Chapter 177
Chapter 177
Chapter 177
"It's here."
On the third day of exploring the lake following the guidance of the spirit power mass.
Seo-jin's party finally reached a temple hidden deep in the lake.
So-yul, tired from the exploration, complained while bubbling air bubbles.
"Who on earth built something like this here?"
"Who knows. Maybe ancient spirits who went mad from boredom."
Sniff-.
Seo-jin, who had been exploring near the temple for a moment, suddenly detected the smell of blood coming from the surroundings.
"Everyone be careful."
Since this was the lake bottom where stagnant spirit power had accumulated, even Austin's spirits wouldn't be able to use their full power.
At Seo-jin's warning, the members were taking out their respective weapons and preparing for battle.
Shwik-.
Something that suddenly burst out from the darkness.
"Uwah!"
Nam-gung Cheon and the other members were startled, but Seo-jin, who recognized its identity, frowned and cast magic.
[Transcending Heaven True Scripture] [God Binding Knot]
Chwrr-.
What was struggling while bound by the chains Seo-jin summoned was a giant eel-shaped monster, Leviathan.
It was Seo-jin's summon that he had released into the lake earlier.
It seemed to have drifted here while searching for prey.
Kishaa-.
Seo-jin caught Leviathan, which had rushed at him, with chains of mana and reverse-summoned it.
"Stop fooling around and go inside. Before I slice you into sashimi."
Leviathan glared with resentful eyes before disappearing beyond the magic circle.
"Ah, what a shock."
The members finally relaxed.
Though there was a bit of commotion, since Leviathan had hunted all of Nessie's subordinates guarding near the temple, there was no need for combat.
Afterward, the party entered the temple and safely obtained [Excalibur's Blueprint].
***
Having obtained the holy sword Excalibur's blueprint, Seo-jin brought it to Thormund along with the Sword's Original.
"You came back faster than I thought. I'll make it right away, so wait outside."
He briefly scanned the blueprint and immediately began forging work.
Clang-.
Clang-.
Tremendous noise echoing throughout the entire forest.
Francesca covered her ears and looked toward the cave suspiciously.
"Can that muscle mass really make a holy sword? And in just a few hours?"
"Of course. There's no one more suitable than him."
Except for time spent training, he had been hammering swords for thousands of years.
How much longer did Seo-jin's party wait outside the cave?
Flash-.
A light so bright it turned the view white burst out from inside the cave.
Following that came a hearty laugh.
"Kahaha. To think I'd make something like this with my own hands. Everyone come here and look!"
At Thormund's call, Seo-jin's party entered the cave without exception to check the completed holy sword.
A golden sword placed on a giant anvil.
This sword radiating a brilliant appearance was the holy sword of the lake, Excalibur.
Everyone except Seo-jin stared blankly at that splendid appearance with entranced faces.
Thormund grinned at those fervent gazes and gripped the sword's handle.
Creak-.
Tendons clearly rising on his forearm.
But Excalibur on the anvil didn't budge.
At this, Thormund gave a hollow laugh and said.
"As expected, is it a sword that chooses its owner? I can't even lift it."
Thormund gave up trying to lift the holy sword and instead hooked the handle with a leather strap.
Swish-.
Then the holy sword dangled from the leather strap as if it had never rejected his touch.
Thormund held out the leather strap binding the sword to Seo-jin.
"Here. It's complete. Want to try lifting it?"
At his suggestion, Seo-jin slowly shook his head.
"...I don't particularly want to do something with an obvious outcome."
Excalibur was by far the most representative among various holy swords.
It was known that it absolutely couldn't be used without aptitude for holy swords.
Since the holy sword itself thoroughly chooses its owner, while it could be carried by binding it with a strap like that, it couldn't be used to cut or swing.
Since even Thormund, a Great Being, failed to lift it, Seo-jin would be no different.
When Seo-jin refused, Thormund snorted and turned his gaze to Nam-gung Cheon.
"How dull. You? Want to try?"
"M-may I try?"
