[TS] Became a Peach Saint – Chapter 138

Ding!

**《The trial of the Guardian Deity, Vajra Warrior, begins》**

The sound of tilting your head back is so loud it feels like your ears might tear.

A giant, so high up you can’t even see its face, grabs at the void.

*Skkkreeeech—!*

**《The Vajra Warrior opens the trial gate》**

The Vajra Warrior, having opened something invisible, stops moving.

A strange energy swirls in the void.

Ding!

[The King’s Selection Trial begins]

*Kwa-rrrumble—!*

As the system sound echoes, a loud roar comes from behind the invisible gate.

**《The Celestials are extremely hostile toward Cheondo》**

A suffocating wave of hostility crashes over you.

It feels closer to malice than mere hostility.

“Ugh!”

Your stomach churns, and something rises up your throat. You spit it out, and a bright red color splatters.

It smells fishy.

Even though I was just standing here, they started whispering among themselves and then began doing something weird.

I feel like smashing all their heads in.

**《The Asura, the Demon of Battle, offers to smash the Celestials’ heads for you》**

Just as breathing becomes difficult, a hearty laugh echoes, and your body feels at ease.

Despite the physical comfort, everything turns into a blur of will rather than sound, leaving your mind in chaos.

“Damn it… Bring it on, you bastards!”

**《Asura takes a liking to Cheondo》**

**《Asura supports Cheondo’s steps》**

Ding!

**《The Jade Emperor’s Four Dragons are hostile toward Cheondo》**

**《The Azure Dragon of the East is hostile toward Cheondo》**

**《The White Dragon of the West is hostile toward Cheondo》**

**《The Red Dragon of the South is hostile toward Cheondo》**

**《The Black Dragon of the North is hostile toward Cheondo》**

Ding!

**《Garuda, the bird that hunts snakes with the sun at its back, drools at the sight of Cheongwol’s child》**

**《Garuda says it will support Cheondo if offered Cheongwol’s child as a tribute》**

“Cheongwol?”

Feeling warmth from your pocket, you rummage through it, and a white ear pops out.

“Baekseol, you were here?”

“Yes!”

I was worried she might have been hurt by the strange energy, but she seems fine.

“Are you talking about her?”

As you reach into your pocket, Baekseol rubs her face against your hand.

**《Garuda drools and nods vigorously》**

“Do you know what this is?”

*Image placeholder*

Though invisible, you feel a massive gate with your entire body. As you point your middle finger toward it, the faint outline of a blazing bird appears.

**《Garuda expresses confusion》**

“Stay out of my sight, you damn bird-brain. If I see you, I’ll deep-fry you in oil for ten minutes.”

**《Garuda is enraged!》**

“Mad? What are you gonna do about it?”

**《Asura bursts into laughter》**

**《Asura strongly supports Cheondo》**

Ding!

**《Mahoraga, the Great Serpent that severs foolishness, supports Cheondo》**

**《The Four Dragons mock Mahoraga》**

Ding!

**《Gandharva, the Deity of Music and Children, supports Cheondo》**

**《The Celestials frown》**

Ding!

**《Kalavinka, the Heavenly Bird that loves beautiful melodies, takes a liking to Cheondo’s voice》**

**《Kalavinka supports Cheondo》**

Ding!

**《The man-eating Rakshasa supports Cheondo》**

“Get lost.”

**《The man-eating Rakshasa becomes hostile toward Cheondo》**

With that last weirdo, the Vajra Warrior moves again.

*Gr-gr-gruk—!*

The invisible massive gate begins to close.

**《Asura, the King of War, declares his support for Cheondo》**

**《Gandharva, the King of Pure Vision, declares his support for Cheondo》**

**《Kalavinka, the King of Heavenly Light, declares his support for Cheondo》**

《Expressing unwavering determination towards Cheondo》

《The King of Mahuragawa, adorned with the crown of victorious wisdom, declares his steadfast support for Cheondo》

《Asura offers the position of successor to Cheondo》

*Boom! Crash—!*

《Mara Papiyas bares his teeth at Asura》

《Asura avoids eye contact》

*Ding!*

[The selection test of the Eight Guardian Deities concludes]

*Grrr—!*

*Thud!*

Just before the massive door closes, a tiny, sparkling bead pops out from the gap.

The bead then hovers above the giant’s palm.

The clouds shift, and a gaze is felt.

It feels like he’s staring at me.

No matter how much I twist my neck, his face is obscured by the clouds.

“What are you looking at?”

As soon as I finish speaking, something enormous falls from the sky.

—*Crash!!!*

“······.”

As the dust settles, a massive object is deeply embedded in the ground.

《The Vajra Warrior suggests hitting it with all your might》

“F-finger? That thing?”

It looks like a tall building has been erected.

