Solo Swordmaster

#890. I think, therefore I exist

* * *

“The Indian Borough is always threatened by the Fallen Spirit.”

It was unavoidable.

In the past, the place where the most spirits stayed after the fairy kingdom was the Indian Autonomous District.

However, after the Elemental War broke out.

Most of the spirits were corrupted.

Since it was originally the home of the Continental Guardians, it was the place where the spirits created by their biological experiments were most actively targeted.

That’s why the Indian Autonomous District became the most fierce battleground even during the spirit war.

Even if the spirit uprising is over.

That fact hasn’t changed.

Perhaps because of the resentment of the spirits, the fallen spirits targeted this place more frequently than any other city.

It is fortunate that it is an Indian borough with many elementalists and shamans. If it had been elsewhere, it would have been destroyed hundreds of years ago.

“But recently, the attacks of the fallen spirits have drastically decreased.”

[If it’s been a while, maybe…]

“It’s been around since the golden lord went missing.”

[…That’s worth it.]

Yuna-gyeong agreed with no hesitation.

The golden lord accomplished the feat of controlling the fallen spirits using a virus.

He attacked the fairy kingdom with an army of tens of thousands of spirits and threatened even the world peace plan.

However, at the end of the fierce battle, the golden lord became Billy’s shield and died.

Most of the fallen spirits he was using were also destroyed.

It’s easy to say, so it’s a few thousand.

Even in this vast wilderness, it is a vast number.

More spirits were destroyed in that battle than were defeated in the United States over the past few decades.

And that also meant that the amount of fallen spirits in the wilderness, especially around the Indian Territory, had decreased.

“Everything was fine until then.”

The attacks of the fallen spirits always put a burden on the spirits and shamans of the Indian Territory.

However, as the attacks of the spirits have decreased, they have been able to spend enough time resting and doing other things.

It was something everyone in the Indian Territory welcomed.

There were even discussions about organizing a subjugation party and eradicating the fallen spirits.

“But it appeared.”

…as if to replace the missing spirits.

Until that strange spirit appeared.

No one took the situation seriously until they first discovered it around the borough.

Everyone believed that the Sentinel Spirit would take care of such a small spirit.

But the results were truly astonishing.

After hundreds of years of remodeling and strengthening, dozens of sentinel spirits with power equal to that of the spirit squadron were destroyed by a single spirit.

It wasn’t any high-tech weapon, just an ordinary two-handed dagger.

“…There must have been a shaman standing guard, right?”

“There was. But I couldn’t stop it. So I called support and managed to catch it.”

It’s a shame because the shamans of the nearby tribes quickly applied.

I can’t even imagine how many sentinels would have been damaged if the response had been delayed.

The little squirrel said heavily.

“But that wasn’t the end.”

a few days later

When a similar spirit appeared again, the residents were frightened.

The good news is that the response was quicker than before because they were on high alert.

Unfortunately, more sentinel spirits were destroyed than before.

Of course, even spirits of the same type can have differences in strength and weakness, so until then, I had only thought that a new type of spirit had appeared

… .”

At first, only a few shamans were able to catch it.

The second time, I barely managed with dozens of shamans.

When it appeared for the third time, the Unmyeongsa could only stop it.

And…

“Even the Unmyeongsa fought for hours on the fourth and lost it.”

“…It’s a tremendous speed of development.”

“So I said. That is not a spirit.”

Spirits have existed since the distant golden age, and have come down from the sky to bring civilization to mankind.

As much as that, their skills and knowledge were so deep and amazing that they far exceeded the level of mankind.

However, to put it in reverse, the technology of the spirits has not developed further even after thousands of years of human history.

It was natural.

Spirits are the essence of civilization left by the fairies who were the ancestors of Alfheim in the distant past.

because it has already been completed.

though it could be improved.

Even if it took thousands of years and tens of thousands of years, it was an existence that was close to impossible to develop further.

The end of the Golden Age also contributed to the fact that elementals and shamans were pushed aside by other mysteries. In that sense

, it was common knowledge

that a fallen spirit that had never been heard of before appeared and made such dramatic progress in just a few dozen days .

That’s why it only looks like a spirit.

It’s never a spirit.

Yuna-kyung asked the little squirrel that was assertive.

[If it’s not a spirit, what is it?]

“I’ve been looking into it anyway.”

Elemental spirits and shamans of the Indian Territory all put their heads together to examine the spirit’s remains.

It was never easy.

Still, humanoids are rare.

It was like looking for a needle in the sand to investigate whether or not it was a completely new type of spirit.

But they are the group that knows the spirits best.

At the end of mobilizing all the knowledge that has been studied since the golden age and the wisdom accumulated from fighting the fallen spirits.

They eventually uncovered several important facts.

“I wonder if you know the difference between a spirit and a machine.”

[That means spirits are alive and not machines]

“What is the standard for being alive?”

[Uh, that’s…]

Yuna-kyung hesitated.

