NOVEL WEB Chapter 58
Would you like to open the [Hero’s Weapon Box]?
A box appeared in midair.
Its design was rough.
A plain box with no metallic luster.
Only a half-heartedly engraved weapon emblem decorated its surface.
“It looks even worse than a Bronze Box.”
“On the contrary, this is a good sign!”
“Why?”
“If ‘Hero’s’ was a grade modifier like ‘Bronze’ or ‘Silver,’ it would have been much fancier. But just look at it—doesn’t it feel like it’s above ‘Silver’?”
“Oh?”
That actually made sense.
“If it looks this crude, doesn’t that mean it’s not a modifier, but an actual hero’s weapon?”
If that were true, something familiar might appear.
“I’m so excited!”
Aden stomped her feet eagerly.
Her blue eyes sparkled.
‘What could it be?’
It was a different kind of anticipation than usual rewards.
He immediately selected the button.
[Opening the Hero’s Weapon Box.]
No flashy effects, no sound effects.
Just a quiet click as the box opened.
That difference alone made it feel more special.
“Coooome oooon!”
“…Huh? Wait.”
A familiar object emerged from the box.
A sword as unremarkable as the box itself.
Ding!
[You have obtained ‘Kyle’s Dark Slayer.’]
“H-Huh!?”
The first feeling was nostalgia.
It was the first sword he had ever held and swung as a child.
Then came the next emotion—overwhelming embarrassment.
The moment he saw the item name, it hit him.
Because he had named it back then.
[Kyle’s Dark Slayer]
[A sword first wielded by mercenary Kyle—not the great hero Kyle. It was swung countless times, soaked in the blood of demons, and grew alongside Kyle.
It is heavy, dull, and old. It is an embarrassment to even call it a blade.
However, the history imbued in this sword was enough to elevate it to a treasured blade, making it the optimal weapon for demonic swordsmanship.]
The more he read, the more his brows furrowed.
No, seriously, why the hell is that name the official item name?
‘I was the only one who knew about that name.’
Which bastard made it public?
“Ssgh…”
He covered his burning face with his hand.
Meanwhile, Aden had crept closer to examine the sword.
Her eyes widened so much they looked like they might tear.
“O-Oh… Ah…! I-It’s real…! It’s really…! It’s really Kyle’s sword! My god! The real thing!”
Wait, she recognizes it?
This was a sword from his nameless days.
Had it spread widely in the modern era?
“You know what this is?”
“This is the training sword of Kyle! The origin of Union of Body and Sword!”
“That got famous too, huh.”
“But…!”
Caught up in excitement, she suddenly hesitated.
“…Dark Slayer?”
Oh, shit.
“Uh… well, the name is kinda…”
“Ahem, ahem! The system’s naming sense is… uh, a bit questionable.”
“But the last time, the ‘Garam Butterfly Wings’ weren’t like this….”
“Ahem!”
God, it’s hot in here.
Is the heater on too high?
“Well… What does the name even matter? The important thing is its performance and its history with Kyle!”
“The performance is solid.”
“The description only says, ‘the optimal weapon for demonic swordsmanship,’ but do you get what that means?”
He nodded.
“That’s the core of demonic swordsmanship. Weapons grow alongside their wielders.”
Incantations impose a user’s will upon the world.
If the same object receives incantations repeatedly, it gradually resonates with its owner’s will.
That’s what happened with Dark Slayer.
If he used an incantation on this sword?
It would drastically reduce mana consumption and amplify the incantation’s effects.
“Woooow…! A sword that grew alongside Kyle…!”
But by the time he was called a hero, he had stopped using it.
By then, he had plenty of high-grade swords.
No matter how much it had grown, its base form was still just a crude stone blade.
But that was only when compared to the continent’s top-tier divine weapons.
‘Right now, this is the best option.’
This was the sword that had carried him through countless life-and-death battles.
He had lost it in the war.
And now, it had returned to him like this.
But…
“Hrrgh!”
“Stay strong!”
It was ridiculously heavy.
He could barely lift it, let alone swing it.
‘Damn, I was freakishly strong as a kid.’
How did I even wield this thing?
Youth really is something.
“Ssgh… I can’t use this right now.”
“That’s so unfortunate….”
Tch, I got my hopes up for nothing.
“This is stressing me out. I’m gonna go cut down some traitors.”
“Leave that here!”
“Why?”
Aden approached with unsettling enthusiasm.
Her fingers twitched eagerly.
“…What are you planning?”
“J-Just let me play with it a little! Just a little!”
“You can’t even lift it. Go train.”
“Ahhh, come on!”
Leaving the training hall, he stepped into the dark city streets.