“Tsk. Don’t regret it.”

There’s no time to hesitate.

I just want to get out of here as quickly as possible.

《Gale》

*Bang—!*

Stomping the ground with all my strength, the surroundings blur as I accelerate.

A leap.

*Thud!*

“Gasp!”

[The strike is imbued with Heavy Hit]

《Super Heavy Hit!》

*Thud—!!*

“What the?”

《Super Heavy Hit!》

*Thud!!*

“······.”

It feels like an ant punching a human with all its might.

“Hey, punk. Are you messing with me?”

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

《The Vajra Warrior says there’s too much distraction in your punches》

“What distraction? I’m just punching!”

《The Vajra Warrior advises calming your mind》

*Thud! Thud!*

“Ugh, damn.”

I feel like a child.

These so-called gods are all so self-centered.

Regardless of whether they’re helping or not, all I can do is suck my thumb.

《The Vajra Warrior tells you to sit comfortably and close your eyes》

Now he’s telling me to do all sorts of things.

Sitting down as instructed, I close my eyes, and dizziness overwhelms me.

《The Vajra Warrior says that true strength must be tempered with wisdom》

“Huh… huh?”

My body starts to sway uncontrollably.

At some point, the dizziness fades, and even with my eyes closed, everything starts to brighten.

It’s cold.

Opening my eyes, I see white snowflakes falling from the forest sky.

“Why not just divide it equally!”

“How can we do anything with this old axe!”

“We’re all going to freeze to death, stop fighting already!”

Amid the falling snow, five adult men are gathered, raising their voices.

As I slowly step forward, a crunching sound comes from beneath my feet.

‘Baekseol would love this.’

Searching my pockets, Baekseol is nowhere to be found.

“Huh?”

Hearing my footsteps, the men who were fighting turn their gaze towards me.

“Why are you all fighting?”

“Because these guys are being greedy when we’re about to freeze to death!”

“Who’s being greedy here!”

The men, briefly interested in my sudden appearance, quickly return to their squabble.

Listening to their conversation, it seems the village’s firewood is managed communally.

But as winter nears its end, the stockpile has run out, and the melting snow has soaked the trees, making it impossible to chop more.

That’s why five men are fighting over a single large log.

“Why not just split it into five pieces?”

One of the men raises the axe he’s holding.

“It’s so old it’ll probably break after two swings.”

“Hmm. Easy problem.”

The Vajra Warrior went on about wisdom and such, so he must be expecting me to solve this problem wisely.

Approaching the men, I extend my hand, and one of them reluctantly hands me the axe.

“Two swings with this axe should do it.”

“How about splitting it into five pieces?”

“Even though it probably won’t work, go ahead and try.”

“Take a good look.”

*Snap!*

As the axe swung, the log split in half with a dry crack.

Judging by its condition, it seemed like well-dried wood.

Gathering the two split pieces, I swung the axe again.

*Snap!*

Four pieces of firewood appeared before my eyes, but the axe blade flew off and got stuck somewhere far away.

“See? It’s broken.”

Only the rotten handle remained, as if it had reached the end of its lifespan.

“We can divide this fairly, right?”

“Huh… Oh my. Hey, young lady. There are only four pieces. How are five people supposed to share them?”

“No. What I mean is, we can divide this fairly.”

As I raised my hand, the men’s gazes shifted to the now handle-less axe.

“No, how are you going to…?”

“Like this.”

*Thud.*

I tightened my grip, and my fingers dug into the axe handle.

I lifted the handle over my head, aiming at the man who kept arguing with me.

“2nd Circle Knockout Magic. Stun!”

“Ahhh!!”

**《The Golden Guardian is shocked》**

Just as I was about to swing the axe handle,

I couldn’t tell if it was because of my darting eyes or the rotten handle, but the Golden Guardian intervened, and suddenly everything went dark.

Still, I felt satisfied with how the test ended. I wiped my nose, and even with my eyes closed, I could feel the Golden Guardian’s incredulous gaze.

“What? I did well!”

After knocking one out, the remaining four could just split the pieces. Problem solved.

**《The Golden Guardian feels a headache coming on》**

My vision brightened again.

“What now?”

This time, a serene lake appeared right in front of me.

*Splash!*

Suddenly, water burst from the lake, and an old man emerged.

“Kekeke, you dropped your axe blade.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m the mountain spirit, here to return the axe blade you dropped in the water.”

The old man, dressed in pure white with a matching beard, reached out his hand.

“Is this your axe blade, or is this one yours?”

In each of his hands was a golden axe blade.

“Hmm.”

I approached the old man and took both axe blades in my hands. The left one was much heavier.

“The left one is mine.”

“Hoh, lying…?”

“Wait!”

“…?”

Even in this neighborhood, “wait” seems to work.

