Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 103

Weapon-Devouring Bastard – Chapter 103

There are two reasons why Jeju Island is considered a dangerous zone.

First, there are marine monsters around the island that are difficult to subdue.

Second, it’s because of this place.

Halla Mountain, one of the three sacred mountains of Korea.

No, to be precise, it was because of this jungle that spreads throughout the center of Jeju Island, centered around Halla Mountain.

A dense thicket of trees that is hard to find in modern times.

Swamps and vines stretch out like the blood vessels of living things, and the cries of unidentified creatures echo from afar.

I walked into the thicket, where the bushes grew so densely that I couldn’t even get my bearings.

Woo-oong!

And before long, I felt a strange flow of power.

‘I’m in.’

The phenomenon known as ghost play or goblin play had begun.

Here, no one can find their way.

Even martial artists who have honed their senses to the limit, sorcerers who manipulate mysteries, and wizards who analyze phenomena with magic lose their way.

Whether they go in with a thread like in some island myth or with a sword, they invariably get lost.

Besides.

-Kyahhhh!

Whoosh!

A streak of flame suddenly brushed past me.

I lightly turned my foot to avoid it and looked at the monster that had attacked me.

A Rank 6 monster, Ourano.

A reptile-type monster with a long, dinosaur-like head that runs on four legs like a horse.

Flames were rising from its body instead of a crest.

-Kirik?

Suddenly, the Ourano, spotting me, stretched out its back towards me.

And.

Kwaaaa!

In an instant, another wave of intense heat shot out from the Ourano’s back.

It was an intense force that couldn’t be seen as a Rank 6 monster.

I immediately transformed Mujin into a shield to defend the front.

Boo-ahk!

The heat was so intense that it sounded like something was exploding.

I drew Heukya and slashed forward.

Sga-ack!

The sword energy, cutting through the flames, sharply cut the Ourano’s neck.

-Kiek!

But it didn’t sever the neck.

The Ourano dripped blue blood from its long neck and lowered its body again, bringing its back to me.

The Rank 6 monster, which I had easily hunted during my time in the cadet corps, had withstood my sword energy.

‘This is the same Rank 6 monster as the Human-Faced Orb, huh.’

I kicked off the ground again.

-Keee-ek!

The Ourano reacted to my movement.

It jumped back as if pushing off the ground, trying to escape from the range of the attack.

No, it seemed like it was trying to escape, but unfortunately, my aura skill had already been activated.

Ganggi Art, Yeomra.

Swish!

The Ourano was bound by the chains of aura that stretched out, and I cut off its head.

“…The scenery has changed again.”

I shook off the Ourano’s blood from Heukya and looked around.

I was definitely leaning against a huge old tree a moment ago, but now it was a forest full of pine trees that grew windingly here and there.

I glanced down to look below.

The Ourano’s body was there, but the head above the cross-section cut by Heukya was nowhere to be seen.

I turned my head back to look forward, but the scenery of the same pine forest had changed.

This was goblin play.

It’s not like there’s a space 이동 [teleportation] magic circle or a gate 펼쳐져 [opening], but you lose your way in a way that you can’t understand.

Here, no matter how you try to find your way, you end up getting lost.

At the same time, because the mountain itself has a strong magical power, many monsters show much stronger 모습 [appearances] than 외부의 [outside] monsters.

‘Fortunately, they can’t escape this maze. That’s why it’s a dangerous zone, not an unexplored zone.’

People don’t die, and after wandering around for a long time, they can 빠져나올 [escape] of the gate as if the forest is chasing them away.

But monsters cannot escape this place.

Even monsters that are not found on the Korean Peninsula appear.

For the above reasons, people called Halla Mountain a demon realm.

In my past life, the government dispatched troops as a national land stabilization project and succeeded in stabilizing it, but they did not discover any special features, so it remained one of the 희대의 [unprecedented] mysteries.

Until recently, I didn’t know much about Halla Mountain.

Until I read the Heukya Record.

-At the southern end of this land, there is a large island. There, the Tamra Kingdom was founded by three gods: Goeulna, Bueulna, and Yangeulna.

The Heukya Record contained such information.

It was the Three-Surname myth, also known as the creation myth of Jeju Island, and Tamra was the old name of Jeju Island.

-But in fact, they were not gods, but merely mysterious other races born from nature, like fairies.

-They liked 술 [alcohol], enjoyed 어울려 [socializing] with people and 수박 [a type of traditional Korean martial art], and also enjoyed eating 돼지고기 [pork] and 메밀 [buckwheat], so there were no pigs left in Tamra.

While reading those records in the smithy, I thought of a certain being I knew.

