Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 185

Weapon-Devouring Bastard – Episode 185

“I suppose I’ll have to start with a story from long ago.”

As my father continued his tale, he suddenly reached out into the air.

Magic began to swirl around his hand.

It wasn’t any processed magic.

The raw, natural forces drifting in the air pulsed gently at my father’s will.

‘How can he manipulate natural magic like that…?’

To the naked eye, it might have seemed like he was simply gesturing in the air, but to me, with my Mystic Eyes, it looked like fragments of hazy light scattering at his command.

It was an astonishing sight that defied the very foundation of magic.

After all, the fundamental principle of magic was that one could only manipulate magic after accepting it into the body and processing it.

“Qi [life force], magic, mana, aether… these are all names for the fundamental essence of all existence and the source of power in this world. It is believed that the people of ancient times handled this power in two ways.”

One was martial arts.

Channeling power through the body.

The other was shamanism.

Exerting special powers through religious rituals.

Many scholars believed that magic was a technology that emerged after removing the religious aspects of shamanism.

“The main family pursued the path of martial arts.”

The natural magic that had stretched into the air became fragments of aura and scattered.

“Conversely, there were families who walked the path of shamanism, the Choi family being one of them.”

At my father’s will, the magic of nature transformed into divine power and scattered.

It wasn’t that my father had learned shamanism.

He had already mastered all forms of energy and was capable of processing it even into divine power.

“It is said that the main family and the Choi clan were partners. However, their directions differed.

Unlike the main family, which expanded its influence by accepting outsiders around the clan, the Choi clan stubbornly adhered to the form of a family.

There was an unavoidable reason for this, and that was a special power passed down through the bloodline of the Choi family.”

The power of blood.

Whether they were monsters or other races, they often manifested special powers depending on their species or individual traits.

Anastasia’s bloodline was like that as well.

Only Anastasia could communicate with spirits to such an extent in this world.

“Is that power also related to the beast you mentioned earlier?”

“It’s different. That was merely the manifestation of a power passed down through the bloodline by some coincidence. That power had quite dangerous aspects. Therefore, the main family protected them, and they added strength to the main family.”

“What kind of power is it…?”

“They were immune to all foreign forces.”

It wasn’t a statement that was immediately understandable.

My father, sensing my confusion, continued calmly.

“The Choi clan was free from all energies that deviated from the norm. No contaminated power could violate them.”

“Are you saying they were immune to shamanism or curses?”

“It’s not just that level of ability. The power wielded by the fanatical followers of the Demonic Heavenly Church, and…”

My father pointed at me.

“The power you encountered in the Theocracy, which was neither magic nor anything else. The foreign power that flowed out of a massive hole that opened in the Pacific Ocean long ago… Some called it chaos or demonic energy, but the Choi clan called it black energy, Heukgi.”

“……!”

I stopped breathing for a moment.

I tried to maintain my composure, but it wasn’t easy.

Heukgi.

That name came out here.

It was an unbelievable coincidence.

The reason I named the energy in my body Heukgi was simply by chance, but here the name matched.

My father looked at me again and continued.

“You may have seen some ancient records that have been erased as if someone had deliberately removed them.”

“……Yes, I have.”

“That was also a power derived from a series of forces. The Choi clan was free from such forces. Therefore, the main family sought to protect them. It is said that they purified those who were born with ‘thick’ blood of the main family.”

Could it be.

Was my resistance to Heukgi, the fog in my ancestor’s tomb, and the black objects of the Theocracy… all due to the power of my bloodline?

‘But if the main family protected the Choi clan, then why are they not here now…?’

In an instant, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place in my mind.

From Behemoth’s perspective, the Choi clan was even more intolerable than Soongmoo Yi.

“You seem to have realized it.”

My father stared intently at me.

When he first started the story, he didn’t expect me to be able to hear it, and even if I could, he didn’t expect it to be this much.