Nam-gung Cheon expressed his desire to challenge it once.
That was natural, since any swordsman would want to hold a holy sword once and receive its selection.
Seo-jin glanced at Zieg, who would become the holy sword Excalibur's owner, and he answered as if he didn't mind.
"By all means. It's something made with everyone's power anyway."
The show by Nam-gung Cheon that followed.
"Nnngh!"
He crouched on the ground holding the handle and strained for a long while.
Even though he exerted himself until his face turned bright red, the holy sword didn't move at all.
"Tsk, then..."
Nam-gung Cheon tried every trick, such as digging the ground to use the contour to lift the holy sword, or placing the holy sword on a rock and trying to lift it by breaking that rock.
But none of those methods worked either.
As long as he had the intention to use the holy sword, no method would work.
"Damn, then how about this?"
Eventually, Nam-gung Cheon gave up trying to lift the sword with his hands and tried to move the holy sword with his energy.
If he couldn't lift it directly, couldn't he just manipulate it with energy instead?
Tszzz-.
Though he hadn't reached the realm of Sword Control Through Will, moving objects with energy manipulation was certainly possible.
However.
Flash-.
The holy sword shook off Nam-gung Cheon's energy while emitting a bright golden flash.
The holy sword didn't allow any energy intrusion.
Despite several subsequent attempts, the holy sword didn't budge from its place.
"Huff, huff."
Eventually, Nam-gung Cheon collapsed, exhausted on his own.
Afterward, other members except Seo-jin came forward to try lifting the sword for fun, but the results were the same.
And lastly.
"You try it."
"...Yes!"
Zieg, who would become the holy sword's owner, stood before the sword with firm determination.
"Whew."
Zieg, deeply exhaling and concentrating.
He emptied his mind and recalled Gabriel's words.
If he followed her teachings, it would surely be possible.
Grip-.
The holy sword grasped in Zieg's hand.
Thump- Thump-.
He felt energy pulsating through the handle. It wasn't a simple lump of iron.
'Heavy. And hot.'
This was the living, breathing will to protect humanity. The holy sword of the lake, no, the holy sword protecting the stars, Excalibur.
Zieg shook off the distracting thoughts rising in his head and concentrated.
And finally.
Flash-.
As Zieg raised his arm, the holy sword that hadn't budged until now pointed its tip high toward the sky without resistance.
"I did it, I did it!"
Zieg rejoiced and members praised him.
"Congratulations!"
"You are qualified."
"That sword is yours now, Zieg."
Having watched him train and agonize daily to use the holy sword, the members sincerely celebrated his success.
"Th-thank you! But this isn't mine. I'm just using the result that contains everyone's efforts."
Then Zieg handed the holy sword to Seo-jin.
"And, hyung. How about you try lifting it once too?"
"...I told you it's useless."
Seo-jin declined again, but Zieg strongly insisted he must try.
"No, if my prediction is correct, you'll definitely be able to. There's nothing bad about trying, right? It's not like the sword will wear out."
"Right, Leader. Try it once."
"You never know, right?"
Not only Zieg but other members and even Thormund were sending fervent gazes to Seo-jin.
"...If you're going that far."
Seo-jin, who exhaled deeply, reached for the sword.
As they said, the sword wouldn't wear out from trying. At most it would sting a bit.
Zzt-.
As Seo-jin, having made up his mind, reached out, the holy sword rejected his touch while sparking golden current.
As expected, it must be instinctively rejecting the Reverse Heaven energy accumulated in Seo-jin's body.
'It was obvious as fire.'
It was natural for a holy sword containing sacred power to reject a black mage.
Feeling the repulsive force, Seo-jin tried to withdraw his hand, but unable to overcome the expectant gazes, he eventually brought his hand forward.
Zzt-.
Seo-jin's hand flowing past the holy sword's repulsive force and gripping the sword's handle.
Grip-.
Heavy texture transmitted to his grasp.
He could feel the texture of the leather wrapped around the sword. Also the powerful mana contained in the sword and its history.
'Every item and artifact in this tower is a manifestation of the original text.'
