Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 112

Weapon-Devouring Bastard – Episode 112

Ryeo’s spirit was immense.

Larger and sturdier than anyone I had ever seen.

If spiritual power could manifest as a physical force like mana, and its size and quantity could be measured, Ryeo’s spirit would be an impregnable fortress.

No, not a fortress, but a towering mountain.

It was reminiscent of a massive mountain that had stood there for thousands of years.

‘…Different.’

It was on a completely different level from the goblins I had faced so far.

Was the spiritual power of one who was revered by all goblins and had lived since ancient times this strong?

Not long ago, Ryeo had humbly said that the Kyungchangyung trio sometimes gave her a hard time, but that was merely an adult’s amusement at a child’s antics.

‘Even so….’

I gritted my teeth as I faced the descending lightning.

Humans are capable of eventually carving down even that mountain, one shovel at a time.

Whoosh!

I focused my mind as I watched the falling lightning.

Crack!

I succeeded in deflecting one of the lightning bolts falling towards me.

If it were a lightning strike falling at the speed of light, I wouldn’t even have been able to perceive it, but this was a world of the mind where what I willed was recreated in reality.

“Well done!”

Ryeo exclaimed with admiration.

Even so, the falling lightning did not stop.

As she had said at the beginning, she couldn’t make exceptions.

‘I can’t block it.’

The lightning falls on top of my head.

I focused my thoughts.

Just as I had deflected the goblins’ attacks, I tried to strongly self-suggest that this was just an illusion.

But.

Crackle, crackle, crackle!

As if it didn’t work on her, the lightning passed right through me.

And so, on my first attempt, I was bounced out of the mental world again.

* * *

“Hey, Grandma. Show some mercy… He’s gonna die like that!”

“I know… Oh!”

I struggled to regain consciousness at the goblins’ voices, which sounded broken and disjointed.

The first thought I had as soon as I came to my senses was:

‘How long have I been out?’

I struggled to get up and wiped my face.

But I felt dampness on my hand.

‘Blood….’

My hand was covered in bright red blood.

Nose, mouth, ears, eyes… I couldn’t tell where it was flowing from.

My face was covered in blood.

“How long has it been?”

I tried to clear my throat and ask, but my voice was deeply hoarse, and a phlegm-filled sound came out.

“About 2 hours.”

Two hours.

It was a painful amount of time.

I sat back down and lit up my eyes.

“Again.”

Ryeo looks at me.

“Please.”

Ryeo sat down in front of me without saying a word, ignoring the shouts of the surrounding goblins.

And so, I entered the world of the mind again.

* * *

Time continued to flow.

Goblins who had stayed and left their seats came to where Lee Cheol and Ryeo were sitting on the last day, paying attention to the whereabouts of the final wrestling match.

“…How much time is left?”

“There’s about half a day left. Why do you bother asking when you know the time?”

“How many times have you been bounced out?”

“21 times.”

The goblins sighed simultaneously.

“Will it work?”

“That guy seems like he’ll keep going until it works, even if it doesn’t work now.”

Everyone nodded at the same time.

At that moment, one of the female goblins raised a question.

“Why is he going so far?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are all men like that?”

“No, it’s not about men or women. I’m just wondering if a human can even do that.”

“Is it a human problem? Can you do that?”

“No, I’m confident I can run away in 10 seconds if I wrestle with Grandma. Let alone wrestle all week? Ugh, I can never do it.”

Thud!

At that moment, Lee Cheol was bounced out of the mental world again.

“Ahem….”

Ryeo opened her eyes and looked at the fallen Lee Cheol.

Lee Cheol took a moment to catch his breath and asked Ryeo again.

“How much… is left?”

“About 5 hours left.”

Ryeo whispered in Lee Cheol’s ear.

It was a consideration so that he wouldn’t have a hard time if she told him in a loud voice.

Lee Cheol nodded and straightened his posture.

“Let’s start right away.”

Ryeo sighed and sat down.

Time continued to flow.

After passing around 50 times, the goblins didn’t bother counting the number of times Lee Cheol was bounced out.

“How much time is left?”

“Now… 30 minutes.”

And before they knew it, the darkened sky was heading towards midnight.

“Stop! Stop it! That’s enough! You’re gonna die for real!”

One of the goblins shouted loudly.

But Lee Cheol didn’t seem to hear it, only listening to the time and starting again.

There were 10 minutes left.

This might be the last challenge.

The goblins thought they understood humans.

But they couldn’t understand this human at all.

Time flows again.

9 minutes.

Lee Cheol was bounced out.

8 minutes, 7 minutes…….

5 minutes.

Lee Cheol fainted again.

None of the goblins had ever felt a minute of time feel so long.

Time flows helplessly.

Like that.

The last 1 minute has begun.

* * *

In the white space, facing the falling lightning, I stopped thinking.

Even the endless flow of time.

Even the thought that it would be over if I was bounced out of here.

Fatigue or pain.

Who I am, who the opponent is.

