Imprinted Fear (1)
The most common poisonous monsters scattered across the plains were scorpions and rattlesnakes.
Scorpions, in particular, were by far the most numerous.
Mustard seed scorpions, giant ironclad venom scorpions, short-tailed jitter scorpions, camouflage assassin scorpions...
The tiny mustard seed scorpions dug massive pits to lure in prey.
The moment something fell into one of those pits, thousands of mustard seed scorpions swarmed it, stabbing away with their stingers.
Taeju stripped down to his underwear and deliberately tumbled into one such pit.
Tiny yellow mustard-colored grains covered him from head to toe.
"Whoa, that's refreshing."
A scorpion bath, you could say.
Healing time on the plains.
One more poison added to his poison essence.
The giant ironclad venom scorpion's stinger was so massive that rather than letting it stab him directly, he sliced off its tail and jammed it indirectly into his vein.
Another poison added to his poison essence.
The short-tailed jitter scorpions also lived in packs.
They hopped up like fleas from a distance, attacking their targets that way.
He snagged these ones with hidden weapons for later venom extraction.
Taeju swept them away with Violent Rain Needle.
Pipipipipipit!
Pufufufufupu!
He'd gotten pretty proficient.
Now he could infuse qi into each individual needle.
All that remained was increasing the number of Blood Seal Needles.
The hidden weapon techniques Taeju was mastering—Flying Waterfall Flash, Violent Rain Needle, Blood Butterfly, and the retrieval arts—were all precursors to Myriad Heavenly Rain.
Violent Rain Needle proficiency was especially crucial.
A perfectly mastered Violent Rain Needle was virtually indistinguishable from Myriad Heavenly Rain.
A knockoff Myriad Heavenly Rain, perhaps?
Well, it was a hidden weapon technique that rained down from the sky like actual rain, after all.
Even the Heavenly Demon had died to Myriad Heavenly Rain.
Melted away by a flower storm of hidden weapons laced with qi and poison.
'Master this, and...'
there'd be nothing left to worry about.
Not even if the Heavenly Demon manifested on Earth.
Anyway, short-tailed jitter scorpion venom: added.
The camouflage assassin scorpions were surprisingly easy to spot.
"Kyaaak!"
When Ilbaek raised its tail in a specific direction as a warning,
Grab!
he snatched it up by hand and added its poison.
Even camouflage wasn't total invisibility.
But Ilbaek's role went beyond that.
Whenever they paused during their trek across the plains, it would vanish somewhere, only to return and drop something long and thick right at Taeju's feet with a thud.
A mutant pitch-black rattlesnake.
"You caught this?"
"Nyaang."
Cat repayment?
Thanks to that, another poison added.
Then they encountered a three-eyed grass owl hawk.
An aerial flying monster with three eyes.
No poison, but it was cautious, avoiding raid teams that moved in groups.
It targeted lone wanderers like Taeju or hunted other monsters based on instinct.
Swaaaa!
A three-eyed grass owl hawk dove from the sky, aiming for Taeju's head.
"Oh!"
The monster that fetched top dollar if caught alive.
Females especially—name your price.
"...Should I catch it and raise it?"
Ilbaek froze mid-cat-wash with its paws at Taeju's words.
In that instant!
"Grrr!"
Flash!
Transforming into its white tiger form, Ilbaek leaped into the air and snatched the descending three-eyed grass owl hawk by its beak.
Crunch crunch!
The hawk's head tore right off.
"Grrrrowl!"
Then it reverted to cat form Ilbaek and...
"Yaaang."
nuzzled up to Taeju affectionately.
"...Just you, huh? No rivals allowed?"
"Yaang!"
"Can't tolerate competition?"
"Ang?"
"No treats for a week."
"...Yaa, yaaaang."
"Fine, cancelled."
"Yang!"
They spent several days like that on the plains.
He'd added plenty of poisons, but no major gains otherwise.
His poison essence showed no reaction.
Though he did sense a faint clue toward a mana rejection cure from the mustard seed scorpion venom.
Taeju set his course for Barun.
Time to hit the city.
Barun Pioneer City was the largest in the High Desert Plains, its countless high-rises visible from afar—far grander than Gurye.
The city wasn't run by the military but by a mayor and officials dispatched directly by the Empire.
'First things first: a proper meal.'
Taeju entered Barun early in the morning.
A checkpoint blocked the city entrance.
Nothing like this in Napang.
Taeju immediately bowed his head and wiped off the fake awakener tattoo on his face.
His current ID listed him as a compatible, not an awakener.
Just check in under his alias, Kim Gunak.
Suddenly!
Ilbaek poked its head out from his pocket, sniffing around.
"Nyaang?"
"Shh! I know."
Taeju stood before the checkpoint and presented his ID.
"Mr. Kim Gunak? Purpose of visit to Barun...?"
