episode_0504

“···As soon as the matter here is resolved, I will return to the family and search through past records.”

“It was quite a long time ago when the Demonic Cult existed. Are there still records from that time?”

I don’t know what was so funny about my question, but when Cheongpung heard me, the corners of his mouth slightly curled up and he laughed.

“Do you know what the ancestors of your family paid the most attention to when they were forced to abandon the land they originally lived on in the aftermath of a nuclear war? These were books that existed within the family.”

“Oh, well, it would be a big deal if the salary was leaked outside during the chaos…”

“No, the ‘book’ I just mentioned is not something like martial arts.”

“···?”

It’s not like martial arts?

That means it’s a general book, but if it’s a martial arts class, is there any reason to bother with it?

Both in peacetime and during war.

Did he even read the question on my face?

Cheongpung’s explanation continued.

“Records of treating patients, records of research on poisons, and even diaries recording ordinary days spent in the family… It may not seem like a big deal to others, but to us, all of that is history, and it is the memories of our ancestors. This is the enlightenment you sought in your life.”

“Ah…”

Well, I don’t know what it would be like for other families, but from the party’s perspective, it seemed like it would be acceptable.

That’s because the Tang family has been a ‘poisonous’ family since ancient times.

And… it may be obvious, but poison is dangerous.

Because it is ‘poison’ that can instantly end the life of a master who has the power to make the heavens and earth shake.

‘Of course… it is possible to resist poison by using the internal energy built up in the body if you are a real expert, not just at an intermediate level… but…’

That’s just a temporary measure.

Using internal energy to resist the poison that is trying to invade the body is literally just ‘resistance’ and cannot be a fundamental solution.

Isn’t it possible to use internal energy to burn off the poison that has invaded the body?

It’s easy to say, but it’s not easy even for an expert who has reached a level where inner movement is more free than moving hands and feet.

An item that is so dangerous even to an expert is an item called ‘poison’.

But what does it mean to research such a poison?

It was an act no different from tightrope walking, risking one’s life on a single rope.

This is especially true in countries where the poison is not well known… Being a poison that is not well known means that it is difficult to come up with a response when an accident occurs due to the poison.

But what if there were records of someone first researching the poison?

Not only can trial and error be drastically reduced, but it will also be possible to quickly resolve any accidents that occur during research and experiments.

Perhaps that is why the ancestors of the Tang family at the time of refuge tried to take as much as possible without missing any of the books that existed in the family at the time.

And what if what Cheongpung says is true?

Maybe… I didn’t even know it existed.

There is evidence to support my theory that there is an East Asian branch of the Demonic Cult of Black Magic.

As I was thinking the same thing, Helena, who had been helping to sort out the terminal magicians scattered about under the leadership of the woman who had introduced herself as the leader of the 1st Magic Corps, approached us.

Hayoung, who was standing next to Helena, had a grumpy expression on her face, as if she had been pampered by Helena all this time.

“What are you talking about?”

Perhaps it is because of the overwhelming display Helena showed against the devil.

Sensing Helena’s approach, the vice-captain’s body visibly stiffened.

However, it didn’t seem like he was wary of Helena.

Rather than feeling wary, it feels like you’re confused because you don’t know how to deal with it.

Well, it’s bound to be confusing.

Looking at the position she occupies within the alliance right now, the position of vice-captain of the 1st Magic Corps is an extremely high position that can reduce Helena to a ‘mere’ senior mage, but her actual strength is the opposite.

After all, even though the entire 1st Magic Corps came forward, the enemy, who was helpless, was destroyed with a few magic shots, so what could it be if not the opposite?

What if Helena had acted arrogantly, in keeping with her strength?

The vice-captain would not have been conscious of Helena to that extent.

Instead of being conscious and concerned… he probably welcomed her appearance.

In a situation where communication is still cut off and it is impossible to know what the current situation is in the home country, the appearance of an overwhelmingly strong person like Helena is literally the same as taking control of a thousand armies and ten thousand horses.

If Helena had acted like a strong woman, he would have thought that way and moved on, but perhaps it was because of his dull attitude that did not match the overwhelming appearance he showed in battle situations.

He was the vice-captain who always seemed to be conscious of Helena, as if he thought her to be a mysterious being whose true feelings were unknown.

Of course, in Helena’s case, it seemed like she didn’t really care whether the vice-captain was conscious of it or not.

Still, it was enough to consciously glance at him at least once, but the fact that he didn’t even glance at me was proof of that.

‘by the way···.’

Wouldn’t it be right to share with Helena the facts we just found out and the hypotheses we came up with?

After thinking about it for a while, I finally decided to share it with Helena and opened my mouth.

“That’s actually…”

Then, I shared the information about the similarity between the ‘prohibition’ of the black magicians discovered by Cheongpung and the ‘solitude’, a means used by a group called the Demonic Cult that existed in the past martial arts world to manage their subordinates, and the hypothesis I came up with after hearing that. I laid it out in a row.

“Indeed… Looking at what I’ve heard so far, it doesn’t make sense.”

“Right?”

“By the way…did you say that loneliness or something else is very similar to the ‘prohibition’ of black magicians?”

“···That’s right.”

“If you don’t mind, could I hear about this thing called ‘solitude’?”

“It’s not difficult to explain… but I can’t say that what I know is 100% accurate.”

“Why?”

“The information I know about loneliness is only based on records written from the perspective of our ancestors who belonged to our family.”

So, I’ll give you an explanation as you wish, but don’t blindly trust it.

Cheongpung was saying so.

“I understand what you mean. I’ll listen carefully, so can you please explain?”

“Well… First of all, according to the records of our ancestors, loneliness is…”

Cheongpung explained that it usually has the appearance of a centipede.

“It’s okay?”

“To be exact, it’s just the appearance. There was even a comment saying that it was expressed that way because it most closely resembles a centipede, so there is a high probability that its actual appearance will be slightly different.”

“Hmm, and?”

“In Solitude, there exist an entity called Mogo and an entity called Partridge… It is said that the behavior of the partridges can be controlled through Mogo.”

“Was that method also written down?”

“···Unfortunately, it was only written as a guess as he had never acquired a live mogo. According to speculation, they must be controlling the behavior of the mogos by using their inner energy to stimulate the mogos, making them feel that their lives are in danger and send rescue requests to the mogos…”

Cheongpung’s explanation continues.

Helena, who was listening to Cheongpung’s explanation while shaking her head from time to time, came to the conclusion as soon as the explanation was finished –

“It seems likely that your guess is correct.”

“Hmm?”

“I am referring to the speculation that the ‘forbidden’ of the black magicians and the ‘solitude’ method used by the group called the Demonic Cult may be the same method with a different name. You said earlier that loneliness is similar to a centipede, right?”

“That’s right…”

“Just then, I see a centipede. A centipede nestling near that man’s heart.”

“When I looked at that person’s body through inner energy earlier, I felt that there was something coiled around the heart… but you can see it with your eyes?”

“Yes.”

What about Helena’s eyes as she nods her head in approval to Cheongpung’s question?

Before I knew it, it was showing a strange presence.

Just like what he showed when he was dealing with the devil earlier.

“In that sense… Su-hyeon’s guess may be correct.”

“Hmm?”

” What I am saying is that the group called the Demonic Cult that was said to have existed in Murim in the past may actually be a branch established by black magicians in East Asia for the purpose of supplying the sacrifices needed to ascend to the realm. ”

hmm···?

Wait a minute, if that’s the case… what on earth is a magic craft?