What is reason?
Scholars define reason as the ability to distinguish right from wrong. Others call it composure, or a vital weapon possessed by humanity. Thus, reason is always regarded as a paramount human virtue.
But I must ask.
Is being rational always the correct answer?
The flame flickering in my heart at this moment said otherwise.
If I were to act rationally, continuing to fight this giant would be an act of idiocy. A greenhorn Sword Walker armed with a single blade cannot defeat a Large-scale Species that rivals a massive mountain. Since the “Orc Coming-of-Age Ceremony” was meant to prove a warrior’s bravery, the rational thing to do was to give up once I had shown a sufficient amount of struggle. That would have been the wise choice.
But was it the right answer?
If I had acted rationally and logically, I should have refused Liam’s demand to enter the Orcs’ Holy Land. That would have been the correct judgment, the safe one.
I shouldn’t have stood before the Orc Elder, who could separate my soul from my body in an instant, and I shouldn’t have dueled in their holy land. Even when the 「Sword Runner」 appeared in my territory, I shouldn’t have stepped forward so recklessly. I shouldn’t have cared whether Knight Petel died a miserable death or not. Stepping up as the Proxy Warrior for the departed Petel was an irrational act.
Even when I was forced to fight the Black Bride, Seol-yoon, as a fighter in the Arena of Steel City, I should have run away. That would have been the rational, logical thing to do. Yet, at every decisive moment, I have always chosen the irrational path. Liam said my talent was cold-blooded Doubt. But every time I had to make a choice, I was anything but cold.
Even shoving a blade into my mouth just because Liam appeared like a ghost and told me to was a reckless act. If Liam had been a hallucination rather than my actual ancestor, I would have died long ago. My life has been sustained by such precarious threads.
Why have I walked this path?
Perhaps it’s because the very first button was fastened incorrectly.
— I will let you live. So, forget today and live your life.
Speaking from common sense, it is impossible for a rural boy from the outskirts who has never held a sword to seek revenge against the continent’s greatest 「Swordmaster」.
— No matter what happens, do not dream of revenge.
— Swear that you will never hold a sword until the day you die. Swear that you will never return here.
The rational choice would be to forget the dead, be grateful for the luck of surviving, and live a quiet life, holding my breath. A talentless boy cannot succeed in getting revenge against the Foremost Sword of the Continent. That is common sense; that is the rational conclusion.
— Young Master, you must forget. Only then can you live.
Yes.
From the moment my revenge began, my life ceased to be rational. From the moment I decided to walk this path, I became an irrational human being.
Climbing rocky mountains for training without safety gear, throwing my life on the line in the 「Arena」 of Steel City shortly after picking up a sword, facing a once-in-a-generation genius gladiator head-on instead of running, and becoming the Proxy Warrior for the tragically fallen Knight Petel to duel a 「Sword Runner」—none of those moments were rational.
But I do not regret them.
Those were not the wrong choices. From the moment I resolved to have my revenge, it couldn’t have been any other way. To me, craving vengeance, all of it was a testament, a necessity. Even if everyone else said it was wrong, it was right for me.
If I had been rational at every moment, my journey would never have begun. I would have conformed to the world and given up on avenging myself against my enemy; instead of taking up the sword, I would have lived a stifled, meaningless life. That would have been a life so nauseatingly terrible.
Yes, I cannot live like that.
Never.
The question rose once more.
What is reason?
Is being rational always the correct answer?
No one knows the answer to that question.
Because.
“Whew.”
Because this world was wrong from the very beginning.
The world is not rational.
The world is unreasonable, irrational, and nonsensical; it snatches away the things humans hold dear without a second thought. So very casually.
From the moment I set my heart on revenge, I might as well have vowed to stand against such a world. Instead of conforming to the unreasonable, I decided to face it head-on. Since I could not accept it, I decided to fight until an acceptable answer was presented.
“Huu— haa.”
That is why, in this moment, I do not let go of my sword.
