Sword God
It was wondrous.
"…Si-woon."
The child floating in midair stared at Hyun Si-woon with open curiosity, chattering away without pause.
"Hyun Si-woon?"
"…"
Si-woon still could not tear his eyes from the child.
"Si-woon!"
Tae Min-seok's voice rose sharply, and only then did Si-woon flinch and snap back to himself.
"Huh—yes?"
His vision filled with Tae Min-seok's worried face.
"You've been like this for a while. Calling you gets no answer. Feeling unwell somewhere?"
Si-woon hesitated a moment.
How was he supposed to explain this situation?
He carefully pointed a finger at the empty air above his sword.
"I-it's not that… Uncle, you can't see the being floating right up here?"
"Huh?"
Tae Min-seok looked around, then his expression turned complicated—worry mixed with a hint of pity.
"…Well, you have been pushing yourself hard lately. A kid who never exercised suddenly swinging a sword every day like a man possessed… Looks like your body hit overload. If you're seeing things, you must be properly exhausted."
Seeing things?
Apparently he was the only one who could see the spirit.
"That's enough for today. Go rest. Pushing hard is fine, but if your body breaks down it's all for nothing. Rest is part of training too."
"…Understood."
Training was over for the day anyway.
With something like that floating there, how could he concentrate?
Better to leave and try talking to the spirit instead.
"My head does feel a little dizzy today. I'll come back tomorrow."
"Do that."
Tae Min-seok watched Si-woon hurry out and clicked his tongue.
Si-woon found a quiet, deserted spot nearby.
Tae Min-seok had been worried, but Si-woon was far from crazy.
If anything, he understood the situation with cold clarity.
Sword God.
The woman still floating above him, silver-white hair streaming, was unmistakably the Sword God.
Whoosh! Swish!
The way she moved with the sword left no doubt.
"C-can't you stop shaking that thing? My head's spinning."
"…Are you the Sword God?"
He asked politely first.
She was, after all, a god of the sword.
Outwardly a child, yet clearly a being of immense power.
"Oh?"
Pale violet eyes pierced him.
She was trying for a solemn expression…
He wasn't sure if the thought was allowed, but she was rather cute.
"Look at this one. I thought you simply couldn't hear this lady's words all this time, yet it turns out you heard and simply ignored them?"
"Not ignored so much as… the conditions for conversation finally lined up."
"Silence. A green chick of a brat starts with excuses!"
"…"
"And you!"
"Yes?"
"Once you discovered this lady you should have awakened her at once. What have you been doing until now!"
Si-woon felt wronged.
"If I'd known how to wake you, I would have done it ages ago."
"I told you no excuses! The moment you became this lady's vessel you should have figured that much out yourself!"
What was this?
This absurd logic?
And the shrill tone—exactly like a child throwing a tantrum.
Si-woon's blood pressure began to climb.
"How am I supposed to figure that out? Like you said, I'm a complete beginner who knows nothing."
His speech shortened bit by bit.
Seriously, this was irritating!
No matter how great she once was, right now she was just a ghost stuck in a sword. What gave her the right to talk down to him like this?
"And can we tone down the shrillness a little?"
"W-what did you say?"
The Sword God's face filled with sheer disbelief.
"This insolent brat dares call this lady shrill? Do you even know who this body is!"
"Who is that body, then?"
"I am a Ranker of this Tower! In my prime I rose to fifteenth place—Silent Heavenly Shatter! Lord of the Moon, Ha-wol!"
At those words Si-woon's eyes lit up.
A Ranker?
New information.
There was a ranking system in the Tower of Despair?
"Well, you are still a mere Climber, so of course you know nothing. Still, count yourself lucky. You discovered this lady, who was banished deep into the Land of the Dead."
Hmm.
Why lucky?
The question formed in Si-woon's mind, and Ha-wol answered at once.
"This lady was once a Climber herself. I reached the summit of the Tower of Despair and became a Ranker thereafter."
"…!"
She reached the end of the Tower?
And that makes one a Ranker?
Si-woon filed the new facts away immediately.
"This lady has already experienced the Tower and will stand by your side to aid you. Is that not fortune enough?"
Ha-wol planted both hands on her hips as she spoke.
"You'll help me?"
"Of course."
"Why 'of course'?"
"Because only when you finish your climb and become a Ranker can you find Wol-ryeong. Only then can this lady recover her original power."
"Ah."
Si-woon nodded.
In other words—
"So you need me too, then?"
"No!"
Ha-wol snapped.
"What sophistry is this, brat! Without this lady, do you really think a green chick like you could climb that brutal Tower? All you need do is treat it as a once-in-a-lifetime chance, give thanks, and revere this lady—"
Thunk!
Si-woon drove the sword into the ground without thinking.
If anyone's spouting sophistry, it's you.
Not needing each other? They clearly did.
"…What are you doing right now?"
Oh?
She reacted?
"I've been listening and listening, and it still doesn't make sense."
