Invitation to the Chatroom of the Gods - Chapter 48



Only Krnovel

Episode 48 – Dadaikseon

Suddenly, ink was splashed on the table.

The sprinkled ink moved on its own across the scroll, drawing a small glass bottle.

Within a few minutes, liquid began to fill the glass bottle.

When the liquid was completely filled, the painting was complete, and finally, color was added to give it a distinct shape.

A jade-colored liquid contained in a glass bottle.

The finished painting floated up onto the screen and took on its full form.

“······That’s amazing.”

It was really amazing.

How could I not be amazed when something that was nothing more than a picture takes on a physical form and appears before my eyes?

It seemed like a Taoist technique and a mysterious technique used by the Supreme Master, but it was a method that I could neither imitate nor learn.

In any case, it seemed that this was how the secular world and the heavenly world interacted.

Of course, this was something that was only possible through ‘Jokja’, and it was not without a corresponding price.

[Conversion of Merit] – 1 month 10 days (-120 months 17 days)

Ten years and a little over half a month of merit had disappeared.

It was a little higher than what Taesang Nogun had expected, so I was a little worried.

This means I only have 40 days left to live.

but.

[Conversion of Merit] – 1 month 11 days (+1 day)

I didn’t think there was any need to worry too much.

It was an automatic merit that rose automatically in the blink of an eye… no, it was a converted merit.

At first, I wondered what automatic merit was, but after thinking about it carefully, I could easily understand why merit increases automatically.

‘It looks like the Jang Gang Hyeopgaekdan is doing well.’

They say life is like a blessing and a curse.

It wasn’t something I had specifically intended to rehabilitate, but it came back as an unexpected ‘merit’.

anyway.

As I was looking at the jade-colored liquid in the small glass bottle, the words of Taesang Laojun suddenly came to mind.

└[Taishang Laojun (Great Elder Lord) Laozi]

: It is a ship called ‘Okryeongsan (玉靈散)’, which is made by condensing the inner essence of Okryung (玉靈).

Okryongsan Mountain.

······It was the first time I heard that name.

So I didn’t know what kind of effect it had, but thinking about it, it was only natural.

This was the ‘ship’ and ‘elixir of the heavens’ that Taesang No-jun had just manufactured.

Still, judging from the meaning of the name······.

“It seems like the efficacy is just so-so.”

Compared to things like the ‘Yoji Seongdan’ that had the power to shake the earth, or the ‘Cheonryong Bowondan’ that had the power of the celestial dragon, it was a rather bland name.

Still, just in case, I wrote a note on the scroll and sent it.

└[Cheongun]

: Are there any special precautions I should take when taking it?

└[Taishang Laojun (Great Elder Lord) Laozi]

: There is nothing like that. It was made with the focus on recovering your innate energy rather than increasing your internal energy. So, there is no particular growth effect, so don’t expect much.

In simple terms, it meant that you could eat it now.

At the same time, its efficacy was not as outstanding as its bland name suggests.

It is literally a ‘moderate’ level of elixir of immortality aimed at restoring my innate energy.

So, without thinking, I swallowed the jade-colored liquid in the glass bottle.

Gulp.

A tiny amount, not even a sip, went down my throat.

If I were to roughly describe the taste······

“Ugh···.”

It could be described as a strange taste, like licking a cesspool.

So I didn’t really feel any regrets or anything······.

Saaaaaaaaaaah-!

In an instant, a feeling of excitement washed over my entire body.

It felt as if I was eating peppermint leaves with the pores all over my body, and I felt the vitality of my innate energy, which had been empty, suddenly rise up.

‘They said it was made with a focus on restoring my innate energy…’

One thing for sure was the effect

A refreshing feeling as if I could fly away took over my whole body, and my empty vitality was filled up.

That was when.

Hwaruk, hwarurururuk!

Suddenly, the warm atmosphere began to heat up and spread into flames.

With that, my whole body began to burn, and before I could do anything, the burning energy spread through my entire body’s energy and blood vessels in an instant.

“Ugh···!!”

My eyes opened wide in excruciating pain.

Fortunately, by learning Dharma’s Sutra of the Reverse Circumcision, I was able to achieve a state of ‘quasi’ transformation, even if it was not perfect.

