Chapter 23
Meanwhile, while Suhyeok was inside the mine, complete chaos had broken out outside.
“W-What happened here?”
Bens had felt the earthquake and hurried over in a carriage.
Behind him was Hail, whose entire face was badly swollen.
Lean and Kyle had been beaten so badly that they were still unconscious on the floor of the family head’s office and could not come.
“W-What happened...? Why did this suddenly...?”
The foreman answered.
“...The inside of the mountain range began collapsing, starting with the mine. I believe it happened because it was mined too aggressively for too long...”
Everyone immediately looked at Hail.
Instead of feeling guilty, Hail became angry.
“Ugh! Why are you all looking at me?! Do you think I did all this only for myself?!”
The foreman continued with a bitter expression.
“The person Young Master sent here went inside.”
Bens froze.
“...No way.”
His trembling eyes turned toward the collapsing mountain.
“It’s all my fault. If Bern hadn’t gone back inside, that gentleman never would’ve entered the mine...”
Rumble...
The sound of the mountain collapsing echoed from deep within.
Bens spoke in a trembling voice.
“H-How long ago did he enter...?”
“It hasn’t been very long...”
RUMBLE!!
“......!”
No one could guarantee what was happening inside.
All they could do was listen to the violent sounds and pray that Suhyeok was still alive.
Bens clenched his fists.
His head lowered helplessly.
“I haven’t even thanked him yet...”
Suhyeok was the first person who had ever believed in him.
He had personally shown Bens that even a life as worthless as his could still change.
Clench.
“Damn it...”
Everyone fell silent.
Then Hail spoke.
“Ha. Why is everyone acting so miserable? In the end, didn’t he crawl in there by his own choice?”
Hail seemed pleased.
Even while the mountain collapsed, he laughed at Suhyeok’s situation.
“Hahaha! Serves him right. Since he basically killed himself, we don’t have to worry about losing our connection with the Central Region either.”
He cared only about his own safety.
Everyone present looked at him with disgust.
Hail simply continued laughing.
Bens stared at him.
“...This really won’t do, Father.”
Then he spoke meaningfully.
“Prepare yourself. One slap.”
Everyone looked confused.
Only Hail immediately realized what those words meant.
“W-Wait...”
SLAP!
“Urgh!!”
Too late.
“......!”
Everyone stared in shock.
Hail had suddenly slapped himself across the face.
Bens calmly watched him clutch his swollen cheek.
Then he opened his mouth again.
“Prepare yourself again.”
“G-Gh!”
Hail desperately tried to resist.
SLAP!
“Urgh!”
But he could not stop his own hand from moving.
The workers watching nearby began whispering.
“W-What the hell is happening...?”
“Why is he suddenly slapping himself? Did he finally go insane?”
Before coming here, back in the family head’s office...
Kyle had already been beaten until he lost consciousness.
“Uuuugh...”
Thud.
Kyle fell to the floor, foaming at the mouth.
Bens then looked at Hail as if searching for his next prey.
Father.
“H-Hik!”
No matter what, I’m still your son. I can’t personally hit my own father, can I? That would be unfilial.
Bens’s eyes contained no affection between parent and child.
Hail instinctively stepped backward.
But he could not escape the contract.
So I thought of something.
Bens smiled.
From now on, whenever I tell you to prepare yourself, raise one hand and slap yourself.
“Understand?”
After being forced to slap himself repeatedly, Hail finally dropped to his knees.
Both cheeks were bright red and horribly swollen.
“Uuuugh...”
The foreman, who had been watching, suddenly shouted.
“It might still be too early to give up! He said he would come back!”
They were desperate enough to cling to even the smallest hope.
Leaving Hail rolling around in pain, Bens nodded.
“Right. It’s still too early to give up.”
Then he raised his voice.
“Split into groups and search every part of the mountain that hasn’t collapsed!”
“Yes!!”
Suhyeok stared closely at his sword.
He was not the only one shocked by its sudden transformation.
[I’ve never seen anything like this. Seriously, what exactly is that sword?]
[Even that light only appears when the purity reaches almost the highest level...!]
[First time seeing it in person.]
[Look at all the blacksmiths typing like crazy.]
[Is that really such a big deal?]
Even most of the Constellations seemed to have never seen something like this.
Then a sponsorship message appeared from a familiar name.
[‘Master of Scorching Heat’ has sponsored 5,000 Coins.]
[Sponsorship Message: The purity of the Adamantium is surprising, but that sword is even more incredible. A sword possessing its own ego...]
Suhyeok remembered something Dolkin had mentioned shortly before they finished producing weapons for all the raid teams in his previous life.
A sword with an ego? Something like that actually exists?
Dolkin clicked his tongue when Suhyeok looked skeptical.
Tsk, tsk. Do I look like someone with enough free time to lie to you?
Considering everything I’ve seen from you, yes.
Ahem! Fine! Believe whatever you want! Even I don’t really believe a sword like that exists.
What do you mean?
They say only a blacksmith who forms a true bond with a sword can create one. Damn it. Even I’ve never managed to make one.
Whatever else Dolkin might lie about, he never lied when it came to weapons.
In other words...
Even Dolkin had never obtained such a weapon.
The sword now in Suhyeok’s hand was a true fortuitous encounter.
Something he had never obtained even in his previous life.
...The sword definitely guided itself toward the Adamantium.
Is something like this really possible?
[Mythic - Seong-a]
Information: Made from 90% pure Adamantium. It possesses the ability to cut through magic. As a sword possessing an ego, it can grow endlessly by consuming ores.
Effect: The sword’s ego has not awakened yet, so its abilities remain inactive.
When Suhyeok had created this sword in Dolkin’s workshop, he had only considered it a base weapon for Moonstone.
He certainly had never thought there was any special bond between them.
“......”
Suhyeok tightly gripped the hilt and raised the sword.
His reflection appeared on the translucent blade.
Hummm...
“......!”
The sword vibrated in response.
It felt strangely similar to sensing movement from inside an egg just before it hatched.
That was when Leon grabbed both of Suhyeok’s cheeks and stretched them.
[Hey! Tell me properly, nya! How the hell did you do this, nya?!]
Leon had turned the broadcast view away from them.
His reaction was understandable.
Far too many impossible coincidences kept happening around Suhyeok.
[Why does this kind of thing always happen only to you, nya?! And are you really even a Prophet in the first place, nya?! Th-This doesn’t make sense, nya!]
Because of their contract, Suhyeok could tell Leon about his regression without worrying about the information leaking.
But that was only possible if Suhyeok trusted Leon completely.
It was still too early.
...Instinct.
[Instinct again, nya?! Stop messing with me!]
Leon stared at him for a long moment.
Then he sighed.
[Haah... Maybe you can somehow get away with it this time, but some Constellations are definitely going to start becoming suspicious, nya.]
Leon looked worried.
