Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 48

Weapon-Eating Bastard – 48

Before long, twilight descended on Cheonwi Mountain.

As soon as the caretaker told him the location of the training ground, Lee Cheol headed there.

The Chilseongdae [Seven Stars Unit, likely a special forces or elite guard] who had suffered in many ways, decided to stay in a house a little away from the mountain.

Chief Choi decided to spend a day on Cheonwi Mountain at the caretaker’s suggestion, wanting to have a drink together after a long time.

The caretaker smiled as he looked at the luxurious liquor bottle in his hand.

“Tsk, these Western bastards’ liquor is really strange. This tree smell is weird, but it’s subtly appealing to the mouth.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

Chief Choi chuckled as he watched the caretaker gulp down a bottle of liquor worth the price of a car.

“Anyway, what brings you here? You didn’t come just to deliver liquor, did you? Or did you come to guide that bastard?”

The caretaker threw the empty bottle away.

The price of that bottle alone would shock ordinary people, but the caretaker didn’t seem to care.

“It’s not that, but…”

“I don’t like beating around the bush, so get to the point.”

“I was wondering if you, Caretaker, might have read the celestial aura, so the Lord told me to ask.”

“Celestial aura, huh…”

The caretaker swirled the remaining liquor in his glass.

“I read it, but I didn’t see much. And what I can say is even less.”

Words have power, and if the content of those words touches on taboos, even more dangerous power dwells within.

The caretaker looked into the distance as if swallowing the words lingering in his throat.

Chief Choi opened his mouth with his usual calm expression.

“Surely, a goblin who has been treated to liquor wouldn’t refuse a person’s request, would he?”

“Hey, you! This is a sign of apology!”

“I brought more than ten bottles of liquor, Caretaker.”

“Tsk! Damn it! I knew it!”

The caretaker opened a new bottle, took a swig, and slammed it on the table.

Then, with a displeased expression, he began to speak.

“…It’s still a long way off. The Gate of Heaven has long been opened, and human power has reached its peak, so a chaotic era will come. Don’t get excited and follow the natural order.”

“That’s enough. I will convey it to the Lord without missing a word. Thank you.”

“Tsk! If only I had won that wrestling match back then, I wouldn’t be stuck on this mountain! Ah, I should have tripped that bastard back then!”

Chief Choi recalled an old story and smiled faintly.

It was part of a story passed down in the Soongmoo household.

A story about a goblin who wrestled with the family’s founder long ago and, after losing, promised to keep one promise related to the family’s sacred mountain.

“By the way, you seem to like that guy quite a bit. Aren’t you worried?”

The caretaker grinned and mentioned Lee Cheol, the boy who had been in the room until just now.

“I am merely a servant of the Soongmoo family, serving the bloodline of the Soongmoo family. I don’t particularly like him or anything…”

“Ah, stop with the nonsense. Anyway, I heard he wants to go in there.”

The caretaker made a listless expression.

“How can that little brat do anything in a year? If he doesn’t meet the standards, I won’t allow it in the first place. Once he goes in, it’s over!”

The caretaker opened a new bottle and filled Chief Choi’s glass.

Chief Choi picked up the glass and smiled quietly.

“Please watch him. You’ll have quite an interesting time, Caretaker.”

* * *

The next day, Chief Choi and the Chilseongdae left Cheonwi Mountain.

“I hope you achieve your goal.”

Chief Choi left Cheonwi Mountain with a simple greeting.

I headed straight to the training ground.

After moving for about an hour from the cliff where the caretaker’s residence was located, I found a small clearing.

No, it wasn’t really a clearing.

In the center of that short flatland of about 20 pyeong [approximately 720 square feet], a tree was growing.

A huge zelkova tree, at least hundreds of years old, perhaps even a thousand, stretched towards the sky as if twisting.

I walked into the hollow knot-hole in the trunk of the tree.

Woong-!

Pitch-black darkness enveloped me.

Like dropping paint on water, the scenery of the world distorted.

