Chapter 8

〈 Chapter 9 〉 The Relic

*

Following Gwen, I stepped out of the village.

Since it was late, there were no people in sight along the path.

The small-framed Gwen was leading ahead.

I trusted her, knowing her well, but following her without knowing where we were going made me a bit anxious.

“Um, where are we going?”

“To the Barrier.”

“The Barrier?”

She raised her hand and pointed to the distant Barrier.

It shimmered with a gentle light and covered the sky.

It could be said that all the visible sky was wrapped in the Barrier.

“You know what the Barrier is, right?”

The Barrier was frequently mentioned, as it held significant importance in the world setting. So I had a rough idea.

But I was curious if there was something I didn’t know, or if my understanding was different.

“I heard from the village elders that monsters live beyond the Barrier.”

So I tried to play dumb.

“You know there are ruins beyond the Barrier, but you don’t know the specifics?”

It seemed she had figured me out.

Pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts about the Barrier, Gwen continued.

“Yeah, you’re somewhat right. Monsters called Chaos Beasts live outside the Barrier.”

Chaos Beasts, the monsters that inhabit outside the Barrier.

This much matched what I knew.

“And we also refer to the area outside the Barrier as the Chaos Realm.”

During our brief conversation, we arrived near the Barrier.

Though Chaos Beasts sometimes breached the Barrier, I didn’t need to worry with Gwen in front of me.

Besides, Chaos Beasts weakened during the breaching process.

Finally stopping, I could closely examine the Barrier.

Specifically, the Barrier and the faintly visible Chaos Realm beyond it. It was the first time I had seen it up close since coming to this world.

Now that I think about it, I hadn’t seen anything like it back on Earth, so I guess it was my first time.

‘It definitely doesn’t feel good.’

Staring at the dark colors and the writhing something was sending chills down my spine.

It felt eerily horrifying that to reach the ruins, I’d have to throw myself across the Barrier.

Observing me, Gwen said, “You can feel the Chaos, can’t you? The Barrier doesn’t completely block it.”

“Chaos?”

Of course, in games, Chaos as a substance had been described before.

But its true nature wasn’t thoroughly unveiled.

All I knew was it was dangerous, and this was my first time feeling it physically.

“It’s not just the Chaos Beasts that make the Chaos Realm dangerous. The Chaos filling the Chaos Realm itself is even more perilous.”

I could already feel she was right.

Just being slightly exposed to the subtle Chaos near the Barrier was making my condition deteriorate bit by bit.

If I were to step into the Chaos Realm unprepared like this…

“A regular person wouldn’t last a minute in the Chaos Realm before their mind crumbles. And then they’d become a Chaos Beast.”

This was indeed one of the reasons many novice users would end up dead in the game.

Chaos transformation due to Chaos.

Of course, I had no intention of becoming one. That’s why I was waiting for Gwen.

“There are two ways to withstand that Chaos. The first is Stigma. But it doesn’t matter if you don’t know about it. It’s not a guaranteed method, and knowing about it doesn’t change anything.”

The reason it doesn’t change anything was likely because Stigma was inherent.

I had Stigma, but I didn’t feel obliged to tell her about it, so I had denied her earlier question about whether I possessed Stigma.

In reality, my Stigma was almost negligible, aside from the inherited trait.

She folded one finger out of the two she had raised.

“The second is the Relic.”

Swish.

She drew her sword from the sheath.

Then, the blade shone even in the dark.

It was the sword she had been preparing since we were in the room.

“That’s…”

“My 3-star Relic, Ignis.”

Initially, I thought it was just glowing red from the candlelight. But now I could see it radiated a gentle red even in the darkness.

Seeing that, I suddenly remembered the sword from my memories.

It was certainly recommended for Gwen during her late growth phase.

“Relics, known as items infused with the power left by ancient gods. That power serves as a small Barrier, protecting you from the encroachment of Chaos.”

After saying that, she sheathed the sword again.

“You can use such a Relic.”

“But I don’t have a Relic…”

Gwen reached out into the air.

“Inventory.”

Then, her mark shone in the air, and space warped.

Her hand disappeared up to the wrist and then reappeared.

In her hand was a sword.

‘Come to think of it… there was an inventory.’

I had completely forgotten about it.

No, it was more like I hadn’t realized it.

In the game, I took it for granted, but I never imagined it would exist in this game-like reality.

The inventory was, in many ways, the most convenient feature.

I too was a playable character, so I could probably use it. For now, however, it was better to keep my identity hidden since I couldn’t reveal it to Gwen.

She repeated the act of pulling swords out two more times.

Soon, three swords lay on the ground.

“These are emergency 2-star Relics I carry around. You can pick one of these to borrow for a moment.”

“Really?”

