The Legendary Spirit Sword

"What an idiot! A mage from the Empire doesn't recognize a Spirit Sword? For your thick skull, this hero will specially explain it to you!"

"……."

"This is a legendary sword forged from 'Obsidian,' of which there are only six on our Elvenheim continent, maximizing aura output! Only a hero like me, chosen by divine oracle, can wield it! Its name is… Kek?!"

I chopped the nape of the neck of this self-absorbed fool with the side of my hand.

The fool, who had been droning on with his verbose explanation, frothed at the mouth with a gurgle and passed out.

TMI is completely blocked.

What I cared about was the Soul Core embedded in the hilt of this so-called Spirit Sword.

'That obsidian he just mentioned must be referring to the Soul Core, right?'

He went on about maximizing aura output, so it had to be.

Who would've thought a Soul Core would show up here.

I never expected this fool to be this helpful.

Not long ago, I gave up on the Soul Core and awakened the Meteor Tree's power instead.

In terms of results, that was more profitable, but….

'I wasn't completely over it.'

As I'd mentioned before, a Soul Core expands the capacity of the user's mana circuits by three times.

To a player, mana is like ammunition.

What happens to a soldier in war without enough bullets?

From that perspective, tripling the mana circuit capacity is an enormous boon.

'It's a total jackpot.'

I'd entered this instance dungeon just to farm some experience, and now I'd hit a massive windfall.

I picked up the Spirit Sword from the floor.

Or tried to.

The moment my fingertips touched it, sparks violently erupted from the blade.

"Ugh?!"

Not here, of all places?

Stubbornness kicked in, and I tried grabbing the Spirit Sword a couple more times, but the result was the same.

"This is awkward…."

This was like having treasure right in front of me but only able to suck my thumb.

No way this fool was the only one who could touch it.

…It felt like that meant I was inferior to this fool, making my gut boil.

"Ugh, urk…."

Then, the fool who'd passed out opened his eyes.

It was a sincere hand chop, but he was already coming to. Gotta give him credit for toughness.

He shook his head and said,

"Wh-why did I pass out…?"

"Who knows. Maybe a rock fell from the ceiling?"

I replied indifferently and moved forward.

No solution right now, so shelve the core issue for later.

Farm some experience to change my mood.

The fool picked up the Spirit Sword from the floor and scurried after me.

"Is that so? …Huh? Wait, you! You're a mage from the Empire, right?! Why have you been speaking casually to this hero since earlier?!"

"……."

I never said I was from the Empire or a mage. What was this guy on about?

I ignored him appropriately and checked the minimap as I walked.

I arrived at a spot dense with red dots.

Writhing—.

Beyond the passage, I sensed swarms of bugs clustered in masses.

But the fool behind me sensed nothing and kept babbling nonsense.

"I don't know which family you're from, mage, but don't forget your place! I'm the hero destined to save the continent…. Heuk?!"

Then, as the fool turned the corner following me, he gasped at the swarming bugs.

But only for a moment.

Chak!

Surprisingly, he gripped the sword firmly with both hands and struck a plausible pose.

"N-now's my chance to show the hero's dignity…!"

"……."

Hero's dignity, my ass.

This was the guy who'd been crying and running from spiders earlier.

As if I didn't know his nonexistent courage was surging because I was here.

"S-support me, mage…! When I charge on signal, you back me up from behind…."

"Hey."

"Alright, then charge…. Huh?"

As I spoke in a cold voice, the fired-up fool turned to me with a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dumb look.

I infused killing intent into every syllable as I continued.

"Your help is staying the hell out of the way. Steal my experience, and you're really dead."

"……."

Hearing my warning, the fool's eyes widened, then he tucked his tail like a rain-soaked puppy.

"Wh-what's wrong with saying it nicely? Shit…."

At least he had basic sense now; he wasn't demanding respect like a hero anymore.

Because ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'd glared at him with eyes saying I'd snap his spine if he tried.

Can't say that, Mom.

He's our precious Spirit Sword carrier. Why ditch him?

***

"Wh-what's wrong with saying it nicely? Shit…."

Lord Moon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Ades backed off pretending reluctance, but….

His true feelings?

'Wh-what was that look…!'

He'd nearly pissed himself.

That nameless man's eyes, thick with killing intent, still lingered in his mind.

Was this how a mouse felt facing a lion?

A question crossed Lord Moon's mind.

'I-is he really a mage…?'

Lord Moon looked down on mages.

Why? Without magic, they were no different from civilians—weaklings.

But this man was different.

That gaze wasn't from some shut-in peering at magic tomes all life.

'It was close to a warrior's eyes.'

A veteran who'd crossed death lines countless times!

How could someone from a mage family have such eyes?

'No. Family doesn't matter. I'm the one and only hero on the continent!'

Lord Moon clenched his fist and glared.

'Once I overcome this trial and awaken my power, guys like him are nothing!'

There was good reason Lord Moon carried the holy sword and ventured into this bug den.

The oracle's trial!

Overcoming it here would awaken his true hero power, per the oracle.

Then, sword kings? Archmages? They'd be mere pups before the awakened hero.

'Then I'll flatten that arrogant prick's nose…!'

As Lord Moon ground his teeth vowing to teach the man manners—

Whoosh—!

Boom—!!

A massive fireball rose from the staff the man held and slammed into the bug swarm.

Hellfire-like flames savagely engulfed the area.

Whoosh—!

The fierce heatwave swept back Lord Moon's hair.

"…Huh?"

His revealed face was pale as if powdered.

'Did he just cast magic without incantation?'

Judging by power, at least 5th circle.

And he deployed it silently?

