CHAPTER 149
Infinite respawns.
A cheat-like feature in games, but in reality, it was completely different.
Death is depicted as something vaguely terrifying, but that’s only because it happens just once.
An endlessly repeating death is a curse.
I had learned that fact through my Resurrection magic.
Even the great sinners deemed evil by the world could not withstand the chain of death initiated by resurrection.
The fact that death was not the end, but a beginning, shattered their minds.
And now, Aranseol was asking for an infinite respawn.
“Aranseol, what in the world is that sword?”
To think that grabbing a sword would make you go mad.
Why on earth would anyone want to draw such a thing?
“The sword’s name is Danmyung (Short Life). It was given that name because all of its users have died young.”
What kind of damn sword was that?
As I frowned, Aranseol fiddled with the hair at her temple.
“There’s only one reason why those who use Danmyung have their lives cut short. It’s because they can’t control the immense pressure and the mind-shattering madness contained within it.”
“What’s the merit in using a sword like that?”
“The one who wields Danmyung becomes a sword genius of the century.”
It was a short explanation.
But it was just as powerful.
“Danmyung contains the genius of all who have wielded it throughout history. And because of that, it also contains the trials and suffering those geniuses experienced.”
“Going mad… you don’t mean…”
“That’s right. If you can’t endure the process of overcoming the geniuses’ trials, you go mad and are devoured by Danmyung.”
You have to experience the same trials the geniuses did.
By undergoing those trials, you can ascend to the same realm as them.
I instantly understood why the wielder of Danmyung could become a sword genius of the century.
And I also understood why Aranseol was asking this of me.
“For others, it’s a single challenge, but if you’re here, Harua, I can try again.”
“Aranseol, Resurrection magic isn’t omnipotent. Immediately after revival, it does help the mind recover to some extent, but the experience remains as trauma.”
In fact, a revived person loses their memory of the moment.
That part acted as a protective mechanism for the mind.
When I pointed out this important detail, Aranseol nodded.
“Yes, I know that from experiencing your Resurrection magic myself.”
But even knowing that, Aranseol was asking for my help.
“Harua, the truth is… before I became Master’s disciple to find and kill the murderer, I once tried to find Danmyung.”
The No-Named Transferee who killed her parents.
There was a time when Aranseol, blind with rage, sought to find and kill him.
Back then, Aranseol was weak and had no skills.
So, with nothing but fury, she planned to find Danmyung, become a sword genius, and kill him.
“In that small body, I wandered Mt. Cheonryun for over a month. When my food ran out, I ate whatever I could catch and desperately searched the mountain.”
Mt. Cheonryun is the highest mountain in the world.
A high mountain also means its size is much larger than others.
She had wandered that huge mountain at a tender age, with only her small body.
I could only imagine what an ordeal it must have been.
“And when I finally found Danmyung, Master was standing there in front of it. I had run into people a few times on the mountain, asked about Danmyung, and run away. I guess he must have heard about me from them.”
A young girl searching for Danmyung.
Soun, upon meeting her, decided to take her as his disciple.
The venom in Aranseol’s eyes must have left a deep impression on him.
He must have known that with that venom, she was a child who could achieve anything, even without talent.
“But even after becoming Master’s disciple, I still wanted Danmyung. I knew I lacked talent, and so my parents’ revenge was my only goal in life.”
Lacking talent, her past life had been more focused on avenging her parents than on understanding the way of the sword. Soun, seeing through that, did not allow Aranseol to wield Danmyung.
She would have just been the next victim to be devoured by it.
“But it’s different now.”
Aranseol’s eyes shone with a clear light.
The spirit in her eyes was distinctly different from before.
Aranseol no longer just chased after the shadow of her parents’ murderer.
She was walking her own path, sword in hand, toward her own goals.
“I want to protect Harua. And I want to create a world where no one else has to suffer like I did.”
I could feel Aranseol’s firm sincerity.

A new transformation had come to the path she walked.
That was why the Aranseol of the past and the Aranseol of now were clearly different people.
“I once wanted to wield Danmyung for myself, but now I want to wield it for others, not just me.”
My silence was not long.
Aranseol had always willingly followed me, no matter how absurd my suggestions.
Given that, it wouldn’t be right to refuse her wish now.
If this was Aranseol’s will, then it was my duty as a person to support her.
“If I think things are going truly wrong, I’m making you stop.”
“Okay. I’ve done the same for you, Harua.”
Good grief, who did she take after to become so reckless?
It was enough to make me sigh, but since I had agreed, we would see it through.
“Danmyung. Let’s go get it.”
Danmyung of Mt. Cheonryun.
Inheritor of the talents of sword geniuses.

