Episode 44: Return of the Martial Arts Instructor
BOOM!
Rumble!
An enormous explosion shook the land.
The people of Jayang Village rushed out of their homes, eyes fixed on Mount Toisan.
“What on earth just happened?”
“Is it… a volcanic eruption?”
Someone muttered in disbelief, staring at the crimson aura rising from the mountain.
But a nearby villager quickly shook his head, dismissing the idea.
“Don’t be ridiculous! Mount Toisan isn’t a volcano!”
“Then what in the world is going on? Jwaibong… Jwaibong…”
The words caught in their throats, unable to fully express their shock.
The peak of Jwaibong had been completely blown away, as if a giant had torn off a rabbit’s ear.
Around the red aura, a thick cloud of dust was dispersing.
Meanwhile, the students staying at the inn were equally stunned by the sight of Jwaibong’s summit being obliterated.
“Look at that! What could possibly be happening?”
“Could it be the same kind of explosion that happened in Angang?”
“Impossible. That’s the top of a mountain, and the explosion is far more powerful.”
The students buzzed with speculation, their voices a mix of fear and curiosity.
Yom Jaryang watched with a stern expression.
‘It can’t be the work of the Black Twin Demons. They weren’t this powerful. What on earth is happening here? And why hasn’t the instructor returned?’
The sun was setting.
If time continued to slip away, Mokdanhwa and the others could be in real danger.
‘Instructor! Please, come back soon!’
Yom Jaryang clenched his fists, then paused.
When had he started relying so much on Sabigang?
But now wasn’t the time to dwell on such thoughts.
In this dire situation, there was only one person who could resolve it.
That person was Sabigang, and this belief was shared by Dan Lijeong and Neung Sosso.
**
Sabigang gazed at the colossal figure before him.
Then he looked down at his own body, lying lifeless on the ground.
Seeing himself from a third-person perspective might have been unsettling, but Sabigang remained calm.
He had experienced this before.
It was akin to an out-of-body experience.
And the massive presence before him?
It was none other than a Red Dragon.
The intense mana emanating from Sabigang’s body had manifested into the form of a dragon.
The Red Dragon, hovering majestically in the air, narrowed its eyes.
A voice that seemed to tear through the air!
Yet, this voice wasn’t real.
It resonated only within Sabigang’s mind.
To anyone else, it would appear as if a red dragon’s form was floating serenely at the site of the explosion.
Sabigang, observing the Red Dragon’s form, smirked.
“Yes, I’ve been waiting for you.”
The dragon showed a flicker of interest at his words.
“Yes, I need your power.”
WHOOSH!
The dragon unfurled its massive wings, stirring up a fierce wind that sent debris flying.
Yet Sabigang stood firm, unshaken.
“Your kind never changes.”
“There’s no need for us to waste our strength. You’ll end up lending me your power anyway.”
The voice carried a subtle anger.
Suddenly,
RUMBLE!
The entire Jwaibong trembled, and the red aura around the dragon intensified.
In the next moment,
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Dozens of fireballs formed on the Red Dragon’s shoulders and hurtled toward Sabigang.
It was the Prominence spell, creating and launching high-temperature, high-pressure fireballs.
“Tch, pointless.”
Sabigang quickly crossed his arms in defense.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
BOOM! BOOM!
The dragon, expressionless, began casting its next spell.
Soon, the sky above Jwaibong swirled with storm clouds.
CRACK! BOOM!
A loud noise erupted, and a fiery storm raged beneath the red clouds.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! CRACK!
The earth shook as scorching winds blew from all directions.
It was the Blaze Tempest.
As soon as the words fell, the ground began to crack.
Then,
BOOM!
Lava and rocks erupted, sending Sabigang’s body flying to one side.
Having consumed the dragon heart, Sabigang’s body was the source of the dragon’s form.
Thus, the Red Dragon focused its attacks solely on Sabigang’s spirit.
Rumble.
Finally, the attacks ceased, leaving only a thick cloud of dust.
The Red Dragon remained expressionless, hovering in the air.
The Red Dragon’s words trailed off as its eyes widened.
It sensed a faint energy emanating from Sabigang’s spirit.
As the dust cleared, Sabigang’s spirit stood tall in the air.
“Whew, is it over? That was intense.”
Sabigang dusted himself off, grinning.
For the first time, surprise flickered across the Red Dragon’s face.
“I told you. Your power will be mine.”
“The power you possess, I’ve already consumed it all. In other words, our powers are now equal.”
It wasn’t entirely untrue.
Sabigang had swallowed the dragon heart.
But there was still the issue of adaptation.
Could a mere human fully utilize a dragon’s mana?
As if it were his own?
Such a thing was impossible.
If it were possible, then…!
The Red Dragon’s eyes narrowed again.
“Correct. This is my second time.”
In an instant, the Red Dragon’s eyes flared.
Sabigang shouted in alarm.
“What are you doing?”
The Red Dragon’s eyes shook violently.
The human before it had absorbed its power.
Yet, there wasn’t a trace of mana in his body.
