Chapter 122 – Growth (3)

This was my first time facing Salsoo.

Dark night, black clothes covering my entire body, weapons painted black to hide any reflection, small throwing knives, faint presence, piercing attacks, and more.

These were things I had never thought of before, making it difficult to face these guys who were definitely not easy opponents.

But I still managed to win.

Darkness can be illuminated by a sword. And with my increased output, it wasn’t that difficult, especially since I was already confident in my inner strength.

As the surroundings brightened, the black weapons and throwing knives that were painted to hide in the darkness were even more visible.

My dull senses had sharpened recently, like a blade being honed. Maybe now I was similar to Pengsoso or even better?

Thanks to this, I didn’t miss any faint presence, no matter how faint it was.

The combination of persistent attacks and the threat of square-shaped throwing knives flying towards me was particularly dangerous.

Thanks to Cheolwanghosimgyeol, the throwing knives that did not hit the sword were not able to hit my body either.

Although it was just a feeling, the intuition that detected the danger outside the range of my senses was quite helpful this time as well.

Similar in height and agile in body shape, and even the black clothes covering the entire body except for the eyes were not much different from other Salsoos in appearance and momentum.

But when I saw a guy mixed in with the Salsoos, a strange sense of discomfort arose.

Just in case, I swung my sword, and sure enough, there was a top-notch guy hiding among the first-class ones.

It didn’t take long to cut his throat. If only there were no subordinates to kill, it would have been faster.

…After the trial of the movie, I have become much stronger.

Even though he was weak in a head-on confrontation, he was still a top-notch Salsoo. But I was able to face him so easily.

I have gained a lot of new things, and I have become better at using the existing ones.

It’s been about a year since I met Hong Yeon-hwa. In that time, I have become this much stronger, and I will become even stronger in the future.

I am so confident that I feel proud of myself, and I laugh alone. At that moment, I met eyes with Sama Yeoryeong, who had already cleared the Salsoos before me.

“This, this mediocre sword dragon! I finished it a long time ago, why are you so late? Don’t just stand there, let’s go help Mom!”

Why is she talking to me like that…?

For a moment, I tilted my head at Sama Yeoryeong’s sudden grumbling towards me.

Anyway, she was right that we had to join the others, so I fixed my sword and held it again.

***

“Phew…finally, it’s over.”

After taking care of the last remaining Salsoo, I remained vigilant of my surroundings just in case, but there was no sign of any danger for a while.

Finally, I sheathed my sword and stretched my long arms and legs, letting out a satisfied yawn. However, seeing Pengsoso covered in blood and speaking like that was a bit unsettling.

“What a human slaughterer.”

“You, that’s too much! Even Jin Gaga…um…oh?”

Pengsoso glared at me angrily, but then her expression changed to a creepy smile as she looked me up and down.

“Why are you so cool?”

“Pengsoso…is that your type?”

She thinks blood makes someone look cooler…well, I guess the Muin are a tribe that can become numb to killing, but still…

Shing shing.

I pretended to tremble behind Hong Yeon-hwa, and Pengsoso, who realized my joke a bit late, jumped in surprise.

“What?! I’m not a crazy person…!”

“Then what is it? Why are you suddenly saying that to me? Wait, is this…are you trying to seduce me?”

Unfortunately, it was already late at night. I had to get some rest if I was going to move tomorrow.

…No, wait, since we’re taking the carriage, can’t I just sleep in there?

As I was calculating the time in my head, Sama Mang, who was checking on each other’s well-being behind me, started to chuckle.

“Oh, sorry. I was just amazed at how casually you two were joking around even after the Salsoo attack.”

“Well…it’s all thanks to Yeon-hwa being here.”

“……?”

Sama Mang said that as she put her hand in Hong Yeon-hwa’s armpit and lifted her up. Hong Yeon-hwa suddenly looked confused, as if she didn’t know why she was being lifted up.

If the Salsoo had attacked, it was like someone was constantly targeting me.