"Hunting on the plains, here to rest."
"Understood. Enjoy your stay."
What kind of city was Barun?
Running into a mine right at the checkpoint.
The stench of mine qi wafted from the official.
'And not even an awakener.'
Definitely a true mine.
Badge name: Nerhuk.
Mongolian descent, probably.
An unexpected windfall, but taking down a mine here was too risky.
True mines were likely bound by restrictions.
What if it died mid-interrogation like a handler?
Better to tail it quietly.
There was probably a mine organization—wipe them out in one go.
※ ※ ※
A small wheat farm on the outskirts of Barun City.
The Association's headquarters.
Before entering the grain storage shed, the vice chairman removed the face-altering magic item from around his neck.
Ssslruk.
His true face emerged.
Arabian features.
The vice chairman's real name was Hami Jamal.
From a long-extinct nation called Syria.
Truth be told, Syria had been on the brink even 200 years ago.
Mana invasion accelerated its fall.
Jamal had awakened early on.
An initial awakener.
But during rank-up, he was reborn as a mine.
He took pride in being an early-awakener mine.
He had many followers and amassed a fortune.
Until he met the chairman and got exposed.
Now he was broke, bound by restrictions to this tiny farm.
The chairman.
Not even his name was known.
His true face was a mystery.
All he knew was that the chairman possessed higher-grade mine qi that dominated lesser mine qi.
Vice Chairman Jamal was enslaved to the chairman.
He had to obey every command unconditionally.
A few years back, the emperor assassination attempt? On the chairman's orders.
'Hoo...'
Before entering the shed, Jamal took a deep breath.
The chairman had returned from training in Chinese territory.
He had to report on the handler situation.
Creeeak.
He opened the door, dropped to his knees immediately.
"Chairman! Your faithful servant Jamal has arrived."
"Yes."
"...I congratulate you on your achievements."
"You felt it too. Come closer."
Jamal crawled forward on his knees.
The chairman placed a hand on his head.
Vast mine qi poured in through his crown.
"Ah!"
His body filled with potent mine qi.
The injuries from the emperor were healing.
"Thank you."
"It's nothing."
Jamal trembled, head bowed.
The chairman grew stronger every meeting.
Now, the gap between them was like heaven and earth.
"Any issues with the Association?"
"W-Well..."
"Speak!"
"Th-The handler has gone missing."
"...Details."
Jamal squeezed his eyes shut and reported.
True mine handler overseeing Chinatown, the Empire's mine extermination op, then radio silence.
The chairman tilted his head.
All the mines under the handler's watch wiped out?
No way...?
"The emperor's status?"
"He's fine. Injuries fully healed, it seems."
"Hmm."
The emperor must've stepped in.
Recovered that fast?
Too much hassle to kill, so he spared him—should've just finished the job?
"However, this Chinatown incident seems tied to someone other than the emperor."
"...Not the emperor?"
"I've gathered some intel here."
After the handler vanished,
Vice Chairman Jamal dug deep into the Chinatown mess.
He mobilized the Association's info network in New Seoul.
The investigation progressed swiftly.
Following the trail led to why mine hunts were ramping up Empire-wide.
The chairman took the tablet from Jamal.
A photo of a young man on the screen.
"Who?"
"Chairman of Taehong Bio pharma, Kim Taeju."
"Kim Taeju... Not an awakener."
"A compatible stronger than masters, they say. Linked to multiple mine captures. Rumors he's working with the Imperial Office's mine division."
"Connected to the handler's disappearance?"
"That's the guess... but anyway, he's no pushover."
"Hmph!"
The chairman scoffed.
Even a grand master? All the same.
"Especially skilled with poison and hidden weapons. That's why he's taken down mines so easily..."
"Wait!"
The chairman cut Jamal off.
His voice trembled faintly.
"...Jamal, what did you say he excels at?"
"Poison and hidden weapons. Makes antidotes well too. Ah! Check the tablet—there's a photo of weapons he's suspected of using."
The chairman hurriedly tapped the tablet.
A photo popped up smack in the middle.
'L-Leaf-shaped flying blades.'
No doubt.
How could he not recognize them?
'No way... the Absolute Poison Demon, Dang Gunak?'
Clearing his throat, the chairman said,
"Jamal, step out for now. I'll call if needed."
"Understood."
Once Jamal fully exited the shed,
"Fuck!!!"
Chairman Cheon Kyung-ho frantically rechecked Kim Taeju's info.
Beyond the leaf blades, photos of other weapons he used.
Designs nonexistent on Earth.
Hidden weapons used only in the martial world.
Cheon Kyung-ho bit his nails hard.
Dang Gunak's weapons?
Could be coincidence.
But if real?
'That terrifying Absolute Poison Demon Dang Gunak?'
Sudden flood of past memories.
Seven years ago, on death's door—then a miracle.
