The Reincarnated Hunter Sweeps Up All Fortunes - Chapter 26

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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 26
26
Baek Do-gwang broke into a cold sweat, barely escaping with his life. He’d come dangerously close to being reported to the Demonic Sect’s operatives and dragged away.
It took considerable time to extricate himself from the half-serious interrogation by the Nangin-hoe’s wandering knights.
“…So that’s how it happened.”
Baek Do-gwang’s expression grew complicated as he heard the full account.
He’d known that demons prowled the outskirts of Hangzhou. But he’d heard nothing of any direct attack.
He’d judged the threat too uncertain to mention, reasoning that the infamously vicious Nangin-hoe posed the greater danger.
That judgment was wrong.
As a result, his disciple had nearly died.
“Forgive me, Im Gang. I miscalculated the situation.”
Baek Do-gwang bowed his head.
His scholarly, refined bearing seemed genuine for once.
He added that he’d offer compensation as a sincere apology.
“Hah…….”
Im Gang scratched his head irritably.
Truth be told, holding onto anger any longer felt petty.
If he kept at it after an apology and an offer of recompense, he’d just be unreasonable.
Besides.
‘I survived.’
And it wasn’t merely survival.
The memory of the cave flooded back through Im Gang’s mind.
* * *
The moment he stepped into the cave, a notification appeared.
[You have entered the dungeon ‘Hidden Form Deception Array’.]
Dungeons usually contained traps. The secret passages beneath Cheonri’s Divine Passage didn’t, nor did the Confused Luminance Labyrinth. He’d expected the same here.
“…This is a dungeon?”
The cave’s depth was barely two meters. No traps, not even a corridor.
Just a narrow space walled in on all sides.
At its end lay nothing but two skeletons.
One wore black robes; the other, white.
The fabric was once fine, but time had ravaged it—tattered and decayed in places.
Around the remains, yellow-marked items lay scattered.
‘Let me start with the one in black.’
Im Gang carefully searched the area around the black-robed skeleton.
Using his Appraisal skill, three items revealed themselves.
The first was a martial manual.
Ding!
[Blazing Shadow Body Method (Supreme).]
Im Gang’s fists clenched tight.
It was a Lightness Technique variant—one that granted rapid movement.
The second was also a martial manual.
Ding!
[Yang Warmth Complete Cycle (Supreme).]
‘An Internal Energy cultivation technique of neutral alignment?’
Neither crude like the Evil Sects nor pristine like the Righteous Path.
The third wasn’t a manual but equipment.
Ding!
[Silver-Shadow Silk.]
⌞
Durability: 21 / 100
Special Effect: When infused with Internal Energy, silver threads eject from the wrist guard. The ejected threads adhere to walls and other surfaces, usable as a mobility tool and for various other applications.
“…It’s like a makeshift grappling hook.”
It looked like a wrist guard, but its actual purpose was quite different. Similar in principle to Aryeon’s gear, yet far more versatile in application.
Im Gang took the Silver-Shadow Silk and fastened it around his wrist.
Next came the white-robed skeleton’s turn.
Two items lay near it.
The first was a small wooden chest.
Ding!
[Small Clear Pill.]
“A Small Clear Pill? That’s a Wudang Sect treasure medicine!”
Im Gang’s voice echoed loudly through the cave.
The Wudang Sect.
One of the Nine Righteous Sects and One Honorable Faction.
Alongside Shaolin, they were called the two great peaks of the righteous path’s martial world—a premier school of the highest order.
So why was their precious medicine here, of all places?
“Surely not…”
His doubt crystallized into certainty as he examined the second object.
Ding!
[Pine-Pattern Ancient Sword.]
⌞
Attack Power: 25 (+@)
Durability: 88 / 100
Additional Options: When Internal Energy is channeled, Sword Intent forms, increasing the effectiveness of Wudang Sect sword techniques. Attack power rises proportionally to the amount of Internal Energy injected. If Soft Sword and Odd Sword techniques are mastered, the flow of injected Internal Energy becomes even more fluid.
The description explicitly mentioned the Wudang Sect, and the grip was intricately carved with pine-tree patterns. Only someone who’d lost all reason could deny this was a Wudang blade.
Shwing—!
As he drew the sword, a subtle aura emanated from its blade.
‘So the skeleton in white robes was a Wudang disciple.’
Then what of the one in black?
Whether they’d fallen together during a fight or for some other reason, he couldn’t say.
But one thing was certain: both had met their end in this narrow cave.
Wounded, they’d tumbled down and by some stroke of fortune caught on this cave—but couldn’t climb back out. They must have died here.
‘Either way, may they rest in peace.’
Im Gang bowed his head in silent respect for a moment.
Taking the belongings of the dead was not without moral cost, but leaving them to rot seemed worse. After this rationalization, he gathered the items.
Yet something peculiar troubled him.
‘Why are there only five?’
The map had shown six yellow dots. But only five items lay before his eyes.
Where was the sixth?
Im Gang searched the cave thoroughly.
He checked beneath the skeletons and felt along the floor, but found nothing.
Scratching his head in frustration, he decided to give up.
‘First, I’ll collect all five and then figure out how to escape.’
Once safely back to Hangzhou, he planned to return the Pine-Pattern Ancient Sword to the Wudang Sect.
Not because the likelihood of survival was zero if caught stealing from the Nine Righteous Sects and One Honorable Faction—
It was purely a matter of conscience.
It was right to return the dead’s possessions and report their fate.
‘Well… if I can’t get back, there’s no help for it.’
He gathered the items and made his way to the cave entrance. Even as he racked his mind, no viable plan emerged. And dusk was already falling.
Whoooosh.
“…It’s getting cold.”
