Draw the Legendary Sword (3)
[Noooope!]
".......!"
What the—!?
A sudden shout that shook his mind like a high-pitched shriek!
Thanks to that, Kim Jangcheol flinched and stepped back without realizing it.
Then he looked at Marosh.
"What was that?"
"...Huh?"
"That shout just now, the one yelling 'no,' was that you?"
"...What?"
"It wasn't?"
"......."
Guess not.
Then what was it?
He was a little confused.
He reached out again.
It was the moment he grabbed the hilt to detach the Legendary Sword from Marosh's waist.
[I said noooope! I'm not leaviiing!]
"......"
That sharp voice echoed through his head again.
Finally, Kim Jangcheol could roughly guess who that voice belonged to.
'What the… Is this a talking sword?'
[Of course I ammm. You came looking for me without knowing thattt?]
'........'
He had no idea.
There had been no mention or indication of that in the game.
The sword spoke in a prickly tone.
[Anyway, I made myself clearrr, right? I'm not leavinggg. Let go of my hilttt. And get away from Marosh tooo!]
'.......'
What the hell.
He was dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, the sword continued (?) to speak.
[Ah, and just in case, let me say thisss. If you try to take me away from Marosh by force, or if you hurt Marosh even a little bit, I will never, ever give you my full powerrr.]
'What?'
[Anyway, I warned youuu!]
'What the hell is this...'
And that was the end.
The sword, having finished its prickly threats, fell silent. No matter how much he tried to speak to it afterward, there was no response.
As if saying there was no need for further conversation.
"......"
He was completely dumbfounded.
And, at the same time, surprised.
'So... Camilan's Legendary Sword… was a talking magic sword?'
Astonishing.
'No way.'
Kim Jangcheol began to vaguely understand.
'In the game, everyone killed Marosh to get the sword. I did the same in all 19 playthroughs. Could that have been it? Because they harmed Marosh and forcibly took the sword… the sword closed its heart?'
That seemed likely.
He recalled what the sword had said earlier.
'It said it wouldn't give full power if Marosh was harmed.'
Then, maybe…
'Bloodshot Eyes.'
A hunch struck him hard.
He needed to verify it.
He activated Bloodshot Eyes immediately.
He began to stare intently at the sword.
"Um, excuse me…?"
Perhaps startled by the sudden shift in attitude, Marosh hesitantly tried to speak.
He ignored it.
In the meantime, his eyes started to burn, felt tight, and by the time the blood vessels started to burst, the 190 seconds had passed.
Ding dong!
[Bloodshot Eyes (Lv.2) skill activated.]
[Target: Camilan's Worn Legendary Sword]
[You see through the current state, psyche, and next 7 hours of behavior of Camilan's Worn Legendary Sword.]
[Camilan's Worn Legendary Sword is currently in an extremely enraged, alert state. It was abandoned in this cavern after a brutal battle 317 years ago when its previous master dropped it. Since then, it spent a long time alone, in solitude, until it finally met Marosh and developed deep affection for him. Marosh relied on the sword to survive for 15 years, and during that time treated it as a treasure dearer than life itself. Camilan's Worn Legendary Sword will never forget the affection it received during those warm years.]
[For the next 7 hours, Camilan's Worn Legendary Sword will cling to Marosh with all its magic power, vowing never to leave his side. The only way to break this obsessive attachment without consequences is for Marosh, the object of that affection, to cast the sword away of his own free will.]
"......"
Ha. He figured it out.
And became overwhelmed.
'Tsk. My hunch was right.'
Kim Jangcheol looked at Marosh and the sword with a complicated expression.
'To think... they actually grew that close.'
Marosh, who survived for 15 years depending on the sword.
And the sword, who came to care for Marosh while protecting him.
But in the game?
Everyone was busy killing Marosh.
Then they took the sword, so of course the sword would close its heart.
'Tsk, that means… the sword's original power, when its heart is open, must be way more incredible.'
Camilan's sword, which was usually thrown away after being used as a starter item.
So this sword had insane hidden abilities?
"....."
He couldn't resist hidden power.
Kim Jangcheol licked his lips and looked at Marosh.
Marosh flinched at his gaze.
"Hey."
"...Y-yes?"
"That sword. It seems pretty obsessed with you. Be honest. You can talk to it, can't you?"
"Well…"
"You can, right?"
"...Yes, I can."
"Then convince it."
"Huh?"
"Convince the sword."
"Convince the sword… how...?"
"Tell it to let go. That you're going to hand it over to a cooler master, so it doesn't need to be disappointed. That your relationship ends here. Something along those lines should do it, right?"
"......"
"You don't want to? Wanna die?"
"N-no! I'll do it!"
Marosh, startled, quickly grabbed the hilt. He closed his eyes, focused for a moment, then flinched and looked this way.
"No, he's cool too."
"......."
"I mean it! Even though his face looks like that, and his voice is weird, and his eyes are kind of creepy… if you spend time with him, you'll find he has some good points too!"
"......"
"I'm sorry. So please, okay? You think his personality is wrecked? Oh come on, really? I mean yeah, I guess he does seem a bit morally questionable, but still, everyone has at least one good quality, right? If you spend some time together, maybe you'll start getting along?"
