episode_0095

Long ago, the hero stood alone.

The First Hero.

Because of that existence, the world was overturned.

No one knows what they did.

The First Hero encountered something far more dreadful than the Demon King.

To slay that being, they made a pact with the gods.

And as its toll, humanity’s greatest enemy—the Demon King—was born.

The Demon King was mighty.

They ravaged the world,

possessing the power to bring ruin upon it single-handedly.

The Eastern and Western Continents.

Though the two rarely interacted, the moment the Demon King appeared, they united. Hostile forces—those who once believed they could not share the same air—began to join hands.

It was only natural.

If the Demon King exterminated humanity and all other races, their own descendants would vanish too.

Yet even united, humanity could barely hold back the Demon King.

Despite pooling all their strength, they could do no more than stall.

At the brink of despair—

The Goddess bestowed upon humanity four Sacred Relics.

The Holy Sword.

The Holy Bow.

The Holy Staff.

The Holy Scripture.

And so, the chosen heroes arose.

They were the first humans to grow stronger by battling the Demon King, to level up by receiving the Goddess’s power.

Afterward, they felled the Demon King.

The four Sacred Relics were then claimed by the races or great powers of each continent.

That… was the origin of the heroes.

“Ever since, those deemed ‘hero candidates’ were distinguished, and the title of ‘hero’ was established.”

The reason was simple.

Those called heroes had to be mighty enough.

Without that strength, the Demon King could not be slain.

“And so, the Hero Selection was created. Should one pass its trials and earn recognition as a hero, they are acknowledged by all races and continents.”

“There, you’ll meet countless others unlike anyone you’ve seen before.”

“……”

As the Black Nether Blade and Vulcan spoke, a thought crossed my mind.

“Then, if I enter one of the hero divisions, I can become that hero?”

“Exactly.”

The Black Nether Blade nodded approvingly.

And then—

Vulcan was glaring at me slightly.

“Given your skill, you’d certainly qualify as the Sword Hero. That is, if our Yeonhwa weren’t in the way.”

The Black Nether Blade patted So Yeonhwa’s shoulder with a proud expression.

The Heavenly Slayer, So Yeonhwa.

Honestly, it made sense.

Everyone around her was confident she would become the Sword Hero.

“Just in case.”

Vulcan stepped beside the Black Nether Blade and stared at me.

“This is just a precaution, but… you aren’t aiming for the Rogue Hero, are you?”

“What? Vulcan, what nonsense are you spouting? Someone with this much talent wouldn’t set their sights on the bow—”

The Black Nether Blade shot Vulcan a baffled look before turning back to me.

“Why do you assume I’d even participate in the Hero Selection?”

“…Is your premise itself flawed?”

The Black Nether Blade looked dumbfounded.

Beside him, So Yeonhwa tilted her head, then spoke to me.

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“I never said I wouldn’t.”

At this point, I’d already drawn enough attention to make hiding pointless.

Plenty were watching me now.

Even if I feigned ignorance, Ermana and Vulcan had hinted that the Guild Master had his eye on me.

So did Vulcan.

The Burkan and orcs knew, so word would spread there too.

The Beast King was aware as well.

Above all, quite a few in the Cradle already recognized me.

‘Even Veronika and Clara know.’

The Church might stay quiet,

but Veronika wouldn’t just stand by—who knows what she’d pull next.

‘At this point, even if I said I wasn’t a hero, almost no one would believe me.’

I truly didn’t want to.

But refusing now would just be laughable.

Meaning participation in whatever this “selection” is, is inevitable.

Which means joining is a given.

‘The question is competing against Ermana.’

She was once a titled figure, no matter what she became.

Even the Holy Sword said she’d grow incredibly strong.

Using some unknown method, she’d surpass the Heavenly Sword Slayer.

In that case—

‘I’ll have to obtain that Holy Bow or whatever it is.’

That’s a field I’m confident in.

Though I currently have Sword Demon (S+), the pinnacle of rogues grants mastery over nearly everything a rogue can do.

‘It’s still speculation, but…’

I might even be able to raise another skill like a secondary profession using the rogue’s pinnacle.

Either way, that’s how I feel.

If I must compete, securing the Holy Bow seems wiser.

“Well, the fact you’re even considering participating is progress, so I won’t interfere further.”

“…You’re giving up?”

The Black Nether Blade reacted as if he’d seen the sun rise in the west.

“True, I discovered him, but he’s oddly indifferent to glory.”

“Indifferent to glory? A man barely in his twenties?”

“Such people exist. Frankly… I think his current predicament stems from attracting too much attention.”

“……”

His words were casual, but they nearly made me flinch. Sharp as ever.

“Still, there are rewards, so focus on that.”

“What rewards?”

“…How can someone so indifferent to fame be this materialistic?”

“If he lacked even greed, wouldn’t that be worse for us? I’d rather he quit.”

Vulcan spoke in a tone meant to persuade the Black Nether Blade.

