Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 31

Weapon-Eating Bastard – Episode 31

Most of the students had returned to their respective families, while a few without homes or who wanted to stay behind spent their vacation in the dormitories.

I also took a vacation and increased my sleeping hours a bit, but I wasn’t just resting.

I was spending most of my time in my aunt’s lab.

“I heard you got a vacation, but do you want to bother your aunt without resting! I have a mountain of research to do too!”

“You were watching something weird on your phone, what research are you talking about…”

“Something weird! Hamin was finally recognized by the chairman! And his leukemia is all cured!”

“No, I mean, what are you watching, Auntie…”

I sighed, touching my temples.

Recently, my aunt seems to be addicted to strange things.

“By the way, was this really your father’s order?”

“I told you it was. It was an official document sent directly.”

I had asked my aunt to look at the minutes of the Council of Elders, and I found out that the reason the mid-term evaluation was brought forward was due to my father’s decision.

‘If it’s my father’s order, this evaluation will be more difficult than I imagined.’

I had to prepare for it.

The growth of magic blocked by the wall.

The rise of my personal skills.

Both could be solved with one method.

‘I need to get Mujin’s next memory.’

To fill in the puzzles about my lacking magic, I needed Mujin’s next memory, which contained the memory of Gumusul.

The problem is that it’s not easy.

I thought I had mastered Cheokma [a specific martial arts technique] to some extent, but I still couldn’t read Mujin’s next memory.

“I’ll keep trying for now. Please measure it again.”

I was also reaching the limit of just swinging my weapon aimlessly in the training ground.

So I was getting help from the precision machines in my aunt’s lab.

“No, I’m saying, tell your aunt what you’re aiming for…”

“Something’s missing. It’s not complete yet.”

“So, according to the measurements, there’s nothing missing? Let your aunt know what’s missing!”

“…….”

I had nothing to say.

To be honest, I don’t know either.

Like my aunt said, I thought I understood everything about Cheokma, but I can’t read the next memory.

In other words, something is missing to read the next memory, but I can’t figure out what that something is.

“I can’t explain it well. Anyway, please measure it again…”

“Ugh! Stop! Stop it!”

Then suddenly, my aunt shouted with a look of frustration.

“You stubborn thing! You’ve been doing it for two days straight, and two hours today!”

Has it already been that long?

I checked the time and made an awkward expression.

“Sit down for now! It’s not like anything will change if you keep doing it! If you’re going to do that, do it in the training ground!”

My aunt strode towards me.

I was pushed by her momentum and plopped down on the old sofa.

My aunt looked down at me with eyes that seemed to be burning.

“Take a break for now. I don’t know what’s not working, but you have to know when to rest!”

“I don’t have time for that. Auntie.”

“Master!”

“Yes?”

“Not Auntie, but Master! This is Master’s order! Sit down and stay put!”

“Cough!”

My aunt pressed down on the top of my head as I tried to get up from my seat.

She said she pressed down, but her tremendous strength almost broke my neck.

“I’ll get you some snacks and cola, so wait! Originally, 13-year-old kids enjoy eating things like that!”

My aunt shouted that and went into the pantry attached to the lab.

‘Hoo, like my aunt said, maybe I should go to the training ground…’

Then my aunt stuck her face out from the pantry door.

“If you don’t rest and go to the training ground… you’re dead.”

I flinched.

It’s murderous intent. It’s real murderous intent.

I had no choice but to lean deeply into the sofa.

‘It’s been over a few years since I got Cheokma, and there hasn’t been much progress since the Naming Ceremony [a coming-of-age ritual].’

I feel frustrated.

If I see something lacking, I can just train, but I don’t know what’s lacking, so my frustration only increases.

I closed my eyes and recalled the man’s movements.

The step he takes.

The strike he brings down from the upper stance.

Even the flow of magic and the movement of muscles.

‘I’ve already perfectly reproduced it all.’

But why does the man take such movements?

‘The original Cheokma… is excessive in many ways.’

When I first saw Cheokma, I didn’t have the ability to judge such things, but now I can see some of Cheokma’s shortcomings.

The Cheokma that the man unfolded was so excessive in movement and magic operation that it couldn’t be followed by a series of attacks.

If the opponent can counterattack or deflect it, it becomes a move with no follow-up.

‘The elbow is one inch inward, and the supporting foot can move more smoothly to the next movement even if it’s slightly behind. The magic ratio should also be reduced a bit. If you unfold Cheokma like that man, there are too many loopholes.’

Perhaps because it is an ancient martial art, there were many inefficient parts when viewed from a modern perspective.

It was a technique that only thought about swinging a full-force strike without thinking about the follow-up.

‘I was wondering if I could read the next memory if I made my own improvements, but that wasn’t the case either.’

Only sighs came out.

According to my aunt’s opinion, I might have to rest a bit if I’m blocked.

Recently, I’ve been only looking at Cheokma and constantly worrying about unanswered questions, so even though I’ve increased my sleeping hours, I’m even more tired.

