episode_0101
by fnovelpiaHe stirred and rose with a groggy stretch.
Ermeh sat up, yawning with half-lidded eyes.
‘I feel oddly good today.’
Truthfully, it had been like this for a while now.
Unlike before, she no longer had nightmares when she fell asleep.
Many things had changed from the past, when she could only sleep after staying up for several nights in a row.
She had even managed to secure a proper clan house.
Clan matters were progressing smoothly.
Their reputation was growing, and everything was going exceptionally well.
Already, there were several candidates for the Hero position within the clan.
‘……Heh heh heh.’
Looking at them, she felt the same satisfaction as watching the pile of gold coins swelling day by day in the warehouse.
‘I should start gathering elixirs for them soon.’
The top priority was Han Yu-Seong.
Though she had been providing small favors for others as well, he was the one contributing the most to the clan.
In any case, for Ermeh, these were days of growing contentment.
Stretching, she welcomed the morning.
Just as she was about to head down to the dining hall to eat the breakfast Han Yu-Seong had likely prepared—
‘Huh?’
Why was there no food?
Ermeh’s temper flared as she glared around, then suddenly remembered the guests who had been staying since yesterday.
‘Ah.’
This might be their fault.
The Sword Emperor, Volkan.
The Black Nether Lord, Theoric Blacksea.
And the Crown Prince, Velord Elion.
They had taken their seats.
But that wasn’t all.
There were even those who had refused meals from the church just to eat here, drawn by the food.
Veronica and Clara.
Because of those two sisters.
Because of them, her meal was gone.
Veronica was still aggressively munching on greens like a soldier on a mission.
Clara, though elegant in her movements, was wielding her fork just as swiftly, not about to lose to her sister.
“Hah, this should be enough for breakfast.”
Volkan patted his stomach as he spoke. Beside him, Theoric wore a satisfied expression.
‘Seriously, ugh.’
Ermeh knew they were important guests, but right now, she was this close to snapping.
‘My breakfast……!’
Just then, Han Yu-Seong quietly approached her.
“Here.”
“Huh? Wha—?!”
He handed her a plate of food.
Steam rose gently from a warm serving of tomato spaghetti.
Ermeh’s favorite dish.
“I made this ahead of time, since I figured they’d eat everything.”
“Ahaha, thank you!”
Ermeh’s face lit up with gratitude at Han Yu-Seong’s thoughtfulness.
Then, carefully picking up her fork, she headed to the table.
Normally, she would have devoured it as aggressively as Veronica, but with Han Yu-Seong present, she twirled the spaghetti neatly before taking a bite.
After savoring the first mouthful, she promptly abandoned all pretense and dug in like a warrior.
Watching her, Han Yu-Seong smiled fondly.
‘Looking at Ermeh always reminds me of Mungchi.’
For the record, Mungchi was a dog.
I stepped out into the training grounds.
Though called a training ground, Ermeh had specially prepared it, so it was equipped with various training tools.
Even I trained here occasionally when I had time.
There,
I had brought So Yeon-Hwa.
Others had come too.
Volkan and the Crown Prince, laughing as if amused by the prospect.
Clara, Veronica, and Rozenta stood by in case of injuries.
Even other clan members had gathered, calling it a rare opportunity.
“The Empire’s famous ‘Genius Slayer’ facing off against Yu-Seong.”
The bespectacled one adjusted his glasses as he spoke.
“Brother, I knew you were impressive, but to this extent….”
Even Finn, who for some reason now looked at me with reverence.
What’s up with that expression?
‘Ever since we went into the labyrinth together…’
He had been acting a bit weird since then.
But that wasn’t important right now.
I looked at So Yeon-Hwa standing before me. Her eyes were dazed, yet within them, I could sense anticipation as she stared at me.
‘I did say I’d beat her up, but…’
I studied her.
Though her eyes were fixed on me,
it didn’t seem as easy as I’d thought.
Well, it shouldn’t be.
A genius raised with the Empire’s full devotion since childhood.
Nicknamed the “Genius Slayer” for crushing the hopes of other prodigies—a true monster among geniuses, backed by the Empire’s limitless resources.
And what about me?
Even with a cheat key, I’d only been here for less than three months. For us to fight like this…
Honestly, it’d be weirder if I didn’t feel something was off about my chances.
-Incredible.
The Holy Sword voiced its admiration.
Given that the Holy Sword rarely praised anyone, it must have meant it.
-You can tell just by her stance—she’s reached a realm beyond mastery. That woman might be the most dangerous opponent you’ve faced yet.
‘Dangerous, huh.’
She did feel dangerous,
but this wasn’t the first time I’d felt this way.
Every time someone stood in my way, they gave off this same vibe.
