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He repeated it, and repeated it again.
Only a single form from each martial art.
His enlightenment was sufficient.
What he lacked was bodily mastery and internal energy.
The soul was Dang Gun-ak, the greatest Supreme Poison Demon under heaven, while the body was the frail Kim Taeju, who had been a Mana-Rejector, and he had to narrow the gap between the two as much as possible.
Sweat poured down like rain.
Had he ever used his body like this before?
This was the first time since being born a Mana-Rejector.
If he moved his body violently because of the heavenly curse, it would only be normal for his heart to suffer under the strain.
"...Is it all healed?"
At that moment!
"Urk!"
His heart felt like it was being torn apart.
That had not changed.
Did that mean even if he learned poison arts, he still could not overcome the heavenly curse?
In the end, Taeju braced himself on the ground and collapsed forward.
"Uuuugh."
75
Then a change occurred.
The poison essence settled in his dantian.
Toxic energy moved through his blood vessels.
The Primordial Boundless Poison Spirit Art had begun to circulate unconsciously.
An instinctive action engraved into his soul.
As the toxic energy flowed through him, the pain gradually subsided.
"Huu."
It had not healed him completely, but it was effective.
"In the end, the answer really was poison arts."
If his poison arts reached maturity?
Then he would surely be able to escape this dreadful heavenly curse.
"I should just keep training."
He wanted revenge too, but...
The target was his stepmother.
His father might have been involved as well.
"...No. It can't be Father."
Even if he had been abandoned, his father was still his father.
The memories of being loved by him as a child were still vivid.
"Tsk."
He would have to let go of revenge.
Instead, he would build a place for himself alone.
He would cut off his ties with his father.
In a way, that would be the filial thing to do.
It meant removing himself from the harmonious family they had newly built.
And he wanted to live as he pleased.
At the very least, without watching other people's reactions all the time.
To do that, he needed power.
Taeju pulled out the poisonous herbs he had dug up a little while ago from his pocket and stuffed every last one into his mouth.
Now that he had formed poison essence with the venom of the Seven-Pointed Deathstalker, poisons weaker than that were no more than tonics for building health and strength, and every one of them scattered around here was practically an elixir.
"Should I dig up a few more and eat them?"
Then his toxic energy would grow a little stronger.
He would leave Seoraksan after acquiring a certain level of skill.
Chewing and swallowing the poisonous bellflower root, he kept repeating his training in linking forms together.
He lost track of time.
As it went on, the gap between soul and body steadily narrowed.
Suddenly!
Rustle!
A presence could be heard in the distance.
"Hm?"
Sssst!
From over there too.
Rustle!
From this side too.
Someone was gradually closing in on the place where he stood.
"I've been surrounded."
Who else could it be?
Staff Sergeant Go Youngho and the platoon members.
Go Youngho was Mana-Compatible, and the platoon members were Mana-Adapters.
Since he had already formed poison essence, dealing with those bastards would be easier than paperwork in the administrative office.
"It'd be nice if only those guys came, but..."
Lieutenant Jang Indong.
He might have come with them.
A System Awakener blessed by mana.
Should he avoid them, or confront them?
In truth, the conclusion had already been decided.
Avoid them?
What nonsense.
Dang Gun-ak, the Supreme Poison Demon, would pound the ground and lament.
He would ask if the version of himself in this other world was really such a weak-willed coward.
Martial arts grow by crossing the brink of death.
Once you start running away, you will make the same choice again next time.
"I'll kill them here."
Then it would become his first killing in this life.
Wouldn't that burden him, as a half-baked soldier who had done nothing but administrative paperwork?
"..... Absolutely not."
He was Second Lieutenant Kim Taeju of the Imperial Army, and also Dang Gun-ak, the Supreme Poison Demon.
Who was the one who had killed the most people in the history of murim?
Killings in the tens of thousands.
The reason why his title had the character for demon in it even though he had come from the orthodox faction.
He had done absolutely anything to achieve his objective.
From the very beginning, the path of the chivalrous hero had never been under consideration.
What difference was there between killing with lofty swordsmanship and killing with vile poison?
Even those on his own side had cursed him.
Cruel, sinister, wicked, cunning, shameless.
But Dang Gun-ak had never cared.
To win, he had mixed poison into food and tea.
There had even been times when he poisoned wells.
Without even showing his face, he had hidden in secret and killed people by firing only hidden weapons.
There had also been many times when he pretended to clasp hands, only to poison someone with the tiny poisoned needle hidden in his ring.
Accordingly, Taeju too felt no hesitation whatsoever about killing people.
The only thing to consider was how to kill them well.
Lieutenant Jang Indong, a Mana-Compatible and a System Awakener.
A chance to test his poison arts.
"Even if taking revenge on my stepmother, Honda Mitsui, may be difficult, I'll at least kill that bastard before I leave."
Taeju tucked the greatsword into his right sleeve and pulled out three 500-won coins, slipping them between his fingers.
