Chapter 8

Chapter 8. New Growth Path (1)

It was as though the door to an entirely new world had opened.

My heart pounded.

'There was still something I didn't know.'

This was 'Raise a Sword,' a game I'd dug into for twelve years.

Within the bounds of my existing knowledge, something like 'Chaos' couldn't exist.

There were only two directions: Supreme Good and Supreme Evil.

The method of raising a sword was to choose one of those two extremes, then reinforce a detailed concept within it.

'Chaos.'

Yet a new concept had emerged.

And in the peculiar form of good and evil coexisting, no less.

A smile crept across my face unbidden.

My mind was overflowing with deliberations about the new build.

'How do good and evil mix?'

As the master of the sword, this was a question that naturally demanded consideration.

After all, it was about raising my small and precious sword.

I had two hypotheses.

'One is probably the NPC issue......'

The reason swords' alignments had skewed to the extremes was largely because of the NPCs wielding them.

"Sword, you're telling me to slaughter all those lumps of meat? And if I do, I'll grow taller? Right? RIGHT?"

Most NPCs, regardless of who they were, were deranged individuals with no middle ground.

"GWAHAHAHA! O sword, humans are ore. Let me hammer humans to make them stronger! Oops—. My hand slipped. His brains splattered!!"

Ordinary people?

They couldn't even get close to the swords.

"Eek! What a terrifying aura......"

Only those who leaned heavily to one side could grasp the swords I'd placed and reach their ultimate potential.

'Kind of similar to the mental state of natural Awakened, when you think about it.'

With over ten thousand playthroughs of data, I could say that with certainty.

Now the remaining question was the second reason.

I had an inkling about this one too.

'My Awakening must be the second reason.'

I was the master of the sword, the Sword Master.

Not an NPC, but an Awakened who existed in reality.

I'd also absorbed the experiences of the other swords and gained their enlightenment.

With someone like me wielding the Baby Sword, wouldn't achieving balance between both sides become possible?

'Because I'm a natural Awakened who's mentally sound and who Awakened as the master of the sword— that's why it works.'

Anyway.

I now understood why the impossible had become possible.

After all this deliberation, I decided on my sword's growth path.

Flash!

[1. Chaos has been selected.]

No need to deliberate further. I chose the new option.

'It'll be more powerful than any sword before it.'

I was certain.

In [Raise a Sword], every time a new sword was unlocked, an incredibly powerful and exceptional growth path had appeared alongside it.

The same held true now that it had become reality.

HUMMM———.

The [Baby Sword] trembled its blade as though celebrating my choice.

Atop the blade, a pure white light and a pitch-black light spiraled in tandem.

This was Chaos.

'The harmony of good and evil.'

Infinite possibilities had opened for my Baby Sword.

It meant that fusions like a holy sword and demon sword were possible down the line.

For example—.

[Chaos Holy-Demon Sword]

Something like that might emerge.

______________________________

—Ep. 04. New Cultivation Method.

The sword's trembling ceased.

The [Baby Sword], slightly shorter than my forearm, had grown just a bit larger.

An extremely subtle change.

But my eyes clearly perceived the Baby Sword's growth.

'Aura.'

I could now draw out aura imbued with the Chaos attribute.

A change had been etched into the status window, so there was no way I'd miss it.

Paat!

『Sword Master, Shin Si-woo Lv.2』

—Sword Summon (Authority):

State—Baby Sword / Name—Undecided (Lv.2)

Alignment: Chaos.

—Ego Sword Summon (Authority):

[Communication Ability]

1st Sword, Reinhardt Euclid. [4/100]

2nd Sword, Yuria Lanestia. [0/100]

3rd Sword, Jun. [0/100]

4th Sword, Muratan. [0/100]

5th Sword, Iris Ruzbella. [0/100]

6th Sword, Bellatrice. [0/100]

The 'alignment' listed here referred to the aura.

For now only the 'alignment' was recorded, but as I raised the sword and its power crystallized, more varied and specific abilities would bloom.

Of course, the sword also provided various abilities for me, the wielder.

'Originally this would have been my job as the player…'

The Baby Sword had clearly said 'Waaah!'

There might already be something like a soul inside the sword.

Meaning it was the Baby Sword that would hand me the power meant for the wielder.

'A mutually complementary structure.'

I'd inadvertently wasted a bit of time.

I calmly surveyed the boss of this Gate.

Saaaaaaa———

The Red Sea, surging toward the sky.

At the far end of the parted Red Sea, a colossal serpent coiled in a ring came into view.

The boss of the Gate I had to deal with.

'A small-scale Red Gate.'

A water serpent roughly 2.5 meters tall and about 10 meters in body length.

Difficulty: a level where even a B-rank Hunter could solo it.

Seol-a noona had given me an A-rank Hunter license thinking I was a Transcendent, but my actual skill didn't reach that level.

I hadn't fully absorbed the sword's enlightenment yet.

'That's what this is for.'

There was a reason I'd come here despite knowing I was lacking.

