Chapter 640
[One Annihilation] was a technique that didn’t just destroy—it obliterated.
By forcibly drawing out every ounce of power, its might grew in proportion to one’s mastery. But there was one fatal flaw…
Beep! Beep! Beep-beep!
* You have exhausted all of your strength!
* Warning! The backlash of overusing your ability returns entirely to you!
* Status abnormality: [Internal Injury] inflicted!
* Status abnormality: [Exhaustion] inflicted!
* Status abnormality: [Anemia] inflicted!
* Status abnormality: [Paralysis] inflicted!
* Due to overlapping abnormalities, all stats are temporarily reduced by 100!
The stronger the strike, the harsher the aftereffects.
‘…Ah, damn it.’
My body shook violently as if shocked by lightning. My vision, once clear, now blurred like a screen filled with static.
The price for reducing thousands of poisonous creatures to ashes was no small matter.
‘I thought I’d at least get a level-up for that…’
But higher levels demanded far more experience. Back when I was a weakling barely able to stand against a single expert, a level-up could patch the wounds. But now? The vessel had grown, and so had the requirements.
“…Huff.”
Internal injury, exhaustion, anemia, paralysis—yet somehow, I was still conscious.
Staggering through the haze, I stabbed White Flame into the ground just to keep standing.
Thunk!
Leaning on my spear pathetically, I felt the sting of not having yet learned Fire God Phantom Dance from Jeok Cheon-Gang.
I could already hear his scolding:
‘Fire God Phantom Dance? What, is an early death your career plan?’
Too dangerous, he’d said. But honestly, what was the difference between a pistol and an automatic rifle when one misstep would kill you anyway?
At this rate, I’d die from [One Annihilation] before ever touching that technique.
Not that I planned to die here, in this damned place.
‘That’s why I had insurance.’
And right on cue, the insurance agent arrived.
Whoooom. Boom!
The Beast Miao King landed heavily, cushioning himself with the still-twitching body of the Thousand-Year Spider. His face was flushed red as he spread his arms.
“Ohhh! Incredible! Come here!”
“Wait, don’t you—ugh!”
Crunch!
“To think I’d see such a thing!”
“Aaagh! Let go!”
“How did you do it? Was that the secret art of Flame God Sect? Or the Fire King’s final technique?”
Wham! Wham!
“Ooof!”
“You monster! I still can’t believe it!”
“AAAAHHH! You crazy bastard!”
“What? Crazy bastard? Yes! That’s right! You’re the Central Plains’ crazy bastard!”
I almost died—not from the fight, but from this lunatic.
And just as he let me go, another sad notification chimed.
Beep.
* Status abnormality: [Minor Ligament Tear] inflicted!
* Until recovery, [Strength] reduced by 20.
* Until recovery, [Agility] reduced by 20.
This is why Doctor Octopus was a villain.
I could only glare at him through my ragged breaths and croaked out,
“Spider… spider.”
“Spider? Ah, the Thousand-Year Spider?”
“Hurry… kill it.”
My pitiful gesture made him nod with admiration.
“So you planned to use it to map the Poison-Blooded Land? Truly, you’re extraordinary.”
“Oh, for the love of—”
“Very well! As you wish, I’ve brought it here alive—”
“Grrrhh!”
Mustering the last of my strength, I shoved White Flame into the spider’s head. The way one would claim an insurance payout.
Thunk!
* Screee!
Its short scream ended as the heavenly chime rang out.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
* [Lv.119 Thousand-Year Spider] slain!
* Bonus experience gained for defeating a rare creature!
* Level up!
* Significant physical recovery!
* All status abnormalities removed!
* Warning: Your body is not yet fully stable. Some rest and treatment required!
Oh yes. This was why I carried insurance.
The experience from ordinary poisons was a drop in the ocean. But a Thousand-Year Spider was a storm. Combined with the thousands I had just burned, the level-up washed over me, restoring body and qi alike.
“Ughhh.”
The finishing blow was sweet. As the ancients said, a single level-up was worth more than five loaves and two fish. Whoever said it, they were right.
‘Back from death’s door.’
Patting my stomach in satisfaction, I looked up—straight into the stiff gaze of the Beast Miao King.
“…What?”
“…What.”
After a pause, he said flatly,
“Then why the hell did you tell me to keep it alive?”
The real reason? Of course, for the experience.
But years of suffering in small guilds had taught me a sliver of social skill. So I answered solemnly,
“I wanted to take revenge with my own hands.”
“What?”
“For the fallen warriors of the South. For those slain by slime and webbing. I wanted revenge.” (T/N : What a scammer lol)
His eyes widened, ripples of emotion trembling within. He stared in silence before murmuring,
“…I don’t even know what to say.”
“Shh. You don’t need to say anything. I already know.”
“You—why, you little—!”
Romantic? Hell no. Made me want to puke.
But one thing was certain: the Beast Miao King was deeply moved.
‘Well, if the outcome is good, who cares?’
No reason to feel guilty. It was true I mourned the fallen, and it was true I needed the experience. Both were valid.
What mattered was that my quick excuse might bring better results.
‘If word spreads, the Southern Beast Palace’s chances of joining the Murim Alliance go up at least ten percent.’
Still, a heavy feeling lingered.
Because barely two shichen away, hundreds had been massacred, and I hadn’t stopped it.
‘…Damn it.’
My mouth felt bitter. Even now, in the modern world and Murim alike, people were dying everywhere.
Some from accidents. Some from monsters. Some from brawls in taverns. Some nameless chivalrous warrior dying to protect others.
I knew. I couldn’t save them all.
But I hated it nonetheless. And I regretted—not being there, not saving the innocent when maybe I could have.
‘With great power comes great responsibility.’
That line from a hero movie had become a boulder pressing down on my heart. Even during meditation, it weighed me down.
‘Perhaps… this too is a Heart Demon.’
I shook my head with a sigh and left the spider’s corpse behind.
Together with the Beast Miao King, I moved deeper, into the heart of the Poison-Blooded Land.
Squish, squish.
The swamp was silent now. The five spiders and their countless army were gone, yet peace was still far.
‘Especially that one…’
The Wraith of Mount Aino.
That Black Tiger, the system called it. Its colossal body, wind-like speed, and chilling aura—proof that it was far beyond ordinary spirit beasts or poisons.
* Where do you think it is now?
The Beast Miao King’s sound transmission reached my ear.
* Hard to say. But it’s still here, in the Poison-Blooded Land.
* That’s what troubles me. Why hasn’t it shown itself? It lured us here. If it had struck before, we’d have been in trouble.
He was right.
The Thousand-Year Spiders had been easier than their reputation suggested. The poison horde, too. But had the Wraith joined the fight, the story would’ve been different.
‘If it had attacked right after I used [One Annihilation]… even with our best effort, one of us would’ve died. Maybe both.’
Its fangs could pierce even hardened qi. Its movements left no trace. It was aptly named a wraith.
So why hadn’t it struck?
Two possibilities crossed my mind.
First: ‘The spiders were just the weakest of four great poisons.’
Second: ‘The Wraith doesn’t intend to kill us.’
I quickly dismissed the second. Impossible.
Before I could mull further, the Beast Miao King’s heavy hand clapped my shoulder.
“Shit—don’t do that!” My heart almost stopped.
But his thick fingers pointed ahead.
Through the dense fog and overgrown jungle, a faint light shimmered.
‘Could it be…?’