Four Miracles
Four.
There were definitely four of the brilliant pills.
Even when I counted them again, and even when I counted them backward, the result was the same.
No matter how I looked at it, there were four.
I rubbed my eyes repeatedly, and when the number remained unchanged, I clamped my hand over my mouth.
“...Mph...”
If I hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to stop myself from crying out.
That was how shocking the sight was.
Four... Four Great Pills!
Four of them, no less.
An item that could secure a lifetime of comfort with just one, and there were four of them sitting right here.
The ultimate pill among pills, which all martial artists revered as a miracle.
Not just one, but four Great Pills.
“...Wow. Holy crap...”
I wiped the drool trickling down the back of my hand, my eyes glued to the Great Pills.
So these are the famous Great Pills, huh?
A legendary elixir capable of rewriting a martial artist's future and history with a single dose.
The edible miracle I had only ever heard of in rumors was right before my eyes.
[They look pristine. You must have stored them well.]
[Of course I did. Do you have any idea how hard it was to snatch those from that bald monk?]
[If you're done gawking, take one out and close it. If you leave it open like that, the energy might escape—oh. Right.]
Before he could even finish his sentence, I slammed the box shut.
“Why are you only telling me that now...? What if the value of the merchandise dropped?”
[......No, wait......]
At my words, Yoo Chun-gil let out a dumbfounded gasp and stared at me.
His eyes shone with an exceptionally bright blue light today.
[Merchandise? That is a bizarre choice of words. Are you planning to sell the Great Pills?]
“……”
I flinched at Yoo Chun-gil's question, my shoulders twitching slightly.
Oops. My true thoughts slipped out.
I was so shocked that I failed to filter myself. How stupid.
I tried to fix my expression, but...
Too late.
I could feel the intense gazes of both Yoo Chun-gil and Dok-jon locked onto me.
It was too late to make up a lame excuse.
“...Well, I mean, it feels like a waste to just eat them.”
I decided to just face it head-on.
[What?]
Yoo Chun-gil's brow furrowed.
[A waste to eat them? Of course you must eat them.]
Hearing that, I furrowed my brow in turn.
“Are you out of your mind?”
[What did you say?]
Eat a Great Pill? How absurd.
“Do you have any idea how much one of these is worth? And you want me to shove such a precious thing into this pathetic body of mine? Have you gone senile?”
No matter how much I wanted to get stronger, swallowing a Great Pill just like that was a hard choice to make.
[Ha! Look at this lunatic. You went through all this trouble to get the Great Pills, and now you want to sell them instead of eating them? Do you even call yourself a martial artist?!]
“Martial artist my ass. Eating something this expensive without a second thought makes even less sense. Being a martial artist isn't some noble title.”
[You—!]
Yoo Chun-gil looked ready to blow his top, but he suddenly paused.
Did he realize that arguing right now was pointless?
Instead of anger, Yoo Chun-gil chose...
[Still, you have four of them. Surely you can afford to eat just one.]
Persuasion.
His voice was unusually gentle, completely unlike his normal self.
It was downright creepy.
[Just eat one. You do know that you can only ever consume one Great Pill anyway, right?]
“Huh? What do you mean I can only eat one?”
When I looked at him with a puzzled expression, Yoo Chun-gil stared back as if he couldn't believe his ears.
[......You did not know?]
“No.”
[......Haha.]
Yoo Chun-gil let out a hollow laugh, his cheeks twitching. It was obvious he was holding back from calling me pathetic.
[......Even miraculous pills have a limit to their efficacy.]
This was news to me. A tolerance to miraculous pills?
Intrigued by this new information, I listened closely as Yoo Chun-gil continued.
[Since a martial artist's dantian has a set limit to the amount of energy it can absorb at once, once the Great Pill sweeps through your body, you develop a resistance. Consuming a second one will not yield much benefit.]
“So eating a second one is pointless?”
[It would not be entirely useless, but it is not worth the attempt. As you said, the value of a Great Pill is astronomical.]
“……Hmm.”
In other words, one Great Pill was incredibly effective, but the efficiency dropped drastically from the second one onward, making it a waste to consume more.
[So just eat one. You will still have three left over.]
Just as Yoo Chun-gil's coaxing was intensifying...
[Wait...... You two keep talking nonsense.]
Dok-jon cut in.
[When did I ever say I would give you all four! Why are you bastards squabbling over my belongings!]
His sudden shout snapped me back to reality.
Oh, right. Now that I think about it, he never said he'd give me all of them.
Remembering that, I decided I shouldn't open the box of Great Pills again.
But then...
[You miserable miser! Spitting in our soup, are we? What is the harm in giving them to him! You are already dead, so stop being so greedy.]
Yoo Chun-gil snapped at Dok-jon, whose eyes flared with anger in response.
[What? 'What is the harm'? 'Miser'? Listen to this lunatic talk so easily just because it is not his! Do you have any idea how I stole—no, acquired those?!]
“……”
I definitely heard it. Dok-jon almost said "stole."
