The Swords I Raised Are Too Strong - Chapter 2

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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 2. Awakening (2)
The Sword Emperor, Reinhardt Euclid.
He was the last descendant of a renowned swordsmanship clan and the tragic protagonist whose family was annihilated by depraved demon worshippers.
As a child, Reinhardt fled to escape the massacre.
“Blade, I beseech you….”
Desperate to survive, he cast himself into the Abyss—that abyssal realm consuming the world.
A place some called a dungeon.
There, he discovered a sword gleaming with otherworldly brilliance.
The sword spoke.
【I perceive a glimmer of talent within you.】
A glimmer.
Merely a fragment.
The speaking blade was impossibly small and unassuming.
Yet Reinhardt, having lost everything, claimed that sword.
‘Could this be some form of destiny?’
He cherished the blade with unwavering devotion.
Together, they crossed countless precipices of death.
The sword frequently demanded rigorous training from him.
【Spend ten years mastering the Aura Cultivation Method under my guidance.】
Ten years.
He endured.
Then came the strength to slay demon worshippers.
The pure power of the blade itself.
“Blade, I beseech you….”
Vengeance was achieved.
What came after, I cannot say.
Then the sword commanded once more.
【Refine your technique for thirty-three years.】
Reinhardt devoted himself even more intensely.
Thus he grew stronger.
Upon completing his training and stepping into the world, the remnants of the demon worshippers had regrouped and summoned a Demon King.
The empire fell into chaos.
It was then that Reinhardt understood the blade’s divine calling.
‘Salvation.’
And so, he slew the Demon King and became known as the Sword Emperor.
The emperor of the great empire honored his achievement, granting him the title of Sword Emperor.
He had grown old enough that he should have spent his remaining years in wealth and glory, nurturing the next generation of swordsmen.
But—
【Dedicate fifty years to perfecting your art. Witness the ultimate truth of the blade.】
The sword whispered.
What lies beyond, I cannot know.
I am far too old to be surprised by death whenever it comes.
Yet Reinhardt Euclid always strived forward.
That is how he grew strong.
That is why I followed.
“I have witnessed the ultimate truth of the blade. O sword… nameless sword… how I wish to see you.”
That end is death.
But it is death earned through complete enlightenment.
The blade granted me the most magnificent final moment.
“If I harbor one eternal regret, it is leaving you behind like this…”
Reinhardt Euclid’s eyes slowly closed.
That was when it happened.
A resonant boom—————.
My inner world trembled.
A mind that could summon a blade through will alone.
A will that could swing the blade with purpose.
And finally, one who had become unified with the blade itself.
Such a master’s inner world—
It wavered—.
“O… sword…”
Reinhardt Euclid saw a pair of pitch-black eyes gazing down at him.
Eyes of a terrible, hollow emptiness.
And then…
‘It was not the blade that spoke to me all this time—.’
Enlightenment struck.
The truth of the one who had shaped the old man’s entire life!!!!
It was not a blade.
A subtle shift—.
Those hollow eyes transformed.
Into a gaze of profound intensity.
“Master of the blade—.”
Those eyes, once terribly hollow, now fixed upon the blade in Reinhardt Euclid’s hand with an intense, penetrating stare.
And Reinhardt Euclid, who had reached the pinnacle of blade-and-self unity, was drawn into the blade.
* * *
[Playthrough 6: Happy Ending]
I witnessed an ending with the sixth blade I had perfected.
A happy ending, no less.
After twelve years of playing this game, what excitement might come from witnessing something new?
“This is the first time.”
My heart raced with anticipation.
I had played the game so many times that I would gasp in admiration at the mere act of raising a sword.
Over ten thousand playthroughs.
Yet this was my first happy ending.
‘Perhaps even NPCs must die satisfied?’
A remarkable discovery.
And it was no mere delusion on my part.
*Whoosh!*
[Please bestow a true name upon the sword.]
As always, I engraved the name of whoever held the sword at the end as its true name.
Though an NPC, it felt worth commemorating—having journeyed together until the ending.
Having seen the ending only six times across over ten thousand playthroughs, it was certainly deserving of celebration.
*Whoosh!*
[Reinhardt Euclid]
‘That makes six.’
Shameful as it is to admit, I possessed no particular talent for games.
As a child, I believed myself a prodigy at [Sword Cultivation]….
‘How is it that across twelve years, I’ve only seen six true endings?’
