< Chapter 8 - The Nine Heavenly Gates >
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The nine heavens and the nine earths.
Nine heavens and nine gates.
It wasn’t the first time I heard of this martial art.
I’ve definitely heard of it.
But where was it?
First of all, it is certain that it is not the martial arts that appeared in Part 1.
It was when Yuder habitually tried to enter the palace of memories.
“ah!”
Cordelia, who had been standing right behind him, suddenly let out an exclamation.
Uther looked back reflexively, and Cordelia moved her lips to form a silent message.
Even without using the magic of reading, Yuder could understand.
‘Part 3.’
What Cordelia said.
Thanks to you, I remembered. The Nine Heavenly Gate was a fantastic martial art that was said to appear in the third installment – or to be exact, in the last expansion pack of the third installment.
‘It’s the same as Cheondun-gu-bo.’
A martial art whose existence is known, but which does not actually appear in the game.
But now, it was none other than Landius, one of the main characters of the first part, who had brought up the Nine Heavenly Gate.
‘Did Landius learn this? In the past ten years? Or perhaps it’s a martial art he created?’
It didn’t matter either way.
It was clear that the Gucheon Gumun was a martial art of the highest level, just like the Cheondun Gubo.
“I will say this for the last time, boy. Be my disciple. You, who possess the Heavenly Martial Arts, can learn the Nine Heavenly Gates.”
At Landius’s words, Yuder swallowed dry saliva. And then he admitted it.
My heart was pounding.
The fact that he could learn a fantastic martial art that no one among the numerous rotten creatures of the Heroes’ Chronicles had mastered excited Yuder.
Moreover, in the first part, he became the disciple of his favorite warrior of the sun, Landius.
There really was no reason to refuse.
“Huh.”
Landius read Yuder’s gaze and smiled with satisfaction, and Yuder opened his lips. He was about to say that he would become his disciple.
But it was at that very moment.
“Now, just a moment!”
Cordelia suddenly raised her voice and grabbed Uther’s arm.
Thanks to that, everyone’s eyes that were previously focused on Yuder and Landius turned to Cordelia, and when even Landius looked at her as if asking what was going on, Cordelia flinched in surprise and hesitated before opening her mouth.
I guess my voice came out without me knowing.
“That, that······.”
“Tell me, girl.”
As Landius spoke boldly, Cordelia looked back at Uther and then mustered up her courage to speak.
“If you learn the nine heavenly gates······.”
“If you cook it?”
“Eudore too… is it getting bigger?”
Everyone was dumbfounded for a moment at Cordelia’s timid question, but soon they nodded as if they understood.
Because Landius was truly abnormally large.
Even Yuder, who had been excited at the thought of becoming Landius’ disciple until just before, was startled and turned to look at Landius.
It was definitely big. Excessively big.
“hmm.”
Landius touched his chin as if he found it amusing, then asked Cordelia, who was trying to hide behind Uther’s back.
“Girl, what is your relationship with the boy from Cheonmujiche?”
“She’s my fiancée….”
“Yes, it is something to worry about. Well, it is a very important issue. It is an important issue.”
As Landius nodded in understanding, the knights sporadically coughed, and everyone except Lucas’s face turned red.
“Huh? Why is everyone doing that?”
“Your Majesty, wait a moment.”
Just after Sir Seorn grabbed Lucas’ hand and pulled him in.
Landius, who was looking at the completely red-faced Uther and Cordelia with a happy expression, continued to speak while laughing heartily.
“Don’t worry, girl. It’s not because of the nine heavenly gates that I’m so big.”
“You’re saying it’s not because of the nine-thousand-nine gates?”
Cordelia asked in surprise, and Uther also looked at Landius with a surprised expression.
Because Landius in the first installment was clearly around 190cm tall.
Since the growth spurt suddenly came back in my late 20s, it had to be due to some acquired cause. If it’s not a natural phenomenon, then what on earth could it be?
“The blood of the Giants flows through my body. I used the Ancestor Return technique to draw out the power of my ancestors.”
“Ancestors… is this a reversion technique?”
“Yes, the ancestral return technique. It is a technique that goes back through the blood, the currency of the soul, and awakens the power that was dormant in the spirit and flesh.”
The knights looked confused at Landius’ explanation, but Yuder and Cordelia were not like that.
Because it was a magic technique that appeared several times in Heroes Chronicle 2.
‘Cordelia will also awaken the blood of an angel using the ancestral reversion technique right away.’
It was an understandable story.
If it was a return to the ancestors technique, and if the giant’s blood was awakened as a result, then it makes sense that Landius’s size had grown so much.
‘I never thought Landius would have giant blood in his veins.’
It was a sudden setting, but when I thought about it, it made sense.
To begin with, Landius had overwhelming physical strength.
“So, girl, even if the boy of the Heavenly and Earthly Body learns the Nine Heavenly Gates, he will never become as big as me. Don’t worry.”
