Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 139

Weapon-Devouring Bastard – Chapter 139

The atmosphere of the second preliminary round was quite different from the first.

First of all, the restrictions on Aura Skills were lifted, and accordingly, the matches were held in special arenas.

The arena was a large space about 60 to 70 meters wide and long, with barriers and security personnel around it.

However, there weren’t actually many participants who used Aura.

Only a few from prestigious families or clans did.

Therefore, I didn’t bother using Aura Skills and simply defeated my opponents to accumulate wins.

And finally, on the third day of the second preliminary round.

“Today, the dark horse of Group C and the eighth member of the Sungmoo Yi family are finally facing off!”

“Oh! The Black Sword and the Mad Dog?”

“Mad Dog… you better watch your mouth. If there were any Sungmoo Yi warriors here, you’d be stabbed right away.”

“Heup. Th-that’s right. What was he called again?”

“It’s already too late. You could have just said Ivory Sword Lord instead of Mad Dog…”

“W-well, anyway, Kim Cheol-hyeon and Lee Seo-hyeon. Both are 16 years old, the same age. Amazing, right? Haha!”

Black Sword was none other than the alias Lee Cheol had newly acquired.

To be precise, it was the alias acquired by the fictitious character Kim Cheol-hyeon, not Lee Cheol himself.

Dark magic reminiscent of the night sky and the amazing martial prowess to overwhelm opponents with a single blow.

That was how he got the name Black Sword.

No matter who the opponent was, he defeated them within five moves at most, and in some cases, he overwhelmed them with just one blow, so the name Kim Cheol-hyeon was attracting attention from the audience and scouts from various forces.

On the other hand, Lee Seo-hyeon.

This girl, who fought her matches extremely aggressively, was nicknamed Mad Dog because she rushed at her opponents like a beast as soon as the match started and finished them off.

“Wow, this is going to be fun. The gracefully moving Black Sword and the somewhat rough Mad… no, Ivory Sword Lord.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Even as the preliminary matches of many young boys and girls continued, most people’s expectations were focused on the two of them.

An unidentified dark horse and a young direct descendant of the Sungmoo Yi family.

And it seemed that the man sitting in the VIP section of the arena felt the same way.

“Kim Cheol-hyeon…”

The middle-aged man murmured the name quietly.

The man, looking down at the arena, smiled as if he was quite intrigued.

“What do you think?”

Next to the man sat a shabby old man.

The old man slightly opened his eyes, buried in wrinkles, and looked at the man.

“I don’t know what you’re asking.”

“I’m asking for your impressions of that boy.”

“Surely Lord Chae, one of the strongest of our time, would know better than I.”

Lord Chae.

There were only a few people in China who were called that.

Moreover, among those considered the strongest of our time, there was only one person called Lord Chae.

The Lord of the Nine Dragons Fortress, who had achieved the feat of Slaying the Dragon, and one of the few first-class warriors in the world.

Only Gu Ryongchaeju, Cheol Wi-seong, was called that.

“The successor of the Heavenly Star is getting old and only learning how to avoid answering.”

“I am just a nameless old man.”

The old man chuckled and turned the conversation again.

Cheol Wi-seong smirked and said quietly.

“You know it too. That’s Sungmoo Yi.”

“…….”

“It can only be Sungmoo Yi. If he weren’t the son of that Sword Demon, there’s no way he could have grown so much at that age.”

“Sword Demon… it’s been a while since I’ve heard that name.”

The old man erased his smile and stroked his somewhat awkward left arm.

There was a long scar on it, like a snake wriggling.

The old man stroked the scar and looked down at Lee Cheol.

“Interesting.”

The wrinkles around the old man’s eyes twitched at Cheol Wi-seong’s words.

“What is?”

“To come and see your disciple and see the bloodline of the Sword Demon.”

Cheol Wi-seong leaned deeply against the back of his chair.

“Either way, it seems I don’t have much luck with successors. That Sword Demon and you both created such useful successors, but my disciples all die uselessly. Or am I just not a good teacher?”

He was referring to the death of Ma Geom-ju, Seo Woong-geon, Cheolju’s disciple.

Even though his disciple had died, Gu Ryongchaeju didn’t seem to care much.

He didn’t seem to care whether they lived or died.

“Don’t you raise your disciples hoping they will die?”

Cheol Wi-seong wore a strange smile.

“What kind of teacher wants their disciples to die? I just present the path that best suits my disciples’ desires. But they always die before they can reach the end. It’s a shame.”

Gu Ryongchaeju has many disciples.

There are hundreds of disciples who have simply studied under him, and more than ten direct disciples.

That’s why a new organization called the Disciples’ Group was even created in Gu Ryongchae.

However, there are several facts that are not known to the outside world.

