Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 154

Clang!!

The spear thrust forward like a bolt of lightning!

However, the Mountain Lord casually flicked his finger, deflecting the attack with ease.

“Hup!”

Startled, Chong Maru tried to regain his balance, but it was too late.

An invisible pressure descended upon him, weighing down his entire body as if a thousand pounds had been placed on him, rendering him immobile.

He stared at his opponent in astonishment. The handsome young man merely watched with his hands clasped behind his back.

Crimson eyes seemed to pierce through his very being.

Only then did a realization dawn on him.

“You wouldn’t happen to be the Master of Baekseon, would you?!”

The Mountain Lord finally offered a satisfied smile and released his oppressive energy.

“I’m sorry about your mother.”

“Ah, no! How could I possibly accept an apology from the benefactor who saved us! Mother reached the natural end of her lifespan and passed away peacefully… it was a good passing.”

The Mountain Lord suppressed a sigh at Maru’s forced smile.

“Is that so….”

It had been well over 300 years.

Chong Maru’s mother was a Doseon [a member of a reclusive, nature-worshipping clan], so it was natural for her to return to the earth.

Ascension to Biseon [a state of spiritual transcendence] was something anyone could achieve, but not just anyone was capable of ascending.

The Mountain Lord gazed up at the sky with a touch of melancholy before changing the subject.

“The Geumje [a protective barrier or seal] is terrible.”

The Shinsu trees [sacred trees imbued with spiritual energy] were being cared for by the Hojup Ryangchung [a race of tree-dwelling spirits], and there were many of them, which was good, but there was only one Hangbo Shinmok [a legendary tree of immense power].

He was not at all pleased that such a sacred tree was protected by such a weak Geumje.

“Man Elder made it, huh….”

“Man-sami? Goodness, how could he be so sloppy…. I’ll have to fix it a bit.”

The Mountain Lord immediately flicked his ten fingers, sending out magical spells to strengthen the Geumje.

He took out a few Hwanjinpae [protective talismans] from his pocket and installed them, finally feeling relieved.

“But how are you taking care of the Hangbo Shinmok?”

“Ah, Man Elder was busy with the initiation test, so I was temporarily taking care of it.”

That must have been the reason.

“I’ll take a look around for a moment.”

It had been a while since he had seen the Hangbo Shinmok.

The Hangmagi [the tree’s inherent magical energy] was gradually losing its light because a branch had been cut off, but now it had regained its former vitality.

Perhaps it was because it was near Yeongnaesan [a sacred mountain] and the Shinsu trees.

“At this rate, I could make a few more Hangbosain swords.”

The Sangeom [a type of sword] had been a great help to the Mountain Lord with just one sword.

If he could handle more Hangmagi, then not only Magi [demonic energy] and Evil energy, but even fierce power could not harm the Mountain Lord.

‘If I had about 33 of them, I wouldn’t care even if I fell into the collapsed realm or the four realms.’

He stroked the Hangbo Shinmok with a satisfied look, then turned to look at Chong Maru.

“You’ve grown a lot. And you’ve even reached Biseon, so perhaps this is also fate.”

Chong Maru was at the early stages of Biseon.

He still had about 200 years left to live, so it wasn’t urgent, but it couldn’t be said that he had plenty of time.

“Take this. It’s useless to me.”

He took out a medicine bottle from his pocket and tossed it to him.

It was a Danyak [a mystical elixir] called Pungyeondan (風煙團) [Wind and Smoke Pill].

“It will allow you to break through to the Hukyung stage [a high level of martial cultivation] without any hindrance, even if it doesn’t reach Hwanseon [a state of immortality].”

It was a Danyak he had obtained while hunting and killing members of the Hae tribe [a race of sea demons], and it was useless to the Mountain Lord. He had several of them, and he gave one away because he felt it was fate.

“Th, Thank you very much!”

It could be said to be a stroke of incredible luck.

Chong Maru bowed deeply and thanked him, carefully putting the medicine bottle away.

“That fellow.”

The Mountain Lord shared stories with Chong Maru about 300 years ago.

They were trivial things, such as what he had been doing since he arrived in Baekseon.

