Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: The Origin of Heroes
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Hero.
It's said that long ago, the hero stood alone.
The First Hero.
That existence turned the world upside down.
No one knows what he did.
The First Hero had encountered something even more horrifying than the Demon King.
To vanquish that being, he forged a contract with the gods.
And as the price, the Demon King—humanity's mortal enemy—came into being.
The Demon King was mighty.
He reduced the world to ruins.
And he wielded the power to shatter it single-handedly.
The Eastern Continent and the Western Continent.
The two continents had seldom mingled, but the moment the Demon King appeared, they joined forces. Factions that had deemed each other unable to share the same sky, let alone the same air, began to unite.
It was only natural.
If the Demon King wiped out humanity and the other races, there would be no future generations left for anyone.
Yet even with their combined might, humanity could barely hold the Demon King at bay.
All their power together, and still, barely holding him off.
Just as despair loomed...
The Goddess bestowed four divine artifacts upon humanity.
Holy Sword.
Holy Bow.
Holy Staff.
Holy Book.
And thus, the chosen heroes were born.
They grew the strongest battling the Demon King, empowered by the Goddess to level up—the first humans to do so.
In the end, they felled the Demon King.
The four divine artifacts were claimed by representatives of each race or continent.
That is the origin of the heroes.
"Afterward, they started distinguishing those called hero candidates, and the title of 'hero' was born."
The reason was simple.
Those dubbed heroes had to be extraordinarily powerful.
Otherwise, they could never slay the Demon King.
"And that's how the Hero Competition came to be. Pass that trial, earn recognition as a hero, and you're acknowledged by every race and continent."
"You'll encounter countless people there unlike any you've seen before."
"......"
Heukmanggong and Volkan's words sparked a single thought in my mind.
"So if I enter one of the hero categories, I can become that hero?"
"Exactly."
Heukmanggong replied with a satisfied smile.
And.
Volkan was shooting me a slight glare.
"With your skills, you'd certainly qualify as the Sword Hero. If only our Yeonhwa weren't in the running."
Heukmanggong patted So Yeonhwa's shoulder, his face beaming with pride.
Genius Slayer, So Yeonhwa.
It was certainly warranted.
Everyone around her was convinced she'd become the Sword Hero.
"Just in case."
Volkan stepped up beside Heukmanggong and eyed me.
"A word of caution, but you—you going for thief?"
"Ha? Volkan, what nonsense is that? Someone with this kind of talent wouldn't aim for the bow..."
Heukmanggong stared at Volkan in disbelief.
Then he turned back to my face.
"Why do you assume I'm entering the hero competition?"
"......Isn't the whole premise off?"
Heukmanggong looked utterly baffled.
So Yeonhwa, standing nearby, tilted her head and spoke to me.
"Why not join?"
"I never said I wouldn't."
I'd already drawn all the attention I possibly could, anyway.
Far too many eyes were on me now.
Even if I played it off, Ermé and Volkan had dropped hints, and the Guild Master was watching me too.
Volkan confirmed it.
Burkan and the orcs knew, so their side did too.
The Beast King knew.
And more than anything, plenty in the Cradle recognized me.
'Veronica and Clara know full well too.'
The church might stay quiet.
But Veronica could poke her nose in and stir something up again.
'Even if I claim now that I'm not a hero, hardly anyone would buy it.'
I really hated it.
But refusing to enter at this point would just sound ridiculous.
So yeah, competing in that tournament was set in stone.
Participation was confirmed, then.
'Just a question of competing with Ermé.'
She was a titled woman, no matter what.
The Holy Sword had even said she'd grow incredibly strong.
She'd pull some inexplicable method, but it'd outstrip even the Heavenly Sword Slayer.
In that case.
'I'd need to claim that Holy Bow or whatever.'
That was a domain I felt pretty confident in.
I had Sword Ghost (S+) now, sure, but Thief's Extremity (S) let me handle pretty much anything a thief could.
'Still just a hunch.'
But it felt like Thief's Extremity could level up another class like a job.
That was my mindset, anyway.
Since I had no choice, better snag the Holy Bow.
"Well, you even saying you'll participate is a huge step forward, so I'll butt out."
"......You're forfeiting?"
Heukmanggong reacted like he'd witnessed the sun rising in the east.
"I scouted him first, but he's weirdly detached from honor, that's all."
"Detached from honor? A guy barely into his twenties?"
"Some people are like that. Honestly... I think all the spotlight warped him into this."
"......"
His offhand remark nearly made me flinch. Sharp as ever.
"Still, there are prizes, so meaning lies in joining."
"What prizes?"
"......How does a guy indifferent to honor fixate on material stuff?"
"If he lacked even greed, wouldn't that hurt us more? Better to back off, I say."
Volkan spoke in a persuasive tone toward Heukmanggong.
