WeTried Translations
Translator: Joy
Editor: Joy
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Damned Transmigration ◈
Chapter 18: The Revered of the Martial Pinnacle
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The final bid for the Seven Thunders was 540 million sel.
The manager had estimated it would sell for around 600 million sel, so, looking on the bright side, it had gone for 60 million sel less.
But that only applied if they had paid for it themselves. Yuri and Elena had not bid on the Seven Thunders, so they had effectively gotten it for free.
‘It would have been better if it had gone for more.’
He had gotten caught in a bidding war with Bakerd and ended up overpaying for the Fist of the Rending Cloud. They only had 10 million sel left from the original billion, so he had hoped Bakerd would take a loss too.
But since Crimson Wing’s Scorching Blaze had been sold right before it, the Seven Thunders had not received much attention.
“The Seven Thunders... Seven Thunders...!”
Elena, seated beside him, looked out of her mind. She kept repeating the name of the Seven Thunders, her hands trembling.
“Are you that happy?”
“Ah, no? I’m not happy.”
“She lies without even moistening her lips.”
“When have I ever lied? I told you earlier. I, I am Lady Heavenly Thunder Orca’s prospective disciple. One day, I’ll become the Master of the Dersia Mage Tower and inherit Lady Orca’s unique magic formula.”
Elena clenched one trembling hand into a fist, determination filling it.
“You saw it before, didn’t you? Lady Orca’s Thunder God’s Mirage! I was fortunate enough to experience it then, but honestly, I didn’t understand its principles or depth at all. Lady Orca’s magic is like that.”
After spending several days with Elena, Yuri had roughly grasped what kind of person she was.
When she made a mistake or crossed a line and had to apologize, she admitted it quickly and bowed her head. But whenever she was embarrassed and needed to make excuses, she rambled on and on.
Just like now.
“Flash Soul-chaser Jang-un was certainly an excellent mage. But Jang-un’s final tier was the fifth tier, while I’m at the fourth tier. Do you know what that means? It means there isn’t much difference between us.”
A difference of just one tier was not a small one.
A mage was only recognized as a fourth-tier mage after being able to combine different shared magic and compress their formulas. A fifth-tier mage had to go beyond shared magic, develop an original magic formula, and know how to use it.
It could not be said that every unique spell was superior to shared magic, but merely developing an original magic formula showed an entirely different level of understanding of magic.
“Well, I’ll admit that I got a little more excited than usual because I had the chance to obtain the Seven Thunders. It can’t be helped. Mages get excited whenever they have something new to learn. No, no, it isn’t just mages. Haryeong, martial artists are the same, aren’t they?”
“Of course, Lady Elena.”
Elena’s excuse was so desperate that Haryeong did not tease her as usual. She nodded slightly, then looked at Yuri.
“That is why I feel rather disappointed. I could have gained new knowledge from the Fist of the Rending Cloud, but my learning has come to nothing. Yuri, did you truly have to do that to me?”
“Pardon?”
“Why are you taking it that way? You said we were close. If we are close, does that not make us friends?”
Yuri blinked in confusion, and Haryeong stared at him for a moment with her usual expressionless face.
“My. Were you lying when you said we were close? It appears I have been deceived.”
“No, I do think we’re close. You just caught me off guard.”
“Is that so? I was mistaken. Even if we are close, we cannot immediately become friends.”
“No, that’s not what I meant...”
“Is that so? I misspoke. Even if we are friends, we are not close enough to speak casually. Yes, I understand.”
Was she serious, or was she teasing him? Haryeong showed so little emotion that it was difficult to tell what she truly meant.
“You’re quite cheerful for an assassin, Haryeong-nim.”
“That is because my relationship with Yuri-nim is neither an escort contract nor an assassination request. When I am carrying out an assassination request, I am a cold, merciless, and very frightening assassin.”
“She acts like that with me too, even though I have an escort contract with her.”
Elena shot Haryeong a glare, but Haryeong immediately answered with the same expressionless face.
“However, I am clearly keeping the lines that must not be crossed.”
“Are you...?”
“If I crossed the line, Lady Elena would be unable to bear the embarrassment and terminate our contract.”
After answering, Haryeong looked at Yuri.
“Please be careful in how you behave, Yuri-nim, so that you only see my cheerful side. I doubt such a thing will happen, but if you meet me while I am carrying out an assassination request, then crunch.”
