Chapter 22 : Iron Sword No. 3

“Shit, all this time, I thought my weapon was dozens of times better than the gear those other awakened bastards were carrying around, but iron sword? Seriously?”

“Excuse me.”

“I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all! This is an uncomfortable truth—I would’ve been better off not knowing!”

“Excuse me?”

“This garbage item, I’m trashing it right—”

“Excuse me, you crazy woman.”

“What! Why have you been yapping non-stop since earlier?”

She looked furious.

And for good reason.

She had been proudly calling her weapon the grandiose name “Excalibur” up until now.

And now, it had been demoted to “Iron Sword No. 3,” a name so pathetic it was almost insulting.

She had every right to be mad.

But.

“I don’t think there’s a need to get that upset. Even to someone like me, who knows nothing about gear, that sword looks ridiculously overpowered.”

“Are you trying to comfort me right now?”

“Not comfort. Just facts.”

If I didn’t get her back to her senses soon, we were both probably going to die hand-in-hand, anomalies or not.

So I shared the information I found on the wiki with her.

[Iron Sword No. 3]

Overview:

A sturdy iron sword crafted by a master blacksmith known as [Iron].

This third masterpiece from Iron was a culmination of the lessons learned from the flaws of his first and second swords.

Legend:

Iron, one of the devoted followers of [The Keeper of the Fallen Stars], decided to forge a sword to honor his master.

He had three main materials to work with.

The first material was a rare metal harvested from a destroyed star, known as [Adamantium].

Believing adamantium’s indestructible nature would create the world’s most powerful sword, Iron was filled with confidence.

However, forging an indestructible material like adamantium was no small task.

Even with divine powers, creating a flawless sword proved impossible.

Ultimately, Iron’s first attempt, Iron Sword No. 1, was a failure.

The second material was the bones of devoted followers of [The Great Ones].

These bones were imbued with divine power, and Iron believed that combining them with steel would create the ultimate sword infused with their abilities.

But.

Forging a sword using the bones of followers was an act of blasphemy.

And the price for such blasphemy was severe.

Iron paid the price by losing his left hand.

The third material was the heart of a god from a fallen deity.

The divine essence.

Iron believed with unwavering conviction that by combining this divine essence with steel, he could create the strongest sword the world had ever seen.

And he was right.

The ultimate sword was born.

Details:

It is absolutely unbreakable.

It can sever the very essence of its target.

It contains the essence of a god, granting it unparalleled power.

“…With a legend this detailed, it sounds like an incredible sword,”

I said, explaining the wiki entry to her.

Yoo Iseul tilted her head, doubt written all over her face.

“It just sounds too ridiculous. Are you sure it’s not made up?”

“It’s real. It can sever the essence of anything, right?”

“That’s true. Whether it’s fire, poison, or any kind of anomaly, it can cut through it.”

“Then the legend’s real. Wikis don’t lie.”

“But the lore is so over-the-top.”

“The more extravagant the lore, the more likely it’s true.”

For instance, just look at Lee Jia, the devoted follower of the Keeper of the Fallen Stars.

Thanks to examining Yoo Iseul’s sword, I learned something.

This sword…

It might have some connection to me.

The term “devoted follower” was also mentioned in the wiki for Iron Sword No. 3.

Coincidence?

Even the phrase “the price of blasphemy” came up.

Coincidence?

The wiki stated that “devoted followers” possess unique powers.

I can write in the wiki.

I have a body that is practically indestructible.

That seems like a power to me.

Coincidence?

Hmm.

I doubt this is just a coincidence.

This blacksmith named Iron was also described as a devoted follower.

Maybe he was forced into fanaticism, just like I was.

I became a librarian.

He became a blacksmith.

It all aligns too perfectly to be a mere accident.

As for why some parts of the content are redacted… I can make an educated guess.

It seems that the Omnia Archive has a hierarchy of ranks.

My rank is Official Librarian.

If there’s an Official Librarian, then there’s probably a Special Librarian,
and maybe even an Ultra-Special Librarian too.

As the librarian’s rank increases, their access rights might also expand,
allowing them to view the redacted content.

Well, that’s just speculation.

This kind of thing can wait until later.

For now, solving the current anomaly is more important.

Thankfully, Yoo Iseul’s mental state seemed to have recovered.

“Alright, so it’s the third sword crafted by a blacksmith named Iron. A little underwhelming, but I can live with it.”

“It seems like a great sword. It’s no wonder you named it Excalibur. Plus, it might even have the potential to evolve further.”

“It’s not you, it’s Unni Iseul.”

“Yes, Iseul-ssi.”

“…So rude.”

Who are you calling rude?

You’re a million times ruder than I am.

“We’re here. Once we cross that ridge, you’ll see it.”

“What will we see? A golden pig? Or the diffuser?”

“Both. They’re close together.”

“Do anomalies and items always appear in pairs like that?”

