Sweat poured down my body like rain.
How did things end up like this?
「Aha, don’t go left. You’ll die if you go there.」
“Just… shut up, please.”
「Is that any way to speak to your master?」
Liam had suggested that I devour a new sword. As always, I had readily accepted, and as if possessed, I simply did whatever Liam told me to do.
But why?
「Oh my, you’re going to fall.」
“Fuck.”
「Be careful. And watch your language.」
Why did I end up in this mess?
「I’ve told you time and again to stop at the ‘Fu—’, tsk.」
I glared at my master, who was speaking in a mocking tone, and gripped a jagged rock with a sharp thwack . I let out a heavy sigh and scanned my surroundings. There wasn’t a single sword in sight.
All I could see were dizzying cliffs and towering mountains shrouded in clouds.
“Could you just… give me a break today? Fuck.”
To explain how things turned out this way, I have to go back in time.
* * *
It all started with a question from Liam.
「Young descendant, at what level would you place your current realm of the sword?」
I pondered Liam’s question for a moment before answering.
“I believe I’m at the beginning, or perhaps the middle, of the Sword Walker stage.”
After hearing my considered response, Liam spoke again.
「Then, do you believe your physical body is suitable for that level?」
My physical body.
It was a topic that came out of nowhere.
「The realm of a Sword Walker is the stage where one can finally call themselves a swordsman, the minimum qualification to become a knight. Does your body match that?」
Following Liam’s words, I looked into a mirror.
Compared to when I first picked up a sword, the body reflected in the mirror had improved remarkably. Defined muscles had settled in, and I had a generally toned appearance.
My once narrow shoulders had broadened to at least an average width, and my forearms had become quite thick thanks to the development of the muscles needed to grip a sword.
However.
“I don’t think so.”
That was only because my previous body had been exceptionally pathetic.
「Then how does your body look to you now?」
“Like an average male of my age. Or perhaps a man who enjoys training.”
That was an objective assessment.
In any nearby village or city, there were plenty of people with bodies similar to mine. Perhaps a young man who did nothing but run around in some backwater countryside possessed a better physique than I did.
After all, innate physical traits accounted for a large portion of one’s build.
「Exactly. To be precise, your current body is woefully insufficient to be called a ‘Sword Walker’.」
“……”
「Until now, you’ve managed to endure through the hardness of your Mana Heart and various strokes of luck, but from now on, you will feel the inadequacy of your physical form more acutely.」
Liam scanned my body as he spoke.
「Even now, aren’t you feeling the strain whenever you use the Caravan’s Line? Furthermore, you can’t even draw out multiple memories of the swords you’ve already consumed at once; you can only use them one at a time.」
“……”
「Normally, just as other Sword Walkers utilize superhuman strength, you should be able to extend the Line throughout your body like veins to create a body of steel. Only then can you truly wield the power of a Caravan. But you, young descendant, cannot do that.」
He was right.
Liam had carefully selected only the swords that suited me, provided various teachings, and raised my realm through Doubt, but my body couldn’t keep up.
「The Caravan’s Line is not some ultimate secret technique. It is something that should be used as naturally as breathing.」
“……”
「If the balance is broken like this, it will eventually lead to a much greater collapse later on. Do you think the uniqueness of a Caravan lies only in the Line? It does not. Our uniqueness begins with the wings, extends to the armor, and reaches all the way to the final sword.」
Listening to Liam, I asked tentatively.
“Then… what should I do?”
「We must set the framework now.」
At that question, Liam looked at me with cold eyes.
「We will solve the immediate problem with the sword you are about to devour.」
A sword.
Yes, that was the Caravan way.
I looked at my great master and asked.
“What kind of sword am I devouring this time?”
Liam replied with a smirk.
「First, there is a place we must go.」
* * *
The place Liam suggested was quite far from our village. It was in the northern part of the Iron Kingdom, a place filled with high, rugged mountains. It was an area the residents of the Iron Kingdom called the 「Sword’s Tomb」.
“It’ll take quite a while to get there.”
「Indeed. It’ll take at least ten days just to travel there, and knowing your personality, you’d find it hard to leave this place unattended. Judging by the uninvited guests who have visited so far, if you leave it vacant for that long, the Caravan mansion will surely be defiled by them.」
“Is there nowhere closer?”
「That place is the best. To establish the foundation for the wings, there is a process that must come first.」
It was a moment where I had to stand at a crossroads. But I could not give up this mansion and estate. Never.
‘I’m starting to miss Petel.’
I had been able to travel around thanks to my honorable neighbor protecting the place, but Petel was no longer in this world. As I felt a brief moment of loneliness, Liam spoke.
「Don’t you have one more neighbor?」
Hearing Liam’s words, I looked to my side.
“Small Gladiator.”
Seol-yoon was there.
“It’s time to keep your promise.”
She was radiating a somewhat chilling aura.
“Cross swords with me. For real.”
