WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Damned Transmigration ◈
Chapter 125: Winter 6
──────
He had received a profound lesson.
The outcome had been decided from the start. Even so, Cloud Dragon had given the spar his all. Setting aside the difference in their tiers, he had faced him proudly, martial artist against martial artist.
‘How pathetic.’
Those fists had repeatedly struck his heart. They targeted the same spot every time, yet he had failed to respond. He could neither deflect them nor block them.
After taking several blows, he had panicked and lost the ability to think rationally.
How immature. How shameful.
Hwangbo Jin-cheol closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
He had always believed himself to be the finest among the young martial artists. In the end, he had been nothing more than a frog in a well. Sparring with Cloud Dragon had made him realize just how vast the world was.
“I would like to regard you as my elder brother.”
Yuri could only blink at him.
After struggling desperately against the natural disaster known as an avalanche, he had returned to the Righteous Sword Pavilion to find Hwangbo Jin-cheol kneeling in the middle of the training grounds.
It looked like he had been sitting there for quite a while. Yuri looked at Hwangbo Jin-cheol’s face, half-buried in snow, then glanced at Estor.
‘He’s the same age as me.’
His gaze shifted to Haryeong.
‘Haryeong is four years older than me.’
Perhaps she understood the meaning behind his look, because Haryeong narrowed her eyes and glared at him. Yuri quickly shifted his gaze to Lorelia.
‘And Lorelia is... just how old...?’
He could not continue that irreverent train of thought. The moment Lorelia beamed at him, invisible killing intent wrapped tightly around his heart. Yuri shuddered as though he had been electrocuted.
Besides, those two were women, so calling them elder brothers would not have made sense.
“You want to regard me as your elder brother?”
Yuri asked with an awkward expression.
“Yes.”
“As far as I know, Young Hero Hegemon Dragon, you’re twenty-six.”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Do you know how old I am?”
“Yes.”
“And you still wish to regard me as your elder brother?”
“We exchanged fists, I was defeated, and I received instruction from those fists.”
Hwangbo Jin-cheol bowed until his forehead struck the snow.
“What does it matter that you are younger than I am? If you permit it, I would like to regard you as my elder brother for the rest of my life.”
Yuri had not even given him permission yet, but Hwangbo Jin-cheol’s voice was already full of respect.
Yuri thought of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He had never properly read it, but he at least knew that Guan Yu had been older than Liu Bei.
When someone sincerely regarded another as an elder brother, birth order did not matter all that much.
“Sure, little brother.”
It was not as if Yuri had forced this on him. Hwangbo Jin-cheol had bowed his head first and asked to regard him as his elder brother, so there was no reason to refuse.
As Yuri nodded, Hwangbo Jin-cheol raised his head from the snow.
“Yes, Brother!”
A broad smile spread across his snow-covered face. Lee Su-hyeok, now Yuri, had been an orphan without parents or siblings. At that moment, he gained a younger brother.
“Can I call you Brother too?”
Namgung Yeon-bi, who had been wearing an odd expression nearby, quickly spoke up.
‘She really is being obvious.’
Ever since they first met two days ago, Namgung Yeon-bi had clung to him so hard that she had practically put on a show. At first, he had wondered what the hell she was doing, but now he could roughly guess why.
History and tradition aside, the strength of a martial family was ultimately determined by how powerful its masters were.
In that sense, the most prosperous of the current Five Great Families was the Yeonri Family.
The family’s strongest master, The Silver Empress of War, Yeonri Sangah, was one of the foremost Martial Apex Venerables. Her disciple, Yeonri Eunha, was a genius who had reached the fifth tier at twenty-five.
They had strength in the present and potential for the future.
The Moyong Family also had Swordless Crane Moyong Hyeon-rak, the leader of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance. Yet it was considered inferior to the Yeonri Family because no one among its younger generation could inherit Moyong Hyeon-rak’s legacy.
Several steps below those two families stood the Hwangbo Family and the Jegal Family. Still, the Hwangbo Family had Hegemon Dragon Hwangbo Jin-cheol, so its future looked promising. The Jegal Family was deeply versed not only in martial arts, but also in formations and magic.
And the Namgung Family?
It had nothing.
Once the strongest of the Five Great Families, the Namgung Family had now fallen to the bottom.
