Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 224

Weapon-Devouring Bastard – Episode 224

All streams eventually flow into the sea and become one.

There are countless paths up a mountain, but in the end, their destination is only one: the summit.

Wanliu Guizong (萬流歸宗) [Ten thousand streams flow into one; a concept of ultimate unity].

Reaching the end ultimately leads to unity.

This was a very basic principle discussed in all martial arts.

‘No matter how much I master the techniques of Black Qi, it is ultimately I who wields them.’

I needed to focus on myself.

Not just on what I could do.

Swish…….

Above the training ground.

The mana flowing from my body spread out like a faint mist.

“Hoo.”

I exhaled softly, sharpening all my senses.

And soon, I felt the scenery of the world changing before my eyes.

All the forces in this world began to become visible.

From each individual mana particle to the movement of dust floating in the air, the movement of the wind… too many forces were intricately at play in this world.

Clang!

I raised Black Night high into the sky.

And I imagined myself.

Myself, unbound by anything in this world.

The ideal version of myself that I envisioned within.

Drawing it out from within me and recreating it outside.

Thump!

A step forward.

Black Night was swung.

Rustle…….

A chilling sound flowed out.

It was too pathetic a sound for a swordsman named Lee Cheol, who had surpassed the 3rd level, to wield.

And then.

Whoosh!

A moment after the sword was swung, a fierce windstorm raged.

What had happened, whether it had succeeded or failed, was a situation that even a third party could not have guessed.

“Haa, haa…….”

I staggered, breathing heavily.

All that abundant mana had been completely depleted, and my whole body was drenched in cold sweat.

“Damn it.”

I chuckled hollowly and slumped to the ground.

Continuing to let out empty laughter, I simply lay down on the floor.

It was a success.

Mind Sword.

That supreme realm.

I had set foot there.

* * *

Whether Lee Cheol came or not, the Mountain Keeper’s daily life did not change much.

He merely managed the training ground and used magic a little more often to enhance the healing water.

The Mountain Keeper still spent most of his day sleeping, drinking, or soothing the whining spirits.

And sometimes, he would watch Lee Cheol training from afar through magic, lost in thought.

“Seriously, what is this world thinking, creating such a monster?”

The Mountain Keeper thought of two men as he watched Lee Cheol.

The first was Lee Hyul-hyun.

The shock he had felt when he first saw him… it was honestly beyond words.

He was not a real human but more like a god of martial arts.

Moreover, his mental world was so well-trained that he had beaten himself in their first Dokkaebi [a type of Korean goblin] wrestling match.

After that, he thought he would never meet someone like Lee Hyul-hyun again.

However, after thousands of years, the Mountain Keeper met another being like Lee Hyul-hyun.

Lee Tae-shin, the head of the Sungmoo Lee family.

A man who seemed to have stepped away from the realm of humans.

The Mountain Keeper had even felt fear when he saw Lee Tae-shin as a child.

The Mountain Keeper considered both of them to be errors created by this world.

He thought that it would take thousands of years for such beings to appear again.

But… there was another.

It was Lee Cheol, visible through magic.

If Lee Hyul-hyun and Lee Tae-shin were born as monsters, Lee Cheol was…….

‘A growing monster.’

His growth rate was truly incomprehensible.

It was impossible to guess how far he would grow.

Perhaps, Lee Cheol was a combination of the two…….

‘That’s ridiculous.’

The Mountain Keeper shook his head and waved his hand.

The magic that had been showing Lee Cheol’s figure disappeared, and a bottle of precious brandy fell to the spot.

The Dokkaebi, who drank the pine-scented brandy like water, tilted his head, suddenly curious.

‘……But why is that guy bothering to train all the way up here?’

Someone like Lee Cheol didn’t need to come all the way to Cheonwi Mountain.

Of course, he might want to train in a somewhat isolated place, but there were better places for that, weren’t there?

‘Is it because of the healing water……? There must be a reason. What do I care?’

The Mountain Keeper lay half-reclined, legs crossed, drinking his liquor.

The long life of a Dokkaebi.

He wondered how he could live without alcohol.

* * *

Two years had passed since I entered Cheonwi Mountain.

It took a considerable amount of time to organize the enlightenment of the Mind Sword and make it completely my own.

Even at this moment, I was still organizing my enlightenment in my head.

As always, just when I thought I knew everything, the next task appeared.

One day in spring.

I went to see the Mountain Keeper.

“……What? You want me to help you train?”

“Yes, please.”

“I am helping you. I made a training ground and healing water…….”

“Besides that, I think it’s time to get some real combat experience. You don’t have anything else to do anyway, so please help me.”

“If you want something from a Dokkaebi…….”

“You still haven’t paid me back for the liquor and the stories.”

“Hey! That was settled by helping you with your training!”

The Mountain Keeper shouted and ground his teeth.

“How many bottles of liquor did I bring? Besides, isn’t maintaining the training ground your job in the first place? And the stories…….”

The Mountain Keeper was about to shout again, but he clenched his jaw.

‘Can I win if I argue with this sly guy?’

I can guarantee that I will definitely lose.

Rather, I might have my liver and gall bladder torn out. I shouldn’t try to win against him with words.

When I think about it, Lee Cheol’s scary point might be his tongue and lips rather than his monstrous growth.

“Fi, fine. I’ll help you train. So shut your mouth. Why does a guy have so much to say?”

“Actually, I didn’t say much, Mountain Keeper.”

“You! You don’t give in even a single word when an elder is speaking!”

In the end, this was all the resistance the Mountain Keeper could muster.

Seeing Lee Cheol shrug, the Mountain Keeper sighed and shook his head.

“So, should I cast illusions like before? But now you’ve become so strong that I won’t be able to create illusions that will help your training?”