“Uh… yes, I understand.”
As Cordelia, who had been hesitant, closed her lips tightly, Landius looked at Uther again.
“Now answer, boy of the Heavenly Wuji Body. Will you become my disciple?”
The fantasy martial arts of the nine heavenly gates.
A disciple of Landius, one of the first pearls.
Although it was a very different development from the original, there was no reason to refuse.
From the beginning, Yuder’s own purpose was to destroy the original work and bring about a perfect happy ending.
‘with a view to?’
‘I have to.’
Finally, Uder exchanged glances with Cordelia and looked up at Landius.
“I will become your disciple, Master.”
“Ha, good. From today on, you are my disciple. So, disciple, answer my question.”
“Yes, Master.”
When Yuder answered with a nervous expression, Landius asked with a cheerful expression.
“First of all, what is your name? How old are you? Since you have a fiancee, are you a nobleman?”
The most basic census.
Even though we became teacher and student, we had never even exchanged names.
Yuder, who had a blank expression for a moment, opened his mouth to answer his overly magnanimous teacher.
&
The next morning.
The party spent a night at the mansion of the ownerless Viscount Northern – some thought it was dangerous, but Landius’s presence seemed to be the answer to all their problems – and hurriedly prepared to leave while relaying the news to Langest.
The fact that a noble who owned a fief became a follower of the devil – and even a demon – was a very serious matter.
“If things were as they were supposed to be, I would stay here and cooperate with the investigation, but… since there have been two attacks, I think it would be best to quickly return to the Count’s residence.”
Since there was a second raid, there could be a third raid.
So, it was best to go back quickly while Landius was with us.
As far as Yuder knew, Landius was traveling the continent in search of Archbishop Manuela.
I only accepted this offer because I had business to take care of when meeting with Count Hresvelg, and if I delayed too long, there was a high chance that he would leave.
“Okay, let’s do that.”
Lucas, who answered Seorn, looked at the carriage containing Uther and Cordelia with envy.
‘I’m really jealous.’
I’m not just talking about my fiancée, a beautiful young woman with whom I have perfect chemistry.
Landius’ disciple.
Landius, who Lucas admired so much for his visuals, strength, and personality that seemed to have come straight out of a heroic novel, was the first to ask to be his disciple.
Lucas himself had never done that before.
“Your Majesty, Lord Landius’s martial arts are something that can only be learned by someone with a special constitution. It’s not that you lack talent. Wasn’t it the same with Lord Landius? If it’s just talent with swords, your talent is on par with the swordsman Kamael.”
“Yeah··· That’s true, but······.”
I knew it.
But still, I was jealous of what was there.
Training with Lord Landius.
Training from the red-haired warrior.
‘I’m really jealous······.’
As Lucas casts a pitiful glance toward the carriage,
Uther was dying.
“Ah, uh, ugh, uh, ah······.”
Lying on a bed made from a converted carriage, Uther squirmed and groaned, and Cordelia sat at his bedside and nursed him diligently.
“Does it hurt that much?”
“It hurts, fuck. It really hurts. I feel like I’m going to pass out. It wasn’t like this even in Afghanistan. Ah··· ah······.”
In an unusual move, Yuder started swearing without restraint.
Just one day.
No, because just a few hours of training in the middle of the night made my whole body scream.
‘I have to leave again once I reach Count Hresvelg’s house. I can’t keep taking you with me, so I’ll make sure to teach you the basics on the way to the Count’s house.’
So far so good. It was understandable.
But the training that followed was far beyond Yuder’s expectations.
“Ah, I didn’t learn this from my father······.”
It was clearly different from when I learned brainwave and brainwave.
That’s understandable, since Landius had overworked every muscle in his body.
It felt like some kind of physical training, not martial arts training – no, physical abuse.
Furthermore, Landius made it possible for Yuder, who was still not in good physical shape due to his spondylosis, to undergo continuous abuse – no, exercise – by repeatedly giving him just the right amount of rest and training.
“Do you know exactly what the Nine Heavenly Gate is?”
“I don’t know, but… Judging from the training content, it doesn’t seem to be strengthening the body itself… Ah, ah… Fuck, it fucking hurts. It hurts even when I’m still. Sigh.”
“Fuck, fucking stop.”
“Fuck.”
As we were having a conversation that was the complete opposite of our usual one, the door suddenly opened.
“Hmm, it’s fine. As expected from the Heavenly King.”
As Landius spoke with a pleased expression while looking at Yuder stretched out on the bed, Yuder suddenly felt anger surge up in him.
‘What makes you say you’re okay?’
But fortunately, I still had enough sanity to shout it out in my mind.
Landius nodded with a pleased expression on his face.
“Rest until lunchtime. Once the carriage stops, we will resume our training. Oh, and girl. Feed this to your disciple.”
Landius took off one of the pouches he had on his waist and threw it at Cordelia.
