◈ Episode 187. Unchanging as Ever
Loud shouts flew back and forth.
“Just what is this decision supposed to be for!”
“Did you not all witness it? Antonium had reached its limit. To retreat at the very moment it was about to fall!!”
“Sir Shegwin, you will have to take responsibility for this decision.”
Under the gazes that converged on him, Shegwin remained silent.
He had no attention to spare for the lords’ uproar.
Because in his mind,
the afterimage of the silver-haired man, Hoyeol, would not leave him.
‘I could not guess a single thing.’
The Social Hall of Space-Time.
Because of its rules, at most one could infer information from the other party’s appearance.
And what had Hoyeol’s appearance been like?
Let alone any plausible equipment, including weapons,
even his attire was of a form Shegwin had never seen in his life.
‘The highest possibility is that he is a mage.’
Mana is a mage’s weapon.
It is possible to amplify the power of magic with magic tools, but such tools are rare.
Even those were held almost exclusively by the Magic Tower.
‘But that body…….’
It was far too well-trained to be a mage’s body.
Shegwin could recognize it because he himself was also a martial artist.
From his broad shoulders to his forearms,
his developed muscles were clearly traces of someone who had gripped and swung a weapon.
‘……What if he is a magic swordsman?’
There was no reason to be surprised by a magic swordsman.
From magic swordsmen to magic spearmen,
there had long been those who wielded both magic and martial arts.
The reason Shegwin flinched was that Hoyeol had reached the realm of a “Transcendent” not by choosing the orthodox path, but by choosing a path of his own.
‘Even digging into one alone is not enough to reach that realm.’
Most people try to grasp everything and end up losing everything.
The fact that there were no magic swordsmen or magic spearmen widely renowned across the Arcana Continent made that truth clear. That was why he would never have believed it.
If he had not encountered Hoyeol in the Social Hall.
Just as he had organized his thoughts to that point, a voice came to him.
“Are you listening, Sir Shegwin!”
How dare someone shout at him?
At that instant, Shegwin failed to restrain his killing intent.
Immediately, the noisy gathering fell silent.
“……Ghk!!”
Among the lords were several who had never so much as held a sword. Because of that, those with untrained bodies foamed at the mouth and fainted.
The reactions of the remaining ones were not much different.
“……Sir Shegwin. Wh-what is the meaning of this?”
They were barely clinging to consciousness, but that was all.
Without a word, Shegwin toyed with his swift blade, the Atlas Sword.
Wooooong—
Then a vibration resounded through the room.
The faces of those breaking out in cold sweat turned deathly pale.
Now they could not even utter proper words.
“Ughh, ugh.”
This was a Transcendent.
This was his presence.
This was the normal reaction.
Only then, looking at the devastated room, did Shegwin come back to his senses.
‘Damn it…….’
What have I done?
“Haa, haa.”
Among the countless lords,
only Duke Ymir remained conscious.
Shegwin spoke to him.
“Ymir, do not be angry with me.”
“What do you mean by……?”
“The day will come when you, too, understand.”
One sees only as much as one knows.
Even if he explained Hoyeol’s might, they would not understand and would surely insist on their absurd claims. Shegwin chose to say little.
With everyone fainted, there was no need to remain here.
Shegwin rose from his seat.
“Let us pretend this expedition to Antonium never happened.”
“……!”
Duke Ymir’s eyes flew wide open.
He shouted at Shegwin’s back.
“Master Shegwin!”
“?”
“By whose authority do you intend to make it as if it never happened!”
They had given up so much for the expedition to Antonium.
And now, at this point, he would call it off?
Ymir rose on trembling legs.
“Shegwin, I trusted only your words and turned my back even on the people of my territory. Telling myself over and over that small sacrifices were unavoidable for the greater cause, I endured all the way here!”
“And so?”
“And so? Did I not ask you? Just what is the reason! We did not need much, did we? If you had stepped forward—no, if you had simply not retreated, Antonium would have already……!”
If you had stepped forward.
Just as those words said, if I had stepped forward,
what would have changed?
Shegwin asked himself.
No, nothing would have changed.
Shegwin knew that better than anyone.
The moment he had faced Hoyeol.
—“Why is it that the stench of an ugly demon comes from you?”
Thump, thump, thump.
Just like Ymir’s heart at this very moment,
his own heart had been pounding violently.
For Shegwin, born with the talent of a Sword Saint, it was an emotion he had never felt in his life.
Fear.
The corner of Shegwin’s mouth twisted.
“Ymir. I would very much like you to shut your mouth.”
“Shut my mouth? Refrain from such conduct……!”
Swish—
Before he could finish speaking, the swift blade was drawn.
Drip—
A thin line was carved across Ymir’s neck.
“U-uaaaaaah!!”
Ymir hurriedly felt at his own throat.
Ah, he was still alive?
His neck had been cut, so how?
Flick—
Shegwin shook the blood from his sword and said,
“In consideration of my error in judgment, I shall let this pass with a single wound.”
“……!”
