Chapter 115: The Sword Used Only Once

Contradiction.

It refers to a situation where words or actions do not align. 

According to the ancient anecdote, there was a man in the state of Chu who sold both shields and spears.

Praising his shield, he said, “My shield is so solid that nothing can pierce it.”

Then, praising the spear lying next to it, he said, “My spear is so sharp that it can pierce anything.”

One of the passersby then asked him, “If you strike your shield with your spear, what happens?”

An impenetrable shield and a spear that can pierce anything cannot coexist in the same world. 

Of course, that was an anecdote meant to provide a moral lesson, so it did not reach a definitive conclusion. 

However, I had always been curious. 

If a spear that could pierce anything and a shield that could block anything truly existed, which one would be able to carry out its purpose?

The spear? 

Or the shield?

I found the answer to that question during the final war. 

The Emperor’s Sword, which cuts through anything, pierces the Emperor’s Armor, which blocks everything. 

Therefore, the method to defeat the King of Domination Belmond was to seize the Emperor’s Sword he held and use it to neutralize his Emperor’s Armor.

In the past, I struggled quite a bit to figure this out. 

But thanks to the results obtained through such hardship and experience, I was able to settle the matter in an instant.

“This, this is impossible — ” Belmond’s eyes widened in horror. 

It was only natural. 

Who could have expected that their own sword would be used to pierce their own armor? 

No, even before that, he likely never imagined there would be someone skilled enough to snatch the sword from his grip.

“I’ve faced you in the past.”

This was an illusion created by a Trial. 

Thus, there was no reason to hide my past.

“Through a battle that lasted for ten days, I was able to figure out your movements long ago.”

Taking a swordsman’s blade — especially the blade of a powerhouse like Belmond — is nearly impossible. 

To these swordsmen, their sword is directly linked to their life. 

Some knights often chose to commit suicide because they found it too shameful to lose their sword. 

As such, they undergo preparation and training to ensure they never lose their blade, and Belmond was no different.

However, no matter how much one trains, they cannot cope with an attack that snaps their wrist. 

Of course, an opponent would try their best not to let such a situation occur, but to me, who had already mastered his swordsmanship, his struggles were useless. 

Even his reflexive physical resistance fell within the scope of my predictions.

“Is that so? Well, since dimension transfer is a thing that happens, I suppose there is no rule saying such a thing couldn’t occur…”

He seemed to accept my words to some extent.

“Experience. If you held such a powerful weapon, there was nothing I could do.”

With that, Belmond’s body, having accepted defeat, crumbled into a handful of dust and scattered into the air. 

It was as I watched that sight.

[The Hidden Trial, Hidden Wave, has ended.]

[Time elapsed until the end of the Trial: 4 minutes 23 seconds.]

[This is… an incomprehensible record!]

[Calculating rewards for the incomprehensible achievement…]

[A bonus judgment has been added to the calculation.]

[Clear time, distance moved, number of enemies defeated…]

***

System messages began to ring in my ears.

Most were about additional rewards and calculations. 

It made sense, given that I had cleared a hidden Trial. 

The messages regarding the rewards continued for a long while.

[In honor of the incomprehensible achievement, the ‘Dimension Transferee’s Bundle’ is awarded.]

[A ‘Ticket Bundle’ is awarded as a bonus for the additional conditions.]

[An ‘Enhancement Stone’ is awarded as a bonus for the additional conditions.]

The notifications announced items that I had completely not expected.

After leaving the Tower, I returned home. 

And then.

‘The Dimension Transferee’s Bundle.’

I looked at the bundle in my hand. 

It was largely the same as the bundles I had received so far. 

The problem was the name specified when it was delivered: Dimension Transferee.

Until now, the rewards I received were all related to my past. 

To be precise, they were things used by one of the many names I had held while active on the Gritia Continent. 

Because of that, most were rewards I could have predicted.

But now? 

I couldn’t guess at all. 

I had no idea what kind of reward might be inside this. 

There was only one way to find out.

-Slide.

I untied the string sealing the bundle. 

Simultaneously, a brilliant light burst forth from the opened pack.

[You have opened the Dimension Transferee’s Bundle.]

[This contains items used by those who were transferred to the Gritia Continent.]

[You may select an item from the Dimension Transferee of your choice.]

It was indeed different from what I had seen before. 

Previous bundles gave random items — though most were things I could anticipate — but this time was different. 

I was given the opportunity to choose. 

However, having the chance to choose wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

[The Tyrant who started the Thousand-Year War]

[The Knight who started from the bottom and reached the peak]

[The Dragon Slayer who defeated the wicked Dragon]

[The Hero who rescued the princess from the Demon King’s hands]

[The Mad Mage who destroyed half of the continent]

The text floating before me looked just like a selection window from a game. 

These were likely brief introductions of people who, like me, had experienced dimension transfer.

‘I know who at least two of them are.’

I was certain about two of them. 

The Tyrant was Belmond and the Knight who rose from the bottom to the peak was me. 

But I didn’t know any of the others besides those two.