“Crunch what?”
“Then I would have to crunch something.”
Even as the three of them spoke, Bakerd’s expression remained poor. He no longer had to borrow money from all over the place to gather 1.5 billion sel, but he still could not help feeling reluctant about teaching a martial art to Yuri.
‘I have to teach him myself?’
The basics of the Fist of the Rending Cloud. The forms and techniques of its moves. They were only postures stripped of their ultimate principles, but even that did not sit well with him.
Bakerd had never taken a disciple. He had never taught martial arts to anyone. Nor had he ever had a master from whom he learned martial arts.
Bakerd’s martial arts were something he had trained himself for the sake of revenge.
His narrowed eyes beneath thick brows turned toward Yuri. Bakerd still did not know Yuri’s exact identity. The friend of the famous Marigold from the Dersia Mage Tower...
‘Friend... Wouldn’t a kept man be more accurate...?’
He did not know the details, but Marigold, Elena Heinderga, had purchased the Fist of the Rending Cloud. In other words, she had bid 990 million sel on the Fist of the Rending Cloud for a friend...
No matter how deep their friendship was, was it truly possible to buy a martial art worth nearly a billion sel for a friend?
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Bakerd’s gaze was blatant enough for Yuri to notice even without sharp senses. It was difficult to pretend he did not see someone staring at him so openly with displeasure.
“Surely you are not trying to go back on your word now?”
“The auction has already ended. What is there to change?”
Bakerd spoke with his displeasure plainly evident.
“So. Have you truly never learned martial arts?”
“I have fought many times, and Haryeong-nim teaches me combat techniques every day.”
“Hmph. The combat techniques taught by an assassin are probably no more than how to walk quietly and how to run away.”
“I see that Bakerd-nim has very negative preconceptions about assassins.”
Though she had been openly insulted, Haryeong’s expression did not change.
“From the perspective of Bakerd-nim, who rose to the sixth tier as a martial artist on such a difficult path, an assassin’s combat techniques may seem insignificant.”
“I do not consider all assassins insignificant. I acknowledge the Dang clan of Salmun, one of the Six Evils of the Black Dragon Society, and the Salmun Leader.”
“Is that so? What about the leader of Salhomun?”
“The Faceless Killer, whose deeds are unclear? Hmph. How am I meant to acknowledge someone whose tier is not even known?”
“That itself is proof of an exceptional assassin.”
After saying that, Haryeong pointed at Yuri.
“Speaking as someone who has taught even these insignificant combat techniques, Yuri-nim has considerable martial aptitude. It is a fact recognized not only by me, but also by Lady Heavenly Thunder Orca, the Master of the Dersia Mage Tower.”
“Heavenly Thunder Orca recognized him...?”
“Yes. Lady Orca said Yuri-nim’s acupoints are sturdy and have few blockages. She said he was truly born with an excellent body.”
“That’s what she said.”
Yuri nodded in agreement. At the mention that Heavenly Thunder Orca had recognized him, Bakerd’s expression changed slightly. Rather than displeasure, he looked Yuri over again with curiosity.
“Hmm...”
Indeed. The body beneath Yuri’s clothes was fairly well-trained. His seated posture remained steady, and his eyes did not seem clouded.
For someone who had never properly learned martial arts to lack murky energy meant either that he had lived secluded in the deep mountains and valleys, or that he had been born with such a constitution.
“Where is your hometown?”
“Oldor.”
“Oldor? A small city in the west. Have you lived there all your life?”
“I lived there for twenty years, then came to Rutlan a week ago.”
“What did you do for a living in Oldor?”
“I got by.”
Bakerd already seemed to have a low opinion of him. Yuri did not want to tell him that he had been a pickpocket too.
“I see.”
Fortunately, Bakerd did not pry further. Yuri would not dare falsely invoke Heavenly Thunder Orca’s name, and whether he truly had martial aptitude was something Bakerd could confirm himself.
“Then I will visit in two days.”
After confirming that Bakerd had risen first and left the auction house, Yuri’s group stood up as well.
While the martial art they had won underwent final verification, Yuri bought a cultivation technique from the basic catalog on Haryeong’s recommendation.
The Art of the Untainted Heart.
Despite its grand name, it was an ordinary cultivation technique around the first-rate level. It had no distinct strengths, but no flaws either.
“What do you think is the difference between first-rate martial arts and peak martial arts?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Their floors and ceilings.”
