The Swords I Raised Are Too Strong - Chapter 74

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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 74. Enriching the Nation and Strengthening the Military (1)
—Is Korean Peninsula unification actually happening?
Korea’s WorldNet was absolutely ablaze with excitement.
An endless flood of dopamine.
Ever since the Transcendent Shin Si-woo appeared, something kept exploding one after another.
After the Patriot’s infinite execution parade, had there ever been dopamine like this?
—Even the Patriot couldn’t take down North Korea.
—Shin Si-woo is rank 1.
South Korea had maintained a Patriot rank-1 system until now.
That Patriot’s South Korea.
Was beginning to shift around a single person.
Of course, given the Achievements accumulated so far, not everyone agreed with this….
—Rooting out corrupt politicians, executing vicious criminals rotting in prison, eradicating drunk driving, energy revolution making South Korea the only nation living identically to before the Gate crisis, so how is the Patriot rank 2?
Enormous Achievements poured out in succession.
Since the duration of living as a Transcendent differs, it would be difficult to match the Patriot’s Achievements.
Yet the citizens supporting Shin Si-woo overflowed with confidence.
—So can the Patriot eradicate the Chinese and achieve unification?
Transcendent.
Wasn’t this an era where power was everything?
Once the conversation shifted to matters of military might, words naturally dried up.
But did Shin Si-woo lack Achievements beyond military power?
If the Patriot had set the nation’s discipline straight, Shin Si-woo had dragged global catastrophes into the light.
—Without Shin Si-woo, wouldn’t the insane Awakeners have fallen and killed all the citizens?
—The government announced 203 Demon Worshippers captured or killed on-site last time, which I think is an Achievement comparable to rooting out corruption.
Demon Worshippers.
A secretive global organization revealed through Shin Si-woo’s announcement.
With the cooperation of the defected ‘Holy Knight Kim Chang-seok,’ South Korea completely eliminated the Demon Worshippers operating covertly within the nation.
After Special Task Force Hyunmu’s covert operation, the results were disclosed to the public according to the [Patriot Information Disclosure Act].
—Considering Jeonju’s 170,000 Awakeners, rank 1 is correct.
—Lol South Korea’s Awakeners are increasing by tens of thousands!
Shin Si-woo’s Achievements were overwhelmingly dominant even on a global scale.
The survival of 170,000 citizens caught in Gate erosion, and the overwhelmingly increased Hunter power resulting from it.
And following that….
—But if you go into that coffin, do you really become an Awakener?
—Why is it a coffin of all things lol
—The Jeonju survivors really did survive in that coffin.
—My cousin is a Jeonju survivor and I know they all had no memories, just slept in the coffin and woke up awakened!
Testimonies poured in from those who knew the 170,000 survivors or from the survivors themselves.
That survival method was actually a method to increase the number of Awakeners.
—So you enter the coffin and endure the Gate and become an Awakener?
Shin Si-woo declared that he would artificially increase the number of Awakeners.
What did Gates mean to ordinary people?
Monsters, aberrations, natural disasters—a terrible calamity from Another World.
A calamity that ordinary people could not resist, one that only Awakeners could oppose.
—China turned North Korea into a paradise of contaminated beasts and increased Awakeners through human experimentation, so coffins are nothing compared to that.
Anti-Japanese, anti-Chinese, anti-American.
The Patriot’s South Korea naturally developed such sentiments.
Still, thanks to devout Christians and Catholics, anti-American sentiment was somewhat weaker.
As for Japan, the 24th apology and astronomical reparations created an atmosphere of sympathy among the people.
Therefore, the dominant emotion in South Korea was—’anti-China’.
—Those Chinese bastards built massive organ transplant hospitals in Beijing even before Gates appeared, so it makes sense.
The horrors within North Korea.
The Republic of Korea Government partially released information it had been subtly controlling.
The fact that contaminated beasts possessed ‘contagiousness’ and that such contaminated beasts were ‘failed human experiments’—roughly that much.
They didn’t disclose anything about Evil Gods or demons at all.
Yet it was enough to enrage the people.
