Chapter 3

Chapter 3. Truth (1)

Sword Sovereign, Reinhardt Euclid.

He had most certainly met his death.

'Where is this place?'

He'd thought himself dead, yet he opened his eyes once more.

And realized the state he was in.

He was trapped within a vast world.

More precisely—.

'The interior of the sword.'

The sword that had been with him his entire life.

Somewhere inside it.

For reasons unknown, the very sword he'd swung until the day he died was clasped in his hand.

"What wretched things......"

Reinhardt surveyed the world within the sword.

A space enclosed by six mental realms.

The outermost one was Reinhardt's own Mind Realm.

He realized that something deeply sinister and spine-chilling had taken root inside these mental realms.

And then.......

"A new sword— no, is this the sword's final form?"

Beyond his own, one more world was visible on the outermost edge.

A tiny, fragile, paper-thin world.

Reinhardt understood why he had been brought here.

'I must protect that small world so it can grow properly.'

From what?

'Those wretched things deeper inside......'

Reinhardt studied the terrifying auras dwelling within.

They, too, were swords in essence.

But the state of the souls dwelling within each sword was grotesque without exception.

Reinhardt focused on the woman seated in the deepest reaches.

'The Demon God of Enchantment, Bellatrice?'

A horrific being spoken of only in legend.

A peerless beauty said to bewitch people with her bewitching allure, known for carrying a massive violet greatsword.

And she was the infamous demon who had cast the Sword of Enchantment across the continent, sparking wars that drove it to ruin.

'I don't recognize the rest—.'

The other five swords, perhaps on edge from Reinhardt's arrival, were each scattering their presence from their respective territories, probing his Mind Realm.

Enduring that prickling aura, Reinhardt reaffirmed his mission.

'The life of a guardian.'

He had to protect the small and precious final sword from those monsters.

That was his calling.

Just as he was steeling that resolve—.

RUMBLE—RUMBLE—RUMBLE—!!!

The entire mental realm began to warp and twist.

Reinhardt was not alone—even the wretched things deeper inside, who had been firing their auras at one another, all lifted their heads to gaze skyward.

"......The world is shaking."

Whoosh——.

A vast, hollow gaze peered into the interior.

Its pupils had grown slightly wider, as though wearing an expression of faint surprise.

'The master of the sword.'

What on earth had he been thinking when he created a world like this?

What purpose could drive him to forge a new sword when he already possessed powerhouses such as them?

'All of us combined are still not enough—?'

Each and every aura within this space was more than capable of annihilating an entire continent on its own.

Yet the master of the sword seemed dissatisfied even with that.

The master of the sword regarded them with detached observation.

The souls dwelling within the sword realized that their enlightenment was being siphoned away into that gaze.

And then.......

'What are we, exactly?'

Those hollow eyes stared intently at nothing but the 'sword' in Reinhardt's hand.

As if the souls dwelling within it were nothing at all.

_________________________

—Ep. 02. Truth

 

'The Pinnacle of the Sword?'

It was only an instant.

I had obtained an astonishing enlightenment.

An omnipotent sensation, as if I had become the sword and the sword had become me.

I'd only felt it for a fleeting moment.

But…

'It stayed.'

A considerable amount of information about what it meant to be a sword had flowed into my mind.

Maybe it was experience.

No — enlightenment.

'It must mean to pull out only the good parts from the Ego Swords and raise the Baby Sword.'

My primary armament was the [Baby Sword].

An Ego Sword was a weapon inhabited by an NPC.

To be precise, it was like the NPC's soul had adhered to a sword I had forged…

"Si-woo?"

Just then, Section Chief Kang Seol-a called out to me.

It seemed I'd zoned out briefly while peering into the world of swords.

"Hurry up and manifest your ability first! You know this only holds for 1 minute, right?"

The artificial creation of a [Gate] environment.

Both the maintenance cost and the duration were short.

I snapped back to my senses quickly.

'I just need to draw it, right?'

I'd been standing there blankly, with my hand half-plunged into empty air.

While still gripping the Baby Sword's hilt.

I swiftly drew my sword.

Sreureuk—.

Soaring up as it tore through the empty air was my—

"…Ability confirmed. B-but isn't that sword a bit too small and pathetic?"

—large and mighty greatsword — which Section Chief Kang Seol-a immediately dismissed.

I tilted my head sideways and asked,

"It'll become large and mighty. Right now it's in a small and 'precious' state."

"…S-small and precious. Ah, right."

Suddenly, Section Chief Kang Seol-a nodded with an awkward expression.

Probably because they say natural Awakened are all insane.

"I'm not crazy."

"Right?"

"Of course."

"Then that sword—"

"Summoning this small and precious sword is indeed my ability."

"R-right."

Once again, Section Chief Kang Seol-a nodded with an awkward expression.

"Shin Si-woo, 27, presumed to be a close-range class of the equipment-summoning type. I'll record it like that?"

"Yes."

Since combat capability could only be determined through actual experience, the most we could put down for now was something like [close-range class of the sword-summoning type].

