A Cornered Rat Bites the Cat (1)
A Cornered Rat Bites the Cat (1)
At the cost of risking a ban on the gallery, after desperately clinging to it, I obtained the solution to save Jeokryeon.
The probability of success converges endlessly toward 0, but what does it matter as long as one exists?
'Challenging the impossible is also the mindset of a gamer.'
After bathing to cleanse myself and eating a hearty meal, I log into Jirak Cultivation Chronicles.
The dark, frozen world begins to regain color because of me.
"Ryeon-ah, teach me some formation arts."
"......Suddenly?"
The starting point was after Jeokryeon confessed her plight; within just one day, I grabbed her and pestered her to teach me formations, one of the hundred arts of cultivation.
"Formation arts are so difficult that they rank among the top five even within the hundred arts of cultivation. You have to master and know how to utilize all kinds of knowledge."
"I still want to learn."
To save you, I must learn it.
Looking at my expression, Jeokryeon gave a sad smile and nodded her head.
"Well, fine. It should be good for passing the time. But if you're even a little insincere, I won't teach you."
"Got it."
Perhaps she might view my actions as childish stubbornness.
I hold the same thought as well.
The monster of the Dao-Entering Realm is monitoring Jeokryeon in real-time.
Even my actions are in the palm of his hand.
Even so, there was no sharp clever trick to study in secret anyway.
I proudly chose a direct head-on breakthrough.
'I'm going to interfere. I'm going to wretchedly ruin your bastard plans.'
I'll probably be ignored since I'm at the Qi Condensation stage. They might just be leaving me alone to keep Jeokryeon's resistance in check.
Even better. The more the opponent lowers their guard, the better it is for me.
"Where should we start? Shall we check out the basic terms of formation arts first?"
Jeokryeon waved her fingers around and slowly wrote down words in the air.
Jinmun (Formation Pattern) - The pattern that constitutes the effect of a formation.
Jinhaek (Formation Core) - The central axis of a formation. If the formation core is destroyed, the formation collapses.
Jingimaek (Formation Energy Circuit) - The spiritual energy circuit flowing inside a formation. If severed, efficiency drops drastically.
"There are other terms as well, but these three are probably the most important, right? No matter what formation it is, if these are missing, it won't operate."
Jeokryeon tapped her feet and continued speaking.
"Shall we take the Spirit Gathering Formation installed in the cave abode as an example? What do you need to know to activate the Spirit Gathering Formation?"
"The Jinmun of the Spirit Gathering Formation?"
"That's right. To determine the nature of a formation, you have to know its Jinmun first."
Jinmun (Formation Pattern) is also referred to as Jinmun (Formation Text), and it is the language of formations.
If you don't know this language, you can't even make an initiation into it.
Though there might be a method of comprehending it by creating it yourself, unless one possesses considerable talent and attainment, it is worse than doing nothing at all.
"Is it in that ritual too? That Jinmun?"
"......Probably. Even I don't know that far. Something like a Jinmun of Resurrection wasn't even in the library of the Blood Lotus Palace."
Then that means it is a language independently developed within the Blood Lotus Palace.
Since its depth must be profound and high, it would be difficult for me to interfere.
"Ahem, alright. The Jinmun of the Spirit Gathering Formation is structured like this."
Jeokryeon showed me the Jinmun of the Spirit Gathering Formation.
Hm, earthworms dancing in midair.
"In a Jinmun, each stroke has its own meaning and role. If this goes awry, the formation's effect transforms and causes a backlash, or ends in a misfire."
Jeokryeon touched a few strokes of the Jinmun as an example. Then, the Jinmun that had looked plausible became strange like a child's drawing.
"Now, once you've decided on the Jinmun, what should you do next?"
"Lay down the Jingimaek?"
"That's right. The Jingimaek is a very crucial element that serves as the meridians of the formation. Without it, the formation itself won't activate. Formations are living creatures that feed on spiritual energy just like us cultivators."
Installing the Jingimaek is comprehended as a basic once you know the Jinmun.
However, since there are limits to basic effects, cultivators additionally study the flow of the Jingimaek.
They say the number of variations alone is countless.
That's because each sect pursues different formation inclinations.
In the case of the Blood Lotus Palace, Fire-attribute or Blood-attribute cultivation arts are the main focus, so their formations are specialized to support those.
Though the foundation of the Spirit Gathering Formation may be the same, all elements of higher-tier formations will be completely different.
