Chapter 97: The Price of Growth and the Hunger of the Sword

1.

“You wicked Silent Memorial Swordsman! Get out of our Silent Swordsman’s body!”

“So how many minutes has it been now?”

“Six minutes.”

“You said five!!!”

A silent stream that had lasted over five minutes a record-breaking moment in streaming history that no one had ever witnessed before.

Viewers were slowly starting to drop off, exhausted by this unprecedented broadcast.

But then, one sharp-eyed viewer noticed something unusual.

“Wait, why is the sword glowing?”

“Huh? You’re right!”

“Damn, what the hell is happening now?”

“Something… something’s happening…”

“Somebody explain! I’m losing my mind here!”

[ExplanationChung has donated 10,000 won!]

I don’t know either. I’m scared. What the hell is this?

“If even you don’t know, then who does?!”

“Try harder to figure it out!!”

Meanwhile, the auto-cleaner Boogeyman was busily devouring the scattered remains of the exploded White Eyed Ghost, sucking up every drop of blood in sight.

On a broad, flat rock, the Silent Swordsman sat in a meditative position, eyes closed.

Beside her, a single sword lay on the ground, emitting a faint, radiant glow.

A bizarre, unsettling broadcast.

And what none of the viewers could have predicted was that this inexplicable moment of silence would last a total of fifteen minutes when barely six had passed so far.

2.

Through deep introspection, Hae Eung Eung realized the sheer amount of yokai energy the White Eyed Ghost had left behind.

In terms of internal energy, it was equivalent to sixty years’ worth.

A full sixty-year cycle a unit well-known among martial artists.

‘It’s not something that can be absorbed through normal means, nor should it be attempted.’

In martial arts fiction, there is always the dreamlike fantasy of miraculous encounters.

A single pill that grants sixty years’ worth of internal energy.

A single drop of liquid that increases one’s power by the same amount.

That kind of legendary elixir.

‘Such elixirs are incredibly rare, and even if you do find one, consuming it recklessly will make your body explode.’

Internal energy is the force of nature cultivated within one’s body.

It circulates through meridians and acupoints, forming an energy network that can be controlled or released at will.

To wield it properly, internal energy must flow smoothly through the meridians.

‘If you don’t circulate internal energy carefully and in appropriate amounts, your meridians will be damaged.’

Simply having a large reserve of energy is meaningless if it is forced through the body in a reckless manner.

If internal energy is pushed too aggressively through the meridians, the sheer force will cause immense strain.

The meridians will swell to their breaking point.

The walls of the energy pathways will tear apart under pressure.

The body, bloated like an overfilled pufferfish, will burst, sending energy spewing out uncontrollably.

To avoid such a gruesome fate, one must never rush internal energy circulation during the process of breathing exercises.

‘It’s also why those who fall into demonic cultivation reach the point of no return.’

Demonic cultivators forcibly enhance their energy circulation speed to gain temporary bursts of power.

But in doing so, they sacrifice the stability of their meridians and the durability of their internal energy pathways.

The more internal energy they accumulate, the greater the burden on their meridians.

Eventually, their meridians collapse, leading to one of two fates:

Immediate death as the energy violently erupts from their body.

Or, in a desperate attempt to redirect the internal energy, severe nerve damage, leading to paralysis, brain impairment, and eventual descent into madness or a vegetative state.

This is the fate of those who fall into demonic cultivation the reason why the world calls this phenomenon “deviation into madness.”

‘An elixir too potent to handle is no different from demonic cultivation itself.’

At least with demonic cultivation, the inevitable collapse takes time.

But an uncontrollable elixir?

The overwhelming energy, accelerating through the body at unimaginable speed, could cause instant deviation an extreme and perilous forbidden substance.

‘1 Gapja worth of energy. I can’t take it all. I need to remove the impurities first.’

A golden opportunity to instantly regain immense martial power had arrived, but Hae Eung Eung was not blinded by greed.

[Minus synchronization rate is recovering rapidly.]

[Current synchronization rate: 1%]

[Depth graph is stabilizing.]

She filtered out the overly condensed energy, severed the excessively aggressive energy, and extracted the energy that had seeped into her cells, muscles, and organs.

[Restoring self-identity from mental contamination.]

[Synchronization rate is rising explosively.]

[Current synchronization rate: 40%]

This was a preemptive measure to prevent meridian rupture, block mental contamination, and avoid physical mutation—reducing the negative side effects of absorbing the energy.

As a result of this meticulous process, the originally vast 1 Gapja of energy had been reduced to less than a quarter, leaving only 14 years’ worth of energy.

‘Twice the amount of my real internal energy.’

