episode_0001

I often read web novels as a hobby.

It started with game fantasy, then moved to modern fantasy, classic fantasy, and eventually even martial arts novels.

Before I knew it, ten years had flown by, and I ran out of things to read.

Occasionally, I’d skim through new releases to find something that suited my taste, but eventually, I turned my attention to romance fantasy—commonly known as “ropan.”

‘Huh, this is more entertaining than I expected.’

Contrary to my initial thought that “ropan” wasn’t for men, it turned out to be far more engaging than I’d imagined.

No, it wasn’t just passable—it was genuinely fun.

I assumed the “romance” tag meant it’d be all about lovey-dovey stuff, but surprisingly, many stories weren’t like that.

Of course, not all of them were great. Plenty didn’t match my taste, but wasn’t that the same for fantasy and martial arts novels?

So, having exhausted the other genres, I found myself diving headfirst into the new world of ropan.

The problem was—

“Adam.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“How do I get her to notice me?”

“……”

Living it firsthand, I realized that the ropan genre wasn’t exactly the most comfortable place to exist.

One day, I woke up in a fantasy world.

It was absurd.

There were so many idiots out there begging to be sent to another world, so why did it have to be me—someone who was living just fine in reality?!

…Or so I thought. Contrary to my expectations, I adapted to this world surprisingly easily.

Of course, that was largely thanks to my circumstances.

Just yesterday, I was a job seeker getting pushed around, but here? I was the son of a count.

At the very least, I didn’t have to worry about employment.

Better yet, my family was wealthy enough to support me even if I chose to laze around for the rest of my life, so I could live comfortably.

“Adam, you have talent with the sword.”

But as a man, wouldn’t it be a waste to just idle my life away?

Unlike my past life, this time, my family had the means to fully support me. I figured there was no harm in enjoying the isekai life others could only dream of.

So, I underwent my family’s elite training and discovered my aptitude for swordsmanship.

The former knights who came to teach me praised my talent, and I, too, found great satisfaction in wielding a sword. I thought becoming a knight was my true calling.

Right—I heard that the eldest son would inherit the family, while the younger brothers would assist him through civil or military service. As the third son of House Smith, I, Adam, would support my first and second brothers as a knight!

In novels, brothers often schemed against each other for the family’s inheritance, but here, the bond between us was beautiful!

“This child is a once-in-a-millennium prodigy!”

But the heartwarming scenario where my eldest brother shed tears of joy and my second brother embraced me in pride was shattered one day by an unwelcome guest.

Turns out, one of my instructors was a former royal guard. He had hidden his identity and taught as a hobby, but upon recognizing my talent, he reported me to his former workplace.

“M-Me?”

“Yes.”

And just like that, a knight from the current royal order, dispatched by the palace, stared at me like I was a treasure before whisking me away to the king’s residence.

A high-ranking noble like a count? If the royal family wanted me, resistance meant instant annihilation.

So, my parents and even my brothers waved me off without a hint of reluctance. It stung a little, but what could I do?

“This child?”

“Yes. As for this one…”

At the palace, the knight who brought me in and another, seemingly higher-ranked knight began discussing me.

Then, without warning, they handed me a sword and told me to spar.

And—

“We could search the entire continent and never find someone with such perfectly suited talent.”

Even though I felt like I’d just gotten my ass kicked, the knight declared me a genius.

A once-in-a-generation genius, at that.

Was this the so-called “reincarnator’s advantage” I’d only heard about? Was I about to live like a fantasy protagonist from now on?!

As if confirming my thoughts, the following words were music to my ears.

“We’ve been in need of someone to accompany His Highness, the Fifth Prince.”

We’d train together. What did that mean? It meant I’d receive an education several tiers above what I was used to—royal education.

There was no better condition for personal growth.

But more importantly, I’d be learning alongside a prince.

We’d train together from childhood, naturally enter the same academy, and as long as I graduated without issue, I’d spend the rest of my life as the prince’s retainer.

Of course, if I screwed up, not only my head but my entire family would be on the line—but hadn’t my family abandoned me first?!

I was born a man and even reincarnated into another world! Wasn’t it only natural to aim for success as a prince’s retainer?!

So, I enthusiastically sold myself and became a royal knight.

A member of the Royal Education Knight Order—an instructor.

Those who trained closest to royalty, sometimes teaching them, and protecting them in emergencies.

That was to be my first and last position.

And the first step in this grand achievement was—

“This is the ‘Defeat Sword’ you must master from now on.”

“……?”

Learning how to lose.

“Just one more match.”

That was something people often said while gaming in my past life.

Personally, I thought it was a phrase made possible by games like Cosmic War, a strategy simulation, and Legends of Legends, an AOS genre game that dominated South Korea.

Just one more match.

Both games were perfect for making that phrase a reality.

But at the same time, they were also the worst games for actually stopping at just one match.

“This bastard’s using a rush tactic?!”

Even after declaring just one match, if six cosmic monsters charged at me before I could even produce a single worker, or if I got cheesed by infantry rushing behind a frontline of mechs, that match didn’t count.

The same went for when some sneaky alien race built a photon laser—meant for defense—right in my base.

And that wasn’t all.

“Ugh, just surrender. We can’t win this.”

“What? Surrendering again?”

