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Chapter 262: The Descent of the Holy Sword (2)

‘Does it mean it doesn’t want to see me losing?’

It was like a stubborn, frequently barking beast that, when its master was in danger, would bare its teeth and fiercely charge at the enemy.

“What a bothersome creature.”

Ketal clicked his tongue.

It wasn’t something that could normally be used, and it only appeared when he faced an opponent he had to respond to seriously.

Truly, it was a troublesome beast.

‘No, if that’s the case, why doesn’t it just cooperate normally?’

Why does it go to such lengths to refuse?

Ketal grumbled inwardly.

And then there was another problem.

‘I’ve completely run out of mystic energy.’

After delivering the final blow that severed space using the mystic beast, he couldn’t handle any mystic energy for an entire day.

‘I need to increase the total amount of mystic energy.’

Although he had realized how to handle it, there were still problems to solve.

“Hm.”

How could he properly handle this mystic energy?

It wasn’t easy.

The only fortunate thing was that the mystic beast had calmed down a bit compared to before.

It was as if the stress had been relieved, and it was now a bit more obedient than before.

Although it was still not to the point where it could be handled meaningfully, there was a noticeable difference.

And Ketal knew the reason.

When facing Materia.

It was as if the beast had faced an enemy that made it feel it had to rise up, and after that, it had calmed down a bit.

It was as if its stress had been alleviated.

‘...Do I need to keep facing strong opponents to properly handle the mystic energy?’

But that too was a problem.

The level of opponents that could stir the mystic beast were at the level of celestial gods or lords of hell.

Ordinary hero-class opponents didn’t elicit a response.

And there were hardly any opportunities to face such enemies on this earth.

At this point, that method was nearly impossible.

‘So, there’s only one method left.’

The most reliable method he could use at the moment.

That was to increase the total amount of mystic energy.

By increasing the amount of mystic energy he possessed, he could secure an absolute value that he could handle.

At this point, that seemed to be the fastest and most reliable method.

But that too had its problems.

To properly handle the mystic energy, he judged that he needed at least a superhuman level of quantity.

Currently, he only had the amount equivalent to a first-rate level, meaning he needed to ascend to the next stage.

He needed to absorb catalysts infused with mystic energy to increase it, but his body was quite special.

Ordinary catalysts wouldn’t increase it to a meaningful extent.

A Dragon Heart.

Or something comparable was needed.

These were not things that were easily obtained.

‘What could there be?’

As Ketal pondered, he sought out Milena to ask her a question.

“Milena. Do you have a moment?”

“Huh, uh…”

Milena couldn’t respond.

She was mechanically processing documents with a dazed expression.

Ketal lightly stomped his foot.

The room shook, and Milena’s body jumped into the air.

She snapped back to her senses.

“Ah, ah!”

“Are you okay? You’ve been half out of it for a while now.”

“Ah, ah… no…”

Milena muttered absently.

She still didn’t seem fully conscious.

And it was understandable.

“I was thinking about what you said, Ketal.”

A terrifying being that only existed in myths.

A lord of hell had descended to earth.

And Ketal had defeated the lord.

She was confused about whether to be shocked by the fact that such a being had descended to earth, or by the fact that Ketal had won against it.

That’s why she had been half out of her mind.

But somehow, she pulled herself together and asked,

“What is it?”

“I have a question. Is it alright?”

“Oh, yes. Feel free to ask.”

Milena pushed aside her documents and looked at Ketal.

Ketal explained his situation.

To handle the mystic energy, he needed powerful catalysts.

Milena mumbled as if she understood.

“It seems you haven’t fully mastered the mystic energy yet…”

That thought made her shudder again.

Even without fully mastering it, he had defeated a lord of hell.

Ketal nodded.

“Yes. I think I need to increase the amount to properly handle it. Do you know of any outstanding catalysts like a Dragon Heart?”

“Hmm. Just a moment.”

Milena paused as she thought about suitable information.

‘...Wait.’

Ketal was strong.

Strong enough to defeat a lord of hell.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was above the average hero class.

And the world was in chaos.

Evil was starting to reveal itself one by one.

Even the lords of hell could descend to this earth with their true bodies.

In such times, Ketal’s power would be incredibly valuable.

It could literally change the world’s fate.

‘...Could my advice potentially determine the fate of the world?’

Thinking that, she suddenly felt a chill.

She began to ponder more seriously than when she had made a trade that determined the fate of her family.

“Hmm... I’m not certain, but there are a few things on the continent that might compare to a Dragon Heart.”

The Dwarves\' Mine.

A meteorite that fell from a distant star thousands of years ago in Mantamia.

The Fairy’s Fantasy Village.

The Essence of Purity in Pysaraphia.

The magical core that sustains the towering Magic Tower.

The subterranean city, Magna Rain.

The primordial jewel found deep within the earth.

And a few others besides those.

“The branch of the World Tree is one of them too.”

“Oh?”

“But... some of them have already been seized by demons.”

The demons were gathering sacrifices for the descent of the Demon King.

The Mantamia meteorite and the Essence of Purity were already in the hands of the demons.

“The remaining treasures are relics or treasures, so outsiders can’t access them either.”

“Hmm. As expected.”

Catalysts like a Dragon Heart were not easily obtainable.

