Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 297

Tales of a Wandering Swordsman – Part 2 Chapter 6

The arks were near the waterfall pavilion.

Whirr!

Lord Hwang fanned himself with a folding fan, his face flushed.

“Haha, it seems I’ve met a worthy opponent today, Lord Hwang.”

“Hahaha… it seems so. I don’t know how this match will turn out.”

Currently, Hwang Gon’s doppelganger in the Janjankyeongjeongdo [a magical mirror that simulates battles] had one arm torn off.

Though it was black ink, not blood, that flowed, Hwang Gon felt a chill as if his own arm had been torn off.

‘If this were a real battle….’

The torn arm might have been his, not the doppelganger’s.

The thought lingered in his mind.

Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

He had been pressing the attack, but the moment his fist was caught, the situation reversed in an instant.

His knee shattered the arm, and then it was ripped off in one swift motion. It was a brutal technique.

“This is quite an interesting item. Even though it’s just a doppelganger, I can’t help but root for it.”

“Hahaha, isn’t it?”

He forced a smile as he replied, but a strange tension hung in the air.

‘If I lose here, I’ll have to give up the dragon brain… No way!’

It wasn’t a cheap item to be given away so easily. He absolutely couldn’t lose.

As Lord Hwang was thinking that.

Cheonbeom nodded with satisfaction.

‘What a fascinating treasure.’

Hwang Gon’s doppelganger charged fiercely despite having one arm torn off.

It was just a doppelganger made from a strand of hair, yet it seemed to possess emotions.

How could it not be amusing?

“It’s so aggressive! Even with one arm lost, it’s so bold! Truly befitting of Lord Hwang, so manly!”

However, Cheonbeom’s doppelganger blocked all attacks with ease, and then brought its leg down to crush the head.

“Oh!”

Chochan exclaimed in surprise.

Just when it seemed the match would end like that.

Bang!

With a sound, a thick yellow mist poured out from Hwang Gon’s body.

A thunderous roar echoed like a clap of thunder.

A giant yellow dragon appeared from within the yellow mist, letting out a monstrous cry.

Judging by the missing arm, Hwang Gon’s doppelganger had transformed into its true form.

‘So it can do this too.’

He was slightly surprised.

“It lost an arm but has taken on its true form, so we don’t know how the match will turn out! This is truly exciting!”

Tango Mal shouted, his hands sweating.

His throat parched, he gulped down his drink.

The others were the same.

Everyone drank and moistened their throats.

Seeing them so engrossed in what was merely a game, it was clear they were all men.

“I wonder what form Celestial Lineage Cheon’s doppelganger will take. Perhaps it will also reveal its true form?”

“Who knows.”

Only the doppelganger in the Janjankyeongjeongdo knew what would happen.

Whooong!

Hwang Gon’s doppelganger, transformed into a yellow dragon, coiled its body like a snake and rotated.

The yellow mist was sucked into the dragon’s rotation, creating a strange vortex.

Kooong!

The vortex spread out with the mist. The tail of the dragon, which had stopped rotating, created a sharp noise.

Swish!! It was swung like a whip.

Clack!!

A chilling sound!

It was faster than expected.

It was like a giant whip cutting through the mist.

Cheonbeom’s doppelganger couldn’t dodge it in time.

Kwaang!!

The doppelganger bounced off the ground.

“Ooh… that’s an attack that could shatter bones.”

“But….”

Flutter. Golden petals fell from the doppelganger’s body.

“To stand up after taking that… Celestial Lineage Cheon’s physical strength is also at a remarkable level.”

They admired in amazement, as if they were truly impressed.

Hwang Gon’s doppelganger had abandoned its transformed state and revealed its true form.

But Cheonbeom was neither transformed nor had he revealed his true form; he was still in his disguised state.

Golden petals were sprouting on Cheonbeom’s skin all over his body. Gyuncheon Bohwa [a divine artifact] was also a part of his body, so it seemed to be partially manifested even in the Janjankyeongjeongdo.

‘If it were fully manifested, it would have been a disaster.’

Crack, crack!

“My shoulder is broken….”

He forcefully snapped his twisted shoulder back into place.

“Haha, despite appearances, you’re quite the man, aren’t you? Hahaha!”

Cheonbeom’s doppelganger charged forward.

The yellow dragon did the same.

It roared in anger, charging even after being struck by its own attack.

Kwaang! Kwang, kwang! Kwang!!

The flashes and sonic booms surged in the face of Cheonbeom’s storm-like offensive.

It was an invisible speed.

The arks’ eyes moved quickly.

No one opened their mouth, as if they didn’t want to miss a single moment.

The match in the Janjankyeongjeongdo was enough to captivate the immortals.

But everything has an end.

Their rapidly moving eyes stopped.

“Where did it go?”

The doppelganger had disappeared.

The yellow dragon also seemed to have lost its target, looking around nervously.

That’s when it happened.

Kkwaaaaaang!!

A golden tiger with four wings spread wide appeared with a roar.