"Now, the installation of the Jinmun and Jingimaek is done. Frankly, reaching this point means the formation is already finished. A formation can operate with just these two. But I specifically included the Jinhaek. Why do you think that is?"
"If there's no Jinhaek, the caster has to be the center of the formation? Then the caster wouldn't be able to move, right?"
"Correct. You're really smart, aren't you?"
Furthermore, having a Jinhaek has the advantage of boosting the formation's effects.
"If the caster becomes the core of the formation, it's easy to deal with variables, but there's the risk that the collapse of the formation directly leads to harm to the caster. On the other hand, installing a Jinhaek might leave vulnerability to variables, but it grants the advantage of the caster remaining active on the battlefield."
What to choose as the Jinhaek isn't particularly fixed, and depends on the discretion of the caster.
To fool an enemy, a plain pebble can be made into a Jinhaek, or it can be split into multiple pieces to form another axis.
'Since it's a resurrection ritual, the Jinhaek must be the First Founder or Jeokryeon, right?'
Since the power will concentrate inward rather than outward, that's almost certainly correct.
However, destroying the Jinhaek is practically impossible.
'The Palace Master himself will be at the Jinhaek, so how do I bypass that monster of the Dao-Entering Realm to destroy the Jinhaek? No, wait, if I do that, Jeokryeon dies in the first place!'
Neither the Jinmun nor the Jinhaek can be touched.
Going crazy here. The only way left is to access the Jingimaek.
'Hyung-nim knew that too, which is why he didn't bother writing about the Jinhaek or Jinmun.'
My head hurts. The more I learn, the more helplessness washes over me.
Right then, warmth rushed over my forehead.
"What are you doing daydreaming during class? If you keep this up, I won't teach you anymore."
"Sorry. I'll be careful."
In the hand stroking my head, remorse oozed out.
That didn't feel terribly great.
"Now, let's continue. Even if you tell me to stop, I'm going to force you to study anyway."
"Got it. Just take it easy on me."
Afterwards, I reduced unnecessary thoughts and focused on studying formation arts.
And, to increase the probability, I also learned other hundred arts of cultivation related to formations.
Restriction arts specialized in sealing and control.
Pulse-seeking arts, the technique to find spirit veins.
Gamcheon, the art of analyzing Feng Shui and geography.
Artifact refining, for crafting Dharma treasures and Dharma artifacts.
Talisman crafting, for producing talismans.
Besides those, I received education on all the hundred arts that Jeokryeon knew.
Although I learned broadly and shallowly, barely mastering the basics, I was confident that at the Qi Condensation stage, no one had studied the hundred arts as much as me.
"If you master even just one of the hundred arts properly, you can be well respected anywhere you go. But usually, people have talent in one or two, at most three—how come you're mediocre across all of them?"
"Is it the talent of Baekyebomjae?"
"Anyone can reach the basic initiation level. Which of those you actually have talent for is something you have to find out yourself."
Even if my senses were sharp, the fact that it didn't extend to the realm of the hundred arts was deeply disappointing.
Like that, I spent enjoyable days learning and practicing.
Nobody disturbed us, and nobody looked for us.
Inside this small cave abode, there was only Jeokryeon and me, just the two of us.
That her life was on a countdown felt like a lie, and the events waiting outside seemed like stories from another world.
However, no matter how much I turned a blind eye, reality was reality.
Before I knew it, ten years passed, and right around the time I was slacking off even on the hundred arts of cultivation to hang out with Jeokryeon...
"The time has come. Let's go, Ryeon-ah."
The Palace Master came in person to find Jeokryeon.
I could only stare blankly at her as she departed.
"Could you spare us a brief moment?"
"As much as you like."
Toward me, standing there desolately, Jeokryeon approaches.
Her fingertips stroked down my cheek.
"You tried hard. I know it. So, I hope you find someone else instead of me."
"........."
"Don't make a face like that. You said fun comes first for you. Even if the world is cruel and cold-hearted, I know someone like you can overcome it well. Because out there, there will be plenty of fun things that'll make you forget all about me."
A warm touch brushed across my lips.
At the receding warmth, I froze, and my head spun wildly.
"Palace Master-nim, this young girl has one request to make."
"Speak it."
"Could you show minimum mercy to this person?"
"Very well. I swear upon my Dao heart, 'I' shall inflict no harm whatsoever upon this person until he steps outside the Blood Lotus Palace."
"Thank you."
I reached out my hand, but it didn't touch, and I sank straight into a forced blackout state.
All that remained at the end was the warmth already drying up and Jeokryeon hugging me with a smile.
