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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: The Herbal Encyclopedia
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Song Myeong-cheon wore a not-unpleasant expression.
He seemed quite pleased.
Suddenly, he began crumbling the rock-hard bread into small pieces.
Han Ibi had no idea what was going on, but he mimicked him anyway. When you don't know what to do, just follow along.
'Huh?'
Song Myeong-cheon mercilessly shoved the torn bread chunks into the soup. Han Ibi did the same, caught off guard.
He could see the savory lamb broth seeping into the crevices of the dry bread's structure.
He waited for Song Myeong-cheon to take the first sip, then quickly bit into his own.
Tears nearly welled up in his eyes.
Despite the unfamiliar medley of spices, the taste was truly...
"This is incredible!"
Han Ibi shouted in excitement. A faint smile tugged at Song Myeong-cheon's lips.
'He finally smiled. The first time from this stone-faced old geezer!'
Just then, the waiter brought a bottle of liquor. He'd overheard it called burning liquor earlier.
But no matter how much he drank... baijiu was all the same.
Just one flavor.
The 'throat-burning kick.'
Song Myeong-cheon's eyes seemed to sparkle with life as he gazed at the bottle.
This old man... was definitely a boozehound.
They say drunks can spot their own kind.
Han Ibi never ate alone without knocking back some beer—not even once.
As he drooled at the baijiu, Song Myeong-cheon poured him a glass too.
Gulp.
"Kya~!"
Not quite soju, but hey, it was something! His head was already spinning.
Song Myeong-cheon downed the burning liquor in a flash and ordered another bottle.
Han Ibi steadily nursed his cup.
That was when Song Myeong-cheon spoke.
"You sure put away the pricey stuff. But don't overdo it."
As they left the inn, Han Ibi grasped the implication.
'Damn old coot...'
Han Ibi felt like he was dying.
Strapped to his shoulder was the water jar—no, now a booze jar overflowing with baijiu.
He'd blown every last coin from the food money on liquor.
'Booze-crazed drunkard geezer.'
Curses kept rising from deep in his throat. The waiter had filled the jar to the brim.
"Whoa!"
Han Ibi stumbled for a moment. Song Myeong-cheon's bellow instantly pierced his ears.
"Spill even a drop, and you're a dead man! That's your warning."
The jar had a lid, but it was a shoddy wooden plug.
One good shake, and it could spill anywhere.
'Should've skipped the drinks... gonna die for real.'
The alcohol's fiery buzz surged through him, clashing with the crushing weight and the desperate fight for balance. It was pure hell.
But thinking he'd die turned out to be a huge overestimate.
Flat ground was a breeze.
Hauling it deep into the mountains to the hut? That felt like the sky collapsing.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
What collapsed wasn't the sky—it was Han Ibi.
Anyway...
'I did it! Made it!'
After surviving several close calls, Han Ibi finally hauled the booze jar to the hut.
Then he collapsed onto the floor.
That was when it happened.
A ding-ding-ding rang out.
✨ LEVEL UP! ✨ Lv 8 → Lv 9
+ Internal Power +10
+ Strength +15
+ Agility +5
+ Wisdom +1
+ Charm +2
+ Reputation +3
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ The Herbal Encyclopedia DB has been created. You can utilize this DB upon discovering herbs.
Han Ibi had a sudden realization.
All this grueling mountain hauling actually counted as 'training'—and it had real effects.
At least it wasn't for nothing. Small mercies.
'But what's this Herbal Encyclopedia thing for?'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The aftermath of extreme exertion always hits the next day.
Han Ibi's condition was textbook.
His entire body felt like it was packed with bruises.
But even today, Song Myeong-cheon rose at dawn without fail, gearing up to head out.
'Ugh. It's not like he's punching a clock... does he have to go this hard...'
No helping it.
To survive, he had to.
Han Ibi followed Song Myeong-cheon with the sack in tow, setting out even farther for herb foraging.
Now he noticed: Song Myeong-cheon divided the mountain into zones, methodically searching for something.
Today, he'd finally ask.
"Um... Elder."
"What?"
"If there's any herb you need, tell me. I'll search diligently."
Song Myeong-cheon furrowed his brow, pondered briefly, then spoke.
"Hmph. Fine. Not sure if you'll be any use... but since you keep nagging, I'll tell you."
"Thank you."
"The herb I'm after is the Golden Radiant Herb."
"Ah, I see. Must be incredibly valuable."
Judging by how desperately the old man was hunting for it.
Wonder how much booze he's planning to buy...
Song Myeong-cheon said,
"Rare beyond measure. Priceless."
"What does the Golden Radiant Herb look like?"
"It resembles ginseng in form, but sports a distinctive flower. The name includes 'radiant silk' because its petals glow bright and beautiful, like purple-dyed brocade."
He listened to the rambling description... but words couldn't convey the exact shape.
Still, just knowing what Song Myeong-cheon sought felt like a major win.
If he found it, the old man would finally open up completely.
That was when it happened.
A familiar chime pierced his ears.
System time.
