The Sword's Forbidden Memory
“……!!”
The moment I heard the name Choi Hyuk-su from an unexpected place, my shock was brief. My voice exploded in the dream, and I clutched my throat with both hands, eyes widening once more.
Connector's authority applied.
Connector authority level too low. Cannot alter story within memory fragment.
Please raise your grade higher. You will be excluded from the improperly intervened memory fragment.
Whoosh—!!
The hall's scenery swirled like a reversal and vanished.
“Hah, hah, hah……!”
I gasped for breath and lifted my head.
Creating new memory fragment.
Consuming 25 locked memory fragments to engrave the current memory fragment.
This is a completely new memory fragment absent from your unconscious fragments, so it will apply immediately upon creation.
Would you like to create a new memory fragment?
Caution: The number of usable locked memory fragments is limited.
The pain faded quickly as I read the scrolling alerts, slowly nodding.
Locked memory fragments might be important, but hearing Choi Hyuk-su's name in that memory made me feel this was a crucial clue to the phenomena tied to my dreams.
Locked Memory Fragments (34/88) - Conditions for ‘Blood Oath Shortsword’ updated and fulfilled.
The newly created memory fragment will be applied to the shared fragments beyond.
“What the hell…… was that just now?”
The first dream felt natural, like a memory of the sword tied to the founding king. But the second sword's memory was something I knew nothing about—from the massive castle to the armored knights, the soldiers outside the door, and the man gripping the Blood Oath Shortsword…….
I've read ancient histories about kings across the continent's eras. But no one like that…….
Moreover, if the boy who called that man Choi Hyuk-su was the genius developer who created Dimension World, the dream made even less sense.
No matter how much a developer, inserting himself into the game's lore feels forced.
Just an Easter egg? But Dimension World had too many oddities for that.
My dreams…… no, my memories? The world's perfect match to my memories was the biggest discrepancy. No one told me about the dreams, and I never shared them with the developers. Plus, game development takes months to years—mine and Dimension World's timelines overlapped too closely.
“Choi Hyuk-su……”
I felt I had to confront the sinister truth I'd been ignoring. Knowing this world's info wasn't just a cheat—it might have another reason.
What was that second dream? If the boy was Choi Hyuk-su…… definitely the past. But that scenery wasn't real. Virtual too? Then the man Choi Hyuk-su admired…….
I wondered about the identity of the man the century's genius gazed at with envy.
“Hoo……”
But I shook my head. Those memories were from a separate world I didn't know.
Click—
I lifted the sword and stared at it. If the memories lingered in the blade, delving into it would answer my questions.
In the second memory, this shortsword's shape changed.
I eyed the socket on the blade for gems. First memory: the sword's birth. Second: its change. Now, Black Eye said it reeked of Byakuya.
“Complete all these socket pieces?”
But I had no clue what went in them—they weren't in my memories.
The anomaly between my known memories and the present.
Just one.
“The tower……”
Whoosh—!
Then, wind scattered the swamp's fog, revealing Asera Tanubiel behind it.
“Is the purification complete?”
At her question, I held up the rust-free ceremonial sword. Her face lit up, and she rushed toward me.
“W-Wait……!”
Her attendants startled, yelling as she plunged into the thick swamp. But she ignored them, crossing to me.
“Must've been urgent.”
“……Did you inspect it?”
“Roughly.”
“What did you see?”
I hesitated. Could I trust her?
“The sword's birth.”
I shared only the first memory, hiding the second involving real-world Choi Hyuk-su. The founding king's tale was canon, at least.
“The sword's birth……”
Asera Tanubiel mulled it over.
“There was a man thought to be the founding king, surrounded by various races and tribes.”
“He's definitely the founding king you saw. Karyl Banshtein, the king who unified the old era.”
I nodded at her words.
“Called him that.”
Asera's eyes sparkled like beholding an idol.
“Wasn't there an elf there?”
“Yes. But one had an elf's face without the long ears.”
