The Armor of Spirits and Fiends

The armor and the divine beast rolled around. Roll, roll. "Do you like your new toy?" "Yeah!" Baek Seol played happily, rolling it like a snowman and even climbing on top to push it like a ball. "Baek Seol, let's play more after we finish shopping." "Okay!"

While she was still rolling the ball around, Baek Seol suddenly hopped up and jumped into my arms. Feeling a prickling sensation on the back of my head, I turned around to see Grandpa Cheonma, who had been massaging the back of his neck, watching us.

"Is it alright if I go a little deeper?" "Take your time and look around, dear."

Each and every item looked incredibly precious, yet the path stretched on endlessly. I couldn't even begin to guess how many years it must have taken to gather all these treasures. "Hmm."

As I walked further along the corridor, the number of equipment-type items steadily increased. Almost everything here was related to combat. I needed to pick out what I lacked the most right now. I already had more weapons than I could use, thanks to all the gifts I'd received. Besides, I wasn't particularly skilled with them, and punching felt more natural anyway. On top of that, my strength had already been hard to control, and after receiving the hair tie from Baek Seol's father, everyday life had become downright difficult. If I hadn't held back when I punched Uncle Daeju, there wouldn't have been anything left of him but a puddle of blood.

"Grandma, don't you have any armor or defensive gear?" "Heh heh, martial artists tend to stay away from protective equipment." "Why? Because it's heavy?" "There are many complicated reasons, including what you mentioned, but the biggest one is that the imperial family strictly forbade the use of gunpowder, armor, and bows, calling them war equipment."

"Ohhh." "As time passed, wearing armor came to be seen as something only cowards would do." I had thought they just didn't wear it because it was heavy, but apparently the situation was more complicated. "That's stupid." "You're right. Practicality is what matters most."

While chatting with Grandma, I walked deeper inside. Weapons radiating intense killing intent were on display. Just like Grandpa Kwonma said, since I often used fist and kick techniques, gauntlets were tempting. Still, defensive gear seemed more important right now. "This is the end."

Before I knew it, I had reached the end of the long corridor. Even after looking around, there weren't many pieces that could be called proper armor. "Grandpa Cheonma." "What is it?" "You're worried I'll take something too valuable, aren't you?" "Ahem."

Apparently I was right. The grandpas who had been constantly recommending this and that beside me had suddenly gone quiet. "I won't take anything good, so can I have those two instead?" "Those?" ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Following my pointing finger, the grandpas' gazes moved. Among all the countless treasures here, they were the only items that actually looked like armor.

"Child, those are spirit-infused armors that carry an ominous aura, but they're not particularly useful. Pick something else. Not everything in the vault is good just because it's here." "That's right, forget that junk and take the Black Blood Soul Net Spear instead. What would you even do with useless armor like that?" "This old fool is still recommending that thing?" "That thing!?"

The grandpas spoke that way, but I could see it clearly.

"That armor looks insanely good though?" "Ahem. If that's truly what you want, I won't stop you." When ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I looked at Grandpa Cheonma, he quietly turned his head away. It was obvious he was just going along with it. To these people, armor was nothing more than something hard, so their reaction wasn't hard to understand. "Child, are you really sure? I can't understand why you'd want to wear two thick suits of armor at once." "Yeah. I like these two the most."

Grandpa Cheonma nodded, while the others shook their heads. In raids, the most important stat isn't attack power—it's survivability. No matter how strong you are, if you die, it's all for nothing. These people were glass cannons by default, so no amount of explaining would make them understand. "Thank you. I'll use them well." "Do that."

When I picked up the armor, I finally understood why they had tried to stop me. If even I could feel the weight in my hands, the martial artists here wouldn't even glance at it. As I examined the armor and stepped outside, the stale air seemed to clear. Creaaak! The vault door closed with a loud noise. "Grandpas, Grandmas, I'm going to rest at Black Dragon Pavilion for a bit." "You worked hard treating the young cult leader. Rest well."