It had a sturdy horn on its head, and four wings fluttered powerfully on its back, shining with a halo.

“What…!”

“Ooh!!”

The Golden Tiger appeared behind the yellow dragon and seized its back.

And in an instant.

Kwaddeuk!!

It bit off its neck.

Keueooooooo!!

The yellow dragon, its neck bitten off, let out a painful scream.

Hwang Gon grabbed the back of his own neck as if his own neck had been torn off.

The yellow dragon fell powerlessly, turning into black smoke and disappearing.

At the same time, the Golden Tiger also vanished into the Janjankyeongjeongdo.

The background, like black ink dropped into a pond, also disappeared into the round Janjankyeongjeongdo.

As the match ended, the light of the Janjankyeongjeongdo disappeared, and only silence lingered.

Hwang Gon, as well as Chochan and Tango Mal, couldn’t open their mouths for a long time.

Cheonbeom and Hwang Gon’s match was too high-level to be dismissed as mere entertainment.

Hwang Gon could only swallow hard, unable to believe what he had seen.

Even though the Janjankyeongjeongdo was a replica and couldn’t fully express all of its divine powers.

‘Even so….’

He had lost to an immortal who had just ascended, using only brute force.

Hwang Gon pressed his lips tightly.

He then met the eyes of the man sitting leisurely in front of him.

Only Cheonbeom was smiling in this place.

“It seems I’ve won the bet.”

As he held out his palm, Lord Hwang gritted his teeth as if he was resentful.

“Hoo!”

But as if he had made up his mind, he took out a wooden box from his chest and threw it.

Tak!

Cheonbeom caught it, opened the wooden box, checked the dragon brain, and smiled broadly.

“Wow-”

Tanhwa, who was sitting on his lap, exclaimed and reached out her hand to touch it.

Cheonbeom slapped her hand away.

“Not now.”

“Tch!”

Cheonbeom immediately got up from his seat and bowed to the arks [immortals].

“It was a pleasant gathering.”

“Are you leaving already?”

Chochan asked with an expressionless face.

Unlike his expression, his voice betrayed a hint of regret.

“Staying any longer would only upset Lord Hwang, wouldn’t it?”

“…That’s not true.”

He shook his head, saying it wasn’t true, but his voice was much lower than before.

“I’m still tired from my journey and was feeling fatigued, so please invite me again next time. I’ll be in your care for a while, so there will be many opportunities, won’t there?”

“Haha, if that’s the case, well… how could we stop you? Rest well.”

“Farewell, Celestial Lineage Cheon. Today’s match in the Janjankyeongjeongdo was impressive.”

Cheonbeom bowed once more and returned to Yongchaebong [his residence] with Tanhwa.

After he left.

Tango Mal and Chochan glanced at Hwang Gon, raised their glasses.

“He doesn’t seem like an immortal who has just ascended. He seemed to have great confidence in his abilities. Hahaha!”

Even as they watched with sweaty palms, he was placing Chungseon on his lap with a seemingly relaxed attitude.

“I’m cautiously speculating that he was a cultivator who was at least in the top three in the Lower World [mortal realm].”

Such composure doesn’t come easily. It was the composure of someone who had been at the top for a long time.

“I agree with Celestial Lineage Tan’s words. Saying he came from the Lower World is the same as saying he hasn’t been an ark for long, but who knew he would be so strong….”

“Indeed… that’s right.”

The most heartbroken was Hwang Gon.

He had lost the dragon brain, which was like a family treasure, so even the famously sweet dragon horse wine felt bitter for some reason.

“Lord Hwang, you must hold onto Celestial Lineage Cheon tightly. There aren’t many arks with that level of skill. You’ve already given up the dragon brain, so you’ll need to hold onto him even more to make up for that loss.”

Tak!

Hwang Gon slammed the table with his glass and nodded fiercely.

“Of course, I will. Although I lost, Celestial Lineage Cheon’s skills were remarkable. Although the Janjankyeongjeongdo is a replica and couldn’t fully realize my true abilities….”

That was the same for Cheonbeom.

Hwang Gon kept touching the back of his neck where his doppelganger had been torn.

“I had to admit it. Even if we fought in reality….”

“Haha, he’s just become an ark and doesn’t even have an ark robe yet, so you’re getting ahead of yourself.”

“Anyway, his skills were amazing. It’s a shame to let him rot in this backwater.”

“Lord Hwang, perhaps….”

As Chochan looked at him with a questioning gaze, Hwang Gon nodded as if that thought was correct.

“Celestial Lineage Cheon is an outstanding ark. If we send him to this ark martial arts competition, he may not win, but he might achieve a high ranking.”

“The ark martial arts competition…! Is that possible?”

The ark martial arts competition is a type of martial arts tournament held in the Water Realm.

Hwang Gon stroked the Janjankyeongjeongdo he possessed and put it into his chest.

Unlike these replicas, it was a martial arts tournament where they competed with genuine articles, and it was a competition where thousands of arks competed their skills.

