Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 125

Romance of Nangseon – Chapter 124

San-gun, having completed the first level of Mankuk Ilgeom [Ten Thousand Swords Art], slept soundly for a whole month.

It was as if he was healing from 31 years of hardship through sleep, almost as if he were dead.

And when he woke up.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

Tam-hwa was at his bedside, placing a damp towel on his forehead.

Splash.

With the sound, droplets of water streamed down from the towel.

It seemed she hadn’t wrung it out properly.

San-gun blinked, removed the towel, and sat up.

“Are you okay now?”

“…Yes.”

The eyes looking at him with concern were exceedingly lovely.

San-gun stroked Tam-hwa’s head and got up.

“But where did you learn this?”

“Hwa-ran taught me!”

Could it be that she had gained some pride?

She puffed out her shoulders and spoke confidently.

‘So that’s what they were doing together.’

It seemed she had been teaching her such things. She should be worrying about herself…

‘She hasn’t changed.’

Just like in his previous life.

San-gun, smiling contentedly for a moment, summoned Mankuk Ilgeom.

Suddenly, the surrounding air violently fluctuated, and the afterimage of the blue sword emerged.

It was enough to fill the sky.

The vast release of divine power made San-gun frown.

But it was bearable.

This headache would gradually improve as he got used to it. The advantage of Mankuk Ilgeom was that it allowed him to handle divine power more precisely, and it increased with repeated training.

San-gun’s divine power was already higher than that of other Taoists of the same level. It was comparable to the early stage of Eternal Calamity [a high level of cultivation], but with Mankuk Ilgeom, he could aim for the middle or even late stage of Eternal Calamity.

“I’m relieved now.”

Still, he felt much more relaxed now.

Having imbued ten thousand swords with Hwa-ran’s soul at the first level, he didn’t have to worry about her disappearing.

San-gun took out a silver shield from his chest and threw it into the air.

It was one of the treasures he had obtained while defeating the Sea Demons. The silver shield suddenly grew to nearly ten times its size in the air.

He immediately unleashed Mankuk Ilgeom.

Swaaack!

“…?”

Mankuk Ilgeom, which had been shooting out like a school of fish, passed through the silver shield in an instant.

He pulled the shield back to examine it, but it was in perfect condition without a single scratch.

‘It’s meaningless with just the first level.’

It was also awkward to use in battle.

Since it had no substance, it was natural.

It was said that it could only take on a physical form at the sixth level, so he had to train as soon as possible.

At that moment.

Suddenly, a talisman flew towards him from the air.

Thuck. He grabbed it, and it turned out to be a telecommunication talisman [a magical communication device].

As he infused it with divine power and examined its contents, San-gun’s expression became strange.

“Now that I think about it, the High Sky Restriction has been lifted.”

The fact that a telecommunication talisman had arrived meant that the High Sky Restriction had disappeared.

31 years had passed since San-gun arrived, but Sword Spirit Island had existed long before that.

After 100 years, it had entered a state where the High Sky Restriction disappeared for one year.

“…It’s not a bad thing.”

Muttering to himself, he infused a strand of divine power into the telecommunication talisman and sent a reply.

And a moment later.

A streak of red light descended like lightning into San-gun’s dwelling.

Thaat.

As the dim light faded, the figure of a sturdy man appeared.

He was a man with shaggy hair and rugged features.

A thick horn protruded from the crown of his head.

“Greetings!”

San-gun bowed his head slightly as he watched the man greet him confidently.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

As San-gun greeted him stiffly, the man laughed heartily, “Haha!” and approached.

“There’s no need to be so stiff. My cultivation is Eternal Calamity, and yours is Eternal Illumination, but here, aren’t we all just fellow swordsmen? There’s no need to be so formal!”

San-gun only smiled silently in response to the other man’s affable words.

If he were at the early stage of Eternal Calamity, it wouldn’t matter, but the other man appeared to be a Six of Eternal Calamity in the late stage.

He couldn’t help but be wary, not knowing what the other man’s intentions were.

“This is quite something… I wondered who the last suitable person for the Five Peaks of Heaven and Earth [powerful training locations] would be… As expected, he’s no ordinary man. Hahaha!”

Five Peaks of Heaven and Earth (乾坤五峰).

