WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ Damned Transmigration ◈

Chapter 130: Green Forest 4

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Yuri shook out his fists a few times and looked at Bloodied Wolf Fang.

Sacred Flame Release was an internal heavy-hand technique designed to kill in a single strike.

No matter how thick someone's protective force aura was, how tough their body had become through external cultivation, or how much rebounding force their profound inner power provided, it would pierce straight through if it landed.

Then it burned them alive. Flames delivered through Sacred Flame Release burned away the enemy's inner power, energy channels, and organs. Yuri had seen it happen many times already.

"Uuugh..."

This time, though, Yuri had held back a little. Before, he would have killed him without hesitation, but the situation had changed. He was curious about the serum Bloodied Wolf Fang had drunk.

Maintaining Transcendent Sight, Yuri peered inside Bloodied Wolf Fang.

He couldn't tell exactly how immense the serum-altered vital energy had become, but he could see its turbulent flow being consumed by the flames of the Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil.

The more it burned, the more Bloodied Wolf Fang's body changed.

His thick black hair turned white, then broke off limply and fell out in clumps. It wasn't just the hair on his head. Every hair on Bloodied Wolf Fang's body fell away the same way.

His grotesquely bulging veins and muscles rapidly shrank, while teeth tumbled from the mouth that had been pouring blood.

"Kh... uugh..."

Bloodied Wolf Fang collapsed weakly. He now looked like an old man several decades older than before. His clouded eyes trembled as he touched his deeply wrinkled face.

"W-what... what did you do to me...?"

"Hmm..."

Yuri furrowed his brow and tilted his head.

Vital energy was the source of life. In other words, life force. The serum's effects had come from something mixing into Bloodied Wolf Fang's vital energy and making it violently unstable.

The shape Yuri had intended to create with Sacred Flame Release was the one he knew best: an awl. The awl pierced into the target, then erupted into flames that burned away all of the enemy's inner power.

Before, it had only burned inner power. Now, Yuri infused Sacred Flame Release with Intent and other powers as well.

The effects of Gebra, the bracelet on his right wrist, were increased skill-level growth, a massive boost to the essential stats of melee warriors, and additional magic damage proportional to physical attack power.

The game's effects were carrying over into reality. When Yuri had first tamed Gebra, the flaming serpent added to the Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil had been a manifestation of Gebra's power.

Sacred Flame Release, which drove all those flames into its target, burned not only inner power but vital energy itself.

'Should I have broken his arms and legs first, then watched?'

Yuri had held back quite a bit, yet Bloodied Wolf Fang couldn't properly withstand even a single blow. His Intent was far weaker than Yuri had expected.

'I wanted to see what price that serum demanded.'

The serum Bloodied Wolf Fang had drunk seemed to be the type that triggered one's potential, but it was strange that all his wounds had healed completely. Its regenerative power surpassed that of most potions.

Most drugs like that took the user's life, but Bloodied Wolf Fang had chugged it down while trying to escape because he didn't want to die.

It might not demand a life as its price.

Clicking his tongue in disappointment, Yuri lightly nudged Bloodied Wolf Fang's chest with his foot. Bloodied Wolf Fang rolled over and sprawled on the ground, gurgling foamy blood and flailing like an overturned turtle.

"M-my... my inner power...!"

Despair and terror filled Bloodied Wolf Fang's voice. Not even a trace remained of the inner power he had accumulated in his dantian over decades. His inner power, along with his vital energy, had burned away.

He wouldn't die immediately. Inner power could be replenished through meditation and circulation, while vital energy gradually recovered with rest.

Bloodied Wolf Fang, though, would die before he recovered.

With so much burned away, he would need to devote years to recovery, but his body had become too frail to last even that long.

Yuri had never intended to let Bloodied Wolf Fang leave here alive in the first place.

"I have compassion too."

Yuri spoke.

"If you answer my questions right away, I won't go out of my way to kill you. Even if I leave you alone, the life you have left will be miserable."

He had no intention of letting him live, but Yuri lied without hesitation. The man deserved to die anyway, so it could be called a well-meaning lie.

"That drug you just drank. What exactly was it, and where did you get it?"

