Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 473

Nangseon’s Romantic Tale – Part 2, Episode 182

With swift feet, Hwadam exited Beomran Hall and descended the stairs like the wind.

Rushing like an arrow, Hwadam went straight to his dwelling and retrieved a pill he had hidden beneath a pillar.

He had collected it from a corpse found near Lee Eongol some time ago, and it seemed extraordinary, so he had kept it secret from everyone.

But if Tamhwa would be pleased by it, whatever it may be, that was enough for him.

“I should give this to her and try to coax her into having a meal with me.”

Setting aside the newly received prescription, Hwadam clutched the pill, the most precious thing he possessed, and stepped out of his dwelling.

“Hwadam!! Hwadam!”

It was then.

Someone was calling Hwadam’s name loudly, running around here and there.

“What is it, Chorong?”

“Hwa, Hwadam!”

Chorong was a child of similar age to Hwadam, with an innocent and plump build.

“B, big trouble!”

“Big trouble… ?”

“R, right now, outsiders have barged in… Haa, haa, suddenly they started arguing with the adults and began taking people away!”

“What? Taking them away? Could those people be merchant ships from Bocheong?”

“Yes! How did you know!? They said they’re merchant ships from Bocheong!”

Hwadam ran immediately.

“W, wait for me, Hwadam!”

Hwadam leaped over trees and fences.

Quickly approaching the center of the village, he saw four black-clad figures kneeling the villagers.

The dark mountain village was lit by torches, illuminating all around.

“Next.”

Peering through the dim light, Hwadam saw the black-clad figures lining up the children and examining their wrists.

“There’s no one here.”

“Is that so? Then proceed as usual.”

“Understood.”

The black-clad figures, having examined all the children’s wrists, exchanged such words, while the villagers could only watch cautiously, unsure of what it meant.

Then, one of the black-clad figures took out a vial from his pocket and extracted a red pill.

‘Oh, that’s…’

It was similar in shape to the pill Hwadam had picked up.

“Eat it.”

The black-clad figure handed the children the pills one by one, ordering them to eat.

The children looked at their parents in fear, but they had no choice.

The parents, meeting their children’s eyes, reluctantly nodded, and they had no choice but to swallow the pills.

Soon, the sound of the pills being swallowed echoed.

Gulping sounds were heard in succession, and at the same time, a strange wind blew.

“Ugh, ugh…”

“Aaaah! Cough! Keh!”

“It, it hurts! My body, Father!”

“Mother! My body is hot!”

The children’s screams overflowed as bizarre changes occurred in their bodies.

Arms thickened, another head began to grow, and black scales sprouted all over their bodies.

Various changes appeared, but the common thing was that they were no longer human.

The children who had been speaking were nowhere to be found, and only monsters growling like beasts stood in their place.

‘What is going on…’

No longer human, they looked around as if searching for prey.

Their parents were nearby, and what they had to do was determined.

“Kuaaaa!”

“O, oh no! Jahyang!”

The village adults were helplessly torn to death by their own children.

The black-clad figures turned the children into demonic beasts and made them eat their parents.

“Not good. The strength and energy are too weak to fight the merchant ships. As expected, turning the small immortals [those with nascent spiritual power] of mountain villages into demonic beasts is useless. Those whose divine blood has thinned are no different from ordinary people of the lower realm.”

The leader of the black-clad figures, clicking his tongue, soon met Hwadam’s eyes.

“Come out.”

Hwadam fled immediately.

His only advantage was his speed.

But even that alone could save his life in this world.

Thud.

“Where do you think you’re going? I clearly told you to come out, yet you run away?”

Slap!

Hwadam, slapped across the cheek, rolled on the ground.

Hwadam trembled, unable to stand, from the touch of the merchant ship that had instantly closed the distance.

“Tuh. Keueueu.”

Instantly, a tooth broke, and his mouth was battered, leaving a strong taste of blood.

Hwadam felt utter terror.

It was the same fear of death he had felt when he almost died from eating the wrong root.

As another black-clad figure examined the wrist of Hwadam, who was lying on the ground trembling, he tilted his head as if something was wrong.

“What’s wrong?”

“Something strange is caught. It’s not something he originally possessed… You, haven’t you almost died once before?”