The Mountain Keeper replied indifferently.

To be honest, at Lee Cheol’s level, most real combat is meaningless.

However, there was a limit to the power of illusions to provide a real combat environment that matched his level.

“That’s why I’m saying, please help me directly, Mountain Keeper.”

“What does that mean? I just said I would help…… You, don’t tell me?”

I looked at the Mountain Keeper, who was frowning.

And I said with a smile.

“Please spar with me, Mountain Keeper.”

* * *

North of Cheonwi Mountain.

There was a rugged canyon that spirits did not easily approach.

It was a place where the ground had been shattered due to ‘some reason’ in the distant past, creating a canyon.

There was a high, sheer cliff on one side, and a wide open space with a small stream flowing on the other side.

“Wow, I’m really speechless. Is this why you bothered to come all the way to Cheonwi Mountain?”

The Mountain Keeper narrowed his eyes and looked at me.

“And…… be honest. The reason you offered me liquor and readily shared your stories at first was to lay the groundwork in case I refused to spar with you.”

“Well, I won’t deny it.”

I grinned.

It wasn’t like I didn’t have that intention at all.

And anyway, thanks to that, the Mountain Keeper couldn’t refuse to spar with me.

“Okay, fine. I thought you would challenge me to a fight someday. That’s what all those who inherited Lee Hyul-hyun’s bloodline are like.”

“Were there others besides me who asked the Mountain Keeper for a spar?”

“Too many to count.”

Indeed, if they were from the Sungmoo Lee family, they wouldn’t leave someone who looked strong alone.

“And all of them had their heads smashed.”

That casual remark.

A silence fell over the area.

“Did you really want to bother this old man who is living so peacefully? Sigh.”

Old man.

The Mountain Keeper may seem like a lighthearted Dokkaebi at first glance, but he was an ancient being who had lived for an immeasurably long time.

He may not have spent all that time building up his strength, but it was impossible to easily guess how much power he had naturally accumulated.

“Anyway, I look forward to working with you, Mountain Keeper.”

“Okay, I understand. Then, before we start…….”

The Mountain Keeper reached out into the empty air and lightly grasped something as if he were grabbing it.

And then.

Woo-oong!

The air distorted in that spot, and something was caught.

A Dokkaebi club [a magical club that symbolizes a Dokkaebi’s power and status].

It symbolized the Dokkaebi’s status and was half of their soul, containing the power of their existence.

“If we fought properly, the mountain wouldn’t be left intact, so I’ll prepare a little.”

Whoosh!

The Mountain Keeper swung the Dokkaebi club downwards.

And an opaque barrier that rose from the ground began to cover the canyon.

It seemed to be a barrier that blocked the outside and the inside.

I drew my sword and struck the wall as a test.

Kwaaaang!

I swung my aura with considerable force, but the barrier only fluctuated greatly and did not break.

‘He’s drawing the power of the mountain as it is.’

It seemed that he was using the spiritual energy flowing through Cheonwi Mountain as the barrier itself.

He might not be able to wield this power as it is, but it seemed that he could draw it out as much as he wanted for the act of ‘protecting the mountain.’

Swish!

The wriggling barrier finally met at one point in the sky, creating a hemispherical space.

The Mountain Keeper cracked his neck and looked at me.

“It’s all done.”

“Good. Then, I’ll properly ask for your help.”

“Tsk, how annoying. What help would you get from fighting a Dokkaebi like me?”

I released the weapons from Eunhan’s jeogori [a type of traditional Korean jacket] without answering.

The Mountain Keeper also glared at me, resting his club on his shoulder.

And then.

Kwaaaang!

Power and power collided.

* * *

A storm raged.

Not a figurative expression, but a real storm was raging in the canyon.

Kwaaaaaaa!

The moment the Dokkaebi club was swung, the ground was overturned, and a huge mass of wind filled the space.

It was the power wielded through the Dokkaebi club.

That immense wind power seemed to symbolize the Mountain Keeper himself.

‘It’s amazing.’

It didn’t seem like a phenomenon caused by magic, but like a natural disaster that had simply occurred.

This was the power of the Dokkaebi club.

But.

Bang! Kwakwakwang!

The Heavenly Net of Oui was deployed to face that storm.

The raging wind was calmed by the power of the weapons.

‘Close the distance. The functions of the club can be somewhat offset.’

I immediately kicked off the ground and rushed forward.

At that moment, I saw the Mountain Keeper approaching right in front of me.

It was the magic of shrinking the earth, Chukji [a technique to instantly shorten distances].

“It seems that there are not many records left about me.”

Woo-oong!

The club, violently shaking as if it were a mass of wind, rushed right in front of me in an instant.

“I’m also good at brawling.”

Kwaaaang!

The moment the club was swung right in front of me, the space exploded and burst out.

The Mountain Keeper smirked and swung the club again.

Bang! Kwang! Kwaang!

The ground was overturned with each strike, and dust and dirt flew up.

A sword was thrust out from the midst of the rising storm.

Stab!

The Mountain Keeper tilted his head sharply and avoided the attack.

However, a small portion of his hair was cut off.

The Mountain Keeper’s brow furrowed slightly, and Lee Cheol opened his mouth with a meaningful smile from within the receding sandstorm.

“I’ll be a little different from those people whose heads were smashed.”

“Arrogant bastard.”

Kwaaaang!

Once again, both I and the Mountain Keeper were thrown to the opposite side with an explosion.

I gripped my sword, created additional weapons through Black Qi, and took a deep breath.

“Tsk.”

The Mountain Keeper still had an unwilling expression.

‘Does he still not know the meaning of this fight?’

I gripped Gyeongcheon in my hand, my eyes shining.

‘I need to go a little stronger.’

Flash!

Once again, a strong light of aura began to erupt.