Not only me, but anyone in the direct line of the Soongmoo Lee family would have thought of the same person.

-Father called them 귀신 [ghosts], but they were quite different from ghosts, so people called them ‘Dokgaebi.’

Dokgaebi.

Now it is called 도깨비 [goblin].

The unidentified phenomenon covering Halla Mountain was none other than the magic of the goblins.

-The Dokgaebi sleep in a mysterious mist during the day. If an uninvited person tries to enter there, they will wander around for days.

-They were great sorcerers, carpenters, and blacksmiths.

-They forged stars with the heat of the dragon veins and created many mysterious tools.

And the rest of the content was written in the middle volume of the Heukya Record.

-They were the ones who made Heukya.

* * *

It was a deep cave.

Darkness spread in the deep cave, so deep that it was impossible to know how far it was dug.

Jjeo-eong-.

A rough cracking sound echoed through the walls of the cave.

The sparks that cut through the darkness and bounced out with that one sound briefly illuminated the world.

Ttaa-aang!

A clean sound rang out once again.

The darkness seemed to be shattered by the fragments of sparks that bounced out once more.

The darkness gradually fades as you go deeper into the cave.

It was a space where ordinary people would not even be able to enter due to the heat that was so hot that it felt like they would be cooked.

“Hoo.”

There was a huge man there, exhaling breath as hot as the heat.

The man’s surroundings were as bright as if the darkness had been a lie.

No, it wasn’t bright, it was burning.

A river of fire flowed under the spot where the man was standing.

People called the sea of fire, where stars bloomed as if exhaling breath, lava.

Ttaa-aang!

The man struck with a hammer.

When beads of sweat fell on the ground with that movement, they evaporated in no time.

Even so, the man continued to move the hammer.

Once again, again and again, sparks flew up.

In that way, a piece of charcoal-like, dark metal was caught in the man’s hand.

The man stared intently at the lump of iron with eyes that shimmered like the Milky Way.

“Tsk!”

But soon, as if he didn’t like it, the man clicked his tongue and threw the lump of iron away 신경질적으로 [irritably].

Clatter!

The lump of iron rolled helplessly on the ground, making a dull sound.

The surrounding floor was full of many lumps of iron like that.

From lumps of iron that had only been folded, to lumps of iron that were crushed like 돌덩이 [stones], and even blunt iron clubs like clubs.

“I don’t like it.”

The man swept the huge anvil 물든 [stained] with purple and let out a breath.

It was then.

“……?”

The man suddenly looked up at the sky and tilted his head.

And.

“How dare you!”

Anger appeared on the man’s face.

The man, distorting his face like a 악귀 [demon], soon disappeared as if seeping into the air.

* * *

Even before reading the Heukya Record, I had to come to Jeju Island at least once anyway.

This was because the fifth seal of Heukya existed here.

However, all I saw on Soongmoo Mountain was the word ‘耽羅 [Tamra],’ and I didn’t know how to break the seal.

So, before reading the Heukya Record, my original plan was to go to Jiri Mountain.

‘But after seeing what was written in the Heukya Record, I was convinced. I guess I have to see the goblin who made this.’

Even though it is a maze whose identity has not been revealed in my past life, I had the ability to overcome it.

I deliberately gave up relying on my senses and activated the Evil Eye.

Throb!

The inside of my eyes throbbed and ached.

It was the opening of the Evil Eye.

In an instant, the flow of countless forces in the world seemed to be grasped in detail.

‘I trained the Evil Eye so much, but it still hurts this much.’

I quickly scanned the surroundings.

The scenery of the forest reflected in the Evil Eye looked as if it was covered in a hazy mist.

By the time the training of the Evil Eye was over, I was fine even when looking at the numerous 술식 [techniques] installed in Valery’s smithy, but here, I had to feel the pain of my eyes throbbing.

That meant that the energy was that much thicker, and it also meant that the energy was difficult to understand.

‘Shall we go?’

But I soon adapted.

I 헤쳐 나가며 [pushed through] the thick mist and walked straight forward.

I felt like my senses were distorted, but the Evil Eye was accurately reading the way.

I had no worries about finding the way, but…….

-Kieeee-ek!

The problem was the monsters.

A Rank 5 monster, Sanyeo (酸與) [literally: Sour and With].

It was a 괴수 [beast] with four wings, six eyes, and three legs.

The monster, which looked more like a nimble dragon than a bird, approached in an instant.

‘Fast!’

It was a momentary acceleration that I couldn’t believe was just a Rank 5 variant monster.

Clatter! Ka-ga-gak!

The moment the beak and Mujin collided, Mujin let out a rough scream.

