The Wizard Who Endured the World of Murim - Chapter 55

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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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Surviving in the Martial Realm as a Mage: Episode 55
[Screeeeeech!]
Dozens of bolts of lightning descended from the heavens in rapid succession.
Even with steel-like scales providing protection.
The tender flesh beneath was fundamentally fragile, so as Jigang Apryong’s body took dozens of direct lightning strikes in quick succession, wisps of steam rose from his form.
And then.
Boom—
The ruler of Yeollyeom Jade River.
Jigang Apryong’s massive body, as large as a house, collapsed limply to the side.
Ilhyang hovered in mid-air, observing the scene and nodding in satisfaction.
“Hmm, the mana consumption is considerable, but if the recovery speed is this fast, I could cast spells recklessly.”
[U-uh… Elder!]
[This can’t be! The Elder has fallen!]
The two Red Lizards, maintaining some distance from Jigang Apryong, panicked and repeatedly struck the ground with their tails.
“If you don’t quiet down, I’ll do the same to you.”
[Yelp!]
As the lizards quickly shut their mouths and swung their tails back and forth frantically.
Ilhyang climbed onto the collapsed Jigang Apryong’s body and fell into contemplation.
“Would a creature of this caliber’s inner core be sufficient as elixir material?”
To advance to the 6th Circle, I needed a powerful elixir condensing vast magical energy.
However, the elixir formulas in my memory.
Required at minimum the inner cores of magical beasts or demons of a higher rank than myself.
‘It does seem somewhat insufficient.’
While I examined Jigang Apryong’s body from various angles, making rough calculations.
Jigang Apryong’s form, which had been breathing shallowly with rolling eyes, began to shrink rapidly.
And then.
Squeeeak—
In an instant, Jigang Apryong shrank to the size of a palm.
Gasping for breath as if dying, the creature trembled violently and bowed its head.
[Great Immortal! Please show mercy to this insignificant creature!]
[P-please show mercy!]
[I beg your benevolence!]
The Red Lizards.
Jigang Apryong’s subordinates likewise shrunk their bodies instantly and began kowtowing on the ground, pleading.
[My worthless inner core would not aid you in accumulating merit, Great Immortal! What use could a mere Foundation-stage beast’s core possibly be to such a great one?]
“Interesting.”
Since I had been pondering a similar problem.
I stroked my soft chin once and asked Geumok.
“What do you think?”
[Cheonho did mention before that earth dragon bloodlines are incredibly common in the Upper Realm.]
“Well, if it’s common, its value drops accordingly.”
To be honest, I didn’t necessarily need to seize Jigang Apryong’s inner core just because he was terrified.
In fact, even if I obtained the inner core of a Decision-stage demon beast, it wouldn’t have aided my growth.
However, perhaps this creature could prove useful in other ways.
So it was necessary to frighten him a little.
“Your inner core holds no value to me, but wouldn’t Geum-ok’s rank increase if I fed it to her?”
This was a threat laced with half-genuine intent.
I was genuinely curious, after all.
From what I’d heard, the fastest method for a demon beast to grow was to acquire another demon beast’s inner core.
So if Geum-ok, who was merely at the Breath-gathering stage, consumed a Decision-stage demon beast’s inner core…
Surely her rank would elevate, wouldn’t it?
Jigang Apryong’s yellow face drained to a ghastly white.
[Wait, would her rank really increase?]
Geum-ok, equally intrigued, lifted her head slightly and fixed her gaze upon Jigang Apryong, who lay trembling on the ground.
Then.
Jigang Apryong, quivering on the ground, suddenly convulsed and opened his mouth.
[My inner core would be poison to the fox clan, Immortal! The attributes do not align!]
“Attributes? Such a thing exists?”
[Indeed, Immortal! The fox clan possesses a strong affinity for wind attributes, so if I swallow my metal-attributed inner core, it will surely rupture from within!]
“Hmm, I wasn’t aware of that.”
How fascinating.
So one had to consume cores matched to one’s attributes.
Since this was entirely new knowledge, I turned my gaze toward Geum-ok.
She shook her head with an expression of equal bewilderment.
[I’ve never heard of anything like this. I didn’t even ask Cheonho about it.]
“That makes sense… You’ve probably been focused solely on cultivating through your own efforts to ascend to the Upper Realm. Understandable.”
I pondered briefly, then looked down at Jigang Apryong, who remained thoroughly terrified, and spoke.
“Very well. I won’t kill you.”
[Oh! Great Immortal, what a wise decision!]
“However, there is a condition.”
[P-please, state it, Immortal.]
Of course I wouldn’t simply let him live for free.
Jigang Apryong believed the human before him was a Golden Core True Immortal who had cultivated the lightning attribute—an element so rare it was counted among the rarest in all existence—to its extreme.
Certainly, they were at the same cultivation stage.
But if the opponent had mastered the lightning attribute, which ranked among the most formidable in Tianxia, then such devastating destructive power became comprehensible.
Had I not nearly died just now and gone to meet the Primordial Celestial Worthy?
The horrifying memory of gasping for breath remained vivid.
‘Why did such a monster have to appear in my territory!’
No matter how I thought about it, my luck had been abysmal.
The reason a Decision-stage demon beast like Jigang Apryong had been dwelling in this remote frontier region, ruling as a petty king, was…
The deeper one ventured toward the center of Dongseung Divine State, the more formidable demonic beasts proliferated.