Only then did Ymir realize how shallow the wound on his neck was.
At most, it merely stung.
That was precisely why he had no choice but to be even more horrified.
“W-with such unbelievable skill, how could you!”
Ymir’s voice trembled with tears.
He clasped his bloodstained hands together and bowed his head.
An earnest voice flowed from his mouth.
“……Master Shegwin. No, Sword Saint! Please, think it over once more. I cannot return to my territory like this. Like this, I have no face to meet my people, trampled by demons!”
It was a plea appealing to emotion.
But there was no change in Shegwin’s expression.
No, his face only grew colder and colder.
“How ridiculous, Ymir.”
“How can you say such a thing!”
“Drop the damned hypocrisy.”
Clench!
“Ghk.”
Shegwin grabbed Ymir by the hair and lifted him.
“From the moment you turned away, you were no different from a demon. You know it, don’t you? How those precious people of yours died.”
“……Master Shegwin, what are you talking about?”
“You and I are accomplices.”
That was right.
—“What did you exchange for that youth?”
The lives of others.
The lives of the people.
I exchanged them for my own life.
—“Sword Saint. No, swordsman uglier than a demon.”
Those words were entirely correct.
Having been born human and committed such atrocities, I could not refute being called uglier than a demon.
But do not misunderstand.
Shegwin’s pupils turned black.
“Hypocrite Ymir, I am saying you are no different from me.”
Thud!
Shegwin hurled Ymir away.
Then he looked across the silent hall.
With this commotion, they must have regained consciousness long ago.
Even so, they were holding their breath like rats.
Toward them, he declared,
“I have changed my mind.”
“……?”
“It would be better not to leave any future trouble behind.”
“……!!!”
There was no time to react.
The swift blade danced wildly.
A beat late, fountains of blood spurted up.
Clack—
Soon, having sheathed his sword, Shegwin looked upon the carnage.
He should have been horrified by his own cruelty.
Yet for some reason,
he felt not the slightest guilt.
Not only that.
“!”
Vitality was boiling within his body.
As if the blood and fear filling the room had become a legendary elixir.
Shegwin took a deep breath.
As expected, the smell of blood was not fishy.
It felt fragrant, like well-ripened wine.
Shegwin opened his mouth.
“Even after thinking it over, your words were right.”
I am a demon.
Perhaps I have become something even uglier than that.
But I will not regret it.
If I can become stronger,
I do not care if I become something uglier still.
I did not choose the wrong path.
However, Shegwin’s rapture did not last long.
Because he soon realized his own situation.
‘Even after undergoing such a transformation, I felt fear.’
Merely from meeting that man’s eyes.
It was truly a difference in level he could not even begin to gauge.
Grinding his teeth, Shegwin clenched his jaw.
“I will become even stronger. If only to cut you down.”
*
Ugh, I’m unbearably weak.
Unbearably insignificant, Hoyeol.
At this rate, how are you supposed to defeat Shegwin!!
—Train your weakened body. (Repeat) ▲
●Run 45 km (Success)
●Push-ups 3,700 times (In Progress)
●Pull-ups 2,200 times (Success)
●Burpees 1,400 times (Success)
The office of the Yusra Kingdom.
Thud—
I dropped down from the glittering golden pull-up bar.
Damn it, I can’t feel my forearms.
But without even a moment to exaggerate my suffering, I drew up my mana.
“It seems to severely harm the aesthetics.”
Soon, Reversal Magic manifested.
The pull-up bar returned to its original form as a golden ornament.
Even if gold bars were common in the Yusra Kingdom,
doing pull-ups on a bar made of pure gold.
‘I’d be too nervous to even think of it.’
Leaving integrity aside, just how bold are you, Granfell?
The one fortunate thing was that
[The First World Tree’s Blessing]
was active.
My numb forearms rapidly regained vitality.
“As expected, I feel light.”
If it weren’t for the life-force regeneration effect, you’d have been laid up with body aches long ago, yet you sure talk big, Granfell. Though I had removed the shackles of the Circle, my daily routine had not changed much.
Being tormented by the class quest, like now.
Watering the elixir field.
Taking care of the Yusra Kingdom’s affairs.
And finally, attending the Holy War meeting.
‘In other words, only the chief duties are missing.’
Besides, there was no way Granfell’s pride would allow him to slack off. Before long, I would no doubt faithfully return to the Magic Tower to reclaim the chief duties I had foisted onto Marcelo.
In that sense, the few days remaining were unbearably precious to me!
That was why I had hurriedly sent a letter to the Explorers’ League leader Fabian, requesting to borrow the [Torch of Hell], and the Explorers’ League had readily accepted my request, so now the [Torch of Hell] was sitting in my inventory.
[Torch of Hell]
[Grade: Unique]
[Restriction: None]
[Effect: Identical to the effect of Hellfire.]
[Description: A torch burning with the flames of Hell. It is a treasure of the Explorers’ League, said to have been left behind by Lorentzk, an explorer who pursued romance in the distant past.]
As Fabian handed me the torch, he said this.
