Chapter 225 : Chapter 225
Chapter 225 - Tower of Causalitas (13)
“Then I just have to obtain the Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng?”
At my words, Kwak Woo-gyeong looked dumbfounded.
“That is enough, so stop. I told you I wrote those spiritual medicines down as a joke.”
“Why? You said a considerable amount of spiritual energy is needed to manifest a plausible Qimen Formation. Then should something like Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng not be necessary?”
“If that were possible, what would the problem be? If you planted one root of Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng in the center of the Qimen Formation and arranged the rest of the materials properly, the spiritual energy would be more than enough. But where are you planning to get it?”
“I will handle obtaining it, so you do not need to worry. In any case, if I bring that back, it will be enough, right?”
Kwak Woo-gyeong shook his head.
“By the way, you do know what Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng is, right?”
Of course I did not.
It seemed to be a spiritual medicine that existed only in Murim.
“Whether I know or not, I just have to bring it back, do I not?”
A sudden quest had appeared unexpectedly.
It would not matter if I simply skipped over it, but there was no particular reason to do that.
The spiritual medicine was necessary for experiencing the Qimen Formation, but above all, it was said to be given as a quest reward.
The quest window displayed a list of various spiritual medicines, including Gongcheong Stone Milk and Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng. Fortunately, the current locations of the spiritual medicines were also shown.
Most of the spiritual medicines were already in someone’s possession.
However, Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng was in its natural state, so I chose it without hesitation.
As it happened, the distance was reasonable as well, so it did not seem as though obtaining it would take very long.
“Gongcheong Stone Milk, Ten Thousand Year Fleeceflower Root, Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng, Great Rejuvenation Pill... Then which of these is the best spiritual medicine?”
“The one you said you would bring. Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng.”
It seemed my choice had indeed been excellent.
If it had been generated as a quest, then all the spiritual medicines presented here were surely extraordinary.
In truth, I had realized as much when I first arrived in Murim.
The liquor said to have been brewed with extremely common ingredients was enough to put most mana herbs I knew to shame.
And among them, the greatest was the Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng.
There was no way I could fail to look forward to it.
“Then, since we are already on the subject, I will go at once.”
“If you go to an apothecary, it should have most of the materials. It will be rather expensive, though.”
It seemed he still thought I was joking about the Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng.
“It may take a little while, so keep that in mind.”
“Do as you please.”
He did not look expectant in the slightest.
***
A wind of dust and dirt rose.
And before my eyes spread a sheer natural cliff.
When I lightly tapped the ground with the sole of my foot, pebbles crumbled and fell below the cliff.
‘Hmm.’
It was good that the message had told me the location of the Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng, but it did not seem to be blooming somewhere I could easily take it from.
I expanded my qi sense and searched the surrounding spiritual energy once more.
It was not emitting a powerful energy, but I could feel a force densely condensed within it.
‘It seems to be down there after all.’
There was clearly a cavern somewhere beneath this gorge where I stood.
And from within that cave came a faint fragrance.
I had never seen it or smelled it before, but I could guess that the source of this scent was the Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng.
The problem was that I could not see the cave’s exact location with my eyes.
I could not determine what it looked like, or how large its opening was, unless I went down myself.
In the end, I had no choice but to jump.
I checked the first foothold on the opposite cliff.
A protruding stone ledge.
Even if it was not sturdy, it would not be a major problem.
After all, I would land lightly enough that my weight could not be felt.
There was no reason to hesitate, so I immediately launched myself.
WHOOSH!
The moment my left foot landed on the opposite cliff, I swiftly searched for the cave’s location.
There was one tiny hole, so small that it could barely be recognized as a cave.
The energy of the Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng was leaking out from within a narrow space just large enough for a single body to crawl through.
If the angle had been horizontal, it would have been perfect, but unfortunately, it slanted downward by roughly fifteen degrees.
In any case, my calculations were complete, so I shot myself toward the opposing cliff face without hesitation and dived.
SWOOOOSH!
My body was sucked into the hole from the head onward in a perfect slide.
Inside the cavern, where barely any strands of light entered, I raised myself up.
Unlike the entrance, the place where I had come to a stop was a rather spacious cave.
‘No wonder no one finds this place.’
Unless they knew the exact coordinates, no one would be mad enough to explore this place.
Indeed, it seemed like the kind of place where a Snow Ginseng that had grown for ten thousand years, just as its name suggested, might exist.
DRIP.
DRIP.
Water droplets falling one by one from cracks in the ceiling and the stale air greeted me before the Snow Ginseng did.
I began walking deeper into the cave, one step at a time.
A damp, muddy sensation came from the ground under my feet.
And here, I felt the energy of a guardian.
I had vaguely sensed it even before entering the cave, but I had not expected it to have this sort of form.
A snake with three heads.
Its three heads were fully wary of my approach, flicking their tongues.
It was certainly no ordinary snake.
It must have grown by feeding on the numinous energy within this cave, the very energy that had given birth to the Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng, so this creature too could be called a spiritual beast.
The mana I felt from it was also greater than that of most higher-grade monsters.
I did not know whether it possessed combat ability as well, but the force with which it glared at me was praiseworthy enough.
‘The Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng must be beneath its coils.’
I drew the Holy Sword.
I had no intention of harming it if it quietly withdrew, but the creature showed no intention of doing so.
“Move aside.”
