"Ugh, haaaah!" With a splash, the exhausted Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Carp was finally dragged out of the water.
Its massive body flopped on the shore.
But compared to the underwater battle, what came next was easier.
Jin Cheon-hee pulled the spear out of the creature's mouth.
Just as it seemed to regain its freedom and began to thrash toward the water, Jin Cheon-hee stabbed its gills with the spear.
The spear, imbued with lightning, pierced through.
Even though it was a short attack, the creature's fiery body burned Jin Cheon-hee's hand.
"Whew, it's really hot!" He had never intended to engage in a prolonged fight with this creature.
Everyone had their own methods, and Jin Cheon-hee had his.
Kyaaaa— With the final strike, the life of the Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Carp was extinguished.
"I... did it!" Jin Cheon-hee clenched his fist.
His legs trembled.
Every muscle in his body was sore, and even his bones ached.
The fatigue was overwhelming.
But he couldn't stop here.
'The core of the Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Carp is hard to collect.' The core, which contained the essence of fire, would quickly dissipate its energy the moment the creature died.
If left for even a short while, it would turn into an ordinary stone.
While the Heavenly Demon had eaten it on the spot, Jin Cheon-hee had to deliver it to his master.
He needed to extract the core properly to preserve its heat.
Jin Cheon-hee pulled out the spear.
"Huuu..."
The Hyunwon Jeondan Divine Technique kept his mind clear despite the extreme fatigue.
Forcing his screaming muscles to move, he sliced open the creature's belly.
Splash—
Hwang-gu waited with his chin on the ground, patiently waiting for Jin Cheon-hee.
Waiting was one of the things Hwang-gu did best.
He closed his eyes and dozed off, a fly buzzing around his ear.
How long had he waited? Suddenly, Hwang-gu's eyes snapped open.
Woof, woof woof! Hwang-gu began barking urgently.
And not long after.
Thud— A human hand emerged from the muddy hole, gripping the ground.
"Ha... I thought I was going to die."
As soon as Jin Cheon-hee came out, the hot spring water erupted.
It wasn't a temperature ordinary people could endure.
It was literally boiling water.
Hwang-gu quickly ran away, creating distance.
Jin Cheon-hee used the Naryeo Tagong technique to roll away.
"I used the last of my energy for that escape."
Naryeo Tagong.
It meant rolling on the ground to escape.
It was a technique from the Zhuge Family's miscellaneous books, and Jin Cheon-hee had specifically learned it.
The reason was simple.
When neither strength nor internal energy remained, the only thing he could rely on was techniques like Naryeo Tagong.
Even though it was a miscellaneous technique, it was still a martial art.
Perhaps because he had learned it properly, he could roll three zhang (about nine meters) in one go without using any internal energy.
If he had used internal energy, he could have rolled even faster, but if he had any internal energy left, he wouldn't have needed to resort to Naryeo Tagong in the first place.
It was a testament to Jin Cheon-hee's survival instinct, willing to do anything to stay alive.
Being a doctor to the bone, he wasn't bound by the dignity of a martial artist.
'Rolling nine meters in one go without any internal energy is really a good technique.' Jin Cheon-hee panted heavily. 'I gambled on the timing of the hot spring eruption, but why did it have to erupt just as I was leaving?'
Capturing the Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Carp had already drained him completely.
But dragging his body to extract the core, using the mud at the bottom of the lake and the Five Elements Divine Technique to prevent the fire energy from dissipating, was an even greater trial.
On top of that, Jin Cheon-hee meticulously collected the flesh under the gills, the back muscles, the belly fat, the blood from the heart, and even the ribs.
These parts, while not as potent as the core, still contained a significant amount of fire energy.
Jin Cheon-hee didn't miss a single piece.
Just as he finished collecting and was about to leave, the already boiling hot spring began to erupt.
It was hell.
Of course, he could have left the rest and taken only the core.
'But I can't do that! This is all worth a fortune! The Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Carp is something you can't even buy with money!' Doing such a crazy thing and only taking the core was not in Jin Cheon-hee's dictionary.
While the protagonist of a martial arts novel like Yeo Ha-ryun would have an endless supply of cores and elixirs piling up like a mountain until the end of the story, Jin Cheon-hee was different.
He squeezed out every last drop of internal energy to ensure he didn't miss a single thing.
The final move was the three-zhang Naryeo Tagong.
The ultimate survival technique!
Hwang-gu, perhaps intimidated by Jin Cheon-hee's determination, took three steps back.
"Hwang-gu, you've worked hard. I saved some Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Carp meat for you. It's not as good as the core, but it's still a rare elixir. Eat it."
Huff huff! As if he had never been scared, Hwang-gu wagged his tail and pledged his loyalty.
Jin Cheon-hee took out the back meat of the Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Carp he had cut for Hwang-gu.
Chomp chomp chomp! Without even smelling it, Hwang-gu devoured it greedily.
"That's right. You like elixirs and cores, don't you?" Hwang-gu, who had even swallowed the bitter White Phosphorus Divine Pill in one gulp, ate anything that was good for his body with a vengeance.
Woof! After finishing, Hwang-gu panted and licked Jin Cheon-hee's cheek repeatedly.
"You're cute. Let's go back now."
Resting at an inn was a luxury.
Jin Cheon-hee immediately boarded a boat.
The Three Killers greeted him warmly.
"Thanks to the Little White Dragon, the Three Killers have survived!"
"Wahhh... Thank you, Little White Dragon."
The First and Second Killers bowed to Jin Cheon-hee with tears in their eyes.
Jin Cheon-hee shook his head.
"I also thought it was up to fate in the end. It's fortunate."
