Episode 51: Short Leisure (2)
After stopping by the blacksmith shop, I returned to the dormitory. I rested my head on my arms and buried my back in the bedsheets. I stared blankly at the familiar ceiling and muttered.
“…Why the devil stone?”
When I first received Murasame, I had high expectations for its growth potential.
New features added to match.
It was an incredible perk that allowed you to equip as many as three special abilities. It was so good that I was secretly delighted when I first saw it.
“under.”
A deep sigh escaped me. It was clearly a satisfactory result, but I became deeply thoughtful at the word ‘magic stone’.
In the game, the description is full of empty words, but it is a mineral with little practicality.
They say that even dog poop can be used as medicine, and the words of our ancestors were never wrong.
Why on earth is the magic stone the catalyst for granting special abilities? As that question crossed my mind, the last sentence of Murasame’s description suddenly came to mind.
“Even if the size is small, the performance may vary depending on the user?”
“… … .”
Could it be because my name has the word “demon” in it? It may sound like nonsense, but why do I have this feeling that the possibility is leaning in that direction?
Let it be. In the first place, isn’t it strange that Gaho, who is a ‘sword god’ and whose name is ‘Sword Demon’, is starting a pun? I let out a sigh of indifference.
Magic stone, an ore that contains magical power.
It was a material dropped when defeating boss monsters in certain dungeons.
The problem is that the boss mobs that spit out magic stones are, in fact, no different from mines, and although they are demons, they are at least Class A in terms of danger level.
For example, the Gigant that drops the ‘Gigant Magic Stone’, which is the key to the stone gate of the dungeon, is a demonic beast with the nickname of ‘giant beast’.
For some reason, it seems like he was defeated by someone and had his magic stone stolen, but Gigant is clearly a high-level demon.
There was a description that the golem demon, Gigant, with its ridiculously large size and strong body, would shake the entire area just by rolling its feet.
However, even if it was to the extent of Gigant, it was cute. After that guy, the demons that vomited out magic stones were in fact demons in name only, and their very existence was a natural disaster.
The unclean snake ‘Basilisk’, the vicious beast ‘Manticore’, the Lich King ‘Draug’, etc.
Before they started to confront the Demons in earnest, they were called the ‘Wailing Wall’ by users who insisted on not spending any money.
Even I, a low-spending user at the time of playing, was astonished by the difficulty level.
Although they are nominally meant to be devices for the protagonist Leon to achieve great things, they are probably just tricks created by that crazy game company to suck money out of users.
Of course, I didn’t pay any fees to help subdue the demons. I was just upset about the yellow stuff.
Since I have a personality that is somewhat of a savage, I would dissect their patterns and attack them by heading straight to the ground. I even disabled auto-hunting. Thinking back now, I wonder why I tried so hard.
Anyway, is it worth risking such risks to give special abilities to weapons?
Moreover, it would be Leon’s job to subdue that guy.
I stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought. Then I quickly sat up and leaned against the windowsill.
‘…it’s well worth it.’
You can grant as many as three special abilities, which can only be granted to weapons of Class A or higher.
Although it is risky to activate them randomly, in my experience playing them, the difference between having special abilities and not was as absurd as any other mass-produced game.
In the first place, the majority of the reasons users pay for items are to strengthen their weapons and get special abilities.
The special ability of the weapon further enhances the user’s military power.
In other words, it was brave that the soldiers without any special abilities had managed to overcome crises so far.
I turned my head towards the window. The full moon was rising roundly.
As I watched, my worries eased and my thoughts deepened.
These days, I am longing for strength. I have put aside the lax thoughts of peace, safety, and security, but my fundamental goal is the same as before. To survive.
Unexpected variables that didn’t exist at the time of the player are rampant, and dangerous factors targeting me are lurking everywhere.
As if the world was rejecting me, I was caught up in an unintended incident, and the affairs I knew were distorted.
I had a feeling that life at the academy would not be easy, but as many things piled up, my personality became more cynical.
Besides, it had already been a month since I entered the academy. The Second World War, scheduled for three years later, would also gradually reveal its true nature.
To defend against it, it was not a choice but a necessity to increase one’s personal power and give special abilities to weapons.
Because, frankly, I can’t even guarantee the outcome of the Great War that will break out in three years. The reason is…
Our main character, Leon van Reinhardt, is strangely untrustworthy.
Even though the Mermaid was a mine, it was quite shocking that the next warrior was knocked out with one normal attack.
Well, after that, there wasn’t much difference from what I knew about Leon, but honestly, it wasn’t very appealing.
Still, the results were clear, and it was not uncommon to hear stories of the parties he formed conquering high-level dungeons.
If things continue this way, you will soon obtain the hilt of the sword ‘Balmun’, a key weapon that runs through the narrative and a sword with light and dark attributes that resonates on the island of ‘Avalon’ where the ‘Uninhabited Island Survival Training’ will take place.
‘You envious little bastard.’
It’s a hypothesis, but maybe my existence is like a warding off evil spirits for the main character Leon? I’m the one who takes the blame for the threats that should have been directed at him. Thinking about it like that doesn’t make me feel good.
Feeling uneasy, I grabbed Murasame and untied the rope halfway. The clear sound of the sword snapping was heard quietly.
A blade soaked in moonlight. A face reflected there.
Black hair that was dyed black, with only the ends of the hair hanging down in a grayish hue, and the pupils painted black.
His appearance, which seems quite bleak, is the complete opposite of Leon, who shines like the sun. Like a shadow following the light.
It is possible that whatever threw me into this world had such unpleasant intentions, but―
After staring at Murasame for a while, he quickly gripped the handle of his sword. He gripped it so tightly that his blood drained from his body.
