I Became the Guild Leader in Exile

6 – Before Becoming a Hero (1)

He simply wanted to repay them.

He wanted to be helpful to Isaac, who saved him. So he swung his sword wildly. His wrist veins burst open, causing blood to flow profusely. Thanks to that, Zik became incredibly strong.

“You unfortunate bastard.”

However, from the moment Zik began to reveal his true strength, Isaac slowly started to turn away from him. Was it merely due to timing and jealousy? Or was it caution?

Zik is still searching for an answer to that question.

“Welcome to the Guild of Exiles!” Excerpt from Volume 2, page 75.

* * *

One month. Many things had happened during that time.

Firstly, new recruits joined the Guild of Steel. And not just one, but a whopping two. Of course, the public opinion wasn’t particularly favorable at first. Let’s exclude Digg complaining all the time, though.

Hans and Sophia, along with Isaac, who founded the guild, and even Master Rasmus, who respected it, expressed their concerns. This was because it contradicted Gideon’s way.

Survival of the fittest.

Dog-eat-dog world.

Only the winners can claim justice.

That was the way of Gideon. Even if an obvious evil stood before their eyes, if someone designated it as justice and that person ruled over Gideon as the strongest individual.

It would be justice, not evil.

And now, the guild reigning in Gideon was none other than Hades Guild. They had already proven their strength by subduing Leviathan, one of the three great calamities of the Abyss.

“Take women and money. That’s what being a hero is.”

As Hades took control of Gideon, naturally, the heroes of Gideon began to follow the tendencies of Hades Guild. But accepting orphans without any benefit?

It was like finding a rough stone to fit perfectly. If you popped out too much, you might end up being stepped on and face all sorts of constraints. Especially for a newly formed guild, the restrictions would be even harsher.

“Swing your sword with more vigor!!”

“Yes!!”

However, whether he knew it or not, Isaac was training Zeke peacefully today as well. Zeke swung the sword as Isaac instructed. Isaac clicked his tongue.

“The more I see, the more impressive he becomes.”

He doesn’t seem to be just a protagonist for nothing. Just a month after learning the sword, Zeke was already showing promise. He had even achieved victory against Dig in a sparring match after only a month.

“Cheater! That’s cheating! You taught me the master move, didn’t you?!”

“There’s no way I did that.”

“He’s only been learning for a month. How could I teach him a master move?”

“Rrraaah!!!”

Of course, Dig tended to slack off in training. But no matter what, he had reached a level where he could be hailed as a hero in Gideon. At least, he was not at a level where a complete novice could catch up in just a month.

Yet Zeke had done just that. Even now, he was growing stronger every day as if it were nothing. It was partly due to talent, but the main reason was his almost manic dedication to training.

Look at him now. Because of swinging too forcefully, not just his grip but even the veins on his wrist had burst. Isaac, noting this, clicked his tongue and said, “Didn’t I say you need sufficient rest?”

“I-I know, but…”

“Yet your body seems oblivious.”

“…”

“You’ve been swinging the sword relentlessly even on rest days after training. Isn’t that so?”

Naturally, Isaac, who was still close to a modern man, couldn’t have such insight. However, the reason he could say that was all thanks to the novel.

In the novel, Zeke strived tirelessly, literally sweating blood every day to repay Isaac. It allowed him to become strong quickly. But as a side effect, it weakened his body.

So, at the original point in the story, he would bleed every time he fought. It prevented him from becoming a meme about a weak, frail young man. However, not all of Isaac’s thoughts were entirely accurate.

“I want to become like the master as soon as possible!”

The desire to become a hero was always there. But it was Isaac who turned that into a burning flame. The first person to affirm his dream, and an idol at that?

Naturally, he couldn’t just stay still. Thanks to that, Zeke was pushing himself far more than in the original story. He wanted to follow in the footsteps of the person he admired and aimed for.

“Today’s training ends here.”

“I can still do more!”

“…”

“I have to try harder! That’s the only way I can reach the master!”