Bloodied Wolf Fang's eyes trembled. At least he was still alive. He barely lifted his head and looked behind Yuri.

The screams had stopped. Two people were leisurely approaching.

To Bloodied Wolf Fang, they looked like a male and a female reaper. They had slaughtered nearly a hundred Green Forest bandits and dozens of monsters, yet not a single drop of blood stained their clothes.

The difference in tier was simply too great. If they had learned a divine art, they could have opened a gap in their Upper Dantian early and resisted a sixth-tier opponent. But none of Red Wolf Stronghold's Green Forest bandits had learned a divine art...

"Having fun by yourself?"

Estor complained as he sheathed his sword. He found fighting opponents of the same tier more enjoyable than cutting down dozens of small fry.

"I'm satisfied."

Haryeong spoke with a refreshed expression. Her face was barely any different from usual, though. She had tested the range and power of her Intent Poison, and she had thrown enough concealed weapons to satisfy herself.

"Why haven't you killed him?"

"He looks completely aged. What did you do to him?"

Haryeong and Estor stood side by side on Yuri's left and right.

"I was asking him something."

"Why bother asking? We still have some confession drug left."

"I don't think he'd survive it."

"I see."

Haryeong nodded in agreement. His vital energy had been damaged enough to age him so severely. If they used the confession drug carelessly, his heart might stop before they even heard an answer.

"M-Mountain King Stronghold..."

Under the gazes of all three, Bloodied Wolf Fang stammered.

"It was... a spiritual elixir I received from Mountain King Stronghold."

"A spiritual elixir?"

When Yuri questioned him, Bloodied Wolf Fang told them about the letter he had received yesterday. He didn't want to die, so he had to grasp at any straw he could.

"A spiritual elixir..."

Yuri crossed his arms and sank into thought.

They hadn't sent him medicine to take in a desperate, life-or-death moment. They had sent a drug that triggered his potential, calling it a spiritual elixir. Didn't that mean it neither killed nor crippled whoever drank it?

'It grants that much power without a price?'

Honestly, it was hard to believe. Yuri had defeated him easily in the end, but the strength Bloodied Wolf Fang had gained from one bottle of serum was excessive.

When it came to granting power simply and quickly, it was even better than the Ascard Family's Elixirs.

"Is Mountain King Stronghold truly impressive enough to hand out spiritual elixirs like that to its subordinates?"

"They may have plenty of money as the leader of the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds, but spiritual elixirs aren't something one can obtain simply by being wealthy."

Haryeong examined the serum bottle with a suspicious expression. About one drop remained inside.

"Estor, come drink this."

"...Why should I?"

"You usually like drinking things like this."

"Look closely. It's purple. Aren't you curious what it tastes like? It might taste like grapes."

That was what she was getting at. Estor's face flushed red at the reminder of his past mistake.

"I'm not curious. I won't drink it."

They teased him, but it was medicine with unknown effects. If Estor had actually tried to drink it, Yuri would have stopped him even if he had to grab him by the hair.

"This isn't a natural spiritual elixir. It's an artificial one. No matter how influential Mountain King Stronghold is, I don't think it could obtain an artificial spiritual elixir of this quality."

"Those bastards were suspicious from the moment they set up a formation array."

"They may have received outside assistance. If you're that suspicious, how about sending the bottle to the Ascard Family and asking them to identify it?"

"The Ascard Family isn't some stray dog's name. Do you think they'd examine an empty bottle just because we suddenly sent it over and asked?"

"I think they would."

Haryeong turned to look at Estor.

Yuri turned to look at Estor as well.

Suddenly receiving the attention of both of them, Estor blinked a few times before nodding.

"Sending a letter isn't difficult."

If a letter came under the name Estor Orsia, even the Ascard Family would read its contents.

"Gold spoon bastard."

"Why are you suddenly looking for a gold spoon?"

"It's a thing."

Haryeong sealed the serum bottle and placed it in Subspace.

The three dragged the aged Bloodied Wolf Fang through the stronghold's buildings. First, they checked the orders Mountain King Stronghold had sent in the pavilion used entirely by the stronghold leader.

Nothing contradicted Bloodied Wolf Fang's words. After confirming the letters, they took the large amount of gold and valuables he had hidden for himself.

