The Illegitimate Who Devours Weapons

Weapon-Eating Illegitimate Son Episode 31

Most of the cadets returned to their respective families, while a few who had no homes or who wanted to stay behind stayed in the dormitories to spend their vacation.

I also increased my sleep time a bit during the vacation, but I wasn’t resting.

I spent most of my time in my aunt’s lab.

“I heard you were on vacation, but you still want to bother this aunt without resting! I have a mountain of research to do!”

“What kind of research are you doing when you’re looking at weird things on your phone…?”

“What a strange thing! Ha Min finally got acknowledged by the chairman! He even got cured of his leukemia!”

“No, so what on earth are you looking at, Aunt… … .”

I sighed, resting my hand on my temple.

My aunt seems to have been into something strange lately.

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

“I told you so. It was a direct official document.”

I asked my aunt to look at the minutes of the council of elders, and found out that the reason the first half evaluation was brought forward was because of my father’s decision.

‘If it’s Father’s order, this evaluation will be harder than you can imagine.’

I had to prepare for it.

The growth of magical powers blocked by walls.

The rise of my personal skills.

Both of these could be solved in one way.

‘I need to get Mujin’s next memory.’

To fill in the puzzle about the missing magic, Mujin’s next memory, which contains the memory of rubber magic, was needed.

The problem is that it is not easy.

Even though I thought I had mastered the trick to some extent, I still couldn’t read Mujin’s next memory.

“Let’s keep trying. Please measure again.”

Even just swinging a weapon around in the training ground reached its limit.

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

“No, so I asked you to tell your aunt what you’re aiming for… … .”

“Something is missing. It’s not finished yet.”

“So, you’re saying that there’s nothing lacking in terms of measurements or anything? Aunt, let’s find out what’s lacking!”

“… … .”

I had no words to say in response.

Honestly, I don’t know.

I thought I understood everything about Chuckma, just like my aunt said, but I can’t read the next memory.

In other words, something was missing from reading the next memory, but it was impossible to know what that something was.

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

“Eww! Stop! Stop it!”

Then suddenly my aunt shouted with a look of anger on her face.

“You stubborn bastard! You’ve been doing this for two days already, and today you did it for two hours!”

Is it already like that?

I checked my watch and made a sheepish expression.

“Sit down for a moment! Nothing will change if you keep doing that! If that’s the case, then do it at the training ground!”

My aunt strode toward me.

I was pushed by the momentum and ended up sitting down on the old sofa.

My aunt looked down at me with eyes that seemed to burn brightly.

“Just take a rest. I don’t know what’s wrong, but you need to know how to rest when things don’t work out!”

“I don’t have time for that, Aunt.”

“Master!”

“yes?”

“It’s not Auntie now, it’s Master! It’s Master’s order! Sit down!”

“Ugh!”

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

The horse was pressed down with such great force that if I had moved my neck would have been broken.

“I’ll bring you some cookies and cola, so wait! That’s what 13-year-old kids usually enjoy eating!”

My aunt shouted that and then quickly walked into the steam room attached to the lab.

‘Whew, just like my aunt said, even at the training ground… … .’

At that moment, my aunt stuck her face out of the bathroom door.

“If you go to the training ground without resting… … you’ll die.”

Ouch.

It’s life. It’s real life.

I had no choice but to lean back deeply on the sofa.

‘It’s been several years since I got the horse, and there hasn’t been much progress since the naming ceremony.’

I feel suffocated.

If I see something I lack, I just need to practice, but since I don’t know what it is I’m lacking, I just feel more and more frustrated.

I closed my eyes tightly and tried to recall the man’s movements.

Step forward.

A blow from above.

The flow of magical power, the movement of muscles.

‘It’s already been perfectly recreated.’

But why does the man make such a move?

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

When I first saw the horse, I was not able to judge such things, but now I can see some of the horse’s shortcomings.

The man’s swordsmanship was so excessive in its movements and use of magical power that it could not be continued with subsequent attacks.

If the opponent can counterattack or deflect it, it becomes a useless move.

‘If you move your elbows inward a little and your pivot foot back a little, you can move more smoothly in the next movement. You also need to reduce your horsepower ratio a little. If you spread your spine like that guy, there are too many weak points.’

Perhaps because it was an ancient martial art, there were many aspects that were inefficient when viewed by modern standards.

It was a technique that only involved swinging the sword with all one’s might without thinking about the aftermath.

‘I thought maybe I could read the next memory if I made some improvements, but that wasn’t the case.’

Just a deep sigh escaped me.

According to my aunt’s opinion, if it was blocked, I might have to take a break for a while.

These days, I’ve been only looking at the horse and worrying about nothing, so even though I’ve increased my sleep time, I’m actually more tired.

I shook my head once to clear my mind of the thoughts.

As I leaned back on the sofa, the sight of the messy lab caught my eye.

