Inner World

Two red wolves the size of trucks were butchering people without restraint.

"Grrrk…"

One of them was taking its time, leisurely devouring its prey.

I'll take that one first.

I poured aura into the Mithril Sword, and the blade gradually shifted to a deep blue-black.

Even at a glance, it looked nothing like the longsword — not even in the same league.

Time to check the specs.

-KUUUNG!

I blasted aura outward like an explosion and launched myself at the Dire Wolf.

At the very least, I have to avoid the head.

A Dire Wolf's skull had hardness on par with a B-class monster.

Even with a Mithril Sword, driving the edge into its head would snap the blade clean through.

I need the nape of the neck.

It wouldn't kill it instantly, but there was no other choice.

I'd just have to force in follow-up strikes and finish it as fast as possible.

"Hup—"

The instant I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠put everything into the thrust—

"Grrrk!"

—the beast sensed something wrong and whipped its head around.

!

The angle shifted, and the blade was now aimed straight at the skull.

At this rate, the sword might break—

-KAAAAANG!

The blue-black Mithril Sword punched clean through the creature's head.

Not a simple penetration — closer to total shattering.

"…What the hell."

A clean, perfect instant kill without a single wasted motion.

With the longsword, I'd barely managed to cut the weak point of a High Orc's neck. And this thing had just crushed a Dire Wolf's skull, which was several times harder?

This is what gear carries for you.

I had a brief moment of gratitude toward "LoveHwaseong," who'd bestowed the Mithril Sword on me — then:

"Grrrrrk!"

The remaining one charged straight at me.

Colliding head-on with a Dire Wolf could put my life in real danger — but:

Actually, perfect.

I was almost grateful it came at me so fast.

Other hunters would be deploying any minute, and once they did, it was only a matter of time before my identity got exposed.

Dragging this out any longer put me at risk either way.

End it in one go.

I drew the longsword from my hip.

I waited for the beast to slam into me — and then:

-KWAAAANG!

"Uugh…!"

Pain twisted through my guts as my body went airborne.

At this rate I'd go flying, and the Dire Wolf's follow-up would land — but:

-PUUK!

I drove the longsword in my left hand into its flank.

"Grrrk!"

It clenched its muscles around the blade so I couldn't pull it free.

Trying to strip me of my weapon, no doubt.

Thanks.

I had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠never planned to use the longsword for offense in the first place.

"Hup!"

Using the longsword as a fulcrum, I kicked rebound force into my body and vaulted upward —

-PUUUUK!

—and drove the Mithril Sword clean into the nape of its neck.

"Grr… rrk…!"

It thrashed, trying to throw me off.

But it was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠already too late.

I wrenched the Mithril Sword free and swung hard —

-SEOGUK!

—and its head came clean off.

"Hahh…"

I sheathed the Mithril Sword and scanned the area.

Aside from the C-class hunter who'd been with me, there was no one else around.

Perfect.

I walked over to her and spoke.

"Excuse me."

I kept my tone as polite as I could.

"Could you report this as if you took them down?"

"…What?"

"Or say some unknown person just appeared out of nowhere, killed them, and left. Either way — I was never here…!"

With that, I hurried off the scene.

Kwon Do-hwa, guildmaster of the Hwasan Guild and an S-class hunter, was racing through the streets.

Word had come that Red Dire Wolves — monsters at the absolute peak of C-class — had appeared near the Tower.

Why does this always happen when the guild members aren't around…!

The only personnel left at the guild right now, aside from her, were C-class and below.

Nowhere near enough to handle Red Dire Wolves.

So she had gone to the scene herself — only to find:

"—So you're saying some unidentified person suddenly showed up, killed them all, and ran?"

"Y-yes…!"

Park Ji-won, the C-class guild hunter on site, was saying something absurd.

That a girl who claimed to be fifteen had wiped out the Dire Wolves with a deep blue-black longsword.

B-class at minimum…

No — honestly, she had to rate it higher than that.

Two Red Dire Wolves finished off and a clean getaway in that short a window.

…If you stretched it, you could even call it A-class.

Finished with that thought, Kwon Do-hwa spoke again.

"By the way. That blue-black longsword — what was it like? Did it look like a high-grade item?"

"No, ma'am. I didn't feel any mana from it at all. If anything, it felt like it was pushing the surrounding mana away… something really alien about it."

"Pushing mana away…?"

Mana was the substance that made up the world — practically the laws themselves. Something that could push that away?

It made no sense by any ordinary standard.

"Ji-won. Any guess on the weapon's material?"

"Hmm. It looked like mithril, but… with that blue-black color, I don't think so."

"…."

Mithril.

The word snagged a memory in Kwon Do-hwa's mind.

No way?

She thought of the person at the exchange who'd traded an A-grade weapon for a Mithril Sword — then:

…That's way too convenient a fantasy.

She dismissed it as coincidence.

Fighting with a sword made of mithril in the first place?

That was nonsense.

After that, I spent the next few days doing nothing but the Tower.

I'd been worried something would blow up, but thankfully nothing did.

I was smashing records floor by floor with overwhelming scores.

"Hmm."

Scrolling the hunter gallery, I was starting to get a genuine chill down my spine.

The entire world was working overtime to figure out who "Cheon-jae-mi-so-nyeo-geom-hui" actually was.

If my identity gets out, I'm dead, right?

Casually strolling out with a "Hey, I'm that famous SwordGirl~" and hitching myself to the US wouldn't be the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠worst move… but then the assassination requests aimed at me would rain down without end.

No matter whose side I joined, my life would be in danger.

And I'd lose my freedom on top of it.

Right now I couldn't even beat an S-class hunter.

I might end up living as a slave jerked around by whoever claimed me.

"Eugh."

Getting exposed was better left until I at least had S-class power or higher.

And for that, I needed the gallery's help.

-Ding!

An alarm chimed, and a strange window appeared.

"Ohh."

So all that constant gallery talk about duels and whatever was referring to a system this good.

Accept.

The moment I thought it, my vision went black.

When I opened my eyes, I was somewhere strange.

A plain piled high with mountains of swords and weapons.

So this is the paddak's Inner World?

I was looking around in curiosity when —

-Tap.

"KYAAAAAH!"

—someone tapped my shoulder from behind.

I shoved the floating message aside, and a blue-haired woman stood there.

A perfectly calm face without a trace of emotion.

"Are you the paddak, by any chance…?"

"…."

She just tapped her fingers in the air without answering — then:

After that message appeared, she showed a faint smile.

…She's ridiculously pretty.

Nothing like the chaotic paddak image I'd built in my head — she was beautiful enough to put most models to shame.

Anyway.

I'd stared at the paddak's face long enough. Time to get to the point.

The paddak kept the messages coming.

A unique ability. It really felt like I was finally learning something absurdly broken, and the emotion hit fresh.

I tromped along until I was about ten meters away from the paddak.

What is she about to do?

My chest was pounding with anticipation.

"…."

The paddak drew the sword at her hip.

She pointed the edge toward me — then:

-Whik!

She swung through empty air.

I was still wondering what that was supposed to be when —

-KWAGAGAGAGANG!

—thousands of slashing arcs came flying at me.

Huh?

My body shattered into pieces like a toy block set.

The paddak sheathed her sword with a satisfied little smile.

Did she request a duel just to beat the crap out of me?

By the time I realized that, my vision had already gone black.

That paddak bastard…!