A Stuffed Cheonma in my Head - Chapter 8



Only Noblemtl

Episode 008. Night Sky Star Moon Achievement

* * *

“Remember.”

[… … dirty bastard.]

After eating ten roots of ginseng, I felt full even though I didn’t eat anything else.

I wanted to find more sam and eat it, but I held back because I was told that if I took in too much qi at once, I would get possessed by the devil.

What is a coin purse?

It is said that the mind is shattered, the blood vessels in the body are twisted, and blood spurts out of every pore.

“hmm.”

After hearing that story, I lost all desire to find and eat more sam.

I licked my lips with a regretful taste and looked at the amount of internal energy accumulated in my danjeon.

“Hehehehe.”

It was indeed satisfying.

If the internal energy that had accumulated in the danjeon before eating the three was like a stream, it was now like a river.

It was enough to unleash the black spirit more than thirty times.

But even then, the danjeon was still ridiculously large.

Compared to the overall size of the danjeon, this amount may seem small.

It was the difference between the sea and the lake.

This… … How far can it be filled?

[You’ve become a decent human being now.]

Cheonma said with satisfaction.

The sun was high in the sky when I found the three, but soon a round full moon was shining down on the world.

“Master. Can I learn that martial art now?”

[yes.]

Cheonma answered.

[Now I will teach you, so open your ears and listen carefully.]

“Okay.”

Cheonma’s martial arts class began without delay.

Upper tian, middle tian, lower tian, blood, heart air, quick, first-hand knowledge, innate energy, imagination, qi and blood, blood path, twelve meridians, eight meridians of qi and blood, etc.

A flood of terms I had never heard before came pouring out.

I was dazed by all the words I was hearing for the first time.

“What the… what?”

Cheonma stopped the class and clicked his tongue.

[Tsk. Just do as I say. This is like reading sutras to a cow’s ear.]

I replied in a slightly discouraged tone.

“Sorry, Master. I’m just an uneducated person. I’ll learn it slowly.”

Then Cheonma answered with a slightly softened tone.

[Okay. Then, since we don’t have much time, I’ll teach you martial arts first.]

Cheonma cleared his throat and spoke in a solemn tone.

[The martial art that I will teach you is the Night Sky Star Moon Art.]

“… … The Night Sky Castle?”

* * *

Late at night.

A group of people were running through a forest where darkness had fallen.

Their movements were so stealthy and swift that the sound of their footsteps was barely audible.

It was proof that their skills were all extraordinary.

Also, their expressions were all frozen in a frightening manner.

Every time they saw a trace of blood, their eyes became even colder.

‘How far… … .’

It was the Sherwood mercenary group chasing Ashvan’s trail.

The chase, which began at dawn, continued until night.

The trail of fallen trees continued on endlessly.

It was to the point where I thought we might reach the border.

The bloodstains that had been gradually disappearing were becoming darker and darker.

Guston the Greatsword, the leader of the Sherwood Mercenaries running at the very front, gritted his teeth.

‘How far did you run with that body?’

They themselves ran all day to get here, but how on earth did Ashvan, who doesn’t know how to use mana at all, run all the way here without stopping?

And with an unhealthy body that was bleeding profusely.

Judging by the amount of blood, it was definitely a serious injury.

It wasn’t just a matter of having good physical or mental strength.

It was something that defied common sense.

“… … You damn bastard.”

Guston spat it out as if chewing and intensified his pursuit.

A moment later, they were standing in front of a steep cliff.

As I followed the traces, I eventually came here.

The Misty Cliffs, a natural border between the Kingdom of Maia and the Kingdom of Blake.

“… … .”

When they reached the cliff, they didn’t say anything, as if they had made a promise.

The trail ended at the edge of a cliff.

… … The answer was clear.

One of them opened his mouth heavily.

“… … Captain. I guess… … .”

Guston didn’t answer, but stared with bloodshot eyes at the fog hanging below the cliff.

The man who was crouching on the edge of the cliff and examining the bloodstains spoke.

“… … It looks like they took her anyway.”

“That vicious bastard… … . He ran for days and came all the way here to finally catch him… … .”

A few people laughed, making a snickering sound, and then closed their mouths again.

Silence fell.

In the midst of the silence, Guston opened his mouth.

“… … He died?”

“… … .”

“No, that can’t be. He’s not the type of person to die in a place like this.”

