The Swords I Raised Are Too Strong - Chapter 17
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 17. The Meeting (2)
—Achievement) Shin Si-woo became a Transcendent, killed a terrorist, closed the Red Sea, and prevented the president’s assassination.
—+Even exposed the Demon Worshippers
—Achievement is literally insane;
The praise kept mounting.
Such adulation soon became a reflection of the anxiety the people harbored.
Sure enough, as time passed, that anxiety began to surface.
—But if everyone and their mother becomes a Transcendent, how are we supposed to live without fear?
When Demon Worshippers perform something called [Corruption], they can use power in reality.
The prospect of naturally Awakened Hunters losing their minds and falling into corruption was truly terrifying.
Wasn’t that proven by the Yeouido disaster?
—What happens if an A-rank Hunter like the Bomb Artist falls into corruption?
Explosions are art.
That was the Bomb Artist’s famous saying and life philosophy.
A Hunter with a record of multiple arrests for committing all manner of insane acts.
—It’s just too unfair if corruption is instant death.
Side effects?
There are none.
Even in the Tower, optimized for Hunters’ growth, one dies if things go wrong.
Or they vanish without a trace, like the Sword Master Elder.
But the Demon Worshippers can achieve transcendence with zero risk.
—Forcibly triggering Gate Breaks is also completely absurd.
In truth, there is a side effect: one can never enter a Gate again….
But this is something Shin Si-woo doesn’t yet know.
He hasn’t fully grasped the Demon Worshippers who have changed on Earth either.
In any case.
All manner of opinions continued to pour forth.
—Among A-ranks, aren’t the Bomb Artist and the Artist the biggest problems?
—Hey, don’t say that about active A-rank Hunters. Without them, we can’t stop the Gates from breaking.
—Let’s give credit where it’s due!
South Korea is safe because Hunters risk their lives fighting in Gates.
VS
But it’s even more terrifying when those same Hunters fall into corruption and unleash terror on Earth.
—No matter what, I find a Hunter falling into corruption scarier than a Gate breaking.
—Occasionally seeing a ghost VS a well-known madman hiding under my bed.
—Which is scarier?
—Wow, wow, wow, wow. I’m done.
A well-known Hunter is scarier.
Public opinion flowed in that direction.
Then hopeful voices began to emerge.
—Still, I bet Shin Si-woo will handle it? That bracelet is supposedly an artifact for tracking Demon Worshippers.
It was a fact the President revealed after Shin Si-woo left.
It wasn’t merely a fashion accessory bracelet.
—Look at The Saint with her 300 trillion gambling addiction!
—Shin Si-woo saves the nation with 100 trillion mysteries!!!
The Saint, who had once again faded from the world’s attention, was dragged back into the spotlight.
Meanwhile.
“….”
The Saint, Im Ji-ah, scrolled through countless malicious comments.
Her eyes narrowed.
Honestly, it felt unfair.
“These incompetent fools keep spouting nonsense about the Martingale system.”
A betting method where you wager double the lost amount.
Even if you lose a thousand times, winning just once guarantees profit.
An exceptionally wise and efficient betting strategy.
With national budgets backing it, you could attempt nearly infinite rounds.
‘In blackjack, the player’s win rate is actually 49%….’
Eventually, victory always comes.
The ignorant masses don’t understand this.
“If it weren’t for that bastard Patriot, I would’ve walked away with 600 trillion and been hailed as a hero….”
While The Saint was in the final stretch, Patriot suddenly burst in.
He declared he’d execute her for the crime of illegally using the national strategic resource [Mystery].
Even now, the memory made her blood boil.
“Deal.”
Of course, even while thinking such thoughts, The Saint continued gambling.
This round was blackjack.
You receive two cards, and whoever gets 21 or closest to it wins.
[10] [10]
Im Ji-ah’s cards were laid out.
‘That’s strange.’
Ever since meeting Shin Si-woo, my hands have been unusually good.