The reward from the Tower conquest.

[SSS-rank Random Box]

I was going to use it.

What if the reward was garbage?

Then I'd just call Reinhardt.

The time was…

'4 seconds even inside a Gate.'

It seemed Ego Swords could only be summoned in hours inside the Tower.

That was fine.

The boss of this Gate was weaker than B-rank Mage Park Chang-seok.

'One second would be enough for an instant kill.'

I positioned myself at the edge of the boss's aggro range and pulled out the Tower conquest reward.

As I mentioned, the [Tower] was singular and unique.

A space that recreated an Awakened's trial and opened the possibility of growing stronger.

The SSS-rank Random Box would yield a reward related to the [Sword Master].

'Probably… a technique the swords used to wield?'

Ddiriring———!!!

I opened the box without hesitation.

Countless words flashed before my eyes.

Soon the speed slowed, and a single phrase rose before me.

[Skill: Single Slash, Horizontal Cut.]

—The first Transcendent-tier technique created by Reinhardt Euclid.

The NPC of the final sword, Reinhardt.

A first Transcendent-tier technique he'd obtained after 10 years of early cultivation.

'He was the first NPC who ever listened that well.'

Normally, when you ordered an NPC into 10 years of training, they'd demand some devious shortcut and flop down in protest…

'Reinhardt completed every single thing I told him to do.'

Anyway, I could now use his first Transcendent technique as a [Skill].

Seuk—.

I raised the Baby Sword and aimed at the boss.

Time to kill the boss, claim the reward, and close the Gate.

The true nature of the [Red Sea] was a Bizarre that spread Gates across corroded land, ceaselessly expanding its domain.

'A desire of sorts — to dye the world in a red sea.'

I approached the coiled serpent with the Baby Sword raised.

An enormous serpent made of red liquid.

It unwound its coils and fixed its eyes on me.

Kyeek—.

The serpent's tongue flicked.

A moment later, the serpent's head shot toward me at blinding speed.

'Stay calm—'

I swept my right hand — the one gripping the sword — behind my left hip.

Then I lowered my stance and gathered every ounce of force.

The instinctive method of using the skill.

I could feel it.

Vvng—.

Atop the blade, a stark-white aura and a pitch-black aura spiraled in a helix.

Aura — the mark of a seasoned knight.

Drawing it forth, I swung the sword.

[Single Slash, Horizontal Cut]

The enlightenment dwelling in my body executed the [Skill] with precision.

Upright and perfectly honest.

From my left hip, a straight horizontal line was drawn.

And so—

Jjeong————!!!

A deafening roar like the world splitting, and a long line was carved.

An utterly simple, uncomplicated motion — a horizontal slash.

Tempered and tempered to its extreme to create the [1st Sword, Reinhardt Euclid]'s first Transcendent technique.

And my 'Baby Sword' and I had executed it.

Jjeojjeojjeok—.

A long wave rippled outward, tracing the sword's trajectory.

The massive serpent was split apart.

Having lost its form, the serpent dissolved into what looked like the seawater of the Red Sea.

A sword-afterimage lingered in the air.

Jjeuap——!!!

Even the serpent's remains were sucked into the Single Slash I'd drawn, as though being swallowed, and vanished.

'Is the absorption a trait of Chaos?'

The 1st Sword, Reinhardt, was strictly a holy-sword lineage.

His specialty was annihilating evil.

But my [Baby Sword] had used the residual force left in the sword-energy to absorb the red serpent.

This seemed to be the hallmark of the 'Chaos' alignment.

'It's definitely dead.'

I looked around.

As if to prove that the boss — the core — had been killed, the Gate's environment began to change.

Chwareureureu—.

The red sea that had been surging skyward on either side of me.

It lost its power and came crashing to the ground.

Water rose along the parted path between the seas, and I swiftly moved to where the boss had been.

Vvvng—.

A stone fragment gleaming with five-colored brilliance came into view.

The driving force that had sustained the [Gate].

None other than a Mystery.

'Possibility—'

Just as all of humanity had come to use WorldNet.

Just as an artificial [Gate] had been created in the Awakened Management Bureau basement.

This stone fragment was the secret behind humanity's survival.

[Mystery.]

The driving force that kept humanity alive.

A power that broadened human possibility.

And insanely expensive.

'A chunk this size could fetch about 100 million won?'

For reference, this was the smallest size.

'The money problem tied up in real estate — solved in one shot.'

I picked up the stone fragment with trembling hands.

Paat!

[You have cleared the Gate.]

A message announcing the conquest, and an exit portal appeared before my eyes.

Now this world would crumble and the [Gate] would vanish.

Before escaping, I gazed at the scene before me.

'The first Gate I ever conquered.'

Shwaaaa————.

The sea that had surged skyward without end came crashing down in an instant.

Truly, grandeur itself.

A chilling fact suddenly crossed my mind.

'This sea was made of human blood?'

The red of the Red Sea had been blood.

Human blood, at that.

A fact learned as the Baby Sword absorbed the blood.

