WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Damned Transmigration ◈
Chapter 119: Fist Wolf 3
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As everyone had expected, the spar between Lorelia and Bakerd, held deep in a deserted mountain range, was completely one-sided.
Even without opening that terrifying red world, Bakerd’s fists could not withstand Lorelia’s.
It was only natural for Bakerd, who had reached the seventh tier not long ago, to lose to Lorelia. Still, the one-sided spar did not end quickly.
Lorelia could have ended it whenever she wanted, but she let Bakerd show everything he had.
It was not cruel. Having poured out all his strength, Bakerd stepped back with a refreshed expression and sincerely thanked Lorelia.
“Next, Gongsun Myeong!”
Gongsun Myeong, who had been dragged out after merely watching, was several levels above Bakerd.
Everyone watching came to understand why Gongsun Myeong was called Hundred Swords. If anything, that title felt insufficient.
He faced Lorelia with a sword in each hand and ten more controlled through Sword Control.
He wielded twelve swords, yet the swordplay, which produced endless variations and added slashes of sword force, looked like hundreds, even thousands of swords.
“I have lost.”
He displayed astonishing martial prowess and fought for quite some time, but the flow of the battle had remained one-sided. The spar ended when he admitted defeat.
‘I still have a long way to go.’
Gongsun Myeong looked down at his tingling hands and swallowed a sigh.
He had plenty of regrets. Compared to when he had been beaten before becoming Gate Master, he had improved tremendously. Yet the wall before him still stood impossibly high.
‘Eighth tier... no, ninth tier?’
He did not know her exact tier. Nor could he ask directly. It was advantageous for masters at that level to conceal their tier, which was why the exact tiers of the Martial Apex Venerable and the Mage Tower Masters were not known.
If he had to guess... she was at least at the very peak of the eighth tier. Even the Sword Emperor or Baek Eun-mu-hu might not be able to guarantee victory against the Calamity Star.
‘No, I heard my sworn sister lost to the Calamity Star in the past...’
The Uicheon Sword Gate and the Yeonri Family had been allies for generations.
Their relationship was especially close in the current generation. The Silver Empress of War, Yeonri Sangah, was Gongsun Myeong’s sworn sister, and he had heard directly about the outcome of their private duel, one unknown to the public.
He knew she was strong, both from experience and from what he had heard. Still, this was the first time he had suffered such a crushing defeat at his current level, and his thoughts were unsettled.
“Please go in first. This Gate Master needs to swing his sword a little longer before returning.”
He felt he needed to ease his lingering regrets with his sword. Gongsun Myeong bowed and headed for Sharp Sword Valley.
“It appears it is too late for me to instruct everyone today. I, Lorelia, feel immense guilt for failing to fulfill my duty...”
“Just watching was already a great help.”
Estor’s eyes, which had watched the consecutive spars without properly blinking, were bloodshot and filled with tears.
“I, Haryeong, believe I will need a week, no, at least half a month just to reflect on the martial arts from a realm beyond the heavens that I witnessed today.”
Haryeong deliberately mimicked Lorelia’s manner of speaking. She hoped that by bonding over their strange speech patterns, Lorelia might show mercy.
She truly had been deeply impressed by the spars, which had taken place on a level far beyond her own. Gongsun Myeong’s Sword Control, especially, had given Haryeong much inspiration.
So please, she wanted to rest for half a month...
“Reflection alone is not enough! Let us work even harder tomorrow to make up for what we could not do today!”
“Wow, I’m so excited.”
Haryeong raised both arms with dead eyes at the hopeless answer. When would these hellish days finally end?
“Lorelia, does the training really only end once I, Haryeong, reach the sixth tier?”
“Of course it will!”
“Ha, ha, ha...”
Haryeong laughed in broken intervals. Reaching the sixth tier was no trivial feat. She swallowed the sarcastic remark that might get her beaten to death if she said it aloud.
“Bakerd.”
Before they reached the Righteous Sword Pavilion, Yuri spoke. He took out the bottle of liquor he had prepared and grinned.
“The weather’s nice. How about it?”
“Hah.”
Bakerd laughed despite himself.
“Didn’t you say we would drink later, after I had succeeded in my revenge? Are you asking me to drink now because you think I will fail?”
“You’re leaving tomorrow, and we won’t see each other again for years. Let’s drink to wish you success in your revenge.”
“You have become much smoother than before. I was going to follow the Uicheon Sword Gate Master’s example and throw a few more punches, but I suppose it cannot be helped.”
Bakerd laughed heartily and approached Yuri.
“I, Lorelia, will not interfere with the two of you catching up. But Yuri! You must not drink too much. Tomorrow’s sun will rise, and when it does, you must train.”
“Come with us, Lorelia.”
“Pardon?”
Lorelia’s eyes widened at his words. Bakerd was the same. He understood Yuri asking him to drink, but why was he inviting the Calamity Star?
“Hmm.”
After blinking a few times, Lorelia smiled, nodded, and walked over to Yuri. The group split up.
[What is this all of a sudden?]