"......"
"Huh? You're saying just by looking at him, he seems like his feet reek? That's a thing now? A foot-stink fortune? Wh—no, no, if you say so, I believe you. Yeah, honestly, he does look like he'd have some serious foot funk. And… yeah, that too. Just looking at his palm lines, he probably has one crappy fate after another. You're saying he's got some extreme T-type personality, a T-bastard or whatever? Mmm, sorry, I have no idea what that means. But even so, even if he has stinky feet, terrible palm-line fortune, and he's a T-whatever, if you just spend some time together and understand each other..."
"…He'll die?"
Kim Jangcheol finally interrupted.
Marosh, who had been diving headfirst into an endless chatter mode with the sword, flinched.
"Just persuade it nicely. Just persuade, got it?"
"Y-yes, sir."
Marosh closed his eyes again.
This time, he started sweating profusely, as if the sword was scolding him endlessly.
Eventually, he sighed deeply while glancing over at Kim Jangcheol.
"What? Not working?"
"No… the persuasion isn't working..."
"What's the sword saying?"
"It says I might as well just destroy it."
"......"
"Ahhh, why am I just so charming? Honestly, when it comes to my charm, I can't help but mention the events back in Lakar Angul, the homeland of my people—so, LA. One morning, as I was stepping out of my hut…"
"Three words."
"......"
"So, persuasion didn't work?"
"Yes, sir."
"You don't think it'll work no matter how much you try?"
"No…"
Marosh hung his head low.
"To be honest, this sword is extremely stubborn. Once it gets like this, no matter how much I plead or beg, it won't listen."
"Have you ever broken through that stubbornness?"
"No."
"Tsk. Then let's do this."
Kim Jangcheol scrunched his nose.
"If persuasion doesn't work, let's go with brute force."
"Pardon?"
"Brute force. We're tearing it off."
"Tearing… you mean with strength?"
"Exactly. You can do it, right?"
"......"
"If you can't, you die."
"...... I'll do it!"
Marosh quickly straightened up. He grabbed the sword's hilt and began to strain with all his might.
"Ugh… Nghhh! Rrrrgh! Hrk!"
His green face turned beet red.
But the sword didn't budge.
Kim Jangcheol, however, was not satisfied.
"You haven't used all your strength yet. Got it? You're doing this. If you fail, you die. Use the strength you had when you were nursing, breathe, and—GO!"
"...Haaap!"
Creek!
At the very last moment, as Marosh squeezed out every ounce of his strength, the sword shifted by about one millimeter… then snapped back into place.
And Marosh, utterly drained, collapsed.
"I… I'm done…"
Thud, shhhhhh...
Marosh, pale as death, closed his eyes.
And didn't move again.
"...Hey?"
No use calling out.
"Hey, open your eyes, huh?"
Even tapping him didn't help.
"Tsk. Maybe I should wake him up with shock therapy."
He raised a fist in frustration.
Then Zephyros intervened.
"If you hit him like that, he'll probably die."
"What if it's just a light slap?"
"Still very likely."
".....Ohhh damn."
Kim Jangcheol scratched the back of his head.
He looked at the unconscious Marosh, and the sword stuck to his waist like a magnet, with a troubled expression.
"........"
At this point, the conclusion was obvious.
'If I kill him or tear it off by force, the sword will close its heart and won't function properly. That means it'll only show the beginner-tier stats like in the game.'
And in that state, the synergy with the matching scabbard would also weaken. But if he could soothe the sword without upsetting it and claim it successfully?
Then the hidden powers would be fully unleashed. Combined with the scabbard, it would reveal a far greater potential.
"......."
If he hadn't known, it'd be one thing.
But now that he knew the truth, he couldn't give up.
On top of that, this was a matter of pride as a player who had conquered everything in this game.
He now desperately wanted to obtain the sword with all its original power.
'Then there's only one way.'
He couldn't kill him.
He couldn't take it by force.
Even Marosh himself couldn't convince it.
And even if Marosh tried to pull it off, it wouldn't move.
'Then I'll just have to bulk up this bastard's strength.'
Clack.
With determination, Kim Jangcheol picked up Marosh like a plastic bag off the ground and slung him over his shoulder.
He walked out of the cave.
Returned to the Demon King's Castle.
And threw him at Baal.
"Baal, here's your homework."
Thump!
Baal's eyes widened as he looked at the unconscious Marosh tossed at him.
"Baal? Homework?"
"Yeah. Homework."
"Baal! Baal no good with dog bones! This one, just bones and skin! Doesn't look tasty at all! Baal hasn't eaten stuff like this in ages!"
"Tsssk? It's not for eating. I said it's homework."
".....Homework?"
"Yeah, homework."
"Baal! What Baal do?"
"Simple."
Kim Jangcheol gave a grin.
"From now on, you train this guy like hell and feed him well…"
"…Feed him?"
"Turn him into a musclehead like you."
That's right.
If you can't tear off the sword with strength?
Then make the strength big enough to do it.
Because brute force is always the answer.
Kim Jangcheol's grin deepened.
Thus, the moment arrived—the birth of the true founding father of the orc race, who would one day be known across the Laurasia Continent as a legendary meathead tribe.
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