Demon Sword (1)
Demon Sword (1)
Dojin's ability, Ruler of Women's Hearts, was truly an inconvenient power.
Not only could he never grow it on his own, it didn't even provide detailed explanations.
To figure out what ability he'd gained, Dojin had no choice but to analyze the name of the ability or use it directly in real combat.
"No, what the hell is this......"
But even Dojin had no idea how to interpret the ability named [Cheonma Gunrim].
Cheonma—heavenly demon. Was it referring to Mara Papiyas from Buddhism?
The great demon king in charge of the Seventh Hell, for sure.
Then what about the "Gunrim" part that followed? An ability that reigns over that demon king?
'What the hell is it......'
He had no clue. He didn't even know what he could do with this ability.
The other abilities were usually the same. Figuring out where to use them was solely his own responsibility.
'Well, yeah, having everything spoon-fed from one to ten isn't very manly.'
Kindly explaining what the ability is, how to use it, what penalties it has.
Getting all that laid out for you isn't manly.
It's girly.
Dojin had grown up under his old-school patriarchal father from the Showa era, so his sexual views were extremely patriarchal as well.
From his perspective, dominating women was the mark of an alpha male who perfectly handled everything, not some guy who relied on others for every little thing.
"If I wanna know what it does...... real combat's the best way, I guess."
It was about time to head back to the Dungeon.
With that thought, Dojin threw on his clothes and headed to Lastina's Workshop.
To the place where his weapon was.
Kkang! Kkang! Kkaaaang-!
No idea how hard she was hammering away, but the sound of hammering echoed nonstop from inside.
Dojin waited in the shop lobby for the hammering to stop. But even after ten minutes, twenty, thirty minutes passed, there was no sign of it letting up.
'What the hell is taking so long......'
Casually, Dojin hopped over the display counter and slipped into the back of the shop. If the owner had been some stranger, he wouldn't have done this, but the blacksmith who made his weapon and the master who wielded it were already like an old married couple in spirit.
As he stepped inside, Dojin froze at the scorching heat that made his skin burn.
Right in front of the furnace heated to thousands of degrees, Lastina was hammering away, bundled up head to toe.
Kkaang-!
With one strike of the hammer on the glowing metal lump, the shapeless mass slowly began transforming into a sword.
Once a decent structure was formed, Lastina immediately tore a Scroll and froze the sword solid. The iron blade hardened in an instant, holding its shape.
This wasn't just dunking a hot sword in cold water—it was stopping the atomic vibrations outright.
Thanks to that, the sword didn't crack or anything.
"Huu...."
Finishing up, Lastina extinguished the furnace fire and stripped off her clothes.
The undershirt she wore underneath was soaked with sweat, clinging transparently to her skin.
Her massive breasts, big enough to peek from behind, flopped as Lastina rolled her shoulders in relief and turned around.
"Hiyaaak-!?"
Spotting Dojin, she yelped in shock and toppled backward. Dojin inwardly let out a wow at the wave of jiggle from her fall.
"......You okay?"
"N-No way in hell─! What the heck are you doing! When did you come in!?"
"Just now."
"Who said you could just barge in─! ......Get out! Now!"
Dojin got chased straight back to the lobby. But he had his side too. He could hear the hammering, but no matter how long he waited, the owner never showed her face, and he couldn't just interrupt a craftsman's work....
In the end, confronting her face-to-face was the best option.
Sure, he'd zoned out staring at her while she worked.
After another twenty minutes or so in the lobby, a damp-haired Lastina finally emerged.
"......What do you want?"
"Came to pick up my sword."
"Then you wait! Why'd you come in!?"
"Well, I waited forever and you never came out...."
"You still should've waited!"
Lastina was moping about showing her skin to some random guy. As if having those slutty tits that were lewd no matter what she wore made seeing a bit of skin such a big deal......
Dojin couldn't understand it, but he wasn't about to voice it and stir up trouble.
"......No sword for you."
"What? Why!?"
"Hmph, seller's prerogative."
"Cuz I saw a little something?"
"......No."
"Then why?"
Lastina genuinely seemed unwilling to hand the sword to Dojin. But it didn't feel like she just didn't want to give it to him—it looked like there was some other real reason.
"......Can't say."
"Artisan pride or something?"
"Something like that. You can watch, though."
"Wish I could help somehow."
"Ha, you?"
"Yeah."
"What can you even do?"
"This."
Dojin grabbed a nearby longsword and gripped the blade on both sides.
The sharp edge dug into his fingers, but a sword doesn't cut if you don't slide it.
Legendary magic swords that slice just from touching? Those are magic or fairy tales.
Holding the blade firm, Dojin crushed the sword with raw strength.
