Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 16

Weapon-Eating Bastard – Chapter 16

Naming Ceremony, Day 19.

I had finally entered the heart of the island, the most dangerous area, known to be the domain of the Dragonkin.

“Hoo…”

I took a deep breath and stared at the monster blocking my path.

-Krrr!

Dragonkin, a Rank 7 monster, Draco.

Standing at 2 meters tall, with short horns and small, membrane-covered wings.

It looked exactly like a scaled-down version of a dragon.

‘The Dragonkin are different, alright.’

I steadied my breathing and examined the Draco.

Dragonkin are known to be stronger than other monsters of the same rank.

Even the lesser monsters with just a trace of dragon blood were like that, and Draco, being a clear Dragonkin known as the ‘dragon that can’t fly,’ was definitely strong.

‘But I can handle this!’

-Krrk!

The Draco opened its mouth wide.

With a flash, a red aura burst from its gaping maw.

Kwaaaaaaah!

A breath attack, considered the exclusive domain of the Dragonkin.

I swung the standard-issue iron sword at the monstrous heatwave.

Exorcism.

It cleaved the spewed flames in two.

‘Now!’

I charged straight through the flames.

The Draco’s vertically slit pupils widened.

Crack!

The iron sword pierced the Draco’s forehead.

Without even a death cry, the Draco’s body collapsed.

Only then did I relax and let out a sigh of relief.

“Hoo, so I’ve really entered the very center.”

Nearing the end of the third week.

I had finally advanced to the very center of Crimson Azure Island, the most dangerous Dragonkin territory.

Indeed, the center and the Dragonkin were strong. If I were the me who had just arrived on Crimson Azure Island, I might have fallen to the first breath attack.

‘I didn’t get any benefits from it in my past life, so I didn’t know it would be this effective… There must have been a reason why the apothecary kept it a secret and didn’t want to teach me.’

Moreover, what I had made now was a half-baked elixir, missing several herbs and key processes.

The old apothecary had said that if I followed the recipe in my memory exactly, it would become something akin to a divine elixir. Maybe he wasn’t lying.

‘Should I move on?’

I concealed my presence and advanced slowly.

The Dragonkin territory was so dangerous that I couldn’t let my guard down for a moment.

The Dragonkin were aggressive and strong.

To claim the territory left vacant by the previous battle, all the surrounding Dragonkin would surely be rushing over.

‘Let’s quickly find that and get out. Lingering in the Dragonkin territory is a waste of time.’

Through this naming ceremony, I had to obtain ‘that thing’ no matter what.

I left the Draco’s territory and moved quickly.

However, I had to stop before long.

‘…Again?’

Sniff, sniff!

The reptilian stench unique to reptiles brushed past my nose on the breeze.

I immediately turned and carefully moved towards the source of the smell.

-Kiaaaak!

The moment I cleared the bushes, two monsters appeared before me.

Rank 8 monsters, Lizardmen.

Lizardmen were low-level monsters that only inhabited the outskirts of Crimson Azure Island. They should never appear in the center, especially in the Dragonkin territory.

‘One, two… This time, there are three in total?’

I sensed the presence of a Lizardman hiding in the bushes.

I didn’t know what was going on, but I immediately gathered my mana and prepared for battle.

-Chureuk! Chiiii!

-Kkik! Kkik!

But the Lizardmen all turned and began to flee.

‘So they’re running away again.’

I pursued them.

-Kiek!

Swish!

They were focused on escaping, with no intention of fighting back.

I quickly dealt with two of them, and only one was frantically tearing through the bushes to escape.

‘What’s been going on since yesterday?’

If it had been once, I would have dismissed it as a coincidence, but not after the second time. It meant something was up.

‘…I’ll have to chase it down.’

Hoo, hoo….

I took a deep breath and channeled mana into the muscles throughout my body.

As the mana spread out, the presence emanating from my body began to diminish significantly.

It was the manifestation of one of the restored ancient mana techniques, the Art of Concealment.

‘Let’s go.’

The last one was deliberately let go.

I thoroughly concealed my presence and followed the Lizardman’s trail.

