Chapter 91
“Arghhh… Hyung-nim, that bastard is insanely tough! It’s like he’s made of eternal iron!”
Dang Jin-ak complained angrily after over an hour of fighting, unable to make a single proper scratch.
“Well, of course. It lives in lava.”
“I thought it’d be easy, like the Yin-Yang Twin Serpents…! If it were a hot spring, I’d jump in and catch it myself, but of all things, it lives in lava…”
The only time they could attack the Millennium Fire Carp was when it leapt out of the lava.
RUMBLE—
Suddenly, the entire cave began to shake.
“Ah! That bastard’s coming up again!”
Dang Jin-ak reflexively grabbed his dagger and shouted.
After so much hunting, they could tell by now—this violent tremor was the signal that the Millennium Fire Carp was about to emerge from the lava.
“Everyone, fall back!”
At the signal, Yang Hwichun, who was waiting at the front line, shouted out—
SSHHHHH—!
A massive, rock-like fish shot out of the lava.
Its body was easily over ten jang long (over 30 feet), its scales harder than rock, and despite its size, it moved with terrifying agility.
As it thrashed and whipped its tail violently, globs of lava shot into the air, raining down like a storm upon them.
Everyone narrowly avoided the falling lava, their nerves stretched to the limit.
If anyone failed to dodge, they’d suffer burns severe enough to melt their flesh.
But they couldn’t just stand there dodging—this was their only chance to attack the Millennium Fire Carp.
Just then, the elder from Haenam sect leaped into the air, his white beard flying behind him.
As he drew a graceful arc with his left hand, the sword cloaked in blue aura began to hum.
With a sharp motion of his hand, the blue aura shot toward the fish like a meteor.
Meteor Chasing Moon Sword (流星追月劍).
Finally, cracks appeared on its thick scales.
“Now’s our chance!”
As the elder shouted, Namgung Gyeong gathered his internal energy in an Upper Stance.
A powerful energy radiated from his whole body, the gleam of his blue sword flickering brilliantly.
If the Haenam elder was a raging wave, Namgung Gyeong was a clear blue sky that embraced all things.
In an instant, his stance shifted from Upper to Lower.
Lone Soul, One Sword (孤魂一劍).
It was a silent, fluid movement, but a fraction of a second later, a powerful gust and booming sound followed.
KWA-BOOOM—!
Into the small crack the elder had created, the sword energy shot without the slightest deviation.
The result: one of the impossibly hard scales shattered like stone.
KUOOOHH!
The Millennium Fire Carp let out a scream-like cry and dove back into the lava.
It was a decisive blow, unleashed with all their strength.
Namgung Gyeong swayed slightly as he watched it retreat.
“We can’t let it escape!”
“Of course not! We’re not letting a fish we’ve caught get away!”
As the tremor shook the ground again, Yang Hwichun leaped behind Namgung Gyeong.
This sweltering environment sapped the strength of most—but not him.
Infused with the energy of blazing sunlight, this was the ideal environment for the Fire King to use his power.
Yang Hwichun raised both hands to the sky and curled his fingers as if gripping something.
His eyes turned a fiery red, and he burst out laughing.
“Hahahahaha! Where do you think you’re going?!”
As the tremor peaked, the lava bubbled, and once again, the fish leapt into the air.
But this time, it moved differently—flailing uncontrollably, as if forcibly pulled out with a net.
Yang Hwichun had manipulated the lava’s heat to forcibly drag it out.
“You guys! Do your part!”
“I can’t… I’m out of weapons…”
Dang Jin-ak cried, saying he had run out of throwing weapons.
Besides, he was nearly exhausted—attacking more would be impossible.
“Tch! Tch! You’re too young to be whining like that!”
“It’s weird not to be tired in this environment!”
“What?! Are you calling this old man a freak?!”
“When did I ever say that?!”
After spending the past few days constantly hunting together, the two had grown noticeably closer.
“If you’re worn out, fall back.”
“Hyung-nim!”
Ignoring the bickering, Dok Go-ryong gripped his axe with both hands.
His thigh muscles tensed as he pushed off the ground with all his strength.
