948. Dalian Mine
Among those watching the duel between these two were many from the small tribes surrounding Elder Bear.
One of them couldn’t bring himself to speak.
His name was Badukbeom.
He was Hyoung, who had been expanding his territory while Elder Bear traded and disrupted the silence of the Demon Realm.
‘If I have time, I can catch even a swordfish.’
With that mindset, he trained repeatedly, honing his skills through training reminiscent of actual combat, and ultimately transformed those who had been haphazardly bound together into a single tribe.
His father had united twelve small tribes through blood ties and alliances, creating a city of scale. Now, having truly united them, Badukbeom planned to unite even more tribes and grow them into a nation.
How? By taking down Elder Bear by force. Then, by defeating Geomnaera, he would seize everything, starting with trade with the continent.
With the accumulated resources and grain, he would train and raise warriors again. With them, he would unite the entire West and then set his sights on the continent. The plan seemed sound. But as with all things, plans are sound until they’re dealt a blow.
Badukbeom’s plan was no different.
He’s not even half as strong as Elder Bear, but he’s the chieftain of twelve tribes. He’s seen it all in his life. But now, he’s faced the greatest shock of his life.
It felt like being hit in the head with a crowbar. The moment he was hit, his plans crumbled in an instant. It crumbled faster than a sand castle. He was genuinely curious.
‘Are those two really people?’
Didn’t he come down for a moment because his kidneys were playing tricks on him?
The sky looked round when he saw it from inside the well, but when he came out, it wasn’t round.
It only showed the horizon, extending beyond his range of perception.
That line existed somewhere he could never reach by running.
The Go player couldn’t even see the two’s movements clearly. He had grown up hearing that they were rare geniuses within the tribe. But he
couldn’t even follow their fight with his eyes.
They were monsters. Monsters in the truest sense of the word.
A beast wouldn’t even be as good as a Velopter, old and toothless, before them.
A gloomy feeling took over his head and enveloped his heart. The sky was clear, a warm breeze mingling with the cold, but his mind was filled with dark clouds.
It was a moment where frustration and despair weighed on his shoulders.
“Are you still feeling greedy?”
Geomnarae asked from the side. Badukbeom was startled, but he didn’t show it.
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, it’s obvious. I’m asking if you still want to unify the West by force.”
Geomnarae asked again.
Could it be that Chieftain Big Narae, Geomnarae, and Ayul didn’t know of his existence?
All the Elder Bear leaders, including Hira, knew the outstanding warriors of the surrounding tribes. They were the future leaders of the West.
Badukbeom was one of the most suitable men to become the next Big Narae Chieftain in the West.
However, he was worried about his limited potential, and his greed, despite his potential, was a disappointing prospect.
Still, his talent and skill were genuine, and he was someone I kept an eye on. All
he needed was to be reminded that there was another heaven above the heavens.
‘I’m not enough.’
Knowing her own limitations, Geomnarae waited for Rem. But would her heart be broken just by being broken by force?
A person of that caliber would be difficult to entrust with the Western Tribes in the future. Therefore, she needed to break herself and rise again.
There was a way to avoid such worries.
‘I wish Rem would come back and take over the West.’
Geomnarae knows Rem as well as Ayul. He won’t return. Even if he did, he’s not the type to be shackled by a prominent chieftain.
Regardless, Geomnarae wanted Baduk Beom to acknowledge, accept, and overcome everything on his own. It would be more accurate to say she wanted someone like him.
Someone who, even when the dark clouds of frustration and despair descend, has the faith to recognize that the sun will rise again one day—that’s the kind of person Geomnarae desires.
‘If you fall, get up.’
The sea that Geomna-rae felt and learned the most from watching Encrid.
‘You were just a soldier originally, right?’
I also heard that his skills were so poor that he would close his eyes and roll around on the floor at the slightest sign of trouble.
It was truly unbelievable. Beyond silence and obliteration, his previous accomplishments in the West were simply unbelievable.
However, Rem had proven it, and Encred had acknowledged it.
Geomnarae had always been like that, but after hearing that story, his respect for Encred had grown even stronger. That’s why his prayers were directed not to gods, but to people.