As a result, my blood vessels, which had been tightly blocked, were somewhat unclogged, so I no longer felt the excruciating pain that I used to feel.

Whoosh whoosh─!!

The blazing fire pierced through some of the blocked blood vessels and oxidized them violently.

“Haa···! Haa···!”

My breathing was ragged and I was extremely embarrassed.

My body······was not feeling well.

The blood vessels are more open than before.

With that, the tremendous internal energy latent in my danjeon.

“Two hundred years···?”

He had internal energy latent in him for a whopping 200 years. But just a moment ago, it was internal energy that had amounted to 140 years.

In other words, my internal energy had increased to the level of one year, which was no different from taking a high-quality elixir.

“What is this···?”

Moreover, it did not end here.

Until just a moment ago, my realm was at the peak, a ‘quasi’ peak that I had reached through illegal means.

But now.

“The climax?”

······I have truly taken a step into the climax.

Of course, it was only a step forward. So it wasn’t a complete climax, but it was still able to reach the realm of ‘real’ rather than ‘similar’.

“······.”

It was a growth that left me speechless.

The expression “I was truly speechless” would be accurate.

‘Didn’t you say that there wouldn’t be any significant growth effects…?’

It definitely was like that.

But now that I look at it, it seems like it meant that there was no significant growth effect by Taesang No-gun’s ‘standard’.

If you look at it from my perspective and from the world’s perspective?

It was just a ‘crazy’ growth effect.

“······.”

Is this······Taishang Laojun?

The highest immortal in Taoism, one of the three immortals of the Three Pure Ones, and the supreme deity of all heaven and earth.

The standards and perspectives for looking at things were truly different in ‘level’ and ‘dimension.’

The Taesang Nogunpyo fleet that can never be found in the secular world.

I didn’t regret the 10 years of merit at all.

And this is the extent of the effectiveness of the fleet that focuses on restoring my innate energy.

then······.

‘What kind of fleet has growth potential?’

First of all, it was not something to be judged by worldly standards.

It was certain that it would far surpass the realm of imagination.

And now, by consuming my merits, I have confirmed that interaction between the celestial world and the secular world is possible through the scroll.

‘That means I can buy another fleet.’

Of course, I’m still not sure if the expression ‘purchase’ is correct.

It wasn’t just the ‘sailboat’ that I had to think about.

If this transaction were possible, other ‘items from the heavens’ could also be obtained.

In this temple, there were not only the ‘Gods of War’ but also the ‘Gods of Metallurgy’, gods of blacksmiths who excelled in metallurgy, so various sacred items could be obtained.

Of course, I couldn’t deal with them directly because my identity couldn’t be revealed.

However, if you receive help from senior immortals of the Taoist temple, just as you obtained the Dharma Sutra through the Zhongli Kwon, there will be no major problems.

I hurriedly checked the current conversion merit.

[Conversion Merit] – 1 month 13 days (+2 days)

There were two more days left than before, but it wasn’t rising as much as before.

It seems like the redness is slowly wearing off.

So, it seemed like most of the bandits along the Yangtze River had been wiped out, so the rising numbers would gradually decrease.

‘I must accumulate more virtue.’

I could no longer be satisfied with the merits that were accumulating automatically. I had become a body that was unable to satisfy······.

In some ways, I no longer had to worry about my life, but that alone was no longer enough.

And in fact, I couldn’t know how long the automatic merit would accumulate.

The bandits of the Yangtze River were not infinite, and one day the bandits would disappear from the Yangtze River.

If it was wiped out like that, no more merit would be accumulated, so seeing that the potion was already running out, I couldn’t just rely on automatic merit.

The heavens will continue to try to kill me.

So, the need to continue accumulating merit remains the same.

That is, the value of merit to me has not changed. No, I could see that its value has become more important than before.

Because now we need to accumulate much more merit than before.

The more the better.

The more there is, the better, and that is virtue.

So, at least 10 years worth of merit.

It wasn’t enough to just wait and hope for automatic merit.

But it was okay.

If automatic merit is not enough, you can accumulate it manually.

