Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 109

After finishing the explanation about the trial, Lyeo looked at me.

“You look very tired. It’s late, so go and get some rest for today. It would be better to explain other things little by little.”

It was already past midnight, as the battle with the Demon Species had taken place in the middle of the night, and we had talked for quite a while afterward.

I nodded, but then asked about something that bothered me.

“The Elder chased me away, saying he wouldn’t allow me to enter your territory. Wouldn’t it be difficult for you if I stay in this village?”

“Why worry about that? A Goblin has to repay a debt to a human. And don’t worry about the Elder. He hasn’t visited the village in nearly 10 years.”

Ten years.

It was a very long time, but it seemed like only a fleeting moment for the Mystic Species [a race of beings with supernatural powers].

“Either way, the trial won’t be over in just a day or two. Think of it as staying here for a while.”

“I understand.”

“I’ll prepare a place for you to stay… Go wash up first.”

“Wash up?”

Lyeo glanced at me.

I had roughly washed in the valley stream, but I wasn’t properly clean, so I was a bit scruffy.

“Ahem, no, well, I heard you liked washing…”

“…….”

I couldn’t help but frown.

“Hehehe, just kidding. More importantly, do you like hot springs?”

“…Excuse me?”

I blinked and looked at Lyeo.

* * *

There was a large pool of water.

Pleasant steam rose from it, and there was a strange sulfur smell like that from a volcano or hot spring.

At first glance, it looked like a common open-air bath, but the sight of blue light sparkling and floating around it looked quite mystical.

“It’s healing water. If you soak in it…”

“Actually, I’ve been in a place made by the Mountain God. So I know. You had one here too?”

Lyeo’s expression slightly soured.

“Don’t compare it to what that rascal made. This is a real hot spring with healing water. Got it?”

“Ah, yes, understood…”

“Anyway, go in and see. Once you get in, you’ll know it’s different. Unlike what that guy made…”

I sweated as I watched Lyeo ramble on and on.

I had no idea what the relationship between the Mountain God and Lyeo was.

“Anyway, go and relax. I’ll send someone in about an hour.”

“Yes, thank you.”

As Lyeo left, I neatly arranged my clothes and put them away.

‘Hoo…’

I took off my clothes and soaked deep into the hot spring.

Throb!

The minor injuries from the battle throbbed.

But as expected of healing water, the wounds were already healing before I even used recovery magic.

‘It’s quiet.’

A long sigh escaped as the fatigue of the past few days melted away.

Perhaps because it was already late at night, there were no other Mystic Species in the hot spring.

In the sky, there were countless stars and a large moon, like flour sprinkled on black silk.

In the silence, I submerged myself deeply in the water up to my chin, looking at the bright moon in the sky.

‘Wrestling, huh? With 100 people.’

It was a common tradition that Goblins liked wrestling, even if you hadn’t met one in person.

But this wrestling didn’t mean grabbing the waistband and knocking the opponent down, as it was known to the world.

It was closer to a duel than wrestling.

Closer to a ritual than a duel.

A ritual of competing souls by clashing with each other’s essence.

That’s how it was written in many records.

I had only read it in traditions and records, so I didn’t know exactly what it was.

I only knew that the wrestling was much harder and more arduous than actual wrestling.

‘At least it won’t be easy.’

The difficulty of the trials will increase.

I recalled what I had prepared to break the seal of Heukya [a powerful sword or artifact].

Excluding the first three seals, which were practically rites of passage, starting from the Bloodless Dream, where the fourth seal was placed, to the wrestling with 100 Goblins.

‘It feels like I’m following in the footsteps of the Ancestor.’

There are not many reliable historical records about the Ancestor, but several legendary stories have been passed down.

At a young age, he cut down the rampaging Gwisusan, who was the master of Jeokcheong Island.

He wandered around the chaotic world as a warrior and trained.

He wrestled with Goblins, won, and imprisoned them in Cheonwisan.

He cut down dragons, cut down immortals, and reclaimed land…

Among the many inconsistent legends, there was another tradition related to Goblins.

‘The tradition of wrestling with Goblins. It was said that he became like a companion to many Goblins. Maybe…’

I thought back to Heukya.

The content of the trial and the way everything was conducted.

