The Path of the Hero Is a Thorny One
The greatsword-wielding female knight is the ultimate romance. Mountains of corpses, oceans of blood. A sea of blood and a mountain of death. That was exactly what Dorua looked like right now.
Thousands of them. It was the total number of monsters I had slain so far.
“Haa…”
My breath had climbed all the way to my throat. A sweet, metallic taste filled my mouth, and my arms and legs were trembling. Yet my weapon refused to stop. Another corpse was born, and blood sprayed into the air.
Level Up
All the accumulated damage and fatigue in my body washed away in an instant. This was already the tenth time.
“It’s not over yet.”
The monsters’ eyes filled with terror the moment I, who looked like I would collapse at any second, stood tall again. An immortal. At some point, that had become what the monsters called me. To them, I must have looked like an undying immortal no matter how many times they killed me.
Fine. Then I might as well take advantage of that misunderstanding.
“Is there no warrior among you with the courage to face me? If you’re going to invade, at least show some backbone!”
I roared at the fools who still believed they were the strong ones.
“Are you all trembling in fear? Is there truly no one here strong enough to cross blades with me?”
It was pure bluff. In truth, I had reached my limit. My body had been refreshed, but my mind was a different story.
My vision is starting to blur.
The damage and exhaustion piled up from slaughtering thousands of monsters weighed heavily on my mind.
Something… something feels a little different.
My body and mind had been pushed to the absolute edge, yet in those fleeting moments, my senses grew sharper than ever.
I swung the sword more easily. I could feel exactly what was wrong with my stance, where my center of gravity should be—everything, all of it.
My instincts, honed razor-sharp by the extreme situation, whispered to me. You’re wasting strength. Don’t pour everything into brute force—stop at the proper line.
"Forget myself."
"Forget the sword."
"Forget strength."
⟨ MUAJIGYEONG ⟩
I forget myself. I forget the sword. I forget power. There is only one thing I must do right now—fight. So move.
The greatsword swings. Two goblins lose their heads. I stomp forward. The vibration shakes the ground, making an ogre’s legs buckle. I spin. I catch an arrow flying toward the back of my head. My mind, having reached a state of no-self, moves with perfect efficiency.
I relax my shoulders. Swinging my arms becomes far easier. When drawing power, I always start from the legs. Rotational force is added to the explosive strength. I breathe out long and thin, then inhale. The amount of oxygen consumed in battle decreases.
This is it.
These movements are the most ideal any warrior could hope for.
Burn it into your body. Burn it into your heart. Burn it into your soul.
I will not forget. I cannot forget. I will never forget.
“Ah.”
The state of no-self dissolved. By the time I came back to myself, nothing remained around me but corpses, blood, and broken weapons. The terrified monsters were desperately trying to distance themselves from me.
“You too. All of you—feel it. The pain. And the suffering.”
That is what war is. A domain ruled by pain, despair, and fear.
“This is the war you chose. Accept the price.”
My body had recovered once again. It seemed I had leveled up again while lost in that trance.
Doong—! Doong—! Doong—!
Just as I tried to raise my greatsword again within my flickering consciousness, the sound of war drums rang out.
“Hah, you slaughtered all these monsters by yourself?”
A knight in silver armor brushed past me. It was Sir Yan, someone I had met before.
“Sir Yan.”
“That voice… I feel like I’ve heard it recently.”
“We went to investigate Belkan together, remember?”
I removed my helmet and showed my face. His eyes widened as the memory returned.
“It’s you—the mercenary who volunteered to be bait.”
“You remembered.”
“Of course. Your courage that day was no different from a knight’s. And look at you now. Your brave actions may have been reckless, but they are worthy of praise.”
Hearing such compliments from a veteran knight made me feel pretty damn proud.
“No other knight could have accomplished what you have. To slaughter thousands of monsters alone and halt an army of tens of thousands…”
Even if the enemy consisted of low-ranking monsters like goblins, it was still an army of tens of thousands. Stopping them single-handedly was practically suicidal, no matter how skilled the warrior.
“You can save the praise for later. First, let’s move this friend.”
Another knight appeared. More knights, soldiers, and mercenaries began revealing themselves one after another.
I did it.
I had overcome these terrible odds alone and held out until reinforcements arrived. Thanks to that, the city remained intact, and we had survived.
“Huu…”
I felt like I could collapse at any moment. My body was in perfect condition, but my mind was in tatters. I wanted nothing more than to lie down right here and sleep, but I held it in.