“Do you think something like this follows rules?”

“…No.”

Of course not.

If there were clear rules, they wouldn’t call it an anomaly.

I was just asking to make conversation.

“Are you sure it’s okay to approach this close? Like, are we sure some tentacle monster won’t hurl itself at us once we’re within 50 meters?”

“I already checked. It’s fine.”

“What if the anomaly only activates when two or more people approach?”

“That could happen. It’s a valid point. Any more questions? If not, shut up and focus. You’re distracting me.”

“Doesn’t that mean it’s dangerous?”

“Do I look like a prop to you? Do you think I’d just stand there and let that happen?”

“No, but still…”

Thud.

Yoo Iseul suddenly stopped walking.

“Hey. Stop. Freeze for a second.”

“W-What? What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Yeah. Something happened.”

After a brief pause, she turned to stare at me intently.

“You’re the problem.”

Wham!!

She whacked me across the forehead with the flat of her sword.

Not with her palm.

Not with a playful flick.

She whacked me with the flat side of the iron sword forged by “Iron.”

I was so pissed in that moment that I completely forgot about my current situation and snapped at Yoo Iseul.

“Why the hell are you hitting me, you crazy lunatic?!”

“Does it hurt?”

“Are you seriously asking me that? You just hit me with the flat of an iron sword—of course it hurts…”

“You don’t seem hurt, though.”

“…What?”

Now that I think about it, it doesn’t really hurt that much.

Honestly, slamming my head against the ground as part of the “price of blasphemy” hurt way more.

When I didn’t show any signs of being in pain, Yoo Iseul sighed, as if she expected this, and continued.

“I told you, didn’t I? That old man told me everything about you. How many awakened people do you think are tougher than you?”

“Well… Most of them are probably tougher than me, right…?”

“Wrong. You know I’m immune to psychic attacks, right?”

“Yeah, I know. But what’s that got to do with anything?”

“If I’m immune to psychic attacks…”

Thunk.

She tapped my forehead with the flat of the sword again and continued.

“…Then you’re practically immune to physical attacks.”

“Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?”

“Do I strike you as the type to exaggerate?”

“No. More like the type to bluntly say whatever’s on your mind without thinking about it—oh, I’m sorry.”

“…You’ve been testing me for a while now, haven’t you?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Anyway, didn’t you smash a marble table in the Awakener Association’s lobby with your head? You know that was a marble table, right?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“And didn’t all your injuries heal completely within an hour? Is that even human? That’s not human. You’re not human.”

How did she know?

She’s right. I’m not human.

I’m a devoted follower of the Keeper of the Fallen Stars.

“So stop acting like a soaked, shivering puppy. You’re tough, I’m here, and we’re facing an anomaly. There’s no reason for you to lose, no reason to hesitate, and absolutely no reason to be scared.”

“…Yeah, you’re right.”

She was only spouting truths at me, nothing but accurate points.

Right.

The more I think about it, the less reason there is to be scared.

This is…

It’s an issue of perception.

My body suddenly became as tough as steel, practically overnight.

It’s been just two weeks since it changed.

Considering that slamming my forehead into marble left me unscathed, I could probably smash my own hand with a hammer at full force and come out fine.

But I can’t bring myself to do something that dumb.

Why?

Because I think it’ll hurt.

My common sense tells me that hitting my hand with a hammer would obviously hurt.

I’m still perceiving myself as an “ordinary human.”

And for an ordinary human, it’s natural to feel pain when a hammer comes down on their hand.

But that common sense no longer applies.

The fact that common sense has been shattered doesn’t mean my perception has caught up yet.

In simpler terms:

I’m experiencing cognitive dissonance.

As I realized this and my expression shifted, Yoo Iseul nodded knowingly and said:

“Your face is finally starting to look decent. Earlier, you were so frustrating I wanted to smack you in the head. I only held back because I figured it wouldn’t hurt you much anyway.”

“What do you mean held back? You already smacked me with the flat of your sword.”

“That was me holding back. Didn’t hurt, right? I even controlled my strength.”

I’m convinced now.

There’s a reason people call her a lunatic.

Still.

Thanks to her, I’ve regained my focus.

“Ready?”

“Yeah.”

Alright. Let’s do this.

The plan:

Get close enough to the anomaly to observe its abilities.

Once we’ve gathered the intel, bolt out of there as fast as possible.

That’s my role, plain and simple.

The rest is up to You Iseul.

Once I provide her with the anomaly’s details, she’ll take care of the rest.

“Oh, by the way,”

she added,

“just so you know, I’m factoring in how tough your body is for my strategy. You get what I’m saying?”

“Wait, are you saying you plan to use me as a shield…?”

“Correct. But don’t misunderstand—it’s a last resort. I’ll only do it if I’m absolutely sure that without using you as a shield, we’d both die.”

“Wow, that’s… such a reassuring thing to hear. Let’s go.”