"Si-woo, to think you've actually become an Awakened…"

Section Chief Kang Seol-a handed me a small card with a look that said she still couldn't believe it.

[Awakened: Shin Si-woo / Rank: Undetermined]

A temporary Awakened confirmation card, the kind handed out to those who had just Awakened.

From here, once you passed the practical test and your lethality was recognized, a [Hunter] license was issued.

"When would be a good time for the practical test?"

Outside of a Gate, natural Awakened were no better than ordinary people with broken personalities.

A fair number of them would get beaten to death if they weren't careful.

That was why the government did its utmost to protect them.

'If the Gates don't get cleared, the country's done for—'

Which was why a proper 'classification' had to be made — after all manner of testing — before full-fledged activity was possible.

A kind of safety measure.

I saw no particular reason to drag this out, so I asked immediately,

"Can it be done now?"

"Hmm… if you want a good-natured — ahem. No, if you want one from an Induced Awakened, it'll take two days."

"If I want it right now, I have to go with a natural Awakened?"

"That's right."

I was a natural myself.

Honestly, considering my own case—

The claim that natural Awakened had a high proportion of broken personalities might just be bullshit.

A small minority's misconduct might make the majority look that way…

'Above all—'

I wanted to see my sword again, and quickly.

To do that, I had to enter a Gate.

"Let's do it now."

"You sure you're fine with that?"

"My job was dealing with people like that, you know…"

"True enough—"

My precise duty was at the Awakened Management Bureau, Newly Awakened Management Division.

What I did was coax and calm people who claimed they might have Awakened and send them home.

Or coax and calm an Awakened lunatic into properly taking the test and getting registered as an Awakened.

"I may not be at your level, Section Chief Seol-a, but I can handle difficult people with confidence."

When I laughed wryly, Section Chief Kang Seol-a chuckled.

"Well, that's a relief, at least."

* * *

If there was one good thing about the Gate crisis, it was that 'connections' made everything get processed quickly.

Thanks to Section Chief Kang Seol-a's consideration, I was able to take the practical test within 30 minutes of receiving my temporary Awakened card.

More precisely, the time of verification.

"Hunter Park Chang-seok?"

Hunter Park Chang-seok, who had been locked up in a mage tower for 30 years during his Trial of Awakening, had come to see me.

He was someone I'd handled, so I vaguely remembered him.

'He was a chatterbox.'

A B-rank Hunter, and a [Mage].

More specifically, something like the Aindro Hamelstia school…

'Everyone's trial is different.'

The trend was to lump them under [Mage], [Warrior], [Swordsman], and so on.

I'd probably be something like a [Swordsman]?

"You're the one taking the test?"

As expected of a natural Awakened, any pretense of courtesy had gone out the window.

He didn't seem to recognize me either.

Since I'd been dealing with so many of these, I just nodded.

"Yes."

"Let's go."

Hunter Park Chang-seok strode forward with his robes flowing, looking utterly self-important.

Outside of Gates, all but a tiny minority of the strong couldn't exercise their power at all.

In other words, it was just an ordinary 21st-century scene in South Korea.

And yet he insisted on dressing like a mage, which meant…

'He's on the severe side, then?'

It meant he had undergone a lengthy [trial].

And he was also the type who wanted to show off that he was an Awakened.

The one saving grace was that, unlike what I remembered, he was sparing with his words.

"Switching to a lowly sword-wielder, huh?"

"Yes."

The place Hunter Park Chang-seok took me to was the basement of the Awakened Management Agency in Yeouido.

A location where one could safely use a [Public Gate].

"Salute!"

Armed military personnel with guns watched over our entry into the Gate.

There had been several cases of Hunters getting their loot stolen while exiting a Gate, which was why these measures had been put in place.

"Entering the Beginner Gate?"

For reference, there were several types of Gates.

The one I was entering was a Public Gate for testing purposes.

Here, basic hunting grounds classified as [Beginner], [Intermediate], and [Advanced] would appear.

'I can't enter the real ones yet.'

The Bizarre Red Gates that had appeared all across the world.

Those were genuinely dangerous.

In exchange, the rewards were better and leveling came faster, but the entry conditions were strict.

But…

'Why's the guide so quiet?'

That mage might be a more twisted case than I'd thought.

His gaze toward the soldiers was distinctly crooked, as though he were looking at 'non-Awakened scum.'

There were occasionally Hunters like that, steeped in a sense of superiority.

Before the soldiers could take offense, I spoke up first.

"Entering the Beginner Gate. I just Awakened today."

"Congratulations!"

After receiving the soldiers' businesslike greeting, I immediately acted according to the manual.

"Gate, open."

At my words — the words of an [Awakened] — the public Gate connected to the Bureau's basement responded.

A menu of options appeared before my eyes.

Paat!

[Beginner]

[Intermediate]

[Advanced]

I pressed the Beginner Gate without hesitation.

Vvvng—.

A portal then appeared in empty air.

Only then did the mage Park Chang-seok speak, his robes arrogantly flowing.

"Let's go."

Robes flowing dashingly.

But the one flapping them was Park Chang-seok's hand.

'A bit off, this one.'

This much was within normal range.

