Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Iron Poison Bats
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“Little brother, something there?”
“They slather honey down below or what? Why stare like that?”
“Yang-hui. I'm hungry.”
“Everyone, come take a look.”
Following Yang-hui's lead, Gu-ak and Chui-dal poked their heads through the gap, along with the Dang siblings and even Ado, peering down below.
“Things just got interesting, didn't they?”
“Interesting? What? Hehe, I like fun stuff too.”
“Yeah, yeah. Keep it down, Ado.”
A massive cavern stretched out, roughly a hundred jang in diameter.
The floor was packed with dirt and debris, littered with warriors clutching their legs or arms, groaning in pain.
“Looks like we're up on the ceiling side.”
Faint sunlight filtered in from above, but it was barely enough.
In other words, climbing out meant scaling at least two hundred jang straight up.
Yang-hui eyed the walls.
They look flimsy even at a glance.
Not sheer rock faces, but crumbling earthen walls.
Soil still trickled down in places.
No matter how masterful one's lightness skill, a slope like that and walls like those made reaching the top impossible.
The cavern's warriors were hopelessly trapped.
“No gates or passages anywhere nearby. The Sword King Mausoleum can't just be this one cavern.”
“The collapse was like a full landslide. Anything's gotta be buried under the rubble.”
“Ah, got it.”
They were back to digging through earth.
Worse, blindly searching for who-knew-where gates or passages might be.
Yang-hui suddenly wondered.
How many down there had packed ample rations?
The Namgung lot probably came loaded, but even the Wudang bunch didn't seem like they'd have much.
“Hng. Yang-hui. I'm hungry.”
Hm. We might be short on food ourselves.
“Even a day or two, and bloodshed's bound to break out.”
Dang Goon's face darkened gravely as he spoke.
Dang Yeon chimed in.
“With the entrance collapsed so wide, no following warriors will dare push in carelessly.”
“Height-wise, rope rescues won't be easy either. Procuring ropes that long—hundreds of jang—is no small task.”
No one down there could've sent word yet, so any rescuers from outside would take days at least.
“Means we've got time to kill.”
“Hm. True enough. But little brother, didn't you say scouting with just us is too risky?”
“I did. Old news, though.”
“Hm? You found a way since then?”
Yang-hui's shoulders tensed with confidence.
“Brother Gu. Who am I?”
“……”
Gu-ak knew exactly what to say by now.
“A once-in-a-generation prodigy, the clever rat who punches a hole through even a collapsing sky... young hero.”
“Weird words snuck in there, but I'll let it slide. Spot on, anyway.”
Only the Namgung Clan knew the Sword King Mausoleum's layout.
But.
The pure qi flows feel sharper now than outside.
He didn't grasp every trap mechanism or maze-like path inside.
But following the pure qi should lead somewhere, right?
At least he could loot the place before those trapped fools figured things out.
“Alright, enough sightseeing. Time to move. We need to find our way out too.”
Their rock crevice was too low to stand or even sit comfortably, but wide enough—spanning dozens of jang.
A thorough search should turn up some connecting hole.
“Brother. There's a foxhole kinda thing over here.”
“Good work, Chui-dal.”
They scuttled crab-like on hands and feet.
Sure enough, Chui-dal pointed to a hole where rainwater had apparently carved a path.
Direction's opposite the pure qi flow. Still, scouting first.
Problem: narrow enough for only a child to squeeze through.
“Ssp. A twelve- or thirteen-year-old might fit. Not us.”
The group turned to stare at Chui-dal in unison.
“……”
Chui-dal wedged himself in silently—then got stuck.
“Brother. Won't budge. Help!”
“Useless as ever. All size, no help.”
“……”
Chui-dal gazed up at the sky—or rather, the pitch-black ceiling inches from his nose.
Always whining about growing fast to complete his body.
Now flipping attitudes to gripe.
Calling a guy like that 'big brother'...
Crack!
“Kyaak! Why hit me? Didn't curse!”
“Your eyes did.”
“Shit!”
“Shit? Want me to shove you straight through to the bottom?”
“My bad.”
They yanked Chui-dal free. Gu-ak stepped up.
Wrapping his qi around his axe in tangible form, he chipped away bit by bit until even the burliest—Yang-hui—could pass.
But the issue lingered.
“Keeps narrowing below. Even carving, it'll take ages to descend.”
“Hm. No way around it?”
“Yang-hui. Help?”
“Huh?”
Ado beamed innocently.
“Wanna go down?”
“Yeah, would be nice.”
“Wait a sec!”
Golden flames erupted from Ado's body.
The glow was so intense, Yang-hui worried it'd leak out and alert the cavern warriors.
Enveloped in golden true qi, Ado shoved his head into the hole heedlessly.
“Amitabha!”
Normally, a human body smashing rock shatters the body.
Ado pulled off the opposite.
“What the— he a mole or something?”
Ado widened the hole mole-style, burrowing down, down.
