Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 52

Weapon-Eating Bastard – Chapter 52

What I know about Mujin.

Not much, really.

Just that it’s a mysterious weapon that changes shape at will, and that it’s likely connected to the Black Qi in some way.

The Caretaker took a swig of his drink and continued.

“I see you don’t know its origins either. But I saw something similar a long time ago, and I saw the man who wielded it.”

As soon as I heard those words, I thought of the man in Mujin’s memories.

He was practically like a teacher to me.

My overall movements were framed around training in the myriad transformations he had created, and my mana techniques were also greatly influenced by his methods.

The Devil Subjugation, a decisive secret technique I often use in critical situations, also came from Mujin.

‘If I can find a clue about the identity of that man, I can also get closer to the secrets of Mujin and the Black Qi.’

I eagerly listened, with anticipation in my heart.

“That man was a shaman from a long time ago, who communicated with spirits and read the stars in the sky. Nowadays, they’re called sorcerers, I believe.”

The Caretaker gestured in the air as he began his story.

Instantly, the moisture from the healing spring was dyed in various colors like paint, creating a shape.

It was a shaman wearing flowing shamanic robes.

And in the man’s hand was an unidentified, crude stone.

“Could that be the stone?”

“Yes. That stone could also change freely, like the ring you have. Before he obtained that stone, he wasn’t very famous, but as soon as he got it, he began to make a name for himself.”

I paused for a moment as soon as I heard the story.

“Are you saying that he could use it as a sorcery tool simply by changing its shape with the stone?”

“I see you know a little about sorcery too. That’s right. That man could use all kinds of sorcery with just that stone, without any special implements or ritual tools.”

Although many aspects have been modernized recently, sorcery is a power filled with religious undertones from its very foundation.

Therefore, some sorceries often require cumbersome preparations.

Ritual tools made with sincere devotion over many years, jujube [Chinese date] trees struck by lightning, or bamboo flowers.

But the man could do without such preparations with just a single stone.

“In any case, that man became the best sorcerer of his time. It’s only natural since he performed all kinds of secret arts without compensation. And…”

The Caretaker waved his hand again.

Soon, the image floating in the air flickered and transformed into a new image.

“That stone devoured him.”

“… !”

The man’s appearance was now closer to a monster than a human.

A black epidermis, gleaming like metal, covered half of his body, and his shining eyes were stained red.

“The guy who was using sorcery so well suddenly changed like that in less than a year. Soon he lost his reason and started rampaging like a monster.”

“So what happened?”

“What do you think happened?”

The Caretaker chuckled.

“A sorcerer who has fallen into heresy is a disaster in itself. We had no choice but to kill him. But he wouldn’t die easily, so we sealed him away after a lot of trouble. It was confirmed that he died in the seal about 100 or 200 years later.”

“What happened to the stone?”

“We gathered the power of many sorcerers of the time and destroyed it.”

I closed my mouth for a moment.

‘Similar.’

The stories I had read in the Janggyeonggak [royal library] ancient documents came to mind.

I asked the Caretaker.

“Could it be that the place where that man was sealed was a place called Many Guishan?”

“Many Guisahn? What’s that?”

“…You don’t know?”

“Nope, don’t know it.”

“Where was that man sealed?”

“It’s an island off the coast at the far east end.”

Then it wasn’t the content I saw in Janggyeonggak.

The data in the ancient documents clearly stated ‘Northern Many Guisahn’.

‘The stone and Mujin. It means they are different. But there is a connection.’

I recalled the new power of Mujin that had manifested before coming to Cheonwisan.

The ability to unleash the power of copied weapons.

It was a power that even my third brother before the regression couldn’t use.

It was too similar to the stone in the story the Caretaker had told me to be a coincidence.

“But why are you asking that?”

“It’s nothing.”

“You’re no fun.”

Swish-.

The Caretaker waved his hand in the air as if chasing away a fly.

Then the image of the man scattered with the steam.

“Let’s get back to the story.”

The Caretaker emptied all the remaining alcohol and opened his mouth again.

