Bitan and the Paradox

I muttered to myself as I scanned my surroundings. "It's definitely around here somewhere..." The sky, hidden behind the massive trees, was already beginning to bleed into deep shades of crimson. I wandered beneath the faintly flickering sunset, three full hours now since entering the Deep Time Forest.

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I'd assumed following the map's directions would get me there quickly. I was wrong. The dense undergrowth and mysterious fog that blanketed the entire forest made it impossible to maintain a clear line of sight. On top of that, the sanctuary's holy barrier suppressed mana usage itself, rendering any magic tools or scrolls useless.

Left with no other option, I was reduced to brute-force searching for the ruins' entrance. 'It was definitely under some kind of tree...' The problem was that I had no idea what that tree was supposed to look like. Trees were everywhere. How was I supposed to tell which one?

The system map only marked major terrain features, making it essentially worthless. It simply pointed me toward the general area. Thanks to that, I'd spent a long time inspecting every single tree around me.

Only after the sky had darkened did I finally discover a tree with a small pattern etched near its roots.

"...I finally found it."

A long sigh escaped me, heavy with complicated emotions. This was exhausting. I just wanted to collapse into bed...

'In the novel, when Alan twisted one of the branches, a hole opened beneath the tree and revealed the passage.' I figured I should do the same. I circled the trunk, twisting every branch I could reach. On the twenty-seventh one—

A low rumble echoed as a strange vibration traveled through my fingertips. Okay. Got it.

When I looked at the ground on the opposite side, a hole just large enough for one person had appeared. I carefully stepped inside.

The earthy scent hit me immediately. I struck the match I'd prepared earlier, illuminating the cave. The passage leading to the ruins was overgrown with tree roots and small plants, suggesting no one had set foot here in a very long time. Or perhaps no one ever had.

"Whew... Shall we get going?"

Time had slipped away more than I'd expected, so I needed to move quickly. Curfew at the dormitory was ten o'clock. Being late would be troublesome. I broke into a light jog, racing through the dark underground path. Since I knew there were no traps or gimmicks, I didn't need to stay on high alert.

Before long, the single path split into three separate routes. I stopped in front of the fork.

At the same time, a familiar mechanical sound rang in my ears.

"Hmm..."

So it really was a relic-related quest. I stroked my chin as I examined each path in turn. In the original story, Alan had chosen the rightmost path—the third one. That was where he obtained the holy sword Dawn, the relic of the Goddess of Joy.

'The right path is off-limits, then.' No matter what other opportunities I stole from him, I couldn't take Dawn. In the future, Alan would use that sword to defeat the final boss of the demon race—the one trying to resurrect the Demon King. If I took it, there would be no way to stop the demon armies that would swarm in a few years later. For the sake of my own future in this life, that one was non-negotiable.

That left the other two paths. Since Alan never returned to this place after obtaining his relic in the original story, it was never revealed what lay down the remaining routes.

The Goddess of Sorrow and the Goddess of Anger.

"......"

Personally, I thought the Goddess of Anger would be better. A relic from the Goddess of Sorrow sounded like it would only make me more miserable. It didn't seem like anything good would come from it.

"Yeah, Anger sounds best. The problem is..."

Just because I preferred the Goddess of Anger didn't mean I could automatically find her path. How was I supposed to know if she was on the left or in the middle? Even Alan in the original story hadn't known.

"Hmm..."

I rolled my eyes, studying the fork carefully in search of any clues. Several more minutes passed that way.

"Hm...?"

I spotted something on the ground of each path. "Patterns...?"

Beneath the thick layer of dust, faint symbols were visible. The left path bore a pattern of a red sword. The middle path showed a blue water droplet. The right path featured a yellow sun.

'Symbols representing the three goddesses...?' The yellow sun on the right clearly symbolized the Goddess of Joy. By process of elimination, the red sword on the left must represent the Goddess of Anger, while the blue water droplet in the center stood for the Goddess of Sorrow.

