Just as the officer was yelling, demanding an explanation from the messenger—

‘So-ryong, did you catch them all?’

Hwa-eun’s voice came through the private communication channel.

I had told her before we set off that we were going after the last one, so she must’ve been dying to know how it turned out.

She’d refrained from messaging during the mission in case her voice disrupted my focus, which meant she’d been holding back her curiosity all this time.

Since she must’ve been anxious, I answered her right away.

‘Yes, Hwa-eun. We caught the last one without any problems.’

‘That’s a relief. Good job.’

As soon as I said we’d captured all the Blood Cult agents, a wave of relief came through from her.

Then, with a gentle, worried tone, she encouraged me to rest.

‘So-ryong, you should get some rest too. You probably haven’t had proper sleep for days.’

I did want to rest—but I had to let her know that wouldn’t be possible just yet.

Because of the news about another strange illness spreading in a nearby village, we needed to decide how to respond—whether that meant mobilizing or gathering for a meeting.

‘I’d like to, but something’s come up. I’ll have to rest a little later.’

‘Something came up?’

‘Yes. Word is there’s been another strange illness in a nearby village.’

‘Wait, not one of the villages where the woman said the other agents were hiding?’

‘No, Hwa-eun. A different one.’

When I told her another village had fallen ill, she sent a surge of anger through the link.

Hwa-eun, furious, shouted in my mind.

‘That woman clearly didn’t reveal all the locations of the Blood Cult agents in your mental world! If we hadn’t turned her into a fool like Cheongwol said, So-ryong, you would’ve been in danger again!’

She seemed convinced the woman hadn’t told us everything.

Still, the symptoms the officer reported were quite different from what we’d seen with the other cultists’ victims.

It was possible—just possible—that this was a complete coincidence. The old “a crow flies and the pear falls” kind of thing.

But it also wasn’t easy to just dismiss it as a regular illness.

What the officer described didn’t sound like any normal disease.

Apparently, all the villagers remained asleep until midday... and said they were dreaming.

It sounded more like they’d been dragged into a mental realm.

Up until now, symptoms of the Soul-Stealing Technique victims included anemia, headaches, or blackened fingertips—not this sleep-and-dreaming thing.

So I decided to confirm it with Hwa-eun first.

Whether or not it was a disease should ultimately be judged by the Immortals of Medicine and Herbs—but if the symptoms had anything to do with the Soul-Stealing Technique, Hwa-eun would know.

She was the one who’d uncovered most of the truth about it.

And even though the woman’s overall credibility was now in question, I still wanted to be sure.

‘Hwa-eun, the officer said something odd. The symptoms don’t really match the signs of anemia caused by blood loss. Could you check if this sounds like Soul-Stealing?’

‘You want me to determine if it’s the Soul-Stealing Technique? Wouldn’t it be better to have the Immortal of Medicine or the Immortal of Herbs take a look?’

‘It’s just... the symptoms seem a little off for a normal illness.’

‘Off? In what way?’

‘Apparently, the villagers aren’t waking up until the sun is high in the sky—and they’re dreaming while they sleep.’

‘They don’t wake up... and they dream?’

‘Yes. I’ll need to hear more details, but that’s what we know for now.’

‘...’

Hwa-eun fell silent. She seemed to be processing what I’d said.

“Any other strange symptoms!?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Tch... So there were still some left? Right, young hero?”

The officer, who’d been speaking with the messenger, turned and called to me.

Snapping out of my conversation with Hwa-eun, I raised my head to answer him.

“Yes, sir?”

“That woman lied to us, didn’t she?”

It was clear that by “that woman,” he meant the Blood Cult agent.

He seemed to agree she hadn’t revealed everything.

Still, I felt it was too soon to jump to conclusions.

“I was just thinking the same, actually. The symptoms are different this time, so I’m wondering if it’s even Soul-Stealing at all.”

“Is that so? I thought the symptoms were strange too... But it’s all a bit too convenient, don’t you think?”

It really was an oddly convenient situation.

While Hwa-eun gathered her thoughts, I figured it would help to hear the opinions of the elder physicians too.

So I suggested we head into the village and consult them.

“Yes, let’s check whether it’s an illness. I’ll go speak with the Immortal of Medicine and the Immortal of Herbs.”

“Oh, good. That sounds like the right move.”

Three days ago, I’d run off saying I had to go catch Blood Cult members, and now I was returning—slightly worried I’d be scolded.

But as I entered the village, the townspeople greeted me with beaming smiles.

“Young master, you’ve returned!”

“Everyone, the young master is here!”

“Ohhh, young master!”

They were incredibly enthusiastic.

I was confused by the warm welcome, until I understood why.

“Young master, thank you so much. We heard everything from the officers. They said you were the one who caught the Blood Cult agent hiding among us.”

“The woman who lost her mind is locked in the village chief’s shed.”

“The Immortals of Medicine and Herbs said that if you’d been just a bit later, other children might’ve been in danger too. We’re so grateful.”

“Thank you, young master!”

They were thanking me for catching the Blood Cult agent.

‘Well... I did do that, technically.’

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Even if it all happened by chance, I really was the one who caught her.

It had been like falling into a trap card in my own mind, but still...

I put on a casual expression and replied:

“It was nothing. But since you’re all so curious, I’ll at least leave you with my title.”

“Huh? Oh, yes! Our savior’s name—of course! You’re telling us your title?”

The villagers gathered eagerly.

It felt a bit like I was fishing for praise, but... honestly, I needed the publicity.

It might not be my time period, but back in my day, self-promotion was everything.

“If anyone asks who saved you, just say this—‘Venomous Beasts Papa of the World.’”