Gu Ryongchaeju’s disciples were actually much more numerous than that.

That’s just how many people are still disciples to this day.

Cheol Wi-seong’s gaze shifted.

On one side of the arena, Group A, participants from the southern region of China, were competing.

There, Jang Han stood with his long blade hanging down.

Gu Ryongchaeju smiled strangely as he looked at him.

“So? If your disciple comes to me, do you think he can go all the way?”

“…….”

The old man didn’t say anything.

He just silently looked down at his disciple, Jang Han.

Cheol Wi-seong laughed again.

“Well, that’s good. I don’t discriminate when accepting disciples.”

Cheol Wi-seong got up from his seat as if he was done.

The old man rose up like a ghost and followed behind Cheol Wi-seong.

* * *

The preliminary matches continued.

And as the final match approached, everyone’s attention turned to one side.

There, a boy and a girl were slowly ascending to the arena.

Kim Cheol-hyeon and Lee Seo-hyeon.

The match between the two young boys and girls who were attracting the attention of many people in this preliminary round had already been set.

“Hey, long time no see?”

The girl… no, Lee Seo-hyeon, said that to me playfully.

Even though it was almost three years since we last met, Lee Seo-hyeon hadn’t changed.

No, she had grown taller on the outside, but her actions hadn’t changed.

“You recognize me quite easily.”

“Of course! I participated here because of you!”

Like Jang Han, Lee Seo-hyeon recognized me too easily.

However, rather than recognizing me through keen observation like Jang Han, it felt more like she had obtained information in advance.

‘She must have followed the traces of my identity for external trips [travels outside the family compound].’

She probably found out about my participation in this competition thanks to that.

And Lee Seo-hyeon had been constantly clashing with me in the family for several years, so it wouldn’t have been difficult for her to find me disguised.

“Yeah, it’s been a while. You’re already out on the warrior’s path [a journey of self-discovery and martial training]?”

At my words, Lee Seo-hyeon glared at me and shouted.

“Already? Hah… never mind. No need for words. Let’s just fight. Siba [a curse word], I’ve really been sharpening my sword to beat you! I’ve been living like crazy, training to get on the warrior’s path?”

I looked at Lee Seo-hyeon with a dumbfounded expression.

She doesn’t seem to have changed much, but she seems a bit strange.

She was originally a bit hot-tempered, but now she’s… more aggressive.

‘Ah, that’s right.’

I’m 16 years old now.

Lee Seo-hyeon is also 16 years old.

I understand it’s puberty.

“What? Why are you making that annoying face?”

“It’s nothing. I understand everything.”

“I don’t like it…”

Lee Seo-hyeon narrowed her eyes.

For some reason, she feels bad when she talks to Lee Cheol.

Especially that gaze that looks down on her like he’s her older brother when he’s her younger brother!

Lee Seo-hyeon gritted her teeth.

“Ha! Whatever. Let’s just start. Do you remember the bet from our trainee days?”

“Bet?”

“If I win, call me ‘Nuna’ [older sister]!”

Is she still trying to do that?

The moment I widened my eyes in disbelief, Lee Seo-hyeon suddenly swung her sword at me.

Our reunion after nearly three years began with the flash of the Ivory Sword.

* * *

Just as Lee Seo-hyeon had been watching the matches from the audience to find me in disguise.

I had already known that Lee Seo-hyeon was participating, so I had been watching her from the audience in advance.

So I was anticipating her growth.

The eighth member of the Sungmoo Yi family, Lee Seo-hyeon, had become stronger.

‘They say she’s called the Mad Dog… she must have just been rushing in because her opponents were low-level.’

After the exchange of the first attack, I faced Lee Seo-hyeon and didn’t move first for a while.

No, it wasn’t that I wasn’t moving at all.

I moved one step to the side.

I lowered my elbow by about 2 centimeters and then raised it again.

I concentrated my magic power on my lower body and then concentrated it on the tip of my arm again.

I was facing Lee Seo-hyeon while slightly changing my movements like that.

‘…She’s become more cautious. Lee Seo-hyeon.’

In response to my movements, Lee Seo-hyeon took a middle stance with her Ivory Sword, slightly raising the position of her sword or moving her position by half a step.

Also, she adjusted her movements slightly according to the position of my sword, changing the angle of her shoulders and arms.

She was measuring the distance between us and probing to seize the optimal moment.

Meanwhile, Lee Seo-hyeon gritted her teeth and gripped her sword a little harder.

‘There’s no opening…’

Lee Seo-hyeon took another half step forward.

At that moment, Lee Cheol casually lowered his arm slightly.

‘I’m going to lose.’

Just lowering his arm made the sense of defeat stronger.

Lee Seo-hyeon took another step back and changed her sword to an upper stance.

