◈ Episode 234. The Name of Gwicheol, Changed from an Outlandish Question Mark.[Sword That Cuts Illusions: Illusion Breaker][Grade: Legendary]
Let’s say it’s a Legendary-grade item, so it has an epithet.
But Illusion Breaker?
Just who taught you that naming sense?
“That, too, has quite a pleasing ring to it.”……
They say a child is the mirror of its parent.
Who else could it be?
It must have learned by watching me—Granfell.
The only fortunate thing was that I hadn’t named it myself, so the self-loathing was a little less severe. Well, if you heard it without knowing the whole story, it did sound somewhat plausible.
In other words, the reason I was shocked lay elsewhere.[Restriction: Unknown][Effect: When fighting a “Prototype,” destructive power greatly increases.][Description: An ego sword possessing a noble self.]
Only the effect had changed.
Yet that effect was anything but ordinary.
In Arcana, effects that were only valid against specific targets weren’t rare.
Why, even the Demon Hunter’s unique skill, [Natural Enemy Relationship],
was one such example.
The problem was…….“When fighting a Prototype.”That very part.
The ones existing on the Arcana Continent.
Their appearance was so alien that it was hard to think of them that way.
Monsters in the form of Prototypes weren’t common.
Not just uncommon—I had seen them for the first time here, too.
—For this moment alone, I shall be reborn as the “Sword That Cuts Illusions.”
Even so, Gwicheol had changed to suit the situation, just as it had declared.
And it hadn’t changed in any ordinary way.
After all, it now carried the tremendous effect of a great increase in destructive power.
I looked at Gwicheol.
At this point, it was starting to become frightening.‘……So this is a Legendary-grade item.’The moment I obtained Gwicheol.
They said the achievement had been updated for the players as well.
At first, I had merely thought it was an attention seeker like its master, and taken it lightly…….‘Maybe legends really are called legends for a reason.’In that sense, I should be grateful.
—I can finally feel it, Master.
That such an incredible ego sword called me
Master without fail every single time.
A sigh of relief came out on its own.
Just imagine if my affinity with it had been lacking.‘I wouldn’t even have been able to confirm an effect like this.’So for this moment alone.
Gwicheol.
I shall generously overlook your loose tongue.
—So this is the form meant to cut illusions.
Swish—Nothing had changed about my swordsmanship.
What had changed was not my body, but Gwicheol’s effect, meaning the strength in my swinging arm, of course, and even my movements were no different in speed from before. Granfell’s unique elegant motions couldn’t be left out, either.
And yet.
Flutter.
The moment my jacket swayed half a beat late.
Clunk!
The Prototype’s shoulder blade was sliced clean off.
Was this for real?
I had cut through such a thick mass of scrap metal. Yet there was no sensation at my fingertips. If I had to compare it, it was nothing more than the feeling of slicing tofu with a sharp kitchen knife……!
To the point that.
“!”
Even Shegwin flinched in surprise and looked at me.……
Please don’t look at me with those eyes.
I’m just not showing it; I’m pretty surprised, too.
—It was cut perfectly. Illusion.……
Everything else was fine, but wasn’t it rolling its tongue a bit too much?
After being surprised once more by Gwicheol’s pronunciation,
I found myself wondering.
It had been saying illusion, illusion since earlier…….‘Does that mean the Prototype is an illusion?’Prototype and illusion.
It seemed there was some story tangled up in that.
But that wasn’t what mattered right now.
Part of its body had been sliced off.
There was no way the giant Prototype would just sit back and take it.
As expected.
Ziiiiing—Its pattern changed.
The very fact that a pattern existed meant it was at least a named mob.
Indeed, the intensity of the light gathering near its head was far from ordinary.
I roughly scribbled out an estimate in my head.‘Blocking it with a mana barrier is impossible.’Pure Magic, Mana Barrier.
As the name suggested, it was magic that manifested a barrier with mana.
Since it didn’t require much effort in the interference process,
it was a defensive spell most mages brought out in emergencies.
However, setting aside its effect.‘The problem is that the mana consumption is extreme.’Of course, I had no reason to suffer from mana consumption.
Still, it would be best not to think I could keep coasting forever on the effect of [Blessing of the First World Tree]. Above all, our prideful Lord Granfell was thoroughly displeased with the effect of that blessing.
So I recited.
“Are you prepared?”
Gwicheol’s new name.
“Illusion Breaker.”
If someone found out about this in the future, it would be quite a sight.
The beloved sword of Granfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo.
Illusion Breaker.‘……The nuance is far too different from Shegwin’s Atlas.’Let’s be grateful that the only one watching this spectacle is Shegwin.
I held Gwicheol—
No, Illusion Breaker, upright.[Effect: When fighting a “Prototype,” destructive power greatly increases.]
I understood very well what the effect of a great increase meant. After all, I had experienced, both physically and mentally, what aftermath had come from the greatly increased luck granted by the Siren’s blessing.
So I looked straight ahead.
At the giant Prototype.
At the beam it was pouring out.
“!”
A frontal breakthrough.
It was an approach that could be called the complete opposite of Shegwin’s response, who had sensed the sign and neutralized the Prototype from its head first.
