Chapter 18
Written by inkthief
Life Sword Lucen.
It was narrower than Arsando.
But it was longer.
It had the shape of a general longsword, but with a good sense of weight and balance.
The blade was double-edged so the sword could be used with one or both hands.
Callius settled Lucen in his hands and calmly closed his eyes.
I felt the wind.
The sound of the bushes rustling.
But soon the senses of touch and hearing were suppressed.
Only the sword. And me.
That was all there was left in the world.
The Elixir Field prickled.
The first layer of Six Peak Flowers slowly bloomed. The inherent divine power flowed through the whole body and strengthened it.
Then, soon after, it approached Lucen through his fingertips and wrapped around it.
The divine power gathered like a chain, entangled and twisted.
The densely gathered energy aggregated into one shape and formed on the blade surface.
Flash.
I opened my eyes and swung Lucien horizontally.
A simple slash.
Seuk.
However, that cut was far from simple.
Kugung! Kugugugung!
A tree that must have had been several centuries old was neatly cut down.
Its circumference was too wide to be embraced by three strong men with their arms wide open, but in front of Callius, it was cut off as easily as a bale of straw.
“Not bad.”
This time I managed to properly ferment the technique of Six Peak Flowers Bloom in Late Season – Silver Flower Wave Sword.
As Six Peak Flowers technique took root in the Elixir Field, my overall physical ability was also getting better.
It felt like my body was transforming to something new.
‘Of course, the divine power is insufficient.’
There was only one simple bud in my Elixir Field – indicating the first layer of Six Peak Flowers Bloom in Late Season.
The bud is usually responsible for storing divine power and filtering out impurities.
But when needed –
The bud unfolds and blooms, exuding a stronger form of divine power.
Unfolding into the Silver Flower Wave Sword.
‘It’s still not enough. It’s not even unfolding properly.’
The quality, as well as the quantity, is lacking.
Obviously, the total amount of divine power has increased by about a thousand compared to the original, but it is still not enough.
Perhaps it’s a matter of purity, which is only at the 4th grade.
It’s sad, but it can’t be helped.
The quality of spiritual power is a problem that cannot be dealt with right now.
“At least I got one attribute point.”
Although my technique still lacks the original power of Six Peak Flowers Bloom in Late Season, I have gained a bit more of the swordsmanship skill, which helps the skill usage.
It didn’t change anything special that much, but everything to do with a sword feels strangely easier.
You use less of the muscles that you don’t need and more of the muscles you should use.
It may not seem like much, but it allows the sword to advance more quickly along the path it needs to take.
Unneeded cruft in your technique disappears.
Swordsmanship is about seizing the victory in a life-or-death battle using that kind of a subtle difference.
“Slowly, my body got better.”
Callius, after putting the famous sword Lucen into a simple sheath, put on the Cloak of Twilight that he had shrugged off earlier, and turned his head.
‘Is Bruns over there?’
It was quite far away, but after learning Six Peak Flowers Bloom in Late Season, all my senses sharpened. I had to walk about a hundred meters.
Bruns was there.
“What are you doing?”
“Master! I’m catching fish!”
Bruns, who had found his way to the centre of a fairly large river valley, boasted that he was confident in catching fish, so just wait a while.
Bruns did not move, as cautious as a bear trying to catch salmons.
‘Hmm, this guy is pretty sturdy.’
But he’s pretty useless.
Bruns, who had shouted that he would catch a fish soon, couldn’t catch any fish in the end, and blamed the valley water for it.
“It seems that there are no fish because the quality of the water is different from my hometown.”
“… You’re useless.”
Eventually, Callius blew the flute.
The hares pricked up their ears at his sweet performance and approached him.
He played a little more without moving, and this time even a deer approached, full of curiosity.
It was then that Callius drew his sword.
Chwank! Padadadak!
The other beasts escaped, but the deer couldn’t.
The deer, decapitated in one swing, died, and Bruns rejoiced and began to skin and trim the meat.
“It’s Master after all! Haha! The head of a deer plops down once you draw a sword!”
“Bruns.”
“Yes! Master!”
“Shut up and grill.”
“Yep!”
I hate to admit it, but I’m getting used to living with him.
It’s true that he’s useless, but it’s comfortable because there’s nothing problematic in dealing with Bruns.
No matter what you spit out, he responds vigorously and tries to be helpful. He’s really weird.
“Bruns.”
“Yes, I am here.”
Bruns handed the well-roasted deer hind legs to Callius.
Some of them were a little too charred.
At least he got the best ones.