With that simple deduction, I called up the status window.

"Status window. Main quest selection. I'll take the left path."

"Whew... Did that work?"

Then I could finally go see the Goddess of Anger's relic—

"What...?"

It couldn't be selected? And what did it mean that a user already existed for the relic? What the hell was that supposed to—

"What?! Hey, wait—!"

Before I could finish my panicked protest, a small sound rang out and my vision flickered.

...

With a loud thud, my body slammed into the floor. At the same time, my flickering vision returned and the darkness before my eyes brightened. I frowned at the stinging pain in my stomach. I'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been standing straight before the teleport, so why had I ended up sprawled on the ground...?

I brushed myself off and stood up, then looked around. The space carried a gloomy atmosphere. The air was so cold it was hard to believe it was summer. Massive frost covered the walls of the enormous cavern-like interior. In the center stood a stepped altar, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠embedded in the stone at its highest point was a single dark-blue sword.

'The description from the novel matches pretty closely.' The altar Alan had seen was filled with brilliant light rather than frost and icicles, but aside from that detail, everything looked nearly identical.

I climbed the stepped path toward the altar.

"So that sword must be the Goddess of Sorrow's relic..."

Still, no matter how I thought about it, this felt like a cheap shot. A user already existed for the Goddess of Anger's relic? That was never mentioned in the original story. And what kind of system arbitrarily sent me down the second path? Why even offer a choice at all?

I suppressed the meaningless irritation rising in my chest. Whatever. It had already happened. There was no changing it now. I'd just have to accept it.

"......"

I really felt like killing myself.

By the time I reached the top of the altar, I let out a deep sigh and reached for the sword. Well, I hadn't checked its performance yet. My mood was ruined, but it was too early to be disappointed.

"Alright, let's take a look at—"

The instant my fingertips touched the hilt, the dark-blue blade let out a bizarre shriek. The ear-splitting noise made me frown involuntarily.

"...That scared me."

It was quite fierce. Throwing a tantrum just because I touched it once. I knew relics chose their owners, but did it really dislike me that much?

"...Well, too bad. Just bear with it a little. I'll only use you for about three years before setting you free."

I reached out again, this time gripping the hilt firmly. I'd expected it to resist and fight for dominance, but contrary to my expectations, the relic obediently slid free from the stone and entrusted its body to me.

Bitan. The name itself sounded incredibly ominous. I assumed a stance with the sword in hand and lightly sliced through the air. It was a double-edged blade suited to a medieval fantasy setting. Having trained with katanas, the grip and reach felt slightly awkward.

As if reading my thoughts, another alert sounded from the status window.

The moment those words appeared, the blade began to writhe and reshape itself. The double edge shifted to a single edge, the long crossguard shortened to a more suitable length, and the pommel, hilt, and scabbard all adjusted accordingly. Once the transformation finished, the writhing stopped.

The double-edged Bitan had become a single-edged blade resembling a katana.

"Oh..."

Fascinated, I examined it from every angle. The cold chill against my fingertips, the perfect grip that fit my hand exactly, the appropriately sized crossguard and pommel, and the sharply gleaming edge. Maybe it was because this was the first sword I'd held since my possession, but it felt like returning to my hometown.

A hometown I'd never wanted to return to.

...Well, it couldn't be helped. Even if I hated it, I still had work to do.

"That aside."

Was there no way to turn off the glowing effect on the blade? It was so bright it hurt my eyes. I frowned and slid the sword into its scabbard. The blue aurora that had been swirling around me vanished instantly. The oppressive aura the sword had emitted also disappeared without a trace.

"It quiets down once it's sheathed."

That was a pretty useful feature. The weapons left behind by the Three Goddesses of Emotion were treated as top-tier relics. It would be better to hide the fact that I possessed one. That way I'd be safer from relic hunters and the demon race.

"Status window."

That issue was settled. Now it was time to check its actual abilities.

"Display information on Bitan."