“Roughly 100 platinum coins, five years of Sacred Relic usage, and in the Empire’s case, at least a barony.”

“Of course, since other races participate, most winners return to their own kind.”

“But if you win, the Empire will grant you far more.”

Thump. Thump.

Diago clapped my shoulder as he spoke.

Wait, when did he get here?

“I hate to admit it, but humanity has never produced a Sword Hero.”

“The First Hero was human.”

“…Honestly, I’m not even sure the First Hero was real.”

Diago shrugged.

Fair enough.

The tale was ancient,

and the First Hero’s feats bordered on myth.

But—

‘That man… might’ve been the First Hero.’

When the Holy Sword spoke of teaching me the hero’s orthodox swordsmanship,

a man who seemed like an illusion appeared.

With a single strike, he annihilated hundreds of monsters.

“No need to rush. The Hero Selection is soon, but another will be held in five years.”

“…?”

“Though called a selection, it’s long since devolved into a contest to determine the world’s strongest.”

“Held every five years. But with rumors of the Demon King’s return, this might be the last.”

The Black Nether Blade and Vulcan continued discussing.

Meanwhile, So Yeonhwa approached me.

“When the time comes, fight me.”

“……”

“I don’t care if you’re a rogue or whatever. Eventually, everyone will clash. And if I win—”

Her crimson eyes locked onto mine.

“Tell me about yourself.”

“…?”

“Y-Yeonhwa?!”

The Black Nether Blade was stunned by her words,

then promptly glared at me with burning eyes.

“I did nothing.”

“Then why would our sweet Yeonhwa say such a thing?!”

“I have no idea.”

I genuinely didn’t understand.

The so-called Hero Selection was set for two months later,

but I wanted to assess my combat abilities first.

“The items you want won’t be easy to obtain. You’ll likely need to meet certain individuals.”

“……”

“Don’t look at me like that. Those items rarely appear on the market—even nations treat them as treasures.”

I sighed internally at Diago’s words, sensing trouble ahead.

‘Still, they’re necessary for my plans.’

The thought of crafting something through synthesis already excited me.

But more importantly—

‘I need to test my combat abilities.’

This level-up granted me three things:

Gift: Sword Demon.

And Divine Thunder God: Violet Lightning.

And the skill, Phantom Dance.

‘I’m not entirely sure of their exact effects.’

Though my mind had pieced together a rough understanding,

doubts lingered.

‘Will they truly deliver such results?’

Because the knowledge I possessed suggested overwhelmingly powerful effects.

So, for the first time in a while, I headed to the training dummies.

‘It’s been a while.’

I recalled my first visit here.

Back then, I’d foolishly practiced Moon Slash and destroyed a dummy, drawing unwanted attention.

‘But this time, it’s not just any dummy.’

I eyed the training dummies.

These were magically reinforced with materials from the labyrinth.

Straw, wood, and iron—each tier corresponded to a level.

Destroying a straw dummy at Level 3 would’ve had recruiters clamoring for you.

‘I shattered one at Level 1.’

I approached the iron dummy.

If straw was Level 3,

wood was Level 5,

and iron was Level 7—destroying that would turn heads.

Honestly, iron was a joke.

Level 7 wasn’t common.

Thud.

I casually drew my blood-engorged blade.

Gripping it after so long, I executed the hero’s orthodox swordsmanship.

Clang!

The blade struck the dummy with a clear ring.

Simultaneously—

Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Clang!

Six slashes resounded at once.

‘…Three to six, just like that.’

A drastic change after acquiring the Sword Demon profession.

But it didn’t end there.

‘The slashes…’

Wreathed in violet lightning, they tore into the iron dummy.

I recalled the description of Divine Thunder God: Violet Lightning.

◇All lightning-based attacks gain a modifier. Normal attacks also gain a lightning attribute.

‘To think it even applies to slashes.’

Moreover, the slashes themselves had evolved.

If before they only replicated 30% of the original swordsmanship, now—

‘They’re almost identical.’

Was this the effect of Divine Thunder God: Violet Lightning?

But then, the Sword Demon’s description also surfaced.

[Gift] Sword Demon (S+)

You have surpassed the realm of sword mastery, reaching beyond.

Your sword moves like shifting clouds, swift as the wind.

◇Attack speed, variability, and slash modifiers. ◇Enhanced combat instincts and speed. Slash potency increased. ◇Slash-based sword energy manifests with attacks.

‘Ah, right. That too.’

No wonder the hero’s orthodox swordsmanship had grown so potent.

As I marveled at my own techniques—

“…What the hell?”

The Black Nether Blade stood nearby, eyes trembling.

“H-How are you using that? The hero’s orthodox swordsmanship was lost!”

“…?”

“How can you—?!”

His shaking gaze locked onto me.

I instantly knew I was screwed.

Because Vulcan’s eyes had also widened as he stared.

‘…Damn you, Holy Sword.’

What the hell did you teach me?