Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 187

Weapon-Eating Bastard – Episode 187

The Council of Elders reviews the lineage of those who’ve completed the Warrior Pilgrimage for one primary reason:

They are treated as Quasi-Elders.

Quasi-Elders possess authority and responsibilities nearly identical to those of actual Elders.

They have voting rights in council meetings, can propose agendas, manage the Janggyeonggak [a library or archive] and Bigo [a secret vault or repository], and can modify or add to the Sungmu Yi family’s profound teachings and secrets.

While Elders receive some additional perks, the direct line who complete the Warrior Pilgrimage are, in practice, treated virtually the same.

Having successfully completed the Warrior Pilgrimage, I now receive the treatment of a Quasi-Elder.

“Please present your official document.”

The Chief Guard, protecting Bigo, blocked my path, sweating profusely.

I nodded and tossed him the required documents.

The Chief Guard’s expression shifted as he examined them.

“This is… what is this supposed to be…”

The document is… valid.

It’s valid, but it’s not exactly an official document.

Normally, access to Bigo requires a resolution from the administrative department and the Council of Elders, plus approval from either the Head of the Council or the Head of the Family.

Special official documents could also grant access, but these still needed approval from the Head of the Council or the Head of the Family.

But the document Lee Cheol presented… it wasn’t even an official document.

What weight did a document he proposed and approved himself carry?

“This… won’t do. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you pass according to regulations.”

The Chief Guard took a deep breath, biting his lip.

Rumors about Lee Cheol had spread throughout the Sungmu Yi family.

He figured Lee Cheol, who hadn’t yielded even to the Elders, wouldn’t leave a mere Chief Guard alone.

Still, he was the Chief Guard of the Sungmu Yi family, and he couldn’t back down from his duty.

“Don’t be so nervous; I’m not going to cause trouble. Your name is… yes, Warrior Kim Jang-cheol?”

“Y-yes.”

“My ownership has already been acknowledged by the Head of the Family, and I have a verbal promise from the Head of the Council of Elders. As a Quasi-Elder, I also have the authority to approve requests, so I have every right to retrieve the items in here that I’ve been granted ownership of.”

The Chief Guard blinked, repeating those words in his head.

The incident was famous enough that Warrior Kim Jang-cheol knew the details.

“Therefore, my approving this document is sufficient. Don’t worry; I’ll only select what I’ve been chosen for.”

Just as I finished explaining with a smile,

“What nonsense is that!”

The Head of the Council of Elders, followed by several Elders, approached rapidly.

I shrugged and turned to face them.

“Greetings, Head of the Council of Elders. It’s been a while.”

“…What is this? Is it not enough to disregard the Council of Elders; now you’re ignoring procedures and acting recklessly?”

The Head of the Council of Elders’ expression twisted.

I feigned embarrassment.

“I’m not foolish enough to ignore etiquette. When have I ever disregarded the Elders?”

“…I know the terror of your silver tongue, so explain this situation first.”

“As you wish.”

I stared intently at the Head of the Council of Elders.

“Please be careful.”

Lee Cheol-joong’s expression twitched.

“What did you say?”

“This isn’t a private setting. There are Chief Guards present, aren’t there?”

“What about it?”

“I’m no longer the bastard you… excuse me. As the Elders keep repeating like parrots, I am a Warrior who has passed all the tests and proven myself. No matter how much the Head of the Council of Elders is an elder of the family, you can no longer treat me like a child, saying ‘you, you’.”

Crack!

A blood vessel popped on the Head of the Council of Elders’ wrinkled forehead.

“Are you trying to lecture me on etiquette now?”

“Of course not. I simply wish to be treated with some respect. Please consider it youthful folly. I’m still a stripling [a young man] who has just passed my coming-of-age ceremony, so I’m quite sensitive to such titles.”

Lee Cheol-joong gritted his teeth.

He called himself a stripling, but his words dripped with sarcasm.

“…Head of the Council of Elders.”

One of the Elders subtly called out to Lee Cheol-joong.

Only then did Lee Cheol-joong look around.

The situation was becoming awkward.

The young upstart was leisurely smiling and countering, while he was losing his temper.

If he lost control here, he’d appear as a narrow-minded old man who couldn’t tolerate the childish antics of a young member of the direct line.

Belatedly, Lee Cheol-joong calmed himself.

‘That thousand-year-old serpent.’

Lee Cheol, one must be more wary of that tongue than his strength.

Lee Cheol-joong forced a smile as he faced Lee Cheol.

“You… no, well, you. It’s not right to ignore procedures like this without sending an official document. Don’t you think so?”

“I showed you the official document.”

“What meaning is there in a document that you submitted and approved yourself? Send an official document that has been properly approved. There are procedures and norms in the main family.”

I smiled again.

“Reference is enough. Head of the Council of Elders, have you forgotten?”

I repeated the explanation I’d given the Chief Guard.

