episode_0013

Achyeong was shocked.

Kindness had turned into nothing but a bubble that disappeared.

After going through all that trouble to save him, would the prince who had turned the dark mermaid princess into a bubble rather disappear himself?

“Oh, how’s our little brat doing? When hungry, a pretty older sister who buys you food, but ugly when full? Ah?”

“…Tsk. What a joke.”

“I’m sorry, Daehyeop. He wasn’t like this before, but he’s been acting up since last year, I don’t know why. Oh my.”

Last year? That would make him fifteen. Second year of middle school.

Achyeong understood.

Puberty, it’s a tough time. Indeed.

But his mother had a point.

“He suddenly doesn’t listen to a word I say, but if he doesn’t listen, I should be grateful, but I can’t help but say it. And then the mother gets scolded. A daughter who won’t even give me anything and can’t even give birth to a healthy child…”

“Ah! Don’t say that kind of thing! It’s really annoying!”

Jinjangmyeong yelled and ran up the stairs.

Thanks to him, Achyeong was left alone with her mother, feeling awkward.

“Uh… Would you like a drink?”

“Well, just one drink, despite my shame…”

“Oh, you must be tired.”

“It’s tough. My child is pitiful because his mother is useless. Just living a normal life, that’s too much to ask for.”

Yang Sowol raised her glass with a sad expression.

With a familiar gesture, she sipped from the glass, covering her mouth with a handkerchief.

Yang Sowol lowered her voice with a stern expression.

“Hey, Daehyeop.”

“Yes?”

“Be careful. The drink is poisoned.”

“What?”

Yang Sowol subtly showed her handkerchief.

The drink she pretended to sip was tainted.

Achyeong looked back and forth between the handkerchief and the glass, then swallowed the drink in one gulp.

“Daehyeop!? How!?”

“Kuk. Got you. Oh my, it sticks to your mouth.”

A subtle spiciness lingered in the aftertaste.

Even in the numbness and tingling sensation in her mouth, there was a clear burning spiciness.

Numbness is ma. Spiciness is ra.

Combine them, and it’s mara flavor!

The taste most beloved by the Korean people.

A traditional taste enjoyed by ancestors since ancient times, even depicted in watermelon seeds.

This… wasn’t the intended taste, right?

I thought the alcohol would have a spicy flavor like a traditional mara restaurant.

It wasn’t a place known for its mara flavor!

“It’s okay because of my constitution.”

When creating her character, Achyeong followed the recommended guide.

Distributing ability points, choosing fate, and selecting a constitution.

Achyeong chose a constitution called “Blood Poisoning.”

Although she hadn’t played the main game, the AI of the original Mulin Life and Death was actively using poison, and the UI was subtly inconvenient.

There were over ten types of antidotes, which were expensive, and with only four quick slots, dealing with addiction was more than just annoying.

Blood Poisoning provided immunity to all poisons.

Instead of choosing a constitution like Heaven and Earth, Natural Body, or Bone and Blood, they recommended Blood Poisoning.

That’s why Achyeong was free from addiction.

To survive in the Mulin world, she could tear and eat plants and mushrooms, pick up food scraps, and prolong her life.

Achyeong’s survival was the result of the efforts of the veterans in the Mulin Life and Death community who went out of their way to help newbies.

Reading, writing, and miraculously communicating with the natives, the greatness of the Korean patch was truly miraculous.

Their only wish was for their game to be more enjoyable and for more people to enjoy it, that selfless act!

That selfless act was what kept Achyeong alive and breathing!

Achyeong shivered with excitement.

Damn, that guy who recommended this game won’t leave me alone. Seriously.

Achyeong stood up abruptly from her seat.

It’s time to take someone down.

Having a reason and a justification to take someone down is such a joyful thing.

“Jeomsoui!”

“Oh, guest! Coming!”

Jeomsoui ran out happily.

The joy of Jeomsoui was the wealthy guests.

But it was short-lived.

Jeomsoui’s face was filled with sadness.

Anyone would be engulfed in sadness when faced with a knife at their throat.

“Dare to poison my drink? You’re done for today. When you meet your parents in hell, tell them you played a prank on the drink and came up early.”

Acheong’s voice was cold.

“Oh, guest! No, it’s not me! It’s not me!”

“Not you? Then who?”

“Well, that’s…”

Acheong looked at Jeomsoui’s ledger.

The number was 42. Unfortunately, it was a false accusation.

Why would Jeomsoui have a false accusation on her ledger?

Did she feed even the beggars in the neighborhood?

Acheong was lenient towards the innocent.

“Alright. I believe you when you say it’s not you. Who ordered it?”

“Oh, that’s…”

“Did the drink turn poisonous out of boredom? Or did the person who made the drink sell a bottle of poison to anyone who wanted to die out of boredom?”

Jeomsoui hesitated.

This time, Acheong offered a carrot.