A hero must endure until the very end.
That’s what I believe. A hero must never show weakness or collapse, no matter the circumstances. No matter how painful or exhausting, a hero must endure. That’s why they say the path of a hero is a path of thorns.
“Are you all right?”
“I can still walk on my own two feet.”
I put my helmet back on and strode forward with confidence. Right now, my steps were the steps of a hero. Anything less than absolute confidence would be problematic.
“I feel nothing but awe.”
“What a fine specimen of knighthood. My heart is pounding just watching.”
“Same here.”
The war against the monsters entered a lull, and an entire day passed.
Inside the lord’s castle conference room, a meeting about the current situation had begun. Heated voices flew back and forth.
“What in the world is going on here!”
“My lord, please calm down first…”
“Do I look like I can calm down?! The Mana Spring nearly got corrupted by that filthy demonic energy, and Dorua almost fell to the monsters! Those damn creatures actually used a diversionary tactic—looks like their intelligence really has improved!”
Dorian Sloop, the city lord of Dorua, vented his fury without restraint. If the city had fallen, he would have been finished. Whether killed by monsters or executed by the kingdom’s special forces while fleeing, death would have been inevitable.
“And look outside! The monsters have us completely surrounded! Our supplies were already cut off, and now we’re besieged. At this rate, we’ll all starve to death!”
The city’s situation was dire. My dramatic appearance as a hero had boosted morale and stopped the monster advance, but it was only a temporary measure.
“It would be better to die gloriously fighting those bastards. Starving to death would be an eternal regret and the greatest humiliation imaginable!”
Nobles who valued honor wanted even their deaths to be honorable.
“How about launching a night raid at dawn? We could fire flaming arrows and start fires.”
“It’s a good plan, but unfortunately impossible. Those monsters have been rotating sentries around the clock. And over a very wide perimeter.”
It was a strategy that completely prevented surprise attacks. It also ignored the fatigue of their own troops—an approach only brainless monsters would use.
Something’s off.
I felt a sense of unease at the incomprehensible situation. This wasn’t the kind of tactic a highly intelligent Goblin Lord would choose. That guy wouldn’t make this kind of decision.
Is there another scheme at play?
The monster army outside was showing an extreme rate of attrition. The thousands of monsters I had killed, the tactics that ignored troop stamina—any commander would score this a zero.
“Shouldn’t we request reinforcements?”
“How? Do you think you can break through that tight encirclement and actually reach help?”
The moment anyone left the castle, tens of thousands of monsters would greet them with open arms.
While everyone was stuck between a rock and a hard place, I quietly slipped out of the conference room.
“Where are you going?”
“Ah, Sir Yan.”
The knight had followed me like a ghost the moment I tried to sneak away.
“Just wanted some fresh air.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll join you.”
Sir Yan took the lead, guiding me since I didn’t know the way. Before long, we arrived at a wide terrace.
“This place is quite popular. You can see the entire city at a glance, so people come here often.”
“It really is nice.”
The open view of the city below made me think that having tea time here would be incredibly relaxing.
“Is this your first time attending a noble meeting?”
“Mm, was it that obvious?”
“A little. But don’t worry. No one will say anything to you. After all, you’re the hero who saved the city.”
“It’s a bit embarrassing.”
What I had done was indeed heroic, but hearing open praise right to my face still made me feel shy.
“Don’t be like that. You can be proud. You’ve earned the right.”
Well, I hadn’t done anything wrong, so I suppose it was fine to hold my head high.
“The breeze feels nice.”
The wind swept across the terrace, bringing refreshing coolness.
“Now that I think about it, you are…”
“Please call me Nix.”
“Mm, very well. Sir Nix.”
“Sir? I haven’t been officially knighted yet.”
“Someone like you not being a knight? Have you considered receiving a formal title from our lord? I’m sure he would welcome you with open arms.”
“I’m sorry. I plan to become a wandering knight.”
I dream of being a knight, but I have no intention of serving under anyone. Temporary cooperation or quest-based work is one thing, but permanent service is another.
“What a shame. It would have been wonderful to serve as a guard knight alongside you.”
Sir Yan expressed his regret, but my decision remained unchanged.
How could I give up on my dream?
A female knight who wanders the world with her greatsword, seeking adventure and seeing everything the world has to offer. That was a dream I would never abandon.