***
Mana-Compatible.
Even if they do not awaken, they are people healthier than ordinary people, who live longer, and are physically far superior.
But awakening through connection to the System is another matter altogether.
One must go beyond merely accepting it and receive the blessing of mana.
In that sense, Lieutenant Jang Indong was one of the lucky ones.
He had been born Mana-Compatible and had even achieved awakening.
But it was not enough.
There were differences in level among Awakeners.
There are stages determined by the System.
When one first becomes an awakened person, one is designated a user.
That means one can store mana inside the body and use it to train the body.
And an Awakener's unique traits come into being.
The type of trait can be identified by looking at the tattoo.
In Jang Indong's case, they were
Once one goes beyond user, the next stage is beginner.
Skills can be used.
When the number of skills increases and one can wield them freely, that is regular.
For field-grade officers, user, beginner, or regular is enough.
The condition for a senior officer is expert, in other words, an adept.
The expert stage is subdivided.
Junior expert, middle expert, superior expert.
And then there is the realm one absolutely must reach to become a general and wear the stars: Master.
Jang Indong had no intention of aiming for Master.
He had neither the ability nor the confidence.
All he wanted was to reach the realm of expert.
But he had no talent.
The limit given to him was exactly beginner.
Of course, there was a method.
He could take an elixir.
An elixir made using the energy core of an Elite Magical Beast as its ingredient; upon taking it, it reconstructs the body and instantly raises one to the realm of junior expert.
The problem was that there was no way to obtain one.
The price was one thing, but it was so exceedingly rare that it barely appeared on the market.
Then one officer received a commission and arrived.
That was Second Lieutenant Kim Taeju.
Trash who was a Mana-Rejector.
But his father was Major General Kim Ungbang, the man who ruled Paju Territory.
If he curries favor with that bastard, surely something would fall into his lap.
He learned later that the bastard was a broken ladder.
So he was a discarded child after all.
Even so, on the surface he treated him well.
If he tormented him for no reason, the man might tell his father, and besides, there was nothing to lose by treating him nicely.
But then an offer came down from above.
They asked him to get rid of one officer.
If he handled it well, they said they would give him one elite elixir as payment.
There was no need to think it over.
He had disliked the sight of him for a long time already.
Trash who, despite being a Mana-Rejector, served as an officer only thanks to having well-born parents.
If they mobilized the entire company, word might reach the company commander.
Instead, he had brought five capable subordinates, including Staff Sergeant Go Youngho.
Six men in total, counting himself.
Assuming Kim Taeju was still alive, they carried out a search operation centered around the bottom of the cliff where he had fallen.
The ground was dug up here and there, had the starving fool been digging up roots to eat?
What an idiot.
More than half the root plants around here were poisonous.
"There's someone ahead."
"I know."
"I don't think it's an orc."
Even if it was an orc, it didn't matter.
He could handle a few of them by himself.
"Staff Sergeant Go Youngho."
"Yes, sir!"
"Go around to the back and tighten the encirclement. You lot head that way, block off his escape route, and approach carefully."
Soon enough.
One person stood motionless in a small clearing within the forest.
"Second Lieutenant Kim Taeju!"
At last, they had found him.
The bastard didn't even answer, only stared at him in silence.
"Not even your rank and name?"
"What's that supposed to mean between us? Am I still your subordinate?"
Lieutenant Jang Indong was dumbfounded.
What was that piece of trash relying on?
"Hahaha, well... I understand. No polite words were ever going to come out in this situation."
"Why did you do it to me?"
"Come on, do you need a reason to throw out garbage? If something stinks and looks unpleasant, you just get rid of it."
Taeju grinned as well.
Just as he thought, the bastard was letting his guard down.
The same went for Go Youngho and the four platoon members surrounding him in a circle.
Without even aiming their guns, they only sneered at him.
"Let me ask one more thing."
"For a guy about to die, you sure are curious."
"What did Honda Mitsui promise you? Money? An elixir?"
"...How dare trash like you!"
"An elixir, I suppose. Something that could make up for your pathetic talent."
Lieutenant Jang Indong's gaze turned cold.
"Listen carefully, you crippled piece of trash. I'm going to break your arms and legs first. Then I'll throw you off the cliff again."
"Try it, if you can."
To be honest, Jang Indong was uncertain.
That calm look in the bastard's eyes and his attitude.
Could it be that he had somehow awakened?
But there were no signs of awakening.
The facial tattoo that appears without exception upon awakening was nowhere to be seen.
He wasn't even armed...
"So it's nothing after all?"
Let's finish this quickly and go back to rest.
The quick-witted Staff Sergeant Go Youngho asked,
"Shall we handle him?"
"No, just stand there and watch."
Pabat!
Jang Indong kicked off the ground and rushed forward.
"Die!"
And yet?
Sssst!
As if he had performed magic, Kim Taeju vanished without a trace.
