Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 897

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 897
The city of the Goe-eo-in.
From what I observed, most of those living within spoke the Imperial tongue.
Even among the Goe-eo-in, the hierarchy was rigidly stratified.
Those closest to pure bloodlines used their own language.
However, those who had been human before receiving the “blessing,” or appeared to be their offspring, spoke the Central Plains dialect.
The world glimpsed through the gaps of my straw hat looked something like this.
‘Surprisingly, they live quite ordinarily.’
Upon closer inspection.
They engaged in economic activities no different from those of the Empire.
The Goe-eo-in had their own currency, and they labored to earn it.
For example, it went something like this.
“Dear. Have a safe trip.”
“Don’t worry. This time I’ll catch a big fish and bring back a hefty reward.”
Most engaged in fishing activities.
They carried nets on their backs and waded into the waterways.
Then they simply dove in.
Heading toward the sea in that manner.
Some returned with abundant catches of fish from the sea.
‘It seems they don’t eat human flesh every day.’
In a way, it might be similar to Yoo Ho?
Yoo Ho is said to have consumed humans in the past, but now as a graduate student, he hasn’t touched it.
Instead, he eats raw beast meat or liver.
These creatures seemed capable of supplementing their protein with fish.
‘I’m not sure what the upper echelons are like, though….’
Some even emerged from the waterways carrying gold fragments instead of fish.
It seemed there were gold mines of sorts on the seabed.
Another peculiar thing was that their aesthetic sense was distinctly different from humans.
Generally, for humans, small heads, straight noses and jawlines, and proportionate large eyes are the standards of beauty.
But from what I observed, they clearly possessed different aesthetic standards.
Even their statues deviated somewhat from human beauty standards.
Furthermore.
Among the Goe-eo-in, there were those popular for their appearance, and they resembled amphibians I had seen through the internet on Earth.
‘Axolotls…are popular.’
From the body’s curves, she was female.
But her face was that of an axolotl. And her skin was pale and smooth.
I could see other Goe-eo-in fawning over this axolotl-like Goe-eo-in female.
Whether in this neighborhood or the upper districts, all places where people lived were the same.
‘Axolotls are cute, certainly. Ah, the precise name was axolotl, wasn’t it?’
It would be easier to understand if I called it a meta-faced appearance.
In the Pokémon world, Metapod can transform into anything, yet its distinctive eyes, nose, and mouth remain unchanged.
If we were to compare it to an emoticon, it would be the (· _ ·) expression.
Tilt it sideways and it becomes the :l expression.
That kind of face seemed to be quite popular.
While I was observing in this manner.
Puuuuuu.
A sound like a conch horn began to resonate throughout the area.
The people stopped what they were doing and began to kneel and prostrate themselves in unison.
And then they all began to cry out in an incomprehensible language, each in their own way.
A language that sounded like an incantation, yet also like a bestial shriek.
It appeared to be the native tongue of the Goe-eo-in.
And from the distant cave that led to the sea, something slowly emerged, parting the water.
[Wow… there was something like that?]
[It’s not a dragon… More like an Imugi? I suppose.]
It was something that could be called a massive serpent or an Imugi.
Its head alone could easily swallow two or three people, and upon that head rode Taha-pa, who had launched the attack not long ago.
There was likely a reason why this creature was not deployed during that assault.
‘If that monster had been involved during that attack, it would not have been easy.’
The aura I sensed was not quite at the level of the Six-Horned Venomous Snake, but it seemed to approach that caliber.
It meant this was a high-tier spirit beast among spiritual entities.
Yet strangely.
Truly strangely.
‘It doesn’t feel as frightening as Yoo Ho when he ruined the experimental specimen.’
Why was that?
Everyone’s bodies froze in terror merely sensing the aura of that Imugi, yet I felt barely any impact.
When Yoo Ho said back then that the specimen was ruined and we’d have to redo it, he was ten times, no, a hundred times more terrifying.
‘Hmm… It seems there’s some kind of difference in rank (?) or something.’
The professor who was making use of such a being as a graduate student thought to himself.
At that moment, the massive Imugi’s face touched the waterway road.
Taha-pa descended from that spot, and others appeared one by one from the waterway, climbing onto the road.
[Those guys attacked us and then disappeared somewhere in between before coming back?]
[That must be it.]
After being attacked, I and my group moved to a separate building, gathered information, and then took action.
We consumed several hours in the process.
That would have been more than enough time to reach this underwater city long ago.
So it was certain they had stopped somewhere.
Which meant.
‘As expected, their base of operations must exist somewhere other than this place.’
I watched as Taha-pa conversed with the other Goe-eo-in about something.
And I could see one of the Goe-eo-in bringing a woman who was still a common human before Taha-pa, crying and shouting something.
The woman bore the pallor of sickness, her condition too grave to be called healthy even in jest.
Taha-pa drew blood from his own hand and fed it to the woman. Then, a Goe-eo-in with attire slightly different from the others approached Taha-pa’s side.
He withdrew an exquisite black metal box from his robes, and when opened, a crimson pill lay within.
Taha-pa seized the pill and cried out with resonant force.
-Blessing! Blessing! Blessing to transcend the lowly human species! We! Do not age. We! Do not sicken. We! Heal swiftly! Behold. I bestow blessing!
As Taha-pa placed the pill into the woman’s mouth, transformation commenced.
Her body trembled violently, as though seized by convulsion, while the contours of her face began to shift.
