Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 180

Weapon-Devouring Bastard – Episode 180

The appearance of Lee Cheol.

It delivered a shock that not only the rigid elders of the Soongmoo Lee family, but also the direct line brothers competing to kill each other, and even the warriors of each martial squad… everyone had to acknowledge.

Flap….

The scroll bearing the name Milky Way fluttered in the blowing wind.

Although not all of the Soongmoo Lee family’s martial squads were gathered, there were still hundreds of warriors standing before Lee Cheol, enough to fill the central training ground.

And those hundreds were not ordinary people, but all warriors who had mastered mana.

No matter how strong one’s martial power, as an individual, one could be overwhelmed by the momentum.

In fact, this event was also meant to deflate the confidence of the direct line who had just returned from completing their warrior training.

Moreover, Lee Cheol was a bastard, so the Council of Elders paid ‘special’ attention to him.

However, Lee Cheol was not at all overwhelmed, even while bearing the brunt of hundreds of people’s momentum.

Rather, he leisurely fluttered the hem of his scroll as if taking a stroll, passing by them.

Promising members of the martial squad blocking the way, the leaders of the martial squad, warriors from the branch families or retainers… none of them could make Lee Cheol draw his weapon, and naturally, they couldn’t stop Lee Cheol’s steps either.

“Lee Cheol, the youngest of the Soongmoo Lee family.”

Lee Cheol reached the center and stood confidently before the direct line and the elders.

“I have now completed my warrior training and returned.”

Silence, stillness.

No one opened their mouth.

‘Our youngest… well done!’

Lee Myung-jeong couldn’t help but smile as he looked at the grown-up Lee Cheol.

As Lee Myung-jeong was approaching his peak, he could see Lee Cheol’s level more clearly than anyone else in this place.

Just below his chin.

That small child had now reached just below his chin.

Not only his majestic mana, but also his confident momentum, and a body that seemed more than solid, almost complete.

Anyone with eyes could guess Lee Cheol’s level just by looking at that appearance.

Meanwhile, the other brothers, except for the absent third and seventh, were also feeling their own impressions.

‘…I want to fight him once. Heh.’

The second, Lee Jin-yoon, known as the Martial Maniac, was sparkling his eyes and fidgeting with his sword hilt.

‘Is that even a plausible level of martial power?’

‘He’s only just returned from warrior training?’

The fourth and fifth, Lee Hyun-jae and Lee Hyun-chan, felt their bodies stiffen.

‘…That arrogant bastard!’

The sixth, Lee Seol-ah, muttered curses and gritted her teeth.

“Who will be in charge of my final test?”

Lee Cheol said, scanning the crowd.

The test was not over yet.

The final test of warrior training must be taken from an adult who has reached a higher level.

Usually, the elders conducted the test, and naturally, because the elders were strong, they didn’t bother to determine victory or defeat, but rather took the form of a guided sparring match.

But now the situation was a bit different.

Lee Cheol’s level was beyond imagination.

Therefore, the elders couldn’t rashly step forward.

He had only just finished his warrior training, and they couldn’t be sure.

What if, even by chance, the elder were to lose in that sparring match?

‘If I lose to a bastard in a sparring match… there would be no greater humiliation!’

‘I’m not sure if I can win. That bastard hasn’t even drawn a single weapon yet. I don’t know how much he has.’

‘Just what….’

None of the elders readily stepped forward.

Of course, there were many people among the elders who were stronger than Lee Cheol.

The head of the Council of Elders, the commander of the training division….

However, it would not look good for them to step forward against a direct line [a member of the main family lineage] who had just returned from warrior training.

In any case, Lee Cheol was just a boy who had just returned from warrior training.

‘The youngest is now the center of this place. All the air is flowing around that guy. That arrogant fellow! To seize control of the family as soon as he returns!’

Lee Myung-jeong felt the atmosphere around him and wanted to praise Lee Cheol and ruffle his hair right away.

Everyone, including the Council of Elders, the martial squads, and the brothers, was only looking at Lee Cheol, and no one was stepping forward.

It was at that moment.

“Ha! You arrogant bastard! I’ll break that high nose of yours!”

The sixth, Lee Seol-ah, couldn’t stand it any longer and launched a surprise attack, kicking off the ground.

‘I had a lot of restrictions back then, but it’s different now! How dare you hold your head up so stiffly! I’ll kill you now!’

Whoo-oong!

Lee Seol-ah’s throwing knives unfolded in the air.

The simultaneous deployment of secret techniques and profound mysteries.

It was dazzling martial power.

The Soongmoo Lee family’s techniques, which were difficult to master even one of, were being extended simultaneously.

