I Became the Martial God's Youngest Disciple

Episode 292

She isn't here, I answered.

The Martial God replied.

—Is that so?

Before that, please explain more about this place. A temple built inside the body? What is this place?

—Mm.

The Martial God seemed to be choosing his words for a moment before he explained.

—There are still monks of Ymir on the current continent, right?

Ymir's monks? Uh, I don't think I've heard of them.

—They are those who wander the north and revere strength. Of course, they might have forgotten their roots. It was a long time ago. Maybe they only remember their mission now.

They only remembered their mission. There was a group that came to mind when I heard that. It was a group that wandered aimlessly in the north and only hunted strong creatures.

There are hunters who constantly risk their lives, called the Frozen Hunt. They are famous in the north.

—It is them.

Are you sure this explanation is enough? Besides, the Frozen Hunt isn't solely made up of giants.

—A lot of time has passed, so the standards for accepting members must have changed. Also, it isn't strange for them to have confused their mission and purpose. Perhaps they have forgotten their origins and past.

Why was he suddenly talking about this? I was feeling puzzled when the Martial God emerged from the Seven Sins Sword again. He contemplated the frozen world in his spirit body.

—Eternal winter.

Huh?

—Or Ymir's stomach. This is a place of trials.

Stomach? So to get out of here, I have to go through Ymir's rectum—

—There is no such thing. Ymir is a being that doesn't need normal bodily functions.

I was dumbfounded.

—This is a so-called holy place where only giants recognized by Ymir can enter. It is the gateway that those who worship strength must pass through. They can gain unprecedented power if they overcome the trial. If they fail, they will die.

I was silent for a moment. Did that mean Ymir simply swallowed the warriors he liked? Then if they passed the trial, he would regurgitate them, but if not, they would just be digested? Perhaps since it was an ancient custom, there was something about it that was hard to understand with modern sensibilities.

What exactly is the trial?

—I don't know. However, I know the key.

The key?

—Pull out the divine relic, Mjolnir, that is somewhere in the temple.

Mjolnir? Is it a sword?

—It is a hammer.

It must be quite heavy.

—The weapon recognizes only the direct descendants of the giant, Ymir, as its master. It isn't something you can wield through sheer strength alone.

Aha. freewebnovёl.ƈom

So it was basically the giant equivalent of a hero sword that only the chosen hero could draw. Honestly, it was easier to understand when I thought of classic stories. It wasn't much different from the fairy tales I used to read when I was a child.

—You should go for now. Clinging to that weapon is your only choice. You will find it if you search around here.

I agree, but I can't leave my senior here alone. Let's wait until he wakes up.

—There is no time to spare, but alright.

I knew time was running out. I understood that far more than the Martial God did. But I wasn't the one who had the least time in this place. Come to think of it, how long had I been unconscious?

At that moment, what caught my eye was Ramon's pocket watch. He'd said that it was a divine relic. The mysterious clock seemed to function even in this place where time had twisted. Carefully, so as to not wake up Ramon, I lifted the lid and checked the time.

More time had passed than I thought. It had already been twelve hours since we entered through the stone door. That meant Ramon had at most six hours to live.

"Ugh..." At that moment, Ramon opened his eyes. He exclaimed, "Young Master?"

"You're awake?" I replied.

"This..." Ramon looked around with a dazed expression. Then his expression soon stiffened. "I didn't expect us to be swept out of the cave by a snowstorm. How am I alive?"

Perhaps because he had just woken up, his train of thought was similar to mine.

I explained most of the facts I had discovered to Ramon. Of course, most of it was information I'd heard from the Martial God.

Ramon didn't ask me about the source of the information, but his expression stiffened when he heard that we couldn't easily leave this place. "That is a big problem."

"Yes. It also isn't the time to say this, but I'm sorry," I said.

"Huh?"

"This happened due to my judgment. It would've been better to withdraw rather than rushing in to attack the priest for no reason," I admitted/

At that time, I'd been in a hurry. as if I was being pursued. There were so many uncertain factors, but I'd been so obsessed with the result that I let it blind me.

I muttered, "It is a disgrace."

"That is only due to hindsight. It's okay. In addition, if we assign blame, isn't it technically my fault?"

"What does that mean?"

"If we continue like this, I will be the fastest to die."

I said nothing as Ramon continued.

"It isn't just you, Young Master. All the other clan members moved based on the time I had left. This might be a selfish thought, but I'm happy about it. Everyone was in a hurry due to me. I'm happy enough that I can die without regrets now."

"Senior."

"I'm just joking."

I couldn't help smiling back at Ramon. I asked, "By the way, what was with those smoke bombs?"

"Ah. Isn't it pretty good? As you can see, I'm not very good at fighting. I have to use various tools in order to survive."

"Aha."

"Back then, you were also present, so I only used something that blocked the view. I also have ones with poison in them. There are even powder bombs that ignite if a match is thrown."

"That's amazing. Were they all made by you, Senior?"

"I sought the advice of an alchemist."

I warmed up while chatting with Ramon for a while. I was planning to spend around ten minutes like this, but Ramon stood up not even halfway through.

He told me, "In any case, didn't you say we are short on time? Then let's start by looking for that Mjolnir. We have to hurry."

"Yes."

