[TS] Became a Peach Saint – Chapter 270

Han Ga-eul kept her distance as the elders huddled together.

Grand Elder Hyanghyang, standing nearby, simply watched them with a smile, as if they were conspiring.

“Why so quiet? Did you all get honey on your tongues? Huh? Did honey come out for breakfast or something?”

Even when a third of the Divine Teaching members died in the war, the General Commander remained calm without batting an eye.

Yet now, this same commander was excitedly spouting near-nonsense, scolding the elders who were gathered in a circle, heads together.

“No, look, isn’t that clearly a living, moving skeleton?”

Finally, thanks to Grim Sword’s modest reply, the elders’ gazes simultaneously turned backward.

There, pitch-black skeletons were relentlessly emitting crimson glows from their eyes.

“Black Skulls. And not just any Black Skulls—ones that can crush solid blue steel without a care. Grim Sword, are you going senile or something?”

At Dokma’s words, the commander’s face twisted so much it looked like it might haunt your dreams.

“So what’s the big deal, you idiots?!”

“Ugh…”

For them, it was a situation that hurt their pride.

Having lived long lives, these elders had seen most of the famous martial arts techniques out there, but they had never heard of living, moving skeletons.

“Anyway…”

At that moment, Gwonma spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention.

“One thing’s for sure: if that bizarre martial art—or sorcery, whatever it is—is used outside, it’ll make us public enemies of the martial world.”

As Gwonma nodded toward the gazes fixed on him, the elders also nodded in agreement.

“Looking at that, it’s clear the child knows nothing about the martial world. If we let them out like that, they’re bound to cause trouble.”

“True. Right now, it’s not about teaching sorcery but restraint.”

“That’s the result of their own training to protect themselves. Stopping it would be too harsh on the child.”

As the elders each chimed in, the room started to get as noisy as it did during meetings called by Cheonma.

Finally, Grim Sword proposed the solution he had been thinking of.

“Let’s send the Sura Sword Soul Unit as escorts.”

“Isn’t that too much? Think about why we can’t go out with the child ourselves.”

The Sura Sword Soul Unit is the elite force directly under Grim Sword, one of the Cheonma Shin Guild’s Grand Elders.

Those who serve in ordinary martial forces all aspire to join higher units. Being part of a Grand Elder’s direct force is akin to gaining undeniable power.

In other words, only the most capable, carefully selected individuals can pass the grueling trials to join Grim Sword’s unit.

And those who make it into Grim Sword’s unit dream of joining an even higher force: the Sura Sword Soul Unit.

Yet Grim Sword didn’t think sending the Sword Soul Unit was excessive at all.

Martial artists are those who never let go of their desire for martial prowess until their dying breath. In other words, Shin Yi, who helped Grim Sword achieve his dreams, was like a benefactor he could never repay.

“Too much? This is just…”

Grim Sword, about to refute the commander’s claim that it was excessive, suddenly paused.

The age of those huddled together was just…

Even though it would have been an enormous number close to a thousand, it was because they felt the gaze of the Grand Elder, who was looking at those elders as if they were mere children.

“Our children have taken on the role of escort before.”

“Ugh… Then the escort will be the Cheonhyeol Unit.”

As far as Grim Sword knew, the Cheonhyeol Unit, the Grand Elder’s direct military force, had been deliberately suppressing their bloodline to lower their level of power.

‘Are they planning to release it…?’

“Regardless, we must stop those things the child is controlling. No matter how you look at it, we call it Jiangshi Art when the dead come back to life and move.”

Jiangshi Art was something even the Cheonma Shin Guild, which the orthodox factions of the martial world had labeled as evil, avoided.

It was a technique whose very existence was uncertain, but to them, Jiangshi Art was beyond mere wickedness—it was taboo itself.

***

“Ahem.”

The grandfathers, who had been chatting at a distance, approached me with a fake cough.

Among them, the grandmother naturally stepped forward and gently patted my head.

“Child, can you get rid of those Black Skulls?”

“Yep.”

*Snap!*

As I snapped my fingers, the menacing skeletons instantly turned into smoke and scattered.

I didn’t even go as far as summoning a Dark Knight, just a Dark Skeleton, the strongest among the Skeleton series, but everyone still looked shocked.

I thought it would be fine since they were people who had learned martial arts, but judging by their reactions, that didn’t seem to be the case.

“Hmm.”

Grandfather Gunsa approached next to the grandmother who had come forward first.

“What is that?”

“A skeleton.”

“……”

Because I said something so obvious, Grandfather Gunsa’s face was filled with confusion.

“Child, using those things outside is a no-go. If you do that, you’ll turn the entire martial world against you.”

“Huh? Really? They’re just moving skeletons, though.”

In the tower, they’re treated as monsters, but here, it seems different.

While I was talking with the grandmother, Grandfather Grim Sword approached the skeleton and tapped it with his finger.

“It’s solid.”

“Yep. They’re solid friends.”

“I see…”

Originally, Dark Skeletons evolved from Red Metal Skeletons, which were harder than iron.

So, they’re either as hard as or harder than Red Metal Skeletons—definitely not soft.

I’m not sure how much power they can exert against strong opponents, but since even metal can’t scratch them without considerable strength, they’re considered much stronger against weaker foes.