Soon the wind began to blow, and the temperature plummeted rapidly. At this height, exposure to the night wind could mean death from hypothermia.
He searched his pack for a fire starter, but found none.
He must have lost it during the fall.
“…Damn it.”
Im Gang ran a hand down his face. He’d have to resort to primitive methods. He gathered dry branches from around the cave—breaking off twigs from the scrub growing in cliff crevices, scraping together fallen leaves that had accumulated on the rocks.
The amount was meager.
‘This won’t be enough to last the whole night.’
His gaze shifted to the skeletons.
He was sorry, but he needed to use the dead’s clothing as fuel.
Before undressing them, he brought his hands together.
“Forgive me. And thank you. Thanks to you, I’ve obtained fine items, and thanks to you, I think I can make it through tonight.”
He offered his formal apology and gratitude, then carefully removed their garments.
The rotted fabric tore easily. He layered strips of cloth over the pile of branches and rubbed two dry sticks together vigorously. His palms grew red and warm.
Crackle.
A spark bloomed.
He gently blew on it, coaxing it to life, and the flame awakened.
A small fire illuminated the cave, spreading its warmth within.
“Ahh. That’s better.”
Im Gang stretched out before the fire. The warmth seeping into his bones loosened his muscles. Today had truly been endless. Fighting with Maen, plummeting from the cliff, descending by driving his fists into the wall.
Even counting my past life, there were few days I had suffered more—few enough to count on both hands. The moment I shifted my position to steal even a moment of rest, something carved into the cave wall came into view.
“……?”
Im Gang rose and picked up a burning branch.
As he brought it close to the wall, he could make out what it was.
It was writing—scratched and etched with a blade or sharp stone.
A yellow dot from the map overlapped exactly where the characters were carved.
‘…This was the sixth one?’
The last yellow dot wasn’t an object.
It was a martial art.
A martial art carved into the stone.
“Appraisal.”
Ding!
[Wall-Gecko Skill (Supreme).]
Wall-Gecko.
A gecko.
It was a martial art for scaling cliffs the way a gecko clings to walls.
“…Ah.”
Im Gang stared blankly at the characters carved into the wall.
He thought he knew who had carved them.
One or both of those two skeletons.
This martial art was the last thing they had left behind, their final attempt at escaping this cave.
Why hadn’t they learned it and climbed out themselves?
Perhaps their injuries were too severe or their internal energy completely depleted. Knowing they couldn’t make it out, they had carved this art into the wall for whoever might one day fall into this place.
“……Thank you.”
Im Gang bowed once more.
Then he began to read the incantation carved into the stone.
Ding!
[Wall-Gecko Skill (Supreme) has been registered.]
The moment he mastered the Wall-Gecko Skill, a subtle adhesive force awakened in his palms and soles.
He pressed his hand against the cave wall to test it.
As he channeled internal energy into his palm, it stuck fast to the stone.
“……Oh.”
This could get him out. But not now. His internal energy needed to recover fully, and his body needed rest.
He decided to sleep before the fire died. The certainty that he could escape this cliff by tomorrow morning, thanks to the Wall-Gecko Skill, brought him a measure of peace.
The next dawn.
With his internal energy sufficiently restored, Im Gang deployed the Wall-Gecko Skill and climbed the cliff.
His form was almost comical—pressing his body against the wall like a gecko, channeling energy through his hands and feet as he ascended.
But what did grace matter when survival was at stake?
The moment he reached the top of the cliff.
Im Gang collapsed onto the ground, sprawled out flat.
“…I’m alive.”
He had never known survival could bring such overwhelming emotion.
He had never realized the scent of earth could be so sweet.
After lying there for some time, he rose to his feet and turned his steps toward Hangzhou.
* * *
Im Gang, lost in that memory, snapped back to attention at Baek Do-gwang’s call.
“Master? Master?”
“Ah. Sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment—about climbing that cliff, and such…….”
“That… I truly am sorry about it.”
“Forget it. I’ve received enough apologies.”
Im Gang waved his hand and got to the point.
“Baek, do you have any connections with the Wudang Sect?”
“The Wudang Sect?”
Baek Do-gwang regarded Im Gang with an odd look.
A third-rate drifter, or rather a second-rate one now.
It was rare for a second-rate drifter to even mention the Wudang Sect, one of the Nine Righteous Sects and One Honorable Faction.
After exchanging glances briefly with the other drifters, Baek Do-gwang answered.
“Not exactly connections, but… I can reach out to them.”
“Then pass this along for me.”
Im Gang placed the Pine-Pattern Ancient Sword on the table. Baek Do-gwang’s eyes widened slightly. He picked up the Pine-Pattern Ancient Sword and examined it carefully, then asked cautiously.
“Where did you get this?”
“I found it by chance in a cave halfway up the cliff. It’s a Wudang Sect sword. Its former owner has already passed away.”
“I understand. I’ll take it.”
Baek Do-gwang accepted the Pine-Pattern Ancient Sword with careful hands.
“I’ll take my payment another time. I’m exhausted today.”
Im Gang rose from his chair.
He’d rushed over in a fury, but in truth his body was utterly spent.
Falling from the cliff, clinging to the wall, crawling up like a lizard—there was no way he could be unscathed.
With Baek Do-gwang’s farewell at his back, he left the inn.
The evening wind was cold, but compared to the cliff’s night breeze, it felt almost warm.
Once home, Im Gang locked the door and retrieved the items he’d acquired.
He hid them one by one in a secret space beneath the floor.
After that, having showered, he collapsed onto his bed.
‘I’ll need to find a blacksmith skilled enough to repair the Silver-Shadow Silk.’
The moment his eyes closed, consciousness fled.
Im Gang passed everything off to tomorrow’s version of himself and fell into deep sleep.

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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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