insert a new one—easy. But no."
Cheon Su-wan answered with a look that said even he found it ridiculous.
"What do you mean? It was supposed to be just swapping mana stones!"
Paeng demanded, incredulous.
As she'd said, they'd been told to simply replace depleted mana stones.
That's why Muhammad's group had entered the demon vein without worry.
"Didn't expect chaotic mana to affect it. The magic circles warped because of chaotic mana. Hm, like the password changed?"
Cheon Su-wan shook his head at the magic tool now in Geon-woo's hands, equally baffled.
"The magic circles changed inside the demon vein?"
"Right after the mana stone inside fully drained. Couldn't swap, so barrier failed. And it was deep in the Great Demon Vein. We barely made it here with our power, but it wasn't enough."
"Damn it!"
Geon-woo roared, fury rising with nowhere to vent at Cheon Su-wan's words.
"Kuhuhu. Leave us and take those. Go."
As Geon-woo vented his rage, Muhammad seemed to regain his senses, lifting his head weakly to speak.
He eyed the magic tool and mana stone box.
"G-go."
"Go... then come back."
Then, from Tucker and Ivan, who looked far worse than Cheon Su-wan or Muhammad, came faint whispers barely audible.
"Come back? What—cough!"
Hearing that, Cheon Su-wan bellowed before vomiting blood.
"Go back for now. If we overcome the chaotic mana, we'll return to you on our own. No need to come again."
"What're you saying?"
"If any survive, we'll explain back home."
"Kuhuhu. Maybe I can make it..."
"I... haven't given up!"
"Me too... still... not... dead!"
After Cheon Su-wan, Muhammad, Tucker, and Ivan.
Geon-woo sensed they hadn't given up on life.
"I'll deliver this and come right back. Hang in there!"
Geon-woo felt his own time in the demon vein dwindling too.
He'd need to exit for recovery.
"I could take you all..."
"Then we'd die."
"Right. We'd die outside."
"......"
"......"
Muhammad and Cheon Su-wan reacted fiercely to Geon-woo's words.
"Don't know the full situation, but I'll deliver these and return."
Geon-woo stowed the magic tool and mana stone box in his spatial pouch.
"You're leaving them like this?"
Paeng eyed Geon-woo unhappily.
"They'll hold out till I return. They're not the type to die easy. And seems they've got a lifeline to cling to, so don't worry."
"Huh? What do you mean? What lifeline?"
"I've got a hunch, so let's go out first. You guys hold on too. I'll find a way."
With that, Geon-woo took Paeng and started back out of the demon vein.