[Please get Lorelia so drunk that she cannot wake up tomorrow.]
Estor and Haryeong sent Voice Transmissions at once, though their messages differed.
“Go in first.”
Get her drunk? To make a supreme master of that level too drunk to wake up, would they not need to fill an entire well with liquor?
They entered the forest and found a spot where the night sky showed clearly through the sparse branches and there was somewhere to sit.
Yuri chose a suitable place. The large rock was uneven enough to make sitting uncomfortable, but he smoothed it out with a few casual swipes of his hand.
“Please sit first.”
“Why are you suddenly acting like this?”
Bakerd still looked confused, unable to understand why Lorelia had come along.
Lorelia naturally climbed onto the rock and sat on her knees. Bakerd could not keep standing, so he sat on the rock as well.
“No matter what either of you think, I consider you both my masters in my heart.”
Yuri felt that he had to make this clear.
He wanted to. Yuri opened the bottle. He had not expected this situation, so he had not procured any special liquor. Still, it was fairly good liquor, and its fragrance spread as soon as he opened the bottle.
“Lorelia laid the foundation that allowed me to live in this world.”
“Ah...!”
Before a Transmigrator was sent to this world, they met with a priest of the Goddess of Order and received instruction. Only then did Bakerd understand Yuri and Lorelia’s relationship.
“And Bakerd taught me the Fist of the Rending Cloud.”
Yuri placed two cups before them.
“You do not need to acknowledge me as your disciple.”
Lorelia had said in the waiting room that the relationship between master and disciple felt burdensome to her. A priest and a Transmigrator, that was enough. She had also said that calling himself her disciple would bring many difficulties.
Now he knew why. Lorelia’s name carried too much weight in this world. There was also her relationship with the current Heavenly Demon of the Demonic Cult.
Bakerd had also drawn a line in Rutlan, saying that he was not Yuri’s master. He said he could not become one because he did not want Yuri to inherit his burden. Despite Yuri’s persistent questions, Bakerd had never spoken about that burden.
“Still, I will think of you both as my masters. Please accept this drink.”
Now they knew each other’s burdens. Yuri poured them each a cup and stepped back.
“Please accept my bow as well.”
He did not wait for an answer. Yuri did not know this world’s etiquette well, but he first performed a deep bow to Lorelia, then another to Bakerd.
“You have become quite sly.”
Lorelia, who had been quietly laughing, spoke.
“You are acting quite unilaterally, not even waiting for an answer. I, Lorelia, am greatly impressed by Yuri’s shameless growth.”
“If I’m doing this as I please, why does your answer matter?”
“Then I, Lorelia, will also do as I please. Yuri, I told you before, I, Lorelia, cannot become your master. Even if you see me that way, I will not see myself that way.”
Despite saying that, Lorelia picked up her cup.
“Please do not feel too disappointed. I, Lorelia, am a priest of the Sect of Order, so I cannot form a master-disciple relationship through martial arts. And... the burden that I, Lorelia, must carry can never be shared. So please, do not call me your master.”
“I understand.”
“Still, even if I am not your master, I, Lorelia, will teach you with all my heart. Not just Yuri. Haryeong and Estor are also qualified to receive instruction.”
Lorelia emptied her cup in one go. She set down the perfectly empty cup and smiled brightly.
“This is the first time I, Lorelia, have touched alcohol since entering the priesthood. I would refuse in any other situation, but I wanted to drink this one cup. Please let that lessen your disappointment.”
“Even if I do not call you that aloud, I will still think of you as my master in my heart. Your refusal does not bother me at all, Lorelia.”
“You truly do whatever you want.”
Lorelia quietly laughed and turned to Bakerd.
“Then I, Lorelia, shall go along with that stubbornness. Yuri is not my disciple, but Fist Wolf, I will thank you. Without your teachings added to mine, Yuri would not be who he is now.”
“Hah...”
Bakerd stared blankly at his cup, then let out a short laugh.
“It is more than I deserve, and an honor. To think that I, once a worthless wanderer, would receive a bow from the Calamity Star’s disciple and gratitude from the Calamity Star herself.”
“Yuri is not my disciple!”
“Ah, right. Not master and disciple... Ha ha, then you are something like a master and something like a disciple?”
Remembering their conversation from two years ago, Bakerd laughed again.
“I will correct what I said. From now on, I should not call myself worthless. If I do, I would be insulting that fellow who says he considers me his master, and you, Calamity Star, who thanked me.”
Bakerd picked up his cup as well.
“Still, I cannot help but worry.”
“What are you worrying about? I told you my secret, and I know your circumstances. I have already met Agwi and become enemies with him, so whether I like it or not, I am involved in your revenge, Bakerd.”
“I have no intention of asking for your help.”
“Of course you do not.”
Looking at them again, Lorelia and Bakerd resembled each other. Both had lost family to their enemies and sought revenge. Both played the role of a master while refusing to be called one, because they did not want their disciples to inherit their burdens.
“I will take care of things myself.”
