Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 237

Weapon-Devouring Bastard – Episode 237

It was what a warrior encounters at the pinnacle of their path, the culmination of everything they had built.

It contained the history of countless training sessions as a martial artist, all the abilities one possessed at this moment, and the longing for the ideal self to be attained in the distant future.

Past, present, and future.

The image of ‘oneself’ that all of it comes together to paint.

It was brought to life in the world through the tool of mana.

That is why people gave the name ‘Simgeom (心劍) [Mind Sword]’ to ‘this realm’.

The Simgeom I obtained was freedom.

No, the expression ‘obtained’ is wrong.

The primal and fundamental desire and ideal rooted deep in Lee Cheol’s unconscious was ‘freedom,’ and I had simply realized it more clearly.

My freedom is not being bound to something or swayed by someone.

It was revealed in my words and actions, in my mana arts, in my movements and all my postures.

Freedom is the essence of my martial art.

Constantly changing without being bound or stagnant.

That is not a quality allowed to ordinary humans.

Because without set rules and norms, martial arts or mana arts are just chaos and confusion.

However, rules do exist.

Manlyugwijong (萬流歸宗) [All streams eventually merge into one].

Whether wielding a sword.

Thrusting a spear.

Or shooting an arrow.

It was ‘Lee Cheol’ himself who handled all of it.

Amidst the torrent of power filling this world, I firmly established my own will like a pillar.

Willpower became strength and was released into the world.

Swish…….

The Black Night, which had risen high into the sky, fell.

The sword descended very slowly.

And clashed with the fist of the Kabbalah warrior.

* * *

In the midst of endless explosions echoing in the uncharted territory.

Everyone momentarily stopped moving.

It wasn’t just the elite forces of the Holy Kingdom and the Russell family that stopped moving.

Even the undead, who seemed to lack human reason and wisdom, instinctively stopped moving and looked towards Lee Cheol and the giant.

‘What on earth is that?’

Ron, Serena.

Only a handful, but the two young knights had witnessed Simgeom before.

Ron’s father, Henry Russell, was a legendary knight who had long since reached the rank of First Class Knight.

And Serena’s teacher, Saintess Christina, was also a holy knight who had reached the realm of Simgeom.

‘What the hell…….’

‘……No way.’

Therefore, although neither Ron nor Serena were those who had opened the door [achieved Simgeom themselves], they could tell how absurd the scene unfolding before their eyes was.

-Simgeom is overwriting the rules of this world with your own rules.

-Simgeom is the act of creating miracles in the world.

At the same time, they recalled the stories of their fathers and teachers who had evaluated Simgeom.

‘Even so…… how is something like that possible?’

Ron stared at the giant man facing Lee Cheol with trembling eyes.

He was clearly a man with a physique of about 2.5 meters [~8 feet].

The appearance of that already large man was becoming insanely larger.

Every time he blinked, every time he exhaled, the man’s size continued to grow larger every moment.

It felt as if the perspective of the world was strangely distorted.

Was the man’s body actually growing, or was it just how it appeared?

It was as if they were looking at only where the man was standing through a telescope, greatly magnified.

What was important was that along with the man’s enlarged body, the size of his energy had also become several times greater.

If the man’s power, which had seemed to be equal to Lee Cheol’s until now, had been amplified to such an extent, it was obvious what would happen to the balance of the battle.

“Lee Cheol!”

Serena shouted urgently.

Because there was no change in Lee Cheol.

He was just holding up his sword in that position.

Lee Cheol began to bring down his sword in its original state.

And a scene unfolded that was truly beyond their common sense.

* * *

The man recalled his truth.

Understanding the world as a human body and ultimately transcending the world.

It was the truth that the man had lived with all his life as a practitioner walking the path of the body in Kabbalah.

The man’s mana was distorting the rules of the world.

Simgeom, Samramansang (森羅萬象) [All things in nature].

The Simgeom that the man had named, his own Simgeom.

‘Can you 받아 낼 수 있겠는가 [withstand this], young warrior?’

The man prepared the 정권 [straight punch] that he had thrust tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of millions of times again.

That strike pushed against the air and headed straight for Lee Cheol.

Even until that situation, Lee Cheol was still holding up his sword.

No change was felt from him.

‘……Foolish child. Did you finally give up?’

However, the man looked into Lee Cheol’s eyes and widened his eyes.

Lee Cheol’s eyes were nothing but serene.

There was no giving up or despair in his eyes.

Swish…….

