Chapter 531: The Primordial Artifact (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 531: The Primordial Artifact (2)
“What is your relationship with the Blood Demon?”
Namgung Myung’s abrupt question sent a chill through my mind.
The Blood Demon.
Why does it have to be him, even here?
It seemed like every significant event eventually led back to that man. Why would Namgung Myung think of the Blood Demon just from seeing the state of the Thunder Fang?
I was about to demand an explanation when—
[That’s enough…]
Elder Shin cut me off.
[Let us go now.]
Elder Shin?
It was strange enough that he interrupted me, but suggesting we leave in the middle of such a crucial conversation? This was about the Blood Demon. Shouldn’t I hear him out, no matter what? Yet the elder wanted us to walk away?
I was utterly baffled.
[I will explain when we return. For now, let us go.]
…
I sensed it then. Elder Shin knew something. Something he didn’t want discussed here.
The fact that he deliberately cut the conversation short meant he had a compelling reason. I had to choose: insist on hearing it now, or trust the elder.
The answer was obvious.
“…I will see you again next time,” I said, choosing to follow the elder’s lead without hesitation. Having come this far, doubting Elder Shin would be its own problem.
“So. What was that all about?”
Back in our room, having left the three Namgung figures and Woo Hyuk behind, I finally asked. I hadn’t even learned why Namgung Bi-ah, who was supposedly so important, had rejected the Thunder Fang.
My mind and body were exhausted. If it were up to me, I’d have collapsed onto the bed immediately, but this couldn’t wait.
[…]
Elder Shin remained silent in response to my question. Was he choosing his words, or was he unable to speak?
“Elder.”
Normally, I might have held back, assuming it was something he couldn’t discuss. But not this time. This concerned the Blood Demon; I needed to know more than anything.
Namgung Myung had looked at me and thought of him. Elder Shin, of all people, knew nothing made me more sensitive. So I waited. I had faith he would give me an answer.
And just as I expected.
[…Kid.]
Elder Shin began to speak.
“Yes.”
Hmm.
As I answered, I deployed a sound barrier. Martial artists were gathered nearby—likely sent by the Poison King. It was standard procedure after a major incident, both for protection and surveillance. It didn’t matter; I could easily evade that level of scrutiny now.
Strictly speaking, a sound barrier wasn’t necessary since no one else could hear the elder, but… It’s just so I can be a little more comfortable. It put my mind at ease, even if just a little. I had no desire for rumors to spread about the Gu Clan madman talking to himself.
Then again, the rumor that I was a madman had already spread, so maybe it didn’t matter.
…Not that it matters either way.
The reputation was rather convenient. No matter what I did, people would just dismiss it, thinking, "Well, he's crazy."
I’ll have to act even crazier in the future.
I was confident it was what I did best.
As I made that firm resolution…
[Before I explain this… There is something I must say first.]
The elder began his story.
[Kid, you…]
I leaned in, and the first words I heard were:
[What do you think an Artifact is?]
It was a rather unexpected question.
* * *
What is an Artifact?
There are various definitions, but ultimately, an Artifact is an object imbued with special power. Like the Thunder Fang or the Solar Light, they often serve as symbols for sects or clans. There was even an era when a family’s prestige was determined by how many Artifacts it possessed.
If you wonder how mere objects could hold such sway… the crucial point is that an Artifact cannot be created by human hands. That is why they become symbols. Why they maintain their value. Special objects gain worth based on their rarity and preciousness. An Artifact is an Artifact not just because of its power, but because it is inherently precious.
Ah, of course… Though later on, someone does manage to create them.
In just five or six years, a man would appear who could create artificial Artifacts. It was debatable whether they were true Artifacts, but their appearance caused quite a stir at the time. After all, it was the birth of a new Artifact, something that had become a rare sight.
But that’s not what’s important right now.
So, the question was what I thought an Artifact was. From my perspective…
“…A weird object.”
No better words came to mind. And wasn’t it true? A sword that shoots out a blade of energy when infused with Qi. A bandage that never breaks. A strange stone of unknown origin. They were all clearly not normal. In my eyes, no other description seemed more fitting.
Hearing my answer, the elder chuckled.
[You’re not wrong. In fact, that’s quite accurate. Then… a different question.]
[Since when do you think Artifacts have existed?]
“Pardon?”
Since when have Artifacts existed? Well, that’s… …Come to think of it?
