Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Swallowing the Banshee's Tear
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After hearing Sa Seung-hee's words, I opened my mouth.
"That crown was secured five years ago already, right? And it still doesn't have an owner..."
—For the first couple of years, there were hunters who tried challenging it, but they all failed. No one's attempted it lately. If you even snag the bottom spot on Hope's List, you get massive perks.
People's instincts lean toward grabbing guaranteed wealth over probabilistic gambles.
That was the story with the crown in question. Despite its insane performance, it had spent the last five years gathering dust in the Association's warehouse.
It was heartbreaking. Really. If someone secured it and built up enough skill, even the Gonzalo Rock didn't seem out of reach.
"Hold on, though."
If the top 1-5 on the list equipped that crown and gathered a bunch of hunters to charge in, couldn't they go for the Gonzalo Rock right away?
Nah, forget it. It's not the era where you can expect anything from others.
Sa Seung-hee had said it would take about a month. Which meant that much time remained until that Heavenly Best Martial Arts Tournament lookalike kicked off.
"Can I still sign up?"
—Applications start tomorrow.
Come to think of it, for something that huge, rumors should've been flying months ago... As I walked down the street, I spotted the content on a massive billboard and let out an "Ah."
This is why it's a big deal if you're out of touch with the world. Though, thinking about it, people ignore baseball games or esports tournaments if they're not into them.
Once you're interested, suddenly all those billboards catch your eye.
"Doesn't feel all that exciting."
Monsters are tearing the planet apart, and here they are holding tournaments like they've got all the time in the world.
Feels like kids playing around. But there's no other choice. Plus, getting your name on Hope's List would be a huge boost for future moves.
—It's a necessary step. If you get on Hope's List once and your ranking never changes after that, it'd be a problem, right?
You'd look like dead weight. And that Hope's List ranking system itself would lose credibility.
But seeing what they were doing with that crown, it seemed like the ranking system wasn't running all that smoothly anyway.
After finishing my call with Sa Seung-hee, I immediately contacted Choi Seung-gi again.
—We just met, and you're calling back already?
"About that Banshee's Tear I mentioned earlier. Cut the gem ratio for the top-grade engraving in half."
Choi Seung-gi immediately let out a "Huh?"
—Sure, that works, but then you'd need way more solid hits to properly poison the enemy.
"It's fine. Give me back half the amount originally set aside for the top-grade engraving. As fast as possible. I'll be at the Association training hall."
I had plans for the remaining half. In the end, life boils down to either crashing or soaring.
"Hope's List, huh."
I muttered to myself and scratched my head vigorously.
Extraordinary situations call for extraordinary measures. For me, that gem was about to become one.
Back at the training hall, I waited a bit, and soon the person Choi Seung-gi sent arrived.
"Here's the item you requested."
Opening the case revealed a gem the size of a thumbnail. I checked it over and nodded.
"Tell Choi Seung-gi thanks."
With that, I grabbed the case and returned to the training hall.
"Guys, I'll be tied up for a day or two."
Han Sang-ah and Jeong O-hoon paused their training and looked my way.
"What, got something cooking?"
I tapped the case at Jeong O-hoon's question.
"Gonna eat this."
Jeong O-hoon glanced at the case, then back at me. He already had a rough idea what Banshee's Tear was.
"Didn't you say just touching it poisons you? Break up with your girlfriend or something?"
Even if I did break up, would I eat this and die?
"Cut the crap."
Han Sang-ah examined the sword in her hand, then sheathed it.
"Plenty of ways to die if you want."
"I won't die. Damn it, it's ridiculous explaining what I'm doing to my own body to you two, but listen up."
I'm not just swallowing it raw. I'll coat it with Paradox Flame first, then eat it. The Paradox Flame will burn away the gem's toxicity as it enters my stomach.
Paradox Flame incinerates what I target, spewing out mana as byproduct. I absorb ambient mana, cycle it, and strengthen my blood vessels.
Jeong O-hoon, who'd been listening, spoke up.
"If you absorb the mana spewing directly from your stomach instead of ambient mana..."
"The efficiency will be insane."
Plus, this thing was pure poison. No telling how long the Paradox Flame would burn or how much mana it'd produce.
"Couldn't that kill you?"
"Screw up, and yeah."
Strengthening and destroying blood vessels is a razor's edge. Mess it up like this, and they'll all burst, leaving me to die in some gruesome way.