While Elena went to pay, Haryeong gave him instruction with an expressionless face.
“First-rate martial arts have a low floor and a low ceiling. Peak martial arts have a higher floor and a higher ceiling.”
“What about divine arts?”
“They are on a different level. An art can only be called divine when its floor is at least equal to the ceiling of an ordinary peak martial art. Of course, that does not mean good martial arts are easy to learn, but they allow one to expect correspondingly higher attainments.”
“What martial art did you learn, Haryeong-nim?”
“To so naturally ask after a martial artist’s secret teachings. You truly are shameless. Yuri-nim, are we close?”
“That hurts. You already know everything I’ve learned.”
“Yuri-nim is Yuri-nim, and I am me.”
Haryeong narrowed her eyes slightly.
“If you are dissatisfied that only I know, then later learn another cultivation technique without my knowledge. If possible, learn one better than the Art of the Untainted Heart.”
“Do you think it is easy to find a peak cultivation technique?”
“You never know. From what I can see, Yuri-nim is very lucky. If there is a goddess of fortune, perhaps she is watching over you.”
“...”
“A childhood friend with a rosy future guaranteed. The 3.5-billion-sel man. Someone like Yuri-nim may one day obtain not a peak martial art, but a divine art.”
At those words, Yuri recalled the Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil, which he was secretly cultivating.
‘It can’t be first-rate. Is it a peak martial art?’
It was not a martial art that had existed in the game, so he could not guess.
“The Fist of the Rending Cloud...!”
After its final verification, the manual for the Fist of the Rending Cloud was handed over. Its cover was old and grimy, which somehow made it seem more impressive.
Ignoring Haryeong’s fuss beside him, Yuri accepted the Fist of the Rending Cloud with both hands.
“It really is alright for you to look at it with that man?”
“We got the Seven Thunders for free because of him.”
“That’s beside the point, but... What if he has hard feelings and teaches you incorrectly?”
“Would he really do something that petty?”
In truth, Yuri thought he could learn the Fist of the Rending Cloud even without Bakerd’s help.
But what Yuri needed was the existence of a plausible “master.” Receiving even the basics from Bakerd, a sixth-tier martial artist, would be far more convincing to those around him than learning well on his own.
Elena held on to the Fist of the Rending Cloud manual for Yuri for the time being. Only after several spells had been placed on the bag containing the 990-million-sel manual could they leave Le Seyun.
“I’ve never heard the name Fist Wolf Bakerd. What kind of person is he?”
“The sixth tier is by no means low. Is this really the first time you have heard of him?”
“Lady Elena knows mages well, but she does not know much about martial artists.”
The sun had already begun to set, so the three moved to a nearby restaurant for dinner.
“Do you know about Bakerd-nim, Yuri-nim?”
“How would I know?”
“Ignorance is not something to boast about, but Yuri-nim answers as though it is only natural. How shameless.”
Haryeong shook her head.
“Fist Wolf Bakerd. He was formerly a member of the guard in the city of Sairan. Twenty years ago, he abruptly left the guard and became a wanderer. He originally used a spear, but suddenly became an unarmed fighter.”
“Why did he do that?”
“There must have been a reason for abandoning the spear he used so well and becoming an unarmed fighter, but the exact reason is unknown.”
Yuri suspected it might be related to the Raspion Family, but he could not suddenly ask about the Raspion Family here.
‘I’ll look into it later.’
“Bakerd became known through his reckless dueling journey. Starting around ten years ago, he went around seeking out renowned martial artists and challenging them without warning.”
“Did he win many times?”
“If he had challenged opponents weaker than himself, he would have won many times. But Bakerd did not do that. He was soundly defeated, challenged them again, then left to find another opponent. It was that repeated pattern that earned him the nickname Fist Wolf.”
Looking at Bakerd’s build, should he not have been called a bear rather than a wolf? As Yuri entertained that foolish thought, Haryeong clicked her tongue.
“If Yuri-nim wishes to pursue the path of a martial artist, you should know the names of high-tier martial artists.”
This was their first time eating out since arriving in Rutlan. The restaurant Elena brought them to, claiming to be a regular, looked luxurious even from the outside.
Her claim of being a regular did not appear to be mere bravado. The manager came out personally and guided Elena inside.
“The basic names you must know are the One Demon, the One Emperor, the Two Saints, the Three Overlords, the Four Absolutes, and the Death Realm.”
