Chapter 29: Star, the Golden Key (4)

Chapter 29: Star, the Golden Key (4)

[Yuchang Sword]

One of the Nine Fine Swords that were forged by the first Ou Yezi, the Divine Blacksmith.

It can be used as a dagger due to its short length. Its first owner was known to be an assassin.

· Type: Dagger. Sacred artifact.

· Damage: Unmeasurable.

· Effect: Unknown.

*Requirements have not been met. Unable to use the artifact’s ability.

*Requirements have not been met. Unable to inspect the details of the sacred artifact.

‘[Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] and [Yuchang Sword], huh? These two weapons alone are already better than most weapons used by Players,’ Chang-Sun thought as he observed the sword with great interest.

It would be rare to find a Celestial who had weapons forged by both Taotie the Devil Blacksmith and Ou Yezi the Divine Blacksmith.

Anyone who decided to sell one of the ‘Nine Fine Swords,’ the swords that represented Ou Yezi, could name any price they wanted. In fact, many Celestials had waged a bloody war against each other using their apostles as proxies when the [Zhan Lu Sword], another of the Nine Fine Swords, had been found in Arcadia.

‘By the end of that war, didn’t two empires and six kingdoms end up falling?’ Chang-Sun thought as he spun the sword.

As he had only been an ordinary wandering mercenary, he had been unable to participate in that war, but he knew what kind of aftermath it had left. That one war had been more lethal than a plague. Despite that, it had ended abruptly because the [Zhan Lu Sword] was lost in the midst of the war, making it even worse. The incident had allowed Chang-Sun to estimate just how valuable the Nine Fine Swords were.

‘I would never have thought of such a fine sword being used as a fire poker,’ Chang-Sun thought, shaking his head. However, another thought soon occurred to him. ‘Maybe they used the sword this way on purpose.’

Among the Nine Fine Swords, the [Yuchang Sword] was the one that had been used most often to spill blood. The sword symbolized assassins who had killed numerous kings and heroes. It contained very powerful grudges, which meant it was called a cursed demon sword; its appearance had not been known, unlike the other Fine swords. However, it seemed almost as if the first Ou Yezi, the creator of the sword, had secretly spread the story on purpose.

‘To think some people say that the first Ou Yezi was called the Divine Blacksmith because he didn’t like bloodshed,’ Chang-Sun thought with a grin.

Although he was unsure whether it was the first Ou Yezi or one of his heirs, the Ou Yezi who had successfully retrieved the [Yuchang Sword] had to have erased all the patterns on the blade that could be used to identify it, then used it to tend the Divine Fire Brazier.

That Ou Yezi had no doubt chosen the second best option due to being unable to destroy it. As time passed, the fact that their fire poker was in fact the [Yuchang Sword] had been forgotten even among the Ou Yezis. However, the sword’s destiny had changed when it caught Chang-Sun’s eye.

Chang-Sun had once become so proficient in handling various kinds of weapons that he had even acquired a special trait, [King of Weapons]. During his ‘Divine Twilight’ years, his only hobby had been collecting new weapons, so he naturally recognized the value of the [Yuchang Sword]. No matter how dull its edge had become, a fine sword would always remain a fine sword.

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ grumbles about you grinning over strange things.]

The childish Pabilsag, who only liked to hunt, continued to complain as she had no eye for weapons.

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ watches you in satisfaction.]

Minerva appeared to have noticed something, but Chang-Sun was certain that she did not know the sword was the [Yuchang Sword], no matter how great a warring deity she was.

‘If I can, it would be fun to collect all the Nine Fine Swords of Ou Yezi,’ he thought. Although he was half-joking, he still felt as if it would be possible. His intuition told him that the connection he had formed with Ou Yezi’s heir was strong.

Squeak!

The taxi just happened to arrive in front of Chang-Sun’s apartment at that moment. He paid with his card, then got out of the vehicle.

The sun was already setting, but Chang-Sun could not go home yet. Expressionless, he turned to look at the garden. There was no one there, only big trees and beautiful flowers; however, Chang-Sun stared at it with a sharp gaze, as if there were someone waiting there.

“Do you want something from me?” Chang-Sun called out clearly.

...

The trees just danced along the wind, and no one answered.

[Equipped the ‘Flame Tiger’s Fang Chisel’!]

[Initiating attack.]

Chang-Sun suddenly threw the icepick-like weapon he had made out of a boss monster’s fang toward the garden. At first, there seemed to be no sign that somebody was present, but the air suddenly distorted as if a ghost had appeared.

Claasssh!

“I was hiding, but how can you just attack first and ask questions second...?!” Woo Yeong-Geun, who had been using the Skill ‘Concealment’ to figure out Chang-Sun’s ability, began to exclaim, but he had to stop when he saw Chang-Sun running toward him with a big black dagger in his hand. Little did Yeong-Geun know that Chang-Sun was using [Viper Eyes].

