Episode 4 - Hidden Truth (1)
Having fully enjoyed the lingering joy of having obtained a fraudulent characteristic, Seojun carefully examined the sword held in his hand.
‘This was the only thing I took with me when Mom and I were driven out of the clan.’
It was a sword he had neglected as if abandoned after that incident, yet the blade maintained a smoothness as though someone had diligently oiled it every day.
Moreover, the blade edge was not sharp and was rounded, as if proving it was a ceremonial sword.
Perhaps because the sword's description also stated that it was merely a sword used for ceremonies.
Even the clan had nothing much to say about us taking that sword with us.
‘As if they were handing us pocket change.’
Had he actually taken a good weapon with him, they would have found all sorts of faults to prevent him from taking it.
Grit!
Thinking of that time, the fury buried deep within his chest welled up.
“Huu….”
Despite receiving such treatment.
At that time, Ayeong, with resolute eyes, held Seojun in one hand.
And holding the sword in her other hand, had silently left the clan.
‘Truthfully, after the shock of being driven out of the clan, I hadn't paid any attention to this sword.’
A sword that had seemed so insignificant.
‘To think it was such a windfall.’
Finishing his admiration, Seojun spoke to the soul sealed within the sword, Yeomra.
“But the system description also says it's a ceremonial sword. What kind of ceremony is it used for?”
-Hm? Ceremony? Ah… is that why?
“What is it? Tell me quickly.”
-If you receive the sword's recognition, you can obtain its true form.
“Then its current form is fake?”
-This is indeed one of the sword's many forms, but it's true that it is not its true form.
Chewing over her answer, Seojun pointed out the most important part.
“So how do I receive the sword's recognition?”
-Hm? You've already been recognized? The very fact that you can see me is proof of that.
“Huh? But there's no change at all?”
-You have to give the sword a command.
“Ah. Because I'm its master?”
-That's right.
After taking several deep breaths, Seojun lowered his voice and muttered.
“Show me your true form!”
-Such a cringeworthy line. You really are something.
Straining to ignore her words as he gazed at the sword, Seojun furrowed his brows at the ringing in his ears.
Piiing!
Along with the sound of a finger flicking the blade, a faint light emanated from the sword.
Before he knew it, the once-rounded blade edge was now shining so sharply that comparing it to any famed blade would not do it justice.
“Hoo… This isn't just a windfall, it's practically lottery-winner level, isn't it?”
‘Did Mom already know the truth about this sword?’
Whether she had done so knowingly or unknowingly, he couldn't help but admire Ayeong's wise choice.
Although the weapon was excellent, if he were his past self, it wouldn't have impressed him at all.
‘At my current level, it's something I could use for a lifetime.’
It was because Seojun possessed the memories of his current life as well that he evaluated it so generously.
Not to brag, but in his previous life, his rank was so high that even seeing something of the highest tier within the Numbered Universes didn't excite him much.
‘Because I possessed the rank of a Shenhuang, one who stands among the Absolute Gods.’
However, after living for 19 years as an ordinary person without memories of his past life, the two sets of memories had become confused, making the criteria by which Seojun judged the value of ranks ambiguous.
‘Honestly, right now I'd be impressed just seeing something S-rank or higher.’
‘Now I know how arrogant I was in my past life.’
There was something his subordinates in his past life used to say half-jokingly.
〔A thought suddenly occurs to me while serving my lord.〕
“Instead of thinking such things, manage the universe you're in charge of, Hedin.”
〔Just as you did now. One must have the ability to be as arrogant as my lord.〕
Despite being muttered calmly, he could tell there was a barb in those words.
“…Don't tell me you're sulking because I found and ate a few of the forbidden fruits you hid? No?”
〔Hmph. Four hidden forbidden fruits disappeared, and now… the culprit was you, my lord.〕
“*Ahem*. I'll compensate you with four Pantao as payment!”
〔That is a relief. And I said it not because I felt resentful, but as an expression of admiration. Imagine if it were that ignorant Syuban fellow instead of my lord who acted arrogantly.〕
“Hmm. You have a point.”
“….”
Recalling the past, Seojun smiled bitterly at his current situation.
‘Back then, I had more than enough ability to be arrogant, but now even that ability is sealed. *Sigh*.’
Having finished his thoughts, Seojun moved to a park near his house to test his newly obtained characteristic and weapon.
“This should be a suitable place.”
In a secluded area, Seojun let out a deep breath and began to display the basic swordsmanship he had learned at the academy.
Perhaps because he had trained his body every day without fail, harboring the hope that his characteristic might awaken again, his body was not tired even after performing swordsmanship for about an hour.
Rather, he had to stop because he was lacking in Ink Qi.