'Hmm…'

My mind sparked.

'The Striving Sword Reinhardt was awakened through righteous swordsmanship.'

The [Baby Sword] had consumed blood.

If it consumed blood, perhaps a hideous demon sword from my younger days might awaken.

Something like the Vampiric Demon Sword, for instance.

'The NPC whose ending I saw was named Iris Ruzbella.'

But there was no change.

A momentary pang of disappointment at not seeing a new sword.

I quickly regained my composure.

'Maybe it's better this way—'

My level was far too low to wield that terrifying sword.

At the very least, I should prepare a mental barrier before meeting her.

Just as I was about to leave the Gate.

Kuung——.

The sword vibrated.

From the jewel at the end of the hilt, a red afterimage flickered.

"Huh?"

But that was all.

The jewel quickly settled back into place.

No further changes occurred.

I left the Gate as-is.

* * *

Sreureuk—.

In Senior Prosecutor Kang Mu-jin's office, a shadow rippled.

A shadow that gradually took human form bowed its head to Kang Mu-jin.

"I have something to report."

The shadow's true identity was Kim Jeong-hun, commander of the Republic of Korea's Special Task Force Hyeonmu.

Kang Mu-jin greeted the shadow with a bright smile.

"Oh, has Lord Patriot returned?"

If the head of Hyeonmu had come in person, it must be the Patriot's business.

"Lord Patriot is currently investigating an anomaly within a Gate."

But the shadow delivered news opposite to Kang Mu-jin's expectations.

The Patriot hadn't come out of a Gate for days, and it was unknown how long this would continue.

"What kind of Gate takes more than a day? Did he go to conquer the Red Sea or something?"

"The thing is…"

Hyeonmu's commander Kim Jeong-hun cautiously uttered a single word.

"Black."

"Black?"

"A Gate of a type never seen before has appeared."

Every existing Gate was [Red].

Now a [Black] had appeared.

Humanity hadn't even conquered Red Gates yet…

"Status of the interior?"

"Unknown. All we could see was that the black Gate was as dark as peering into the Abyss…"

It was the Patriot's affair.

So there was no worry.

The problem was the present state of Korea.

"You've read the report on demon worshippers being able to corrupt Awakened?"

"Yes, I have."

"Any progress on the investigation?"

"Not yet… we haven't found even a shadow of a demon worshipper."

Senior Prosecutor Kang Mu-jin.

He was nothing more than an ordinary person.

Yet he was someone brimming with a sense of justice — devoted to serving South Korea above all else.

He fixed the shadow with a resolute gaze.

"WorldNet's in an uproar over the Yeouido incident right now."

———————

<Breaking — An unidentified Transcendent appeared in Yeouido and carried out a massacre. According to a government announcement, Lord Patriot's Constellation dealt with him, but… there are many suspicious circumstances.>

———————

Since the emergence of WorldNet, manipulating public opinion had become nearly impossible.

It was an era where everyone used 'personal accounts' authenticated by Mysteries.

On top of that, corrupt media outlets were hammered by the Patriot.

In other words, the videos and materials posted here were mostly true.

—The Yeouido footage is insane

—You have to watch it at 0.1x speed to even see it properly. Swords raining down like a storm lol

—Looks like Lord Patriot dealt with it using Constellation Cheok Jun-gyeong.

—Wasn't Cheok Jun-gyeong the Constellation that only kills Chings?

—Feels kind of different from Lord Patriot's abilities though?

"Can you not see this?"

"I can."

Kang Mu-jin approached the shadow.

"Thanks to Lord Patriot assigning a Constellation to me, it was handled well — but the threat of demon worshippers remains."

He concealed Shin Si-woo's identity, just in case.

'People will catch on soon enough that it wasn't the Patriot's Constellation, but—'

If Shin Si-woo truly was an SSS-rank Transcendent, they needed to buy time until he'd grown.

Apart from that line of thinking, Kang Mu-jin pressed Hyeonmu's commander.

"Why have you come to me with no progress to show?"

You have things you should be doing right now, don't you?

That was the meaning.

At that, the shadow looked at Kang Mu-jin.

Only now was he about to get to the main point.

"…In Goyang City, an extremely intense killing intent was detected from the Red Gate."

In the briefest of instants.

A tremor had occurred from the ultra-massive Gate that served as the parent body of the [Red Sea].

"The Red Sea… is moving again, you say?"

"It felt as though it was reacting to something. We're concerned the demon worshippers may have tampered with it…"

The red sea — the Red Sea.

But Kang Mu-jin knew what it truly was.

"The sea of blood is stirring—"

That sea was made of blood.

A report from just moments ago flashed through his mind.

'Nothing's gone wrong, has it?'

Goyang City's Red Sea.

The Gate Shin Si-woo had headed toward.

And Shin Si-woo — who had Awakened in a Transcendent state — was an asset this nation had to protect at all costs.

"Dispatch an investigation team to the Red Sea immediately and secure A-rank Hunter Shin Si-woo's safety!"