Storm Sword Aeterna

My room was a complete disaster zone, littered with shattered windows and splintered furniture. The dorm supervisor's eyes went wide at the sight.

"What on earth happened in here?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure myself. I was practicing my Aura control, and things just sort of..."

The debut of the Storm Sword Aeterna had been nothing short of catastrophic. It had completely trashed Room 302, my dormitory quarters. If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have drawn it indoors...

"Whew..." As I hung my head and let out a deep sigh, the supervisor spoke.

"First of all, this room needs serious repairs. You'll have to stay somewhere else until the work is finished."

"How long will the repairs take?"

"Well, I'd say about a week."

"Is there some kind of temporary lodging I could use?"

"Of course not. You'll probably have to find an inn in the Imperial Capital."

And here I thought she'd gotten a bit nicer lately. Her tone is still so... Anyway, living in an inn? I don't have any money.

"I see. Understood for now." I bowed my head and stepped out of the room, carrying the cursed Storm Sword Aeterna. If it was going to cause this much trouble, shouldn't they have mentioned it in the package description? Well, not like any of the other packages had detailed descriptions either...

Still, this was Aeterna, a weapon I'd spent a precious 100 coins to acquire. Eager to test its power, I headed toward Training Ground 3.

"..." It was completely empty. Thank goodness. If anyone had been around, there was no telling what kind of disaster this flashy sword might have caused.

Shring. I drew Aeterna. It felt heavy, yet there was a strange sensation of my body's energy naturally channeling into the blade. Was it absorbing my Aura? No point in just theorizing. I immediately swung the sword.

Whoosh! A fierce gust of wind whipped through the air with a sharp crack.

"..." So it just kicked up a bit of wind. Was that really it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for 100 coins? Then why the hell did it make such a dramatic entrance? No, it was too early to give up. I hadn't channeled my Aura into it yet.

I summoned my five stars and poured their energy into Aeterna. The moment the Aura gathered in the blade, it didn't emit the usual blue light. Instead, a brilliant, pure white Aura erupted from the steel. The sheer power was so overwhelming that my hands began to tremble.

Is it really safe to swing this? Is it going to summon an actual storm, just like its name suggests? Curiosity, sparked by the weapon's name, tickled my senses.

"..." After scanning the area to make absolutely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sure no one was around, I took a massive swing with Aeterna.

Boom! A crescent of pure white sword energy tore through the ground, hurtling forward and utterly obliterating the training ground's stone dais.

"Uh..." Crumble. The stone dais had been cleanly sliced in half, and a deep, straight trench gouged into the floor caught my eye. I needed to get out of here, fast. I quickly slipped away from the training ground.

From my dorm room to the training ground, Aeterna had left a trail of destruction in its wake. At first, I felt nothing but resentment, but now, anticipation was rapidly replacing my annoyance.

Am I allowed to bring my own weapon to the comprehensive evaluation? I made my way to the academy lobby to check the exam rules.

A massive grin spread across my face, stretching from ear to ear. To think I could actually use this sword in the evaluation! The destructive power I'd just witnessed was far beyond the level of a 5-Star. It possessed an overwhelming ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠force that could easily pass for a 6-Star. On top of that, it even altered the attribute of my Aura. What an absolute godsend of an item. Honestly, maybe the Special Shop only sold ridiculously overpowered cheats. Well, I was going to win anyway, but with this sword, victory was practically guaranteed even without showing my true strength.

But my excitement was short-lived. Looking at the ruined dais reminded me of my wrecked dorm room. My family back home had offered to send living expenses, but I was the idiot who had rejected them, claiming I didn't need much. Staying at an inn for a week... I simply didn't have that kind of cash right now. Asking Ronia, Mikaris, or Line for a loan would be incredibly embarrassing. "Ah..." Still, maybe I should consult them? Just... leaving out the part about being completely broke.

Mikaris froze, her fork hovering in midair. "You can't stay in the dorms for a week?"

"Yes. My Aura went a bit wild, and the room ended up in quite a state..."

At that moment, Ronia gently tugged on my sleeve. "Then why don't you stay at my place? We have a guest room, so if you stay there..."

"Absolutely not!" Mikaris's sudden shout echoed through the cafeteria, drawing the attention of every student in the room.

"Ahem... What I mean is, improper relations between young men and women are strictly forbidden. If other nobles see an unmarried, underage couple sharing the same quarters, what on earth would they think?"

"I suppose that's true..." Ronia murmured. "But what should we do then? At this rate, he'll have to stay at an inn in the capital. That would be incredibly inconvenient in so many ways."

"..." Mikaris began biting her thumbnail. Was she trying to come up with another solution? Seeing her worry so much on my behalf filled me with a deep sense of gratitude.

"Hmm... With the comprehensive evaluation just around the corner, having such bad luck pile up must be incredibly stressful for you, Sir Hound."

"Indeed... It was entirely unexpected, so I'm still a bit dazed myself." Just then, Mikaris mumbled, her voice trailing off. "Come to my room..."

"Pardon?" "I said, you can sleep in my guest room."

Ronia tilted her head in confusion. "Didn't you just say that improper relations between men and women are forbidden?"