Unlike 1v1 strategy sims, Legends of Legends, a 5v5 game, was even worse.

In a 1v1, no matter what, I was the one getting wrecked. But in a 5v5, there were four other people to blame, so excuses were endless.

That’s right.

Just one more match.

That phrase only applied to a game where both sides were evenly matched, teetering on a razor’s edge, and I carried the team to victory—reaching peak dopamine.

If the match ended before reaching that point, it didn’t count.

Even if we reached that point but lost, it still didn’t count.

And so, after an endless cycle of one last match, by the time the true last match finally ended, it was common to have blown way past the originally intended gaming time. Yet, people willingly sacrificed their time for that one perfect match.

With my past-life memories, I could confidently answer the head instructor of the Royal Education Knights.

“So, during sparring with His Highness the Fifth Prince, I should engage in a tense back-and-forth, then at the very last moment—when he least expects it—lose by the narrowest margin possible. Is that correct?”

“Brilliant!”

Truly, a once-in-a-millennium prodigy.

The head instructor clapped in admiration of my talent, while I despaired at what that talent actually was.

I thought having talent meant something impressive! But no—my so-called talent was having just enough skill, just enough potential, and ridiculously sharp instincts!

“The princes all carry the king’s blood. Their education must reflect that.”

In my past life, saying something like that would’ve sparked controversy, like that infamous “Power Abuse Legend” scandal. But sadly, here, it wasn’t even debatable.

Because they were truly of royal blood, and this was truly about educating a prince.

Hell, it was power abuse—but the “power” side was literally the one in charge!

“People often say you learn from defeat, and that’s true. But the defeat of commoners and the defeat of royalty are entirely different.”

He wasn’t wrong.

No one in their right mind would try to humiliate their own royalty, so if a royal lost, it meant losing to a foreign power.

At best, it’d be a disgrace during an exchange at a foreign academy. At worst, it’d mean losing to an enemy nation in war.

The former was a national embarrassment, and the latter was an omen of the country’s downfall.

That’s why royal family members rarely studied abroad—and if they did, the host country would discreetly adjust outcomes for diplomatic reasons.

“That’s where we come in.”

Those who walk the path of kings must never know defeat.

Yet, if overprotected, they’d never understand their limits or the world.

So, they needed a pacemaker—someone to push them to their limits while ensuring they always emerged victorious in the end.

“That’s us!”

A punching bag disguised as education.

Not just any punching bag, but the optimal one—crafted to deliver maximum satisfaction to the one swinging.

It sounded convincing when phrased like that.

“Head Instructor.”

“Do you have a question?”

I felt bad for the moved instructor who’d just met his “once-in-a-millennium prodigy,” but I had to be honest.

“To pull that off, wouldn’t I need to be at least as skilled as His Highness the Fifth Prince?”

Yes. To achieve all this, I needed to be at least on par with my opponent.

No, realistically, being equal wasn’t enough. Humans weren’t machines. On my best days, I could beat someone a tier above me. On my worst, I could lose to someone far below.

Given the prince’s status, he might have ways to maintain peak condition, but even in a fantasy world with magic and divine power, no one could stay at their best forever.

So, to ensure a fair match under any circumstance, I needed to be stronger than him.

Not just a little—overwhelmingly so!

“Haha. Don’t worry too much.”

The head instructor laughed, reassuring me.

“We are the ones who lay the foundation of the kingdom. Do you think we’d lack support?”

The “Defeat Sword” was a swordsmanship style created by legendary swordsmen and refined over generations by the kingdom’s finest.

And that wasn’t all. To ensure instructors like me could perfectly execute it, the royal family would provide immense annual support.

Royal chefs would prepare meals using the finest ingredients, all beneficial to the body.

There’d be potions to enhance mana, specialists for physical maintenance, and access to the teachings of past instructors whenever needed.

All for the sake of becoming the royal family’s punching bag!

No—to become the perfect rival, one who could push them to their limits and barely lose!

“That is your duty.”

It was utterly ridiculous.

But if I could pull it off, I’d gain wealth, honor, and even a title.

Plus, wasn’t I already recognized as a prodigy by the royal knights?

“I’ll do it!”

There was no reason to refuse. Dealing with royalty might be daunting, but with my second-life buffs, how could I back down from a challenge?

“Good. From today, you are a proud knight of the royal family.”

I’d even earned the title of the youngest royal knight in the kingdom’s history, leaving my mark as a person.

For the early stages of my second life, this was a pretty great start, wasn’t it?

“I’ll strive to lose perfectly, in a manner befitting a knight’s honor!”

“Splendid!”

The conversation was a bit odd, but this, too, was a knight’s duty.

To serve one’s lord and fulfill one’s responsibilities—that was the knight’s code.

And so, until the day I met His Highness the Fifth Prince—my future lord—I trained relentlessly in the “Defeat Sword.”

Two years later, under the guise of coincidence, I finally met him.

“Hello.”

“My name is Adam Smith.”

But at the time, I had no idea.

I didn’t know that the Fifth Prince I’d be serving was one of the sub-male leads from a ropan novel.

And not just any prince—he was destined to become the continent’s greatest swordsman.

Unaware that I’d have to play the role of a “soul rival” to the strongest swordsman in the story’s setting, I cheerfully became the future “Continent’s Greatest Swordsman’s” personal punching bag.