Lee Cheol-joong’s expression grew increasingly distorted.

“Clearly, at that time, the Head of the Family said you were reasonable…”

…After demonstrating his abilities. Lee Cheol-joong stopped himself.

Lee Cheol had proven his strength.

The achievements he’d made during the Warrior Pilgrimage were more than sufficient.

The problem was that he hadn’t shared them with the family.

However, he couldn’t point that out here.

This is a trap.

‘…If I bring that up here, he’ll say he did everything he had to, but the Elders didn’t cooperate with him for the benefit of the Council of Elders, not the family.’

In fact, Lee Cheol had outwardly said, ‘Come and find me anytime.’

He was meticulous.

‘He noticed.’

I narrowed my eyes, seeing the change in the Head of the Council of Elders’ eyes.

I was going to press him further, but the wily Head of the Council of Elders didn’t fall for it.

But it doesn’t matter.

All the justification and authority are on my side anyway.

“…The Head of the Family said to discuss it with the Elders and get permission. You can’t just enter as you please.”

“That’s right. And I am now an Elder, albeit a ‘Quasi’ one. Ah, for the record, I’ve received permission from the administrative department.”

“…”

It can’t be stopped.

Lee Cheol-joong laughed hollowly.

“Do you think it’s okay to act so recklessly?”

It’s a ridiculous threat.

I sneered.

“Then it wouldn’t be bad to have a majority vote right here.”

“…What?”

“Since there are six Elders who came with you, we can ask for their opinions. So, Elders, is there any reason why I shouldn’t enter Bigo now?”

Lee Cheol-joong sneered.

He thought this bastard had finally lost it.

But something felt off.

He turned to look at the Elders.

The Elders were sweating profusely and couldn’t say a word.

‘Why?’

Lee Cheol-joong’s eyes widened.

I sneered at the scene.

‘Why, Head of the Council of Elders? Because I’ve already got your backs.’

Did you really think I did nothing while resting after returning to the family?

I’d already sent copies of ‘certain data’ to the homes of several Elders.

The Head of the Council of Elders may be intimidating, but could they really voice their opposition here?

If that data came out, their positions would be in jeopardy, wouldn’t they?

And with several people involved, they wouldn’t be singled out.

“You don’t have any objections.”

I said, looking at Lee Cheol-joong.

“Then I’ll enter Bigo now. I’ll go first, Head of the Council of Elders.”

I showed courtesy to the Head of the Council of Elders with a smile and turned.

The Chief Guards hesitated, then, meeting my gaze, finally moved aside.

* * *

As soon as I entered Bigo, I pondered.

There were so many things I could take. It’s not like I was chosen by only one or two weapons.

But.

‘There’s no need to recover things below my standards now.’

Perhaps it’s because I’ve grown, or because Black Ki has grown.

Now I can absorb even sacred-grade items in a day or two.

Even absorbing masterpiece-grade equipment only slightly increases my magic power, and the abilities are mediocre compared to what I already possess.

‘I’ll still take them, though.’

I’m going to take them.

But… there’s not enough storage space right now. Eunhan [a storage space or dimension] has its limits.

I plan to ask Valery soon to increase the size of the space in my jeogori [a type of traditional Korean jacket], so I’ll retrieve the rest then.

‘Some should be returned if possible. I have to choose wisely.’

For now, it’s best to leave a significant number of lower-level equipment in Bigo. I can take them anytime.

So, what I’m taking now is decided.

‘At the very least, I’ll only take equipment above the sacred grade. Celestial-grade equipment is preferable.’

Among those, I’ll mainly take items that are easy to store.

Some higher sacred-grade or celestial-grade equipment is quite burdensome to store.

For example, there’s a sacred spear that only controls flames when soaked in animal blood, a sword that must kill someone as soon as it’s drawn, or equipment that only exerts its power when maintaining magical measures.

Since absorbing Gyeongcheon [likely a powerful artifact or weapon] will take a while, it’s best to take celestial-grade equipment without such ‘restrictions’.

I headed to the floor where sacred-grade items were stored.

As expected of the Sungmu Yi family’s Bigo, an enormous amount of equipment was in place.

‘Amazing. If I absorb all of this, it would be like eating several elixirs.’

Black Ki writhed greedily, ready to devour the equipment.

‘Wait. Not yet.’

I turned and headed to the top floor.

A place where only celestial-grade equipment was stored.

A place where all sorts of magical and protective measures were in place, not just an armory.

As soon as I entered, I surveyed the equipment.

Celestial-grade equipment earned the descriptor ‘national power-grade’ for a reason.

Each item possessed tremendous power.

It was just a weapon, but I felt like I was facing a living creature.

‘The sword that needs continuous moonlight to be maintained, the Moonlight Piercing Sky Sword. Not bad.’

‘Buarhain. This would be good too. The materials are the same as Gyeongcheon, so there might be some synergy. It’s not like my first brother has special abilities, and I’m not going to learn magic now, but…’

‘The spiritual magic sword, a shamanic tool. Shamanism is too complicated.’