“At that time, I smelled a strange odor. I couldn’t remember it because it was so old, but after recalling it, I’m sure of it. It’s similar to the smell I get from you. It’s a strange smell that is neither human, nor monster, nor spirit.”

The Caretaker stared intently at me.

His eyes gleamed dangerously.

“I’m sure it’s not something like a weapon that’s easy to handle, but an unidentified foreign object. Why don’t you give up? Your family has many better weapons than that.”

The Caretaker rested his chin on his hand and stared at me.

I didn’t avoid the Caretaker’s eyes.

It was a soft tone and a seemingly suggestive tone, but I felt a sense of threat as if my heart was being squeezed.

It was only a brief moment of thought.

When a leaf that had grown in spring fell on the healing spring, I opened my mouth.

“When I awakened my Evil Eye, my father told me something.”

My father explained the dangers of the Evil Eye to me and recommended sealing it.

At that time, my answer was this.

“If it is a power given to me, I will subdue it, no matter how dangerous it is, and use it as my own. That’s exactly what I said.”

“You cheeky bastard. To say that to that ice cube of a guy.”

The Caretaker smiled slightly.

But his eyes were still not smiling.

“But kid. Do you think the Evil Eye is the same as this?”

“It’s not much different to me.”

“Then there’s no choice. I’ll have to take it. I feel a little bad because it feels like I’m extorting you.”

The Caretaker slowly got up and stretched out his hand into the air.

Instantly, silence fell on Cheonwisan.

Swish-.

The Caretaker lightly curled his fingers as if grabbing the air.

Instantly, the air in the area where the Caretaker’s hand touched was distorted.

And in that place, something transparent, like a clump of heat haze, began to flicker.

‘Goblin Club.’

I swallowed hard, feeling the immense pressure.

* * *

Goblin Club.

One of the many sacred objects symbolizing goblins.

According to tradition, it was described as a bludgeon or stick that creates whatever you want.

In fact, it’s not much different from that.

However, it is closer to ‘bringing about’ what you want rather than ‘creating’ it.

It can cause typhoons and tsunamis and move mountains with a single swing.

The shape that looks like a clump of heat haze has not yet fully revealed its appearance.

If the Caretaker properly wields the club, he becomes a walking natural disaster.

“Hand it over when I’m saying it nicely. It’s been a while since I’ve swung it, so I might not be able to control my strength.”

The Caretaker hung the goblin club on his shoulder and shone his eyes.

I stared blankly at the Caretaker and smiled lightly.

“You won’t be able to do that.”

“…Do I really look like that?”

“Yes, because if you did, you would be breaking the covenant.”

Stiff-.

The Caretaker’s body stiffened.

“What?”

“You’re supposed to protect the mountain and help the trainees with their training, so how can you do anything to me? That’s breaking the covenant.”

“Ha.”

As soon as the Caretaker heard those words, he let out a sigh and lowered his head.

“Hehe.”

Then he gave an awkward smile and slightly raised his head to meet my eyes.

“Did you know everything?”

“Of course.”

I smiled back.

The Caretaker cannot harm the trainees unless there is a special reason due to the covenant with the founder.

Taking out the club, threatening, and trying to take it directly were all just acting since he couldn’t take it by force.

“Tsk, damn it.”

The Caretaker shook his hand in the air.

Then the goblin club, which had been spreading a sense of oppression, scattered and disappeared with a gust of wind.

“If you knew in advance, you should have said something. You cheeky bastard. How embarrassing.”

I didn’t say it on purpose.

Because I noticed the reason why the Caretaker did this awkward thing.

“Actually, you weren’t really thinking of taking it away, were you? Weren’t you testing me to see my will?”

The Caretaker opened his eyes wide again.

The Caretaker, who was stammering as if he had been stabbed in the back, stuttered.

“Wh-what are you talking about? Testing me.”

“If you were really willing to take everything, there’s no way to recover Mujin, is there? In the first place, there are loopholes in the covenant.”

The contents of the covenant that the Caretaker made with the founder are as follows.

Protect the mountain.

Help the trainees who enter the mountain.

What if the trainee leaves the mountain?

“…Seriously, you shouldn’t be making a living eating sword rations, but selling your tongue and head.”