Come to think of it, that was what they called the other four Heaven and Earth Pillars at similar heights to where San-gun was.

“Well, I should introduce myself first. I’m the old-timer of Sword Spirit Island! Does that sound a bit arrogant? Oh well! Just call me Old-Timer! In a way, I’ve been on Sword Spirit Island the longest, so you could even call me Senior Brother!”

San-gun clasped his hands and replied.

“My name is Yoo Jeong…”

“No, no! On Sword Spirit Island, you’re just a swordsman! There’s no reason to reveal your real name! Aren’t we all here to practice the sword?”

San-gun chuckled and replied to the man’s gesture of waving his hands as if he hadn’t heard.

“Then…”

San-gun recalled an old memory and replied.

“Kim Beom. Or just call me Beom.”

“Beom! Good! Junior Brother Beom! How about it? Isn’t today, when the High Sky Restriction has been lifted, an auspicious day? If you’re okay with it, I’d like to show you around. As your Senior Brother, I should at least do this much! Woo-hahahaha!!”

San-gun was a little dumbfounded, but he nodded. Gwi-yul was still training in the secret chamber, and Tam-hwa glanced at him with sparkling eyes. He gestured slightly, and she quickly ran over and grabbed his pant leg.

“Oh? A daughter… or not. You’ve taken quite a unique one as your disciple!”

“She’s a lovely child.”

“Hello!”

The man called Old-Timer also raised one hand high, as if Tam-hwa’s gesture of raising one hand to greet him was quite endearing.

“Hello!”

He was a cheerful man.

That’s why he was even more suspicious.

“But where were you planning to show me around that you came all this way?”

“Ah, what else could it be? I just wanted to see what kind of guy the suitable person for the Five Peaks of Heaven and Earth was. Oh, right. We call the day the High Sky Restriction is lifted ‘Soaring’. It’s a day when many people enjoy the sky again, and also a day when they die.”

Whether it was a soaring (飛上) into the sky.

Or a poisonous arsenic (砒霜), it seemed to depend on what one did.

‘He’s going to show me the Unsavables (救不).’ (救不 literally translates to ‘cannot save’ or ‘unsavable’.)

As expected.

“Do you know about the Unsavables?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Well, I guess not. This is your first Soaring since you arrived, so you wouldn’t know! But even if you do know, you should see them at least once. If you stay here, the day of Soaring will come again and again! Woo-hahaha!”

He was a somewhat noisy man, but he didn’t seem to have a bad heart.

He was unpretentious and easygoing, so San-gun didn’t dislike him that much.

‘I don’t remember there being a man like this when Yoo Jeong came to Sword Spirit Island…’ (Referring to the original owner of Mankuk Ilgeom)

He was a little puzzled.

With this kind of personality, he should have had a connection with Yoo Jeong, the original owner of Mankuk Ilgeom.

However, San-gun had no memory of a man called Old-Timer appearing in the Mountain and Sea Treasure Vault.

“It’s better to see once with your own eyes than to hear a thousand times! Let’s go! Let’s take a look at Sword Spirit Island and the Unsavables!”

Old-Timer soon soared high into the sky in a streak of red light. San-gun also wrapped Tam-hwa in a blue aura and flew up.

The red and blue lights flew side by side, drawing beautiful curves.

Following the path he took, San-gun also realized that Sword Spirit Island was larger than he had thought.

Sword Spirit Island, shaped like a long sword lying down, was divided into north and south.

San-gun was in the very center.

As he went north and south, the height of the Heaven and Earth Pillars decreased, and they looked shabby as if they would collapse at any moment.

Many places didn’t even have proper secret chambers and were in poor condition.

The appearance was vastly different from San-gun’s Five Peaks of Heaven and Earth.

The most dilapidated place was Gibong Island, where one could only set foot on two feet, but wasn’t it pointless to say more?

As he was thinking about this, Old-Timer, who had suddenly stopped in the sky, looked down at Sword Spirit Island and said.

“Isn’t it amazing?”

“It is. To create such a massive Valley-Sky Space (谷空詩間) [a unique dimension] and use it as a place to practice the sword is remarkable.”

“No, no. I’m talking about those guys.”

When he focused his gaze in the direction the man was pointing, he saw figures climbing the Heaven and Earth Pillars.

They were not human.

But they were not spiritual beasts or spiritual insects either, and they all had bizarre appearances.

