Baek Sogo didn’t know where she was.
Her luck was good. She was definitely very lucky compared to the poor Heavenly Skyfall and the Peerless Warrior who were killed by Wijihoyeon’s Doppelganger before they could even think of retaliating. Baek Sogo encountered the Doppelganger of the high peak level expert Heavenly Skyfall, one of the members of the Murim factions who came in with her.
Of the five experts from Murim, he was the weakest, and Baek Sogo was ranked highest. Thanks to this, it was not difficult for Baek Sogo to defeat the Doppelganger.
What’s more fortunate was that Baek Sogo didn’t come across a very powerful Doppelganger. She witnessed the process of the creation of such a doppelganger and was able to understand to some extent what this dungeon was like.
‘A Doppelganger… I never thought I’d run into one in a place like this.’
Most of the Murim’s people, In particular, the foreigners who were not born in Eria but were suddenly summoned to Eria after living in Murim, were more of a stranger toward fields other than martial arts. In most cases, they shared the pride of originating from Murim, renowned for their martial arts skills. In this regard, Baek Sogo was a fairly reasonable person. In addition to martial arts, she was also knowledgeable about other techniques.
‘The usual doppelganger only mimics the appearance. However, this dungeon’s doppelganger can even mimic their martial arts. The battle itself was simple… Heavenly Skyfall’s Doppelganger martial arts were very lacking as compared to the original.’
Baek Sogo was well aware of Heavenly Skyfall’s martial arts. They both belonged to the Murim factions and were very familiar with each other because of their shared mission of monitoring Wijihoyeon. Baek Sogo had a favorable opinion of Heavenly Skyfall because of his strong passion for martial arts.
‘This dungeon is dangerous.’
The collapsed Doppelganger no longer moved. The monsters appearing in the dungeon leave a certain loot after they fall. Baek Sogo reached out and traced the flesh of the Doppelganger. Searching through the collapsed flesh of a monster, which was in the shape of Heavenly Skyfall until a moment ago, was not a pleasant feeling, but there was no hesitation in Baek Sogo’s hands as she prodded away.
“… a potion?”
Under the sticky flesh was a palm-sized glass bottle. Baek Sogo lifted the glass bottle and shook it lightly. It was bright purple. Baek Sogo was very well-informed but still could not grasp what the contents inside of the bottle were. In this case, the obvious thing to do would be to drink it herself or test it out on someone else, but it was also probably the most ignorant way.
Baek Sogo put her hand in the interdimensional pocket that was tied to her waist. What she brought out was an artifact purchased by saving up the meager salary she got from the Murim factions. On the surface, it looked like a crude magnifying glass, but in order to buy it, Baek Sogo had to cut down her living expenses for more than half a year.
‘It’s an Elixir. Very few impurities… This kind of an elixir, it’s like a Priest’s blessing.’
Of course, Elixirs were not all-encompassing. When someone’s arm was cut off, if the cut off arm was still intact, they could attach it, but it could not make the arm regenerate by itself. Even so, the Elixir was considered the best among various potions. Baek Sogo placed it in her interdimensional pocket.
“… Well then…”
Baek Sogo contemplated as she looked at the winding path of flesh. Which way is the front and which way is the back? She did not know whether the space she was in had changed, or she was moved into a different space. She couldn’t tell left from right.
‘Where are the other people?’
For the time being, Baek Sogo decided to pick a direction and walk.
The main character who had turned the dungeon into a path of stinky flesh, Jang Deuksu, was full of things to say. As he walked alongside Lee Sungmin’s shoulders, he admired the technique Sungmin displayed when he killed Baek Sogo’s Doppelganger and expressed all of his own opinions about it.
[So noisy.]
Lee Sungmin sympathized with Rubia’s complaint. Would he rather kill him and go? It’s not that he never thought that, but Lee Sungmin did not enjoy murder. It was one of the traces of humanity that Lee Sungmin desperately held onto as his mind fell apart and rebuilt many times over the 2100 years he lived in the world of his subconscious.
He did not hesitate when it came to killing. But he did not enjoy it. If he had to, he would kill. Or else he would not. Jang Deuksu was chatty, but that was not enough of a reason to kill him. And Jang Deuksu was his best shot at an ally right now. He didn’t know what would happen in the dungeon, so there was nothing wrong with moving together.