Once they had seated themselves at the table, Haryeong moved her fingers as she spoke.
“These fifteen people are called the Martial Apex Venerables.”
“I know the One Demon and the One Emperor.”
The One Demon was the Heavenly Demon of the Demonic Cult.
The One Emperor was the head of the Orsia Family, one of the seven high-ranking families known as the Pride within the western family federation, the Cartel. The Sword Emperor, Albator Orsia.
“Ordinary people only need to know those two. But Yuri-nim does not wish to remain ordinary, so you must know more.”
Haryeong made a clicking sound with her tongue and continued.
“The One Demon and the One Emperor are both certainly at least eighth tier. The remaining thirteen are certainly at least seventh tier.”
Yuri remembered the high-level NPCs who had appeared in the game, but he knew nothing about groups such as the Three Overlords and the Four Absolutes.
So he did not pretend to know and quietly listened to Haryeong.
“The Three Overlords are martial artists of the Black Path, and the Four Absolutes are righteous-path or gray-area martial artists.”
“Does the Demonic Cult have no one besides the Heavenly Demon?”
“They do have those separately referred to as the Seven Evils, but their members change so often. The Seven Evils may have changed even at this very moment.”
The Salmun Leader, Dark King Tang Yu-shin.
The Sword Demon, Wi Do-yeong.
“The Three Overlords used to include Monstrous Tyrant, the former leader of the Black Dragon Society, but he was killed by the new leader of the Black Dragon Society. Nothing is known about the new leader, but for now, the three of them are called the Three Overlords.”
The Righteous Heavenly Alliance Leader, Swordless White Crane Moyong Hyeon-rak.
The Sun-Piercing Divine Spear, Luderk Torres.
The Fist King, Dokgo Gwi-jin.
The Silver Empress of War, Yeonri Sangah.
“The Four Absolutes did not change even during the Age of Chaos that began thirty years ago. In contrast, the Death Realm... They are martial artists who appeared after the Age of Chaos began, and all of them are either suspected transmigrators or confirmed transmigrators.”
Yuri had no choice but to focus at those words.
Cruel Mayhem, Elleia Yudel.
Tide of Carnage, Geum Yeong-gwan.
Moonlit Reveller, Chuk-sin-doo.
Zenith Star, Ju Jin-hak.
“...”
Yuri desperately kept his expression under control.
“Which of them are confirmed transmigrators?”
“There are two. One is Moonlit Reveller, Chuk-sin-doo.”
Of course he was.
“No one knows his past. That name is apparently not his real name but an alias, yet that bizarre man always introduces himself with it.”
That crazy bastard. To think he would still pull that shit so openly after coming to this world. Was this not a world where getting exposed as a transmigrator would get him fucked over? He would have to be wary not only of this world’s natives, but of other transmigrators as well.
‘No... Wait... But if he survived and became one of the Martial Apex Venerables, that means he’s that strong.’
From what Haryeong said, it sounded like he had advertised himself as a transmigrator from the beginning. He must have been attacked from all sides.
Yet Chuk-sin-doo had not died.
‘Then again, he was the first among us to reach first place in the Hall of Honour.’
[Fuck, I can’t play this shitty game anymore.]
[Goodbye, you idiots. Your big brother is leaving first.]
[I’ll come back when our boy wins the World Cup. Later.]
[You motherfucking bastard. Don’t quit until then. I’ll buy you a drink when the time comes, heh.]
Chuk-sin-doo’s unfulfilled longing and open-ended promise left Yuri’s mind in turmoil.
“Cruel Mayhem, Elleia Yudel, is also a confirmed transmigrator. The other two are only suspected, but I believe they are certainly transmigrators as well.”
The food arrived. Yuri picked up his utensils, quietly calming his startled heart.
“The Martial Apex Venerables. What a grand title. Mages have nothing like that.”
“Tower Masters and the Martial Apex Venerables are much the same.”
“How are they the same?”
Elena grumbled as she mixed her salad.
“Then what are the Two Saints?”
“You mocked the title for being grand, but I see you were interested after all.”
“I’m only curious because you did not finish explaining.”
“Both of the Two Saints belong to religious orders.”
Haryeong did not even glance at her salad. She kept casting subtle glances toward the kitchen as she waited for the main course, which had yet to arrive.
“Kares, the Battle Saint of the Sect of War. Lorelia, the Calamity Star of the Sect of Order.”
