Sword of Salvation

Sung Hyun-sook, the Holy Hero, wielded these two ringed swords during the "Day of the Calamity's Descent." One was lost after the war, its whereabouts tragically unknown... That's what the description read.

I fixed my gaze on those brief words for a while before lifting my eyes to peer through the glass case.

Inside the transparent enclosure, a single massive ringed sword with a broken blade was reverently displayed.

My arm stretched out instinctively, only to be swiftly blocked by the glass.

"......"

Mom's relic.

My vision blurred.

An indescribable emotion welled up inside me. Was it anger? Sorrow? Or both? I couldn't even tell myself...

Thwack!

"Ack!"

A spherical wave of intangible force smacked the back of my head.

My body pitched forward, kissing the glass case.

No, what the hell did I do wrong?!

"What was that for?! I almost shattered the glass!"

Now I knew exactly what this emotion was. Pure rage.

Before I could finish ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠venting my frustration at Mom, the passersby wandering the exhibit hall turned their attention to me.

I quickly read the room and cleared my throat with a cough.

"I can't quite wrap my head around the connection between feeling your death's reality and you hitting me, Mom...?"

Thanks to that, the tears welling up in my eyes vanished in an instant.

Couldn't you have just sent a normal message like, Don't cry?

"...Ah, well, you see."

Where I was right now was the National Central Museum in Yongsan-gu, specifically the Relic Exhibition Hall on the third floor.

After the cataclysm era began, this was a course displaying the gear of players who met glorious deaths.

Naturally, the equipment of my parents—who sacrificed their bodies in the battle against the Calamity—was preserved here.

I'd visited many times whenever the thought struck me.

But today, I had a slightly different reason.

"To cure Holy Water Grandma's illness, there's something I need to get from here."

Last night, in the workshop of the Self-Proclaimed Saint that Mom brought, I'd received a scroll as a reward.

And what was written on it?

Divine Water of All Things. Doesn't the name just scream miracle cure?

It's the panacea that can heal any illness in the world.

"Frozen Flowers, Desert Seedling Roots, Rock Wall Vines... those are no problem."

They're dime-a-dozen junk drops in green gates.

Of course, even junk adds up when you need dozens.

But no worries there.

Why? Because—

Leave it to us brothers, bro!

No need to worry!

If you're grateful, treat us to something tasty later, hyung!

Lee Il-ho and Lee I-du-ho... Oh, right, we agreed not to call them that.

The Black-White Brothers were gathering them for me.

Those guys were worth their size, really.

The problem was...

"Soul Core."

Somehow, I knew it. Making a miracle cure couldn't be that easy—there had to be a headache at the end.

Unlike regular cores harvested from slain monsters, Soul Cores could only be obtained through special means.

No buying them at the Player Market either. Forget price—there simply weren't any for sale right now.

"Because the world doesn't even know they exist yet."

Soul Cores would appear in three years.

And as someone who'd regressed from "three years later," I knew how to get one. No need to explain further.

"The Reverse Dungeon."

It appeared after Mom's death, so of course she didn't know.

Too lazy to explain, I decided to show her directly.

Shing.

I placed my hand on the glass case in front of me and lightly channeled mana.

Vmmm.

A deep blue aura rose from my open palm.

There was a glass barrier between my hand and the Sword of Salvation, but...

Crackle!

As if it couldn't care less about that flimsy obstacle, the sword on display became enveloped in electricity.

Mom's relic successfully resonated with my mana...

"I'll enter."

My immediate answer triggered...

Fwaaah!

The glass surface warped and distorted, forming a gate visible only to my eyes.

A dungeon that opens by channeling mana into your contracted constellation's relic.

The Soul Core could only be obtained by clearing it.

Of course, it didn't open for just any mana infusion.

As the system noted, Reverse Dungeons only appeared with high affinity to your sponsoring constellation.

"Of course, Mom and I have 89% affinity, so no issue!"