This time, I was lucky to feel the danger, but what if my intuition didn’t work properly next time?

I could be ambushed while I was sleeping, or maybe even poisoned without knowing it.

Even if the next Salsoo didn’t come, that anxiety wouldn’t disappear. It would only get worse.

The true terror of the Salsoo lies not in their combat power, but in their unpredictability.

…But if Hong Yeon-hwa was with me, I wouldn’t have to worry about anything.

I patted Hong Yeon-hwa’s head, expressing my gratitude and a little bit of pride.

“Neueng…”

Her small head shook back and forth as she was moved by my touch. I don’t know why I was doing this suddenly, but it was just too cute to stop.

“Oh my.”

As I enjoyed the warmth of Hong Yeon-hwa’s touch, I suddenly felt her pull away from me as if she had realized something.

“Now is not the time for that. First, we need to figure out what to do with these corpses.”

“Ah.”

I guess it wasn’t the time to tease Pengsoso. I couldn’t even see my surroundings, so there was nothing I could do.

Pengsoso giggled as if to say, “Look at that,” and pinched my side. Meanwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa looked around lightly and flicked her finger.

Hwaryuk-!

At the same time, flames erupted, illuminating the entire field.

Not only the blood on my body, but also the bodies of the Salsoo scattered on the ground were engulfed in the intense flames.

It must have been thanks to my extreme inner power control that only a warm heat was transmitted.

It was familiar to us, but the Sama mother and daughter looked surprised and looked around.

Meanwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa, who seemed uninterested in their amazed gazes, was touching my body, using the flames as a light source.

“Hmm? Huh?”

“Um…isn’t this a bit embarrassing here?”

“Oh my. Just stay still. Can’t you concentrate?”

“Do I really have to concentrate on this…?”

What’s with Pengsoso and the others suddenly? Is there something on my body?

It’s okay to touch my upper body, but it’s a bit embarrassing to be groped like this.

Even though Sama Mang couldn’t see, Sama Yeoryeong was pretending not to look from behind.

And Pengsoso seemed to think it was the right time, touching my body with the same ominous expression as before.

“W-what are you doing all of a sudden?”

Finally, Sama Yeoryeong asked carefully, and Hong Yeon-hwa replied without taking her eyes off my body.

“I was just checking if my lord achieved something in his outer cultivation.”

“Outer cultivation…?”

Now Sama Yeoryeong was staring at my body without even trying to hide her curiosity and envy.

Well, Sama Yeoryeong is relatively small in stature. She seems to have trained like a Muin, but she’s not at a particularly high level.

People tend to envy what they don’t have.

I may not be able to beat them in intelligence, but I can beat them in this. Hehe…weakness.

As I grumbled to myself, Hong Yeon-hwa smiled and nodded.

“I was a bit unsure, but this confirms it. My lord, it seems that the Iron King’s Heart and Mind Method is not far off.”

“Already…?”

Isn’t outer cultivation something that doesn’t require talent, but rather takes a long time to practice to reach a certain level?

As I enjoyed the warmth of Hong Yeon-hwa’s touch, she suddenly pulled away as if she realized something.

“Now is not the time for that. First, we need to figure out what to do with these corpses.”

“Ah.”

I guess it wasn’t the time to tease Pengsoso. I couldn’t even see my surroundings, so there was nothing I could do.

Pengsoso giggled as if to say, “Look at that,” and pinched my side. Meanwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa looked around lightly and flicked her finger.

Hwaryuk-!

At the same time, flames erupted, illuminating the entire field.

Not only the blood on my body, but also the bodies of the Salsoo scattered on the ground were engulfed in the intense flames.

It must have been thanks to my extreme inner power control that only a warm heat was transmitted.

It was familiar to us, but the Sama mother and daughter looked surprised and looked around.

Meanwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa, who seemed uninterested in their amazed gazes, was touching my body, using the flames as a light source.

“Hmm? Huh?”

