Chapter 292
(292)
Dissipation (5)
-Klang! Klang! Klang!
The sound of a hammer striking metal resonated throughout the workshop, which was neither large nor small in size. Kang Shin-hyuk kept tapping the sword before him. The identity of it was none other than Abyssus, its shape having crumpled under the weight of his hammer.
-Klang! Klang! Klang!
Abyssus was the only masterpiece comparable to the Godslayer among the works Anvil had produced in the past, though it had been twisted. Who would dare melt it down, and who could melt it down even if they wanted to? He was casually destroying an item that Earth’s superhumans couldn’t dare dream of.
-Klang! Klang!
No… Rather, the higher the difficulty of the work, the better. To be dominated by emotions that were useful to no one, only exhausting himself… He had experienced that enough in his previous life.
“…Next.”
Kang Shin-hyuk, who turned Abyssus into a lump of metal, produced the sword Excalibur – Despair. It was the supreme magic sword created by Oh Joo-young after he turned to Jormungand. It was an object that couldn’t be easily broken or melted down.
-Klang! Klang! Klang!
Kang Shin-hyuk thought of combining the two to form a new sword. They weren’t enough on their own to reach Janus’s divine sword, so he wondered if putting them together would be. Fragarach and Astrafe were out of the question. Both were very good weapons, but their properties were already fixed, so it was impossible to refine them. Moreover, it was unlikely that combining them could surpass Janus. If Shin Eunah had been accustomed to them, maybe it wouldn’t be different, but she—
-Klang!
“…Ha.”
Kang Shin-hyuk slowly closed his eyes and opened them again as if he were in pain from combining the two swords. He was able to preserve the powers of the two swords and condense them into one monster, but his mind grew heavy, and he couldn’t concentrate on his work anymore. If he continued like this, a new ‘Abyssus’ would be born that wouldn’t overcome the Godslayer. Convinced of that, his hammer stopped.
“Fuck…”
-Member…
A cautious message appeared before him.
-There is a visitor request to your My Room.
“Who is it?”
-…It’s Tsukuyo.
Laughter came out of him. Considering how she ran to Earth for the dimensional quest, the administrator couldn’t help but be resigned. It was a little funny given how vehemently the administrator had previously tried to stop her, but now he was gently informed of her request.
“I’ll allow it.”
-Okay.
Soon, Tsukuyo appeared before him. She was dressed in traditional clothes as usual, but her expression was so quiet that the mood was quite different than usual.
“Anvil…”
“It’s a face that came despite knowing there is only bad news.”
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“I’m always happy just because Anvil exists. If you feel relieved reprimanding me, please do so.”
If anyone else heard it, they might think she was making fun of him, but he knew that Tsukuyo had no intention of doing such. But that wouldn’t help at all. If he grew angry at her for this situation she wasn’t responsible for, he would become the fool. As Kang Shin-hyuk cleared his face of all expression and grew silent, Tsukuyo looked into his eyes.
“Anvil, can I get close to you?”
“…”
After confirming that he had finished his work, Tsukuyo’s eyes widened for a moment as she noticed the metal on the anvil that radiated a terrifying sense of anticipation. It went away quickly as her expression became calm, and she approached him. She carefully reached out, gently taking the hammer from his hand, and hung it on the wall. Then, as if he would reject her, she trembled as she slowly pulled him into her arms. Kang Shin-hyuk thought if Claire knew, she would be mad, but he didn’t think Tsukuyo would push any further, so he decided to stay there. Honestly, he didn’t have the energy to resist.
“Anvil is, after all, Anvil.”
“Huh?”
Tsukuyo continued as she looked down at the lump of metal on the anvil.
“No, seeing this reminded me of some of the weapons you forged in the days when you first accessed the Hero Universe. Rough, unrefined, violent… This feels like the weapons you forged at that time.”
“…”
Even in his memories from his previous life, there were scenes of Tsukuyo reacting excessively to any weapons that contained Anvil’s deep thoughts. At that time, Anvil was still a little shy about Tsukuyo and became a bit wary of her… Kang Shin-hyuk was suddenly glad he didn’t complete any more work today, and Tsukuyo looked slightly sad.
“In fact, it was those works that I admired you for, but you soon managed to control your emotions. Of course, what you’ve made since then is also very good, but I can’t forget them…”
“I don’t know what you thought while looking at it, but… Armaments with those emotions cause bad things.”
Kang Shin-hyuk responded quietly. It was something he had seen after he solved several dimensional quests.
“I see… Weapons with strong thoughts arouse evil by their existence alone, sometimes they oppress the living, and even destroy civilizations.”
Kang Shin-hyuk’s eyes widened as he listened to her. Tsukuyo hugged him a little harder as if she knew what he wanted to say.
“But, Anvil, it’s natural, not bad as you said.”
“What?”
“Think about it. You have also done a dimensional quest, so you know how many worlds there are.”
Kang Shin-hyuk nodded. His experience was a bit dusty compared to Tsukuyo’s, but it was enough to realize the vastness of the universe.
“Then imagine that all those worlds won’t perish, but develop infinitely…What do you think will happen?”