I erased all thoughts.

All that remained was the goal of winning at this moment.

Crack!

At that moment, one of the descending lightning bolts struck Lee Cheol.

‘…It’s over.’

Ryeo let out a sigh of regret.

There was almost no time left.

A miracle did not happen.

But the wrestling match doesn’t end.

‘Huh?’

Lee Cheol was standing there with empty eyes.

Next, then next, no, all the lightning struck Lee Cheol in succession, but even though all the attacks hit, Lee Cheol did not bounce out.

‘Selflessness (忘我)…?’

The state of abandoning oneself.

Did he empty himself to the point of abandoning himself!

‘Human child! That is not the way of humans!’

Ryeo tried to stop him urgently.

But at that moment, she felt Lee Cheol’s gaze turn to her.

He was staring straight at herself, who had become a streak of lightning.

‘It’s not selflessness?’

If he had truly lost himself, there should have been no reaction.

Ryeo looked at Lee Cheol in more detail.

And.

Flint!

Ryeo felt a chill the moment she met Lee Cheol’s gaze.

A streak of intense light flashed deep in Lee Cheol’s empty eyes.

Crunch!

The moment she saw that light, Ryeo fell to the ground with a sensation of her body twisting.

“Uh, uh?”

Her spiritual power, made of lightning, scattered.

Lee Cheol was still still.

Ryeo couldn’t do anything either.

‘How can a human possibly.’

Ryeo was shocked.

She was the one who unfolded this entire space, but Lee Cheol had taken control of this space.

Lee Cheol approaches her.

Ryeo blankly stared at Lee Cheol.

And.

* * *

1 minute. A time of only 60 seconds.

Even if the time was applied 3 times during the wrestling match, it was only 180 seconds.

Everyone held their breath and watched.

50 seconds, 30 seconds, 10 seconds…….

Finally, 1 second.

All the goblins were estimating the time, so they sensed that the time was up.

Thump!

And at that moment, Lee Cheol collapsed to the ground.

Ryeo, who was sitting across from him, opened her eyes and stood up.

A moment of silence followed.

“Oh….”

And the silence was broken, starting with one goblin sighing.

“…Amazing. I really can’t help but acknowledge that mental strength.”

“I know, right? Amazing. Amazing.”

“Hwaaa!”

Amid the bitter words of blessing, Kyungchangyung shed tears.

“….”

And in the midst of that, Lee Cheol raised his upper body like a ghost.

“Is it over?”

His gloomy voice seemed to sense failure.

Ryeo frowned and met Lee Cheol’s eyes.

“Yes, it’s over.”

Lee Cheol had lost in the goblin wrestling match.

At those words, the goblins let out sighs of regret.

“Did I lose?”

“Didn’t you even know that? You’re really amazing. To be able to do it to the point where you don’t even know that….”

Ryeo shook her head.

And for a moment, she smiled slyly and said.

“You won.”

Lee Cheol smiled instead of answering.

And.

Thump!

He collapsed and fainted.

“Huh? Huh?”

The goblins tilted their heads.

Ryeo let out a hollow laugh.

“100 Goblin Wrestling. The winner is this little friend!”

Ryeo shouted as if declaring.

In the end, Lee Cheol had won once again.

* * *

I was dreaming.

Was it called a lucid dream?

I was aware that I was dreaming and was dreaming.

I was wielding Mujin.

I was wielding Black Night, unfolding mana, wearing Eunhan, and unfolding the Evil Eye.

I watched my movements in a space where all imaginations were connected.

All movements and the power I had were all disassembled and reassembled.

‘So that’s how it is.’

Even though I was continuing complex thoughts in my dream, my mind was clear.

As if looking at myself from a third person’s point of view, every moment was so clear, one by one.

I went back over every fight, every battle I had experienced.

Even the battles from a long time ago were vividly remembered as if they had just happened.

It was a moment that could be called a kind of awakening, or even enlightenment.

As that review was completed, all the memories I had gained through Black Energy were broken down and deeply penetrated into my movements.

And so, I endlessly contemplated myself.

And Black Energy stretched out.

Black energy, which had been slowly extending from Lee Cheol’s unconscious body, headed towards Mujin, which was stuck in Lee Cheol’s index finger at some point.

Lee Cheol’s unconscious mind was already beginning to read Mujin’s new memories.

* * *

“Ah.”

I jumped up with a short sound.

I got up, but my body was heavy and my head was dizzy.

I felt like my vision was blurry, so I shook my head before I could come to my senses.

“Ugh….”

When I looked around, I saw a familiar landscape.

It was the appearance of the residential tree that Ryeo had given me to use while I was staying in the village for a while.

And a man was sitting in front of me.

“Are you awake?”

It was an elderly elf who was called the elder of the elves.

He nodded as if relieved.

“I didn’t think you would wake up today, but I’m glad. Drink this.”

As I gulped down the drink that the elf handed me, my head cleared up a bit.

It was then.

“Oh! He’s awake!”

