Translator: AkazaTL
Pr/Ed: Sol IX
***
Chapter 144. Legend (1)
“…Nothing’s changed.”
Touching the parched earth, Seol Yoon murmured quietly.
A barren land stretched before her, the yellow horizon swept by dusty winds and a crimson sunset sinking beyond it.
The scent was familiar— the sll of soil mingled with blood, the fragrance of the East. Even the sounds were not strange to her ears; not the common tongue of the Sky Empire, but the language of the Eastern continent.
Then ca another sound— the clatter of hooves.
“Is that a Ronin?”
“…”
“No, too delicate for that. A woman, then—a servant of the plains, perhaps?”
A group appeared—n ard not with Western swords, but with long spears, staves, and crescent blades.
“Why doesn’t she answer?”
“Boss, maybe she’s scared ‘cause you pointed a spear at her. Won go mute when they’re frightened, y’know.”
“Then you open her mouth for her.”
“Oh, I’ll open more than that, heh.”
Seol Yoon said nothing, simply staring at them.
One man dismounted, approaching her with a sly grin.
The black-haired man drew closer—but still, she didn’t speak.
It wasn’t that she’d forgotten how to talk after years away from the East.
She was silent for one reason only.
“You’ve got a real pretty face. Skin so white and soft—”
Because Seol Yoon preferred a different kind of conversation.
A conversation of the sword.
“Just my type, you—urk.”
The man’s words were cut short—along with his head.
For a heartbeat, silence blanketed the wasteland. Then the leader’s spear lunged forward— but before its tip could touch her, a perfect pattern blood in the air.
Crack!
The spear snapped apart, scattering into the sand.
A single stroke— and in that flash of light, every man who’d dared to approach her lost his head.
The motion was like a dancer’s grace— or perhaps a farr harvesting his field.
The leader looked down in disbelief.
The beautiful sword blade had already pierced his heart.
“So… we poked a beast…”
His voice trailed off as life left him. Seol Yoon drew her blade free and flicked it, scattering the clinging blood into the dry air.
The wasteland was streaked with red. She turned her gaze toward the remaining horses.
Their eyes were clear, unafraid.
“…”
She gestured lightly, and the horses, as if understanding her intent, turned and galloped away—toward the horizon glowing under the burning sunset.
As they vanished into the plains, Seol Yoon began walking once more— not on horseback, but on her own two feet, sword in hand.
The Eastern lands.
Once, a girl who had lost everything had been taken as spoils of war and sold far to the Western lands. Now that girl had returned— her once-latent talent awakened, a blade in her grasp sharp enough to cut through anything.
The girl who had returned— was no longer insignificant.
***
Let’s review the situation.
The lower slope of the Sky Mountains had been harsh, but not impossible. With my contract with the Dragon Aion and the blessing of the Earth Spirit King Gaia, I hadn’t even needed to rely on the knowledge within the old adventurer’s mories. I just climbed.
Compared to the mountains behind the Karavan estate, this was far steeper—but I was no longer human in the ordinary sense. With a body that had surpassed mortal limits, I could handle such paths with ease.
After a few days’ climb, I reached the mid-slope. There were no signposts, but I could feel it the mont I arrived—the air itself changed. That’s when the real problem began.
The Dragon’s aura and Gaia’s power no longer helped . From the mont I set foot on the mid-slope, every living thing turned against — as if to expel an uninvited guest.
The beasts here were beyond beasts. Born of sacred Mana, each creature carried a Mana Heart, like a swordsman’s core. They were spirit beasts, rivals to the monsters of the northern continent.
Even insects and plants were the sa.
When I saw vines glowing faintly with Mana coil around my ankles, a chill ran down my spine.
Now I understood why the Sky Mountains were considered forbidden ground.
Not even Gaia’s authority held sway here.
My master once said:
「To command the earth of this mountain, you’d need not a fragnt of the Spirit King’s power, but her full might.」
Here, even a rabbit running through the brush wielded mystical force.
Within that terrifying ecosystem, I forced myself upward.
Had it not been for the mories within 「Flight」, I would have died on the first day. Tom’s worries hadn’t been unfounded. This land wasn’t ant for outsiders.
The old adventurer’s hard-won wisdom— the mory of a man who burned his life to fulfill his son’s dream— guided onward.
Food ran out quickly. Finding a safe place to sleep was almost impossible. I had to avoid the poisonous fruits, cursed plants, and venomous insects. Even the water here was toxic enough to lt the body of a Sword Runner in an instant. Whenever I found clear water, purification was essential before drinking.
It was grueling, but doable.
The old adventurer had endured far worse— climbing to save his son, yearning for the sky even as his body crumbled.
His will carried upward.
But—
“…Hoo.”
—I still hadn’t reached where he did.