This time, Lee Cheol’s magic power flow moves to the tip of his sword.

That alone meant she had lost another battle of wits.

Squeeze-.

Lee Seo-hyeon gripped the Ivory Sword tightly and calmed her pounding heart.

She never held a sword in any battle with the thought of defeat.

Even when facing an opponent of a much higher level than herself, she never faces them thinking she will lose.

-Your strength is that unyielding heart.

Before leaving for the warrior’s path, her first older brother, Lee Myeong-jeong, had even said that to her.

However, that feeling was now coming to her as an immense pressure.

‘I can’t see a gap to win.’

Lee Cheol.

A huge wall that had been standing in front of her since birth.

That wall had turned into a fortress in just a few years.

His martial arts skills and magic power flow had grown to a terrifying extent.

How could he become so strong at the same age as her?

Suddenly, Lee Seo-hyeon became annoyed with all those thoughts.

“That’s it! I quit! When have I ever worried about this!”

Lee Seo-hyeon threw away all the battles of wits and kicked off the ground.

Kwaang!

I was momentarily late in reacting to that sudden action.

Even though I was predicting her actions with the Evil Eye, it was too sudden!

“Haaap!”

It wasn’t intentional, but the moment Lee Seo-hyeon instinctively rushed in was one of the few ways she could take the initiative.

Kwaaaaaaa!

Pure white Aura began to gush out like a fountain from Lee Seo-hyeon’s Ivory Sword.

A tremendous amount of Aura.

The moment I saw that Aura, I gasped.

‘This crazy…!’

Kwaaaaaaaang!

The moment the Ivory Sword flashed, a torrent of Aura poured out over the arena like a flooding river.

‘How many more elixirs has she been eating to have this much magic power!’

It was ‘Release,’ a basic Aura skill that exists in any martial art, not a high-level Aura skill.

But the amount of Aura being released was so enormous that it was incredibly powerful just by itself.

Swish!

I took a step forward and swung the Iron Sword from top to bottom.

Mujin Style 1: Exorcism.

As soon as I split the wave of Aura blocking my path, I immediately took a deep breath.

“Not yet!”

Lee Seo-hyeon immediately began to rush in again.

I moved the Iron Sword without panicking at that very aggressive charge.

Woong! Kwaang!

I managed to block the first attack by a miracle, but I had no intention of giving up the second attack.

I deflected the Ivory Sword aimed at my chest with the blade and opened up Lee Seo-hyeon’s defense as it was.

The Evil Eye read the path, and the sword stretched out along that path.

‘You’re always lacking in defense!’

The Iron Sword fell quickly, aiming for Lee Seo-hyeon’s thigh.

Lee Seo-hyeon quickly pulled her thigh back, but the Iron Sword had already reached Lee Seo-hyeon’s thigh.

Thud!

‘Thud?’

But the sound I heard was not the sound of flesh being cut, but a rough noise like hitting a lump of metal.

“Iyap!”

Even though she had been attacked, Lee Seo-hyeon rushed in again without hesitation.

But she still had many flaws.

I easily avoided all those attacks with the Evil Eye and cut Lee Seo-hyeon’s abdomen as it was.

‘This time, even stronger!’

The compressed Aura of the 4-Star New Magic Power Technique cut through the Aura defending Lee Seo-hyeon’s abdomen and slashed her abdomen.

Sgaak!

Only then did Lee Seo-hyeon groan and take a step back.

But I looked at Lee Seo-hyeon with a slightly surprised expression.

Lee Seo-hyeon’s top was slightly torn, and blood droplets were flowing out.

However, the blood droplets soon stopped, and the wound on her abdomen quickly closed.

‘What… is that?’

It wasn’t like I was going to kill her, and I deliberately controlled my strength, but it shouldn’t have ended with just that much damage.

Kwang!

Similar things happened after that.

But Lee Seo-hyeon was not injured.

No, even if she was injured, she recovered instantly.

The Sungmoo Yi family’s innate strong body, the ability to regenerate obtained from the Test Hall, and…

“I’ve unlocked the Ivory Sword. That’s not enough to hurt me!”

…It seemed she had even gained one of the Ivory Sword’s many functions, which was to heal the body by consuming magic power.

“Now I’m starting to see your movements roughly, and I know it’s worth getting hit. Now it’s my turn!”

Lee Seo-hyeon’s eyes flashed.

Instantly, her tremendous magic power began to gather at the tip of her sword.

Kiiiiing!

A tremendous amount of magic power burst out from the Ivory Sword as if a flash grenade had gone off.

Secret Technique, Lightning Strike.

One of the Sungmoo Yi family’s many secret techniques was unfolding at Lee Seo-hyeon’s fingertips.