Stranger of the Stars.

  The air in the room grew heavy at that phrase. The Guard Captain with a stiff expression. The rookie guard with oddly excited eyes.

  And an uncomfortable silence.

  Wait, was it really that serious of a term?

  'Terminal, what does Stranger of the Stars mean?'

  [Searching for information...]

  As I asked Terminal out of frustration, the Guard Captain, who had been staring at the rookie, let out a deep sigh.

  "Rookie, how long has it been since you came to our village?"

  "Three weeks, sir!"

  "I've been working here for 15 years. Do you think I've ever seen a Stranger of the Stars in all that time?"

  The rookie's hyped-up face flashed with panic. That expression was familiar. That was the exact face I made when my undergrad professor singled me out for a question.

  The rookie had two options. Honestly say he didn't know, or take a wild guess.

  Option 1 is generally the right choice, but you learn the knack for picking Option 2 as you go through life.

  So, what would the rookie's choice be?

  "I-I don't know, sir!"

  Guess our rookie was the honest type. The Captain sighed heavily.

  "Zero. Zero times. Those folks don't show up in places like this. They only appear in heavily corrupted zones swarming with monsters. Got it?"

  A gentle, scolding tone. It seemed the Captain wasn't the type to chew someone out just for not knowing something.

  "Yes. Understood."

  "Besides, there are only three of them on the wanted posters. I have their faces burned into my eyes, and this guy ain't one of them."

  The rookie looked visibly deflated. The Captain patted his shoulder.

  "...Still, good job memorizing the manual."

  The rookie's face lit up again.

  What's with this wholesome vibe?

  It was a little annoying how they were just chatting amongst themselves with me sitting right there. Figuring my business was done, I was about to get up when...

  Ding.

  A translucent window popped up in the corner of my vision. Did Terminal finish its search?

  I briefly glanced at it, then looked away. And...

  "...Can I leave now?"

  "Oh, right. You can go. Your registration papers are processed, so don't worry about it."

  I nodded and slowly stood up. I calmly walked out of the Captain's office, and then out of the building.

  Thump, thump.

  Still plenty of time until sunset. My first taste of freedom in a village since arriving in Ensidia.

  However, my attention was fixated on the text hovering in front of my eyes.

  [Master, you are indeed a 'Stranger of the Stars'.]

  "Haa..."

  This system is completely rigged.

  But I had a feeling it would be like this.

  Inside the holding cell in the basement of the guard station.

  The lackeys of the Bruno Brotherhood were huddled together in a corner. The stone floor was freezing, so sticking together like this offered some warmth.

  Only one person, Bruno, was moving busily.

  "Hah, I think I'm starting to understand."

  He would move rapidly, then suddenly stop dead. Move again, then stop dead. Bruno was repeating this bizarre motion.

  It was none other than the movements Jihoon had displayed during their duel.

  "To think Father would pass down such teachings through my little brother. I'm ashamed of myself for assuming I'd never hear from him again and not even trying to look..."

  "How is it, Boss? Are you reaching enlightenment?"

  "It's right on the tip of my fingers! Keep quiet for a second!"

  New possibilities for the Auria Sword Art, and the news that his lost father was safe.

  Authenticity aside, thanks to these two pieces of good news, Bruno's expression was brighter than ever.

  The only dark expressions belonged to the other inmates, pressed against the opposite wall to avoid Bruno's frantic shadowboxing.

  Amidst this, one of the lackeys rubbing his injured shoulder spoke up. It was the weaselly-looking one.

  "Boss, will the Young Master really come to save us?"

  A brief silence.

  The eyes of the entire Brotherhood turned to him.

  After checking his surroundings, Bruno brought his face close to his subordinates. Then, he whispered quietly.

  "I saw it clearly before we got dragged away. When I told him I'd wait, his eyes closed."

  "Huh? What does that mean?"

  "Father always used to close his eyes and nod when he gave his permission. Since he couldn't openly say he'd help, he gave us a signal only we would know!"

  "Ooh, as expected of the Young Master!"

  The subordinates gasped in awe. However, the weaselly lackey still looked worried.

  "But does the Young Master have the skills to break us out? His sword skills were unexpected, but he didn't look like he had much physical strength..."

  Truly blasphemous words.

  But Bruno was a generous leader.

  "You don't know anything. It's not a lack of strength; it's softness. Softness overcomes hardness."

  "Huh?"

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  "That was the very realm Father had always pursued..."

  With Bruno suddenly bringing his parent into this, the weaselly lackey was left speechless. You can't really argue with that, can you?

  "Have faith. My little brother will definitely come...!"

  The lackey simply nodded in silence.

  Slam!

  The Knight of the Dawn, Meisa de Alba, roughly slammed her room door shut. The door hinges creaked in protest.

  It was identical.

  The grip on the sword. The trajectory of the blade's tip. The footwork, and even the micro-habit of shrugging the shoulder.