Once again, Yuri desperately kept his expression under control.
“The Sect of Order? Isn’t it half destroyed?”
“It was doing quite well in the past, but it was driven into decline after the Age of Chaos began. They brought it upon themselves. They chose to shelter transmigrators, and the Goddess of Order herself fell into indefinite slumber while caring for them.”
“I still don’t understand.”
Elena frowned and grumbled.
“I understand that the God of Chaos, the Evil God, forcibly brought transmigrators into this world. But why did the Goddess of Order shelter them?”
“She pitied the transmigrators, apparently.”
“Who doesn’t know that? What I mean is, why did she pity only transmigrators? What about us, who originally lived in this world?”
“How could we possibly guess the heart of a benevolent goddess?”
“I don’t like it.”
Scrape. Elena dragged her nails across the table.
“Because the Goddess of Order guided them, transmigrators were able to run wild, weren’t they? If she discovered transmigrators first, she should have just killed them then.”
From the perspective of a native of this world, Elena’s words were entirely right.
“True.”
So Yuri agreed with her.
Why had the Goddess of Order sheltered transmigrators?
He had roughly heard the reason. As Haryeong said, the benevolent Goddess of Order pitied the transmigrators who had been unjustly dragged into this world. So she watched over them through miracles so they would not die meaningless deaths, and commanded her clergy to guide them.
She hoped that the transmigrators who adapted to this world and grew strong would one day kill the God of Chaos, the root of everything.
As a result, transmigrators somehow managed to survive in this world.
Some transmigrators sided with chaos or became monsters who created chaos themselves.
“Not all transmigrators are evil. Some reveal that they are transmigrators and devote themselves to righteous deeds. Despite the brutal nickname, Cruel Mayhem only opposes figures from the Demonic Path and the Black Path, while pursuing the Sect of Chaos.”
“Haryeong, are you taking the transmigrators’ side?”
“I am on no one’s side. I am only saying that is the truth.”
At last, the main course arrived. Haryeong’s eyes lit up at the thick steak, and she immediately picked up her knife.
“Well, in any case, the Sect of Order has now effectively been destroyed. Because they showed favor to transmigrators, they were attacked by other religious orders and various factions, expelled from the religious federation city of Union... I heard they are now hiding in an unknown holy land, barely maintaining their lineage.”
“Are they still friendly to transmigrators after ending up like that?”
“It is the goddess’s command, so they may have no right to refuse, but who knows? Priests are people too. Even if they believe in the goddess, I do not know whether they would still be friendly to the transmigrators who brought their order to such ruin. Thirty years is a long time.”
So that was the situation. Yuri silently listened as he cut his steak. He thought it was better to remain quiet and listen than say something unnecessary.
“The reason the Sect of Order is maintaining even a trace of its existence is the presence of Calamity Star Lorelia.”
“Is that priest really that strong?”
“Yes. Her estimated tier is at least in the upper seventh tier, perhaps even the eighth tier.”
Chomp. Haryeong stuffed a large piece of steak into her slightly opened mouth. Her jaw moved quickly as she chewed and swallowed the meat.
“The violence representing the Sect of Order. Her title is Calamity Star. She is also called the Order Injector.”
Should he be happy about this? Yuri chewed his meat with complicated feelings.
The Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil Yuri cultivated was Lorelia’s martial art.
In other words, Yuri was cultivating the martial art of Lorelia, one of the Two Saints among the Martial Apex Venerables, Calamity Star Lorelia, whose tier was estimated to be at least in the upper seventh tier.
That meant the Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil might be a divine art beyond a peak martial art.
‘If I get caught...’
He would be fucked.
It was not just anyone’s martial art. It was the martial art of Calamity Star, whom everyone who knew anything would recognize. There was only one possible connection between Yuri and Lorelia.
A priest of the Sect of Order.
A transmigrator.
‘Especially not her.’
As he chewed his meat, Yuri glanced at Elena. He had always believed he absolutely could not be discovered, but Elena was hostile to transmigrators.
‘How long can I hide it?’
Continuing to live in Elena’s home, trusting the Veil of Deception, and hiding his attainments...
‘No.’
He had never intended to freeload at Elena’s house for the rest of his life.
He would wait for an opportunity and leave Elena.
He would return to the days when they only exchanged letters occasionally.
That would be better for both of them.
Footnotes:
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