When did they first appear? By the time I was born, Artifacts were already widespread. Historically, they had been around for hundreds of years. …I don’t recall ever learning when Artifacts first appeared. I only knew they existed. I had never heard when or how they came to be. I had never been curious enough to ask. Their existence was just common sense.
But for the elder to ask this now…
“…Are you saying that Artifacts have something to do with the Blood Demon?”
The Blood Demon, who appeared centuries ago. And the Artifacts so widespread today. Was there a connection?
To this, the elder gave an ambiguous answer.
[I’m not certain. That Myung fellow probably isn’t either.]
‘Not certain.’ Which also meant he couldn’t definitively say no.
“…Then why did you bring up Artifacts in the first place?”
I also needed to know why Namgung Myung had linked me to the Blood Demon.
In response, Elder Shin paused briefly, as before, then continued.
[The objects now called Artifacts originally…]
It sounded like an addendum, so I listened closely.
[…appeared along with the Gate of Demons.]
“…What did you say?”
I was slightly taken aback. ‘Artifacts came from the Gate of Demons?’ This was the first I’d ever heard of it.
“Is that true…?”
[Why would I lie? I saw it with my own eyes.]
He was saying he personally saw Artifacts emerge from the Gate of Demons? That wasn’t so strange—Elder Shin was from the era that fell into chaos because of the Gate. But the content was strange.
“Are you saying the Gate of Demons just… spat out Artifacts or something?”
[Surely you don’t think so?]
“Then what is it? How on earth did Artifacts….”
[To be precise, an Artifact is an object spat out by a demon from the Demon Realm.]
…That sounded even weirder.
“A demon spat it out?”
A demon spat out an object? Not a demonic stone, but an object? As I stood there dumbfounded, I finally collected my thoughts and pointed out the contradiction.
“If that’s true, then why haven’t we heard anything like that now?”
If demons truly spat out Artifacts, why don’t they do it anymore? Furthermore… ‘There isn’t even a record of it.’ It was a mystery why I was only learning this now.
[It’s understandable that they don’t appear now.]
“Pardon?”
[Those white ones don’t show up anymore, do they?]
“…Elder, by that you mean.”
The "white ones" he referred to, unless I was mistaken… ‘White Grade Demons.’
The bizarre, white-colored beings whose power was so immense they cursed the land even after death. The strange beings that stopped appearing after the Blood Calamity ended. From what the elder was saying, Artifacts were objects that came from those White-Grade Demons.
[Yes, all Artifacts are objects obtained by killing those things.]
“How… is that possible?”
Obtaining an object by killing a demon? If it were hide, bones, or a demonic stone, I could understand. But this? It would have been more realistic if they had used such byproducts to create Artifacts. They just popped out?
[I do not know the reason why. That is simply how it was.]
If that was the origin of Artifacts, it raised many questions. Several contradictions came to mind, but… ...That’s that. The birth of Artifacts wasn’t the most important thing to me right now.
“So, what does that have to do with what Senior Namgung Myung said?”
This was what mattered. The essence of why Namgung Myung had mentioned the Blood Demon. I needed to hear it.
At my implicit urging, Elder Shin began to speak in a calm voice.
[Kid.]
“Yes.”
[The Solar Light on your arm. Have you never wondered how you are able to use it?]
The Solar Light. ...I never thought it was particularly strange.
The elder himself had taught me how to use it. In fact, he had chided me for not using it sooner. Didn’t that mean I could have used it all along? Besides, I had absorbed the elder’s Qi, so I naturally assumed that was why.
[That’s not it.]
But the elder denied it.
[Putting aside the fact that you can use it. I’m talking about how the Solar Light has changed.]
“Changed.”
At his words, I lifted my arm and examined the Solar Light. ‘The change… is he talking about the color?’
The reddish-purple Qi used by the martial artists of Mount Hua was its original color, but now it was suffused with blue. I had assumed it had assimilated with my own Qi.
[Yes, that is precisely the problem.]
“…This is?”
[Do you know the position that Artifacts currently hold within the great clans?]
“I do.”
There were many kinds of Artifacts, with different grades. From largely useless ones to Symbolic Artifacts like the Thunder Fang and Solar Light that served as the symbols of entire organizations. Every major prestigious family and renowned sect possessed one. The Gu Clan had one too, though I’d never seen it used.
[Why do you think that is possible?]
“That’s… obviously because their characteristics match, isn’t it?”
I thought that was the correct answer. The Thunder Fang was imbued with Lightning Qi. The Solar Light and the Artifact I brought to Mount Hua were imbued with the Qi of plum blossoms. The same was true for other Symbolic Artifacts; they all contained an energy reminiscent of their sect or clan.
