Chapter 89: Making a Deal-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 89: Making a Deal-2
What is the most important thing to a martial artist facing a life-and-death enemy?
Is it their disciplined body?
Their tirelessly cultivated internal energy?
If one were to face an opponent whose every attribute was identical to their own, what would determine the victor?
Many would say this:
A difference finer than a single thread would dictate the outcome.
Then, what creates that minute difference?
Many would say:
It is the difference in their weapons.
To them, talkative gossips often posed a question.
Once one reaches a certain realm, do they not reach a state where they are no longer bound by their weapon?
Can a master who has reached such heights not suppress a subordinate with a high-quality weapon using nothing but a mere tree branch?
To this question, the Sword Venerable, who once stood as the World's Greatest Martial Artist with a single blade, replied:
"One who has reached the peak may face those beneath them without a weapon, but they can never face an equal."
Even the World's Greatest Martial Artist acknowledged the importance of weaponry.
Following the Sword Venerable's statement, many martial artists became even more obsessed with their arms, and the demand for iron skyrocketed.
To a martial artist, a high-quality weapon is a treasure among treasures that everyone covets.
When the qualitative difference in a weapon can be like carrying a spare life, who could possibly refuse?
Then, what brings about this qualitative difference in weaponry?
The blacksmith's skill?
The shape of the tool?
The time spent crafting it?
None of the above.
What truly determines the qualitative difference in a weapon is the material.
Unless the material is of high quality, no matter how brilliant the blacksmith is, they cannot surpass the limits of the material itself.
If someone were to ask whether to choose a sword made of common iron by a first-class blacksmith or a sword made of White Refined Steel by a third-rate blacksmith, a hundred out of a hundred would choose the latter.
In this way, materials create a stark difference in weaponry.
Thus, for countless martial artists, high-quality metal is a treasure everyone lusts after.
Then, what is the greatest metal currently in existence?
Many would speak with one voice.
Without even needing to ask, they would say it is Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron.
Countless metals exist in the Murim.
Starting from cheap common iron to steel, Black Iron, and White Refined Steel, a martial artist's preference varies according to quality.
In the case of cheap common iron, it breaks so easily that it is mostly used for common soldiers going to the battlefield or for making farming tools.
It was obvious that a weapon made of common iron could not withstand internal energy and would shatter instantly. Therefore, any martial artist capable of handling internal energy would go into debt if necessary to commission a weapon made of steel.
At the very least, only a weapon made of steel could endure internal energy.
And as soon as they saved enough money, a martial artist would switch to a weapon made of high-quality materials like Black Iron or White Refined Steel.
And there was a metal that such martial artists dreamed of above all else: Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron.
Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron.
Among the many metals in the Murim, it was the king of metals, boasting the absolute highest durability, and it was so rare that one might see it only once in a lifetime.
Normally, iron is bound to corrode and rust if left for a long time. To prevent corrosion when storing iron, it is essential to maintain proper temperature and humidity. If stored at too low a temperature, it would shatter; if stored at too high a temperature, it would degrade.
Storing iron was that delicate and difficult.
However, iron that has undergone such rigorous storage gains a chill as it ages, and this is called Cold Iron.
In the case of Cold Iron, its strength and elasticity change depending on the number of years it has aged. The longer it ages, the harder it becomes.
Among these, Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron is the name given to Cold Iron that has aged for over ten thousand years, boasting an incredible strength that is utterly incomparable to ordinary iron.
Because of these characteristics, Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron came to be called the dream metal that countless martial artists yearned for in their sleep.
And now, that dream metal had appeared before Sun-woo's eyes.
There was no way he wouldn't be happy.
Thump, thump.
Sun-woo felt his heart racing.
A surface imbued with a freezing chill and a hardness that wouldn't be cut even by Sword Astral.
There was no mistake.
It was Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron.
There was no windfall quite like this.
The corners of Sun-woo's mouth began to curl upward.
If it was an object stored in Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron, its value was bound to be immense.
Even if it wasn't, if he melted down this box made of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron to forge a sword, it would become an incomparable masterpiece.
Even this alone was a treasure equivalent to an inner core—or rather, from Sun-woo's perspective, an even better one.
"Do you like it? You like it, right?"
The Human-Faced Spider held in Sun-woo's arms spoke in a voice as clear as a nightingale's.