Just moments ago, hadn’t he used its mana to defend himself?
Where had all that mana disappeared to?
Without mana, there was nothing to drain.
Sabigang chuckled.
“Surprised?”
“Heh. I expected you’d try a Mana Drain. You did it before.”
“I’ve converted all the mana into internal energy. You can’t take any mana from me now. Heh.”
The red form began to condense, transforming into a sharp blade aimed directly at Sabigang.
SWISH!
In a flash, Sabigang reached for the Veritas lying on the ground.
WHOOSH!
Like a magnet, Veritas flew into his hand.
It was the art of sword control.
“Ha!”
With a shout, the red blade clashed with Veritas.
CLANG!
The sound was so loud it seemed to warp the space around them.
RUMBLE!
The shattered Jwaibong trembled again, cracks spreading.
WHOOSH!
The red aura that had collided with Veritas scattered, reforming into the Red Dragon’s shape.
The Red Dragon seemed too exhausted to be surprised anymore.
Sabigang’s method wasn’t using mana telekinesis.
It was a completely different energy.
The dragon had never wielded mana in such a way during its lifetime.
This unfamiliar method was beyond surprising—it was bewildering.
Before Sabigang, Veritas floated serenely.
“Heh. That’s right. I use internal energy. I’m quite adept at converting magic into internal energy now.”
“It’s hard to explain. But I can tell you one thing for sure.”
“In this world, I’m the only one who can use your power this way.”
Sabigang grinned.
The Red Dragon flapped its wings gently, gazing at Sabigang.
Sabigang met its gaze calmly.
After a moment of silence,
Sabigang smiled broadly.
“I knew it would come to this.”
“That’s my concern.”
In an instant.
Whoosh!
A crimson energy suddenly swirled around.
It began to rapidly absorb into the chest of Sabigang, who lay sprawled on the ground.
Swoosh!
It happened in the blink of an eye.
The energy that had been expanding in the air was sucked into his chest in a mere moment.
The ethereal form of Sabigang, suspended in the air, vanished like a drawing erased from sand.
Only the traces of the tumult remained on the upper reaches of the mountain.
A cool breeze swept through.
Moments later.
Sabigang opened his eyes.
Fwoosh!
His eyes flared with a fiery red glow before settling down.
“It’s over.”
He exhaled lightly and slowly rose to his feet.
A dull ache throbbed in his chest.
He quickly sat cross-legged.
Absorbing all the magic of the Dragon Heart was not the end.
Now came the time to digest it.
Using mana as a spirit and using it with the physical limitations of a body are fundamentally different.
Thus, the process of assimilation is essential.
Fail to assimilate it properly, and you’ll be crushed by the very power you sought.
As the Red Dragon warned, you might end up with a feast laid out before you, only to be unable to partake.
Sabigang recalled the meditation techniques he had developed in the demon realm.
The immense power concentrated in his heart began to flow through his body’s energy channels.
If the mana previously within him was a wide river, now he had to govern an ocean.
He remained motionless for a long time.
**
A month passed within the barrier.
During that time, Sabigang underwent many changes.
In the first fortnight, his skin peeled away like a snake’s, his once-white hair fell out, leaving him bald, and even his teeth fell out, leaving only his gums.
In the following fortnight, his skin began to glow radiantly, new teeth emerged, and his hair grew back to its original length, now a deep black.
A complete transformation.
Finally, Sabigang, still seated cross-legged, opened his eyes.
Fwoosh.
Flames flickered in his eyes before disappearing.
His gaze was now deeper and clearer than ever before.
Sabigang slowly stood up.
His body felt as light as a feather.
He felt as if he could leap into the sky with a single bound.
He clenched his fists tightly.
“Just as I expected, it’s been well assimilated.”
A satisfied smile played on his lips.
“About a month, I suppose?”
It was the time he had anticipated.
The same amount of time was needed in the demon realm.
That’s why he planned to stay in the village for two days.
He reached out towards the sword, Veritas, lying on the ground.
Swoosh!
Veritas flew into his hand, no longer resisting as it once did.
It had become his sword completely.
“Ha, this works out well for both of us.”
At Sabigang’s words, Veritas hummed in response.
He was about to move when he paused and turned back.
“Oh, I almost forgot.”
His gaze fell on a stone altar in the center of the clearing.
Sabigang raised his hand.
In the next moment.
Boom! Crash!
A fireball shot from his hand, striking the altar directly.
The altar shattered instantly, revealing its contents.
Sabigang inspected what lay inside the broken altar.
“Ha, I’ll make good use of this, Demon King.”
Inside were a magic stone and a vial of Tamicon’s sap.
The magic stone was of high grade.
Though not as rare as the special grade he had previously acquired, it was still quite valuable.
And the vial contained Tamicon’s sap, a deadly poison that could rot the flesh of any living being with just a drop.
“I’ll take these. Oh, and I should leave a little gift. Heh, something for the distant future. I’ll make sure it stays preserved with a proper barrier.”
A mischievous smile spread across Sabigang’s face.