The armor on the bed radiated a menacing aura. "Time to eat." Crack, crunch! When I placed my hand on the armor and focused, it disappeared with a crushing sound in an instant. Ding! [Absorption of the Four Spirits Divine Armor has begun] Ding! [Absorption of the Four Fiends Divine Armor has begun] [0.0001%] [0.0002%]

It was one of the abilities of the Sun-Moon Divine Spear that Baek Seol's mother had given me—Absorption and Ten Thousand Transformations. With this, I wouldn't have to walk around wearing heavy armor. Once the absorption was complete, I could just tie my hair with the ribbon like usual. The hair tie I'd received from Baek Seol's father had been absorbed immediately, but these armors didn't seem to have a very good assimilation rate. At roughly 0.0001% per second, it would take about eleven days.

"This is great." "Yeah!" "Hehe, you like it too, Baek Seol?" "Eung!" Knock knock. While Baek Seol and I were grinning at each other, happy about the new items, a knock ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sounded at the door. "Yes, I'm coming out." Creak. When I opened the door, Grandma Hyeolma was standing there. "Please come in." "Thank you."

After entering the room, Grandma stared straight into my eyes. "Child. Do you have a separate master?" "Huh? No, I don't have anyone like that." "Then would you like to inherit this grandma's legacy?" "Uh… You mean learn martial arts?" Grandma nodded with a gentle smile. "I don't even know the first thing about martial arts." "Heh heh, if you already knew everything, there'd be no point in studying." "Hmm."

Martial arts probably weren't just simple physical techniques. It would take years just to learn the basics, and I couldn't stay holed up here learning only martial arts. Even the grandpas at Black Dragon Pavilion were still deep in their training. They would probably continue training for the rest of their lives. "Child, let me see your hand." "My hand?"

When I held out my hand, she pressed her index and middle fingers firmly against my wrist. A strange energy flowed into my body and spread out as if examining every corner. Creak! Bang! "Huh?" Just as the warm energy was about to make my eyes close, the grandpas from Black Dragon Pavilion all burst in at once. "Oh dear, someone beat us to it." "The Martial Alliance Lord has sent carrier pigeons demanding that the entire martial world return his trust." "Child, if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you're interested in fist techniques—" "Of course it's the sword. This old man is still going on about fist techniques—" "Get out." "Yes." "Thank you for your hard work, Supreme Elder."

The grandpas who had stormed in disappeared like ghosts in the blink of an eye. Even in the midst of it, the warm energy continued swirling through my body. "Such a beautiful and pure pulse. But what are these divine powers tangled up like a bundle?" "Eh. You can see that?" "This grandma knows everything." I had just thought she was a strong old lady, but apparently that wasn't all. "Just looking at your body, the strongest experts in the world would drool and rush to take you as a disciple. I've never seen such a sturdy and pure physique."

When Grandma withdrew the energy she had been channeling into my wrist, it vanished without a trace. "This grandma doesn't have much time left. My martial art is a single-successor technique." "What? Why don't you have time?" Rip. She took out a bottle of liquor she had stored in her spatial pocket and tore off the thick paper stopper. The rich aroma filled the room. "Grandma, drink this. There's a lot." "Heh heh, how can your heart be so kind? I'll only accept the sentiment, child." "No, there's plenty, so please drink."

Whenever old people said they didn't have time or that they were sick, my heart sank. I didn't want to feel that twice. "Alright, I'll have just one cup." Glug glug. I hurriedly took out a soju glass and poured the liquor. A liquid that looked as if it held moonlight poured out. "What a lovely glass." "Drink up quickly."

When I held the glass out to Grandma, who had only been watching, she smiled brightly. Gulp. Grandma lifted the soju glass and downed it in one go. "Phew, this is truly heavenly nectar. With this, I should be able to restore some vitality to my weakened inner energy." "Have more." "Heh heh, that's enough. I'm satisfied."

Grandma looked me in the eyes without saying anything. It seemed she was waiting for my answer. "I don't know right now. Can I think about it a little and tell you later?" "Do so." A warm smile and an answer came back as if she had been waiting for it.

"Our little fluffball sleepy?" "Yeah." After riding an airplane all day and then getting straight into a car, she looked really tired. No matter how big the mansion was, the car that had left a while ago was still driving even after entering the estate grounds. "Young miss, we'll arrive shortly." "Okay." When I patted Baek Seol, she went completely limp. Click. When I opened the wooden box, the inside of the moving car filled with medicinal fragrance. It was the Heavenly Heart Dragon Pill I had taken from Namgung Myeong. I wasn't sure if Baek Seol could eat it. Still, she was a rabbit that could use magic. And she had even smelled the Great Return Pill before. "Baek Seol, want to eat this?" "Food!" The little fluffball with a black hole for a stomach perked up at the word "eat" and wiggled her butt. "It's not food, it's medicine." "Medicine!" "Wait a second."

