The Step That Broke the Earth

The next morning, after finishing my meal, I headed straight for the outskirts beyond the castle walls.

Having cleaned up my word list with Initialization yesterday, only seventeen of my previously acquired words remained.

All thirteen of the other words had been broken back down into raw consonants and vowels. From now on, I would have to restrain myself from hoarding words indiscriminately and acquire only the ones that would truly serve as necessary, powerful forces.

Permanence was needed to overcome the fatal weakness of Magic Stones being consumable, and Wide-Area was impossible to give up thanks to its synergy with Healing.

First, I mastered the defensive word I'd had in mind from the start.

That brought my total word count to nineteen.

After that, I acquired Hundred Shots, Hundred Hits — a word I'd felt was necessary for combat when combined with Swift Battle, Swift Victory, Fairness, Vital Point Designation, One-Way Traffic, Physical Immunity, and Flawless.

Equalize my opponent's physical condition with mine, designate the easiest spot for me to strike as a vital point, use One-Way Traffic so nothing could interfere, and then guarantee every strike with Hundred Shots, Hundred Hits — ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that scenario looked more than promising.

Better yet, with Physical Immunity on my side, I could trade bone for flesh at relatively little risk.

In a one-on-one fight, it would hardly be an exaggeration to say I could reign as the undisputed strongest.

Next came the word combination I had long yearned for.

I already knew how it would apply. Like Overwhelm, One Rider Worth a Thousand was a word that took effect as a buff.

"One Rider Worth a Thousand."

Overwhelm and One Rider Worth a Thousand were similar, yet different. Overwhelm was, after all, a purely relative measure. One Rider Worth a Thousand, by contrast, operated on a comparatively absolute standard.

Crack!

WHOOOOOM!

Just as I was pondering how to test its power, the brush and trees before me, unable to withstand a sudden violent gust, began to be ripped out by their roots.

I stared ahead with a dumbfounded expression, wondering what on earth was happening.

What the—?

It looked as though a ferocious typhoon had torn through. Gazing at the wreckage all around me, I couldn't help my bewilderment.

What?

In other words, what the System was telling me was that the effect of One Rider Worth a Thousand had applied to my breath — and produced this.

Aghast, I carefully touched my own lips. Was I saying that once I activated One Rider Worth a Thousand, I couldn't even breathe freely?

Thank goodness I'd found out quickly. If I hadn't been aware of it, I might have caused damage to my own allies.

That was just an exhale?

What would happen if I swung a sword properly — or even combined it with a lightning strike?

A shiver crawled up my spine from the base of my tailbone, and I bit down gently on my finger. It was probably still too early to be astonished by One Rider Worth a Thousand.

Because in terms of the words' meanings, there was something that reigned above even One Rider Worth a Thousand.

A hero of legend from the far-distant past, preserved in the memories of my previous life. Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu.

His strength uproots mountains; his spirit overshadows the world.

Wasn't that far too arrogant a line for something used to glorify a mere human being?

And yet here, I could bring those words back to life.

My heart wouldn't stop pounding.

Amid the vast thicket, where a still, profound silence settled, I murmured softly.

"Strength to Uproot Mountains, Spirit to Overshadow the World."

I drew in a breath and held it. One Rider ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Worth a Thousand had transformed a mere exhale into a force capable of uprooting brush and trees from the very ground.

Then what that word would do to my breath was beyond imagining.

So I took a single step and tilted my head up. At the same moment, I exhaled the air I'd gathered in my lungs.

…?

Nothing happened.

Bewildered, I kept puffing out breath after breath, but everything remained perfectly still.

What is this?

Just as I was thinking that, I felt a powerful danger signal stabbing straight into my instincts. The warning my body sent me pointed to one place — directly beneath my feet.

Only then did I realize. The action I had taken before exhaling — the single step I'd taken — was what Strength to Uproot Mountains had applied to.

KWAGIGIGIGIK!

It felt as though the earth's gravity pulling at me had multiplied ten-thousandfold. That single step — the energy behind it — was devouring everything around me, crushing the ground beneath its weight.

Was it like the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠moment you're playing on a frozen lake, hear the ice splintering beneath you, and your whole body freezes in place?

I blinked twice and looked around. There wasn't a single patch of earth that hadn't cracked.

Move!

Slamming my palms down on my own legs to shake off the paralysis, I ran. And with that, the signal was given — the ground all around me sank and heaved all at once, convulsing like a catastrophic earthquake.

Deafening shockwaves roared in my ears, and my instincts kept whispering: run, and don't look back.

Hah! Hah!

I couldn't even remember how long I'd been running. When I finally looked around, I was on the carriage road. Mercifully, the damage hadn't spread as far as the road itself — it would have been a serious problem if the carriage routes suffered major harm.

Having run with every last ounce of strength I had, I forced my parched throat to swallow what little spit remained, then turned to look back.

And then I collapsed where I stood and burst out laughing, utterly dumbfounded.

The undeveloped forest, tucked away at the far outskirts beyond the castle walls — the thick cloud of dust blanketing it was carried away on the wind, and gradually the scene revealed itself.

Flap, flap!

Countless birds that had roosted in the thicket soared into the sky, staining the heavens black. Beneath them, the earth had been churned to nothing, and the trees that had stood tall and proud lay toppled without exception.

Yes — with a single step, the land itself had turned ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠over.

I may not have governed the heavens with a mortal's body. But if the earth beneath my two feet lay at my command, wasn't that enough?

'Haha……'

Faced with such monstrous power, I could only offer a hollow laugh and wipe the sweat from my face, having no idea how I was going to clean up the aftermath.

"Your Highness! Are you unharmed?"

On my way back to the Imperial Palace past the outskirts, I happened to run into Sir Brand.

「Yes. Are you out on patrol, Sir Brand?」

"No, Your Highness. They say an earthquake struck the far outskirts beyond the castle walls, so I'm heading out on His Majesty's orders to investigate."

I pressed my lips shut.

"We won't know until we see it, but…… according to the preliminary report, the land has been turned over so beautifully that His Majesty was actually delighted, saying it'll be easier to widen the carriage road if he brings in the mages. More importantly, I'm truly relieved there was no damage to the Capital despite an earthquake of that scale. The epicenter wasn't far, after all."

Ah.

Somehow the fact that my disastrous stunt had a few positive aspects put me somewhat at ease.

"By the way, I heard the news. You've been on an undefeated streak in sparring while I was away, I understand?"

「I wanted to cross swords with you, Sir Brand, but you were out on patrol.」

"My apologies! I'll make time soon, so let's cross blades then!"

I gave him a light nod.

"Though honestly, Your Highness may well be a genius without equal."

"……"

"I consider myself a fairly quick learner myself, but to reach that level of mastery at your age…"

Watching Sir Brand add without any help from magic, I gave an awkward smile.

It wasn't that I'd neglected my efforts — but I had the aid of my spoken words, so in terms of raw talent, Sir Brand was unquestionably far my superior.

Besides, for this moment at least, it wasn't genius of talent — cheonjae — but genius of calamity — cheonjae — that suited me better.

I sighed inwardly.