◈ Episode 234. Bizarre

The name of the noble iron changed from a question mark.

[Sword that cuts through illusions: Illusion Breaker]

[Rank: Legendary]

A legendary item is supposed to have a different name.

But Illusion Breaker?

Who did you learn this naming sense from?

“That’s not a bad sounding name either.”

…… They say children are the mirror of their parents.

Who could that be?

You probably learned it from me and from watching Grandfell.

The good news is that it’s not a name I gave myself, so I feel less ashamed of myself. Well, when I heard it without knowing the context, it seemed like a reasonable name.

I mean, there’s a reason I freaked out.

[Restriction: unknown]

[Effect : When fighting a ‘Prototype’, your destructive power is greatly increased].

[Description : An ego sword with an noble ego].

The only thing that has changed is the effect.

The effect was unusual.

In Arcana, effects that were only effective on specific targets were not uncommon.
Why, the closest example is the Demon Hunter’s unique skill [Natural Enmity].

The problem is…….

‘In combat with prototypes.’

That was the part.

The only ones that exist on the Arcana Continent are.

Their appearance was unexpectedly unfamiliar.

Monsters in prototype form were not common.

Not common, but I saw it here for the first time.

-For this moment, I will become the Sword that cuts through the illusion.

Nevertheless, Gwicheol had changed to suit the situation, just as he had spat.

It’s not an ordinary transformation either.

It was a massive increase in destructive power.

I look at Gwicheol.

At this point, I’m getting a little scared.

‘…… This is a legendary item.’

The moment I got my hands on it.

I would say that achievements have been updated for players as well.

At first, I thought it was just a servant like a master and took it lightly…….

‘Maybe legendary really isn’t legendary for nothing.’

In that sense, let’s be grateful.

-I can feel it, master.

Such a great ego sword.

Just to call me master.

A sigh of relief escapes me.

Maybe we weren’t intimate enough.

I wouldn’t have seen this effect.

So for this moment.

Gwacheol.

I will generously accept your big mouth.

-This is the form of cutting down illusions.

Shhh.

Nothing has changed in my swordsmanship.

What changed was not my body, but the effect of Gwicheol, as well as the strength of my swinging forearm. The movement was also at a speed no different from before. Grandfell’s unique elegant movements cannot be left out.

And then.

Lightly.

The moment when the jacket became blurred half a beat later.

Thud!

The prototype’s shoulder pads were cut right off.

It’s a true story.

I cut through such a thick piece of scrap metal. There was no sensation on my fingertips. It was just like cutting tofu with a sharp knife……!

Oh my God.

“!”

Even Shegwin stared at me, stunned.

……Don’t look at me with those eyes.

I’m just not showing it, I’m just as surprised.

-You cut it perfectly, Illusion.

…… That’s all well and good, but isn’t it a bit too tongue-in-cheek?

I was surprised again by his pronunciation.

I had a question.

From earlier, it said illusion, illusion…….

‘Does that mean the prototype is an illusion?’

Prototype and illusion.

I guess there’s a story behind that.

I don’t think that’s what’s important right now.

A situation where part of the body was cut off.

The giant prototype wasn’t going to let that happen.

As expected.

Zhiyi-ing.

The pattern has changed.

The mere existence of a pattern meant it was at least a Named Mob.

Indeed, the intensity of the light converging near my head was out of the ordinary.

You mull over the quote in your head.

‘It’s impossible to block it with a magic shield.’

Pure magic, magic shield.

A spell that literally manifests a shield of magic.

The interference process requires little effort.

It’s a defensive spell that most mages would use in a pinch.

However, regardless of its effectiveness.

‘The problem is that it’s extremely draining.’

Of course, there’s no reason for it to be a drain.

However, it would be best not to ever think about eating it raw due to the [Blessing of the First World Tree] effect. Above all, our proud Grandfell was not pleased with the effect of the blessing.

So I said.

“Are you ready?”

Gwicheol’s new name.

“Illusion Breaker.”

It would be a shame if someone found out in the future.

Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo’s Favorite Sword.

An illusion breaker.

‘……It’s so different from Shegwin’s Atlas, even though the tone is the same.’

Let’s be thankful that Shegwin is the only one watching this.

My Gwicheol

No, I held up the Illusion Breaker.

[Effect: When fighting with ‘Prototype’, destructive power increases significantly.]

I was fully aware of the effects of the significant increase. It was thanks to experiencing, both physically and mentally, what kind of aftereffects the greatly increased luck brought about by the Siren’s blessing

So I looked straight ahead.

The giant prototype.

The beam of light it unleashed.

“!”

A head-on collision.

It was the opposite of Shegwin’s tactics, who’d gotten the hint and neutralized the prototype head on.

But I was confident.

