Chapter 74

As night fell, the kid was looking all kinds of sick.

Well, there were bugs living inside the kid’s body. Even after taking medicine and puking them out, there was no way the kid would instantly get better. If anything, considering how much those parasites had been feeding off him, a backlash was pretty normal.

There was also a whole lot of blood puking happening too.

I was thinking, “If this kid dies, I’ll just take their warmth,” while quietly watching over them.

The kid was tightly gripping my clothes too.

So I sat by the kid’s side and checked out the four Harvesters’ gazes.

First up, Gapjae.

This guy, who I thought had some kind of plan regarding the previous sect leader’s daughter, as soon as his shift ended, headed somewhere other than his room. According to the memories of the four, he was heading to the best of the ten halls.

These halls are named after the sea, moon, mountain, stream, bamboo, pine, turtle, crane, deer, and elixir of immortality—essentially representing the Ten Symbols of Longevity.

Even these halls have rankings, kinda like how every district in Seoul has its own ranking. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the Sea Hall that ranked highest but the Elixir Hall.

Why, you ask?

Medicine-making has been a super profitable job since ancient times. Of course, “medicine” can mean drugs used for other purposes too.

And if you think about it, humanity’s first agriculture wasn’t grains—it was hallucinogens. So yeah, point made.

Gapjae was heading there.

He approached the hall master, urgently requesting an audience for some important matter. And sure enough, he met with the hall master.

The hall master was a middle-aged man.

Gapjae immediately informed him about the information he’d gotten at dawn—that the previous sect leader’s daughter had arrived.

Upon hearing this, the hall master pondered deeply before asking what Gapjae wanted in return.

Gapjae requested a pill that could help him reach the “Forbidden Summit,” a high-level cultivation realm.

The light from the memory of the faded man flickered brightly. He was freaking out, yelling something along the lines of, “What is this? Burying xian-xia in wu-xia?”

Isn’t it all the same Eastern fantasy genre?

While suppressing the rising memories in my head, I thought, why’s he getting so worked up?

The hall master said he’d give him the pill on the condition that Gapjae became his loyal servant. Gapjae nodded in agreement.

Then the hall master called someone and brought out a very unique-sounding pill. He handed it over to Gapjae.

Gapjae took it carefully, inspecting it closely. It looked like a lump of meat coated in gold flakes.

Suddenly, Gapjae started yelling at the hall master, saying this pill seemed more suited for reaching the “Decision Summit” instead.

To which the hall master replied that he’d give the original pill once the next task was completed successfully. Then, signaling that the conversation was over, he dismissed Gapjae.

Gapjae loudly declared that he’d be getting the real deal after completing the next mission as he stormed out. Naturally, the hall master didn’t respond.

On his way back to his room, surprisingly, a smile crept onto Gapjae’s face.

He muttered to himself, “I’ve gotten what I wanted.”

It’s a classic move: demand something hard to achieve, then settle for something easier to obtain.

Back in his room, Gapjae ate the pill and sat cross-legged. Strangely, the pill’s essence quickly merged into his body.

Judging by the reaction of his flesh, it wasn’t nutrients entering his system. Normally, that would happen through the digestive tract, but here, some mysterious energy flowed directly into his body upon ingestion.

Unexpectedly, the deep violet glow that had been emanating from him turned pure white, growing brighter.

And it spread throughout the entire place.

Snap! His body twisted audibly, showing slight improvement.

Oh-ho.

A pill that affects light itself.

Yeah, right? In a world where people possess the technology to summon me, I shouldn’t be surprised. But still, this tech blew me away.

As the light increased, so did the warmth slightly.

That’s tempting.

You could increase the warmth further and steal it. However, eating too many pills like this probably won’t make them more effective. If quantity alone mattered, they’d mass-produce them, right? So each pill must have its limits.

This world…

I initially thought it was just another martial arts setting where the only skill worth acquiring would be the ability to summon me. But exploring this world a bit more reveals there’s plenty of info to uncover.

All while being careful not to break it, of course.

Hehe.

Yeah.

What a great night it’s turning out to be.

Yunchun and Byungil are asleep, and Jeonyang is currently testing his newfound powers against Chonma far away from his building.

Incredible stuff.

Swinging his sword releases purple blade qi. Taking strange steps lets him leap vast distances in an instant, and stomping his foot unleashes the same technique Byungil used.