Originally possessing five years’ worth of internal energy, she had gradually increased it by another two years after facing the Executioner, the Chief of the Water Ghosts, the Demon Immortal, and the Demon General.

An astonishing growth rate gaining two years’ worth of internal energy in just over two months.

If she continued to gain one year’s worth of internal energy per month, in a year, she would have 12 years’ worth, and in 15 years, she would accumulate 180 years’ worth totaling three Gapja.

‘My current growth speed is fast enough, but I don’t know if I really have 15 years.’

Her official birth year was 2030, but her physical age was set at 15 the age of academic ambition, Jihak .

She hadn’t even reached the age commonly referred to in the martial world as Myoryeong, the prime years of a beautiful young woman, around twenty.

‘The average lifespan of a person afflicted with Guum Meridian Deficiency is under thirty.’

Irip referred to the age of thirty, meaning that, at best, her lifespan ranged from 15 to 30 years.

But that didn’t necessarily mean she would live for exactly 15 more years.

‘The more internal energy one accumulates, the faster Guum Meridian Deficiency worsens. No wonder so many reckless martial artists died from consuming mystical elixirs carelessly.’

A tragedy born from ignorance where elixirs meant to heal a disease instead drastically shortened the patient’s lifespan.

‘That’s why impure energy that requires years of refinement isn’t what I need right now.’

She needed to extract only the purest and most refined essence from the contaminated energy.

‘I’ll circulate the 14 years’ worth of energy through my internal cultivation method and refine it into true internal energy.’

With that decision, her entire focus shifted toward processing the energy and making it her own.

[OUT BREAK!]

[Immense mental fortitude has instantly shattered the synchronization rate limit.]

[Current synchronization rate: 92%]

A martial artist could only circulate as much internal energy as they possessed.

With a total of seven years’ worth of internal energy, she should have only been able to control up to seven years’ worth.

However, the knowledge and mastery gained after reaching the Hwagyeong level allowed her to handle even double that amount—14 years’ worth of energy.

‘I cannot let my meridians get damaged.’

Her meridians were already deteriorating due to Guum Meridian Deficiency.

If she recklessly damaged them further while trying to cure herself, it would be a complete contradiction making all efforts meaningless.

Through careful absorption, the energy was refined once more, and half of it was discarded, leaving her with only seven years’ worth of energy.

Out of the 60 years’ worth of energy, the actual internal energy she absorbed amounted to only seven years.

[Internal power has increased by 7.]

[Internal power: 14]

Considering she originally had seven years’ worth of internal energy, this meant her total energy had instantly doubled a truly extraordinary opportunity.

‘Doubling my internal energy means the scale of miracles I can perform also increases exponentially.’

If seven years’ worth of internal energy could generate miracles at a scale of 49, then 14 years’ worth of energy could create miracles at a scale of 196.

‘Since I absorbed this power so quickly, I’ll need time to refine its purity and condition it by circulating it through Small Heavenly Circulation and Great Heavenly Circulation. But that can wait until I return to reality.’

The boss subjugation battle was not over yet.

That arrogant demon who had tried to seize control of her mind Baek Mokgwi was still lingering.

[Kuhu… Kuhuhuhu!]

[I’m back. Now, no one can stop me!]

It was time to make that foolish demon realize who truly owned this body and mind.

Remember this in your next life.

You may enter another’s mind freely, but leaving is not so simple.

Baek Mokgwi’s consciousness collapsed in an instant.

Notifications flooded in, confirming the successful boss subjugation.

However, her attention was no longer on the outside world—it was focused entirely on her inner self.

‘What a commendable demon.’

Not only had it gifted her seven years’ worth of internal energy, but it had even offered up its entire being.

‘How much stronger does it want to make me?’

They say the most affectionate creature in the world is a human, but perhaps demons were even more sentimental.

Baek Mokgwi’s spiritual form had bestowed upon her such an immense gift that it almost made her think absurd thoughts like this.

‘I just finished absorbing 1 Gapja of energy, and now it’s handing me another 1 Gapja? That’s almost too generous.’

It was like an old grandmother from the countryside  piling another full bowl of rice on her plate the moment she finished the first one.

‘I’d love to take it all, but as they say, too much of anything is never good.’

Suppressing her greed, she carefully dispersed the excess energy outside her body in small, controlled amounts to prevent any backlash.

As she expelled the energy, she began to sense something strange.

‘Why does the energy I release keep disappearing?’

The moment she shifted her focus from her internal state to the outside world, Hae Eung Eung was completely taken aback.

‘What kind of bizarre phenomenon is this?’

Every bit of energy she released was being devoured by her sword.