…….

Wait—

Lord Moon's mind went blank.

Goosebumps rose all over.

'What the hell is this guy's deal?!'

Mage status didn't matter.

So Lord Moon hadn't even asked his name.

But now it was different.

'Arrogant as hell, but….'

Worth networking with, value-wise?

Lord Moon approached the man staring at empty air, muttering, "Whoa, insane. This is basically power-leveling."

"Hey, you. What's your name? You're kinda strong, so specially, I'll make you this hero's companion…."

"I don't hang with cowards who can't kill a single spider baby even holding that Spirit Sword or whatever."

"……."

Lord Moon was speechless.

Whatever. The mage(?) Jae-min checked the minimap and headed to the next prey spot.

Snapping out of shock late, Lord Moon raised his voice indignantly.

"Coward? Take that back! If the Spirit Sword's power wasn't sealed, I wouldn't be struggling! Imagine carrying this heavy sword on your back, facing trials bare-handed—do you get a hero's feelings?!"

"Nope, don't."

"Arrrgh! You annoying bastard!"

Really pissed, Lord Moon's eyes even teared up.

"I can't forgive calling me a coward! To fulfill my calling, I came alone to the labyrinth of the 'Emperor Centipede'!"

"Got it."

"Do you know how terrifying the Emperor Centipede is? Its fangs can even chew through a Spirit Sword!"

As Lord Moon ranted furiously—

Pause.

Jae-min's steady steps halted.

Because he'd heard something he couldn't ignore.

"Killing a monster like that with a sealed Spirit Sword. Ha! What cruel fate…."

"…The Emperor Centipede's fangs can chew the Spirit Sword?"

"Uh, yeah? Y-yeah!"

Maybe because Jae-min, who'd been ignoring him, reacted? Lord Moon answered with a slightly pleased face.

'Wait a sec. This.'

Of course.

'If I play it right, I can snag the Soul Core.'

Clueless to what scheme Jae-min was cooking up.

***

The 'Emperor Centipede' this fool mentioned was none other than the dungeon's boss monster.

The maze-like winding field made no difference; pinpointing the Emperor Centipede was easy.

Just follow the 'black dot' on the minimap.

'If its fangs can destroy the Spirit Sword, that means using the fang allows contact with the sword.'

As seen earlier, I couldn't even touch the Spirit Sword.

Can't contact the Spirit Sword.

What does that mean?

Impossible to remove the Soul Core from the sword.

"Where we headed, mage?"

No way this Spirit Sword fanatic would kindly detach the Soul Core for me—probability zero.

So I was pretty conflicted.

The injustice of treasure before my eyes but only smacking lips!

But now, circumstances changed.

'Worth a shot.'

At least a viable plan emerged.

I answered the fool's question.

"To catch the Emperor Centipede."

"What?! …S-so suddenly?"

"Why freak? It's your calling, right? Gotta do it anyway."

"Th-that's true, but…. Ah, I'm not mentally prepared yet…."

Mental prep, my ass, when he won't help anyway.

And I'd solo the Emperor Centipede.

Gotta bag that fat experience.

I headed to the black dot, organizing my plan.

Well, not much of a plan.

'Kill Emperor Centipede, extract fang, use it to detach Soul Core.'

Embarrassingly simple.

Any variables? Maybe….

'Unexpected issues dismantling the sword with the fang? Probably it.'

Finishing up, I nearly reached the black dot spot.

But?

"Huh? Sudden cliff?"

As the fool said.

Exiting the narrow straight passage, a sheer cliff appeared.

On the right of the cliff, a strange magic circle etched into the floor.

Then, a familiar alert rang in my ears.

I peered cautiously down the cliff.

Below spread a fairly wide sandy field.

And a magic circle in the desert center.

Probably the warp gate.

'But where's the Emperor Centipede?'

As I tilted my head at the empty sand—

Rumble—!!

A powerful vibration shook even the cave ceiling, then—

Grooo—!

The flat sand rapidly bulged upward.

"……."

No sooner than ominous signs flashed—

Kaboom—!!

The soaring sand exploded, and 'it' revealed itself with a thunderous roar.

[Kyaaaaak—!!]

I knew without the system telling me.

This was the boss of this instance dungeon.

The Emperor Centipede.

Target found at last!

Found it, but….

"Hey, mage. Should I just quit being a hero?"

"Yeah. Think it over seriously."

The size is what…. No, even for an 'Emperor' boss, that's too much, right?

Compared to a building, how many floors? 6… no, 7?

The cliff was dizzyingly deep.

The warp gate on the sand looked like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a dot.

And yet.

[Kyaaaaak—!!]

This insane centipede's head height nearly reached half the cliff.

Get it now?

'…This is tricky.'

Common knowledge: boss power scales with field monsters.

So I figured the Emperor Centipede was flashily named but manageable.

'What the hell is this shitty power balance.'

Even for an instance dungeon, this was overkill.

I quickly brainstormed countermeasures.

'Warrior's Awakening doubles stats… maybe match it?'

No, bad idea. Too risky.

Think straight.

Warrior's Awakening lasts only 3 minutes.

Using a timed skill without gauging the boss is gambling.

Plus, it vaporizes 70% of total mana on activation.

'Save it unless absolutely necessary.'

Damn, then what?

I've leveled up a ton here and boosted stats, but soloing an 8-building-floor giant boss is insane.

Even top S-rank players don't attempt that madness.

"Any way…."

As anxiety peaked—

"Huh?"

The skill Throw Eye that War Incarnate sponsored me before suddenly signaled activation.

And at the same time—

"Th-this is…?"

Something I never expected entered my sight.