Jigang Apryong had fled here to escape the fierce competition with those creatures.
Yet in the end, he found himself beaten down like this.
As Jigang Apryong inwardly lamented his pitiful circumstances anew.
The Golden Elixir Immortal before him opened his mouth.
“How strong are creatures around your level in this region? Are there demonic beasts slightly stronger than you? If so, you’ll need to guide me to them in order.”
[…What?]
Ilhyang observed Jigang Apryong’s bewildered expression and explained with a smile.
This was a sort of multi-tiered system.
He intended to devour the weaker ones step by step and work his way up.
In Jigang Apryong’s eyes, once he finished hearing the explanation, a vivid emotion surfaced.
It was sheer horror at beholding a madman.
* * *
The spiritual creatures I had swept up after entering the Saryeol Secret Realm that appeared in the Lower Realm amounted to such a staggering quantity that it would fill an entire ox-drawn cart.
This was the amount I had brought back after dividing half the haul according to my contract with Chul Mu-geuk (the treasures seized by suppressing the Celestial Watchers inside were spoils of war and remained undivided).
If I were to refine those spiritual creatures separately into spiritual elixirs.
Calculating based on the highest-grade evaluation in the Lower Realm—the Grand Restoration Pill.
I had obtained an astronomical quantity in a single haul, enough to produce roughly fifty to seventy Grand Restoration Pills.
‘Of course, it’s an enormous amount. But that’s only by Lower Realm standards.’
The problem was that Grand Restoration Pills could provide no benefit whatsoever to my current self.
Grand Restoration Pills were spiritual elixirs consumed at the Breath-Gathering stage.
At minimum, I would need elixirs at least two grades higher than Grand Restoration Pills to see any effect at my Decision-Making stage level.
‘The problem is that the Lower Realm possesses no materials to craft elixirs of that caliber.’
After arriving in the Upper Realm, I became certain of this.
No spiritual elixir in the Lower Realm could aid me, but.
If I could only acquire the spiritual creatures here in the Upper Realm, they would surely prove immensely beneficial to my current self.
Spiritual creatures.
That is, spiritual herbs and spiritual insects, among others.
The inner cores of demonic beasts, which comprise the largest portion of the Upper Realm.
In other words, spiritual cores—I needed to gather these and bring them down.
Since I could refine spiritual elixirs even in the Lower Realm.
“Is it the one down there?”
[Yes, Ilhyang Immortal.]
How had it come to this?
Serving as the lackey of a human Celestial Watcher from the Lower Realm.
Jigang Apryong’s eyes churned with a maelstrom of conflicting emotions.
‘No. Perhaps this is for the best.’
All this time, the Yeollyeom Jade River region had been little more than a gathering place for the abandoned of Dongseung Divine State—a den of the downtrodden.
The environment was so barren and devoid of resources that.
Because of this, Jigang Apryong had indiscriminately accepted any creature entering the Yeollyeom Jade River region, regardless of species.
The reason was remarkably simple.
He simply enjoyed being “worshipped” and “revered” by those weaker than himself.
“Fine. You stay here and watch.”
[Understood, True Immortal.]
A bizarre human who wore a fox demon like a scarf.
The creature leaped from the fog-shrouded cliff with a single bound, vanishing swiftly from Jigang Apryong’s sight.
Then.
[But… will it be alright, Elder?]
[What do you mean?]
[W-well, the opponent is Cheongpung Eung, isn’t it?]
Cheongpung Eung.
The sovereign of the skies.
The ruler of Gwireol Valley, that vast expanse lying directly beside Yeollyeom Jade River.
As the Red Lizard whispered with a fearful expression, Jigang Apryong’s yellow scales bristled, and he flicked his forked tongue menacingly.
[So what? One of them will die anyway. I lose nothing. There’s only profit to be gained.]
[Y-yes, that is true, but…]
[You fool! Don’t tell me you’ve grown fond of that madman in the meantime? Idiot! That lunatic knows nothing of the laws and propriety of this Upper Realm! So show him no mercy. If he dies, so be it!]
[Y-yes, I understand.]
The Red Lizard hastily bowed his head.
Only then did Jigang Apryong lower his fierce gaze and glance down toward the cliff below.
[Tsk, even if he’s mastered the lightning attribute to its extreme, it will be difficult against Cheongpung Eung.]
That blue hawk, once committed to action, moved faster than the eye could follow.
Moreover, the moment he sensed the tide of battle turning against him, he would flee without hesitation.
And once he fled, there would be no catching him.
[Even if he doesn’t die from this, he’ll at least come to understand the terror of this world.]
Let him learn the fear of the Upper Realm.
If he somehow survived Cheongpung Eung, he would surely abandon those reckless notions about expanding territory through some multi-level scheme.
Or becoming the manager of the first franchise branch in the Upper Realm.
He would cease spouting such incomprehensible nonsense.
About half a quarter of an hour passed.
Kuuuuuuuung―!
A tremendous tremor reverberated through the deep chasms of Gwireol Valley.
Soon after, the entire cliff face shuddered as if struck by an earthquake, undulating like waves.
[W-what in the world is happening?]
[I-I don’t know, Elder.]
Jigang Apryong and his subordinates
scrambled about in their palm-sized forms, peering down into the fog-laden gorge with bewildered expressions.
And at that very moment, from below the gorge, brilliant light pierced through the thick mist and shot high into the sky.

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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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