“Um…isn’t this a bit embarrassing here?”

“Oh my. Just stay still. Can’t you concentrate?”

“Do I really have to concentrate on this…?”

What’s with Pengsoso and the others suddenly? Is there something on my body?

It’s okay to touch my upper body, but it’s a bit embarrassing to be groped like this.

Even though Sama Mang couldn’t see, Sama Yeoryeong was pretending not to look from behind.

And Pengsoso seemed to think it was the right time, touching my body with the same ominous expression as before.

“W-what are you doing all of a sudden?”

Finally, Sama Yeoryeong asked carefully, and Hong Yeon-hwa replied without taking her eyes off my body.

“I was just checking if my lord achieved something in his outer cultivation.”

“Outer cultivation…?”

Now Sama Yeoryeong was staring at my body without even trying to hide her curiosity and envy.

Well, Sama Yeoryeong is relatively small in stature. She seems to have trained like a Muin, but she’s not at a particularly high level.

People tend to envy what they don’t have.

I may not be able to beat them in intelligence, but I can beat them in this. Hehe…weakness.

As I grumbled to myself, Hong Yeon-hwa smiled and nodded.

“I was a bit unsure, but this confirms it. My lord, it seems that the Iron King’s Heart and Mind Method is not far off.”

“Already…?”

Isn’t outer cultivation something that doesn’t require talent, but rather takes a long time to practice to reach a certain level?

Especially for techniques like the Iron King’s Heart and Mind Method, which are considered high-level outer cultivation techniques.

But Pengsoso seemed to have finally understood something and had a refreshing expression on her face.

“Already…? Well, I did roll around a bit ungracefully. I thought it was just a practice, not an asceticism. I can guarantee that there is no one like Jin Gagaga in Pangga.”

“And didn’t the Lady regenerate your vitality every day with the Chugung and Hyeol? With the Ho Wang Gong, it’s not an impossible story.”

“No wonder…you looked a bit cooler than usual.”

As I listened to the conversation between Hong Yeon-hwa and Pengsoso, I examined my body. Did it get better…?

The essence of the Iron King’s Heart and Mind Method lies in the super regeneration that makes the severed muscle fibers tougher and the broken bones even stronger.

This means that the more overload you give and the faster you recover, the faster you can achieve your goals.

Come to think of it, I had the perfect environment for that.

The Muin Gong, which allows me to exert power beyond my limits, and the Ho Wang Gong, which releases unconscious restrictions.

Maybe the influence of the Il Wol Sung Shin Soon Hwan Gong was also involved. After all, vitality doesn’t just mean sexual ability.

Actually, I had thought that it wouldn’t be long before I stopped getting hickeys…but I never expected it to be this fast.

Well, it doesn’t matter what the cause is. Good things are good things, right?

As I replied appropriately to the congratulations from Sama Mang and Sama Yeoryeong, the Sammaejin Hwa that had been illuminating the surroundings suddenly went out.

Hong Yeon-hwa, who saw the sight, muttered with a surprised voice.

“We should have captured at least one instead of killing them all.”

“Ah…right. I didn’t think of that.”

As I let out a deep sigh, Sama Mang raised her head.

“There was no need to do that. After all, the Salsoo who were sentto kill us were not acting alone. They were probably sent by someone else, and we need to find out who that is.”

“You’re right. We need to be careful.”

As we discussed our next move, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction at my newfound strength. It was a reminder that I was not just a weakling anymore, but a powerful man who could protect those around me.

And with Hong Yeon-hwa by my side, I knew that I had a partner who was just as strong and capable as I was. Together, we would face whatever challenges lay ahead, and emerge victorious.

But for now, we needed to focus on the task at hand. We had to find out who was behind the attack on us, and make sure that they paid for their actions.

As we set out on our journey, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation. The future was uncertain, but I knew that with Hong Yeon-hwa by my side, I could face anything that came my way.

However, I didn’t expect to be attacked upon arriving at our destination.