novelraw Chapter 300 : Honing the Blade (1)
Chapter 300 : Honing the Blade (1)
"What do you think?"
Su-hyeon, receiving the sword from Lim Eun-seo, examined the hilt, scabbard, and weight before nodding.
"It feels good."
"Hehe, draw it quickly."
Shing.
A sword that emitted an ominously sharp and cool light revealed itself.
A sword made from Great Overlord Andromalius's horn.
It was a sword that had never before existed in the mortal world.
"I barely managed to melt it using Captain Seol Ji-yun's maximum fire. Even then, ordinary hammering couldn't shape it, so I borrowed the strength of the 5th Unit Captain who has some expertise in strength. And I also asked A-yun to supply the electricity needed for the forge."
Lim Eun-seo grumbled about how much effort it had taken.
"But once it was made, all that effort was worth it."
"Definitely."
Su-hyeon agreed.
The energy contained in the sword, the aura it emanated.
It was absolutely not of this mortal world.
"Well, 90% is due to the material."
Lim Eun-seo smiled contentedly despite her modesty.
"This is the masterpiece of my lifetime."
"You're still young, so you'll probably make even better swords someday."
"No."
Lim Eun-seo shook her head.
"A true master sword is half made when it comes from the craftsman's hands. The other half is determined by what great achievements it accomplishes."
"Hmm."
"And there won't be a sword in this world that can achieve greater things than one used by Special Operations Captain Jeong Su-hyeon to bring down the king of demons, right?"
"......"
Understanding the trust and encouragement contained in those words, Su-hyeon smiled faintly.
"Thank you."
"Hehe, who else but this noona?"
"I suppose so."
"What's with that 'I suppose so'?"
Lim Eun-seo poked Su-hyeon's side.
"So, have you decided on a name?"
"...Would something like Moonless Sword 2 work?"
"Are you crazy?"
"Ahem."
Su-hyeon cleared his throat and said.
"Actually, I have thought of one name."
"That's more like it. What is it?"
"Sain Sword."
Su-hyeon said, looking at his sword.
"As you know, it's a ceremonial sword from the Joseon Dynasty meant to cut down evil spirits and repel disasters. Though the form and manufacturing method are different, I wanted to inherit that meaning."
"Hmmhmm."
Satisfied with the name, the corners of Lim Eun-seo's mouth turned up.
"Good. You've developed a sense for these things?"
"Have I?"
"Well then, would you like to test it?"
Lim Eun-seo handed Su-hyeon a piece of Andromalius's horn that remained after processing.
"Step back."
As Lim Eun-seo stepped back with a sha-sha-shak sound, Su-hyeon flung the horn into the sky.
Woong.
The Sain Sword, infused with Su-hyeon's mana, trembled and emitted a reddish sword energy.
"!"
Transcendent Jeong Su-hyeon, who had reached the level of creating an invisible sword with his mind.
When such a person imbued sword energy into an excellent sword capable of handling his power, the caliber of user and weapon harmonized, creating a sword energy more powerful and sharp than ever before.
Slash!
And so, the sword wielded by Su-hyeon cleanly cut through the horn that was once part of himself, as if slicing through rotten radish.
"Wow."
Lim Eun-seo, watching this, clapped her hands.
"That's amazing."
"Indeed, appropriate equipment always helps."
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Su-hyeon, with the Sain Sword fastened at his waist that he had received from Lim Eun-seo, had a three-way meeting with Chairman Hwang Yong-jae and Sword God Lee Un-hak.
"It's been a while since we've met like this."
Hwang Yong-jae said, putting down his coffee cup.
"How do you like the coffee?"
"...It's surprisingly good."
Su-hyeon marveled at the aroma and depth created by the high-quality beans.
"It feels like smart farm technology has advanced this far."
Hwang Yong-jae smiled with satisfaction.
"Of course, I hope we'll be able to build large-scale farms later."
"It feels like a luxury in these times, but sometimes such small luxuries provide great comfort."
"You really are easy to talk to."
Hwang Yong-jae nodded and took out a card key from his pocket.
"By the way, I called you today to give you this."
"...!"
Sword God Lee Un-hak, who hadn't expected a gift would be prepared, opened his eyes wide.
'Hmph.'