I shook my head greatly to shake off my thoughts.

As I leaned back on the sofa, the messy scenery of the lab came into view.

‘I told her to clean up a bit.’

I can’t help but frown.

My aunt’s lab was the chaos of the beginning itself.

All sorts of documents, writing utensils, and ancient artifacts were piled up in a mess, and there were crumbs of snacks and dark stains on every document.

In the meantime, she seems to know the location of all the objects, so she seems to have her own way of organizing things…

‘Huh? I haven’t seen this before.’

I saw ancient artifacts that I hadn’t seen before. It was clear that they were the artifacts that my aunt had bought at auction a while ago.

Fragments of armor from the early Iron Age, bamboo slips with strange characters, and crude picture books.

‘If they’re too old and broken, I can hardly read their memories.’

I rubbed the piece of iron in my hand with my finger.

It’s okay if it’s rusted or old to some extent, but weapons whose shapes have completely collapsed only show terrible noise even if I try to read them with Black ki [a type of magical energy].

‘Huh?’

As I scanned the pile of documents, I found a book that caught my eye.

It was a hardcover thesis.

[A Framework for Understanding the Differences in Orientation Between Ancient and Modern Martial Arts]

I turned a page.

I’ve been reading all sorts of papers with my aunt recently, but I’m still not at the level of fully understanding difficult vocabulary. Still, I thought I could kill time until my aunt came out.

Pause-

As I turned the pages, I was drawn to one part.

[The decisive difference between ancient and modern martial arts lies in their orientation. In modern times, the purpose of martial arts has become diverse.

……Omitted……

It is speculated that the technology of mankind at that time was focused on battles with monsters rather than the effectiveness of one-on-one combat.]

There were wars between countries in ancient times as well.

But the biggest enemy for humans at that time was monsters.

All the martial arts at that time were not made to fight humans, but to fight monsters.

‘Cheokma… isn’t Cheokma the same?’

Orientation.

The word lingered in my head.

I quickly turned the pages.

[As evidence, martial arts in ancient literature, unless they are ceremonial or showy martial arts, are more often a collection of separate techniques rather than having fixed forms or routines…]

I quickly turned the pages and organized my thoughts.

‘What was Cheokma made for?’

I feel like a barrier that was covering my eyes is breaking.

I jumped up from my seat without realizing it.

Mujin Il-sik, Cheokma.

Movements that do not consider deception or the opponent’s reaction in each strike.

Magic operation that does not consider the preservation of power for subsequent techniques.

Cheokma was not a single movement in a swordsmanship, but a separate technique completed in itself.

“Huh? What’s wrong, baby?”

“Auntie! I figured it out!”

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry! I’ll explain later! I think I should go to the training ground now.”

I turned my back on my aunt, who came with a bag of snacks, and ran out.

“Ah!”

At that moment, I heard a sound like something collapsing behind me.

‘I’m sorry! Auntie!’

Judging from the size of the sound, it seemed like a major disaster had occurred, but I had no time to care.

“Kyaaaa! You damn brat!”

I ignored my aunt’s piercing scream.

I ran to the training ground without thinking.

* * *

I thought calmly.

What are the purposes of modern martial arts?

For battle with monsters.

For seeking enlightenment.

For sparring.

The point that martial arts aims for differs depending on the purpose.

For the best example.

The Yeonggeomdan, which prioritizes the ability to perform missions such as assassinating key figures and conducting covert operations, is evaluated to be closer to the martial arts of assassins because it places more importance on its ability in one-on-one combat.

The Blood Brigade, a unit of the Four Gods Army who was in charge of the Naming Ceremony collective training, learns powerful and overbearing martial arts for large-scale monster battles.

‘Then what about Cheokma?’

I think about the purpose for which Cheokma was created.

I looked around and pulled out Mujin instead of a training sword.

Wooong-!

The black sword, made exactly in the shape I wanted, was in my hand.

‘Cheokma is… a technique to cut down monsters.’

I assume an opponent.

An enemy bigger than me.

A beast of a different shape from humans.

Monster.

‘There was a reason why it was a technique that didn’t consider efficiency, continuous attacks, preserving power, or the opponent’s evasion and defense. It’s a technique made to fight monsters in the first place.’

It is a technique created to cut through the tougher skin, thicker muscles, and bones than humans.

So flashy but powerless or deceptive things are useless.

‘Here I go.’

The magic that started with Amplification surged and wrapped around Mujin.

I raise Mujin and swing it.

The process, the movement, and the operation of magic.

I followed the path of Cheokma that I had swung hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of times.

But the Cheokma that unfolds again in my hand clearly had a purpose.

Crack!

The old bluestone laid in the training ground was broken by the weighted forefoot, and the sand laid on the ground soared into the air.

‘It’s done.’

I realized instinctively.

That Cheokma was completed.

That a missing piece of the puzzle had been fitted.

Swish-

The Black ki I created wrapped around Mujin.

When I opened my eyes again, I faced another fragment of memory that Mujin showed me.

* * *

A man is practicing swordsmanship.