Hwadam nodded with a trembling body.

“Who treated you?”

At the merchant ship’s question, Hwadam tried to say something with his blood-soaked mouth, but then he shut it tightly.

He slammed his forehead against the ground and screamed.

“The spirit of the young one is considerable. But that is also in vain. Open his head and use the Soul Retrieval Technique.”

“Understood.”

Soon, the name of the Lee Eongol’s apothecary, Beomran Hall, came from the mouths of the black-clad figures who had opened Hwadam’s mind.

“Beomran Hall?”

Thud.

The leader of the black-clad figures, looking down at Hwadam who had fainted and collapsed, turned away with a strange smile.

“Intriguing. In a place like this…”

“What shall we do? Perhaps, if it’s a reclusive eccentric…”

“Hmph, it doesn’t matter. Have you forgotten who stands behind us? It’s better this way. If it’s a reclusive cultivator, they won’t refuse our request in the name of Lord Mangol… This one, lead the way!”

Thwack!

Hwadam was kicked, rolled on the ground a few times, and then vomited blood and writhed.

‘Those bastards…’

The situation had already reached its extreme.

Even if he didn’t know what they were saying, Cheon Daein of Beomran Hall would not be treated any differently by them.

To Hwadam, Cheon Daein was a benefactor.

He had been given the grace of a humble life, expanding his knowledge of medicinal herbs, sometimes a teacher, sometimes no different from a father.

Hwadam was very timid.

But there was no way to survive.

Wouldn’t a rat bite a cat when cornered? There was only one thing he could do.

‘Ha… I wanted to live longer.’

Hwadam thought so and took out the pill from his chest and put it in his mouth.

“Kill him before he does anything suspicious!”

Swish. Thwack!!

A magical artifact flew and pierced his heart.

The whites of Hwadam’s eyes overflowed.

He died instantly.

Thud!

“He’s dead.”

“What did he swallow?”

“That is…”

Thud.

The pill turned into liquid and passed through his throat, spreading throughout his body.

Red and blue blood vessels bulged all over his body, and his bones and muscles twisted grotesquely.

Crackle, creak!

Bones deformed and blood flowed backward.

Blood flowed from all seven orifices. But conversely, his body grew larger and larger. Soon, Hwadam’s body transformed into something beast-like.

His feet had hooves, he stood on all fours, his whole body was covered in fur, and he had deer antlers on his head.

“How did that guy have a Demonic Beast Pill? It’s a strange thing.”

It was strange, but that was all.

Even if a weak small immortal became a demonic beast, it was no different from becoming a beast that had lost its reason.

It was no different from the other demonic beasts here, so there was no emotion.

“We already know the location, so it doesn’t matter. It’s our job to turn him into a demonic beast and send him to the support troops. Capture him and impose a Geumje [a magical restraint]. The rest of you, go to a place called Beomran Hall.”

It was then.

Thwack!

“Ugh!”

One of the demonic cultivators who approached the demonic beast that Hwadam had transformed into was knocked over by the antlers.

“What are you doing! Why aren’t you catching him quickly!”

“T, the guy’s rampage is severe!”

“Why don’t you use Demonic Beast Control Technique!”

“D, don’t you think I wouldn’t be doing this if it worked!!”

“What?”

Demonic Beast Control Technique was a technique to control demonic beasts, but the demonic cultivator who was hit by Hwadam was complaining that it didn’t work.

“How can that be.”

The leader of the demonic cultivators made a hand seal and used Demonic Beast Control Technique, but it didn’t work on Hwadam and instead made him rampage even more.

“The small immortal’s medicinal effect inside him seems to be interfering with the Demonic Beast Control Technique.”

As the guy rampaged, the demonic beasts that had been quiet also became excited and exhaled through their noses.

“Catch him by force!”

No matter how much they had turned into demonic beasts, they were originally small immortals.

They were not comparable to merchant ships.

“This!”

He took out a net and threw it, but Hwadam jumped over it, stepped on the demonic cultivator, and began to run away.

It was a very fast speed.

He was jumping like a deer, and the merchant ship couldn’t keep up with the speed.

“Chase him!”

Thinking it wouldn’t work, the four demonic cultivators turned into streaks of light and chased after him. A chase ensued between the demonic cultivators who had turned into four streaks of light and Hwadam who had turned into a demonic beast.