"W-wait..."

There was no reason to keep him alive any longer. Before Bloodied Wolf Fang could finish speaking in horror, his neck snapped with a crack.

Next, they gathered the workers hiding and trembling in the various buildings, the hostages locked in cells, and the other women and children in one place.

"What do we do now?"

Gathering them was one thing, but dealing with the aftermath was another. They had to escape the formation array before descending the mountain.

If someone took a wrong step while they led all those people through the formation array, it would become troublesome.

"What else can we do? We'll have to make several trips."

It would be easier if Yuri dismantled the formation array itself, but while he could read its paths, he wasn't confident he could dismantle it.

"I-I can help."

One of the hostages raised a hand. He wore dirty but fairly fine clothes and looked like a bespectacled scholar.

"If my eyes don't deceive me, are you the Three Heroes?"

"That's what people call us."

"Ah..."

The man softly exclaimed and clasped his hands in a martial salute.

"My name is Jegal Myeong-u."

The three widened their eyes the moment they heard the surname Jegal. Yuri naturally looked at Haryeong, but after thinking for a moment, she shook her head.

"I've never heard that name."

"Haha... That makes sense. I'm neither a direct descendant of the main family nor a martial artist of great renown."

Jegal Myeong-u continued with a smile, showing no displeasure.

"I'm a formation mage with the Formation Research Institute of the Jegal Family."

The Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds had recently become so violent and excessive in their actions that the Righteous Heavenly Alliance was preparing to subjugate them.

Sending the Righteous Heavenly Alliance's martial forces to subjugate the strongholds wouldn't be particularly difficult. The problem, as always, was the formation arrays.

Among the Eastern families, the Jegal Family was the most knowledgeable about formation arrays. That was why the Righteous Heavenly Alliance had asked the Jegal Family to investigate the formation arrays protecting each stronghold.

"You came alone, without companions?"

"I ran away."

Jegal Myeong-u's face turned red with shame.

"We had made preparations and explored the mountain, but the Jegal Family... didn't give its all, and we severely underestimated Red Wolf Stronghold's leader."

Just because Yuri had defeated him easily didn't mean Bloodied Wolf Fang had been a weak martial artist. A sixth-tier martial artist was an expert treated as an elder in any sect.

The Jegal Family, like the Hwangbo Family and Namgung Family, had no seventh-tier expert within the family and was gradually declining.

Sending a sixth-tier expert with the force dispatched to investigate formation arrays would have been a major burden for the Jegal Family.

If the Righteous Heavenly Alliance hadn't requested it, the Jegal Family wouldn't have sent personnel for something like this in the first place.

So they had sent only a modest force to show some sincerity, and this was the result.

"As we traveled through the mountains under the Jegal Family's banner, we were attacked that very night by an elite force led by Red Wolf Stronghold's leader."

Even the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds didn't touch the banners of the Five Great Families.

If they had only intended to pass through the mountains, that would have been true. But because they had tried to investigate the formation array that served as the stronghold's lifeline, the stronghold leader had personally stepped in.

"After fighting for a while, everyone fled, but I wasn't very fast... so I was caught in the end."

That was how he had been taken to Red Wolf Stronghold as a hostage. Perhaps they hadn't executed him at once because he was still part of the Jegal Family, even if from a collateral branch. Or perhaps they intended to use him as a bargaining tool. Either was possible.

Yuri looked Jegal Myeong-u over.

As he had said himself, Jegal Myeong-u's martial arts didn't seem particularly impressive. At best, he was around the third tier.

"How can you help?"

"Formation arrays are difficult to unravel from outside, but easy to unravel from within. Even if Red Wolf Stronghold has been subjugated, leaving this vicious formation array in place could harm people traveling through the mountains. It would be best to dismantle it entirely while we have the chance."

Jegal Myeong-u staggered forward. It made sense, so Yuri nodded.

"Follow me."

Yuri took Jegal Myeong-u alone and headed for Red Wolf Stronghold's entrance.

Jegal Myeong-u followed, panting. His face turned pale when he saw the rows of corpses, but he swallowed his nausea and continued hesitantly.

