Chapter 13

Chapter 13. Transcendent (1)

【Master, the blood that was too much to bear— I had the 5th Sword Iris absorb it. I hope that was acceptable......】

I'd summoned demons and absorbed blood.

And in doing so, saved the country.

For some reason, that had been judged as an 'evil' act.

The Red Sea's blood was far denser than I'd imagined— to the point that the Baby Sword's good-evil ratio had been momentarily pushed to 1:99.

'It nearly became a full evil-alignment sword instead of Chaos.'

Terrifying options had flooded my sword's selection screen.

I'd been watching the situation without choosing, when Reinhardt adjusted the Baby Sword's good-evil ratio back to 50:50.

—Good work. Thanks, as always.

I used [Communication Ability] to commend Reinhardt.

'Communication Ability' felt similar to telepathy or thought transmission.

Something I'd realized while using it.

【The Master saved this humble servant's world and guided this old man to the pinnacle of the sword. I have a long way to go before I can repay such grace. Please use this servant without reservation—.】

1st Sword, Reinhardt.

Something about him felt like a warm, hearty bowl of soup.

—I'm counting on you going forward.

【LOYALTY!!!】

For the record, Iris Ruzbella had died 1,023 times before reaching her ending.

Reinhardt's case? Exactly once.

He'd reached the ending in a single run.

'He was always reliable.'

It had been the same during the [Raise a Sword] days.

Reinhardt had never once defied my orders.

Things that other swords had thrown absolute fits over, Reinhardt followed through in silence every time.

If told to train, he trained.

If told to learn something, he learned.

Whether it was 10 years or 30 years of secluded training, he simply nodded and did it.

'Which is exactly why there's a certain...... discomfort.'

The discomfort was purely in my own head.

A small incident from when I'd been setting up Reinhardt's build.

Ancient history now.

Reinhardt himself showed no awareness of what had happened back then.

Anyway.

What mattered now was the Baby Sword's growth.

Thanks to Reinhardt, the 50:50 good-evil ratio had been restored, and the Chaos trait was fully intact—.

'Please change!!!'

Flash!

———————

Select the sword's form.

1. Holy-Demon Sword.

2. Slaughter Demon Sword.

3. Vampiric Demon Sword.

4. Man-Eating Demon Sword.

———————

Atop all those savage options, the Chaos-aligned sword I wanted had appeared.

Considering that just moments ago, the screen had been filled with horrifying words like slaughter, demons, and man-eating, this was an enormous change.

'The harmony of a holy sword and a demon sword.'

Flash!

[1. Holy-Demon Sword has been selected.]

Without a moment's hesitation, I chose the advanced build of the [Chaos] alignment.

With this, my Baby Sword had evolved.

I desperately wanted to jump into the Tower or a Gate right now to check on the Baby Sword's growth, but—.

'Seriously, how long are they going to keep this up......'

The location and situation were the problem.

I was currently riding in a stately diplomatic limousine, en route to the Blue House.

For the record, I was in the seat of honor.

Across from me sat Senior Prosecutor Kang Mu-jin.

He'd insisted I take the top seat, so I'd reluctantly sat here.

'Could you at least explain something?'

They'd brought me here and then not a single word.

Eventually, I got fed up and spoke first.

"Senior Prosecutor Kang, how long are you going to sit there in silence?"

After a pause, Prosecutor Kang opened his imposing eyes and asked.

"You asked about the secret of the Red Sea?"

"That's right."

The question I'd posed the moment I got in the car was 'What is the source of the Red Sea?'

To progress the 'World Quest' that had spawned from dealing with the Red Sea.

[World Quest — Find and eliminate the source of the Red Sea.]

[Success Reward: Scabbard.]

[Failure Penalty: The Red Sea persists.]

[World Quests] could be received by anyone who met the conditions.

However, rewards were applied differently to each individual.

Just as with the [Tower], the world's quest rewards were customized for each individual Awakened.

'A home for the Baby Sword?'

That was something I couldn't pass up.

"The secret of the Red Sea...... you'll hear it when we arrive."

We'd reached the Blue House before I knew it.

Having personally wielded the power of the 2nd Sword, Iris, I understood the government's swift response.

It was a power that was terrifying and formidable in equal measure.

But then.......

"We are honored to meet the Republic of Korea's second Transcendent, Mr. Shin Si-woo."

The response was swift to the point of excess.

President Lee Seok-hyeon himself had come out to greet me.

He even opened the rear door and attended to me like a bellboy.

"If...... the term 'second' was offensive in any way, I sincerely apologize."

When I just stood there, that's what I heard.

I told him it was nothing like that and quickly got out of the car.

'Am I getting the Patriot treatment?'

Bewildered as I was, I walked with my head held high.

【This humble servant's heart swells to see everyone recognize the Master's supreme stature!!!】

Because Reinhardt was watching this scene.

Even after hearing the truth about [Raise a Sword], he'd supported me endlessly. I didn't want to show an embarrassing side as a Sword Master in front of him.

"Please, have a seat."

We arrived at the Presidential Office.