###
From today, Kang Hyun decided to eliminate the high-ranking traitors.
“What a waste of mana. I need to cut them down just enough so it doesn’t affect the number of blessings I can set up.”
Today’s target: Congressman Park Jung-ho.
A man who actively pushed for the punishment of the “Phantom.”
A man who took bribes from all sorts of places.
“Let’s see… Demons, Japan, China, Russia… Wow, what a sight.”
Kang Hyun put away the documents he had brought.
There was nothing more to check.
Dressed in black combat gear.
Drawing his pitch-black sword.
He infiltrated Park Jung-ho’s private residence.
A nice standalone house.
And the timing was perfect.
Park Jung-ho had just opened a secret safe in the floor, taking out a ledger and recording something.
With a scowl on his face, he muttered,
“Tsk. Now that the situation’s worsening, they think they can run without paying up? This is why those damn Japs are—”
“Do you talk to yourself often?”
“U-Urgh!”
“Hand it over.”
Park Jung-ho fell backward in shock.
Kang Hyun picked up the ledger and checked it.
“Wow, just as the intel said. The CIA really does good work.”
“Y-you… G-Phantom!”
“Before you die, any last bits of useful information?”
“P-please spare me! I’ll never speak out of turn again! I’ll dedicate my life to praising you, Phantom—”
“Guess not. 【silence】, 【Blind, 】,【Forget.】”
Darkness descended upon the room.
Park Jung-ho’s lips moved frantically.
But he wouldn’t be able to hear his own voice.
A soundless terror made his body tremble.
“I heard you were planning to retire soon, so I made sure to visit first. Hope you left things in order.”
It was still a bit early to start killing them off.
When the countdown began, it would be better if the government was still functioning.
But something felt off.
A strong hunch—leaving these traitors alive for the countdown would be a mistake.
There was precedent.
Traitors had caused major crises before.
And Kang Hyun trusted his instincts.
So he decided to act in advance.
Swish—
He placed Park Jung-ho’s severed head on the table.
The signature mark of the “Phantom.”
Then, he opened his inventory.
Took out the printed CIA reports.
Forced the agonized, twisted face to bite down on the documents.
“【Ignite.】”
Fwoosh—
Flames engulfed the mansion.
The Next Day.
[World Quest]
[Time Remaining: 3 days 23 hours 37 minutes]
The media wasted no time reporting.
“Hah. These guys are hilarious.”
The media outlets that had previously criticized the Phantom the most.
Now, they were the most enthusiastic supporters.
Every article was full of praise.
└ The Phantom has finally drawn his sword against the rotten government!
└ I’ve been waiting for this day!
└ Please bring Korea back to normal.
└ The world is going insane, how can people support a filthy murderer…?!
└ Damn, that bastard deserved to die.
└ Wow, Grandpa switching sides real quick.
The Phantom’s first assassination of a congressman.
It sent shockwaves through the nation.
The worst fear of the elite had come true.
Naturally, other lawmakers reacted.
Panicked, they rushed to propose the “Phantom Special Act.”
A set of laws designed to crack down on the Phantom.
But the very next day, the proposal collapsed.
He hadn’t planned to go this far.
Only the traitors seemed eager to suppress the Phantom.
└ Bounty price just skyrocketed, damn.
└ Phantom Special Act? Immediately scrapped!
└ Wow, Yang Chul-jung was considered a clean politician…
└ These traitor bastards really hid themselves well.
└ But where does the Phantom get this information?
└ No one knows. That’s why he’s the Phantom.
Even Chief Choi wasn’t sitting still.
“Alright. By the way, you sound awfully cheerful.”
He always knew exactly what to say.
The legendary Dark Hero Phantom was also his creation.
America, the home of hero-worship.
The country with the most hero statues in the world.
They even had a specific word for Awakened individuals.
“They call them ‘Heroes,’ right?”
Whoever coined the term had good instincts.
After all, Hollywood’s best-selling franchises were superhero films.
Chief Choi sent him links to the news.
“…Well, as long as it’s not happening right in front of me, I guess it’s fine.”
That would certainly be something.
If he revealed his real identity.
The whole world would turn upside down.
Tonight’s target: Congressman Jo Hyun-seok.
A young and ambitious politician in his early 30s.
Kang Hyun’s gaze shifted toward Aden.
Or rather, toward the crude stone greatsword she was hugging.
“Sniff sniff… Haaah… Lord Kyle’s scent…!”
Something about him felt… strange.
“No, it’s nothing. Anyway, take care.”
He would be bringing that along tonight.
Kang Hyun always trusted his instincts.
[Time Remaining: 2 days 16 hours 45 minutes]