I gave the soldiers a nod and followed him.

The moment we crossed the Gate—

Hwoooooooo———.

A forest whipped by cutting winds appeared.

In the fierce gale, tree branches shook dizzyingly, and along that wind, small green monsters poured down like rain.

An enormous, expansive forest.

Yet the only people in it were me and this mage — just the two of us.

And…

Pajijik— pajik.

"Ahh, this omnipotence."

Hunter Park Chang-seok's robes rippled, and his eyes took on a look like he'd lost his mind.

Unlike before entering, it wasn't his hand flapping the robes.

The robes were fluttering on their own.

A prickling energy could be felt in every direction.

'Is this mana?'

He was known as a 6th-Circle mage.

Not really a person with problems like violent tendencies.

"Hey."

"Yes?"

He asked me in a tone even more arrogant than before.

"You know why I bother doing this with beginners?"

"Well…"

Something felt off.

But the chance this man was a psychopathic murderer was extremely low.

To begin with, his records were clean.

That was why they'd assigned him to guide new Awakened.

'On top of that, his level is low.'

A B-rank couldn't project influence outside a Gate.

Outside, he was an ordinary person.

Handleable with a single gun.

I looked at him calmly.

'This feels off.'

Of course, I warned him with my eyes.

—Kill me here, and the moment I step outside, the soldiers will turn you into swiss cheese!!!

That was the meaning I loaded into my gaze.

But lo.

"I like one-sided beatdowns. Slaughtering those tiny little goblins is quite the thrill. And it's also fun to show newbies like you the despairing gap between us."

This bastard had simply been plain insane.

I replied in businesslike fashion, 'Oh, is that so.'

'Something still feels off, though…'

For now, what mattered was my test.

As I was persuading myself of that.

Hu-ung—.

"Hind— Ramuha!!!"

The mage Park Chang-seok raised his staff and shouted something.

The gale then intensified further, and countless goblins began pouring down toward me.

"What are you doing right now—"

"Kehehe, if you look like you're about to die, I'll help. Don't worry."

I was quite taken aback.

Judging from the mage's rolled-back eyes, conversation looked meaningless.

'Lunatic.'

The number of goblins was distant.

No matter how I looked at it, this wasn't a number meant for a just-Awakened person's test.

Still, thinking 'surely he won't actually kill me?', I calmly raised my sword.

My basic state was the [Baby Sword].

'Just in case, let me check whether my other swords can be summoned.'

[Ego Swords] were difficult to reveal carelessly.

Still, I tried, just in case of emergencies.

And yet—

Paat!

[Conditions not met.]

'There was a condition?'

The small and precious [Baby Sword] was gripped in my hand.

A sword at Lv.01, identical to me.

Was it because I'd briefly stalled for time?

"Pfft—."

The mage watched my precious sword and sneered.

"That's all you've got? As expected — you were a fake. What a damn primitive power."

I felt a certain dissonance at the word 'fake.'

'Don't tell me, that guy…'

There was a small group of 'natural Awakened' who viewed non-Awakened as an inferior species.

Things that had existed only as rumor.

'…An Awakening-supremacist?'

Awakening-supremacists.

They called Induced Awakened 'fakes.'

Of course, I was a natural Awakened myself.

"You're a fake bastard, aren't you?"

The off feeling grew stronger.

I briefly deliberated whether to answer that I was natural.

'I am natural, but…'

But there was no time to answer.

At some point, the goblins had arrived right before my eyes.

'They look seriously vicious.'

Goblins, orcs, trolls, ogres, and so on.

Monsters that commonly appeared out in the world.

These creatures were similar to the mob-tier enemies from games — but with one fatal difference.

That was—

—Kyeeeeeeek!!!

Their murderous intent toward humans was enormous.

Even while being whipped around by the wind, the goblin, with bloodshot eyes, tried to slash precisely at the nape of my neck.

"If you're not a natural, you'll die — so you'd best get that through your head—"

Letting the mage's nonsense wash over me, I angled my blade.

That bastard had never intended to give me a chance to answer.

He'd just pushed another goblin toward me.

'No need to be rattled. This is only a test, after all.'

I calmly composed my mind.

Then I considered the sword's method of cultivation.

'Raising the sword.'

Kill anything and everything cruelly and feed it plenty of blood, and it would grow into the demon-sword line.

Conversely, swing the sword honestly with a righteous heart, and it would grow into the holy-sword line.

That was the basic concept.

'In the early stages, it's best to stick to the orthodox path.'

Seugeok.

Without hesitation, I turned my body diagonally and swung the Baby Sword.

Thanks to the enlightenment in my mind, the movement flowed out as naturally as water.

As if I had become a swordsman.

'So the sword's enlightenment really did transfer to me in full.'

Dengang—. Thunk— tumble tumble.

The goblin's neck was severed in a single stroke.

"Oh… the weapon is better than it looks, huh? For a just-Awakened fake to slice a head off in one blow — that's supposed to be difficult—"

The mage Park Chang-seok let out a brief exclamation.

The off feeling subsided a little.

Then he asked me,

"Were you, by chance, a natural?"