Hwang Yong-jae, showing a relaxed smile, placed the card key in Su-hyeon's hand.
"This is."
"I heard you lost the card key I gave you earlier in the explosion?"
"That's right."
"So I just made a new one. It's not something to take credit for as a gift."
Control over the Human Fortress's systems, and access to enter anywhere.
The authority given to this small card key was truly enormous.
"When I first gave this to you, it was purely out of my goodwill, but now it's also officially necessary."
Hwang Yong-jae said.
"Of course, I hold the majority stake in this fortress, but what if I die and something happens to Commander Gong I-an as well?"
"......"
"The next in line is essentially you. You've already become that much of a heavyweight."
"Even without me, government personnel would..."
"Are you serious?"
Hwang Yong-jae scoffed.
"How could they be of any help now? In terms of ability and character, most are incompetent trash. They should be grateful just to be kept alive in a world where all order has collapsed."
Hwang Yong-jae made no attempt to hide his contempt for them.
"Besides, they're now nothing more than figureheads, mere rubber stamps. All power has long since fallen into the hands of me and the Execution Force."
He had used his ability to read others' emotions and his unique political acumen to cut off their hands and feet and neutralize them.
"Chairman Hwang is right about that, Su-hyeon."
Lee Un-hak, who had been listening quietly, added.
"During the chaotic period, Chairman Hwang Yong-jae deserves great credit for weeding out, expelling, and disposing of those who tried to shake the Execution Force."
"It was nothing, thanks to the Sword God's help as well."
The two men gave face to each other.
"There were unavoidable aspects. Chief of Staff Heo Sung-gyeom is an excellent advisor when it comes to administration and military matters, but he's not the type skilled in scheming."
Chairman Hwang Yong-jae nodded, saying that was his specialty.
"I heard there were some who dropped out due to that internal strife."
Su-hyeon said.
"Yes. They all couldn't hold out long and died."
"Did you deliberately instigate and send them away?"
"Haha!"
Hwang Yong-jae laughed with satisfaction.
"I knew you would understand. That's exactly what governance is about."
"......"
'As expected of Hwang Yong-jae.'
Su-hyeon thought that both the older and younger brother were quite adept at such matters.
"In any case, to return to the main point, you have now become the person with control over this fortress after me and Commander Gong I-an."
Lee Un-hak also agreed with Hwang Yong-jae's explanation that this was appropriate considering the nature and capabilities of the Special Operations and the reputation of the name Jeong Su-hyeon.
"Moreover, someone like you could easily take control of and manage this fortress."
"You flatter me."
"Well, my eye for people is quite accurate."
But I failed to properly see that brother of mine, causing this disaster, Hwang Yong-jae self-reproached with a face devoid of humor.
"It's not something you should blame yourself too much for. Even if you had discovered his true identity, he would have found a way to open the Door to Nastrond."
"I appreciate your words, but this is undeniably my original sin."
Hwang Yong-jae let out a light sigh.
"...So at least I should properly evaluate my prospective son-in-law."
"Ahem!"
Sword God Lee Un-hak, who had been watching quietly, cleared his throat.
"Su-hyeon."
"Yes, elder."
"I heard from Yu-jin that the swordsmanship you showed in your fight with the demon called Crosell was incomprehensible."
"Is that so?"
"As you probably know, it won't be long before Yu-jin surpasses my level, she's already surpassed her uncle's level recently."
"That's impressive."
"Yes, it's amazing. But it's deserved. Thanks to surviving countless dire situations, her skills have brilliantly bloomed, overcoming the wall of time."
However, Lee Un-hak continued.
"It's not because the child's sword talent exceeds mine, who has fought demonic beasts and trained with the sword for decades. Rather, in terms of sword talent alone, I, with my characteristic of 'Unity of Sword and Person,' was better."
The sharp eyes of the old swordsman turned to Su-hyeon.
"It was because of you. Because of you as a friend and you as a goal, Yu-jin overcame all trials and surpassed her limits to become this strong."
"......"
"In the old days, there was an artificial intelligence program that conquered the Go world, which was considered the human domain."
"Yes. I've heard about that."
'He's talking about AlphaGo.'
Su-hyeon thought.
He himself had watched on TV the moment when AlphaGo changed the paradigm of Go.
