Chapter 3

Chapter 03:The Ego Sword Picked Me Up (3)

Akashic Records

Dimensional transfer was not a simple matter.

It was an extremely dangerous choice that could have blown everything away with the slightest misstep.

Even if I had known that fact, my choice likely would not have changed much.

I had resolved to throw away my previous life and live a new one.

―O only human who gazed upon Yog-Sothoth and did not perish, your Achievement shall be engraved upon the world and your soul.

Dimensional transfer had been far more dangerous than I had expected.

I had mustered my courage to settle the past that had dragged me around, only to nearly have my very existence erased.

“So I established 2 Achievements: the Star Realm’s first dimensional transfer, and one who gazed upon Yog-Sothoth?”

When Flambeju heard my words, he recoiled in horror and staggered backward.

―Whaaaaaaat! H-How in the world did you come to know that? That is a secret of the world known only to sacred objects!

“Careful.”

I quickly reached out, worried that Flambeju might lose his balance and fall, but the blond young man screamed when he saw it.

―Aaaaaaaaah!

The composed air Flambeju had maintained until now was nowhere to be seen. He looked up at me while trembling. His wrist was caught in my hand.

―Y-Y-Y-You can see me? You can even touch me?

“I could see you from the start. I only found out just now that I could touch you.”

―H-How can such a thing be! I have met countless masters, yet not a single one could see me!

Flambeju was not some fictitious existence I had created. If a person could go insane in this much detail, then that would already be beyond the level of madness.

Grassland stretched out in every direction, and mountains could be seen beyond it. More astonishing than that was the planet draped over the mountains like a tent.

It was not the moon. It was far larger, and it had a yellowish hue. It was close enough that its craters were clearly visible, yet it was strange that this place did not collide with that planet.

“Where is this?”

―The Creator’s world! And among its lands, this is the northern mountain region of the Rubalt Kingdom!

Perhaps because I was used to Korea’s mountainous terrain, where enormous mountains and forests filled one’s view, seeing the wide grassland and the forest packed with towering trees felt like a feast for the eyes.

“Are Achievements that amazing?”

―Of course! The reason I was able to cross dimensions and choose a master was because I gave up the Achievements I had accumulated over countless years.

“I heard a voice in my head talking about Achievements. Was that because of the Achievements too?”

―P-Probably? Even this great self, who has existed since the beginning, has never seen such a thing before! Originally, an Achievement is the result that defines a human life. That is why, in most cases, Achievements are recognized at the same time as death. On rare occasions, some receive Achievements while still alive, but such cases can be counted on one hand.

It did not seem like there was much I could learn from Flambeju.

Thinking that perhaps I might hear a voice like just now, I focused.

―You survived even after gazing upon Yog-Sothoth at the boundary of dimensions. Your mind, chosen by Yog-Sothoth, shall never collapse. At the boundary of dimensions lie the Akashic Records, where the information of the Star Realm is accumulated. One connected to Yog-Sothoth may offer sacrifices through the Necronomicon and comprehend the secrets of the world.

It was closer to the transmission of meaning than speech. It was also an explanation of the Achievement, “One Who Gazed upon Yog-Sothoth.”

‘So this is the Akashic Records…….’

It was my first time experiencing it, yet for some reason, I accepted it naturally, as if it were something I had been doing for a long time.

When I focused again, information about the Achievement “Star Realm’s First Dimensional Transfer” surfaced.

―You have succeeded in dimensional transfer for the first time in the Star Realm. The world praises your courage in challenging an infinitesimal probability that could only be attempted by bracing for the erasure of your existence. O one whose language barrier has vanished, you shall bear the mission of a bridge connecting dimensions.

It was a grand explanation, but in short, it meant the language problem had been resolved. Perhaps because of that, unfamiliar languages swirled familiarly inside my head. Not only this world’s language, but various languages of Earth could also be recalled at any time and spoken lightly.

“……Even after stuffing this much knowledge into me, I didn’t go mad. Achievements really are incredible.”

Since I had studied languages harder than anyone, I knew better than anyone how difficult it was to acquire languages with completely different systems.

It seemed that even Flambeju could not see the letters floating before my eyes. He shouted with a triumphant expression.

―This is only the beginning! Even I have never seen someone gain Achievements as early as you, Master. Surely this means you can accumulate even more Achievements in the future!

“……Do Achievements come from the Akashic Records?”

The blond young man avoided my gaze. He tried desperately not to show it, but I could infer the answer from his expression alone.

‘The Akashic Records, where the information of the Star Realm is accumulated. Traces of humanity that even they could not handle. Maybe that’s what Achievements are.’

―In any case, you must pursue the greatest Achievements!

Flambeju was obsessed with my Achievements.

“If I establish outstanding Achievements, is there something good in it for you?”

The blond young man flinched in surprise when our eyes met. He did not seem accustomed to speaking while looking someone in the eye.

―……One ascends to the Holy Throne and obtains divinity. I am the sacred object of the beginning and the first sword, an existence worthy of sitting at the Creator’s right hand. I have no interest in any other petty Achievements! No, I threw all of those away to bring you here. I staked everything on the Achievements I will accomplish with my new master!

