Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 54

Uwoong!

The moment I opened the door and stepped inside, my consciousness flickered for a brief moment.

When I regained my senses, I found myself in the middle of a vast prairie.

Though I couldn’t feel the sunlight or the wind, the prairie was bright, and the air was fresh.

It was then.

Thud-.

I heard footsteps in the distance.

It was a boy.

A boy who didn’t seem much older than me.

Dressed in old-fashioned clothes rarely seen these days, with a sword at his waist, he approached me with vacant, hollow eyes.

I know that boy.

Not just me, but many people would know about the boy.

The boy had a name, but people called him by other titles instead.

Some called him the God of War.

Some called him the Dragon Slayer.

And some called him a fictional character created as a legend.

There were many titles for him, but the most common one was different.

The one who built the family considered the greatest in the world.

The ‘Founder of the Soongmoo Yi Family’.

“A descendant greets the founder of the Soongmoo Yi Family.”

I bowed politely.

I had read the founder’s memories through Black Night before, but that was just reading his memories through Black Night. [Black Night is likely a powerful artifact or ability that allows the user to access memories.]

This was the first time I had actually seen his face like this.

‘That boy is the founder of our family.’

The founder of the Soongmoo Yi Family, Yi Hyul-hyun.

He slowly approached and stood before me.

‘He has an incredible presence. It really feels like he’s standing right in front of me.’

It felt as if my ancestor was actually standing before me.

But the boy, and this place, are not real.

This place was an illusionary space created by combining all sorts of magic, the power of the spirit land called Cheonwisan [Cheonwisan is a location known for its spiritual energy], and the sorcery of goblins.

Everything here was built solely for the test.

‘Bloodless Dream.’

Not many people have challenged the Bloodless Dream throughout history.

At most, about one person every few generations.

This was because one could only challenge it with the permission of the caretaker, regardless of their talent or ability.

‘The condition for victory is simple.’

To win against the founder, as he was at the age of 15, recreated in this dream.

Uuung-!

I slowly transformed Mujin into the form of a sword and gripped it. [Mujin is likely the name of the protagonist’s weapon.]

The founder has no reason. Therefore, it is impossible to greet him or have a conversation.

He exists only for the sake of the test.

“……Hoo.”

Sreureung-

As if responding to my gesture, the founder also drew the sword from his waist.

I activated my Mind’s Eye and tensed my entire body. [Mind’s Eye is likely a technique that enhances perception and intuition.]

‘First, I’ll start with exploration.’

Very slowly, I put strength into the tip of the foot I took forward.

In response, the ancestor also began to move.

And.

My heart was pierced.

* * *

Defeat the 15-year-old founder of the Soongmoo Yi Family.

To put it coldly, the victory condition of the Bloodless Dream is not that harsh.

Because this is an illusion, you don’t die or get hurt.

Moreover, the fact that the caretaker gave you the qualification to open the stone door means that your chances of winning are high.

It may be difficult to win right now, but the founder is a person from a long time ago, and modern techniques have developed a lot over the ages.

In other words, even based on logic, the challenger has the advantage.

However, those foundations have now lost their meaning.

“Huh, heok…….”

At the edge of terrible pain, I opened my eyes with a start.

What on earth…….

I was blank for a while because my consciousness was cut off, and then I recognized the situation.

I was stabbed in the heart.

With a single strike.

I had only taken one step, but the founder’s sword had pierced my heart ahead of that one step.

‘I wasn’t careless either. I was definitely tense.’

The events of the naming ceremony naturally came to mind.

At that time, in the test arena, I had also been beheaded by my own reflection.

At least then, I could immediately figure out how I was beheaded.

But this time it was different.

Other than the fact that the founder pierced my heart, I couldn’t even guess what happened.

I turned my head and looked at the founder.

“…….”

The founder was still standing in the center of the field with empty eyes.

I remembered what my father had said once.

-The founder is strong. Maybe even stronger than me at that age.

A simple assessment of the Bloodless Dream that my father had said only once when he gathered his children in his previous life.

