Chapter 240: The Four Seasons (2)

The cherry blossoms bloomed.

Though the season was now entering winter, and cherry blossoms shouldn’t be blooming at this time, petals fluttered about the workshop, as if someone had purposely made it so.

“…You’re late.”

The workshop was located at the Korean Hero Academy branch.

In that place, there exists a workshop built especially for me by the Emperor.

This workshop had an astronomical amount of money poured into it. When the vice principal and I settled here, the place became packed with facilities that rank among the top three in the country.

“At this rate, I’m going to turn into an old man.”

Ten minutes passed.

Ten minutes went by.

I checked to see if there was dust on my hoodie.

As I waited, I sensed the presence of the vice principal.

A faint presence.

I turned my gaze. The vice principal’s appearance was different from usual, not how I remembered her.

A short stature, seemingly around 150 cm.

Her young face was the same, but the dark circles that were her trademark were covered with light makeup, and unlike her usually ragged lab coat, she now wore a clean one.

‘This is a bit awkward.’

The vice principal was a born craftsman. If I brought her rare materials, she would exclaim, “How rare…!” and would make weapons, armor, or accessories for free.

But due to a personal grudge with the principal, if she wasn’t following her orders, she wouldn’t make anything, no matter how much money was offered.

“It’s been a while.”

“…Yeah, it has. But what brings you here?”

“I need your abilities, Vice Principal.”

“My abilities?”

The vice principal perked up her ears.

Seeing her proud expression, I gave her a capitalistic smile.

“The things I make are good, sure. But it’s not something someone like Veritas would need.”

“No, I do need it. The things I’m making now require some delicate touches.”

“Really? Just say the word, whatever it is.”

She looked up at me with the eyes of a fan gazing at an idol.

“Can you help me?”

“There’s no issue. Besides, the principal already told me to assist you.”

“But still, shouldn’t there be some kind of compensation?”

“…Then maybe an autograph.”

“Sure.”

She had already asked for several autographs last time, so why did she keep asking for more?

I stared at the paper she handed me, unsure of where it had come from.

‘Should I sign this with a special touch?’

I awakened the power within me.

With alchemy.

Flash.

Golden and white light gathered at my fingertip.

When I placed my finger on the paper, my name appeared in elegant handwriting.

It sparkled like runes, infused with alchemical power.

‘This is a bit much…’

I gazed at the signature, feeling a bit taken aback.

The letters glowed, giving off a stylish aura.

Charm.

The combination of alchemy and runes maximized the charm, and even I had to admit the name inscribed there looked impressive. It was the kind of thing you’d want to display somewhere.

‘So, this is how it can turn out.’

I handed her the signed paper, still a bit bemused.

“…I’ll treasure this as an heirloom.”

“You really don’t have to…”

“I will.”

“…Okay.”

“And can I show this off?”

“Show it off?”

I tilted my head briefly before nodding.

“Then I’ll go show it off to the Alchemy Guild.”

“…”

That was a bit problematic.

Before I could stop her, the vice principal was already typing on her phone, looking pleased with herself.

I moved to the shelf and started placing the items.

I pulled out the series of the Four Seasons.

The Sword of Spring, imbued with the power of life.

The Sword of Summer, imbued with the power of flames.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The Sword of Autumn, imbued with the power of magic.

The Sword of Winter, imbued with the power of frost.

As the four sword hilts appeared, the blades began to glow.

Uuuuuung!

The four swords resonated.

A brilliant white light flashed.

I pulled out the essence I had taken from the Thousand Sorcerer.

Pure Essence.

“Judging by the resonance, these were originally one sword. And they’re all S-rank…”

The vice principal’s eyes widened as she spoke, her hands moving in sync. Magic threads spun from her fingertips, and the magic began to synchronize.

A green hue, symbolizing spring, bloomed.

A red hue, symbolizing summer, ignited.

An orange hue, symbolizing autumn, spread.

A blue hue, symbolizing winter, radiated.

They all merged into one.

Despite the mixture, it didn’t turn black.

A pristine white light, unsullied by anything.

The pure white light resonated.

The Pure Essence quickly dissolved.

I watched as the magic of alchemy supported the scene.

The vice principal,

With eyes filled with ecstasy, giggled as she touched the sword.

Her gaze was a bit terrifying.

I returned my attention to the shelf and fused the swords.

Green and orange intertwined.

Red and blue overlapped.

A dark brown and purple appeared.

They were all absorbed by the white light.

A pristine, blindingly pure white sword blade emerged.

The hilt was wrapped with four fine thread-like strands.

‘…The Sword of Four Seasons.’

Reading.

【Sword of Four Seasons (Ex)】

A sword imbued with the power of the Four Seasons and the Four Realms.

It holds the power to preserve the laws of the universe.

: Inherent Skill 「Four Seasons」

: Inherent Skill 「Form Preservation」

“…It’s truly perfect.”

The vice principal’s eyes gleamed with admiration.