"No, under normal circumstances, we would have had to sever our dantian and cut off our limbs. To receive treatment and guidance from you like this, we are truly grateful."
The Three Killers exchanged glances, and then the First Killer spoke.
"It's not just because of the blank contract. We sincerely wish to follow you, Young Master. That is the will of me and my brothers."
This was unexpected. 'I was just planning to use them for free since I saved their lives...'
When Jin Cheon-hee didn't respond, the First Killer, thinking he might refuse, spoke urgently.
"You are the first person to treat us lowly ones with such sincerity."
"Cutting off our limbs and making us row was a form of guidance, we believe."
"We may be ignorant, but we wish to continue following you, Young Master!"
Jin Cheon-hee scratched his head. 'Well, if I'm going to manage the White Phosphorus Medical Hall, I'll need people to handle things outside of medical work.'
Martial arts medical halls were different from real-world hospitals.
To survive in the martial world, he needed people to handle these minor tasks.
The Three Killers were the best candidates.
If they were here not just because of the blank contract but out of genuine respect, that was even better.
'In this world, the act of healing someone carries more weight than I thought.' It was a good lesson.
He wouldn't have realized it if he hadn't left the medical hall.
Jin Cheon-hee nodded.
"Alright. I understand. But it won't be an easy path."
At that moment, Bi-geom, who had been quietly watching, approached.
"I also wish to follow the Three Killers and serve you."
Even Bi-geom? Jin Cheon-hee looked at Bi-geom, who spoke urgently. "... If it weren't for the Three Killers, I would have only thought of running away from you, Young Master! I am grateful to all four of you for enlightening me."
Jin Cheon-hee thought, 'You seem a bit naive...?' It was like following a friend and signing a multi-level marketing contract together.
But Jin Cheon-hee had no reason to refuse.
"Alright. Then Bi-geom, you too..."
He pulled out a blank contract from somewhere and handed it to Bi-geom.
It was the same contract the Three Killers had signed.
Bi-geom pricked his finger and signed it.
The slave number four had arrived.
Woof! Hwang-gu barked, and the four slaves flinched and moved away from him.
"Young Master, is it just me, or does that dog seem bigger?"
"It looks that way to me too."
Each of them commented as they looked at Hwang-gu.
Jin Cheon-hee tilted his head.
'Could the Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Carp meat already be showing its effects?' Strictly speaking, the Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Carp was a spiritual creature, and Hwang-gu was also a spiritual creature.
It was a case of one spiritual creature eating another.
Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't fight to the death unless it was a territorial dispute, and spiritual creatures themselves were rare.
This had been artificially caused by Jin Cheon-hee.
'Hmm...
It's good if he gets stronger, right?' Jin Cheon-hee scratched Hwang-gu's forehead.
Huff huff huff.
Hwang-gu, enjoying the attention, licked Jin Cheon-hee's hand eagerly.
'Cute things are still the best.' When he was tired from hospital work, he used to watch dog videos on his phone.
Even back then, he was more interested in mixed-breed dogs, so-called village mutts, than purebred dogs.
Their sturdy front legs and lively yet gentle demeanor appealed to him.
Though Hwang-gu had grown quite large to be called a village dog, he still looked cute to Jin Cheon-hee.
On the other hand, the Three Killers and Bi-geom felt a chill.
'The nutcracker has gotten stronger.' The Third Killer, who had personally experienced Hwang-gu's destructive power, turned especially pale.
015. Twisting History
Jin Cheon-hee returned to the White Phosphorus Medical Hall with all his might.
Along the way, the Three Killers and Bi-geom left briefly to repay the Third Killer's gambling debt.
Originally, they had planned to capture Jin Cheon-hee to settle the debt, but since that was impossible, they had to find another way.
The Third Killer revealed the true amount of the debt and was beaten to a pulp by the First and Second Killers.
They made a promise that if he ever gambled again, they would cut off his fingers.
What would happen next remained to be seen.
'With the four of them working together, they'll pay it off.' Jin Cheon-hee had no intention of paying the debt himself.
Instead, he wrote a simple recommendation letter for them to the Cloud Dragon Escort Agency.
Since they were skilled in tracking and escaping, even if they didn't make a big score, they could pay off the debt by handling small tasks diligently.
Thus, Hwang-gu and Jin Cheon-hee arrived near the White Phosphorus Medical Hall's main base, at the entrance of the valley connected to the secluded training ground.
"Hwang-gu, your job is done. You should head back now."
Woof.
Hwang-gu let out a low bark and sat down.
No matter how many times Jin Cheon-hee told him to return to the Dog Faction, Hwang-gu kept following him.
'Why is he doing this? It's not like Hwang-gu doesn't know the way back.' Maybe he needed to send a messenger pigeon to the Dog Faction.
But before that, he had to return to the secluded training ground.
If Hwang-gu followed him there, it would be a problem.
He had entered alone, but coming out with Hwang-gu would be another issue.
"Alright. Got it. Wait around here. You can do that, right? I'll come back after finishing my secluded training."
Huff huff huff.
As if he had been waiting for those words, Hwang-gu wagged his tail.
Jin Cheon-hee scratched Hwang-gu's forehead.
'Good.
Now all that's left is to return to the training room through the waterway.'
His master was originally supposed to die.
Saving him meant changing the world.
The impact on the martial world would be incomparable to the lives he had saved so far.
After all, divine favor in the martial world could change many things.
'But it's okay.
If I can save my master.' No matter how history changed, Jin Cheon-hee was prepared to accept it.
Jin Cheon-hee prepared to enter the water.
Just then, he sensed a presence.