And the next moment, the sword strike fell, very slowly cutting through the air.

콰아아아아!

A massive wave of energy collided, and a whirlwind swept around.

It was a clash of strength and strength, will and will, Simgeom and Simgeom.

‘What, what is this…….’

And the man’s pupils shook.

He had thought that he could easily 压制 [suppress] it before the collision, but the unfolded scene was far 벗어나고 [deviating from] his expectations.

쿵!

The moment Lee Cheol’s energy and the man’s energy collided, what happened was not an explosion or a shockwave.

Lee Cheol’s energy permeated the man’s energy.

Like water, or like wind.

“……!”

화아아악!

And the next moment, the man’s energy was dismantled from the inside and scattered.

‘맙소사 [Good heavens].’

As he watched his own power dwindling moment by moment, the man trembled in disbelief.

If the opponent’s power was a lock, then Lee Cheol’s energy would seep into it like water and release the power like a perfectly fitting key.

That was Lee Cheol’s Simgeom.

But how was that possible?

That meant that Simgeom was 맞춰진 [tailored] not to his own standards but to the opponent’s standards.

There was no way that someone who was 휘둘리는 [swayed] by others, not 자기 자신의 [himself], could reach the realm of Simgeom.

‘No, that’s not it…….’

쾅! 콰드득!

Finally, Lee Cheol’s sword 헤치고 [cut through] all that energy and arrived right in front of the man’s nose.

No strong force could 막아 세우지 [stop] Lee Cheol’s energy.

The man finally realized that it was too late to do anything.

푸우우욱!

The sword 파고들었다 [dug] between the man’s fist bones.

He couldn’t 멈출 수가 [stop] this sword.

Death was 다가오고 있었다 [approaching].

* * *

I looked down at the man.

‘I know what you 삼았는지는 [took] as your ideal.’

I 바라보며 [looked at] the 경악하는 [astonished] man and 빛냈다 [shone] my eyes.

The moment I 마주한 [faced] the man’s Simgeom, I 담고 있는 [contained] the meaning of his Simgeom.

The man seemed to have 삼은 [taken] things like how the world is and what 진리가 [truth] is, such 거시적인 [grandiose] things, as his 모든 것 [everything].

But 그런 건 [that kind of thing] wasn’t important to me.

What was important to me was my own 삶 그 자체 [life itself].

That’s why my Simgeom was 그대로 반영하고 [directly reflecting] the 모습 [image] of myself that I’ve 걸어온 [walked] so far.

Simgeom, 무형(無形) [Formless].

형태 없는 [Formless] freedom.

My sword 스며들며 [permeated] into all the man’s energy and 그대로 풀어헤쳤다 [directly unraveled] all the 얼개 [framework].

서걱!

The Black Night 가르고 [split] the man’s fist and 뻗어 나가 [extended], 지나 [passed] the shoulder and 가로질렀다 [bisected] the torso diagonally.

엄청난 양의 [An enormous amount of] blood was 뿌려지고 [splattered] on the ground, and 피안개가 [blood mist] 기화된 [vaporized] by 오러 [aura] was 확 뿌려졌다 [widely scattered] in the air.

“후우…… [Hoo] .”

And I 길게 내뱉었다 [let out] a breath.

심검을 펼친 [Having unleashed Simgeom] The 여파로 [aftermath] 심신에 [on my mind and body] 엄청난 피로감이 느껴졌으나 [an enormous sense of fatigue was felt], 결코 약한 모습을 보이지는 않았다 [but I never showed a weak appearance].

“커윽, 크으으으…… [Keueok, keueueueu] .”

The man 비틀거리다 [staggered] and 결국 쓰러졌다 [eventually collapsed] on the ground with a 신음 [groan].

즉사하지 않은 것은 [The reason he didn’t die instantly] 사내가 이룩한 경지 때문이리라 [must be because of the realm the man had achieved].

“그, 그런 게, 어떻게, 가능하단…… 쿨럭! [H, how could something like that be possible… Keulleok!]”

The man 바라보았다 [looked at] me while 바들바들 떨면서 [trembling].

It was 여전히 떨리는 눈빛 [still trembling eyes] that he couldn’t 믿을 수 [believe].

“되니까 했다. 그뿐이야 [It was possible, so I did it. That’s all].”

가능 불가능에 얽매여 있으니 저 모양인 것이다 [He’s in that state because he’s bound by what’s possible and impossible].

