Chapter 275

Rusted Rhapsody (8)

Kang Shin-hyuk opened his eyes, only for his vision to meet darkness. He had been expecting as much, so he wasn't surprised. Perhaps he wasn't able to open his eyes properly right now. That wasn't all. All of his senses seemed to be missing. Even trying to yell wouldn't work, as it didn't feel like his mouth could move.

'I feel so weird because my body has no sensation. Administrator...administrator?'

He tried it just in case, but the connection with the Hero Universe was also cut off. At this point, it was more reasonable to think that he didn't teleport to a dark space but that he was hallucinating from some magic. Originally, this kind of ability could be defended against using his spiritual power, so he wasn't used to it.

'Huh... Nope. Huh, huh...! Oh, no.'

Kang Shin-hyuk couldn't feel his spiritual power. Golden Dragon Fighter was working slightly, so he wrapped his body with that, moving by instinct.

'It can't be that my spiritual power would disappear in an instant, so it's definitely a hallucination. But why does Golden Dragon Fighter work?'

Kang Shin-hyuk felt it was strange as he examined himself. Even though most of his abilities were nullified, he wasn't very nervous. Was it because of his growth over the past year? He believed in himself that no matter what, his efforts wouldn't be in vain.

'It's just that I don't have any sensations; it doesn't mean I can't move my body.'

With that thought, he moved his body hard and stimulated himself with his Golden Dragon, so he felt his senses return very little by little. His strong will was rejuvenating him after defeating something ugly, trying to control him. However, at the same time, he wanted to open his eyes; it suddenly became dark again. No, rather, new darkness had arisen in a space where there was nothing.

'This...'

How he knew it even without his vision was that he could feel it. It was pure darkness itself. It flew in and hit Kang Shin-hyuk without giving him a chance to escape, and even more, darkness unfolded.

'What is this? It's like Tsukuyomi.'

Kang Shin-hyuk felt like it was ridiculous. He felt his senses slipping from him again. He could try it once more, but the darkness would come back and reset it. A different approach was needed. A way to resist this darkness...

'Huh?'

He felt something new approach. He couldn't avoid it, so he decided to accept it. He wondered if it was more darkness, but it wasn't. The energy was absorbed into his mind, and a small theater opened inside his closed eyes. The screen was shaking like it was out of focus, then it became clear, illuminating a black and white image.

'This... Ahh.'

It was a memory of his days as Anvil. He thought it was the memory of when this sword was made, but rather it was a memory of the days when it was created. It was the memory of the death of his precious wife and daughter. To Jormungand, the enemy who invaded the peaceful world...No, they were sacrificed because of the desires of humans who were busy quarreling among themselves even though their country was in crisis.

'...'

He was a talented blacksmith since his youth, and he had been asked to create good weapons. The blacksmith eagerly beat metal, believing that the weapon he made would save the world, but he realized that he was mistaken only after losing his family. Amid the increasingly diminished human realm, the humans struggled to survive, and his family died in vain. Still, until then, he remained innocent. The death of his family and the destruction of the country were all attributed to the invaders, and he held his hammer again for the warriors trying to save the world. However, in that world, his weapons were valuable objects that people fought over. It wasn't monsters, but people aiming weapons at other people.

The concept of country or world no longer remained with humanity. Even the meaning of family was blurred, the only thing important being 'me.' The blacksmith later realized he was wrong, that it meant nothing if he didn't protect himself and his family first. However, that enlightenment came too late, and the man, tired of everything, fled alone from the monsters. And everyone died, leaving him alone. After several years of miraculously surviving, he found a shelter for himself.

-What's really funny is that I picked up the hammer again even then.

'This... This is really bad.'

Though he couldn't confirm the message, Kang Shin-hyuk felt that the synchronization rate between himself and Anvil increased significantly at that moment. Otherwise, he wouldn't be saddened by the family he had already lost. Until now, he hadn't recalled much of his previous family. Perhaps because it was the essential part of Anvil, that had been delayed until he could naturally accept it, but this damn sword took that memory and stuck it in him.

To adversely affect his mind.

'This is a complete magic sword.'

Among the swords he made, this was the darkest of his hatred, anger, and despair. The blacksmith realized it and abandoned it, but it somehow found its way to Cy Xenon. Because it contained so much spiritual power, it gained an ego... The Gaia system was influential on it. It made sense that it affected the Gaia system, as the originally Cy Xenon was probably rich in magic. Maybe that's why it ended up there. He didn't know whether it contaminated the system or the system acquired it, but the dark sentiment in and of the sword made the system dominate the world in the wrong way.

'This must be why it recognized me. The unexplained parts... There are still a few, but it's not something I can worry about now.'

It felt like he was in a book when he should've broken the sword in half, but instead, it fell in the hands of an ordinary rural boy or girl who became his new enemy. Because of that sword, the faces of his wife and daughter, which were faint, came to mind.

'But still, how ridiculous.'

Now that the synchronization rate had risen from that memory, countermeasures had begun to come to his mind.

'I hate it for some reason; it feels like the administrator's will...'

It still couldn't be helped. Kang Shin-hyuk took in a deep breath... And began to accept all the darkness. He was literally accepting all of it in himself. The space wasn't empty; it was just filled with the dark. Recognizing it, it was simple enough to absorb it.

'Haaaaah!'

Of course, an ordinary person would only be controlled by the sword by doing so, but Kang Shin-hyuk wasn't only its creator, but also the master of spiritual power.

'There's a lot... It's too much.'

Except for the negative energy it held, this sword was one of his best works. Moreover, as it had been stuck at the pinnacle of the world for many years, it's spiritual power had even increased. So, the amount of darkness was bound to be massive. His body would burst had he accepted it defenselessly, but ironically, the sword's ability helped him control it better.

'I made it, but it's hard to believe.'

Kang Shin-hyuk laughed bitterly. At the time, he needed to pour out all his emotions. Immediately after making it, he thought he could never sell it. All he could do now was tighten the reins to make sure it didn't leave again. Absorb it, compress it, refine it, and make it his own by repeating that countless times, he accepted all the darkness inside the sword and this world. His vision began to brighten after he felt like a few hours passed. No, it probably wasn't long. This darkness had the power to distort space and time. He thought it was an extension of the power the Jormungand guys used to create guys.

"Ah."

His eyes opened to the top floor of the building. The pitch-black sword was in his hand, and tears were rolling down his eyes though he didn't know if they were tears of joy or sorrow. He could no longer feel any magi around him; it was all inside him.

-You learned Dark Mastery (SSS). The rarity has grown to X-rank under the influence of the environment and the skills and traits you are learning! Skill proficiency has increased to SS-rank. Spiritual power and Golden Dragon Fighter will grow to SSS-rank!

"Tell me."

Kang Shin-hyuk quietly spoke to the administrator while everyone remained silent.

"You knew, didn't you."

-Oh, I knew.

The administrator confessed frankly.

-3,000,000HP bonus...?

"Don't think that will solve it."

Because he had absorbed all the darkness in the world, the dawn was arriving now, even though the world had perished.

-System error! System error!

"You be quiet too."

-...