The Swords I Raised Are Too Strong - Chapter 15

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 15. Transcendent (3)
[Mystery] was a kind of universal substance, possessing the peculiar property of granting human wishes.
‘Humanity would have perished long ago without it.’
The [WorldNet], gifted to mankind like a miracle.
Replacing smartphones and computers, WorldNet was remarkably given freely to all humanity as Mystery.
Everything else, however, was not.
‘Electricity, water—those are just the basics. All resources operate on Mystery.’
Moreover, it protected humanity’s essential livelihood through air purification and the removal of ocean pollution.
Without Mystery, humanity could not survive.
It could be considered the universal resource that became the foundation of the world.
“Hmm….”
It was something I learned while examining WorldNet—the 1kg of Mystery ingot I possessed was truly worth 100 trillion.
What could I do with this?
‘Could it lead to reclaiming North Korea?’
Approximately 3,000 Hunters were mobilized in the Red Sea incident.
It was virtually every awakened one in the Seoul vicinity gathered together.
If I activated a [Mobile Pseudo-Gate] with 1kg of Mystery ingot, approximately 3,000 Hunters could use their awakened powers in reality for 30 days.
That’s how much energy it contained.
‘3,000 awakened ones running rampant for 30 days?’
China consumed the ruined North Korea.
Perhaps I could drive out the Chinese on North Korean soil and reclaim our South Korea’s rightful territory.
Of course, this was merely my own speculation.
If an actual war broke out, Gates would rupture and the nation would collapse.
Anyway.
I understood precisely the value of the Mystery I possessed.
I also knew how tremendously helpful it would be if used for the people.
Yet I would use Mystery for my own selfish desires.
I called the President directly.
And conveyed my request.
Then—
—Si-woo, 1kg of Mystery, and in ingot form at that… such an enormous amount of Mystery came from the Red Sea!!!
The President asked in a considerably flustered tone.
—B-but you’re saying you want to make an, an accessory with it?
I conveyed my specific requirements.
Then the President asked in return.
—Transcendent Shin Si-woo, you’re saying you want to use 1kg of Mystery to have a bracelet-type ornament, correct?
“That’s correct.”
It would be better if I added [Pseudo-Gate] functionality, but I didn’t mention that specifically.
It might only raise unnecessary suspicions.
[Mystery] alone, as it was, posed no problem in demonstrating my power.
―Perhaps your purpose….
“Just a trivial hobby. I’m a bit embarrassed to mention it.”
I deflected naturally enough.
There was no need to reveal my weaknesses.
―T, trivial hobby!!!
The conversation lapsed for a moment, as if he were lost in thought.
In truth, I had one specific and clear purpose.
Four seconds of omnipotence.
With two Ego Swords manifested, that’s eight seconds.
‘But the Aga Sword is different.’
My Aga Sword was one I had not transcended.
Its actual power fell far short of a Transcendent’s level.
If I used the 1kg ingot like a [pseudo-Gate] for myself alone….
‘I could be with the Aga Sword 365 days, 24 hours.’
That was my purpose.
After all, Ego Swords could only manifest for mere seconds unless they were in the [Tower].
Unlike the Ego Swords, the Aga Sword hadn’t spent nearly as much time with me yet.
It was a choice as a guardian to form a kind of bond.
‘Besides, once I deal with Gye Man-hwi, I’ll obtain the [Sword Sheath], so naturally the sword needs to exist in reality.’
The empty space where the Aga Sword currently resided wasn’t a [Sword Sheath].
It was just a dimensional space connected to the Sword World.
‘It also serves as a means of self-defense.’
Being able to draw the Aga Sword immediately when needed was a significant advantage.
When my thoughts reached this point―.
―You, that’s far too much. According to the Patriot Special Law, mysteries of that quantity are classified as national strategic resources, and private possession is prohibited….
That was absolutely unreasonable!
The President had broached the subject with that implication.
I was dumbfounded.
“Isn’t it my position to keep the Patriot in check? Would I concern myself with such trivial matters?”
―B, but the resources consumed in the Red Sea incident were enormous. Wouldn’t it be better to sell at least some of it to the nation….
I was equally dumbfounded by this.
“Didn’t I resolve the Red Sea in just 4 seconds, thereby saving the government an enormous amount of strategic resources?”