And having experienced using all his characteristics, Seojun could smile in satisfaction.
“Wow. The performance is definitely solid!”
Perhaps because some forms of the Twelve Branches Martial Arts were passive characteristics rather than active, the characteristic was automatically applied every time he swung the sword, causing his already meager Ink Qi to run out.
But Seojun wasn't disappointed; rather, he smiled.
“If the amount of Ink Qi is small, I just need to use it with extreme efficiency.”
He knew that without his extraordinary control, he would have collapsed from exhaustion long before thirty minutes, let alone an hour.
Meanwhile, Yeomra, who had been watching the process from the side, couldn't hide her astonishment inwardly.
‘I thought he wasn't ordinary since he knows the concept of divinity, but to this extent…. And why does he have the traces of tribulation on him?’
She left a meaningful remark as she simply watched Seojun.
When Yeomra first began learning the Twelve Branches Martial Arts, she had suffered from a lack of mana, as it consumed a great deal of it.
‘Moreover, his amount of mana is far less than mine was when I first began learning.’
Yeomra had only been able to learn the Twelve Branches Martial Arts after reaching the highest rank of divinity, so comparing the amount of mana between herself and the current Seojun, there would be a difference of hundreds, no, tens of thousands of times.
‘When I first performed it, I barely lasted six hours.’
Although there was surely a significant difference, as Seojun performed it by applying it to basic swordsmanship, whereas Yeomra had performed it by applying martial arts she had favored until reaching Transcendence.
Even taking all that into account, there was a fundamental difference in the amount of mana they possessed, so normally Seojun should not have lasted even thirty minutes and would have collapsed.
‘Perhaps, even without drawing me out, he alone could fulfill my request without difficulty….’
Seojun, who had been about to lie on the ground until his Ink Qi recharged, raised himself at the gaze he felt from the sword.
“The performance is solid. I should keep my promise.”
-Th-there's something I have to say about that.
“What is it that you're even stuttering?”
-Truthfully, even if I'm liberated from the sword, my current rank has fallen so much that there isn't much I can do.
He frowned at her answer, but Seojun decided to keep listening.
“So?”
-Hmm. Rather than liberating me, you could instead—
“That's difficult. As you know, I have things I must do besides your request.”
‘I have to take revenge on those guys laughing somewhere in the universe.’
-Can't you at least hear me out before deciding? The task I'm going to ask of you is only possible after you've obtained divinity, anyway.
“Fine. Let's hear it.”
Something about the way Seojun naturally affirmed that he would obtain divinity caught her attention, but she continued speaking.
-The truth is, after being struck by those who betrayed me, I sealed myself within the Spirit Annihilation Sword you hold now in order to avoid complete annihilation.
“So the sword's name is the Spirit Annihilation Sword.”
-Yes. And what I want to request is….
Seojun answered in place of her, who was trailing off.
“You want me to find whoever did this to you and take revenge, right?”
-Yes, exactly.
“And all of them possess divinity, don't they?”
At Seojun's appearance of inferring without difficulty despite her not saying it, she snapped her fingers in affirmation.
-Correct!!! So will you do it?
“Of course not. I more or less expected it, but I'll be too busy dealing with those kinds of guys.”
-They're not just any guys! Their leader is Yuhuang, who possesses the rank of a Shenjun!!
“Hm? Did I mishear? Wh-what? Yuhuang?”
‘Why are you showing up there all of a sudden?’
-I know it's an unreasonable request for someone like you who hasn't even achieved Transcendence, let alone divinity. It might even be impossible. I was going to ask for something else at first….
“…..”
-But thinking of the talent I saw just a moment ago, there seems to be hope….
‘And you, Seojun, who bears the traces of tribulation.’
“Hmm. If it's that kind of request.”
At Seojun's unchanged expression, she swallowed her disappointment and was about to lower her head to withdraw her proposal when—
-It's impossible after all? *Sigh*, then as originally planned, I'll just stay in the sword—
“It's possible, though?”
-Hurry up and take… hm? What? Did I mishear?
“No, you heard right. I'm saying if it's that kind of request, it's possible.”
At Seojun's affirmation instead of the answer she had expected, she couldn't help but be flustered.
-R-really? Why?
“Even if I accept the request… The reason I accepted is, um… How should I put it?”
“Because it aligns with my goals, perhaps?”
-Th-thank you!!! Really. Thank you so much!! I knew I didn't misjudge you!! I guarantee that with your talent, you'll truly be able to do it one day!!
To her, who didn't know about Seojun's past life, she had likely made the request based solely on his brilliant talent.
‘I accepted because my growth is practically guaranteed.’
If his sealed former authority, the Thunder Spirit, and his Ink Qi—which was of such immeasurable rank that it could be called the essence of defying the heavens—were to combine.