하여간 진리고 나발이고 별 시답지 않은 뜬구름 잡는 소리에 얽매여 있는 놈들은 다 저런 식이다 [Anyway, those guys who are bound by truth and whatever else, all that useless nonsense, are all like that].

그냥 눈앞에 일어났으면, 그게 가능하단 소리가 아니겠는가 [If it just happened before your eyes, doesn’t that mean it’s possible]?

그렇다면 어떻게 해야 하는지, 그게 중요한 것이다 [If so, what to do is what’s important].

The 사내’s 패인(敗因) [man’s cause of defeat] was that.

결코 내 심검이 우월하다거나, 사기적이었다거나 하는 것이 아닌, 세상을 받아들이는 방식의 차이였다 [It wasn’t that my Simgeom was superior or fraudulent, but rather a difference in the way I accepted the world].

“그, 런…… [Th, that kind of…]”

내 말을 이해한 것일까 [Did he understand my words]?

그 말을 끝으로, 꿈틀대던 사내’s 동공에 힘이 풀렸다 [With those words, the strength in the man’s twitching pupils was released].

I 잠시 그 사내를 내려다보다가 그대로 몸을 돌렸다 [looked down at the man for a moment and then turned my body].

“으, 어, 으……? [Eu, eo, eu…?]”

The 잔여물들이 [remnants] of the 머뭇거리던 [hesitating] Black Knight 날 발견하고는 움찔거렸다 [discovered me and flinched].

“이제 마무리를 지어 볼까? [Shall we finish this now?]”

녀석들을 처리한 뒤에는 노리고 있던 인형술사를 친다 [After dealing with those guys, I’ll strike the puppeteer I’ve been aiming for].

우우우웅!

내 발걸음에 맞춰 지면에 떨어져 있던 무기들과 함께, 허공에 흑기로 만들어진 무기들이 생성되기 시작했다 [In line with my footsteps, along with the weapons that had fallen on the ground, weapons made of black energy began to be created in the air].

“캬아아아! [Kyaaaa!]”

“크어어어! [Keueoeeo!]”

그에 반항하며 각 개체들이 내게 달려들었다 [Resisting that, each entity rushed at me].

* * *

The 전투 [battle] didn’t 오래 걸리지 [take long].

The 숫자는 [number] of the 녀석들 [guys] that 기어 올라온 [crawled up] the 지면을 [ground] 총 48마리 [totaled 48].

그중 47마리를 처리하고, 한 마리를 남겨 뒀다 [I dealt with 47 of them and left one behind].

“키엑! 케에에엑! 으, 아아! [Kiek! Keeek! Eu, aaa!]”

The 포박당한 개체 [captured entity] was 발버둥을 [struggling] in 채 포박된 [while being bound] by 쇠사슬로 [by chains] on 팔다리에 [its limbs].

양쪽 손목, 두 발에 내가 가진 무기를 십자가 모양으로 박아 넣었고, 교국의 신성 마력이 깃든 쇠사슬로 전신을 포박했다 [I hammered the weapons I had into both wrists and feet in the shape of a cross, and bound the whole body with chains imbued with the Holy Kingdom’s divine power].

“……컥! [……Keok!]”

게다가 녀석은 불사자일 뿐 기본적으로는 인간의 형태와 비슷하기에, 체내의 마력계를 제압해서 힘을 차단하기만 하면 생포하는 데 문제가 없었다 [Moreover, since the guy was just an undead and basically similar to the human form, there was no problem in capturing it alive as long as I suppressed the magic circuit in its body and cut off its power].

“……기분이 좀 그렇긴 하군요 [……I feel a little uncomfortable].”

세레나는 다소 찝찝한 얼굴로 지면에 고정된 녀석을 내려다보았다 [Serena looked down at the guy fixed to the ground with a somewhat uneasy face].

아무리 사람 같지 않은 사람이라지만, 일단 사람의 형태를 하고 있으니 그럴 수밖에 없었다 [No matter how inhuman the person is, it couldn’t be helped since it had a human form].

“그래도 필요한 일입니다 [But it’s necessary].”

“예, 저도 그걸 부정하는 건 아닙니다. 교국에서 연구를 진행하겠습니다 [Yes, I’m not denying that either. The Holy Kingdom will conduct research].”

녀석을 생포한 이유는, 이것들의 정체를 조금 더 명확히 알아내기 위해서였다 [The reason I captured the guy alive was to find out more clearly what these things were].

‘오히려 기분이 찝찝한 건…… 내 쪽이군 [Rather, the one who feels uncomfortable… is me].’