“What the hell is this?”
Too many trials. Spirit beasts attacked relentlessly. Harmless fruit would suddenly turn lethal.
The mont I ate to fill my stomach, my body deteriorated— my sight blurred, one ear went deaf, my limbs stiffened as though I’d aged decades. Breathing itself beca agony, as though the mountain denied air.
And still, the beasts ca. Each as strong as a knight— so even fiercer, for they fought with instinct, not form. I battled them over ten tis a day.
I had no uninjured spot left. For over ten days, I hadn’t slept even once.
My eyes rolled in exhaustion; I couldn’t tell if I was going the right way.
My lips and tongue were dry, the taste of iron thick in my mouth.
The firm ground turned to swamp. Alligators the size of giants lurked, insects big as n, plants that exploded if stepped on. Covered in mud and filth, I trudged on. Even the mud was poisonous.
My skin festered. My body was heavy with fatigue. My one good eye grew dim.
Then ca the storm— a downpour so unnatural it seed like the heavens’ wrath. Lightning, thunder, roaring wind. I was swept away— down, down, into the darkness below.
That was where I landed.
‘The place where the old adventurer of 「Flight」 once fell.’
Lying on the cold, lightless ground, I looked up at the sky.
Honestly, one thought crossed my mind: Can a human really do this?
From the mid-slope onward, everything in nature had beco my enemy.
It felt as though the entire world conspired to cast out.
Not difficult—impossible.
「The heavens reject you.」
“What do you an?”
「The Sky Mountains touch the heavens. They are the first mountains ever ford—saturated with the will of the sky itself.」
“…”
「If you felt the mountain reject you, the world would deny you—it wasn’t your imagination. The Sky Mountains live.」
Liam looked at .
「The Karavans were never loved by the heavens.」
“…”
「What you’ve faced is only the beginning, young descendant.」
His words should have broken my resolve. To think the mountains rejected because I was a Karavan…
Damn it.
The Blood of Steel flowed through .
The grudges tied to that blood haunted more the farther I went.
Things I hadn’t done, hadn’t seen, couldn’t rember—they all followed like shadows.
「Does it enrage you?」
Liam’s gaze was sharp.
「If it’s too much, give up. Return to the Empire. Gather supplies. Co back with allies. Without unwavering will, you’ll never endure Heaven’s trial.」
“…”
「But if you do that—」
His eyes glead.
「—you will never claim the legend sealed within that blade.」
High above, in the air, Liam stood with the sun at his back.
「Do you rember the first step you took in swordsmanship?」
“The Sword Beginner’s training, Master?”
「Yes. Back then, you clung to a cliff’s edge with a pitiful body—one slip away from death.」
“…”
「That was training for the Heart of Steel—a rite allowed only to the Karavans, to forge a heart unscarred by any blow.」
I rembered. How could I forget?
Like a lion throwing its cub from a cliff, I had risked death to awaken a second heart.
To beco stronger.
「I told you then—you must beco a Swordmaster to take your revenge. Only a Swordmaster can kill another Swordmaster.」
“Yes.”
「That truth hasn’t changed.」
“…”
「Do you recall? Out of all my descendants, only one in ten—or even one in twenty—ever forged the Heart of Steel.」
“I rember.”
「Only those who endured that trial could beco Swordmasters. The Heart of Steel is the minimum condition.」
Yes— those were his words.
「You were born the weakest of the Karavans, with the least talent—yet you fulfilled the first condition to forge the sword.」
“…”
「And this is the second.」
Liam’s eyes burned like molten tal.
「Achieve a legend, young descendant.」
“…”
「A sword without legend cannot transcend. Without transcendence, there is no Swordmaster. So even if you are lonely, even if you waver— never break. Be Steel. Stand tall before the world that hamrs you unendingly.」
When our eyes t, my heart pounded.
「I’ll repeat what I told you long ago.」
My body was in tatters— on the brink of collapse.
Yet I struggled to rise.
「Endure, young descendant.」
My arms failed . I fell, rolling across the rocky ground. My skin tore, blood stinging my eyes. Still, I did not bow my head.
I pushed my chin, my forehead, my whole body against the dirt to rise again.
No matter how many tis I fell— I rose again.
「If you desire revenge—」
I rembered his words.
What is built easily crumbles easily. For a Karavan, a trial is not a crisis, but an opportunity.
A sword born of pain will shine brightest.
I raised my head. At the end of the cliff, under the black night sky, countless stars shimred.
The sa sky the old adventurer and his son had longed for.
It was beautiful enough to make my heart ache. But I wasn’t longing for beauty. I didn’t seek ideals, or the world’s salvation.
I wanted a sword. And I wanted revenge.
That was enough.
“I’ll climb again.”
Yes. That was enough.
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