—“I am glad that the League’s magic tool can be of help to the Commander-in-Chief.”
That damned Commander-in-Chief title, seriously…….
Anyway, if anyone was glad, it was me, the one borrowing it, and I was grateful too.
To put it bluntly, imagine if I hadn’t had the [Torch of Hell].
The moment the gates of Hell closed, my exchange with Akshan would have been as good as cut off. I did not know how to open the gates of Hell, let alone where they were.
The class-exclusive skill I had barely obtained,
[Akshan’s Legacy],
could have become a white elephant.
As I read the torch’s description, I recited,
“Lorentzk, your pride has been carried on through this torch.”
……
You could just say thank you.
Why does the conclusion always end up being pride, Granfell?
In any case, I did not delay.
I immediately took the torch out of my inventory.
Then I activated [Akshan’s Legacy].
“Answer me, Akshan.”
There had been no need to say anything aloud when using a skill or magic……
Let’s just think of it as the minimum courtesy toward my seniors.
[Your relationship and influence with Akshan will be applied to the effect.]
[An Akshan demon hunter answers your call.]
Fwoosh!
A message appeared.
At the same time, the Torch of Hell blazed fiercely.
At any rate, Akshan was indeed Akshan.
‘My relationship and influence should have risen compared to back then.’
Before the high-ranking demon king Gamigin, the demon hunters had appeared in droves, regardless of relationship or influence or whatever.
Now there was only one.
Still, one was better than none, wasn’t it?
Considering their unfriendly personalities,
I should be grateful even for this.
By the way…….
Black clothing clinging to the body.
A hood pulled low.
And weapons dangling all over the entire body.
Right, I had fallen for that look!
But now that I’ve grown up and look at it, there’s no outfit that seems more inefficient than that.
No, I’m not exactly one to talk, being someone who lives and dies by formality. But that’s excessive in a different way from mine, isn’t it?
‘Move around in that and you’d stab yourself with your own weapon?!’
However, that was only what I thought inwardly.
Besides, right now, there was nothing to gain from offending my Akshan senior.
Because I was in a position where I had to find out and learn.
What the source of that vast vessel was!
I could state it with confidence.
Even if Arcana had countless classes, a class that could kill a level 900 named monster in a single blow with a basic attack? Other than Demon Hunter, none existed.
At first, I had simply thought it was because my stats were high.
But the more I thought about it, the less sense that made.
Why, even now, the objective of the physical training class quest was increasing exponentially. Taking even my pitiful stats into account…….
[Stats]
Strength: 112 / Agility: 124 / Magic Power: 512 / Luck: 12 / Aesthetic: Medium
Even now, I could tell just how overwhelming the goal was. To take down a level 900 named monster with a basic attack, my Strength and Agility would have to be somewhere around 900 at the very least.
If I converted that into training volume…….
It was absolutely not a goal I could manage, was it?
A day?
Even if I poured an entire week into the physical training quest.
It would be hard to achieve even a single objective.
That was why I intended to ask the person concerned.
Just what was the secret behind those stats, that enormous vessel!
“…….”
But somehow, it did not look easy from the very start…….
Swoosh—
The Demon Hunter, who had been looking around the office, was clearly disappointed.
Since I was also a Demon Hunter, I could guess.
That man was definitely disappointed because there were no demons here.
‘They really never change, Akshan.’
No excessive fraternizing among Demon Hunters.
Indeed, were they trying to keep the rules even after falling into hell?
“Unfortunately, there are no demons here.”
Even at my words.
“…….”
There was no answer, nor even any sign that he had heard me.
No, beyond that, what was he suddenly doing?
Without warning, he dropped flat to the floor.
Wait, he was doing push-ups?!
“I see. So you mean there is no need for conversation.”
Physical training in someone else’s office?
Do not accept such rudeness, Granfel.
This is not what I wanted……!
However, as if to render my cry meaningless.
“Hoo—”
I ended up performing the physical training quest together with the Demon Hunter I had gone to such trouble to summon. Even as my body screamed, I could not erase my unease.
‘No way, seriously, come on, really?’
Did they really just raise their stats through sheer blind training?!
Seriously, what kind of class is this!!
I wanted to shout out of sheer injustice.
But Granfel’s competitive spirit had been ignited.
I performed push-ups without rest.
[You have met the conditions.]
[Your reward will be issued.]
The goal had been achieved long ago.
Yet I could not stop.
Why, you ask?
Because that senior…….
No, he was not even my senior.
Because that rude Demon Hunter had not stopped.
I forced my mouth open.
“……
It seems I am finally accomplishing something.”
Do not bluff when you cannot even speak properly, Granfel.
It was when I was bending my arms through sheer spite and grit.
Suddenly, the world before my eyes spun.
After abusing my body like that.
I was finally going to faint.
I hoped that, thanks to fainting, I would be able to rest.
But I was wrong.
What appeared was a message.
[An additional reward will be issued for training that has surpassed your limits.]
Wait……?
I found it.
The secret behind the Demon Hunter’s transcendent stats!