After stepping into the shop with the crystal orb in hand, Kai didn't have to wait long. The proprietress quickly returned, carrying a large dark yellow leather bag.
"These are currently the highest-quality one-handed swords in our store. As you requested, every one of them is entirely black, from blade to hilt."
With some effort, she placed the bag on the ground and smiled sweetly, full of mature charm. Then she untied the bag's opening. As the blades clinked against one another, a crisp metallic sound rang out.
"Dear customer, please feel free to pick whichever sword you like."
Inside the open bag, more than a dozen black one-handed swords reflected a cold, sharp gleam under the light. Compared to the other weapons on display in the shop—swords, spears, axes, halberds, hooks, forks, bows, and shields—these clearly stood out. They had a refined, first-rate quality, clearly top-tier weapons forged to perfection.
Takashina Kai stared at them for a long time, hesitating.
Although he had inherited the [Black Swordsman] class, only one skill—[One-Handed Sword]—had been unlocked so far, and it was still at the lowest level, Lv.1. He had no clue how to judge a sword's quality.
As for using a clear and pure swordman heart and trusting his instincts…
Maybe when he had unlocked every skill in the [Black Swordsman] tree, he might develop something like that. But for now, that was just wishful thinking.
"Kai-kun?" Hestia asked, puzzled. "What's wrong? Are none of the swords to your liking?"
She had no doubt in his talent for swordsmanship—after all, he awakened the [One-Handed Sword] skill the moment he received her blessing. She assumed the weapons just weren't good enough to satisfy him.
"No, no… I was just thinking about something," he said, waving a hand dismissively.
Turning back to the bag of swords, still unsure what to pick, he stopped thinking altogether and stepped forward. Bending down, he reached in and pulled out one at random.
The hilt, wrapped in black leather, felt warm and snug in his palm. Even though Kai wasn't an expert, he could tell—it was a good sword.
It just felt right.
And his body's instincts wouldn't lie.
Looks like I got lucky.
Smiling with satisfaction, Kai said, "I'll take this one."
But just as he tightened his grip on the hilt and prepared to stand up—
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained One-Handed Straight Sword (Black)]
[Rating: 53 (out of 100)]
[Condition met for triggering Black Swordsman talent: Swordbone]
[Talent activated. Beginning Swordbone synthesis]
A string of system messages echoed in his mind, but Kai didn't notice any of them.
At that moment, the world had narrowed to just him and the sword in his hand.
It was a good sword.
And good swords have spirit—sword spirits.
Born from the sword, yet beyond it. Sometimes like a close friend, sometimes like family, sometimes a bitter enemy, sometimes a lifelong partner. In a single instant, all the complexity of life—the warmth, the sorrow, the struggles—was carved into his bones with sword intent as the brush.
Kai was still Kai. But as he stood there, slowly straightening his spine with the black sword in hand, something had changed. The ordinary, unremarkable air about him vanished.
He now stood like a celestial swordsman—sharp and blinding. Just looking at him felt like being pierced by the edge of a divine blade.
"C-customer…"
Everyone in the shop was trembling. Even the shopgirls had turned pale and unsteady. Only the proprietress, a seasoned Level 3 adventurer, managed to speak under the oppressive pressure.
"Sir… if you don't rein in your aura… my employees won't last much longer!"
She glanced at him again, only to be struck with the terrifying illusion that countless blades were piercing her from every direction. Her heart pounded violently, and she had to quickly avert her gaze.
Too terrifying… This man…
If just his aura was this overwhelming, how strong was he really? Level 4? Level 5?
No—that wasn't it. She had seen the Sword Princess, a Level 5 adventurer. That girl's presence was strong, yes—but it couldn't compare to this.
Could he be the rumored Level 7…?
A chill ran down her spine. She dared not imagine further and turned toward Hestia with reverence in her eyes.
To have raised such a powerful Familia member… as expected of a deity.
Hestia, the one being admired, was completely focused on Kai. She stood silently, bathing in his sword aura, her eyes shining.
As expected of Kai. He's a true swordsman.
A moment later, the Swordbone formation synthesis. When Kai opened his eyes, two tears streamed silently down his face.