I gripped my wooden sword.
Just as Volkan, who had somehow stepped between us, raised his arm grandly—
“The match… begins—!”
The moment Volkan declared the start,
my vision flipped.
Crackle.
A world where everything had crumbled. Thick smoke choked the sky.
A massive royal castle.
Shattered walls.
Every building had collapsed, reduced to rubble.
The ground was split as if by some unimaginable force, and rivers of blood flowed endlessly.
A mountain of corpses loomed in the distance.
‘……Again.’
Again.
Just like when I first met Veronica.
And when the Holy Sword taught me the true swordsmanship of the Hero.
I had seen this scene before.
‘What the hell do you want?’
What are you trying to show me?
Why me?
Why drag me here, when I was just living my life?
As I glared at the sky with those unspoken questions,
my eyes locked onto a presence.
“…….”
Atop the mountain of corpses,
stood a single figure.
No—was it even human?
‘Can a human hold that much power?’
Just meeting its gaze felt like my mind was being scraped away.
I had never felt this from anyone else.
As if the world itself had turned against me.
That was the sensation creeping in.
[…….]
The being stared at me with indifferent eyes.
A body gleaming like molten gold—as if someone had poured liquid gold into a human mold.
Golden hair that shimmered like light itself.
And—
Eyes like flowing blood, crimson and unfeeling.
No emotion could be read in them.
An inorganic gaze.
More like a machine or a doll than a human.
Expressionless, utterly still.
“…….”
I knew this being.
Much had changed,
but enough of its features remained.
-Th-this is…….
The Holy Sword’s voice was faint, trembling.
CRASH—!
The castle collapsed.
The once-majestic structure crumbled into ruin.
And the woman watching it—
the being I assumed was So Yeon-Hwa—
formed a massive sword of light.
A radiance that seemed capable of splitting the world itself.
‘……What the hell?’
Light.
It symbolized divinity and purity.
Holy power was like that—healing, protecting, guarding, empowering, striking down foes.
That was what light was.
But this light was different.
This was a force that seemed capable of annihilating everything in existence.
-The Light of Annihilation……! Why does the power of Extinction exist here……!
The Holy Sword’s voice was laced with horror, as if witnessing the impossible.
-That being is unmistakably……!
The Holy Sword tried to say something, but—
The woman holding the sword of light stared at me.
[Boring.]
And then—
She swung the blade.
As if to cleave the world itself.
“……What the hell?”
My vision snapped back.
The scene before me was the same as before.
I looked at So Yeon-Hwa. She tilted her head, her jewel-like eyes fixed on me in confusion.
‘…….’
That was So Yeon-Hwa.
Though everything about her was different,
that being was undeniably her.
A version of her that had become something not human.
“What’s wrong? Why’d you freeze up all of a sudden?”
Volkan, baffled by my sudden stillness, asked.
“Just a moment.”
With a pale face, I quietly called out to a certain presence.
‘……Holy Sword.’
I summoned the Holy Sword.
For some reason,
it had seen the same vision I had.
And upon witnessing So Yeon-Hwa’s transformation,
it had been horrified.
Unlike me, who knew nothing,
it understood something.
-……What was that vision just now?
The Holy Sword asked me.
‘I don’t know.’
-You don’t?
I had never heard of such a being existing.
My friend had mentioned that after defeating the Demon King,
something else would appear.
But it wasn’t that.
Nor was it the being I encountered after meeting Veronica.
And—
I had never heard of something like this existing.
-……I don’t understand why that being is here.
‘Holy Sword?’
-That is undoubtedly…… the ‘Extinction’—a being sealed away by the ‘Oath’……. Even the first Hero, great as he was, could not withstand ‘them’…… so he made a covenant with the gods, binding himself…… weakening the entire world to create…… a ‘pact’ spanning generations, where humanity would face only their apostles, the ‘Demon Kings’…….
The Holy Sword rambled, sounding lost.
Why was it acting like this?
Flustered, I called out again.
‘Holy Sword! Snap out of it!’
-……My apologies. I lost my composure.
The Holy Sword’s voice steadied, as if regaining clarity.
-That being is undoubtedly the ‘Extinction’—the Light of Annihilation.
‘Extinction?’
-The Light of Ruin…… I don’t know why they’ve appeared. They were created to ‘reset’ all of humanity once their power crossed a certain threshold…… the beasts of destruction……
Snap.
Suddenly, the Holy Sword’s words cut off.
-Hm? What? It feels like something just disconnected.
Its voice returned, oddly cheerful.
-Oh? Is that the so-called ‘Genius Slayer’? Hah, perfect! Use the true swordsmanship of the Hero I taught you and defeat her!
“…….”
I had
no words.
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