Isaac pondered in his mind. Working hard isn’t inherently bad, but excessiveness has its limitations. But it wasn’t easy to force someone to stop when they were driven.

“I need to make him understand with reasoning. So he comprehends it himself and acts accordingly. Well, this might be a good opportunity to loosen up the setting a bit.”

If he could simultaneously unravel the concept he, himself, had devised for Isaac while making Zeke understand it, it could serve a dual purpose. Isaac sighed and sat down, asking, “Do you see me as strong?”

“Huh? Isn’t that obvious?”

Zig quickly responded to the sudden question. It was Isaac, who established the guild and occupied the position of a master. Naturally, he had to be strong. There was no way he could have been weak.

“I wasn’t strong from the beginning either.”

“Still, didn’t you have any talent?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“What?”

“In fact, I lacked talent to an extreme degree.”

But Isaac tilted his head at Zig’s answer. He was taken aback by the response that he couldn’t even imagine. They had assumed that Zig became strong with immense talent.

“Have you never seen me practicing only footwork?”

“Come to think of it, you were constantly practicing footwork.”

“Yes. How did it appear to you?”

“To be honest… it seemed inefficient.”

Drawing his sword, slashing, and sheathing it again. Even young Zig found this method too inefficient. Wouldn’t it be stronger just to swing the sword?

Yes, it was a natural fact that even a young child who had just started learning the sword could understand. Isaac certainly couldn’t be unaware of it. A bitter smile appeared on Isaac’s lips.

“That was all I was allowed to do.”

“What? What is…”

“I am a complete blockhead who can’t even swing a sword properly.”

A talent despised by the sword. A blockhead who, even if they devoted their life, couldn’t achieve even basic swordsmanship. With Isaac’s words, Zig opened his mouth with an expression of disbelief.

“I-Is that possible?”

“I’m guessing I must have committed considerable sins in my past life. But I don’t know the details.”

“But didn’t you defeat goblins with your sword in the village?”

“That’s why I only trained in footwork.”

Only then did Zig understand everything. Merely drawing the sword from its scabbard – that alone was called swordsmanship, the entirety of swordsmanship allowed to Isaac.

“Despair freely and break as much as you want.”

“…”

“But, don’t be impatient. Don’t give up.”

There is a way that will surely come one day.

Zig projected his own image onto Isaac. The powerless image of himself bound in the village, unable to do anything. Surely the master also grew while swallowing countless despair.

But even so, he didn’t give up. He continued swinging the sword without giving up. And eventually, he proved it to everyone through his achievements. It was undoubtedly an outstanding feat. However…

“Why did the master persist only with the sword?”

But lurking deep in his heart, Zig couldn’t withstand the question that emerged. He kept that question inside, unable to utter it out loud. Why did he insist on only the sword?

If it’s not the sword, couldn’t there be another way? A spear, an axe, a hammer, and so on. There could have been other paths to take. Yet, Master always insisted on only the sword. Why on earth would he do that?

“What can we do?”

Geek’s golden eyes were fixed on Isaac. Although Isaac couldn’t help but think “What kind of handsome guy is this?”, he didn’t get swept away by the atmosphere and immediately replied.

“Because I have already fallen in love.”

As if remembering the other side through a dream. There was a faint smile on Isaac’s lips as he answered with his eyes closed. Yes, he simply insisted on what he liked.

A straightforward answer from a foolish man.

“…Love.”

Geek’s mouth moved unwittingly. Just like how he couldn’t give up on his dream of becoming a hero until the very end. It was clear that Master was the same.

“Thank you, Master. Because of you, I have realized.”

There’s no need to be impatient. Even if you feel despair due to the overwhelming gap, even if your heart is broken. Just as long as you don’t give up. If that’s the case, someday I could become like that too.

Thanks to Isaac, Geek could finally realize that fact. Even without talent, it was thanks to Master who simply insisted on what he loved and liked that he could realize it.

“Phew, that was close.”

But Isaac was secretly sweating coldly inside. Geek’s final question was a fatal blow to Isaac. If you’re so untalented, why don’t you just do something else?

That guy.

Is he a genius?