His soul linked to a grotesque, inhuman monster.
A parallel soul from another world.
That being's memories poured into Cheon Kyung-ho.
The Heavenly Demon!
Ruler of the martial world, peerless master—now a prisoner in Hwangcheon's infinite hell, no better than a worm.
That ragged bastard shared his soul?
What could he do?
Facts were facts.
The Demon hated him too.
Claimed shame to share a soul with scum like him—begged him to off himself.
He laughed it off, of course.
A hellbound worm suffering daily?
Anyway, the memories gained.
All the Heavenly Demon's martial arts and experiences as cult leader.
Cheon Kyung-ho's life changed that instant.
Power to rule the world.
But the Heavenly Demon's memories weren't all good.
His final moments in the human realm before Hwangcheon.
'F-Fuck.'
Myriad Heavenly Rain.
The horrific hidden weapons raining like flower petals from the sky.
The Heavenly Demon melted.
No resistance, just agony.
Killed by none other than Absolute Poison Demon Dang Gunak.
Cheon Kyung-ho experienced it vicariously.
The memory of his body dissolving still vivid.
Nightmares jolted him awake sometimes.
Mouth went dry.
Chills raced up his spine.
Throbbing headache.
Awakeners, mines.
Masters, grand masters.
All beneath his feet.
Nothing scared him.
Except the primal fear of Absolute Poison Demon Dang Gunak.
A side effect of inheriting the Heavenly Demon's memories.
Fear etched deep into his brain.
'Haven't even perfected Heavenly Demon Divine Art yet.'
The Heavenly Demon perfected it—and still died.
In berserk state, several times stronger.
Yet someone using the exact same weapons as that Absolute Poison Demon Dang Gunak existed on Earth.
Kim Taeju.
Did this guy have a soul link too?
Same soul as Dang Gunak.
Plenty of reason to suspect.
Not an awakener, yet stronger than masters, poison expert...
His current theory could be wrong.
But if Kim Taeju was truly Absolute Poison Demon Dang Gunak?
Cold sweat just thinking about it.
'Time to leave Barun—no, the Samhan Empire.'
※ ※ ※
Sen Realm Multiplex.
Now a hotspot across all realms.
Its front yard always buzzed with celestials, immortals, fairy maidens, and divine generals.
Opening time for the shuttered multiplex approached.
Would be nice if it ran 24/7, but alas, fixed hours.
"When's Dokseon coming?"
"He was chatting with Messenger Kangrim earlier, then they left together."
"C'mon, what time is it? Time to raise the shutter. Anyone got a watch?"
"Who carries something that precious? Geomseon wears one."
Suddenly!
Speak of the tiger—Geomseon arrived at the multiplex.
No Harley bike; he'd walked.
And not empty-handed.
Drag drag drag.
"...What the hell is that?"
"Geomseon?"
"What'd he drag here?"
"Heh, bringing filth like that to the Sen Realm?"
"That guy's lost it. Shaky as ever."
Geomseon dragged a massive, grotesque yokai leg with one hand.
"What do you think you're doing? Dragging a yokai corpse to this sacred multiplex."
"Pay it no mind."
"How can we not?!"
"Dokseon will flip—clean it up now!"
Geomseon replied calmly.
"You lot missed the ad."
"What ad?"
"The one inside the multiplex."
"Huh? I didn't see it..."
Just then.
Dang Gunak returned from visiting the Heavenly Demon in Hwangcheon's infinite hell and spotted the yokai corpse Geomseon brought.
"Wh-What is this...?"
Gulp.
The immortals watched eagerly.
Geomseon was riding high on Dokseon's favor lately, the most smug in Sen Realm.
Dragging a Harley everywhere.
Jealousy brewed.
They waited for Dokseon to chew him out.
If Geomseon got dumped, they'd fill the spot.
But?
Thud thud thud thud!
Dang Gunak bolted over and grabbed Geomseon's hand.
"G-Geonseon! This human-faced spider... you caught it for me?"
"You asked if Yoma Realm had any poisons. Thought you might need one, so I grabbed it."
"Hahaha!"
Dang Gunak was touched.
Geomseon seemed aloof but was more thoughtful than anyone.
"Dokseon, you probably don't need puny human-faced spider venom. Likely for Great Hero Taeju... right?"
"Spot on! How so perceptive!"
Dang Gunak pulled an item from his infinite space.
"Here! Take it. Payment for the human-faced spider."
"Oh! Th-This is?"
"One watch enough? Wear one on each hand. This is an even finer wristwatch."
"N-No, how can you just..."
The immortals stared dumbfounded.
Expected a scolding—instead, praise?
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three immortals vanished in a flash.
All from the martial world.
Three Peaks Immortal, Plum Blossom Immortal, Kunlun Immortal.
Destination: Yoma Realm.
End of Imprinted Fear (1)