WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 44: Episode 7: Assigned Mission (1)
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It was autumn.
The mountain wind had changed. The wind that had carried summer heat all season now brushed past his ears with a thinner, crisper touch.
When Ise had left Great Exorcist Order, the sunlight had been fierce and the lush greenery had glittered. Now brown leaves crackled beneath his feet.
Traveling outside always came with danger. Especially since he had no companion to take night watch, he sharpened his already keen senses even further.
Despite his constant vigilance, the journey had gone smoothly.
He was nearing the edge of Hangsang Peninsula when he rounded a mountain bend.
He sensed faint demonic qi, and the bushes shook.
A demon. Ise immediately stopped and gripped his hatchet.
What burst from the undergrowth with a growl had a snail's head atop a human body.
‘...A Snail-Headed Scholar!’
Ise recognized the demon at once.
A Grade 9 demon beast. A Snail-Headed Scholar.
It was a name he could never forget, not even in his dreams.
Although he had exacted an initial revenge, he had never performed a spirit-sending rite on the enemy who destroyed his family, and the unfinished business still gnawed at him.
This was only the same species, not the true culprit. Even so, Ise was glad to see it.
The creature seemed equally delighted to find prey. Its antennae twitched as drool streamed from its mouth.
It was such a low-ranking demon that it apparently could not even guess what realm its opponent had reached.
Ise immediately drew up his spiritual energy. His unrefined killing intent spilled out because he felt that he would not be satisfied until he tore the demon before him to pieces.
Only then did the Snail-Headed Scholar realize that the human was not prey.
Grrrrr...!
It stopped advancing and slowly began backing away.
“You.”
Ise took a step forward with a growl. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
This was the perfect prey to test his newly gained power on.
“You're just who I wanted to meet.”
Unlike usual, his emotions had gotten ahead of him. Realizing that he was excited, he calmed himself.
No matter how weak the demon was, hunt it with everything you have.
The Snail-Headed Scholar raised its antennae in terror and opened its mouth to spew poisonous mist.
Thud. An Earth Spear Ise fired pierced through its mouth.
A shrill scream erupted.
With the spear lodged in its jaws, the creature began to flee. It ran desperately, but the long earthen spear kept striking against trees and rocks, making it stagger about in a ridiculous way.
Dokkaebi Shadow-Hunting Demonic Art.
Earth Shadow Snare.
A noose of shadow formed beneath the Snail-Headed Scholar's feet and caught its steps.
Ise rushed up to it and cut off its left arm with his hatchet.
The axe did not stop. It curved smoothly and severed the left leg from the torso as well.
The demon's body tilted. Since it had leaned into an easy angle for cutting, Ise's axe easily swept up, taking its right foot, then finally its right arm.
It was a single strike that flowed as if drawing a circle.
After that strike, only the Snail-Headed Scholar's torso remained sprawled across the ground.
Ise brought down his axe and separated the snail head from the body.
The creature sprayed blood like a fountain and continued twitching despite having its limbs and neck severed from its torso.
What grotesque vitality. Even if he had fought after identifying its weakness, Ise could not help wondering how he had ever hunted one of these things as a child.
Thud, thud! Ise's axe mutilated the Snail-Headed Scholar's torso until it finally stopped breathing.
He pulled the Earth Spear from its mouth and lifted its head high.
It was a ritual that now felt disappointing to skip.
After taking out the Purification Staff and the Demon-Sealing Talisman Book, he stared at the Snail-Headed Scholar's head as its breathing faded.
‘Can I eat this?’
The distinctive odor from the snail head stung his nose.
He remembered eating conch and freshwater snail dishes at Gwisu Temple, but snails were an unfamiliar ingredient.
After studying it for a while without reaching a conclusion, Ise completed the spirit-sending rite and stored the demon's corpse in the Demon-Sealing Talisman Book.
He would find some way to get rid of the smell.
While the book absorbed the corpse, Ise straightened his clothes and resumed walking.
* * *
The Training Compound administration office was fairly crowded under the afternoon sun, with cultivators constantly coming and going.
Ujeol greeted Ise with a glance as he entered to report his return.
“That took quite a while.”
“Something came up.”
“I understand.”
Ujeol did not ask further.
“Um... Don't I need to report the details?”
Holding a writing brush as he organized the report, Ujeol answered indifferently.
“You are not the sort to wander off on your own, so there is no need to explain. Besides, I have no authority to comment on Hall Master Haeil's business.”