“I see. Choa must have… because Yeongnaesan was already created at that time.”

“Yes! Sanbi [a mountain spirit] welcomed us warmly and decided on our residence.”

“I see….”

After that, they shared various conversations before slowly getting up.

He still had a lot to do.

“I should go. I’m called the Master of Baekseon, so I can’t just stay here.”

“Yes. Ah! If you have time, please visit us again.

My mother… told me to be sure to give something to the Headmaster. She always said that she had to deliver it while she was alive.”

“Then I must receive it. It’s not convenient now, so I’ll call you separately later. Wait for a while.”

“I understand!”

The Mountain Lord glanced at the silvery Hangbo Shinmok and disappeared like a mist.

Maru knelt down and bowed in the direction he had disappeared.

* * *

Halfway up Yeongnaesan, a small boy and girl were climbing the mountain together.

They seemed to be looking for rare young plants, looking around here and there. They were Unmo and Ryuaeng, who had been with the Mountain Lord.

“I’ve never seen another Honahyeol [a person with mixed blood, specifically bear and human] besides me. Have you?”

“Yeah, me neither.”

He said they were Hojup Ryangchung’s Hona.

For some reason, they lived on trees and told them to tell them if they found any young plants.

They said that if they wanted to leave Yeongnaesan, they would have to find them.

It was then.

“Aeng-ah, shh!”

Suddenly, Unmo grabbed Ryuaeng’s hand and put his index finger to his lips. Hiding in the bushes, they began to hear voices.

It was a group wearing black blindfolds over their eyes. They looked around and stopped.

“Hojup Ryangchung. I wondered, but I can’t believe you were really here!”

One of the blindfolded men shouted.

“Then this is….”

“Yes. It’s highly likely to be that bastard’s sect.”

A woman, grinding her teeth, took out a leaf and handed it over.

“Check it out.”

“Yes!”

Several women took a few leaves, cast a spell, and infused them with spiritual energy, then nodded.

“It’s definitely Shinsu!”

“I knew it!”

Her face, filled with joy, turned vicious again.

“How naive! To plant Shinsu trees in a place that was opened for the initiation test!”

Something was suspicious.

How could a mountain that was nothing special have such a famous spiritual vein after hundreds of years?

But the reality was due to the more than a thousand Shinsu trees planted in Yeongnaesan!!

The secret was finally revealed.

“What should we do now?”

“What is there to worry about? There are no Yeonggeop Yuksa [powerful spiritual warriors] or Taoists [practitioners of Taoism] in Baekseon anyway.”

At best, Hwanseon or Yeongmyeong level [levels of spiritual attainment].

There’s no reason to be afraid.

“But there’s no need to fight them. There are only five of us.”

It’s no good to make a fuss.

They are still a minority.

The priority is to inform them of this fact.

“Collect a few Shinsu branches to use as evidence and leave quietly. If we just inform the East Sea of this fact, we will receive a great reward, and the rest….”

That was enough for now.

“To avoid suspicion, gather some suitable young plants and leave immediately.”

“What about these guys?”

There were several men, large and small, trembling beside them.

They were the ones who had been confirmed as internal disciples.

They were the ones who had been friendly with them since they passed the 1st test.

They were clinging to them to get some crumbs, but what they had caught was a rotten rope.

“I don’t know the details, but this place is full of Hojup Ryangchung. If we kill them, they’ll notice and smell it.”

“Then….”

“The Shinsu trees are as good as ours now, so let’s give them as fertilizer.”

As the blindfolded group left, Unmo and Ryuaeng, who had been hiding, stood up.

Fear made their legs tremble.

They almost peed their pants.

“Ryu, Ryuaeng, are you okay?”

“I’m okay. You must have been scared, but you held it in well.”

“I’m good at holding it in…. By the way, weren’t you scared? I almost peed my pants.”

Unlike Unmo, who was rubbing his arm, saying he was chilled to the bone, Ryuaeng smiled slightly.

“Rather than that, shouldn’t we find rare young plants quickly? The last test is on a first-come, first-served basis.”

“What are you talking about? We have to save the buried people first!”

