🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 2 …
Im Kang felt like the entire day had been a waste.
Not that he’d spent it playing soccer or foot volleyball.
What he meant was that he had gone through the broker’s office only to end up with a Chwiguhwan that he couldn’t even use, leaving him stuck in an awkward situation.
‘Ha… damn it, ah… Master!’
That old bastard had been a wandering martial artist for over twenty years.
What had he been doing all that time without even learning a third-rate internal cultivation method?
A faint irritation rose within Im Kang.
No, wait.
The assumption that his master had never learned an internal cultivation method was only speculation.
Whenever Im Kang asked him to teach one, the old man always changed the subject.
“Heh heh. The time has not yet come.”
“You couldn’t learn one yourself, could you?”
“Heh heh…”
“Pathetic~ Loser~ Third-rate wanderer~ Agh! Agh! If you swing from the sharp side, you’ll kill meee!”
Yeah.
Something along those lines.
He had served as the man’s attendant for three years, yet he had never once seen his master use internal energy.
Under those circumstances, assuming he never learned a cultivation method was only natural.
Smack.
Im Kang snapped himself back to reality with another round of premium-grade shock therapy.
His master?
There was no point relying on someone who wasn’t even here.
“But who am I? A Treasure Hunter skill owner.”
If he needed an internal cultivation method, he’d just find one with Treasure Search.
His wallet would become even lighter, but he could worry about paying for it later.
A wanderer’s life was, by nature, a day-to-day existence.
“Let’s see…”
If he lived on wheat noodles for about ten days, he should manage.
Im Kang tucked his pouch back into his clothes.
Since he couldn’t consume the Chwiguhwan right away, he placed it back into the bamboo container, locked it, and hid it beneath the floor.
If he carried it around and dropped it somewhere, he’d be completely screwed.
If there was one thing yellow-bellied wanderers excelled at, it was stealing from people weaker than themselves.
And yes, that was based on personal experience.
When he was younger, he had once been running an errand for his master.
A group of delinquent wanderers had grabbed him, dragged him into an alley, and robbed him blind.
They hadn’t beaten him because he was just a kid, but he’d been completely helpless.
Later, his master—not the bastard, but the great sir himself—had beaten every one of them senseless and recovered double the compensation.
That was the first and last time Im Kang had ever respected him.
For the same reason, selling the Chwiguhwan was out of the question.
If someone saw him with that much money, they’d rob him immediately.
Unlike when he was young, he probably wouldn’t get away with only losing his belongings.
They’d stab him first.
What a damnable wanderer’s world.
“Well then, shall we get going?”
Im Kang left the house.
There were generally three ways for a wanderer to obtain an internal cultivation method.
Stealing.
Mission rewards.
Buying one.
Well, there was also a fortuitous encounter, but that didn’t count.
Because the equation was simple:
Fortuitous Encounter = Risk Your Life
Im Kang lacked the ability to obtain one through theft or mission rewards.
If someone offered a third-rate wanderer an internal cultivation method as payment, there were only two possibilities.
Human trafficking.
Or being used as a sacrifice for demonic arts.
Honestly, considering he had become a wanderer instead of turning to crime after becoming an orphan at ten years old, his parents were probably crying tears of pride in the afterlife.
Therefore, he would use the third method.
Buying one.
How?
‘By boldly purchasing it from a bookstore!’
A bookstore was a place that sold books.
And martial arts manuals were books too.
Surprisingly, that was why martial arts manuals occasionally turned up in bookstores.
You buy something thinking it’s an erotic novel, only to discover it’s a dual-cultivation art.
You buy it thinking it’s miscellaneous reading, only to discover it’s a sound-based martial art.
You buy it thinking it’s a Buddhist scripture, only to discover it’s a lost martial art from Shaolin Temple.
“I suppose that counts as a fortuitous encounter too.”
With his Map and Treasure Search skills, it was entirely possible.
Hangzhou had twelve bookstores.
Finding one manual in just one of them would be enough.
Leaving the slums behind, he entered the marketplace.
He headed to the nearest bookstore.
“Welcome. Looking for a particular book?”
“No.”
“If you need anything, feel free to ask.”
Ignoring the suspicious gaze of the bookstore owner—who clearly thought he might steal something—Im Kang activated the Map skill.
Then he followed up with:
“Treasure Search.”
The mechanism behind Treasure Search was simple.
He only needed to strongly desire the treasure he wanted.
The first time he had used the skill, he had been thinking about hidden caves and spiritual herbs, which was why the Chwiguhwan had been detected.
After all, spiritual herbs were ingredients used in spiritual medicine.
The skill level was still low, but surely it could find at least one.
‘Internal cultivation method! Please, internal cultivation method! Let cultivation methods rain down from the heavens! Give me cultivation methods flowing like a river! Give me cultivation methods flowing like a river! Overflowing! Hallelujah!’
Im Kang clenched every muscle in his body and concentrated with all his might.
But when nothing appeared, he let out a small sigh.
It was fine.
There were still eleven bookstores left.
“The probability is roughly nine percent.”
Nine percent was high.
If the next bookstore didn’t have one, the odds would rise to ten percent.
Such generous odds.
A truly miraculous method of calculation.
“Please come again.”
As he left, he heard the bookstore owner muttering,
“That wanderer bastard didn’t steal anything, did he?”
Im Kang ignored it.
For a third-rate wanderer, this was already generous treatment.
“…Nothing here either.”
“Looking for something?”
“No.”
“If it’s an erotic novel, they’re over here…”
“It isn’t.”
