Sword Sovereign, Reinhardt Euclid.
He was the last descendant of a prestigious swordsmanship family and the protagonist of a tragic tale—his entire clan annihilated by vile demon worshippers.
As a child, Reinhardt fled the massacre.
"O sword......"
As a desperate last resort to survive, he threw himself into the Abyss that had consumed the world.
A place some called a dungeon.
There, he picked up a sword that shimmered with an enigmatic glow.
The sword spoke.
【I see a fragment of talent.】
A fragment.
The barest sliver.
The talking sword was tiny and wretched.
But Reinhardt, who had lost everything, picked it up.
'Could this be some kind of Mystery?'
He cherished the sword dearly.
Together with it, he crossed countless thresholds of death.
From time to time, the sword demanded long periods of training.
【Spend ten years learning the aura cultivation technique from me.】
Ten years.
He endured.
And in return, he gained the power to slay demon worshippers.
The pure power of the sword.
"O sword......"
He achieved his revenge.
What came after, he didn't know.
That was when the sword spoke.
【Temper your forms for thirty-three years.】
Reinhardt devoted himself further.
And grew stronger still.
When he finished his training and stepped back into the world, the remnants of the demon worshippers had rebuilt their forces and summoned the Demon King.
The Empire was in chaos.
That was when Reinhardt understood the calling the sword had laid upon him.
'Salvation.'
And so, he slew the Demon King and came to be known as the Sword Sovereign.
The Emperor of the great empire honored his achievements and permitted him to bear the title of Emperor of Swords.
Reinhardt had grown old enough that he should have lived out his days in glory, raising the next generation of swordsmen, before passing on.
But—.
【Devote fifty years to reaching the pinnacle of the sword.】
The sword whispered.
What lay at that pinnacle, he didn't know.
He was so old that dying at any moment wouldn't have been strange.
Yet Reinhardt had always devoted himself.
Had always grown stronger for it.
And so he obeyed.
"I have beheld the ultimate truth of the sword. O sword...... nameless sword—. I wish I could see you one last time."
What lay at the end was death.
But a death in which he had attained every possible enlightenment.
The sword had granted him the most magnificent final moment.
"If I have one eternal regret, it is leaving you behind like this......"
Reinhardt's eyes slowly closed.
That was when it happened.
RUMBLE—————.
His Mind Realm trembled.
A realm where he could raise a sword with thought alone.
Imbue his will into the blade and swing it.
And ultimately become one with the sword.
The Mind Realm of such a master.
Whoosh—.
"Y-you...... O sword......"
Reinhardt saw the pitch-black eyes staring at him.
A gaze of terrible emptiness.
And then.......
'The one who had been speaking to me...... was never the sword—.'
He attained enlightenment.
About the true identity of the being who had governed an old man's entire life!!!
It wasn't the sword.
RATTLE—.
That empty gaze shifted.
Into something deeply intent.
"O master of the sword—."
Those terribly hollow eyes now gazed at the sword in Reinhardt's hand with an intensely focused stare.
And Reinhardt, who had reached the pinnacle of sword-body unity, was drawn into the sword.
* * *
[Playthrough 6: Happy Ending]
I'd completed my sixth sword and reached an ending.
A happy ending, at that.
How exhilarating would it be to discover something new in a game you'd played for twelve years?
"That's a first."
My heart was pounding.
Enough to gasp out loud over a single game.
I'd played over ten thousand playthroughs.
And yet this was my first happy ending.
'So the NPC has to die satisfied too, huh?'
A remarkable discovery.
And it wasn't just my imagination.
Flash!
[Please name the sword's True Name.]
As always, I inscribed the name of the last person who had wielded the sword as its True Name.
They were NPCs, sure, but it was my way of commemorating having made it to an ending together.
With only six endings across over ten thousand playthroughs, it was well worth doing.
Flash!
[Reinhardt Euclid]
'That makes six.'
Embarrassing as it was to admit, I didn't have much natural talent for games.
When I was younger, I'd thought I was a [Raise a Sword] genius, but.......
'How is it that in twelve years, I've only seen six endings?'
Over ten thousand playthroughs, and only six proper endings. That was all.
The rest were mostly repeating the same tech trees to research more efficient methods, or failed attempts at unusual strategies.
'At least that middle schooler who came in earlier actually hit number one in the rankings......'
