Chapter 337
"Ho-oh. Is that so?"
Although I answered boldly, the qi wave felt from Go Mun-tak is unusual.
Old man Maeng Gwang-gae, after making a sound like he was straining to poop, said, "By any chance... is it the Gwanghyeoldan?"
"Keuhaha! You recognize it!"
Since I didn't know much about the Gwanghyeoldan, I glanced at old man Maeng Gwang-gae, and he began to explain.
"The Gwanghyeoldan is a medicine that allows you to use a power that surpasses your limits for a short time after eating it. Well... I thought it had been discontinued because its side effects were so severe. It seems it was still being secretly distributed."
"It surpasses your limits after eating it, and the side effects are severe?"
I was a little surprised. I thought I had never heard the name Gwanghyeoldan before, but in fact, its effects were similar to a medicine I knew.
"By any chance, are the side effects such that even if you eat just one pill, you can't use your internal energy for a while, and if you eat two pills, you can't even move your body for a while, and if you eat three pills, you might die... are they those kinds of side effects?"
"Huh? How do you know that in such detail?"
"The Demonic God Pill!"
"What? The Demonic God Pill? What's that?"
I couldn't answer his question right away. Because the name 'Demonic God Pill' was a name I knew from my past life.
In my past life, when the Righteous-Demonic War unfolded, one of the things that put our Righteous Faction in the most trouble was the Demonic God Pill.
Because even in a battle situation where we were clearly taking the lead, the bastards would suddenly become strong like crazy people, and on the contrary, there were not a few cases where we were annihilated.
At first, I couldn't figure out why this was happening. I could only think that tremendous masters were hiding and revealing their identities at a crucial moment.
But by chance, while autopsying the corpses of the enemies, I consecutively found those who had died without being able to bite the Demonic God Pill in their molars, and only then could we know.
That this pill was a medicine that gave a tremendous power momentarily.
"It's an item distributed by the Demonic Cult. I also found out by chance while investigating the Demonic Cult."
"What? The Demonic Cult? What's going on? The Gwanghyeoldan was an item that was distributed over ten years ago and then disappeared."
"Perhaps they distributed it in the martial world as a test under the name Gwanghyeoldan at that time, and after confirming its effects, they took it back?"
I, who knew all the circumstances, roughly guessed what had happened.
If it was over ten years ago from now, since the Righteous-Demonic War will break out in about fifteen years, there is a gap of about thirty years.
So, since there was almost no information about the Gwanghyeoldan, it seems they couldn't connect the Gwanghyeoldan and the Demonic God Pill.
"And crucially, it can also be evidence that the Evil Faction Alliance and the Demonic Cult are related."
Maeng Gwang-gae nodded his head vigorously at my words.
He, as an elder of the Beggars' Sect, is an expert in information that surpasses me.
With just this much of a clue, he would be able to sufficiently guess the situation to some extent.
"What are you two chattering about!"
At that time, Go Mun-tak shouted as if he were angry.
With him having even eaten the Gwanghyeoldan, and us whispering in front of him, his anger seems to have exploded.
In fact, in the latter half of the Righteous-Demonic War. The Demonic Cult bastards hardly used the Demonic God Pill.
Because we had found a very perfect way to counter the Demonic God Pill.
I, rolling my eyes, first thought about whether it was a situation where I could use that countermeasure.
"That bastard. Judging from his condition, he seems to have eaten two pills... it might be a difficult fight."
"Wudang Sect's Unhwi! I will kill you!!"
At that moment, Go Mun-tak rushed at me.
Although it seems he is just swinging his sword, even at a glance, a tremendous internal energy is contained in it.
Because as the sword approaches, my skin even feels tingly.
The power was to the extent that it reminded me of the Janggang Waterway Fortress Lord, Ho Baek-gwi.
I, barely pulling my body back, dodged the sword, and the sword struck the ground.
The ground, with a loud roar, exploded and overturned, and dirt and stones scattered in all directions.
Go Mun-tak's sword, which came flying again before I could even regain my balance.
The sword, filled with overflowing internal energy, flew at a speed that greatly surpassed common sense, and the moment I thought I had no choice but to block it.
Maeng Gwang-gae, cutting in front of me, blocked Go Mun-tak's sword with the Dog Beating Staff he had in his hand out of nowhere.
In an instant, the qi wave spread in all directions, and the clash was so great that my ears were all deafened.
"Keuk!"
But Maeng Gwang-gae, as if he had received a considerable shock while protecting me, let out a groan without realizing it.
I shouted momentarily.
"Senior brothers! Get the Green Snake first! There's a way to deal with this person, but for now, we need to secure the Green Snake's person!"
Of course, the Green Snake also heard my words, and she, who had been watching the fight between Go Mun-tak and us with a blank expression, momentarily performed a movement technique to escape this place.
But since her speed was far from matching the movement technique of Senior Brother Un Cheol, who had now reached a certain level, the Green Snake was caught by my senior brother before she could go far.
"Let go! Let go of this..."
Although she resisted by flailing her arms and legs, Senior Brother Un Cheol simply knocked her out with a chop of his hand, and the Green Snake soon went limp.
"Senior brothers! Take the Green Snake and go to the place we promised right now. We'll follow you soon."
"But, Unhwi-ya!"
"I'm not ignoring you, senior brothers, but this is not a fight that you can interfere in. And the Green Snake's subordinates will surely try to save her. So you guys block them well!"