“Grandpa, take a look at this.”

“What is it…?”

The old man’s eyes widened.

“The left one is much heavier, right? The right one is just gold-plated. Probably filled with silver or copper inside.”

“……”

“I’m a gold expert, you know? Gold is much heavier than silver or copper for the same volume.”

Before I knew it, the mountain spirit grandpa was intently staring at the axe blade in my hand.

“Gold has an incredibly high density, so it’s super heavy per volume. In cases like this, you should fill it with tungsten.”

“Hoh…?”

“Tungsten costs around 100,000 won per kilo, while gold is worth tens of millions.”

The mountain spirit grandpa nodded repeatedly, seemingly engrossed in my explanation.

“Tungsten has a similar density to gold. So…”

**《The Golden Guardian grabs the back of his neck》**

In the middle of explaining to the mountain spirit grandpa, everything suddenly went pitch black.

**《The Golden Guardian feels his blood pressure rising》**

“Ah, what now?”

**《The Golden Guardian skips the test》**

**《The Golden Guardian tells you to calm your breathing》**

Following the Golden Guardian’s urgent words, I had no choice but to steady my breathing.

“Whew─”

I followed the Golden Guardian’s advice and focused on my breathing for a while.

But no further instructions came.

As I absentmindedly exhaled, all sorts of thoughts flooded in.

Before eating something delicious, Baekseol, excited, wiggled her butt, and her fluffy tail wagged along.

**「You must clear your mind」**

‘How?’

I couldn’t understand how I was supposed to clear my thoughts naturally.

But as I tried to force them away, other thoughts rushed in.

**「You must clear distracting thoughts」**

Forcing myself to erase thoughts, another one comes crashing in.

“Peel away the layers of delusion one by one.”

As I continue to wipe away the illusions that keep coming, the thought of having erased thoughts returns.

Impossible.

“Phew—”

As time passes, except for the occasional advice that comes, my mind gradually becomes quieter.

Erase, erase, and erase again.

“The flow of strength is the flow of noble will.”

“A straight force must not waver.”

I continue to erase the thoughts that keep coming.

“Do not chase brute force.”

“If you solidify your will, brute force will follow.”

Layer by layer, layer by layer.

“Great wisdom is light.”

“Delusions are but pebbles.”

As I endlessly erase, the voice of the Vajra Warrior that I had been hearing suddenly disappears.

I erase distracting thoughts, and erase them again.

I erase the sound of breathing that was grating on my ears.

I erase everything, even the flow of time.

….

…

..

.

“That is purity and selflessness.”

“Ah!”

“The Vajra Warrior smiles benevolently.”

Everything comes rushing back violently.

Light seeps into the faded world.

The sound of swaying grass.

The sound of the cool breeze blowing.

Even the time that had stopped.

Everything returns in an instant.

“….I don’t get it.”

As I regain my senses, Baekseol, who was in my pocket, climbs onto my shoulder and rubs against my cheek.

“Baekseol.”

“Yes!”

“How long have I been like this?”

“Long.”

“Huh? How long?”

Before I could hear Baekseol’s answer, the air shakes.

Ding!

“The Vajra Warrior, who lifts all things in heaven and earth, supports the Heavenly Path.”

Ding!

“The demon god Mara Papiyas, ruler of the Six Heavens of the Desire Realm and the King of Tahuazhaijie, supports the Heavenly Path.”

Ding!

[You have inherited the potential for Asura’s ferocity and slaughter.]

[You have inherited the potential for Asura’s heavenly defiance.]

[You have inherited the potential for Gandharva’s weakness.]

[You have inherited the potential for Garuda’s heavenly flight.]

[You have inherited the potential for Mahoraga’s molting.]

[You have inherited the potential for the Vajra Warrior’s heavenly strength.]

Ding!

[You have inherited a fragment of Mara Papiyas’s demonic energy.]

Ding!

“Baekseol, the child of the Blue Moon, supports the peach♡.”

“Huh?”

The bead that was circling on the Vajra Warrior’s palm absorbs the swirling energy around it and slowly descends toward me.

The bead, now close, instantly turns into light and begins to envelop my entire body.

Ding!

───

[Selflessness: King of Wisdom’s Power]

───

***

<Lady Han Ga-eul starts broadcasting>

“My babies, come quickly.”

[⚔️Nice to see you, Boss Han]

[⚔️Where is this?]

“It’s a gym.”

A gym so large that it’s hard to see from one end to the other stretches out behind me.

“Seems like they have a lot of money. They rented this whole thing.”

More people than expected are filling the gym.

Everyone seems like faces I’ve seen somewhere before.

It seems like everyone who made a name for themselves in the first test has gathered here.

“What should we try first? There’s climbing, and over there, an arm-wrestling machine.”

[⚔️Ordered chicken lol]