A Stuffed Cheonma in my Head - Chapter 71



Only Noblemtl

Episode 071. Until the End of Death

* * *

It’s cold, it’s painful, it’s hard.

Actually, I feel like this explanation is a bit lacking.

It’s fucking cold, fucking painful, and fucking hard.

What the hell.

“Ugh… … Ugh… … .”

Wheezing!

I moved forward, step by step, with great difficulty, through the swirling snowstorm.

A long trail of blood followed behind me.

I gritted my teeth.

‘Those damn demons.’

It felt really dirty to kill the guys I had killed with my own hands again.

I don’t know why, but the guys here were stronger than before, so fighting them was more difficult.

But that’s okay.

They’ve all been killed, and the summit of Seol Mountain is just around the corner.

I don’t know why I have to climb to the top, but I have to do it anyway.

I dragged my feet and climbed the mountain… … .

At the top of the mountain, we found a place that looked like a final resting place slightly lower down.

A bonfire was waiting for me, roaring.

The wind was howling and blowing very hard, but strangely, the wind was still strong in that area.

It was something incomprehensible.

But I decided to just let it go because it was stranger that the dead came back to life.

I dragged my feet and walked towards the campfire.

“Phew… … .”

He let out a sigh that dispersed in a hazy manner and slumped down in front of the campfire.

I brought my hand close to the crackling campfire.

It was warm.

I tilted my head.

‘Then this isn’t a dream?’

then.

‘Did I really die and go to the afterlife?’

“Are you here?”

I suddenly raised my head at the voice coming from the other side.

It was clear that the bonfire was burning alone until I sat down.

I stared blankly at the person warming himself by the campfire across from me.

He said.

“What, kid? Don’t just look, talk.”

I asked with a slightly trembling voice.

“Captain. The captain is dead too?”

The captain raised the corners of his lips without saying a word.

I couldn’t speak properly because of the shock, as if I had been hit in the head with a hammer.

Who the hell killed this monster?

“Who… … was killed by Gu? Did a million-strong army come from the neighboring country?”

“You idiot. I can defeat an army of a million.”

“Shit.”

The captain chuckled and said while stirring the campfire with a stick.

“Don’t kill me without permission. I’m not dead.”

“… … Then why are you here? This seems to be the entrance to the afterlife.”

“I don’t know that either.”

“… … .”

“Then why did you come here?”

“Me? I… … .”

I was speechless.

Why am I here? Am I really dead? Who killed me?

One by one, questions arise… … .

Only then did the battle against the bitter cold suddenly come to mind.

“ah!”

I stared blankly at the captain, my head held in my hands.

The captain looked at me and snorted.

“What are you idiot? Speak.”

“Captain! I’m dead!”

The captain chuckled.

“I’m proud of you, kid.”

“… … Are you laughing?”

“Yeah. It makes me laugh.”

“No, I’m not kidding. I really got beat up.”

The captain looked at me blankly.

“Who did you lose to?”

“Captain. Do you know what the Eight Swordsman is?”

“I don’t know.”

“No, how could you not know that? Pay attention to your surroundings.”

“What do you have to say?”

“Anyway, there are some incredibly strong guys. They’re said to be the eight strongest men on the continent. I fought against one of them, the Knight of the Cold.”

The captain nodded.

“Hmm. He was more than enough for you. You did a good job. That’s a win-win.”

“Right? But this guy is like a wizard. He’s a prosecutor, but he’s a wizard.”

“What the hell are you talking about.”

“So, he’s like a swordsman. The guy named Hokhan that we met this time uses the Blue Sword Frostbal, one of the nine great swords of Oposis? I don’t know if it’s because he’s like that or because of the power of the sword, but either way, he’s incredibly strong. So, how does this deadly brat fight… …”

I explained to the captain the battle against the bitter cold.

“No, I said that when I stuck my sword into the ground, in the blink of an eye, the ice rose up in jagged lines to a height of three or four meters?”