‘Anyway, I told you to organize things and buy something.’

I find myself frowning.

My aunt’s lab was literally the very essence of primordial chaos.

All sorts of documents, writing instruments, and ancient relics were piled up in a mess, and there were black stains everywhere, from cookie crumbs to spilled things.

By the way, it seems like you know where all your things are, so it seems like you have your own way of organizing things… … .

‘Huh? I’ve never seen this before.’

I saw ancient relics that I had never seen before. It was clear that they were the relics that my aunt had recently mentioned and bought at an auction.

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

‘Things that are too old to be broken have almost no memory readability.’

He gently rubbed the piece of iron in his hand with his fingers.

A certain amount of rust or wear was fine, but weapons that had completely collapsed would only show terrible noise when trying to read the black text.

‘uh?’

As I was looking through the huge pile of documents, I came across a book that caught my eye.

It was a paper in hardcover.

[A framework for understanding the differences in orientation between ancient and modern Mureuk]

I turned a page of the book.

I’ve been spending a lot of time with my aunt lately and have been reading all sorts of papers, but I’m still not at the level where I fully understand the difficult vocabulary. Still, I thought I could kill some time until my aunt came out.

Stop-

As I was flipping through the book, my eyes were caught by one part.

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

……syncopation……

It is presumed that the technology of mankind at that time was focused on fighting monsters rather than the utility of person-to-person combat.

Even in ancient times, there were wars between nations.

But the biggest enemy for humanity at that time was, without a doubt, monsters.

All martial arts at that time were not created to deal with humans, but to deal with monsters.

‘Chuckma… … Isn’t it the same for Chuckma?’

Orientation point.

The word keeps ringing in my head.

I quickly flipped through the pages.

[As evidence, martial arts in ancient literature are often collections of separate techniques rather than having fixed forms, shapes, or techniques, unless they are ceremonial or show-off martial arts… … .]

I quickly flipped through the pages and collected my thoughts.

‘What kind of martial art was Chuckma created for?’

It feels like a barrier that was blocking my eyes is breaking apart.

I stood up from my seat without realizing it.

Mujin eclipse, Chuckma.

Actions that are performed without considering the opponent’s reaction or deception, one after another.

The use of horsepower without considering the preservation of power for subsequent techniques.

Rather than being a single movement in a particular swordsmanship, the swordsmanship was a complete, separate technique in itself.

“Huh? Baby. What’s wrong?”

“Auntie! I figured it out!”

“Huh?”

“Sorry! I’ll explain in a bit! I think I should go to the training grounds now.”

I ran out, leaving behind my aunt who came waving the bag of chips.

“oh!”

At that moment, a sound like something collapsing was heard from behind.

‘I’m sorry, Aunt!’

Judging by the volume of the sound, it seemed like a disaster had occurred, but I didn’t have time to worry about it.

“Gyaaaah! You fucking brat!”

I could hear my aunt’s piercing screams, but I tried to ignore them.

I ran like crazy to the training ground.

* * *

I thought about it calmly.

What is the purpose of modern martial arts?

For battles with monsters.

For the sake of seeking the Way.

For the sake of sparring.

Martial arts have different aims depending on the purpose.

As a best example.

The Younggeomdan, which prioritizes the ability to perform missions such as assassination of key figures and espionage activities, places greater importance on the ability in one-on-one combat, and is therefore evaluated as being close to the martial arts of assassins.

A section of the Death Corps that was in charge of collective education for the naming ceremony, the Blood Tiger Corps learns powerful, brutal martial arts that strike every blow in preparation for large-scale monster battles.

‘Then what about Chuckma?’

Think about the purpose for which the horse was created.

I looked around and then pulled out my sword instead of my training sword.

Woof-!

I held in my hand a black sword made in exactly the shape I wanted.

‘Chuckma is… … a technique for cutting down monsters.’

Assume the opponent.

An enemy greater than me.

A beast of a different species from humans.

Monster.

‘There was a reason why it was a technique that didn’t take into account efficiency, consecutive hits, power conservation, or the opponent’s evasion and defense. It was a technique created to deal with monsters in the first place.’

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

So, anything that is flashy but lacks destructive power or is like an illusion is of no use.

‘Go.’

The magical power that started with the amplification technique stirred and enveloped Mujin.

Raise the sword and swing it.

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

I followed the path of the horse that had been swung hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of times until now.

But the sword that unfolded in my hands once again had a clear purpose.

Snap!

The old bluestones on the training ground were shattered by the weight of the front feet, and the sand on the ground shot up into the air.

‘Okay.’

I realized it instinctively.

The horse has been completed.

That one missing piece of the puzzle has been fitted.

Ss …

The dark energy I created enveloped Mujin.

When I opened my eyes again, I was faced with another fragment of memory that Mujin had shown me.

* * *

A man is practicing swordsmanship.

No, I was training with countless weapons, starting with spears, swords, and daggers.

