Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 53

Weapon-Eating Bastard – Chapter 53

The main premise of this trip to Cheonwi Mountain was to reflect on the skills and abilities I already possessed, rather than acquiring new ones.

That didn’t mean I wouldn’t delve into the weapons I currently had.

Once I settled into the routine, I began to explore Judo, the masterpiece-grade sword I received from my seventh brother, and the partially unsealed memories within Black Night.

‘I’ll focus on Black Night first, then Judo later.’

Unlike Mujin or other weapons, Black Night didn’t contain any specific sword techniques or magical secrets.

However, I felt compelled to revisit Black Night’s memories repeatedly.

Because something about it bothered me.

Sssst!

Dark energy, like scattered black particles, swirled around Black Night.

When I slowly opened my eyes, the familiar scene unfolded once more.

In that memory, I was gazing at Black Night.

And slowly, I reached out towards it.

‘Before unsealing it, the memory ended here. It was around this point…….’

The memory continued.

-I intend to seal this sword. I can’t bear to see my children corrupted by its power.

The owner of the memory held Black Night, addressing someone.

If the legends surrounding Black Night were true, and if the scholars’ findings before my regression were accurate,

the man holding the sword was likely Yi Seong-mu, the founder of the Sungmu Yi family.

-Sealing it isn’t difficult, but are you certain? Those worthy of being chosen by this blade are rare, regardless of their strength.

A voice echoed from the darkness, answering the man.

It was a woman, seemingly a sorceress.

It wasn’t hard to deduce that she was the one who sealed Black Night.

-That doesn’t matter. It’s better left unused if it’s not wielded by someone truly suitable.

Thus, the woman inscribed characters onto Black Night, sealing its true form.

There were a total of nine seals.

-The contents of the seal are as follows.

Jijijik!

The details of the seals, except for the ones I had already released, were distorted, like static.

-The sealing is complete.

Nine luminous characters were now engraved on Black Night’s surface.

‘I need to concentrate now.’

I focused my mind, determined not to miss a single detail.

Once all the seals were completed, the sorceress spoke.

-When the third seal is released, the sword will be partially unsealed. Are you sure about this?

The man answered nonchalantly.

-It doesn’t matter. That much won’t make a significant difference. But I should test it once.

The man, with three seals released, held Black Night and slowly channeled his magic power.

The man’s magic power flowed into Black Night, tracing a complex path.

Black Night possessed a complex circuit, much like a human’s magic circuit.

‘The manipulation of magic power within the body itself is nothing special. The key is the sequence in which the magic power flows through the sword.’

I tried to memorize the path of the magic power within the sword.

However, the process was fleeting.

And the moment the magic power completed its circuit, Black Night finally activated.

Grrr!

A deep, resonant sound, like a beast’s roar, echoed from the sword.

The man, prepared for this, waved his arm, releasing his own magic power into the air.

Then, he brought Black Night down upon his own magic power.

Sgak!

Black Night sliced through the magic power.

It wasn’t a matter of disrupting the magic’s structure like a mage’s dispel, or shattering it with brute force like a warrior.

Instead, the magic power seemed to vanish completely, without a trace.

-I need to strengthen the seal a bit more. But this is promising.

The man looked at the sword with satisfaction.

The moment a glimpse of the man’s face was reflected on the obsidian-like surface of the sword,

Pajik!

The memory abruptly ended.

I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again.

“To think a weapon like this could exist.”

I was amazed each time I relived these memories.

Even celestial-grade swords were just weapons, but Black Night had an operational pathway like an electronic device with circuits.

‘And that sight… It wasn’t that the magic power was broken or consumed; it simply vanished.’

There are fundamental truths in this world.

Magic power doesn’t disappear.

No matter how much humans use it, the magic power scattered in the air returns to nature.

Magic power is infinite and never truly vanishes.

‘But that man, no, the founder, cleanly erased the magic power the moment he wielded Black Night. As if it were annihilated.’

I had never heard of any weapon with such an ability.

The problem is.

‘I still can’t replicate it at all…….’

The magic power manipulation I witnessed in the memory was too fast, and Black Night’s internal pathways were too complex.

As a result, I’m still struggling, even after revisiting the memories every day.

‘It will take time.’

I chuckled.

It feels like navigating a maze.

Just as seeing a maze from above is different from actually trying to find your way through it, retracing Black Night’s pathways felt similar.

Black Night is like a maze shattered into a thousand pieces.

Even if you’ve seen someone who knows the way several times, it’s not easy to find the path yourself.

Moreover, the person who knew the way moved incredibly fast, without any consideration.

‘If I keep at it, I’ll figure it out eventually. And I’ve already made significant progress.’

On the one hand, I’m looking forward to it.

It annihilated magic power with only three seals released, so what would Black Night be capable of when all the seals are broken?

“Black Night is enough for now.”

I took a deep breath.

Next was Judo, the masterpiece-grade sword I received from my seventh brother.

It was a weapon with impressive wave patterns etched onto its thick blade.

‘Today, I can finally absorb Judo.’

I had been digesting all the memories within Judo for the past three months.

The original owner of Judo wasn’t exceptionally skilled. He hadn’t mastered advanced martial arts or magic.

Nevertheless, he was strong.

That was due to Judo’s unique ability.

‘The ability to make the sword return to my hand, even from a great distance.’

He used this ability to fight effectively against even 5th-grade warriors, despite having skills only at the level of a 6th-grade warrior.

Woo-!

Dark energy soon began to cling to Judo’s surface, causing it to tremble.

