As I left Immogiâs nest, a completely different space appeared before me. The floor was full of moss and I heard drops of water falling from somewhere. It was a different place, as if we had teleported into this space.
I looked around in a strange mood and breathed in.
I guess this is the childâs cafeteria. Skeletons were scattered around sparsely.
âWait a minute. Letâs get some water and go. Iâm so thirsty.â
I was so nervous after inhaling a lot of dust that my throat was almost torn apart.
I went to the sound of water trying to ignore the white skeletons.
It wasnât a stream of water, but more sporadic drops, but it would be enough to moisten my throat.
ââŚâŚHuh?â
But no matter how hard I looked, I couldnât see the water. I heard a drop of waterâŚâŚ did I mishear it?
I looked back at the child waiting for me and asked.
âIs there any water here?â
âNone.â
âThatâs weirdâŚ.I think I heard the sound of water. â
âThirsty?â
The child stared at me. I answered quickly, wondering if there was any water that had been hidden away.
âYes, your master is very thirsty. Give me something to drink.â
The child tried to bite my wrist like it was the natural thing to do. I was startled and snatched back my wrist
âHey! What are you doing?â
âHuh? You said you were thirsty.â
âThat doesnât mean give me blood!â
âYou wonât become tall if youâre picky like this.â
Imoogi returned what I had said before.
âDid he just pretend to be a fool before?â
I approached the child and straightened my back.
When I tapped on the top of the childâs head about half an armâs length below me, the child looked up at me.
âIâm taller than you!â
âIâm taller.â
âWhat?. . . huk!â
I swallowed my saliva looking at the long, thick body that filled the space.Itâs the first time Iâve seen a snake right in front of me! I put on a nonchalant look so as not to look frightened.
âThatâs cheating. Iâm not a snake.â
-Chik
At the sound of a tongue clucking, Immogi turned back into a child.
Hanging something between the childâs legs was something that should never be there.
TL note: ( ͥ° ÍĘ ÍĄÂ°)
ââŚâŚ!â
I opened my eyes wide. It was even more shocking than when the child turned into a snake.
âYouâŚYou were a male?â
âYes.â
âWhy didnât you tell me?!â
âYou didnât ask.â
Thatâs true, butâŚ.âŚ.
It was my fault that I believed that he was a girl because he was so pretty.
As the child transformed, I picked up the rags that had been ripped off and wrapped them around his body. Of course, with my head turned, the child tilted his head in wonder about my behavior.
âYour face is red.â
â⌠itâs because Iâm thirsty.â
âI have something to drink.â
âI wonât drink your blood.â
âSomething other than my blood.â
âWhat is it?â
The child went to one corner, removed moss that was tangled like a vine, and looked back at me.
âHere.â
I watched with a wary eye and came closer. Beneath the moss that stretched like a tent, a huge rock was hidden. I could see a finger-deep groove in the middle, and there was a thin pool of water in it, like a clear soup.
Was this the sound of the water?
âWell, it looks like Iâm going to have a stomach ache if I drink this.â
âHave you tried this?â
âYes.â
âYou didnât have a stomachache, did you?â
âNope I had one.â
Are you kidding me? I tried to turn around coldly, but I stopped.
It was because Lee Moo-kiâs words were not unusual.
âBut now that Iâm better, Iâm stronger than when I ate humans and I can talk.â
âBecoming strongerâŚYou were able to talk? Ever since you drank this?â
âYes.â
âWait a minute.â
This⌠is not Life Saving Elixir, is it?
âCome on, no way thatâs true.â
Life Saving Elixir was an elixir found only in areas where spiritual energy had concentrated into a milky-like liquid.
âSince itâs so hidden in the rocks that it would be trying to find a needle in a haystack⌠thereâs no way I actually fou-ââ
I turned my head and looked at Immogi exuding qi .Then I turned away and saw a small amount of milky liquid that had solidified on the rock.
The words of Lee Moo-ki in my ear kept repeating.
âI became stronger and able to speak.â
âI became stronger and able to speak.â
âI became stronger and able to speak.â
ââŚ.â
Gulp.
The sound of drooling from my throat rang throughout the cave.
I poked at the white liquid with my trembling hands.
With just the liquid that coated a finger, I closed my eyes and licked at it.
At that moment, the half-full supply of qi quickly filled up. No, it was more than just saying I got some qi. My qi supply quickly swelled up to bursting.
âUhâŚ.â
âWhatâs wrong?â
âNow, wait a minuteâŚâŚhold on.â
I quickly sat cross-legged and captured the overflowing qi.
My whole body was full of energy. My body was so light that I could fly in the sky.