The secret progress resembled the life trajectory of the Ancestor in the legends.

‘There was also content written in the Heukya Record.’

I recalled a phrase I read in the lower volume of the Heukya Record.

Because of that one line, my eldest brother continued to research the Heukya Record, and the status of Heukya in the family rapidly increased.

‘If what I heard in my past life about Heukya is not a delusion, then the end that this sword leads to contains the origin of the Sungmu Yi family.’

There are many things to do.

First of all, I had to completely interpret the Heukya Record, which contained such content, on this occasion, and understand Musaheng, Heukya, Mujin, Heukgi, and the Black Mist… and so on. There were many problems to solve.

I shook my head.

As always.

I would just fight and win in my life, handling big things one by one.

What lies before me now is wrestling with 100 Goblins.

I submerged myself deeply in the water and thought only about that.

* * *

The next day, I was resting when I was summoned by Lyeo.

“Do you know anything about Goblin wrestling?”

Lyeo asked me.

I shook my head.

“I know it in terms of knowledge. It’s a ritual of clashing souls… or so I’ve heard.”

It was also true that it sounded like grasping at clouds.

An expression that even sounded absurd.

In fact, all the old traditions were like that.

“Well, in fact, most of them like real wrestling too. I like the feel of it, so I like that too. Underhooks, throws… I was once famous among humans as a female Cheonhajangsa [Korean professional wrestling title], you know? Dueling that explodes like humans do… Keu! That’s really fun.”

Lyeo smiled and continued.

“But what we usually call ‘Goblin wrestling’ is not like that. The cringe-worthy expression of clashing souls isn’t entirely wrong, but if I had to say it… well, it’s like fighting with mental strength?”

Lyeo headed to a training ground.

The training ground, surrounded by trees, was surrounded by things like stones that shone in rainbow colors.

“It would be better to just do it right away than to explain it.”

Lyeo smiled brightly and turned his gaze to the Gyeongchangyung trio, who were following closely behind me and Lyeo.

“Gyeong! Come here!”

“Awesome! I’m first!”

“Ah… I’m jealous.”

“Hing! Why is it always her first!”

Gyeong 벌떡 [beoljjeok – suddenly] stood up and flew through the air with just one jump, arriving in front of me.

I frowned slightly and looked up at Lyeo.

“Am I doing this with this child?”

Lyeo looked down at me with a meaningful smile.

“Why, are you afraid of losing to a kid? Hmm, what should I do? The youngest ones in our village are only those three?”

“…Let’s start.”

Lyeo chuckled.

“Okay, then sit here. Gyeong, you sit down too.”

Gyeong and I sat down close enough that our knees almost touched.

Perhaps because Gyeong was small, her sitting height only came up to my chest.

“Hehe, you’ll find out that it’s not as easy as you think.”

Lyeo glanced at Gyeong, who was sitting across from me.

“Then, Gyeong. You have to be gentle, okay?”

I can’t believe they’re looking down on me this much.

I don’t know what that wrestling is, but still…

‘Ah.’

As I continued to think that and made eye contact with Gyeong, I felt my consciousness fading away.

Whoosh-.

A feeling of falling deeply somewhere.

Is this what it feels like to have an out-of-body experience?

With that feeling, my consciousness was cut off.

* * *

When I came to my senses, I was standing in a pure white space where there was no distinction between up, down, left, and right.

“…?”

I instinctively checked my body and mind.

It wasn’t like an illusion.

The senses of the body were still alive, and nothing had changed.

I immediately activated my Evil Eye and looked around, but I couldn’t see anything.

It was then.

“Hehehe!”

Gyeong appeared in the white background.

No, can I call that Gyeong?

‘What…!’

A giant.

Gyeong, who used to only come up to my chest, was now at least ten times bigger and looking down at me.

“Kee hee hee! Look how small you are!”

Gyeong smiled brightly and slowly moved her palm down to strike me.

‘…!’

I tried to kick off the ground and create distance.

Kwaaaang!

But by then, Gyeong’s palm had already struck me.

“Ugh!”

I suddenly opened my eyes.

Cold sweat was streaming down my back.

Such a realistic feeling.

I unknowingly checked my body, but just like that place was a dream, I didn’t feel any pain.

But I felt an enormous sense of fatigue.

