The Path of the Cosmic Blade
“An utterly filthy education.”
“Whoa.”
“Kyaaaahhhh.”
“Next.”
“You worthless wild herbs, get cut down.”
“This is it, lol.”
The chat window was exploding upward at full speed. I let myself enjoy it for a moment, then checked how many Minari guild members were left.
About ten remained.
Every last one of them was a certified maniac beginner who’d already dumped more than ten million won into a no-prestige newbie character.
“Everyone. Do you know how you beat lunatics like these?”
Clutching my sword and taking a fighting stance, I charged.
“You just have to be even crazier than they are.”
“Kyaaaaaa!”
“Let’s gooooo!”
“The Great Haruru.”
“You picked the wrong people to mess with, lol.”
A dozen or so of them started circling in on me, trying to box me in. So that was their plan—pile on me and beat me down all at once. It was a strategy that showed up all the time in Unknown Universe, and naturally, plenty of counters had already been developed for it. This time, I’d use one of them.
“I’m going to use something kind of like a flash grenade. My little Dayflys, watch out for the eye-searing light. Close your eyes for a second.”
“Yeeeep.”
“So cool, Great Haruru.”
“No way, I’m not closing them. I want to keep watching Haruru forever.”
Light was said to be the most broken of all attributes.
And true to its name, when you wrapped yourself in light, you could use all sorts of utility skills—most famously, the flash that blotted out the sight of enemies nearby.
Flash!
The Minari guild members, who had been closing in on me, flinched at the burst of light and froze up completely. And right now, that meant it was time for slaughter.
Minari Guild Member has been defeated.
Minari Guild Member has been defeated.
Minari Guild Member has been defeated.
...
...
“Whoa, look at that physical skill.”
“That flash timing was insane.”
“Yeah, lol.”
“I wasn’t expecting much, but this is actually deliciously entertaining.”
“No wonder it’s been the top-grossing game for ten straight years.”
Only one remained.
It was the Minari guild master—the one who’d sunk the most money into that no-prestige beginner character. With a little breathing room at last, I decided to shake their mental state a bit and fired off a chat message.
“Hah, lol, Great Haruru is teabagging them.”
“You awake yet? You awake yet?”
“Minari cut. Minari cut.”
Was he not answering? No, wait. Looking at it now, their movements were unnatural. Years of Unknown Universe experience told me someone was probably hiding somewhere, drawing a bow and getting ready to snipe from far away.
There was a brief pause, then a short line popped up in chat, as if they were stalling for time. That was when I realized it for sure.
“Let’s report that conversation, shall we?”
“He’s furious, lol.”
“So ugly.”
“Yeah, lol.”
“Yeah, lol.”
All right, that was enough conversation. As expected of a trashy guild, they’d even prepared a long-range snipe. Before I hit the report button, I tossed out one last remark.
“Kya, lol.”
“Triggered?”
“Why is Haruru so good at teabagging?”
“LOLLOLLOL.”
He had nothing else to say after that. I stopped chatting as well and tightened my grip on my sword. At that very moment, an arrow came flying straight at me. At the same time, the hidden Minari guild member’s chat message appeared.
What a pitiful bunch. The reason I’d only noticed the arrow snipe and not made any special move was because I was a sword-class veteran—I could parry something like that with ease.
Clang!
I knocked the arrow aside with my sword, shifted its trajectory, and drove it straight into the Minari guild master’s heart.
Minari Guild Master MuddyFishreader has been defeated.
“Kya, lol.”
“That parry was insane, lol.”
“Haruru was a hardcore Unknown Universe veteran all along.”
No, I did know it was coming... or did I? Hmm. Maybe saying it like that sounds cooler. I should probably just keep quiet.
For the finale, I shot down the guild member who’d made that long-range snipe with an arrow of my own.
Minari Guild Member TwistedSlack has been defeated.
There were no more Minari guild members left in Beginner Zone 1-C. Since the 1.15 patch, they couldn’t occupy the area any longer either. Only now had the newbie zone finally returned to complete peace.
“Phew... I shout to the heavens—Minari Guild, cut down!”
“Kyaaa—this is it.”
“So satisfying.”
“Cut down, lol.”
“Yeah, lol.”
“It was way easier than I thought.”
“Minari was all hype and no substance.”
“Those filthy types are all the same, anyway.”
“Wow! Thank you very much for the hundred thousand won. No, thank you, Haruru!”
“Oho~”
“That Unknown Universe Tori sponsor is a big spender, huh.”
