SDG 59

Chapter 59

Still, it’s not every day you see a seven-hundred-year-old Imoogi die in a single blow.

Even I hadn’t expected that.

But thinking about it, maybe it wasn’t so strange after all.

“Considering it had already lost half its yeouiju and still used up the last of its strength to trigger a trap like this… it probably wasn’t in peak condition.”

It was no small feat — collapsing an entire mountain.
Unlike humans who could channel energy through meridians or formations, the Imoogi had done it purely through its own power.

For something like that, it would’ve already been straining its limits.

And besides…

“You did your part too, didn’t you?”

I hadn’t even aimed for a vital point — I’d thrown my sword purely as a warning.
From a full thirty jang away, into the thicket.

What were the odds of that strike landing squarely between the Imoogi’s eyes?
On the other hand, what were the odds that Myeol-ak Divine Sword had a hand in that outcome?

Woom—woom!

The blade hummed proudly, almost as if it were declaring, It was me.
I sighed softly.

Who would’ve thought that the sword becoming divine would make it too good at killing?

“Well, not that it’s exactly a problem.”

I wasn’t planning on letting the Imoogi live anyway.
Whatever the reason, it had aimed for my life — and Baekho’s.
When you go after someone’s life, you should be ready to stake your own.

The Imoogi had simply paid the price.

“So… I’ll take this as compensation.”

I pried the half-yeouiju from its jaws — it had been clutching it even in death, unwilling to let go.
Clever as it had been, I wondered if it had tried to trick me somehow, but…
The energy it held was nearly identical to the first half I’d received earlier.

Satisfied, I shifted my focus from the pearl to the Imoogi’s corpse.
And then I couldn’t help but grin.

“This… will fetch a fortune.”

When it came to trading spiritual beasts, the naedan — the inner core — was usually the most valuable part.
But serpentine creatures were an exception.
Their naedan was less valuable than their other parts.

There was a reason for that.

The naedan of snake-type creatures contained a poisonous energy — far stronger than ordinary venom.
Only specialists like the Sichuan Tang Clan or certain poison cultivators would even consider buying it.
So naturally, the market price was low.

But their other parts were a different story.

Snake-type spiritual beasts had far tougher hides and tendons than most other creatures.
And though weaker than the poison in their cores, their blood — known as dragon’s blood in the case of Imoogi — was also highly toxic, and surprisingly in demand.

Deadly, cheap, and difficult to detoxify — there were always buyers.

Of course, I had no intention of selling the core or the blood.
I wasn’t short on money, and those things would surely be used for foul purposes.
Better to throw them away than sell them.

…Not that I’d actually throw them away.

Even cow dung could be used in medicine — so how could I waste an Imoogi’s core or dragon’s blood?
I’d just store them for now.

They’d be useful someday.

“The meat’s a bit tricky though…”

The flesh of an Imoogi was also laced with venom — not as strong as its blood, but still deadly to humans.
And unlike the blood or core, the meat spoiled easily.

“There’s no real way to keep it, huh?”

The corpse was enormous — longer than most towers were tall.
The amount of meat was staggering, and storing it would be a problem.

“Guess I’ll just have to discard it.”

I’d just reached that conclusion when—

‘Master.’

I turned.
Baekho had reverted to his original form and stood nearby.
Thankfully, he didn’t look badly hurt — but he did look… odd.

From his mouth, saliva was dripping. No, pouring.

It was painfully obvious what he wanted.

“Fine. You can have the meat.”

Since I was planning to throw it out anyway, I gladly offered it to him.
A spiritual beast like Baekho wouldn’t be affected by the poison in Imoogi flesh, so there was nothing to worry about.

I’d expected him to be pleased, but…

‘Not this much…’

Baekho began to weep. Again.
Just like when I’d given him the yeouiju.

Tears streamed down his furry cheeks as he choked out a grateful cry.

What could I even say?
You can’t exactly tell someone to stop crying over food.

So I just let him be — and turned back to the Imoogi’s corpse.

“Let’s deal with the hide and tendons first. The blood can wait.”

Oh, and—

“Almost forgot the horns.”

The three most valuable parts of an Imoogi were its hide, tendons, and the dragon horns.

Its hide — though the Myeol-ak Sword had sliced through it — was otherwise impervious to most weapons.
Armor made from it was light, flexible, and nearly indestructible — a priceless treasure in the martial world.

I could sell it for a fortune, but perhaps it’d be wiser to keep it and make armor later.

Next were the tendons.

They were even tougher than the hide — resilient enough to withstand the sword energy of a grandmaster.
Highly elastic and incredibly durable, they were classified as top-grade material with countless uses.

If I were to craft armor later, they’d be indispensable.

And finally, the horns.

But before harvesting those, there was something I needed to do.

I had to collect the blood and meat first — because once the horns were removed, the body would immediately begin to rot.
No one knew why, but once an Imoogi’s horns were cut off, decay spread through its body like a curse.

Curiously, the parts already harvested were unaffected.
Some said it was the Imoogi’s lingering grudge, but no one really knew.

I could confirm it myself, though.

After all, the creature’s soul should still be nearby.

That thought reminded me of something.

“I wonder… can Grim Reapers even enter this realm?”

Before I could speculate further, Baekho answered.

‘I’ve seen them come to this place before — whenever I barely escaped death.’

“I see.”

That made sense.
You couldn’t really hide from the gaze of Heaven, even here.

“Well then… don’t cause trouble in the afterlife. Reflect on your sins and be born kind in your next life.”

I said it toward where I sensed the Imoogi’s lingering presence.
Not that I expected repentance — I just wanted to see if it could still influence this world.

So I provoked it a little.

Whoosh—

A gust of wind brushed past me, faintly heated.

Definitely not a natural breeze.

I smiled faintly.

“Heh. Seems a bit weak, though.”

Mystery solved.

Having confirmed my curiosity, I decided to ignore the spirit.
Soon enough, the Reapers would drag it away anyway.

Now, to the real work.

Dismantling an Imoogi wasn’t going to be easy — a laborious task if there ever was one.
Fortunately, I didn’t have to do it myself.

Roar!

‘Since I’ll be eating the meat, let me handle the butchering, Master.’

Baekho volunteered.

Could he even do it properly in his current (non-beast) form?

Turns out, yes.

With a shhk-shhk sound, Baekho used his claws like blades — slicing through the Imoogi’s flesh with surgical precision.

All I had to do was hand him a few empty wine jars from my bag to store the blood.

Still, given the creature’s sheer size, the process would take quite some time.

As Baekho paused in his work, he spoke again.

‘It might get boring waiting here. Why not visit my home while I finish up?’

Come to think of it, I’d never actually seen Baekho’s “home.”
He’d said this entire realm was his domain, but he apparently had an actual dwelling somewhere.

I wasn’t that curious — and watching him work was oddly entertaining — but then he added: