The Lightning I Harbor Is Too Strong - Chapter 68

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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 68
Screee-eek!
At the man’s cry, O-seo leaped into the air. The creature’s tail swished furiously—a display of genuine anger if ever Jung I-sin had seen one.
Jung I-sin, for his part, could only stare in disbelief.
‘The Geumdog-wa…… a golden frog. You stole it, didn’t you…!’
While Jung I-sin squeezed his eyes shut, the man was too occupied coaxing and soothing O-seo to notice.
“Come now, hand it over while I’m asking nicely, will you? That thing’s dangerous. You’ll hurt yourself if you eat it.”
Screee-eek!
“Silence! Do you know who you’re dealing with!? Before one beloved by all divine creatures!”
“Wait, Mu-rok. I don’t sense any Chuwhon-gyeol energy.”
“……What did you say?”
At the woman’s words—she who had been radiating her True Energy outward—the man ceased his sparring match with O-seo.
O-seo, victorious, perched atop Jung I-sin’s head.
The man, staring at the creature with a frustrated scowl, turned his gaze to Jung I-sin and suddenly froze.
“Ah, forgive me! My mind’s all over the place. We haven’t even been properly introduced yet. I’m Dan Ri-murok.”
“And I’m Gyeong Yu-wol!”
Jung I-sin, who had been deliberating for some time, carefully bowed in return to her cheerful introduction.
“My name is Jung I-sin. It appears something’s amiss here—I hope my friend hasn’t caused any trouble……?”
“Well……”
“Hold on a moment!”
Contrary to Jung I-sin’s expectations, no answer came immediately.
The woman who introduced herself as Gyeong Yu-wol waved her hand, drawing an Energy Barrier around them both.
It seemed to be a technique that blocked sound; her lips moved, but no words reached his ears.
Yet Jung I-sin was desperately curious about their conversation, so he quietly inserted the Man-roe-yu-sa into the barrier.
―Yu-wol, why did you raise the barrier? Just tell him the frog took the Geumdog-wa and left.
―But how can we demand it back? We stole it ourselves.
―We took it fair and square from Professor Dok-jeop’s research room.
―And it stole it fair and square from our infirmary.
Words he should never have heard reached his ears.
The scenes flashing through his mind were countless.
Piecing together the incident in an instant, one name rose to the surface of his thoughts.
‘……The Yeongmul Tamguhoe.’
That peculiar cry and the sight of figures bounding across temple roofs—it all fit.
Jung I-sin, without thinking, took a step backward.
They were the group already on the Jianghu Code of Conduct’s restricted contact list. Not people he’d hoped to encounter.
Thud―
The moment his heel touched the infirmary door behind him.
Creak!
The door swung open. Simultaneously, a deep voice rang out.
“There you are, you thieving squirrel! Hand over the Geumdog-wa this instant!”
“Wait, please!”
Dan Ri-murok cried out in alarm, but the momentum that surged from behind was faster.
The flow that Byeok-cheon-ryu read led directly to Jung I-sin’s shoulder.
It was clearly a strike aimed at O-seo, yet Jung I-sin remained motionless.
Squeak―
“What!?”
O-seo leaped away, evading the man’s grasp.
Even Jung I-sin found it difficult to catch O-seo when the creature was determined to escape.
There was no chance it would submit to a stranger’s touch. But the man showed no sign of giving up, raising his energy at once.
“Gang-san! Stop!”
As Dan Ri-murok said, this had crossed the line.
Jung I-sin turned, awakening his True Energy.
Light flared beside his face. A beam of it shot forth before Jung I-sin could even move.
Boom!
“Ugh…… hck!”
O-seo, wreathed in Golden Lightning Force, rammed directly into the man’s solar plexus.
It was an ambush even Jung I-sin hadn’t anticipated. The man had no chance to brace for it.
Thud―
The man doubled over, clutching his stomach.
Screee-eek!
Only O-seo, no bigger than a palm, remained unflinchingly confident.
* * *
‘What do I do?’
Could this be called self-defense?
Could he argue that a human had acted brutally in trying to oppress a small creature?
Countless thoughts flickered through Jung I-sin’s mind.
The man lying face-down on the ground wore a crimson Martial Robe.
Like Dan Ri-murok and Gyeong Yu-wol rushing over now, it marked him as a student of Cheonmu Academy’s current year.
‘First…… I should apologize.’
O-seo bounced gleefully across the man’s back, as if declaring victory.
Jung I-sin reached out hurriedly to grab the creature, but others got to O-seo first.
“What is this thing! Impressive……!”
“Lightning Force? Is it wrapped in Golden Lightning? There’s a Divine Creature like this?”
“A Divine Creature that handles Lightning Force? Could it be…… a Qilin!?”
Dan Ri-murok and Gyeong Yu-wol circled O-seo, erupting in amazement.
Squeak―!
“Wait, that’s right!”
“Qilins don’t exist in this world, Ri-murok.”
The two paid the unconscious man virtually no attention.
Seeing the man groaning pitifully, Jung I-sin knelt on one knee before him.
The man lay face-down, blinking at the ground.
“Are you all right? My friend has committed a breach of courtesy.”
“……Residual poison. The remaining toxin has vanished.”
“Pardon?”
“That O-seo…… you call it a friend?”
“Well, yes, in a manner of speaking.”
“I want to be friends too.”
“…….”
At words spoken with not a trace of irony, Jung I-sin straightened.
‘Indeed…… there’s something off about him.’
With that terse assessment, he turned cleanly away. O-seo scampered over and disappeared into Jung I-sin’s arms.
“Hey, junior? Why were you by the window?”
“Ah, don’t mind me. Please, continue with what you were doing.”
“No, stop right there!”
“I’ve got your face! I’m going to find you at Cheongryong Hall!”
“…….”
At Gyeong Yu-wol’s warning, Jung I-sin climbed down from the windowsill.
The three of them finally began to converse among themselves.
As the man listened to their exchange, his face twisted this way and that, then he approached Jung I-sin.
“Why not ask directly? I’m Woo Gang-san.”
“……A pleasure to meet you. I am Jung I-sin.”
“Your O-seo…… ah, what’s your friend’s name?”
“O-seo.”
“Splendid.”
Faced with a response unlike anything he’d encountered before, Jung I-sin found himself at a loss for words, though Woo Gang-san continued without hesitation.
He did not even hide the purpose of their visit.
“O-seo stole our Geumdog-wa. Can you return it?”
“I…… know nothing of it.”
The words came out forced, wrung from him.
He didn’t want to lie, but revealing the truth would mean exposing Muk-rin’s existence.
‘If I bring Muk-rin out here…… he might actually hide in my room.’
These were people who stole even a professor’s Divine Creature and fled—what would they care for an Entrance Examination recruit’s?
But Woo Gang-san shook his head.
“Lying won’t help. Yu-wol’s Chuwhon-gyeol is beyond compare. We’ve had to seek aid from the Heavens themselves.”
“Hey, Gang-san.”
“Hmm?”
“Actually, I’m not sensing the Chuwhon-gyeol’s energy that we embedded in the Geumdog-wa.”
“……What?”
Gyeong Yu-wol explained again to him, who stood with his mouth hanging open in confusion.
“I’m bewildered too, but one thing’s certain—it’s not here.”
“…….”
In the chilling silence, Jung I-sin quietly clasped his hands behind his back.
He stroked Muk-rin gently, waiting for their decision.
After all, the Yeongmul Tamguhoe had only one choice.
‘They’ll back down. How else would they find the Geumdog-wa inside Muk-rin’s belly?’
But as he thought it through, their insistence on ownership struck him as odd.
By their own admission, wasn’t the Divine Creature they’d taken stolen as well?
Suddenly, clarity flashed through his mind.
‘Wait. If I return this to Professor Dok-jeop—’
What was the reason Eon So-ran couldn’t meet with Dok-jeop?
Wasn’t it because the Yeongmul Tamguhoe had intercepted his research materials?
‘By returning the Geumdog-wa, I could naturally raise his favorable regard as well?’
“There’s no helping it. In that case, shall we target Professor Bang’s laboratory this time?”
“The research on the Man-roe-yu-sa is more important than Divine Creatures…….”
While Jung I-sin was admiring his own strategy, they too displayed an unconventional way of thinking.
A strong instinct told him that getting entangled with them further would be a mistake.
“Newcomer. Join our society―”
“No.”
“Huh?”
At Woo Gang-san’s words, Jung I-sin reflexively shook his head.
But his opponent was the Yeongmul Tamguhoe.
“Gang-san, it’s not even time for new members yet.”
“True. At least we should introduce him properly.”
“No, I couldn’t—”
“Perfect! This is where the finest minds of Cheonmu Academy gather. Join our society!”
A chill ran down his spine.
Every fiber of his being resisted.
“I’m simply not fond of creatures…….”
Squeak—
O-seo poked his head out from the collar of his robe, and Jung I-sin calmly pushed him back down.
Perhaps because of how he’d handled it, Dan Ri-murok’s face softened with a benign smile.
“That O-seo—you can tell at a glance it’s no ordinary Divine Creature. And such a creature has opened its heart to you? Gang-san’s right. Newcomer, you have every qualification to be one of us.”
“No, really, I couldn’t—”
“To think we’d have a junior member so soon! I’m thrilled!”
No matter what Jung I-sin said, they wouldn’t listen.
It was like talking to a wall.
‘This is serious.’
They weren’t people you could reason with. Were eccentrics called eccentrics for nothing?
If he misspoke here and ended up joining the Yeongmul Tamguhoe, all ties with Dok-jeop would be severed.
That same day, his connection to the professor would be finished.
As Jung I-sin turned his body toward the window and placed his foot on the sill—
“Why is the door standing open? ……What are these people doing?”
An unfamiliar voice entered the ward.
* * *
The man had a sharp, irritable expression.
Like the eccentrics, he was a senior student in a crimson Martial Robe.
He swept his gaze across the ward, then fixed his eyes on Jung I-sin and nodded.
“I see. So you’re Jung I-sin?”
“It’s been a while, Ji-myeong.”
“Hey, Ji-myeong. Why are you pretending not to see us?”
“Ji-myeong’s looking for someone? Doesn’t feel right to me.”
Ignoring the casual jabs from the Yeongmul Tamguhoe, Jung I-sin nodded.
“Yes, I am Jung I-sin.”
“I am Hwangbo Ji-myeong.”
That was the extent of the man’s introduction.
As Jung I-sin stood there blankly, Hwangbo Ji-myeong’s face gradually reddened.
The Yeongmul Tamguhoe began snickering.
“Ji-myeong, your alias is only known in Shandong Province at best—how would a newcomer know about you?”
“……Shut up.”
“This is hilarious. You’re not seriously about to flaunt that ridiculous title of yours as the Yongbong-hoe’s liaison officer, are you?”
“Dan Ri-murok! I said keep your mouth shut!”
“What? I didn’t say anything…….”
Hwangbo Ji-myeong bellowed those words and strode across the sickroom.
He approached Jung I-sin with long, decisive steps and thrust a thin scroll into his hands.
It was an exquisitely crafted object, wrapped in blue silk and bound with crimson cord.
“It’s a Letter of Invitation from the Yongbong-hoe chairman. Yes, your guess was correct. Congratulations.”
Hwangbo Ji-myeong’s chin rose higher and higher.
“From this moment on, you may call me Senior Ji-myeong. There will be a formal verification later, but with the chairman’s personal recommendation, you’ll almost certainly pass.”
“…….”
“Your technique during the evaluation match was a touch excessive, I hear? Don’t worry about it. It’s a matter the Yongbong-hoe will handle. ……Why aren’t you taking the letter?”
What on earth did this mean?
Jung I-sin watched Hwangbo Ji-myeong’s expression crumple and worked his mind furiously.
He knew what the Yongbong-hoe was.
It was the name Wi-seok and Hwangbo Yeon-geol had boasted about when they were mocking Gong-son Young.
According to what Bang Si-jeong had told him, it was an exchange society formed around the heirs of the eight great families.
The pinnacle of high society that Eon So-ran had once mentioned.
‘Why would they want me?’
And they’d said Hwangbo.
Whether distant or close branch, they’d share blood with Hwangbo Yeon-geol.
‘Don’t they know I threw Hwangbo Yeon-geol flat on his back?’
Or was that something a noble house would simply laugh off as a matter of course?
Jung I-sin found himself utterly unable to fathom why this Letter of Invitation had come to him.
So he said nothing.
‘When you have nothing to say or the mood feels awkward, keep your mouth shut.’
It was a principle of Jianghu conduct with remarkably high utility.
Silence left room for imagination; if you stayed quiet, things had a way of resolving themselves—that was Dang Mu-jeong’s wisdom.
But not every situation unfolded favorably through silence.
Woo Gang-san suddenly wedged himself between Jung I-sin and Hwangbo Ji-myeong.
“The youngest here has already joined our Yeongmul Tamguhoe.”
“Pardon?”
“What?”
Jung I-sin learned for the first time that the principle of Jianghu conduct was not infallible—that staying silent could lead to catastrophic outcomes.
But before Jung I-sin could even object, Dan Ri-murok and Gyeong Yu-wol appeared at either side, linking their arms around his shoulders.
“Ha! You’re late again, Ji-myeong! That’s why you’re always the last one to the physical training sessions.”
“The chairman came in person to invite him to join. You say one more word and we’re telling the chairman everything.”
“What? Who is the chair——”
“Youngest, shh!”
Gyeong Yu-wol, suspended well above Jung I-sin’s shoulder due to the height difference, showed no concern and clung to him, chattering away.
Hwangbo Ji-myeong’s eyes trembled without restraint.
And Jung I-sin’s did too.
The Lightning I Harbored Burns Too Bright
Author |
Woo San-yu
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Inc.
Editor-in-Chief |
Editorial Department
Published by |
Samyang C&C Inc. — Dream Books
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UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260703070
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blog.naver.com/dreambookss
Twitter (X) |
@dreambookss
Submissions |
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No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means without the express written permission of Samyang C&C Inc. — Dream Books.

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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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