The long, curtain-like sunset glow was pouring down onto the land of Crimson Azure Island.

* * *

A man in flowing shamanistic robes was sitting in a flat, sunny clearing.

He was sitting in the lotus position. Around him, an unidentified energy was rising like shimmering heat haze.

“Lin, Pyo, To, Ja, Gae, Jin….”

The man, who had been chanting the Nine Syllable Seals of esoteric Buddhism [a mantra-like practice], slowly lowered his voice.

Then, as if sensing something, he wore a bitter smile.

“The bloodline of the Soongmoo Yi family is truly bizarre. How can that young boy be dealing with several monsters alone?”

The man looked somewhat anxiously behind him.

There, a vajra [a ritual weapon symbolizing firmness of spirit and spiritual power], emitting a dense mana, was floating in the air.

“There’s still a little more time needed.”

The man looked across the vajra.

There, even considering the time of sunset, an overly dark shadow was cast.

“It should be fine. It doesn’t seem like I’ll need to use that. No matter how strong he is, he’s just an inexperienced child who will fall for an obvious lure. My power alone is enough.”

Clang!

The man tapped the ground with his staff and stepped forward.

* * *

I held my breath and looked down the hillside.

There was a small clearing there. The Lizardman had descended this slope and headed to that clearing.

And there, I discovered an existence that should never be on this island.

‘An outsider, huh.’

The Lizardman lowered its body in front of the man in flowing Japanese attire, like a trained pet.

There were few who could control monsters like that. Above all, that unique attire.

A tamer.

A type of sorcerer who controlled monsters or spiritual beasts.

‘So he’s been controlling the monsters here all along.’

As the man waved his staff and chanted, an energy with a different nature from mana was spreading in all directions.

Sorcery fundamentally had a different system from magic or martial arts. It was the power they called curse power.

The tamer sat back down in the open clearing.

I looked around the clearing and smiled bitterly.

‘It was so obvious that the Lizardman was trying to lure me into a trap, but I didn’t think it would really be one.’

I could feel presences hiding in the bushes surrounding the clearing. They were probably planning to ambush me the moment I was lured in.

‘By the way, how did an outsider sneak into Crimson Azure Island?’

The sea routes were thoroughly controlled by the family.

Of course, no force could secretly sneak in through the sea.

But one thing flashed through my mind.

‘…If a teleportation gate was installed.’

A teleportation gate, a magic circle that connected specific points, would make it possible.

In other words, this was.

‘The work of someone from the family.’

Only someone from the family could secretly enter the Soongmoo Yi family’s land and hide a teleportation gate.

And they sent a tamer of all people.

There was no better assassin to disguise as a monster and kill an annoying bastard without raising suspicion.

Moreover, the situation was being transmitted in real-time through the bracelet and brooch, so the evidence was even more certain.

‘Should I inform the family and wait for support?’

I pondered, fiddling with the brooch pinned to my chest.

I often left my equipment behind, but since I hadn’t given up on the naming ceremony, I wore it as much as possible unless I was working with Mujin or mana grass.

I was too far away to be captured on video right now, but if I wanted to, I could approach him without being detected and film his appearance.

If I did that, family support would arrive in less than an hour.

‘No, that’s not the best way.’

I shook my head.

Requesting support in a crisis wasn’t something to be ashamed of, but it would be a different story if a direct descendant of the Soongmoo Yi family did so.

The Soongmoo Yi family revered martial arts and valued strength above all else.

If a descendant of such a family waited for support in the face of a crisis of this magnitude, it would be a problem.

‘And it wouldn’t be helpful to me either. If support troops arrive, information about the person who instigated this will completely leave my hands.’

That was a result I didn’t want.

I wouldn’t be able to use it politically, nor would I be able to obtain information about the enemy who targeted me.

‘If I succeed in suppressing him, the treatment of that man will be in my hands, even if support troops arrive.’

The decision was made.

I gripped the iron sword in my hand.

He might be dangerous if he were an ordinary sorcerer, but not a tamer. They were generally devoid of direct combat abilities other than handling monsters.

