Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 124

Tales of a Wandering Swordsman – 123

Days on Geomnyeong Island were monotonous.

Chanting the incantation of Mankgeuk Ilgeom [Myriad Sword Art of Absolute Destruction] and using Sinshik [spiritual perception] to create swords.

That was all there was to it.

Hwaran attended to San-gun and spent her remaining time with Tamhwa.

They seemed to hit it off, wandering around Geongonju [a training area on the island].

And at night, they slept in the secret chamber or the thatched house.

It was a secluded place, and since it was only for training, there was nothing to worry about.

The year with Hwaran passed quickly.

“Don’t push yourself too hard. You can give up if it doesn’t seem right. After all, I’ll melt into the cycle of reincarnation and be reborn anew, won’t I? Since the red thread between me and San-gun is connected, we’ll surely meet somewhere.”

“I’ve heard that even nonsense becomes a work of art if sincerity is put into it. Stop with the discouraging words and sleep quietly. I’ll wake you up soon and make you a Geomnyeong [Sword Spirit].”

At his grumbling, a strange smile appeared on Hwaran’s lips.

“Do you want me that much? To make me into a sword and keep me inside you?”

More mischief.

“A man naturally wants to embrace a woman. I didn’t know you saw me that way… but what can I do? I’m a powerless woman, so I have to undress if you tell me to, and be embraced if you tell me to… sob sob.”

She was incredibly sly.

But that playful appearance was Hwaran.

Whether in life or after, she only played pranks on San-gun.

“Alright.”

“Yes?”

San-gun pulled her close and hugged her.

Then, gazing at her deeply.

“How about I help you rise in status?”

Their noses were almost touching.

Saying that in front of her made Hwaran’s eyes widen like lanterns, and she moved her lips.

But only for a moment.

A seductive smile appeared.

“You’ve grown up a lot. You’re even thinking of taking a concubine now that you’re all grown up. You used to just follow me around.”

She smiled slyly, bringing up old memories.

San-gun turned his back on Hwaran as if his mood was spoiled.

“It won’t be long. It won’t take that long this time.”

This place was Geomnyeong Island, isolated from the world.

If he trained calmly, it would be quick.

Even if the world made Geomnotakseang [Sword Spirit Ascension] difficult, he alone would rise quickly.

He always had.

“Yes. I’ll wait happily.”

Soon, he took out a lotus incense burner from his chest, and her figure blurred like smoke.

“Still…”

Just before entering the incense burner.

She said with a wistful look.

“Don’t overdo it.”

Whirr.

Her figure disappeared into the incense burner, but only her voice remained deeply.

“Wait for me.”

He looked at the incense burner with melancholic eyes and carefully put it in his arms.

And 10 years passed.

* * *

A secret chamber with only one candle lit.

Inside, a woman with long white hair was sitting cross-legged.

The tips of her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and then she opened her eyes.

“Haa…”

With a breath like a sigh, a pure white chill froze the surroundings.

After gathering her energy, she stepped out of the secret chamber and saw a woman leaning against the wall.

“Congratulations. It seems coming here was the right answer after all. You’ve ascended to Hwanseon [Lesser Celestial] in just a few years.”

“My husband is keeping himself so hidden away, I can’t just be playing around by myself. Isn’t it a bit stifling for a woman to only be protected by a man?”

The two women were Yoho and Choa, who had come north for training.

She had risen to Hwanseon in just 10 years. She had extremely outstanding talent from the start, so there were no difficulties.

“It would have been easier to train if you had entered the Ice Palace… it’s a shame.”

Choa didn’t bother to answer.

She was overjoyed to have reached Hwanseon.

But even though she had a husband to share this joy with, she couldn’t meet him, so her heart was filled with regret.

“Are you thinking of your husband?”

“Yes. If I had known this would happen, I should have looked into ways to contact him.”

She regretted that.

It was said that affection between men and women was forbidden for the sake of the Great Dao [the path to enlightenment], but how could human hearts be that way?

The longing for her beloved was only more painful the more she thought about it.

“Then quickly become a Taeseon [Greater Celestial]. Your husband’s talent is outstanding, so he must be single-mindedly moving forward even now. You need to be at least a Taeseon to stand beside him.”

Yoho said, clicking her tongue.

She was his Yeonggeop Yuksa [Soul Companion], but she couldn’t follow him because San-gun was worried about Choa.

“I must. I knew it would take a long time, though I don’t know when he’ll return. He’s not one to sit still for long. So I’m planning to focus on training for 200 or 300 years. I need to do that much to be on par with my husband…”

The two women continued to long for him for a long time before returning to their respective residences.

* * *

At the same time.

San-gun’s eyebrows moved incessantly, and his brow furrowed.

Before him, something was popping in the strangely fluctuating air.

Bang!

“Damn it!”

San-gun punched the ground and cursed.

The reason was none other than Mankgeuk Ilgeom [Myriad Sword Art of Absolute Destruction].

He couldn’t reach the 1st level.

“It’s been 10 years. Already 10 years!”

To be exact, 11 years on Geomnyeong Island.

