The Main Characters That Only I Know

Chapter 54

[Sario Ancient Relic Sword (Awakened)]

It is a weapon made by the huge Sario Empire, which had achieved a brilliant civilization a long time ago. 

It was rotting away in a corner of the dimensional shop without any stories being passed on, until a skilled engraver recognized its value and brought out a new appearance.

It contains the essence of magic engineering from the Sario Empire, which had reached the peak of magic engineering. 

Depending on how you use it, it can give you tremendous power or threaten you as a double-edged sword.

There is a huge ego sleeping inside the sword.

Grade: Mythical

-Increases strength, agility, and stamina.

-Greatly increases the probability of inflicting a fatal blow on the enemy.

-Can defend against magic.

-Can cut through magic.

-Grows with the user.

-Can use [Shape Change].

[Shape Change]

Changes the weapon into the desired shape. No time limit. No cooldown. (However, it cannot exceed twice the mass and volume)

[Special Skills]

-(Locked due to the user’s low level)

-(Locked due to the user’s low level)

-(Locked due to the user’s low level)

‘It’s amazing.’

As soon as I checked the information, I shouted with joy in my mind.

A mythical grade weapon. 

This was something that could not be obtained on Earth right now. 

The sword itself had excellent abilities and additional effects. 

The biggest advantage was that it could change into any shape I wanted, not just a sword, and I could also adjust the weight and volume up to twice.

‘But the special skills are still locked. It must be because my level is too low to fully handle the sword.’

The key to unlocking these special skills was only my experience and the history I had. 

It was unfortunate that there were conditions attached, but it would be too greedy to ask for more.

‘Besides, was this sword originally this good?’

The performance of the awakened sword was more than I expected.

It wasn’t that good before, was it? 

The Sario sword I saw in the apocalypse didn’t feel that impressive.

The grade also felt a bit overrated for something called mythical.

‘Wait. I peeled off the rust and finished engraving, but why is there still ancient and relic in the name? Then maybe…’

I guessed the reason belatedly.

In Hyunseong-gye, when a weapon has ancient, relic, or legend in its name, it has [the power of stories] attached to it and gets a premium bonus.

It was similar to that now. 

Because I was the first one to engrave a story of an extinct ancient empire, that power was fully embedded and created a much stronger Sario sword than before.

‘An unintended extra element.’

An element that even I, who knew the future information, couldn’t calculate. 

But if everything went as expected, it wouldn’t be fun, would it?

Besides, a gift is more joyful and valuable when you receive it unexpectedly.

The additional effect that the Sario sword had for me was like a gift from heaven.

‘Wait a minute. But there is a huge ego sleeping inside the sword?’

As soon as I realized that, there was a change in the sword.

Above the Sario sword in my hand, a small book floated up.

At the same time, the sword shook and shouted in a loud female voice.

[I’m finally freeeeeee!!]

Oh.

I heard the sword scream and nodded slightly.

Yeah. 

Of course, a sword that I got through this process should be able to talk as an ego sword.

I forgot about that.

***

There are no swords without names.

Well, in this case, it probably had a name once in the past, but it would be correct to say that it disappeared over time.

I couldn’t just sit in my office and talk to the sword, so I moved to [the Room of Observers].

“So you’re the ego embedded in this sword?”

[Ahem. It’s more accurate to say that I’m an artificial intelligence that promotes autonomous thinking with magic and engineering essence rather than an ego.]

That’s an ego.

I barely swallowed what came up to my throat.

I hadn’t had a proper conversation with her yet, but I could tell from her tone and voice that she was quite talkative and proud.

[But I’m surprised too. It’s been so long already. The Sario Empire also perished in the end. I thought I would last forever.]

“You don’t seem sad?”

[I never felt any affiliation with the country in the first place. No, did I? I don’t remember. A lot of my past memories are missing. It must be because I was asleep for a long time. In that sense, I can only thank you!]

She was quite chatty, maybe because of the backlash of being asleep for a long time.

[It’s like, I had a long dream. Or should I say, I was in a state of mindless in the dark with nothing?]

“Do swords dream?”

[Don’t look at me as a common sword, okay? It’s just a dream, you can dream as much as you want. Back then, I was called the sword of the earth god. I don’t know what I am now.]

“Probably still the same.”

I could tell by the system grade that was assigned to him. 

Mythical grade meant that the system highly valued him.

But I never expected him to have such a strong ego, even in his dreams. 

He had artificial intelligence that even modern science in the 21st century couldn’t achieve, created by an ancient empire that was destroyed.

Ego Sword dreams of the fallen empire. 

It sounds like a sci-fi novel title.

I glanced at the book that was floating near the sword.

‘This is amazing.’

I thought books were only for living beings. 

And even then, only for intelligent beings who could think and speak.

‘Who would have thought, a sword with a book.’

Did that mean that this artificial intelligence created by the Salio Empire was close to being an intelligent being? 

I had only heard vague rumors about it, but now I wanted to see what it was like.

‘Maybe, I won’t be able to.’

Usually, even if a world was destroyed, if there were records or oral traditions, it could be recreated in reality through [World of Thoughts]. 

But the Salio Empire was neither recorded nor passed down. 

The probability of it appearing again in the World of Ideas was close to zero.

‘For now, let’s focus on this sword.’

[Anyway, I get that you’re my master this time. But I’m surprised. I didn’t think there would be anyone left who could wake me up from my slumber. What’s your name?]

“Kang Yu-hyun. A teller from Celestial Corporation.”

[Hmm. Teller… What?!]

He raised his voice in disbelief when he heard my words.