Whether it’s made of steel, not cloth.

Whether driven by an engine instead of a heart.

It was natural for the spirits to be able to talk and have intelligence to be alive in themselves.

But it’s an ancient thing.

Advanced science is like witchcraft.

In this era where all kinds of high-tech machines were made, it was inevitably difficult to discuss the difference between machines and spirits.

On the other hand, the strong bison, an expert on spirits, answered without hesitation.

“The difference lies in the ego.”

[You mean?]

“Yes. Being able to think and judge for yourself and recognize yourself as an individual is the standard of a spirit.”

Spirits and machines are no different in that they carry out orders.

However, it is the spirit that judges and decides from whom to take orders and whether or not to follow them.

Listen to what the mighty bison said.

Black Dog narrowed his eyes.

“I am thinking therefore I am existing?”

“As you say.”

In the explanation of the strong bison, retracing the aphorism left by René Descartes, a famous French magician who tried to find out the essence of all things by exploring the spirits.

The little squirrel added a word.

“And the source of the spirits’ ego is the spirit circuit.”

Even mankind, who have studied and studied the techniques of the spirits for thousands of years, has yet to learn the principles, let alone imitate the core of the spirits.

That is the Youngja Circuit.

It was a mystery that only the Fairy Queen and the ancient spirits could create.

This was the reason why the number of fallen spirits decreased but did not increase for hundreds of years after the spirit crisis.

“But the spirit circuit of the spirit didn’t work properly. In particular, there was no such thing as a self that thought and judged for itself.”

[…Wait. Then it was just a machine, not a spirit that we fought?

”

[Does that make sense?]

Yuna-kyung was dumbfounded.

No matter how advanced the technology is, there is a limit to the capabilities of machines.

A machine that is not a spirit, beyond acting alone, freely using the Sword Master’s swordsmanship to engage in a fierce battle with the Unryeong.

how is that possible

to her bewildered

The little squirrel said calmly.

“It makes sense if it’s not the ego that drives the machine, but the will.”

“…you mean it was a remotely controlled drone?”

“Nonsense. If it was just a simple machine controlled by radio waves, there’s no way I wouldn’t have known about it.”

“We also struggled a lot. However, after digging through the old records, I know that it is controlled by something other than radio waves.”

“Something else?”

“A group of specific brain waves that are expressed only when brain cells are activated in an unconscious state.”

“…!”

the moment I heard that.

The stalwart bison hardened its face.

Because I could perfectly understand what the little squirrel meant.

“So that’s why I decided to call the aircraft this way.”

“….”

“―Dreamdroid.”

You can’t call it a spirit.

It’s hard to even call it armor.

A puppet controlled through dreams.

I don’t think there could be a name more fitting for it.

After hearing what the little squirrel said, Yuna-kyung opened her beak after a long silence.

[…in other words, does that mean that the dreamroid is a puppet controlled by the Indian sister?

]

[Such nonsense…]

Yuna-kyung groaned.

It wasn’t something I didn’t understand.

Or rather, now I could understand how the strange spirit was able to use the same swordsmanship of the running repairman.

The one who spread his swordsmanship was Suri himself, who ran forever.

Dreamroid wouldn’t be very impossible if it was only implemented from a distance.

Nevertheless, there was one reason why it was hard for Yuna-kyung to believe that fact.

[There’s no reason for an Indian sister to attack this place, right?]

In the first place, Shuri was one of the most uncooperative sword masters with the World Federation.

I didn’t do this when Wanderer was alive.

It was certainly strange that she suddenly raided the Indian Territory in this yard where the World Federation collapsed and Wanderer died.

But…

“I can’t see it that way.”

[Yes?]

“You just heard. This doll called Dreamroid is controlled by Suri’s dream.”

[What did that mean?]

“It means that the reason in the dream is not important.”

Logic matters in reality.

Even if you swim over a cliff.

Even if you marry a frog.

Even if you drink frozen fire.

Far from being strange, it is the world of dreams that we take for granted.

If Dreamroid is moving according to the dream of running repair, there is nothing strange about what it does.

Look at Limon, who speaks calmly.

Yuna-kyung stuttered.

[No, no matter how.]

“Don’t forget, Blue. Suri has already cut the moon while sleeping once.”

[…]

“Besides, I don’t know if Suri is really controlling that Dreamroid.”

[…what else do you mean by that?]

“Well.”

If it wasn’t controlled by a running repairman, how could a mere doll use the Sword Master’s swordsmanship?

To Yuna-kyung who is puzzled.

Limon didn’t bother explaining.

I just opened my mouth with a heavy face.

“It is clear that repairs must be found as soon as possible.”

like a test.

appear in succession.

Dreamroid gets stronger every time.

Up to the condition of the repair running which is not normal there.

Even though there may be many things we still don’t know, we reflect on all the facts that make us feel ominous just by partially knowing them.

Limon finished his speech quietly.

“Because you don’t know what will happen when this Dreamroid is completed.”