Only then did I roughly understand the situation. I had not simply been summoned to achieve outstanding Achievements. I had been called in order to be reborn as the greatest existence in all human history.

“That’s an enormous goal.”

―It is! It is an Achievement no one has ever accomplished! But do not be intimidated, Master! If you are with me, we can surely achieve it! You are the only human who can wield me properly, and you are the final master on whom I have staked everything!

Sacred objects could exist infinitely by being chosen by masters. Even if they ascended to a Holy Throne befitting their Achievements, they would still gain eternal life all the same. Yet Flambeju had given up eternal life to choose me. If I failed, Flambeju’s sword-life would end there as well.

To those who yearned for eternal life, it would be an incomprehensible choice.

‘I understand your yearning.’

I, too, had lived a life chosen for me. I had done everything in my power and achieved results in my own way. But all those accomplishments belonged to my master. Not a single thing came about because I wanted it.

I had not even had the time to feel something like resentment. As if I had been gaslit, I had accepted all of it as natural.

Until my master abandoned me.

Now that I had actually been given the chance to choose, I could not get a sense of what I should do.

It was because the very awareness that I was the master of my own life did not exist within me.

‘Since I’ve received something, shall I try living to obtain these things called Achievements for now?’

I set a short-term goal. That was one of the habits I had repeated over many years to produce the best results.

WOOOOOOO!

The two-handed sword in my hand rang with a sword cry. Along with it, countless solid lines appeared before my eyes.

―To resonate as soon as you grasped me. As expected of the master I chose!

Wherever large and small solid lines appeared, there were “living beings.” It was not an illusion. It had been revealed through the resonance between Flambeju and me.

It felt as though the sword and I were becoming one. We looked at the same place, and together, we watched the ends of countless lives.

‘So this is Flambeju’s life…….’

For some reason, I understood Flambeju. The yearning and emptiness he had felt across infinite years felt like my own emotions, and tears even flowed down my face.

It seemed the same was true for Flambeju. In the fact that we understood one another, we felt an intensely powerful bond.

That was probably.

‘Body-Sword Unity!’

Expressed another way, it became resonance.

WOOOOOOO!

It was around the time Flambeju’s ringing quieted.

FLASH!

Flambeju opened his eyes. That was not a metaphor.

Above Flambeju’s hilt, just below the part where the blade was set, a pair of eyeballs appeared on the front and back.

―Yes! This is it. This is the resonance with a master that I have yearned for without cease! As expected, the master I chose is different!

It seemed a sacred object’s abilities changed according to its compatibility with its master. Flambeju had brought me here, crossing dimensions to find someone highly compatible with him, and he had been able to reach a new realm.

The large eyeballs attached to the sword whirled rapidly, and each time they did, the blond young man’s eyes moved as well.

―Oooh! W-What is this now? Is this the effect of an Achievement? The effect of resonance? I can see it clearly too! Master’s field of vision! The solid lines dividing life and death!

Flambeju kept rolling his eyeballs around, fascinated. It seemed even he was experiencing this for the first time.

“You couldn’t see the solid lines too?”

―Not to this extent. The world I saw was…….

Flambeju shut his mouth. He vaguely said that it had not been to this extent, at any rate, and then fell silent for a while.

I watched Flambeju. I examined the process by which he had awakened, and I looked through every reason I had met him and gained Achievements.

‘These Achievements…… maybe I can design them.’

GRRRRMBLE.

Hunger surged in, and I also felt the cold.

I was dressed in a hospital gown. I was not even wearing slippers, and I had a large, heavy book and a two-handed sword with me. Anyone who saw me would find me suspicious, but filling my hunger came first.

“Let’s go to the nearest village for now.”

―A fine idea, Master!

“I need more information, so explain while we walk. What kind of world is this, exactly?”

***

While crossing the grassland, I found a stream. After catching and eating some small fish and crayfish, my hunger was resolved to a certain extent.

And in the process, I confirmed that my physical abilities had improved compared to before.

As I walked along the waterway, I heard many stories from Flambeju. Strangely, the contents were organized and rang clearly inside my head. It was as if information recorded in the Akashic Records had been drawn out.

One. Flambeju is the sword of the beginning and the first sacred object.

Two. Flambeju’s form changes depending on his master, and once decided, it shall not change.

Three. Flambeju gave up all his Achievements to bring his master here.

Four. Sacred objects raise their master’s physical abilities from the essence upward.

Five. In addition to sacred objects, demonic objects born from the Demon God’s hand also exist, and these are products of a different order.

Six. There are artifacts (derivatives) made by imitating sacred objects and demonic objects, but they do not reach the true hierarchy.

Seven. Great actions are engraved as Achievements, and they grant special power to one’s existence.

Eight. Sacred objects and demonic objects manifest different abilities depending on their compatibility with their master, and this is determined by fate.

‘The tone is strange, but it organized everything perfectly.’

Yog-Sothoth had glared at me as if he would kill me at the boundary of dimensions, but perhaps he was especially kind to me, at least.

“Has there ever been a master who used a sacred object and a demonic object at the same time?”