Muller’s brown hair reached just below his ankles and dragged like a cloak. It was a constraint that couldn’t be ignored. It was like he took a penalty on himself. However, Kraugel hadn’t noticed any major gaps in the last 23 days. He reaffirmed that Muller was a person ‘close’ to an Absolute.
‘He isn’t an Absolute.’
Kraugel’s discerning eye was far beyond the ordinary. He had also witnessed firsthand Absolutes like Grid, Hayate, Marie Rose, the old dragons, and Zeratul. It was either fighting together with them or fighting them as enemies. There was no way that he couldn’t distinguish between Absolutes.
‘The only thing he has developed is his heart.’
Muller’s ‘status’ fell short of an Absolute. He was at the level of a higher transcendent and the so-called ‘Realm of the Absolute’ couldn’t be implemented. His ‘energy’ was at least equal or superior to an Absolute in terms of ‘swordsmanship,’ but that was it.
It was generally inferior compared to Hayate, who wielded the energy of a Dragon Slayer; Marie Rose, who wielded the power of a vampire; a dragon, who shot a Breath and used Dragon Words; and Zeratul, who mastered all martial arts. It was several times lower than Grid’s omnipotence of being able to respond to any situation in real time using items. Just—
The ‘heart’ didn’t seem to be lacking compared to any Absolute. This might be due to the characteristics of the class called Sword Saint. It was because the Sword Saint had a skill called Heart Sword. By moving his sword with his heart, he naturally sharpened it and reached the stage of Heart Killing Intent. It must’ve been a ‘natural’ growth process for Muller, who was the strongest of the Sword Saints.
‘I wonder if he was able to keep himself from going crazy due to his advanced heart and mental power.’
Muller had been alone for hundreds of years in a dimensional gap, but let alone being crazy, he hadn’t degenerated at all. It was amazing no matter how one looked at it. It was understandable if he interpreted as Muller enduring thanks to his specially developed heart and mind.
‘That is also why he ran away.’
Satisfy’s worldview was very hopeless.
The surface—a world where they never knew when the time bomb called a dragon would explode. Humans lived there and were threatened by all types of monsters. On one hand, they were targeted by the demons of hell. Therefore, they relied on the heavenly gods, but most gods weren’t interested in humans.
In the first place, in Satisfy, gods were more like ‘humans with eternal life and strong power.’ Their mental state wasn’t that different from humans, so they were too incomplete to be absolutely trusted and followed. Of course, the Gods of the Beginning might be different, but…
In any case, the world experienced from a human perspective was hopeless. Even hope disappeared after death. If a great hero died, they ascended to heaven and became a soldier of the gods. If an ordinary person died, they fell into a distorted hell and became the prey of Baal and the demons.
In a world where there were no dreams and no hope—
Muller took a completely different path from Hayate. At first, they lived for others in the same manner. Then after learning the hopeless truth of the world, Hayate built a tower, while Muller fled. Was it because Muller was a coward? Rather, perhaps he accepted the situation more ‘realistically.’
Hayate lived every day with nightmares until he relied on Grid. He knew dragons better than anyone, so he feared them the most in the world. He endured purely with a hero’s willpower. He endured the pain caused by the weight of the responsibility he carried, hid the fear he didn’t dare tell others, and lived every day without finding hope. Yes, he just endured it. He would’ve collapsed if he hadn’t met the hope called Grid. His years of hard work might’ve been in vain. That was how precarious he was.
On the other hand, Muller quickly gave up cleanly when he realized there was no hope in the world. He didn’t try his best. In any situation, his calm mind and heart would’ve forced him to make the ‘right judgment.’ Even so, he still seemed to have a lingering attachment based on the way he kept the No Offspring Tomb under surveillance.
‘If he had remained in the world until the end like Hayate…’
He would’ve accumulated all sorts of achievements and experience and became an Absolute.
‘Definitely.’
Kraugel was thinking this as he stared at Muller’s back, only to suddenly come back to his senses. It was because he made eye contact with Muller, who turned his head.
“I won’t guess what you are thinking,” Muller spoke with his characteristic amiable expression and pretended to slit his neck with his finger.