His pace rivaled a casual stroll.
Prajna Great Ability from the Reverse Muscle Tendon Classic.
Prajna Great Ability.
Most famed of Shaolin's Seventy-Two Supreme Arts, a pinnacle of rigid qi techniques.
Ado wasn't peak transcendent yet, but his full-body protective qi sufficed to pulverize and excavate rock.
“Shaolin warrior monks have bodies tough as rock or iron, they say. Never thought I'd witness it firsthand.”
“He's already dug down half a gak.”
“Inner power to sustain protective qi this long...”
Suddenly, Ado's form slipped through and dropped.
A thud of landing, then his signature bright laugh echoed up.
“Hehe! Done!”
Yang-hui leaped down next, scanned warily, then looked up.
“Seems safe. Everyone, come on down.”
Dang Goon third, then Chui-dal, Gu-ak, Dang Yeon.
“Ado, monk. Good work!”
“Hehe. Thanks.”
“Dirt and stone, but human handiwork on the walls.”
“Looks like a passage built when the Sword King Mausoleum was made.”
“Front or back—which way?”
Judging by the hole's curve they'd descended, their spot was near the cavern's south side, where warriors were trapped.
Starting northeast, they'd arced nearly a half-circle down.
Qi flow direction for now... both ways?
Hm. Tricky.
Source probably north.
So south end, both east-west passages channeled qi.
No— one could be qi leaking from a crack somewhere. Or both.
Anyway, time to move.
Can't just sit hoping qi flow strengthens.
“Brother. Spooky down here. Light a torch first?”
They'd come prepared for Sword King Mausoleum scouting.
Yang-hui's satchel held rations plus gear like torches.
“Let's go dark first. Light-triggers on traps possible.”
Key issue: which way?
“Brother Dang. Which way?”
“Hm? Me decide?”
“Yeah. Eldest here.”
“Ahem!”
The cough came from Gu-ak.
Ah. Slipped my mind.
Maturity-wise, Dang Goon outdid Gu-ak.
“Ahem. Brother Gu. You're so youthful-looking, forgot. Which way?”
“Khmm. Forgot, huh? I say this way.”
Gu-ak pointed west of the two.
“Sound judgment.”
Entrance just above, so cavern was central.
West meant outskirts—safer.
Must scout both eventually, so safe side first.
Solid logic.
Except...
“Brother Gu.”
“What.”
“Ain't it weirdly quiet?”
“Caves are quiet. Normal.”
Dang Yeon spoke, hands in sleeves like Yang-hui.
“No water flow. Dripping echoes were there moments ago.”
Two possibilities: flawless construction blocking water paths.
Or coincidence.
“……Low chance it's coincidence, right?”
“……Better than dying on false hope?”
That instant.
Yang-hui's sharp qi sense caught the anomaly.
Not one spot—everywhere.
Hairs rose on his spine with a hiss.
In a blink, hundreds, thousands of qi presences surged from all sides—no spark of life, just feral instinct.
When'd my senses get this sharp?
Even as he thought it, he bellowed.
“Battle stations!”
Sword drawn mid-shout.
Clang!
Something slashed past after a fierce swing.
Boosting inner power to keen his sight revealed a small, blurry shape.
“Brother Gu! Sword qi! Chui-dal, torch!”
Gu-ak's twin axes gleamed.
From floor, walls, ceiling.
All around, hundreds, thousands of small round glints appeared.
Like beast eyes reflecting light at night.
“Lit!”
Chui-dal raised the torch high.
Hundreds, thousands of reflections revealed their truth.
Kieeeek!
Kiek, kieeeek!
“Bats.”
“Bats, yeah.”
Yang-hui couldn't hold back a yell.
“No way they're normal bats! Run!”
He hurled Chui-dal with his torch to the opposite passage.
Chui-dal soared far, torch in grip.
“Ado! Rear guard!”
“Got it!”
“Brother Gu! Carry Sister Dang!”
Yang-hui hoisted allies simultaneously.
“Brother and sis, pin bats with darts! We bolt!”
Kieeeek! Kieeek!
Bat flight speed rivaled spirit beasts.
Not ordinary bats.
“Brother Dang! Know what those bastards are?!”
“Like ones in our clan's poison compendium! Iron Poison Bats—half-spirit venom beasts!”
Do those shits not eat? Why thousands underground?! “Eek!”
He barely dodged a body-slam Iron Poison Bat with Heavenly Ghost Steps.
“Aaa! Stings! Stings!”
Ado followed, wincing and pounding along.
Pain despite full golden aura meant those bats were no joke.
Bastards' eyes glossy like glass beads.
Hm? Wait.
Glass beads?
How do they even see with eyes like that?
“Brother Dang!”
“Speak!”
“Know their traits?”
Yang-hui shot the sudden question at Dang Goon, got his answer.
Yang-hui's lips curled in savage grin.
“You little shits are done for!”