Jirisan Monster Purge Operation (2)
Elite mana beasts lived deep in the jungle.
They were extraordinarily cunning.
They knew exactly who posed the greatest threat.
Humans.
The ones who hunted them in packs.
Even when humans appeared, elite mana beasts rarely showed themselves.
They knew the intruders would eventually retreat without settling in.
But suddenly, everything changed.
An enormous number of humans swarmed into the Jirisan jungle.
And not from one direction.
They closed in from all sides, encircling the entire mountain.
Worse, they didn't withdraw at night.
This stimulated the elite mana beasts into action.
A human movement unlike any they'd experienced before.
The elite blade-tooth weasel was no exception.
So it revealed itself first.
To check who had dared invade its territory.
Taeju took a deep breath first.
'Hoo...'
Finally, they'd met.
The venomous prey he'd wanted—but caution was key. Caution above all.
First, steer the fight to his advantage.
Elite mana beasts resembled the spirit beasts of the martial realm.
Among animals and plants, those blessed with heavenly fortune lived long enough for a spiritual essence to take root, becoming spirit beasts.
Like spirit snow cats, millennium golden turtles, white immortal cranes, thousand-year snow ginseng...
There were also yokai akin to spirit beasts.
Nine-tailed foxes, man-faced tree spirits, imugis, and so on.
p>Spirit beasts and yokai shared two traits: they were so powerful that even peak experts struggled to hunt them, and if fortune favored you, slaying one yielded an inner core—a treasure beyond measure.
Elite mana beasts were closer to yokai, but the elite mana crystals harvested from their bodies—weren't those inner cores too?
Of course, inner cores and crystals weren't identical.
Elite mana crystals had far more uses, in fact.
They served as spirit medicines and materials for crafting weapons.
Taeju was preparing for the 7th stage of Hunwon Musang Dokryeong Gong.
He was at the 6th for now, but at this rate, it'd come soon enough.
Once there, he'd infuse his hidden weapons with gang qi.
Poison-coated projectiles overlaid with gang qi.
The issue? Infusing gang qi shortened a weapon's lifespan drastically.
Ordinary mana steel shattered quickly.
He needed steel alloyed with elite mana crystals—elite weapons.
Lee Jeonghak's sword contained them, as did Oh Jinhyeong's massive cleaver.
Even the weapons the emperor bestowed on newly promoted master generals were all elite-grade.
Taeju wanted one too.
But with all his hidden weapons, was that practical?
Willow leaf blades, escaping life blades, blood butterflies, storm rain flower nails...
For now, craft a few of each type.
Dedicated gang qi infusion models.
At 7th stage, he'd recover ranged weapons remotely—no more losing them.
The elite blade-tooth weasel circled slowly, sizing up Taeju.
'This bastard's testing me?'
Taeju didn't charge recklessly either.
Whoosh—he shrugged off his coat.
Thud—dropped it aside.
Fox-fur coats were just cumbersome in combat.
Hidden weapons?
No need for many.
Willow leaf and escaping life blades from his vest, wrists, and waist would suffice for probing.
Tssst...
Mana friction hummed with every movement.
A bluish membrane cloaked its body.
Gang qi barrier.
In the martial realm, called protective gang qi.
Among human awakeners, only a rare few masters could deploy it.
Elite mana beasts had it innately.
Only gang qi could breach it.
Projectiles wouldn't penetrate.
But poison? He was confident.
His 6th-stage Hunwon Musang Dokryeong Gong enabled one venom art: poison qi emission.
Poison qi emission.
Expel poison qi omnidirectionally from the caster.
Any poison imprinted in the poison core—mixed or single-type.
All living beasts breathed.
This one too.
Gang qi barriers couldn't block poison.
Reach Dokryeong perfection, and he'd poison everything around him like a radioactive man, melting it all.
For now, his power was limited—low output, modest potency.
But like drizzle soaking robes or slowly boiling a frog, poison qi emission would gradually dissolve the elite blade-tooth weasel.
Hiss...