Currently, there were thirty-four celestial-grade equipment on the top floor.

I was chosen by sixteen of them in the Iron Wire Formation [likely a selection process or test].

Excluding shamanic or magical equipment that would be meaningless to learn now, and choosing only those that are easy to store….

‘Amazing.’

There was no longer room in the trinket Valery and the artisans of Mirenae Village had made for me.

I smiled and left.

Even if you searched the history of the world, no individual has ever possessed so much equipment.

Wriggle-!

I felt Black Ki moving in my body.

I looked around Bigo one last time and walked out slowly.

* * *

After taking the equipment from Bigo, no further incidents occurred.

My father didn’t bother to acknowledge my actions, but his silence was as good as approval.

I was able to gather and meet with the people I was happy to see for the first time in a long time.

“Young Master!”

“It’s been so long!”

It was none other than the members of the 5th squad of the cadet corps, led by Choi In-ha, Kim Han, and Kim Bo-seong.

Now they were all adults, respectable warriors performing their duties.

“Young Master, I was really moved. I never thought you would say such a thing to the Elders.”

The time in the cadet corps was only about a year, and even that was almost ten years ago.

Even so, all the cadet corps colleagues looked at me with sparkling eyes.

“I’m glad to see you too.”

I looked around at the cadets, my eyes shining.

‘Everyone has grown so much. Honestly, it’s beyond my imagination.’

If they were outside, they could lead assault squads on the front lines.

I’d heard the news, but I didn’t know it was to this extent.

Everyone had clearly worked hard.

One guy had grown noticeably….

“Choi In-ha, don’t tell me….”

“You saw it.”

Choi In-ha said with a smile.

The guy who stood up to me during the cadet corps days.

Choi In-ha had broken through the 5th stage of magic power.

It was an unbelievable achievement.

Even with daily training after joining the Four Gods Squad, was this possible?

“It’s still a long way to go. I heard you’re as good as a 3rd class warrior, Young Master.”

Choi In-ha was calm.

His posture was perfect, his eyes were upright, and his magic power was contained.

Just looking at him, I could see how hard he’d trained.

“Are you only praising In-ha? Can’t you see us?”

Kim Han pouted and approached.

“I already heard about Han and Bo-seong. Han, you went to the training center?”

“Yes, I’m a trainee instructor now. If I complete my training, I’ll become a formal instructor!”

Kim Han, who’d entered the Yookmun [an educational institution], unlike the other cadets who’d formally entered the warrior squad, seemed to have found his path as an instructor.

“You became the vice-leader of the 4th group of the Cheongung Squad?”

“It’s not enough yet. I can’t fall behind that guy.”

Kim Bo-seong looked at Choi In-ha with shining eyes.

Choi In-ha had a detached expression.

Kim Han, sitting next to him, looked sullen.

“…I don’t know why I’m always out of your mind. Tsk.”

“Young Master! We’re here too!”

“Young Master, nice to see you!”

One or two more people entered the room.

The graduates of the 5th squad of the cadet corps were able to gather after a few years.

* * *

I asked Nanny to bring simple alcohol and food with a few employees.

The meal was short, and I had a drinking party with the guys who were all adults now.

The drinking party with Serena, Ron, and Jang Han was enjoyable, but the party with the cadet corps guys was also extremely enjoyable.

I shared many stories with them.

What they’d been up to, what had happened.

Even if they were warriors who didn’t get drunk easily, once they had some alcohol and the atmosphere was right, they tended to talk a lot.

We’d only shared friendship for a year, but I had a lot of feelings for them, and they seemed to feel the same way about me.

“Young Master, thank you for everything.”

“Huh?”

Choi In-ha approached and said.

“I heard that you secretly supported us through the Seventh Young Master.”

“…”

I didn’t answer and silently tilted my glass.

“Everyone knows that you subtly cared about us. We know that behind the success of guys like us who have no backing, there was your help more than our efforts.”

I silently looked at Kim Han and the cadet corps guys who were bickering.

They were the former graduates of the 5th squad of the cadet corps, famous for being capable and taciturn on the field, but when gathered like this, they were relaxed.

“So, please tell us anytime.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“I know you’ll establish a direct warrior squad now that you’ve finished the Warrior Pilgrimage. I’m scheduled to be promoted to the leader of the 5th group of the Bloodhowl Squad, but… I can give it up.”

Choi In-ha said with shining eyes.

Before I knew it, all the noisy cadets were glancing at me.

I looked at them with a sullen look.

“Do you all think the same way?”

“Yes! Young Master!”

Everyone shouted at the same time.

I nodded.

I was thinking of establishing a warrior squad.

No, I’m not just thinking of one.

I was planning to increase my power as much as possible.

I had the capacity and the justification.

I will officially jump into the competition for the position of Head of the Family.