But I was certain.
—Of course, Master.
Illusion Breaker was the same.
Swish—And so I swung the sword toward the pouring beam.
I drew a horizontal line with the trajectory of the blade.
Then the beam of light split in half along that line.
Shalala—It scattered and vanished.
Truly.
Like a momentary illusion.
Leaving only a flicker before my eyes.[Transcendent: Your transcendent realm is sufficient for you to be called a Transcendent.
- Current achievements reached: Circle (all magic manifestation power increased by 1,000%) / Unfinished Swift Sword Art / None / None…….]
“I will not turn away from a single thing on the path I have walked.”
As if responding, [Unfinished Swift Sword Art] glittered.
Soon, the letters twisted and changed anew.
I continued speaking.
“Because that is my sword path.”[Sword Path of Pride (Currently Liberated Path: First Path)]
Ruuuumble—!
At the same time, the giant Prototype collapsed.
I withdrew my gaze and looked at Shegwin.
To Shegwin, whose face had gone blank, I continued.
“It was a good match, Shegwin.”
Looks like I won again this time.*
The Great Alliance.
The three were bickering again today.
Their reason was serious enough in its own way.
“Of course we should handle this much at our level!”
“Are you confident?”
“Mr. Snake Eyes, since when have we ever cared about confidence?”
Nam Taemin continued in a solemn voice.
“Live by pride and die by pride.”
Leoni muttered without realizing it.
“Lunatic.”
The incident began like this.
After hearing the news of Hoyeol’s one-week vacation, they had, as always, been hunting monsters in the Zero Mountains and focusing on leveling up when they discovered it.[Dungeon: Hideout of the Bold Troll][Appropriate Level: Lv.700][Collapse Progress: 0%]
The Hundred Thousand Caves that existed in the Zero Mountains.
One of them.
Among players excluding Hoyeol, they were the fifth to find one.
Its appropriate level was a staggering level 700.
In the past, it would have been a dungeon-cave far beyond the three of them, who were in the 500-level range, to the point that there wouldn’t even have been a dispute like this.
However.
“Imagine if Hoyeol had to move because we couldn’t clear one measly level-700 dungeon. Wouldn’t that be inefficient? He’s even on vacation.”
They couldn’t keep relying on Hoyeol forever.
It was something they said after properly understanding their place.
Even before they had formed the Great Alliance.
Gaon, Inazuma, Berserker.
They were three people who had each raised their own guilds to the very top of the rankings.
“This isn’t arrogance. Think about the enemies we’ve faced so far. From Demon Kings to demon corps commanders. If we’re only talking difficulty, a level-700 dungeon would be several times easier than them.”
“For once, you’ve made a reasonable statement.”
“No, who said you were wrong?”
“What, you weren’t? Then what were you muttering?”
That was because he kept adding pride to the end of everything…….‘I felt like I was going to get infected with pride too!’If it had only been Nam Taemin, she could have just ignored him.
But even Hisagi had fallen perfectly in step with Nam Taemin when it came to pride.
As far as the opinion itself was concerned, Leoni had no reason to oppose it either.
“No, never mind. It’s nothing.”
“What is it? Don’t be so vague.”
“Forget it.”
Above all, they weren’t the only ones who had discovered the cave.
If they’d had no prior information, they might have hesitated…….
But now that they knew the caves were no different from Rifts.
“Then it’s decided. We’ll prepare and enter.”
There was no reason to hesitate.
More than anything, caves allowed freer entry and retreat than Rifts did.
The ability to respond quickly in an emergency was also a major advantage.
Hisagi glared at the cave with his snake eyes and recited.
“Of course, such a thing must not happen.”
Leoni glared at Hisagi.
“……Look at that. Now even his way of speaking has rubbed off.”
Shake, shake—She shook her head and took out her smartphone.
Second Sun, which could be called their ally.
She intended to convey this news to Shreig as well.
On top of that.
“Oh, right. Skal. Him too.”
One more person infected with pride had been added, after all.
Just as Leoni was about to send an additional message.
Ding—There was no telling who was first.
The notifications of all three rang at the same time.
“……!!!”
A notification from the official Arcana website.
“What day is it today?”
“For starters, it is not Thursday.”
“Damn it.”
It wasn’t Thursday.
What that meant was simple.
It was unplanned emergency news.
“Of all times, on the very first day of Hoyeol’s vacation……!!”
This time, he had submitted vacation requests to both the Magic Tower and the Yusra Kingdom.
They had finally sighed in relief, thinking he would be able to enjoy a proper rest.
So what sort of situation was this, that an emergency had erupted as if it had been waiting for this very moment?
“Seriously, there’s no formality! No formality!”
Grit, grit.
Nam Taemin ground his teeth and accessed the official Arcana website.
As expected of an analyst quick with information.
A call came from Nam Cheolmin.
“Hyung! What’s going on? What notification popped up?”
-It’s, it’s kind of hard to explain in words……!
“Huh? What is it? Isn’t it an emergency update?”
Weren’t the only posts uploaded to the Arcana website the regular updates on Thursday, or otherwise the emergency update details?