Mt. Cheonryun.
The three of us—myself, Aranseol, and Aigis—began to climb the mountain.
The first task was to find Danmyung.
Aranseol began to ascend, guided by her childhood memories.
Mt. Cheonryun is revered like a god in Wolun.
As such, it was well-preserved, maintaining its natural form.
“Wolun began with ascetics who trained with the sword on Mt. Cheonryun. That’s why they cherish the mountain more than anything.”
I had wondered why there were so many people carrying swords in Wolun.
The very roots of Wolun began with the sword.
Well, it makes sense that a country like this would produce people like the Sword Lord.
“That is likely why the majority of Sword Lords throughout history have come from Wolun.”
Aigis also seemed to know some of Wolun’s history and affirmed Aranseol’s story.
And because it was such a country, a sword like Danmyung could exist.
“The first person to use Danmyung was the 1st Sword Lord. He wished for his talent to be passed down to protect Mt. Cheonryun and Wolun in the future.”
A sword that contained all of his talent.
But he never knew that, over time, his sword would become a cursed blade called Danmyung.
The fatal flaw of going mad in exchange for becoming a sword genius who would be remembered for centuries. The trials the sword geniuses went through were, without exception, enough to drive a person insane.
But the moment you overcome a trial, you can inherit the talents of the past geniuses in their entirety.
“If you can inherit the talents of past geniuses, I’d think many people would have coveted it.”
A young Aranseol had found Danmyung.
That must mean Danmyung itself wasn’t that difficult to find.
When I asked about this, Aranseol smiled bitterly.
“You’ll soon understand why I was able to find Danmyung so quickly, Harua.”
It didn’t take long to have my question answered.
Soon after, on the path up Mt. Cheonryun, I saw a tombstone.
The tombstone, marking a buried person, didn’t even have a name on it.
So they bury people on mountains in this world too.
As I climbed with that thought, the number of tombstones gradually began to increase.
“Aranseol.”
Beginning to understand the meaning of these tombstones, I called out to Aranseol, who was walking ahead.
As if it were a familiar sight to her, she looked at the tombstones and slowly nodded.
“That’s right. These are the tombstones of the people who have challenged Danmyung. Among them, these are the ones whose bodies were at least found.”
Danmyung was said to be a sword that inflicted a trial merely by being held.
So, far from drawing it, they must have gone mad just by gripping it and died wandering Mt. Cheonryun.
“I heard the last person to wield Danmyung was 200 years ago,” Aigis chimed in, seeming to know a bit about the sword.
That meant that for 200 years, every challenger had been buried here without ever drawing the sword. The thought that Aranseol could have suffered the same fate made my head spin.
It meant that one of these tombstones could have been hers.
“Yes, that’s right. That’s why this path is also called the Path of Danmyung.”
There was no end to the number of tombstones.
It was clear how many had desired Danmyung.
But by the time we reached the end, there were almost no tombstones left.
Only five were erected.
And unlike the others, these tombstones had names clearly inscribed on them.
“These are the ones who properly wielded Danmyung throughout history.”
In effect, it was the graveyard of the past Sword Lords.
“In a way, to be buried here…”
“Yes, it’s the long-held wish of those down below.”
Aranseol’s steps came to a halt.
Immediately after, a chilling sensation swept over my entire body.

Where my gaze fell, a single sword was embedded in the ground.
It was a strange sword that I couldn’t seem to properly see, even though I was looking right at it.
I had the bizarre feeling of light reflecting off its blade.
Could a simple sword give off such an otherworldly feeling?
“...This is practically a demonic sword.”
Aigis also seemed to sense Danmyung’s aura, her expression sour.
“...Aranseol, you’re going to pull that out?”
I turned to Aranseol with a serious look, and she smiled faintly.
“Compared to the things you’ve done so far, Harua, this seems like nothing.”
Aha.
Seeing Aigis nod beside her, she must have been thinking the same thing.
That made me realize just how recklessly I’d been living my life.
“I’m starting.”

Aranseol said as much and stood before Danmyung.
Then, after taking a deep breath, she gripped the sword tightly.
The only ones who have drawn Danmyung are those who have passed its trials.
Therefore, Aranseol had to draw the sword for this to be a success.
Aranseol’s expression didn’t change as she held the sword.
A period of silence followed as she gripped it.
Aigis and I decided to wait quietly.
After a long time had passed, Aranseol finally, slowly, released her hand from the sword.
“Aranseol.”
When I called her name, she slowly turned to face me. Aranseol was just staring at me with a blank expression.
Her eyes were empty, reflecting nothing.
Her previous action was just an instinct, her body reacting to the sound.
This is…
Her mind is completely gone.
I didn’t know what she experienced in the trial of gripping Danmyung, but she had lost her mind.
I slowly walked over and caught Aranseol as she fell. Her eyes slid shut and her body collapsed.
I had used Holy Magic to stop her heart.
The moment she collapsed, the power of Resurrection magic enveloped her. A moment later, Aranseol’s eyelids slowly opened.
“...Harua.”
“Aranseol, you’re going to continue, aren’t you?”
Aranseol staggered as she pushed herself up.
Even though she must have lingering mental trauma, she bit her lip and walked toward Danmyung.
“Yes. That’s why I came here.”
There was nothing I could do now but watch over her.
“Aranseol.”
So…
“Go pull it out with all you’ve got.”
I offered her at least those words.
Aranseol’s lips curled up, and she once again gripped Danmyung tightly.
“I’ll be back soon.”
She walked toward the trial once more.