다소 옅긴 하지만 짙은 머리카락에, 노란 눈동자까지 [Slightly faint, but dark hair and yellow eyes].

숭무이가의 피를 이은 자들의 특징을 가진 녀석을 이렇게 다루는 게 다소 걸리긴 했다 [I was a little bothered by treating a guy with the characteristics of those who inherited the blood of the Soongmoo Yi family like this].

‘됐다. 필요한 일이니 [That’s enough. It’s a necessary thing].’

이건 적들의 전력이나 기술력을 알아내는 데 중요한 증거물이 될 것이다 [This will be an important piece of evidence in finding out the enemy’s strength or technology].

그리고 무엇보다…… 이것들이 정말 영혼을 가진 ‘사람’인지도 알아낼 수 있을 것이다 [And above all… I’ll be able to find out if these things are really ‘people’ with souls].

“그럼 세레나 님과 팔라딘분들은 이곳에서 경계와 후속 조치를 부탁드립니다 [Then, Serena and the Paladins, please take care of the guard and follow-up measures here].”

“예, 알겠습니다 [Yes, I understand].”

나는 몸을 돌리며, 방금 전 사내가 기어 올라왔던 통로 쪽을 바라보았다 [I turned my body and looked towards the passage where the man had crawled up just now].

“그럼…… 론, 이영성. 가자 [Then… Ron, Lee Youngsung. Let’s go].”

“예, 가 봅시다 [Yes, let’s go].”

론은 강철 기사단의 앞에 서서 눈을 빛냈고, 이영성과 철령대는 묵묵히 내 뒤편에 섰다 [Ron stood in front of the Steel Knights with shining eyes, and Lee Youngsung and Cheollyeongdae stood silently behind me].

그런데, 그때였다 [But then, it was].

“그럴 필요 없어 [There’s no need for that].”

그 통로의 어둠 속에서 누군가 걸어오며 중얼거렸다 [Someone walked out of the darkness of the passage and muttered].

“내가 내 발로 나왔으니까 [Because I came out on my own feet].”

후두둑!

걸어 나온 것은 한 소녀였다 [What came out was a girl].

통증이 없는 것인지, 제멋대로 뜯겨나간 한쪽 다리를 개의치 않고 목발을 짚으며, 소녀가 걸어 나오고 있었다 [Whether she had no pain, the girl was walking out, using crutches, without caring about one leg that had been torn off at will].

“왜 이런 곳에 아이가……! [Why is there a child in a place like this……!]”

“정신 차려. 론 [Wake up. Ron].”

나는 걸어 나온 소녀를 경계하며 론에게 말했다 [I said to Ron, wary of the girl who came out].

“저게 인형술사야 [That’s the puppeteer].”

내 마안은 정확하게 소녀를 응시했다 [My Mana Eye stared accurately at the girl].

정체를 뒤늦게 알아챈 론의 표정도 찌푸려졌다 [Ron’s expression, who belatedly realized the identity, also frowned].

걸어 올라온 인형술사는 헛웃음을 지으면서 말했다 [The puppeteer who walked up said with a hollow laugh].

“덕분에 몇 년을 쏟아부은 내 걸작들이 다 죽었네. 이거 어떻게 보상해 줄 거야? 뭐야, 저놈도 죽었네. 감당 가능해? 결국 저거 중요한 걸 깨워 버리기까지 한 데다, 저 남자의 밑에 얼마나 많은 사람이 있었는지 알아? 아니, 그, 아…… [Thanks to you, all my masterpieces that I poured years into are dead. How are you going to compensate me for this? What, that guy is dead too. Can you handle it? In the end, you even woke up that important thing, and do you know how many people were under that man? No, that, ah……].”

인형술사는 고개를 떨어뜨린 채 중얼중얼 무언가를 외우듯 말했다 [The puppeteer dropped her head and muttered something as if memorizing it].

‘어딘가 정상이 아닌 것 같습니다. 이철 [Something is not right. Lee Cheol].’

‘조심해. 뭔가 있다 [Be careful. There’s something].’

나는 인형술사를 바라보며, 신경을 건드리는 불길한 감각을 계속해서 느끼고 있었다 [I was looking at the puppeteer and continued to feel an ominous sensation that was nerve-wracking].

우우우웅!

체내의 흑기가 들끓었고, 육감이 찌릿찌릿 위험을 알려왔다 [The black energy in my body was boiling, and my sixth sense was tingling and telling me of danger].