The fact that it had left the land where it had lived for centuries and moved to Rutlan on the Western Continent proved the Namgung Family’s decline.
About fifty years ago, the Namgung Family had been forced to leave Anhui and relocate to Rutlan after losing a struggle for influence against an emerging sect there.
They had moved to the great western city of Rutlan with hopes of a fresh start, but things had not gone well there either.
Despite fifty years of effort, the Namgung Family was still treated as an outsider in Rutlan.
If the Ascard Family had not shown them mercy, the Namgung Family would not have been able to establish itself in Rutlan at all.
In the end, no master had emerged from the current Namgung Family to prove its history and tradition.
Rumor had it that even Azure Sky Sword Lord, Namgung Ju-won, the current family head, had yet to reach the seventh tier.
They could barely remain at the bottom of the Five Great Families due to old loyalties and efforts unrelated to martial strength.
What about the future, then?
What prospects awaited the Namgung Family in the coming decades?
They were still bleak. Even if Namgung Ju-won barely overcame his wall and became a master comparable to a Martial Apex Venerable, there were no outstanding youths among those meant to bear the family’s future.
The eldest son, well over thirty, still struggled at the beginning of the fifth tier. His younger brothers were not much better. Even Namgung Jin, the youngest son, had only recently managed to reach the fourth tier.
Among the direct children of the family head, the one whose potential was recognized was Azure Sky Sword Blossom Namgung Yeon-bi.
She had joined the Uicheon Sword Gate as a lay disciple from a young age and had been acknowledged for her talent. At the young age of twenty-one, she reached the fourth tier.
The problem was that the rising talents making names for themselves in this generation were simply too exceptional. In another era, perhaps it would have been different, but in this one, young talents who had reached the fourth tier at Namgung Yeon-bi’s age were not rare.
Could Namgung Yeon-bi truly take responsibility for the Namgung Family’s future? Could she close the gap between them and the other families, a gap that only kept widening while the Namgung Family remained at the bottom of the Five Great Families?
It would be difficult.
Then they had no choice but to recruit a master from outside who could bear their future. Through marriage, if possible, or by building connections if it was not.
“Sure, Yeon-bi.”
Naturally, Yuri had no intention of marrying into the Namgung Family and becoming Namgung Yuri. He no longer held any ill feelings toward Namgung Jin. More accurately, he had no interest in the Namgung Family itself.
There was no reason to make things awkward by refusing.
Alnair Mabeld’s advice lingered in his mind. It was far more convenient to have connections than not. Making allies was more important than making enemies...
“Yes, Brother.”
Namgung Yeon-bi answered with a bright smile. She was already certain that Cloud Dragon had been caught halfway in her net. Even a dragon soaring through the heavens became nothing more than a fish once it entered a net.
‘It would be impossible to bring the Sword Dragon of the Orsia Family into the family as a live-in son-in-law. But Cloud Dragon is possible.’
The problem was that she had no shortage of competitors. The Yeonri Family also had its eye on Cloud Dragon.
‘It’s fine.’
The Yeonri Family might be considered the greatest of the Five Great Families, but that cold and proud Yeonri Eunha did not seem likely to want to marry Cloud Dragon after he had beaten her to a pulp.
Besides, Cloud Dragon had said himself that he found the idea of becoming Baek Eun-mu-hu’s adopted son burdensome and unpleasant.
Then she would slowly draw Cloud Dragon in, so gradually that he would not notice his clothes getting wet in the drizzle. Reviving the family was one thing, but Namgung Yeon-bi also wanted to rise above her brothers and sit in a high position within the family.
‘I’ll make you my wings.’
Namgung Yeon-bi smiled as she dreamed her sinister dream, then suddenly shuddered as a chill ran down her spine.
Someone was watching her.
Dark Blossom was looking at her. Her face was expressionless, but a small green flame flickered deep within her black eyes.
People often compared the masters of the Dang Family to snakes.
Snakes with venom. The moment one was bitten by a snake that had silently slithered close, poison spread through the whole body and brought death.
Dark Blossom truly looked like a snake.
Namgung Yeon-bi swallowed hard and forced a smile.
* * *
Lorelia summoned them in the middle of the night. She did not normally call for them at this hour, so Yuri had wondered what it was about. Haryeong and Estor were also standing outside the door.