"Roughly a hundred platinum coins, five years' use of a divine artifact, and for the Empire, at least an earldom guaranteed."
"Of course, with other races competing, most winners stick to their own kind."
"If you win there, the Empire would grant you plenty."
Pat, pat.
Diago said, thumping my shoulder.
What the—this guy, when'd he show up?
"Hate to say it myself, but no human's ever produced a Sword Hero."
"The First Hero was human."
"......Frankly, I don't even buy that the First Hero existed."
Diago shrugged.
Yeah, fair enough.
It was ancient history.
And the tales tied to the First Hero brimmed with absurd feats.
But.
'That man back then... could he have been the First Hero?'
When the Holy Sword claimed it taught orthodox hero swordsmanship.
The man's back, like a phantom vision.
With one swing, he'd slain hundreds of monsters.
"No rush anyway. The Hero Competition's coming soon, but it happens again in five years."
"......?"
"It started as a hero selection, but it's long devolved into a battle for the world's top young talent."
"Every five years. Though with the Demon King's revival rumors, this one feels like the real last stand."
Heukmanggong and Volkan traded various insights.
In the meantime, So Yeonhwa approached me.
"Then, face me there."
"......"
"Thief or whatever, doesn't matter. Everyone clashes in the end anyway. If I win..."
So Yeonhwa fixed her crimson eyes on me.
"Teach me about you."
"......?"
"Y-Yeonhwa?!"
Heukmanggong panicked at her words.
Then he turned glaring daggers at me.
"I didn't do anything."
"Then our sweet Yeonhwa wouldn't say something like that!"
"I don't know."
I genuinely had no clue what was going on.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The Hero Competition or whatever was two months out.
But more than that, I wanted to assess my own power.
"The item you want is easy enough to procure. Just need you to meet someone."
"......"
"Don't give me that look. Those items rarely hit the market anyway, and nations treat them as treasures."
I inwardly sighed at Diago's words, which promised a huge hassle.
'Still, it's essential to my plan.'
Just thinking about the item I'd synthesize had me buzzing already.
But first things first.
'Gotta test my power.'
This level-up netted me three gains total.
Gift: Sword Ghost.
Ultimate Thunder God · Violet.
And skill: Phantom Martial.
'No clue what they really do.'
The knowledge in my head gave a rough outline.
But doubts lingered.
'Will they really perform like that?'
Every bit of knowledge I had boasted absurdly overpowered effects.
So I headed to the dummy training grounds after ages.
'Been a while here too.'
I recalled my first visit.
Messing around with Dark Moon, I smashed a dummy and drew wary stares everywhere.
'Not plain dummies this time, though.'
I eyed the dummies.
Made from labyrinth drops, magically reinforced.
Straw, wood, iron—folks said shattering a straw one at level 3 would have recruiters swarming.
'I did it at level 1.'
I approached the iron dummy.
Straw was level 3 equivalent.
Wood, level 5.
Iron, level 7 for real notice.
Iron was a bit of a joke, truthfully.
Level 7s weren't exactly common.
Crack.
I rolled my neck lightly and drew my sword.
The blood-soaked blade felt familiar after so long. I drew it and casually executed orthodox hero swordsmanship.
Tang!
The blade met dummy with a clear ring.
And simultaneously.
Tatata-tatang!
Six slashes rang out in one go.
'......From three straight to six.'
A drastic shift courtesy of my new class, Sword Ghost.
But it didn't end there.
'The slashes......'
They struck the iron dummy, wreathed in violet lightning.
I recalled the description of Ultimate Thunder God · Violet.
⚡ SKILL EFFECT ⚡ ◇ All thunder (雷) attribute attacks receive correction, as do normal attacks with thunder (雷) attribute correction. 'No way slashes get boosted too.'
The slashes had even changed form from before.
Previously, they'd manifested maybe 30% of the true sword art.
Now...
'Practically mirroring the original technique?'
I figured it was Ultimate Thunder God · Violet's doing.
But then I recalled the Gift: Sword Ghost effect.
⚔ GIFT ⚔ Sword Ghost (S+)
You have surpassed the Sword Master realm and reached beyond. Your sword shifts like drifting clouds, swift as the wind. ◇ Attack speed, variation, and slash corrections. ◇ Enhanced combat sense, speed, slashes. ◇ Sword energy slashes trigger on attacks. 'Oh yeah, this too.'
So that's why the orthodox hero swordsmanship hit so hard.
As I marveled at my own techniques...
"......What."
Heukmanggong had snuck up, staring at me with trembling eyes.
"H-How can you use that?"
"......?"
"The orthodox hero swordsmanship, lost to practical use... how?"
Heukmanggong's eyes quivered as he gazed at me.
I could tell instantly: I was screwed.
Volkan's eyes had gone wide too, fixed on me.
'......Holy Sword, you bastard.'
What the hell did you teach me?
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