‘Give this man a piece of it now, Savior.’
Geomna-rae looked at Baduk-beom, secretly wishing for the hero who had saved her life and this land.
Baduk-beom blushed, then quickly regained his composure and replied.
“If I say I don’t know what you’re talking about, does that make me an idiot?”
The Go player who had spoken fell silent for a moment, lost in thought. His face still gleamed with melancholy. ”
It’ll take some more time,” Geomna-rae thought, patting his shoulder.
“Stay after the festival is over.”
“For what?”
Just because someone needs time, does that mean we have to give them all that time? That’s absurd.
There’s always a shortcut. Geomnarae is a man who lives by a Western mindset.
There are many moments where you can’t afford to miss the final moment. If you lack skill, you have to make up for it with will. If you lack ability, you have to lose a limb to get what you need to do.
That’s what a Western warrior is.
If you stop hunting because you’re not ready, your wife and children will starve. Why give them time to prepare in such a situation?
That kind of nonsense doesn’t exist in the West.
“You have the opportunity to train with the man who just won. He already has several Western warriors around him. Experience it yourself. You’ll learn a lot.”
I’m serious. I learned anew that just getting beaten up can hurt this much.
“Age is just an excuse.”
If you emphasize that you are an old warrior, such remarks will come back to you.
“Their greatest warrior collapses to this extent? Is this the spirit of the West? Hmm, I see.”
These words continue to attack my mind. When I wake up, my mind is torn, I smile and take up my sword.
“It’s clear that you still have strength left.”
He kept beating her like this.
In that silence, did the Dalian mine emerge instead of the Bora mine? Geomna-rae had a nightmare about that too.
However, Ayul hadn’t had any dreams at all, and Hira, the eldest son who had become a sorcerer, smiled, saying that these days, he only had good dreams.
‘It will help.’
That’s what Geomnarae thought. It wasn’t because she felt wronged by being the only one who suffered. The training of the Encred cub, the savior, was truly beyond the pale, a level that would make even a demon gasp in amazement.
“Be sure to stay. It’s a good opportunity.”
Geomna-rae’s words were filled with magic. Sincerity is sometimes a more powerful spell than any other.
Baduk-beom couldn’t refuse those words.
‘You’re really going to train me?’
He was distraught. How could that be possible? He could be an enemy?
It was truly disorienting. His eyes were spinning. He needed clarity. Then he could experience it for himself. What if it was a trap?
‘Why would you dig a trap?’
If either of them went to my tribe and killed just twenty warriors, including myself, it would be over. There was no need for a proper fight.
Even without them, we couldn’t defeat the Elder Bear itself, so we were gathering our strength.
A knight is a disaster, or, to put it in Western terms, a warrior is a disaster.
An ordinary person facing disaster would naturally be shaken. Baduk Beom was completely taken in by Geomnarae’s words.
Boom, boom!
After a few loud noises, the man who said he was the greatest genius the West had ever produced spoke.
“What the hell did you do?”
It was a word filled with surprise. Outwardly, he appeared calm, but inwardly, he was anything but. Rem had lost again.
Of course, even a Go player wouldn’t know it. His opponent, the man who had supposedly been training him, retrieved his sword and replied.
“I did what I was supposed to do.”
What did he mean by “doing as he always did”? Baduk Beom was a man brimming with greed. It wasn’t just about training and discipline.
Now that things had turned out this way, I was consumed with the desire to learn even one more thing from him.
“saver!”
The duel ended with the cries of those who had placed Krona.
“Dalian Mine!”
Someone blurted out a single word, but it was lost in the other shouts.
“Magic Slayer!”
“The Former Hero!”
“Knight Encred!”
Everyone’s cheers were so loud that they seemed to tear the sky apart.
“West!”
In the midst of all this, a child’s voice was truly sharp, but of course, that voice was drowned out by the other cheers.
“Ayul, you!”
Rem’s cries, directed at his wife, who had placed Crona on Encred, not himself, were unrelated to those of the others. He even mixed his sorcery into his cries.
Of course, Ayul pretended not to notice and turned away. She grabbed her pockets and withdrew.
