“Hmm.”

The Black Cat has gone strange again.

Seeing the collar area of their clothes damp, it looks like they’re sweating a lot for some reason.

“Why are you like that? Did you see something when Yeo Il-ye was hunting bandits?”

“Ah, that’s not it! I’m perfectly fine!”

“Then why are you sweating so much?”

“I just, um, came back from climbing a mountain!”

The Black Cat gulped down some water, probably because their throat was dry. They flapped their clothes in a hurry to dry off, but that caused the garment to open up, making me turn my head away quickly.

“Let’s talk.. let’s talk… Right! Senior! Did you know Yeo Il-ye was that strong?”

The Black Cat, looking oddly anxious, was still fluttering their collar to dry off, so I found myself staring at the distant mountains while I spoke.

“Well, kinda…”

The Sacheon Outcasts didn’t falter in momentum against six Peak Experts of the Tang Clan. There was no way the Outcasts would drop the ball against Yeo Il-ye, the sworn enemy, so when they were targeted, the Outcast Inn could be considered the safest nest in the world.

The Outcast Inn has the power to lead a strategy against six Peak Experts. But in front of Yeo Il-ye, it’s just like a bamboo cage.

It’s not that Yeo Il-ye is stronger than the six Peak Experts.

It’s a matter of matchup. Yeo Il-ye possesses enough inner power to envelop their whole body with Qi. While another Peak Expert might find the experience and unique threat of the Outcasts daunting, if they did create temporary protective Qi, they’d still eventually get hurt from attacks.

But Yeo Il-ye? If they just wrap themselves in strong Qi, their only means of causing damage would be that strong Qi. No matter how much the Outcasts’ well-honed striking power might exploit openings, there needs to be an opening to exploit.

That’s why I tried to cultivate luck and run away.

When I faced Yeo Il-ye, the only means I had to respond was luck.

The sworn enemy of Yeo Il-ye.

I was very curious about this sworn enemy. I’ve never heard that there was a revenge scenario involving Yeo Il-ye in the game “[Martial World].” Normally, Yeo Il-ye, upon achieving realization, just becomes a homebody sitting tight in their sect.

There’s something called a trigger in the game. Just like you have to pull the trigger for bullets to be fired. For a scenario to start, the actions that initiate it must be taken.

Rolling down a small snowball firmly packed on top of a mountain.

That snowball would roll and grow into a giant one, and that giant snowball just rolling would shake the whole mountain, causing the snow affected by that vibration to, at some point, turn into a massive avalanche which buries the base of the mountain.

In the game, Yeo Il-ye would have realized that the bloodbath at the Yeo-ga Mountain Villa wasn’t caused by an Outcast. Yet, always choosing to remain in hiding likely meant they hadn’t found any leads on the perpetrator of the bloodbath.

Could it be Jeon Hu-dam who triggered Yeo Il-ye’s revenge? Given they seem to be trailing Yeo Il-ye, it’s highly probable.

Jeon Hu-dam is also someone I know. Living as a Sacheon Outcast for seven years, I’ve naturally come across certain information. What business would an information broker living in Sacheon have in leading Yeo Il-ye to come and kill Mo Yeobu?

I can’t know the exact reason, but the very fact that they’ve been active as a bandit for a long time is enough to build up quite a karmic debt. It wouldn’t be strange for an information broker working in Sacheon to pop up trying to kill Mo Yeobu.

It wouldn’t be strange, but… If the level of plausibility is not strange enough, then why have I never heard that Yeo Il-ye picked up any leads on their sworn enemy while playing Martial World? Yeo Il-ye, being a bit above the peak, had considerable visibility, after all.

“Sigh.”

It’s very worrisome.

Yeo Il-ye is above the peak. They’d probably easily take down even a Hwa-gyeong Martial Artist who’s not from a prestigious lineage.

The reason I’m assuming they’re not from a prestigious lineage is simple.

The higher you rise in levels, the harder it becomes to have combat power that matches those levels. There’s no need to elaborate on this. Just look at the Outcasts. Let’s assume the current peak-level people become Peak Experts. Then where will they get the peak-level martial arts?

Getting peak-level martial arts is akin to plucking stars from the sky, and the weapons they use? How can they find martial arts that fit their traits?

But what about the Nine Great Sects or renowned prestigious sects? They have martial arts prepared for everything from the mediocre to Hwa-gyeong or Hyeong-gyeong, by level. Not only that? There are plenty of senior brothers who can easily increase your proficiency in early-stage martial arts.

Martial arts matchups? These are friends selected from the get-go based on matchups when entering. What’s there to worry about?

