Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 192

Weapon-Devouring Bastard – Episode 192

Thud!

Beyond the falling debris and stone dust,

the figures of Lee Cheol and Lee Jin-yoon were revealed.

Neither of them looked to be in very good condition.

Thanks to Eun-han absorbing or dispersing the impact, Lee Cheol didn’t have severe external injuries, but his internal injuries were considerable compared to his appearance.

Conversely, Lee Jin-yoon had significant external and internal injuries. Her otherwise sturdy body was covered in cuts and pierced wounds.

…Even though they were only half-siblings, it was a terrible sight that couldn’t be considered a sibling fight. It was more like a duel or a life-and-death struggle.

“Huff, huff. That was really dangerous. You swung that last of the three attacks just now with the intention to kill, didn’t you? Were you trying to kill your sister?”

“I was about to say the same thing. And would you obediently die if I tried to kill you?”

“No way. Hehe! And there’s no way you could kill me, right?”

“Shall we try?”

“Heh heh! You’re really fun.”

Lee Jin-yoon wiped the blood flowing from her mouth and pressed down hard on the large sword wound on her forearm to stop the bleeding.

Then, she took a calm breath and retraced the point at which the nature of this sparring match began to change.

Thirty minutes ago.

It was the moment Lee Cheol threw his spear and Lee Jin-yoon used her Mind Sword.

At that time, Lee Jin-yoon tried to end the sparring match with her victory using the Mind Sword.

But this half-brother calmly responded even with the Mind Sword in front of him.

He partially blocked the activation of the Mind Sword with a black longsword that extinguished magic power and attempted a counterattack with a weapon that changed shape in his other hand.

Of course, the Mind Sword unfolded even though it was blocked midway.

Naturally, Lee Cheol’s damage was significant.

However, Lee Jin-yoon suffered even greater damage because she was directly hit by Gyeongcheon and Heukryeon.

Since then, Lee Cheol and Lee Jin-yoon had continued sparring without backing down, finally reaching their limits.

“Cough! Cough! Ugh, dust. Anyway, *maknae* [youngest sibling].”

“What are you talking about?”

“Right after you threw the spear.”

Lee Jin-yoon’s eyes gleamed.

“Usually, people who haven’t reached ‘this realm’ are busy being scared when they see it. How did you charge in? Weren’t you scared?”

This realm, commonly called Mind Sword, is actually hard to name.

Anyone who faces this power, called the ultimate of martial arts, feels fear or pressure.

That feeling is even greater the higher the realm and the more outstanding the martial prowess.

But Lee Cheol didn’t even hesitate.

“I knew it wasn’t a complete Mind Sword. I thought I could scatter it midway.”

“You recognized that?”

“I’ve seen something similar a few times.”

That strange sensation is only felt with the Mind Sword.

What should I say?

It was a sensation that the world itself was distorted.

I had already seen this sense of difference, which I could feel a little more clearly because I had the Magic Eye, several times.

“It’s not normal to charge in even if it seems possible. You’re quite crazy too?”

He’s a terrifying guy.

There’s a difference in realms… but he somehow manages to squeeze through and achieve parity.

Besides, for some reason, his body is already recovering.

He unleashed such great techniques in succession, but his magic power doesn’t seem to be depleted much.

It’s not just that he has a lot of magic power, but it feels like he’s recovering every moment.

‘No, is it absorption rather than recovery? Is there such a magic power technique?’

A magic power technique that absorbs the opponent’s magic power?

There’s no way.

If you reach the level of Father, something might be different….

‘Besides, even though he’s pulled out so many, he seems to have a few more weapons he hasn’t used yet.’

Lee Jin-yoon turned her head and looked around.

Whoo-oong!

In various parts of the training ground, which had been destroyed beyond recognition, weapons that Lee Cheol had used and discarded were scattered haphazardly.

Each one was an item of tremendous value; he was a truly remarkable younger brother in many ways.

“Keugh….”

At that moment, Lee Cheol, who had been sitting down, staggered and rose from his seat.

“Anyway. You were a bit excessive, Eldest Sister.”

“You charged in like you enjoyed it.”

“I was just struggling not to lose.”

“Ha! And you analyzed my family’s secret techniques and profound mysteries with those eyes?”

Why would a guy who was struggling not to lose try to learn the techniques?

Probably, once he recovers from the aftermath of this battle, that guy will climb another step.

“It’s a natural quality for a warrior to try to learn every moment. And if you have a conscience, Eldest Sister, you should pay for the restoration costs here. Isn’t this all because of Eldest Sister?”

“Hehe! Look at this guy’s way of speaking. Okay, fine. This much is nothing.”

Lee Jin-yoon smiled coolly.

Then, she steadied herself with Mt. Geosan [a meditative stance] and stood up, looking around.

…The reconstruction costs will be quite high, but it will work out somehow.

“Even so, doing more here seems like madness. How about we call it a draw?”

“Yes, I understand. But… you’re not thinking of wiping the slate clean just because we drew, are you?”

I smiled slyly and looked at my Second Sister.

“What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t you suddenly come and interfere with your younger brother’s selection for the Warrior Corps?”

“….”

Interfere. Interference.

No, when I think about it, that’s true… but you’re bringing that up in this situation?

“No, I mean, I’ll compensate for that here….”

“That’s that, and this is this. Your much younger brother indulged in your entertainment even to the point of suffering serious injuries, so you weren’t thinking of glossing over it, were you?”

“Huh.”

Lee Jin-yoon let out a dumbfounded laugh and blinked.

“And I believe Eldest Sister hasn’t been able to fight as she pleases since she was disciplined by the Council of Elders in the past.”