[Hey, wait a minute. What kind of sword is a teller! Oh no! I just woke up and now I’m going to be sold!]

“Don’t worry. I won’t sell or abandon you. I made you like this because I wanted to use you.”

[What?! What are you talking about?! How can a teller use a sword!]

“I can. You’ll see soon enough.”

I couldn’t show him my appearance yet because I had closed the library.

But he didn’t seem to think I was lying, as Ego Sword let out a sigh.

“What about your name?”

[I don’t have one. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that I forgot. I’ve been around for too long, and some of my memories are not intact.]

“I see, hmm. But I can’t keep calling you ‘you’. How about I give you a name?”

[Really? That would be nice of you. You have the talent of an engraver since you woke me up, so you should be able to give me a good name.]

I looked at him closely. 

Despite being called a magic engineering sword, he didn’t look mechanical at all. 

He was white all over, both the blade and the hilt. 

The design was old-fashioned but well-made, but that was it.

But looking at his snow-white appearance, somehow Baekhyo came to mind.

“Baekryeon (White Lotus)”

His hilt and guard looked like a white lotus flower.

That’s how I named him. 

And also to give him the feeling of being Baekhyo’s brother.

[Baekryeon, huh? Not a bad name. Okay. Kang Yu-hyun. You’re my master from now on.]

“I like your straightforwardness.”

I was worried that he might say something like ‘You’re not my master!’ because he had a strong ego, but it seemed like an unfounded worry.

The moment I named Baekryeon and he acknowledged me as his master,

A contract was formed between us.

[You have become the master of the ancient sword Baekryeon, a relic of the Sario Empire.]

[You have acquired the story of inheriting the forgotten.]

[You have fully awakened the ego of the ancient sword.]

[Your story as an engraver has changed into a title.]

[You have gained 3,000TP.]

Just by making a contract, my story changed into a title in an instant. 

That meant how amazing this sword really was.

The moment I held Baekryeon in my hand, I felt his story flowing into me. 

And my story flowing into him.

Was this what an ancient contract was like? 

I wondered as I felt the refreshing sensation that the story gave me.

Letters became words and words became sentences.

Sentences connected into paragraphs, and paragraphs gathered and formed a story.

The completed story accumulated in my body.

After finishing the process, I opened my eyes.

[What? What what what?]

Baekryeon uttered a strange sound as if he couldn’t believe it.

“What’s wrong?”

[No, what’s wrong with you? Kang Yu-hyun, you… What are you?]

He seemed to have noticed something, and I couldn’t help but stiffen my expression.

[You’re a reincarnator who died and was born again?]

That was a secret I never told anyone.

***

“Seriously…”

Before I could ask him how he knew, I closed my mouth because there was something obvious.

It seemed that Baekryeon read my past through the master contract. 

My story had flowed into him. 

He just didn’t read it completely, so he only knew bits and pieces.

But he was sure that I had died and been reborn.

In the end, there was nothing to hide, so I honestly told him my secret.

[Hmm. So that’s how it was. Well, I thought you were an extraordinary teller, but I didn’t know you had such a story. Then did you find me thanks to your future knowledge?]

“Something like that. But the one who used you in the future didn’t seem to know that you were Ego Sword, so I don’t know why that was.”

[Maybe, that’s because of your special trait as an engraver. The one who would become my master in the future probably woke me up carelessly.]

“Really? Is that so?”

[Phew. But I’m more surprised. Who would have thought that my new master would be such a remarkable person?]

“I’m not that remarkable.”

Not yet, anyway.

[But I think it’s more fun this way. I have a feeling that my old master was too rigid! And I’m curious about the tellers too. What kind of race are they? And what is this Story thing?]

“You’ll see plenty of it from now on.”

Baekryeon and I got along well somehow. 

More than that, he was someone who knew my true past and appearance that no one else knew, and that made me feel comfortable.

Anyway, with this I finished awakening Baekryeon, and I also gained a lot of points as a bonus.

“I hope we get along well.”

[Me too.]

That was the moment when I got a new companion.

***

Because of Kang Hye-rim’s [Thunder Sword] awakening and Baekryeon’s engraving, I had to rest from Story for a few days.

The spirits were quite restless because of that.

‘It’s a good thing I posted a notice in advance. Otherwise, it would have been a mess.’

The spirits were angry at the notice that said I would rest for a few days. It was basic to say things like ‘He’s gone crazy’, ‘He’s full of himself’.

But I was already worried about that, so I added another sentence.

-Please look forward to the new appearance of the sword master and me.

That one sentence was enough to quell the spirits’ complaints.

They thought that I wasn’t resting for no reason, but preparing to show them something new. 

And it wasn’t a lie either.

Thanks to that, the number of subscribers didn’t decrease, but increased even while I was resting.

The moment I opened the library, the spirits who received the notification rushed in.

The number of viewers surpassed 2,000 in an instant, and the speed didn’t slow down at all. 

There was a new influx while I was resting from Story.

[Sword master!]

[I finally see the sword master again!]

[Kang Yu-hyun teller, what kind of Story will you show us today?]

[Long time no see.]

Direct messages poured in with points donations.

As I checked them and tried to explain today’s Story,

“Employee Kang Yu-hyun.”

Someone called me, and my eyes naturally turned to the owner of the voice.

‘There shouldn’t be anyone else here besides Kang Hye-rim and me.’ 

That thought vanished as soon as I saw his face.

“…Jinpung.”

Jinpung, a teller from the Pentagram department.

The guy who was after me before suddenly appeared in front of me.