The weapon transformed into a spear when stabbing.

When swinging, use a sword.

Sometimes it was changed to a bow.

There were no restrictions on weapons, so all movements were free.

‘It’s just like when I first got Mujin. There was never anything like this before!’

Usually, when I read the memory of a weapon with a black flag, I am possessed by the original owner of the weapon and look at the world.

But when I read Mujin, rather than feeling possessed, I felt as if I had been summoned to this space and time as a third party.

‘Why do strange phenomena occur only when I read Mujin every time…? …. Especially when it’s not like this normally, but only when I read it for the first time.’

At that moment, an unfamiliar voice was heard.

-Oh, you changed your method again?

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

-Stop spying on others while they train.

The man holding the sword did not stop training while answering.

The owner of the voice heard from behind laughed quietly.

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

-There’s no name yet. You can’t even call this a skill in the first place.

The man continued to swing his sword.

The man who spoke to the man holding the sword had his back turned, so his face could not be seen.

WHEEK!

At that moment, the man who was training spun the sword around at his fingertips.

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

‘… … That’s incredible speed. It seems like it’s twice as fast as me.’

I thought I was getting used to Mujin’s changing forms, but compared to that man, I was still far behind.

‘And how on earth do you do that?’

What the man was doing was not just a simple change of form.

As the weapon changed, the quality of the aura attached to Mujin also changed.

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

-Then I’ll give it a name. How about Manbyeon? The name of your technique. It’s just the basic formula, so you can add a name later as your techniques increase.

-Not bad.

-Right? Haha!

Immediately after the hearty laughter of a man.

Suddenly, the man holding the sword stopped moving and frowned.

-Hey, did you bring someone with you?

-Me? No way?

That moment.

bang!

The man who had been talking to me suddenly approached me and swung his sword.

-I’m thinking of having a go at this. Who should I bring?

After the aftershocks of the crash subsided, I could finally see the man’s face, whose back I had only seen.

And I couldn’t help but feel a breathtaking shock.

Thick black hair. And light-colored brown eyes revealed underneath.

That was the very characteristic of the Sungmoo family.

* * *

The week-long vacation went by so quickly.

And finally, the proper quarterly evaluation training began.

“I think everyone already knows this, so I’ll just quickly teach you and move on.”

Instructor Lee Jeong-ho picked up a chalk in front of the students who had gathered in the study room for the first time in a long time.

“The exact time is unknown, but a long time ago, a huge spatial crack appeared near the Pacific Ocean. This place, commonly called the Blue Hole, is a magical realm. It is an unknown space that mankind has not even been able to properly explore officially.”

Lee Jeong-ho continued speaking while pointing to the Pacific Ocean on a world map.

Blue hole.

Literally an unknown space where no ‘official’ exploration has yet taken place.

It was a magical realm that could not yet be properly explored by any observation equipment.

“In ancient times, even the basic concepts of supernatural powers and magical powers were backward, and because of this, humanity lost more than half of its territory to monsters.”

The world map floating on the screen was dyed red.

“Humanity has fought against monsters for a long time and recovered its territory. However, there are still monsters that have lived since ancient times lurking in the unexplored areas. We have succeeded in eradicating the monsters that invaded our original territory, but there are still many territories that we have not yet developed. Cadet Choi In-ha. What do you call this?”

Choi In-ha quickly responded to Lee Jeong-ho’s call.

“This is a danger zone.”

“That’s right. The danger zones that are currently being developed are also dangerous. Also, the safe zones where humans currently live are not completely safe. Dungeons and gates are the cause.”

The gate could be said to be a miniature version of the Blue Hole. It is a peculiar phenomenon that suddenly occurs due to magical and spiritual imbalances, and it closes when the imbalance is resolved. Therefore, it is predictable, but it is not uncommon for it to appear unexpectedly.

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

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

The dungeon was divided into levels 1 to 9.

The characteristics and danger of each dungeon varied greatly depending on the level.

I looked at the cadets and made a quick guess.

‘If we think about our level roughly… … the difficulty of the dungeon we’ll be assigned to will probably be level 7 or 8.’

Even at level 7, it’s not impossible, but it would be quite dangerous.

At that moment, Kim Han raised his hand and shouted.

“I have a question.”

“Yes, Cadet Kim Han. Go ahead and ask your question.”

“Have we decided which dungeon we’re going to explore?”

“… … Okay. It was decided today.”

Lee Jeong-ho had a tense expression.

At that expression, I felt an ominous feeling cross my mind.

“The dungeon we will explore is the Forest of Human-Faced Snakes located in the Northern Danger Zone.”

At that moment, I couldn’t help but drop the pen I was holding in my hand.

The forest of human faces.

The grade is special 6th grade.

The atmosphere in the cadet corps was greatly shaken by Lee Jeong-ho’s words, which he spoke with difficulty.