I was drifting into slightly bitter memories when a warm smile crept across my face.
'A happy ending.'
For the first time, I'd reached an ending on a good note.
With this, a new sword might unlock.
More precisely—.
'The sword's potential.'
A new method of cultivation might emerge.
Thinking that, I waited for the next screen.
But then.......
Flash!
[All conditions have been fulfilled.]
"What?"
A type of message I'd never seen before appeared.
If I were my younger self, I'd have screamed 'THIS is an Awakening!' and sprinted straight to the Bureau.
But I was twenty-seven.
A five-year career civil servant who'd skipped university and gone straight into the public service exam.
Military service was waived, for the record.
'Wonder what's coming.'
I simply waited for what came next.
As a [Raise a Sword] explorer.
As the master of the last remaining sword.
The same way I always had.
[Unlock Condition 1. Open all endings.]
—Fulfilled. (6)
'So six endings was the limit......'
This might actually be the true ending credits.
The [Raise a Sword] equivalent of a final curtain call.
I checked the following messages with a slightly bittersweet expression.
[Unlock Condition 2. Form a genuine bond with an NPC.]
—Fulfilled. (3 instances)
'Three?'
That was strange.
Setting two aside, I couldn't recall ever growing attached to an NPC.
Reinhardt at the end was one case of genuine attachment, sure.
That made two, but.......
'Why three?'
As I mulled over that question, the messages continued.
[Unlock Condition 3. Truly love the sword.]
—Fulfilled. (6 instances)
'That one checks out.'
I'd treasured every sword.
Even the [Vampiric Demon Sword] I'd made during puberty, screaming 'Die, all of you!!!'
The fact that someone—something—had recognized that felt pretty good.
A sense of being acknowledged, I suppose.
Flash!
[Qualification of Sword Master acquired.]
[Earn the recognition of all swords and be reborn as the True Sword Master.]
[Do you accept?]
[Yes/No]
A message that might as well have been announcing DLC.
"Wha—??"
A gasp of shock burst out of me.
DLC for a twelve-year-old game?
That's not why I was stunned, though.
"Why is this......"
The final message was hovering in midair.
Right before my eyes.
Wasn't this the exact same phenomenon as the [Status Window] manifestation that real Awakened were said to experience?
Proof that you'd overcome a special and bizarre experience.
'I've become an Awakened?'
The feeling was strange.
An Awakened was an existence beyond the heavens.
Among them, a select few transcended the law entirely and even reached the point of creating law—superhumans, in every sense.
Of course, there were critical drawbacks.
High mortality rates, for one. Having to work alongside lunatics, for another.
Considering the risks, not Awakening would've been just fine.
But.......
'Like I care?'
I wasn't that rational of a person.
I'd spent my career as a civil servant supporting Awakened, telling myself it was indirect revenge for my parents. Need I say more?
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
My heart was honest.
To be frank.......
Revenge was still revenge, but after twelve years, there was an emotion that eclipsed it.
'I get to personally wield the swords I raised?'
I'd dedicated twelve years to [Raise a Sword].
This Awakening message had appeared because I'd witnessed its conclusion.
My love for it was real.
And so—.
"I get to see the swords I raised in the flesh and hold them myself? And use them to demolish Gates?"
There was no reason not to do this.
I pressed [Yes] without hesitation.
* * *
"Twenty-seven years old, Mr. Shin Si-woo. So...... you think you've Awakened from playing a game called Raise a Sword?"
My colleague who'd joined at the same time as me, and a fairly close noona at that.
Section Chief Kang Seol-a tilted her head at a sharp angle and stared at me.
Her gaze was unmistakably that of someone looking at a madman.
"You stood me up when I asked you to grab drinks yesterday...... and now you're telling me you played some weird game and suddenly think you've become an Awakened?"
For the record, I was sitting in the reception area of the Awakened Management Agency.
I'd always been in the counselor's chair, but today, I was in the client's seat.
Across from me, Section Chief Kang Seol-a just kept staring with an expression of utter disbelief.
"This isn't like you to joke around......"
"I don't think I've Awakened. I have Awakened."
Honestly, even I could hardly believe it.
But I really had become an Awakened.
"You're really going to take the test?"
"Of course."
Awakened underwent a test.
Because most Awakened couldn't use their powers outside of Gates or the Tower.