“If he was there, you truly witnessed the sword's creation. He's the half-elf Alteman, creator of the Veil.”
“The one who made Ainheri?”
“Yes.”
Veil's first leader might mean much to her, but not to me—just a historical figure, game lore now.
“Then, may we take it now?”
“Hm, that's tricky.”
“……Pardon?”
Her face stiffened.
“Look.”
I lightly shook Tesaro's broken sword before her face.
“My sword broke during purification. No weapon now. Can't leave empty-handed, right?”
She sighed in relief.
“No need to worry. We'll give you any armament you want from ours.”
“Hm.”
I slowly offered her the ceremonial sword.
Sizzle……!!
Sizzzzlle……!!
“……?!!”
Then, as she reached for the Blood Oath Shortsword, it repelled her hand like rejection. Bewilderment crossed her face—never happened before.
“As expected.”
I murmured at the sight.
“When this sword was forged, the founding king said it was made through divine power. Means only those with divine power can wield it.”
“No way……”
“It chose me. I could give it, but if I toss it in the swamp and leave, who among you could take it? If you want to discard the founding king's relic, fine by me.”
“Th-That’s……”
Asera Tanubiel is flustered.
Non-friendly reaction may negatively impact your reputation with her.
“Don't misunderstand. Not trying to steal it. Just saying, in this situation, I'm the only one tied to gods. You who've served the Curtain God for ages haven't even met him properly, right?”
I pulled the Yggdrasil seed from my pocket.
“One relic from the Veil's treasury.”
“……!!”
[Haha, what a lovely lady. Elf royalty all have such grace…… Mmph! Mmph!!]
I clenched the hand holding the seed, silencing the chatterbox.
“Met the Curtain God?”
“Need I explain? I already command a god.”
Yeomhwa-ryeong flew to my shoulder.
“……What do you want?”
“Same goal as you: stop the tower's calamity. So we move together but handle what we can.”
“Then?”
“The Yggdrasil seed is from the heavenly tree, source of the world's trees on the continent. It says it can bridge to a god's door.”
Asera eyed the seed.
“As an elf, you'd manage it better. For cooperation, how about handling what we can?”
Asera Tanubiel is suspicious.
Asera Tanubiel grows curious about you.
She still suspected me, but her reaction softened.
“Can't help if you don't trust. Want it? Take it.”
Thud—I dropped the sword at her feet.
Sizzle……!!
The swamp bubbled, spewing white steam.
“C-Careful!!”
Her attendants rushed over.
“I get the disappointment, but for stopping calamity after purifying the sword, it's not a bad deal.”
“……”
“Or some other agenda?”
I watched her. Her eyes fixed on the fallen sword. She reached repeatedly, but each time, repulsion scorched her fingertips red.
“I'm going.”
I walked out of the swamp, leaving her.
“W-Wait!!”
As expected, she called. I turned slowly.
“……Understood. Please don't abandon the sword like this.”
Regret twisted her face, but she yielded to the ungraspable blade.
“Good.”
I retrieved the sword from the swamp and swung lightly.
Shing—!!
The sharp ring cleaved the mud from the blade instantly.
“Sorry for testing you, but I wanted your answer first to show what I'll do with this sword next.”
“What are you……”
“Gotta test feeding it a new item. Finally got a way to hit that bastard hard. Watching what happens next, you won't regret giving me this sword.”
“……Pardon?”
She stared.
“Got leftover EXP from before.”
[Hehe, I'll guide you, Master.]
Quick-witted Yeomhwa-ryeong spewed fire and flew ahead.
Whoosh—!!!
My view raced through the swamp fog, locking on one spot.
[Grrrrr……]
The one-eyed giant there bared its teeth at me with a low growl.
“That bastard……”
Behind it, the Curtain God turned a stiff face toward me.
Even if this wasn't mere virtuality but a different dimension, one rule was unbreakable: the game system.
“Dungeons don't reset without killing the boss monster.”
Dungeons demand repeated challenges, after all.
“Challengers can always re-enter.”
Entered Curtain Forest.