Chapter 178: The Heritage Site of the Spirit Sword (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 178: The Heritage Site of the Spirit Sword (1)
It felt like he was walking toward a star.
Though he took long, heavy strides, he didn't seem to get any closer to Temar. Just as one could never truly reach the stars, it felt as if he could never reach his ancestor.
The blade of Bradamante, drawn with what little strength he had left, trembled uncontrollably in his grip.
Huff, huff…
Each ragged, hot breath scraped his throat like a shard of glass. Strike. I must strike. His mind had been wiped clean, leaving only that single, simple resolve.
To never let one's will break, no matter the odds. To swing a sword ten thousand times and ensure the final stroke was as perfect as the first. For a warrior who had just begun to taste true strength, what could be more magnificent? Though his body screamed in agony, Jin felt a profound satisfaction from this final trial.
I am moving forward, even if I can’t feel it.
The conviction hammered in his chest, a stark contrast to the illusion of stillness.
How much longer did he walk?
Slowly, his darkened, narrowed vision began to clear.
The blurry figure of Temar was now significantly closer, and Jin could also perceive a new presence beside him: a woman. The Black Dragon, Misha.
Who is that?
The thought didn’t even cross Jin’s mind. To be precise, it couldn't.
His heart was a solid mass of will, laser-focused on striking Temar Runcandel. There was no room for stray thoughts or idle questions.
It didn't matter who stood beside Temar. That could never be a reason for him to fail.
At that moment, Temar smiled once more.
Misha, staring at Jin with her fists clenched, didn't see the smile that touched Temar’s lips.
A child who makes the heart race… I didn’t expect him to exceed my expectations by this much, Lord Solderet.
The significance of the third trial was exactly as Jin had surmised. It was about possessing the will to strike down anyone he encountered, to refuse despair even when facing a titan like Temar Runcandel.
However, actually reaching the spot where Temar stood was never part of the test.
This space was prepared not just for Jin, but for every Runcandel magic swordsman who wielded Spirit Energy.
Because of the humiliating covenant the Runcandels had made with the Zipples, a new successor had only now appeared—a thousand years after Temar’s death.
Originally, this was a land that any Runcandel magic swordsman contracted with Solderet had to pass through at least once.
Had it not been for the covenant, at least ten Runcandel magic swordsmen would have visited this land over the past millennium.
But among them, how many could have done what Jin was doing? And in the body of a boy not yet twenty?
Besides Cyron Runcandel, the current Patriarch, there would be no one. No, perhaps even he could not have done it quite like this boy…
Only a hundred paces remained between Jin and Temar.
He had certainly consumed an unimaginable amount of mental strength, yet for some reason, Jin's pace quickened the closer he got.
If Temar's oppressive aura was the fire and the grueling march was the hammer, then Jin was the iron being forged between them. The closer he drew, the sharper he became.
He was becoming a sword.
Finally.
His sword reached Temar.
Bradamante no longer trembled. It simply glowed with a blue light, having fully absorbed the radiance of the White Night.
He drew the blade back.
One more step, one downward swing, and he would finally strike his ancestor.
No!
Jin’s pupils dilated in shock.
The moment he drew his sword back to strike, Temar vanished. He had come all this way with the sole intent of landing this one blow, only for the mirage to cruelly dissipate.
Not even a man dying of thirst who stumbles upon a mirage could know the despair Jin felt now.
"Temar!" he screamed, slashing at the empty air.
A raw cry tore from his cracked throat. Temar, where did you go? Temar! He called his ancestor’s name again and again, swinging his sword like a madman.
But Temar was gone.
The man who had stood tall, radiating an aura that could only be described as divine, was someone who no longer existed in this world.
"Damn it!"
As if ten thousand taut strings had snapped at once, the iron will that had driven him forward shattered.
In its place, a crushing sense of futility rushed in, hollowing out his heart.
He swung his sword aimlessly five more times.
The woman! The woman standing next to Temar might know something!
Suddenly remembering the woman, Jin whipped his head around.
But Misha had also vanished, hidden once more within the depths of the Great Desert. From where he stood, he could only assume she, too, had been a mirage.
"Ha…!"
Thud!
Jin collapsed to the ground and buried his head in his hands.
He couldn't accept it. To strike Temar, he had cut down his brothers and his beloved teacher.
It wasn't just the Tona brothers and Valeria; he would have done the same to anyone. He would have cut down Murakan, Gilly, Luna, Yona, Casimir, Enya, Alisa—anyone—to pass through.
He had traversed a hell that felt like an eternity to finally reach him!
And it ends like this? In futility?
Anger surged, warring with the emptiness.
But he couldn't vent his rage on the sandstorms swirling around him. Nor could he wait for Temar to reappear. A powerful intuition told him that his ancestor would not return, no matter how long he waited.
