Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 59

Weapon-Eating Bastard – Episode 59

After my conversation with my uncle, I headed to the training grounds.

‘It’s been a while.’

Sungmu Training Ground.

I had trained here every day since I was very young, but it felt unfamiliar, as if it had been a year since I’d last been here.

I started to warm up lightly.

I had returned after a year of training, but I had no intention of resting comfortably.

In the first place, there was someone who wouldn’t let me if I wanted to.

“Baby!”

A woman burst into the training ground.

It was my aunt.

“You should have come to see your aunt first! You have no manners! These days, kids are like this!”

“Aunt, it’s been a while. But how could I visit you during work hours? I absolutely can’t let it be said that I made you skip work.”

“Ugh! You cheeky brat! I know you went to see your little brother!”

“That was for work.”

“Hmph! Excuses! Whatever! I’ll let it slide because I’m happy to see you!”

My aunt grinned and came right up to my face in just one step.

“Wow, has our baby grown so much?”

Since I was taller than my aunt, she even stood on tiptoes to pat my head.

“Have you been well?”

“Of course! How could I not be! More importantly, have you grown a lot? How was it? Did you train hard?”

“Yes, I trained hard. I’ve mastered all the Aura Skills I learned in advance.”

“Really?! L-Let’s sit down first. Let’s check your mana capacity.”

My aunt exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement.

My aunt put her hand on my back as I sat down.

After examining my mana circuit [the pathways through which mana flows] for a long time, my aunt smiled broadly.

“Your mana capacity has almost doubled! Did you eat some amazing elixir? And your mana circuit has become incredibly strong. How did you do it?”

“I repeated going to mana depletion and then recovering. It naturally became stronger.”

My aunt was horrified.

“You crazy fool!”

This kind of training was like constantly breaking bones and letting them heal to become stronger.

Of course, bones don’t actually become stronger by breaking and healing.

Similarly, it was almost nonsense to say that the mana circuit becomes stronger by experiencing mana depletion and then recovering.

“It was possible because it was Cheonwisan [a place known for its high mana concentration], but it’s really crazy! Don’t do it again! Of course, it feels similar to muscles, so it will get stronger, but it puts a huge overload on the mana core.”

“I know that too. So I adjusted it so as not to overdo it.”

“No, just don’t do it!”

My aunt shouted in embarrassment.

I tilted my head.

‘I just trained normally.’

For now, I had no choice but to say I understood, since my aunt was so horrified.

My aunt continued to examine my mana circuit carefully.

“Anyway, both your mana circuit and mana capacity are growing at an incredible rate. You can now use Lightning Strike more than ten times, right?”

“I don’t think I can do it ten times, but… no, I think I can if I adjust it.”

Aura Skills consumed a lot of mana, so they put a considerable burden on the mana circuit.

Therefore, before going to Cheonwisan, the limit I could use without worrying about internal injuries was about three or four times.

“I’ve also become quite familiar with controlling cold energy. I can use Sookpung and Yeomra in succession. I’ve also trained in the others for now.”

“Good! Show me! You have a lot of mana, so let’s blow it all up!”

“Aunt, you have to control it properly, okay? Don’t cause any trouble by overturning the training ground.”

“Don’t worry!”

I was a little worried, but I drew up my Aura.

Boom! Rumble!

Aura emits light.

My Aura is jet black.

Not murky, but a subtle color like the night sea.

Kuaaaang!

However, contrary to its beautiful color, the aftermath was enormous.

The air screamed, and it would have overturned the training ground if my aunt hadn’t dispersed the Aura’s impact.

“That’s it! Amazing! To do it in just one year!”

My aunt said that and jumped up and down, then grabbed her chin as if contemplating for a moment and hummed softly.

“But I can still see some things that need to be improved.”

“Yes, I feel that way too.”

“You know? The technique is complete, but your proficiency is still lacking. So don’t try to aim for 4-star while showing off some strange bravado before you master it all.”

“Yes, I know.”

Thanks to the training at Cheonwisan, the instability and fluctuating power have disappeared.

But there are still many shortcomings.

‘In the first place, 3-star is generally at the level of reaching the 5th stage. It’s an excessively fast pace. It’s reckless to aim for the next stage before it’s complete.’

That’s what I deeply realized at Cheonwisan.

The necessity of a solid foundation.

Now, before rushing forward, I want to fix each brick firmly, even if it’s just one.

“Hehe, this aunt has also prepared a gift for our baby.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve completed the Gyeol [a detailed manual or guide] for other Aura Skills too! Let’s do it!”

My aunt shouted with her arms wide open.

I could only smile awkwardly at my aunt and avoid her eyes.

“Ah, Aunt….”

“Yes? Why?”

“It’s going to be a little difficult right now, Aunt. Actually….”

I told my aunt about the story of the Musaeng mission.

My aunt shouted before I could even finish the story.

“Hey, you! Are you leaving again so soon?”

“I can’t help it, Aunt. But I’m not leaving right away; I’m leaving a little later.”

I was able to calm my aunt down only after adding explanations for a long time.

“Baby, don’t you have wanderlust? Why don’t you ever think about staying home!”

“It’s something I have to do anyway, Aunt.”

“Haa… well, whatever. What does that have to do with training now?”

“I told you. The first condition.”

At those words, my aunt’s eyes narrowed.

“So what! It’s not like you’re doing it today!”

“Actually, it seems like I’m going to do it today.”

“What?”

Squeak!

At that moment, someone opened the door to the training ground.

Surprised by the sudden presence, my aunt widened her eyes as she looked at the person approaching.

“It’s been a while.”

