The First Stigma and the Inheritance

"Huff… huff…" I gasped for air, staring at the last Specter Hound I had slain. The beast, its head split open, dissolved into a wisp of spirit.

"D-did I win?"

A desperate struggle against eleven Specter Hounds. In the end, I had emerged victorious and alive. I couldn't even recall how the battle had played out. "Thank you. It’s all thanks to you all. But… my body feels strange. Ugh…"

I was thrilled to have won, but my physical state was alarming. Halfway through the fight, my body had suddenly started to glow. The wounds inflicted by the hounds began to boil, and an immense, searing pain surged through me, accompanied by a rush of power. The sensation was relentless, like my body was being tempered in a furnace.

Lasu told me to run without a hint of hesitation. "What? But my body feels like it’s about to die at any moment."

"Guh… understood." I didn't know what was so perfect about this, but it was urgent, so I began to sprint through the forest again.

The sword spirits were chattering away in my head. They had mentioned something about Stigmatization during the fight. I was in agony, feeling like I was about to die, yet they told me it was fine and to keep running. "Why is my body like this? And does Stigmatization mean the process of carving a Stigma?"

"What does that have to do with this strange state of my body?"

"Yes. So please, explain. Is it really okay to keep running like this?"

Stigmatization. The carving of a Stigma. I knew that much, but nothing more. While I was in the Dragan family, I couldn't learn swordsmanship, nor could I even access knowledge about swords.

"It's similar to how mages weave circles," the Foot-technique Master added. I didn't know much about mages' circles either, but I listened intently.

"Not really."

There was more to learn than I thought. Lasu seemed excited to explain. I listened to his explanation while continuing to run.

Lasu's explanation was quite long, but it could be summarized as follows: Everyone has something like a second body inside them called a 'circuit.' Circuits are the pathways through which Aura flows. Just as blood flows through veins, Aura flows through circuits to the entire body. The stronger the circuits, the more powerful the Aura you can use. And the way to strengthen circuits is to carve Stigmas into them. In other words, the more Stigmas you have, the stronger your Aura. A swordsman with many Stigmas is a strong swordsman.

"When does Stigmatization occur?"

"What I just went through?"

Circuits are said to be like muscles. When you exercise, your muscles tear. As they heal, they become firmer and larger. That is the principle of muscle growth. Strengthening circuits is similar. You push yourself to the limit in extreme combat, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and when you break through that limit, a wound is carved into your circuit. This is called Stigmatization because a wound is carved into the circuit, and when it finishes, the wound remains as a scar, becoming a Stigma. To achieve a second Stigma, you must break through a limit even greater than the first. That's how it works.

"So, you're saying I just broke through my limit?"

It seemed my Stigmatization wasn't a normal occurrence. Regardless, the sword spirits were narrowing their consensus down to me having immense talent. "I understand that I've undergone Stigmatization. But why is my body like this?"

I understood what Stigmatization and Stigmas were. But what about this strange physical state? As the process began, my body started to glow faintly. I felt the pain of my entire body being tempered. Yet, power continued to surge through me.

So this pain was normal. It was a phenomenon that occurred during Stigmatization.

So that's why I wasn't tired despite running continuously. And that's why my wounds healed immediately during the fight. But the pain of Stigmatization was excruciating.

"So, you told me to run because while Stigmatization is happening, I can keep running even though it hurts because of the pain?"

I felt like I could pass out at any moment, but it was normal. However, if I passed out here, I could be captured by the Seipier family.

Lasu said in an even harsher tone. But I decided to do as he said. It was better to get as far away as possible, even after leaving the forest. It would be safer to skip the village immediately outside the forest and keep running to rest further away. Of course, I didn't know if my mental fortitude would last that long.

With the voices of the sword spirits echoing every time I tried to close my eyes, I ran for 24 hours in a state of terrible euphoria.

The end of a 24-hour run. I ran through the night, the next day, and the following night, finally arriving at a village. I entered an inn that was open late, ate some food, and got a room. Fortunately, it also functioned as a tavern, so they were doing business even near midnight. After finishing my meal, I went up to my room and collapsed onto the bed.

"I really can't sleep."

My heart wanted to fall asleep immediately. But unlike my exhausted mind, my eyes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were wide open. It was because my body had been perfectly restored due to Stigmatization.

"But isn't there such a thing as mental fatigue..."

"That's true, but..."

I had to leave this place first thing in the morning. The Seipier family would be spreading wanted posters for me. I had to reach Babilgrid faster than the wanted posters.

"By the way, who is that Chiyo person? Is she in danger?"

The Invisible Sword was making a fuss again at the mention of Babilgrid. He was like this when I first drew the sword. He said we had to go to Babilgrid to save someone named Chiyo.

The Invisible Sword, who was making a scene, was eventually subdued by Seipier. I felt like I roughly understood the situation. I decided not to ask any more about it. I'd find out when I got to Babilgrid anyway.

"Come to think of it, are your names originally like that?"

I took this opportunity to ask what had been on my mind. The names of the sword spirits were all far from ordinary.

"That's right."

Titles? Well, if these were names, they would be too strange. The Master of All Weapons kindly continued his explanation.

I understood what he meant. So that's why they were called titles. Hearing this explanation, I could guess what kind of people the sword spirits were during their lifetimes.

"I understand. But then..."

However, there were still sword spirits I couldn't understand. What on earth did a sword spirit like the Foot-technique Master do to be called the Foot-technique Master the most during his lifetime?

The Foot-technique Master spoke, as if a thief had a guilty conscience.

The Foot-technique Master raised his voice, a rare occurrence. It was filled with great resentment.

The Foot-technique Master couldn't take it anymore and shouted. Even to me, it was a pitiful title. But I comforted him by saying at least he had a title, though it didn't seem to be much of a comfort. The sword spirits were bickering as usual. I seemed to be getting used to this commotion. But in the midst of it, I noticed that the sword I had placed beside me had changed.

"Wait a minute. There's some kind of pattern on the blade."

On the blade, which had originally been smooth, a design was carved like a tattoo. The sword spirits reacted immediately to that.

Unique Trait. A special ability of the Myriad Spirit Sword. Every time you gain a Stigma, you gain one Unique Trait. The ability gained varies from user to user.

"It's just a plain square. A hollow square."

I followed the Master of All Weapons' instructions and wiped the blade with my hand. Then, words really did appear on the blade. It was fascinating. It was like a video made with magic. I read the string of characters that appeared on the blade.