그리고 [And].

“어, 어, 엇? [Uh, uh, eot?]”

지면이 기울어지기 시작했다 [The ground began to tilt].

‘바닥, 아래쪽? [The floor, the bottom?]’

지하다 [It’s underground].

지축 전체가 크게 흔들린다 [The entire ground is shaking greatly].

뒤편에 있던 무사들 중 몇 명이 중심을 못 잡고 넘어졌고, 혹시 몰라 지면에 고정해 놓은 흑기사 개체들의 사체가 동시에 굴러떨어졌다 [Some of the warriors behind me lost their balance and fell, and at the same time, the corpses of the Black Knight entities that had been fixed to the ground in case of emergency rolled down].

허우적거리는 사람들과 굴러가는 온갖 돌덩이와 시체들 [Floundering people and rolling stones and corpses].

미개척지대의 설원이 요동치기 시작했다 [The snowfield in the unexplored territory began to shake].

콰아아아아앙!

기어코 지면이 폭발했다 [Eventually, the ground exploded].

매캐한 연기가 자욱하게 피어오르고, 맑던 하늘이 순식간에 짙은 검은 구름으로 가득 찼다 [Acrid smoke rose thickly, and the clear sky was instantly filled with thick black clouds].

‘뭐지? 몬스터인가? 아니, 몬스터가 이런 기운을 품을 수가 있단 말인가? [What is it? Is it a monster? No, can a monster have this kind of energy?]’

4급 이하의 어중간한 몬스터가 아니었다 [It wasn’t an intermediate monster below level 4].

환상 속에서 싸웠던 귀수산과도 비교할 수 없는 기운이다 [It’s an energy that can’t even be compared to the Guisusan I fought in the illusion].

쿠구구구!

지면이 파도처럼 꿀렁이며 요동쳤다 [The ground rippled and shook like a wave].

지하에서 거대한 무언가가 헤엄치듯 이동한 것이다 [Something huge moved as if swimming underground].

대체, 어떤 존재가 있어 이런 현상을 만들어 낼 수 있단 말인가 [What kind of being is there that can create this phenomenon]?

그리고 사람들은 저 멀리, 설원의 하늘을 향해 무언가가 치밀어 오르는 것을 보았다 [And people saw something soaring into the sky of the snowfield in the distance].

“……용? [……Dragon?]”

하늘에서 떨어져 내린 기둥처럼, 거대하기 그지없는 무언가가 하늘로 치솟아 오르고 있었다 [Like a pillar falling from the sky, something incredibly huge was soaring into the sky].

화아아악!

순간, 폭풍이 몰아쳤다 [At that moment, a storm raged].

그 바람결에 묻어 있는 독기에 나는 저도 모르게 입가를 가렸다 [I unknowingly covered my mouth with the poison buried in the wind].

“Miðgarðsormr.”

인형술사가 웃음기 어린 목소리로 말했다 [The puppeteer said in a laughing voice].

처음 듣는 언어였기에 나는 알아들을 수가 없었다 [I couldn’t understand it because it was a language I heard for the first time].

그저 북유럽 등지에서 사용되는 언어들과 억양이 비슷하다 느꼈을 뿐이었다 [I just felt that the intonation was similar to the languages used in Northern Europe and other places].

그러나 론만큼은 그 언어의 의미를 알고 있는 것인지 입을 쩍 벌리고 경직되고 말았다 [However, Ron opened his mouth wide and stiffened, as if he knew the meaning of the language].

“저게 무슨 말이야? [What does that mean?]”

“고대 노르드어입니다. 그, 그 세계의 뱀이란 뜻입니다…… [It’s Old Norse. It means the serpent of that world……].”

“뭐? [What?]”

나는 마른침을 삼키며 저 멀리 솟아오르고 있는 괴수를 바라보았다 [I swallowed hard and looked at the monster soaring in the distance].

그때, 인형술사가 나직이 말을 이었다 [Then, the puppeteer continued in a low voice].

저것을 부르는 이름은 따로 존재했다 [There was a separate name for calling that].

“요르문간드(Jormungandr)……? [Jormungandr……?]”

1급 몬스터, 북유럽 미개척지대의 잠들어 있는 왕 [Level 1 monster, the sleeping king of the Nordic unexplored territory].

고대 이후로 깨어난 적 없던 멸망급 괴수가 모습을 드러낸 것이었다 [It was a doomsday-class monster that had never been awakened since ancient times that had revealed its appearance].