The armor was quivering.
‘What is it again?’
[I’m curious about a little thing.]
Heoju, who had been shivering, felt a bit relieved to see that Lee Sungmin did not say anything when he tried to speak.
[You. Why don’t you eat it?]
(T/N: ghost armor scared shitless. the ‘You’ he uses here is more like calling him Good Sir)
He was wondering what it was. Lee Sungmin broke into laughter. The loot obtained by searching the body of a Doppelganger. What Lee Sungmin acquired was a Magic Jewel Pill found only in dungeons, which cannot be purified artificially. It was the most efficient Elixir in the world. Originally, no matter how well medicines are made, and how excellent the pill refiner’s abilities are, there were limits to the martial arts of magic that could be acquired from a pill.
However, the Magic Jewel Pill was different. On the surface, it was a gem that was about the size of a fist, but if you put it in your mouth, it would melt and absorb into your body. There was no need for an inner core method or magic. The moment one takes it, it would add strength without any side effects. If they were a martial arts practitioner, the inner qi would be enhanced, and if they were a mage, their magical abilities would be enhanced.
‘My body is unstable. My martial arts may be ruined if I eat it.’
[I doubt that.]
Heoju replied to Lee Sungmin’s answer.
‘… What do you mean?’
[There’s no way I’m seeing wrong. Since I was able to get close to your body because of this armor. Certainly, you are unstable. But your body is very tough.]
‘Tough?’
[There is something strange in your body. Are you aware of that? Hahaha! There is a non-human heart inside your human body. This Great Ghost can bet no one has a heart as strong and superior as yours, among the 100. Except for my body, of course.]
[Shamelessly bragging about his lack of body like that.]
Rubia grumbled, but Heoju didn’t mind it. Lee Sungmin was briefly lost in his thoughts at Heoju’s words. Imbalance. It happened because the Black Heart he obtained was not through practicing proper martial arts. That’s why his Heart was leading. Thanks to the black heart he could replenish any amount of qi he was lacking. However, this physique, his body. The mind had still failed to comprehend everything he had seen and experienced completely. The 2100 years spent in his subconscious had made the disharmony even more severe.
Lee Sungmin had received a Greater and Lesser Restoration Pill from Grandmaster Bulyoung. However, he had not yet used it, and it was currently stored inside Lee Sungmin’s interdimensional pocket. The reason why Lee Sungmin did not take it was that he was worried that he would inevitably reverse his meridians and ruin his cultivation due to the lack of balance among his heart, mind, and body.
‘But he said my body is tough. It’s because of the heart. I can’t believe it blindly.’
He didn’t know whether he could get a definitive answer from Prescan. He didn’t intend to believe what Heoju said anytime soon. After all, Heoju was also someone who had tried to take over his body.
‘But, Heoju. It’s been quite a while since you stepped out of the sleeping forest and got into my armor. Why did you want to leave the forest?’
[What do you mean? I must have already answered that back in the forest? I do not know. All I knew was that I had to leave the forest with you.]
‘Are you going to follow me and then take over my body, you little bastard?’
[It sure feels strange hearing a young man like you call me a bastard.]
But I’ve lived 2100 years, you bastard. Lee Sungmin tried to retort, saying that but stopped.
[This is a strong hint. I don’t know what kind of great being sent you to me, Great Yokai Heoju… but It’s probably not one of those measly gods.]
‘measly?’
[haha! He says he’s returned from death, but it doesn’t seem like he knows much. The existence of God in this world is not so great. If I wanted to, I could be a god. I just didn’t. Being a god is nothing more than a mortal shedding off their corporeal form. They seem absolute, but they are weak.]
Heoju smiled. Lee Sungmin recalled Mush and Denir. Given the power they showed, he could not understand what Heoju was saying.
[Whatever. I had to leave the forest with you, and I already did. Soon you will realize that it was meant to happen. That’s how fate is.]
‘Fate is bullshit.’
[Do you not believe in fate? There is no coincidence in this world. Things happen because it was meant to happen. You came back from death, and I left the forest with you. It was because there was a good reason. That is our predetermined fate.]
Should he look for the God of Fate? Lee Sungmin seriously considered.
“Ahem.”
However, he couldn’t continue his thoughts. He sensed something strange and stopped walking. Jang Deuksu also stopped walking along with him.