“Does that make sense?”

“Oh, this is frustrating. I can’t show you directly. Anyway, I was careless and hurt my left arm. It was so numb to the bone that I couldn’t use it at all.”

“Huh.

“But it was actually good? I mean, I finally broke down that solid wall and advanced to the realm of moonlight. A man who turns a crisis into an opportunity. A man who becomes stronger while fighting despite being a cripple. That’s me. Haha!”

“… … .”

“But even if I swung the moonlight, this kid was no match for me. He had to be really strong. So what did I do? I used my ultimate skill there. I made the bloody moon rise. I didn’t know that! Hahaha!”

The captain looked at me with pitiful eyes.

“But why are you here?”

“Oh, this is so unfair. I clearly stabbed him in the heart with a sword, but this kid is fine. What the hell, does this make sense?”

“Idiot. You must have stabbed the wrong person.”

“No, I mean, it really stabbed my heart. I felt it for sure.”

“I know, I know. But moonlight? Starlight? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? It’s a martial art that I learned from Master Cheonma… … .”

As a result, I ended up talking about everything that had happened in the meantime.

Falling off a cliff and coming back to life, meeting a heavenly horse, killing a baron, meeting Shushuruta, accidentally becoming a saint, being chased by demons, etc.

The captain listened intently to my chattering words, occasionally cursing, sometimes hitting the gong, and sometimes scolding.

Then… …I asked a question out of the blue.

“Why do you want to become so strong?”

It was a very unexpected question.

Enough to make you slightly dizzy.

I asked again, blinking my eyes.

“… …Why do you want to become stronger?”

The captain stared at me blankly, his chin resting on his hand.

“I heard that you’ve been causing quite a stir. Why are you trying to become stronger while causing all that trouble?”

I stared blankly at the captain.

“That… is what you’re saying now… … .”

“Strength is a relative concept, but a silver-rank mercenary is by no means weak. How many silver-rank mercenaries do you think can’t use mana at all? Most of them end up at the same rank.”

That’s true.

I managed to get to Silver rank because I swung my sword like a madman in the moonlight while going crazy, and most Silver rank players can use mana to some extent.

As you go up to gold rank, you’ll find yourself with a mix of aura users and skilled mana users.

The captain continued speaking.

“You worked hard enough and got what you deserved. Of course, if you had talent, you could have done better, but this is enough. Why are you torturing yourself like this?”

I twisted the corner of my mouth.

“… … This is why they are called geniuses.”

“What is this kid talking about now?”

I glared at the captain.

“Don’t look down on me like that, you fucking genius. You’ve never lost before, you freak. Do you know the bitterness of defeat?”

The captain sighed.

Whether or not, I didn’t take my eyes off him.

“Do I still look like some fucking kid who used to wander through dirty back alleys? I’m not that kind of pathetic guy who’s trapped inside your thoughts. Do you know that? I don’t.”

“… … .”

“Shut up. What do you know? You only know how to eat. Why do you keep cooking that damn thing? You have no taste. Do you want to lose?”

“How can I be so worried about this cute little guy… … .”

The captain hit me on the head.

Bam!

“100 million.”

My mind suddenly opened.

I groaned, clutching my head.

Then he suddenly raised his head.

“Oh, that’s a surprise.”

puck!

Got hit again.

“Why are you hitting me this time!”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was surprised.”

“Ugh.”

I rubbed the spot I was hit on and glared at the captain.

“Why do you want to be strong? Because you can be strong, you little punk. What else do you need to say?”

“… … .”

“Enough effort? A commensurate result? Don’t be a jerk. It’s not enough. It’s far from enough. I can’t be satisfied with that. I’m not that good. Do you understand? Like anyone else, I’m also a bit greedy.”

“… … .”

“As you said, I got a chance. I was given talent, and I met a master. Now, nothing can stop me. The carriage has already started to run. Clank clank. You son of a bitch. Do you hear that sound?”

“… … .”