And I have the ‘reward’ of the main character, the property of the mountain man that never dries up no matter how much I use it.

* * *

Gu Cheol-san, the leader of the Jang Gang Hyeopgaekdan, was at a loss as to what was going on.

Of course, there was the situation where the Golden Guards barged in, and there was also the outrageous sight of them handing out rewards in a brother-first-younger-brother fashion.

Above all, the great king of the Yangtze River who is standing so far away right now.

‘What are you doing?’

I wondered what you were doing from earlier.

That would be the case, as the King was standing still, holding something that looked like a ‘stool’ in his hand.

And while he was engraving letters on the scroll with his fingers, he was also mumbling to himself.

As I watched that scene from the side, I wondered if he was a crazy person.

‘What, what am I thinking…!’

Gu Cheol-san shook his head violently. However, he hit his head several times with the blasphemous thoughts that could not be shaken off.

And that was when it happened.

Kwaaaa …

A chilling aura emanating from the King in an instant.

“······!!!”

Gucheolsan’s two eyes opened wide at the same time.

In fact… I haven’t felt any particular energy from the King so far.

Although he had the aura and dignity of a great king, he did not feel any sense of powerless ‘pressure’.

If it weren’t for the occasional instances of him flexing his muscles, you’d think he was just another person.

But, since there was a sight of everything being burned down in Payangho, Gucheolsan thought it was just his imagination.

But now.

Kwaaaa …

The aura and spirit emanating from the King was extraordinary.

If the spirit that was shown in front of Cheon San Ja earlier was the ‘spirit of a great king’, then now it could be said to be the ‘spirit of an absolute ruler’ who rules the world.

However, the king was not much different from before.

It just looked ordinary.

This is a state where, when you reach an extremely high level, you end up looking like an ordinary person.

‘Ba, the counterattack···!’

The Great King could only be described as having reached the state of ‘returning to the truth through the reverse prism.’

In fact, the difference in perspective between the two was a kind of ‘mistake’ that arose from a difference in perspective rather than a realm of knowledge.

To be exact, it was an illusion that arose from the difference in rank, so the distant rank of the object was not recognized, and it just felt ‘ordinary’.

‘Oh, that’s ridiculous…!’

The height and level of Gucheolsan Mountain was a realm that the great king had reached, and it was impossible to even guess at it.

Suddenly, the King’s gaze fell on Gucheolsan.

Gucheolsan flinched and trembled like a puppy standing in front of a tiger.

As the King slowly walked towards Gucheolsan, Gucheolsan’s body began to tremble without him knowing it.

“Huh? The work is all done, so why are you shaking so much?”

“That, that···.”

Are you asking because you don’t know?

“Surely you are still afraid? The spirit that blocked the government troops earlier must have been crying.”

That would have been better.

So, even if he blocked the government troops, Gu Cheol-san did not have the confidence to face the king.

Standing before the King, the words ‘the most extraordinary thing’ never even crossed my mind.

“I don’t know why he did that, but he was truly worthy of being the leader of the Jang Gang Hyeopgaekdan.”

A small laugh could be heard from the king behind the mask.

“By the way, former General.”

“Yes… yes yes.”

“I heard it was General Koo. He’s taking care of his sick widowed mother.”

“···That, that’s right.”

“Was it also the case that you became a thief to earn money for your mother’s medicine?”

“That, that’s right···.”

Gu Cheol-san nodded and answered.

An incurable disease of unknown cause.

That’s why the price of medicine was expensive and the market was in a steep decline.

Nevertheless, Gu Cheol-san tried everything he could to take care of his mother, but he couldn’t handle it.

Eventually, he picked up the sword, and when he came to his senses, he had become the Gucheolsan he is today.

But in the end, it was nothing more than an excuse.

Even if that was the reason Gu Cheol-san became a thief, the fact that he was a ‘thief’ did not change, and in the end it was nothing more than an ‘excuse’, so Gu Cheol-san could only nod his head.

That was the moment.

The hand of the Great King suddenly reached out from under the sight of Gu Cheol-san, who was bowing his head. And what was being held in the Great King’s hand?

“Isn’t this… a gold coin?”

None other than a single gold coin was placed in the king’s hand.