“Look at this blade. It’s pure, untainted power. It feels like the force governing the laws of the universe is contained within the sword… The durability alone is at least that of a star fallen from the outer universe. True to its nature as a sword forged from combining four S-rank swords, its durability is overwhelmingly superior. Despite the four swords having elemental properties, they’ve blended together so well. Actually, it’s not like they were combined; it feels more like this sword existed first, and it was later split into four.”

The vice principal was saying something, but I, as if mesmerized, reached for the Sword of Four Seasons.

The moment I grasped it, the sword instinctively accepted me. Like a dog reunited with its owner after a long absence, the sword welcomed me.

I quietly closed my eyes.

‘Black Heavenly Sword.’

Uuuuuuuuuung!!

The space began to distort. On the pure white blade, black energy spread over it.

What appeared next was a black blade, as if it could devour everything in its path.

The Star of Defying Heaven within me was being drained at a terrifying speed.

“What… what is this?”

“My ability.”

I said this as I gazed at the Sword of Four Seasons.

‘Form Preservation.’

Uung.

The white blade let out a hum as it contained the black energy.

“Hmph.”

As expected. The Sword of Four Seasons was reducing the insane energy consumption of the Black Heavenly Sword by preserving its power.

I glanced at the Black Heavenly Sword and then at the vice principal.

The vice principal, a descendant of the dwarves.

Most elves had keen insight. As a dwarf, her insight into weapons and martial arts was exceptional.

“Could you take a look at this?”

“…Yes, I’m watching.”

The vice principal swallowed hard. Her eyes showed instinctive fear and awe.

“What do you think of its level?”

“…For most transcendents, facing this sword head-on would be a mistake. They’d choose to avoid it. Even Japan’s transcendent sword aura doesn’t compare to this.”

“What about an Apostle?”

“…If they aren’t fully committed, it could deal serious damage to their true body. Even if they are, it could still land a massive blow.”

I smiled in satisfaction at the vice principal’s words.

I entered meditation.

The Black Heavenly Sword was powerful. If used correctly, it could even kill an Apostle.

But the problem was that the power was too strong.

It needed to be controlled.

Which means I need training.

‘But I have no one to train with.’

The Witch Maiden, the Elder.

Both had sworn loyalty to me. Even the demon Dantalion and the Black Tortoise would help if I asked.

But they were no match for me, even before I fought against the demonic forces.

Now, after my ascension, they could no longer keep up with my strength.

I needed to find someone who could handle me.

‘The highest ranks are out of the question.’

Ershil and Hong Yu-hwa were impossible.

They were magicians, and my power had long surpassed the highest ranks.

Even if ten of the highest-ranked gather, they could barely handle one transcendent. Yet, I could defeat even the strongest transcendent, the Heavenly Demon.

Kim Seo-hyun was also in the highest rank.

Her rank differed from others. While Ershil and Hong Yu-hwa had surpassed the limits of the highest rank, they weren’t irregulars like me.

If I were to fight demonic forces, Kim Seo-hyun could be classified as having transcendent-level power, at least temporarily.

But even she wouldn’t be enough.

‘Only the Heavenly Demon and the Overlord might work.’

The Thousand Sorcerer wouldn’t do.

After all, just skipping three months of work left him looking frail, even though he was a transcendent.

The Emperor hadn’t shown up recently either.

‘And the dragons must be busy.’

So, the only option left was to ask the Heavenly Demon or the Overlord, who were less occupied than the other transcendents.

Sigh.

A sigh escaped my lips.

If I had the talent of the Sword Saint (Ex), I could control it on my own.

‘Maybe I’ll stumble upon the talent of the Sword Saint somewhere.’

Krk.

A beastly sound echoed. It came from his throat, despite being human.

It was proof that he had shed his human skin.

And yet, laughter bubbled up.

Demonic energy consumed his mind.

He saw blood. Let screams resound everywhere. Harvest negative emotions──and offer them to his god.

Desires raged within him.

The man picked up his sword.

Around him lay the corpses of beasts, the ground soaked in black blood. He had slain hundreds of thousands of beasts, and yet the sight of more beasts, seemingly endless, filled his view.

Once, he had hunted these beasts for a noble cause.

But now, that light had faded, and the noble cause had been replaced by faith.

Haa.

He exhaled slowly.

His sword had grown slightly dull.

It felt as though the demonic energy was tearing through his brain. His mind grew dull as well.

Ironically, the body he had so desperately desired had surpassed its limits, and his skills had become even sharper.

The things he once despised now, without meaning, fulfilled his desires.

Sring.

He drew his sword from its scabbard. It had a name once, but now he couldn’t remember it.

All that remained was the desire to cut everything.

So the man, no longer restraining himself, swung his sword.

Srrk.

One slash.

With a single swing, the entire landscape tilted as if the horizon had been split.

-Not bad.

His skills had reached the heavens.

People revered his swordsmanship, saying it could even split the sky.

They called him the Sword Saint.