The equipment was quite expensive, though, so filing a false Awakening report came with a ten-million-won fine.
"Let's just do the test first."
Still looking skeptical.
Section Chief Kang Seol-a led me to the massive room adjacent to the reception area.
HUMMM—.
A colossal cube enveloped in a blue barrier.
Every wall was semi-transparent, allowing the interior to be seen from outside.
This was the 'Awakened Test' equipment our government had built using Mysteries obtained from Gates.
Common name: Cube.
"Step into the Cube and open your Status Window first."
Whoosh—.
I strode through the blue barrier without hesitation.
The 'Cube' was an artificial interior designed to replicate the conditions inside a [Gate].
'Since you normally can't use Awakened abilities outside a Gate.'
In here, supernatural powers could manifest.
Status Windows opened properly, too.
"What form does your Status Window take?"
Some appeared as scrolls or parchment.
In certain cases, no entries displayed at all.
In my case—.
Flash!
『Sword Master, Shin Si-woo Lv.1』
—Sword Summon (Authority): Status— Baby Sword / Name— Unnamed (Lv.1)
—Ego Sword Summon (Authority):
1st Sword, Reinhardt Euclid. [0/100]
2nd Sword, Yuria Lanestia. [0/100]
3rd Sword, Jun. [0/100]
4th Sword, Muratan. [0/100]
5th Sword, Iris Ruzbella. [0/100]
6th Sword, Bellatrice. [0/100]
"Standard Status Window."
"Oh, good—it's an intuitive format."
I'd been lucky.
I'd gotten the most intuitive and easy-to-read format.
'It's a bit simplified, but...... it feels exactly like Raise a Sword.'
A strange experience.
That was why some called Awakening a 'Bizarre Phenomenon.'
The forms were that varied.
'Though there are standards, of course.'
F through SSS-rank.
The existing ranks for Awakened.
Among them, combat types were classified as Hunters, while those with unique abilities were funneled into support roles.
'My ability is probably—.'
My class was [Sword Master].
Having dedicated myself to [Raise a Sword], I knew it well.
1. I raise swords, just like in [Raise a Sword].
2. I use the swords I raised in [Raise a Sword] and their power.
Whether it was 1 or 2, the specific growth conditions would likely involve hunting monsters in Gates or the Tower to build up strength.
As if reading my mind, Section Chief Kang Seol-a posed a question.
"What are your abilities like?"
I possessed the two abilities described above.
'Sword Summon is the sword I'm raising, and Ego Sword Summon must be the swords I've already raised.'
But I wasn't going to reveal everything in response to this question.
'What if.'
Just what if.
If by some one-in-a-million chance, 'the swords I raised' were summoned as they were—.
'I could become the most powerful Hunter in the world.'
That was something that absolutely could not become public knowledge.
It was dangerous.
The swords I'd raised and the NPCs who'd wielded them had annihilated every dungeon and Gate in their respective worlds.
And that wasn't all.
'There are cases where they completely destroyed the world, and conversely, cases where they outright saved it.'
[Raise a Sword] was a game where I, from an omniscient observer's perspective, could scrutinize every detail of the sword's journey and the NPC who wielded it.
The setting of that game was a nightmarish hellscape beyond anything the current Earth could even imagine.
My swords were the ones that had witnessed the end of such worlds, in one form or another.
"We won't know the details until you try it out. Si-woo, want to draw a sword?"
It was time to manifest my ability.
If I summoned an Ego Sword right off the bat, who knew what kind of catastrophe might unfold.
So, in my mind, I called upon my small and precious [Baby Sword].
'So this is my personal sword—.'
A pure sword untouched by any NPC's hands.
RUMBLE————.
The air trembled in response to my call.
And then the empty space itself was crushed wholesale.
CRACKLE—.
The air tore apart.
Through the rift, a gleaming sword hilt slowly emerged.
I grasped it.
Flash!
[The Sword Master has summoned the Final Sword.]
[The enlightenment dwelling within the six Ego Swords transfers to 'Sword Master—Shin Si-woo.']
[Sword Will has been awakened.]
[The ultimate truth of Demon Slaying has been reached.]
[The pinnacle of Sword-Body Unity has been reached.]
Accompanied by a distant, fathomless enlightenment, my consciousness sank into the depths of the [Baby Sword].