Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 265

Weapon-Devouring Bastard – Episode 265

The peak of the Aerial Fortress.

The seven dwarves who resided within the Aerial Fortress sat in a circle around a large crystal ball.

“It’s over.”

“It’s difficult.”

“I’m tired.”

…….

“Everyone’s in. It’s over now.”

The seven of them spoke these words in unison, slowly moving away from the giant crystal ball.

Kugugugung…….

A deep, resonant sound echoed throughout the fortress.

It was the sound of the seven pillars of light that had extended from the Aerial Fortress slowly retracting and disappearing.

In 21st-century modern civilization, space magic is considered an incredibly complex and challenging discipline.

Moving objects, let alone living beings, across vast distances requires a tremendous investment of resources and time.

Therefore, even the installation of a single-use teleportation device demands a significant amount of effort.

But just now, they had transported dozens, even hundreds, of people.

It was an feat that would be considered impossible with modern magic engineering, at least with the current understanding and technology.

Even after accomplishing such a monumental task, they didn’t seem particularly impressed or concerned.

“Who will conduct the first test?”

“I will.”

The robe, which had been drooping as if exhausted, slowly straightened up.

Inside the robe, where shadows still clung mysteriously, yellow eyes flickered with an eerie light.

“Starting. Now.”

He reached out his hand towards the crystal ball once more.

Hwaaaah!

The crystal ball flared to life, its light burning intensely.

“Now the test finally begins.”

One dwarf declared.

However, as if in disagreement, another dwarf shook his robe and countered.

“There is. One person. Someone who came. He experienced it too.”

“That’s right. He was there.”

“The one who even overcame death.”

The dwarves wearing robes trembled, a subtle tremor that spoke volumes.

Only one person in the long history of the fortress.

There was someone who ascended this fortress without permission, a trespasser who defied its defenses.

In those days, the dwarves had entertained the notion that he might become the owner of this fortress, a successor to its power.

“Now it’s in the past.”

“Who will it be? The one who passes the test.”

“I don’t know. Maybe no one.”

“That can’t be.”

“We just wait.”

Wooowoong!

The crystal ball began to emit a strange, rhythmic hum, like an engine starting up.

“I’ll start. The test now.”

The dwarf who had volunteered to go first placed his hand firmly on the crystal ball.

The seven trials that the man who ascended this fortress long ago had faced were now prepared to be unleashed.

The one who passes all these tests will regain all the history that has disappeared on this planet…….

* * *

When I wake up from sleep, or when I regain consciousness after losing it, there’s a routine I follow.

I check my body before anything else, a quick diagnostic to assess the damage or changes.

And as soon as I grasp the state of my body, I was met with a shocking revelation.

“What?”

I had to face an unbelievable situation, something that defied logic and experience.

‘What on earth is this?’

I felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness, a void where strength used to be.

Without realizing it, I jumped up and began frantically groping my body, searching for something that was missing.

“……Gone?”

It felt like my head was being bleached white, all thoughts and memories fading into a blank canvas.

No matter how much I searched, it wasn’t there. The thing I was looking for was absent.

Mana.

All the mana I had accumulated as a martial artist throughout my life, the very essence of my power, could not be felt even in the slightest. It was as if it had vanished without a trace.

‘What on earth is going on?’

Before I succumbed to confusion and panic, I forced myself to focus and grasp the situation.

First, I sat down on the spot and began to run through mana techniques, the familiar routines that had been ingrained in my mind for years.

From the mana core [the center of mana generation and storage in the body] to the mana circuit [the network of pathways through which mana flows], I meticulously checked each part of my internal system.

From the mana circuit back to the mana core, tracing the flow in reverse.

A special mana technique that utilizes both organs in a complex interplay.

I slowly and deliberately checked the mana system, just like when I first learned it, revisiting the fundamentals.

Like that, 1 minute passed.

10 minutes.

1 hour.

……

……The mana technique was not activated. It remained dormant, unresponsive to my will.

“……Mana has disappeared.”

I was forced to confront an undeniable reality, a truth that shook me to my core.

The vast amount of mana that was so full it was overflowing, a reservoir of power that defined me, could not be felt even in the slightest. It was gone, leaving only emptiness.

A sense of helplessness and profound loss washed over my body, a wave of despair that threatened to drown me.

It was as if…… I had returned to my body from my previous life, stripped of all the progress and power I had gained.

“…….”

My senses became dull, and my body felt heavy, weighed down by the absence of mana.

A somewhat confusing feeling, a disorienting mix of shock and disbelief.