I had a feeling I could absorb it this time.

‘It’s done.’

I devoured Judo without hesitation.

* * *

Time passed quickly.

The seasons changed a couple of times, and I grew accustomed to the somewhat austere life on Cheonwi Mountain.

“Hoo, hoo…….”

I breathed heavily, focusing my mind.

-Kieeeeek!

The Human-Faced Spider Queen blocked my path.

It was an illusion created by the goblin’s magic, but it felt incredibly real.

I had never achieved a perfect victory against it.

I slowly extended my foot and began to move.

Bang! Kwaaaang!

The Human-Faced Spider Queen’s legs crashed down like a bombardment.

However, my magic eye and intuition detected every sign.

I evaded every attack.

‘It’s still challenging to completely keep up with that speed…….’

I can see everything, and I can predict everything.

I’ve grown accustomed to the Human-Faced Spider Queen’s movements, but now I can match its speed.

Kwarung!

The next moment, aura began to gather at the tip of Mujin.

The issue of the aura skill’s instability, which plagued me when I first arrived on Cheonwi Mountain, had been resolved.

Even the tip of the aura was completely under my control.

Jjeojjeojeok-!

The aura at the end of the sword began to emit a chilling cold.

Ganggi Art, Yama [Art of extreme cold].

The aura, infused with cold, completely bound the Human-Faced Spider’s legs.

-Kieeeeek!

The Human-Faced Spider Queen struggled and broke free.

But by then, Mujin was already channeling a new magic.

The lightning aura skill gathered at the end of Cheokma [Demon Subduing].

Kwareureureung!

Light erupted, and a massive aura swept through the Human-Faced Spider like a bomb.

I slowly lowered Mujin.

-Ki, Kieeek. Keureuk!

The illusion of the Human-Faced Spider dissipated.

Finally, I had defeated the Human-Faced Spider.

A 5th-grade variant boss monster.

Although certain conditions were met, it was a decisive victory against an enemy much stronger than me.

I took a deep breath and retrieved Mujin.

“Wow, this bastard. He did it.”

The mountain spirit, who was casting the magic, looked at the torn talisman and chuckled.

“Well, it’s just that you won once by luck. You know you lost every other time, right?”

“From now on, I will win every time. Don’t you know that?”

“Ah, you’re really annoying.”

It sounded arrogant, but it was true.

Now that I’ve finished training, I’m confident I can defeat the Queen, no matter the circumstances.

“So? What are you going to make this time?”

“I’m thinking of stopping the training now.”

I have surpassed my initial goals.

Now, it’s time for long-term training, and short-term training has lost its value.

‘Even if I challenged it right now, I could easily get the Jeongmusa [Certified Martial Artist] qualification. I’m certain. I truly possess the skills of a 5th-grade warrior now.’

A warrior’s grade is usually determined by their ability to defeat a boss monster from the immediately lower stage alone.

An 8th-grade warrior must be able to handle a 9th-grade boss monster, and a 7th-grade warrior must be able to handle an 8th-grade boss monster.

I defeated the Human-Faced Spider Queen, a 5th-grade monster, so I could be considered a 4th-grade warrior, but the Human-Faced Spider Queen was just a newborn, underdeveloped half-wit.

So, in reality, my grade could be considered a solid 5th grade.

“Stop training? Take a break? Yeah, right. Good idea. Let’s take a break too.”

The mountain spirit smirked and approached me.

I shook my head and replied.

“I’m going to begin the final challenge now.”

The mountain spirit stopped abruptly.

“I want to challenge the test that the founder created.”

All other training is complete.

Now it’s time for the last thing I need to do on Cheonwi Mountain.

* * *

The training ground of Cheonwi Mountain was established by the founder of the Sungmu Yi family.

The founder required his children to train on Cheonwi Mountain before venturing into the world.

And he appointed a goblin as the mountain spirit to protect and manage the mountain.

But the goblin’s job wasn’t limited to that.

The mountain spirit had another duty.

To select those worthy of challenging the ancient test and allow them to do so.

“Are you determined to challenge it?”

“Yes, that’s why I came here.”

“You are not yet ready to pass the test.”

The mountain spirit evaluated coldly.

No matter how talented this kid is, he’s not ready.

‘But…….’

The mountain spirit glanced at the deep gouges in the corner of the training ground.

‘He damaged the training ground I created.’

There was a ditch in the floor, created by magic, as if a massive beast had clawed at it.

“But you are worthy of attempting the test. I don’t know if you can pass it.”

The mountain spirit smiled strangely.

‘I ended up allowing it.’

This kid’s potential is limitless.

He’s still far from ready.

I wonder how much he will grow during the test.

“You are aware of the dangers of the test, right?”

“Yes, I know.”

The danger of the test on Cheonwi Mountain is the same as the naming ceremony.

You cannot leave until you complete it.

“You won’t receive any special rewards for passing the test. Are you still going to do it?”

“Yes. That’s why I came here in the first place.”

“Okay. If that’s what you want, there’s no reason to stop you. Follow me.”

The mountain spirit led me into the cave where he resided.

The place where the mountain spirit took me was the entrance to the cave, protected by magic.

But this time, the magic didn’t activate.

Instead, a massive stone gate appeared before me.

“Open it and go in. Then it will begin.”

I nodded and grabbed the handle of the stone gate.

“Then, I’ll go.”

“Yeah, stay in there as long as possible. I don’t want to see your face.”

The mountain spirit waved his hand dismissively.

I took a deep breath and opened the stone gate.