CH 208

#76. Memories of the Mystical Spear

Even though Kim Jin-Woo had been trapped in ice for less than half a day, he looked beyond exhausted, as if he had been trapped for decades instead. He must have looked as if his life were in jeopardy, as Dominique and the other summons dared not approach for fear that he may die at a simple touch, despite all their concern.

What exactly had happened while he was trapped inside the ice? The Kim Jin-Woo from before he had been encased in the ice was totally different from the Kim Jin-Woo that had emerged from it.

The Conqueror that looked down on others with cold eyes was nowhere to be seen, and in his place was a man that seemed to have aged several decades in just a single day. Accumulated fatigue was clearly visible on his slack shoulders, and the hand that gripped the spear was weak and pitiful.

Kim Jin-Woo almost looked like an old man, tired out by harsh winds and leaning against his cane. Ironically, his body was much stronger than it was before, despite not looking that way, and thus, it was impossible to describe the change in mere words.

But the strangest difference was the single spear Kim Jin-Woo held in his hand. It almost looked like a freshly cut branch of a tree. It was irregularly curved and twisted, and its three prongs spread out like the leaves of an ash tree.

At first glance, the spear didn’t look suitable for use as a weapon at all, but the biggest reason that prevented Kim Jin-Woo from passing out from exhaustion was the spear itself; thus, his subordinates were confused as to what they should do.

“Phew.” Kim Jin-Woo exhaled a long breath and closed his eyes. And when he opened his eyes again, the fatigue and emptiness that had mysteriously built up was gone.

“Master!” Only then did Dominique and the other summons run towards him and surround him with words of concern.

“What exactly happened inside there?” Heimdall asked. Unlike the Nagas, who were purely rejoicing in Kim Jin-Woo’s return, Heimdall and some of the other summons were more interested in his changed demeanor.

“I was tested,” Kim Jin-Woo replied simply.

Dominique had already known that much. Heimdall once again asked who dared to test a Highlord.

Upon hearing Heimdall’s response, Kim Jin-Woo looked at the spear in his hand. It was ordinarily over four meters long, but it had suddenly shrunk to just one meter in length, beginning to resemble a staff.

“The Mystical Spear, Gungnir.” When Kim Jin-Woo finally spoke, his voice contained a complex mix of emotions. “It was the weapon used by the One-Eyed Lord, and the key that unlocks the Grand Labyrinth of the forgotten Ancient Lord.”

***

Kim Jin-Woo dismissed his subordinates and went to meet the Black Merchant.

“Congratulations!” The Black Merchant offered his congratulations, as if he had known everything from the beginning.

“Did you know what this was?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

“I don’t exactly know what that is. However, I do know who the owner of that object was,” the Black Merchant replied, his behavior seeming totally natural.

However, Kim Jin-Woo couldn’t comprehend the situation. The Mystical Spear, Gungnir, that he had obtained was something that should never have been put up for auction. It wasn’t just the power of the weapon itself, but the hidden secrets within it that gave it priceless value that couldn’t be bought, even if someone had offered to purchase it for over ten thousand highest-grade down gems.

“If it were something that nobody could use, it would eventually return to its rightful owner,” the Black Merchant said.

Based on his words, it was apparent that they hadn’t simply been holding on to the Summoning Stone for fun. However, they must have had poor results with it. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have dared to think of putting it up for auction.

It wasn’t implausible. The original owner of the Mystical Spear was none other than the One-Eyed Lord. It was a weapon that only the Highlord who had inherited his name could use.

If this were a fragment, things might have been different. However, the Mystical Spear was an overly arrogant and demanding entity that couldn’t be used by someone who hadn’t even inherited a single hair of the Ancient Lord’s identity.

After all, even Kim Jin-Woo himself had been caught up in its wrath and almost died.

“Prove your qualifications!”

Recalling the first and last time he had heard the spear’s voice immediately after using the Summoning Stone, Kim Jin-Woo shuddered. Even before he could fully understand the situation he had gotten himself into, he had been forced to face a terrible opponent.

“One-Eyed Lord!”

The one-eyed giant he had once seen in Denarion’s nightmare had attacked him. A terrible offensive had ensued, and Kim Jin-Woo had struggled to even survive. At that moment, it hadn’t mattered to him whether he was in an imaginary world or not. All he could do was survive as he fought against the terrible killing intent. He had soon lost track of time, and even of his own existence.

And when he had finally woken up again, he had the crude wooden spear in his hand.

“Still, it seems you’ve gotten something good out of there.”

Kim Jin-Woo, who had been immersed in his own thoughts, snapped out of his daze upon hearing the Black Merchant’s voice.

“Something good?” He laughed at the Black Merchant’s words. It wasn’t just ‘good’. The Mystical Spear Gungnir was the ultimate weapon that would never lose track of its target. It also had the ability to detect weaknesses in its enemy, and it was the perfect weapon for Kim Jin-Woo.

However, the real value of the weapon wasn’t in its strength itself, but in its ability to put its opponents to the test in its illusionary world.

The One-Eyed Lord that Kim Jin-Woo had faced was clearly an illusion. However, despite it being an illusion, the One-Eyed Lord’s murderous intent was very much real, as the Mystical Spear recreated the world with the memories of its original master.

And thanks to the illusionary world, Kim Jin-Woo had been able to learn how to fight a real Lord via his fight against the illusory One-Eyed Lord.

He had learned how to fully utilize the Eyes of Truth, which he had so far only used to distinguish between his enemies, and how to deal with the powerful body of a Highlord. The vessel of a mortal dungeon baby’s body, which had restricted his limitations until now, had been shattered, and his ability to think had vastly expanded.