She had been terrified, thinking he had raised his sword to kill her, but it turned out he had only struck the box.
And seeing the corners of his mouth lift in satisfaction, the Human-Faced Spider could tell.
She knew that Sun-woo was currently in a very good mood.
"I like it very much."
Sun-woo continued, stroking the Human-Faced Spider's head without hesitation.
Since she had guided him to a place with such a treasure, his previous ill feelings had vanished completely.
"Hehehehe."
The Human-Faced Spider, having her head stroked, gave a bright smile.
She didn't know why, but the human before her seemed to like the box.
That meant...
It meant she could live, didn't it?
She smiled happily.
Leaving her smile behind, Sun-woo set her down on the floor.
"Ah..."
The Human-Faced Spider, who had been in Sun-woo's arms, let out a sigh of regret.
It had been more comfortable than she expected.
After putting the Human-Faced Spider down, Sun-woo approached the box more closely.
He began to examine the box's appearance in more detail.
The exterior was a simple, crude box.
And seeing as there was no separate keyhole, it seemed to be a structure that simply opened.
Sun-woo grabbed the top of the box and slowly began to pull.
"Hnnngh!"
However, the box wouldn't open, as if it had been sealed with glue.
'Is it not going to be easy after all?'
Sun-woo focused and began to draw up his internal energy.
Vitality began to surge through his body.
"Hnnngh!"
Sun-woo applied strength once more and tried to open the box.
Thud.
But only the box itself lifted; it did not open.
Sun-woo was perplexed.
What kind of thing was this?
Was there some kind of special device?
Sun-woo began to feel all over the box again.
Since the Poison Emperor had said he opened and closed it at will, there had to be a way to open it.
But no matter how much he felt around, he couldn't find a proper opening mechanism, and Sun-woo grew irritated.
Shring.
He drew his sword from its scabbard once more.
He intended to slowly scrape the seams of the box with the blade.
Scritch, scratch.
Sun-woo wedged the sword into the seam and began to scrape.
No matter how sturdily it was made, it was still a box made by a human.
If he kept scraping, it would open eventually.
Scritch, scratch.
.
.
.
.
How much time had passed?
Clang!
"I'm done."
No matter how much he scraped the seams, there was no sign of it opening.
Sun-woo, drenched in sweat, threw his sword aside.
His patience had reached its limit.
It seemed he had approached this the wrong way.
He thought everything would be resolved just by finding it, but that didn't seem to be the case.
The box showed no sign of opening, and he was starting to get exhausted.
Sun-woo was impressed.
To think that he, a master of the Transcendent Realm, couldn't open it.
'Should I try using a Sword Ring? No, the contents might get destroyed. Then should I melt it down to check the contents? No, who could I trust with this treasure...'
Countless thoughts began to swirl in his head.
How was he supposed to handle this treasure?
If he tried to break it with a Sword Ring, it was uncertain if it would even break, and even if it did, he worried the contents would be damaged.
On the other hand, if he were to melt it down, there was no blacksmith he could trust and leave it with.
What was he supposed to do?
It was then.
"...Excuse me."
The Human-Faced Spider's voice came from behind him.
Sun-woo turned around at her call.
"What?"
"Why are you scratching that box with your claw?"
The Human-Faced Spider tilted her head and asked him.
Why was he suddenly scratching the box?
"Because it won't open."
Sun-woo answered curtly.
He was already irritated, so he didn't have the luxury to answer kindly.
"That thing opens if you just touch it, though?"
She asked Sun-woo back, looking puzzled.
"What?"
Sun-woo was taken aback by her answer.
He had been searching for a mechanism so desperately, and she said it opened just by touching it?
'Then did he just use internal energy!?'
Sun-woo realized his mistake.
He should have asked from the beginning instead of just blindly forcing it.
In short, he had been doing pointless labor.
Irritation surged up rapidly.
"Why are you only telling me that now!"
Embarrassed, Sun-woo took his anger out on the Human-Faced Spider.
What kind of spiteful mind stays silent while someone is going through such a struggle?
To anyone's eyes, it looked like a trick to screw with him.
"You didn't ask!"
The Human-Faced Spider snapped back, not backing down.
What kind of attitude was it to get angry after not even asking?
