Transcendent (3)
Mystery was a kind of omnipotent material with the peculiar property of granting human desires.
If it didn't exist, humanity would have perished long ago.
The miraculous Worldnet, bestowed upon humanity.
This Worldnet, which had replaced smartphones and computers, was astonishingly provided for free to all of humanity—a product of Mystery.
Everything else came at a cost, though.
Electricity and water are basics, and all resources run on Mystery.
On top of that, it protected humanity's essential way of life by purifying the air or cleansing ocean pollution.
Without Mystery, humanity couldn't survive.
It was the omnipotent resource that formed the foundation of the world.
"Hm..."
While checking the Worldnet, he'd learned a fact: the 1kg ingot of Mystery he possessed was truly worth 100 trillion.
What could he do with it—?
Reclaim North Korea?
About 3,000 Hunters had been mobilized for the Red Sea incident.
It was practically every Awakener near Seoul.
If he powered a mobile pseudo-gate with 1kg of Mystery ingot, roughly 3,000 Hunters could use their awakened powers in reality for 30 days.
That was how much energy it held.
3,000 Awakeners rampaging for 30 days?
China had swallowed up the ruined North Korea.
Maybe he could drive out the Chinese from North Korean soil and reclaim the rightful territory of the Republic of Korea.
Of course, this was just his own assumption.
If an actual war broke out, Gates would explode and the country would be doomed.
Anyway.
He now fully understood the value of the Mystery he held.
He also knew how tremendous a help it could be if used for the people.
Even so, he would use the Mystery for his own selfish desires.
He called the president right away.
And stated his business.
The response came—
—M-Mystery 1kg, and in ingot form, no less... To think such a massive amount came from the Red Sea!!!
The president asked in a thoroughly flustered tone.
—B-But you're saying you want to use it to make, uh, an accessory?
He laid out his specific request.
The president asked again to confirm.
—Transcendent Shin Si-woo, you're saying you want to use 1kg of Mystery to make a bracelet accessory? Is that right?
"That's correct."
It would be even better with a pseudo-gate function infused, but he didn't mention that.
It might raise unnecessary suspicions.
Pure Mystery as-is was more than enough to showcase his power.
—M-May I ask the purpose...?
"Just a little hobby. It's a bit embarrassing to say."
Naturally, he brushed it off.
No need to reveal his weaknesses.
—A-A little hobby!!!
There was a pause in the conversation, as if the president was deep in thought.
In truth, he had one clear and specific goal.
Four seconds of omnipotence.
With two swords open, eight seconds.
The baby sword is different.
His baby sword hadn't transcended yet.
Its actual power fell far short of Transcendent level.
If he used the 1kg ingot solely for himself like a personal pseudo-gate...
I could have the baby sword with me 24/7, 365 days a year.
That was his goal.
His Ego Swords could only manifest for seconds outside the Tower.
Unlike the Ego Swords, he hadn't spent much time with the baby sword yet.
It was a choice to foster a bond, like appointing a guardian.
Plus, once I deal with Gye Man-hwi, I'll get the Sword Sheath, so the sword needs to exist in reality.
The empty space where the baby sword was now wasn't a Sword Sheath.
It was just something like a dimensional space connected to the sword's world.
It'll serve as self-defense too.
Being able to use the baby sword immediately in a pinch was a huge merit.
His thoughts reached that point—
—Th-That's too much. According to the Patriot Special Act, that amount of Mystery is classified as a national strategic resource and cannot be possessed by individuals...
No, even if that was true, it couldn't be helped!
The president spoke in that nuance.
He was dumbfounded.
"I'm the one keeping the Patriot in check—do you think I'd sweat the small stuff?"
—The resources consumed in the Red Sea incident were enormous. Why not sell some to the nation...?
He was dumbfounded again.
"Didn't I clean up the Red Sea in four seconds, saving the government a ton of strategic resources?"
He had stopped a massive disaster.
So they owed him compensation in return.
—We'll present a certificate of appreciation and reward for the Red Sea at the appointment ceremony, along with a medal. For reference, the amount is 50 billion won. We should have set a larger reward, but...
He kindly said money was plenty sufficient.
50 billion was more than enough in the current world.
Still, you never show full satisfaction when they offer something.
"Use the shortfall value from my ingot for crafting the equipment."
He made one request.
A very simple one: just process the Mystery ingot into a bracelet form.
The workshop at the Blue House could whip it up in no time.
"This is already me compromising a lot."
The president knew every word was right and finally consented.
—We'll handle it exactly as requested.
Now he could have the baby sword with him 24/7, 365 days a year.
"Mystery issue resolved, so next is the Jesus countermeasure..."
His schedule was packed.
Tonight was the Transcendent appointment ceremony.
And in a few days, EX-rank Hunter Jesus would come looking for him.
