Chapter 60 – Swimming Emperor (4)
‘Easier than I thought.’
I’d worried about deportation at first.
But the Republic of Korea—world’s lowest birth rate, highest suicide rate, red lights flashing for productive population—welcomed me with open arms!
Fluent in Korean, I obtained a resident registration card in no time.
“Now, then…”
Money is essential to move freely in a capitalist society.
The most crucial item—resident registration card—secured.
The laughably small settlement fund from the government became my startup capital.
‘A bit disappointing.’
I know the rough flow of history from textbooks, so ways to make money are plentiful.
Wars, disasters, climate, culture…
Plus approximate locations of relics and treasures revealed as borders and coastlines shift.
“What am I even doing…?”
I was off hunting treasure instead of Nam Hae-soo.
Swimsuit, goggles, compass, old smartphone, flashlight, emergency rations, bag…
I scraped together the government pittance, prepped for the expedition, and took a bus to the destination!
“A sandy beach…?”
I realized too late how naïve I’d been.
‘The scenery’s completely different!’
No museum yet since the artifacts hadn’t been discovered; the future museum beach was fenced off with barbed wire.
Give up now?
Of course not.
“Too bad about the legendary sword.”
That pudding-cutting blade could’ve sliced the fence easily…
Walking along the wire looking for a gap, a construction site came into view.
Building a guard post?
Didn’t matter.
“Heave-ho!”
Confirming no one around, I shouldered a long iron bar.
‘Borrowing for a sec.’
Whoosh~!
I tossed my bag—full of tools and rations—over first, then attempted pole vault with the bar.
“Hup!”
Failing meant more than scratches from the barbs!
But to someone who survived brutal wars in <I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count’s Family>, this was nothing.
Tap!
Planting the pole, I arced over and landed softly on the other side!
Success.
“Good.”
No pole for the return worried me a bit, but I’d think about that after finding the artifact.
Rustle, rustle.
I walked the beach, observing the towering reefs along the coast.
‘Didn’t know back then.’
Holding my parents’ hands here, I never imagined a future alone.
A massive museum would rise on this sandy spot.
“…Ah! There it is.”
The museum offered boat tours around the rock island for “historical site visits.”
Ordinary granite to the eye.
But artifacts from the ship that sank crashing into that reef were real.
‘Getting excited.’
Splash!
I changed into my swimsuit, donned goggles, and dove in.
***
The artifact I sought was a crudely made jewelry box.
The sunken ship was salvaged immediately, leaving little trace; now only antiques buried under seaweed and coral piled like trash.
‘The past is the past…’
They looked like relics in the museum, but now just marine debris.
Clatter.
I rummaged through, pushing them aside to find the box.
‘Where could it be~’
Future archaeologists would foam at the mouth and grab my collar.
But right now, it’s fish habitat trash.
“Hoo!”
Even with my abnormal lung capacity, 15 round trips passed…
The sun set, visibility dimmed, search grew difficult.
I was about to give up cleanly for tomorrow when—
Tap.
I spotted a metal box buried in the trash pile.
‘Ooh!’
Swish—
I hauled it back to the beach where I’d hidden my clothes.
“Ugh!”
It didn’t seem locked, yet the lid wouldn’t budge—like a live clam.
Tap.
Wiping the surface and shining the flashlight confirmed—it was the artifact.
‘Found it… huh?’
As I prepared to pack the jewelry box into my bag and withdraw, a chill ran down my spine, making me turn around.
Flash.
A naked figure approached, wielding a long sword in each hand.
“What the…?”
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from this bizarre situation that defied common sense.
As the distance closed and the figure became clearer, I swallowed hard.
“Crazy!”
It wasn’t a woman. I’d mistaken the slender frame.
Creak-creak.
“Why a Sword Demon?!”
Sword Demon (劍鬼)
A humanoid ape with limbs lacking hands and feet, shaped like blades.
The body—devoid of genitals or distinguishing features—had two pairs of arms and one pair of legs reminiscent of a mantis, topped with a beautiful face that amplified the dissonance.
“Uh… hello?”
“…”
Conversation was impossible again.
Second encounter after magic boy Choi Kang-min’s dream.
Creak-creeeak—!
The Sword Demon stared blankly, then rubbed its limbs together, producing a goosebump-inducing screech.
Right after,
‘It’s coming!’
Explosively accelerating, the Sword Demon sliced through the sand with its blade-like legs, charging straight at me.
Sh-sh-sh—
Letting that monster close in would dismantle me like butcher meat in seconds.
‘Where to run?!’
I’d learned swordsmanship from Valentine, but a four-armed, four-blade-style monster was too much.
Legs were blades too!
A kick would sever my lower half.
“Cheating bastard!”
Creak-creeeak—!
That chalkboard-scratching noise was the worst.
Thud!
I kicked off the ground and ran.
‘To the sea… no.’