Opening my eyes wide open, I suddenly stood up.
This is the Life Saving Elixir!
I had only taken one drop, but for sure the only thing that could increase my qi like that was the Life Saving Elixir.
I took out the empty bottle from my pocket and put the rest of the elixir in.
âMaster, what are you doing?â
The child asked, tilting his head to his side.
I licked the rest of the elixir from the rock and answered politely.
âYouâll be punished if donât eat everything on your plate.â
âThe white water is gone. Master is just licking a rock.â
The amount of elixir was too little.
I smacked my lips and put the sealed bottle in my pocket. Making sure to secure the cap, Igrabbed onto it tightly.
3,000-year-old Imoogi and Life Saving Elixir,
And I had my first enlightenment!
My heart was beating like crazy at my great fortune.
I couldnât wait to get out and let Cheonma know how much Iâve grown.
âHow much further do we have to go from here?â
âHalf a day with your stride.â
âThat far? What about you?â
âItâs similar in this form.â
âWell, how about your other formâŚâŚ?â
âIn an instant.â
Great!
I donât like worms, but I canât help it.
I ordered in a haughty manner.
âLetâs ride a pet snake. Transform.â
* * *
Boom! Boom!
There was a roar inside the closed training center.
The elders who were waiting for the child in the forest popped out in unison.
âThe closed-door training ground has collapsed!â
âWell, then, my ladyâŚ.â
âChild!â
The elders screamed and ran in front of the closed-door training center.
In the aftermath of the shock, the area around the training camp was devastated.
The trees in a certain area were pulled out and had flown away, and the land was divided like a dry canyon.
Despairing, the elders looked at the large rock blocking the entrance to the closed training center instead of the door.
âUh, how could this be happeningâŚâŚ.â
âExplosive magic?â
âThere isnât the unique smell of explosive magic, is there? This is a suicide bombing!â
âWhat? Then it makes even more sense?â
The only way to cause such a huge explosion was to release the power at once.
To do that, one had to consolidate their qi first, and the elders couldnât have missed that.
But no one noticed anything. Not even the slightest movement of qi. It was hard to believe.
The Xi King raised his hand, who was only looking at the closed-door training center in a daze.
âGet everyone together. Young Miss is alright!â
Only then did the elders concentrate.
As the Xi King said, a cold chill that was unique to the child was detected faintly.
âOh, oh, I knew it! I knew she would be okay!â
Starting with the exclamation of the Enemy King, the eldersâ expressions were relaxed.
At that time, with a raging wind, someone stepped down in front of the training center.
The elders bowed their heads in unison.
âSect Master!â
Cheonma stared silently at the closed-door training ground.
He didnât even ask what happened. He just quietly searched for the childâs energy.
Cheonma, who detected the childâs energy without difficulty, opened his mouth without turning his head.
âEunyeong.â
Eunyouneg appeared seemingly embarrassed. His eyes, which had always been calm, were bloodshot red.
âWhy didnât you stop it?â
âLife force âŚâŚ qiâŚâŚwasnât there.â
It meant that he could not feel the movement of life force or qi.
What really happened?
Is it possible to use a technique sophisticated enough to deceive Eunyeoung?
Even when thinking about who knew how to use this kind of technique, there was no one suitable.
However, since a decade had passed since he had been in the Central Region, it was not strange for a rising master to appear.
âGo.â
Eunyeong disappeared with his head shaking. He, whose mission was to protect the child, wanted to bite off his tongue and die.
It was such a disgraceful mistake.
âIâll open the entrance.â
It was possible to open the entrance without destroying the cave if it was a masterpiece of explosive magic.
âYoung Miss could get caught. She needs to take refuge outside of a certain distance before we can proceed.â
Explosive magic was an extreme magic that instantly melted everything that existed within the range.
Even a child with ice powers could not survive it.
Unlike the Xi King, the Enemy King, who seemed perplexed, raised his voice.
âBut where is she going to flee to? We donât know what it looks like in there!â
âAnd the more you go inside, the more dizzy you feel, and the more difficult it is to recover your energy!â
âThatâs right! If we donât find her at allâŚâ
The faces of the elders were blackened with worry.
To save the child, you have to use explosive magic, but to do so, the child needs to enter the labyrinth.
They were stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Listening to their conversation, Aku Ryun bit his lips with impatience.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
His heart beat like crazy and he felt that he couldnât breathe.
His face turned black thinking of the possibility that she might die.
Aku Ryun unwittingly pulled on the hem of Cheonmaâs robe.
âTeacher!â
He couldnât think of anything at this moment.
How important to him were the words he was about to say, and what would be consequences after he uttered these words.