“Say no if you don’t want it.”

There was no way I would say no.

In fact, part of the reason I had been waiting for Gwen was to get one of these.

Of course, I had my own means of acquiring Relics, but this was simpler and faster.

I hurried over to the swords she had pulled out.

These Relics seemed to emanate a peculiar energy.

‘By the way…’

If I could see the character’s status window, I would likely be able to see the Relics’ information, too.

‘ Item info… right?’

Instantly, the information about the swords began appearing before my eyes.

I made sure to examine the swords carefully, pretending not to notice the display to avoid being caught.

[Relic: Breezebringer/]

Category: Weapon

Type: Longsword

Relic Rank: 2-star

Description: A sword unearthed from the territory of the God of Wind. It has almost lost its power in the Chaos, but it can still stir a gentle breeze at the tip. The miracle it brings is minute, but since it is a Relic infused with the power of a god rather than a replica or mass-produced item, it is designated as a 2-star.

First sword, Breezebringer.

You might think this is a 2-star? … That thought might cross your mind, but the description was already outlined in the info panel.

Putting that aside, this sword was surprisingly usable. Especially as one’s swordsmanship rank increased.

While it merely stirred a gentle breeze, its effect when wielded by someone with a relatively high sword rank could prove quite beneficial.

I suspected it might have hidden stats, but coming to this game world forced me to revise my assumptions.

Maybe the gentle breeze could deceive the senses. The description described how, once the swordsmanship rank exceeded a certain threshold, it became impossible to follow the sword visually. In that scenario, artificially altering the flow of wind could make for a great fake.

However, I wouldn’t be using this sword.

The reason was simple. My swordsmanship rank wasn’t that high.

At least an A+ in swordsmanship rank was needed for this sword to be worth using.

I turned my eyes to the next sword.

This time, I focused on the sword in the middle.

[Relic: Relic Sacred Replicant (87th)/]

Category: Weapon

Type: Longsword

Relic Rank: 2-star

Description: The original is the Holy Sword Sacred. This was replicated by the high-ranking Hero Heinz. It is the 87th out of a total of 101 replicas made. Heinz could only replicate a small fraction of the enormous divine power held by the Sacred. However, this minute fraction of divine power also holds a resistance equivalent to a 2-star Relic against Chaos.

Relic Sacred Replicant.

The original, the Sacred, is known as the mightiest sword in the game, being the only sword referred to as the ‘Holy Sword’ among Relics.

But aside from that, this replica was also an important sword.

‘Is it okay to lend something like this?’

This sword is provided by the Church to the top 101 heroes, who are potential candidates for advancing to high-ranking Hero status.

Of course, it wouldn’t be possible for me to run away with this sword, but compared to Breezebringer on the left, this sword carried a different status.

Still, even with this sword, I wouldn’t borrow it.

It had great symbolic value, but as a weapon, its practical use was limited. Besides its divine power equivalent to a 2-star Relic, it had no other notable traits.

The structure was also the same as the original Sacred so that its ornate decorations made it cumbersome for wielding swordsmanship.

‘But it feels burdensome to borrow…’

I moved on to the next sword.

And as soon as the information about that sword popped up, I smirked slightly.

‘This is it.’

I carefully pretended to examine the sword, making sure not to forget and said, “I’ll go with this one.”

“Surprising.”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought you’d pick the middle one.”

That thought was only natural.

The appearance of ‘Relic Sacred Replicant’ and the sword I chose were almost entirely opposite.

The sword I chose on the right looked like an ordinary sword that could hardly be distinguished from a typical one.

“Thank you for lending me the Relic.”

“What thanks? We made a trade. I’m taking you to the ruins’ trial.”

Though she said that, I could see her one corner of her mouth subtly lift. Apparently, she was pleased with my expression of gratitude.

This was why I had waited for her. Despite her seemingly cold demeanor, she had a warm personality hidden away.

“What are you staring at?”

“Nothing at all.”

“A trade is just a trade. But you need to let me know the Relic’s location once we reach the trial, and return the sword to me afterward.”

I nodded.

“Of course.”

I could feel the weight of the sword Gwen had given me in my hand.

I had scored a temporary item.

Just then.

“Well then, let’s go.”

“Yes?”

Where to, all of a sudden?

A sudden sense of foreboding made me glance at Gwen.

Seeing my expression, she said, “What’s with that face that says you don’t get it? Of course, we need to cross the Barrier. It’s better to experience everything firsthand.”

“That’s true, but…”

Right now?

Naturally, I wasn’t mentally prepared for it.

“Did you expect to just dash across the Barrier three days later?”

The problem was that Gwen’s words were utterly reasonable.

I couldn’t help but force a smile and say, “Haha, let’s go…”

*