Visually, it looked like a weapon on par with Alan's Dawn. Weapons with such flashy effects were rare even in the original story. So what were its actual specs like?

"It's a Paradox grade, as expected."

Paradox. The word literally meant something that shouldn't exist. The standard weapon grades consisted of six tiers: Common, Rare, Heroic, Legendary, Mythic, and Divine. However, certain weapons broke these boundaries. They were given the rank name "Paradox"—a grade that should not exist.

The most famous examples were the swords bestowed by the Three Goddesses of Emotion, along with the divine blade Blossoming that had vanished alongside the first hero, Ash Reynolds, a thousand years ago.

"Well... since it's an irregular weapon, the usage conditions are probably strict."

Even in my current state, I could probably only use about three percent of Bitan's power. Still, that was fine. The true value of a Paradox-grade weapon lay in its powerful special skills.

"Please... let it be something useful..."

Special skills. Weapons of Mythic grade or higher possessed unique techniques. In the case of Alan's Dawn, the skill was called "Daybreak." It summoned massive pillars of light from the sky that annihilated every demon they touched without restriction. Of course, its cooldown was a fatal one year, but the point was that special skills were always ridiculously overpowered.

With a mixture of anticipation and anxiety, I tapped the "View Details" button next to the special skill.

...

Upon confirming the special skill, I could only freeze in place.

...

"Young Master! Wake up! You'll be late for class!"

"Rachel... five more minutes..."

"No! If you don't get up right now, you'll be late!"

I woke to Rachel's energetic shout. I half-heartedly chewed through the breakfast laid out on the table, then began putting on my school uniform. Shirt, vest, jacket. Now for the tie...

"Ugh."

This was harder than it looked. It's not like I'd ever tied one in my previous life. I'd spent all my time training and had never worn a proper suit.

As I struggled with the tie for a while, Rachel, who had been watching from the side, giggled and approached.

"That's not how you tie it. Give it here. I'll do it for you."

She took the tie from my hands and began tying it with practiced movements.

"You're really good at this?"

"Hehe, I'm your personal maid. This much is basic for me."

Every time she smiled behind her hand, her neatly tied twin ponytails swayed. She finished the knot and patted my shoulder.

"There, all done!"

"Whoa..."

The tie was perfectly neat. It was on a completely different level from my clumsy attempt. Seeing my impressed reaction, Rachel shrugged with a proud expression.

"I'm pretty capable, aren't I?"

"You really are."

"Want me to teach you how to tie it properly?"

I thought for a moment, then shook my head.

"No need."

"Eh? Why not?"

"Just tie it for me every day."

It was too much of a hassle. Having someone else do it was much more convenient. At my words, Rachel's body twitched.

"Y-You want me to tie it every day...?"

"Yeah."

"E-Every single day...?"

"Yes, every day."

"Ugh......"

Her face turned bright red as she lowered her head. Wow, she really looked like a tomato. She fidgeted with her fingers, mumbling as if uncomfortable.

"I-If it's alright with you, Young Master..."

"Of course I'm fine with it."

It meant I wouldn't have to tie this damn tie myself. Rachel covered her flushed face with both hands and muttered.

"I'll do my best... tying your tie."

"Good. I'm counting on you."

With that short reply, I stood up. As I adjusted my cross-bag at the entrance, Rachel followed me with quick steps. She watched me put on my bag with a satisfied expression. Feeling her intense gaze, I tilted my head.

"What is it?"

"Nothing~ I just really like seeing you like this, Young Master~"

"What kind of answer is that?"

We looked at each other with small smiles.

"Then I'm off."

"Yes! Have a wonderful day, Young Master!!"

I left the dormitory with Rachel's encouragement. The warm sunlight shining down on the blue sky made for truly splendid weather. As I walked beneath it, I thought to myself.

Come to think of it... wasn't the lecture I had today "Practical Combat"? It was probably held in the training arena. I double-checked the textbooks I'd brought and continued on my way.