But it wasn’t just The Saint who benefited.
Her opponent, the blackjack dealer, also had strong cards.
[A] [■]
One card was hidden, but the other was an exceptionally high number.
An Ace counts as either 1 or 11.
If the hidden card was a 10?
The dealer would have 21 blackjack, and The Saint would simply lose.
‘In situations like this, go aggressive.’
The Saint’s hand was identical: [10] [10].
Blackjack has a rule called ‘split.’
“Split.”
The Saint divided her 10 into two.
Her field became two hands.
Naturally, the wager doubled as well.
“The collateral is one lung.”
[10] / [10]
The Saint’s cards split across the casino table.
She tapped the table to receive the next card.
[10] [A] / [10]
“What?”
Blackjack.
Even if the dealer gets 21, it’s a tie.
If the dealer doesn’t get 21, I win automatically.
This was the moment to press the advantage.
I drew the next card immediately.
[10] [A] / [10] [A]
“What what what???”
The Saint’s vacant eyes widened in disbelief.
This had never happened since I started gambling.
Two blackjacks?
“Pathetic.”
The Saint spoke those words to an invisible opponent.
Her opponent hastily revealed their cards in response.
[A] [9]
The dealer’s hand was 20.
Im Ji-ah’s complete victory.
‘Truly a stroke of genius in strategy.’
Double (doubling the wager in exchange for receiving only one card), Split (dividing cards of identical value into separate hands), Any Pair (winning eleven times the wager when two cards of the same number appear).
Im Ji-ah continued with bold, aggressive betting.
‘Blackjack really suits me.’
As a result, I achieved seventeen consecutive wins.
Just as I was about to reach eighteen―.
“What what? Where are you going!!!”
The Saint’s opponent vanished.
Suddenly, I felt as though a shadow had fallen over me.
Turning around, I found Shin Si-woo standing close behind, gazing at The Saint intently.
‘…When on earth did he―!’
His towering frame and refined features.
By any measure, he was a sight to behold.
First, The Saint felt fear as she looked at him.
And with good reason—his hand held a blood-stained sword.
Shin Si-woo asked.
“May I draw that?”
The Saint stared at him for a long moment before nodding.
* * *
After revealing information about the Demon Worshippers, I sought out The Saint of Destiny at once.
According to Reinhardt, [Second Sword Yulia Lanestia] had created a trial of her own volition—or so he claimed.
This visit was to obtain countermeasures against it.
【I did my utmost, but when she insisted on testing the Sword Master herself and simply lay down, there was nothing I could do.】
“You’ve worked hard.”
My expression darkened involuntarily.
First Sword Reinhardt was like a dutiful son to me.
Yulia, the Second Sword, on the other hand, was a disobedient blade.
‘What kind of nonsense—abandoning the battlefield just because she wanted to meet some man.’
Honestly, if she weren’t the only compatible candidate for the newly released [Holy] build, I would have replaced her long ago.
―Blade, why do you keep pushing me into such brutal battlefields?
It took over a hundred attempts before I learned how to control her.
Send her to the harshest battlefield possible.
Force her into situations where survival demands all her focus, leaving no room for other thoughts.
Even after she gained tremendous power, I manipulated the larger currents of fate to push her to her absolute limits.
As a result, the world was saved.
‘But you’re different—’
Something felt strange.
When I was playing the game, I had simply made choices.
Somewhere along the way, I had begun thinking of the NPC dwelling within my sword as if I had raised her myself.
‘Is it because we’ve spent so much time together?’
I would have my answer once I entered the Tower and faced her.
Before entering the Tower, I reminded myself of my objective.
‘Three cards.’
Im Ji-ah, who supposedly only lost at gambling, seemed better at it than I’d thought.
As before, she held three golden cards.
I used them to divine the flow of my destiny.
The results were quite satisfactory.