For an Outcast who rises to Peak Expert level, even obtaining peak-level martial arts would be a gamble; whether they could even learn the appropriate peak-level martial art would be anyone’s guess. But what about the notable recognized sects? They have masters to teach them. They have accumulated know-how within the sect. They can choose and learn martial arts that perfectly fit their hands. They just grow explosively as soon as their level rises.

In a place like the Nine Great Sects, once you reach the limit of your level, everything necessary for the next level’s martial arts and training methods can be thrown at you. That’s how Yeo Il-ye became so strong as soon as they attained the peak.

The gap between those from prestigious sects and those who aren’t widens even more as levels increase. The sect’s capabilities also refer to the combat power of martial artists.

Those martial artists not from prestigious lineages see their acquired martial arts and proficiency fall apart by the time they reach the peak level, let alone the Hwa-gyeong level… they truly are like empty shells.

The Peak Experts from the Nine Great Sects or the major sects would likely not initiate a feud with Yeo Il-ye, who happens to be a disciple of the Jeomchang Faction, making Yeo Il-ye’s chance of success in revenge very high.

What worries me is the possible aftermath of Yeo Il-ye’s actions. It’s a revenge drama that starts by smashing one of the seventy-two daredevils. Yeo Il-ye has hinted that their sworn enemies aren’t common folks, too.

In the currently peaceful martial world, Yeo Il-ye’s vendetta would be a significant event. As such, depending on Yeo Il-ye’s actions, it could lead to considerable shock or uproar.

They have some top-tier martial arts prepared, but depending on the doctor’s diagnosis, some martial arts might become unusable. Even if I use those martial arts, I’d still need to go around collecting various things to become a full-fledged expert.

Unlike when I was living as an Outcast in Sacheon, if the martial world starts to stir, I’d be affected as well, so naturally, I couldn’t help but be concerned.

“Hmm.”

To be precise, if the sworn enemies are influential figures… I got a hunch that if I assist Yeo Il-ye in their vendetta, there’d be some nice crumbs left to fall.

Since the martial arts I could learn vary depending on the doctor’s diagnosis, this might be a chance to gather a bunch of them.

While I was calculating this, I shook my head. It’s too dangerous to get involved in Yeo Il-ye’s revenge drama when I don’t know anything yet. After all, the starting point of the vendetta was an ambush on a mountain with two Peak Experts… It’s not a level for a mere filth to step into.

Right, for now, let’s stick close to the Poison Doctor, receive appropriate results, and think about everything. Even if Yeo Il-ye seeks bloody vengeance, I’m stuck until the doctor’s diagnosis comes through. Mustn’t be too greedy. Clues for advancing levels are more important than anything else.

So, prioritizing this makes sense. There’s no guarantee that the Poison Doctor will see me again, so does it make sense to chase after an unknown crumb that might or might not fall?

It seemed I inadvertently excited myself as Yeo Il-ye’s revenge drama unfolded before my eyes.

Time for some tea.

I poured myself a cup of hot tea from the kettle and blew on it before taking a sip. Countless people drink tea in the Central Plains, but it was ultimately the Tang Clan folks who taught me the tea ceremony. Should I be glad that I’ve adapted to the customs of the Central Plains after seven years, or should I be sad?

As I slowly sipped my tea and gathered my thoughts, it seemed the Black Cat had dried off completely and wrapped themselves up in their clothes again.

“By the way, Black Cat.”

“What is it, Senior?”

Now back in their usual prickly tone.

“Shall we ask the Poison Doctor for some Half-Soul Powder and Confession Needles?”

After barely tidying themselves up and sighing, the hand of the Black Cat that was reaching for the teacup froze.

“W-What would we want such horrible things for… really…”

“Hmm… Is that so? Well, who would even use ‘Half-Soul Powder’ or ‘Confession Needles’ while living as an Outcast? Hahahahaha!”

“Hah, hahaha, hahaha…”

“Thinking about it, well, unless it’s a real arch-nemesis, who would use such inhumane items? Right?”

“Well, it might just be because they were thinking of that person…”

“Sigh.”

The Black Cat flinched. Their face turned slightly sideways. Watching them, I began to feel it was time to draw some conclusions. Since it seemed I’d have to roam around with the Black Cat for a longer while…

In fact, up until today, I had no certainty that the Black Cat was involved in that incident. I had enough suspicion, but… I just couldn’t understand their motive.

But you know, with the conversation about Confession Needles and Half-Soul Powder, acting this suspiciously is basically saying I’m the criminal.

Today, I’ll have to thoroughly check the Black Cat.