Chapter 260: Blessing (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 260: Blessing (3)
A ferocious beast, the Manticore.
A magical beast that delights in devouring humans, it is considered the most harmful monster among S-rank Magical Beasts.
Unlike other magical beasts that normally sequester themselves inside dungeons, this monster has no hesitation in attacking humans.
Its hideous appearance—a lion with a human face—strikes instinctive terror into the hearts of all who behold it.
A giant man-eating magical beast that has aggregated human fear since the dawn of civilization.
Not only humanity, but even its fellow magical beasts tremble at its ferocity and bloodlust.
An embodiment of dread, a beast of a malevolent god.
Ah, who could possibly halt its demonic march?
It would take the heart of a beast, harboring an unyielding will unbroken by life's trials.
Only a resolute heart capable of erasing the terror of the abyss shall annihilate it.
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That was roughly the lore of the Manticore that immediately sprang to mind. The reason I remembered it so vividly was that the lore description had been just that memorable.
Furthermore, after subjugating the Lich King Draugr and the impure serpent Basilisk, I had conducted my own share of research.
"I suppose none of that matters now."
To think it would come rolling right into my lap. Sunshine was finally piercing through the dark clouds of my misfortune-ridden fate.
Ah, this feeling.
'Right.'
It was the feeling of leaving auto-hunt on and randomly acquiring a rare item.
In gamer slang, stealth delivery—or having devs sneak loot into your pockets.
The exact nuances differed depending on the context, but being on the receiving end felt fantastic either way.
In gaming communities, people would describe a situation like this as "the devs stealth-delivering loot."
I wasn't a hard-core gamer back then, so I hadn't experienced it much, but that intense rush of thrill...
'So intoxicating.'
Always fresh.
"My hands are already itching."
Lying on the bed, I turned the newly upgraded Murasame this way and that. The polished blade reflected my face, which was wearing a broad, beaming grin.
"An A+-Rank Armament, huh."
The reason I was giggling to myself in a corner of my room was none other than my beloved Murasame, which had finally ascended from trash-tier E-rank all the way to A+-Rank.
Truth be told, ever since inheriting the Seven Stars, I could obtain high-quality weapons whenever I pleased. B-rank was a given, A-rank was trivial, and even acquiring an S-rank Armament wouldn't be impossible, though difficult.
Yet I stubbornly clung to Murasame. Even if someone scolded me for foolishly taking the long way around when shortcuts were right there, I'd have no defense. It was true that I was an inflexible, stubborn fool.
The reason I insisted on keeping Murasame was... right, symbolism. This Murasame was the very symbol of my growth.
When I was struggling so hard I couldn't even afford a fifteen-thousand-won bottle of water, or when I fought to the death against C-rank Magical Beast Buffaloes—Murasame was always with me.
My entire journey up to this point was melted into this roughly 30-centimeter piece of steel. It had grown step-by-step right alongside me. In a sense, it was my alter ego.
Though your beginning was humble, your end shall be prosperous. That adage about late bloomers was undoubtedly written for Murasame and me.
It wasn't just wishful thinking; the two of us had spent the past year proving it. Murasame, along with Ten-Thousand-Year Frost—which I couldn't leave out—had faithfully performed their duties.
"My precious babies."
Like this, a swordsman and his blade shared an inseparable, lifelong partnership. How could equipment that had walked the line between life and death with you not be precious?
Ah, and one more thing.
Leaving aside my deep affection for the weapon, there was one more reason.
Namely...
"Status Window."
Flash!
* * *
[Murasame]
Type: Sashimi
Description: A blade that once held dew drops... (......)
Dimensions: 「Blade Length – 38 cm」, 「Width – 6 cm」
Attributes: 「Destructive Power – (B+ ▶ A+)」, 「Range – E」, (......)
Rank: A+-Rank
Special Abilities:
1) 〈Power of the Underworld King〉
2) 〈Authority of Petrification〉
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3) 〈Authority of the Fierce Horn〉
A beast dubbed the embodiment of terror.
Emits its sinister, ferocious roar.