* * *
Seol-yoon pulled out her sharp sword and stretched her body long. She was warming up and loosening her muscles before the sword fight. I watched Seol-yoon, who was doing a full split, and spoke.
“Seol-yoon, I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it?”
She tilted her head slightly to look at me.
“I plan to leave this village again to reach greater heights. However, I’m in a position where I absolutely cannot leave this village empty. I want you to protect this village while I’m away. Just as Petel did before.”
“…I left Ferma and came here to follow and observe you, and now you want me to stay in this countryside alone and stand guard?”
Seol-yoon’s point was valid.
As I momentarily lost my words, Seol-yoon spoke.
“It doesn’t look like you’re doing this because I’m a nuisance or for some other reason, though.”
“…Yes. I’m telling you this sincerely, not as an excuse.”
“Then I have one condition.”
A condition?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Seol-yoon let out a breath and said.
“Grant me enlightenment. Give me a good clue with your sword so that even if I don’t follow you and just focus on the sword in this village, it will be a meaningful time. Then I’ll stay and protect this village without complaint.”
“……”
“That should do it, right?”
Seol-yoon spoke as if she were being very considerate. Hearing her words, I looked at Liam with a dumbfounded expression.
My face said it all.
How am I supposed to give an enlightenment to a genius like her?
Whether Liam read my expression or was just enjoying the situation, he chuckled and spoke.
「You’ll have to figure that out on your own, young descendant.」
Fortunately, Liam didn’t stop there. He stroked his chin once and tossed out a remark as if doing me a favor.
「Try swinging your sword with all your might. Then there will be a good result.」
Damn it.
Liam failed to give a clear answer once again.
“Are you ready?”
Seol-yoon cracked her neck and stared at me. I let out a sigh and drew the sword from my waist. The sword I would use this time was Petel’s sword, Twilight. Of course, that wasn’t the only one. I had four Fangs ready where I could draw them at any time, and Needle was on the other side of my waist.
It was basic to prepare all available weapons so they could be used at a moment’s notice.
There was no point in agonizing over it further.
I nodded and said.
“Yes, I’m ready. Let’s begin.”
As soon as those words left my lips, Seol-yoon thrust her front foot forward and lunged with her sword. It was a preemptive strike, thrusting the sword like an arrow with her arm fully extended—an attack similar to Swordswoman Mary’s Needle, but far more exquisite and threatening.
‘She’s already using it as if it were her own swordsmanship.’
I grit my teeth and took a deep breath. My second heart throbbed, and my sword hardened firmly. Along with it, I saw the thin paths stretching out in the surroundings.
At the same time, Seol-yoon breathed, and superhuman power settled into her body. I moved in the same way. I, too, could now use the power of a proper Sword Walker. The moment Seol-yoon became superhuman, I did as well, creating a path along her sword trajectory.
A brief clash ensued.
Clang!
Sparks flew as sword met sword and bounced away.
Clang!
The blades slid against each other. We twisted our swords to parry and swung again to collide. A screeching metallic sound rang out as our faces drew close enough to touch. At that moment, my front foot moved sharply, hooking Seol-yoon’s leg to trip her. Sword Wrestling. It was a knight’s fighting style taken from Petel’s memory.
Seol-yoon’s face contorted for a moment, but she flipped in the air like a cat and landed. Immediately after, a curved 「Path」 like a snake tightened around me. I blocked it by deploying my own 「Path」 in the same way. Right after parrying with my sword, I drew a Fang from my thigh with my other hand and thrust it. Seol-yoon twisted her head to dodge.
Her hair fluttered, momentarily obscuring my vision.
Seol-yoon’s sword bent bizarrely from top to bottom. Just as I tried to block it in a hurry, her sword came to a dead stop. A moment later, Seol-yoon’s front foot dug between my legs. The back of my knee was pulled sharply, and my center of gravity collapsed.
‘Sword Wrestling.’
Seol-yoon had stolen even Petel’s technique in an instant. I slammed Twilight into the ground and, pressing down on the pommel with my palm for support, I flipped in the air. Then, abandoning Twilight, I drew Needle from the other side of my waist and thrust it with acrobatic precision. Seol-yoon deflected the attack with the flat of her blade and launched another offensive.
And then—
“Phew—”
At the tip of the sword Seol-yoon was swinging, I saw a thin Line. That was the end of the duel. Holding the needle, I took a single breath and thrust my sword with everything I had.
The Line once again pierced and destroyed everything in its path. Dust billowed, and when it cleared, Seol-yoon was revealed, kneeling on one knee while holding a broken sword.
She spoke.
“…That’s practically cheating.”
The match was decided.
To begin with, in a fight between fellow Sword Walkers, the Caravan’s Line possessed a level of violence that could be considered cheating. A path of steel that could not be blocked by any means. Even at its basic level, it was an attack that had once brought down a Sword Runner. There was no way Seol-yoon could block it.
I looked down at the kneeling Seol-yoon and asked.
“Did you gain any enlightenment?”
“I wonder.”