He was different from the moment I first saw him in the dirty back alleys of the city.

Those were not the eyes of a child.

It was the eye of a beast that had survived many near-death experiences.

Don’t crazy people have long life spans?

Anyway, it’ll go all the way.

Ashvan, that bastard, isn’t he somehow surviving in a shabby way?

He’s not the type of guy to go like this.

“That… can’t be.”

The group quickly caught Guston as he approached the cliff.

“colon!”

“it’s crazy?”

Guston muttered as he approached the cliff without paying any attention.

He already looked half-mad.

“There’s no way he would have gone away so pointlessly. Of course he would.”

“Catch him!”

The members clung to him.

“That can’t be… … That can’t be… … .”

“Wake up!”

“You crazy bastard! Come to your senses!”

The members hanging on to him were hitting Guston here and there and shouting.

“Ashvaaaaan!!!”

Guston’s seething scream echoed off the cliff.

* * *

“… … Hmm? Master. Didn’t you hear anything?”

[What is that sound? Aren’t you concentrating?]

“I definitely thought I heard something… … .”

[I won’t explain it twice. Listen carefully the first time.]

“yep.”

Night sky, stars and moon.

Night. Sky. Stars. Moon.

In short, it was a martial art that meant the stars and moon in the night sky.

[This is a relatively easy martial art. It’s suitable as an introductory martial art. I couldn’t sleep, so I was looking at the night sky, and I made this out of boredom. It’s quite useful.]

“… … Do martial arts skills come out like that, like making rice cakes?”

[How could that be? It is possible because I am the one who is seated here.]

“Oh, yes.”

[This is a martial art that has never been taught to anyone. Know it as an honor.]

“That would be an honor.”

[… … Tsk.]

Cheonma’s explanation continued.

[Martial arts are a level higher than simply swinging a sword around with your internal energy and sending out sword energy. It is a kind of methodology, a method of how to utilize energy.]

“I see.”

[The Night Sky Seongwol Gong can be said to be a martial art of exhilaration mixed with vanity, piercing through the opponent like starlight splitting the night sky.]

“hmm.”

I couldn’t understand what he was saying, but I nodded with a serious expression.

[This martial art will make your enemies see a spectacle of a single star falling from your sword in the middle of a dark night sky.]

“hmm.”

[The dark night sky blinds the eyes of the enemies, and then a single ray of starlight falls like lightning, tearing through the darkness.]

I tilted my head.

Because it didn’t sound like a simple metaphor.

“Night sky? Starlight? Is that possible?”

Cheonma said as if it was no big deal.

[There is also a martial art that scatters flower petals, so what could be wrong with it?]

“Ah… is that so?”

[That’s it.]

I guess so.

[It may start as a faint starlight, but in the end, it will be able to show a bright moon.]

“hmm.”

[If you succeed in the Night Sky Moonlight, I will teach you another martial art.]

I nodded.

“Okay. So how do you learn it?”

Cheonma answered calmly.

[You have to do it once a week.]

“A week?”

[It’s about moving internal energy along the blood vessels… … .]

Cheonma poured out his explanation in a somewhat enthusiastic tone.

[There are two main paths that the true energy travels through. The Du-maek is the one that starts from the anus, goes up the spine, passes the crown of the head, and arrives at the lips. The Im-maek is the one that starts from the lips, passes through the chest and stomach, and arrives at the anus again.]

“hmm.”

[Each martial art has a different way of conquering this path.]

“Hmm. I see.”

[… … But even if I say something like that, you won’t understand.]

Cheonma closed his mouth and spoke after a while.

[Hmm. That seems possible. Close your eyes and feel the energy inside you. I will move some of your energy. Can you see it?]

I closed my eyes and observed the inside of my body. I saw small star-like qi jumping out of my danjeon and moving around.

I was a little surprised, but tried to answer calmly.

“Hmm. I can see it.”

[Grow your internal energy in the lower abdomen and just follow this. I think you can do that much.]

“Understood, Master.”

I moved my internal energy like a long snake, following the tiny starlight.

The starlight moved around inside my body in a complex and chaotic way.

I followed it closely, more focused than ever before, without missing a beat.

The internal energy starts from the anus, passes through the back, and rises to the crown of the head.

After going down the face, it passed through the chest, stomach, and finally reached the anus.

“omg.”

Then suddenly a thrilling sensation ran through me, and I felt something mysterious sinking down from the top of my head to my groin.