It would be stranger if he couldn't do it.
“It's only because you were lucky to meet me; if it were anyone else, they'd cut you off immediately with no complaints, you know? If someone you just met asked you to kill a god of Shenjun rank, no one would blame them for calling you crazy.”
-Now that I hear it, you're right. I guess I got carried away for a moment.
“But if I'm going to accept your request, the cost-benefit doesn't quite add up?”
At Seojun's leisurely act of folding his fingers and counting, she couldn't help but ask back.
-Huh? Even though I gave you an SS-rank characteristic?
“Of course! Gods of Shenjun rank aren't running around everywhere like stray dogs; they're absolute powerhouses in a galaxy. And you're going to ask for that in exchange for just one SS-rank characteristic?”
-Hmm. But I don't have anything more to give….
“Why do you say you don't have anything? You do. I'm talking about the knowledge you possess.”
At Seojun speaking as if frustrated, she could guess what he wanted.
-Ah, right! That was an option. So what exactly are you curious about?
“Shall we start with everything that has happened from 150 years ago until now?”
-150 years? Isn't that too much?
“Nope~ Not at all.”
-*Sigh*, it can't be helped. Then understand that I've been sealed in the sword for about ten years, so I don't know much about what happened before that.
“That's fine.”
Finishing the conversation, Seojun returned home, locked the door, and was able to listen to Yeomra's story all night long.
***
To summarize everything he heard from her:
150 years ago, around the time when the Seojun of his past life began the reincarnation process and disappeared. It is said that the day of upheaval began on Earth, and at the same time, the Tower was built.
And the most important thing is:
Those damned bastards succeeded in herding all the gates occurring across dimensions into a single planet.
Isn't that a good thing?
Yes. It is good.
‘If only the place they herded them wasn't Earth, I would have applauded and celebrated.’
The reason the frequency of gates occurring on Earth increased over time is because Earth has to take on the gates occurring on the planets they manage in their place.
‘*Sigh*. So that's why they tried so hard to annihilate me?’
When the Seojun of his past life had fled from Nokseu and taken refuge on Earth, even going so far as to change his divine name to ‘Machina’, Earth had been very safe.
About ten years later, signs of gate occurrences began to appear.
‘I used my authority to block them all.’
Other gods would have collapsed in shock if they heard, but he had brushed it off as no big deal.
While easily blocking them for a few years, he received contact from gods of other dimensions.
They proposed that instead of staying on Earth, which offered no benefit, he should come to their planets and live comfortably.
And his answer to that was:
‘*Sigh*, maybe I should have accepted back then?’
Of course, it was a refusal.
For him, who needed to heal the wounds inflicted by Nokseu and return to his original rank as soon as possible, there was no reason to go to another dimension, so he had rejected their proposal outright.
Perhaps because he refused the proposal.
They changed their attitude overnight and continued trying to invade Earth, and the Seojun of his past life, whose wounds were not yet healed, gradually found it harder to block their offensive.
Having endured and endured their offensive, eventually.
‘I nearly got annihilated there, tch.’
Fortunately, he succeeded in reincarnating by luck, but had he been even a little later, he would have failed.
Listening to Yeomra's story, he understood why they had persistively targeted Earth.
“So in the end, they needed a scapegoat for the gates.”
They too must have found it difficult to stop the erosion—the phenomenon of gates occurring on the planets or galaxies they managed—so they chose Earth as a scapegoat.
“And I was hindering all of that?”
Come to think of it, he remembered what that bastard had said right before his reincarnation.
‘He definitely said I was an obstacle to their great cause.’
-Um… are you okay?
Having finished the story, she asked anxiously as Seojun, his expression darkening, continued muttering something.
Soon, as if he had finished his thoughts, Seojun's dark expression gradually brightened.
“So… that's how it is?”
Seojun continued with a broad smile.
“If that's the case, isn't it even better?”
‘Because the more magic cores from gates, the better for me.’
‘And as long as the people around me are safe. There won't be any problem.’
If gates increased to the point where Seojun alone could handle them, problems would arise across the entire Earth. But Seojun wasn't kind enough to worry about such things.
Moreover.
Thanks to the gate diversion stones, wouldn't they only need to guard the nine Demonic Beast Borderlands in the whole world?
The actions of those bastards who made Earth a scapegoat were certainly detestable, but for Seojun, it was actually a welcome phenomenon.
They herded all the gates to Earth at once?
So what?
“They want to help me grow so much, so I should grow to my heart's content.”
And if there's one more thing you bastards overlooked—
“As long as I'm wide awake with both eyes open, Earth will never fall.”
It was the moment when another reason for Seojun to move busily was added.