Despite her defeat, Seol-yoon was smiling with a sense of pride for some reason.
“Aside from you… the Immortal gave me some good advice.”
The Immortal?
I shifted my gaze from the fallen Seol-yoon to Liam. Liam was simply shrugging his shoulders as he met my eyes.
「What are you looking at, young descendant?」
“……”
「Let’s go. As I said, there was a good result.」
What on earth did those two talk about?
I hadn’t heard Liam’s voice while we were fighting, and I thought he was just standing behind me doing nothing. I didn’t know. My master was such a mysterious being, after all.
“As I promised, I’ll protect this village. Have a safe trip, small gladiator.”
Well, anyway, things worked out, so I suppose it’s a good thing.
「That girl is quite worth teaching. It would have been perfect if she had inherited the Caravan blood.」
“……”
「Next time, you won’t be able to win so easily just by crushing her with the Caravan’s Line, young descendant. Geniuses tend to grow rapidly even with just a small bit of teaching.」
…Though I couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy.
「It would be wonderful if a child were born between you and that girl. If they inherited both the genius for the sword and the Caravan blood, wouldn’t a truly great talent emerge from the Caravans after all this time?」
“Please stop saying such weird things.”
Anyway.
And so, I left the village and set out on another journey.
* * *
And so, after many twists and turns, the story returns to the beginning.
“Fuck!”
For over ten days, I changed carriages, paid a high price to use a wizard’s portal, and finally arrived in the north.
「Careful, careful.」
But before I could even sightsee the magnificent northern cities, Liam told me to go further north, and then even further north. That was why I was doing this.
「I told you, we’re almost there.」
“Stop saying that—waaaah!”
「My, you almost went to the afterlife just now.」
I didn’t know how many hours I had been climbing this mountain.
Now, even the superhuman strength granted by the 「Paths」 extending through my body was almost depleted, yet for over two hours, Liam had been making annoying remarks like ‘we’re almost there’ and ‘I can see the destination now’.
Damn it.
The 「Sword’s Tomb」 in the northern Iron Kingdom.
This notorious mountain, where dozens of experienced rangers went missing every year, was rugged on a completely different level than the cliff behind our village. If I hadn’t reached the rank of Sword Walker and learned how to handle superhuman power, I probably would have died long ago and be floating around as a soul like my master.
「Your level is still too low, so even if you die, you won’t be able to wander the Mortal Realm as a spiritual body, young descendant. Only those who have attained divinity or reached transcendence and arrived at the Land of Swords like me can wander the Mortal Realm as a spiritual body…」
“I didn’t ask…!”
「Ho ho, the Witches of the Sky Empire would pay ten thousand gold coins just to hear this story, yet you cut me off mid-sentence. Don’t regret it later.」
“Please, please just shut your mouth.”
Whether it was because he was a ghost who hadn’t spoken in a long time, or if it was a habit peculiar to old men who couldn’t keep their mouths shut for a single moment, Liam chattered the entire time I was climbing the mountain at the risk of my life.
And then…
“Phew!”
At a time when I couldn’t even gauge how much I had suffered, I finally reached the top of the mountain. As soon as I ascended, I collapsed from exhaustion, gasping for air.
“I really, really thought I was going to die…”
「One out of three people does tend to die coming this far.」
“……”
「Aha, don’t look at me with such irreverent eyes.」
I couldn’t tell if Liam was being serious or joking.
For some reason, this time it felt like the truth.
As I rested while glaring resentfully at Liam, he spoke.
「Young descendant, I understand you’re tired, but don’t let your guard down and rest too much.」
“…Do you just hate the sight of me lying down and resting?”
「There’s that, but it’s also dangerous to be like that here.」
The moment Liam’s words fell, my sensitive senses detected a heavy presence. Simultaneously, the Flame of Doubt flickered to life. Footprints in the nearby mud, sword marks on the bushes, and unfamiliar languages heard from somewhere. I sniffed the air. A terrible stench wafted from afar.
「The masters of this mountain very much dislike unfamiliar intruders.」
As soon as I noticed their presence, I squeezed out my remaining stamina and pulled myself up. Then, I composed my ragged breath as much as possible. My second heart began to beat.
“I’m asking just in case, but is the owner of the sword I’m devouring this time perhaps not human?”
「Quick-witted as always.」
The sound of rustling bushes came from all directions.
「I decided that a human sword would be insufficient if you are to become strong quickly and elevate your physical level as fast as possible.」
“Then…”
「A race born for combat, growing at a speed incomparable to humans and becoming stronger faster than anyone else amidst struggle.」
I heard a characteristic snorting breath.
「The Green Nightmare, the one that grows the fastest among the seven races existing on this continent.」
“No way.”
「Yes way.」
With that, muscular monsters with green skin, the color of grass, emerged from the bushes.
「The sword you will devour this time is the sword of an ‘Orc’.」
In one hand, an axe.
In the other, the head of a beast with its spinal cord still attached.