Jang Indong was startled.
"Huh!"
What was that?
Where had he gone?
At the same time, a pale white hand came toward his chest.
Thud!
"Urk!"
The impact drove him back a step.
That was the price of letting his guard down.
Jang Indong staggered backward by one step.
Honestly, he was shocked.
He had been pushed back by the palm strike of a Mana-Rejector?
That alone was absurd enough, but the bastard had actually turned his body away completely.
"How dare you..."
What in the world was he thinking?
Did he think one strike was enough?
He was exposing the back of his head so openly and not even caring about him at all.
"I'll kill you!"
Jang Indong drew the longsword at his waist.
And as he tried to thrust it into the bastard's back,
"...Huh?"
Stagger.
He tried to step forward, but no strength went into his legs.
And then!
Puuuk!
A fountain of bright red blood burst from his mouth, his vision spun, and his consciousness blurred.
His breathing grew ragged, and in the end he had no choice but to collapse.
Thud.
One strike had been enough for now.
He had especially compressed the toxic energy thickly and forced it in.
About fifty percent of his total energy?
Because of that, his toxic energy had been greatly depleted.
Taeju did not consider this a fight.
It was an experiment to see whether his poison arts would work even on an Awakener.
He had dealt with one.
The second was Staff Sergeant Go Youngho.
The man who had pushed him down below the cliff.
Not an Awakener, but still Mana-Compatible.
Taeju's eyes met Go Youngho's.
As if sensing something ominous, the man hurriedly pulled out his mana gun from his waist, but—
"You trash bastard..."
Tspirit!
The military greatsword shot out like a flash of lightning.
Leaving behind a silver afterimage, it pierced straight into Go Youngho's heart.
Thunk!
"Ghk!"
His bulletproof, stab-resistant vest was useless.
Staff Sergeant Go Youngho writhed for a moment, then pitched forward.
"S-Staff Sergeant Go."
"Aaaah!"
The platoon members were shocked by Taeju's movements.
"C-Crazy!"
"...W-what the hell is that bastard?"
"Shoot him already! Shoot! Shoot him...!"
The platoon members panicked, not knowing what to do.
They raised their rifles and aimed forward, but they could not pull the trigger.
At that moment!
Tsupat!
A long silver line sliced through the air, leaving an afterimage behind.
Puak!
One coin bored into a platoon member's head, scrambled his brain, and passed through.
There was not even time for a scream.
Following Phantom Maze Step came One Flash.
A linked movement ingrained into his body.
Mana-Adapters, ordinary soldiers, could never handle Taeju.
He threw the three coins one after another.
At such close range, how could he miss?
Tspit! Pit! Pipit!
One in each head, nice and neat.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
"Ghk!"
"Aaagh!"
"....."
Had it taken about ten seconds?
He killed them all.
Now the only one left was the man collapsed on the ground, gasping.
"Khurk! Y-you, what... what are you?"
Jang Indong's face had turned deathly pale as he fumbled at his waist.
It looked like he was trying to pull out a pistol.
Or perhaps looking for an antidote.
Most likely, he could no longer gather his wits.
Breathing would be difficult too.
The poison essence in Taeju's dantian had been made from a mutant Seven-Pointed Deathstalker.
The poison worked mercilessly even on an Awakener.
"So? Do you like it?"
"...Y-you, you awakened."
"Awakened, my ass."
Looking at Taeju, Jang Indong forced out the words with difficulty.
"S-spare me."
"Let's reverse the situation. If it were you, would you have spared me?"
"...I-I treated you well all this time."
"Not because I was a general's son?"
"N-no, y-you misundersta..."
Urk!
Bright red blood burst from Jang Indong's mouth.
Along with it drifted the sweet scent of poison.
"If you came here with the intention of killing someone, then you should have come prepared for the possibility that you might die too."
Without the slightest regret, Taeju turned and walked away.
"Pleeease, p-please... gghk, gghhh..."
In the end, Jang Indong could not finish his words, and his breath stopped.
The reasons he had been able to kill the bastard so easily.
The first was carelessness.
If he had attacked with a skill from the start, it would have been difficult.
The second was that the man's level was only beginner.
The third, in the end, was poison arts.
Taeju was not exactly fine either.
The pain had started again a little while ago.
"Haa, f*ck."
Even now, he was desperately circulating the Primordial Boundless Poison Spirit Art.
"...I don't have any room to spare."
That was when it happened.
"Kuooooo!"
"Kaaaaaa!"
The roars of Magical Beasts shaking Seoraksan, the battle cries of the orcs.
He knew very well what that phenomenon meant.
"The breeding season has begun."
Taeju pulled out the greatsword lodged in Go Youngho's chest.
Orcs during breeding season.
The period when their feeding activity became the most intense.
They would probably devour every corpse scattered around here.
Only bloodstains or a few pieces of corpse would remain.
And so Taeju returned alone to the Seoraksan Forward Base.