But I quickly pulled myself together, forcing myself to analyze the situation calmly and rationally.

‘Mana can’t just disappear like this.’

My mana, along with the special mana organs I possessed and all sorts of elixirs [magical potions] I had consumed throughout my life, was so abundant that even my eldest brother, a master of mana himself, admired it.

It is impossible to extinguish that much mana without my will, even if I tried to do it myself. Such a feat would be beyond my capabilities.

‘If I think about it, not only is there no mana within me, but the mana techniques themselves don’t work at all. I can’t feel mana in the atmosphere either.’

Even putting aside the question of whether that is possible, there is actually no mana felt around me. The ambient energy is absent.

Perhaps my mana disappeared because I entered this space, a consequence of crossing some unknown boundary.

I feel like my head is turning a bit now, the implications of this situation swirling in my mind.

‘It could be the test that the Aerial Fortress was talking about,’ I reasoned.

I looked around, taking in my surroundings with a more critical eye.

Now that I see it, it was a bizarre jungle that was hard to express with just the word unfamiliar. It was alien, unlike anything I had ever encountered.

The texture of the bushes and the ground, even the quality and smell of the air…….

I had traveled all over the world, exploring hidden corners and forgotten places, but this was the first time I had seen a place like this. It was unique and unsettling.

‘It feels like an unexplored zone, a place untouched by civilization.’

If you remove only the ominousness of the unexplored zone, wouldn’t it feel like this?

The scenery of the jungle that I see now was exactly like that, a blend of wonder and foreboding.

‘Anyway, mana has disappeared, but this space is highly likely to be a testing ground. And if it’s a test, there’s no way that only I would be given this obstacle.’

If so, it doesn’t matter. I can adapt and overcome.

What’s gone is gone. I knew why it was gone, so it doesn’t matter. Understanding the situation is the first step to solving it.

I immediately shrugged my shoulders and shook off the complicated thoughts, casting aside the doubts and fears that threatened to overwhelm me.

I can’t use the Evil Eye [a technique that relies on mana] because there is no mana, but I have a body that has been trained to the limit, honed to perfection through years of rigorous practice.

“It’s okay.”

Then that’s it for thinking. Analysis complete.

The judgment is over. It’s time to move forward.

Now it was time to act instead of staying still, to take control of the situation and forge my own path.

“First, I need to check the situation and move. I need to join the warriors of the main family in the middle…….”

That’s when it happened, the moment my plans were interrupted.

Rustle!

In front of me.

The densely grown bushes are shaking, disturbed by some unseen presence.

Something small was approaching, drawing closer with each rustle.

I habitually reached for Eunhan’s vest, but.

‘……There’s no mana.’

Eunhan’s vest was also equipment that operated based on mana, a tool rendered useless by the current circumstances.

I immediately nodded and clenched my fist, preparing for whatever might emerge from the bushes.

The moment I lowered my posture while watching the rustling bushes, ready to react.

“Oh, oh.”

What appeared after walking through the bushes was ‘something’ that was only up to my waist, a diminutive figure that defied easy categorization.

‘A dwarf?’

I mistook it for a dwarf for a moment, but they were too small, even for dwarves.

It looked as if a child was wearing a loose robe to play a prank, a comical image that clashed with the seriousness of the situation.

“Test. Participating child. You, looking for.”

The dwarf spoke in a strange tone, his voice distorted and unnatural.

He slightly raised his head and looked up at me, his gaze unsettling.

I couldn’t see the face inside the robe, the hood obscuring his features.

It wasn’t that it was shaded and couldn’t be seen. It was something far more disturbing.

Only pitch-black darkness filled the inside of the robe, an abyss where a face should have been, and only two yellow eyes that looked like eyes could be seen, glowing with an eerie intensity.

I saw that figure and suddenly recalled the records related to the Aerial Fortress written in the ancient documents, forgotten lore that resurfaced in my memory.

“Are you a resident of the Aerial Fortress?”

“That’s right.”

The hem of the robe moved up and down repeatedly as if nodding, a silent affirmation.

“You, special. Originally, as soon as you come in, in front of me. But here.”

“You mean I should have appeared in front of you as soon as I came in, but I appeared here, in this jungle?”

“That’s right. Why?”

“……Don’t you know that?”

The dwarf paused for a moment, narrowed his yellow eyes, and looked at me with renewed interest.

“You’re the one. The one who returned from death. Alive, but free from cause and effect.”

I paused for a moment, taken aback by his words.

Was he talking about my regression, my journey back in time?

“What does that mean?”

“Can’t say. You can know if you become the winner of the test.”