It was a plain evaluation without any flowery rhetoric, but the meaning of those words carried tremendous weight.

And now I realized the meaning of my father’s words.

‘Let’s calm down. And look back.’

I replayed the situation just before.

The founder didn’t use any great secret techniques or profound mysteries. He didn’t even use a simple body-enhancing aura skill.

‘Could it be…… No way. But there’s no other way.’

After a long period of speculation, I became certain of one thing.

Even if I had my Mind’s Eye open and was honing my intuition.

‘If it was a quick sword strike that exploited the moment that the Mind’s Eye couldn’t see and the intuition couldn’t perceive…….’

A quick sword that didn’t just move too fast to be conscious of, but exploited the blind spot where consciousness couldn’t reach.

If that were the case, then the whole situation would make sense.

‘But is that even possible?’

Regardless of my own strength, it’s a sword strike that’s only possible if you can read the opponent’s movements.

But even with that kind of observation, is it possible to know when the opponent is closing their eyes?

‘I have no choice but to try again.’

I swallowed hard and gripped Mujin again.

I consciously widened my eyes. I put aside the thought of winning for now. I focused solely on recognizing the previous stab, on that one sword strike.

I heightened all my senses and magical power to the maximum.

Sseuek-.

As if responding to my will, the founder moved.

Focus. So that I don’t miss a single thing!

The moment all the senses in my body stood on end, I swung Mujin following that sensation.

Seogeok-.

Mujin cut through the air.

In a fleeting moment, something flickered in one corner of my vision.

And I could see the sight of bright red blood gushing out in front of me, along with a terrible pain running across my chest.

It was my second death.

When I regained my senses.

I still couldn’t figure out the situation just before.

“……Again?”

As with the first time, I was convinced after a long period of reviewing.

Among the basics of martial arts, there is a saying to aim from the opponent’s blind spot.

This sword strike was due to that blind spot.

‘Not only that, but he deceived my senses. Feinting, throwing false moves is also a basic, isn’t it?’

He threw a false move from the front and the actual attack came from the side. That’s why I was cut again.

It’s a simple story when explained in words.

But it’s different in practice.

He perfectly exploited my blind spot and succeeded in the false move by targeting the gap in my intuition.

‘He figured it all out in that short time?’

A chill ran down my spine.

I felt a huge wall.

He’s just a boy who’s smaller than me.

Even the amount of magical power I actually feel is lower than mine.

It feels as if a huge wall is blocking my entire front.

“Can I…… beat that?”

The boy was expressionlessly holding his sword.

The founder felt like a huge wall.

A huge wall that senselessly crumbled all the efforts I had built up so far was standing before my eyes.

* * *

The caretaker frowned as he watched the stone door closing with a heavy sound.

‘Before that Taeshin guy, I didn’t allow anyone for over a hundred years.’

This time, not even a hundred years, another guy popped out in less than fifty years.

The qualification to enter the Bloodless Dream is not determined solely by talent or strength.

Qualities, character, and above all.

‘One who can continue the task.’

The caretaker closed his mouth for a moment.

He was reminded of the sword hanging from the waist of the youngest, Yi Cheol.

‘Hyul-hyun, you rascal. Seeing that guy reminds me of you. Is that child the successor you talked about?’

A child whose fate is so intertwined that even the eyes of a goblin cannot easily grasp him.

A child who is still very young but possesses countless powers.

Moreover, he has Black Night at his waist and has entered the Bloodless Dream.

‘I don’t know. Damn it.’

Humans always had something incomprehensible, and that child felt like countless of those somethings were mixed together.

The caretaker looked at the stone door with mysterious eyes.

No matter how much he continued his random thoughts, it was meaningless until that Cheol guy opened the stone door and came out.

So far, the caretaker has seen many children.

The bloodline of the Soongmoo Yi Family has always been surprising, but what about this time?

No matter how great the child is, and even if he is better than any child he has ever seen, it will not be easy to beat Hyul-hyun.

‘Cocky brat. Be careful.’

