The Arrogance I Sought
Summons.
Eclipse felt his darkened vision brighten. He lifted his head and looked forward. A room covered in all kinds of magical formations. Strange figures in bizarre attire positioned around him. And a woman who clearly held power, her golden eyes carrying the sun itself as she stared at him with a gaze mixed with confusion.
Faced with the sudden situation, Eclipse could only confront a massive wave of chaos.
‘What the hell is going on? I should have been on the verge of death at Terror’s hands. And wasn’t all of humanity supposed to be extinct?’
“……A person?”
Fortunately, he could understand the language.
‘Wait. How can I understand those words?’
Only then did he realize that some kind of knowledge had been forcibly injected into his mind. Language. Understanding of the world. Such things rose in his head before slowly sinking down. It was as if someone were kindly explaining various things to a foreigner who had arrived in a new land. Society and culture. Even the history they possessed.
‘What is this…….’
A headache assaulted him from the sudden flood of information.
“Ugh……”
Watching Eclipse let out a pained groan, Yusoha realized he was indeed her Guardian Star. After all, every Guardian Star summoned to Earth had been injected with general knowledge of this world upon arrival. That was why they had waited in silence. Until Eclipse fully absorbed the knowledge of this world.
But she couldn’t hide her inner disappointment.
Just a human.
Yusoha recalled her grandfather’s Guardian Star and those of the people around her. The overwhelming power that had made the current Hwanryeong possible—the giant iron tiger, Rumeorn. And the majestic figure of her older sister Yu Danha’s Guardian Star, the shield-bearing giant Hidelixius, who was currently making remarkable contributions on active duty. Compared to them, wasn’t this far too shabby?
No. She still didn’t know for sure.
Yusoha shook her head. Her Guardian Star hadn’t shown any abilities yet. Thinking that, she looked at Eclipse and drew up her mana. At the very least, she needed to know the level of mana he possessed.
But…… as Yusoha checked Eclipse’s mana, she couldn’t help but be bewildered.
‘There’s…… no mana? What? A Guardian Star should possess enormous mana.’
Flustered, she checked again, but the result was the same. Yusoha felt a sense of futility tightening around her. The Guardian Star she had longed for so desperately was nothing more than an ordinary human. It felt as if her own worth had been tarnished.
“This place is……”
Just then, Eclipse opened his mouth. Thanks to the knowledge the world had injected, he realized where he was and what new languages he had acquired. Natural Korean flowed from his lips.
“Another world?”
Yusoha’s expression was far from pleasant. Irritation began to settle over the face that had been filled with joy. The soaring anticipation had plummeted into the abyss and transformed into disappointment. She glared sharply at Eclipse, whose entire body was wrapped tightly in worn armor.
“That’s right.”
That was why casual speech slipped out naturally.
But Eclipse didn’t mind. Whether others spoke to him casually or not, he believed understanding the current situation was the priority.
“You’re the one who called me here.”
“Correct. You were summoned by me.”
“I see.”
As if she didn’t even want to exchange another word, Yusoha spoke to Eclipse with a look of distaste.
“I don’t know how a worthless being like you ended up as my Guardian Star. Just what did you wish for that someone like you appeared before me?”
“Worthless? And wish for?”
“Ah, I guess that part wasn’t included in the world’s knowledge? Guardian Stars only appear before their summoner if they have something they desire. So you were summoned to me because you wanted something.”
Yusoha spat the words out as if chewing on her deep irritation. At any rate, he was definitely her Guardian Star, no matter how rotten. Even if the disappointment was great, she should at least show enough generosity to explain the situation, shouldn’t she?
Eclipse looked at Yusoha as if he found it absurd. It had been a long time since he’d heard someone call him worthless. Moreover, according to her words, he had become her Guardian Star because he harbored some kind of wish…… but he couldn’t understand it at all.
“I don’t feel any mana from you. And you’re just a human. Compared to the other great Guardian Stars, you’re utterly shabby. Ha, so this is what I’ve been working so hard to summon a Guardian Star for.”
Her hollow laugh struck Eclipse’s ears. He didn’t know the exact details, but he could tell that Yusoha was displeased with him.
“I see. You’re disappointed because I’m not that strong?”
“Exactly. I can’t even think of a use for a useless existence like you. Or wait, since you’re a human from another world, maybe there’s some rarity value? Yeah. That might work.”
A twisted smile began to form on Yusoha’s face.