[Now open your eyes.]

“Hoooo… … .”

I opened my eyes, catching my breath.

I think I closed my eyes for a moment, but before I knew it, the moon was leaning against the horizon.

I muttered, moving my shoulders.

“Is it done?”

Cheonma answered.

[That’s it. Remember the path you just opened. When using the Night Sky Moonlight, you will use that path to direct your energy. Try it.]

I got up from my seat, stretched out my body, and picked up my sword.

“Phew… … .”

I took a deep breath to raise my energy, then quickly used my internal energy along the path I had opened up.

My internal energy ran unhindered along my blood vessels.

Perhaps because the path had been paved through the Iljucheon River, the energy moved quite naturally as if it was being sucked in.

I gave it a full body swivel, then tried to run it through my arm and into the sword.

Woof-

The sword vibrated and cried out.

“hmm.”

I couldn’t tell the difference, except that the sword was darker.

“You’ll know once you swing it.”

The first batter to be sacrificed to the Night Sky Moonlight Strike was designated as the Foggy Cliff.

It’s time to get revenge on the bad guy who dropped me here.

I drew my sword diagonally towards the cliff.

Chook―

The dark night sky spread out like ink along the sword’s blade, and a brilliant starlight twinkled at the tip of the sword.

“… … !”

Instinctively, I knew how to use this guy.

The process happened in an instant, as if a lightning bolt had struck my head.

Swack-

I raised my sword diagonally and cut.

Darkness spread like a curtain along the sword.

The next moment, I tore the curtain with the tip of my sword.

A star hanging from the tip of a sword fell, tearing through the night sky.

Kwaaaaang!!

The cliff exploded.

“… … !”

My mouth dropped open at the powerful force that far exceeded my expectations.

The beginning is like a faint starlight.

This is… … weak?

[This is the Night Sky Moonlight.]

The clouds of dust that had gathered in clumps have cleared.

The slanted moon illuminated the scars of a cliff that had been completely destroyed.

* * *

After practicing all night and using the Night Sky Moonlight Skill several times, I discovered one problem.

That was because it was eating up a huge amount of internal energy.

Although I was able to control the power to some extent through practice, I confirmed that it consumed about ten to twenty times more internal energy than the normal sword strike.

But if you think about it, it wasn’t such a serious drawback.

Just as you used to control the sword, you can use this by controlling it well.

Also, if you continue to build up your internal energy in the lower abdomen like Hahae, it is a problem that will eventually be solved someday.

It’s so much fun to become stronger day by day.

On a pleasant morning with birds chirping, I returned to Gustave’s hideout humming a tune.

Sure enough, everyone seemed to have run away overnight, as there was no sign of life.

Feeling hungry, I headed to the half-destroyed kitchen.

As I was rummaging through the floor, looking for something to eat and putting it in my mouth, I heard someone’s voice booming from outside.

“Red-eyed swordsman, come out and listen to the words of Baron Lucas Barranquilla!”

“……what?”

I went outside, munching on some jerky.

Knights and soldiers in gleaming silver armor were waiting for me with an ominous air.

Among them, the knight who seemed to be a superior glared at me with murderous eyes and said.

“Are you the one who killed the forester Gustave?”

“What? A forest ranger?”

Pick.

A smile escaped his twisted lips.

How can a thief be a forest ranger?

“Was he the forester?”

The knight nodded.

“I guess that’s right.”

Then he received a fancy-looking document from the soldier next to him and read it in a solemn tone.

“I, Baron Lucas Barranquilla, speak to the unknown swordsman. Listen carefully. I want to hold you accountable for the private murder of Gustave, the forester whom my father had appointed to look after the forests of the estate. If you do not follow meekly, blood will be shed, so I ask you to use your wisdom.”

I answered while chewing on the beef jerky and watching their shameless antics.

“You’re being a jerk.”

The anger erupted immediately.

“You punk! How dare you talk nonsense about safety!”

I snorted and took the dagger out of my bosom.

“This is why you came. Isn’t that right?”

Their eyes widened.

“The Dagger of Opposition… …!”

They couldn’t take their eyes off the dagger.

As I moved the dagger around, their eyes followed suit.

Then, at some point, I threw the dagger towards the blue sky.

“no!”

The moment they looked up at the sky in fear, my outstretched foot slammed into the knight’s face.