I Became the Namgung Clan’s Omnipotent Item-Powered Martial God - Chapter 49
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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 49
Chapter 49 – A Gift
#1
The Gwangma-dae.
Those who followed the Demonic Cult’s teachings most extremely after its destruction.
They revered strength and would resort to any means as long as they emerged victorious.
Among those who dreamed of the Demonic Cult’s revival, they were the cruelest of all.
Yet these were enemies who should have moved later.
So why had they stirred already?
This dissonance was precisely what Namgung Yeon had sensed.
‘The course of history diverges from what it should be. What could be the cause?’
And so he resolved to find out.
To prepare himself for any variables that might accumulate.
To ensure that the resources he had stockpiled could be deployed where they mattered most.
For that, he needed information—now.
Information in the present that could draw upon past experience.
That was why he spared only one of them, then began extracting information.
His gaze, dark as an abyss, fixed upon the trembling Demonic Being.
From his Storage Bag, he withdrew something.
The Zuixiang Subaijing.
A simple truth serum of sorts.
But it worked not through ingestion, but through its fragrance.
Namgung Yeon controlled his Internal Energy, directing the scent toward the creature’s nose.
The power of the Middle Dantian.
Such a thing had become possible now that his ability to accomplish diverse feats through Qi had been unlocked.
Since he performed it where no one else could see, there was no risk of discovery.
And he spoke to Manho.
“There’s something I need to investigate. Protect my sister and the others.”
“As you command! Thank the heavens you’re unharmed.”
Thus he barred anyone’s approach to this place.
Now came the real questions.
“I need no verbal answer. What matters is understanding why you came here.”
……
“Did you act independently? Internal strife? I see. The Mahyeoldan? Macheowei? Blinded by merit, no doubt. They’re preparing incursions elsewhere too, aren’t they? Orders came down to operate as scattered cells.”
……
Namgung Yeon fired questions rapidly while observing the creature’s eyes.
Letting information leak through the Demonic Being’s voice was unnecessary.
After inhaling the serum, even the subtlest flicker of the eyes would betray the answer he sought.
The eyes are the window to the soul, they say.
This was a Miscellaneous Technique born of Namgung Yeon’s own experience cutting through countless battlefields.
Sometimes swift interrogation became necessary.
Torture could force a mouth open, but there were many moments when time forbade such methods—so he had learned this technique.
And so, through rapid questioning, he secured the intelligence he needed.
“Thank you. For telling me so much.”
Thrust—!
With those words, Namgung Yeon drove his sword mercilessly into the creature’s heart.
The Maling Sword began greedily devouring the Demonic Being’s Demonic Energy.
‘I’m glad I prepared in advance.’
The Gwangma-dae.
And the Hyeolma-dae.
He had anticipated that one of these two would make a move.
So on the way here, he had retrieved items from his Storage Bag and made his preparations beforehand.
The Golden Dragon Armor.
A suit of armor with formidable defensive power.
Thanks to it, he had survived taking the explosion head-on.
Though he had still sustained minor injuries due to insufficient Internal Energy.
‘I can’t use the armor as it is.’
He turned away, thinking he would either have it repaired or melted down to craft something else from it.
The wound would heal quickly.
The vital essence from countless Elixirs he’d consumed over the years still lingered in his body.
“Brother… are you all right?”
A trembling voice reached him.
His younger sister stood behind Manho, her pale face fixed on him with concern.
Namgung Yeon glanced at his injured arm, then nodded.
Blood dripped steadily from the wound, though he dismissed it with a gesture.
“I’m fine. And I offer you my congratulations.”
……
You’ve stepped into a cruel world and survived it.
Congratulations.
In this place, which will only grow more savage, you’ve gained the strength to endure.
#2
The group abandoned the Lodging, now reduced to rubble, and headed instead for the main residence.
By now, what expression must the instructors be wearing?
Weren’t they probably snickering about unauthorized absence and such?
Namgung Yeon pushed the stray thought aside and observed his dejected younger sister.
She was still so young.
As he approached sixteen, his sister must be approaching fourteen or fifteen.
In this world, it was an age when people were expected to act as adults, but by twenty-first century Korean standards, she was merely a middle-school child.
‘Truly, this is a cruel world.’
With that thought, Namgung Yeon opened his mouth.
He recalled that this child, who had lived believing herself extraordinary, hadn’t spoken a word all this time.
“You’ve survived, yet you don’t look pleased.”
“I didn’t accomplish it through my own ability. How could I be? Besides…”
She trailed off, her lips working silently.
She understood it too, no doubt.
Namgung Hwaryeon had sent her comrades, her family, her fellow Namgung Clan members to their deaths.
If the team members had fought those Demonic Beings, how long could they have held out?
There was no way to know, but surely they’d all have been dead before dawn broke.
The gap between them and the Demonic Beings was simply that vast.
And that explosion…
Horrific images kept surfacing in her mind.
Team members torn to shreds.
Those crying out for help as blood poured from their wounds.
And.
Those dying while cursing her name.
The weight of emotion crushing Namgung Hwaryeon was almost visible.
‘From long ago, you’ve always hated being disliked by anyone.’
Namgung Yeon thought this, uncertain what words to offer.
Even when they’d opposed each other.
Even when they’d stood together.
She had always craved the love and attention of many people.
Perhaps it was her nature, but more likely, she’d been wounded deeply during this very time in her life.
Conflict with her team members.
The pain of being disliked…
Values formed at her age were the hardest things to change across a lifetime.