“From now on, you’re an ornament. I don’t know what kind of person is inside that armor, but a human from another world should have at least a few differences from us. Just being a human from another world is enough to draw attention.”
She planned to package Eclipse as a visitor from another dimension and send him out to the media. A storm of reaction would follow. After all, no human from another world had ever been summoned before. Then those who had been ignoring her would naturally shut their mouths. The ones who disregarded her did so because she had no Guardian Star. Even if someone tried to drag her down using the Guardian Star’s abilities as an excuse, it wouldn’t matter. She could simply keep the Guardian Star’s capabilities confidential. Claim that it was a major military asset and couldn’t be revealed carelessly. After that, she could handle things with her own abilities. She had lived well enough without a Guardian Star anyway, and her own capabilities were already acknowledged. Rather than relying on some half-baked Guardian Star, it was better to train with her own power.
Thinking that, Yusoha didn’t hesitate to continue belittling Eclipse.
At the continuous stream of verbal abuse, the expression hidden beneath Eclipse’s worn helmet began to twist. Wasn’t this exactly like the rulers he had seen in his original world? Arbitrarily judging people, arbitrarily handling them. The unique arrogance of those in power radiated intensely from her.
“Foolish.”
“Foolish?”
“Yes.”
“What’s foolish?”
“It’s utterly ridiculous that someone who lives by leeching off the power called mana would look down on me.”
Yusoha merely scoffed at Eclipse’s words. The limits of human strength were clear. Even the greatest legacy of humanity, firearms, were nearly useless against high-ranking monsters. Mana-infused bullets could inflict damage more easily, but those skilled enough to imbue bullets with mana weren’t common. And with the human body alone? Laughable. No matter how endlessly one trained without mana, the human body had its limits. Yusoha had lived thinking that way. A kind of mana supremacism. In a society where everything was decided by mana, it was only natural common sense.
“Leeching? Yeah. That’s right. Every human living on Earth is a parasite of mana. But you know what? You’re even less than those parasites. Because you don’t have a single drop of mana.”
Eclipse understood her attitude. He had already learned from the injected knowledge that this was a world where mana was the measure of power. But that didn’t justify her behavior. Eclipse recalled the vow he had made right before dying at Terror’s hands. From now on, he wouldn’t simply chase vague nobility. Sometimes, he would need to display his power as well. The version of himself who had acted for others without question was gone. Besides, he had been given a new life. So he decided to carry out his will.
‘I need to fix that temper. If I let myself get pushed around by someone like her, there’ll be no end to it.’
Thinking that, Eclipse rose to his feet. The clanking sound of armor echoed through the surroundings.
“What? You don’t like what I said, so you’re going to attack me? Even though you have no mana?”
Yusoha laughed as she watched Eclipse stand up. Yeah. At least he had a personality that didn’t bow to others. That was actually better. She genuinely thought so. If his personality had been servile too, Yusoha wouldn’t have even considered him her Guardian Star. But liking one thing and disliking another were separate matters…… and showing such an attitude toward the one who had summoned him was definitely displeasing. She had no intention of enduring a situation she didn’t like.
“What are you all doing? Isn’t dealing with special incidents your job?”
At Yusoha’s command, the escort personnel waiting in the formation-filled room swarmed toward Eclipse. The escorts present had all passed Yusoha’s strict standards. Passing her extremely demanding criteria meant they were quite capable individuals. Eclipse’s minor rebellion would probably be suppressed in an instant.
The escort personnel each drew their weapons. There were firearms as well as cold weapons imbued with mana. Some Awakened began to raise their mana. And the moment they tried to use force to subdue Eclipse—
Eclipse took a step forward.
THUD.
The specially designed, sturdy room—built on the assumption that a Guardian Star might rampage—shook violently. The escort forces approaching Eclipse staggered all at once. They looked bewildered by the unexpected event.
“Huh?”
A question appeared on Yusoha’s face. She definitely hadn’t felt any mana?
The moment she thought that, Eclipse, clad in his worn armor, threw a punch.
BOOM!
An invisible strike sent two or three Awakened flying in an instant. Of course, he had held back enough not to kill them. It was merely a move to correct their behavior.
“What the……!”
Shocked exclamations burst from the Awakened and Yusoha. Regardless, before they could even register it, Eclipse leaped toward the other Awakened. The worn knight’s punches sent the entire escort force flying in the blink of an eye. Without even drawing the greatsword on his back, he stared at Yusoha with piercing eyes.