Mom gets offended way too easily...

—I'll make you that toast you love when you get back. With extra honey.

The memory of bidding my parents final farewell.

Huh, why am I thinking of this again?

'...It's a dream.'

I vaguely recalled losing consciousness upon entering the dungeon.

But even in a dream, why show me the scene I least want to remember?

Damn it.

The mom who gently stroked my head began drifting away from me with a kind smile.

Her back vanished quietly into the hellish inferno engulfing the city.

—Let's go, Jae-min. Uncle will protect you, so don't be scared.

Uncle gripped my hand tight and hurried toward the Association's underground bunker.

The younger me in the dream asked,

—Will Mom and Dad be okay?

—Of course. They'll be fine.

Your mom and dad are strong, Jae-min. The strongest in the world. So they'll make it. Uncle promises.

......

At first, I thought it was just empty reassurance to calm my fears.

Even as a kid, I could sense that much. I wasn't that naive.

But then—

—Take a look at this! Just two hours after the 'S-rank Couple' arrived on site, they've successfully reclaimed the Gangdong area!

At this rate, Seoul—no, the entire Korean Peninsula—welcoming tomorrow's sun isn't a dream...

The massive monitoring TV in the underground bunker.

For a moment, even my sorrow faded as I watched the news footage in awe.

What I'd muttered back then...

The nightmarish dream ended, and the system message snapped me awake.

My eyes flew open, a thunderous headache still pounding.

I winced and groaned softly.

"Ow ow... Huh?"

Something was off about my voice.

How to describe it? Even with a sore throat, I could never hit a soprano tone like this.

"Ah, ah. Ah."

Yep. No mistake.

My voice was definitely weird. This sultry timbre was more woman than man...

Wait.

...Oh, right. That's how it was.

Reverse Dungeons did this.

You inhabit your sponsoring constellation's body.

...And my sponsor was Mom.

"Damn, it's a feeling that's hard to pin down."

I spat a curse while inspecting my body.

Crimson uniform like blazing flames. Sleek armor layered over it. Platinum hair cascading to my waist. And crucially, the two massive ringed swords at my slender waist—the Sword of Salvation.

...I'd become Mom.

"This is nuts."

Thank goodness. Constellation messages were blocked during Reverse Dungeons.

If Mom saw this?

...Yeah, something like that.

Ping!

A black spear shot from behind, slicing through my distractions.

I tilted my head sideways and twisted my body.

The black spear tore through the air, grazing past and severing a few strands of hair.

"My god."

It was definitely my own will guiding the move, but I couldn't help being shocked.

"...Reflexes that make my own body look like a joke?"

If it were my body, I'd be skewered and screaming already.

That was a surprise attack too fast for even my current stats.

"Hoh. Dodged that?"

"As expected of your reputation. This'll be fun to kill."

"If you hadn't gotten cocky, your head would've been pierced before you felt a thing."

Grating, repulsive voices echoed from the shadows.

The shock of possessing Mom's body had left me rattled, but...

'Get it together.'

I surveyed my surroundings.

Roar!

A city engulfed in hellish flames. Skyscrapers burning and collapsing. The sky ablaze in crimson.

I stood at the epicenter of it all.

And...

'Demons.'

Those who chose to fall as slaves to devils out of fear of death or thirst for power emerged through the flames.

I knew these guys. This place. This moment.

I had to.

The day my parents died.

The day they became legends.

How could I forget?

Shing.

I drew the twin blades from my waist without hesitation.

The razor-sharp edges sang a chilling wail as they scraped free of their sheaths.

"Charge!"

Thud!

Dozens of demons, slinking closer with drooling maws, leaped as one.

Their shadows blotted out the sky, draping over me like darkness itself.

"...Uh."

This might be a bit much...?

I'd drawn my swords with dramatic flair, swept up in the moment, but this was overkill.

[Kyahaaak!!]

The roaring demons descended, claws gleaming wickedly.