"You subjugated one of the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds with only three people...! I can't believe it even as I see it. I may not be a direct descendant of the Jegal Family's main line, but when I return, I'll make sure to repay the debt of saving my life."

"You don't need to feel so burdened."

"Burdened? Please don't say that. Your chivalrous deed will be known not only to the Jegal Family but to the Righteous Heavenly Alliance as well."

The mention of a chivalrous deed made Yuri think of Tang Mu-seok.

Back then, Lorelia had told Tang Mu-seok, the Pursuing-Kill Flying Guest, to become a chivalrous hero. She had threatened that if she didn't hear about Tang Mu-seok's chivalrous deeds after a year, she would find him herself and kill him.

"Do you know Tang Mu-seok, the Pursuing-Kill Flying Guest?"

"You mean the great hero Tang Mu-seok, One Good Deed a Day?"

It seemed his title had already changed.

"Why did he get that title?"

"To reflect on the life he lived as an assassin, he declared that he would do one righteous deed each day. At first, One Good Deed a Day was a mocking title, but Great Hero Tang Mu-seok has been doing good every single day without fail."

If he was trying that hard, Lorelia probably wouldn't beat him to death.

"The formation array begins here."

Jegal Myeong-u stepped forward with a tense expression. After looking around in every direction, he lay flat on the ground and began crawling.

"This formation array is maintained by stakes driven into the earth vein. First, we must locate those stakes..."

"Do we just pull out all the stakes? There must be a lot across an area this large."

"That is an answer, but a difficult one. We don't need to remove all of them. If we identify only those that form the center of the formation array, the flow of the earth vein will return to normal."

"How do you find those stakes?"

"Haha, if you look closely, you can see artificial distortions in the landscape. It's as if a board has shifted slightly, you might say."

"Hmm... How long do you think it will take?"

"My martial arts aren't impressive, but I was born into the Jegal Family and have studied formation arrays for over ten years. I believe I can break the formation array within two days."

Jegal Myeong-u pressed his face so close to the ground that his nose nearly touched it, feeling along the soil as he moved. Yuri watched him for a moment before speaking.

"If you identify where a stake is, can you tell whether it is part of the formation array's center?"

"Hmm...? Of course. Formation arrays like this naturally have rules to their construction..."

Without listening further, Yuri grabbed Jegal Myeong-u by the waist and lifted him over his head.

"Uurgh...? Y-young hero, why are you suddenly doing this?"

Seeing once was better than hearing a hundred times. Yuri didn't bother explaining and used Transcendent Sight to identify the nearest stake.

"W-wait, young hero! Even if we're leaving from inside, you mustn't move carelessly! One careless move could make the formation array go wild!"

Ignoring him, Yuri reached the stake. He pointed at where it was buried with his foot, then set Jegal Myeong-u down.

"There's a stake here."

"Young hero...? What are you suddenly talking abou..."

Jegal Myeong-u stopped speaking, his eyes widening as he lay flat on the ground.

"H-how?"

"A feeling."

"A feeling...? T-that makes no sense..."

Even the head of the Formation Research Institute wouldn't be able to find a formation array's construction points this quickly. A feeling? What kind of feeling in the world could do that?

"It's a talent related to my martial arts, so I can't explain it in detail."

Yuri said that and stared directly into Jegal Myeong-u's eyes. Under that silent pressure, Jegal Myeong-u swallowed and felt around where the stake was buried.

"...This isn't one of them."

The moment Yuri heard the answer, he picked Jegal Myeong-u up again. Jegal Myeong-u didn't resist and watched Yuri move. Yuri's eyes kept shifting busily between the ground and the air. What was he looking at?

"Here."

Yuri's foot pointed to another stake. Feeling a chill run through him, Jegal Myeong-u got down and felt along the ground.

Once again, that "feeling" was right. Jegal Myeong-u's shoulders shook as he looked up at Yuri.

"Please... Would you come with me to the Jegal Family, just once?"

He could dismiss the first time as coincidence, but Yuri had precisely identified the location of a stake a second time. He had never even heard of such a talent.

Martial-arts-related talent or not, Jegal Myeong-u wanted to bring Yuri to the Jegal Family somehow.

"No."

Yuri answered without hesitation.

Footnotes:

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