Like I had been studying all night, one side of my head felt heavy.

“How was it? Was it manageable?”

Lyeo squatted down in front of me with a grin and made eye contact with me.

“…So that’s what it was.”

A battle of mental strength.

Once I experienced it, I understood.

Goblins are born in nature and grow up in nature.

As a result, they can see and feel much more than humans.

This ultimately leads to the growth of mental strength.

‘That space, does it come true as you think?’

It is literally fighting with mental strength.

I explained to Lyeo exactly what I felt.

Lyeo’s eyes widened as if he was surprised for a moment, then he nodded.

“…That’s accurate. You figured it out right away?”

I turned my head again and looked at Gyeong.

Gyeong smiled brightly and 벌떡 [beoljjeok – suddenly] stood up.

“Hehe! I won~! Why are humans so small? Hahaha!”

“….”

Suddenly, I had a thought.

What kind of world does this little child see that she creates such a huge figure?

“How much difference is there between the time in the wrestling world and here?”

“You even figured that out…? Hmm hmm, there’s about a 3x difference. Three seconds there is one second here. The exact number varies depending on the time.”

I nodded.

And looking at Gyeong, I said.

“Let’s do it again.”

“Okay! I like it!”

Gyeong nodded with a bright smile, but Lyeo hurriedly grabbed my shoulder and stopped me.

“Take a break. When humans experience Goblin wrestling for the first time, they consume a lot of mental strength.”

“It doesn’t matter. I want to do it right away if this child is okay.”

Ignoring Lyeo’s surprised eyes, I made eye contact with Gyeong again.

* * *

The old Goblin, the village chief of Mirinae Village, looked down at Yi Cheol.

‘A human figured it out all at once?’

Goblin wrestling was a space to compete mental strength.

The place is more like a battle of imagination than a place of fierce battle, and because it takes place in the mental world, a kind of rapport naturally takes place.

Of course, if you enter ‘real Goblin wrestling’, it becomes no different from an actual battle.

Many Goblins enjoy this Goblin wrestling.

Goblins, who grow stronger by relying on their will, naturally realize themselves through this wrestling, realize their opponents, and respect nature.

‘But… isn’t this person a human?’

Even baby Goblins have difficulty getting a feel for it until they get used to it.

But in just one moment, even in a fleeting moment, did he realize the essence?

‘Besides… as a human, he must be tired and exhausted.’

Lyeo swallowed hard.

Yi Cheol looked quite tired at first glance.

But he didn’t give up and kept challenging.

She is not human, so she doesn’t know the feeling exactly, but she thinks it will be accompanied by considerable pain.

But…

“I won again~♬ But you lasted a little longer this time?”

“Damn it. I think I know… Anyway, let’s do it one more time. Brat.”

“What? Brat? You’re a brat too!”

“Shut up and sit down quickly.”

He doesn’t stop and keeps challenging.

At the same time, the time spent wrestling is getting longer and longer.

Lyeo was sweating, but in the figure of Yi Cheol, who was constantly challenging, she recalled the figure of a man she had seen a long time ago.

He constantly whipped himself, grew as much as he did, and achieved greater achievements than any race that lived for generations.

Lyeo remembered the name of that human.

The founder of the Sungmu Yi family, Yi Hyulhyeon.

The appearance of that man, whose face she can’t even remember now, somehow overlapped with Yi Cheol’s face.

‘No way…’

No matter how much, can this child be similar to that monstrous human?

To win the wrestling with 100 Goblins.

Lyeo thought that he would never be able to achieve that absurd trial condition.

But…

Chills.

Lyeo felt a chill for the first time in a long time.

Yi Cheol, who was kicked out in ten seconds earlier, is now not opening his eyes for almost thirty seconds.

* * *

And.

The Goblin, who everyone calls Elder, was looking at them from outside the village.

Even though it was not a distance that could be reached by sight, the appearance of the Goblins harmonizing with one human seemed to be clearly visible in his eyes.

The Goblin’s eyes were revealing too many emotions.

Like retracing old memories.

Like regretting past events.

It felt like longing, joy was felt, regret was felt, and before he knew it, it led to anger.

The Goblin looked at his anvil and hammer and slowly got up.

His gaze was still directed at Yi Cheol.