“Is that a compliment this time?”

“It’s an insult. You little punk!”

The Caretaker grumbled and gnashed his teeth.

‘Ah, damn it, is this bastard really 14 years old? No, in the first place, is he even human? Isn’t he a nine-tailed fox or an Imoogi [mythical Korean dragon] in disguise?’

As Lee Cheol said, all of this was the Caretaker’s test.

In fact, the Mujin that Lee Cheol possessed did not have an ominous aura like that stone. Perhaps there would be no problem even if he had it.

Even so, Mujin was an object of unknown origin, and even seemed to be related to the sorcerer’s stone.

So he tested whether Lee Cheol was a person with no backbone or a wavering mind.

He had already seen his willpower in his training, but he wanted to uncover a different side of him.

‘But this guy noticed all of that and played along.’

He’s a scary guy.

I acted without making it obvious, but I can’t understand at all what part he noticed.

At that time, Lee Cheol asked with a smile on his lips.

“But if it’s so dangerous, why didn’t you try to take it away?”

“I don’t feel the strange energy that I felt from the guy who was eaten by the stone in that Mujin. It probably isn’t a demon that eats its owner.”

“Energy… are you talking about?”

“I just had a strange feeling the moment I saw that stone. A goblin’s senses are quite sharp.”

“I see.”

I nodded.

I was sure that Mujin wouldn’t be dangerous.

The man who obtained the stone was swallowed in just one year.

But since I got Mujin, I haven’t felt anything strange so far.

‘But the goblin’s confirmation and my guess feel different.’

“By the way, Caretaker.”

“Uh, why.”

“You threatened the trainee and pointed a weapon at me, but you’re not just going to let it go, are you?”

The Caretaker opened his mouth wide and looked at me.

I smiled very softly.

“I tend to be thorough with calculations.”

“Hey, hey, this, this time…”

The Caretaker’s eyes began to tremble fiercely.

* * *

“Damn it. A bastard who would rip off a grim reaper, a bastard who would rip off King Yama [the King of Hell]! Ugh!”

The Caretaker gnashed his teeth, hitting his chest hard.

After all, he had only threatened him. Since there was nothing special, what Lee Cheol requested was not a big deal.

-There are necessary mana herbs, but they are often deep in the territory of spirits. It’s not a problem to bring them, but they don’t like it when I go in. It’s like I’m doing something bad to the spirits.

He wanted me to bring him that.

In the nests of spirits, elixirs or herbs are sometimes produced under the influence of the spirit’s energy.

Some spirits don’t care about that, but some cherish them.

The former is okay, but the latter… is terrible.

To pick it, you had to coax and appease the spirits, and find something to replace it.

In fact, it’s not a difficult task for the Caretaker, the master of Cheonwisan.

‘It’s annoying again!’

It’s just incredibly annoying.

The Caretaker made a resolution.

Never to touch that sly brat again.

There was never a time when he had a good outcome from touching him.

The Caretaker trudged towards the cave.

‘A guy who challenges the test has such strange powers. How should I accept this?’

The Caretaker, who was looking at the sky with a sigh, suddenly tilted his head.

‘But it’s a bit strange.’

The Caretaker turned his body and turned his head towards the place where Lee Cheol’s training ground was located.

‘I’m sure I didn’t feel that ominous energy from that Mujin, so where is that strange smell coming from?’

* * *

Although training with the Caretaker was added, my daily life did not change.

Still hiking in the morning, martial arts in the afternoon, aura skills in the evening, and alchemy at night.

I just moved up the time for each schedule a little bit and added actual combat to the daytime.

‘Okay, then, I’ve ground all the herbs, and I’ve hidden them so that the spirits can’t come… I should go to sleep soon.’

It was an eventful day.

I finished preparing and sat on the bed.

There was something I had to do before going to bed.

It was something I couldn’t do often because I had too many things to do when I was awake.

Woo-!

Black particles began to flow out dimly from within my body.

Black Qi.

And on my bed were a sword and a blade.

Black Night. And Judo.

‘Then shall we read it again today?’

Black Qi slowly seeped into the two swords.