Without wiping them away, he immediately called up the system and stared at the new notifications on the blue interface.
[Swordbone synthesis complete]
[Rating: 53 (out of 100)]
[Swordbone: Condenses sword intent into the bones. Greatly enhances sword sense when wielding a blade. Gains permanent passive skill: Sword Pressure. If the sword's rating is lower than Swordbone, weapon quality is significantly boosted. If sword rating exceeds Swordbone, Swordbone will begin reconstruction.]
[Sword Pressure (MAX): Exerts a suppressive aura against all swordsmen below master rank. If target is stronger than the host, the higher the difference, the weaker the effect. Can be toggled on/off.]
Two new skill icons—[Swordbone] and [Sword Pressure]—now flickered with silver light beside [One-Handed Sword] on the Black Swordsman's exclusive skill tree.
Staring at them, Kai's hand trembled slightly around the hilt.
This is it… I've made it.
"Sir, could you please turn off that aura…" the proprietress asked again with a strained smile. The Sword Pressure still radiating from him made it hard to even breathe.
"Ah—right, sorry!" Kai looked around and finally noticed that all the shop staff were cowering like he was some sort of wild beast. A few girls were even trembling.
He quickly opened the system interface and toggled Sword Pressure off.
As the intense aura faded, and Kai returned to the harmless appearance he had when he entered, the proprietress let out a long sigh and wiped the sweat from her brow.
"You really scared me, sir. I thought you were going to blow up the shop with that aura."
Startled by her reproachful look, Kai apologized quickly. "Sorry, I just got a bit excited after finding such a great sword…"
Yes—"got a bit excited." It wasn't a lie. The system had excitedly shaped his Swordbone, after all.
...
That afternoon.
Dungeon, Floor 2.
Wearing a long black coat, Kai walked slowly down the corridor, his right hand resting lightly on the hilt of his black sword, staying alert to every movement.
"Listen carefully, Kai-kun…" Hestia had warned him before he entered the dungeon. "This isn't some kind of game. The moment you step in, the monsters mark you. They'll spawn endlessly, feel no pain, no fear of death, and throw themselves at you to take your life. Even with your current stats, you might manage against the first ten floors' monsters—but be careful. If you get surrounded, not even I can save you, even if I break the rules and use my divine powers…"
Those words remained clear in Kai's mind. That's why he didn't charge forward recklessly, despite having maxed-out human stats. Instead, he explored cautiously, step by step, in this dungeon he had only seen in anime.
From the first floor to the second, the surrounding walls turned deep blue, dimly glowing in the low dungeon light. It gave off a stifling atmosphere.
Maybe he was lucky—he'd already made it a third of the way through Floor 2, and still hadn't encountered a single monster. Only the echo of his own footsteps filled the space.
Huh. Maybe the monsters aren't as common as Hestia made them out to be…
Just as that thought crossed his mind—
Gushh!
A wet, squelching sound echoed up ahead, like something being forced out of a damp pipe.
"Ruaaaargh!!"
Then came a screeching voice—like sandpaper grinding, or a child wailing at full volume.
"Goblin…"
Kai stared at the silhouette rising ahead and instantly recalled the monster encyclopedia he'd read at the guild.
Appears on Floors 1–4. Individually weak, but often in groups. Annoying, disgusting little creatures: goblins.
As he identified the enemy, he tightened his grip on the hilt and slowly drew his pitch-black blade.
Shing…
The cold metal sliding from the scabbard helped calm his quickening heartbeat.
So… this is battle?
For someone who'd barely been in a real fight his entire life, it was a hard question to answer.
Even though he had inherited the [Black Swordsman] class and had skills like [One-Handed Sword], [Swordbone], and [Sword Pressure], all of them were passive. None taught him how to actually fight. There were no "sword insights" or auto-combos.
Even with the sword in hand, he felt lost.
The only thing giving him courage was the raw strength he had gained from the system—his five core attributes, all maxed at human limits.
A single goblin's strength and speed were barely better than a ten-year-old's—maybe 3 or 4 points. Compared to Kai's 10 physical stats, even without skill, he should be able to dominate them easily.
At least… that's what he thought…