What came out of my father’s mouth now was not simply a story that could be called a secret history.

It was the essence of the family, as well as the secrets intricately intertwined with my origins, my power, Behemoth, and the main family.

‘I’ve heard an unexpected story.’

Unable to digest too much information, I closed my mouth for a moment and organized my thoughts.

My father paused for a moment, then began to speak again.

“Before the Spirit Sword Unit, there were ten subordinates who guarded me. They were called the Ten Swords, and Yoo Jung was one of them.”

The Ten Swords.

It was referring to the direct line of warriors who had written many legends with my father.

According to the stories, their martial prowess was said to be comparable to the four main warrior groups of the family, the entire Four Gods Unit.

“Yoo Jung conceived my child. That was you. From the perspective of the Demonic Heavenly Church, you were an existence that should not have been born. Around the time Yoo Jung left me, she was attacked by them and died. By the time I found out and rescued her, it was already too late. That’s how you came to the main family.”

I couldn’t feel any emotional turmoil from my father.

It was just a tone as if he was stating the facts as they were.

“That’s the end of the story. I think it will be enough to answer your questions.”

“……”

I didn’t say anything for a while.

My father still looked at me with calm eyes.

Just for a moment.

Many words floated in my head.

I couldn’t quite decide what to say.

In the midst of it, what came out of my mouth was something I didn’t even know why I said.

“Did you love my mother?”

After uttering the words, even I was taken aback by what I had said.

However, my father answered my question without hesitation.

“……For the head of Soongmoo Yi, such emotions are unnecessary. I make all decisions for the stability of the world and the well-being of the main family.”

So very.

It was truly a fitting answer for my father.

I pondered those words for a moment.

And nodded.

“Yes, I understand.”

My head was complicated, but it was quickly sorted out.

The content my father spoke of didn’t require much thought.

It was just information about the hidden history of this family and this world, as it was.

I knew it, so that was enough.

I shook it off like that.

“If you have no more questions, I will ask you one last thing.”

My father looked straight at me.

I could tell that the question was not as a father, but as the head of Soongmoo Yi.

“Yes, I will answer truthfully.”

“What are you going to do from now on?”

A very vague question.

In my past life, or even right after my regression, I would have been quite nervous about my father’s question.

But not anymore.

I shone my eyes and said confidently.

“I will act like the blood of Soongmoo Yi.”

“Even if your actions cause discord in the family?”

I smiled and replied.

“If Soongmoo Yi was a family that would be disrupted by just one person, I don’t think it’s Soongmoo Yi anymore.”

“What if the family still falters?”

“Then, it means it needs to be rebuilt.”

Soongmoo Yi is a family that reveres martial arts.

It is a place where they must not stop fighting each other, and they must not stop fighting themselves.

For Soongmoo Yi, discord was perhaps inevitable.

This is Soongmoo Yi.

A family of struggle.

Those who stop struggling will only be eliminated.

“How presumptuous.”

Even as he said that, Lee Tae-shin, the head of Soongmoo Yi, curled up the corners of his lips.

Who under this sky could dare to say that they would rebuild in front of this Lee Tae-shin?

But only then is he truly the blood of Soongmoo Yi, and his child.

“I understand.”

Lee Tae-shin looked at his son and nodded.

“Go ahead and do what you want.”

Instead of answering my father’s words, I bowed my head to show my respect.

* * *

In the garden where Lee Cheol had left, Lee Tae-shin sat still, not easily leaving his seat, and felt the night air.

Chief Butler Choi, who had approached unnoticed, stood quietly behind Lee Tae-shin.

Lee Tae-shin said without turning his gaze to Chief Butler Choi.

“If you have something to ask, you don’t have to hesitate.”

Chief Butler Choi gave a bitter smile.

“It’s not that I have something to ask. I’m just wondering if it was okay to say only that much.”

“It’s an unnecessary matter, and it’s already past.”

“So you’ve decided not to deny it anymore.”