When I opened it, there were a bunch of pills the size of my thumbnail inside.
“This is a potion that helps with physical recovery – more specifically, muscle recovery. From now on, take it after every training session. Understood?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Okay, see you at lunch then.”
As Landius, smiling cheerfully, closed the door and left, Cordelia looked back at Yuder with a worried face.
“Uh… um… do you want to say ‘ah’ first? I’ll give you some medicine. Ah~”
Cordelia, who somehow felt like treating Yuder very well, spoke to him in a rather kind manner, and Yuder opened his mouth and trembled.
And five days.
For Uder, the unforgettable days of hell continued.
&
“Keuk··· Ugh··· Huh······.”
It’s been six nights since I met Landius.
After finishing his squats, Yuder fell to the ground, shivering.
“S, Master.”
“okay.”
“No, my legs won’t move······.”
“Okay, the lower body needs some rest now. So let’s do the upper body now.”
Hahaha, Landius laughed and sat Yuder down right away before handing him the exercise equipment he had made himself.
“Hurry up. We don’t have much time. You’ll lose muscle mass while you’re resting. Don’t cry. You’ll lose water.”
Trembling in many ways, Yuder began to exercise his upper body.
About two hours like that.
It was the moment when Yuder, who had perfectly trained every muscle in his body, collapsed, gasping for breath.
“Okay, fine. From now on, even if I’m not around, you’ll repeat the training without fail. Do you understand?”
“Okay···okay······.”
I will arrive at Count Hresvelg’s house tomorrow.
‘It’s liberation, it’s liberation now.’
As Yuder’s eyes turned red, Landius laughed heartily and continued speaking.
“Don’t be too sad, disciple. I will just take care of urgent matters and come back to watch over your training. So stop crying and stop losing your strength.”
Instead of answering, Uder trembled, and Landius continued speaking.
“Okay, now that there’s only one day left, let’s begin the training of the Nine Heavenly Gates.”
“Okay… What did you say?”
Yuder raised his head and asked, even though he was lying on the ground.
That would be the case, because it was such an absurd statement.
Are you starting?
Training of the nine heavenly gates?
So what have you been doing until now?
“What is it? It’s muscle training. Even if you’re not a nine-syllable person, you’re too skinny. Work hard and build your body.”
As Landius clicked his tongue, Yuder blinked with a blank expression.
Simple muscle training, not aerobics.
When I thought about it, it was true.
The training was so hard that I couldn’t think properly, but looking back, it was pure physical training that had nothing to do with martial arts.
Even if we leave aside the old syllables, it is also true that Yuder was weak.
But, but even so!
‘Fuck!’
Fortunately, this time it was Yuder who shouted only in his heart.
Landius sat Yuder down and spoke.
“Now, I will teach you the nine principles of the Nine Heavenly Gate. Memorize them.”
“Is it enough to just memorize the sentences?”
“For now, that’s it.”
At that moment, Yuder felt like crying because of the injustice he felt – no, honestly, he cried just a little bit, but he decided to endure it for now.
I had to learn the nine-thousand-word grammar, you know.
“Okay, let’s begin.”
The nine heavenly gates of the nine heavenly gates.
Uder closed his eyes and focused on Landius’ voice.
Added a new memory to the memory palace.
But that was only for a moment, as at some point, a feeling took hold in Yuder’s mind.
No, I naturally became one with Yuder.
And only then did Yuder realize.
The Nine Heavenly Swordsmanship was not a fighting style that consisted of attack and defense like the Noesungbak or Shingyeokkwon.
However, it was not a matter of internal strife.
Create nine doors in the spirit and flesh.
Every time you open a door, new possibilities open up.
Both the spirit and the flesh reach a higher level.
A soul training method that combines both martial arts and sorcery.
No, the way of soul evolution.
Yuder felt the first door being created where his lower abdomen was located.
One question.
It couldn’t have been this fast originally.
But the Heavenly Force made it possible.
No, from the beginning, the Nine Heavenly Swordsmanship itself was one with the Heavenly Martial Arts Body. It was a martial art that could not be properly acquired without the Heavenly Martial Arts Body.
Sweat poured down like rain from all over Yuder’s body.
Forgetting the passage of time, after what felt like an eternity, the first door was finally completed.
And at that moment, Uther knew.
One of the martial arts that Yuder himself already possessed reacted to the Nine Heavenly Gate.
So let’s go one step further.
‘The 36 treasures of the world.’
The law of the underworld.
It is something that can ultimately lead to the illusive dharma, Cheon-dun-gu-bo.
Why is that?
Why do the 36 treasures of the world react to the nine heavenly gates?
A door has opened.
The first evolution began deep within the soul and body of Yuder.
And at the same time, the Thirty-Six Treasures of the World took on a new form.
‘The twenty-four steps of the whirlwind.’
Uder opened his eyes.
I encountered Landius.
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< Chapter 8 - The Nine Heavenly Gates > End