Compared to when I first vowed revenge, this giant doesn’t even scare me. Compared to that Swordmaster, compared to this unreasonable world, a low-intelligence Large-scale Species that’s merely big in stature cannot instill fear in me.
“Huu— haa!”
I regulated my breathing. As my lungs expanded to the point of bursting and my vision began to blur, my heart hammered, pumping strength through my entire body. It felt as if my stomach was growing hot. Next, the heat spread to my chest. It felt as if a blast furnace had been ignited inside me. It felt as if flames were flowing through my blood.
The 「Path」 shimmering like a comet in my vision slowly began to change its shape. The streak of light wavered violently before turning into a blazing form—a 「Path」 of fire. A glowing, burning road that looked as if it would incinerate anything that dared block it.
“Huu, haa.”
I moved along that 「Path」. I was like a moth drawn to a midnight campfire. I lunged forward without hesitation along the path of flames that threatened to blind me. The intense heat dwelling in my body stimulated my muscles and bones.
I can feel it.
My body is hardening.
Just as iron is forged through fire and the strike of a hammer.
In this moment, I felt as if I had become a sword myself.
“Wooo—”
The one-eyed giant moved. The path of fire piercing through the giant was precarious. It was not the rational, logical 「Path」 I usually observed. It was a narrow, dangerous road where a single slip would send me plummeting to the bottom. But that was why it suited me. It resembled the life I had lived until now, and the life I would live hereafter.
“Aaaagh—!”
I let out a scream that sounded like I was vomiting blood. I ran until my knees threatened to buckle, then kicked off the giant’s body, spinning through the air. Mid-rotation, I drew Fang and drove it into the wrist of the giant’s reaching hand. Maintaining the momentum of the spin, I kicked the pommel of Fang with the sole of my foot, using the recoil to charge forward once more. It was the movement of a wild beast.
「How wild.」
The giant, having missed me, furrowed its single eye and reached out again. There were gaps between its splayed fingers. I boldly dove through, passing between them. The rushing wind was so strong it felt like it was tearing at my skin. But I didn’t care. Even if I lost a part of myself, I would get what I wanted. I will never bend like this. Never.
「That’s it, young descendant.」
The more I ran, the hotter my body became. It felt as if fire, not blood, was flowing through my veins. The searing flames heated my entire being. Along with it, the 「Paths」 within my body, branching out like blood vessels, began to burn hot as well. It was as if the path of fire I was looking at had extended inside me. Simultaneously, the world began to slow down. No, the world didn’t slow down.
I had become faster.
「That is the Path of Steel.」
As the 「Paths」 stretching through my body repeatedly thinned and thinned again, they finally became lines. The superhuman strength granted to me became insanely powerful. If my body had been a block of wood before, it had now become metal. Lines were drawn through my body like blood vessels, and an astonishingly high density of power circulated through them. Mana was delivered to every corner of my body like woven fibers, and every time my 「Mana Heart」 beat, a power bordering on a miracle surged forth.
Sprinting like a madman, I climbed up to the giant’s nape. Then, instead of aiming for the fingers the giant used for protection, I leaped again, reaching the giant’s face. The giant’s single eye stared straight at me. I could see its pupil trembling in bewilderment. Gripping my sword, I dove into the giant’s slightly parted maw.
I didn’t volunteer to be prey because the giant looked hungry. Nor was I giving up and taking my own life.
It was because the 「Path」 led there.
“Woo—”
The moment I entered the giant’s mouth, I kicked off its tongue and swung the blade in my hand indiscriminately, mercilessly slashing the roof of its mouth, its gums, and its tongue. Unlike its outer hide, the giant’s interior was soft.
The blade sliced through the giant’s internal membranes. Blood splattered as I dug deeper past the undulating tongue. Then, following the 「Path」, I swung my sword again and again without obstruction. The thrusting sword pierced the membranes, drawing lines and punching holes from the inside out. Not just one. I repeated the stabbing motion frantically, until my arm muscles threatened to tear and my bones felt ready to snap.