Some had a dozen limbs, while others had none, and their skin ranged from human-like to as hard as stone.

But they had one thing in common.

They had swords.

“I don’t know much about it either, but according to rumors, some say they are the ghosts of abandoned swords, and others say they are fallen sword spirits. I don’t know why they’re called Unsavables… but they blindly attack swordsmen, so they’re quite unsettling to us.”

The appearance made him frown.

But when he sensed their energy, they weren’t very threatening.

To compare, they ranged from First to Third Level.

But they were definitely not the kind of guys San-gun would be wary of.

“But they can be helpful in their own way.”

The swords they possessed were master swords.

They were swords that would be a shame to make new ones or anything.

The higher the level of the Unsavables, the more extraordinary the sword’s energy.

‘Should I test it out?’

It was a good opportunity.

He was planning to test Mankuk Ilgeom anyway.

“The guys here have no intelligence and only instinct, but the ones who have lived for thousands of years are different. They are called Unsavable Spirits (救不令), and even you, who are at the Eternal Illumination stage, will find them a bit overwhelming.”

San-gun was startled inwardly, but he nodded without showing it.

The king of the Unsavables, who was at the same level as Eternal Calamity.

San-gun had something to do with one of them.

“What are you going to do? If you’re planning to hunt the Unsavables, I’ll join you.”

San-gun’s eyes narrowed slightly.

After pondering for a moment, he smiled and nodded.

“I’m grateful that you would do that. I can rest assured with you here, Old-Timer.”

With that, San-gun took out a bamboo tube.

Then, thousands of needles shot out from the bamboo tube and were fired at the Unsavables.

As each one powerfully struck down with a glistening blue flame, the Unsavables screamed and fell.

“That’s good. The swordsmanship is so difficult that I haven’t even learned it yet, so it wouldn’t be bad to temper a suitable sword with these guys.”

Mankuk Ilgeom is a swordsmanship so difficult that San-gun vomits blood.

He didn’t know exactly who the man was, but judging from the fact that he was called Old-Timer, he must have spent a considerable amount of time here.

Moreover, the other party was at the Eternal Calamity stage.

There was no reason to easily tell him even a small thing. The reason he brought him here might have been because he was curious about whether he had learned the swordsmanship, or what kind of swordsmanship it was.

It was best not to stir up trouble.

However, San-gun blinked at the sight of Old-Timer’s serious face.

“Your… blue flames are no ordinary flames.”

“…It’s just a trivial thing.”

“No. Could it be? I also handle Divine Transformation, so how could I not recognize it! Amazing! To be able to handle that level of Divine Transformation at that stage… I didn’t expect it.”

San-gun’s vigilance heightened.

He never expected that he would attract the other party’s attention with the unexpected Bong-ak Blue Flower.

As San-gun’s expression darkened, Tam-hwa also stood by his side and clenched her fists.

Then, Old-Timer realized his mistake and gave a hearty laugh.

“Hahaha, I’ve troubled Junior Brother Beom! I apologize. I also handle Divine Transformation, and there’s something I’m struggling with, so I thought you might be able to help me!”

“May I ask what it is?”

“Of course! To do that, I’ll have to show you my treasure. What would a treasure be to a swordsman! Don’t be surprised.”

With that, he drew the sword hanging from his waist. San-gun stepped back slightly, and Old-Timer smiled bitterly.

“It had its original name… but after refining it, I should call it the Harmonious Flame Sword.”

It was a slender and elegant sword.

Should it be called a sword that is good for a woman to hold?

It was a sword that didn’t seem to suit Old-Timer very well.

“Harmonious Flame Sword?”

Harmonious Flame Sword (合煥互幻劍).

A sword that combines and transforms into flames.

“It’s like my lover. The original divine power is so unique that it’s difficult to refine with my Divine Transformation. So, I was wondering…”

“Are you asking me to help you refine it?”

“That’s right! You understand me well! Of course, I’m not asking you to do it for free! If you help me, I’ll give you one of my treasured possessions that I’ve been saving!”

“A treasured possession?”

“It’s extremely good for Divine Transformation training. You must have heard the name at least once. Dragon Flame Ginseng (龍炎蔘), which only appears when it has eaten plenty of the Fire Flood Dragon’s fire.”

“……”