Seated on sofas arranged in a U-shape, we held a confidential meeting.

My seat was, of all things, the topmost position— the president's chair.

To my left sat Senior Prosecutor Kang Mu-jin, and to my right, the president.

Whoosh—.

Prosecutor Kang and the president exchanged a loaded glance.

Some sort of signal being passed right in front of me.

Not something I appreciated.

I seized the initiative and jumped straight to the point.

"What exactly is the source of the Red Sea?"

I looked at the president with an impassive face.

A determination not to be underestimated.

For now, even if it was only four seconds, I could wield omnipotent power.

Once the Baby Sword matured, I might gain something that surpassed even that omnipotence.

And the circumstances were quite favorable.

The Patriot's absence.

The Red Sea's overflow.

My emergence.

'Things have already snowballed beyond the point of no return.'

If I hadn't been there, Seoul might have been submerged in a sea of blood.

My achievements justified a strong stance.

As expected, the president, with a frightened look, told me the truth.

"In fact, the Red Sea is a Gate that was artificially cultivated by Gye Man-hwi, the leader of the cult Gaecheonji."

But that truth was strange.

"Didn't all the cults get wiped out?"

Gaecheonji, Unified Cult Church, Jesus and Children.

Countless other cults had existed domestically.

Back in high school, Gaecheonji followers had been everywhere in front of Gates, proselytizing with doomsday theories.

But their leaders and upper echelons had all been executed under the Patriot Special Act.

"Gaecheonji's cult leader Gye Man-hwi survived. He is currently in Japan."

The president said this while making another cryptic gesture toward Senior Prosecutor Kang.

Did he think I wouldn't notice?

'I'll observe for now.'

I listened calmly to the president.

The stories that followed were so riveting— terrifyingly so— that there was no room to point out minor discourtesies.

"Twelve years ago, after the Gate Catastrophe, the cults massively expanded their influence. Gaecheonji was a colossal organization with 400,000 followers nationwide. And......"

Gaecheonji.

They had performed human sacrifices.

And through that, they had completed the sea of blood— the [Red Sea].

This was a story the Korean public didn't know.

Neither did I.

"Don't the people believe Gye Man-hwi is dead?"

"Gye Man-hwi and the entire upper echelon of Gaecheonji escaped to Japan alive."

They'd apparently taken a massive stockpile of [Mystery] with them, too.......

"And the Patriot let that slide?"

There were two things the Patriot despised most.

Scammers who exploited the weak.

And pro-Japanese traitors.

'On top of that, why would he leave alone a deranged cult leader who grew a Gate through human sacrifice?'

"It was the Patriot's sole blunder. At the time, he was focused on punishing drunk drivers rather than eradicating cults......"

How to put it?

The president was actively cooperating with me by discussing the Patriot's blunders.

He even appended an offer to hand over all information on Gye Man-hwi if need be.

'Could it be...... they want me to keep the Patriot in check?'

The thought suddenly occurred to me.

As far as I knew, the president had never once publicly mentioned the Patriot's mistakes.

"—Whatever it may be, we will accommodate Mr. Si-woo's demands to the fullest extent."

After those words, a brief silence settled.

Once again, the president and Senior Prosecutor Kang locked eyes.

At this point, I'd had enough.

"Stop exchanging signals with glances and gestures and just say what you want to say."

When I raised my voice, the two flinched.

This time, it was Seol-a noona's father who spoke.

Being the one I was more comfortable with seemed to factor into the choice.

Knowing that full well, Senior Prosecutor Kang addressed me in his usual tone with a bombshell.

"Fine, Shin Si-woo. We want you to keep the Patriot in check."

I'd half-suspected it.

And it was real.

__________________

—Ep. 06. Transcendent.

"We would like to formally hold an inauguration ceremony recognizing you as an SSS-rank Hunter and Transcendent."

"Lord Patriot cannot leave the Gate for a minimum of one week to a maximum of one month. All preparations must be completed before then."

The request from Senior Prosecutor Kang and the President was simple.

That I become the Republic of Korea's official second Transcendent.

'They call it an inauguration, but…'

What they were really saying was: become a being who stands at the forefront of national defense, with money, power, and honor.

'The benefits really are enormous.'

Tax exemption was basic, and on top of that, 'immunity from prosecution' for all crimes was granted.

Universal among all nations — the baseline for a Transcendent.

'The problem is that I'm still lacking.'

My swords' manifestation times were short, and it might take quite a while for the 'Baby Sword' to grow.

Confronting the Patriot carried significant risk.

Rationally, it was smarter to bide my time.

And yet I hesitated.

'He genuinely is insane, honestly.'

I could sympathize a hundred percent with the idea that the Patriot needed to be checked.

I respected his achievements but did not endorse his ideology.

I'd been an ardent fan of the Patriot up until he was catching and killing rapists, murderers, and traitors.

He'd even been smashing every Gate he could find — the very thing that had killed my parents — so how heroic must he have looked?

"How out of control has the Patriot gotten for you to make this proposal the moment a second Transcendent appears?"

