Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 464

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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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Choi Han’s gaze was unwavering as he regarded the speechless Kale Heniatus. His eyes conveyed an iron will—a determination that would not be shaken by any words.

“…You—”

Kale had barely opened his mouth when his eyes met the crimson gaze of the Giant Snake looming over Choi Han’s shoulder.

“Damn it! Just follow me!”

Kale bolted toward the Mountain Peak once more. Choi Han pursued him, drawing up to his side.

“Do not overexert yourself.”

With that, he hoisted Kale onto his shoulders as effortlessly as one might carry a bundle of straw, and began to run.

“Hey, hey! What are you doing right now!?”

Choi Han responded calmly to Kale’s flustered voice.

“You have not rested properly while wielding the Ancient Powers. Even if you did rest briefly during your meal, any further strain will cause you to collapse again.”

Behind him, Kale’s laughter rang out in exasperation, but Choi Han held him more firmly and continued toward the summit, drawing the pursuing serpent away.
In that moment, Kale’s voice reached him.

“Hey! I’m getting dizzy, dizzy! Just carry me normally! Ugh, seriously! I think what I ate is coming back up!”
“Ah.”

Choi Han exhaled with a vacant expression. As they climbed toward the peak, the terrain grew increasingly rocky and treacherous. Suspended upside down across his shoulders, Kale’s stomach churned as his eyes darted between the pursuing Giant Snake and the shifting ground beneath them.
No wonder Kale had unconsciously called out to his uncle Choi Han in such a manner.

“One moment.”

Choi Han shifted Kale with a fluid motion, as though handling a stuffed doll, and in an instant, Kale found himself piggyback on his shoulders.
Without pause, Choi Han sprinted toward the summit.

“Ah, much better.”

Kale finally felt his mind and body settle as he gazed back at the pursuing serpent with a mixture of annoyance and amusement.

“Kiiiieeeeee-!”

The serpent’s maw gaped wide as it unleashed an ear-splitting shriek, yet Kale Heniatus, enveloped in his dominating aura, felt no trace of fear.
However.

‘That damned snake is absolutely massive.’

The true predicament was not the serpent’s enormous size, but rather Choi Han, who was currently transporting me to the mountain peak with unsettling ease. Unable to treat my uncle’s brother with disrespect, Kale Heniatus cleared his throat and attempted negotiation.
Unable to treat his uncle with disrespect, Kale cleared his throat and attempted to negotiate.

“…About him, sir?”
“Yes, sir. Since you’re Choi Jung-soo, my uncle, I can’t just casually address Choi Jung-gun, who is older than you, can I?”
“Wait, sir. You’re Choi Jung-soo, my uncle, so then I can’t just call Choi Jung-gun, who is even older than you, casually, can I?”

Choi Han, who had been at a loss for words for a different reason, soon opened his mouth again.

“Is that so? Then I’ll do that. Anyway, you’ve read Choi Jung-gun’s memoirs, haven’t you?”
“…Yes, I have-!”
“…Yeah. I saw it!”

Choi Han stopped mid-sentence and quickly dodged to the side, sensing the massive force coming from behind before turning to look back.

With a deafening crash, the serpent’s head plunged toward the spot where Choi Han had been standing moments before.
Crunch, crunch. Choi Han watched as fragments of stone crumbled within the snake’s gaping jaws. Brilliant crimson liquid dripped from the creature’s mouth as it swallowed the shattered rocks.
Crunch, crunch. Choi Han discovered stones crumbling from the mouth of the snake that had raised its head. Bright red liquid dripped from the snake’s mouth as it swallowed the crumbling pieces of stone.

In that instant, Choi Han bolted toward the summit without hesitation.
At that moment, Choi Han immediately headed toward the summit without even looking back.

“It’s dangerous!”

Then, Kale Heniatus’s voice reached his ears.
Just then, Kale Heniatus’s voice reached my ears.

“Remember the article Choi Jung-gun wrote? I need to do it for it to be efficient.”

He recalled the faint memory of what had been written in Korean in Choi Jung-gun’s memoirs.
He vaguely recalled the content that had been written in Korean in Choi Jung-gun’s memoir.

【The final battle against the White Star, who sought to become a god. That fight would have been impossible without the Guardian.】
【The sky looks down upon all things from above, yet ultimately, the land is the space where all those things can live. Even birds that fly through the sky eventually fall asleep in their nests on the ground. Lightning, rain, and meteors all fall to the earth. And yet, the land does not shatter—it endures.】
【The moment the Guardian of Stone blocked all of the White Star’s sky-attribute attacks, we were able to bring about the White Star’s end.】

The Guardian of Stone. Surely Kale Heniatus inherited his power.

