Finally Got Stronger but Ended Up Regressing - Chapter 42



Chapter 42 The Treasure of Gwisusan (5)

Inside the dungeon, not only the history of another world but also the legends and myths of our country are contained. Like the existence of the [Mysterious Snake], the beginning of the legend.

Not only our country.

Foreign countries as well.

It is already a world where the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the legend of the Crusades, Celtic mythology, and so on have been revealed.

Treasures have also come out from within.

It means there is still much to gain.

And now this place is.

Together with the yokai Gwisusan, it holds the legends of Silla.

As I cut through the water without hesitation, I found myself almost at the island.

My body froze at the same time.

Suddenly, fierce waves surged from all directions.

As if they were about to swallow me whole.

【Human, know that rash actions can lead to great regret.】

With the transmission, the island, no, Gwisusan, opened its eyes. The turtle’s head turned towards me, emitting a chilling glare.

Even though I knew this would happen, I shivered.

A yokai is indeed a yokai.

Of course, I have no intention of fighting.

Even if I were to fight, I could never be a match.

No matter how much I am armed with abilities like [Strong Bones] or [Soul of the Iron-Blooded Knight], defeating this hundreds-of-meters-tall monster is absurd.

It would be more likely to break a rock with an egg.

But you know.

A fight doesn’t always have to be about combat power.

I drew the sword strapped to my back.

【I warned you, yet you do something foolish-】

Gwisusan’s words were abruptly cut off.

The waves that were about to swallow me reversed.

On my sword blade, the [Mystic Snake] coiled around, emitting a blue aura.

Gwisusan’s gaze was fixed on it.

Its eyes were trembling.

【That is…!】

Even though it is only at the beginning of its legend, its rank easily surpasses that of a mere yokai.

Although the [Mystic Snake] before reaching its legend is still just a type of yokai, its inherent rank is different.

Vastly higher.

【I did not recognize a noble one.】

The once high head bowed deeply.

The waves completely receded.

Sometimes, there are things stronger than fists.

【What brings you here?】

A human harboring an existence far beyond their own level. That was how Gwisusan perceived me now.

It was time to get to the point.

“I have come to take your treasure.”

【!】

Gwisusan’s eyes momentarily wavered.

However, once lowered, its tail could never rise again.

It soon gave its answer.

【Understood. Take everything of mine.】

“Very well. Good job.”

【Yes, noble one.】

The waves had already calmed. Gwisusan’s turtle head returned to its original position.

The yokai became an island once more.

Letting the [mystical serpent] rest after its great deed, I swam swiftly.

Then I climbed onto Gwisusan’s back.

There, a forest had formed.

A bamboo grove.

Tall bamboos stretched endlessly.

The splendid beauty of nature made the toil of the past three days and four nights vanish in an instant.

“This is not the time for this.”

Unconsciously, I was momentarily captivated by the beauty. Regaining my senses, I dashed forward.

This time, there was no need to guess the location.

Paths led in all directions, all converging at one point.

The heart of the bamboo grove.

There, what I sought was rising.

“I found it.”

The words came out naturally.

Something that stretched like ginseng was lifting its head above the ground.

Without delay, I began digging with my hand hoe.

Soon, a plant in the shape of ginseng was pulled out.

One of the treasures of Gwisusan.

From noble mtl dot com

Naturally, it possesses an efficacy on a different level compared to something like ginseng.

Even the dirt clinging to it felt too precious to waste, so I only brushed it off lightly and put it straight into my mouth.

Crunch.

Crunch.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but even the texture felt good.

In an instant, I devoured it down to the roots.

My body heated up.

It was similar yet different from when I consumed the elixir that had unlocked [Strong Bones].

Back then, my whole body felt it, but now it was particularly hot below my navel, in my dantian.

The reason was obvious.

《You have consumed an elixir!》

《A new ability [Natural Heart Method] has been unlocked.》

This elixir is closely related to qi. It completely reverses the existing flow.

To a flow that no one else can possess.

《From now on, the heart method will naturally proceed without stopping for even a single moment. This heart method allows for the rotation, condensation, and manifestation of a greater amount of qi than most heart methods.》

This is insane.

I tried to control my excitement, but it was impossible.

The [Natural Heart Method] I had directly received was that much of a cheat.

In other words, even if I just eat and sleep, my qi will continuously fill up.

In fact, the hunter who had obtained this [Natural Heart Method] before my regression said that even after maintaining sword energy for a long time, the flow of qi continued.

Even while simultaneously operating the manifestation.

[Strong Bones] is an amazing ability, but it bows down before this [Natural Heart Method].

The same goes for [Soul of the Iron-Blooded Knight].

Things might change later, but for now, even the [Mystic Serpent] can’t hold a candle to it.

I clenched my fist tightly.

It had already begun.

Deep within my dantian, it roared, and a faint white energy rose from my clenched fist.

It was qi.

It intertwined with the [Mystic Serpent] and soon flashed a brilliant blue.

“Killing it.”

An exclamation burst out aloud.

I want to continue admiring it, but there are still things left to check.

I need to finish quickly and return to the campsite.

I looked around.

If it exists, it was said to have a distinct difference from other bamboos.

“There it is!”

My gaze fixed on one spot. A small, slender, and shiny bamboo.

I quickly ran over and carefully cut it.

As if handling a newborn baby, very, very carefully.

Sitting down, I made holes in it one by one.

Thanks to the [handcraft] skill I acquired the other day, it turned out quite decent.

Anyway, the important thing is the power this bamboo holds.

The moment I finished the work.

《You have crafted the relic of Silla, ‘Manpasikjeok’.》

《It holds the power to erase all the world’s chaos and bring peace. However, it can only activate its effect in specific regions.》

The relic of Silla, ‘Manpasikjeok’, was born. Not by anyone else, but by my own hands!