I had prevented a great catastrophe.
Therefore, compensation was only fair in return.
―We plan to present a commendation and compensation for the Red Sea incident along with a medal during the appointment ceremony. For your reference, the amount is 50 billion won. Ideally, we should have set a larger compensation, but….
I graciously said that money was sufficient.
50 billion was more than enough in the current world.
Still, one shouldn’t appear satisfied when offered a reward.
“You can use the difference in value to have equipment crafted from the ingot I provided.”
I made a single request.
His request was remarkably simple: merely process the mysterious ingot into a bracelet form.
It would be finished in a flash at the workshop in Cheongwadae.
“Even this much represents a considerable concession on my part.”
The President realized my words contained not a single flaw, and ultimately acquiesced.
―Whatever you need, I’ll have it prepared as requested.
Now I could be with Aga Sword twenty-four hours, three hundred sixty-five days a year.
“The mystery problem is resolved, so what remains is the Jesus contingency….”
My schedule was brutally tight.
Tonight held the Transcendent Appointment Ceremony.
And within days, EX-rank Hunter Jesus would come seeking me out.
His purpose: my annihilation.
But I possessed a countermeasure.
‘Holy Power.’
When I received the Saint’s final card.
The card showed my image wielding a noble holy sword.
And I could see the back of a twin-tailed head gazing upon that version of me.
According to the Saint’s interpretation―.
―It means that Shin Si-woo will display holy power, and Jesus, moved by that strength, will solidify his bond with you.
Among all Ego Swords, there exists only one holy sword.
‘The Second Sword, Yulia Lanestia.’
The Saint of the Lanestia Holy Kingdom.
And the fifth Ending Recorder of the [Holy Sword] lineage who witnessed the world’s end.
For some reason, she offered me no response whatsoever.
So Reinhardt Euclid went to converse with her instead.
‘It should work out well, right?’
Trusting the dependable Reinhardt Euclid, I devised my own countermeasures.
[Mystery] was one of them.
My ‘Aga Sword’ possessed a chaotic nature with [Demonic Holy Sword] classification.
Which meant it could certainly emit holy power as well.
‘Regardless, my Jesus contingency is more than sufficient.’
I headed toward Cheongwadae.
To entrust the [1kg Mystery Ingot] and have an item crafted from it.
‘Ah, there’s also the Transcendent Appointment Ceremony this evening.’
Well, that was merely a bonus.
* * *
“I certainly suspected Shin Si-woo must have some issue or other….”
The President began lamenting to Kang Mu-jin.
“He said he’d craft jewelry from 1kg of mystery material. And he even claimed it was such a trivial hobby he felt embarrassed about it.”
A perfectly normal young man.
Excellent negotiation skills too.
He spoke well and knew how to claim fair compensation for his work.
He was nothing like the Patriot, who operated on crude instinct.
And yet—.
“But still, embedding 1 kilogram of mystery into an accessory? Good grief—.”
In certain respects, he had taken things too far.
The President had discovered which direction Shin Si-woo’s madness lay.
He was cut from the same cloth as the Saint of Destiny.
A twisted soul who wielded mystery responsible for humanity’s very fate, yet squandered it on crafting trinkets to show off—.
“He indulges in extravagance….”
Just as the President was about to continue his lament.
Kang Mu-jin abruptly cut him off.
“Perhaps it’s for the sake of the nation. Shin Si-woo is not the type to lose his mind in that direction.”
“Then what could he possibly use it for?”
“I wouldn’t know. But given that he was aware of the demon worshiper case beforehand, I suspect it might be some kind of detection tool related to them.”
“That could very well be.”
The President regained his composure.
Having seen only mad transcendents like the Saint of Destiny and the Patriot, he realized his own perception had been somewhat skewed.
‘Demon worshipers.’
Beings whose very shadows he had yet to find.
Shin Si-woo had commissioned this item creation to prepare for them.
This explanation certainly made more sense.
“It’s about time a single transcendent with a sound mind appeared in the world.”
The President said as much, but this time Kang Mu-jin bristled in response.
“Shin Si-woo is mad in a different way.”
“Do you have any basis for that?”
The mental peculiarity Kang Mu-jin revealed about Shin Si-woo was quite extraordinary.