Suddenly, a loud shout echoed from outside.

Bang! Crash!

In an instant, huge goblins poured into the house.

“He’s awake! You! You’re awake!”

“Kahaha! Amazing! I’ve never seen a human like you!”

“Alcohol! We have to drink! Today is a festival!”

Waaaaaaah-!

The loud shouts were so deafening that my ears were ringing.

“Hey! You guys!! What are you doing in front of a tired person!”

And piercing through all the commotion, a loud voice came into my ears.

“Oh my! Grandma! Oh my! Gently, gently…….”

“Ugh!”

Pow Pow Pow!

A huge female goblin approached, scattering the noisy goblins blocking the room like falling leaves.

It was Ryeo.

“Are you awake? How’s your body?”

“Ah, I’m fine. I’m a little tired, but… what happened?”

I checked my condition with a dazed feeling.

It wasn’t an actual battle, so nothing was particularly painful.

Perhaps because I had poured out my mental strength to the limit, my head was heavy as if I still had sleepiness, but that also recovered quickly.

“The test is over and you’ve been sleeping for a week straight. Did you know that?”

“……Yes?”

Has it been a week already?

“How did the test go?”

“Don’t you even remember that! You won!”

At Ryeo’s words, I recalled the events just before I fainted.

Yes, I won.

I don’t remember how I won, but I definitely remembered suppressing Ryeo at the last moment.

“Are there still some aftereffects left? Hey, you said your body is okay? Is this child okay now?”

Ryeo showed a worried look on my dazed face and scolded the elf sitting next to her.

The elf frowned and retorted.

“If you don’t trust me that much, why did you tell me to watch? You ignorant goblins who can’t do anything but use your strength…….”

“What?”

“Okay, okay, calm down. I’m fine. This person is right. I was just thinking about something.”

I calmed Ryeo and the elf and smiled awkwardly.

My body condition was too good for having slept for a week straight.

“Really? Then that’s good! Now we have to do the last thing!”

Ryeo shouted loudly.

The last thing to do? What does that mean?

“The festival!”

I widened my eyes at Ryeo’s words.

* * *

Mirinnae Village was once again submerged in chaos.

The goblins threw a party to celebrate the human who passed the test.

Pork and buckwheat jelly, elf liquor, and all kinds of fruits were spread out widely in the central square of the village, and the people of Mirinnae Village and countless goblins took their seats.

“Celebrating this amazing human! Drink! You guys!”

I smiled bitterly, holding the elves’ drink instead of alcohol.

‘I slept for a week straight and they should have given me time to soothe my stomach…….’

Anyway, goblins.

As if they didn’t care about that, they started a drinking party as soon as I got up.

“Kahaha! Amazing! Amazing! I like this young friend so much.”

“Soongmooi has met quite a few people, but I’ve never seen anyone like you?”

The goblins flocked around, grabbing me and shaking me.

“……You’ve worked hard. My friend.”

Even the elves, who hate the hustle and bustle, knew that the test was being held, so they participated in the festival.

Since they didn’t eat meat, they ate fruits and vegetables instead of meat, but they were still enjoying the festival.

“Hey, what is this! The shorties are here too?”

Even the dwarves, the Jijeok, whom I had never seen in the village until now, attended the festival.

“Ahem… Are you that human?”

Dwarves who are commonly depicted as hairy, short, and with thick lines.

I had never properly greeted them except for seeing them passing by once in a while, but as expected of those who never miss a drinking party, they were attending this event.

“Yes, nice to meet you.”

“Hmm….”

The oldest-looking dwarf muttered as if appraising me, looking me up and down from head to toe.

“That outfit is also well-made, and that sword… what’s that ring? This is quite an interesting human?”

“Okay, okay, let’s have a drink together and talk?”

As a race of blacksmiths, they sparkled as they looked at my clothes and weapons.

“Hey!”

At that time, Ryeo, who was gulping down alcohol, shouted.

“What alcohol are you giving a patient! Get lost!”

“Tsk, old hag.”

“What? I gave you guys a place to sleep and food to eat.”

“Huh! Did you give us a place to sleep? The elder gave us a place to sleep!”

“Hey, you guys!”

The festival was fun.

The mystic races drank, ate, and had a good time.

Then one of the fairies suddenly started singing.

The atmosphere eventually led to the elves.

The songs of the elves and fairies became one melody.

A beautiful voice that humans cannot imitate.

“Eolssu!”

And there, like a dissonance, a hundred goblins and dwarves began to sing.

It was a completely mismatched rough voice, but that strange disharmony was strangely harmonious.

“It’s beautiful.”

The faintly floating light clusters, the songs of the mystic races.

Sweet drinks and delicious dishes.

It was truly a beautiful moment that could only be found in fairy tales.

When the song ended, the festival was once again bustling and noisy.

Then Ryeo, drunk, approached me.

“Shall we talk for a moment?”

Ryeo smiled slyly.

I nodded.

The time had come to tell the story that had been kept hidden.