75 Chapter 74 (1/2)
Baek Mun-ji nodded at Dang So-mun, who hadn't expected his suggestion.
”Indeed. If we just tell Seon-tae to not take the drug anymore, it's very unlikely that he'll actually listen to us.”
”True, true. The rotting powder is also extremely addictive.”
”Then again, it's a problem even if we inform the teachers, it'll damage Seon-tae's reputation.”
”Hmm. That is an issue.”
A big fuss was likely to be raised if the school authorities became aware that there was rotting powder present within the grounds of the academy.
'And on top of that, Seon-tae could even be expelled!'
They felt as though they couldn't risk Seon-tae's expulsion, knowing very well how an expelled student would be treated.
”With that, let's just infiltrate the trading scene.”
Baek Mun-ji's true intentions behind this suggestion was so that Dang So-mun could be positively acknowledged by the other students.
If word spread amongst the students that Dang So-mun intervened for his fellow peer, regardless of whether the matter ended in success or failure, he would definitely receive recognition.
He noticed that Dang So-mun had been wandering around alone as of recent and that he seemed to be in a sort of depression.
Unaware of Baek Mun-ji's intentions, Dang So-mun was lost in concern for Seon-tae.
'Even so, letting Seon-tae take the drug for two more weeks doesn't seem right.'
He was worried for his well-being despite Seon-tae publicly embarrassing him.
'B-but still…he's a fellow student.'
And so, Dang So-mun came up with an alternative plan.
”How about this?”
”...?”
”Let's steal the drug! If we do that…won't the drug dealing happen earlier than two weeks?”
Baek Mun-ji grinned in response.
”That's a good idea!”
Not long after, they immediately got to work.
***
That evening.
Kang-hyuk sat on the roof of his residence, lost in thought.
The brain-melting snake was a symbol of the Blood King Valley, and this time, an exploding snake had been used.
'Ah, and there was that venom spewing snake that I encountered while eliminating the head of the Black Snake Sect.'
There were snakes here and there.
He knew that snakes were said to be healthy and tasty, but still, he didn't like them.
He stood up and stretched his body.
”I guess I became unnecessarily depressed. I've probably been sitting down in silence for too long.'
Kang-hyuk suddenly felt like exercising his body a little.
But his destination wasn't the academy's training ground.
Instead, he began to leap from rooftop to rooftop.
*Tak!* *Ta-ak!*
His movements between the rooftops of the academy went by completely unnoticed.
As he ran between roofs, something suddenly caught his eye.
It was the sight of some students hanging from a wall that surrounded one of the student accommodation buildings- the bamboo building.
Since the scene seemed suspicious, he looked at the students a bit more closely, then realized who they were.
'Ah! Its's Dang So-mun and Baek Mun-ji!'
He knew that those two weren't the type to engage in strange activity without a good reason.
With that in mind, he decided to watch over them for a little longer.
He observed them opening a window of the bamboo dormitory, and Baek Mun-ji entering the dormitory through it.
A little while later, Baek Mun-ji came out grinning as they both rushed into the forest, far away from the dormitory.
After they had buried something there, they returned to the dormitory.
When they left, Kang-hyuk entered the forest and went to the exact location where he observed them bury the object.
”Will they look for whatever they've buried here again?”
The location where they buried the object wasn't a location that was easy to find. It was deep into the forests that were behind the site the students used for camping.
Kang-hyuk began to dig after that.
A few minutes later, Kang-hyuk found something wrapped in white cloth. It was a white powder.
Kang-hyuk could feel the energy of the powder.
”...!”
His forehead began to furrow.
'White Tiger Spirit Powder…..no, rotting powder!'
Questions arose within Kang-hyuk's mind. Firstly, how this dangerous powder got in the academy, and secondly, why Baek Mun-ji and Dang So-mun buried the powder.
He knew he would have to look over their activities from now onwards.
***
The morning of the next day had arrived.
Su Seon-tae returned to his room after completing his morning Qigong practice. He closed the door afterwards.
He knew that his roommates would return in around fifteen minutes.
He had something he needed to do while he was alone.
Taking off his shoes, he looked at his feet.
The middle section of his foot had turned black. It had already started to rot.
He was relieved that at the very least, the rotting wasn't painful, and it seemed to be progressing slowly.
He wrapped his foot with cloth, and applied perfume oil to his body.
The aroma of the oil soon filled the entire room.
”Hah.”
Su Seon-tae took a deep breath in.
He then took out a bamboo container that he kept underneath his bed.
A white powder was inside the small container.
'How is there only this much left….'
He was aware of what this white powder was. From the very beginning, he already knew.
The school employee that approached him told him that it was White Tiger Spirit Powder, also known as rotting powder.
Even though he was aware of its infamous reputation, he couldn't help but use it.
He recalled the words his father had said to him when he first entered the academy;
”There will be nowhere for you to return to if you don't manage to obtain a post within the Hwacheon Clan!”
These words of his father had made Su Seon-tae quite desperate.
At first, he had been filled with confidence that he had the talent and ability to enter the Hwacheon Clan.
But as time went by, the gap between him and those who seemed more naturally endowed with talent widened.
Then, a sweet temptation had presented itself to him.
He knew that he would die either way if he left the academy unsuccessful, so he wasn't concerned by the slow death he would experience by taking the rotting powder.
Su Seon-tae touched that sweet temptation of his.
He opened the lid of the bamboo container, tipping some of the powder onto the palm of his hand before slowly ingesting it.
”Huh?”
He realized that something was weird.
He had only received the container of the drug yesterday, so he could not help but wonder how there was so little of it remaining.
'Could I have spilled some of it yesterday?'
He remembered that he had accidentally opened the lid of the container slightly, when he unexpectedly bumped into Dang So-mun.
'Could he have noticed?'
Su Seon-tae shook his head.
He was aware that Dang So-mun was skilled with the Am-gi weapon, but in his mind, he was still a half-wit.
Su Seon-tae felt that there was no way he could have noticed.