Although he hadn’t completely inherited the One-Eyed Lord’s memories, as far as combat was concerned, those memories had been completely passed down.

Moreover, he had gained more than just combat experience; thus, his gaze toward the Black Merchant was deeper than before.

“I appreciate your kindness. Without you, I would have had to take the long road,” Kim Jin-Woo said. He was certain that he would have gotten the spear anyway. His newfound attitude subtly pressured the Black Merchant unlike ever before.

The Black Merchant bowed deeply without even realizing it, saying, “I’m just grateful that you’ve taken notice.”

“However!” Suddenly, Kim Jin-Woo released his presence. “The sin of deceiving me isn’t light, and I’ll take it as nullifying your merits.”

Was he talking about their unfinished conversation at the auction house? Kim Jin-Woo’s expression looked just as determined as ever. The Black Merchant, who looked as if he had been on the receiving end of unfair treatment, quickly stepped back.

“And I’ll refrain from talking to a mere shell any further,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

“What are you talking about…” The Black Merchant shook his head, pretending to feign ignorance.

“Are you going to pretend you know nothing until the end?” Kim Jin-Woo’s presence gradually became more violent and fearsome.

“If you’re talking about the promise we made earlier, am I not here to keep that promise?” The Black Merchant, despite breaking out in cold sweat, continued to be steadfast in his behavior.

That only angered Kim Jin-Woo. “Are you still trying to deceive me?”

The Kim Jin-Woo of old wouldn’t have pressured the Black Merchant in such a unilateral manner, considering their long-standing relationship. However, right now, the Black Merchant had clearly crossed the line.

However, the Black Merchant’s attitude was strangely off. “H-How could I dare…” he began. Normally, he would have tried to dodge the situation by coming up with all sorts of excuses. But now, he kept his mouth shut and bowed deeply, as if he had truly committed a deadly sin.

Kim Jin-Woo, however, wasn’t taken aback, as he continued to stare down at the Black Merchant. “Then why don’t you tell me your name?”

“Why would you want to know the name of an insignificant merchant…” the Black Merchant began.

Whoosh.

Kim Jin-Woo swooped toward the Black Merchant in an instant, grabbing him by the arm and lifting him up easily. “Do you think I don’t know? Or are you simply hoping that I don’t know?” A blue light flashed in Kim Jin-Woo’s eyes.

“The Eternal Treasury Keeper.”

As soon as those words left Kim Jin-Woo’s lips, the Black Merchant’s limbs stopped flailing.

“Mimir.” Kim Jin-Woo growled wildly as his eyes met with the Black Merchant, who slowly raised his head. “It wasn’t just the Mystical Spear that was contained in the Summoning Stone you gave me.”

Kim Jin-Woo looked as if he were about to devour the Black Merchant alive, as he enunciated clearly, one word at a time, “The wish of the Mystical Spear that lost its owner in the final battle. Gungnir hoped it would be Morning that came after Twilight, not Night.”

When Botan was finally defeated, the Mystical Spear had given him one final test… No. It was more like the wish of the Mystical Spear, rather than a test.

Gungnir had thrown him into the battlefield where the One-Eyed Lord had been defeated by countless rogues, and it had insisted on victory. Even though it had no meaning in the illusionary world, the Mystical Spear was desperate.

Kim Jin-Woo wasn’t sure if Gungnir was honoring its former master by insisting on victory as some form of final courtesy, or if it was a wish for its new owner to survive the worst scenario it could remember.

In the final test, Kim Jin-Woo had to become the One-Eyed Lord, Botan, himself. But in a battle where even the mighty Lord had fallen, it was no easy test. However, as Gungnir’s wish and desire grew, so did his strength, and finally, unlike Botan, he was able to emerge victorious in the simulation.

Even though it wasn’t a victory he had won solely on his own, he was the victor regardless. Everything the losers had became his spoils of war, and there were endless treasures on the battlefield. The victorious warriors, including Morrigan and the other Hero-Grade summons, shouted a victory cry, and the One-Eyed Lord stood tall on the battlefield.

Perhaps this was the most natural scene of victory that Gungnir remembered. However, there was one common existence that persisted between all those memories: An imp with a large backpack that had plunged into a hell where faded blood formed the seas and lifeless bodies formed mountains. It was a being that stood out amid all the strong and high-class beings.

“Mimir,” Kim Jin-Woo repeated.

Botan, whom Kim Jin-Woo had taken over in the illusionary world, called the imp ‘Mimir’, the Eternal Treasury Keeper. Mimir was a small imp with a slender body, a large head, and eyes that constantly turned toward treasures in order to protect them.

Since Mimir was a being that was familiar to Botan, Kim Jin-Woo immediately noticed that his demeanor and appearance was exactly the same as that of the Black Merchant, who frequently held his neck as he yapped away.

“Tell me. Are you my Treasury Keeper, or are you from the Black Merchants?” he asked.

He didn’t force the issue. However, anyone could see what was going to happen if the Black Merchant were to deny his real identity, based on the deadly presence emanating from Kim Jin-Woo.

There were many things Kim Jin-Woo wanted to know, ranging from why the One-Eyed Lord’s Treasury Keeper was now acting as a merchant to what the Black Merchants as an organization really were, but he held out until the Black Merchant started to talk.

“I am…” The Black Merchant’s voice was strangled, as Kim Jin-Woo continued to hold him by his collar, but it wasn’t difficult to figure out what he was saying. “I am the Lord’s Treasury Keeper.”