◈ Abilities & Conditions
: Incapacitates enemies below a certain threshold with 'Fear'.
: The Authority responds to 'entities possessing magic power', with no limit on the number of targets.
: The activation condition is thrusting the blade into the ground.
: However, repeatedly using this Authority may cause enemies to develop a resistance to Fear.
[※ Certain conditions have been fulfilled, achieving the Special Title 《Fierce Calamity》.]
* * *
"So it's an effect similar to Conqueror's Haki."
Out of its three special abilities, this one had the greatest versatility. As I thought that, a chuckle suddenly escaped my lips.
"Listen to me complain. Talking about having three special abilities."
As I've said before, an Armament with a special ability was immensely valuable regardless of its rank. It was probably the game developer's intention to stop players from blindly obsessing over item ranks alone.
That intention struck the players' desire to spend right on the mark. The sensation caused by special abilities was explosive.
Weapons possessing even a single special ability traded for exorbitant prices. Having two placed it above S-rank in market value, so three? Players would probably doubt such a thing even existed. Even I, hugging it tight in my arms, could hardly believe it.
Put simply, even with just one special ability, an Armament reinforced across the board with S-rank magic stones was something beyond legendary.
'A Mythic-Rank Armament!'
And while I'm boasting...
Just look at these abilities.
'Power of the Underworld King,' which resurrects the slain; 'Authority of Petrification,' which turns enemies into stone; and 'Authority of the Fierce Horn,' which emits Fear normally reserved for high-tier magical beasts.
Every single one was wondrous.
Thus, its mere existence created a terrifying monster tantamount to a cheat skill. The only thing that could compare to this was probably Leon's weapon—the completed Balmung.
"To think something that started as an E-rank Armament is now going toe-to-toe with Balmung."
The Hero Leon received Balmung because he was favored by the world, but Murasame and I started from the very bottom to reach this point.
This short piece of cutlery was a physical monument molding my growth after being suddenly dropped into this world, as well as a guide pointing the way forward. Because I had experienced those distinct moments of realizing my growth, I was able to erase the faint lingering regrets of my past life.
Therefore...
My emotions were beyond words.
If I were back on Earth, I would have taken screenshots and plastered them everywhere to show off. But since this wasn't Earth, I contented myself with clutching it to my chest and rolling around on the bed instead.
With so many misfortunes happening recently, I hadn't had much reason to smile, but right now I was floating on cloud nine. This felt vastly better than when I inherited the Seven Stars.
I really am a true-blue Korean through and through. The desire for gear—far more potent than honor or shame—was surging through my veins. Could an identity be any more flawless? Sure, my weapon happened to be a Sashimi knife, but the very bones and sinew of my soul were forged from onions, garlic, and chili peppers.
"That sounds a bit... dubious, though."
My thoughts had digressed long enough. At any rate, immediately following the subjugation of Permush, I obtained the Sixth Fragment, which simultaneously elevated the ranks of my blessings. Add to that the Armament reinforcement and a reward bonus exceeding hundreds of millions of won.
It was a moment where I felt all my suffering had been worth it. I hadn't done it expecting a reward, but receiving one was second to none. Enough to briefly make me forget the dark clouds looming over humanity.
"That aside..."
Setting Murasame down by my pillow, I sat on the edge of the bed and closed my eyes. The last words Wieland had spoken weighed heavily on my mind.
—Don't try to analyze human emotion with logic.
Those were the words he had uttered with a stern gaze. I wondered if that was really something a man tightly gripping a dented nickel-brass bowl of makgeolli should be saying, but regardless...
I chewed on that single sentence over and over in my mind. Wieland had urged me to perceive the heart, not logic. I understood the intent behind what he was trying to say. However, even if my mind understood, my solar plexus remained completely unruffled, like a mirror-still lake.
Why Ryozo and Abel were bickering over me... I could estimate the phenomenon logically, but it never led to genuine empathy. That was also why people around me kept scolding me for being clueless.
'What kind of feelings do Abel and Ryozo actually hold for me?'