Over ten thousand playthroughs, and I had achieved a proper ending merely six times.
The rest were largely repetitions of the same skill trees—researching more efficient methods or failed attempts at novel strategies.
‘At least that middle schooler who came earlier actually achieved rank one….’
Recalling that bittersweet memory, I found myself smiling warmly.
‘A happy ending.’
For the first time, things had concluded favorably.
Perhaps a new sword would unlock from this.
To be precise—
‘The sword’s potential.’
A new cultivation method might emerge.
With such thoughts, I awaited the next screen.
But then….
*Whoosh!*
[All conditions have been satisfied.]
“What is this?”
A message type I had never seen before appeared.
Had I been younger, I would have rushed to the Awakener Management Bureau crying “This is an awakening!”
However, I was twenty-seven.
A fifth-year civil servant who had skipped university and taken the exam directly.
Military service was waived, incidentally.
‘What could emerge now?’
I remained simply as an explorer of [Sword Cultivation].
As the final keeper of the sword.
As always, I could only wait for what came next.
[Unlock Condition 1. Unlock all endings.]
—Satisfied. (6)
‘So six endings is the limit….’
Perhaps this truly was the real ending credits.
[Sword Cultivation] had genuinely come to an end.
I examined the message that followed with a bittersweet expression.
[Unlock Condition 2. Build a genuine bond with NPCs.]
—Satisfied. (3)
‘Three?’
That’s strange.
Excluding two cases, I have no memory of growing attached to any NPC.
Even Reinhardt Euclid at the end counts as a case where I grew attached.
That makes two, yet….
‘Why three?’
As I pondered this mystery, another message appeared.
[Unlock Condition 3. Truly love the sword.]
—Satisfied. (6)
‘This one makes sense.’
I cherished every sword.
Even the [Blood Demon Sword] I created during my teenage years while screaming “Die, all of you!!!”
The fact that it recognized this felt oddly gratifying.
A sense of being acknowledged, perhaps?
Whoosh!
[You have acquired the qualifications of a Sword Master.]
[Receive recognition from all swords and be reborn as a True Sword Master.]
[Do you accept?]
[Yes/No]
A message that seemed to herald an upcoming DLC.
“Huh??”
Astonishment burst from my lips.
DLC for a twelve-year-old game?
That wasn’t what shocked me, though.
“Why is this….”
The final message hung before my eyes.
Floating in midair, suspended in empty space.
Wasn’t this the same phenomenon as the [Status Window] that real Awakeners experienced?
Proof of overcoming a peculiar and extraordinary experience.
‘Have I become an Awakener?’
The feeling was surreal.
An Awakener is a being from beyond the heavens.
Among them, a rare few have transcended law itself and reached the pinnacle of creating law—true superhumans.
Of course, there are fatal drawbacks.
High mortality rates, having to work alongside lunatics.
When you consider the risks, you don’t need to awaken at all.
But….
‘Who cares?’
I’m not that rational of a person.
I’ve lived as a civil servant supporting Awakeners under the guise of indirectly avenging my parents—do I really need to explain?
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
My heart was honest.
To be frank….
Revenge is one thing, but after twelve years, a far greater emotion has taken precedence over vengeance.
‘Can I actually use the sword I’ve cultivated?’
I’d devoted twelve years to [Sword Cultivation].
The awakening message appeared upon witnessing its culmination.
My affection is genuine.
Because of that―.
“I can see the sword I’ve cultivated in physical form and hold it with my own hands? And use it to obliterate Gates?”
There’s no reason not to do this.
I immediately pressed [Yes].
* * *
“Twenty-seven years old, Shin Si-woo. So… it seems you awakened while playing a game called Sword Cultivation?”
My senior from the same cohort and fairly close.
Manager Kang Seol-ah tilted her head and looked at me.
Her gaze was that of someone looking at a madman.
“Yesterday when I asked you for a drink, you stood me up… and now you’re saying you suddenly became an Awakener after playing some strange game?”
For reference, I’m sitting at the reception desk of the Awakener Management Bureau.
I’ve always been in the position of counselor, but today I’m in the seat of the counseled.
Manager Kang Seol-ah across from me simply continued to stare at me with an expression of disbelief.
“This isn’t the kind of joke you’d make….”
“It’s not that it seems like I awakened. I have awakened.”
Honestly, I don’t believe it myself.