Time enough for even mountains and rivers to change.

But there was no progress in San-gun’s mountains and rivers.

There were countless excuses, but in the end, it was because it was too difficult.

That’s right.

The mysteries of Mankgeuk Ilgeom were too difficult.

Too difficult.

What he had realized in 11 years was that creating ten thousand swords with Sinshik [spiritual perception] was impossible.

What was Sinshik?

It was a type of spirit, a form of thought.

Sinshik was a type of divine power that perceived external objects based on mental strength.

But making that into a sword was impossible.

Of course, there were incantations and mysteries of Mankgeuk Ilgeom that made it possible.

But in the end, words were just words.

There was a limit.

San-gun’s perception was average.

His mind was sharp, but not outstanding.

To him, the swordsmanship of Mankgeuk Ilgeom was difficult, 까다로웠으며 [intricate], and distant.

But he couldn’t give up.

If he gave up, Hwaran would die.

Now, there were only about 20 years left at most. If he didn’t complete the 1st level soon, Hwaran’s soul would scatter and reincarnate.

Reincarnation was as good as death.

He absolutely couldn’t let that happen.

“But the method…”

Blood flowed from his fist as he incessantly bit his nails.

He was anxious.

He was anxious, but there was no brilliant idea.

Since there was no suitable solution, his anxiety grew and consumed him.

How could anxiety only grow like this? It was like 불가살(不可殺) [Bulgasal, an immortal creature that feeds on metal], increasing in size.

In his thatched house and secret chamber, there were also traces of the swordsmen who had mastered Mankgeuk Ilgeom in the past.

Their pain, regret, and despair were also written on the walls of the secret chamber.

None of them had achieved the 1st level.

Geomnyeong Island was a place where you could only leave after mastering the swordsmanship.

But since they hadn’t even awakened the 1st level, how distant must their despair have been?

And San-gun was no different.

His eyes had lost their clarity, and he couldn’t stay still for a moment.

Only aimless screams echoed.

Time, which yielded no results, flowed mercilessly and equally.

Thus, hundreds of suns set and moons rose. But he didn’t give up. He remained motionless in that spot, constantly moving his Sinshik [spiritual perception].

He had no time to think about anything else.

He only thought about achieving Mankgeuk Ilgeom as soon as possible.

When he closed his eyes, he kept thinking of Hwaran, so he didn’t feel like resting.

But the path to the 1st level was distant.

His talent was lacking.

With his ordinary talent, it was 막막했다 [bleak].

“What do you mean it won’t take long? How can I master the 6th level if I can’t even achieve the 1st level!”

He repeated the words he had said to Hwaran and mocked himself. Talent. His talent was lacking.

That damn talent always held him back.

It was a 지긋지긋한 거머리같은 놈이다 [a persistent leech].

But he couldn’t stop.

He made a hand seal again and moved his Sinshik [spiritual perception]. Tatat! Tak! The sound of firewood burning was heard in response to the Sinshik.

If he couldn’t even make one sword, when could he make ten thousand swords?

It was 아득했다 [faint, far off].

It was like a fog, he could see it but couldn’t grasp it.

‘You can’t grasp it?’

It was then.

Hwaran’s words suddenly came to mind.

‘Do you have to grasp it with your hands?’

[Then how do you grasp it?]

‘If you inhale it through your nose, it enters your body, so you can say you’ve grasped it.’

The memory of Hwaran, full of playfulness.

That made San-gun’s eyes light up.

Then one day.

On a day when the full moon was 창연한 [bright and clear].

Suddenly, he returned to his true form and moved his lips, chanting a spell.

As he opened his mouth, a red lotus came out, spinning around.

From within it, a Cheongbong [Azure Phoenix] flapped its wings, 뿌리며 [scattering] flames of gold and azure.

Perhaps because it had absorbed Geumyeon [Golden Flame] , using Doryeonmahwa [Lotus Incarnation] as its home, the Cheongbong’s tail feathers were stained with gold and azure.

Regardless, San-gun chanted the spell as if possessed, and the Cheongbong soon spewed out Geumyeon [Golden Flame] and Cheongyeon [Azure Flame].

Then, a thick green flame burned in the air, 발하며 [emitting] a jade color.

Soon, the bamboo tubes around him 떠올라 스르륵 [rose up smoothly] and opened their lids, and thousands of needles poured out.

The needles swam in the air like a school of fish, then suddenly merged into one and turned into a giant scythe. Bong didn’t miss the opportunity and shot 녹염 [Green Flame] at the scythe.

The scythe that received the 녹염 달아올랐 시뻘겋게 [Green Flame turned red-hot] as if it would melt at any moment.

[Cut it off.]

Seogeok!

Tuk.

“Heop!”

Tamhwa, who was hiding and watching the scene, covered her mouth with both hands in surprise.

Wasn’t he cutting off his own horn? How could she not be surprised?

But it wasn’t over yet.

San-gun put the cut-off horn in a strange jar and closed the lid.

Then, the light of the full moon 발해 [shone] and light 발발했다 [erupted] in all directions, and the 천지원기 [spiritual energy of the universe] gathered.