I couldn't bear to say that he needed to rest more. I knew Ramon was overdoing it, but I still nodded and left the abandoned building.

Outside, the snowstorm was still raging fiercely. The moment the snow and strong wind struck my face, I wanted to return to the place where the campfire had been burning warmly, but I held myself back. Ramon had to be colder than me, after all.

My body had warmed up, but my physical condition wasn't good overall. I didn't feel drowsy, so I must've rested a bit while I was unconscious. However, that was only temporary.

Above all, keeping warm consumed too much internal energy. The problem was that I could only replenish internal energy at a ridiculously slow rate. It was unavoidable, as this was a land of bitter cold where yang qi was hard to find.

I can't replenish my internal energy by taking elixirs like last time.

I wondered whether it would be best to keep a few emergency elixirs with me from now on in case of such a situation. However, I doubted that anyone would carry expensive elixirs solely for restoring internal energy.

I thought about random things while quickly scanning my surroundings.

The temple buried on the snowfield looked quiet and strangely sad. I could've leisurely enjoyed the scenery if there wasn't a blizzard.

In any case, it was impossible to talk to Ramon due to the strong wind, so I instead spoke to the Martial God.

Martial God, what was your relationship with Ymir?

—If I had to say, then I would be a senior.

Senior?

—I'm not just talking about age. I was the first to ascend the divine throne. I just wanted Ymir to go through the same thing I did.

He was once again saying something I didn't understand. Despite his vague way of speaking, however, I was too tired to worry about it now.

I wandered around and found an unusually large building. Isn't this suspicious? It is unnecessarily big.

—I think so too.

I headed to the building with Ramon. It was exceptionally damaged, so the cold inside it was no different from being outside. Still, it blocked the wind so we could at least have a conversation.

It is a big building.

It was natural when thinking about it. The building size had to be for giants. An old cup lying on the ground was as big as my upper body, and a chair was around the size of a small igloo. Naturally, the ceiling of the building was so high that it was dark when I looked up from below.

Walking through such a place, I didn't feel like my surroundings had grown larger, but that I had shrunk. It was like looking at the world through the eyes of a mouse. Normally, I would've made a silly joke, but now I kept my mouth shut. I chose to conserve the strength it would take to speak.

At the end, or perhaps the center of the temple, I found the weapon that the Martial God had spoken of.

A hammer was placed there. It was huge, as large as the cup I had seen before.

Ah.

That was only the case from a human perspective. By human standards, even a burly man would have to use his whole body to swing it. However, to a giant, it was probably like a hand axe that was easy to carry.

—Get closer. It seems to have just awakened from a long rest, so don't provoke it carelessly.

I followed the Martial God's words and approached the hammer. Up close, I found that the shape of its head was unusual. It resembled a beast skull made of metal.

—Who are you?

At that moment, the heavy voice spoke again. This time, I wasn't mistaken. I knew it was Ymir's voice.

"T-this voice is..." Ramon seemed to have heard it as well.

I thought about it for a moment. How would I introduce myself to this giant who had woken up after a long period of rest? Would it be appropriate to call myself Kuset's descendant?

No, Black Fairy Kuset was a legendary hero, but Frost Giant Ymir was from an earlier, mythical era. So, in the end, I was forced to introduce myself in a boring manner.

"I am the adversary of the demon king."

—The demon king's adversary?

"Yes. The Golden Horned Demon King and his believers are committing unclean acts in your remains. We were trying to stop it, but were swept away by a snowstorm and fell here."

Ymir said nothing.

"Frost Giant Ymir. Please let us out of here." It seemed like I was being blunt and straight to the point, but there was no time to explain everything.

—I see. Is Kingarodtus the identity of this evil spirit?

I nodded silently.

—A human and a goblin. It is a rare combination. I understand your situation. Unfortunately, I don't think I can grant your request.

"Huh?"

—I have no power left now. My remains have been taken over and modified by Kingarodtus' believers over a long period of time. It isn't just my stomach. I can't move any part of my body, including my fingers or my heart.

"Then what should I do?"

—You have to endure the trial of extreme cold. Only the one who is chosen by Mjolnir will be able to leave this place.

Upon hearing those words, I reached out to Mjolnir. Then I pulled with all my strength.

Dammit. I didn't know what this axe was made of, but it didn't budge an inch.

In truth, I realized it the moment I gripped it. This wasn't a weapon I could handle. As the Martial God said, it wasn't a matter of physical strength or aptitude. I just wasn't qualified.

"Is there no way to get out apart from pulling this out?"

—There is one way.

"Please tell me."

—There is one more relic at the end of my stomach. It is a sword called the Giant Killer. If that sword is drawn, my stomach will shake and the exit will open regardless of my will.

"Oh."

That was nice to hear. I was pleased, but Ymir hadn't finished speaking.

—There is one problem.

"Could it be that only giants can be selected by it?"

—No. That relic is nothing more than an old sword. Even a small child could easily pull it out. However, the place where the relic is located is exactly on the opposite side of the stomach's exit.

"What does that mean?"

—Only one of you can leave. The other will have to draw the Giant Killer from the far end of this place.

Ymir's voice continued.

—You must hurry, demon king's adversary. In this eternal winter, the snowstorm won't stop, but will only intensify.