episode_0001

The smell of the back alley reeks of the slums.

I was born in a poor neighborhood with a nauseating and stuffy sewer, without even knowing my parents’ faces.

I couldn’t remember how I managed to survive in a place where death was always a possibility.

Just memories of stealing from others’ pockets to stay alive day by day.

And the time I almost died trying to pickpocket a nobleman’s purse came to mind.

Especially the cold blade that was pressed against my neck was unforgettable.

If I had tilted my head a little more forward, my flesh would have been sliced off.

Someone would have fallen backward, someone would have hesitated and sat back down, but I was different.

I, who had long accepted death, stared blankly at the man.

“I don’t know if you’re ignorant or brave, but at least have the dignity to die.”

“Alright. Whether it’s dignity or whatever, just give me the money.”

“Huh! Have you ever seen such a cheeky brat?”

“You said you would pay a high price.”

“Well, you’ve made me speechless. Fine, since I said I would buy it, I can’t go back on my word now. Follow me, your dignity cannot be bought with money.”

“If it’s not money, then I don’t need it…”

“Stop talking nonsense and follow me. I guarantee it’s more valuable than money.”

With the expectation that it might be gold or treasure, I followed the nobleman.

But there was no treasure as I had imagined, and the nobleman just threw a sword at me.

At first, I was dissatisfied, but later I realized the value that could not be bought with money.

It was because the nobleman’s disciple was not just anyone.

“I thought you had potential when I first saw you, so I tested you, but I never thought you would be a monster…”

“Can you call the only disciple a monster?”

“If I was wrong, I wouldn’t have said such a thing in the first place.”

Through training under the master, I discovered that I had a natural talent for the sword.

My talent was so exceptional that I could manifest my swordsmanship at the young age of fifteen, to the point where the nobleman called me a monster.

Swordsmanship is the domain of a Sword Master.

I achieved unprecedented feats in history, astonishing even my master.

After leaving my master’s side, I traveled the world to understand the extent of my talent.

“Knight Alredron, I seek guidance from the disciple of the nobleman.”

“Alright, I’ll teach you a lesson, just leave your sword as tuition and leave.”

“Such insolence…!”

The reputation of being the nobleman’s disciple attracted numerous challengers, and I defeated them all with my skills.

With an undefeated record piling up, by the time I turned twenty, I was known as the Sword Saint.

The new title attracted even stronger challengers.

And as proof of victory, I collected the swords of the defeated and mostly exchanged them for money.

The swords were of little value, either unremarkable or mediocre, which is why they were not worth much.

Still, there were only about five times when I did not sell them and kept them for my own use.

The first was the Holy Sword of the hero chosen by the kingdom and the Holy Sword, Alaina, known as the hope of humanity that could defeat the Demon King.

“You’re the legendary Sword Saint, right?”

“So what?”

“I am a hero chosen by the kingdom and the Holy Sword! Will you not become my comrade and help defeat the Demon King together?”

“I don’t want to.”

“Listen to me first! Do you know how glorious it is to defeat the Demon King…!”

“Enough, let’s settle this cleanly with a duel. If I win, you will do everything I say. But if you win, give me that sword.”

“Are you betting the Holy Sword on a duel?”

“If you’re scared, then get lost.”

I engaged in a duel with the provoking hero.

Indeed, the hero known as the hope of humanity was strong.

But there was never a time when a novice who only believed in the Holy Sword could defeat me.

The shocking defeat of the valiant warrior and the theft of the Holy Sword.

The Kingdom of Kinel immediately dispatched its Holy Knights to demand the return of the Holy Sword from me.

“Do you think we will just hand it over to you?”

Since it was a loot obtained fairly through a duel, I stood my ground.

The Holy Knights tried to subdue me by force, but I defeated them all.

And thus, I became a wanted criminal in the kingdom.

The second was Scarha, the Grand Marshal of the Demon Realm and the wielder of the Dragon’s Fury Sword, Dragnut.

“Your courage in coming this far alone is commendable. But it will be your last!”

“You reptilian brat with a forked tongue.”

The power of the sword made from dragon scales, bones, and blood was tremendous.

However, I realized his lack of skill in swordsmanship and gradually wore him down by nibbling away at him.

After a long battle, the Dragon’s Fury Sword, favored by Grand Marshal Dragnut, came into my hands.