Imagining the Sword Demon swimming with blade limbs was unlikely, but if possible, I’d be slaughtered helplessly.
Plus, sand bogged my feet—speed impossible. It’d catch me before I reached water.
Only option?
Run.
Keep running.
Until the coastal guard post by the barbed wire.
“Help!”
Click!
The guards reacted to my desperate cry.
“What’s going—”
“Huh! What is that…?”
Spotting the Sword Demon chasing me, they panicked instead of shooting or threatening.
‘This is insane!’
I’d only seen cops and soldiers pull triggers first when citizens were threatened.
Judging this wouldn’t work, I bolted up the post’s stairs.
“Hey! Sir! Wait!”
“You can’t just climb—”
Still clueless, they frustrated me into shouting.
“I said help…!”
Slash—
One or two slashes from the Sword Demon severed the steel-welded post’s base like sugarcane.
“Arghhh?!”
“It’s collapsing?!”
Trying to get easy help only increased casualties!
I didn’t blame them. In <I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count’s Family>, I could only flee from arrows too.
‘It’s experience.’
If their aptitude wasn’t for quick-response roles like firefighter, cop, or soldier, it couldn’t be helped.
But understanding didn’t solve this.
“Give it!”
The post didn’t collapse flat but tilted like dominoes.
I snatched a rifle from a soldier clinging to a pillar with both arms.
Experience firing guns?
Just pull the trigger—
“Why won’t it shoot?!”
No matter how hard I squeezed, the trigger wouldn’t budge.
“Release the safety— Argh?!”
“HQ! HQ! Hurry— No time for codes! Save us…!”
Crash!
I escaped through the window just before the post smashed into the ground.
‘Weapons! I need weapons!’
Vowing to learn guns later, I grabbed a nearby entrenching tool and shouted.
“Shoot when you get the chance!”
“Ugh…”
“Ahhh…”
Groans from failed-escape soldiers echoed in the rubble.
About my age.
I felt bad for shattering their peaceful military life, but isn’t this a soldier’s duty?
I’m a citizen of this country with the right to protection.
“Come on.”
“…”
The Sword Demon charged, slicing through the rubble.
Straight line only!
Its clear pattern was a relief.
Slash—
No blocking those pudding-cutting blades—evade at all costs.
‘Now!’
I threw the entrenching tool at its beautiful face and rolled.
Grab.
The Sword Demon sliced the tool diagonally, gripped the now-pointed iron bar with both hands, and hid behind the barbed wire.
Creak-creak!
It diced the flying shovel into dozens of pieces in an instant.
Ignoring the easy detour, it charged the fence.
‘It’s coming!’
One-way traffic that only looks forward, but slides like ice—unpredictable and fast.
Four arms, two legs—slicing everything in its path…
Like standing before a bulldozer!
Slash—
It cut the barbed wire like cotton candy; I could only laugh hollowly, but the plan wasn’t a failure.
“Hurts, doesn’t it?”
“…”
The hooked barbs tangled in its face and body, scratching as it moved.
Creak—
Skin like steel?
A human would be bloody, but the Sword Demon kept slicing or ignoring the wire.
Then,
“How about this?”
Stab!
I thrust the pointed bar like a spear into its chest.
“…”
Wobble.
Delayed defense due to the wire—the bar dug in.
“Huh?”
I expected difficulty piercing, but the skin dented like plate armor.
Less than a scratch?
Its eyes mocked me.
‘Please…!’
Did my prayer reach?
Bang!
Bang! Bang!
Before the gunshots hit my eardrums, its arms slashed the air.
Thud, thud, thud…
‘For real?’
It cut bullets fired from less than 10 meters?
The monster’s unreal skill nearly broke my will, but it didn’t block everything.
Drip…
Silver blood like mercury flowed from its abdomen.
“Get lost.”
Stab!
I jammed the bar deep into the wound.
“…”
Slash—
It cut the protruding part, but with no hands, couldn’t remove what was inside.
Bang!
Then a bullet to the temple after the abdomen.
Even with fatal wounds, it turned to the soldiers for the first time.
“Gasp!”
“Hup!”
The soldiers—out of ammo—faces filled with terror.
I understood. No Earth creature survives a headshot.
“Hey.”
Creak-creak—?
Stab!
I jammed another bar into its temple while it looked away.
“Still not dead?”
“…”
Thud.
As if answering, the monster collapsed and began rubbing its limbs weakly.
Creak, creak-creak, creeeak…
It sounded like a mournful violin solo for a dead soul,
Stab!
But I had zero sympathy—I shoved the bar into its slightly open mouth, deep into its throat.
“…”
Creak— snap.
Finally, the Sword Demon stopped moving.
“…Making money is tough.”
“U-um?”
“Who are you?”
To the half-dazed soldiers, I answered honestly.
“A shaman.”
A shitty job where I’m broke every time I work!