Unmo rolled up his sleeves and began to dig up the ground.

Because he was a Hona mixed with a bear spirit, digging was easy.

After digging for about an hour.

He saw a person buried in the dirt.

Unmo immediately took them out, but….

“I’m too late.”

The criminal’s body was too weak.

He was buried alive, but he died in just an hour.

The depth was deep, and the young insects in Yeongnaesan also played a part.

It seemed that he had been attacked and killed by young insects as soon as he was buried.

Unmo blamed himself, but all he could do was cover it with dirt again.

“If only I could use Taoist skills….”

Couldn’t I have saved them?

But Ryuaeng dismissed it.

“It’s meaningless. You’re just a Hona who can’t even do Chukgi (縮氣) [a basic breathing technique] right now.”

“…Okay.”

After praying for their souls, Unmo headed to another place with Ryuaeng.

He was sad, but he was more determined.

In order to gain strength, he definitely wanted to win first place in this test. If he did, there would be no more heartbreaking things like this….

“I knew it would be you guys.”

Suddenly, a woman wearing a black blindfold jumped out from behind a tree.

She was the nastiest of the guys he had seen before.

“I wondered who was hiding….”

The woman smirked as she looked at Unmo and Ryuaeng.

“How much did you hear?”

“Wh, What!”

“You know, right?”

“We don’t know!”

His whole body was stained with tension.

His heart was pounding for no reason.

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s a good thing since I didn’t like you anyway.”

The blindfolded woman strode towards Unmo. He wanted to run away, but his feet didn’t move as if they were stuck to the ground. His legs were as heavy as a thousand pounds.

“It’s a pity that the Beom guy isn’t here, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll send you to the same place soon, so don’t be too lonely.”

Just as the woman’s grip was about to fall.

“Unmo!”

Ryuaeng’s voice woke Unmo up.

He shuddered and clenched his fist, stabbing it into the woman’s abdomen in one breath.

Thud!

A critical blow.

But the difference in physique was severe.

“Haha! Hit me more! Do you believe you can do anything with that cotton fist?”

At her words, mocking and sneering, Unmo clenched his teeth.

He threw his fist out more in anger.

Thud, thud!

But the woman didn’t stop sneering and cruelly told him to hit him more.

The woman was right.

He was too weak.

‘Damn it…!’

He wanted strength.

He came to Baekseon craving it.

He barely became an internal disciple.

Now all he had to do was build up his strength! He was so upset about his situation, being broken before he could even bloom.

“Die.”

He closed his eyes tightly.

He shouldn’t close them.

He closed them without even realizing it.

‘Open your eyes! As a man, shouldn’t you protect Ryuaeng at least!’

At the moment he opened his eyes again.

Shwii!

Thud!

“Hut!”

In front of Unmo’s eyes, a jet-black, bizarre sword was stuck.

“Who is it!”

A sword that he didn’t even know where it came from.

The blindfolded woman looked around and was wary, but she couldn’t sense any presence.

Someone is here.

But he can’t tell.

It’s either a Taoist with outstanding stealth skills or someone with a much higher level than himself….

Unmo looked at the sword.

A sword with a glossy black color.

It was a sword that reminded him of a bug.

He reached out his hand without even realizing it.

Chwaak!

The sword wriggled as if it were alive and covered Unmo’s entire body.

“Uwaaak!!”

The black sword transformed into armor that fit Unmo’s body perfectly and wrapped around his entire body.

“A sword into armor…?”

It was full of things he didn’t know.

But seeing the woman’s flustered face.

“I don’t feel bad.”

Unmo clenched his fist.

Strength filled his entire body.

A sense of omnipotence that made him feel like he could do anything.

He felt like he knew what to do.

That woman’s flustered face.

He wanted to see it more.

He took a stance.

And he jumped out in one breath.

Paang!

“Wa, Wait a minute!!”

The moment he threw his fist at the woman.

Kwazazazak!!

Black threads were released en masse, piercing through everything in front of him.

“Oh my….”

Unmo was dumbfounded, wondering if this was a dream or reality, and the person who was looking down at it was smiling with satisfaction.