The caretaker knows.

Among the children who entered the Bloodless Dream, less than half opened the door and came out.

The reason the remaining half died was not because they failed, but because they gave up.

Even though they were talented people with strong willpower and mental strength that the caretaker himself had directly approved.

They had their hearts broken in front of the wall called ‘Yi Hyul-hyun’.

What’s more, Yi Cheol, that brat, probably hasn’t experienced a proper defeat yet.

The caretaker stared at the stone door for a while, then turned his body away.

* * *

Soongmoo Yi Family Main House, Yi Taeshin’s office.

“We have received a message from Cheonwisan.”

In the main house of the Soongmoo Yi Family, there was an amulet created by the caretaker with magic.

It was a communication amulet that could be contacted at any time, in any situation.

Chief Butler Choi received the call just now through this.

“It seems he opened the door and went in.”

Yi Taeshin, who was grooming his sword, said as if he had already expected it.

Chief Butler Choi stood with an upright posture as always, with a subtle expression on his face.

“It’s been 10 months.”

“He certainly wasn’t at that level when he left here.”

Only 10 months.

In just 10 months, Yi Cheol had grown enough to get permission from the caretaker.

“Young Master will definitely do it.”

Instead of answering, Yi Taeshin wiped the sword with opaque paper. It was a sword that didn’t need grooming, but Yi Taeshin’s touch was very meticulous.

“That child has never lost.”

“Young Master has been on a winning streak, but it’s not like he has always won.”

In fact, Yi Cheol did not always win unconditionally.

As the leader of the Bloodhound Unit, against Gwisusan, the Human-Faced Spider Queen, and in the missions assigned through the branch evaluations.

If we were to consider success or failure, Yi Cheol always succeeded, but if we only looked at wins and losses, he did not always win.

“But it wasn’t a true defeat.”

If he loses, and even fails.

What will happen if a child who has never felt a wall faces a true wall?

Whether he bends or breaks, some change is bound to occur.

If he bends, he will survive, and if he breaks, he will die.

But even if he survives, he will inevitably be different from before.

The fact that he bent already means that he is different from the past.

Uuung-.

Yi Taeshin held up the sword that he had finished preparing.

He recalled the ordeal of the Bloodless Dream that he had faced a long time ago when he was still young.

If there is a god of martial arts, and if that god has granted each human their own martial talent.

Yi Hyul-hyun.

The founder of the Soongmoo Yi Family should be called the incarnation of martial arts in human form.

Indeed, how will Yi Cheol face him and deal with him?

* * *

I bit my lip as I watched the founder reaching out for the sword hilt again.

“…….”

It felt like the ground was sinking and my whole body was falling into a very deep abyss.

Frustration, helplessness, fear…….

I had only clashed twice, but the defeated emotions raised their heads from deep within my mind.

And I, within those emotions.

Gripped Mujin.

‘It’s been a while.’

The feeling of my heart sinking and all the strength in my body draining away.

It was so unfamiliar because it had been so long, but I was probably the person in this world who knew this feeling the best.

‘It’s been a really long time. This feeling too.’

I walked towards the founder again, step by step.

Shaking off the frustration with each step I took.

Wiping away the helplessness with the touch of Mujin felt in my grasping hand.

And finally, blowing away all the emotions with the movements of my body moving forward.

“Haaaap!”

And once again, I let out a shout towards the founder.

There was something that the caretaker, Chief Butler Choi, and Yi Taeshin didn’t know.

A great secret that only Yi Cheol in this world knows.

Yi Cheol’s life was a series of defeats, frustrations, and giving up.

The proportion of success and victory in the trajectory of Yi Cheol’s life was less than 10%.

Yi Cheol had never been on a winning streak, nor had he only won.

There is no one in this world who knows more about defeat and frustration than Yi Cheol.

That’s why he doesn’t break or bend.

Because he has already experienced them enough.

Yi Cheol is Yi Cheol.

For someone who has hit rock bottom, all that’s left is to go up.

Yi Cheol’s eyes were looking straight ahead.