You conscienceless devil slaves.

Ganging up like this is just unfair!

I readied to swing wildly in response.

But then,

"Hm...?"

They're slow.

It felt like five seconds had passed, yet the demons were still mid-air.

Like a slow-motion effect.

"No way."

It wasn't like slow motion—they were actually slowed.

Meanwhile, in this slowed world, only I moved freely.

"Right."

I snapped to attention.

No distractions. Extreme Concentration ends after 7 seconds.

I had to wipe out this horde before then.

"How to... Ah."

A flash of insight hit me.

Information flooded in—new to me, yet familiar as if I'd always known it.

...Mom's memories had synced with her body upon possession.

In other words, I could vividly recall her skills.

"...She has a ton."

Amazed and awed, I quickly scanned for the perfect skill to obliterate the masses.

'This one!'

Whoooosh!

Brilliant mana enveloped the massive ringed swords.

Blue flames cloaking the blades surged to 4 meters in a blink.

The Sword of Salvation trembled in my hands.

I crossed the raised Sword of Salvation in an X and swung.

Sword energy erupted like a storm, slicing through the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠noise toward the demons.

As Extreme Concentration ended,

Kraka-boom!!

The demon pack shredded apart before hitting the ground.

Shwaaa!

Plop, plip...

Dark blood and flesh rained down, but the mana cloaking me repelled it like an umbrella.

The aftermath of Storm Slash didn't just kill demons—it cleaved nearby flames too.

In the roaring inferno of the city, only my surroundings fell silent.

"......"

That day, sheltering in the bunker with Uncle, when I saw Mom fighting on the news footage...

I'd definitely said,

"...My mom's badass."

"These stats are ridiculous."

Blasting through demons rampaging across the flaming city had piled up a mountain of corpses before I knew it.

I plopped down on its peak, unable to hide my shock.

Curious, I'd checked Mom's stats, and they were beyond monstrous.

"This is way past 'human weapon' territory."

Truly, the more you know, the wiser you get. I'd learned a bloody lesson.

"...Never defy Mom again."

Not just the absurd stats.

Experiencing it firsthand let me understand.

Winged mobility. Ocean-like mana reserves. Weapon mastery.

Everything shattered my common sense.

'No wonder they called her the War God...'

Combat prowess beyond imagining defeat.

And yet,

'Mom and Dad still died to Germadon.'

The Calamity. A nightmare that would've ended the world without them.

If this—certified by the quest as Mom's greatest day—was now...

'Then that bastard Germadon shows up soon.'

Reverse Dungeons had at least two linked quests.

And that day, Germadon didn't appear right away.

He'd bought time by sending his demon minions first.

My current quest: Exterminate 1000+ demons.

'So the next one must be...'

Thud, thud, thud!

My thoughts didn't last.

A heavy tremor shook the ground from behind.

Turning to the source of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the roar, there...

"Kill... all... humans... kill..."

A house-sized demon lumbered toward me.

Twice the size of my corpse mountain. Corrupted to its soul's roots, it could barely speak human words.

"Strong, sure."

I gripped the Sword of Salvation planted in the pile and stood.

"But killing you still counts as one for the system. What an inefficient bastard."

I didn't care if it was stronger than the others.

I wouldn't lose.

"Hm, wanna try an unused skill? Something fitting..."

Boom!

In that instant, the demon's massive body exploded.

No—vanished was more accurate.

"...?!"

As I gawked at the demon evaporating without a scream, my eyes widened.

"Phew, finally snagged a kill."

Step.

From behind the crumbling dust, a silhouette approached.

I lowered my raised sword.

"......"

My heart sank, my mind going blank with distant ache.

My lips moved on their own.

My mouth went dry.

The silhouette came into view, and a man's gentle voice reached my ears.

"If you take them all out, what am I supposed to do? No point in splitting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up then..."

"Ah..."

"Hm?"

Tears welled as I faced the man.

"Dad?"