Bewilderment burst across her arrogant face. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Who were these people? They were renowned Awakened who had passed her extremely demanding standards and ranked in the upper-middle tier even within Hwanryeong. Yet they had been thoroughly crushed without any resistance. That meant there was no point in her resisting either. But the one who had summoned the Guardian Star couldn’t possibly feel fear toward her own Guardian Star.
Yusoha wrapped her body in mana. Immediately after, all kinds of metal weapons began forming around her. But Eclipse waited until she finished creating the weapons. A momentary gleam flashed in his eyes.
Yusoha began pouring the weapons she had summoned toward Eclipse. The solid weapons infused with iron mana shot toward him, but—
With a single punch from Eclipse, all the weapons formed from Yusoha’s mana shattered at once.
“Ugh.”
Perhaps due to overexerting her mana, a trickle of blood began flowing from the corner of Yusoha’s mouth.
“Is this the end?”
Eclipse said as he approached Yusoha. She moved her legs to create distance, but it was nothing more than a struggle. Eclipse then grabbed her by the throat.
“Ugh……!”
A groan escaped her constricted throat. He pondered how to deal with this insolent girl.
‘Should I just kill her after all?’
From Eclipse’s experience, people like this tended to cause trouble later if left alone. Age didn’t matter. Those with inherently vicious natures. People who arbitrarily judged others and tarnished their worth. And such people were the ones he hated most. In that case, wouldn’t it be better to deal with her?
The moment he made up his mind and put strength into the hand gripping Yusoha’s throat—
“Kk, heh…… haha……”
Yusoha laughed. She couldn’t believe what she had seen. When Guardian Stars were summoned to Earth, they lost a significant portion of their power according to the world’s laws. Yet this kind of strength? Moreover, if it came from pure physical power, he might not be a simple human.
In that brief moment, Yusoha acknowledged her mistake. She might be arrogant, but she wasn’t stupid enough to deny a clearly revealed fact. He was not incompetent. He was someone with such overwhelming power that he could crush someone like her in an instant. And the fact that such an incredible being was her Guardian Star filled Yusoha with joy. That was why she laughed.
And if such an incredible being desired her death, Yusoha would gladly die for him.
“……Why are you laughing?”
But Yusoha didn’t tell him the reason. How could she say that summoning an incredible being had resolved her inferiority complex? How could she ramble on about her life filled with feelings of inferiority? She had no interest in receiving cheap pity. She was someone who lived and died by her pride. Even the fact that others pitied her was an insult and humiliation to her. Therefore, she spoke to Eclipse with a smile.
“If you…… want to kill me, then kill me. You…… have the right to do so.”
Even as her face turned blue from lack of breath, Eclipse stared directly into Yusoha’s eyes as she forced the words out. And he saw it. Without a trace of servility or fear, she was prepared to accept her death. Even until that moment, the unique arrogance never left her eyes. Even though she was on the verge of suffocating.
Yusoha’s attitude was different from ordinary rulers who, faced with death, cast off their arrogance and submitted. It was truly an innate arrogance. Eclipse found Yusoha’s existence intriguing.
In that moment, Eclipse recalled what Yusoha had said earlier. She had said that Guardian Stars were summoned to their summoners because they had something they desired. Eclipse remembered what he had wished for when facing Terror. From now on, he wouldn’t live merely nobly. Sometimes, he would live arrogantly. That had definitely been his resolution.
“Ah.”
Eclipse realized it. What he had wanted was not the arrogance that vanished in submission to power, but to learn what true arrogance was—the kind that believed itself right no matter the situation. He had wanted to learn what arrogance truly meant from someone who lived that kind of life. And right before his eyes was the most perfect example.
He released the strength in the hand gripping Yusoha’s throat and let her drop.
“Kek, kehek!”
Yusoha gasped harshly, inhaling and exhaling deeply as if to replenish her lacking breath. A question appeared in her gaze.
“……Why did you spare me?”
“It was just as you said.”
“Just as I said……?”
“I had something I desired.”
“Ah.”
The moment he said he had a desire, Yusoha recalled what she had told him and opened her mouth.
“What do you desire?”
“The innate arrogance you possess. Teach me what that arrogance truly is.”
“Arrogance……? Why?”
“You don’t need to know the reason. If you simply teach me that, I will use the power I possess for you.”
Looking at Yusoha, who stared up at him with a bewildered expression, Eclipse smiled. Of course, since it was hidden inside his worn-out helmet, Yusoha couldn’t see his face. In this absurd situation, all Yusoha could do was nod her head.