Still, out of courtesy, I asked once.
What returned was the sight of its tongues flicking even faster.
I took one more step toward the creature.
In that instant, as though the three heads had agreed among themselves,
HISSSS!
They shot forward, baring furious fangs.
It felt faster than any sword I had ever faced.
Indeed, it was a sight befitting the dignity of a spiritual beast.
Of course, all three heads were cut off by the blade of the Holy Sword.
THUD!
TATATATATATATA!
The headless body flailed and thrashed wildly for a short while before finally letting its long body go limp and announcing the end of its life.
I did not know how many years it had lived, but it was a hollow end.
And at its final moment, the creature’s body spat out one round object.
This was the inner core that every spiritual beast possessed.
‘Can I consume it?’
I picked up the inner core.
Then an unexpected message was transmitted.
[Even if you consume the inner core, the increase in mana will be suppressed.]
An exceptional intervention by the Abyss had occurred.
The reason was easy to guess.
This Murim was the final gateway of the Tower of Causalitas.
Since I had been given a quest to defeat the strongest person in this world, it meant the benefit of the inner core would be controlled for the sake of a fair duel.
The fact that the spiritual medicine, which was the reward for the final quest, had also been arranged so I could take it to Earth and consume it was likely for the same reason.
[However, upon consuming the inner core, you can acquire the trait of Immunity to All Poisons.]
※ Immunity to All Poisons
- Freedom from all poisons in the world.
- Furthermore, the body will not be harmed by any kind of harmful contaminant.
Since it was not a quest reward anyway, I could not take it to Earth.
There was no reason to hesitate over consuming it.
Even if there was no increase in mana, the trait of Immunity to All Poisons alone was an enormous benefit.
For example, the Dungeon radiation that had tormented Seo Ji-han for many years would not have been a problem if he had possessed this trait.
There was also a high chance it would keep him safe from byproducts created by the Demon King, such as the Zombie Rune.
I immediately pushed the inner core into my mouth.
The soft, mushy texture was not particularly pleasant, but the refreshing sensation as it slid down my throat was beyond words.
And a small change occurred within my body.
Inside my dantian, a new energy that had not existed before settled completely into place.
The fact that this refreshing feeling, reaching all the way to my head, continued was another benefit brought by the inner core.
I was lucky.
To think I had come to obtain the Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng and ended up gaining something entirely unexpected.
And now came the highlight of this cave.
A large root of Snow Ginseng greeted me with a lofty air.
Its great energy was carefully contained within the root, so at first glance, it was a bewitching medicinal herb that might make one pass it by.
I carefully dug away the soil around it and harvested the Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng.
I could not afford to miss even a single fine root.
This was something I would take to Earth after defeating the Heavenly Demon.
[You have cleared the sudden quest.]
[You have obtained Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng as a reward.]
Amazingly, an identical item appeared in my Inventory.
It likely meant that I should leave the original in Murim and take the copy.
Since the medicinal effects would be the same, it was not a problem.
Kwak Woo-gyeong was the only one who had hit the jackpot.
***
“What on earth are you?”
When Kwak Woo-gyeong saw the Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng, he could not close his gaping mouth.
It must have been his first time seeing it in his life, but the overwhelming presence of the Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng was not something whose identity could be hidden.
“I told you. I said I would bring it, so you should wait.”
“This is possible? Then does that mean if I ask you to bring a Great Rejuvenation Pill or Gongcheong Stone Milk, you can obtain those immediately as well?”
If I pushed myself, that would be possible too.
Since I knew who had them, I would only have to take them away.
However, now that the sudden quest had already been completed, there was no reason to cause such a disturbance.
“There is no way all of that is possible. You are overestimating me far too much.”
“You... perhaps you really might be able to face the Heavenly Demon.”
“You did not think so until now?”
“The Heavenly Demon is a person whose limits are unknown. No matter how much you defeated the Leader of Evil Path Alliance and the Murim Alliance Leader, the Heavenly Demon’s realm is in a completely different domain.”
“Then why has your thinking changed now?”
“Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng. I do not know how you obtained it, but this will raise your existence another level higher.”
Unfortunately, that was impossible due to the setting.
Moreover, this Snow Ginseng had a separate owner.
“Use this and properly manifest the Qimen Formation.”
“Do not worry about that.”
“I will pay the price with the Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng.”
“Fine, I understand. Hm? What did you say?”
Kwak Woo-gyeong looked at me with blank eyes, then asked again.
“Are you insane?”
“Are you saying you do not need it because you are a scholar?”
“That is not what I am saying! This is not some bellflower root! Do you not know what Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng is?”
He was truly treating me like a madman.
“Then I should add one more condition.”
“What are you talking about now?”
“I want you to return to the Murim Alliance. With a condition of this level, would that make us even?”
“What?”
“I am saying your talent is too valuable to remain buried here in seclusion. The Alliance Leader is also anxiously waiting for you, so he will welcome you at any time.”
“But as you know, I...”
“Weigh it carefully. Which is heavier: the resentment you feel after taking offense at the Murim Alliance Leader, or this spiritual medicine that all martial artists yearn for?”
If he said the former was heavier, then I would have no choice but to acknowledge that this man, Kwak Woo-gyeong, was an utter madman.
There would be no room left to persuade him any further.
I would have no choice but to let him rot away in seclusion for the rest of his life because he had taken offense once.