Ketal clicked his tongue.

‘...Should I return to the Elven sanctuary and ask if they could spare a branch of the World Tree?’

But that would be too unseemly.

He wasn’t even sure if it was possible.

As Ketal was deep in thought, Milena spoke up.

“At this point, the easiest option might be to conquer an S-class dungeon.”

“Hm? An S-class dungeon?”

“Yes.”

The highest difficulty dungeons.

Even when looking across the entire world, there were only a dozen or so of them.

They were mysterious dungeons that had never been cleared before.

One of them was the Tower of the Unknown, with no end in sight.

There were also monster nests where all the world\'s monsters resided.

"I’ve heard of the monster nest before,"

Ketal muttered.

He had heard that the Mercenary King once challenged it and failed.

"Maybe there\'s a catalyst in there equivalent to a Dragon Heart?"

The higher the dungeon\'s difficulty, the more precious the materials it offered as rewards.

The possibility was high.

No one had ever cleared these dungeons before, but Ketal\'s strength was beyond that of an ordinary hero class.

With his power, he might be able to clear it.

"Oh! I see!"

Ketal\'s eyes sparkled.

If it was an S-rank dungeon, there might be a catalyst to obtain.

Ketal was genuinely grateful.

"Thank you for the valuable information!"

"Oh, it\'s nothing. But, Ketal, are you sure you can go? I thought only those above A-rank could challenge an S-rank dungeon."

"Well... that\'s true."

Ketal was only a C-rank mercenary at best at the moment.

He didn\'t have the qualifications.

"Should I go see the Mercenary King?"

He wondered if the Mercenary King might promote him to A-rank if he asked.

Given their close relationship, there was a possibility.

But Ketal didn\'t move immediately.

After all, he didn\'t even know where the Mercenary King had gone.

So, instead, he stayed at Milena\'s residence, refining his mysteries further.

Two days later.

After finishing his training and returning to the capital, Ketal noticed something strange.

With the continent in turmoil, the atmosphere in the capital was generally gloomy.

The capital of the Denian Kingdom had been directly attacked by demons, so it remained in a perpetual state of bleakness.

People were nowhere to be seen, and it was eerily quiet.

But this time, the capital was bustling.

People were rushing around, regardless of their status.

And their expressions were incredibly bright.

Their faces were filled with hope.

"Father! I\'m off!"

"Oh, my boy! Don\'t go!"

A determined young man shouted as he left home, while his father tried to stop his reckless son\'s adventure.

After watching that scene for a moment, Ketal headed towards the Akasha family.

The Akasha household was just as busy.

Milena was handling her tasks with a more frantic expression than usual.

"Oh, Ketal. You\'re here?"

"The capital is incredibly lively. People look cheerful. What\'s going on?"

"There\'s been a good reason for that,"

Milena smiled, her expression also filled with hope.

When she began to speak, Ketal\'s eyes widened.

"The Holy Sword has descended upon the earth."

* * *

That night.

After finally finishing all her work, Milena came to see Ketal.

Ketal, with a face full of excitement and eyes like a child\'s, had been waiting for her.

"Are you done with work? Then can you explain it to me? What exactly is this Holy Sword?"

Despite his overwhelming enthusiasm, Milena began to explain, though she found his reaction curious.

"The Holy Sword is a blessing bestowed upon this world by the great gods."

There were times when this world was in peril.

Black magicians would act under the radar of the gods, throwing the world into chaos and attempting to summon great evils.

Most of the time, these issues could be resolved with the gods\' revelations, but every few centuries, there would be a situation too overwhelming for a revelation to handle.

When black magicians moved across the entire continent, plunging the world into chaos and summoning demons—those times of utter confusion.

But the gods found it difficult to directly intervene in this world.

It wasn\'t easy for them to descend in their true forms, let alone send down avatars.

So, they sent sacred relics imbued with their power to this world.

That was the Holy Sword.

"It is granted by the gods when the world is in danger."

As it was infused with divine power, the Holy Sword was incredibly powerful.

Whoever wielded it was revered as a hero and brought peace to the chaotic continent.

"Oh..."

Ketal was moved by her explanation.

When the world was in turmoil, the Holy Sword descended from the heavens, and whoever wielded it became a hero who would bring peace to the continent.

It was a quintessentially fantastical event. Ketal asked with a hint of hope in his voice.

"Is the Holy Sword something only certain people can draw?"

"No. Anyone can draw it."

Whether they were noble royalty, saints of the church, ordinary citizens, or even the most wretched commoner—anyone could draw the Holy Sword.

What mattered was whether they were worthy.

"I see,"

Ketal smiled.

Yes, if it was a Holy Sword, it should be that way.

The qualification should be fair and open to everyone.

Milena smiled softly as well, starting to understand what Ketal desired.

"You’re planning to go, aren\'t you?"

"Of course,"

Ketal nodded immediately.

How could he miss such an interesting event?

Milena, as if she had expected this, spoke.

"Then I will gather the necessary information for you. I hope you return safely."

"Thank you."

Ketal beamed with a smile.

The Holy Sword.

The divine sword that descended upon this world.

"Yes, this is how it should be."

Where there were demons, there should also be a Holy Sword.

Ketal\'s face was full of eager anticipation.