"How's that?"
"...You're strong, I'll give you that. But hammering isn't about brute force."
"Stamina's good too."
"......And it's not about strength or stamina."
Hoo, Lastina let out a light sigh and opened the display aisle, leading Dojin inside. Now properly in the Workshop, Dojin eyed the sword she'd just been hammering.
Only then did he realize it was the sword he'd been using.
"This is......?"
"I've been fusing the Magic Sword and Demon-Slaying Sword I gave you into one."
"No, why?"
"Well, I figured a sword that cuts anything physical plus a sword that cuts magic would make the ultimate weapon."
Sure enough, hearing that, Dojin was convinced. A Magic Sword that could slice any material thing, and a Demon-Slaying Sword that cleaved any magic.
Combined, it'd be a supreme weapon that slashed everything—magic or reality—without distinction.
But there were a few problems.
"First off, merging the two swords was an issue. The Demonic Energy in them is too strong."
Dojin had massacred countless lives with those two swords. He'd only gotten them a few months ago, but he could slice hundreds of monsters a day if he wanted.
A Magic Sword that had claimed tens of thousands of lives.
And a Magic Sword to slay that Magic Sword.
Fusing them was no easy task.
"If that's solved?"
"Hmm, it might work out...... Any other features you want?"
"The sword aura's too strong. I'd like it to cut anything only when I want it to."
"I could tweak it so the aura ramps up with Magic Power."
"Oh, that sounds good?"
"......You sure that's fine?"
"Yeah."
To explain, the current Magic Sword had its "cut anything" as a passive ability. Switching to active/consumable was basically a nerf, a downgrade.
But Dojin nodded firmly. Overpowered weapons always dulled their wielder's skills. He'd learned that the hard way.
What he needed now wasn't a sword that cut everything. A durable one that withstood his power and wouldn't break was enough.
"Fine then... But how're you handling the Demonic Energy?"
"Watching."
Dojin approached the sword. Demonic Energy. The moment he heard that, he got a feel for it.
Cheonma Gunrim.
There were various ways to interpret it. Become the heavenly demon and reign. Or, under heaven, demons reign. Like that.
But the instant he saw the Magic Sword, Dojin instinctively knew.
'A power that reigns over all demons under heaven.'
An ability that stands above all magic.
A force that makes magic submit.
As Dojin reached out, the Demonic Energy in the Magic Sword began to tremble.
[Kraaaack!]
The Demonic Energy took the form of a wrathful ghost and started screaming. The evil spirit approached Lastina, begging for its life.
[Lastina! Save me! It's your father!]
"......My father's dead."
[Don't you remember? I offered my soul, my flesh to this Magic Sword!]
"Bullshit. Father was hale and hearty till the end."
But Lastina didn't buy that the evil spirit in the Magic Sword was her father. Sure, he'd collapsed from exhaustion making the sword, but his body was in the grave now, and she still remembered him telling her to take good care of the Workshop right before he died.
"Begone, evil spirit."
[Kwaaaack! I told you to sell me to a bikini armor beauty warrior......!]
Hearing the spirit's words, Dojin was a bit dumbfounded, but he expelled it from the sword anyway.
Then he side-eyed Lastina, gauging her reaction. He'd just banished what claimed to be her dad, after all.
"Uh......"
"It's fine. My father's not some evil spirit."
She said that and rolled up her sleeves. Her forearm, thinner than the hammer handle in her hand, was revealed.
Dojin couldn't fathom how such thin arms produced that much power...... but she was a Dwarf.
The artisan race.
"Alright then. You handled that, so...... my turn."
She raised the hammer high above her head.
And the Magic Sword that had plagued her head for so long was finally complete.
Lastina, having finished the Magic Sword, handed it to Dojin with a new hilt, pommel, and sword guard attached.
"Here, take it."
"......Not bad."
Dojin received the Magic Sword and swung it around. The sharp whoosh of it slicing air echoed wide.
From the sound, the sword aura was toned down just as he'd asked. Sure, even now it was sharp enough for top-tier fame, but no more Magic Sword hum like before.
"How to amp the aura?"
"Infuse it with Magic Power."
At her words, Dojin poured Magic Power into the sword right away. Crimson heat blazed up, adorning the Magic Sword.
Magic Sword Crow LV.2
That's what he'd call it, naming it.
Watching Dojin swing it around, Lastina blinked as if remembering something and spoke up.
"That sword has a true name, you know."
"......True name?"
"Yeah. Figured it out reading Father's journal."
True name—whatever it was, it stirred a man's heart.
Dojin asked her what the true name was. But she just smiled coyly and didn't tell him.
She only left one bit of advice.
"If you're worthy, you'll naturally come to know it then."