Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 151

With the awards ceremony concluded, the Grand Melee was officially over.

The association mentioned they had prepared additional events, but I immediately declined.

No matter the purpose of those events, there was nothing for me to gain.

There might be some grumbling from the association… but I didn’t care.

Meanwhile, Ron, who had been working with me while moving around Europe, asked for a moment of my time.

“If it’s alright with you, would it be okay to depart in about three days?”

“Is something the matter?”

“I’m about to leave for knightly duties without permission, so I’m trying to clean up the mess a bit. Though, I suppose I don’t really have to….”

“It’s fine. Since that’s how it is, why don’t you take about a week?”

I was already planning to reflect on what I had gained from this Grand Melee, so I readily agreed.

“Then, let’s move your luggage to where I’m staying. I rented the entire mansion, so there are plenty of rooms. It even has a training ground attached.”

I didn’t bother refusing.

We would be working together for a while anyway, so it would be inefficient to have separate accommodations.

“Then, I’ll impose on you for a bit.”

“Impose? This is nothing between friends!”

And so, I checked out of my original accommodation and moved to the mansion where Ron was staying.

***

Meanwhile, Serena came to see me on the day I moved into Ron’s mansion.

When I entered the reception room, Serena was sitting there with her usual expressionless face.

“Lady Serena, what brings you here?”

“To Kim Cheol-hyun-nim….”

“Lee Cheol is fine. The Grand Melee is over now.”

I had already revealed my identity to Serena so that my ‘condition’ could be formally approved by the Holy Kingdom.

Serena nodded at my words and replied.

“Yes, I understand. Today, I came to say goodbye to Lee Cheol-nim. I am scheduled to return to the Holy Kingdom on a flight tonight. And….”

Serena paused for a moment before carefully continuing.

“The Holy Kingdom has sent a response to Lee Cheol-nim’s request.”

“Finally, the answer has arrived.”

“I apologize for the delay. I only heard about it last night.”

“It’s alright. It’s not your fault, Serena-nim. Was my request accepted?”

Serena nodded lightly.

“Yes, the main branch has decided to accept the conditions if it is confirmed that Lee Cheol-nim is the subject of the prophecy.”

My eyes lit up at Serena’s words.

‘It wasn’t an impossible request, but… considering the position of the Vatican, a religious organization, it wasn’t a condition that could be easily accepted.’

I had requested a few things excessively, anticipating that some of my demands would be rejected.

I intended to adjust the conditions through negotiation, so I asked for a little more than my original goal.

But the Vatican accepted everything.

‘They must think this matter is quite important.’

While I was lost in thought, Serena took something out of her pocket and placed it on the table.

Clatter!

It was a rosary with a small rosario [a set of prayer beads] hanging from it.

Even without using my Mystic Eyes, I could tell it wasn’t an ordinary object.

Objects imbued with ancient mysteries have a unique power.

“What is that?”

“It’s a holy relic. Or, more precisely, it’s closer to a talisman imbued with ancient divine magic.”

Serena slid the rosario towards me.

“If you infuse this rosario with mana, you can communicate without fear of eavesdropping at any time. It connects directly to the Cardinal of the main branch.”

I didn’t ask why she was giving me this.

Just giving me this was enough to understand the current situation of the Vatican.

‘They’re even giving me something like this, so they must be very concerned about security.’

I finished thinking and put the rosario in my pocket.

“I understand. I will contact you through this as soon as the matter is concluded.”

“Thank you for doing so.”

After that, Serena politely greeted me again and left.

I touched the rosario Serena had left behind and pondered.

***

After Serena left, time continued to flow.

Meanwhile, I spent time training in the training ground attached to Ron’s mansion, reflecting on what I had gained from the Grand Melee.

And I wasn’t the only one doing that training.

“Cough!”

Thud!

Ron screamed and flew far away.

Traces of aura scattered, and dirt and dust fell.

Ron, staggering to his feet in the rising dust, chuckled dryly.

“…That weapon is really ridiculous. What did you say its name was?”

“Mujin.”

“Mujin, Mujin… Haha, to think there’s a weapon like that. A weapon that changes shape every moment is practically cheating!”

Ron grumbled.