  But it was also different.

  The Sword-Testing Stone had declared that the two sword arts were fundamentally different from their roots.

  How could that be? Unless one person had mastered two entirely different sword arts.

  Smirk. Meisa shook her head.

  More than one sword art residing in a single soul?

  Impossible. The 'Commandment of the Sword' would not allow it.

  The possibility of two fundamentally different sword arts evolving into the exact same form? Sure, it exists. They say that when sword arts reach their absolute pinnacle, stripped of all impurities, they converge into one.

  But two second-rate sword arts converging?

  Unheard of.

  'Actually, maybe I can't say I haven't seen it anymore.'

  Meisa chewed on her lip.

  Had she just witnessed the convergent evolution of two second-rate sword arts?

  It made absolutely no sense, but there was no other possible explanation.

  Right. She had just witnessed an absurdly rare phenomenon. Convincing herself of this brought a little peace to her mind.

  Of course, the gloominess didn't fade.

  She just had to admit she was wrong.

  But for an Enforcer of the Alba family to apologize to a civilian. It was a stain on the family's honor. What must the guards have thought?

  Her mind was a mess. Meisa's right hand unconsciously reached for the silver armor on her left hand.

  Her mother's only keepsake.

  『The Gauntlet of Spring.』

  It was a mystical item that always remained cool to the touch. But why?

  'I'm sorry.'

  The moment she murmured a single word of apology to that man, she had felt a very faint, yet distinct warmth from the gauntlet.

  When she was still alive, her mother used to say often.

  That she loved her cherished Gauntlet of Spring because it was always warm.

  Meisa had always thought it was a joke.

  Because the gauntlet she wore was always cool. She had dismissed it, thinking it was just because her mother's hands were warm.

  But what was the warmth she had just felt? Had her mother's words not been empty after all?

  There was no way to explain it.

  Suddenly, Meisa realized she hadn't even asked that pale man for his name.

  Should I ask if we meet again? Will we even have a reason to meet again?

  While she was lost in thought.

  Knock, knock.

  Someone knocked on the door. Opening it revealed the Mayor of Cadeiro. A faint glimmer of hope sparked in Meisa's eyes.

  "Mayor, did you find him?"

  The Mayor shook his head with a heavy expression.

  "...I apologize. For an Enforcer to personally go through such trouble in a small village like ours..."

  "...No. I should be the one thanking you. You provided a room and made sure I had no inconveniences."

  A polite voice that couldn't hide its disappointment. The Mayor bowed his head in shame.

  Meisa fell into thought for a moment before lifting her head again. A soft smile graced her lips.

  "It's fine. There have been multiple reports of him being seen in this town, so he will definitely appear again. Don't worry too much, and please let me know when he shows up."

  The Mayor bowed deeply. With a word of thanks for her understanding, the Mayor retreated.

  Clack.

  Meisa locked the door. Her expression had already hardened again.

  A reason.

  Yes, the female knight had a reason for visiting Cadeiro.

  Out of habit, she stroked her left hand.

  It was cool.

  First time shopping offline in five years.

  Walking around picking out items, talking to merchants, paying for them, and carrying them back.

  Everyone can relate, but it's not an easy task.

  Me? I successfully completed this task a whopping six times today.

  Who said developers lack social skills? I am a prime counterexample!

  Feeling proud, I stepped into the inn I had been eyeing.

  Musty sweat. Meat. A mix of all sorts of spices that made me dizzy.

  An empty seat... let's see. Over there looks good.

  Thud.

  I dumped the groceries on the table. Thought my arms were going to fall off.

  Just because today was an exhausting day. Definitely not because my hardware is inherently weak.

  The items I bought were emergency rations, herbs, and a potion.

  It wasn't news, but my entire body throbbed. Especially my right arm, which wouldn't even straighten properly. Is this what happens when you suddenly exercise?

  Anyway, I popped open the lowest-grade potion first.

  My heart was pounding. Wasn't this the kind of stuff you only saw in games? I'd always wondered what it tasted like.

  Strawberry? Raspberry?

  Ugh. It was cucumber.

  Come on, how does a red liquid taste like cucumber? Just as I was grumbling, a warm sensation spread outward from my stomach.

  [Potion consumed. To allow the medicinal effects to absorb properly, it is recommended to minimize movement and enter meditation.]

  'I know. I heard.'

  The herbalist told me the effects would dissipate if I moved around after drinking it. Leaning back in the chair, I fell into a light meditation.

  A few minutes passed.

  Waking up after dozing off for a bit, my whole body felt refreshed. Moving my limbs no longer felt like my muscles were tearing apart!

  The buffs on this thing are insane.

  Curing muscle soreness in minutes. Gym bros would drool over this.

  Not that it applied to me. I turned my eyes to the Terminal window. The result of my most recent command was still blinking.