I slowly began to descend the slope.

* * *

Maintaining the Art of Concealment, I slowly approached through the shadows of the forest.

The tamer’s figure came into view. He was making hand signs and chanting on the flat ground.

‘Hoo.’

I focused even more on stealth.

No matter how much power I had accumulated, it wouldn’t be easy to suppress him without any difficulty.

30 meters.

The tamer’s figure was clearly visible.

15 meters.

Not yet within sword’s reach.

10 meters.

Approaching any closer would be dangerous. I would inevitably be discovered.

‘I’ll approach in one go, inflict damage, and start from there.’

I gathered mana, focused it on my forefeet, and took a large step.

Thump!

The mana of the Art of Concealment, which had been concealing my presence, instantly switched to Amplification, unleashing explosive mana.

It was at that moment.

-Kieeeeeek!

A terrible cry echoed from the tamer’s chest.

‘The cry of Eben?’

One of the highest-grade artifacts that detected life-threatening danger that the owner had not noticed.

“You’re already here!”

The tamer hurriedly waved his staff and emitted curse power.

Clang!

The sword I swung in a surprise attack was blocked by the curse power emanating from the staff.

“A ghostly boy! How did you notice!”

I knew how to speak Japanese, but I had no intention of conversing.

Even if his combat abilities were lacking, he was not an easy opponent. Therefore, I moved immediately without giving him an opening.

Bang!

One step forward. The distance was instantly narrowed.

The tamer waved his staff and shouted.

“Stop him!”

-Kieeeek!

At the tamer’s cry, the monsters hiding in the darkness gathered.

The distance to the tamer was approximately 3 meters.

10 monsters blocked the way.

‘Enough.’

As expected, he couldn’t handle many monsters in an unprepared situation.

I swung the tightly gripped sword.

Seven Star Sword. Form 3. Jinchung.

The family’s swordsmanship I had obtained from the training ground. Jinchung, which was specialized for melee combat compared to the mana-intensive Exorcism, steadily cut down the monsters without consuming much mana.

One monster per strike.

I slashed and stabbed all the rushing monsters.

The distance to the tamer was now 2 meters.

A distance that could be reached with a swing of the sword.

But I couldn’t swing the sword.

Wooong!

In an instant, something rising from the ground began to suppress the mana throughout my body.

The tamer, while sweating profusely, said triumphantly.

“That formation is the highest-level formation that blocks the mana of martial artists! Without mana, you’re just a powerless brat! Become food for the demonic beasts!”

The tamer shouted that and began to flee.

I couldn’t let him get away.

‘It blocks mana?’

I immediately focused on the mana circuit within my body.

An alien energy was gripping the mana core.

‘If the mana core is blocked, then with the mana circuit alone!’

I manipulated the mana circulating in the mana circuit and instantly exerted power.

Bang!

Escaping the formation was instantaneous.

My mana technique was different from that of other martial artists. There was no way my mana would be blocked by controlling only the mana core.

‘I’ll chase him right away!’

The mana converted to Instantaneous Movement made the muscles throughout my body like springs, allowing me to generate even greater speed.

And in the dark depths of the forest, I was able to face the tamer.

“Have you given up on running?”

I provoked him lightly, but I didn’t let my guard down.

The fact that he had stopped meant he had prepared something else.

I carefully examined the tamer.

“…How did you break the formation?”

“There’s no reason to tell you. Surrender quietly. Your appearance has already been reported to the main family through the communication device. The Spirit Sword Unit will be here soon.”

“Khehehe… I don’t care. I’ll kill you before they come and regain my freedom.”

“That won’t happen.”

I gripped my sword.

At that moment, a distant darkness descended.

As if a thick layer had been placed over it, the world was dyed with an even denser concentration of darkness.

My sixth sense sounded an alarm.

‘Something’s coming!’

Floating my body into the air and generating mana was an action close to instinct.

Kwaaang!

A huge, unidentified something struck my body.

“Cough.”

Crack. A chilling sound came from my ribs, and I felt intense pain throughout my body.