You Have Been Invited to the Auction House of the Gods - Chapter 152
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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152
With a loud bang, Park Ju-yong’s body was launched into midair.
As the swords clashed, Park Ju-yong’s chest was left open.
I immediately dove into that gap.
But at that moment, a massive blade came down toward my neck from the side.
I kicked off the floor and twisted my body in midair to create distance.
“Waaaah!”
“Ju-yong, you can do it!”
After one clash ended, cheers erupted.
When I looked up ahead, both their expressions had changed.
Perhaps realizing this wasn’t just a simple opening match, they wore quite serious expressions.
I chuckled at the sight.
‘Where do they think they’re going to slack off.’
If my opponents weren’t those two, I might have just done some casual sparring.
But those two are Asin’s aces, aren’t they.
Asin’s two strongest fighters excluding me.
I just didn’t like that such people would approach the opening match half-heartedly.
Besides…
Moreover…
Isn’t it more fun when we both take it seriously?
Look at the energy in the stands.
Such a heated response was erupting after just one day.
‘Well, it’s not like I’m planning to fight to the death, but…’
I adjusted my grip on the reins and took a mounted position.
“He’s going to fight with that…?”
Though I had merely adjusted my stance,
It was merely a matter of correcting his posture,
Different reactions erupted from the audience in real time.
Well, that’s understandable.
Because the breathing technique I learned was a basic martial art of the Sun and Moon Divine Art.
Who would have expected basic martial arts to emerge from such a duel?
Even though it was a basic martial art no different from the Three Disasters Sword Technique, the two could not readily make a move.
“If you’re just going to keep staring, should I go first?”
With those words, I kicked off from the ground and charged at the two of them.
This time, Jang Cheong-ye was the target.
He cut down the reeds.
Jang Cheong-ye crossed and raised both polar extremes to block.
I spun my body around in a full circle from the recoil.
Then he lowered his stance and thrust his claw toward Jang Cheong-ye’s abdomen.
This was a kind of performance and an opportunity to broaden one’s horizons.
It was to show that the martial arts the guild members were learning weren’t just simple exercises.
I wanted to show that one could reach a high level of mastery with just basic martial arts techniques.
However, it seemed the two had no intention of going down without a fight.
Jang Cheong-ye brought down the two extreme points that had been blocked above.
The two crossed giant swords pressed down on the blade of the Galmu sword.
Under the crushing force pressing down, the crow was driven straight into the ground.
When I glanced up, his eyes were asking what I was going to do now.
And without missing that opportunity, Park Juyong stepped on Jang Cheongye’s shoulder and leaped high into the sky.
‘Even with that murderous aura, they’re still cooperating.’
I was once again feeling how incredible Park Juyong’s mental strength was.
Park Juyong was gripping his sword in reverse and falling straight toward me.
The best move would have been to let go of the reins, wrap his fists with karma, and drive them into Park Juyong.
It was a quite clever combination move.
If I dropped my sword and attacked, that alone would reduce my attack power to some degree.
But there was one thing they overlooked.
Galmu was a companion sword with an ego.
It also had the function of returning to me on its own if I just reached out my hand.
So I could use a constant while still dispelling their purpose.
Just as I finished that calculation and was about to let go of Galmu.
Click— my connection with Galmu was severed.
‘What…?’
Then Galmu, which had been in the form of the Heavenly Demon Sword, changed its shape on its own.
Back to its original form, the crude and short kitchen knife.
It was an incomprehensible situation, but as the blade shortened, it escaped from Zhang Qingye’s shackles.
I gripped Galmu and quickly raised my body.
Bouncing my body like a spring, I struck Park Ju-yong’s solar plexus with Galmu’s handle as he fell.
“Kugh!”
With a short cough, Park Ju-yong’s body bent and flew away.
I then twisted my body.
And struck Zhang Qingye’s head directly.
With a bang, Zhang Qingye was slammed into the sparring platform floor.
It was instantaneous.
After a brief silence, explosive cheers erupted from the spectator seats.
With that, the opening match came to an end.
I slowly descended from the sparring platform.
Jin-woo seemed to be arranging the next match, as the duel had ended too quickly.
A moment later, the two who had regained consciousness approached.
“I never imagined you could change the weapon’s form from that position.”
Park Ju-yong spoke with surprise.
“I judged that abandoning the weapon and counterattacking was a constant, but I didn’t know such a move was possible.”
Zhang Qingye chimed in with pure admiration.
I nodded awkwardly with a smile at their praise.
“I was just lucky. That’s all.”
Then I quickly changed the subject.