Furthermore…

‘Were there this many dimension transferees?’

The selection window continued endlessly. 

The number of options meant that many dimension transfers had occurred, and I was merely a small part of that number.

‘But why?’

A question suddenly arose. 

Why did these dimension transfers happen?

Why were people living in the modern world periodically moved to a continent called Gritia? 

At first, I thought I was dragged there because I was a Taecho human. 

I thought I was a bit special, but I couldn’t believe that so many people possessed that kind of specialty. 

There was likely some kind of condition for dimension transfer to occur.

And.

‘This Tower knows all those dimension transferees, and it has included them in the System.’

The important thing was that this Tower held all the information on the dimension transferees. 

It had been a question of mine for a long time. 

The Tower that appeared suddenly — I could understand that much. 

But the fact that its Trials were all parts of events the dimension transferees had experienced? 

What exactly was the Tower trying to say through these Trials? 

That fundamental question continued to linger in my mind.

However, I pushed those thoughts aside for later. 

It was an answer I couldn’t find just by thinking about it anyway. 

Getting buried in such thoughts would only increase my confusion. 

For now, I broke away from that mystery and scanned the options filling the space around me.

If I wanted to choose something safe, I should pick the Tyrant, King of Domination Belmond. 

The Emperor’s Sword and the Emperor’s Armor. 

Of course, since he used many other pieces of equipment, the probability of obtaining those specifically might be low, but the mere chance of getting them made it worth trying. 

As I had felt just a moment ago, those two armaments were the type to exert absolute power.

Then.

[The one who drew their sword only once in a lifetime]

An option caught my eye for some reason. 

They drew their sword only once in their entire life. 

It was a phrase that carried a strange resonance. 

The problem was that the rest of the story was missing.

‘Not all dimension transferees would have been powerful.’

One of the characteristics of a dimension transferee is agelessness. 

If that ability had been Immortality, most would have become strong, but agelessness has many variables. 

Even I almost lost my life on the battlefield I was transferred to. 

Therefore, this phrase with its strange resonance could be a trap.

But.

‘I have no choice but to push myself a little.’

Taecho, the Creator God, was an opponent that even the current me would find difficult to handle. 

To face him, I had to take a gamble. 

If I just grew stronger normally, it was obvious I wouldn’t be able to close that gap easily. 

However, the doubt about whether this gamble would actually pay off was real.

Worry. 

After such deep deliberation, the decision I reached was:

[You have selected ‘The one who drew their sword only once in a lifetime.’]

[The armament used by that dimension transferee is granted as a reward.]

It was an unavoidable choice made to face a powerful enemy like the Creator God.

-Flash!

Light gathered in my hand, forming a shape. 

It was a sword. 

Actually, I had expected this to some extent. 

As one could tell from the phrase, this dimension transferee drew their sword only once. 

That meant the only armament they possessed was that sword. 

In fact, I had chosen this precisely because I knew that. 

What I needed right now was a weapon capable of dealing a blow to the Creator God.

And it turned out exactly as I expected. 

If there was a problem, it was the state of the sword. 

It was rusted in several places. 

The edge was even chipped, making it look almost like a saw blade. 

And what about the handle? 

It was covered in something like sticky tar, making it feel quite unpleasant to hold.

-Swish.

I shook the sword once. 

I thought I might be able to shake off the rust, but not at all. 

The rust remained, and only the sticky tar splattered everywhere.

-Ting!

This time, I flicked it with my finger.

“Crack.”

At that moment, I saw it. 

I witnessed a crack forming on the blade, unable to withstand even that small impact. 

Was it a failure? 

No matter how I thought about it, this had to be a failed draw. 

As expected, gambling wasn’t something one should do recklessly. 

Just as I was staring at the sword, reflecting on the result brought about by an impulsive choice.

“This is…?”

At the handle, as the sticky tar splattered away, an inscription that had been hidden was revealed. 

And those words were: [Great Genesis]

A term referring to the very first opening of the heavens and the earth.

Perhaps another person wouldn’t have understood the meaning of those words. 

But I was different. 

To study the gods, including the Demon King, I had devoured every history book and text existing on the Gritia Continent.

And among them was a story about the ancient era before it was called the Gritia Continent.

“…In the beginning, heaven and earth were one. However, because the sun was too close, life could not survive. Was it pity for the lives dying in vain? A Demigod appeared from nowhere and swung a sword. In that instant, the heavens and the earth split apart — Great Genesis occurred — and the world finally changed into a place where life could dwell.”

A sword used only once. 

And the term Great Genesis. 

There was only one conclusion I could reach through those clues.

“The Sword of Great Genesis, Ea.”

The mythical sword said to split heaven and earth with a single strike. 

That sword, which had never revealed itself except for the one time it split the world, was now held in my hand. 

But it was too early to simply rejoice. 

There was another line in the legend describing that sword.

“…And so, the Demigod who split the world died. Because anyone who uses the Sword of Great Genesis, Ea, must imbue that single strike with their entire life force; it is a sword of life and death that results in certain death.”