The giant’s body convulsed as a roar like an earthquake erupted. Blood gushed through the punctured holes, and air burst out. I squeezed out every last drop of my strength and swung my sword. Following the path of fire, following my own path, to prove the life I had lived until now.
「Do you remember, young descendant? I told you that your talent was insufficient for you to become a genius.」
It felt as if my entire body was going to break apart.
If I let my guard down even for a second, everything would collapse. I clung to my consciousness and immersed myself in the heat. I moved like a flickering flame.
「But I also said you have the talent to become a hero.」
I felt lightheaded, as if in a dream.
I couldn’t tell if I was wielding the sword or if the sword was wielding me.
「The talent to become like those great ones who cannot find the perfect answer amidst hardship, yet never give up. Those who do not back down. Those who write legends that cannot be understood by reason.」
When I came to my senses, I was covered from head to toe in viscous blood and flesh.
「Great legends are not written by reason.」
「A legend begins from actions that seem irrational, nonsensical, and foolish.」
「Everything starts from the attitude of standing firm and fighting for one’s will, even if everyone else mocks you.」
I gasped for air, my lungs feeling as if they would burst.
My entire body felt heavy and lethargic, as if it were melting.
「Is a hero who charges into an army of over ten thousand with a single sword rational?」
「Is it rational to fight against unspeakable monsters with a human body?」
「Is it rational to set out on an exploration of a land full of unknowns by following the constellations?」
「It is not. It is irrational. But that is why it is great.」
I looked up at the sky with hollow eyes. There was a blue, clear sky with sparkling sunlight. Enjoying the fresh air, I slowly lowered my gaze.
「Remember the path you just took, young descendant.」
There lay the one-eyed giant, dead with a hole in its neck and its mouth agape. The giant had fallen, and I was standing tall. Yes, in the end, I was the one standing. The boy who faced a giant with nothing but a humble blade had finally emerged victorious.
「That is the ‘Hero’s Path.’」
The thrill I felt from the battle just now.
I carved that thrill deep into my heart.
Today, I learned of another new path.
Perhaps the very path I must walk from now on.
“….”
As I stood silently before the fallen giant, a cheer reached me from afar.
“Waaaaa… Woah…!”
The faint, echoing cheers grew louder and clearer. It was the roar of the Orcs. The highest praise sent to a warrior who had proven their bravery. As I listened to that praise and closed then opened my eyes, a somewhat alien landscape unfolded.
A completely white space, devoid of the giant’s corpse I had toppled or the mysterious natural scenery. As this space spread before my eyes, even the echoing cheers ceased. Only a chilling silence flowed through the white void. As I stood in that uncomfortable silence, I heard the sound of footsteps.
“Congratulations, Successor of Steel.”
There stood the Orc Elder, smiling with satisfaction.
“Human, you have passed the Orc Coming-of-Age Ceremony magnificently.”
The Orc Elder walked toward me with a slight slouch.
The moment the white space appeared, the fatigue and damage that had filled my body seemed to vanish. My body, which felt like it would collapse at any moment, felt as refreshed as if it had been washed clean. I looked the approaching Orc Elder straight in the eye and spoke.
“Then, what you promised…?”
“Our Sacred Relic? I must keep my promise, of course. I shall give it to you gladly. Whatever it may be.”
What a relief.
The Orc Elder didn’t suddenly change his mind or spout some nonsense about having to pass one more trial. I had been tense because they were such unpredictable creatures. I felt a deep sense of relief.
“Ah, thank you…”
“In addition, I have one more gift for you.”
However.
“I haven’t seen a fine warrior inheriting the Great Bloodline in hundreds of years; I cannot give you just a single Sacred Relic. The warrior’s blood flowing in this body will not allow it. Human, the struggle you showed was enjoyable enough to make my blood boil.”
“….”
“Since you gave me enjoyment, I must give you another gift in return.”
An unexpected situation unfolded.
“I shall give you a very special gift, Successor of Steel.”
The Orc Elder smiled with a meaningful expression.
“I suspect you will like it very much.”