Snip.
His long hair was cut off. It was the operation of sword energy that was used without a sword. The clear, sharp sword energy blurred the scenery and only cut off his hair.
“Don’t look at me with any type of faith. I’m not a trustworthy hero or a great person.”
Thus, he wanted to die even more. His past achievements with no future—he was ashamed to see people praising the meaningless things that were like used and discarded pieces of cloth.
“By the way, are you really going to follow me?”
Muller cut through the dimensional gap and a door to the surface appeared. The destination was unknown. It could be opened in the middle of the Red Sea, the lava-infested Trauka’s lair, or the high sky. Still, it didn’t matter where he fell.f???????ovel.c?m
Muller would head to the No Offspring Tomb. He was prepared to die, even though he had avoided it out of fear. It was because he knew what was asleep in the No Offspring Tomb. He didn’t know what the Specter was trying to protect, but he knew the other thing for sure. He had seen it himself in the past. It was why he decided to leave the world.
‘Beriache’s body.’
The mother of the direct descendant vampires—the last gamble she made was to give birth to Marie Rose. She gave birth to Marie Rose even though she knew she would die. In fact, she died shortly after giving birth to Marie Rose.
Muller’s senses read in real time the process of a soul so powerful it had never been seen before falling into hell. Muller was the guardian of the surface at the time. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that his eyes and ears were over the entire continent. The Sword Saint’s Super Sensitivity combined with his role allowed him to sense a lot.
He even knew that some transcendent being had got their hands on Beriache’s body. Muller sensed the ominousness and hurriedly pursued it to the No Offspring Tomb. Then he saw it.
The Specter—it defended its ‘territory’ from invaders, just like Grenier’s Mountain King, and he predicted that it would mutate naturally to become a myth predator in the process. In fact, the Specter that Muller saw was far beyond his imagination. It was outstanding in both force and background.
“What are you going to do with it?”
Muller’s past unfolded before Kraugel’s eyes.
[Something special has occurred due to the class effect of ‘Sword Sword Saint.’]
[Your sword energy is communicating with Muller’s sword energy.]
[You will experience a moment from the past that Muller is remembering.]
It was a short past. In the dark underground area of the No Offspring Tomb…
Muller set up a sword barrier to avoid the persistent pursuit of the undead and stood facing a huge existence. No, it wasn’t huge. It felt dozens of times larger than it actually was due to the unrivaled pressure it gave off and a very ominous shadow on its body, but its size wasn’t much different from Muller. It was the average height of humans and the form was also human. Yes, it was clearly a human form. However, the darkness in its empty eyes was telling Muller that it was something different from a human.
“Sword Saint Muller. You are qualified to ask questions,” the being—the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb—opened its mouth. Its hand held someone’s rotting heart. It was Beriache’s heart.
“I am going to make a mirror.”
“Mirror…?”
“It is a mirror that is symmetrical to the body of King Daebyeol, who covets the souls of the dead and distorts the moon of hell.”
“……??” Muller couldn’t understand the Specter’s words at all.
The Specter added, “It is easy to understand it as a tool to make the plans of the demon who betrayed my god go awry. I will recreate and offset the hell landscape that he dreams of here.”
The Specter’s fingertip touched Muller’s forehead.
The Realm of the Absolute—it was a high-speed approach that made even Muller’s Super Sensitivity react a step late.
Duguen!
An enormous amount of information flooded Muller’s mind.
The huge red lump that was beating like a heart—the flesh of the ‘body’ that devoured the souls of the dead and distorted the hell moon was clearly engraved in his mind.
“This is a judgment that takes into account the relationship between King Daebyeol and Beriache. The moment they fall into the same fate and form a symmetry, they will be led by fate.”
“Wait… this is a world of humans. It isn’t suitable as a space to fulfill your personal wishes.”
“A personal wish? You really don’t understand the situation. No… you are denying it. This isn’t my wish. It is the only way to save humanity. Even if this world ends, humanity in the next world will be saved.”
“Don’t make me laugh!” Muller drew his sword.