"I was fiddling with the box like that, and you didn't know?"
"I thought you were playing with the box."
"As if I'd play with it!"
Sun-woo approached her and pulled hard on both of her soft cheeks.
"Aaaaaah!"
"You did that on purpose to screw with me, didn't you?"
"Wha' i' yeot? (What is yeot?)"
With her cheeks pulled taut, she answered Sun-woo while on the verge of tears.
What was 'yeot' that he was pulling her cheeks over it?
And if it was something to eat, she would eat it herself; why would she give it to him?
She didn't know what it was, but her resentment toward 'yeot' soared.
"No, you were pulling a stunt to drain my stamina, weren't you? You damn spider!"
"I'm no'! I'm no'!! (I'm not! I'm not!)"
Even with her cheeks being pulled, she answered stubbornly, protesting her innocence.
What kind of sudden bolt from the blue was this?
Water began to pool in the corners of her eyes.
These weren't tears from the pain.
They were from the sheer unfairness and frustration of it all.
Only after bullying her thoroughly did Sun-woo release her cheeks.
Bullying her seemed to have relieved his frustration somewhat.
"Hmph!"
The Human-Faced Spider, whose cheeks had been pulled mercilessly by Sun-woo, began to gently stroke her own face.
He had pulled so hard that they were swollen bright red.
She hadn't done anything wrong, so why was he bullying her when she was just staying still?
'Son of a bitch.'
She began to glare at Sun-woo with eyes full of deep-seated resentment.
She would definitely repay this grudge someday.
Whether he knew what she was thinking or not, Sun-woo simply approached the box indifferently.
Touch.
Sun-woo placed his hand on top of the box.
He still felt the cold sensation.
Sun-woo slowly began to channel his internal energy into the box filled with chill.
If the Human-Faced Spider's words were true, the Poison Emperor must have made this box so it could be opened and closed using internal energy as a key.
The Yin-Yang Harmony Qi slowly flowed out and began to cover the entire box.
Vrrrrm.
The box began to vibrate and resonate.
'Is it opening!?'
Sun-woo brightened at the box's unusual reaction.
It seemed it was finally about to open.
.
.
.
However, the box only resonated; there was no sign of it opening.
Sun-woo pondered.
'Why isn't it opening?'
According to the Human-Faced Spider, didn't it open just by touching it?
If so, the key must be internal energy, so why wasn't it opening?
Glare.
Just in case, Sun-woo glared at the Human-Faced Spider.
Could she have lied?
"What? What? You gonna hit me? Hit me! Go ahead and hit me!"
At Sun-woo's gaze, the Human-Faced Spider raised her voice and defied him stubbornly.
It seemed the grudge from having her cheeks pulled still remained.
Whack!
"Ack!"
Sun-woo smacked the Human-Faced Spider on the head and turned his gaze back to the box.
No matter how much he thought about it, he didn't think the Human-Faced Spider was intelligent enough to lie.
Then, in what way did the Poison Emperor open this box?
Sun-woo began to list the information he had about the Poison Emperor in his head.
'The first World's Greatest Martial Artist produced by the Tang Clan, the great hero who saved the Murim, the philanderer who established the Godok Hall, and the creator of the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art...'
Flash.
In an instant, something flashed in Sun-woo's mind.
Sun-woo quickly placed his hand on the box and began to slowly gather his internal energy.
This time, it wasn't ordinary Yin-Yang Harmony Qi.
It was Yin-Yang Harmony Qi mimicking the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art.
The poison and internal energy submerged within his body began to mix into one again.
Soon, a green energy began to flow from his body.
It was the aura of the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art.
He had once again transformed his Yin-Yang Harmony Qi into the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Qi.
Sun-woo channeled the transformed energy directly into the box.
The Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Qi soon began to envelop the entire box.
And then...
Click.
With a clicking sound, the box slowly began to open.
'Yes!'
Sun-woo cheered inwardly.
It seemed that channeling the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Qi was indeed the answer.
Sun-woo grabbed the slowly opening box and pulled it completely open.
Then, he lowered his head to peer inside.
However, the interior was dark, making it hard to see what was there.
Sun-woo reached his hand directly into the box and began to feel around inside.
Thump.
And before long, he felt his hand touch something.
A smile spread across Sun-woo's lips.