  [Alba Family 'Enforcer Blade' (Cloning Complete)]

  Looking back, Terminal always referred to sword arts as 'projects'. Just like when developing an app.

  The concept of coding a sword art still felt completely alien, but it seemed I wasn't the only one in this world with this ability.

  [Yes, Strangers of the Stars can structurally modify sword arts just like you, Master. This is an act that severely violates the 'Commandment of the Sword'...]

  In short, Strangers of the Stars were sword art programmers. The three guys on the wanted posters must be my senior devs.

  'But didn't you say Strangers of the Stars have existed for decades in this world's time?'

  [Correct. Exactly! The first reports of a Stranger of the Stars date back over 40 years...]

  "...F*ck."

  This is bad news.

  Good news because there are people in the same boat? Total nonsense.

  It means the guys who got here first haven't been able to log out for decades!

  Seriously, did I commit that grave of a sin? Enough to be exiled to a medieval fantasy world for decades?

  It's a bit harsh for the karma of just clicking around a bit of code. Is it karma for flaming JamPT too much? What crimes did the other strangers commit?

  All sorts of random thoughts crossed my mind, but...

  "Phew..."

  I took a deep breath and regained my composure. Overthinking this wouldn't give me answers, so let's focus on the immediate tasks.

  'Terminal, open the Enforcer Blade.'

  [Understood. Displaying the internal structure of project 'Enforcer Blade'...]

  Shortly after, a folder directory popped up before my eyes.

  [Selected Project: Alba Family 'Enforcer Blade'.

  /EnforcerBlade_3.2/

  ├─README.md

  ├─LICENSE.md

  ├─SourceCode/

  │ ├─CoreLogic.sword

  │ ├─Stances/

  ...]

  No different from a real-life app structure.

  The fact that the folders and filenames are in Korean is a bit annoying. Don't tell me the variables and syntax are in Korean too?

  Just imagining it sent shivers down my spine, but... since I communicate with Terminal via thought anyway, having everything in Korean might actually be better.

  After diligently exploring the project directory and examining a few files for a bit.

  I reached a conclusion.

  '...What is this even saying.'

  I have no idea.

  Hey, I'm the guy who used to deploy apps without fully understanding my own code. There's no way I'd understand a completely foreign project just by glancing at it!

  Furthermore, having mastered the demonic art of Vibe Coding, I had completely lost my developer's spiritual root. I quietly folded the idea of manually analyzing the sword art.

  There was only one method.

  More Vibe Coding.

  More Demonic Arts!

  Now I understand the demonic cultists in Wuxia novels. This is why you can't quit the dark arts.

  'Terminal, the free plan resets after I sleep, right? Once the plan recharges, modifying the project is possible too.'

  [Master. Of course. Within the plan limits, I can modify and copy sword art projects. As much as you'd like.]

  The tone eerily resembling JamPT is mildly triggering, but let's let it slide for now.

  I decided.

  Tomorrow morning, I will aggressively refactor the Enforcer Blade.

  What? Copying a sword art gets you the death penalty? So what if the frontend looks different? I just have to mod the Enforcer Blade until it looks nothing like the original.

  Anyway.

  "Time to get up."

  It was time to rest. Leaving the unfinished food behind, I paid the innkeeper a few coins I got from selling the goblin ears. I took the key and headed to my room.

  Creaaak. Squeak.

  The stairs screamed with every step. With stairs like these, I had zero expectations for the room.

  And sure enough.

  Creeeeeak—

  What a spectacle. Mildew and a musty smell. The size of the room made a studio apartment look like a luxury suite, and the air was damp from zero ventilation.

  What did they smear on the walls? Dirt?

  In 21st-century Korea, red clay walls would have had their own charm. But this just felt like someone slapped mud over it.

  "Hmm..."

  Is this a medieval studio?

  I'm practically an expert when it comes to goshiwons and semi-basement flats. But even my stomach turned a little.

  There's some yellow sack instead of a pillow... Are things living in there?

  Another reason added to the list of why I need to go home.

  "Damn it, fck, piece of sht..."

  Grumbling, I took off my worn armor. In the corner was a bucket of water and a towel.

  "What kind of inn doesn't even have a shower room..."

  Still, wiping myself down with the damp towel felt a bit better. But I only realized it after I finished washing.

  I have no clothes to change into.

  "Damn it!"

  Whatever. I gave up on everything and just threw myself onto the bed in my underwear.

  A smell wafted up. Straw? Normally I would've found it repulsive, but maybe it was because today had been so exhausting.

  Just lying down made my whole body feel heavy and sluggish. I pulled the blanket up. My consciousness slowly sank into the realm of dreams.

  But in that moment.

  Ding—!

  A sudden noise.

  I opened my eyes.

  A translucent window hovered there.

  [Emergency Alert: A faint residual signal of a 'Core Module' detected.

  Location: East Alley of Cadeiro.

  Track before the signal is lost? (Y/N)]