I stroked my chest. Beneath the firm muscles, it felt hollow, as if a wind-blown hole had been bored through it. The more I made contact with the origin of the [Blessing of the Sword God], the larger this hole expanded. The price of power was the deficit of humanity. Even though my 'Humanity Rank' had risen, it merely preserved dregs of emotion. The core nature of my feelings remained hollow.
Thanks to that, I showed no mercy when cutting down enemies. However, as a human being, I had reached a precarious edge. My conversation with Wieland served as a sudden wake-up call to the severity of my condition.
'What am I becoming?'
If things continued like this, at the end of the line, how detached would I be from Ryozo, Abel, and the others? Could something like that even be called a human being? And even in this very moment, the person observing himself through a detached, third-person lens... was me.
Time passed for a while. Feeling a chill creep down my spine, I opened my eyes. My senses, honed sharp as a blade, detected a presence near the window.
"Who's there?"
The window was open by a hand's breadth. A figure dressed in black perched lightly onto the windowsill like a cat.
"It is I, Heavenly Sword."
"..."
I glanced sideways at the window. The black-clad figure was slowly pulling down the mask concealing his face.
"Why are you coming in through there when there's a perfectly good door?"
I muttered with a sigh.
"Nox."
Chloe's older brother, Nox Auditore. He tilted his head and scratched at his half-lowered mask.
"Should I knock and come back in?"
I sighed once more, then let out a dry chuckle. This guy was something else too.
"The wind is cold. Close it and come inside."
"Understood."
Regardless, having someone who shared the same affliction of the mind was a strange comfort.
* * *
Nox knelt on his right knee, supporting himself with his left fist. In that posture, he spoke in a low voice.
"Reporting to the Heavenly Sword."
Ever since I ascended to the Seven Stars, Nox had addressed me with strict formal respect. No matter how much I expressed my disgust for it, he was adamant. In the end, I realized preaching to him was like talking to a brick wall, so I gave up.
"Recently, we obtained intelligence that a henchman of the 2nd Corps Commander Kuarne has dispatched agents to secretly train and cultivate Villains."
"I thought the Auditore had rooted out the entire Villain Syndicate. Are there still remnants left?"
"Not a single head from the Syndicate was left uncollected."
Nox shook his head while remaining bowed.
"It appears Kuarne's side isn't seeking to build a permanent, regular force like the former Syndicate."
"So they're creating a disposable, one-off force for a specific objective."
"Yes. Although their exact objective remains unknown, we have pinpointed when and where they will strike. The date is two days from now, on the day of the Festival of the Seven Champions. The location will likely be the ballroom."
My expression hardened.
"Are you certain?"
"We are the Auditore."
Nox raised his head. A bloody gleam flashed in his eyes.
"We would never dare present unverified or false intelligence to the Heavenly Sword."
I slowly relaxed my expression, then broke into a slight smile.
"Sorry. It just annoyed me that those bastards are trying to infiltrate Joaquin Academy again. I didn't mean to doubt the Auditore. Don't take it to heart."
"Even if the Heavenly Sword were to doubt us, it is our duty to erase even that doubt."
Nox lowered his eyes once more. The glistening crimson light settled into a quiet gleam.
"Furthermore, shadows possess no hearts. Please pay it no mind."
Shadows possess no hearts. To someone like me, who had been deeply engrossed in that very thought, it was a profoundly meaningful statement.
"We shall handle it on our end so that it does not burden the Heavenly Sword."
As I fell silent, Nox spoke softly.
"Hmm."
I grunted softly and glanced toward the head of the bed.
'Even if we catch one, the rest will just scatter. In that case, it's better to let them gather and wipe them out all at once.'
Looking at Murasame lying peacefully, I sank into thought.
'〈Authority of the Fierce Horn〉
The Authority responds to "entities possessing magic power," with no limit on the number of targets.'
A moment later, I shifted my eyes back to Nox.
"No. Leave them be for now. Even if they're uninvited, kicking out guests goes against proper etiquette."
Then, the corners of my lips curled upward subtly.
"Let's take a look at their faces. See just how gutsy these bastards really are."