I Became the Namgung Clan’s Omnipotent Item-Powered Martial God - Chapter 20

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 20
Chapter 20 — Blood Relation
#1
A child.
No matter how brilliant or gifted in the five senses, youth was itself a profound limitation.
Especially the weakness born of inexperience — in a child of advanced talent, it could prove devastatingly fatal.
Namgung Yeon knew this well.
He knew how vast that gap could be.
And how differently the consequences unfolded from that chasm.
Namgung Hwayeon.
His younger sister, epitomized by the bat.
Yet she was not altogether a bad girl.
“What brings you here?”
“I came to ask you something, brother.”
“Speak freely. There’s little respect to preserve between us anyway.”
……
Those eyes held no emotion as they gazed upon him.
Since this was a look she had never witnessed before, Namgung Hwayeon answered in a voice that trembled without her knowing.
“Y-yes. I will. You were clearly suffering from Jeolmaek, but… how did you recover?”
“I have no obligation to answer that. And rest assured — your suspicions are not warranted.”
“What suspicion could I possibly have…?”
Namgung Yeon took a step closer.
The moment the escort warrior moved forward to protect Namgung Hwayeon, her brother’s voice came first.
“Surely you don’t think I would harm my own sister.”
……
“Stand aside. One more impertinent gesture, and—”
“My apologies.”
When those abyssal eyes turned toward him, the escort warrior was cowed by the weight of that gaze and lowered his head.
Namgung Hwayeon tried to speak, but before her lips could form words, her brother’s voice cut through first.
“If you seek answers from your older brother, conduct yourself with proper courtesy, sister.”
……
“Mother tended to me in my sickness, yes — but she did not pull me from that sickbed.”
“R-really?”
Namgung Hwayeon looked genuinely startled, and Namgung Yeon nodded with a faint smile.
She wanted to be recognized wherever she went.
And her will to survive ran sharp and deep.
She knew well how to adapt, to blend in anywhere — yet earning true trust was beyond her reach.
Much like any other warrior of the Dang Clan.
All the assassins born of the Dang Clan had met the same end.
Because of their characteristic nature — serpentine and bat-like.
Hwayeon was among those children who carried the Dang blood most thickly.
“So in that time, it would be better for you to look after your team members instead.”
……
“Still, since this is the first proper conversation between blood relations, I’ll give you a gift.”
Namgung Hwayeon could not understand.
He seemed not to be listening to her at all, and yet he already grasped her intent.
Was this what it meant — to know without need for words?
Rattle. Without her realizing it, her hand had already extended, and something rolled into her palm.
“What is this…?”
“When trouble comes, throw it toward the sky.”
“What kind of trick is this?”
“Your questions seem answered. Go back now.”
“Wait—”
Namgung Yeon disappeared into the inner reaches of the Separate Building without hearing her reply.
Hoho, who had been staring blankly after him, bowed hastily and then whisked away in pursuit.
Namgung Hwayeon gazed down at her open palm, bewildered, having gained nothing.
“What is this…?”
A pure white Dan Yak rolled about in her hand.
Sniff. When she caught the scent, it seemed not quite a Dan Yak after all.
The faint aroma of precious flour and a delicate hint of gunpowder rose softly to her nose.
She frowned and shoved the item her brother had given her into her sleeve without ceremony.
“Let’s go.”
In the end, her visit had yielded nothing.
If she had to name one thing, it would be that her brother Yeon was far more frightening than she’d imagined.
She now understood that her brother Jin was not someone to be taken lightly either.
‘Hmm…… what am I supposed to do?’
Her mind continued to turn in circles.
#2
The next day.
During his spare time, Namgung Yeon took several precautions before making his way to the vast Training Grounds.
Piercing gazes bore down on him in waves.
So many eyes were fixed upon him that his skin prickled with the weight of their attention.
Thinking this might be his last time here, he observed the faces around him and recognized quite a few.
But he couldn’t hold their gaze long when they offered their greetings.
The sight of their faces overlapped with the image of them dying, and he found himself drowning in terrible phantoms.
‘I need to focus on what I came to do.’
Whatever they whispered among themselves didn’t matter.
That he didn’t return their courtesies, or that he seemed unfamiliar with basic social niceties…
These comments drifted to his ears from time to time.
He would face all of it eventually, so it was manageable.
He could endure their distrust and complaints without difficulty.
He understood that trust, for them, was not something to be feigned.
And so Namgung Yeon could stand in the Training Grounds without pretense.
“…….”
“…….”
He could meet the sharp stares fixed upon him.
If passersby merely slandered him, this place was something else entirely—a space thick with genuine hostility.
That animosity shot through the air like arrows, gnawing at his mind.
Yet still, Namgung Yeon stood firm at his place.
A familiar face approached him.
Namgung Jin.
The elder brother who had been turned away at his door.
One who had once aspired to become a dragon illuminating the world alone, only to fall and become a cursed wyrm.
“How is it that you’ve grown so strong?”
“Haven’t you heard? I thought Hwayeon would have told you.”
“…….”
Namgung Jin’s head snapped around.
Namgung Hwayeon.
She had sought out this wretch of her own accord?
Then why hadn’t she said a word about it?
Namgung Jin ground his teeth and spoke.
“I asked Mother the same question, and she gave me only one answer—that she had simply cared for you with dedication.”
“That is the truth.”