“Why, are you scared? Are you afraid of getting beaten up by your old disciple now? If you’re scared, just die.”

The captain looked at me silently and asked.

“Is it because of that girl named Tina?”

The pupils dilated.

My heart sank.

I glared at the captain as if I was going to kill him.

“Shut up.”

“I guess so.”

“I told you to shut up.”

“I’ll say it again, you don’t have to feel guilty about her death. It was beyond your control as a little kid.”

“… … Shut up. Before I really kill you.”

The captain shrugged.

“I’m just saying.”

“… … .”

I had a staring contest with the captain, but he didn’t avoid my gaze.

Eventually, I was the first to look away.

Anyway, he was treating me with good intentions.

I took a deep breath.

“Then what should I do? I’ve already lost it.”

I looked at the peak of the mountain over there.

“If I stand there, will I go to the afterlife? I’ve killed too many people, so heaven seems impossible.”

“That’s true.”

The captain nodded in agreement.

“So that’s the entrance to hell? It’s a lot different from what I expected.”

The captain looked at me.

“Ashvan. You are not dead.”

“what?”

“You’re not dead, you idiot.”

I looked at him blankly and replied.

“The general died fighting an army of a million men.”

“I’m not dead. I told you I’d defeat a million-strong army.”

His head was tilted to one side.

“… … Then how did I live?”

“Well, I don’t know either.”

“I don’t know what’s going on all the time.”

“You can’t say you know what you don’t know.”

“A great saint has arrived.”

I nodded to the top of the mountain.

“Will I be able to find out if I go there?”

“yes.”

“……then.”

I got up and dusted myself off.

The rest was sufficient.

Before I knew it, my limping foot had completely healed.

The captain looked at me while sitting there.

“Ashvan.”

I answered with my gaze.

“You’re not the kind of person to die in a place like this.”

The captain spoke in a serious tone.

“I believe in you.”

“… … .”

I looked at him, nodded once, and headed towards the summit.

As soon as we left the campfire, a snowstorm blew in as if it had been waiting for us.

Wheezing!

But I walked out without hesitation.

Because nothing can stop me.

Just before reaching the top, I looked back.

Amid the flurry of snow, a bonfire was still burning brightly.

The huge mass that had been sitting in front of him was no longer visible.

“Phew… … .”

The sigh spread out whitely and then quickly dispersed.

I felt like it was someone’s soul.

“… … .”

I looked at the smoky breath that was drifting away… … and turned around and headed towards the summit.

As I approached the towering summit, I nodded.

“Yeah. I’m not the type of person to die here.”

He muttered to himself as if making a promise.

“There’s still a lot of work left to do.”

He spread out his fingers one by one.

“I have to play treasure hunts, take down the captain, kick the butts of the mercenary guys who were teasing me, and destroy those damn demons. I also have to get my hands on that great magic sword, so it won’t be a shame.”

He folded his open palm back into a fist.

“Yes. That’s right. We can’t go on like this.”

I took a step.

Standing tall on the summit of Seol Mountain.

The whole world was covered in white.

I stood on top of the snowy mountain and shouted at the howling snowstorm.

“Do you think I’m going to die? Do you think I’m going to die? No, I’m not going to die. I’m absolutely not going to die.”

Because it was so high up, I quickly ran out of breath.

After catching my breath, I shouted out loud at the world covered in pure white.

“Don’t expect to give up my soul!”

Who are you talking to?

Even I, the one speaking, couldn’t understand.

It felt like I was talking to myself, but it also felt like I was talking to everyone else but myself.

“You understand, you little fucking dogs!”

Wheezing!

At that moment, a blizzard blew fiercely behind me and pushed me to the edge of the cliff.

“uh?”

I lost my balance and fell forward.

The next moment, I was falling.

He just fell straight down the mountain.

As soon as I said I wouldn’t die, I ended up dying.

“What the fuck!”

Just before hitting the floor.

I opened my eyes.