“What will happen? They will only keep improving.”
“Anvil, you shouldn’t avoid what you already know. A world that has developed enough will eventually expand in other directions. Yes, to another world…”
“Well…?”
Kang Shin-hyuk felt something catch his mind at that. Why did he bother with her words now? Oh, right.
“That’s what Jormungand does.”
“What if there was no Jormungand? Would it not happen?”
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“…”
“The correct answer is no.”
Tsukuyo looked sorrowful as she spoke. It was like she had seen it herself.
“The dimensional movement ability of Jormungand is definitely great, but you can’t say that it’s only for them, right? Right now in the Hero Universe… Anvil, you also.”
Kang Shin-hyuk flinched. His space coordination skill had evolved into space domination in the fight with Janus. It was impossible to go beyond dimensions, but the skill certainly had that potential. No, if his traits constantly evolved, someday, his strength alone would surely make that possible… To recognize that talent meant that Tsukuyo herself could travel through dimensions alone.
“Would there not have been such a thing in the past? Were there no people who wanted to invade other worlds?”
“No, but that’s… That’s completely like Jormungand!”
Tsukuyo responded calmly despite his shouting.
“Yes, if the appearance changes according to the civilization… It would be meaningless to distinguish them from Jormungand, right? If all those worlds stood still, this universe would be terrible.”
Tsukuyo glanced at Kang Shin-hyuk. After saying it, she wasn’t sure if he had understood everything. He did. He felt dirty.
“So, what? The weapons I create spread through space and negatively affect many worlds… Good job?”
“If you get it into the hands of a good being, even a weapon with dark thoughts cannot run wild. Your armament will only emerge when the world deserves to be destroyed.”
Tsukuyo hugged him harder as she could tell his emotions were flaring up.
“To say that armaments born from human hands can control and destroy worlds… Anvil, you alone are the one who can balance the universe.”
“You.”
Kang Shin-hyuk pushed her away and pointed at her.
“Aren’t you the one who left the weapons you bought on other worlds?”
“It’s not just me, Anvil… I didn’t buy all your armaments, right?”
Kang Shin-hyuk laughed. He couldn’t trust this community he was in at all. Even so, if they asked if it was wrong, he couldn’t confidently argue against it. In Tsukuyo’s words, there was deep karma that an inexperienced human couldn’t ever know.
“Wait… So, what about Jormungand?”
He suddenly thought of it.
“Does Jormungand work the same as the weapons I made? Is that why Janus went to them?”
“I would prefer you not to put such lowly things on the same level as your power. Anvil’s graceful and understated works compared to those miscellaneous things.”
Although Tsukuyo showed a strong dislike for the comparison, she didn’t completely deny it.
“Earth… Is the Earth too advanced? So this time…”
“On Earth, they have you.”
Tsukuyo’s voice quieted a little.
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“Imagine if you continued to create powerful weapons like this so that one day millions of superhumans were armed by you.”
“…”
“Of course, you wouldn’t. But what if someone, someone with excessive desire, could open doors to other worlds? More resources, wealth, workforce… What if they wanted to target those and invade?”
Kang Shin-hyuk didn’t believe in human goodness all that much. It was true that the armaments he sold through Lee Manwoo had been given to superhumans at the frontlines, increasing their power immensely. Tsukuyo’s words were a great leap forward, but… It was so undeniable that he felt his heart being stabbed.
“…So.”
Kang Shin-hyuk suddenly grew tired and sat down. He felt like an idiot for hitting metal for hours to calm down.
“Because of me, the attack from Jormungand intensified. Because of me, Eunah…”
“Anvil and Eunah are fine. Really. Janus will come back sooner or later…”
Kang Shin-hyuk didn’t respond. Maybe the administrator brought in Tsukuyo to explain what he couldn’t, but Kang Shin-hyuk didn’t want to know this truth. As humans grew stronger, the attacks from Jormungand would worsen? So no matter how strong you grew, there was no chance? Just fight and die, spinning the wheel… From the moment mana bloomed on Earth, its fate had been decided.
“If.”
Kang Shin-hyuk looked up at Tsukuyo, who remained silent.
“What if we really end Jormungand?”
“They are our mirror. If we grow in strength, a new shadow will be born.”
He heard it before, but…
“I’m asking despite that. Somewhere, there must be a starting point and source for Jormungand. What if I break it?”
“Source.”
Tsukuyo probably already knew its existence. He nodded with a slightly brighter expression as if he finally understood what he said.
“If you… You may be able to find it. If we really get rid of it, it might be possible to destroy Jormungand.”
“Okay.”
He had received several hints before, but now it was clear. Jormungand was a system different from the Gaia system but with a similar function. If so, destroying the core of that system would stop it. It was enough to know that.
“Work together. Eunah and Jormungand.”
“If you want.”
“Good. Then return… I have a lot of work to do outside.”
“Yes, Anvil. Before that.”
“Huh? Ah…”
Tsukuyo responded politely as if she had become his subordinate, but she left a mark on his cheeks and lips before disappearing. Kang Shin-hyuk sighed and opened the door from his My Room.
Despite his feelings, it was time to return to reality.
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