Mikaris desperately tried to explain herself. "He's my exclusive knight! No one would find it strange for an exclusive knight to enter his master's quarters. We can just say he's standing guard. Wouldn't that work?"

"Ah, that makes sense. Are you really sure it's alright, Lady Mikaris?"

"Yes. Though you'll have to sleep on the sofa..." Wait, doesn't this mean I'll be sleeping right next door to Mikaris? My heart began to hammer against my ribs.

"You... your eyes look incredibly suspicious right now." "When did I ever look suspicious..."

"Still, I'm glad you found a place to stay," Ronia said. "Commuting from outside the academy takes time, and the security procedures are quite tedious."

"Yes, it's a huge relief. It's all thanks to having such a wonderful master."

"Anyway, just come to my room after your classes or training are done. I have to head to practice now." Mikaris stood up first.

"Then I should probably get going too. Good luck with your training, Sir Hound!" "Thank you, Lady Ronia." Ronia gave a bright smile and stood up as well.

"..." Not the same room as Mikaris, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the one right next door... and they're connected... No, no, let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'm not mentally prepared for this yet.Maybe I should go train.

As I was walking toward Training Ground 2, someone called out to me. "Excuse me, Sir Hound?" "Yes?" It was Seri Verdia.

"You seem to be training very hard." "Haha, of course. A commoner like me entering Estrada Academy has to work themselves to the bone, don't you think?"

"I see. But... don't you feel anything when you look at me?" "Feel what, exactly?"

Seri Verdia's eyes turned chillingly cold. "Never mind. I apologize for holding you up when you're busy. Farewell."

What was that about? She seems different from how she was in the original novel. Is this my influence too? I feel like the root of all evil has shifted from the original protagonist to me. How unsettling. Shivering from a sudden, inexplicable chill down my spine, I hurried toward the training ground.

"Haah! Hup! Yah!"

What's with all the shouting? Stepping into the training ground, I saw several students engaged in intense practice. Everyone's working hard. But... Were they too tense because of the upcoming preliminaries? Their sword paths looked incredibly stiff. Well, not my problem. I found a spot to begin my own training.

Shring. The moment I drew Aeterna, every eye in the room locked onto me.

"Look at that. I've never seen such an elegant sword before. Did he steal it?" "Right? Where would he even get a weapon like that?" "It's definitely suspicious. There's no way a commoner could afford something like that."

What do you guys know? Life is just a continuous sequence of unfairness. Ignoring their whispers, I gathered my Aura and swung the sword. Whoosh! Every time I swung, a sharp gale whipped up, sweeping across the training ground.

Just then, one of the students marched over to me. "Hey, be honest. You stole that sword, didn't you?" "..." I ignored the nameless student and kept swinging. But at that moment, he grabbed my arm, interrupting my training. "Are you ignoring me? A mere commoner..."

"Am I not allowed to ignore you? Nobles ignore commoners all the time." "You little bastard...!" His fist flew upward. A punch aimed right at my left cheekbone.Swoosh. With a simple tilt of my head, I easily dodged his strike.

"Y-You bastard!" "Think about it logically. I beat Young Master Edelian to a pulp and took first place in the Dungeon Practice. Do you really think a sloppy attack like that would ever hit me?" "..."

The veins on the nameless student's neck bulged with rage. But what could he do? I was overwhelmingly stronger, and the only thing he had over me was his noble lineage. "Just you wait!" Huffing in anger, he stormed out of the training ground.

What an idiot. There was always this type of person—the ones who mistook their parents' achievements and status for their own. They were characterized by their sky-high pride and complete lack of self-awareness. "Tsk. One must know oneself to truly learn."

"Look at him talk." "Why don't you go teach him a lesson? You're the strongest among us." "Are you insane? Even Young Master Edelian got wrecked by him. You think I'd fare any better?"

Yeah, exactly. At least you guys know your place. Ignoring the whispers and stares, I resumed swinging my sword.

The usual notification from the Special Shop popped up. But right after, a completely different sound rang out. Tring!What's this?

I blinked, staring at the message. I had actually reached 1,000 Swordsmanship Mastery. Was this just a simple congratulatory message?

Flowing Water Sword? As I stared into space, faint lines of sword paths—ones I had never noticed before—began to materialize before my eyes. It seemed similar to the Edelian style, yet fundamentally different... Should I give it a try?

I began to swing my sword, tracing the glowing lines. It was a fluid, graceful style, moving as seamlessly as running water. Yet, beneath that soft exterior, the strikes it unleashed were incredibly sharp and precise. It was a style perfectly tailored to my combat method, which relied heavily on my double-jointed flexibility and unique agility. "Ha, this is incredible." To think that simply raising my mastery would grant me a unique swordsmanship style... At this rate, it almost felt like someone was intentionally grooming me to become stronger. When I actually stop to think about it, it's a bit goosebump-inducing. Well, whatever. Good things are good things. Shaking off my lingering doubts, I continued to train, focusing on familiarizing myself with the Flowing Water Sword. Amidst this grueling training, the day of the comprehensive evaluation was fast approaching.