—Considering the population hasn’t increased even after unifying North Korea….
—Looks like tens of millions all died lol
Looking at the national status on [WorldNet], the horror felt even more vivid.
[Map of South Korea]
The map had expanded.
A complete tiger, whole and intact.
The territory had certainly been unified into one.
Yet somehow, the population hadn’t increased by a single person.
—Looks like all the North Korean residents died.
—China killed them all. Terrible bastards.
—Death to China. The Patriot’s will is always right!
—Shin Si-woo’s will should head in that direction too.
Beyond North Korea, filled with contamination.
Had the people witnessed China’s pristine and beautiful nature, they would have been even more enraged.
—China’s churning out Awakeners like a factory, and we’re just supposed to sit back? We need to go too.
—The current President is even stepping down for this, so it shouldn’t be too dangerous.
—I’m applying to become an Awakener.
—Me too.
The Patriot’s South Korea.
Our people are excellent citizens of South Korea, educated in patriotic ideology.
—Ep. 25 Enriching the nation and strengthening the military.
To ordinary people, Gates were nothing but terrible calamities.
Even I, Shin Si-woo, lost my parents to a Gate incident in childhood, yet I never once considered entering a Gate.
Instead, I decided to become a civil servant at the Awakener Management Agency.
The reason is quite simple, really.
“A calamity beyond our capacity to handle—the Gates themselves….”
A ferocious beast, humans can manage through various means.
Gunfire, capture nets, whatever it takes.
But Gates are different.
A calamity that transcends the very limits of human existence—even cold steel proves largely ineffective against them.
To annihilate a Gate itself, we must harness the supernatural abilities possessed by Awakeners.
“Yet why….”
President Lee Seok-hyun muttered before me, his expression suggesting he might faint from shock at any moment.
With perfect timing, an employee who had been reviewing the [Volunteer Status] approached and shouted.
“Natural Awakener volunteers have surpassed 150,000!!!”
That’s right.
Our [Natural Awakener Development Project] is proceeding very smoothly.
Despite having started mere hours ago, volunteers are flooding in so rapidly that we now face the concern of having to ‘select’ among them.
“What on earth is the secret?”
The President asks.
“The government may not fully understand, but—.”
I possessed absolute certainty.
Despite the terrifying condition that one must enter a [Gate] while in a [Tube].
I was certain that our South Korean citizens would volunteer for this.
“—We must never underestimate the patriotism of our South Korean people.”
Our citizens have undergone unprecedented transformation since the Gate crisis.
The nation nearly collapsed, military coups occurred, and countless pseudo-religions ran rampant, turning the country into a living hell.
Every nation across the globe experienced something similar.
But our South Korea witnessed a single superhuman appear and ‘normalize’ all these problems.
“Though his methods were somewhat extreme, we all grew up watching the Patriot work tirelessly with nothing but patriotism in his heart.”
The government simply doesn’t realize it because they’re in a position of being swayed by the Patriot.
To the Korean people, the Patriot holds a status equivalent to Jesus in America.
That’s why I still address him with respect and treat him accordingly.
‘Now that I’ve transcended, I understand it even better.’
Six days a week, twenty-four hours of full duty.
Even on his days off, the Constellations work in his stead.
Watching the Patriot’s routine, even I find myself astounded.
He is extreme, yet never evil.
He possesses such tremendous Awakening ability that even his ignorance is elevated into an advantage.
“How could people raised watching such a Patriot refuse the opportunity to safely become natural Awakeners without losing their minds?”
If I had been a non-Awakener.
I might have volunteered to become an Awakener in this opportunity as well.
“I see… I understand.”
President Lee Seok-hyun wiped the corners of his eyes and nodded slowly.
It seems the President, having worked seven days a week for years now, has much weighing on his mind.
“This is also thanks to the government’s efforts.”
I understand our government’s dedication well.
Talented personnel selected to meet the “integrity” standards that the Patriot demands.
The clean nation they’ve built through relentless seven-day work weeks—that is the Republic of Korea today.
Unlike Jesus with his “miracles,” this was why the country continued to function smoothly.