“Venomous Beasts Papa of the... what?”

“???”

“?”

As soon as I said it, a wave of embarrassment hit me and I hurried my steps.

‘Ugh, I really like the name, but it kind of lacks dignity, doesn’t it...?’

***

The elders were staying in the annex of the village chief’s house.

“So-ryong, you’re back? Did everything go well?”

“Yes, are you all right?”

As I stepped into the chief’s house, I was expecting a bit of scolding—but instead, the two of them just looked at me with warm concern.

Relieved, I quickly explained what I had accomplished.

“Yes. Together with the Dragon Fangs and the officer here, we captured all of the Blood Cult agents hiding nearby.”

“Ohh. Good work.”

“We treated the more critical patients and have prepared Boheoldan to send to the other villages as well.”

“Thanks to you, So-ryong, everything has been neatly resolved.”

“Indeed. It’s rare for things to go this smoothly when a plague breaks out in a village. You’ve worked hard. And, of course, the best outcome is when it turns out not to be a plague after all.”

I was wondering why they looked so pleased, but it became clear—

From their perspective, it was far better that the problem hadn’t been a real disease they had to treat, but something simpler.

And honestly, that made perfect sense for physicians.

“Thank you both for your hard work as well.”

“Well, making Boheoldan is simple enough. Not really hard work. So, is that the end of it?”

“Well, actually...”

“Hmm, that sounds a bit too easy?”

“Hey, what kind of talk is that, disciple? Are you saying you wish another village would come down with a plague?”

“No, no. I just meant it all ended pretty easily, master.”

After saying something unnecessary, the Immortal of Herbs got a scolding from the Immortal of Medicine and began stroking his beard in embarrassment.

Thinking that if I said something now, he’d get scolded even worse, I hesitated.

Then the Immortal of Medicine looked at me and asked:

“Why? You’ve got something to say?”

I glanced toward the Immortal of Herbs, then scratched my head as I spoke.

It wasn’t like I intended this.

It was just a matter of unfortunate timing.

“Well... there’s a report of a different kind of illness spreading in another village...”

The Immortal of Medicine immediately shot a glare at the Immortal of Herbs.

He slapped his own mouth in regret and said:

“My mouth’s cursed...”

After a few loud slaps to his lips, the Immortal of Medicine asked again.

“So, a different illness? What are the symptoms?”

I looked to the officer, who clasped his fists respectfully and reported.

“One of my subordinates just informed me that in a nearby village, the residents are unable to wake up until the sun is high in the sky.”

“They can’t wake up?”

“Yes, sir. And they say they’re having strange dreams.”

“Strange dreams?”

“It varies, but some say they saw deceased parents, others saw old lovers... things like that.”

“They dream? And don’t wake up?”

The two elders furrowed their brows in confusion.

Then they began discussing the illnesses that came to mind based on those symptoms.

“The whole village? That’s strange. It can’t be sleepwalking...”

“If no one’s waking up, we have to assume it’s contagious.”

“Sleep, huh? That’s a new one...”

And at that moment, I heard Hwa-eun’s voice in my mind.

‘So-ryong, I think it could very well be the Soul-Stealing Technique. That woman once mentioned—just in passing—that a master of the technique could enter multiple minds at once or cast illusions on a group.

Remember, she said she was the vice leader of the Blood Shade Unit, but she never said where the actual leader was, right?

If this was the work of the Blood Shade Unit’s leader, it’d make a lot of sense.

It is a little strange for someone that high-ranking to pull something so risky and noticeable, though.’

Now that I thought about it, she really hadn’t said anything about the whereabouts of the Blood Shade Unit’s leader.

She’d claimed there were only ten subordinates with her on this mission, but at this point, her word was completely unreliable.

And if this was indeed the doing of the Blood Shade leader, then Hwa-eun’s theory did seem plausible.

The dreaming could be a kind of group hallucination—and being unable to wake up afterward might be an aftereffect of being dragged into a mental realm.

‘So, you’re saying it’s possible?’

‘Yes. I can’t be certain, though.’

Immediately, I repeated the conversation to the elders and the officer, presenting it as something the Blood Cult woman had told me.

“The leader of the Blood Shade Unit?”

“Yes. While speaking with her inside my mind, she mentioned that a master of the Soul-Stealing Technique could enter the minds of several people at once, or show them hallucinations. I’m not sure, but it seems possible.”

I didn’t mention the mental battle, just framed it as a conversation during a brief mental interaction where I’d questioned her.

After hearing everything, the two elders nodded.

“But it could still be a real illness?”

“Yes. That’s also possible.”

“Then the only way to know for sure if it’s the Blood Cult or a disease is to go see for ourselves. If it’s something else, it could be serious.”

“Agreed, master.”

It looked like we had no choice but to check it out. But since this one could be dangerous, I voiced my concern.

“It might be risky. Will you two be okay?”

The two of them simply smiled and said:

“So-ryong, you must be worried because you’ve never seen our martial arts, eh, senior brother?”

“Haha! That must be it. The younger generation in the martial world doesn’t know our true strength.”

The two of them burst into laughter, then narrowed their eyes, their gaze suddenly turning sharp.

“So-ryong, do you have any idea how dangerous it is to fight two top medical masters—one who can take an Exploding Qi Pill to boost internal power, and another who can heal both of them mid-fight?”

“We might not win against someone stronger, but we definitely won’t lose.”

‘Wait... so you’re saying you’ll dope up and then heal each other mid-fight?’

Seems like martial medicine in Murim is downright dirty—but hey, that just means it’s incredibly reassuring when they’re on your side.

And as we all know—being the most broken character in a game is the highest praise you can get.