Nam Taemin’s question didn’t last long.
-It’s not an update. It’s a video!
“……!”
He had forgotten.
After the Cataclysm.
The only video uploaded to the official Arcana website.
Hoyeol and the Sword Saint, Shegwin’s duel in the Colosseum.
Thanks to that, Nam Taemin immediately asked.
“Don’t tell me, is it Hoyeol again?”
-Yeah, that’s right.
“Ha.”
Well, there was no way he would have submitted a leave request for no reason.
Nam Taemin immediately accessed the Arcana website.
He played the video.
The other two crowded beside Nam Taemin.
“……What is it?”
“My battery is dead.”
“I used up all my data.”
“……You make plenty of money, so spend some of it.”
Whether they liked it or not.
The three had no choice but to put their heads together and stare at the screen.
Question marks rose on their faces.
No, Hoyeol……?
“……What kind of place is that now?”...
The official Arcana website.
The identity of the uploaded video was CCTV footage.
Since it was a video in which Hoyeol appeared, those who played it had been expecting footage on par with his duel against the Sword Saint, Shegwin. Instead, they fell into doubt.
-It’s not even a Rift, it just looks like a building though???-fr lol-But doesn’t it kinda have a laboratory vibe? Everything’s white.
-Now that you mention it, yeah, seems like it.At the same time, however.
An emergency situation was declared at AAU.
The atmosphere turned urgent.
“……Why is everyone so serious?”
Seong Hyeonjun, who had escaped Park Minjae’s chatter and returned to his seat, was dumbfounded.
CCTV footage containing the General Manager had been uploaded to the official website. It was certainly unexpected.
“But it’s not something to make this much fuss over, is it, sunbae?”
He had hoped for agreement.
But Yun Sugyeom’s expression, too, was exceedingly serious.
Yun Sugyeom looked at Seong Hyeonjun and opened his mouth.
“Hyeonjun, I suppose you’d have no way of knowing.”
“Pardon? What do you mean, sunbae?”
“First, lower your voice.”
The office was already far too noisy.
Most conversations would have been drowned out.
Even so, Yun Sugyeom continued in a low voice.
Pointing at the footage on the monitor.
“The structure is identical.”
“……
What?”
“That building where the Chief Director is.”
Did he mean that all-white, laboratory-like building?
Gulp—Yun Sugyeom swallowed dryly and continued.
“I’m saying its structure is identical to headquarters.”
“Headquarters? Which headquarters?”
“Cosmo’s headquarters from before the Cataclysm, back when everything was still intact.”
“……
What? Wh-what?!”
What those words meant was simple.
The moment Seong Hyeonjun realized it—
Cries erupted from all around.
“No, it hasn’t even been an hour yet, has it?”
“In that instant, he figured out Raymond Sean’s location and went there!”
“Seriously, I don’t even know what’s going to happen anymore.”
Amid the commotion, a quiet voice sounded.
“At this rate, there was no point in us whispering among ourselves.”
“Branch Manager……!”
“It’s fine.”
It was Bak Minjae, who had rushed over from the branch manager’s office.
His tie was roughly loosened.
Bak Minjae stared at the footage of Hoyeol displayed on the monitor.
He had thought he would pull it off.
But he hadn’t thought he would pull it off this quickly.
Bak Minjae murmured softly.
“……
But that bastard.”
That bastard, Raymond Sean.
Because he was a man with plenty of shady business, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to hide his meeting with Hoyeol. And yet, to think he would upload CCTV footage of Hoyeol to the Arcana website.
“What the hell is he thinking?”
Truly, his intentions were impossible to predict.
But that wasn’t the only thing beyond comprehension.
The footage continued to play.
“……
Wait a moment, Branch Manager?”
The floor of the building warped.
Stairs rose into the air.
And Hoyeol calmly descended those stairs.
“What are those monsters?”
Soon, hundreds of prototypes surrounded him.
However, making the encirclement meaningless—
Before long.
“Th-they’re kneeling!”
The prototypes knelt as if worshipping Hoyeol.
It was something that should have startled anyone.
Yet his steps continued straight ahead without the slightest wavering.
How much farther had he descended the stairs?
Hoyeol raised a single torch high.
Within the flames of the torch, growing fiercer by the moment—
“Th-that!! That’s the Sword Saint from back then, right?!”
Even the Sword Saint, Shegwin, revealed himself.
“Senior, what am I even looking at right now……?”
That was right.
It was a succession of astonishing sights—
Enough to make them forget even Raymond Sean’s intentions.
Bak Minjae had been eating this kind of rice since his Cosmo days.
He should have been less shaken than anyone.
And yet, in that moment, Bak Minjae was more appalled than anyone else in the office.
“……
A giant prototype.”
Because Bak Minjae knew what it was.
The Chronicles of the Arcana Continent.
Before the official launch.
A temporary monster from the beta test period.
Its exact name was [Prototype Model: D].
The D in the model name was short for “Dragon.”
Bak Minjae stammered.
“H-how can he block a dragon’s breath with a single sword……!”
It was the supremely dazzling debut moment of the Sword Path of Pride.