‘Now that I think about it, that is a bit strange.’
How was that possible? If Artifacts came from White-Grade Demons, did that mean they took all the Artifacts that matched their Qi? The Thunder Fang used Lightning Qi, so Namgung Myung took it. The Solar Light held the Daoist Qi of Mount Hua, so the elder took it?
Just as I thought that…
[…The order is wrong.]
Once again, the elder said I was wrong.
“Then what is it?”
[In the beginning, the objects that came out as Artifacts had no such energy.]
“They didn’t?”
This time, I was even more surprised. The Artifacts that emerged weren’t imbued with Qi? Then what are the Artifacts we have now?
[The primordial Thunder Fang was nothing more than a nameless stick. The Solar Light was just a white orb.]
“Then…?”
[Do you know how those Artifacts became what they are today?]
The elder’s question sparked a thought. His words, "The order is wrong," stuck with me. On a hunch, I ventured a guess.
“…They infused their Qi into it?”
[Correct. We infused our own Qi into those objects.]
Surprisingly, he said I was right. The Thunder Fang became the Thunder Fang because Namgung Myung infused it with his Qi. The Solar Light became the Solar Light because Elder Shin infused his Qi into it.
‘So that’s why the Symbolic Artifacts are with their respective clans.’
They created them by infusing their own Qi into primordial objects. Because they infused the Qi of Mount Hua into a primordial Artifact, it was taken to the Mount Hua Sect.
Which means…
“This changed like this because I infused my Qi into it?”
[Yes.]
So the Solar Light changed color because I infused my Qi into it. That would explain it. The problem was…
“What’s… the problem with that?”
I infused my Qi into the Artifact, and it changed to match me. What was the problem? He’d just said that was how it worked in the first place. I didn’t see the issue, and my brow furrowed.
[How could it not be a problem?]
The elder said with a sigh.
[…But an Artifact, once infused with Qi, is not supposed to change.]
“…What? It doesn’t change?”
The moment I heard that, I lifted the arm where the Solar Light was bound. Then what is this? How could he say it’s impossible when there’s one right here that has clearly changed? The color shift was vivid.
[That is why it’s a problem. That Myung fellow probably found it problematic as well.]
“Hmm….”
Why else would a Symbolic Artifact be a symbol? Most couldn’t be used unless one learned the martial arts of the founding bloodline or had matching Qi. If anyone could use them, how could they be symbols?
But if that’s the case… ‘Why can I use them?’
It was certainly strange. Giving a hundred concessions, I could say the Solar Light was usable because I also possessed the Daoist Qi of Mount Hua. But the Thunder Fang couldn’t be explained that way. I had taken a weapon saturated with Lightning Qi and used it by infusing my own Fire Qi. How could that be explained?
As my questions grew, the elder spoke.
[…We called such an act 'subjugation.' It meant subjugating an Artifact to oneself by infusing it with Qi.]
As I listened, my mind raced. Whether he knew it or not, Elder Shin simply continued.
[Not all weapons would accept Qi like that, but objects that were particularly compatible with a user absorbed Qi exceptionally well. When that happened, martial artists who cultivated a different art could no longer use them.]
Objects like the Solar Light and the Thunder Fang were prime examples.
[But.]
As he spoke, the elder’s voice grew somewhat darker.
[There was one man who would take and use such objects without a care.]
I had to react to those words. A sense of foreboding washed over me.
[He was a man who used Artifacts as if they were his own, as if their infused Qi didn’t matter at all.]
A man who, after using them a few times, would toss them aside as if he’d lost interest. A true monster who never needed the power of Artifacts in the first place. That was how he acted.
[Even an Artifact that had been painstakingly altered would change its form as if it had met a new master the moment it fell into his hands.]
“…Elder. Don’t tell me that’s….”
The person Elder Shin was talking about. I had a feeling I knew who it was, and my stomach churned. Perhaps because I’d thought this far… Namgung Myung’s words from earlier began to echo in my mind.
-What is your relationship with the Blood Demon?
“…Fuck?”
Why did Namgung Myung look at me and mention the Blood Demon? And when I recalled that the Solar Light’s transformation had happened right after my metamorphosis…
[…Yes. That man was…]
There was only one answer to this story. The true meaning of what the elder had been trying to tell me from the beginning.
It was…
[…the Blood Demon.]
It meant I was using the exact same power as that calamity who had drenched an era in blood.
The power of the Blood Demon, Dokgo-jun.