Chapter 7

7====================

System

"Being assaulted by someone stronger than me, having my dignity trampled upon forcefully, the overwhelming pain and humiliation, the fear that resisting might lead to even worse punishment... You wouldn't understand unless you've experienced it. I hope you never have to know."

He finished speaking and closed his eyes for a moment.

Even after decades, the memory is still vivid. A wandering swordsman who was traveling with him over a mountain suddenly turned on him. The man was a homosexual, and it seemed he was quite attracted to Sehyeon, who had lived a comfortable life in the modern world.

Naturally, Sehyeon tried to resist. He was determined to fight to the death to protect his dignity as a human being. But after a few punches, he writhed in pain, terrified, and crawled on the ground.

All the resolve he had just moments ago had vanished.

If not for the help of a passing knight, he would have been raped and killed by the man. It was a shameful memory that still made his hands tremble slightly when he thought about it. He would never forget it.

Without a doubt, it was one of the most miserable memories from his time in this world.

Sehyeon opened his eyes and looked at his pale sister. He didn't want her to have such an experience. He would be as careful as possible, but it was important for her to be cautious as well. There might be times when he couldn't protect her.

"Namgung Seul was the same. Despite being so confident and energetic, she became powerless in the face of violence. She couldn't even resist when cornered. Can you imagine how terrifying that must have been?"

"..."

"Be careful to avoid similar situations. In this world, you can't completely trust anyone except us. Even other women can be dangerous. Sometimes, they can be even more dangerous because they are women."

Sehyeon spoke again after a moment. He still had more to say.

"Sister, you need to become stronger. Insults, assaults, plunder, rape, murder—these are things that the strong do to the weak. If the world were normal, the law would protect you, but it doesn't now. Even in a normal world, there were times when you had to endure injustice. How much more so in this situation."

Imagine a fight between two people. For easier understanding, let's assume one is a woman and the other is a man. Usually, women are physically weaker than men.

The fight is unlikely to be evenly matched.

Even if the woman can logically dismantle her opponent, she might hesitate to do so. If the angry man were to hit her, she would find it difficult to respond. Even if it doesn't come to physical violence, the mere fact that the man is angry can be threatening, making her feel intimidated and subdued.

Of course, it depends on the situation and the people involved.

The woman is less likely to be afraid if it's a public place and the man is reasonable. There are morals and laws that protect women. On the other hand, if the place is deserted and the man is a ruthless thug, the woman is more likely to be intimidated.

The law is far away, but the fist is close. Logic, beliefs, and values are meaningless without the power to enforce them.

"In chaos, strength is everything."

Ultimately, the world is ruled by strength.

"I understand."

Hyejin's expression became even sterner.

For some reason, the world has undergone a dramatic change. Many things will change, and no one knows how or what will change. All they had ahead of them was an uncertain future.

It wouldn't be easy to survive in such a world. Everything Sehyeon said was true. To avoid terrible fates, they needed to be cautious and strong. Even if it wasn't something as extreme as rape, the same principle applied.

While Hyejin was steeling her resolve, Sehyeon spoke in a lighter tone.

"Let's take a break. And let's review the Eredos System again."

"By the way."

Hyejin hesitated for a moment.

"What happened to that Namgung Minjung guy?"

"Oh."

Sehyeon chuckled.

"He's dead."

Sehyeon still remembered the feeling.

It was a long-awaited revenge.

@

The two were at a crossroads.

"Have you decided?"

"Not yet..."

Sehyeon, who had been evasive, examined the window floating in front of him again.

He had no way of verifying whether to trust this mysterious Eredos System or if choosing a class would truly be safe. So, he planned to experiment first.

As a martial artist, he was naturally drawn to the Warrior class, but he deliberately looked at other classes first. It was a calculated move.

How much efficiency would he gain from choosing a Warrior class, given that he was already at the pinnacle of martial arts?

On the other hand, choosing a Mage class might offer unexpected synergies.

However, it wasn't necessarily so.

Each class had passive skills. For a Warrior, these would likely enhance actions involving weapons like swords. If Sehyeon, who already dominated with a sword, gained such skills, it would be like adding wings to a tiger.

It might even provide the key to elevating his already perceived peak.

Should he gain new abilities that would support his powerful sword skills in various ways?

Or should he deepen his expertise in the sword skills he already possessed?

It was a difficult choice. However, his deliberation didn't last long.

He trusted his strength, experience, and enlightenment. His confidence in himself was unshakable.

"万流归宗" (All rivers return to the sea)—ultimately, everything converges at the end. If he reached the ultimate level with a sword, he could do similar things without learning magic.

When Sehyeon returned to this place and read various martial arts novels to reminisce about his time in this world, the most absurd setting he encountered was about "万流归宗."

The protagonist would mutter about "万流归宗" while learning both magic and martial arts, and suddenly break through to a new level.

He laughed heartily at that scene.

"万流归宗" does not mean that at all.

Think of magic and the sword as two paths up a mountain. Whether you climb the mountain through the path of magic or the path of the sword, you will eventually reach the summit. That is "万流归宗." It does not mean that climbing both paths simultaneously will get you there faster.

On the contrary, it is slower. Climbing the mountain through the path of the sword or the path of magic is already difficult. How much more time would it take to climb the same mountain from two different directions?

"I've decided."

Sehyeon scolded himself for momentarily being tempted by a different kind of power and boldly excluded all other classes.

He was a martial artist and a swordsman. It wasn't because the sword was the king of all weapons, as some ignorant people claimed, but simply because he was comfortable and familiar with the sword, which was the first weapon he had ever wielded.

As he read the description of the Warrior class, he pressed the large arrow to the right of the class icon. This button showed the specialized classes that branched off from the Warrior class.

There were five specialized classes branching from the Warrior class. After reading the descriptions of all five, Sehyeon chose the Sword Demon without hesitation.

As a martial arts master, he had never worn cumbersome armor in his life and had no intention of doing so in the future.

The Sword Demon class offered significant benefits in sword usage by giving up armor that he wouldn't wear anyway. It also provided high resistance to mental attacks. While he couldn't fully grasp the exact benefits, he was certain they were good.

– Do you want to choose the Sword Demon class? Once chosen, the class cannot be changed except in special circumstances. –

A final confirmation window appeared. Sehyeon made his decision without hesitation. No amount of deliberation would change his mind.

– You have advanced to the Sword Demon class. –

– You have learned the class skill 'Blade Dance.' –

– You can learn new skills. Check the skill window. –

============================ Author's Note ============================

I hope you enjoyed it. Please give a recommendation! (__)