“You accepted it, so this isn’t a fight, it’s a sparring match!”

“If Eldest Sister grants my request, it will be a sparring match, but if not, it will be a fight.”

“Dare you. Are you threatening me now?”

“Yes, I am.”

Lee Jin-yoon wore a bewildered expression, then burst into laughter.

“Puhahaha! You sly fellow! Hahaha! Ugh!”

Lee Jin-yoon clutched her side because she laughed too hard without thinking about her injuries.

A broken rib pierced her internal organs.

Well, it hurts a bit, but it’s nothing.

I’m already full of internal injuries, so adding a few more won’t make a big difference.

“If you grant my request, I will seriously listen to what you want to say to me.”

Lee Jin-yoon, who had been laughing like a madman, stopped laughing abruptly.

“…What do you mean?”

“I know you came to me for a reason. You challenged me to a sparring match to test me, didn’t you?”

“….”

Second Sister stared at me intently.

“…Okay, fine. As you said, I did something wrong, so I’ll grant you just one request.”

Second Sister subtly changed the subject.

Buzz buzz!

At that moment, I felt many people approaching beyond the ruins where the training ground could no longer be recognized.

It seemed that the escorts or the Capital Guards were coming to find out the situation, seeing that the battle was over.

“Where are you…!”

“They’re over there!”

“Are you alright!”

“Medical team! This way!”

Second Sister looked at them and let out another sinister laugh.

“Hehe, annoying things have come. Since both of us are in terrible condition anyway, let’s stop here for today, and I’ll visit you at a suitable time.”

“Yes, please do so.”

Thus, my first confrontation with Second Sister ended in a draw.

* * *

A few days later.

Originally, I was going to hold the Warrior Corps inauguration ceremony right after the selection, but unfortunately, it was postponed for a few days.

The reason was the aftermath of the sparring match with Second Sister.

Most of the external injuries had recovered, but the internal injuries caused by exposure to the incomplete Mind Sword were slower to heal.

My nanny was tearful again as she nursed me, but I quickly recovered after about three days.

The family was more interested in the outcome of the confrontation with Second Sister than in the Warrior Corps I had created.

Second Sister seemed to be openly saying that it was a draw.

That caused another uproar.

It was now known that my martial prowess had reached a certain level, but it was said that I had achieved parity with Second Sister, who was evaluated as being superior to First Brother in terms of martial arts alone.

Perhaps that’s why.

I felt a strange sense of pressure as I looked at the members of my direct Warrior Corps, whom I was properly facing for the first time in a week.

‘Why do their eyes look like that?’

Sparkling!

The 64 warriors were lined up.

All of them were looking up at me with sparkling eyes.

Even my classmates from the Cadet Corps weren’t like that.

That level of gaze was more like looking at an idol than looking at a master they served.

‘He’s already achieved parity with the Second Young Lady at that age.’

‘I only saw it from a distance, but the explosion of aura was considerable.’

‘Besides, there are rumors that the Second Young Lady’s external injuries are severe, and she is still recovering….’

‘We’ve come to serve such a person!’

‘That person will become a legend!’

The Warrior Corps members all looked up at Lee Cheol with a sense of pride.

‘In reality, Second Sister gave me a lot of leeway.’

I smiled bitterly and shook my head.

I couldn’t say that my condition was at its best either, as I was sparring with the applicants, but Second Sister didn’t go all out from the start, perhaps to gauge me.

“Ahem, everyone pay attention.”

Anyway, it was the first meeting with the Warrior Corps I had created.

I shook off my 잡생각 [jap saenggak -雜 생각, meaning雜: mixed, various, 생각: thought, idea, thinking, which means 잡생각 is cluttered thoughts] and spoke calmly.

“Thank you for gathering under my 부족한 [bujokhan – 부족한, meaning insufficient, inadequate, lacking] leadership. Since all 64 of you here are people I personally selected, my expectations are high.”

I was sincere.

You can know the essence of your opponent by competing in martial arts.

Among the 533 applicants, I think one 합격자 [hapgyeokja – 合格者, meaning合格: qualification, passing (an examination), 者: person, which means 합격자 is a qualified person] here is more valuable than all 469 탈락자 [tallakja – 脫落者, meaning脫落: dropping out, 者: person, which means 탈락자 is a dropout] who were eliminated.

“But I have one last warning.”

The warriors’ eyes became serious at my words.

“As you all know, I am a 서자 [seoja – 庶子, meaning an illegitimate child]. A complete outsider. There are still elders who don’t recognize me as a direct descendant.”

A story everyone knows.

Even when I was young, not only the direct descendants of the family but also ordinary employees or warriors avoided me.

“So, you who have entered my Warrior Corps may face quite troublesome or unreasonable situations in the family.”

It was necessary to inform them in advance because my classmates from the Cadet Corps had already experienced it.

“As you already know, I am not someone who will bend when told to bend. You will experience quite a lot of commotion because of me. And you will have to go through that fight as my hands and feet.”

“….”

The expressions of the Warrior Corps members became strange.

Usually, before the Warrior Corps inauguration ceremony, people say words to inspire loyalty or motivation, but no one is so honest.

“But I vow that there will never be a fight that is not honorable. There will never be a fight that is not worthy of the name of Soongmoo Lee.”

I looked back at the warriors.

“Now, I will give you one last chance. Those who want to leave can leave. There will be no disadvantages.”

I waited for a very short time.

Not a single warrior left the spot.

“Good. Then let’s begin the full inauguration ceremony.”

Usually, the inauguration ceremony of the Warrior Corps is often held with a grand event.

But I didn’t do such formalities.

The inauguration ceremony proceeded according to the minimum procedures written in the regulations.