“Hmm? What’s this? Why is a filthy prisoner here?”
The knight guarding Armory 3 squinted and looked Jin up and down.
“You’ve been working hard. May I go in?”
Jin nodded slightly and pointed at the armory door, locked with a thick padlock.
“What?”
“I asked if I may go in.”
Did he hear wrong?
The knight rubbed his ears a few times and raised his hand high.
“Is this bastard messing with me in this cold weather? Does he even know where he is, acting so impudently…?”
Whoosh—
As the knight was about to slap him away, Jin held something out.
It was a piece of paper with “[Entry Permit for Armory 3]” scrawled in rough handwriting.
The knight confirmed the Belkan seal stamped on it, and a slow smile spread across his lips.
“Well, I have to let you in! You mischievous rascal! If it’s an errand from the commander, you should’ve said so earlier. That could’ve been bad!”
It wasn’t an errand, but Jin decided not to point that out.
“May I go in now?”
“Of course, of course! You know that was just a joke, right? Just a joke between men, eh?”
“I didn’t hear anything.”
“Right! Smart guy, go on in.” “Keep up the good work.”
Leaving the chatty knight behind, Jin unlocked the armory.
Creak— The thick iron door opened, and the cold air inside rushed out, enveloping him.
“Hmmm…”
Jin looked around as he stepped inside. Various weapons and armor were neatly arranged on the shelves.
Swords, sabers, spears, maces, heavy armor, light armor, cavalry armor, and more.
All of these were spoils taken from monsters that had slipped through the barrier.
To be precise, they were items that had been taken back from the monsters by humans.
‘Most of these are low-grade items with little value. That’s why the security is lax.’
Although they were more usable than the weapons issued to soldiers, that was about it.
You could get better equipment from any decent blacksmith if you had the money.
Knowing this well, Jin wasn’t interested in the numerous weapons lying around.
“Let’s see… it should be around here.”
Passing through the piles of weapons, Jin reached a corner of the armory and bent down to slowly feel the floor.
After about ten minutes, his hand stopped at a point.
‘Found it.’
The floor was empty, but he could feel the cool touch of metal at his fingertips.
- [Low-Level Cognitive Interference] has been dispelled.
- The form of the object is revealed.
As the message ended, a longsword appeared on the previously empty floor.
“Great!”
Jin exclaimed in delight.
The sword had no decorations except for a wind pattern on the guard.
It looked like an ordinary sword that no one would pay attention to, but Jin knew its value better than anyone.
[Stormbringer]
▶ A legendary sword said to have been forged by a great Dwarf king using a storm. When fully awakened, Stormbringer can control storms at will.
▶ However, to wield Stormbringer, one must pass the Trial of the Storm.
This unassuming sword before him was the sacred relic used by the first head of the Stormblade Clan who died 500 years ago in the demon realm.
‘To be precise, it’s more like a manifestation of energy that changes form according to the user’s ability rather than just a sword.’
It was originally meant to be in the hands of Gion, the next head of the Stormblade Clan.
“But is it okay for me to take this?”
Jin hesitated for a moment in front of Stormbringer, then shook his head.
“No, it’s just that whoever finds it first gets to keep it.”
There was no need to worry.
That’s how it always goes—finders, keepers.
“I’ll make good use of you instead. Don’t feel too bad.”
With a nod of acknowledgment to the absent Gion, Jin grasped the handle of Stormbringer.
- The Trial of the Storm begins.
- Entering the realm of cognition.
Soon after, a brief message appeared, and Jin’s vision turned completely white.
*************
What spread out before Jin as he came to his senses was a tranquil hill bathed in the glow of the setting sun.
“Oh…”
Jin let out a brief exclamation of admiration at the picturesque scenery and closed his eyes.
The status window that should have been visible wasn’t there. It was only natural.
This was the realm of Stormbringer’s consciousness. In this world of the mind, the powers of reality were useless, and the abilities of his avatar couldn’t be activated.
Realizing this, Jin’s gaze shifted forward.
“It’s begun.”
Since when?
A shadow the size of a child was standing on the hill against the sunset, staring at Jin.
Although it was a considerable distance away, its presence felt as if it was right in front of him.
He already knew what it was.
Having played as Gion and passed this trial once before.
‘Stormbringer’s will.’
To be precise, it was a kind of self-awareness that had developed in Stormbringer, which had soaked up a lot of blood.
‘And the master of this mental realm.’
The figure, which had been standing there as if it had always been there, grinned with its mouth slit up to its ears.
“Wanna play?”
Jin didn’t answer the question. Instead, he sat down in place and crossed his legs, looking into the distance.
Stormbringer took a step forward. At the same time, a blue long sword appeared in its right hand.
“Come on, let’s play. Come here.”
The shadow spoke again.
Jin, keeping his mouth shut, stared blankly at the sunset. The shadow spread its arms wide.
“You’re coming, right? Aren’t you?”
A warm breeze reminiscent of spring blew from somewhere.
“Can’t you hear me? What are you looking at?”
The figure, dissatisfied, took a step down the hill.
“Then I’ll come to you.”
The wind picked up a bit more.