"Ah, I understand!"
While I was giving instructions to my senior brothers, Maeng Gwang-gae and Go Mun-tak were exchanging blows, creating loud roars.
My senior brothers, who had seen the true power of a Nine Factions One Sect elder with their own eyes, finally nodded their heads and followed my words, and soon, they slung the Green Snake over their shoulders and began to run somewhere.
In fact, there is no separate meeting place. It just means to take her to the inn where we were staying.
I said this just in case someone was listening to my voice, but fortunately, Senior Brother Un Cheol seemed to have understood at once.
When I confirmed that my senior brothers had completely left, I heard an explosion in my ear again.
Maeng Gwang-gae was being pushed back a little by Go Mun-tak.
To think that even Maeng Gwang-gae, who had long since surpassed human limits, was a power that he could not easily face.
—Elder! There is a best way to deal with the Demonic God Pill.
I sent a telepathic message to Maeng Gwang-gae.
As if he had heard the telepathic message, his shoulder flinched for a moment, but he didn't seem to have the leisure to answer me with a telepathic message.
—Trust me and follow my words. When I count to three... you must immediately turn around and follow me at full speed.
Although I didn't hear an answer from him, I, convinced that Maeng Gwang-gae had heard my words, began to count.
"One, two, three!"
Maeng Gwang-gae, as if he had momentarily blinked, disappeared and appeared next to me, and I immediately started running.
"I'm doing as you say for now, but what on earth are you trying to do?!"
"This is the most efficient way to deal with someone who has eaten the Demonic God Pill! Yikes!"
"You bastards! What are you doing!"
I, while speaking, dodged the sword qi flying from behind by rolling forward once.
The moment Maeng Gwang-gae, who had been following me, was about to stop and face him, I grabbed him and shouted, "You can't face him! Just follow me!"
"Where on earth are we going?"
"There's no... destination!"
And soon, a breathtaking chase began.
In fact, I was quite confident in my movement technique, but Go Mun-tak's movement technique had also become incredibly fast, perhaps thanks to his increased internal energy.
However, since it was not a very delicate movement technique because it had become faster by pouring in a tremendous amount of internal energy, not because his skill itself had improved, I could only barely shake him off, get caught, and shake him off again, repeating the process.
Go Mun-tak, as if we were about to be caught but not caught, continued to chase us, sending out sword qi, swinging his sword, and even throwing stones, but we managed to dodge all of them and just kept running away.
"If you're going to run away, run far away, what is this dangerous act!"
"We can't run far away! With the thought of teasing that bastard as much as possible...!"
"Ah...!"
Maeng Gwang-gae, as if he had gained some enlightenment, now skillfully dodges Go Mun-tak's sword, which is full of anger, by ducking his head and twisting his body.
The fact that he is just doing it silently without any complaints probably means that he has clearly understood my intention.
"You, you bastards. What on earth are you... doing!"
Of course, Go Mun-tak, who couldn't understand the reason, is diligently chasing us, swinging his feet, legs, and sword.
But his speed doesn't seem to be as fast as it was at first.
"Huk, huk..."
He even gasps for breath as if he is out of breath.
It means that what I intended is working correctly.
"N-no way...?!"
Go Mun-tak, who had been running for a long time like that.
He now has a bewildered face, as if he finally understands.
Go Mun-tak's running speed has already become incredibly slow, and the power of his sword swing has also noticeably weakened.
Only then did I stop in my tracks.
And then, with a broad smile, I said to Go Mun-tak, "Do you know the best way to deal with the Gwanghyeoldan? It's to not face it."
"You, you bastard...!"
"Why would I fight you when you're at your strongest? You have to avoid a downpour. If you try to go through it, you'll just get all wet."
"I won't leave you alone... ugh!"
He began to retch.
I have seen such a sight quite a few times in my past life.
The side effects of the Demonic God Pill have begun.
It was like this in my past life too.
We had issued instructions to run away without looking back as soon as the enemies suddenly became strong, and if we just kept running away like that, the bastards' drug effect would end and they would self-destruct due to the side effects.
That's why in the latter half of the war, the bastards didn't even use the Demonic God Pill.
"Haha... no, this is the first time in my life I've had such a ridiculous fight."
"To be precise, it's not a fight, is it? Since he self-destructed."
"Uwe-e-ek!"
He, as if he hadn't eaten much, kept spitting out only water.
Since he said he had eaten two Demonic God Pills, he will eventually collapse like that.
And he will be unable to move his body, and we can then either capture him alive or kill him.
"Keu-euk..."
He looked at us with bloodshot eyes.
At that moment, Maeng Gwang-gae flinched and then held the Dog Beating Staff in his hand again.
"Unhwi! That bastard. He had one more prepared!"
"Yes?!"
I was genuinely surprised.
If you eat three pills at once, the end is death.
I never thought he would be willing to risk even death.
I, performing the best movement technique I could, swung my sword at the bastard.
Originally, I was going to capture him alive and extract information about the Evil Faction Alliance, but now I have no choice.
But, my sword was blocked by Go Mun-tak's sword.
No matter how fast my sword was, it couldn't be faster than Go Mun-tak chewing his molars.
"I'll take you with me... as a companion on the road!"
Go Mun-tak, with eyes so bloodshot that it seemed blood would drip from them, shouted, filled with anger.
(End of Chapter)