When the three entered together, Lorelia and the Yeonri master and disciple were waiting inside. Yuri could not help but tense up when he saw them.
Just yesterday, he had thoroughly beaten Yeonri Eunha.
When he went easy on her, she became angry and demanded to know why he was holding back. When he avoided her face, she became angry and asked if he was looking down on her. So he had put some force into it.
Even after being beaten so badly, Yeonri Eunha had refused to admit defeat for a long time. She had far more spirit than Hwangbo Jin-cheol, who had been struck in the chest a few times, panicked, and passed out.
She kept charging at him after being knocked down several times, insisting she had not lost yet. He broke one of her arms so she could not swing her crescent blade. When she still came at him, he broke her leg so she could not stand. Only then did Yeonri Eunha say, “I have lost.”
‘She didn’t call us here to scold me for going too far, did she?’
He had beaten her that badly and had not even been able to give her holy water. Yeonri Eunha now looked completely uninjured, but Yeonri Sangah must have seen what her disciple had looked like.
“You’re here.”
Lorelia greeted them with a smile.
“Sorry for calling you while you were resting. It isn’t this Lorelia who has business with the three of you, so please listen to what this person has to say.”
It did not seem like they had been summoned to answer for yesterday’s spar. Once the three sat in the empty chairs, Yeonri Sangah spoke.
“Yesterday... you sparred with this woman’s disciple, correct?”
“Yes.”
“What did you think? There’s no need to be humble, so answer honestly.”
“If we had been at the same tier, I think I would have struggled.”
Yeonri Eunha’s Heavenly Snow White Blossom Art really had been troublesome. Even with the perception and senses granted by Sealing Thunder at the Gate of Death and Eternal Thirst, there was nothing he could do about the cold of the Heavenly Snow White Blossom Art. That martial art relentlessly transmitted cold over a certain distance.
It would only have been troublesome, and he would have won in the end. If it had not been a spar but a fight to the death, he would have won even more easily.
“So even if you struggled, you would have won.”
Yeonri Sangah muttered with a bitter smile. There was no frustration from yesterday’s defeat in the eyes of her disciple when she glanced at her.
Instead of her usual chill, Yeonri Eunha’s eyes were full of passion. Seeing her disciple like that filled Yeonri Sangah with proud joy.
Her young disciple had not been discouraged by defeat, so it would be shameful for her master to lose heart. Yeonri Sangah proudly straightened her back and spoke.
“This woman called you here because of a promise she made with the Calamity Star.”
“What promise?”
“That this woman would help you in the future if you found yourselves in trouble and needed aid.”
The three stared at Lorelia in surprise.
“For our sake...!”
Estor’s eyes widened, and his body trembled with emotion. Yuri and Haryeong were not quite as expressive, but they felt similarly moved.
“Your training here will end within the next few months.”
Lorelia spoke.
“In this Lorelia’s judgment, Estor and Haryeong should be able to overcome their walls before next summer.”
Haryeong’s body trembled at those words.
When she first heard those words at the Uicheon Sword Gate, Haryeong had not truly believed them.
They said the fourth tier was the level an ordinary person with ordinary talent could reach through ordinary effort.
Someone could occasionally reach the fifth tier if they worked with the resolve to die. In other words, the fifth tier was the limit allowed to ordinary people.
The sixth tier was beyond the dreams of someone with ordinary talent. Even those considered gifted found it difficult to reach the sixth tier.
That was what opening the Upper Dantian meant. Intent was a power that could not be handled through effort alone. Opening the Upper Dantian and gaining the ability to handle Intent meant that one had begun to transcend humanity.
Haryeong knew she had a rather shameless personality, but she could never be shameless about her talent.
She had never had a master, nor had she properly learned martial arts. The foundation of her martial arts was the Vast Righteous Return-to-Origin Art and Merciless Killing Flow, which she had stolen from the Dang Family, along with Ghostly Shadowless Steps and the physical techniques and skills of an assassin.
They were all incomplete. Things she had learned by watching from the side, stealing glances, and listening in. Until last year, she had never even taken a spiritual elixir.
If she had been ordinary, she would not have been able to enter the path of martial arts at all. If someone talented or exceptionally gifted had luck on their side, they might have reached around the third tier after a long time.