At last, poison qi began radiating.
Colorless, odorless.
Invisible, imperceptible.
Folks mistook this for formless poison, but no.
Formless poison denoted a realm of heart poison.
Only achievable with a true Dokryeong.
"Kyaaak!"
Sensing the threat, the elite blade-tooth weasel bared its fangs.
Right then!
Whoosh!
Its form vanished in an instant.
Swoosh!
Thwack!
The elite weasel reappeared midair, lunging for Taeju's throat.
Clack!
But fangs met fangs.
Taeju had already cloaked himself with phantom bewilderment step.
The fierce exchange began.
True to elite form, it was blindingly fast.
Scree!
Chomp!
It darted in, leaped,
Slash!
Sudden forepaw strike.
Then dropped low for the ankle.
"Kyaaak!"
Taeju didn't stand idle.
But widening distance was folly—
Thanks to poison qi emission.
His attainment was low; effects dropped sharply beyond range.
Snap!
Lightning hand seized its tail, unleashing soul-stealing finger to shatter focus.
Swoosh!
Drew dual escaping life blades from his waist,
Slash-slash-slash!
Hacked mercilessly.
But the weasel had vanished.
Where?
Chill prickled his nape.
'Behind!'
Taeju spun, jamming an escaping life blade into the gaping maw.
Thrust!
But it halted.
Fangs clamped the blade.
Crunch!
Clang!
The gripped blade snapped in two.
He yanked another from his waist,
Thrust! Slash-slash!
But the weasel's lightning claws raked his face.
"Damn!"
Taeju jerked his head back.
Riiip! Slash! Rrrrip!
Face spared.
Shoulder and chest? Not so much.
Leather vest shredded.
Unarmored shoulder exposed.
"Ugh!"
Luckily, just a shallow cut.
Shoulder burned.
Blood streamed.
Taeju dropped and rolled.
"Kak!"
The elite weasel pursued, gang-qi fangs gleaming.
Swoosh, whoosh, swoosh!
Consecutive phantom bewilderment steps.
Thrust! Slash-slash!
Six willow leaf blades launched at once.
But,
Ting! Clang-clang! Ting!
Bounced off the gang qi barrier.
Flinch!
It stalled the beast, at least.
"You hit hard, huh?"
"Kyarrgrr!"
Face grazed—what then?
Scars wouldn't heal easy.
"Hoo,"
Breath ragged.
Need a breather...
"Kyaaak!"
Scree!
No respite.
Relentless fangs targeted vitals.
"Can't I catch my breath?"
Should apply salve too.
No mercy.
Swoosh!
Dodge with phantom bewilderment step,
Maintain minimum distance.
Slash-slash-slash!
Willow leaf barrage.
Vest and wrist stocks depleted.
Waist held escaping life blades now.
Slash!
Ting!
Even those rebounded.
"Shit!"
Gang qi would pierce clean.
Blood poured from shoulder.
Metallic tang spread amid the frenzy.
Focus sharpened with battle.
Intense motion stirred the poison core.
Ziiing!
Pop!
Dodged pouncing claw plunge.
Thud!
Occasional blood seal poison palm to torso.
Razor-thin margins.
Life hung by a thread.
Blood seal poison palm laced with penetration secrets and soul-stealing finger helped.
But exhaustion mounted.
Infinite poison qi?
No.
Emission had drained heaps.
Replenishment took time.
Taeju crammed dried poison doduk, poison bellflower, poison bracken from pants pocket, chewing furiously.
Better.
Marginally.
Yet ceaseless low-level emission—multipoison blend—shrouded the battlefield.
Like fog.
Or smog, fine dust cloud.
Hiss...
Trees withered.
Undergrowth yellowed.
The elite weasel sensed anomaly.
"Ki-kik?"
Movements slowed.
"...Krek."
Shook head violently.
Felt wrongness.
"Too late, bastard."
Panicked eyes.
"Kiiing? Kiiiing?"
Bewildered why.
It struck more, even wounded him.