“You’ve made it now, kid, lol.”
“Yeah, lol.”
“Because it’s a god-tier game.”
“Ahem.”
“Unknown Universe is just that kind of free-spirited game, okay? That’s the motto, and yes, it comes with some downsides, but there are plenty of upsides too. I’ll show you one by one.”
“Yeeeep.”
“Hmm... maybe I should give it a try. Unknown Universe actually seems fun.”
As expected of a game that was fun to watch, the public sentiment seemed to be slowly shifting in my favor.
“How is a little tryout a million won, lol.”
“A hundred won wouldn’t even be enough to nibble at this game.”
“A hundred will hardly buy you a taste, let alone a meal. If you keep your head on straight and grow slowly, that’s all you need, but people keep losing it and then blaming Unknown Universe.”
“<<<<”
“Isn’t that... kind of about you?”
“Sounds like someone we know who happens to be a cow.”
“Ah, anyway. Once I class-change and get out of the beginner planet, I’m planning to make a guild.”
Among the Peak of Unknown Universe quests, there was one objective that required you to create a guild and place first.
“If you’re going to do it, now’s the best time. Let’s build a guild together.”
“Oh.”
“Oh.”
“That sounds fun.”
“A guild with Haruru? I can’t resist that.”
“Nope. Unknown Universe guilds are a little different from guilds in other games, so even people who haven’t paid anything are welcome as long as there are enough of them.”
“What?!”
“What?!”
“You’re really...”
“You’ve got a black heart hidden under that cow skin, huh.”
“T_T The free-to-play Unknown Universe users are quitting.”
“That is not what I said! Why am I the one getting cursed at? I wasn’t talking about using anyone as bullet shields—I meant we should all enjoy Unknown Universe together.”
“Kyaa.”
“Great Haruru.”
“We worship you, GOAT.”
“Then I’m trusting you and starting Unknown Universe for real.”
“Yes, yes. Start it and let’s have fun together. If those dirty pests show up, I’ll deal with them like I did earlier.”
“So reassuring, Great Haruru.”
“BlackFoxHaruru’sTail<<< please take me in.”
“I haven’t made it yet, but we’re a manners-first guild. If you act like a jerk, you get kicked out on the spot.”
“Gasp, then the guild master would get kicked first.”
“Really?”
“Wasn’t it already known as a trashy guild?”
“People already say it only accepts bad-mannered users.”
“Good grief, you’re all hopeless. Anyway, we’ve seen enough, so let’s go pick a class.”
Class selection.
Depending on how you looked at it, this was an even more important moment than wiping out the Minari guild. What were the viewers hoping for?
“What the heck, a mage?”
“Ranged is broken, though, yeah...”
Just from their reactions, everyone seemed to be recommending a ranged class. I could understand it. Ranged classes were easier to control, after all. On the flip side, their damage wasn’t as strong as melee classes.
“However, I’m going to pick a sword class.”
“What!”
“Huh?”
“Whoa, choosing melee over ranged, huh;;”
“Kya~”
“Melee.”
“Seeing you parry earlier, yeah, you really are a swordswoman.”
“Think about it carefully, everyone. I’m not disrespecting other classes, okay? But if someone aiming for the top just stands around flicking little spells from afar or shooting guns and arrows, where’s the style in that?!”
“That’s right, that’s right, yeah.”
“Yeah, swords are romance.”
“What is that?”
“Ugh, Unknown Universe veterans, stop talking in code that only you understand.”
All at once, the donations started pouring in like crazy. The topic was the Cosmic Blade, a sub-class within the sword category.
The Cosmic Blade.
According to the official description, it was the one who wielded a sword forged with the power of the cosmos. Its violet blade fit the game’s aesthetic beautifully, and because it was one of the very first classes added, people often called it the protagonist class. But there were two enormous traps waiting there. Just then, a donation came in that explained it for everyone.
“Crazy, lol.”
“So you’ve got a bunch of things to enhance on your own.”
“A class for the rich, lol.”
“So you end up spending money just to catch up to everyone else?”
“What a waste-of-money class, lol.”
“That’s right—it’s trash. Other people get utility skills for free, and you have to pay for every single one yourself.”
“That’s only true if you haven’t pushed it to the limit.”
“A Cosmic Blade fully pushed to the limit? Nobody can stop that.”
“Kyaa~”
“Then that’s the perfect class for Haruru, yeah.”
“The CEO would probably try to stop you.”
“Shut up.”
“If you take it all the way, the Cosmic Blade wins everything.”