I felt a little uncomfortable, but I nodded for now, accepting his cryptic explanation.

The dwarf quietly looked up at me, his gaze unwavering.

“You, amazing. Other kids. Surprised and fussing. But calm, why? Suddenly disappeared, not surprised? Mana.”

He asked if I wasn’t surprised that the mana disappeared, a question that revealed his understanding of the situation.

“Besides, this is a space, unfamiliar. Children of the land are usually embarrassed. But you, immediately tried to move.”

I shook my head, dismissing his praise.

“I was surprised in my own way too. It’s just that I don’t show it.”

“Can’t see. Like that.”

“I saw this as part of the test you mentioned. So I just accepted it, adapting to the circumstances.”

The dwarf didn’t say anything for a while, lost in thought.

“……As expected.”

The dwarf stepped back slightly, creating distance between us.

He retreated smoothly as if sliding on the ground, a fluid and unnatural movement.

“It’s a descendant of that. The only one who wasn’t surprised. Only you.”

“That?”

“Can’t say. Now. That too.”

The dwarf suddenly floated into the air as if his words were over, his body defying gravity.

“Look. Straight at my eyes. From now on, I will explain about the test.”

I nodded and looked at the dwarf, focusing on his glowing yellow eyes.

And soon, telepathy began to be heard, his thoughts invading my mind.

-This is the land of the beginning.

-All your products have disappeared.

-The one who survives. The one who finds out the truth of the land.

-Only those who achieve these two tasks will finish the test and receive the next trial.

-Be careful. This primordial land will see you, who have lost your strength, as weak prey.

-The one who passes all seven trials will become the owner of this fortress.

The dwarf fell away from me again at the end of that, his telepathic message complete.

“……Is that the end?”

“End. Now start. Test.”

Somewhat ambiguous content, lacking in specifics.

But I understood roughly, grasping the core requirements.

Survival.

And exploration and investigation.

The contents of the test could be summarized like this, a simple yet daunting challenge.

‘More than that, the owner of the fortress?’

Aerial Fortress.

Are you saying that I will become the owner of this, which all the giant forces are running at with their eyes wide open, vying for control?

“End. Then. Test start.”

The dwarf said that and turned his body, preparing to depart.

I stopped him for a moment, a question burning in my mind.

“Wait. I have one question.”

“Originally not allowed. To talk.”

“Why isn’t it allowed? Then isn’t what you just did with me a conversation?”

“…….”

There was no answer, only silence.

I was frustrated, so I immediately opened my mouth, pressing my advantage.

“Since I am starting the test late due to your mistake, please answer just one thing, as compensation.”

“……Okay. Just one.”

“What is your purpose? Why are you conducting this test this time when there has never been such a thing before? What motivates you?”

The dwarf’s yellow eyes shook, a flicker of emotion in their depths.

As if crushed, it trembled and soon slowly began to make a voice, hesitant and strained.

“We, forgotten ones. To find the child of prophecy to release us from our task…….”

At that moment, the darkness inside the robe seemed to deepen even more, an oppressive void that swallowed the light.

That was the end of the words, and the dwarf suddenly disappeared as his body scattered into motes of light, vanishing without a trace.

-Pass the test, child. I’ll look forward to it.

Those were the only words left in the place where the dwarf disappeared, a lingering echo in the silence.

I took a breath and organized my thoughts in the place where the dwarf disappeared, processing the information I had received.

Anyway, the prediction was correct, and I was sure of what I had to do now, my path forward clear.

‘Join the warriors of the main family. Finish preparing for survival, build a base, and then explore the vicinity.’

If only I was dropped off in a remote place, the warriors of the main family are likely to be gathered together, seeking strength in numbers.

My second sister is also there, so there is nothing to worry about. And my sister will have the same thoughts as me, sharing my strategic mindset.

First of all, I had to search this area like crazy for terrain that would be easy to build a base on, a defensible location that offered strategic advantages.

If they are gathered as a group, they would have taken a position that fits the tactics textbook of Soongmoo Lee family, so it wouldn’t be too difficult to find, their actions predictable based on their training.

I immediately kicked off the ground and ran, putting my plan into action.

I moved quickly, clearing bushes and cutting down branches, forging a path through the dense jungle.

The more I moved, the more unfamiliar terrain and bushes unfolded before my eyes, a landscape that seemed to stretch on endlessly.

‘Looking at the state of the sky and the speed of the sun…… It doesn’t seem like an artificially created space or a completely different world, but something in between.’

Was it called the land of the beginning?