“… Chwigeol?”
Jang Deuksu called out like that.
Chwigeol was sitting with his back against the wall. Bodies of Doppelgangers were scattered all around.
“Ah… Warrior Jang. Seeing that we can talk… Hu-hu! You’re a real human, right?”
Chwigeol smiled while saying that with a hoarse voice. Lee Sungmin looked at him sitting on the floor.
“… Ugh! Just what happened to you?”
Jang Deuksu quickly approached Chwigeol and asked. He reached out with a big hand to help him, but Chwigeol shook his head.
“I’m fine. I was just resting. By the way… I met Solitary Blade Dokgo. No, it was not Solitary Blade. Using the same martial arts as him… I met a monster.”
He was as talkative as usual, but now he couldn’t laugh through pain and tiredness. Few people can laugh when their left arm was cut off.
“What about potions… ?”
“My interdimensional pocket was smashed. The things inside disappeared into the gaps in the space. Even so… I stopped the bleeding.”
“Jang Deuksu. Do you have any potions?”
“… I don’t.”
He said that in an imposing and clear voice. Lee Sungmin was in awe at the ignorance of Jang Deuksu, who entered the dungeon without any preparations.
He looked around. The body of Solitary Blade’s Doppelganger was still visible, but the Chwigeol’s lost arm was nowhere to be seen.
“Where did your arm go?”
Lee Sungmin approached him and asked. Chwigeol looked up at Lee Sungmin and tried to focus his blurry eyes. Jang Deuksu introduced him.
“One year ago, that Ghost Gun, who killed Ghost Blade. Haven’t you heard of him?”
“I heard, but… it’s really him?”
“I was walking around nearby and entered the dungeon by chance.”
Having a famous nickname wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. When he heard the title ‘Ghost Gun’, Chwigeol was convinced and nodded.
“… Solitary Blade has expert swordsmanship. He can replicate the strength of dozens of swords in a single attack. You might find my arm mixed in with the flesh in that crevice.”
“What dropped from the body of the Doppelganger?”
“A martial arts manual.”
Chwigeol snickered and laughed. He shook the stiff book lying next to him. Although it was buried in the mass of flesh, the inscriptions on the manual were very clear.
“Kang Long’s ‘Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms’. Isn’t it funny that a person belonging to the Wandering Sects received such a manual? Of course, Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms is an excellent martial art, but I don’t need it.”
(T/N: it’s a legend of the condor heroes reference https://wuxia.fandom.com/wiki/18_Dragon_Subduing_Palms)
“Potion.”
Lee Sungmin said while reaching into his interdimensional pocket. Chwigeol winced and looked back at him.
‘There are a lot of potions anyway.’
If the arm remained, he could use an Elixir to attach it back, but if not, there was no reason to waste such a valuable potion. He could still use it to refresh himself.
He could create ties with the Wandering Sect by giving away just a few potions. It wasn’t too bad. Jihak was called the future of Shaolin. Likewise, Chwigeol was the future leader of the Wandering Sects. If he could build a bond with this person right now, he could maintain a good relationship with the Wandering Sects in the future.
The Wandering sects’ were a famous information portal. There was no city without beggars, and most beggars belonged to the Wandering sects, taking on the role of being their eyes and ears. Although Lee Sungmin, a member of Erebrisa, never felt a lack of information, their information was not the only thing he wanted. Wandering sect was part of the old conservative factions and was quite influential among them. There was nothing to lose by maintaining a relationship with such a magnate.
“… Thank you.”
Chwigeol bowed his head as he received the potion from Lee Sungmin. Then, he handed over the ‘Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms’ that he held in his hand to Lee Sungmin.
“It’s a martial art that I don’t need. How about you?”
“Thank you.”
Lee Sungmin did not refuse him. Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms was an outstanding martial art. Getting such a manual was like hitting the jackpot. However, there was no reason why Lee Sungmin would be greedy for the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm manual. He had also learnt the Hundred Step Manual, but had yet to perform it properly. In the meantime, there was no reason to learn a new martial art, before perfecting the previous one.
‘Since it’s a famous martial art, it won’t be of much value if I sell it like I did with the Hundred Step Manual.’
Still, he felt good because he received it for free.
(T/N: #cheapboisungmin)