“Take it.”

“············yes?”

Gu Cheol-san was momentarily taken aback by the king’s words that he had suddenly heard.

You’re giving me this… just like that?

One gold coin is a huge sum of money that can be used to live comfortably for several years.

Where on earth would you find someone giving you such a sum of money right away?

“Why are you giving this to me···?”

“Jiangsu Province is said to be the logistics center, where various goods from all over the world, as well as mysterious items from across the East China Sea, gather.”

“That’s right, but···.”

“Then, there must be an excellent medicine for the former General’s mother. Since you’ve come all the way to Jiangsu Province, why don’t you go and get some good medicine for the former General’s mother?”

“············.”

The old commander was at a loss for words.

Seriously······I was speechless.

“Oh, and among the doctors I know, there’s an old man who used to be called a divine doctor. I’ll ask him to examine the former general’s mother.”

“Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?”

“This is a ‘reward’ for the ‘chivalry’ of the former general who risked his life to block the government troops earlier.”

“Ah, no···. How could Your Majesty···.”

Then the king spoke as if asking what was going on.

“Isn’t that the former general?”

“Even so, how could this be···.”

“Who on earth does the old general think I am?”

“He, he is the conqueror of the Yangtze River, the king of the Yangtze River Swordsmen, and my king-.”

“Putting aside the loser of the Yangtze River, I am the ‘King’ of the Yangtze River Swordsmen. And you are the ‘General’ of the Yangtze River Swordsmen.”

“······.”

“If a subordinate has achieved great success, it is the king’s duty to give him the appropriate praise and ‘rewards’.”

Gucheolsan really, really didn’t know what to say.

“Or maybe, the former General also doesn’t want to receive a reward?”

“Oh, no. That’s not what I meant···.”

“Then take it.”

The king forcibly placed a gold coin in Gucheolsan’s hand.

After a brief moment of bewilderment, the King took out the scroll from his bosom and began to examine its contents.

Gucheolsan was curious, so he took a quick look inside the folding screen······.

‘There’s nothing.’

There was absolutely nothing to be seen on the screen.

It was just a blank sheet of paper with only a white background visible.

But the king nodded his head in satisfaction, as if he saw something.

“It’s been four days.”

These were the King’s words, the meaning of which was incomprehensible.

After a while, the king asked Gucheolsan again.

“Former General, are there any other members of the Jang Gang Hyeopgaekdan who have similar unfortunate stories as you?”

“Ah, probably… almost everyone is like that. I don’t know the details either… They all have their own circumstances, just different degrees.”

Just because he was called Jang Gang-su-ro-chae, he wasn’t born a thief. He was driven to the edge of a cliff while trying to figure out how to survive, and became a thief.

There were some who were not like that, but they were a very small minority, and they left the group after it was renamed the Jang Gang Hyeopgaekdan.

“Is that so?”

And so the voice of the great king behind the mask was heard.

However, for some reason, the King’s voice had a very cheerful tone······.

“Well, I don’t know if it’s 4 days for one gold coin or if each person’s merit value is different, but anyway, if we take about 4~5 days per person and add up all 4,000 people… Wow, how many years is that?”

It was very similar to the voice of Ju Gwan-cheon, who had been no different from the rewarder just a moment ago.

* * *

Poyang Lake (?陽湖), located at the northern tip of Jiangxi Province.

The water level of Lake Pa-yang, which is similar to the ocean, was considerably higher than before.

This is because the Yangtze River has recently overflowed, and Poyang Lake has absorbed the water from the overflowing Yangtze River, causing the water level to rise rapidly.

And the amount of flooding was so great that they could not hold it all back, so it overflowed, and the ground became soggy and muddy, almost like mud.

In that bank, there were thousands of unmanned people gathered together.

The unmanned members of the Jang Gang Hyeopgaekdan.

They were currently responsible for the security and safety of the Yangtze River and were well-received throughout the world.

But now, everyone was gathered here at Poyang Lake, because there was an order from the King to gather all of the Jang River Knights at Poyang Lake.

So now.

“Your Majesty, please eat it!!”

With a loud shout, the masked king came walking across the landscape of Poyang Lake.