1. How to overcome the trial created by the Second Sword.
2. The method to nurture Aga Sword properly.
3. The date Jesus arrives.
The problem was that Jesus would arrive tomorrow—
But that would all be resolved once I returned from the Tower and freed the Second Sword.
I left the safety of the Blue House Underground Bunker and headed toward the Tower.
* * *
Whoosh!
【You have entered Tower Floor 3.】
A mechanical voice announced my entry into the Tower’s trial.
As always, a safety zone marked by a green circle appeared beneath my feet.
But the surroundings had changed.
‘Where am I?’
A chamber of pure white space.
And at its center stood a magnificent sword—vast, towering, majestic, radiant, and emanating an otherworldly sanctity that seemed to stretch into infinity.
My second blade, the Holy Sword—the one I’d invested the most customization into.
I approached the sword as if entranced, a thought crossing my mind.
‘This isn’t the Abyss.’
Floors 1 and 2 of the Tower had been the interior of the Abyss, where I first encountered NPCs.
But floor 3 was different.
Though I’d never seen this place before, these pristine white walls stirred something in my memory.
‘Isn’t this the entrance to the Gorge?’
The location where my second blade, Yulia Lanestia, had played a crucial role in the latter half of the story.
I’d seen it as a 2D pixel battlefield, but I’d replayed it over a hundred times and remembered every detail precisely.
‘The battlefield that protected the entire Holy Kingdom.’
The enemy was darkness pouring forth from the Abyss.
And my second blade had to defend the entire Holy Kingdom from that darkness.
Through the sword’s interactions, I’d commanded the evacuation of the entire Holy Kingdom’s population, and as a result, every citizen had fled into the Gorge beyond the narrow passage.
And then the enemies came.
‘Darkness.’
An abstraction.
In that world, only one second blade possessed the ability to cut it down.
That’s why Yulia had to defend this Gorge alone.
【This is the battlefield you endured for 100 days without eating, sleeping, or resting. If you are truly my master… prove it in this battlefield.】
Since I’d watched the screen at fast-forward, I hadn’t known this fact precisely.
And faced with my second blade’s complaint about a mere 100 days, I was left speechless at the absurdity.
‘100 days? That’s nothing.’
Ten years, thirty-three years, and until death itself.
Those were the years of training Reinhardt Euclid had endured.
And what of my fifth blade, Iris Ruzbella?
‘She wandered the continent for a hundred years, erasing all life, until she obtained a million demons.’
And yet a mere 100 days?
She dares test me with that?
‘This leaves a bitter taste.’
I hadn’t pushed her into that harsh battlefield simply because I wanted to complete the Holy Sword.
It was only possible because she possessed a genuine will to save the world.
And then….
“I am the Sword Master.”
All six Ego Swords belong to me.
The salvation achieved through the swords I granted and the strategies forged by exploring their world.
The end of the world.
‘A sword that dares to test its master.’
At first, I thought it presumptuous, but now it merely seems laughable.
【If you are the master of swords, show me.】
Whoosh—.
I lifted the [Holy Sword] embedded in the podium.
Naturally, I felt the sword’s power.
This is….
‘Incomplete.’
It was different from when I held a transcendent sword with absolute power.
I felt its insufficiency.
‘But what does it matter?’
Whether it’s the [Tower’s] trial or anything else, my class is [Sword Master].
Crack!
[The trial begins.]
[The Lonely Final Gorge Defense]
The myth built by the 2nd Sword, Yulia Lanestia.
It appeared before me in the form of a trial.
I had no intention of fighting like her, swinging a sword for a hundred days.
I raised the sword lightly and spoke.
“Iris.”
The 5th Sword, Iris Ruzbella.
I manifest her power.
In this Sword World, Iris can manifest for four hours.
Boom————.
The world trembled.
The crimson sword whispered to me.
【Young master, I have come running at your call.】
A red aura rippled across the incomplete Holy Sword.
Soon, the sacred sword vanished without a trace, and a massive crimson greatsword materialized in my hand.