-Of course, Master.

The same goes for the Illusion Breaker.

Shhh.

I swung my sword at the beam of light.

The sword’s trajectory drew a horizontal line.

The beam of light split in half along the line.

Shararah─

It shattered and disappeared.

It really was.

Like a momentary illusion.

With only a blink in front of my eyes.

[Transcendent: Your transcendent state is enough to be called a transcendent. – Current achievements: Circle (1,000% increase in all magic expressions) / Incomplete Quick Sword / None / None…….]

“I will not ignore anything on the path I have walked.”

[Incomplete Quick Sword Technique] sparkles as if in response.

Soon, the words warped and reformed.

I spoke.

“Because this is my sword.”

[Sword of Pride (Now Liberated: Path 1)]

Kugugugung-!

At the same time, the giant prototype collapsed.

I lifted my gaze and looked at Shegwin.

I looked at Shegwin’s stunned face and spoke.

“That was a good fight, Shegwin.”

Well, I’ve won again.

*

The Great Alliance.

The three were still bickering today.

Each with their own reasons.

“Of course we’ll settle this on our side!”

“Are you confident?”

“Mr. Snake-Eye, since when did we start talking about confidence?”

Nam Taemin spoke up with a strong voice.

“Live by pride, die by pride.”

Leonie muttered under her breath.

“Crazy.”

The story goes like this.

After hearing about Hoyeol’s week-long vacation, I was hunting monsters in the Zero Mountains and working on leveling up as usual.

I found it.

[Dungeon: The Troll’s Hideout]

[Appropriate Level : Lv.700]

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One hundred thousand caves in the Zero Mountains.

One of them.

Among the players other than Hoyeol, it was the fifth.

Its appropriate level was a whopping Lv.700.

In the past, there wouldn’t have been any disputes.

It was a dungeon cave that was too much for three level 500 players.

But.

“Imagine if Mr. Hoyeol had to move because we couldn’t clear a single level 700 dungeon. Isn’t that inefficient, and he’s even on vacation?”

I can’t be indebted to Hoyeol forever.

I said this after I had thoroughly researched the topic.

Even before we built a great alliance.

Gaon, Inazuma, Berserker.

Three people who had pushed their respective guilds to the top of the rankings.

“I’m not complacent. Think of all the enemies we’ve faced. From demons to Demon Legion Commanders. In terms of difficulty, it’s a level 700 dungeon, and probably many times that.”

“This is the first statement that makes sense.”

“No, who said I were wrong?”

“What, you didn’t, then what were you muttering about?”

That’s what I mean by adding pride to every word…….

‘I did it because I thought I too would be infected with pride!’

If it was just Nam Tamin, I could just ignore it.

Even Hisagi had gotten into a fight with Nam Taemin over his pride.

When it came to purely opinion, Leonie had no reason to disagree.

“No, thanks. It’s no big deal.”

“What, it’s refreshing.”

“Never mind.”

Best of all, they weren’t the only ones to discover the cave.

Without prior information, they would have been concerned…….

Now that they knew the cave was no different than a rift.

“Well, let’s get ready and go in.”

There was no reason to hesitate.

After all, caves are easier to enter and exit than rifts.

Being able to react quickly to an emergency was also a huge advantage.

Hisagi scanned the cave with his snake eyes.

“Of course, that shouldn’t happen.”

Leonie glared at Hisagi.

“……Well, the way you talk has changed now.”

Doridori─

I shook my head and pulled out my smartphone.

Second Sun, an ally.

She wanted to tell Schreig the news.

Besides.

“Acha, Skal. He too.”

Another Pride infected, another one.

This was the moment when Leonie was about to send an additional message.

Zing─

There was no need to say who came first.

Three notifications rang at the same time.

“……!!!”

Arcana’s official website notified them.

“What day is it today?”

“First of all, it’s not Thursday.”

“Ha.”

It’s not Thursday.

What it meant was simple.

Unscheduled, emergency news.

“By the way, on the first day of Hoyeol’s vacation……!!”

This time, the Magic Tower and Yusra Kingdom.

I heard you submitted leave to two places.

I breathed a sigh of relief, finally getting a break, but what kind of an emergency is this, as if it’s been waiting for this moment?

“Anyway, no formality, no formality!”

I snapped.

Nam Taemin gritted his teeth and accessed the official Arcana website.

Another quick analyst.

A call came in from Nam Cheolmin.

“Hyung, what’s going on? What’s the notification?”

-Ma, it’s a little hard to explain in words, but……!

“Eh? What is it? Isn’t it an urgent update?”

As for the posts uploaded to the Arcana website, aren’t there only regular updates or emergency updates posted on Thursdays?

Taemin’s doubts didn’t last long.