Under those conditions, Haryeong had reached the fifth tier. Because she knew what kind of talent she possessed, she could never be shameless about this.
She had reached the fifth tier in her mid-twenties through natural talent, but beyond that, she could not feel any progress no matter what she did.
She had encountered the limits of inner power and martial arts, limits that could not be overcome through talent alone.
Meeting Yuri had shattered the limits Haryeong had faced and sent them far away. She had taken Elixirs, learned the Scripture of Reversing Taiji Intent, and received Lorelia’s guidance.
Now, Haryeong could also sense the wall of the sixth tier.
Being able to sense the wall meant she was nearing the end of the fifth tier. From now on, she needed to break through it.
A small hole had already been made in the wall. Since she was drawing on Intent through that hole, she only needed to gradually widen it, completely break the wall, and open her Upper Dantian.
“Once this Lorelia’s guidance for the three of you comes to an end, this Lorelia will go to the Central Sea. This Lorelia would gladly step forward if you find yourselves in trouble and need help! But this Lorelia has things she must do as well.”
Everyone except Lorelia looked surprised at the mention of the Central Sea. Yeonri Sangah in particular stared at Lorelia with wide eyes.
“You are going to the Central Sea? Do you intend to cross it, or wander it?”
“I intend to wander it!”
“Alone...?”
“There is no one to take with me, and this Lorelia is more comfortable alone.”
The Central Sea was a place surrounded by all sorts of ominous stories, and most of them were not baseless rumors but the truth.
A massive and unruly sea dividing the Eastern and Western Continents. The Central Sea was filled not only with monsters, but also bizarre phenomena beyond common sense.
It was safe to cross by airship, but crossing by ship was not easy.
Even now, the Adventurers’ Guild regularly sent expeditions to explore the islands of the Central Sea, but deaths occurred every time, no matter how thoroughly they prepared.
“Will you use an Ark?”
“The Ark of our Sect of Order remains in the Sacred Domain. This Lorelia has no intention of using an Ark for personal reasons like this, so I intend to try crossing the Central Sea with nothing but my own body.”
“I thought you were going to Vernoc, Lorelia.”
When Yuri said that, Lorelia giggled.
“That place is very tempting as well, but this Lorelia is a faithful priest who always puts the Goddess first.”
“Then are you going to the Central Sea to search for the Evil God’s Sacred Domain?”
The Central Sea was the place most likely to contain the Evil God’s Sacred Domain in this world.
“Yes.”
“Isn’t it dangerous to go alone?”
“If you only avoid danger, you cannot grow. If the Central Sea is a dangerous hell, this Lorelia will gladly walk into it.”
Lorelia answered in an unwavering voice.
“The conflict in Vernoc will end soon.”
Yeonri Sangah, who had listened in silence, spoke.
“The conflict there has been deadlocked for months. Quite a few forces have already withdrawn from it.”
From the moment Zenith used their own soul as a key and sealed the entire Eterium vein, no one could win the war in Vernoc.
“Zenith has declared that they have no intention of breaking the seal. Unless Zenith is killed, no one can possess the Eterium vein. So the owners of Oxibel have given up developing the Eterium mine and turned their attention to receiving war reparations.”
Vernoc had originally been a mine owned by the city of Oxibel, and Oxibel was also the city where the Lucionell Mage Tower, led by Zenith, stood.
“The reparations have already grown to an amount that cannot be paid, so the cities that declared war will have no choice but to become territory of Oxibel.”
Martial Apex Venerables and archmages had gathered there and fought for more than a year, yet no one had achieved what they wanted.
‘If the conflict ends... will Chuk-sin-doo return too?’
As Yuri considered that, Yeonri Sangah took three small jade tokens from her robe.
“If you need help, take this token to the White Snow Trading Company. It has branches in most cities on the continent, so it should not be difficult to find. Deliver the jade token to the trading company, and word will immediately reach this woman. This woman will move as quickly as possible and come find you.”
“What if we are in a situation where we cannot go to a trading company?”
“There is nothing this woman can do about that. So use them carefully, when you truly need to.”
It would not be something he could use in a desperate moment like when Lacey summoned Orca, but he could now call for Baek Eun-mu-hu, one of the strongest Martial Apex Venerables, whenever he wanted.