The Patriot seemed consistent, but he was gradually changing.

A growing desire to bend this nation called South Korea to his will was showing through.

"The Republic of Korea… currently exists to cater to the Patriot's moods."

President Lee Seok-hyeon, his head gleaming bare.

I instantly understood the cause of his hair loss.

"This latest real-estate crackdown — I heard your money is tied up too, Shin Si-woo."

"Seol-a noona told you?"

"Yes. She said she broke her savings to give some unknown man 40 million, so as her father, I asked."

At any rate, what the President and Senior Prosecutor Kang were getting at was this.

'What comes after the real estate?'

Stocks? Traffic laws?

A tobacco-sales prohibition act?

Their point was that endlessly indulging the Patriot's absurd demands would cause the Republic of Korea to collapse.

"He doesn't care about economics or anything of the sort. He's obsessed with eradicating everything he considers evil. Look at the real estate. Do you think loan restrictions will bring housing prices down?"

"They did drop a bit."

"That may be true, but…"

Apparently not well-versed in investment, Senior Prosecutor Kang trailed off.

The President picked up.

"Demanding that average Seoul housing prices fall below 1 billion won is an impossible ask. Since it's clearly unachievable, the government is actually considering introducing a 1-billion cap on all residences."

A 1-billion cap.

Meaning no house could be sold for more than 1 billion.

This wasn't some communist thug-state…

"My apartment had redevelopment surcharges and all kinds of taxes piled on, so a 1-billion cap would actually put me at a loss?"

"Precisely. But it is Lord Patriot's demand."

"Ah…"

With that, I grasped the reality.

"The entire government has been serving as the Patriot's suppressant."

"That's about the size of it."

I heard yet more of the Patriot's missteps that our citizens didn't know about.

"In truth, international relations are at their worst. What good is building portals with Mysteries? Tourists don't come. Improving Korea-Japan relations is urgently needed."

"The Japan bombings…"

The Patriot had attacked Japan over Dokdo.

As a result, Japan had negotiated to never use the name 'Takeshima' again.

They'd also officially recognized Dokdo as Korean territory and issued a statement adopting the designation 'East Sea.'

Great achievements — and yet President Lee Seok-hyeon's face had gone pale.

"I heard he only targeted uninhabited areas… don't tell me?"

"Yes, a fair number of civilians died. It's a confirmed fact."

"Why does Japan stay silent?"

"An SSS-rank Transcendent summoning Yi Sun-sin and hauling around aircraft carriers — what are they going to do about it? Assassination is impossible. Sword Master Cheok Jun-gyeong is always at the Patriot's side."

Even so, I couldn't understand.

"Are Japan's Transcendents just sitting idle?"

Japan had three Transcendents.

"What do you think Gye Man-hwi, who fled to Japan, has been doing? He detonated a lava Gate on Mt. Fuji and turned it into a hellscape. Japan's Transcendents are working triple shifts just to hold that back — they're dying."

Even as the President spoke, I could feel his remaining hair thinning.

"There must be evidence floating around on WorldNet — how do you keep all of this secret…"

"When both nations' Transcendents have agreed and the governments turn a blind eye, who's going to find out the truth?"

In short, they'd spent enormous amounts of [Mysteries] to scrub unidentified videos and posts from WorldNet.

The world was more precarious than I'd thought.

"Transcendent Shin Si-woo, as President, I earnestly beseech you. Please, keep the Patriot in check!"

* * *

After Shin Si-woo left.

The Minister of National Defense visited the Presidential Office.

"Do you think he'll accept?"

"I can't be certain, but… at the very least, Shin Si-woo was the person the prophecy described."

The President produced a ring.

A ring that glowed [red].

[Ring of National Destiny]

If the ring glowed red, it meant the wearer was a calamity-class being capable of annihilating the nation.

"The ring's color didn't change once, from start to finish."

"So he truly is a Transcendent."

Beings who could temporarily exercise power outside of Gates existed here and there.

Types who briefly manifested external power.

Even that required being at least an S-rank Hunter.

A true Transcendent — like Shin Si-woo —

"He could annihilate the Republic of Korea whenever, wherever, if he so chose."

"And he doesn't. Just like Lord Patriot…"

In the Patriot's case too, this ring had been bathed in red light from start to finish.

"Is there no possibility that this Shin Si-woo will turn out like the Patriot?"

"He's known Kang Mu-jin for quite some time. It'll probably be fine. And besides, there's that, isn't there?"

"You mean the Saintess's prophecy?"

"Yes."

The Republic of Korea's government was secretly sheltering a woman behind the Patriot's back.

A being who should have been executed.

"The Saintess of Fate, Im Ji-a. She said she wanted to meet Shin Si-woo herself."

"If she's willing to see him in person, he must genuinely be safe."

President Lee Seok-hyeon nodded.

"Shin Si-woo has headed for the underground bunker now. He'll meet the Saintess of Fate there, then give us his answer about keeping the Patriot in check."

After that, neither the President nor the Minister of National Defense said another word.

But both prayed fervently.