But then, the next moment.

Lee Seol-ah’s eyes widened.

The top and bottom of her vision were reversed.

She had clearly been looking at Lee Cheol until just now, but as if the screen of a movie had suddenly changed, the ground was right in front of her nose.

“Kuaaack!”

Kwaaaang!

Lee Seol-ah was slammed into the ground and groaned.

She felt her insides churning and sharp mana piercing her meridians.

Lee Seol-ah trembled and raised her head.

With the sun behind him, Lee Cheol was holding a jet-black weapon in one hand and looking down at her.

‘Wh-when did he….’

Lee Seol-ah coughed.

I casually shook off Mujin [Lee Cheol’s weapon], which I had deliberately made into the shape of a blunt weapon rather than a blade, and sneered at Lee Seol-ah.

‘It’s been that long, and that’s all you’ve got? Disappointing, Lee Seol-ah.’

I deliberately used the Demon Subduer, which I had already shown once before.

But Lee Seol-ah didn’t even see it.

“Eek! You bastard… Kack!”

Kwang!

I pressed down on Lee Seol-ah’s back with Mujin, who was trying to get up, and slammed her back into the ground.

“Today is the day I’ve returned to the family after a long time, so I won’t shed blood.”

I lowered my body and whispered in Lee Seol-ah’s ear.

“But if you act out of line again….”

Thud!

I lifted Mujin, which had been pressing down on Lee Seol-ah’s back, and slammed it into the side of her neck.

Instantly, the shape changed, and the blunt weapon became a blade.

The skin on Lee Seol-ah’s neck was cut, blood welled up, and I said, looking at the terrified Lee Seol-ah.

“…Next time, I’ll cut your throat like this.”

Twitch!

Lee Seol-ah’s body trembled.

She slowly lowered her eyes, trembling.

Only then did I withdraw the mana that had pierced Lee Seol-ah’s meridians.

“Cough!”

As if she had internal injuries in her lungs, Lee Seol-ah, who had fallen to the ground like a bug, spat out blood with her exhalation.

I turned my gaze away from her and looked straight ahead again.

“I am ready to take the test. Please feel free to ask me anytime.”

I scanned the elders and brothers.

Some were wary, some were astonished… laughter flowed out.

‘Is this the reality of the family?’

Those who valued fighting, winning, and seizing were not stepping forward, caring about their face or position.

Those who seemed so scary and far away in my previous life now seemed so small.

I wanted to ask them.

Is your current appearance your struggle?

Do I still seem like a distant direct line, or just a bastard?

And.

‘Are you still worried about such things?’

I turned my gaze to the elders.

And I look at the warriors surrounding me.

They were different.

They couldn’t step forward because they weren’t direct line, but their eyes were filled with intense competitiveness and anticipation.

There was no longer a gaze of contempt in their eyes, dismissing me as a bastard.

They were simply seeing me as a warrior.

At that time, a person walked out in front of me.

“Guards, take the sixth to the infirmary.”

It was my eldest brother, Lee Myung-jeong.

At my eldest brother’s gesture, one of the warriors who had been momentarily stunned rushed over and took care of Lee Seol-ah, who was trembling, and left.

My eldest brother turned to look at me.

“You’ve grown a lot, youngest.”

“Eldest brother. It’s been a while.”

“Amazing. To subdue the sixth in one blow.”

“I tried to cut her throat, but I held back.”

“Well, yes, well done. Your achievements are dazzling.”

He left a deep internal injury on his brother, but he said well done.

Anyway, my eldest brother was my eldest brother.

“It seems you’ve gained quite a lot.”

“I’ve worked hard.”

“I see. You must have more than just that shape-shifting weapon, right?”

“Of course.”

My eldest brother smiled.

“Then take out everything you have and prepare.”

“……?”

My eldest brother turned his head, paid his respects to the place where the elders were standing.

“Elders. I cherish my youngest a lot. So, seeing my younger brother’s achievements makes me competitive. If the elders allow it, may I test Cheol on behalf of the elders?”

At my eldest brother’s words, the elders coughed and hesitated.

“Haha, you’re going to do the work of these old men, thank you. Will the acting head of the family do it?”

It was Lee Cheol-joong, the head of the Council of Elders.

He still answered with a meaningful expression.

‘My eldest brother is my final test opponent?’

I chuckled and took out everything I had from the jeogori [traditional Korean jacket] I had attached to Eunhan.

Kyungcheon, Black Night, Mujin….

Even the numerous pieces of equipment I had collected since the Gyoguk incident were all equipped.