“If that happens, he might receive the honor of becoming an immortal of Tongcheonsugung [a prestigious palace].”

Tongcheonsugung(通天獸宮)!

If he became an immortal who secured a position in Tongcheonsugung, the position of the Hwang family, which produced that immortal, would become deeper and wider.

‘We might take a step towards becoming one of the Five Great Families of the Water Realm!’

His deliberation was short, and his decision was quick.

“I think the arks will have to help me a little.”

Hwang Gon took out a new dragon horse wine and filled Tango Mal and Chochan’s glasses.

Only the air bubbles of the dragon horse wine, popping softly, soothed the silence.

* * *

Meanwhile.

Cheonbeom once again descended to Yongchaebong, his temporary residence.

Tat.

“Lord Hwang must be quite upset.”

Hwaran, who had appeared out of nowhere, said as she looked at the dragon brain he was holding.

“It’s a great harvest, but that means Lord Hwang won’t let go of San-gun.”

“I suppose so. But it doesn’t matter.”

Cheonbeom put the dragon brain in his chest, stroked Tanhwa’s head, and headed east.

No matter how things progressed, he felt good now.

He had obtained a rare item that was hard to find even in the Water Realm, so it was a good start.

“I hope the future will be like today.”

That’s when it happened.

Suddenly, Hwaran disappeared like smoke, and someone stealthily appeared from behind a tree in front of the east gate.

“What brings you here so late?”

As the moonlight, which had been obscured by clouds, revealed itself, the woman’s curves became visible.

It was Saha Soseon.

“I apologize. I know it’s rude, but I had something I absolutely had to tell the ark, so I have committed this rudeness.”

“Hmm….”

Cheonbeom swallowed a sigh.

He could smell a faint scent of blood from her hands and lips.

-Are you already womanizing as soon as you ascend?

-It’s not like that.

Saha Soseon’s eyes were unwavering, as if she had made a decision.

She even felt somewhat determined.

“Tanhwa, go inside first.”

“Okay!”

Cheonbeom quietly looked at Saha and then said, looking at the moon high in the sky.

“The moon is truly beautiful. It’s quite different from the moon I saw in the Lower World. The moon I saw there didn’t look like that.”

The moon in the Upper Realm is large and round.

And there was more than one.

“In Sangseo, they are also called Modal and Jadal [names for the moons].”

“Mother Moon and Son Moon, is that what it means… I see, now that you say it, it looks like that.”

The moon in the Upper Realm had a large moon and a small moon together. They were attached like parents and children, so it seemed that way.

“Seeing that moon makes me realize that I really did ascend to the Upper Realm. Honestly, I didn’t really feel it until now.”

“Is that so.”

Cheonbeom, who had affirmed with a smile, walked around Yongchaebong, bathed in the moonlight.

Saha followed him slowly.

Cheonbeom’s steps stopped when he reached the edge of the Yongchaebong cliff.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

“I… have nothing to give.”

“I never asked for anything.”

“I have nothing to give the ark… rather, I am in a position to receive something back that the ark possesses.”

Receive back?

“There’s something wrong with your words.”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

As his brow furrowed, Saha bit her lip and lowered her head.

“You have given me nothing, so how can you say you want to receive something back?”

“I have had a disability since I was young. I’m ashamed to say it myself, but I had quite outstanding talent. That’s why I grew up receiving a lot of expectations from the elders of my family. The elders judged that if I had that level of talent, I could eat Won Gyeoldan [a powerful elixir] and become an ark right away. So, my family took on a huge debt and fed me the Won Gyeoldan they had obtained.”

She was the hope of her family.

But she couldn’t become one.

“I only found out after eating it. The reason I couldn’t become an ark was because I had a fatal disability.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“It does.”

Unlike her face, which spoke confidently, Cheonbeom’s face was contorted.

“I misjudged you. I saw you as someone who walked the path of cultivation without losing your way even in difficult circumstances, but….”

He didn’t expect her to say such absurd things. Whether she had a disability or not, what could that possibly have to do with him, who had come from the Lower World?

He couldn’t understand at all.

“Are you going to say something absurd like I have something that can eliminate your disability, so you need to get it back?”

“Yes.”

“Ha! Go back. It hasn’t been long since I ascended to the Upper Realm, but I’m not in a position to be humiliated by a Soseon [a lower-ranking immortal].”

He didn’t know what kind of courage she had, but his patience was slowly reaching its limit.

Even if the same ark had said that, it was a statement that couldn’t be dismissed as a joke.

But how could a Soseon say such a thing?

“No matter how much you represent the Sa family, there is no ark who would be afraid of the acting head of a family that is going bankrupt.”

Whooong!

His gentle aura changed.

His breath was taken away.

His knees buckled instantly, and his whole body trembled like an aspen tree.

“E, even so!”

Saha shouted as if screaming.

“I have to get it back. I’ll do anything for that. Even if I become the ark’s, the ark’s courtesan, I have to get it back!!”

“What is it that makes you….”