“It seems like Jeomsoui has a good impression. So, I trust our Jeomsoui. There must be someone who ordered it, right?”

Of course, there was no dirty Jeomsoui.

At most, she would get angry at the unreasonable labor of the innkeeper’s son.

“Please, spare me! I’m just…”

“Argh, it makes me angry! My hands shake when I’m angry! What if innocent Jeomsoui’s head rolls because of you!”

“Please, spare me!”

“No, I won’t spare you. Hurry up and speak.”

Jeomsoui stuttered.

Acheong didn’t want to see a middle-aged man’s tears.

“Die! You bastards who mess with food! My Moonlight Sword is hungry!”

Acheong leaped forward, his sword aimed at the shabby men with a few dumplings on a humble plate.

One head soared into the sky, blood spurting like a fountain.

Acheong chuckled at the warmth of his strike, continuing his swordplay against the enemies of alcohol.

As expected, the weaklings who poisoned the drinks were no match for him.

Three bodies lay lifeless, and one was on standby.

The man clutching his stomach spat blood and asked, “How did you know…?”

“Well, everyone was enjoying the show, but you guys were the only ones watching out for me.”

The man looked dumbfounded. “Is that all? Or did you have something else in mind…?”

“Well, you were going to die anyway. You’ve done a lot of bad things, right? If I’m right, it’s revenge. If I’m wrong, it’s garbage disposal.”

They were men who had piled up evil deeds.

Either criminals or, if you want to be generous, doers of good deeds.

Acheong was in a win-win situation.

“So, what poison did I ingest?”

“Heh, do you think I’ll tell you now that it’s come to this?”

“Then don’t.”

He asked out of curiosity about the taste, but she refused to answer.

Goodbye, my hot sauce.

Acheong didn’t expect an answer anyway.

He raised his sword.

“If they ask you why you came to the afterlife…”

“I came to eat your mother.”

The dying man was filled with venom.

Acheong sighed and swung his Moonlight Sword(6th generation).

“Grrk? Grrk, grrk…”

When you sever an artery and cut through the windpipe, a person can’t speak.

The man clutched his throat, then his intestines spilled out, and he clutched his stomach again.

That’s when he realized why humans have two hands.

“Did you see that? This kid just insulted our mother. Let him suffer. If anyone dares to touch him, I’ll show them how well we get along by slashing them with a knife.”

Ahcheong glanced around the room, not bothering to hide his bright smile or his threatening aura.

But something was off.

Why are all these thugs gathered here?

Could this be a meeting of the bad guys?

If we set fire to them, we could make a sweet profit.

However, Ahcheong was not the type to go crazy and start swinging his knife at anyone who looked like a villain. He simply believed that it was okay to do whatever it takes when dealing with bad people.

Well, let’s just get on with it.

Humming a tune, Ahcheong searched the bodies.

They were a bunch of losers, not even worth a single coin.

But there were some odds and ends that caught his eye.

A few small vials of medicine, a pouch of powder, and so on.

After carefully collecting these items, Ahcheong returned to his seat and met the gaze of Yang Sowol, who was wide-eyed.

Ahcheong realized his mistake. Oops.

“Jomsori, could you bring me some water for washing up?”

There was a sense of satisfaction in turning the tables.

It was common sense, but some unfortunate people were afraid of blood itself.

In that case, they just needed to overcome their fear.

But does the martial world have such a thing?

I want some medicine to overcome my fear.

Casually raising his glass, Ahcheong tilted the bottle.

Celebrating another successful deed today, he took another drink.

As the breath of the dying villain faded away, he enjoyed his drink.

The appetizers were delicious, and the alcohol flowed smoothly.

—-

Yang Sowol couldn’t come to his senses.

In fact, true female martial artists were rare in the martial world.

Apart from women who dressed up in fancy clothes and carried pretty weapons, there weren’t many true female martial artists.

In fact, pretending to be a female martial artist was a matter of life and death.

It sounded good to be a martial artist, but in reality, it was a life of hardship.

For those who wandered outside, eating, sleeping, fighting, and simply breathing were considered shameful for a woman.

The noble daughters of prominent families could travel with servants in carriages and enjoy outings.

There were also noble daughters who enjoyed pretending to be female martial artists.

Those without money or background came out to play with these women who pretended to be martial artists.

Yang Sowol, a former temple maiden, despised these women who played at being martial artists.

That’s why he had a soft spot for Ahcheong.

She had been kind to his child, and he was grateful as a mother.

True female martial artists were rough around the edges.

Laughing loudly among men made them look down on her, which was just perfect.

In the martial world, looking down on someone was like putting your life on the line.

But there was a limit to being rough.

Otherwise, she would end up like a madwoman.

Watching Ahcheong splash water on his face in the newly emerged basin, Yang Sowol made a decision.

I shouldn’t get involved with this kid.

However, that decision didn’t last a day.