For example, there were players in the tower’s tutorial who couldn’t handle a few skeletons and ended up getting slaughtered.

Without a certain level of strength, even scratching them is impossible.

“Can you move them freely?”

“Yes.”

*Clack!*

Before I even finished answering Grandfather Grim Sword, one Dark Skeleton took a step forward.

“Wow, only a sword aura could cut through this. Any ordinary military unit would be exhausted just trying to deal with them.”

“Is that so?”

“I see. The weapons will all go bad too.”

Even as he answered, the grandfather kept glancing at the dark skeleton.

“No wonder it came out crushing blue steel like tofu. Huh, impressive.”

For humans, it’s somewhat natural to have low defense but high attack power.

Most humans fall into this category, but these people seem even more like glass cannons. The people in the tower at least have the concept of tanks, but here, there doesn’t seem to be anything like that.

Even when receiving armor, they avoid wearing it due to the perception of cowardice and the added weight.

The “Sword Strength” the grandfather mentioned must also be a technique with strong attack power but terribly low sustainability.

“Child, you’ve gotten incredibly strong in the short time I haven’t seen you. Did you melt down the armor you got or something?”

The grandmother stared at me intently and then nodded.

“I was just hiding some of my strength.”

I’ve become so much stronger compared to when I first arrived here.

“Wise move. Only amateurs show all their strength. Also, in the martial world, you must be cautious of children, the elderly, and women.”

“I fall into two of those categories. So, shouldn’t my opponents be cautious of me?”

“Well… I guess so.”

Now that I think about it, even though I asked for treatment, it seems they’re still uneasy about me going outside.

They seem eager to keep teaching me about the martial world.

Just then, Grandfather Grim Sword lightly tapped the sword at his waist and approached me.

“Child, how about learning the sword?”

“The sword?”

“If you’re going out, you need to be able to protect yourself. We’ll teach you martial arts. The sword is called the king of all weapons, so it’ll suit you perfectly.”

“Hmm…”

Before leaving here, Grandmother Hyeolma had asked if I wanted to follow in her footsteps, and I had postponed answering.

I glanced at her, and she nodded.

“I wish it were a bit longer.”

It’s uncomfortable when blood splatters during a fight.

“Well said!”

As soon as I answered, Grandfather Changma pushed Grandfather Grim Sword aside and stepped forward.

“Oops, I didn’t see you there, short sword guy. Hahaha!”

“Changma…!”

*Grinding noise*

“Talking about the king of all weapons. When it comes to weapons, it’s the spear, right? Hahaha!”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t use the sword…”

“Exactly, right?”

Grandfather Grim Sword, who had been pushed aside, shoved Grandfather Changma back.

To be honest, the swordsmanship Yama taught me is something I can’t use because I lack the strength, not that I don’t use it.

“Hmm…”

Grandfather Dokma, who had been watching their scuffle, gave me a look full of disappointment.

“I’m studying poison.”

“Hah! When it comes to versatility, it’s poison, right?”

With my one comment, Grandfather Dokma joined the scuffle.

Meanwhile, another gaze arrived.

“Well… actually, my main focus is hand-to-hand combat. I use weapons because I don’t like blood splattering.”

“Indeed! A martial artist should rely on their bare hands!”

Grandfather Gwonma…

Even the Virgin is getting involved.

“You have a disciple, don’t you! Step aside, Gwonma!”

“Is your disciple some kind of Black Skull? Why are you acting like you don’t have one?”

It’s a total mess.

“Um… Would it be okay if I learned a little bit?”

The grandfathers, who were childishly grabbing each other by the collars, all turned their gazes toward me at the same time.

Only then did they let go of each other’s collars.

“Alright, what do you want to learn first?”

Grandfather Changma, brushing off his wrinkled clothes, smiled gently and asked.

“I want to try the spear first. Actually, I mainly use a staff, not a spear. Is that okay?”

“The spear and the staff are different, yet the same.”

Grandfather Changma smiled even more contentedly as he approached.

His words were exactly the same as when he taught Son Goku staff techniques.

“Oh-ho.”

I took out the Ruyi Jingu Bang to show it to the grandfather, and Grandfather Changma’s eyes widened in surprise.

“A staff that changes size? It’s a bit crude for a divine weapon.”

At first glance, it looks no different from an iron club.

“Can this old man take a closer look? I need to check its balance.”

The grandfather’s question was extremely cautious.

For a martial artist, lending a weapon seems to carry that much weight.

“Uh… It’s a bit heavy. Is that okay?”

“Hahaha! To wield a spear, you need exceptional strength. Otherwise, you won’t even be able to swing a heavy spear properly.”

“Oh-ho!”

“This old man’s spear alone weighs over 15 geun. So don’t worry.”

“It’s just stupidly heavy…”

Ignoring Grandfather Grim Sword’s jab at the end, he reached out.

15 geun is roughly 9 kg.

“F-fifteen geun? That won’t work…”

“Haha, don’t worry. This old man is quite sturdy…”

KWAANG—!!

As soon as the grandfather put some strength into his hand, the Ruyi Jingu Bang slammed into the ground with a sound like a bomb exploding.

The Ruyi Jingu Bang weighs 13,500 geun.