“He’s lost the capacity to feel romantic attraction toward the opposite sex? Do you have proof?”
“You know my daughter, Seol-ah.”
“Of course. Isn’t she a beauty that puts most entertainers to shame?”
Kang Mu-jin had a ferocious appearance.
His wife, by contrast, was strikingly beautiful.
Fortunately, Kang Seol-ah seemed to have inherited none of her father’s genes, taking entirely after her mother.
“Five years.”
“W-wait, you don’t mean—?”
“That’s how long Shin Si-woo has maintained a friendship with my daughter. In all that time, there hasn’t been a single romantic development.”
Kang Mu-jin was certain.
“He’s inclined that way.”
From the President’s perspective, it felt like obvious nonsense, which was only natural.
Yet the President believed this was the truth.
‘Good grief….’
Kang Seol-ah possessed a character that transcended mere beauty, and she brimmed with audacity that rivaled—even surpassed—her father who once stood against the Patriot.
The type of person who seemed capable of accomplishing something extraordinary.
The President, who had watched her since infancy, understood this well.
“Perhaps a strategic marriage between your daughter and my son would―.”
“Mr. President. That would be difficult due to genetic concerns.”
Kang Mu-jin spoke while observing the President’s receding hairline.
It was a jest only possible between two intimate companions.
“Is Shin Si-woo merely average in appearance? When placed alongside my daughter Seol-ah, he’s the only one who truly complements her. Moreover, he’s an SSS-rank Hunter, a Transcendent, and his mental state remains relatively intact.”
Kang Mu-jin suddenly began extolling Shin Si-woo’s virtues.
President Lee Seok-hyun tilted his head.
‘Is he saying my son is rather unremarkable?’
For a moment that thought crossed his mind, but Kang Mu-jin’s intense tone gradually revealed a different intention.
This sounded like a father-in-law boasting about his prospective son-in-law.
There was the anger of a father robbed of his daughter, yet also a certain acknowledgment woven through his words.
“Moreover, he’s the one who’ll give us holidays—us who work seven days a week to death just to counter the Patriot.”
Beneath that praise lay thick, profound rage.
It was precisely―.
‘You won’t make my daughter languish alone for five years while you freely meet other women!!!’
The fury of a father with an only daughter—a daughter-obsessed father.
Kang Mu-jin intended to show Shin Si-woo just how ruthless a father with a daughter could become.
“Does Seol-ah have feelings for him?”
“She seems to have had them for the past five years, but that bastard has never given her a second glance. By now, she’s resigned herself to accepting that a friendship is more comfortable, abandoning all hope entirely.”
“Hmm―.”
“Alas. What a pity.”
Sighs accumulated.
Just then, a secretary arrived to report that Shin Si-woo had arrived.
The President called the workshop at Cheongwadae and placed a commission.
However….
―Mr. President. Are you truly asking us to craft a mere bracelet using 1 kilogram of Essence—not even a generator?
Naturally, the master craftsman overseeing the workshop was also a Hunter.
And a talented individual devoted to the nation.
―We’re a workshop that operates using Essence, so why something like an accessory….
The master craftsman’s tone suggested suspicion of presidential corruption.
The President quickly clarified the facts.
“It is the request of the second Transcendent, Shin Si-woo.”
―…I see.
At the mere mention of a Transcendent, the master craftsman had no choice but to accept.
―Might I ask the deadline?
“Before 7 PM this evening.”
―Before the Transcendent inauguration ceremony, sir?
“Yes. Once I receive the ingot, I’ll need to start work immediately.”
The President gazed out the window.
Across the way, flames roared brilliantly within a forge.
Watching the blazing forge, an inexplicable unease crept over me.
“But how exactly do you plan to handle the Jesus problem?”
“Shin Si-woo mentioned something about it.”
“What did he say?”
“That Jesus might suggest becoming sworn brothers if he sees him.”
A rather cryptic statement.
“Could it be an attempt to change nations―.”
“No, it’s meant to be reassuring.”
To speak with such bold confidence even after hearing the Saint’s prophecy….
“How could ordinary mortals ever comprehend the thoughts of transcendents?”
* * *
The Sword World.
The First Sword, Reinhardt Euclid, stirred into motion.
He opened a door leading inward within his own world.
That very door from which the eerie demon had emerged before.
Creeeeak——.