I smiled.

At Ron’s request to spar with me using a proper weapon, I had recently brought out Mujin, and as expected, Ron was constantly flustered.

‘He’s talented and works hard, but the most important things when facing Mujin are improvisation and experience.’

Although I’m the one wielding it, the combat style using Mujin has considerable cheating power.

When facing Mujin, you must be constantly vigilant. You can’t predict when or how its shape will change.

Freedom of offense and defense, and overwhelming eccentricity.

No matter how talented Ron is, it’s not easy to react if he lacks experience.

“How is it? Want to warm up some more?”

“Please, a little more.”

Ron gripped his sword and charged again.

Ron couldn’t help but admire Lee Cheol as they fought.

A weapon that can freely change shape might sound good at first glance, but in reality, it’s bound to be quite tricky.

Even if you have countless weapons, it’s not easy to compete against someone who has honed a single weapon well.

To put it nicely, it’s versatile; to put it badly, it’s scattered.

A path that can lead to nowhere if you’re not careful.

‘But that man is proficient with every weapon. As if he’s spent his whole life mastering only that weapon.’

That’s not the end of it.

What about his mana?

The flow of mana changes drastically every time the weapon transforms.

‘I was a frog in a well [an idiom meaning someone with limited experience or knowledge].’

He felt a sense of respect rising within him.

Thud!

Ron was knocked back again by the incoming attack.

In fact, the impact wasn’t that great.

Because it wasn’t a duel to determine victory or defeat, they were controlling their strength.

“Then, now that we’re warmed up, let’s start properly.”

“Alright.”

As soon as I heard Ron’s answer, I drew up my aura.

Whoosh!

The aura began to be manipulated in a way I had never shown before.

Ron exclaimed in admiration.

“The level of completion is even better than yesterday.”

After the Grand Melee, I was creating a ‘technique.’

It was a technique I was creating through the numerous insights I gained from the Grand Melee and the contents written in the secret manual given to me by my aunt.

“Come.”

Thankfully, Ron was helping me complete this technique.

“Try not to faint this time.”

I said that and extended Mujin.

And, as if the night sky was falling, a storm of aura swept through the training ground.

***

Time passed quickly.

And the promised week had passed.

Before leaving Hamburg, I contacted Jeong Jin-soo and the Black Turtle Association to convey a few things.

And after finishing all the preparations, the first place I headed to with Ron was none other than Northern Europe.

“Are we going to the uncharted territories?”

“No, Norway. I’m going to the territory.”

“There are quite a few territories in Norway, though.”

“I’m going to Mount Galdhøpiggen.”

The highest mountain in the Scandinavian region, Galdhøpiggen.

It was one of the largest territories in Northern Europe and a snow-capped mountain where snow never melted throughout the year.

Due to the aftermath of the Great War, it became inaccessible to humans and was designated as a dangerous area by the government, making it impossible for people to climb.

That didn’t mean it became a special dungeon or a gate opened there.

Rather, the opposite.

Due to the backlash from the Great War, the spiritual energy was maximized, turning it into an extreme land where all sorts of natural phenomena occurred.

Therefore, it was designated as a dangerous area because it was dangerous to approach rashly.

“Since we’re departing from Hamburg, we can go to Norway via Denmark. Getting there shouldn’t be difficult, but….”

Ron had a slightly puzzled expression.

“May I ask why you’re going there?”

Mount Galdhøpiggen is certainly a sacred mountain, but there are many territories in Europe with better environments.

There are many places to go right here in Germany.

“I’m not going there because it’s a sacred mountain. I’m going there to find the dungeon.”

“Dungeon? You mean there’s a dungeon there?”

Ron’s expression became strange.

Sacred mountains are places where mana is condensed and flows, while dungeons are places where mana is unbalanced.

“To be precise, it’s a ruin. Not a dungeon in the sense of an area with mana imbalance, but an underground labyrinth.”

“……Excuse me?”

Ron looked even more confused.

I couldn’t explain any further.

I had to go there as the first step to restoring the Spear of Ru.

‘In my past life, it was restored in a different way. But this is the correct restoration method.’

It would be quite difficult, though.