Even though eating a single flower made her full, she still ate quite a lot for her size. Just in case, I smeared honey on the Heavenly Heart Dragon Pill and placed it on my palm. She rested her front paws on my hand and stared at it for a long time. "Can you eat it?" "Yeah!" In the end, the honey-coated pill, no bigger than a fingernail, disappeared into Baek Seol's mouth in an instant. "Huh? You already ate it all?" "Yeah!" "Let me see." I slipped my hand under her armpits and lifted her up. She dangled limply. "Hmm. You've gotten even fluffier." "Yeah!" I honestly couldn't tell what had changed.

"Game festival? Looks fun, let's go together." - Yay! I'll contact you! "Okay, bye." Click. As soon as I hung up, the car door opened as if it had been waiting. "Young miss, we've arrived at Hurst Leopold." "Thank you." No matter how big it was, it was still just a house, yet it even had a name like an apartment. When I got out of the car that Albert had opened, I immediately understood why. The mansion was so large and wide that I had to turn my head from left to right just to see both ends.

"Hey, my kids, welcome." [⚔️Chat Where is this?] "I told you my acquaintance was a foreigner. So I came to visit them in the hospital. I'll turn off the stream screen for a bit, you know what I mean?" [⚔️Chat Got it got it] [⚔️Chat ㅇ_ㅋ] As expected of my quick-witted viewers, they understood right away. This is why I like my kids. [Chat Was the acquaintance a foreigner? This doesn't look like our country] "This is Mecklenburg County, Charlotte, North Carolina. I'm turning off the screen now." [⚔️Chat Look at that smooth tongue, streamer lol]

After waiting a moment, the door to the mansion opened. As soon as it did, an unpleasant dark aura poured out and quickly began to erode my body. This feels ominous. "Baek Seol, Grandpa!" "Over there!" Baek Seol pointed to the second floor of the mansion. Thud thud thud! Every time my feet hit the floor, noise echoed. The bodyguards who passed by raised their hands to stop me, then lowered them after seeing the badge on my chest. Bang!! "Grandpa!!"

When I threw open the door guarded by two security guards on either side, I saw Grandpa lying surrounded by countless medical devices. His face, which had always looked bold and strong even when laughing heartily, had no color left in it. In front of such a grandfather, an elderly woman with her hands in her pockets and a sly smile on her face turned her gaze toward me. "Do you know where this is, barging in like—" "Where the hell do you think you are, you crazy bitch, running your mouth? I'll rip it apart."

An elderly man in a suit who looked to be in his sixties fell to the floor and trembled. His heavily applied lipstick was smeared, and the teeth on the slapped side had all been knocked out. "Jeremy, please take this woman away and dispose of her." "M-Miss, this person is a senator…" "If you don't want to clean up a corpse, take her away right now." "Haha, yes. I'll go throw out the trash and have a smoke while I'm at it." Smack! <Mental Collapse> "Huh? Is she having a seizure or something? Friend, help me." "Huu. You grab the legs."

After a while, the room was covered in silence. Perhaps because of the quiet, the repetitive beeping from the medical equipment sounded even louder. Grandpa, who should have been drinking, showed no signs of consciousness. I gently tilted the white porcelain bottle against his lips, and drops of liquor that had gathered at the opening fell one by one. Drip. Drip.

Someone was stroking my hair. They carefully swept aside the strands that had been scattered here and there, as if each one were a treasure. Though the fingers carried the weight of years, they were filled with affection and endlessly warm. "Mmm…" "Child, did you sleep well?" "Grandpa." "Yes, it's your grandpa." The rough, almost stubborn fingers stroking my head made my tear ducts itch. "Huuu…" "Haha, who made our grown child cry like this?"

Overwhelmed by relief, I lowered my head, and tears welled up before falling onto the white bedsheet. "Who made you so sad? This grandpa will scold them for you."

"Waaah! Grandpa, those bastards bullied me."