Ise felt a faint sense of unease at those words. It was not because of what Ujeol had said, but because of his tone.
Although Ujeol never looked away from the report, there was an oddly polite note in his voice. Something was different from how he usually treated Ise.
It was a small, strange change, one that carried more respect and recognition.
It was not his imagination. Ujeol immediately mentioned Ise's achievement.
“I would congratulate you on your advancement, but it doesn't seem like the mood for it.”
“Did something happen?”
“Four more entry disciples died while you were away.”
Ise fell silent for a moment, then quickly regained his composure and asked, “Were the bodies recovered?”
“Yes.”
“That is a relief.”
Ujeol stopped his brush and looked at Ise, seemingly surprised.
“You seem calmer than I expected.”
“I'll have to get used to it. It's not as though I can protect everyone.”
It was true. It would be a lie to say that another person's death did not weigh on him, but this too was the destiny of a Great Exorcist Order Daoist.
He could not keep being tossed about by every joy and sorrow.
“Even so, the death rate is noticeably lower than in other classes. Your contribution is probably substantial.”
“Thank you for seeing it that way.”
Ise bowed and left the administration office.
After greeting the entry disciples who approached him along the way, he headed straight for the butcher shop.
By now, Ise carrying blood-red straw mats piled high was likely a familiar sight around the Training Compound.
He passed the sign reading Dine and Go and entered the butcher shop, where he encountered the greatest difficulty of his life.
‘The head is one thing, but what do I do with the body?’
The Snail-Headed Scholar was classified as a demon beast, but its body looked completely human.
He knew it was not a real human body, only a form modeled after one... Still, that did not make it feel any less unsettling.
In the end, he put only the head into a cooling wooden chest and set the torso and limbs aside.
His body was already excited at the thought of eating proper immortal cuisine for the first time in a while.
First, he cooked spirit rice and considered what extra ingredients might suppress the snail's odor.
‘Camphor leaves are perfect for getting rid of smells. They're not spiritual herbs, but one or two leaves should be fine.’
He poured consecrated water into a mystic iron pot. Then he sprinkled in powdered dried fish demon beast to make broth.
Before long, the savory scent of cooking rice filled the butcher shop.
Ise lifted the lid to check its condition, then reduced the heat. The broth had steeped, so it was time to cook the snail.
“Ise!”
That was when the butcher shop door opened.
The only person allowed to come and go here was his business partner, Buchun.
“Why did you take so long? Everyone's been waiting...”
Buchun entered with a delighted expression. Or rather, Buchun had been about to enter before stopping short.
“Long time no see.”
“...What is this? You, no, Senior. Your realm?”
Ise grinned and added, “That's what happened.”
“You've reached a realm where I really have to call you Senior now...”
“You should call me that. Your advancement is so slow that I can't give you a pass.”
“I've reached the Second Star too, you know...”
Among the entry disciples, Buchun's progress was on the slower side, but Ise did not bother rubbing salt into the wound.
Unlike Buchun, who had quickly adjusted and changed their attitude, Ise found the respectful speech from a peer quite uncomfortable.
Still, he tried to adapt. Perhaps this would happen countless times in the future.
“It's thanks to you, Senior. Eating immortal cuisine and cultivating seriously really does make a difference. Oh, I finally succeeded in my first solo hunting mission!”
Buchun rummaged around and took a bundle from behind their back.
Inside was a demon beast about the size of a mountain hare. Its fluffy fur even looked rather appetizing.
It was only a Grade 9 demon beast, but Buchun puffed up proudly.
“I'll give this to you too, so you can use it as an ingredient.”
“Sorry, but I can't use that.”
“Huh? Is it too small?”
“Removing all the demonic qi from a demon beast is part of my secret cultivation method, so I can only do it with prey I hunted myself. The demonic qi in something you caught can't be removed anymore.”
“Oh, I see...”
Buchun looked disappointed, then spotted the Snail-Headed Scholar's body piled to one side. Startled, Buchun asked, “...S-S-S-Senior, have you decided to butcher demonic cultivators and eat them now?”
“What kind of cannibal do you take me for? That's a Snail-Headed Scholar's body. I'm only planning to eat the head.”
Ise took the snail head from the cooling chest.
The head did not look particularly appetizing either.
“It really doesn't look edible...”
“If you don't want any, I'll eat it alone.”
“When did I say I didn't want any? Hahaha.”
Ise snorted with laughter and pounded the properly cooked rice into dough. He flattened the rice, which clumped together like rice cake, sliced it thin like wheat noodles, then loosened and cooked it again.