Like a pipe exploding under pressure. Just like that hunter Sohwi I faced before.
But succeed, and I'd leapfrog my usual growth in one shot.
"Why go that far?"
I shared my conversation with Sa Seung-hee.
"Right, that season's coming up where they pick hunters for the list. And a crown."
Han Sang-ah, who'd been listening, asked:
"But it's top 20, right? At your level now, couldn't you take a 20th ranker?"
"Just scraping into the top 20 isn't satisfying."
Got to chase big dreams. I've set my sights on crushing that Great Eight someday—barely snagging 20th would be embarrassing.
"Anyway, that should explain it. Oh, and it might take longer than expected."
With that, I said goodbye to them and locked myself in the small room inside the training hall.
Then I opened the case. A sinisterly glowing shard of Banshee's Tear met my eyes.
"Let's eat it and see if I die."
I picked up the Banshee's Tear, coated it with Paradox Flame, and swallowed it whole.
At first, nothing happened. But as the Paradox Flame ignited it, spewing mana, my stomach churned violently.
Way more toxic than I thought.
"Whoa, shit...!"
I clenched my jaw, shut my eyes, and shoved the surging mana into my blood vessels. Cracking sounds echoed through my body. Soon they turned to grinding, then bones snapping.
My blood vessels were screaming. I didn't need to hold onto the mana anyway. This massive surge just needed to pass through and vent out.
Viscous mana poured from my nose and mouth.
"..."
I gaped, eyes wide, body trembling. This hurt too much. Looking down, my vessels weren't just straining—capillaries were bursting.
Blood streamed from ears and nose, eyes bloodshot red. Limbs mottled with bruises blooming like mold on bread.
Oh god, I'm gonna die!
Pain was familiar. Vision flashed white to black repeatedly.
"No big deal. Not that bad..."
I muttered, sweating bullets, enduring. Truth was, it was a huge deal. And insanely bad.
"It's not like I didn't expect this."
I did expect it. But knowing doesn't kill the pain. Damn, it hurts so much! I'm losing it!
Vision blurring, mind whitening. Thoughts slowed, consciousness floating. At some point, time dilated, mind racing endlessly.
What was my true form before birth?
What shape is a self beyond good and evil?
Here, I release suffering, shed notions of right-wrong, black-white, comparisons.
Not going where the mind is, but mind arising where I go. Like water not flowing by will, wind not blowing with intent.
Let it flow, let it move. Not walking a path, but finding it after going.
Imbue will into formless mind, swing as sword. No reliance on shaped weapon in hand; immerse in self, pierce self, cut mind not flesh.
Drawn bowstring pauses, then releases. Rolling boulder eventually stops. High-morale troops eventually crash.
Thus, all states reverse at extremes. Stillness holds motion, motion holds stillness.
"..."
Slowly, my seated body lifted slightly into the air. The energy leaking from nose and mouth gathered above my head.
Feeling the levitation, I slapped my cheek hard.
Thud—my body dropped back to the floor. The energy dispersed.
"What the hell was that? Polishing your enlightenment?"
Going nuts with levitation? Focus.
Pain beyond imagination makes the mind desperately chase distractions to escape.
Enlightenment? Bullshit. Killers wielding weapons don't get that crap.
Expanding and strengthening blood vessels with surging mana isn't unconscious. It must be conscious, under my control.
"And..."
Drift into unconsciousness like before, and this pain fades. Stability, in other words. Instinctively numbing agony.
Like remodeling a building but silencing the noise.
Or putting water on to boil ramen but it never heats.
Demolish and rebuild, yet stabilize? Means you're slacking or screwing up.
"Until... it's all done!"
This vicious, dizzying pain must never fade.
Banishing this shitty mind-wandering, control every bit of mana consciously from one to ten.
Only then can I fully exploit this Banshee's Tear—or snot—for its toxicity and properly rebuild my blood vessels.
Time began to crawl. One second in pain felt like a minute.
Blood flowed from eyes, nose, ears. Pain brought tears and snot too. Drool poured from my mouth.
Body bruised blue like a Smurf, convulsing like a seizure.
"Uwaaaaaagh! Aaaarghhh!"
I writhed, collapsed to the floor, squirmed like a worm on a sizzling grill.
Real training and practice, done right, is ugly.
No lotus positions, floating to the sky with smoky crowns or levitating like saints.
Train elegantly and...
"You'll die ugly in real combat."