And then—.
Screeeeeeeee————.
The Demon God summoned by the Demon Worshippers to destroy the Holy Kingdom.
‘Darkness’ appeared.
The darkness that consumed the pure white space was not a living creature but a phenomenon itself.
Yet there exists nothing in this world that the 5th Sword, Iris Ruzbella, cannot kill—.
The demons she summoned could consume anything—there was nothing beyond their reach.
“Devour it.”
I commanded.
The crimson demon tore through the darkness.
What had been a defensive siege meant to hold until the darkness ended, the demons instead swallowed whole—piercing across the vast Gorge to consume the very source of darkness itself.
In mere moments, darkness was vanishing from the world.
Yulia Lanestia, the Second Sword, gasped in shock at the sight.
【How… in such a manner―.】
I myself had never imagined the trial would be cleared this way.
‘What exactly is that tarot card?’
Once again, I was certain that Im Ji-ah, the “Saint of Destiny,” was truly a remarkable being.
The card she had given me depicted a crimson demon devouring darkness itself.
【The Sword Master commanded me to save the world. Is salvation possible with such power?】
“It is possible.”
I had not wielded the power of the Holy Sword.
Yet there was no problem.
I am the master of swords.
【With… with such a thing, you can save the world?】
I answered Yulia, who stood bewildered, with calm certainty.
“That is why I am the Sword Master.”
I am the master of swords.
Soon, this same catastrophe might be replicated on Earth.
I have no intention of quarreling with the swords here.
Therefore.
“I will permit no further transgressions.”
I spoke with a somewhat sharp tone.
【…You remain ever constant to me.】
“Worlds flow within the constraints of limited time.”
This is sincere.
The world within [Sword Cultivation] follows similar narrative threads.
Miss the moment, and the sword is finished.
No matter what I did, the world would collapse.
That is why I drove the swords forward with such relentless pressure.
“Now my world shall be the same.”
I too have no intention of squandering time.
They say sincerity always resonates.
【Just as you are, the Sword Master has always been… always! so unwavering.】
Yulia spoke in a noticeably more docile tone.
A strange joy seemed to bloom within her.
And with this―.
Crack!
[Tower, Floor 2 cleared.]
[Clear Time: 10 minutes]
[Grade: SSS]
[Preparing reward….]
The trial had ended.
【Once, a priest who wandered the continent met the Sword Master and became the Holy Emperor of the Lanestia Holy Kingdom. I had forgotten to be grateful for that.】
She acknowledged me.
I wasn’t sure what exactly I had come to understand, but….
「You have overcome the trial in perfect form.」
—The Second Sword, Yulia Lanestia’s broken heart has been restored.
—As an additional reward, you have acquired the Authority ‘Divine Stasis’.
【It was a shame that she never experienced love and departed alone in solitude….】
Her final ending was [Sad Ending].
The world was saved, but the NPC who wielded the sword met a lonely end.
However, now it was different.
【I have finally come to understand the noble cause of the supreme Sword Master.】
Crack!
「Fifth Sword, Yulia Lanestia 1/100」
—Communication with a new Ego Sword has become possible.
[The Second Sword’s loyalty has reached maximum level.]
[As a special reward, your Manifestation stat increases by +3.]
—Second Sword, Yulia Lanestia. [4/100]
In an instant, the Second Sword had turned favorable.
And I received the reward for clearing Floor 3 as well.
[Tower Floor 3 clear reward is being distributed.]
1. You can select a trait for the ‘Aga Sword’.
2. Tower Entry Ticket x 3
3. SSS-grade Random Box.
4. 10,000 Coins.
Growth of the Aga Sword had become possible.
And….
‘I have sufficient countermeasures against Jesus.’
Two SSS-grade Random Boxes.
With the skills I obtain from them and the holiness of the Second Sword?
Just as I saw in the prophecy, Jesus might even ask me to be his brother.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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