“……”

What had he decided not to deny?

Lee Tae-shin did not respond to those words and turned his gaze to Chief Butler Choi.

Chief Butler Choi bowed his head deeply as he received Lee Tae-shin’s gaze.

“I’m sorry. Was I being a bit rude?”

“It’s okay. Only you are qualified to say such things.”

Lee Tae-shin leaned deeply against the backrest.

“That child must be special. It’s the first time you’ve spoken to me like this.”

“I’m just worried about you, Lord.”

To worry about the head of Soongmoo Yi.

In some ways, it may be rude, but Lee Tae-shin didn’t care.

“If you’re worried about me, those were even more unnecessary words.”

Silence fell again.

Lee Tae-shin looked at the distant sky and murmured softly.

“I need to prepare to leave the family again.”

“……Ah.”

Chief Butler Choi widened his eyes in surprise.

“Please make preparations. And contact those guys who are resting.”

Chief Butler Choi bowed his head.

“Yes, I will take care of it as you instructed.”

* * *

So many things happened today.

Starting with a fight with my first brother, declaring war on the elders, and after fighting with my father, I heard stories that I couldn’t easily hear.

‘What on earth is that monster?’

I slowly moved my steps and pondered.

The family, me, my mother, and father…

Everything that was intertwined in so many places and in so many ways was connected to the ‘ancient monster’ that Behemoth served.

‘Father didn’t tell me everything.’

Tingle-!

I felt the Heukgi lingering in my body and pondered.

No, perhaps even my father doesn’t know.

In any case, the problem was that there were still unresolved questions.

‘If Behemoth is targeting me, I need to know everything more clearly.’

I shone my eyes.

After the Theocracy incident, I chased after Behemoth and Kabbalah, but I didn’t get any significant results.

At best, it was just lower organizations or organizations that did minor cleanups like worker ants.

‘One by one. I have to find out step by step.’

Too many things were intertwined.

When you don’t know what the key is or which direction is the path, it’s important to do what you can step by step.

And what I can do right now is…

‘I have to go to Man’gwisan [Mountain of Ten Thousand Ghosts].’

A mountain where ten thousand ghosts live.

It is a place I read about in the Theocracy’s secret library, and it is a place related to Moo-jin and the ‘monster.’

As soon as I finish organizing things in the family, I should go there.

‘And one more thing.’

I pressed Moo-jin, which was worn on my finger, with my finger.

Now, there’s not much left.

Until I absorb all of Moo-jin’s memories.

The memories of Cheokma.

The memories of Manbyeon, a martial art about the overall movement of the body.

Even the memories of Black Lotus, a technique of accumulating and releasing power.

The time has come to open the fourth memory, and I instinctively knew that the fourth memory was the last memory.

And the moment I obtain that fourth memory… I will probably be able to absorb Moo-jin like any other weapon.

What will happen after absorbing Moo-jin?

It was something I couldn’t even begin to imagine.

‘Hoo, I should go and rest for now. I’ll get an earful from my nanny.’

I was so busy moving around all day as soon as I returned to the family that I couldn’t even visit my nanny.

I was worried because she was probably waiting for a long time.

But, at that moment.

I felt a presence.

I stopped walking.

“……Who is it.”

Between the buildings of the transformed Hanok [traditional Korean house].

Yellow eyes flickered in the darkness under the eaves of the residential area.

‘Did the Council of Elders already move?’

It’s an amazing stealth technique.

It would have been difficult to find out if I wasn’t on guard.

I frowned and slowly moved my hand towards the silver-threaded jacket.

Whoosh!

And from the darkness, the unidentified figure rushed at me.

“Huh?”

The moment I confirmed the person’s face, I had no choice but to stop my hand that had reached out to Eunhan.

The person who rushed at me from the darkness was someone I knew.

“No, why is it like th……!”

My words ended there.

The attack of ‘that person,’ who was wrapped in aura all over their body, surged towards me.