Tension gripped him, yet the space beyond the door granted Reinhardt a sense of stability.
Something about it resonated with his own nature.
Reinhardt gazed upon a woman sprawled in the corner of the room.
“Such exalted holy power. You too have surely walked the path of great deeds alongside the Sword Lord.”
A beautiful saint with radiant golden hair and gleaming golden eyes that shone with crystalline clarity.
She possessed a nobility that seemed to embody the very definition of sanctity itself.
Yet her gaze was hollow.
“So you’re even adding honorifics when addressing a monster?”
The Holy Sword with lifeless eyes questioned the most righteous of blades.
The knight cried out.
“Kiai!!!”
Reinhardt continued with unwavering conviction.
“That demon’s corruption has clearly tainted you! How dare you speak of the Sword Lord in such a manner―.”
“Genuine reverence, isn’t it?”
The Saint regarded Reinhardt.
“My entire life was a lie. I followed the Sword’s guidance, yet gained nothing.”
As Reinhardt listened to the Saint’s words, his eyes narrowed.
He was attempting to [perceive] the Second Sword, Yulia Lanestia.
He could sense it.
“You are a strange existence—your holy power increases with every breath you take.”
“Indeed. In exchange, I was condemned to live a lifetime of solitude.”
The Saint pleaded.
“Despite possessing this beautiful visage and a heart that loved the world, I accomplished nothing because of the Sword’s will.”
I died alone, saving the world.
And I was forgotten.
No one remained to remember me.
I had no children.
I departed from the world in solitary desolation.
My entire life was spent merely following the Sword’s commands.
“I was like a puppet to the Sword Master. Don’t you pity me?”
Yet….
Reinhardt Euclid merely cast a look that said, ‘Has this woman lost her mind?’
“You were the one who desired power.”
“But I never wanted it to turn out this way. I saved the world, slew all evil, and sealed the Abyss. And yet―.”
The Saint shed tears.
“I had to vanish without ever experiencing even that common thing called love.”
Watching the Saint, Reinhardt Euclid delivered a sharp retort.
“To obtain such omnipotent power and still be in this state… tsk, how pitiful.”
“What of you?”
The Second Sword, Yulia Lanestia, suddenly grew curious.
How extraordinary a life had this old man lived to praise the Sword Master so ardently?
To this, Reinhardt Euclid spoke with confidence.
“I was merely an ordinary man. Yet the Sword Master saw a fragment of talent in me and chose me.”
The old man’s gaze turned toward a distant past.
Nostalgic and lost in memory.
He spoke.
“I wished to avenge myself against the demon worshippers who destroyed my clan. After that, I wanted to accomplish great deeds for the world.”
“Quite ambitious dreams for an ordinary man.”
“The Sword Master realized those dreams for me.”
Reinhardt Euclid—an ordinary man with but a fragment of talent.
“Through endless training, I witnessed the end of the Sword alongside the Sword Master. Everything you slew, I too have slain.”
“How was such growth possible with merely a fragment of talent and training alone?”
The Saint too had witnessed the end of the Sword.
Reinhardt Euclid’s words seemed strange.
“The Sword Master taught me an aura cultivation method that elevated my meager fragment of talent to the level of ordinary competence. Through this foundation, I grew strong.”
“What kind of cultivation method is it? It couldn’t be demonic cultivation….”
Reinhardt Euclid chuckled softly.
“The Childlike Heart Method. A rather special aura cultivation technique.”
“I’ve never heard of it.”
Reinhardt Euclid knew the reason why.
Each Sword has a different cultivation method.
A fact that the Sword Master had revealed to me.
“To put it simply, it’s a cultivation method bound by the constraint that one must train alone for life without ever meeting a romantic partner.”
“A situation similar to mine―.”
“No, in my case, I had to sacrifice something more—a minor function, you could say.”
“A, a minor function?”
The Saint fell silent.
“Thanks to that sacrifice, I rose from an ordinary commoner to become the Sword Emperor, the strongest on the continent, saving the world itself.”
Reinhardt Euclid, the First Sword, extended his hand to Yulia Lanestia, the Second Sword, as he spoke.
“I hear the Sword Master’s Transcendent Appointment Ceremony will be held soon. Won’t you join me in witnessing that glorious spectacle?”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————