A similar sensation to when I entered the caretaker’s residence.

Soon, what unfolded before my eyes was a vast space filled with solid flagstones and pleasant air.

This was the training ground where I would train on Cheonwi Mountain from now on.

A space built by adding a goblin’s magic to a zelkova tree that had lived for hundreds of years.

Whether from the outside or the inside, it was clear that no amount of great force could damage it.

‘This is the beginning.’

I looked around the training ground and took a deep breath.

The time given to me is one year.

It’s a short time if it’s short, and a long time if it’s long.

‘I need to retrace what I have.’

I am young.

Nevertheless, I have gained too much power.

I haven’t fallen into the wrong path yet, and I haven’t lost my way, but as Chief Choi said, now is the time to look at the sides and back, not the front.

‘Magic, martial arts, magic eyes… If I think about it coldly, they are lacking in many ways.’

Before moving forward, I retrace what I have now.

Like what happened in the Tournament of the Rite of Passage.

What I need to do now is not to acquire new abilities, but to make the abilities I have completely my own.

‘And finally. When the training is over, I will challenge that place.’

The place to unlock the fourth seal of the Black Night.

I will challenge the training hall that the founder of the Soongmoo family created to test his descendants. That is the goal for the year.

“Then let’s start.”

I slowly picked up Mujin and took a step.

I have quite a few abilities.

The first is magic.

Unlike those who have only learned common magic, I can handle both the magic circuit and the magic source at the same time.

Thanks to this, I have gained clearer control and diversity.

And now that I have reached 3 stars, it has even developed into Ganggi Art [internal energy art] and Aura Skills.

But there is a lack in this area.

Extracting aura itself is now as skillful as using limbs, but the completeness of the techniques to change the nature and form, that is, Aura Skills, is insufficient.

In addition, a preparation process is required before deploying the technique, and the consumption of magic is also enormous.

I need to fix this part.

The second is the numerous techniques read through the memories of weapons and the techniques read from the memories of Mujin itself.

Already, the ability to utilize them is not bad.

I have read the memories of those who have mastered those techniques and made them my own.

‘But if I ask myself if I have completed this as well… it’s still ambiguous.’

The level of learning a technique and the level of mastering it are as different as heaven and earth.

The unconventional combat method of unfolding numerous weapons without discrimination is excellent.

Moreover, it would be great if it were tied together into one framework.

However, on the other hand, it could be said to be an ambiguous method that has not achieved greatness in any one area.

So I have to become a master of all those martial arts.

As a realm where I can skillfully handle any weapon in any situation.

The third is the magic eye.

It has improved a lot compared to the past when it was activated and turned off at will, but it is still lacking in many ways.

The fourth is the sixth sense.

I haven’t made an effort to train my sixth sense since I awakened it.

But the sixth sense, like a muscle, becomes more sensitive and clear the more you train it.

‘The sixth sense that has reached its peak is no different from an ability.’

This is also my strength.

I can never neglect it.

And finally.

‘Black Energy.’

The ability to gain magic by reading and absorbing the memories of weapons, and sometimes ignore the fear of monsters.

‘Let’s aim to become proficient in this for now.’

Whoosh!

I started swinging Mujin, turning it into a sword.

A sword strike using only the body without a single ounce of magic.

‘Grasp one flow that penetrates all techniques.’

-That is often called Manyugwijeong [all rivers flow to the sea]. In the end, since it is something that is unfolded with the human body, the final destination is the same.

I recalled what Lee Jeong-ho, the instructor of the 5th class of the cadet corps, had taught.

Manyugwijeong.

In the end, all flows head to one destination.

‘The goal is a thousand times. If it’s not perfectly mastered even after a thousand times, I’ll do it until it is.’

Swinging one swordsmanship a thousand times.

Swordsmanship is a collection of countless sword strikes, so the actual number of times the sword is swung will reach tens of thousands.

The first start was Chilseong Sword [Seven Stars Sword].

Very basic movements. Basic posture changes. Even the transmission of power.

“Hoo, hoo!”