“Looks like there’s another opening match. Let’s go watch.”
I led the two toward the spectator seats.
But inside, I couldn’t smile at all.
‘Galmu… isn’t responding.’
***
After Zhang Qingye and Park Ju-yong’s additional opening match,
The New Year commemorative Mount Shipman climbing workshop concluded successfully with the World’s Greatest Martial Arts Tournament and drinking party.
As soon as the workshop ended, I headed straight to Haein’s forge.
After losing connection with Galmu, there has been no response.
Setting aside mimicking other weapons, it felt like Galmu’s ego was locked away.
It was late, but the lights were still on at Haein’s forge.
The rhythmic sound of hammering indicated that Haein was at work.
I minimized my presence so as not to disturb the work and entered the blacksmith shop.
As I crossed the threshold, scorching heat struck my face.
The hammering stopped, and I could tell that the work was largely finished when the red-hot casting was plunged into the cooling water.
Hae-in turned her head as she took off her gloves.
When our eyes met, Haein let out a silent scream, startled out of her wits.
“You startled me…”
Only after confirming in the dim firelight that it was me,
did Hae-in calm his startled heart.
“Even Old Master makes some noise when he comes. If you’re going to come in the middle of the night like this, at least contact me first.”
Of course I had contacted him.
Hae-in just hadn’t checked because he was busy working.
Guessing that any conversation would just be pointless chatter anyway, Hae-in got straight to the point.
“So what’s the problem?”
I silently held out Galmu.
Hae-in took Galmu and began examining it.
He tapped the sword blade with his hammer,
and even put his ear to the edge.
‘Can he really tell anything by doing that?’
I had come to him because he was the best blacksmith I knew,
but his actions didn’t seem very reliable.
After repeating this several more times, Hae-in nodded.
“Hmm…”
“What’s the problem?”
“Indigestion.”
“…What?”
I was momentarily speechless at Hae-in’s diagnosis.
Galmu is a companion sword with an ego.
It does often pick up and eat strange things.
But fundamentally, can a sword even get indigestion?
“Is that even possible…?”
Hae-in asked matter-of-factly.
“Have you fed it anything tough recently?”
I briefly recalled the things Galmu had eaten.
I had fed it magic stones as snacks as usual.
And during Heavenly Demon’s training, I had fed it various miscellaneous weapons too.
“I did feed it quite a lot of weapons recently.”
“That kind of stuff wouldn’t cause indigestion.”
Hae-in put his ear to Galmu’s sword blade again.
“It seems like at least a divine artifact or higher…”
While speaking, Hae-in tapped Galmu again.
Tap.
“It feels heavy somehow… like something unimaginably ancient.”
Hae-in closed his eyes and brought Galmu to his forehead.
“It’s a sword but… it’s ink-colored. And… what the hell?!”
Hae-in jumped back from Galmu as if startled.
“…Whose sword did you feed it?”
“What do you mean?”
“The owner of this sword isn’t just any ordinary crazy person. It’s very scary and deep… like looking into an abyss filled with a sovereign’s accumulated years.”
“…”
One person came to mind at those words.
‘…Did she give me the real Heavenly Demon Sword instead of a replica?’
I had thought it was just symbolic meaning for her first disciple,
but apparently Hyeonmu-wol had fed Galmu her real beloved sword.
‘Then it makes sense that it would get indigestion.’
If it’s Heavenly Demon Hyeonmu-wol’s beloved sword, it would receive a divine artifact grade rating higher than Galmu even in Golden Township.
“So can you fix it?”
“It’s simple.”
Hae-in said.
“Just make it easier to digest.”
“In words that ordinary people can understand.”
“Just quench it.”
It was a surprisingly simple method.
I was about to make the request right away, but closed my mouth after hearing Hae-in’s next words.
“But I can’t do it.”
“Why?”
“I’m not skilled enough to quench a Divine Artifact.”
If the Apostle and Disciple of the Blacksmith God was insufficient, then who should I ask?
“Old Master would probably be able to do it.”
In the end, it meant Forge That Tempers Fire would have to do the work directly, but that wasn’t easy.
Meeting a God directly was hardly a simple matter.
‘Should I look into ways to get to Olympus?’
While I was pondering—
Kwaang!
The furnace in the Blacksmith Workshop exploded into flames.
Fire swirled in spirals, and a path opened as if space itself was splitting apart.
“Old Master seems to favor you quite a bit.”
Hae-in’s expression hardened as he said those words.
“Enough to blow up my Blacksmith Workshop…”
Forge That Tempers Fire had opened a path.
A path to the Divine Realm.
***
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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