I looked up at the night sky and thought.
―I, who live in this world, am a strong sword. I have no reason or desire to follow the path of perfect goodness that befits the protagonist.
If it’s to survive.
I will swing my sword without hesitation.
“…if you cut it, it will be cut, whatever it is.”
Suddenly I hummed. A vague feeling lingered, as if I had heard a phrase somewhere before.
At the same time, the stars that had been dimly obscured by the bright moonlight began to appear one by one, filling the pitch-black sky. I remembered something a professor had said in passing during a lecture.
They say that the stars of this world are the souls of the saints who have gone before.
It is said that even after death, they will burn your soul to protect the human world.
At that moment, a star stretched out its long tail, forming an arc.
meteor.
I felt an inexplicable sense of relief and comfort from that falling star that seemed to respond to me.
* * *
A week passed quickly and the day of the written exam arrived.
I woke up earlier than usual and washed my body with cold water.
It’s early summer now, and I tried it as a test day ritual, but the cold water that washed over my entire body chilled my bones.
Still, the drowsiness that had been hanging around my eyes disappeared in an instant, so I achieved my goal.
Standing in front of the mirror, I wiped the moisture from every nook and cranny of my body with a towel. The result of my exercise routine combined with my regular training was a six-pack and a body without an ounce of fat.
Above all, the heavy thing under the dantian. It seems that if you are thin and tall, other things will be big too.
“Hey kid, you’re a bit of a hitter.”
After a hearty laugh, I finish by shaking my head and looking at myself in the mirror.
Unlike other children of her age, she has lost a lot of baby fat. However, she still has fluffy hair on her face, making her a clear teenager.
Although he doesn’t have a chiseled face like Leon, he’s pretty decent. His skin is fair and his chin is very sharp.
But compared to my previous life where I had a manly appearance, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of alienation because I looked like a parasite.
“I feel like a man.”
Originally it was a strong sword.
It feels really strange to completely recognize myself as myself now. I think it was called ‘possession’ in the webtoons and stuff I occasionally read.
Suddenly, I got curious, so after finishing my body scrub in the bathroom, I looked up the meaning of the word “bing-ui” on my phone.
== ==
Possession
[noun]
1. A phenomenon in which another person’s soul, demon, spirit, god, etc. enters and resides in a person’s body.
== ==
“hmm.”
It is not much different from the meaning we know from common sense.
Actually, it was funny for me to examine these things one by one. There were already too many things to tackle just by entering the game world.
“It’s not that important now.”
I tossed my phone onto the bedsheets and buttoned up my shirt.
I put on my school uniform, chewed on the sandwich I had made before going to bed, and flipped through my notebook, revising the notes I had taken.
‘The age of the manifestation of the guardian deity is… 694 years ago, in the aftermath of the heroic revolution that began in France… … .’
The academic style of Joaquin Academy is basically practical. As someone who had achieved satisfactory results in the midterm exams, there was no reason for me to be so serious.
Still, the reason why I became so serious about the written test, which also had a low reflection rate, is because
This is because the rankings are posted on a poster in the hallway of the faculty building so that all students can see them.
They say it’s meant to make people more aware of their grades, but I think it’s too cruel to these young kids who are growing so quickly. Including me.
Honestly, even if it weren’t for that, I was planning on just taking a quick look around, but two of the club members happened to be the top and second place winners of the written test.
It doesn’t really matter, but I didn’t want to be sexually ignored by my team members after becoming the team leader.
And the purpose of the club’s creation is to be a dungeon conquering academic society, but if my grades as the club president are low, would there be any students who want to join?
widely.
After closing my notebook and chewing the sandwich, I picked up my school bag and carried it. My shoulders were tense with a strange sense of tension. This is how a test taker feels.
On Earth, my family fell apart in an instant and I had to drop out of high school, but my grades in middle school were not bad.
Although I don’t know much about studying, I’ve always been good at thinking outside the box, so if I just pick something that looks like the right answer, I’ll usually get it right.
‘I don’t know number 3.’
I muttered a firm resolution to myself. I was just about to finish preparing.
Rollin~♬
A cell phone that buzzes and vibrates to indicate receipt of an incoming call. I was planning to leave it behind today since I had to submit it during the test anyway.
“Who is it this morning?”
I tilted my head and held the phone in my hand.
[Saki Ryozo: Today is the written test. Did you eat breakfast?]
Ryojo, who suddenly sent me a text message like a mother. She sometimes sent me useless text messages. Usually, they were links to academic journals about yokan, which had no nutritional value.
[Me: Yeah, I ate a sandwich.]
The number 1 after the letter disappears in less than 0.5 seconds.
[Saki Ryozo: You have to eat enough sugar before the test. Otherwise, your brain won’t function properly. That’s why I eat yokan every day… and so on.]
Ryozo is grasping at straws by even attaching links to academic papers.
“It’s happening again this morning.”
I was trying to read it coolly when a thought suddenly crossed my mind and I tapped the keypad.
[Me: In our country, there is a sweet that is traditionally eaten before taking an exam.]
[Saki Ryozo: Really? What kind of thing???]
I could clearly see Saki drooling over the phone. I smiled faintly and tapped the screen again.
[Me: Eat shit.]
The number 1 disappeared, but there was a brief silence.
Rollin~♬
And then the ringtone rings.
[Saki Ryozo: … Are you teasing me?]
“It’s more fun than I thought.”
I let out a short laugh, threw my phone back on the bed, and turned away.
Rollin~♬, rollin~♬, rollin~♬
I closed the door, leaving behind the constant ringing of my cell phone.