Then, the horn that was put in the jar became two, not one.

San-gun took one of them back to his own horn and moved his lips.

He had cut off his own horn, so his 원기 [vital energy] must have been severely damaged.

But San-gun had a smile on his face as if he was excited about something.

[I never knew it would be so fortunate that I’m a 쌍각부호 [Double-Horned Demon]…]

If the horns of a 쌍각부호 [Double-Horned Demon] are 연화시켜 [refined] and kept in the head, their talent changes rapidly.

It exerts its effect more and more as time passes.

San-gun, who had brought all the scriptures from the seven sects of the Harisan Mountains, spent a considerable amount of time reading all the records about 쌍각부호 [Double-Horned Demon].

Most of the 선단 [elixirs] and 보패 [treasures] that could be made with 쌍각부호 [Double-Horned Demon] made him frown, but he finally found it.

In the first place, the reason why 쌍각부호 [Double-Horned Demon] was famous was all because of this horn.

There was no way he couldn’t find it.

Thanks to that, he had to rest for a while and wait for the horn to recover, but he didn’t care.

The reason why he 감행했다 [dared to do this] like this was also because he had read all the records about 쌍각부호 [Double-Horned Demon].

When 쌍각부호 [Double-Horned Demon] reaches 영겁 [Eternity] and achieves 탈형 [Transformation], they drop their horns once and 도모한다 [plan] new horns, just like deer do when they 갈이한다 [shed] their horns.

Even if they cut it off and reattach it once, they 갈이한다 [shed] their horns when they reach 영겁 [Eternity], so it doesn’t matter.

[I guess I only need to do it one more time in half a month. Then I can save Hwaran.]

If the situation wasn’t urgent, he wouldn’t have done this.

But as mentioned earlier, the situation was what it was, so he couldn’t help it.

He had to use all the numbers he could.

So, half a month later.

San-gun cut off the opposite horn again and reattached it.

While spending a year 정양하며 [recuperating], he 연화시켜 [refined] the two horns and put them in his head.

He called it 쌍각부오(雙角部悟) [Double-Horned Enlightenment] and trained, chanting related 구결 [incantations].

The time that flowed 속절없이 [relentlessly] could not be stopped, and before he knew it, 20 years had passed.

A strong wind swept away the fog on Geomnyeong Island and traveled between the 건곤주 [training areas], creating sharp noises.

San-gun’s hair fluttered in the face of the violent wind, but he didn’t move.

He was sitting cross-legged, only 빠져들고 [immersed] into himself.

Soon, a blue 영기 [spiritual energy] rose.

San-gun’s body floated up.

The 영기 [spiritual energy] rose 스멀스멀 [slowly] and created a ring above his head.

Another ring on top of that ring.

A total of five rings bloomed.

It was the shape of 오기조원(五氣朝元) [Five Energies Converging to the Origin].

It was then.

Suddenly, San-gun, who had 치켜뜬 [raised] his eyes, quickly made a hand seal, chanted a spell with his mouth, and spread his arms.

Then, a 광풍 [violent wind] raged in all directions, and thousands of 잔영 [afterimages] flickered in the air.

Soon, the appearance of the 잔영 [afterimages] that shone blue was in the shape of a sword.

The number of them gradually increased, filling the sky and 격상했다 [elevated] to ten thousand at once.

San-gun’s eyes sparkled.

Tat!

He threw the incense burner from his chest into the air and changed the hand seal.

Soon, the 건곤주 [training areas] trembled terribly, and a 광풍 [violent wind] raged.

Under that influence, the surrounding 건곤주 [training areas] trembled violently, and the swordsmen all looked at San-gun’s 건곤주 [training area] as 괴이 현상이 [strange phenomena] appeared.

The 새까만 [jet-black] soul that came out of the incense burner 벗어던졌다 [shed] its 허물 [shell].

Soon, it 변모했다 [transformed] into a pure white soul.

Once again, he put his hands together, changed the hand seal, and chanted a spell, and the spell letters 튀어나와 [popped out] from his mouth and were 쏘아졌다 [shot] into the soul.

Then, the soul trembled 부르르 [violently] and 갈라졌다 [split] into ten thousand pieces at once.

파고들었다 [Dug into] into the intangible sword.

찬란한 [Brilliant] light 만연했다 [pervaded] in all directions.

“Ah.”

Only then did San-gun feel relieved and let out a short 탄성 [exclamation]. Soon, 정혈 [pure blood] dripped from his nose, and he 풀썩 [collapsed].

The swords that filled the sky disappeared like a mirage.

The wind was as still as if it had never happened.

“Aah.”

But his chest was 격동했다 [agitated].

He had finally completed it.

The 1st level of Mankgeuk Ilgeom [Myriad Sword Art of Absolute Destruction]…!

‘But now it’s just the beginning.’

Hwaran had not yet awakened.

Only when he achieved the 6th level and rose to Geomnotakseang [Sword Spirit Ascension] could he awaken her.

But for now.

A little.

He could rest.

San-gun’s eyes 스르륵 [slowly] closed.