I am the protagonist.
[You are the protagonist of this world.]
[Embody justice.]
When I first saw this message, I had no idea what it meant.
At the time, I was only ten years old. I didn’t even understand the words themselves.
“Protagonist…? Justice…?”
No matter how I pondered the meaning, it made no sense to me. It sounded like something out of a fairytale or cartoon.
In the remote countryside where I grew up, the teachers always smiled at me.
“Si-woo, you’re the best.”
The girls of my age would turn bright red whenever they saw me.
During breaks, there were always people surrounding me.
I was the center. I was the standard.
This environment constantly reinforced the notion that I was special.
[You are the protagonist of this world.]
“Of course.”
It was only natural. With my looks and abilities, I was undoubtedly superior to everyone else.
It was a destiny set in stone.
“Embody justice?”
I was justice itself.
For ten years, I followed this belief, graduating at the top of my class from the military academy. Finishing anything but first was inconceivable, and I never doubted I would.
Then, an invitation arrived. It was from the Gaon Academy.
“Finally.”
I had grown tired of this narrow, well-like place.
Gaon wasn’t where someone like me belonged.
“Gaon.”
The world’s finest academy suited me perfectly.
It was only natural that even after entering Gaon, things would remain the same.
However.
[Seong Si-woo]
[Rank 42]
“What the hell…”
This couldn’t be me. There must be some kind of mistake.
I wasn’t worried, but my surroundings kept provoking me.
“Let’s do this.”
Unit practice.
Surely everyone would follow my strategy without question.
It was only natural.
“Uh… but isn’t that a bit inefficient?”
I had clearly devised a perfect plan, yet someone was contradicting me. At first, I felt upset and argued back.
Previously, when I spoke, everyone would nod and make way.
But now, they wouldn’t back down. Instead, they pushed their arguments more firmly.
“So… that’s just your opinion.”
It was strange.
That I wasn’t at the center.
That people weren’t moving according to my standards.
“What’s… wrong here?”
The more I thought about it, the more frustrated I got.
It felt like something significant had gone awry.
And that frustration found its outlet.
“Hey, buddy, how about a sparring match?”
Jung Hae-in.
Perfect timing. He was someone who consistently irritated me for no clear reason.
Surely he would make a good outlet for my anger.
*
Wow, look at that glare.
It’s like he wants to kill me.
Even in the original story, players varied, but…
The essence of the main character’s story never changed.
“Surely he should be righteous and honest.”
Yes, Seong Si-woo, despite appearances, probably isn’t too different inside. There must still be a fragment of justice somewhere within him.
…please.
The instructor’s signal hadn’t yet rung. There was still some time before the auditorium filled completely.
Let’s try talking, see if we can settle this without a fight.
“Hey, buddy.”
‘Are you planning to discard your sword?’
I muttered this carefully to him.
He was standing quietly, as though meditating, before the duel began.
“Who’s your buddy?”
…Never mind.
Honestly, anyone would be irritated if a complete stranger walked up and told them to discard their sword. For a hero, their weapon is a sensitive and important issue.
But I have no choice. The fate of the world is at stake. No joke, it really is.
So, let’s just go back to the original plan – settle this with a physical conversation.
By then, the auditorium was filled with people. In a corner, Yoo Hana and Cheon Yeoul stood facing each other.
It seemed like they were each other’s opponents.
‘Looks like their fight could be more interesting.’
Unfortunately, I couldn’t watch theirs.
“Now the sparring will begin.”
The instructor’s voice rang out suddenly, filling the auditorium with a palpable tension.
I lightly gripped my weapon and looked up at Seong Si-woo. His sharp gaze was still fixed on me.
Seong Si-woo closed his eyes and slowly summoned his mana. The golden mana flowing through his body began to engulf his sword.
“Sword aura.”
The aura that arose from his sword wasn’t smooth. Its jagged and unstable form indicated his imperfect control of the mana.
An onlooker might admire it. After all, not everyone can easily use a sword aura.
But I could tell.
Is this just a memorized technique, or does he truly understand the “sword”?
Seong Si-woo, he was purely the former.
Through his innate protagonist’s body, he possessed abundant mana, so summoning a sword aura wasn’t difficult.
But the process was merely forcing his mana into the sword.
The epitome of inefficiency. An action showing no understanding of the sword.
After summoning the sword aura, Seong Si-woo scanned my expression.
I didn’t stir, merely observing him.
He smirked, seemingly confident from my reaction.
“Scared? Never seen a sword aura before, huh?”
His voice oozed with confidence. It seemed he gained certainty from my response. Rather relaxed, he intensified the flames of his aura as he faced me.
“I’m going.”
I didn’t reply.
Clap!
Seong Si-woo charged with fiery determination. His sword violently sliced through the air.
Clang!
From left to right, a simple horizontal slash.
It carried considerable force but lacked sophistication. I tilted my sword slightly, allowing the impact to flow and dissipate easily.
Clang! Clangclang!
Seong Si-woo persisted with a series of slashes and jabs.
I slowly steadied my breathing, carefully observing each pattern he created in his attacks.
‘So this is how you operate.’
His swordsmanship could be summarized in one word:
Clumsy.
He relied solely on sheer strength, devoid of technique, principle, or sense. His strikes reeked only of forced ruggedness.
“Haaa!”
He swung his sword with renewed vigor, shouting loudly.
But my counter remained the same.
I subtly adjusted my sword, letting the shock pass by.
As this repeated a few times, his breathing grew increasingly ragged. It seemed like his overuse of mana was catching up, his breath at its limit.
Unaware of even this, he sneered and taunted,
“Huff… How long do you plan to keep dodging?”
I gently spun my blade, pushing his sword away.
Time to wrap this up.
“Know what a sword aura really is?”
I questioned him.
This wasn’t sparring. It was closer to teaching.
“What?”
Taken aback by my sudden question, Seong Si-woo frowned, asking back.
“Different people have different views, but this is how I see it.”
“When we summon mana into our bodies, we create a kind of channel, right?”
I lifted my sword, slowly demonstrating so he could see every movement.
“But it’s no different with a sword.”
“Think of your sword as a part of your body. When mana flows into the sword, it should be steady and uniform, not just poured recklessly.”
As I said this, I gradually summoned mana. Closing my eyes to concentrate, I felt the connection between my sword and body. The essence of a lance and the moon might differ, but their fundamentals are the same.
It’s like opening a new path in a completely closed-off body.
And then, very gradually, smoothly, the flow of mana begins.
Finally, a faint light started to bloom at the tip of my sword, soon enveloping the whole blade.
Grey mana softly cloaked the blade, transforming it into a robust armor-like state.
“Some people refer to this as ‘Jang Gi Sung Gang’…”
Seong Si-woo’s expression twisted, showing confusion and rage that words couldn’t fully capture.
“…so you do seem to have some idea.”
“Shut up! Stop messing with me!!”
He yelled, charging again, disbelief evident in his voice.
I abandoned my defensive stance and took a step forward.
Seong Si-woo’s slash came diagonally toward me.
I aligned my blade with his path, thrusting gently.
No great force was needed.
“Actually, a sword aura isn’t this…”
Swish
The moment his sword aura touched mine, it vanished without a trace, as if sucked away.
“So this, this is the real sword aura.”
At the exact moment his blade made contact with mine, his weapon was cleanly split in two, without any resistance.
Clang!
“And if you can’t manage it…”
I met his eyes and gently lowered my sword.
“Give up the sword.”
Sheesh