A crimson-black energy gathered into the axe, sharpening the obsidian-like blade even further.
In front of Dok Go-ryong, he saw the opening Namgung Gyeong and the Haenam elder had created.
“Please… just die already…”
Blood vessels burst in the whites of his eyes, and he ground his teeth.
“Die!”
With all his might, he brought the axe down.
Soul-Destruction Flash (魂滅一閃)!
KUEEEK! KUOOOOH!
The Millennium Fire Carp let out what could only be described as a true scream.
Dok Go-ryong’s axe sliced through the tough flesh like tofu, digging deep inside.
FSSHH—!
As the blade cut deeper, the fish’s blood gushed like a waterfall.
And then—
CRACK—
A small cracking sound reached his ears amidst the fish’s screeching.
Or maybe he didn’t hear it—it might’ve been something he felt through his fingertips.
Dok Go-ryong realized his axe had stopped moving.
He had only cut through half of its body—
His axe had broken under the weight of his own monstrous strength.
“If anyone’s still got strength left, finish this damn thing!”
But everyone was exhausted. It had been five straight days of hunting.
Just when it seemed the catch might slip away—
“Step aside, Gwangryong So-hyup!”
A voice full of spirit rang out, though clearly tired.
“Haaaaa!”
Namgung Gyeong swung his blue sword precisely into the wound Dok Go-ryong had made.
SHRRRK—
And finally, the Millennium Fire Carp was sliced in two.
The light disappeared from its massive eyes, and its thrashing ceased.
The lifeless body began to fall rapidly toward the boiling lava.
“If you don’t want to die, get back!”
Just before it could fall into the lava—
Yang Hwichun unleashed the Flame God Palm (火焰神掌).
THUD—!
With a dull sound, the corpse was pushed sideways and landed barely on solid ground near the lava.
“Yes!!!”
“We did it! We caught the Millennium Fire Carp!”
Forgetting their fatigue, the group cheered and embraced one another.
“Ahahaha! Hyung-nim! You were amazing!”
Dang Jin-ak danced around Dok Go-ryong in delight.
But as soon as he noticed Dok Go-ryong wasn’t reacting, he slowly toned it down.
“…Get lost.”
Soaked in the fish’s blood, Dok Go-ryong smelled like both gore and rotting fish.
He looked thoroughly unpleasant.
To avoid further upsetting him, Dang Jin-ak stepped back.
“Want to use this to wipe off?”
He offered a clean corner of his own clothing.
Dok Go-ryong glared at it for a moment, then reluctantly wiped himself clean.
As the dark red gunk cleared, patches of human skin began to show.
“You worked hard, So-hyup! Thanks to you, we were able to take down the Millennium Fire Carp!”
Namgung Gyeong approached, speaking warmly.
“Truly impressive! You’re even better than your reputation. I’ve been watching these past few days, but now I’m sure.”
He cleaned his bloody hand and extended it to Dok Go-ryong.
“So-hyup, would you consider joining the Murim Alliance? With your talent, you could easily rise to the top!”
Startled by the sudden offer, Dang Jin-ak widened his eyes. Dok Go-ryong’s brow twitched.
‘This guy, that guy…’
Why does everyone keep trying to recruit me?
“I’ll pass.”
“No need to refuse! You’d be a great asset to us!”
Does this guy even know what ‘no’ means?
As Dok Go-ryong’s expression soured, Dang Jin-ak quickly stepped in.
“Changryong Daeju! Hyung-nim’s extremely tired right now. How about discussing this later?”
“Ah, I was too hasty. I’ll bring it up again later.”
“Don’t even—mmph!”
“Ah! He’s very tired! Shall we go rest over there?”
Before Dok Go-ryong could unleash a verbal explosion, Dang Jin-ak hurriedly clamped a hand over his mouth.
They slowly backed away from Namgung Gyeong.
As he noticed the sharp, deadly look in Dok Go-ryong’s eyes, Dang Jin-ak sheepishly raised both hands.
“Ha, haha… Please don’t start a fight, Hyung-nim.”
“Who said anything about fighting?”
You did.
Dang Jin-ak squinted suspiciously.