And so he resolved to speak with great care.
Instinctively, he knew this was a crucial turning point.
“Don’t burden yourself with excessive guilt. That said, it doesn’t mean they trust you.”
……
“What do you think your path should be?”
“My path?”
Namgung Hwaryeon began to consider deeply.
It wasn’t a question a girl of her tender years was truly equipped to contemplate.
Yet it was one she’d wrestle with for the rest of her life regardless.
So he decided to plant the seeds of good perspectives and sound direction for her now.
“Whatever path you choose, if you’ve decided on it, walk it to the end. Even if that end is ruin, you alone bear the responsibility.”
……
“Does it seem like people point their fingers at you? Don’t worry. They’ll point and whisper regardless of how well you do.”
The world is cruel.
And the people living within it are crueler still.
If one acknowledges that this is simply how things are, what is there to fear?
Namgung Yeon reached into his robe and withdrew something from his Storage Bag.
A Cheongjeong Heart Pill.
The same elixir he had once given to Namgung Jinjin.
It would prove invaluable in settling a turbulent mind and providing direction.
Only a precious few were permitted to receive this elixir.
Those prepared to face themselves.
Only those with the proper qualification would see its true efficacy.
Namgung Hwaryeon looked up at him with a grimy face.
She cupped her hands respectfully and received the gift from her brother.
“Don’t burden yourself with too much contemplation. You’ll have your hands full simply looking after those your nature draws you toward.”
“Th-thank you. Thank you.”
Namgung Yeon stroked her hair gently.
This was both a wish and a gift.
A wish that his younger sister would walk a righteous path.
And a gift acknowledging the qualities that would make her an excellent leader.
“Walk the righteous path. Your exceptional mind will be a great asset to the Namgung Clan.”
……
Namgung Hwaryeon gazed blankly at her brother, now transformed from the demonic creature he had been into someone unutterably kind.
Which was the real him?
No—both versions were truly Namgung Yeon.
Just as one appeared different when alone than when in the company of others.
Yet she felt reassured.
At least the terrible monster’s jaws did not seem to be turning toward her.
‘People will point and judge regardless…….’
In all her life, no one had ever said such a thing to her.
She swept her gaze across the surroundings.
Those who averted their eyes from hers.
Or those who regarded her with something like enmity.
Somehow, she began to understand what her brother had meant.
Can a person’s nature truly change?
Some would answer with an absolute no.
But Namgung Hwaryeon’s nature was beginning—
—to shift its course, little by little.
#3
The news spread faster than expected.
The Namgung’s eyes and ears were scattered throughout Anhui’s territory.
Word that the Namgung Clan’s Pampered Treasure had been battered and was wandering the streets of Haebi reached them far more swiftly than Namgung Yeon’s arrival.
This time it was not the clan head, but Hwaryeon’s mother, Dang Soyeon, who came out to meet them first.
She looked anxious.
The moment she spotted Hwaryeon and her companions—having been restless until then—she rushed toward them in a single bound.
“Are you all right? Are you hurt?”
“……Yes. My brother saved me.”
“Yeon did?”
Namgung Hwaryeon nodded, her face still smudged with dirt.
Now that she looked at her mother, her countenance had changed noticeably.
Usually she seemed warm and gentle, but now…….
‘Like a keen-edged blade.’
Her mother was of the Sacheon Tang Clan, after all.
That blood could not simply vanish.
Perhaps something within her had awakened.
Dang Soyeon’s countenance had grown considerably sharper, and her eyes gleamed with a dangerous edge.
After comforting Hwaryeon, she lifted her gaze.
It appeared there were no serious injuries—now, as mistress of the household, she needed to attend to the others.
Leaving behind Namgung Hwaryeon, whose eyes were glistening with tears, she moved toward the survivors with an unruffled expression.
“Is anyone among you injured?”
“No, we are well, madam. However…….”
“The instructors…… they all fell. They sacrificed themselves to protect us…….”
“It’s all right. They simply did what they were meant to do. This isn’t your fault.”
She wrapped the disciples in her warmth.
Indeed, she bore the bearing of the Namgung Clan’s lady of the house.
Then she turned her gaze to Manho and Namgung Yeon, expressing both concern and gratitude.
“Are the two of you unharmed?”
“Yes. We are unharmed.”
“I am also fine, madam.”
She let out a breath of relief and rose fully to her feet.
In the distance, she sensed the elders and the families of the survivors rushing toward them frantically.
And then.
The fury of the lady of the house—of Dang Soyeon—surfaced at last.
A deep, rumbling growl escaped her.
The very air around them shifted.
She fixed her gaze squarely upon Namgung Yeon and those around him, and spoke.
No longer the benevolent lady of the Namgung Clan, but wearing the aspect of the Poison Peak master she had once been—she who had honed both toxins and blades.
“Who in heaven’s name orchestrated this atrocity?”
“Demonic Beings, Mother. It appears those who had infiltrated us have made their move.”
“What of the Changtian Wei-dae? What were the others doing?”
Her wrath would become the catalyst that transformed the Namgung Clan.
Namgung Yeon smiled faintly and spoke.
“Mother, did you consume the Elixir?”
“…Yes, I did.”
“Then the time for change has come.”
Everything about the Namgung had to transform.
And commonly, when a woman’s anger kindled, all things were overturned.
Whether for better or worse.
But Namgung Yeon could direct that force as he willed.
For she was none other than his own formidable mother.
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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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