Then he butchered the Snail-Headed Scholar's head, selected only the flesh, and boiled it in the prepared broth.
Buchun stood far away and watched as the noodles cooked and the seasonings were added.
Ise picked up a bowl of the finished immortal cuisine and smelled it. It was not bad.
All that remained was to find compatible spiritual herbs and maximize the immortal cuisine's effect.
He tore off small pieces of the snail meat and tested its compatibility with different spiritual herbs.
Based on the reaction of spiritual energy in his body, he estimated the increase to cultivation speed. Once an effect ended, he immediately checked the next ingredient.
At last, he found suitable ingredients and completed the dish, then finished the seasoning with a mixture of Spiritual Stone powder and salt.
The result was one point eight times the normal effect. It was disappointing that it did not even reach twice the effect, but it could not be helped since the ingredient was only a Grade 9 demon beast.
“It looks like there'll be enough for ten servings besides ours. Let's eat.”
“...”
Buchun hesitated, unable to pick up his chopsticks. The limbs still sitting beside him and the memory of the Snail-Headed Scholar's disgusting head were too vivid.
“If you're going to spoil my appetite, don't eat.”
“I'll eat!”
Buchun immediately picked up a piece of snail meat and put it in his mouth with the noodles.
“...Oh. Ooh?”
“Better than you expected, right?”
There was the sharp flavor of seasonings that fasting pills could never provide, along with a pleasantly chewy texture.
It felt as though a wave of seawater had crashed over Buchun from behind.
Then Buchun rapidly moved the chopsticks. Satisfied by that reaction, Ise slowly savored the immortal cuisine as well.
“Then I'll go bring in customers.”
After quickly finishing a bowl of noodles, Buchun excitedly ran off and returned around sunset with ten people.
The price of a meal was two Spiritual Stones per person.
They had gathered customers worth a total of twenty Spiritual Stones.
‘Considering the cost of ingredients, I'm barely breaking even.’
At this rate, he would not even make enough to cover the labor. It seemed Grade 9 demon beasts were no longer enough to turn a profit.
The customers sat at the Dine and Go table with bowls in hand.
As Ise was about to serve the immortal cuisine, he spotted a familiar face and stopped his chopsticks.
It was the youngest cultivator from the Medicine Hall. They had just reached the Seventh Star of the Qi Condensation Realm and were notorious for treating entry disciples rudely.
Ise especially had a grudge against this cultivator for taking one hundred Spiritual Stones from him for a Regeneration Pellet.
When Ise placed a bowl of noodles before them, the cultivator held out two Spiritual Stones.
“Here.”
“It's been a while, Fellow Daoist.”
At Ise's added form of address, the cultivator frowned and looked up.
There had been no entry disciple who could call them Fellow Daoist.
No matter how outstanding Ise was, there was a difference in realms. This rude brat...
“You used the Regeneration Pellet you gave me well, Fellow Daoist.”
The Medicine Hall cultivator's hand stopped.
They had noticed that Ise's realm had risen to almost match their own.
Sixth Star and Seventh Star. Since both were in the middle stage of the Qi Condensation Realm, they could practically be considered the same realm.
“...Thanks for the food. ...Fellow Daoist.”
“By the way.”
Rather than taking the hint and going to serve other disciples, Ise remained in front of them and continued.
“Regeneration Pellets that size usually cost seventy Spiritual Stones.”
“...Market prices can change according to demand. It is Medicine Hall's authority to decide the price.”
“That's true.”
Ise shrugged.
“But I heard a rumor that you only sell Healing Pellets cheaply to female disciples. Well, whether that's true or not, I'm sure you would know best, Fellow Daoist. Nothing can be done about something I've already bought, but I'm telling you for the sake of your reputation.”
“Right... Thank you.”
The Medicine Hall cultivator was not pleased, but could not bring themself to complain.
Their realm was still higher for now.
Still, one could only throw their weight around when another person's advancement speed was at least within a believable range. This was practically a monster.
They decided there was nothing to gain from making an enemy of Ise.
“But I think this is a debt I'll remember for a very long time. I'm not the sort who can live owing debts. Whether it is kindness or resentment.”
...It seemed they were already too late.
Ise's mouth was smiling, but his eyes were not.
“You’d better behave yourself.”
The cultivator accepted the bowl, silently slurped down the noodles with a pale face, then disappeared before anyone noticed.
A chill ran through Buchun, who resolved never to become enemies with that person.
Footnotes:
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