-It’s not an update, it’s a video!

“……!”

I had forgotten.

After the cataclysm.

The only video uploaded to Arcana’s official website.

Hoyeol and Sword Saint, dueling in Shegwin’s Colosseum.

Thanks to this, Nam Taemin immediately asked.

“No way, it’s Hoyeol again?”

-Yes, it is.

“Ha.”

Well, he wouldn’t have submitted a leave of absence for nothing.

Taemin went straight to Arkana’s homepage.

He played the video.

Two people crowded around him.

“……What’s wrong?”

“No battery.”

“I’m out of data.”

“……You make a lot of money, spend some.”

Like it or not.

The three of them put their heads together and looked at the screen.

A question mark appeared on their faces.

No, Mr. Hoyeol……?

“……What are you doing there again?”

.

.

.

Arcana’s official website.

The uploaded video was a CCTV recording.

The video of Hoyeol’s appearance was supposed to be comparable to his duel with Sword Saint, Shegwin, but those who played the video in anticipation were left wondering.

-It’s not even a rift, it’s just a building???

-Lol

-But doesn’t it look a bit like a lab? All white?

-When I hear and see it, I think so.

But at the same time.

AAU is in an emergency situation.

The atmosphere became urgent.

“……Why is it so serious?”

Sung Hyunjoon, who had returned to his seat after being interrupted by Park Minjae’s chatter, was dumbfounded.

It was certainly unexpected that CCTV footage of the general manager would be uploaded to the official website.

“But it’s not enough to cause a ruckus, is it, senior?”

I was hoping for a retort.

Yoon Soogyeom’s expression was also serious.

Yoon Soogyeom looked at Sung Hyunjoon and opened his mouth.

“Hyunjoon, you have no way of knowing.”

“What do you mean, senior?”

“First of all, lower your voice.”

It’s a noisy office.

Any conversation would be drowned out.

Nevertheless, Yoon continued to speak in a low voice.

He pointed to the image on the monitor.

“The structure is the same.”

“It’s ……?”

“That building where the general manager is.”

Does he mean the same building as my all-white lab?

Gulp.

Yoon Soogyeom swallowed dryly and continued.

“It has the same structure as the headquarters.”

“Headquarters? Which headquarters?”

“Cosmo’s headquarters, before the cataclysm, when everything was fine.”

” ……yes? Yes, yes?!”

The implication was simple.

As soon as Sung Hyunjoon realized it.

Shouts erupted from all directions.

“No, it’s not even an hour yet, is it?”

“In that moment, you knew where Raymond Sean was and went to him!”

“Seriously, I don’t know what’s going on, now.”

A voice cut through the commotion.

“This is why we’ve been whispering amongst ourselves.”

“Branch Leader……!”

“It’s okay.”

It was Park Minjae running from the branch leader’s office.

Roughly loosening his tie.

Park Minjae looked at Hoyeol’s image on the monitor.

I thought you’d do it.

I didn’t expect you to do it so quickly.

Park muttered to himself.

“……But that guy.”

That asshole, Raymond Sean.

I didn’t think it would be strange for him to hide his meeting with Hoyeol, since he’s a dirty bastard, but I didn’t expect him to post the CCTV footage of Hoyeol on the Arcana website.

“What the hell are you thinking?”

Truly, I couldn’t predict his intentions.

But that wasn’t the only thing I couldn’t figure out.

The video kept playing.

“……Excuse me, sir?”

The floor of the building twisting.

Stairs rising out of thin air.

Hoyeol calmly goes down the stairs.

“What are those monsters?”

Soon, hundreds of prototypes surround Hoyeol.

However, the surrounding line was put to shame.

Soon.

“wha, they’re on their knees!”

Prototypes on their knees, worshipping Hoyeol.

It may be surprising.

A stride that extends straight without wavering.

How many more steps down the stairs.

Hoyeol held up a torch.

The flames of the torch grew stronger and stronger.

“That, that, that, that’s Sword Saint, isn’t it?”

Even the sword saint, Shegwin, appeared.

“Senior, do you know what I’m looking at……?”

That’s right.

It even made me forget Raymond Sean’s intentions.

A series of bizarre sights.

I’ve been eating jjambap since Cosmo.

Park Minjae was the one who shouldn’t be shaken.

At this moment, Park Minjae was more shocked than anyone else in the office.

“……Giant Prototype.”

Park Minjae knew what it was.

Arcana Continent Virtual Reality.

Before the official opening.

A temporary monster from the beta testing days.

Its exact name was [Prototype Model: D].

The D in the model name stands for ‘Dragon’.

Park Minjae stuttered.

“Uh, how can you beat a Dragon Breath with a single sword……!”

It was a sword of pride, and it couldn’t have been a more spectacular debut.