“In truth, no one would fault you for retiring.”
Among them all, President Lee Seok-hyun has worked the hardest.
He rebuilt a government that had collapsed when key officials were executed, then recruited capable talent to serve the nation.
Perhaps that’s why?
“My desire to awaken and serve the nation comes from the heart.”
He was a true workaholic.
As if he’d perish without work, he spoke with blazing eyes.
“Doesn’t awakening make one tireless and healthy?”
Thanks to the effect of [The Exalted Celestial Cradle], his once-sparse hair had grown quite thick.
Still, given his age, his body bore the strain of years of seven-day work weeks.
“If I may, I’ll do my utmost to help you reach even Transcendence.”
With such passion, he’d be an ideal subject to test the clues about [Awakening] and [Transcendence] that Muratan is researching.
* * *
“Si-woo, what would you have done if there were no volunteers?”
President Lee Seok-hyun had publicly announced his resignation.
However, until the Patriot’s approval, he had to maintain the presidency, so he returned to his duties.
In his place, accompanying me was Seol-ah, my older sister.
Director Kang Mu-jin couldn’t be here as he was preparing to run for the next presidency.
He said there was much to prepare?
“Sister, Director Kang asked me that too…”
Director Kang Mu-jin always keeps a Plan B in mind.
It seems Sister is curious about the “what if there were no volunteers” scenario for similar reasons.
“Dad did? Well, Dad would naturally be curious about that.”
Father and daughter resembled each other quite a bit.
Everything was similar except for their appearance.
I chuckled and recited the Plan B I’d prepared.
A brilliant scheme to make it overflow even without volunteers.
“I was planning to transform Pyongyang into a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Pyongyang, which I would [Transform].
That place would become a location different from Earth’s environment yet hospitable to ordinary people.
In the [Sword Raising] world, mana dwells everywhere, and this mana is nature’s blessing that makes human physical capabilities far superior.
“Mana? That thing mages and knights use?”
It’s a power that Awakeners use too.
However, unlike the power Awakeners accumulate through trials, mana would simply overflow in Pyongyang.
Since the World Tree had already begun to grow, its expansion would undoubtedly be faster than any Gate’s erosion.
“In simple terms, it means non-Awakeners could become as strong as Awakeners.”
“Oh….”
Seol-ah’s eyes sparkled with interest.
As someone who had been postponing her Awakening, she seemed drawn to the prospect of growing stronger without actually Awakening.
‘What on earth is it?’
Ever since I obtained the Eye, a strange sense of déjà vu had begun to wash over me whenever I looked at my sister.
But I wouldn’t ask her about it.
I couldn’t afford to.
‘The third card.’
The Tarot Cards I received from Im Ji-ah, the Saint of Destiny, numbered three in total.
One pertained to North Korea, another to the Patriot, and the last held implications about my sister Seol-ah.
[My swords surrounding Seol-ah.]
In the card, my sister was making a “shush!” gesture toward me, and Im Ji-ah’s interpretation was simply: “Ask nothing and merely observe.”
Trusting the Saint’s accuracy, I kept my mouth firmly shut.
“We’ve arrived!”
While I wanted nothing more than to find Im Ji-ah immediately and reclaim the mystery I’d invested in her, her participation in the Grand Arcana meant her physical body hadn’t yet returned to Earth.
So instead, I headed to the Prison with Seol-ah to interrogate Ling Ling, the Chinese captive.
“Doesn’t this bother you at all, sister?”
“Me? I’ve always had nerves of steel.”
It was the demeanor befitting the “Sharp Tongue”—someone who had handled extreme natural Awakeners even before I became one.
“…Ugh, ugh, kill me!!!”
“May the Evil God bless us, granting us eternal immortality—.”
In our Republic of Korea, few prisoners warranted imprisonment in a Prison constructed through mystery.
Heinous criminals were simply executed, and petty thieves motivated by survival received labor reform sentences and employment under the Patriot’s Poverty Relief Act.
In other words, every inmate currently in this Prison was a Demon Worshipper.
“Interrogating Demon Worshippers is pointless anyway….”
There’s nothing more to extract from them.