“Herbs, salt, and pepper were also sprinkled to remove the bitterness.”
All seasonings were brought from Tristar. The seasonings were finished to taste.
Callius ate the deer’s hind legs with a fork and knife even though he was camping. The meat was somehow edible.
He finished his meal after eating the whole deer, probably because the Gluttony trait was activated.
“Bruns.”
“Yes? Would you like more?”
Bruns sobbed as he held what he was eating.
“No, I have a question for you.”
“Oh, yeah. Just ask.”
“Why are you following me?”
I just wanted to ask you once.
“Of course… from that day onwards, my life is no longer mine.”
From that day? Not knowing what to say, Callius kept his mouth shut for a long time.
“Have you already forgotten? You made all my brothers into swords and sold them, went to the casino and slaughtered the Lutens Knights.”
“Yes, that day.”
But why?
“When I saw your gambling skills at that time, I, Bruns, fell in love with it.”
A battle between true men, to make a bet with yourself as the stake.
And win.
Ruthlessness to cut down the enemies who could not accept the outcome with a single sword.
And at the base of it all, the ability to turn a crisis into an opportunity!
“I fell in love with Master’s manliness, so I wanted to offer my allegiance!”
“Right.”
“Do you see? My heart?”
“It’s your heart, what’s there for me to see? When you’ve finished eating, get up. We’ve got a busy road ahead.”
“Oh, yes.”
Bruns, who got up scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, overturned the soil as if he was familiar with the process and erased all traces of their camp.
And then, at the moment when he was about to erase the final trace by kicking the leftover bones of the deer –
“Woah ah ah ah ah!!”
Suddenly, Bruns left a flurried shout and disappeared.
Literally, disappeared.
Callius wondered if there was a mystery here that he was not aware of, but upon closer inspection, he realized that Bruns had simply fallen into a strange pit.
“……”
It was deep enough that even the bottom was out of sight.
Since he couldn’t even see Bruns’ figure from above, it really looked quite deep.
“Bruns. I won’t forget you.”
If it was that deep, he’d be dead.
He was not a Pilgrim, so it would have been difficult to survive.
I’m sorry, but I can’t help it.
“I’ll live for your share too.”
Just as I was about to turn around and leave alone with my bag.
A sound came from inside the pit.
[Master~!]
“What, were you alive?”
[Were you just leaving me here!]
“… Of course not.”
He was quick on the uptake.
“Can you come up?”
[That would be a bit difficult! But there’s a door down here, so it looks like there’s a passage to somewhere!]
Door? Passage? So, looks like it’s not a naturally created pit.
“Hmm… if it’s a door to a basement that deep underground…”
There is one thing that comes to mind.
Callius immediately raised his divine power to protect himself and descended into the pit.
Huuung!!
Kuung!!
He was prepared for a shock because it was a long fall, but in the end, there was no need for that.
He’d forgotten that Fall Mitigation was one of the abilities of the Twilight Cloak.
“Master! You really came this far for me!!”
“Shut up and get out of the way.”
Callius pushed the approaching Bruns and looked at the door on the wall.
It wasn’t just a simple door.
It was an iron gate with an engraved geometric pattern.
Callius knew where these gates would usually be located.
‘A Spirit Crafter’s underground laboratory.’
Spirit Crafters were those who researched alchemy.
They either did not have much interest in swordsmanship or have no talent in it, so they studied relics as well as artifacts that are imitations of relics.
“What is this?”
“It’s the trace of a Spirit Crafter. Perhaps, this door has been engraved with an alchemical technique.”
Bruns made a face that he didn’t quite understand.
“It’s kind of like… a lock made from divine power. You can think of it as a seal, hmm, it’s easier to think of it as a barrier.”
“Ah.”
Callius stretched out his hand as he looked at the iron gate and its alchemic engraving.
“Also –”
It was a door with an active alchemic seal.
It won’t open with just force.
An intangible energy was firmly blocking him as if it was protecting that iron gate.
To open this kind of door, it was usually one of two ways.
Either you open it from the inside, or you smash it from the outside.
Callius chose the latter.
“Is it okay to break this?”
“This was a guy who worked underground in secret like this. If the research was something reasonable, he wouldn’t have done this.”
Spirit Crafters are precious.
They create artifacts that are close to sacred objects, and through various research, sometimes create body-protecting and area-protecting objects. Even in the Carpe Royal Castle alone, there were many barriers and traps made with the artifacts of the Spirit Crafters.
From the point of view of the Churches and nations –
Spirit Crafters are precious.
They are beings that need to be protected.
However, not all Spirit Crafters create only such beneficial things.