Even though it was covered in aura, its 발끝 [claws] were so sharp that they pierced through it and touched Mujin’s actual sword body.

-Keuri-yaaaat!

The moment the Sanyeo 벌리고 [opened] its mouth wide and let out a strange cry, a dark magic collided with the hand holding Mujin.

Bang!

With an explosion, my hand 확 튕겨나갔다 [was thrown back].

‘A Rank 5 monster even has magic. This is really a crazy neighborhood!’

I 해소 [dissipated] the 침투해 오는 [invading] magic with aura and immediately 내리그었다 [brought down] Heukya, which was held in the opposite hand.

Crack!

The Sanyeo’s head was 갈려 나가듯 터지 [split apart].

I 몰아쉬고 숨 [panted], and got up again.

It had already been 10 hours since I entered the Halla Mountain unexplored zone.

I 옮기고 걸음을 [moved my feet] without resting for a moment.

‘If I 해제 [deactivate] the Evil Eye 중간중간 [intermittently], the road changes in the meantime, and if a monster 달려들 [attacks] then I appear in a strange place during the battle.’

……I was beginning to think that I had underestimated this area a little.

Already, the number of monsters I had 베어 낸 [cut down] from the outskirts exceeded 100.

I 털어 냈다 [shook off] the 육편 [pieces of flesh] and 핏물 [blood] of the monsters 묻은 [stained] on Eunhan.

Perhaps it was the ability of 천잠사 [heavenly silkworm thread], but the 얼룩묻은 [stains] did not 묻지 [stick] even if I didn’t 둘러 [cover] magic and 털어 굳이 [shake it off deliberately].

‘I’m not short on magic yet, but…….’

It was inevitable that I would get tired.

Still, I 전진 [advanced] a little bit.

After 잠시 숨을 돌린 [taking a breather], I 다시 움켜쥐고 [gripped again] Mujin and Heukya in both hands and 걸어갔다 꾹꾹 눌러 가며 한 발자국 [walked step by step].

A 울창한 숲 [dense forest], throbbing eyes, a 피로한 육체 [tired body], and the 습격 [attacks] of monsters.

Compared to the 아름다운 풍경 [beautiful scenery], it was a mountain that gave me a 끔찍한 감상 [terrible impression] in many ways.

‘Still, it’s almost the 정상 [summit]. If I go inside the 분지 [basin]…….’

It was the moment I was 이어 가던 그런 생각을 [continuing that thought].

-Who dares to set foot in the demon realm?

The mountain 떨렸다 [trembled].

나는 걸음을 멈췄다 [I stopped walking] 정체 모를 목소리에 타고 흔들리는 바람결을 [by the unknown voice riding the swaying wind].

‘Is there 설마 [by any chance] a monster that can 날릴 사념파 정도의 [emit telepathic waves]?’

I 느꼈다 한기를 스치는 등골을 [felt a chill run down my spine].

This is 예상외다 [unexpected].

Even in my past life, there were many 피해 [casualties] when 정벌할 [conquering] Halla Mountain, but it was 알려져 [known] that there were no monsters above Rank 5.

-Again, it’s a human again.

But I 느껴졌다 회한 비슷한 감정이 [felt a regretful emotion] in that 목소리 [voice].

Hmm!

The 소리는 [sound] 내 뒤편에서 들려왔다 [came from behind me].

I 곧장 몸을 돌리며 휘둘렀다 흑야를 [immediately turned around and swung Heukya].

“……!”

Ka-gak!

But Heukya was 가로막혔다 [blocked] by a 무거운 압력 [heavy pressure] 마치 두드린 돌덩이라도 것처럼 [as if striking a hammered stone].

하물며 검기까지 터져 버리듯 허물어졌다 검에 두르고 있는 [Moreover, even the sword energy surrounding the blade crumbled as if bursting].

“In the end, you’ve come to find me like this…….”

A 거한 [giant] 서 있었다 [was standing].

눈동자 담은 듯한 별을 [Eyes that seemed to contain stars], 신체 강건한 크고 정도로 생각할 수 없을 평범한 사람이라고는 [a large and robust body that could not be mistaken for an ordinary person].

욱신 [Throb].

The 사내의 모습을 정확히 바라보고 있었다 마안은 [Evil Eye was accurately observing the man’s appearance].

I 있었다 본 바 천위산에서 이미 형체를 그러한 [I had seen such a figure before on Cheonwi Mountain].

‘Goblin.’

The 야장신 흑야를 만들어 낸 만나야 할 이곳에 와서 내가 was 서 있었다 그곳에 [blacksmith god who created Heukya, the one I had to meet, I was standing there].