I greeted the person who came with a smile.

The one who entered the training ground was a man.

“You’re still on good terms with your aunt, Maknae [youngest sibling/child].”

It was none other than my eldest brother, Lee Myung-jung.

* * *

“You were pretending to be so busy! And now you’re here to train the maknae! It was all a lie! Hmph!”

My aunt rushed at my eldest brother and pointed her finger at him as soon as she saw him.

“I was really busy, Aunt. I couldn’t help with the research, but I helped with organizing the Gyeol. And today was my father’s order.”

Could it be that my aunt had reached out to my eldest brother as well?

To ask even my eldest brother, who was one of the busiest people in the family as a candidate for the next family head. I felt sorry.

As if reading my gaze, my eldest brother waved his hand.

“I’m fine. The materials my aunt brings are very rare, so they have been very helpful for my personal training.”

“That’s right! It’s good for him too, you know? It’s mainly the latest things that have been published at the conference… plus my personal interpretations and summaries….”

My aunt went on a rampage again and began to proudly spout all sorts of things.

I lightly ignored her and approached my eldest brother.

“Have you been well?”

My eldest brother looked at me with a meaningful expression.

“Yes, I’ve been well. But you left for Cheonwisan without saying a word to your brother? Really, you.”

“I’m sorry. My brother was on a mission at that time….”

“You could have at least told my nanny.”

My eldest brother said as if he was disappointed.

“And then you come back and make me receive Father’s summons because you need something.”

I had nothing to say and just smiled awkwardly.

“I’m sorry for bothering you when you’re busy.”

“It’s okay. And I was the only one among those who are currently free who had received the License of Complete Mastery.”

License of Complete Mastery.

It is a certification given to those who have been fully taught all the basic skills, mysteries, and secrets of the predecessors, including all the basic skills of Sungmu Lee Family.

‘That doesn’t mean they actually know all the techniques that have been accumulated over a long period of time, but they must have learned all the major secrets designated by the Council of Elders.’

To be certified for the License of Complete Mastery, you must receive consent from the family head and all the elders in front of them.

Therefore, the number of people who receive the License of Complete Mastery in a generation does not exceed ten.

As such, those who have completed the certification are granted the authority to transmit, interpret, compile, and revise techniques.

“Aren’t there any elders in the training center in charge of the Six Gates who have the License of Complete Mastery?”

“I don’t mind, but do you think you can receive proper training from them?”

A main family elder who wholeheartedly teaches basic skills to a bastard.

A bitter smile came out.

“…Thank you in many ways, eldest brother.”

“Yes, yes.”

Lee Myung-jung said that and continued to glance at his younger brother.

‘…To have grown this much.’

Everything is invisible.

In the past, I could even grasp the maknae’s mana flow if I focused and examined him, but now there are parts that I can’t even guess.

It feels like it was just yesterday that he started learning mana, but he has already developed this much.

-The maknae must be taught the basic skills. Will you go?

When he headed to the office after the sudden summons, Lee Tae-shin specifically suggested to Lee Myung-jung first.

It was a little strange.

Of course, it would be a smoother training environment for the maknae if he went himself rather than having him taught by the elders, but his father was not the type to care about such things.

Moreover, Lee Myung-jung had an assignment assigned to him.

Lee Myung-jung decided to follow his father’s recommendation for now.

As he stood up from his seat, his father said to him one last time.

-You will have to be nervous.

I was curious about the meaning of those words.

Therefore, Lee Myung-jung immediately called Lee Cheol without delay.

Lee Myung-jung narrowed his eyes and examined Lee Cheol.

‘He said he passed the Bloodless Dream at Cheonwisan.’

The test that even he had not been allowed to take. The maknae passed it.

Moreover, with this level of growth.

A chill runs down my spine.

I felt like I knew why my father had specifically told him to teach the basic skills.

‘He’s telling me to be stimulated. Or he wants competition.’

The younger brother’s growth is abnormal.

It hasn’t even been 10 years since he learned mana, and he’s already at the 5th stage.

Moreover, to receive basic skills at the age of 15.

‘I don’t know about now, but in 20 years, no, 10 years… no, I don’t even know that. He’ll catch up soon.’

It’s a funny story to say to a much younger brother, but Lee Myung-jung felt like it wouldn’t take long for the distance between him and Lee Cheol to narrow.

‘Even if I get caught up, I don’t think I’ll feel that bad.’

My father seems to have sent me with the intention of making me nervous, but seeing my younger brother’s growth, I even felt proud.

But I did feel nervous in a different sense.

I wanted to remain a brother who could always be looked up to by this younger brother with such great talent.

“Hey! You guys! I’m talking, and you’re talking among yourselves! You have no manners!”

“Haha, Aunt, calm down.”

My eldest brother appeased my aunt, but she turned her head away and pouted.

“Okay! I’m sulking! I’m leaving!”

I bowed my head to my aunt.

“Yes, Aunt. Be careful on your way. I won’t go far.”

“Tsk! You sly brat! You’re not even stopping me from leaving!”

“We’re going to see each other in the evening anyway, right?”

“You said you were training!”

“Training is training, and research with Aunt is research.”

“Huh?”

“Have I ever skipped researching with Aunt because I had training? It’s just that I can’t do it now. How dare I skip research with someone who is one of the most knowledgeable people in the world when it comes to mana?”

“O-One of the most knowledgeable? Knowledgeable? Are you talking about me?”

“Of course. Who else in our family is like that besides Aunt?”

My aunt’s mouth twitched.

She was trying hard to maintain an angry expression, but she couldn’t hide the twitching corners of her mouth.