【During this battle, the White Star possessed both sky and earth attributes, making the fight extraordinarily difficult. But if. What if. The White Star had not possessed earth-attribute power. If the old man with the rock had possessed both earth-attribute Ancient Powers that exist in this world.】
【…Though earth alone could not overcome sky, with the aid of those who possessed other natural attributes, the battle could have proceeded more favorably.】

Choi Jung-gun emphasized the importance of earth’s power multiple times in his memoir, and because of that, Choi Han could not help but remember those words.

【Ultimately, in my view, the one who possesses earth’s power is most efficient against the sky. If that person were to hold both earth powers and face a sky-attribute wielder in the future.】

Choi Han imagined it.
Kale Heniatus, possessing both earth powers, fighting against the White Star.

【Yes. Cruel as it may sound. If only that person bearing all earth’s power were to sacrifice himself, wouldn’t the others suffer less, wouldn’t the world draw closer to peace, and wouldn’t everything become easier for everyone?】

Kale Heniatus’s leisurely voice reached Choi Han’s ears.

“We must move efficiently. You agreed back then, didn’t you?”

Pat. Pat.
As Kale Heniatus patted my shoulder as if to comfort me, to show understanding, I found myself speaking without thinking.

“Yes. I did. I agreed. But back then, I didn’t know it would be this difficult.”
“…Choi Han.”

“Now that I’ve used an Ancient Power myself, I understand. How much pain and suffering you must have endured!”

As I climbed higher toward the peak, the fog grew thinner. I navigated over the hard rocks, continuing upward, always upward.
Weaving in zigzags to avoid the snake, I raised my voice as if venting my frustration.

“And how much of that agony and anguish you must have swallowed alone and endured! Yet thinking of the future, you had to drag that exhausted body forward to do other things! How heavy must that hollow heart and weary body have been! Now I understand what I’m saying!”

Kale Heniatus is weaker than me.
Moreover, his vessel is said to be as fragile as glass.
Thinking of that, I seemed pathetic to myself for only vaguely thinking that Kale Heniatus must be suffering.

It must have been truly, truly difficult.
Yet I understood well enough Kale’s resolve to sacrifice himself. Having lost family, having the world turned upside down, having lost all his comrades—how precious must this moment be to someone who had endured all that?

Now Choi Han could keenly perceive the warmth and kindness hidden beneath those blunt words delivered with that stolid expression.
So this time, I wanted to be the one to act. Even if I couldn’t bear the same weight that Kale carried, I wanted to shoulder at least half of it.

“I can no longer watch Kale suffer and endure pain alone. I know you’re stubborn, but this time, please step back. Didn’t you always say that children should be left to adults?”

Choi Han had never spoken to Kale with such firmness before. But once he obtained the power of this land, they would begin earnest preparations for the final battle against the White Star, and soon they would fight.
That’s why he had to act now. If he didn’t, he couldn’t even imagine what Kale might do during the battle, what he might try to sacrifice.

“By age, I’m the adult and you’re the child, so leave this to me. Do you understand?”

Kale listened to Choi Han’s torrent of words before speaking his honest feelings.

“No, I’m not really in that much pain—”
“Ah, stop!”

Kale flinched slightly.

‘Is he really upset with me right now?’

Kale was a bit intimidated—no, startled.
But he was telling the truth. Thanks to the Vitality of the Heart, Kale wasn’t in that much pain. Of course, there had been a few moments when it hurt quite a bit, but overall, he wasn’t suffering.
And right now, it really wasn’t that bad.

“And stop trying to do everything alone! Understood?”
“…No, we’re doing everything together now?”
“Stop! Stop!”

Kale clamped his mouth shut at Choi Han’s stern voice.
That was when it happened.

-…Don’t the two of you quarrel.

Why is he doing this now?
Jjangdol suddenly put on a solemn air he’d never shown before and spoke to Kale.

-Do you know that?

What do you know?

-We Ancient Powers have just realized something truly magnificent. Are you curious what it is?
“Lord Kale, you’re giving up, aren’t you? I shall suffer alongside you now.”

Ah, why must they both be like this?
Kale’s face was on the verge of contorting.

-Your powers and those of the White Star are exact opposites.
“Huh?”
“Lord Kale, don’t pretend you don’t understand with that ‘huh?’ I won’t fall for it.”

Kale chose to ignore Choi Han instead. Rather, he turned his attention to what Jjangdol was saying.

-The White Star possesses the calamitous fire, while you wield the purifying fire.

Jjandol’s Destructive Fire, despite its name, carried the attribute of purification.