The stronger Jeonyang gets, the more awe-inspiring Chonma appears.

But there’s something odd.

Chonma’s movements and Jeonyang’s don’t match. They’re not variations of the same root style; they’re completely different.

Come to think of it, they say Chonma can’t use the Heavenly Horse Divine Skill anymore, meaning he knows other martial arts.

The term “Gyuwa Protection” popped into the faded man’s mind, but I left it out since it wasn’t certain.

Thought it was just martial arts, but there’s clearly some immortal cultivation stuff mixed in here. So why not other elements? Trying to fit this world into my preconceived knowledge wouldn’t work.

Chonma and Jeonyang trained until just before sunrise.

Jeonyang passed out, so I couldn’t see more, but still, lots of info gained.

Looks like I can get a lot out of this world.

***

Morning.

The child, who had been groaning all night, now slept peacefully.

“Thought you were a monster, but you act human.”

I was wondering what to do with this kid when suddenly a voice interrupted.

Turning my gaze, there stood Chonma, still dressed like a dude in drag. Honestly, his outfit from last night when seen through Jeonyang’s eyes was hilarious.

“Is this child yours?”

If I want people to think of him as human, I need to play the part convincingly. Time to stake my claim.

“That’s right. Everything in this Heavenly Horse Sect belongs to me. Do you pity the kid?”

Pretending to pity him here might raise suspicion.

Instead, realizing he sees himself as a monster yet acts human feels more convincing.

“No. This one can’t even eat properly or move well.”

Chonma leaned against the doorframe.

“You seem to care about this one quite a bit. And you’ve got things I never gave you.”

True, but not important.

Apparently, Chonma isn’t taking it seriously either.

“This child carries warmth.”

I’m sticking to the facts.

Chonma stared at me intently.

“Your imitation of a person is revolting. Is there something you want?”

Imitation of a person…

Meaning he sees me as somewhat human-like. Excellent.

Hehe.

Alright, Chonma, let’s test your generosity.

“I’m taking care of this because it’s yours. Can I keep it?”

At first, Chonma wore an expression of “Whatever,” but then curiosity sparked as he glanced between me and the child, finally giving a bitter smile.

“If you insist. Take it.”

“Yes! Warmth!”

Not that I need human warmth.

By letting himself believe it, it’ll be harder for him to doubt later. A monster yearning for human warmth.

Do you see it that way?

Mission accomplished. Sure, he’ll keep eyeing me suspiciously due to past events, but the level of suspicion will decrease.

Plus, I’ve got myself an easy hostage now.

Even if he doesn’t care about hostages, having one makes a difference.

Having control gives peace of mind, right?

“Oh, and I’ll need food and a warm blanket. The nameless child is suffering.”

With each word I spoke, Chonma’s gaze softened.

The growing hatred concerns me, but we’ll adjust that later.

Suddenly, the child shivered.

Then slowly sat up.

Looking between me and Chonma, the kid startled, tried to stand but collapsed back down.

Still weak.

I helped the child lie back under the blanket. As I patted the kid, Chonma, leaning against a pillar near the entrance, asked me.

“Nameless child?”

“He can’t talk.”

Chonma looked genuinely surprised. Guess he didn’t know the full story.

Ah.

Considering the parasites are gone from the kid’s body, it seems risky. There are still plenty of events that need to unfold to throw the Heavenly Horse Sect into chaos.

Time for a demonstration.

Let me show you what being a Harvester means.

I lifted the child.

Looking at the kid staring at me with swollen cheeks, I asked,

“I’ll offer you this child. In return, when you finish everything, I’ll take all you have. Deal?”

Chonma murmured something about incantations. Technically true—it’s an incantation to become a Harvester.

The kid hesitated, so I clarified.

“If you wish to belong to me, nod.”

Slowly, the kid nodded.

Yes.

Good.

I transformed the kid into a Harvester. Their skin hardened like porcelain, cracked, and revealed fresh white skin beneath. Once the old skin turned to dust and vanished, a girl with purple hair sat there, looking utterly confused.

I covered her with the blanket, then turned to Chonma, who was wide-eyed. Yeah, giving power isn’t just about boosting strength—it’s also about healing. You wouldn’t understand unless you experienced it.

Now that you know what Harvesters can do, use them wisely.

“This can be done once per day on three people. And you can’t repeat it on the same person. Be careful.”

Chonma solemnly nodded.

A satisfying morning indeed.

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