Although there is no immediate use for it, once I find the right place, it will exert tremendous power.

The fact that it can erase all the world’s chaos and bring peace has already been proven in legends.

“I am incredibly lucky.”

Manpasikjeok might not have been crafted depending on the timing. No matter how much you refine other bamboos, they cannot become relics.

I was incredibly lucky.

And then.

“There’s still one more left.”

From the spot where I dug up the elixir, about fifteen steps towards the turtle’s head direction of Geosusan.

I dug there like crazy.

I desperately needed a field shovel, but since it wasn’t buried deep, I could pull it out quickly.

A very, very small bow shaped like a turtle’s head.

Almost the size of a 500-won coin.

The notification rang at the same time.

《You have obtained the treasure ‘Bow of Gwisusan’!》

The Bow of Gwisusan.

When broken, a rune appears.

And then, by engraving the story contained within, you can unlock its abilities, similar to [The Soul of the Iron-Blooded Knight].

It grants an incredible ability that allows you to reach a level just a few steps below that of a divine archer.

However, I gently held it in my hand.

I never intended to break it.

‘The penalty is too great.’

The rune of the Bow of Gwisusan grants archery abilities but imposes penalties on other abilities.

In my case, the effectiveness and power of my swordsmanship would be greatly reduced.

I would become an ambiguous position, neither an archer nor a swordsman.

Considering that most of the runes and elixirs I will acquire in the future are related to swordsmanship, there is even less reason to absorb it.

‘It would be perfect for someone in an archer position.’

Third sister, Sergeant Kwak Woo-hee, Sergeant Jung Ye-som, and even Corporal Sun Ah-rin.

None of them are related to archery.

If I sell it, I could make a fortune, but I’ve already experienced playing with money before the regression.

I’m not in urgent need of money right now.

So, for now, I plan to keep it and hold off.

Anyway, items like this can always be sold for their value.

In fact, they are so rare that they can’t be sold because they are not available.

With a full heart, I descended from the back of Gwisusan.

The waves were still calm.

Even if I come back later, it would greet me as politely as it did now.

But surely it won’t run away because of today’s events, right?

With a chuckle, I left the secret place that held the legend of Silla.

I immediately woke up the second shift workers.

“Yoon-ho, is your hair frozen? What’s going on?”

“Haha, I guess you’re still half asleep.”

“Ugh, is that so?”

Sergeant Kwak Woo-hee and Sergeant Jung Ye-som rubbed their eyes and got up from their sleeping bags.

After sending them off, I went to bed right away.

My dantian was already boiling.

*

The next day.

When I opened my eyes, my body felt unusually refreshed.

It might have been because I slept soundly in the first watch, but more than that, it was due to the [Natural Heart Method].

Qi, broadly speaking, is also related to stamina.

After nearly six hours of rotation and generation, I felt like I could almost fly to the sky with a bit of exaggeration.

Of course, the main thing was the qi.

From today, I won’t have to struggle anymore while handling the [Mystic Snake] and the [Mystic Snake Swordsmanship].

In just a month or two, it would be more than enough.

Even if I awaken the [Mystic Snake] and advance it to the legendary level, there would be no problem with the qi-

“Yoonho, is there something making you happy?”

“Corporal Koo Yoonho. No, there isn’t.”

“You keep smiling.”

While organizing the tent, Sergeant Sun Arin looked at me curiously as I was smiling to myself.

I quickly replied.

“Maybe I got happy without realizing it because it’s the day of return.”

“Ah.”

Sergeant Sun Arin said, ‘Seeing Yoonho’s smiling face makes me smile too,’ and went towards Captain Oh Junbeom.

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

Sergeant Sun Arin is already doing well as she is, but wouldn’t she do even better if she switched her specialty to the bow of Gwisusan?

I shook my head immediately.

‘No, it would be better to give her the attribute rune. I know the location too.’

I couldn’t tell my third sister or Corporal Kwak Woohee to take up the bow for the same reason.

But this one person here.

If it’s Corporal Jung Yesom, who handed me water saying she had a hard time dismantling, it’s a different story.

‘Corporal Jung Yesom won’t achieve great success as a mage.’

Although she decided to stay in the Hunter Corps unlike before the regression, it wouldn’t bring any significant change to her growth.

“You worked hard for the past four days, Yoonho.”

“Corporal Jeong Yesom, you did a great job too.”

“What did I do? You did everything.”

“Oh, what are you talking about? Corporal Jeong Yesom, just your presence is a great support. You are my source of energy.”

“Pfft, you know it well.”

It doesn’t seem like a joke, it really doesn’t look bad. Making Corporal Jeong Yesom change from a wizard to an archer.

I’ll have to ask him subtly when there’s some free time.

If he has any thoughts about it.

“Our soldiers fought hard for three days and four nights. This tower will no longer harm the world.”

With that, we left the tower. Not only the soldiers of the 333rd unit but also other soldiers had now become Major Yeom Dongcheol’s “ours.”

Among them, one person was specially mentioned.

“The success of this operation is the result of everyone’s blood and sweat, but if I had to pick one person for merit.”

Major Yeom Dongcheol’s gaze turned to the line where the soldiers of the 3rd company of the Bihodae battalion were standing. He pointed directly with his hand.

“It would be Corporal Gu Yunho of the 3rd company of the Bihodae battalion.”

It started with cleaning up, but the result was merit. It feels like my life after regression.

Maybe that’s why my heart is moved.

Is this what life is originally like?

If there’s a downhill, there’s also an uphill.

This tower attack.

I’ve gained a lot in many ways.