Bang, Kwaaaang!!

He fired several magical artifacts, but Hwadam jumped high and dodged them all, and climbed the stairs in a mountain.

Soon, a fog descended and a palace appeared.

Hwadam rammed into the gate and looked around.

Sniff. Sniff.

He flared his nostrils and ran straight to a girl as soon as he saw her.

Then, he bit the girl’s nape, put her on his back, and tried to run away.

“You! It’s over here!”

Koo-oong!!

Drrrrr!

But at the same time, bizarre tentacles rose from the ground and a formation was established.

The energy of the Collapse Demon Qi flowing from the tentacles bound Hwadam, preventing him from moving at all.

“Even though he turned into a demonic beast, he hasn’t lost his reason yet? It’s amazing. But your fate ends here.”

The demonic cultivator held a black stake with a lot of blood stuck to it.

He was about to drive the stake into the guy’s head right away.

It was a natural measure because they had suffered, and it was a principle that demonic beasts that could not be controlled had to be killed.

“Hmm!”

Swish.

But then, the thick fog cleared and someone’s footsteps were heard.

“What should I do with this.”

Leisurely steps.

A voice full of worries.

“Wh, who is it!!”

The owner of Beomran Hall. Cheon Daein stared blankly at the demonic cultivator and reached out his hand. Then, a small pouch from the demonic cultivator’s chest was in his hand, and it was full of Demonic Beast Pills, which turned small immortals into demonic beasts.

“I see. There are things similar to Gonggakchun’s fierce powder. So that place was someone’s laboratory.”

“You! What are you doing… !”

Chuck.

The one who stopped the demonic cultivator from raising his voice was the leader of the group.

“Seeing that you are free to move even within the formation I created, you must be a senior beyond our rank. We are merchant ships who follow the orders of Great Master Mangol. May we hear the name of the senior.”

It was a very polite question, but it was already too late.

“Do you think I have a name to tell you guys who are trying to play tricks beyond my land? You seem to be acting up, believing in the backing of Mangol or whatever, but try to see if that guts will work for me too.”

Whoosh!!

The cold wind emanating from the old man flew in all directions, stirring up the demonic cultivators.

Swish!

“Kuaaak!”

“Cough!”

The blue wind instantly cut off the demonic cultivators’ arms and legs.

It happened in an instant.

“A, aren’t you afraid of Great Master Mangol, who occupies one seat of Sangcheonhaewol [a high-ranking position in the celestial hierarchy]!!”

“It’s too late to be afraid of such things now. There are so many enemies that I can’t even remember them all… And.”

Step, step.

Cheon Daein approached the demonic cultivators whose arms and legs had been cut off.

“Do you think the original celestial immortal who occupies one seat of Sangcheonhaewol will be angry at the death of you guys? He’ll only know that ants have died…”

As he showed a chilling smile, the demonic cultivators were frightened and began to beg for their lives.

But Cheon Daein only handed over the pills in the pouch he had taken.

“Becoming a demonic beast with the Demonic Beast Pill fed to the small immortals makes them quite strong. So I’m quite curious to see what happens if the merchant ships eat this, won’t you show me.”

“Ugh, Uaaaaaah!!”

The demonic cultivators who swallowed the Demonic Beast Pills all turned into demonic beasts.

They were only a little stronger than the demonic beasts transformed from small immortals and used strange divine powers.

He lost interest and this time headed to Hwadam, who was standing blankly.

The divination he saw said that Hwadam would die.

But he came to him and survived, so it was ambiguous whether the divination was wrong or he had ruined it.

Beom made a decision after thinking about it.

“Coming all the way here must also be your own will. If so, it’s not that I saved you, but that you were saved… Is there anything you want.”

If he wanted to become human again, he would return him, and if he asked to return the children who had turned into demonic beasts to their original state, he could do so.

“Now, tell me.”

At his words, Hwadam seemed bewildered for a moment and then bowed his head.

“You will follow me… That’s quite something.”

Cheon Daein. No, Cheonbeom returned to his original form, not the old man with gray hair.

And soon, he released a golden aura, and the night sky was dyed gold, brightly illuminating the world.

“An excellent choice.”