“Ha. Don’t lie so baldly. You were afflicted with Jeolmaek. And yet…… you’ve grown this strong without outside aid? Does that even make sense?”
“What exactly are you implying? Surely not something so petty as jealousy?”
“You little—!”
Namgung Jin seized his younger brother by the collar and yanked him forward.
In that moment, he was shocked.
He’d expected the boy to come limp as crumpled paper, but when had he become so—
‘He’s heavy. What the hell is this bastard?’
He glared at his younger brother, Namgung Yeon, with fierce, burning eyes.
The surrounding Martial Warriors moved to separate them, but Namgung Yeon’s response was just slightly faster.
He placed his hand gently upon the arm that gripped his collar and carefully loosened the hold.
Thwick—
But the strength contained in that touch was a raw, terrifying power that no weakling could possess.
The Cheon Jae Ryeong Dan.
And the O Saek Eum Dan.
A body that had consumed these two supreme elixirs.
Beyond that, he had absorbed the Qi of the Ma Ryeong Geom, and consumed the Baek Dok Dan as casually as a snack.
And then, the Pae Ryong Sae.
Through a mystical substance that gently corrected his skeletal structure and steadily strengthened it, Namgung Yeon had achieved a body devoted to the Martial Way—tempered, complete.
“If you showed disrespect to Mother, then reflect on it. Surely you wouldn’t have shown her disrespect merely because you paid a bit more attention to your younger sibling’s illness.”
“Namgung Jin! That’s enough. The instructors will be here soon.”
“You…….”
Namgung Yeon’s eyes grew darker still.
A thin thread of light crept upward through those deep, shadowed irises.
Namgung Jin felt something in witnessing that light.
The eyes of a colossal beast rising from the abyss.
Something vast, its enormous maw gaping wide, ascending from the depths to the surface of the world.
What terror grips a man who knows that beneath his very feet, something monstrous is stirring?
……
In that moment, Namgung Jin’s mouth clamped shut.
The overwhelming dread had robbed him of speech entirely.
Only when someone gently grasped his elbow and drew him away could he return to his senses.
“You must grow well over these two years. And……you understand that training is not everything, yes?”
“When you visit next time, I shall welcome you warmly.”
……
Namgung Jin spun around and returned to his position.
Everyone turned to stare at the two of them, eyes wide with shock.
Especially the blood relations of the Namgung Clan—their gaze upon Namgung Yeon had begun to shift.
From a younger sibling, a brother, an elder held in no regard, he had become a rival to be reckoned with.
Their eyes changed, little by little.
And then.
“Is all the baggage accounted for?”
……
“Bring more than you think necessary—bring as much as you wish.”
……
Namgung Yeon glanced around at his team members and spoke, but no response came back.
They were utterly absorbed.
Namgung Yeon’s eyes were brimming with a venom all their own.
Namgung Jinjin.
‘Looks like Father gave him a thorough beating.’
This wretch would be first.
“Has everyone gathered?”
“Yes!”
“Then move out, each team following your assigned instructor!”
And so, two years of training had begun.
#3
Time is precious.
All the others hurried toward the Cultivation Training Grounds.
The journey to the training grounds hidden deep in the mountains could take up to a week of travel.
Yet Namgung Yeon’s team had not yet departed.
“When do we leave?”
“Team Leader, what is all this baggage?”
Commands fell entirely to the Team Leader.
Whether they liked it or not, they had to obey the Team Leader’s orders—that was the way of things.
What would come later, none could say, but for at least one month, Namgung Yeon was the sovereign of Team Three.
Yet the Team Leader stood vacant-eyed, waiting for something, rather than leading his members forward.
And what was this luggage besides?
By custom, one was to bring only a few personal necessities for training.
What is the spirit of a Martial Warrior?
To purify one’s resolve, to abandon greed, and to ascend toward strength.
‘That is the true spirit of a Martial Warrior.’
So what was this attitude of Namgung Yeon’s?
It made no sense whatsoever.
And just as Namgung Jinjin was about to voice his bewilderment—
“We have arrived!”
The sound of rapid hoofbeats echoed out.
And the rumbling of wheels turning could be heard as well.
Turning to look, they saw massive carriages that had crossed the grounds and drawn up to the Training Grounds.
What on earth is all this?
The team members’ jaws dropped.
“We’ve arrived, sir!”
“Good, you’re here. Help me load the baggage, would you?”
“Of course, absolutely!”
Namgung Yeon watched the coachman scramble down from his seat, then casually handed him something.
Clink—
A most pleasant sound rang out.
There was no one here who wouldn’t recognize what it was.
This was a prestigious clan.
The Great Namgung, as it was called.
The coachmen accepted the small pouch with reverence.
The team members, naturally, were impressed.
“My goodness, thank you so much!”
“I’m counting on you.”
“How could we possibly refuse, when you’ve been so generous to us?”
“These people will be traveling with us too—there’s enough room, I trust?”
The coachman nodded vigorously.
Of course there was.
Yes, yes, absolutely!
“This is a carriage for honored guests, is it not? We’ve made every arrangement to ensure your comfort.”
“Well done.”
“What in the world is happening here……”
The instructor murmured, watching the absurd scene unfold.
The remaining officials, too, stood slack-jawed at Namgung Yeon’s outlandish display.
Namgung Yeon climbed lightly onto the carriage and glanced around.
“Will you be riding with us, instructor?”
……
Unable to refuse, the instructor’s face flushed crimson.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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