‘And three times?’
Strictly speaking, Yuri could ask for help only once, but he naturally considered Haryeong and Estor’s jade tokens his as well.
[How about we accept Baek Eun-mu-hu’s help and wipe out the Dang Family?]
[Don’t say something insane. No matter how strong Baek Eun-mu-hu is, it would be difficult for her to handle the Dang Family alone. And I do not want revenge by simply wiping out the Dang Family.]
When Yuri cautiously sent a Voice Transmission, Haryeong responded in alarm.
“This woman and Eunha will return to the Yeonri Family tomorrow.”
Yeonri Sangah spoke. She glared intensely at Lorelia.
“Though this woman could not avenge her defeat this time, next time will be different.”
“This Lorelia will happily await your next challenge.”
Lorelia smiled brightly despite the murderous glare. Yeonri Sangah stared at that smile for a moment, then turned to Yuri.
“This woman’s previous offer is still valid. Do you have no intention of becoming a member of the Yeonri Family?”
“I do not.”
“Do you have no intention of becoming this woman’s adopted son?”
“If I become the adopted son of the unmarried Baek Eun-mu-hu, what will the world think of her?”
“This woman has no issue with that.”
“It is far too generous an offer for me, so I must refuse.”
When he firmly rejected her, Yeonri Sangah clicked her tongue in regret.
“I must avenge myself against you as well, Young Hero.”
Yeonri Eunha also spoke. When their eyes met, Yeonri Eunha curved her lips into a faint smile. Seeing the small gap in the middle of that beautiful smile, Yuri thought to himself.
‘Did I go too far with her teeth...?’
It was painful to look at her directly, so he looked away. Yeonri Eunha continued speaking.
“Once I am ready, I will seek you out myself. But if you wish to meet me, Young Hero, you may come to the Yeonri Family whenever you wish.”
“...”
“The Yeonri Family is in Western Xia. If you intend to visit, first go to the White Snow Trading Company and convey your wish to visit. I will give instructions in advance, so you will suffer no inconvenience on your journey there.”
“I have no intention of visiting.”
“Why not?”
“Because I have no reason to go.”
“You beat me this badly, and you say you will not come to the Yeonri Family?”
“What does beating you have to do with going to the Yeonri Family?”
“I must have my revenge.”
“If you want revenge, come find me yourself.”
Yeonri Eunha’s expression creased slightly. Yeonri Sangah looked at her disciple as though she found her strange, then cleared her throat and continued.
“Ahem, don’t refuse so completely... If you ever come to Western Xia, we will welcome you, so visit the Yeonri Family.”
“Yes.”
He could not bring himself to refuse that as well.
The Yeonri master and disciple, along with Hwangbo Jin-cheol, left the Uicheon Sword Gate the next morning.
“I will see you again, Brother.”
“Sure, little brother.”
Yuri returned the respectful greeting of his huge younger brother, who was several years older than him.
“Then, definitely next time.”
“Yes, yes.”
He also accepted Yeonri Eunha’s chilling stare, with the gap in her front teeth.
“This woman said she would personally step forward if you asked for help, but the best outcome is never finding yourselves in trouble. The world has been especially dangerous lately, so be careful even after you descend the mountain.”
Yuri carefully placed the jade token Yeonri Sangah gave him inside his robe.
After seeing the three off, he glanced up at the sky. Snow had not fallen that day, a rare occurrence, and the pale sky was clearly visible.
‘Summer...’
His immediate goal was to descend the mountain before then. Haryeong and Estor would reach the sixth tier, while Yuri, who had already reached the sixth tier, aimed to manifest even a little of Conceptual Apotheosis.
‘It will soon be my third year in this world.’
Seeing the clear sky for the first time in a while left him strangely sentimental.
‘FS, USAUSAMI, Cat Panties...’
Where were those three, and what were they doing? Were they even alive...?
‘Once I descend the mountain, I should go to the Rift of Kang Yu.’
He did not know whether USAUSAMI was truly dead.
Still, they had shared some affection. He should at least visit the cliff where USAUSAMI supposedly fell.
‘If I search and find nothing, I should leave behind at least one flower.’
A pure white lily.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