📜 MAIN QUEST 📜
Find the Golden Radiant Herb
🎁 Reward: Unknown reward
Gasp. What the hell?
A main quest to find the Golden Radiant Herb?
This expert herbalist couldn't track it down, but they want me to?
Have you lost your mind?
Ding.
⚙ ADVICE ⚙ Raise your level through proactive activities and obey 'missions'. Success in 'missions' grants commensurate 'rewards'.
Haha. Is the system... threatening me?
Suspicious if it's really AI.
Anyway, no turning back now. If it says find it, find it.
That's how the system worked so far.
From then on, Han Ibi scoured for herbs with fire in his eyes.
The 'Herbal Encyclopedia' proved surprisingly useful.
Every time Song Myeong-cheon handed him herbs, the DB activated, providing images and tiny font details.
For example, like this.
🌿 HERBAL ENCYCLOPEDIA DB 🌿 📖 Name: Lady's Flower 🔍 Features: Stem 100~180cm tall, branches at each node, small yellow flowers in umbrella-like clusters. Foul odor from roots earns nickname 'Stinking Sauce'. 💊 Effects: Roots used medicinally to reduce fever, expel pus and toxins. Excellent for boils, swelling, appendicitis, and inflammatory diseases.
No search function yet, but detailed info on discovered herbs.
Trailing Song Myeong-cheon and gathering was a crash course for Han Ibi.
'Ow... but... not planning to be a doctor. What's the point of all this? This is a wuxia novel, not a medical drama. Need to learn martial arts pronto... just find this Golden Radiant Herb or whatever and push the plot forward.'
After that, Han Ibi hunted herbs aggressively with newfound confidence.
At first, he touched every plant in sight, ending up with rashes so bad he couldn't sleep from the itch.
But leveraging the Herbal Encyclopedia turned new info into his own knowledge.
It was surprisingly addictive.
'Hah. When I get back, maybe try being a shaman. Beats scraping by on peanuts and taking orders from those mutts...'
Another month slipped by.
Along with it, Han Ibi's knowledge and experience with herbs piled up.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
He lay down to sleep, but sleep wouldn't come.
Song Myeong-cheon's breathing was deep and even—he was out cold.
Thanks to all the hiking, his level had reached 10.
Han Ibi sat up and pulled up his status window for the first time in a while.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 👤 Name: Han Ibi (Jong Ri-mae) ⭐ Level: 10 📊 Rank: Low-Grade Warrior 🏷️ Title: Zhongli Ruffian 💼 Job: None ⚡ Internal Power: 46 💪 Strength: 47 💨 Agility: 33 🧠 Wisdom: 10 😊 Charm: 13 📈 Reputation: -29
Internal Arts
• Zhongli Pure Heart Method Lv 2
External Arts
None
Forms
• Zhongli Pure Swordsmanship Lv 4
The other stats had crept up... but how the hell was he supposed to raise internal and external arts?
It was pathetically barebones, but Jong Ri-mae's memories held details on cultivating the Pure Heart Method.
Han Ibi cautiously assumed a half-lotus position and closed his eyes.
'Is this how it works? Kinda like meditation.'
That was when it happened.
A sudden ding—and the system appeared.
📜 SUDDEN MISSION (DIFFICULTY ☆☆) 📜
Circulate basic dantian qi through the Lesser Heavenly Cycle.
🎁 Reward 1: Internal Power +20, Strength +5, Wisdom +3, EXP gain
🎁 Reward 2: Unknown random reward
❌ Failure: Qi deviation (initial stage). Recovery ~30 days
Eek. What now?
Another random mission?
And... th-thirty days flat on his back?
Qi deviation on top?
He'd read less wuxia than fantasy, but even he knew that was bad.
Qi deviation wasn't kids' coin flipping. Get hit with it, and you're done.
Peak masters who flew through skies and shattered mountains spewed blood with a 'pfft' from a thug's blade and dropped dead.
Or became cripples...
What kind of insane quest is this!
⚙ ADVICE ⚙ Using the meridian map will make the mission much easier. ⚙ ADVICE ⚙ Qi deviation recovery reduces Strength and Agility by the number of days.
Oh, really?
So generous.
Still... how to even start?
'Hold on... the system mentioned a meridian map?'
A closer look revealed a 'Meridian Map' function—unlucky or lucky, it was there.
Han Ibi activated it.
A dull thump-thump sounded, and a simple green 3D human model appeared.
'Ooh, this is different.'
He cracked his eyes open slightly. Despite the background interference, the 3D model lingered.
'Amazing. So cool.'
He had no clue what it was, but it was fun. He zoomed in, out, played around for a while.
'Ow, legs going numb.'
The half-lotus essential for Pure Heart Method cultivation had his legs screaming.
But he couldn't break the pose casually.
The numbness intensified into full paralysis.
Unbearable, Han Ibi wiggled his legs—even if it doomed him.
Then he jolted in shock.
The human model was wiggling its feet too.
'What!'
Han Ibi was genuinely startled.
For a test, he twitched his right big toe.
Then—
Bam!
Aaagh! Han Ibi screamed internally and convulsed.
(To be continued)