No, he was practicing with a spear, a sword, and countless weapons starting with a dagger, changing them.

The weapon changed into a spear when stabbing.

Into a sword when swinging.

Sometimes it turned into a bow.

Since there were no restrictions on weapons, all movements were free.

‘It’s the same as when I first got Mujin. There hasn’t been a case like this before!’

Usually, when I read the memory of a weapon with Black ki, I possess the original owner of the weapon and look at the world.

But as much as when I read Mujin, I felt like I was summoned to this space and time as a third party rather than being possessed.

‘Why does this strange phenomenon only happen when I read Mujin every time…? Moreover, it doesn’t usually happen like this, but only when I read it for the first time.’

At that moment, I heard a strange voice.

-Oh my, did you change your method again?

Without realizing it, I hid behind a large pillar in front of me.

-Stop watching others train.

The man holding Mujin answered without stopping his training.

The owner of the voice coming from behind chuckled softly.

-Your fighting style has changed a lot since you got that. Did you give those techniques a name?

-I don’t have a name yet. I can’t even call this a technique in the first place.

The man continued to swing Mujin.

The man talking to the man holding Mujin had his back turned, so I couldn’t see his face.

Swoosh!

Suddenly, the man training spun Mujin from his fingertips.

In an instant, Mujin, which had been in the form of a long sword, turned into a dagger.

‘……It’s amazing speed. It seems twice as fast as me.’

I thought I was quite used to the shape change of Mujin, but compared to that man, I was far away.

‘Besides, how does he do that?’

What the man was doing was not just a simple shape change.

The quality of the aura formed on Mujin was also changing every time the weapon changed.

Rather than the man’s aura changing, it was as if Mujin itself was converting the aura.

-Then I’ll give you a name. How about Manbyeon? I’m talking about the name of your technique. It’s just a basic form, so add names as the techniques increase later.

-Not bad.

-Right? Haha!

Right after the hearty laughter of the man.

The man holding Mujin suddenly stopped moving and frowned.

-Hey, did you bring someone?

-Me? Really?

At that moment.

Bang!

The man who was talking suddenly approached and swung his sword.

-I’m thinking of having a fight like this, who would I bring!

After the aftermath of the collision subsided, I was finally able to see the face of the man who had only shown his back.

And I had no choice but to receive a shock that made my breath stop.

Dark black hair. And light-colored brown eyes revealed below it.

It was the characteristic of the Sungmoo Yi family.

* * *

The week-long vacation passed too quickly.

And finally, the proper training for the quarterly evaluation began.

“Everyone already knows the contents, so I’ll quickly teach and move on.”

In front of the students who gathered in the study room after a long time, Instructor Lee Jung-ho grabbed the chalk.

“Although the exact time is unknown, a huge spatial rift occurred near the Pacific Ocean in the distant past. This place, commonly called the Blue Hole, is a magic realm. It is an unknown space that mankind has not yet officially explored properly.”

Lee Jung-ho continued, pointing to the Pacific Ocean on the world map.

Blue Hole.

Literally an ‘official’ unexplored space.

It was a magic realm that could not be properly explored with any observation equipment yet.

“In ancient times, the basic concepts of superpowers and magic were also underdeveloped, so humans lost more than half of their territory to monsters.”

The world map on the screen turned red.

“Humans have fought against monsters for a long time and recovered their territory. However, there are still monsters that have lived in the ancient times in the unexplored areas. We succeeded in wiping out the monsters that invaded our original territory, but there are still many territories that have not been reclaimed. Student Choi In-ha. What is this called?”

At Lee Jung-ho’s call, Choi In-ha quickly answered.

“It’s a dangerous zone.”

“That’s right. The dangerous zones where reclamation is in progress are also dangerous. Also, the safe zones where humans are currently living cannot be said to be completely safe. Dungeons and gates are the cause.”

Gates could be said to be a miniature version of the Blue Hole. Because it is a unique phenomenon that suddenly occurs due to magical and spiritual imbalances, it closes when the imbalance is resolved. Therefore, it is possible to predict, but it often appears suddenly.

On the other hand, dungeons are places where the imbalance has been maintained since ancient times. It can be stabilized like a gate if a large amount of capital and time is invested, but it is not realistically easy.

“The test we have to go through in this evaluation is dungeon exploration. We will conduct training to prepare for this exploration in the future. That’s all. Any questions?”

The grades of dungeons were divided from 1st grade to 9th grade.

The characteristics and dangers of dungeons varied greatly for each grade.

I briefly guessed while looking at the students.

‘If I think about our level… the difficulty of the dungeon to be assigned would be 7th or 8th grade.’

Even 7th grade is not impossible, but it will be quite dangerous.

Then Kim Han raised his hand and shouted.

“I have a question.”

“Yes, Student Kim Han. Ask your question.”

“Has the dungeon we will explore been decided?”

“……Yes. It was decided today.”

Lee Jung-ho had a nervous expression.

At that expression, I felt an ominous feeling flash through my head.