The second bookstore didn’t have one either.
The probability increased to ten percent.
A double-digit chance now.
“How am I supposed to stay calm?”
A short while later, Im Kang’s hands were trembling.
Even the sixth bookstore hadn’t produced an internal cultivation method.
Something was wrong.
The probability kept increasing, so why wasn’t he finding anything?
“Could it be that I’m mistaken?”
What if his memories from his previous life were fake?
What if the system window and notifications were all hallucinations?
No.
Im Kang recalled his master’s words.
“You won’t survive more than a few years before dying.”
No, not that one.
“Pfft. You think you can make a living in the wanderer’s world with swordsmanship that pathetic?”
Im Kang gave up trying to remember anything useful his master had said.
Come to think of it, he couldn’t remember a single encouraging word.
“Damn master.”
Think positively.
The probability was now 16.6%.
In gacha terms, that was absurdly generous.
In enhancement terms, it was practically guaranteed success.
“…This will work. It has to work. If it doesn’t, I’ll grill my master’s hand.”
He entered the seventh bookstore.
And then—
He activated Treasure Search.
“…Huh!”
On the circular green map, a single yellow dot was shining brightly.
Im Kang immediately covered his mouth in excitement.
He wanted to share this joy with the entire world.
But his life was more important.
“Hm?”
Bookstore Owner Mark VII tilted his head after hearing the sound.
Apparently deciding that Im Kang had merely yawned, he turned away again.
Im Kang sighed inwardly in relief and picked up the brightly glowing book.
His hands wanted to tremble from the thrill of discovering an internal cultivation method, but he held himself back.
“How much is th—cough—this?”
“Hmm. Just some miscellaneous junk. Ten mun.”
“Ten mun for a miscellaneous book?”
“I’m already giving you a good price.”
“There’s mold growing on it.”
The moment mold appeared, a book’s value dropped dramatically.
And if it had been neglected long enough to reach this state, it was obviously dead stock.
When Im Kang pointed that out—
“…Nine mun!”
“How about a clean eight?”
“Tsk. At eight mun, there’s no profit left…”
“I’ve lived in Hangzhou for five years. You think I wouldn’t know?”
“…So you’re a wanderer. Fine. Eight mun.”
Im Kang pulled out eight coins.
Trying so hard not to burst into laughter apparently made him look like he was scowling.
The bookstore owner accepted the coins with an expression that said, I’ve been had.
“Since you’ve made a concession, Owner, I’ll come buy something again next time. I might need an erotic novel soon… ahem. Just saying.”
“Oh, esteemed customer! Travel safely!”
Erotic novels cost at least several dozen mun.
Whether Im Kang would actually return to buy one was another matter entirely.
Still, both parties were satisfied.
“Let’s get home quickly.”
The internal cultivation method blessed by mold rested safely in his arms.
* * *
After returning home, Im Kang secured the area just as he had when he obtained the Chwiguhwan.
Once he was sure it was safe, he took out the cultivation manual and activated Appraisal.
Ding!
[This is the Peak-Grade Great Strength Tyrant Art (大力覇功).]
“Oh… ohhh! OHHHH!”
Im Kang covered his mouth and silently screamed.
This was it!
This was exactly why his previous self had loved exploring dungeons!
It wasn’t third-rate.
Nor second-rate.
Nor first-rate.
It was a Peak-Grade Internal Cultivation Method!
A thrill so intense surged through him that it felt like his lower body might explode.
“O-Okay, relax. Obtaining the manual isn’t the end.”
To learn an internal cultivation method, one first had to sense Qi.
Afterward, one followed the cultivation formulas to absorb Qi and form a dantian.
And according to conventional wisdom, the best posture for sensing Qi was the lotus position.
Im Kang sat cross-legged and focused.
“…I’ll try sensing Qi another time.”
He had spent ten minutes with his eyes closed.
Failed.
What should I eat tomorrow?
Will the broker’s office have work?
Life will be great when I become a master, right?
Only random thoughts filled his mind.
Still, he wasn’t disappointed.
Even geniuses supposedly needed several days to sense Qi for the first time.
He opened the Great Strength Tyrant Art.
Even if he couldn’t sense Qi yet, he could at least memorize the cultivation formulas.
“…What the hell is this supposed to mean?”
From the very first page, it was filled with vague nonsense.
It talked about gaining the strength to shatter boulders.
Fine.
That part he understood.
Let the heart embrace the will of a Tyrant.
Let the dantian devour the Qi of Heaven and Earth.
Sink the Qi and temper it into steel.
Raise the Qi and burn it within a blast furnace.
…
“…Why is there suddenly a blast furnace? Is this a cultivation method or a blacksmithing manual?”
Im Kang had graduated from university in his previous life.
Yet even a college graduate couldn’t understand cultivation formulas.
He had obtained a Peak-Grade cultivation method.
But he couldn’t learn it.
“The world is bullying me.”
Feeling miserable, he continued reading.
Even if he didn’t understand it, he intended to memorize everything.
Eventually, he reached the final page.
At that moment—
Ding!
[Peak-Grade Great Strength Tyrant Art (大力覇功) skill has been registered.]
“F*** yeah. Long live the System!”
Im Kang let out a loud shout.
“…Which son of a bitch is yelling in the middle of the night?!”
Someone immediately cursed at him.
But he didn’t care.
He was happy.
He had learned a Peak-Grade internal cultivation method!
“My apologies. I’ll keep it down.”
Since getting stabbed at night was a real possibility, he didn’t forget to apologize.
The wanderer’s world was just that dangerous.