I step out of the virtual reality device and clutch my head.
Feeling nauseous and helpless...
"Whew, it's not over yet."
Opening the fridge, I pour a glass of cold water.
And I review the solution from NaturalINLOVE hyung-nim copied onto my smartphone notepad.
Carefully reading through it dozens of times.
No proper inspiration comes to mind.
"Fuck, I just want to blow everything up."
First Founder or whatever, I want to blast the Blood Lotus Palace to kingdom come.
Jeokryeon would die too, but I'd die along with her.
"......"
'If I seep directly into the ritual itself and self-detonate, there might be hope, but whether an explosion at the Qi Condensation stage can deal meaningful damage is unknown.'
Right then, a single phrase caught my eyes.
'Seep into the ritual? Melt into the Jingimaek?'
How do I self-detonate?
What I am best at is......
'That is a breakthrough method that died out ages ago. If you just cultivate your art properly, you'll break through smoothly on your own, so is there a reason you insist on that method?'
'Well, because it's fun.'
The single technique I attempted solely in my own way without learning it from anyone.
The method through which I bloomed the cultivation talent I possessed.
"It works."
It probably won't, but screw the odds.
"I'm ramming straight in."
Yeah, using my head is the problem.
When did I ever live while thinking?
I went there to enjoy myself.
Not to become a male protagonist suffering from heartbreak.
"I'm gonna kill every last one of them."
I lie back down in Cera Unit 2. Before executing the game, I posted an inquiry to customer service and received an answer.
"Let's go."
Next time I wake up, everything will be over.
"Ugh."
Waking up from the blackout, I found myself in an unfamiliar forest.
I didn't know exactly where this was, but I intuitively felt it was the boundary line of the Blood Lotus Palace.
"Probably Jeokryeon placed me here herself."
How much time has passed? Calculating the time by the stars in the night sky, only a day has passed since I was knocked out.
"Now I just have to go back."
The resurrection ritual won't end in just a single day.
Considering its massive scale, it could be conducted over a span of years.
However, dragging out time wouldn't do any good, so I fumbled over my body to look for my storage pouch.
"Where do you think you're looking?"
The moment the voice echoes, an arm flies off.
Groaning from the pain for only a moment, an old man was slowly descending from the sky.
"Gong Muyeon......"
"A piece of vermin dares call my name?"
At a single glance, a leg flies off. Unable to stand any longer, I slammed my head onto the dirt ground.
"I haven't forgotten the humiliation I suffered at your hands. Did you truly think you could live?"
"........."
Didn't the Palace Master guarantee my safety?
'Very well. I swear upon my Dao heart, 'I' shall inflict no harm whatsoever upon this person until he steps outside the Blood Lotus Palace.'
Ah, 'I'.
So he had no intention of sparing me from the beginning?
I underestimated the Dao-Entering Realm.
"I will never let you die comfortably. After torturing you to my heart's content, I will throw you in as nourishment for the grand scheme. You will die while still alive."
"........."
While still alive? Nourishment for the grand scheme?
If things go well, could this mean...?
"Do it, you fucking bastard."
"Ha. I'll make sure to hear the words begging for your life from that mouth of yours."
Gong Muyeon placed his hand on my body with a fishy smile.
And I gave the acting performance of my life.
A short while later, I was reduced to a horrific state beyond words, but my life remained intact.
"Hmph, tenacious bastard."
Gong Muyeon brought me back to the Blood Lotus Palace, just as he said he would.
As if they were certainly about to begin the ritual, spiritual energy was gathering to a degree that even someone at the Qi Condensation stage like me could notice.
"Despair over your plight over there, and deem it an honor to become nourishment for the Blood Lotus Palace."
Gong Muyeon dumped me into a pile of corpses and departed.
With my remaining vision in only one eye and my broken, shredded divine sense, I surveyed the surroundings.
Most of the corpses were cultivators, and the emblem of the Blood Lotus Palace was engraved on their robes.
'Is where I'm located beneath a Jinseok (Formation Stone) that acts as a pillar for the formation?'
Toward that Jinseok, the spiritual energy leaking from the corpses was being sucked in.
Given time, I too would have my spiritual energy drained away and become a shriveled mummy.
'It doesn't matter.'
In fact, it's what I wished for.
'Take it. Everything down to my soul.'
Only then can I do it.
I closed my eyes.
Before long, my body weathered away, and my mind sank into the flow of spiritual energy.
However, the [GAME OVER] notification did not ring.
I am still alive.
Right inside this ritual.