“Pour it! Drink it!”
Someone’s excited shouts continued.
The next morning dawned. Baduk Beom was a man who specialized in early morning training.
He headed to where Geomnarae had called him, intending to arrive early and wait. It was just dawn. Any other warrior would have been asleep. Even the
most diligent warrior would have been rested after eating and drinking yesterday.
But Geomnarae had come to him and kept telling him
to come to the training ground in the morning. He had to come. He had to come.
His tone was so persistent that he sounded like someone possessed by some evil spirit.
And that’s how he arrived.
‘already?’
There, he saw a man who had already completed his morning muscle training and a group of Elder Bear warriors.
Each of these warriors, no less formidable than anyone in the battle zone, was silent. Yet, their eyes shone brighter than ever.
Their will to survive was reaching its peak, but Baduk-beom couldn’t possibly know.
“Are you a newbie? Oh, I thought Geomna-rae said she was coming today. She asked to be treated like a special soldier, not a regular soldier. Let’s run for now.”
Encred said this, leading them out of the city and into the hills. Well, it was the beginning of a training regimen of running and beating them to the bone.
Getting hit improves your skills. Encred had learned this firsthand. He didn’t just strike randomly, but targeted his opponents’ usual openings.
Blocking just three of the targeted areas would significantly improve their skills. Encred simply calculated everything and took the most efficient route.
Of course, those who experienced the sparring mines would have a different story.
“evil!”
The screams of the baduk players spread widely, mixed with the warm breeze.
“It’s a trap!”
This outcry finally erupted, but it was a normal reaction. Everyone had probably said something nonsensical at least once.
Other Western warriors were visiting their deceased grandfathers for days on end.
* * *
The border between desert and plain is a parched wasteland. A faint vitality lingers above it. This is the change that occurred when the silence of the magic realm collapsed.
“It’s fun just to look at.”
Rem spoke from the Velopter. Encred nodded.
It didn’t look bad to him. How delightful it must be for Rem.
“Coming.”
Dunbakel suddenly spoke from beside him. The three of them had just come out to hunt a monster that was causing trouble nearby.
Since they were only going to stay for a while to train the warriors and monitor the situation, they intended to use the time efficiently.
“A black bird?”
Encred muttered. Rem took his words.
“To be exact, it’s a monster called the One-Eyed Crow that’s grown larger. It’s become a headache after being influenced by the Silence of the Demonic Realm.”
The monster One-Eyed Crow possesses no special talents. Instead, it is incredibly clever, avoiding opponents stronger than itself and targeting only the weaker ones.
Normally, it would be a creature no bigger than a human head, swooping down to devour eyeballs.
But now, its body is over three times Rem’s. It has become so unique that it deserves a name.
Hence its name: Black Bird. As soon as it spotted the three from afar, it circled. It flapped its wings and changed direction.
“It’s scary. It smells scary.”
After a silent battle, Dunbakel did something unusual. She could read emotions from the scents emanating from monsters.
Of course, this was limited to simple, instinct-driven monsters and beasts, but it was a remarkable feat in itself.
“after.”
Rem took a deep breath and summoned the kidneys in both hands. The descent took hold of his body, and the spirit of the river took hold of his weapon.
‘Angry bird, angry bird.’
What kind of being is a kidney? Is it truly a living being?
No. It’s a magically created amalgam of powers.
Rem knows this. That’s why she could summon two kidneys at once. Rem did just that.
She summoned angry birds to both her body and her axe. The descending weapon is, in essence, a weapon for descent.
‘Skyfly.’
Here, a third kidney was summoned. The kidneys imbued in the descending weapon overlapped. The two did not fight.
The person wielding it clearly divided their roles. Rem simply threw down her descending weapon, the axe.
Beep-
A sound like the cry of an eagle echoes through the sky, and a disc-shaped axe tears through the air.
Liar-
As the air burst midway along the disc’s flight path, a circular shockwave became visible.
Encred’s eyes, watching it, glowed an unprecedented blue. It was as if he was watching Rem’s every change in real time.
Outwardly, it should have been nothing more than a surge of magical power, but to Encred, it wasn’t.
‘It’s visible.’