Swooosh―!

‘The deity they serve is the ‘Nameless Giant,’ right?’ Chang-Sun thought as he flipped over Yeong-Geun’s business card.

The deity’s real name was Ueopwang[1], a wealth deity who was known to protect people’s assets.

However, the deity the Clan served was not particularly related to the Zodiacs, whom Chang-Sun was trying to capture, which meant Chang-Sun had not been paying much attention to them. Why would they come to him?

“I actually visited you today to recruit you to our Clan, Mr. Lee Chang-Sun,” Yeong-Geun said as he studied Chang-Sun’s face.

Once again, Chang-Sun’s eyes shone with interest.

“I’m not too happy about being abruptly provoked... By the way, though, how did you find out about me...?” Chang-Sun replied, speaking more calmly because he felt that he no longer had to maintain his aggression. After all, he could not sense any hostility from Yeong-Geun, who seemed to be from a solid background. Of course, he did not let his guard down.

Yeong-Geun smiled enigmatically and replied, “It seems you do not know how famous you are. Well, I suppose it has not been long since the Jamsil Gate closed... Apart from our Clan, I think many Clans around the globe must be interested in you, Mr. Lee Chang-Sun.”

Chang-Sun’s eyes sparkled. He had been on guard because he thought his involvement with the incident at the Bonghwasan Gate might have been discovered. It seemed he had been mistaken, however. He had known he would become famous after finishing the Tutorial in the Jamsil Gate, but the Clans had reacted much faster than he expected. He had not expected their intelligence capabilities to be so good.

‘I guess he isn’t going to look down on me just because I’m a Player,’ he thought as he looked back at Yeong-Geun.

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ angrily asks whether you are really going to let an enemy who provoked you go.]

“Although I would really like to talk with you about many things... I made a big mistake today, so I will contact you again after you have calmed down enough. Of course, you are more than welcome to call me first using the number on my business card,” Yeong-Geun said with a bow, bidding Chang-Sun farewell.

Even though he sounded polite, it was clear that Yeong-Geun strongly believed that Chang-Sun would end up calling his number, showing how proud he was of his Clan.

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ is hopping mad, yelling that a person who is to become her apostle should never lose!]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ criticizes her, telling her to do it herself if she wants the fight to continue.]

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ loses her temper, yelling at ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ that she might fight against him instead.]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ smirks at ‘A Good Season to Hunt’, urging her to come at him.]

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ runs amok, yelling that she will kill him and use his body to make a snake stew.]

Ignoring Pabilsag and Jörmungandr’s silly bickering, Chang-Sun idly played with Yeong-Geun’s business card after the man himself left.

He had no plans to join the Sword of Ohsung Clan, but there seemed to be no harm in knowing there was another option. Yeong-Geun had provoked him, but he looked like a decent man.

‘Anyway... he’s somewhat familiar,’ Chang-Sun thought, tilting his head in confusion because something was bothering him.

Yeong-Geun did not look like a stranger to Chang-Sun, although he had no idea where he had met the man. After momentarily wondering if he had met Yeong-Geun before he went to Arcadia, he suddenly came back to reality as he realized something.

‘Wait, if such a person came here... Did he also enter my home? Shit!’ Chang-Sun thought. He moved quickly, as he had not been planning on telling his family about the fact that he had become a Player yet.

‘They’ll just worry about me a lot...!’ Chang-Sun thought, clenching his teeth.

“Did you enjoy your jog, dear?” Chang-Sun’s mother, So Yu-Ha, called out from the kitchen when Chang-Sun entered his home, as if she knew who had arrived just by his footsteps.

“Mom, just now...!” Chang-Sun quickly began.

“You have not eaten yet, have you? Wash your hands first and come sit here,” Yu-Ha gently said.

Chang-Sun carefully walked toward the kitchen, thinking of how to explain the whole story. However, he belatedly realized that his mother was much tougher than he had thought when he saw her cooking as usual. She did not look as if she had been shaken up one bit, meaning she trusted her youngest son more than anyone in the world.

“Do you want to talk to me about something?” Yu-Ha asked, looking in Chang-Sun’s direction when she senses Chang-Sun watching her.

“Mom,” Chang-Sun began, looking at the floor.

“Yes, honey?” Yu-Ha said as she scooped rice into a bowl.

“I have something to tell you,” Chang-Sun said, only then meeting his mother’s eyes.

That was when Chang-Sun made up his mind to tell his mother a little about himself, in order to ensure she would not worry too much about him. Still, he could not tell her all the details just yet.

However... He would tell her everything someday.

* * *

A month soon passed, and afterward the White Tiger Clan began to recruit new Players.

It was finally time for Chang-Sun to make his move.

1. Ueopwang is a god who actually exists in Korean mythology, also known as Ueopwangsin (업왕신) or Ueopsin (업신). ☜