Every time those weapons came out, the audience was shocked.

No, in the first place, is it even possible for equipment to come out of clothes!

“Youngest… what on earth have you been doing?”

Even Lee Myung-jeong was making an absurd expression.

I smiled and held Kyungcheon and Black Night in both hands.

“I’ve just been living hard.”

“I know that, but….”

“But, I don’t know if it’ll be okay.”

“What?”

“I think it will have a considerable impact on this area if I do it properly.”

“Ha!”

Lee Myung-jeong burst out laughing.

“Are you worried about the surroundings with me in front of you? You’ve really grown a lot. Youngest.”

Lee Myung-jeong drew a sword in the air.

Ogre drew geometric patterns in the air.

Forming a magic circle through Ogre.

It was an art that only my eldest brother could do in the whole world.

“Even if you have become shockingly strong, you are still far away. According to tradition, I will give you three chances to attack first. Come.”

“……Those words.”

I smiled and grabbed Kyungcheon.

“You will regret it.”

My eldest brother’s eyes twitched, and I prepared the first of the three attacks according to the ‘tradition’ that my eldest brother had mentioned.

Pajik! Pajijijik!

Kyungcheon began to emit powerful mana, and shock settled on the faces of the people watching me and my eldest brother.

“Wait……!”

I heard someone trying to stop me, but Kyungcheon had already finished starting.

Tuwhack! Kwaaaang!

With a rough explosion, the final test began.

* * *

The test, of course, ended successfully.

I was sitting face to face with my eldest brother, talking.

My eldest brother massaged the back of his neck and frowned.

“You arrogant fellow. You had such a hidden card, but you didn’t refuse.”

“You told me to come first, big brother.”

“Hoo, I thought I was going to die.”

In the duel with my eldest brother.

I unleashed everything I had in turn.

I had been traveling the world for several years since the Gyoguk incident, increasing my martial power, and I unfolded that power as it was.

Of course, the result was.

“In the end, you lost, so why did you think you were going to die?”

I poured out everything I had, but my eldest brother blocked it all.

‘Could it be that my eldest brother has also reached that level?’

Heart Sword.

I saw the end of that supreme realm that Saintess Christina had shown me from my eldest brother.

‘Was it purely because he didn’t renew his rank or wasn’t recognized that he was a 2nd class in his previous life?’

I can’t fully fathom it.

Perhaps my eldest brother would be able to put up a good fight against Henry Russell or Saintess Christina.

He’s a really terrifying person.

“You brat. How old am I compared to you, why are you saying such things?”

“I know. I’m just saying.”

My eldest brother smiled and roughly ruffled my hair.

I could have avoided it, but I didn’t intentionally avoid it.

With a smile on his face, my eldest brother spoke to me.

“You may not have any experience, so you’re officially a 4th class, but you have the martial power of a complete 3rd class. And if you use that freely transforming weapon of yours, you will be able to stand above even a warrior of the same class.”

“I still have a long way to go.”

My eldest brother shook his head at my humility.

“You are already a complete warrior. And that spear… it seems to take time to activate, but once you can throw it, it will be enough to work even against a stronger opponent than you. Really, you’ve really worked hard.”

Rather than being wary of what I had gained, my eldest brother sincerely rejoiced and looked at the effort before the result I had achieved.

‘……I can’t hate my big brother because of this.’

I feel competitive, but he was someone I couldn’t hate.

“Thank you. Big brother.”

“Welcome back.”

I asked with a smile.

“More than that, I heard I became an uncle.”

“Hehe, yes. I had a late child.”

While I was on warrior training, my eldest brother had a child.

He was already three years old this year.

……The age difference between me and my eldest brother was similar to the age difference between my nephew and me.

“Be sure to come and see him later. The child is very cute.”

I nodded with a smile.

“Yes, I will definitely visit you next time. Then I will get up today.”

“Hmm, are you going to the Council of Elders?”

“Yes. They told me to come to report at 5 o’clock.”

It was my turn to report on what I did during warrior training and what achievements I left behind.

“Be confident. You are now a direct line who has finished warrior training, so you are no different from a quasi-elder with voting rights. If the elders say anything about what you’ve done….”

I smiled lightly and said.

“I know what you’re worried about, but I don’t think you need to worry. Big brother.”

I thought he was worried that the elders would find fault with what I did during warrior training.

‘I’m sorry, but even if they don’t like me, there won’t be a single elder who can properly criticize me.’

I did a lot of things during warrior training.

Even if I only summarize what I can say… I can only laugh.

‘Shall we go?’

I proved myself to the elders with strength.

Now it was time to prove it in another way.