Where is the place of good or evil in the path of science?
Those who seek knowledge naturally tend to forget the existence of such petty things.
“Those who have things to study out of the human eye are usually bad guys.”
Seuk!
As if the flash had taken no time at all, Callius’ sword returned to its sheath.
Kkiig, kuung!
The iron gate was cut into two.
The sword, which had been momentarily clad in silver, easily broke the alchemic barrier.
“Done.”
“Yeah!”
But Callius did not take the lead. He glanced at Bruns and blinked.
It was a gesture to step ahead.
Bruns wept.
“There are still five bottles of Holy Water.”
“… You’re too much.”
As if he had been betrayed by the world, Bruns began to lead the way.
Bruns initially went ahead while twitching nervously, but soon he began to walk more and more normally.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything here?”
“Right.”
It was just a long, long passage.
Callius raised his hand and radiated divine power to create a bright light.
“Looks like the passage split here?”
“Right.”
There was a fork in the passage.
After thinking for a moment, he turned to the right.
‘Where did I feel this energy?’
On the right side of the fork, he could feel a strange sense of déjà vu.
That was then –
There was a body fallen in the passage.
“Oh, Master!”
“I see it.”
A dead body, leaning against the walls.
‘Are you the Spirit Crafter?’
Death wasn’t too long ago.
The corpse was in good condition, and there was no smell of rot.
“What’s the cause of death?
“No sign of trauma.”
Maybe it was an illness.
Callius guessed.
Too young for a natural death, and a clean body that didn’t look poisoned.
He wondered if it was some kind of chronic illness or just a sudden death.
“Let’s find out.”
A faint light shone from the body.
He seemed to have a lot of regrets.
Callius immediately turned the cadaver into a Carcass.
“Well…”
Memories flew into his mind. Memories of this underground research.
Regrets for successes not achieved.
Callius saw the two-handed sword in his hand.
[Rogeris]
Grade – Carcass Sword.
Infused Soul – Rogeris Juan.
Rogeris’ bitter sword.
He wanted to complete his research.
“Rogeris…”
It wasn’t fully clear.
But he could guess the broad strokes based on what he knew.
Callius walked straight through the passage without hesitation.
He soon found the piles of papers, and buried in them, a research journal.
Rogeris’ research journal.
[Why does God perform miracles only for the humans and the humanoid subspecies? Why are His miracles only for the corpses of humans and humanoids?]
[… Omitted …]
[Why can’t I make a Carcass from the corpse of a beast? Why not monsters? I questioned this, and studied the knowledge declared taboo.]
Taboo.
Ill-advised areas of study.
Research explicitly prohibited by the Church.
“God’s miracles are only for humans.”
So what about the humanoid races?
Are all the humanoid subspecies, human too?
For the Gods, humans and humanoid subspecies seem to be distinguished as sapient life born from a single branch.
Gods probably treat the humanoid subspecies the same as humans. They can also perform the miracle of the Carcass.
What about a beast stronger than a human?
Wouldn’t a more powerful sword appear if a stronger monster was made into a Carcass?
There were many Pilgrims who thought so. But God’s miracles are directed only towards humans.
Human.
So, what are the standards for defining a ‘human’?
Rogeris’ research started from that.
The upper body of a human and the lower body of a monster.
The arm of a monster in a human body.
It was an ugly research journal mixed with intellectual curiosity and the desire to make a stronger sword.
Biological experiments prohibited by the Church.
The journal logged the progress of such experiments.
“And did you finally find the answer?”
A composite of human and monster.
A Chimera (마인).[1]
It seemed that the research was carried out with that goal in mind.
It started with mating, artificial insemination, ovulation, etc. There were a lot of messy research processes. However, he eventually made several Chimera through trial and error, then killed them and turned them into swords.
“……”
Rogeris.
The completion of his desired research.
His magnum opus.
Killing [Loas], the most complete test body, and turning it into a sword.
That was his wish.
“Master…?”
Callius immediately turned and left the lab.
He walked back to the mouth of the fork and took the left passage.
Seuk.
When he turned his head, the side of the passage was full of glass tubes large enough to hold a person.
There were some holding what looked like monsters, and some holding what looked like humans.
However, the place Callius’ eyes turned to was the very end of the biological laboratory.
There, something that was neither human nor monster was wriggling inside the glass.
A human-monster composite. A Chimera.
Was this really a human, or a monster?
What would God define this as?
Although he knew the truth, Callius raised his sword.
[1] 마인 (ma-in, lit. magic person) is being translated as Chimera.