I slowly unraveled the story.
From the day I entered my tiny apartment, the lengthy conversation with the Rebirth Truck and my abilities, and the past I lived through in that Array Formation.
And even the reaction of the Iron Blood Rat I showed when I was hidden in the Shengsu Faction.
I laid out everything without adding or omitting a thing.
“This is how it turned out.”
My companions fell silent after hearing my tale.
“Hmm.”
The first to speak was Tang So-yeol.
“I knew you were extraordinary. And well… I suspected there was a story behind it.”
I nodded with a bitter smile.
“However, what a bizarre tale it is. Rebirth Truck, another world… although the story was lengthy, it ultimately boils down to the fact that a sage let you have a bittersweet dream.”
A summary filled with a lot of things Tang So-yeol wanted to say.
But I decided to agree with this.
With concepts like dimension travel, martial arts, and computer games… it must be the first time for them hearing such things.
Just the fact that they listened seriously to my story was enough.
Hyeok Gi-rin, who had been sniffing and sniffling since before I started speaking, opened his mouth.
“Despite such a tragedy, the bond didn’t break—what a cruel tale…”
Yeo Il-ye and the Black Cat lowered their heads in silence.
“I listened well to the Outcast’s story. It truly is a heart-wrenching tale. I may be prying into wounds, but as I guessed your reason for sharing the past, may I ask a few questions?”
Tang Do-yeon, who would normally care for only herself, finally spoke.
“Of course.”
“Thank you. Then, I’ll ask. Is the reason you brought this up because you are concerned about clashes with the Blood Sect’s influence afterward?”
“Indeed. Defeating Jeong Cheol was a consensus decision among us all. However, the threat of the Blood Sect is far more dangerous than dealing with Jeong Cheol, and there’s hardly any reason for you to risk that danger.”
“You’re being unreasonable.”
Yeo Il-ye lifted her head, her eyes full of a fierce glint as she glared at me.
“Did you think I, Yeo Il-ye, and everyone present here would run away in fear from such words?”
Her words stabbed into my heart.
Running away.
“Rather, I wish it were that simple.”
At my response, Yeo Il-ye’s gaze wavered.
“Such a malevolent group that can manipulate a power as overwhelming as the Iron Blood Rat is no joke. Becoming a target of such a sect is extraordinarily dangerous. I do not wish to share that danger with you.”
That was my honest feeling.
“Senior.”
The Black Cat looked at me. I found myself unconsciously avoiding her gaze. I felt guilty for saying such things despite our promise to cooperate until we reached Hwa-gyeong.
I heard a light sigh from the Black Cat.
Smack!
Stars burst in my head.
“Gah!”
Was it because she practiced Minor Divine Skill? The Black Cat’s hand was incredibly strong! I clutched my head, overwhelmed by the pain that felt like it could split me in two.
“Anyway, I’ll say this! Don’t even think about separating from me until I reach Hwa-gyeong and completely overcome my condition!”
“Same here. I won’t leave until I repay the kindness I owe to the Honorable Person.”
“Me too! I received so much help in Nangyang—how could I run away in the face of danger?”
With their declarations, I stood there dumbfounded, rubbing my head while looking at the three of them.
Tang So-yeol chuckled at the sight.
“What a sinful man you are.”
With a playful smile, Tang So-yeol tapped my head with his stick.
“My Disciple, this situation is not as simple as your determination makes it out to be. He’s the kind whose brain is filled with schemes, yet, suddenly, his head has turned into a rock, huh?”
“What?”
“Though your explanation is long and foreign, ultimately, you have many realizations floating in your head, don’t you? Just like Do-gyeong and Yeo Il-ye, there’s no need to doubt that fact.”
“What if such a guy falls into the hands of the Blood Sect? He would gain sinister techniques, the ability to manipulate entities, and martial artists’ realizations. The Blood Sect would truly become a disaster for the Martial World!”
“…Ah.”
“Even if our martial world sends a multitude of people to protect you, are you asking us to step back? Nonsense.”
“That’s right.”
Tang Do-yeon smiled in agreement.
“It’s a matter involving the Martial World’s public enemy, the Blood Sect. How could we claim to be members of the Sacheon Tang Family and the Righteous Faction while stepping back from such a matter?”
“Tang Do-yeon…”
“Hahaha. To face entities like that, we’ll need the greatest of carts, won’t we?”
“If the Blood Sect truly rises up, this will be a problem for the entire Martial World. Your schemes may be quite useful, but are you saying you will bear the burden of something the whole Martial World must address? Ridiculous.”
“Indeed. Honorable Person.”
“As a disciple of the Jeomchang Faction, I absolutely cannot let this go!”
“It’s true. Senior?”
I silently scanned my companions.
The justification was just that—justification.
Everyone was saying they would take risks for me.
“…Thank you. Everyone.”
I couldn’t help but bow my head to their heartfelt intention.
“Expressing Gratitude now is too early. Thanking one another is something we can do only after genuinely facing the threat of the Blood Sect. Right now, we must prioritize a plan, no?”
“Right. Let’s discuss the future.”
Though my companions’ excitement hadn’t subsided, I consciously lifted my head.