I focused on each sword strike.

Why does it draw this sword path?

Why does it make this movement?

Rather than the swordsmanship itself being important, I wanted to delve into the essence of the technique of swordsmanship.

Was it because I was focusing on the theory?

When I unfolded Chilseong Sword about fifty times, the sword path began to shake.

Joints creaked and muscles began to scream.

Nausea even rose due to the breath that had risen to my chin.

‘If it were outside, I would have to stop here.’

Sixty times, then seventy times again.

The skillful sword strike at the beginning slowed down like a slug.

Clang-!

Eventually, the strength in my grip loosened and Mujin slipped out.

“Haa, hoo… seventy times…”

My arm trembled.

I picked up the fallen Mujin.

Normally, I would have to stop here.

My body is still growing.

If the body is damaged by training beyond its limits, it may not be reversible.

But this is Cheonwi Mountain.

A healing water created by goblins is prepared.

No matter how unreasonable the training, it can be completely recovered.

‘I’m going again!’

Mujin split the air again.

* * *

Meanwhile.

The caretaker was looking at a large mirror in his room.

Lee Cheol’s figure, sweating and training, was reflected on the mirror.

“…That guy is really persistent.”

The caretaker looked at Lee Cheol with a sullen expression.

Until now, countless bloodlines of the Soongmoo family have visited this mountain.

Because they are such monstrous bloodlines, there were many who were great for humans.

But this is the first time I’ve seen someone like that.

Repeating the same swordsmanship all day long.

The pain would be painful, but the boredom would be greater.

But there was no boredom in Lee Cheol’s expression.

Constant ambition, thirst for strength, and even a desperate fighting spirit.

The emotions revealed in Lee Cheol’s expression were those things.

The caretaker even felt a slight chill.

Because that explosion of emotion is the root of how humans became the rulers of this big star even with their weak bodies and strength.

‘Oh ho! Look at that guy? He goes to the healing water every meal. I see. He trains until he gets injured and recovers in the healing water?’

After a while, the mirror showed Lee Cheol’s figure soaking in the healing water and sprawled out like a dead person.

Morning, lunch, and dinner.

Every time the three training sessions ended, Lee Cheol recovered his body with the healing water.

It’s easy to say, but not just anyone can do that.

Well, unless you have the willpower to close your eyes and soak your body in molten metal.

‘Even if you know that there won’t be any big problems with your body, how many beings can do something that is no different from self-harm to their body? Especially since they are humans who value their health above all else.’

Thanks to the healing water, there was no worry about injuries even with the most extreme training.

Thanks to the characteristics of Cheonwi Mountain, which is full of energy, he will not suffer from a lack of magic.

The caretaker threw the mirror away and grinned.

“That’s why that guy’s fortune was like that.”

Fortune-telling is reading the energy of the four pillars of the year, month, day, and time of birth.

And since there are two letters attached to each pillar, it is called Palja [Eight Characters, referring to the eight characters representing the four pillars of destiny].

Since the Four Pillars and Eight Characters read what is determined, they are absolute and immutable.

This is because it analyzes the energy that the person has when they are born and the energy of the world.

It’s just that the mortals who read it are usually ignorant, so it doesn’t fit well.

‘That guy has no destiny.’

Overturning what heaven has determined and breaking the energy I was born with.

Distorting the Four Pillars and Eight Characters means that.

How many people like that have I seen?

The caretaker was lost in thought.

Since humans have always defied their predetermined fate, there have been only a handful of people in the time of the goblin who has lived for thousands of years.

And one of them founded the greatest family in the world.

‘Your family will be sick of even the sky. Hehe!’

The caretaker laughed like that and got up from his heavy butt.

‘Anyway, I have to prepare, but I will make the decision according to my promise with you. If that guy doesn’t seem like he can do it, I won’t allow it either.’

The caretaker waved the cloudy mist in his hand.

The scenery of a pitch-black void was revealed.

There, a boy was standing.

The caretaker looked at the boy with a subtle expression.