Kraugel experienced it from Muller’s point of view. His swordsmanship, his will, his fighting style—the Sword Saint, who was called the strongest of all time, was truly amazing. He had transcendent qualities. He fought the Specter and became stronger in real time.
Kraugel experienced the whole process firsthand and absorbed a certain amount of experience. The Sword Saint’s class quest, which hadn’t been completed in more than 15 years of Satisfy time, entered the final phase. It was an opportunity to be recognized after competing with Muller for dozens of days. It was a precursor to a complete class change.
“You don’t have to feel that much hate. I have prepared the minimum of safeguards. The No Offspring Tomb will soon be reborn as a world separate from the surface. If you don’t wish for an apocalypse, pray to Yatan that the scale of hell can be handled with the No Offspring Tomb alone.”
“It is really a ‘minimum safeguard,’ you damn demon bastard.”
Muller’s words became inappropriately harsh. That was how much he was pushed to his limit. His skills, which developed in real time, were overshadowed and dozens of spears were inserted into his body. He blocked the swords with the power of a Sword Saint, but that was his limit. However, the light in his eyes didn’t die. Just like the protagonist of a male-focused manhwa, his big, clear eyes were burning with enthusiasm.
“What are the chances that the small world created by you, a mere apostle of a god, will handle the scale of hell created by a God of the Beginning? It isn’t even 1%.”
“Be mindful of the fact that there is even a small possibility. Sword Saint Muller, the hero who supports the world. My respect for you ends here.”
Dark demonic energy appeared in both hands of the Specter. To be precise, it was divinity. An Absolute divinity inherited from the God of the Beginning, Yatan. The moment it touched Muller, it exercised the power to banish him outside the No Offspring Tomb.
It was a crushing defeat. The anxiety about the impending apocalypse and the frustration of not being able to stop it made the hero, who didn’t know how to give up, feel despair.
“…It is the end.”
The information instilled in him by the Specter revealed too much truth to Muller.
The disappearance of Yatan.
The distorted hell.
Heaven who stood on the sidelines.
The insane apostle of Yatan.
Muller would rather die.
He wanted to turn a blind eye to the turbulent waves that couldn’t be stopped with his own ability. However, he also learned that death wasn’t rest.
“……”
The hero’s eyes, which had been shining like stars, died. He got up in a daze and stumbled away. He wandered the continent aimlessly. He saw many monsters and evil deeds that troubled people. As he helped them, a momentary light appeared in the hero’s dead eyes.
His gloomy face slowly relaxed. He reassured people with a kind and benevolent expression. It was an amiable face that concealed his rotten heart. It was the same expression he showed Kraugel.
[The communion of sword energy has ended.]
[You have experienced Sword Saint Muller’s past.]
[The Sword Saint class quest is completed.]
[Your strength, agility, and willpower stats are greatly increased and the power of class-specific skills enhanced. The number of swordsmanship you can create has increased.]
[Great power comes with great responsibility.]
[You will have to shoulder the responsibility of your predecessor.]
[Analyzing the situation of the world.]
……
…
[Help the Only One God ‘Grid’ to protect the surface.]
[If you fail, the world you used to know will come to an end.]
“I made a mistake. The empathy between sword energies… I unintentionally told you too much.”
The two Sword Saints emerged from the dimensional gap and had descended to the surface before they knew it. They ran non-stop and got closer to the No Offspring Tomb.
Muller’s expression was dark. The amiable expression he was trying to make disappeared and gloominess hung over it.
“Ignore it. You don’t have to shoulder the responsibility just because you know the truth.”
It was the advice of a loser who ran away. It was advice given as a human being, not a Sword Saint.
Kraugel shook his head. “I am going to bear it.”
“You?”
“I am just sharing the burden that someone else is already carrying.”
“Someone else…?”
“Didn’t I tell you that there is a ‘god’ protecting the surface?”
Kraugel’s obsidian eyes captured the image of the old hero. He thought it was somewhat dwarfed compared to the heroes of the present age.
“Grid—he is the hope that bloomed without your knowledge.”
He was about to add the words ‘my friend,’ but he held back.