Yet I’ve truly become an Awakener.
“You’ll take the test, right?”
“Of course.”
Awakeners take tests.
Most Awakeners cannot use their powers outside of Gates or towers.
But since this equipment is quite expensive, false awakening reports incur a fine of ten million won.
“Let’s start with the test first.”
Her eyes still held a glimmer of suspicion.
Kang Seol-ah led me into a massive chamber adjacent to the reception area.
Whirrrr―.
An enormous Cube surrounded by a blue curtain of light.
The walls were entirely translucent, allowing me to see inside.
It was an “Awakener Test” apparatus our government had created using the mysteries obtained from Gates.
Commonly called the Cube.
“Enter the Cube and open your status window first.”
Whoosh―.
I passed through the blue luminous curtain without hesitation.
The Cube was essentially an artificially constructed space designed like a Gate.
‘Normally, awakened abilities cannot be used outside of Gates, after all.’
Here, my powers manifested.
The status window opened properly as well.
“What form does your status window take?”
Some appeared as scrolls or parchment.
In certain cases, there were no displayed entries at all.
In my case―.
Flash!
『Sword Master, Shin Si-woo Lv.1』
—Sword Summoning (Authority): Status― Fledgling Blade / Name― Undetermined (Lv.1)]
—Ego Sword Summoning (Authority):
1st Sword, Reinhardt Euclid. [0/100]
2nd Sword, Yulia Lanestia. [0/100]
3rd Sword, Jun. [0/100]
4th Sword, Muratan. [0/100]
5th Sword, Iris Ruzbella. [0/100]
6th Sword, Bellatrice. [0/100]
“A standard status window.”
“Oh, fortunately it’s quite intuitive.”
I had been fortunate.
I had drawn the most intuitive and visually appealing format.
‘Though it’s somewhat simplified… it feels exactly like cultivating swords.’
A bizarre experience.
Thus, some call awakening itself a strange phenomenon.
The forms vary so greatly from person to person.
‘Of course, there are standards.’
From F to SSS rank.
The current classification system for all Awakeners.
Combat-oriented Awakeners are classified as Hunters, while those with other unique abilities fall into the Support category.
‘My ability is probably―.’
My job is [Sword Master].
I know it well, having devoted myself to [Sword Cultivation].
1. I cultivate swords like in [Sword Cultivation].
2. I use the swords I cultivated in [Sword Cultivation] and their power.
Whether it’s 1 or 2, the specific growth conditions will likely involve hunting monsters in Gates or Towers to build strength.
As if thinking the same thing, Kang Seol-ah asked a question.
“What about your ability?”
I possess the two abilities mentioned above.
‘Summoning a sword is one I’m cultivating, and summoning an Ego Sword is one I cultivated before.’
However, I won’t answer everything in this question.
‘If.’
Just if.
If by any chance ‘the swords I cultivated’ are summoned as they are―.
‘I might become the strongest hunter in the world.’
That’s something that must not be revealed carelessly.
It’s dangerous.
The swords I cultivated and the NPCs who wielded them annihilated every dungeon and Gate in that world.
That’s not all.
‘There are even cases where they completely destroyed the world or, conversely, saved it entirely.’
[Sword Cultivation] is a game where I can observe from an omniscient perspective, seeing every detail of the swords and the NPCs wielding them.
The setting there is a horrific realm beyond imagination compared to the current Earth.
My swords are those that have witnessed the end of such a world in any form.
“We’ll know better once we try. Si-woo, want to draw a sword?”
Now it’s time to manifest my ability.
If I summoned an Ego Sword from the start, there’s no telling what disaster would unfold.
So I called upon my small, precious [Baby Sword] in my heart.
‘This is my personal sword―.’
A pure sword of my own, untouched by any NPC’s hands.
Boom————.
The air trembled at my call.
And the void itself was crushed entirely.
Crackle―.
The air tears open.
Through the gap, the glimmering hilt of a sword slowly revealed itself.
I grasped it.
Whoosh!
[The Sword Master has summoned the Final Sword.]
[The enlightenment dwelling in six Ego Swords transfers to ‘Sword Master―Shin Si-woo’.]
[Sword Intent has been awakened.]
[You have reached the pinnacle of Demon Severance.]
[You have reached the state of Sword and Body as One.]
Along with a profound enlightenment, my consciousness sank into the depths of the [Aga Sword].

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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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