It summons the form, origin, history, and legend of the original text recorded in the tower.
Just because it was made through a blueprint doesn't mean it's a newly made imitation or replica.
More precisely, it summons the original text of legends and records, its archetype, to this world.
That's also why the item 'Sword's Original' is needed for crafting.
So the power and history contained in this holy sword wouldn't be false.
Having finished his thoughts, Seo-jin applied force to the hand gripping the sword.
And.
Whoosh-.
"...?"
The holy sword was held in Seo-jin's hand, cutting through the air without any resistance.
"What?"
What Seo-jin felt in his hand was only the sword's texture and the sword's original weight.
He didn't feel the rejection or resistance that others had felt at all.
Zieg smiled brightly at the sight, as if his prediction was correct.
"As expected, hyung has aptitude for the holy sword!"
"Me?"
Seo-jin had never held a sword in his life. At most, he occasionally held a kitchen knife when cooking.
Such a Seo-jin had aptitude for the holy sword?
"Gabriel-nim told me. Holy sword aptitude isn't anything special."
"Then what is it?"
At Nam-gung Cheon's question, Zieg began explaining carefully.
"First, you must have no desire to possess the holy sword."
"Desire."
A sword permitted only to those detached from desire and possessiveness.
Most swordsmen would be eliminated here.
Swordsmen naturally want better swords. How many would not be greedy when facing a holy sword?
Seo-jin glanced at Nam-gung Cheon and laughed.
"That guy was eliminated there."
"Shut up."
Leaving the resentful Nam-gung Cheon behind, So-yul asked as if puzzled.
"Then why couldn't Se-yeon lift it?"
If desire toward the sword was a disqualification reason, shouldn't Se-yeon, who had no particular greed for weapons, also be able to lift the holy sword?
At So-yul's question, Zieg answered.
"Because there's one more condition. It's the will to protect humanity."
"Will to protect..."
"Yes, that must take priority over any other desire of yours. Gabriel-nim always said we must cultivate such a mindset."
Seo-jin said while holding the holy sword in his hand.
"If that's true, holy sword aptitude might be the result of acquired education rather than innate talent."
"Perhaps. But it's not easy at all. Who would want to live without desiring a holy sword and considering humanity's protection the top priority?"
'That's true.'
The path of an ascetic isn't arduous for nothing. You must empty your mind daily and hone your will to protect humanity.
It's not something you can learn just by being taught; innate character would also have an influence.
"But... I don't have such a grand mindset as the will to protect humanity."
Preventing the tower's collapse and saving humanity is Seo-jin's most important goal.
But that's to avoid the predetermined extinction, not from great love for humanity or a sense of mission.
"You might not recognize it yourself. But the holy sword judged. By reading the target's behavioral principles, past actions, and history."
"..."
Hearing Zieg's explanation, Seo-jin nodded as if convinced.
Well.
Seo-jin thought he was doing this because he wanted a comfortable retirement and the happiness of those around him, but ultimately the essential condition for that lay in preventing the tower's collapse and saving humanity.
The holy sword probably understood that intention.
Seo-jin, who had been staring at the holy sword, returned the sword to Zieg.
"Anyway, thanks for the good experience. However, just because I can use it doesn't mean I should."
Seo-jin returned the sword to Zieg again.
Zieg also nodded and carefully received the holy sword.
The golden holy sword held in Zieg's hand.
The item that had been in Robert's hands, who once opposed Seo-jin, and in Ju Won-jae's hands, who had beheaded Seo-jin, had now found a new owner.
"Then let's go beat up that demon with that holy sword."
***
The Reverse Heaven Society, having completed full preparations, reached the bottom of the lake, the spirit shore where a giant Water Dragon slept.
Gooo-.
A massive place where the surrounding mana and water currents were sucked somewhere like a whirlpool.
This was the circulation passage where clusters of thought-forms received new life and were processed into spirits.
The giant Water Dragon that had been sleeping while blocking that passage sensed human presence and lifted its eyelids.
Blink-.