At the same time, I was designated as a public enemy of the demon realm.

The third was Hibana, a famous swordsman from the continent known as the Eastern Kingdom.

As the pursuit from the Kingdom and the Demon Realm intensified, I crossed over to the Eastern continent.

There, I faced off against a swordsman known as the “Sword Guardian.”

His swordsmanship was exceptional, and the sword he wielded was no ordinary blade.

In a close battle to the death, I managed to behead him first and claim victory.

It was only later that I found out the sword used by the Sword Guardian was a cursed katana known as the Blade of Blood.

However, since there were no adverse effects when I wielded it myself, I kept it.

The fourth was Eclipse, the twin blades used by the leader of the Creed Assassins known for always ensuring the target’s death.

Eclipse was nicknamed for the trajectory drawn by the two daggers resembling the sun and moon.

While its appearance was dazzling, the difference in skill between me and the leader of the assassins was evident, and I easily emerged victorious.

The assassin sent by the Kingdom to challenge me was no more than a pastime for me, as I had grown much stronger facing numerous formidable opponents.

In any case, I decided to keep Eclipse for myself as I found it appealing.

The fifth and final one was the Primordial Sword, Grishras, which was embedded in the End of the World, absorbing the power of all living beings it touched.

No one had been able to draw the sword until now, but I effortlessly pulled it out.

I do not know the reason, but with a strong will to try, I easily retrieved it.

The sword lived up to its name as the Great Sword of Consumption, with a gruesome appearance that I found alluring, so I carried it on my back.

With these five swords in hand, I traveled the world, using these flawless swords to fight against strong opponents and honing my skills day by day.

Through constant effort, I reached a level where I could hear the will of the swords.

I was initially delighted to be able to communicate with the swords I cherished so dearly, but soon realized that this ability was closer to a curse.

“Lian! Since you defeated the valiant warrior, fulfill the duty of a hero!”

“Let’s not do that and go hunt some dragons instead! Sound good?”

“Master, to lift the curse on my body, I need more blood. So let’s start a war, shall we? With your power and mine, we can easily destroy a country or two.”

“Brother! Play with Eclipse and me more! Play with us!”

“Overall, my sister and I are used significantly less. Can’t you use us more, pitiful brother?”

“Can I… use your power…?”

The spirit swords were going crazy to the point where my head was spinning.

The Holy Sword constantly urged me to defeat the Demon King in place of the hero.

The Dragon Slayer Sword roared, insisting on killing dragons even after I explained that I was not a dragon slayer.

The Bloodthirsty Sword whispered seductively to me, saying that it needed more blood for indiscriminate slaughter.

The Twin Daggers whined, asking me to use them more, and the Devourer Greatsword asked if it could absorb my power consistently.

“I feel like I’m losing my mind…!”

Every day, the swords relentlessly demanded things from me.

At first, I tried to endure and resist, but their incessant demands made me feel like I was going crazy.

Unable to bear it any longer, I made a big decision and desperately trained to achieve it.

“When do you plan to defeat the Demon King?”

“Master! Did you know? Dragon meat is very nutritious and delicious!”

“If you don’t want to become a villain who rules the world, how about secretly burning down just one village?”

“Brother only focuses on his fake training… and doesn’t even play with Eclair and Rips…”

“Sigh… Can’t you hear your sister’s nagging? Sometimes pretend to lose, you foolish uncle.”

“Can I… not use your power?”

Before my mind completely collapsed, I pushed my body to its limit, reaching the state of the Divine Sword Unity.

It was a state that had only been passed down as a legend, where the sword was my body and my body was the sword.

In other words, even without a sword, I could handle my body like a sword and manifest sword energy.

After all the hard work, I achieved success and proudly lined up my swords.

“I have an important announcement to make to all of you!”

“Have you finally decided to fulfill the duty of a hero?”

“Are we going to hunt dragons?”

“As long as you use me to fight, I am satisfied.”

“Wow! Brother is playing with Eclair!”

“It’s a hasty judgment, sister. This unreliable uncle is likely to build up expectations like this and then abandon us.”

“Finally…! I can use it…!”

The swords, each filled with high expectations, were already swelling with anticipation.

At that moment, they seemed quite cute.

Only at times like this.

“I’m going to sell all of you.”

Just leave already.