But to people of this era, including Lee Un-hak, it was already a distant past story.
'Come to think of it, technically, I'm the oldest one here?'
Even though it was a world inside a game, setting-wise it was now the future.
"I've heard that story too."
Lee Un-hak nodded slightly at Chairman Hwang Yong-jae's words.
"After that program called AlphaGo emerged, the Go world was completely transformed. Everything was negated and re-established, with AI Go becoming the new bible."
"Yes, that's right."
"But after the Gate Era, most game records disappeared and old players died, causing the Go world to suffer a tremendous regression."
"That's unfortunate."
"Yes. But that's not the important part."
"?"
"Just as the Go world changed after AlphaGo was born, the world of swordsmanship will be completely different before and after the existence of Jeong Su-hyeon."
"Indeed."
Hwang Yong-jae smiled faintly, seeming to agree with those words.
"The swordsmanship world will now have a new standard: how much can one learn from, steal from, imitate, and emulate Jeong Su-hyeon's sword."
"......"
Coming from the mouth of 'Sword God' Lee Un-hak, who was recognized as the pinnacle of swordsmanship in name and reality.
It was tantamount to a declaration that Su-hyeon's martial arts were in an incomprehensible realm that far transcended those of the mortal world.
Knowing the significance of this, Su-hyeon expressed his gratitude by lightly bowing his head instead of being modest.
"But it's truly remarkable. Even I would like to request a sparring match if time permits."
"Yes, whenever you say so, I will make time."
"I'd like to, but I'm already old. Other Captains should take priority over me."
Lee Un-hak, who laughed lightly, suddenly narrowed his eyes sharply.
"By the way, Su-hyeon."
"Yes."
"I hear you recovered the Ice Sword after killing Crosell?"
"That's right."
"Ahem."
"Ahem."
The Sword God and Chairman Hwang Yong-jae cleared their throats simultaneously.
"?"
"Well... about that Ice Sword."
Scratch, scratch.
Hwang Yong-jae asked while scratching his chin.
"Are you going to use it?"
"I'm not sure."
Su-hyeon tilted his head as he answered.
"Although the sword's ability is certainly effective, it's an ability that won't work on transcendents anyway."
"Ohh."
"Besides, I've already received a good sword from Lim Eun-seo-sunbae. I don't think I'll need it."
"I see. That's right."
"But why do you ask?"
"Su-hyeon, that Willow Water Sword you gave to Yu-jin is quite damaged."
Lee Un-hak also spoke while twisting his white beard.
"Yes, I saw that."
"I've told her to replace it, but maybe because it's from you, she won't listen. But as her grandfather, I'm worried."
"Ahem. But isn't that a sword made of ice? Then surely it would be better for our Ji-su, who has the ice manipulation characteristic, to use it..."
"Ahem. The important thing is not the 'ice' but the 'sword.' Think about it. If Yu-jin, with her penetrating scene ability, were to wield an Ice Sword that can inflict incurable wounds, the effect would truly be..."
Looking at the two men speaking passionately.
'So that's what this is about.'
At last, Su-hyeon realized their true intentions.
They were bringing this up despite their reservations, wanting to look after their daughter and granddaughter.
...Or so Su-hyeon naively thought.
'Who Su-hyeon gives that sword to is an extremely important matter.'
'Somehow, we must get him to give the sword to our Ji-su...!'
The true hearts of the two old ginger roots, who wanted to somehow connect their daughter and granddaughter with Su-hyeon, were elsewhere.
"Is there something you want instead of that sword?"
"I'll get you anything!"
"......"
Su-hyeon, who became perplexed, rolled his eyes.
'Should I just run away?'
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"What did you talk about with my father?"
"You're sweating a lot. Did grandfather say something strange...?"
Su-hyeon wiped away his cold sweat and sighed at Hwang Ji-su and Lee Yu-jin's questions.
"You know Crosell's Ice Sword."
"Oh, that?"
"What about it?"
"They were intensely pressuring me about which one of you I should give it to..."
"Huh?"
Lee Yu-jin and Hwang Ji-su looked at each other and tilted their heads.
"I don't particularly need it though?"
Hwang Ji-su said, and.
"Me neither... I just want to use what Su-hyeon gave me."
Lee Yu-jin timidly added.
"......"