Everyone here is merely a foot soldier.
There’s only one person we need to see.
“Does Korea treat prisoners this way? As a citizen of an advanced nation, I lodge a formal protest against these deplorable conditions.”
Ling Ling, a former Chinese Military general.
Once a Transcendent bearing the rank of a star, she now sat caged behind iron bars, completely drained of power by my swords.
“Ling Ling is innocent. Now that her connection to the Party has severed, she is a perfectly ordinary civilian. Ling Ling must be transferred to a regular detention facility immediately!”
An existence whose Translation ability still functioned despite the loss of her Awakening powers.
She remained stripped of all her equipment, confined in a heavy restraint suit.
Seol-ah tilted her head as she observed the imprisoned captive Ling Ling.
“That one’s really strange.”
My dedicated caretaker and future high-ranking official, Seol-ah, had been assigned to handle the Chinese captive.
And what we discovered through her interrogation was….
“She’s a regular human with no special abilities, but a few powers remained intact.”
[Translation] [Communication with The Party] [Code of Conduct]
And so on.
“There’s more, but this is all the government’s technology can uncover.”
I had a reason for coming here.
Passing by my sister, I approached the iron bars.
“Ling Ling is a general of 1.2 billion Chinese. Treat Ling Ling as a prisoner of war. Only then will The Party refrain from declaring vengeance. Release this restraint suit immediately!”
There were certain words she repeated mechanically.
1.2 billion Chinese.
Unity with The Party.
“We condemn Korea for restricting human rights. Where has our servant nation, Little China, gone?”
And anti-Korean remarks that appeared frequently.
Synthesizing all of this, I formed a single hypothesis.
‘Perhaps….’
China might be ‘creating’ humans.
Her alien-like presence made that suspicion feel increasingly like certainty.
A sense of balance too perfect for a human, and mechanical utterances that seemed manufactured.
“What do you think?”
I asked Muratan, the one most versed in the nature of humans as iron.
⦗I cannot tell. I would need to disassemble her to know. Humans from Earth are truly fascinating iron.⦘
Even he could not discern it with his eyes alone.
There was no choice then.
‘It is somewhat unsettling, but….’
I summoned my sword.
“Muratan.”
Boom———.
The world sinks.
Everything freezes as if suspended.
Yet within that stillness, only I move with clarity.
In that state, I aimed my blunt greatsword at Ling Ling.
She should not have reacted to the actions of a transcendent being so far removed, yet as if something had been injected into her, an instinctive response appeared.
——Self-destruction.
My transcendent [Eye] read the thought that arose in Ling Ling’s mind.
But in that vast temporal gap, she could not move, and my sword struck her.
From the prison floor surrounded by [Mystery], a colossal anvil rises.
⦗Sword Master, I have brought my anvil!⦘
An absolute anvil forged by striking an outer god.
It is Muratan’s new tool that appeared in the world of swords this time.
Ling Ling, now standing atop the anvil.
I struck her down with Muratan.
Clang———.
Sparks scatter upward from the human placed upon the anvil.
This is the effect of Muratan’s power, [World Alteration].
With that single strike of the hammer.
I could thoroughly dismantle and examine the being known as Ling Ling.
The results….
[■■■■ Product of a Contract.]
[Medicine of the Phantasmal Pharmacist.]
[Fabricated Mystery 20g.]
︙
All the components that comprised her were laid bare before me.
Two things caught my attention here.
‘A contract with a high-ranking demon.’
A clue regarding the ruling species that dominates China.
That contract is suspected to be the secret behind China’s explosive population growth.
And….
‘One of the names Jesus warned me about.’
Invasive Admiral Jack Wilson.
Phantasmal Pharmacist Janet Smith.
Plundering Pioneer Columbus.
Transcendents of the Great Britain Empire, estimated to have fallen into complete corruption.
Their true forms must be something abominable, harboring evil and demonic essence.
The weight of that meaning truly bears down upon me.
‘Did the Phantasmal Pharmacist create the Chinese people?’
The power of the Great Britain Empire was discovered within Ling Ling, a Chinese woman.

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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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