Now hopping on all fours to flee.
Tides turned.
Mosquito venom gnawing mana, likely.
Variant three-striped mosquitoes rarely bit jungle beasts.
Weasel's long fur, tough hide repelled stings.
But airborne mosquito toxin?
Breathed in—unblockable.
Next, spore poison melted organs; seven-spot beetle induced bleeding; bluebelly frog drowsiness; fresh sarin gas nerve assault.
"Keeek! Keeeeee..."
Weasel staggered away desperately.
'It's done.'
No rush now.
Taeju followed leisurely, grabbing coat.
Pulled fresh trauma salve, ointment; smeared carefully on shoulder.
'Test efficacy too.'
Stung.
Yet cooled.
Blood stanched quick.
'Not bad.'
Sellable.
Hit product.
'Patent's the hurdle.'
Not Hunwon Musang Dokryeong Gong-refined; copycats could reverse-engineer.
Meantime, crawling weasel fled.
Urgent?
Corpse already.
Taeju donned coat leisurely, approached belly-up weasel sensing doom.
"Kiiiing..."
Life faded from eyes.
Time for elite mana crystal?
'Dud if none.'
Stab!
Escaping life blade to heart,
Riiip!
Vigorously sliced.
"Oh!"
There.
Large, magnificent elite mana crystal.
Wiped on coat sleeve—radiant purple gleamed.
'Necklace material.'
Ten willow leaf blades worth.
Three escaping life blades?
Just one so far.
Stockpile diligently till all upgraded to gang qi.
Then.
GS Team?
S for Special Raid Team.
R for main force.
Prefix denotes region.
Hamyang Division Specialists: HS; Sancheong: SS; Namwon: NS; Gurye: GS.
'My team?'
Apparently encountered elite red-fur wolf while he slipped away solo.
Baek Changhoon and Jang Suncheol were GS too.
Whoosh!
Fierce wind whipped where Taeju vanished.
※ ※ ※
Normally, no one hunted elite mana beasts solo.
Not even masters.
Taeju was exceptional.
Even he might've struggled sans poison.
Poison qi shortage could've forced retreat.
The elite red-fur wolf facing GS Team.
Unlike paired regular red-fur wolves, elites roamed alone.
With Legion Commander Oh Jinhyeong and superior experts? Easy catch.
Arrived swiftly.
"Awoooo!"
Four sturdy alloy wires bound the elite red-fur wolf's legs.
"Pull!"
"Keep it from biting the wires!"
"Whoa! Got it, got it."
GS Team yanked every which way, immobilizing it.
Oh Jinhyeong stepped up.
Heaved cleaver his height; mana infusion hummed, blade glowed milky—mana blade.
Charged,
Slash!
Cleaved wolf in twain.
"Whoa!"
Taeju admired.
That easy?
Numbers and gear advantage.
Combat was numbers and items.
"Hm? When'd you arrive? Tsk, too late."
"Yeah. But elites fall this quick?"
"What? Wrapping those mana alloy wires took forever—that's 90% strategy. Rest? As you see... easy."
"Aha."
Oh Jinhyeong looked disappointed.
"Bit faster, I'd share crystal stake."
"Fine by me. Got one myself."
"Pfft, regulars don't count. Elites."
"Yeah, elite."
"...What???"
Taeju flashed radiant purple elite mana crystal from pocket.
"Wha... wh-what? Th-this... how?"
Oh Jinhyeong couldn't believe.
Slipped ahead briefly, returned with elite mana crystal.
'Soloed an elite?'
Not impossible.
Palace monster Geum Suhu? Trivial. Emperor? Obvious.
But Kim Taeju? Chairman under thirty.
'Insane...'
Impossible?
Mind boggled.
That instant!
Boom-boom-boom!
"Whoa! S-scared me."
Firearms in jungle?
Moments later.
Sancheong side.
Fastest here? Him.
"I'll go."
"W-wait!"
Whoosh!
Taeju dashed again.
Oh Jinhyeong just gawked at his back.