Her skin grew smoother, transforming into a Goe-eo-in with a somewhat lizard-like yet endearing visage.
(· _ ·)
An axolotl—no, rather an axolotl countenance.
-Wow, a beauty! A beauty! Congratulations to you!
Taha-pa offered his hearty congratulations.
The Goe-eo-in who had brought the woman wept openly, embracing her in her transformed state.
[So such an appearance passes for beauty among the Goe-eo-in? Looking closer, I can appreciate their aesthetic standards—they favor the cute.]
[It’s a metamorphic visage. Whether male or female, these creatures seem to favor that metamorphic appearance.]
At that moment, Cheonwoo muttered softly.
[Ugh… how horrifying. To transform a person in such a manner.]
While I and Sama Hyeon remained composed, Cheonwoo found it considerably difficult to bear.
And why wouldn’t he? Where would he have witnessed such a thing?
Even having operated within the Hyeolseon, it remained fundamentally human affairs.
This was the true visage of the non-human realm.
‘Perhaps we are the strange ones.’
Unaware until now, I may have become far too immersed in the ways of the non-human realm.
Taha-pa bestowed blessing upon one more and then departed with his subordinates toward some destination.
There stood a grand and imposing manor.
Given the vast expanse of this underground city, the existence of such an estate was hardly surprising.
Yet its form differed markedly from the other structures.
A style I had never encountered before.
Gazing upon it evoked a strange and eerie sensation.
The longer one looked, the more one’s gaze was drawn inward, an irresistible compulsion to continue observing.
‘This appears to be a soul-binding technique affecting the mind…’
Soul-binding technique.
A brainwashing method of the martial realm.
Whether to classify it as martial art or sorcery remained unclear.
It undoubtedly exists within the martial realm, and I know it is employed somewhere.
Particularly by places such as the Demonic Cult or the Hyeolseonggyo.
Yet I had never directly experienced soul-binding technique myself.
The formation technique that delved into past memories at the North Sea Ice Palace seemed perhaps the closest parallel to soul-binding technique.
The fact that villains who caused major incidents through soul-binding technique had not recently appeared in the martial realm was also significant.
People take no interest in dangers they have not experienced.
[Hyeong. That one… is a heretical path.]
[Cheonwoo, do you know something about this?]
[I’ve seen things like that a few times while working under the Black Line in the past. They were the type who used the name of the Shaman to create fanatical followers.]
[What? There are people like that even in the Mudang Faction?]
It was absurd.
Of course, I knew there were those who became Swordsmen, then descended into the secular world, broke their vows, and fell into darkness—committing acts no different from mountain bandits.
I taught them the sword to form righteous bonds, yet the moment they descended the mountain, they became human butchers, squeezing the blood and sweat from commoners.
No matter how carefully one judges character before teaching the sword, one can fathom ten fathoms of water but never one fathom of the human heart.
That was one of the greatest anguishes the Righteous Faction bore.
‘So there are madmen who even establish heretical cults.’
[In truth, they were merely using the name of our true faction. But the Black Line must deal with such things as well.]
Even without genuine training from the Mudang Faction, there would be those who impersonate the name.
[Ah… I see now.]
Those who tarnish the name of the Mudang Faction.
Naturally, the Shaman’s sword must pass judgment upon them.
If they not only impersonate but use that name to create fanatical followers and commit such atrocities, they deserve death.
[Hyeong. In the end, we’ll need to enter that manor and investigate, won’t we?]
[It’s clear that’s where they’re producing those so-called blessing pills from before. We’ll have to.]
That place is the source of evil.
* * *
Though it was an underground city, the concept of day and night still existed here.
When the bell signaling nighttime rang, the shops began closing their doors, and the Goe-eo-in returned to their quarters.
The footsteps of passersby ceased, and the number of those wandering the streets dwindled considerably.
Because of this, it wasn’t difficult for the three of us to move about discreetly.
The three of us headed straight toward the manor.
After sensing the presence of people inside through our qi perception, we scaled the wall and slipped within.
[Hyeong. These guys… didn’t even station any guards to protect the manor?]
[They probably never thought anyone would infiltrate this underground city. Or perhaps they believed they could handle any intruders themselves.]
Even common Goe-eo-in possessed individual qi comparable to that of Kang Ho-in.
If we simply grabbed a person and held their head underwater for three minutes, everything would be resolved. Humans cannot breathe underwater, after all.
There would be no need to soil our hands with blood.
At that moment, Cheonwoo spoke.
[Hyeong. There’s smoke coming from the inner quarters.]
Upon scaling the manor wall, a fairly bright landscape unfolded before us.
Night-luminous pearls and lanterns illuminated all directions.
An underground manor.
Or rather, should I call it a submarine manor, given its location?
The beautiful garden was filled with rare ornamental trees I had never seen before, each blooming in different colors.
Through some method I couldn’t fathom, even coral remained alive, creating a landscape that resembled the actual ocean floor.
The scenery was breathtaking.
I even spotted pearls as large as a person.
‘If the clam could produce something like this, I wonder how enormous the creature itself must be.’
Beyond the exquisite garden, I saw the massive chimney Cheonwoo had mentioned.
Smoke billowed continuously from the chimney as if something were burning within.
That was rather unusual.
From my observations, the Goe-eo-in never kindled fires when preparing food.
Their staple diet appeared to be raw fish.
Smoke rising from such a place? Naturally, it was suspicious.
The three of us immediately clung upside down to the inner chamber’s beam and slipped inside.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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