Did he actually steal the Great Pills?
...He stole the Thousand Demon Sword, and now the Great Pills too. What kind of old man is he?
It wasn't like his family was poor.
I couldn't understand why a former patriarch of one of the Five Great Clans kept stealing things.
[Oh, please! Who do you think you are fooling? Everyone knows you swiped them from that bald monk!]
Who was this "bald monk" Yoo Chun-gil was talking about?
I was curious, but at the same time, I didn't want to know.
I feel like I shouldn't hear this.
It felt ominous. I was already shocked enough by the story of the Plum Blossom Single Sword; hearing about this would probably only give me a headache.
[Bullshit! Swiped? It was a legitimate trade! Even that bastard Goebul acknowledged it!]
Ah, damn it. I heard it.
I rubbed my face in frustration.
...Goebul... That's the former Abbot of Shaolin.
The truth I had desperately hoped wasn't true turned out to be correct once again.
I had heard Goebul's name back in the Cheongwolgo, and here he was again.
[Whether you swiped them or traded for them, just give them to him. Why are you so talkative? You are dead anyway, so it is not like you can use them!]
[You......!]
Dok-jon trembled with rage at Yoo Chun-gil's words.
Just as I was starting to worry he might explode...
[Phew......]
Dok-jon let out a long, deep sigh. If his breath had a color, it would have been crimson, thick with fury.
[......Who said I would not give them to him? Let me finish my sentence.]
Wow, his patience is actually insane.
If it were me, I would have flipped the table by now.
Contrary to his appearance, Dok-jon seemed to possess remarkable self-control.
[......Sigh. Child.]
Dok-jon turned his gaze to me.
“Yes, Elder.”
[I have a favor to ask of you...... Wait, why did you go back to calling me that?]
[Do not mind him. He is always like this.]
[Right, right...... Anyway, I have a favor to ask.]
“A favor...?”
[Normally, this should have been the end of it, but I have one more request for you.]
“Hmm……”
I narrowed my eyes and stared at Dok-jon.
His words felt suspicious.
Another favor at this point?
I had retrieved the Thousand Demon Sword as planned, and I had already secured the Great Pills as my reward.
Yet, he suddenly had another favor to ask?
No, it's not sudden.
This wasn't something he just thought of.
Considering the number of Great Pills, this must have been planned from the start.
Dok-jon had set all of this up, knowing it would turn out this way.
“What is the favor?”
I asked, keeping my expression neutral.
Dok-jon cleared his throat before speaking.
[I want you to deliver the Thousand Demon Sword you brought out. If you do this...... I will give you all the remaining Great Pills.]
Deliver it?
All I had to do was hand over the hilt I had retrieved to someone.
And he would give me the rest of the Great Pills just for that?
Could it be...
“...Is this person located very far away?”
[No. They are within the Dang Clan.]
“Hmm……”
Completing such a simple task in exchange for Great Pills was an incredibly lucrative deal.
“Are you really giving me the Great Pills for something so simple?”
[Yes. As that bastard said, I am dead and have no use for them. And...]
Dok-jon's eyes crinkled slightly before he spoke.
[If you do, it would not be a problem for you to eat one, would it?]
“……”
I tilted my head.
This old man... Yoo Chun-gil is one thing, but is Dok-jon trying to get me to eat a Great Pill too?
Why?
Judging by their behavior, that was definitely the case, but I couldn't fathom their intentions.
“So... if I deliver this sword, you'll give me all the Great Pills, but you want me to eat one of them now?”
The more we talked, the clearer it became that I had absolutely nothing to lose.
Frankly, consuming even a single Great Pill was a miracle in itself. If they were practically begging me to take them, why should I refuse?
Delivering the Thousand Demon Sword is a bit bothersome, but...
Was that enough of a reason to decline?
“...You really just want me to deliver it?”
I decided it wasn't.
[Yes.]
Hearing Dok-jon's confirmation, I suppressed my lingering doubts and looked at Yoo Chun-gil.
He was staring at me with anticipation, his blue eyes glowing in the darkness of the night.
“...Ugh.”
Feeling burdened by his gaze, I looked away and reopened the box in front of me.
The moment it opened, the sweet fragrance from earlier wafted out again.
Worried the energy might dissipate, I quickly snatched one pill and closed the box.
The Great Pill was only about the size of a circle made by pinching my thumb and index finger together.
Was such a vast amount of energy truly contained within this tiny thing?
I stared at it quietly before letting out a sigh.
“Such a waste...”
Should I really eat this? I hesitated until the very last second.
It was far too precious to be wasted on my pathetic body.
“Damn it...”
With trembling hands, I popped the Great Pill into my mouth.
The moment it touched my tongue, a brilliant fragrance spread throughout my entire body.
But...
Am I supposed to chew this, or just swallow it whole?
How was I supposed to consume this?
The only miraculous pill I had ever consumed in my life was the Blue Moon Pill, so I had no idea what the proper method was.
Right then.