It was not Yuri’s concern. Rather than cling to them and persuade them at length, it was easier to do as he pleased. The things Yuri had learned from Lorelia recently were not limited to the Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil and Sacred Flame Release.
“So, are you saying that you will not accept me as your disciple either, Bakerd?”
“I do not like it. It is embarrassing and makes my skin crawl.”
“Yes, refuse as you please.”
“I do not like it, but I will not refuse.”
Yuri’s cheek twitched at the answer.
“As you said, I have settled my affairs, and it is a good thing that you would call me master after I taught you for only one month. Besides, if the Calamity Star refused you and I did too, how embarrassed would you be?”
Bakerd smirked and poured the liquor into his mouth.
“But do not call me master in front of others. As before, it will be more comfortable for both of us if you simply keep it in your heart.”
“Yes.”
Yuri did not add anything. He could roughly guess the reason.
Bakerd was pursuing the Saint called Gwimyeon. He was likely worried that Yuri would be harmed because of it.
“Lorelia, do you know anything about the Saint of the Evil God called Gwimyeon?”
“Even if I did, I could not tell you. You know that too, Yuri.”
The moment she heard the word Saint, Lorelia’s face went cold.
“Those motherfucking bastards who call themselves Saints without knowing their place murdered the priests of the Goddess of Order long ago and vanished without a trace. There is a restriction, so I, Lorelia, cannot say a word about those motherfucking bastards.”
“I thought the restriction might have been lifted after two years.”
“Say something that makes sense. But why are you asking about someone called Gwimyeon?”
“Bakerd has a grudge against him.”
Lorelia’s red eyes immediately turned toward Bakerd.
“If I get the chance, I intend to kill him with my own hands.”
“Ah! May the Goddess of Order’s grace be with you!”
Lorelia immediately clasped her hands and offered a prayer.
Could the goddess’s grace truly do anything when she had fallen into a long sleep and could barely send down divine power? The thought lingered in Yuri’s mind, but he kept his mouth shut because he felt like he would get hit if he said it.
“Can I sit down now?”
“I decided to become your master, so bow once more.”
“I, Lorelia, decided not to become your master, but I still wish to receive another bow from Yuri.”
It was not as if bowing would wear down his knees. Yuri did as they asked, bowing once more to Lorelia and then to Bakerd.
Lorelia smiled brightly, filled her own cup with liquor, and handed it to Yuri.
“I, Lorelia, have resolved not to drink more after that one cup earlier, so Yuri should drink it.”
“Drinking from a cup you already drank from is a little...”
“What is wrong with drinking from a cup that I, Lorelia, used? I have already filled it, so take it and drink!”
He could not refuse. Yuri emptied the cup, and Bakerd poured him another as though he had been waiting.
“Disciple, accept this drink.”
“Yes, Master.”
It was embarrassing and made his skin crawl now that they were actually saying it aloud.
As they slowly emptied the liquor they had brought, they spoke of how they had spent the past two years.
None of them had long stories to tell. Lorelia had spent two years facing a wall in seclusion, Bakerd had secluded himself in the mountains for two years and focused on overcoming his limits, and Yuri had built experience by fighting recklessly in the shadows for two years.
There was not much else to discuss, so the conversation ended before the night grew too deep.
“I will leave now.”
When the liquor bottle was cleanly emptied, Bakerd stood from the rock.
“What? You said you were leaving tomorrow.”
“I have never had a disciple in my life, nor did I ever intend to have one... Thinking of sleeping, waking up, and seeing your face in this state makes me embarrassed and uneasy. I drank, received your bow, and the night is clear. It is better to leave now.”
Bakerd thought he might hesitate to leave if he waited until morning.
That would not do.
“One bottle barely did anything.”
“Next time, I will prepare more than enough.”
Yuri and Lorelia stepped down from the rock as well. Lorelia clasped her hands and smiled.
“May the goddess’s grace be with you.”
“Thank you.”
Bakerd returned the words with clasped fists.
“I wish you martial fortune, Master.”
“Train hard, Disciple.”
Tap.
Bakerd gave Yuri’s shoulder a single pat, then stepped far back and placed his hands on his knees.
Boom!
With a heavy sound, Bakerd’s huge body shot into the sky. Yuri looked up at Bakerd, suspended in the middle of a night sky filled with moonlight and stars.
Bakerd looked down at Yuri as well.
‘He is more of a disciple than I deserve.’
He had thought the same thing two years ago. Even then, when he had refused to be Yuri’s master, he had recognized Yuri’s talent. He had been certain that Yuri would naturally rise to great heights someday.
And he had been right. Sixth tier in two years. Perhaps Yuri would have reached the seventh tier by the next time they met.
‘Even so, now that I have decided to become his master, I should be stronger than my disciple.’
Even if Yuri would naturally surpass him someday, Bakerd wanted to delay that day as long as possible.
“Next time, I should show him a side of me more worthy of being his master.”
He had no confidence that he could offer Yuri teachings better than the Calamity Star’s...
Bakerd clicked his tongue with a laugh and ran across the night sky.
Footnotes:
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