"My, what an insolent fellow. Your speech has gotten quite short, hasn't it?"
"I tend to return exactly what I'm given."
That was why he had spoken casually even to Yu Jae-jun, who was far older than him.
"Anyway, looking at the angles, I have to climb the Tower for you to get your power back, right?"
Si-woon's voice was calm, but the content was sharp.
"In short, if I just shove this sword into my inventory and never climb the Tower? You're sealed forever. Isn't that right?"
"Y-you—you little—!"
Ha-wol's face flushed slightly.
A reaction that said he had hit the mark.
"Are you threatening this lady right now?"
"Not a threat. Just stating facts. We're not master and servant—we're two people who need each other. Let's admit that."
The Sword God would help him grow.
He would grow and help the Sword God reclaim her power.
When he thought about it that way, it was simple.
Who else would discover that hardcore hidden route, and who else could actually find it?
Si-woon believed only he could.
In other words?
The Sword God ought to be grateful to him.
"Your shamelessness has crossed the line!"
"Still not getting through, I see."
Swoosh.
Si-woon slipped the sword into his inventory.
The noisy spirit vanished in an instant.
Apparently she only appeared when the sword was drawn.
"Whew. Nice and quiet."
He would give the Sword God a little time to think.
For now, he still had the archery training scheduled for today.
The next day.
The moment Si-woon drew the Formless Sword, a sharp voice erupted without fail.
"You insolent brat! You think you can treat this lady that way and then calmly take up the sword again! Apologize at once and listen carefully! This lady could not sleep a wink because of your rudeness—!"
Swoosh.
He put the sword away again.
Looks like I'll train with a low-grade Climber's sword today.
Tch.
Performance of the Formless Sword be damned.
If she was going to nag like this every time?
Better not to use it at all.
The day after that.
"…Still haven't come to your senses! Without this lady, the likes of you will not take a single step forward in this Tower! Accept this lady's guidance at once! Do not waste time with foolish stubbornness—!"
"Yeah, take care."
Swoosh.
Still not getting it, apparently.
Was one day too short?
Maybe he should simply not summon her for a full week.
One week later.
"Y-you little—why only now…!"
"You little?"
Swoosh.
Nothing more needed to be heard.
"You little" was language that would never leave the mouth of someone who respected the other party.
Another week later.
"…You, you really are a ruthless one… Wait! Wait just a moment! I understand, I understand…!"
Last week it was "you little," this week "you."
Still not ready to talk properly, it seemed.
Even so.
Si-woon found the change rather interesting.
Seems she's being trained with just this little pressure?
The longer time passed, the more strength drained from Ha-wol's voice.
The initial rage and irritation were slowly turning into anxiety.
Just a little more.
Things like this had to be settled right at the start.
Seize the initiative properly, and everything became easier later.
And the next day.
"This lady was wrong!"
The moment he drew the sword, the Sword God shouted.
"You were wrong?"
"Yes! I was wrong! This lady admits it and apologizes! I need you… no, I need you!"
"Good. Now we might actually be able to talk."
Si-woon wore a satisfied expression.
She was still trembling with residual anger as she apologized, but it was enough.
He was content with this much bowing of the head.
Time to begin the real negotiation.
"Let's go over it again. So how exactly are you going to help me?"
"First I will tear apart that clumsy swordplay you've been swinging around and rebuild it from the ground up. From what I can see you have talent, but your foundations are a mess and you've taken the wrong path entirely. Drop that pitiful swordsmanship at once!"
"…"
Tae Min-seok's swordsmanship was pitiful, was it?
He couldn't really deny it.
Still, she was the Sword God.
An ordinary instructor who ran a fencing studio would naturally look laughable to her.
"This body, Ha-wol, will personally transmit her swordsmanship to you. Though my power is weak for now, I will—"
"You?"
"No! This lady is already two hundred and forty years old! I can understand you speaking casually to me, but at least allow me to call you 'you'!"
"…"
Hah.
This adorable little girl was two hundred and forty?
He hadn't known that.
Even if he had, nothing would have changed.
"F-fine, whatever. I'll allow that much."
"Hmph! In any case, if you master this lady's swordsmanship, climbing the Tower will become far easier than it is now."
"Okay."
"However, this lady also has a condition."
Ha-wol's voice dropped then, carrying a seriousness different from before.
"As I said previously, once you accept my swordsmanship, grow, and finally reach the summit of the Tower, you must find the group known as Wol-ryeong. And to them… you must hand over this Formless Sword. Can you keep that promise?"
Pale violet eyes locked straight onto Si-woon.
Hope and unease mixed within them.
No downside to the deal.
The Sword God's teachings would be an enormous boost to his growth.
On top of that?
He would clearly be able to extract a flood of information about the still-veiled Tower of Despair.
After all, she herself had once been a Climber.
"Fine."
Si-woon nodded simply.
"I accept that condition."
After a long, drawn-out push and pull,
the inevitable bond between the Sword God and Hyun Si-woon raised its curtain.