[Step aside.]
Yoo Chun-gil said to me. Step aside all of a sudden? I stared at him in confusion with the pill still in my mouth.
[It would be a waste if you let the energy leak. I will make good use of it, so step back.]
“……”
[Step aside? What do you mean by that all of a sudden?]
Dok-jon furrowed his brow as he watched us, but this was no time to worry about him.
I immediately nodded. Letting this precious energy leak? Absolutely not.
The moment I gave my consent, the strength drained from my body.
Yoo Chun-gil had taken control.
[Huh?]
Dok-jon's eyes widened at the sight.
Yoo Chun-gil immediately sat cross-legged and swallowed the Great Pill whole.
I could feel it.
The Great Pill sliding down my esophagus.
The moment the pill settled safely in my stomach...
Rumble!
A vibration shook the depths of my abdomen. Immediately after...
Whoosh!
An immense surge of energy began to flow from my dantian.
...Whoa.
I gasped inwardly. I had never felt such energy in my entire life.
It was a tempest. It felt as if a vortex of pure energy was erupting inside my body.
It was vast and wild enough to sweep me away if I lost focus for even a second, yet at the same time, it felt refined and gentle.
It was paradoxical and contradictory, but there was no other way to describe it.
Rumble!
The overwhelming energy grew increasingly violent, threatening to consume me entirely.
Was this really okay? Could a tiny dantian like mine handle such a massive amount of energy?
Doubts flared, but...
“Hssss.”
Mocking my worries.
Rumble! Whoosh!
Ha.
The raging energy that had been thrashing in all directions suddenly began to subside.
The pressure building within my body seized the energy and forced it down into my dantian.
...You can control it like this?
It wasn't about guiding the energy or handling it gently.
...Why is this so brutal?
This was sheer violence inflicted upon the energy.
As if meeting wild force with even wilder force.
Yoo Chun-gil grabbed the energy and forcefully crammed it into my dantian.
Yet, there was no risk of the energy going haywire or dispersing.
Is this even possible?
The more I felt it, the more absurd it seemed.
To manipulate energy in such a manner...
It was a method I had never even imagined.
It looked like he was just shoving it in blindly, but I could feel an immense level of precision in the process.
...I can't do this.
I could never pull this off.
If it were me, it would have been absolutely impossible.
However...
Even if I can't do it now...
I might be able to use it someday. I focused entirely on memorizing every single sensation.
“Hssss...”
As if refusing to let even a speck of it go to waste, my body exhaled slowly, continuously gathering the energy.
There was no time to feel the brilliant, divine energy that was said to accompany the consumption of a Great Pill.
All I could do was watch the energy get beaten into submission and compressed.
After a bit more time passed...
The turbulent dantian finally quieted down.
And when the raging energy no longer reared its head...
“Phew...”
With Yoo Chun-gil's low sigh, I felt a sudden recoil.
Whoosh!
My body regained its sense of control.
I tried to speak to Yoo Chun-gil immediately, but...
[Do not open your mouth.]
At Yoo Chun-gil's warning, I kept my mouth shut.
[......Hm.]
Meanwhile, Yoo Chun-gil snorted as if he had realized something.
[Your body is in better shape than it looks. It absorbed far more than I expected.]
His voice sounded satisfied.
[This should be just enough to pass.]
Then...
[So...]
Yoo Chun-gil spoke to me with a strange look in his eyes.
[Make sure you endure what comes next.]
Huh?
What was I supposed to endure all of a sudden?
Just as confusion set in...
Thud!
“Khh...!”
My eyes flew open at the sudden pain radiating from my dantian.
[The energy forced into your dantian is now dispersing into your body. Since the volume of energy is massive, it will be a bit rough. I repeat, do not open your mouth. The moment you do, the energy will escape entirely.]
Yoo Chun-gil warned me sternly, emphasizing that I must obey.
And then...
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
An excruciating pain assaulted me.
[Endure it. Once you survive this, even a pathetic wretch like you will become somewhat useful.]
I clenched my fists and trembled violently.
It felt as if my entire body was being battered by a sledgehammer.
That agony...
...lasted until the sun rose.
Chirp. Chirp.
The sound of birds chirping reached my ears.
I rolled my half-open eyes and saw light filtering through the gap in the window.
I nudged my hand slightly.
My trembling fingertips touched the floor.
“...Phew... Ugh... Ah...”
I opened my mouth.
I had no idea how many hours it had been since I last opened it.
I exhaled deeply and slumped to the floor.
The agonizing pain had finally subsided.
Confirming this, I caught my breath, utterly exhausted.
Then, on a whim, I raised my hand and repeatedly clenched and unclenched my fist.
“...Ha...”
A laugh escaped my lips at the sensation coursing through me.
“Seriously... this is ridiculous.”
The Great Pill was definitely the real deal.
It was so potent that...
“...I actually reached the First-rate realm.”
My cultivation, which had barely been Second-rate...
...had now leaped well past the threshold of a First-rate martial artist.