-The Sky-Devouring Water is an ‘offensive’ force. And the White Star has a water barrier—’defense.’ The Voice of Wind commands ‘whirlwinds and movement,’ while the White Star wields a ‘wind wall.’ As for wood, I still cannot discern it.

Just as Jjangdol said, I couldn’t determine the wood’s nature, yet the qualities they possessed were subtly opposite.

-Finally, there is the stone that protects and the stone drenched in blood.

Jjangdol continued speaking with measured calm.

-You must be terrified that your balance will crumble now that you possess one additional power of earth, yes? Your companion seems worried about you for that very reason.
You must be afraid that your equilibrium will shatter now that you hold one more power of the earth.

Within that composure lay a warmth that suggested complete understanding of everything.

-We worry for you as well. Of course, your suffering is not as profound as that one’s concerns. Still, we wish for you to be free from pain. In any case, we have prepared an answer for you.

An answer?
The moment Kale’s eyes widened, Jjangdol spoke with solemn gravity.

-Take them all!

Huh?
Did I mishear that?

-After White Star dies later, you take all of his Ancient Powers too. Do whatever you want with the Sky attribute, and take all the remaining nature attributes. Then you’ll be able to regain balance, won’t you?

With two of each attribute, the balance of power would be restored.

-You’ll have everything and become the strongest. With White Star gone and you that powerful, no one will be able to touch you even if you live like a complete ruffian! How about it?

What is this—
Kale Heniatus nearly let a thought slip from his mind onto his tongue, but he swallowed it back down.

-Ahem, well. Of course, you might think that until you obtain that power, the imbalance will torment you. But you haven’t forgotten, have you?

Jjangdol spoke with a voice full of pride.

-You have me, and you have the vitality of your heart.

Scary Rock had once reinforced Kale Heniatus’s body for three days to prevent it from collapsing when the balance of the vessel might have shattered.
And with the regenerative power that the heart’s vitality possessed, Kale Heniatus was able to endure.

-And suppress my power. You could call it almost a seal. I can do that much for you.

Furthermore, if Jjangdol suppressed his own power to the maximum and entered a sealed state, even if new earth attribute power flowed in, it wouldn’t place such a heavy burden on the vessel.

-Take everything and have it all! Hahahaha!

Kale Heniatus listened to Jjangdol’s hearty laughter and thought.

‘…This is actually good?’

It was quite a good idea.
To have everything—it was such a grand-scale proposal that it made Kale Heniatus’s heart race, someone who dreamed of being a freeloader and had little desire for power and authority beyond money.
These strange beings, from whom I had expected nothing, had presented a genuinely excellent idea for the first time.

But then again.

-What do you think?
“…Kale Heniatus.”

Kale’s voice reached Jjangdol and Choi Han, who had been waiting for his response.

“I have a way too.”
-Huh?
“…What?”
“No, I mean there’s a way for me to take that power without my balance breaking or it hurting.”

Tap.
Choi Han, who had somehow reached the peak, wore a dazed expression.
He couldn’t quite grasp what Kale was saying.
Was there really such a method?

In that moment, Kale whispered softly.

“Choi Han, you remember Team Leader Lee Soo-hyuk, right?”
“Yeah.”

A scene flashed through Choi Han’s mind.

“I have one of the Team Leader’s abilities. What do you think I got?”
“Ah.”

Kale spoke to Choi Han, who was only uttering vacant sounds.

“Put me down.”

Choi Han immediately set Kale down.
Standing at the peak, Kale surveyed his surroundings. The mountain shrouded in mist came into view, as did the distant landscape beyond.

“Sssssscreeee!”

Then he turned to face the serpent that had pursued him. The Giant Snake’s eyes glared at Kale with murderous intent, and he met that gaze with a calm expression.

“I’m the kind of person who prefers not to suffer if I can help it.”

He truly was that sort of person.
Kale had no intention of using the Ancient Powers from this point forward.

Thud, thud.
He unfastened the buttons at his neck and sleeves. Thinking of Lee Soo-hyuk, Kale Heniatus murmured softly to himself.

“The Team Leader knew I would do this, didn’t he?”

Lee Soo-hyuk.
A powerhouse known as a multi-ability user.
He possessed a single ability that stood in direct opposition to the characteristic of ‘bearing’.
A power that seemed utterly incongruous with a man who constantly wielded a sword.
Lee Soo-hyuk called that ability by a single word.

Embrace.

Whether tangible objects or intangible forces—he could contain anything and store it in a designated place.
A power entirely different from the strength to bear or sever.

“Come then.”

Kale Heniatus spread both arms wide in welcome to the Red Snake.
Within his body, the powers of Kim Rok-soo and Lee Soo-hyuk coexisted and began to move in unison.

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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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