As the sky turned dark, a fine droplet of rain fell to the ground.
“Wait there. Don’t move.”
The figure’s pace quickened. The air changed. A chilly wind began to blow. The raindrops started to grow in size.
Swoooosh—
The raindrops, now a torrential downpour, began to beat against Jin’s body mercilessly.
The raindrops, infused with Stormbringer’s will, felt like whips lashing his skin with every touch.
‘I must endure.’
Jin bit his lip hard. Blood trickled down the corner of his mouth.
The pain was excruciating, but he had to endure. It was all an illusion. He had to steel himself and deceive his own mind.
By the time Stormbringer, having descended the hill, started to run toward him like mad.
Thud-thud-thud—
The raindrops had transformed into large hailstones. The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.
Hailstones the size of a child’s fist pelted his entire body. His head split, bones fractured.
Jin swallowed a groan and closed his eyes. Soon, the shadow, now close, whispered in a soft voice.
“It hurts, doesn’t it? Won’t you play with me? If you play with me, it won’t hurt. Really. Open your eyes and look at me. Come on.”
It was a powerful temptation.
Even more unbearable because this was reality, not a game.
He wanted to respond and end this pain immediately.
But Jin, having played as Gion and experienced countless failures in this part, knew.
‘If I react now, it’s over.’
To be precise, the moment he ‘recognized’ its existence, it would all be over.
During his time playing as Gion.
Since there wasn’t a proper strategy available, he had died countless times learning this fact himself.
If you attacked, touched it first, or even just made eye contact before meeting the conditions.
Stormbringer would crush the player’s soul without a trace.
“Even now? Even now? Even now?!”
Ssss—
The cold wind constantly brushed the tip of his nose. The figure, a mere paper’s width away, was swinging its sword madly.
“Look at me, look at me, look at me!”
“Ugh, what a miserable weather.”
Jin shouted defiantly and lay down on the ground.
An enraged Stormbringer placed its sword against Jin’s battered arm.
“You’re still going to ignore me?”
Ssshhh—
His right arm was severed and rolled on the ground. The excruciating pain piercing his spinal cord caused Jin’s eyes to redden.
“…”
He bit his tongue to suppress his groan. Then, his left arm was cut off.
Ssshhh— Ssshhh— Ssshhh—
In an instant, his limbs were severed. Blood spurted like a fountain. Even so, Jin stubbornly ignored Stormbringer.
It was an impressive display of perseverance, even by his own standards. He vaguely understood why.
‘Because I know I won’t die.’
If he had entered the mental realm without knowing anything, he would have fled or confronted it, unable to withstand the fear and pain of death.
“Look at me, look at me, look at me!”
How much time had passed?
The hail mixed with the rain disappeared as if it had been a lie. The gale, once blowing madly, turned into a cool autumn evening breeze.
Under the star-filled night sky, a girl with blue hair was sobbing, her sword on the ground.
“Please…”
Confident that he had gained the upper hand, Jin lowered his gaze. His severed limbs were back in place.
“I’ll do anything.”
Stormbringer’s voice had turned to a near-plea. Jin stood up and approached the girl.
“Okay. I won’t ignore you.”
“Really?” The girl looked up at Jin with tear-stained eyes.
“You won’t ignore me anymore?”
Unlike before, her voice was filled with anxiety.
No matter how great a tool, if no one used it, it had no value.
“So you’ll play with me, right? Right?”
The girl urged.
Instead of answering, Jin gently patted the girl’s head.
Soon, a message appeared before his eyes.
- You have passed the Trial of the Storm. Congratulations. You have obtained the right to use Stormbringer.
Stormbringer had accepted him as its master, and he regained his avatar’s abilities.
“Now, you’re my master. Please take good care of me.”
The girl, smiling brightly, picked up the sword on the ground and handed it to Jin.
“Thank you.”
Jin smiled and accepted it.
Her deep blue eyes sparkled as she gazed at Jin.
“Thank you? Oh, right. Actually, the real master of this place isn’t…”
Just as the girl was about to say something.
Jin’s right hand, which had been gently caressing the blade, moved like lightning.
Thunk.
The girl’s head, which had been smiling up at Jin, fell off.
The girl stared up at Jin with wide eyes, as if she couldn’t understand.
“…”
Jin, wiping the blood off the sword, looked coldly at the girl, whose lips kept moving.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know your true intentions?”
Although classified as a sacred relic, Stormbringer was closer to a demonic sword that grew by consuming blood and souls.
Jin had been killed by Stormbringer five times while playing as Gion.
There was no reason to keep the greedy self of the demonic sword, which was constantly aiming for its master’s body, alive.
Moreover, once the trial was over, there would be no way to eliminate the self that had taken root in the sword.
So the opportunity was now.
“Goodbye.”
Thud—
Without hesitation, the blue blade pierced the girl’s head.
The girl’s body, which had been lying on the ground, convulsed a few times before going limp.
Her eyes, like a deep blue sea, briefly filled with anger, but it was only momentary.
Soon, the girl’s body began to dissipate into a wisp of wind.
The greedy self of Stormbringer had completely vanished.
It was an astonishingly anticlimactic end.