It was worth enduring for a Celestial-grade weapon.

***

Ron’s help was significant in getting to Norway.

As Ron had confidently stated, he could speak the languages of various regions of Europe at a native level and quickly and easily secured transportation and accommodations.

It might be a bit much to use this expression for the future Sword Emperor, but….

‘Convenient.’

It was quite convenient.

I only told him the departure date and arrival location, and the preparations were already complete.

Even equipment for mountaineering, groceries, and drinking water were prepared.

“Let’s depart!”

In two days, Ron and I went from Hamburg to Denmark, and from Denmark, we took a boat to Norway and arrived at Mount Galdhøpiggen.

On the first day, we stayed at an accommodation near the national park and rested, and the next morning, we climbed the mountain early.

The first impression could be summarized in one word.

Cold.

Terribly so.

‘I’m manipulating mana and wearing so many layers… but it’s cold. Ugh.’

It was almost the first time I had felt this cold since I reached a certain level of mastery in mana manipulation.

I felt goosebumps as the cold dug into my skin.

The cold here was different from the cold elsewhere.

The mountain itself had a strong yin energy [passive, receptive energy]. The mana itself had a certain property.

Therefore, maintaining body temperature through mana was restricted. I could feel mana draining away just from maintaining body temperature.

‘I’m glad I have Eunhan, though.’

Eunhan protects the wearer’s body from external influences.

As it was made of celestial silkworm silk imbued with spiritual energy, it automatically absorbed my mana and blocked the cold.

Still, it didn’t block it completely, but it was much less cold.

Of course….

“Shiver!”

Ron, who didn’t have special equipment like Eunhan besides his Holy Sword, was pathetically shivering as he climbed the mountain.

“Are you alright?”

“Y-y-yes, I’m f-f-fine.”

“Hmm….”

He didn’t look fine at all.

But since he said he was fine, I decided to ignore it.

“I don’t know the exact location, so I have to look around more. Let’s try a little harder.”

“O-of c-c-course! I-I-I’m f-f-fine, I tell you!”

We passed the entrance of the mountain and arrived at the middle.

And.

“……!”

I felt a warning from my sixth sense.

‘What is this feeling? There’s something above….’

I was startled and looked up.

Ron also seemed to feel the same thing and looked at the sky.

Whoa….

A strange sound was coming from high in the sky.

“It sounds like something is falling….”

Ron narrowed his eyes and focused.

That something was white.

Something that looked like clouds.

“Snow?”

It was snow.

A blizzard.

Suddenly, an enormous amount of snow poured down.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me…!’

Thud!

The snow, suddenly created in the air, struck the ground like a bombardment.

Ron and I immediately deployed our auras and left the area.

We had moved exactly 100 meters.

The snow that was pouring down like crazy had stopped.

No, to be precise….

“I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

It was still pouring down on the place we had just passed.

We had escaped the snow-falling zone in just 100 meters.

It was such a dense blizzard that it looked like a white curtain was pouring down instead of snow.

It felt like that’s what it would be like if a landslide poured down from the sky.

“I’ve heard that the spiritual energy here is maximized, creating strange natural environments… but what is that….”

“That’s probably just the beginning. Hail and snowstorms will probably come next.”

“Gulp.”

Ron looked up at the snow mountain with trembling eyes.

Whoosh-!

The sound of the wind blowing down the snow mountain echoed ominously like the wailing of ghosts.

‘It’s definitely on this mountain. There’s a strange energy mixed in with the mountain’s earth energy.’

I opened my Mystic Eyes and looked around.

Numerous intertwined energies were caught in my Mystic Eyes.

I would have felt quite a bit of pain before I realized how to control the Mystic Eyes, but now I could search without feeling pain.

The problem was.

‘It’s quite faint. It doesn’t seem like it will be possible in a day or two….’

The range of this sacred mountain has become quite large since the Great War, so it seemed like it would take quite a while to search.

Looking at Ron, who was complaining about the cold next to me, I smiled bitterly.

Three days later.

Only after experiencing hail, snowstorms, lightning strikes, and avalanches twice each were we able to find our destination.

The hidden ruins of Mount Galdhøpiggen.

The Temple of Odin was there.