With the goal of destroying him.
But he had a counter.
Holy power.
When he'd received the final card from the Saintess.
The card showed him holding a noble holy sword.
And the back of a twin-tailed head looking at him.
According to the Saintess's interpretation—
—It means Shin Si-woo demonstrates holy power, Jesus is impressed by that power, and they solidify their brotherhood.
Among the Ego Swords, there was only one holy sword.
2nd Sword, Yuria Lanestia.
The Saintess of the Lanestia Holy Kingdom.
And the 5th ending achiever who witnessed the world's end with Holy Sword lineage.
For some reason, she wouldn't respond to him at all.
So Reinhardt had gone to talk with her.
It'll work out, right?
Trusting the reliable Reinhardt, he planned his own countermeasures.
Mystery was one of them.
His 'baby sword' was chaos-aligned Holy Demon Sword.
Meaning it could emit holy power too.
Either way, the Jesus countermeasure is solid.
He headed to the Blue House.
To entrust the Mystery 1kg ingot and have the item made.
Oh, and the Transcendent appointment ceremony tonight.
That was just a bonus.
"I figured Shin Si-woo must have some issue too, but..."
The president began venting to Kang Mu-jin.
"He wants to make an accessory with 1kg of Mystery. Even said it's a little hobby and he's embarrassed about it."
A perfectly fine young man.
Good at negotiations.
Articulate, knows how to claim fair compensation for his deeds.
Nothing like the fist-happy Patriot.
But—
"Even so, burning 1kg of Mystery on an accessory? Hoo—."
He was extreme in certain areas.
The president realized which way Shin Si-woo was crazy.
Similar to the Fate Saintess.
Twisted minds wanting to flaunt accessories made from Mystery, the stuff humanity's fate hinges on—
"He enjoys luxury..."
As the president's venting continued—
Kang Mu-jin cut in abruptly.
"It's probably for the country. Shin Si-woo isn't the type to go mad like that."
"What could he possibly use it for?"
"I don't know. But since he knew about the demon worshipers in advance, maybe some detection tool related to them."
"Could be."
The president regained his senses.
Having dealt with the Fate Saintess, the Patriot, and other mad Transcendents, he'd realized his perception was a bit off.
Demon Worshipers.
Beings whose shadows they hadn't even glimpsed yet.
Shin Si-woo had commissioned this item to prepare for them.
That made far more sense.
"It's about time the world had a sane Transcendent or two."
The president said that, but this time Kang Mu-jin bristled.
"Shin Si-woo is crazy elsewhere."
"You know something?"
The mental issue Kang Mu-jin revealed about Shin Si-woo was quite peculiar.
"His feelings of attraction to the opposite sex are gone? Any basis for that?"
"You know my daughter Seol-ah."
"Of course. A beauty who puts most celebrities to shame, right?"
Kang Mu-jin had a fierce face.
His wife, on the other hand, was stunningly beautiful.
Fortunately, Kang Seol-ah took after her mother, with no trace of her father's genes.
"Five years."
"N-No way?"
"How long that punk has maintained friendship with my daughter. Not a single romantic advance in all that time."
Kang Mu-jin was convinced.
"He's gone nuts in that department."
It sounded like utter nonsense from the president's perspective.
Yet the president believed it was true.
Hoo...
Kang Seol-ah had a heart surpassing her looks, with spirit rivaling her father who stood against the Patriot.
The type who seemed destined for great things.
The president, who had known her since infancy, was well aware.
"Your daughter could at least do a political marriage with my son—."
"Mr. President, genetics make that impossible."
Kang Mu-jin said, eyeing the president's bald head.
A joke possible only between close allies.
"Is Shin Si-woo average-looking? He's the only one who matches my Seol-ah. Plus, SSS-rank Hunter, Transcendent, and relatively sound mentally."
Kang Mu-jin suddenly began bragging about Shin Si-woo.
President Lee Seok-hyun tilted his head.
Is he saying my son is that bad?
The thought crossed his mind briefly, but Kang Mu-jin's intense tone revealed a different intent.
It felt like boasting about a son-in-law candidate.
The anger of a father whose daughter was stolen, yet laced with a measure of approval.
"And he's the guy who checks the Patriot, giving us overworked folks a holiday from our seven-day weeks."
That brag carried thick, deep resentment.
Namely—
Do you think I'll let you keep my daughter in the friendzone for five years and chase other women in peace?!
The fury of a doting father with an only daughter.
Kang Mu-jin planned to show Shin Si-woo how vicious a father with a daughter could get.
"Does Seol-ah have feelings for him?"
"Seemed like it since five years ago, but he never gave her a glance. Now she's settled for friendship as more comfortable and given up hope entirely."
"Hoo—."
"What a shame."
Sighs piled up.
Just then, a secretary's office staffer arrived saying Shin Si-woo had arrived.