Soon, Jin composed himself and quietly surveyed his surroundings.
It took a long time to regain his composure.
How ridiculous. I came all this way, obsessed with striking Temar even if it killed me. But the moment he disappears, I’m reminded that I have no food or water left…
His supplies had run out back when he encountered the second mirage, Valeria. He had recovered some vitality after fighting her, but that was it.
This was no time to sit and despair over Temar's disappearance. And now, he didn't even have the strength to search for a spring.
It would have been better if he had never seen Temar at all.
—Once the third mirage ends, perform Spirit Energy Release. If you do, the Pluto Tribe will appear.
He decided to follow Murakan’s instructions. All three mirages were gone; it seemed it was time to meet the Pluto Tribe.
Whooooosh…
Black Spirit Energy began to drift from Jin's body.
He hadn't realized it in his daze, but his Spirit Energy was much denser than it had been before he entered the Great Desert. He had grown stronger by completing the three trials.
He sat in meditation for a long time, performing Spirit Energy Release.
But there was no sign of the Pluto Tribe.
The three mirages are over, so why…?
Had Murakan been wrong? Or was the Heritage Site of Spirit Energy in the Mitra Great Desert just a myth?
Such anxieties gnawed at his mind. No matter how much he pushed his Spirit Energy Release to its limit, no one approached.
The night ended.
The blue sun was once again dyed with white brilliance, exhaling a terrible heat, and Jin could only stare at the ivory desert with a hollow expression.
"Hahaha!"
Laughter erupted instead of curses. He wanted to grab someone and ask, What do you think of this absurd situation?
What more was he supposed to do here?
"Aaaaaagh!"
He shot to his feet with a roar. If he didn't scream, he felt he might faint from sheer frustration.
"You bastards… let's see this through to the end," he snarled at the empty desert. "Fine. Let's see who gives up first."
He didn't even know who he was talking to.
Jin decided to walk again. Even if he couldn't reach the Heritage Site, he refused to let his life end in this godforsaken desert.
Just as he was about to take a heavy step, he heard a voice.
"Passed."
Startled, Jin spun around to find a beastman he had never seen before.
He was almost human, except for the black fur covering his hands, a fist-sized gem embedded in the center of his chest, and a long tail swishing behind him.
The Pluto Tribe—those who challenged the gods five thousand years ago and were destroyed.
Jin blinked for a long moment, looking up at him. Standing over two meters tall, the Pluto Tribe member blocked the sun with his massive frame, his face expressionless.
Jin wasn't even curious where this giant had come from. After nearly three weeks in the Great Desert, he was used to such things.
"If you had sat down and blubbered about giving up, or screamed at the heavens to save you, you would have failed."
"…What?"
"When the third mirage vanished, you probably thought the trial was over. And in truth, by Solderet's standards, it was."
"So, you're saying… the trial ended when the third mirage disappeared?"
The Pluto Tribe member shrugged and nodded.
"In a way. But by our standards, that alone isn’t enough. You are not qualified to receive our teachings unless you are a warrior who maintains their fighting spirit until the very, very end. In that sense, you have passed."
Shing!
Jin bared his teeth and drew Bradamante. Before the giant could say another word, he lunged forward.
Clang!
The Pluto Tribe member easily parried the surprise attack and smiled.
"Why so angry, Contractor of Solderet? Looking for a fight?"
Jin, however, didn’t follow up with a second strike. He sheathed his sword, his face now calm—a stark contrast to the murderous intent in his eyes just a moment before.
"No. You were toying with me. I just felt I had to swing my sword at least once to feel satisfied."
"Is that so? Not because you got scared when your best surprise attack failed so miserably?"
Snicker.
This time, Jin let out a laugh.
"Do I look scared to you? If you want, we can keep fighting."
The Pluto Tribe member looked down at Jin in silence for a moment, a flicker of intrigue in his eyes.
Then, he grinned once more.
"I like you. You're very different from the humans I remember. Most humans back then were busy pissing themselves the moment they saw us."
"I suppose you only fought against the weak."
"Khahaha, well. You could interpret it that way. We were truly invincible back then."
The Pluto Tribe member lightly patted the silent Jin's shoulder.
"My name is Tantel. What is your name, child of Solderet?"
"Jin Runcandel."
"Good, Jin Runcandel. I'll give you one piece of advice. I'm merciful enough to find your arrogance cute, but you'd better be careful when you meet my brothers in the Fighting God Temple."
"The Fighting God Temple?"
"Just as the name suggests. It is where the brothers enshrined as fighting gods reside. They are monstrously strong. Anyway, if you speak to them the way you just spoke to me, you’ll become their next meal. They don't cherish you nearly as much as Solderet does."
Tantel spoke as he sliced his hand through the air.
Then, a massive dimensional gate tore open, revealing the long-lost civilization of the Pluto Tribe.