Since my allies had decided to stand together, I too needed to prepare to face any eventualities with all my might.
So I had to address the unresolved issue.
“I have something I’d like to discuss with you all.”
It was about the whereabouts of the Iron Blood Rat.
*
I headed with my companions to the hiding spot of the Iron Blood Rat.
Squeak? Squeak squeak!
Unlike when I visited alone, the Iron Blood Rat exhibited a fierce demeanor. At this reaction, my companions tensed and prepared themselves.
Tension filled their faces.
It had only been a day since we had fought with the Red Blood Rat. Naturally, they would be on high alert facing the entity that could be regarded as the origin of that very opponent.
I approached slowly and gently stroked the Iron Blood Rat’s nose. It still bore no signs of vigilance toward me.
Continuing to stroke its nose, I signaled the others to approach cautiously.
With their tension still not fully alleviated, my companions approached the Iron Blood Rat.
As they kept on alerting and threatening, the Iron Blood Rat suddenly gazed intensely at me, then curled up and sat down.
Once the situation became clear, the Iron Blood Rat’s actions made sense.
Resignation.
The Iron Blood Rat had simply given up.
“Sigh.”
I let out a sigh of disappointment while continuing to stroke its nose.
What creature in this world could enjoy having its own blood drained?
The same must have gone for the Iron Blood Rat.
But the Iron Blood Rat was periodically drained of its blood.
And that wasn’t all.
The power that transformed into the Red Blood Rat was vast. That immense power must have come from somewhere. It must have absorbed the power mixed with the blood extracted from the Iron Blood Rat.
In the end, the Iron Blood Rat had also lost its power along with its blood.
No wonder it looked so weak.
The Iron Blood Rat, having just regained a semblance of peace, must have thought that I brought more people to drain its life force again, prompting it to remain agitated and alert.
Even if I had calmed it down, it resigned itself to resisting those who came to harm it.
Was it the Blood Sect’s machination, or was this critter naturally docile?
No matter how much my maternal grandpa’s blood flowed in my veins, it was nothing special… likely leaning toward the latter.
“…It has calmed down.”
“Is this critter the origin of that evil technique? It certainly looks much stronger compared to that entity from before.”
Seeing the Iron Blood Rat presenting no further threats, my companions began to gradually close the distance. While its ears twitched in vigilance, despite being fairly close, the Iron Blood Rat remained curled up.
“Hmm. So it follows your words, huh?”
“Yes. I’m not sure why, but for now, it does. I think it might be related to our bloodline.”
“To have to take in an entity that follows you without clear reason… this is troublesome from the start.”
Tang So-yeol scratched the back of his head.
But taming the Iron Blood Rat was necessary.
Not merely out of a childish desire to become an entity tamer.
When faced with a senior blood person, they had said that creatures like the Iron Blood Rat were not common even in the Blood Sect.
If I simply let the Iron Blood Rat go or abandoned it, there might be another victim when the Blood Sect came to reclaim it.
While I aimed to make the Iron Blood Rat part of my lineup, seeing its docile behavior made me hesitant to force a fight.
Still, just by having the Iron Blood Rat, I could reduce the enemy forces of the Blood Sect, so there were plenty of reasons to tame it.
“To truly tame an entity, what you need is simple. You just have to feed it.”
“Hmm… that’s true. But I’ve already given it everything that could be a staple of mouse food. I’ve searched every place that could be its natural habitat, but I couldn’t find a trace of food.”
“Ah, you’ve become a fool again.”
Despite mentioning all the things I did to try and help the Red Blood Rat, I received nothing but Tang So-yeol’s disdainful gaze and a light chuckle from Tang Do-yeon.
“Follow me. We need to find this critter its food.”
Following Tang So-yeol, we arrived at a city not far from the Moyong Clan’s Shengsu Faction.
I swallowed my curiosity as I trailed behind Tang So-yeol.
Tang So-yeol seemed to already know where to find the Red Blood Rat’s food and swiftly led the way to a destination.
It turned out to be the largest herbalist in the city.
“Ah! Welcome! It is truly an honor to have the direct bloodline of the Tang Clan visiting our herbalist!”
“Thanks for the warm welcome. I wonder if you can provide enough goods to match this hospitality?”
Surely, no merchant would reject a customer wanting to buy a lot. The merchant’s grin was ear to ear.
“Of course! I’ll even make items that don’t exist just to serve you!”
“Oh, that’s a relief. Then I’ll buy all the herbs that have even a bit of Qi.”
“…Eh?”
“It means I want all the herbs that can boost internal energy for at least five years!”
The merchant’s jaw dropped. Faced with this absurd order, he didn’t know what to do. Tang So-yeol brought out the ultimate bargaining chip to motivate the merchant.
A promissory note.
Tang So-yeol placed a hundred-nyang promissory note against the merchant’s chest.
“If you need more, I’ll pay again.”
“I-I’ll have it prepared right away!!!”
As I watched the merchant dash off without even registering the toppled chair, I finally realized what the Iron Blood Rat’s food was.
Once I got the answer, it felt absurd I hadn’t figured it out sooner.
The Iron Blood Rat’s food was, in fact, Spirit Herbs.
