Demon Sword (1)
"Wh-what?!"
Yui-seol shouted as if she couldn't believe what she'd just heard.
"What the fuck is this bullshit?!"
She was desperately hoping she'd misheard.
"Please marry me."
But Natasha looked up at Yi Han-su and repeated herself.
"Hey! This bitch is acting crazy, she's lost her mind!"
Yui-seol pointed at Natasha and yelled. But in that instant, Natasha scowled and screamed back at her.
"You filthy hag! Stay out of me and my husband's business!"
"Sh-she won't listen to reason..."
"There's no point talking to a woman who doesn't even know iaijutsu!"
"..."
Yui-seol seriously thought Natasha needed to see a doctor. But Natasha dismissed Yui-seol—who knew nothing of iaijutsu—with ease and gazed at Yi Han-su with dreamy eyes.
"...It seems it's still too soon for an answer."
And with that, she burst into tears once more.
"I understand. I can confidently say I'm great at cooking, laundry, and cleaning, but I'm still a long way from reaching the pinnacle of iaijutsu..."
Then she sprang to her feet and declared,
"I swear I'll become a woman worthy of you, one who has mastered iaijutsu!"
A woman skilled in iaijutsu was the ultimate woman. That was common sense.
"See you tomorrow, then."
With those words, Natasha left the training hall.
"...She's insane."
Yui-seol stood frozen like a statue, still in shock. By her standards, she couldn't comprehend Natasha at all.
Her gaze shifted to Yi Han-su.
"Hey... huh?"
And that's when she saw it.
His expression.
A face that mirrored her own confusion at Natasha's behavior.
The look of someone who'd just witnessed a madwoman.
Yui-seol felt relieved deep down. Yi Han-su was normal after all...!
My name is Rozien.
I'm from England, and a student at Orbis Academy.
Lately, I've had one big worry nagging at me: my skills and talent keep getting questioned.
Back in England, I was known as something of a genius, and I got offers from all sorts of hero training schools. But I turned them all down and came to Orbis.
Because it's known as the best in the world.
But these days, I'm starting to regret that choice.
My grades keep slipping, and the gap with the top students just keeps widening.
At first, I hit the training halls without fail, but now I can't even bring myself to go.
"..."
I don't want to. It just feels like everyone's comparing me.
Why am I so weak...?
Maybe I don't have any real talent.
That's not true.
No, I have no talent.
Do you want to grow stronger?
In that moment, Rozien felt like she was adrift in space itself. A vast cosmos filled with beautiful stars and endless darkness.
Rozien slowly exhaled.
"I want to grow stronger."
The voice echoed from the depths of her mind, seductive as ever.
As Rozien cautiously opened her eyes, the most beautiful sword in the world was embedded in the floor before her. Mana seeped from it, glowing brightly.
It's beautiful.
Before she knew it, Rozien had grasped the hilt. With all her might, she pulled it free.
Crackle! Zap!!!
In that instant, hundreds of crimson hands wrapped around Rozien's body. A booming voice rang out.
How about a contract with me?
It felt like staring into a mighty ocean. Jumping in might make even her pathetic self as vast as the sea.
The price is light. Just offer me the 'swords' here.
An eyeball rose from the blade, smiling warmly.
[5:00]
-Wake up! Wake up!
Tyrbing yelled noisily. Was it morning already?
I rubbed my eyes and checked the clock.
Fuck my life!
"I specifically told you to wake me for school."
I was seething with rage, heat rising in my body. I never imagined Tyrbing would be this useless—not even good as an alarm...
That's not important right now.
"What're you talking about?"
My brother is here.
Demons come in all varieties. Some look like regular monsters but have intelligence; others have unique forms.
Tyrbing falls into the latter category. He's one of the demons called demon swords.
One of the Seven Demon Swords. So his "brother" probably meant another demon sword.
"How many?"
Just one.
Yi Han-su's face hardened. Demons could lend their power to humans.
But efficiency varied by the demon's rank and type. What good was power from some goblin-tier demon trash?
The most efficient demons for contracting with humans were the demon swords. They were already top-tier weapons in their own right.
And demon swords had one special ability: sensing their siblings.
Not for heartwarming reunions, but to devour them. To reassemble the seven fragments into one.
So it finally came.
This was the scenario I'd anticipated since Tyrbing entered my body.
But no worries— this was Orbis Academy, the world's top school. No demon scum could infiltrate here.
Or so I wanted to believe. Orbis's security was basically a joke—an open invitation.
"How much of your power have you recovered?"
I haven't eaten any relics since then.
"..."
Hm, tricky.
The enemy was likely at full power, while I had demon sword scraps. I could just ditch Tyrbing, but he'd said our contract breaking would reopen those wounds from that bastard Sa Mu-yeong.
I started racking my brain. First, figure out how the demon might appear.
Most likely as a demon sword: possessing a host or contracting one.
Student, instructor, staff.
Or an outsider... maybe.
As I pondered, Tyrbing cautiously spoke up.
Hm... something's off. The power feels too weak for my brother.
"You sure it's not a mistake?"
No way. It feels like half is missing...
If Tyrbing was right, this was great news. The enemy was halved in strength.
Going from 2 to 1 is nothing; from 100 to 50 is huge.
"Jackpot. How do I stack up?"
About five times stronger than me.
"Fuck."
I carefully considered what five times Tyrbing's power meant.
Wake-up calls. Exam answers. Weapon crafting. Devouring relics and replicating abilities. Enhancing those abilities. Attending classes for me. Watching shorts. And that was just five times? The demon sword invading Orbis had unimaginable strength. Imagining fifteen iaijutsu draws a day sent chills down my spine.
"This is bad."
Crisis is opportunity.
"Bullshit."
If I absorb my brother, we'll both get way stronger.
If we win, that is. But it wasn't impossible. I'd be holed up at Orbis anyway.
No plans to leave on weekends. Even with Orbis's laughable security, a blatant assault would bring instructors swarming for a beatdown. Unless they struck when key players like Sa Mu-yeong or the Clown were absent—but that'd be tough.
A smart demon would know that. So I could predict the timing.
Gate experiences or field training, maybe.
"Tell me the demon's name."
No point—you wouldn't know it.
"You dumbass, at least tell me its abilities!"
I don't know them all that well.
Heat surged through me.
"How the hell not?"
We vary wildly with or without a host. Finding a body that can fully withstand us is no small task.
I nodded.
That's why we can only grant a fraction of our dozens of abilities at most.
"Then spill everything you know about your brother's abilities."
I don't know them all. We were born to devour each other, so hiding our powers is natural.
Tyrbing was beating around the bush, and I could barely contain my anger. Fuck! You know something, so spit it out!
But if the demon learned I was a "possessor"...? That had to stay secret.
I'd decided to treat this world as reality, but who knew how Tyrbing would react if he learned his reality was inside a game.
"At least make a guess."
Dainsleif. That's the name of the brother here now.
Demon sword Dainsleif. Its main abilities boil down to three.
First: Once drawn, it must kill someone—owner or not.
In exchange, drawing it grants immense power. Like a massive stat boost, in my terms.
Second: The power of the incurable. Wounds from Dainsleif can't be healed.
And finally...
Must-hit. It never misses its target.
"..."
Suddenly, Tyrbing seemed kinda lame. Even in the game, he had no info on his own abilities.
All I knew now was he could devour relics and replicate their powers?
Why that face?
"..."
...Not too late, is it?