That word seemed to be a hint to find out about this space, a clue to unravel its mysteries.

So I kept moving, driven by purpose and determination.

How long has it been?

I stopped walking while moving, my senses on high alert.

‘A presence.’

It was the moment I had been running for a while, pushing myself to my limits.

I clearly heard something like human speech, carried on the wind.

“Squeak, squeak!”

……It was definitely a human voice, but it was an awkward voice that was uncomfortable to hear, grating on my ears.

I hid my presence and hid among the bushes, looking at the side where the presence was heard, trying to identify the source.

It was that moment, the moment of revelation.

Swish! Kwadeuk!

Something flew and hit the back, striking with unexpected force.

Something that looked like a horn or a awl, a sharp projectile.

I knew what that was, recognizing it instantly.

Level 4 spider-type monster. Chrome Tarantula’s poison stinger, a deadly weapon.

……It was never something a human could throw, a feat beyond human capabilities.

“Found, found, found…… Successor. Successor!”

One strangely twisted man looked at me, hitting his teeth together, his body contorted in unnatural ways.

His forearms were deformed like a spider’s, grotesque and unsettling.

Behemoth’s mask-level cultist, a follower of a dark and twisted faith.

What I thought was a person was that, a monster in human form.

‘It’s so annoying that I can’t use the sense of energy, my ability to detect and analyze energy signatures rendered useless.’

I chuckled and pulled up the tension in my body, preparing for a fight.

“Kieeeek!”

“Successor! Successor!”

“Found it! Found it!”

Was that the beginning, the signal for an attack?

Twisted Behemoth cultists began to rush in like crazy from all over the place, emerging from the shadows like nightmares made flesh.

‘Did these guys also succeed in crossing the bridge, surviving the initial trials?’

I took a step back and frowned, assessing the threat.

They can’t use mana either, a limitation we share.

But it seems they can use the transformed body itself, drawing power from their mutations.

“Kihehehehe!”

One by one, I felt the presence rushing in with strange cries, their voices filled with madness and bloodlust.

I and other warriors have become people with slightly special bodies because mana has disappeared, our physical abilities enhanced to compensate for the loss of magic.

This test is bound to be advantageous to Behemoth, favoring their brute strength and monstrous transformations.

“Kieik! Keaeeeek!”

At that moment, the man with the spider’s arm kicked off the ground as if he couldn’t wait any longer and rushed at me, his movements swift and deadly.

Following that, a woman wearing strange leather was jumping down from a tree branch behind me, ambushing me from above.

Both the front and back were blocked, a classic pincer movement.

Besides, that guy can use some of the monster’s power, making him a formidable opponent.

But I didn’t care, my resolve unwavering.

I don’t have mana now, it’s true.

But I had another power, and I had confirmed that the energy was working while using mana techniques as soon as I fell here, a hidden reserve of strength.

“It’s better this way.”

Puuuk!

A noise like a leather drum tearing flowed out, a sickening sound of flesh being pierced.

The man with the spider’s arm trembled as if he couldn’t believe it, his eyes wide with shock.

In his eyes, he saw a black sword piercing his heart, a fatal blow delivered with precision.

Where on earth did he take that out from, he seemed to be asking, his mind struggling to comprehend the impossible.

Next moment.

“Keeaeeek!”

Puhwak! Kwadeuk!

Lee Cheol nonchalantly let go of the sword, and then created a black spear in the air again and pierced through the woman who had rushed in from behind, eliminating the second threat.

Kwang!

The spear blade stretched out as it was and pierced through a large rock, demonstrating its immense power.

It was a tremendous force, as if he had used mana, a display of raw strength that defied explanation.

“Now that it’s come to this, I’ll reduce the numbers before the full-scale fight, thinning their ranks before the real battle begins.”

Tudduk! Ttuk!

I lightly loosened my body and created another weapon, preparing for the onslaught.

Mana has disappeared, but I am not defenseless.

But I have another energy left, a dark and potent force.

Black energy.

The Behemoth guys seem to be able to use some of the power of the mask, drawing strength from their twisted transformations, but I can also use black energy, harnessing a power that is both terrifying and exhilarating.

“Kieee! Keaeee! Successor! Successor Seungja Successor!”

Woojik!

I twisted the neck of the convulsing man and turned my body as it was, moving with ruthless efficiency.

“Well, then.”

I grabbed another weapon made of black energy in my hand, ready to face the remaining cultists.

Before finding the warriors of the main family and starting the test in earnest, it seemed like I could reduce the competitors a little and start, eliminating some of the threats that stood in my way.