The president called the Blue House workshop to commission the crafting.
But...
—P-President, you're saying make a mere bracelet—not even a generator—with 1kg of Mystery right now?
The workshop head, naturally a Hunter, loved his country.
—We're a workshop running on Mystery—why waste it on accessories...?
A tone suspecting presidential corruption.
The president quickly explained the facts.
"It's a request from the second Transcendent, Shin Si-woo."
—...I see.
One word—Transcendent—and the head had no choice but to accept.
—Any deadline?
"Before 7 p.m. tonight."
—Before the Transcendent appointment ceremony?
"Yes. Start work as soon as you get the ingot."
The president looked out the window.
Across the way, the workshop blazed fiercely.
Seeing the roaring flames stirred sudden unease.
"But how exactly does he plan to handle the Jesus issue?"
"Shin Si-woo said—"
"What?"
"Jesus might see him and want to be brothers."
Quite an enigmatic statement.
"Is he planning to relocate the nation—?"
"No, it means don't worry."
To make such a bold claim even after hearing the Saintess's prophecy...
"How could mere mortals fathom the thoughts of Transcendents?"
The sword's world.
1st Sword, Reinhardt Euclid, moved.
He opened a door leading deeper into his world.
The same door from which that eerie devil had emerged before.
Kiiiek—.
Tension rose, but the space beyond gave Reinhardt a sense of stability.
Somehow, a space with a similar disposition to his own.
Reinhardt looked at a woman sprawled in the corner of the room.
"Noble holy power. You too must have walked the path of great feats alongside the Sword Lord."
A beautiful saintess with radiant blonde hair and sharply gleaming golden eyes.
She exuded a noble dignity, as if sculpted from the word "holiness" itself.
Yet her eyes were dead.
"C-Calling that... monster 'Lord'?"
The dead-eyed holy sword asked the most upright true sword.
The knight shouted.
"Gal!!!"
Reinhardt continued in a voice full of conviction.
"That devil must have passed through and corrupted you! How dare you—"
"It's genuine respect."
The saintess looked at Reinhardt.
"My life was a lie. Even following the sword's will, I gained nothing."
Reinhardt narrowed his eyes at her words.
Attempting to grasp 2nd Sword, Yuria Lanestia.
He could feel it.
"You are a strange being whose holy power grows just by breathing."
"Yes. In exchange, I had to live my entire life in solitude."
The saintess pleaded.
"With this beautiful appearance, with a heart that loved the world, I achieved nothing because of the sword's will."
She had saved the world alone and died.
And was forgotten.
No one remembered her.
No children.
She departed the world in lonely solitude.
Having lived solely by the sword's commands.
"I was a doll to the Sword Lord. Don't you pity me?"
But...
Reinhardt just gave her a 'is she insane?' look.
"You desired power."
"Not in this form. I saved the world, slew all evil, sealed the abyss. Yet—"
Tears flowed from the saintess.
"I vanished without even one romance."
Reinhardt struck at the saintess.
"To end up like this with such omnipotent power... Tsk, pitiful."
"What about you?"
2nd Sword, Yuria Lanestia, suddenly grew curious.
How incredible a life had this old man lived to praise the Sword Lord so fervently?
Reinhardt declared proudly.
"I was a mere mortal. Yet the Sword Lord saw the fragment of talent in me and chose me."
The old man's eyes gazed into distant past.
A wistful, nostalgic look.
He said.
"I wanted revenge on the demon worshipers who destroyed my family. After that, I wished to achieve great deeds for the world."
"Big dreams for a mere mortal."
"The Sword Lord made them reality."
Reinhardt, a mere mortal with a fragment of talent.
"Through training, I beheld the sword's end alongside the Sword Lord. Everything you say you slew, I slew as well."
"How could mere training on a talent fragment lead to such growth?"
The saintess had also beheld the sword's end.
Reinhardt's words were odd.
"The aura cultivation method the Sword Lord taught elevated my fragment-of-talent to average level. On that foundation, I grew strong."
"What cultivation method is it? Can't be demonic..."
Reinhardt chuckled.
"Childlike Pure Heart Method. A somewhat special aura cultivation."
"Never heard of it."
Reinhardt knew why.
Each sword has different raising methods.
A fact the Sword Lord had taught.
"Simply put, it's a cultivation with the constraint of lifelong solo training, no encounters with the opposite sex."
"Similar to me—"
"No, my case adds renouncing even one trivial function."
"T-Trivial function?"
The saintess was speechless.
"Thanks to it, I rose from mere mortal to continent's strongest, the Sword Emperor, saving the world."
1st Sword Reinhardt extended a hand to 2nd Sword Yuria.
"I hear the Sword Lord's Transcendent appointment ceremony is soon. Shall we witness that glorious sight together?"