Miserable Reincarnation

5 – Awakening the Sword (2)

Diona was not an idiot. She had long noticed that the initiative had shifted to the other side, and knew that she had to answer the questions obediently to retrieve the parts worth fifty thousand cells.

But this was the first time she heard such stupid questions. Questions about the name of the city he’d been living in, what magic is, how many meals can be bought with fifty thousand cells. Did he lack basic general knowledge?

“Has he been trapped somewhere all this time?”

It was not an absurd idea. Some closed-minded factions were famous for stowing away their disciples in the mountains until they reached a certain level.

The blade she gave him seemed decent on the surface, but in reality, it was just cheap trash that was in lousy condition when used. But Lian had effortlessly sliced through the Blood Hound’s hide with that cheap thing.

At first, she thought he had used some trick, but it was her who had given him the blade and initiated the butchering.

“Which means he did it with his own power…”

Diona re-examined the state of the corpses. The skulls had marks of being penetrated by something sharp.

And then.

Slowly, Diona’s gaze turned to the iron pipe Lian was holding. On the iron pipe, there was a distinct bloodstain that looked as though it had been used to pierce something.

“….”

No way, Diona shook her head.

It was far more probable that a high-level power user had gotten here first. They discarded the corpses because, to them, money was almost worthless.

It had to be done.

Someone at that age who could hunt beasts must be associated with a high-ranking martial affiliation and have at least a basic sense of common knowledge.

“Final question. Is there a way for a kid like me to earn money?”

“At the dumpster…”

“Other than scavenging.”

Lian placed the parts he had slung over his shoulder in front of Diona with a grim expression. As screwed up as this world may be, there would undoubtedly be limitations to what could be done with a child’s body.

There were thoughts that struck him the previous night, as he rested after a battle.

Having the memories of a past life, how would he live in this world?

The first was already decided.

To get out of this hellhole.

‘At least inside those walls, I could live like a human.’

And yet, who would count a rootless vagrant with no lineage or social status as a citizen?

‘So, I need to secure a proper identity first.’

In a battlefield filled with conflicting national interests, there was no country that wanted to cause diplomatic conflict by sending soldiers who hold a clear identity.

For that reason, Lian had spent a few decades as a mercenary, not a soldier, and understood the discomfort of it more than anyone else.

‘Not even able to stay at a shoddy inn, let alone a hotel.’

That was what led Lian to his current decision.

If he has such skills, he could at least feed himself anywhere.

“How much money do you want to make, exactly?”

“Enough to secure a decent identity.”

“Planning on going inside the fortress? Have you lost your mind?”

“I can’t live in a place like this forever.”

“…..”

It wasn’t a false statement. Of course, it was every commoner’s dream to go inside the barrier, but it was the first time Lian had dared to voice it out.

“I had heard that successful mercenaries make a lot of money.”

“Being a mercenary?”

“Hunting magical beasts, catching criminals with a bounty on their heads… I am not too sure.”

A mercenary, huh. It seemed like this world, just like his previous life, was driven by capital.

‘So I ended up being a mercenary after all.’

Though age was a bit of a concern, being a mercenary was essentially a profession of meritocracy. If one can prove their ability, age was just a number.

Diona, who was watching Lian’s reactions, carefully opened her mouth.

“…Is it over now? Can I take the parts?”

“That’s fine.”

As Diona was wrapping the parts warily into her sack, Lian smirked a bit, looking at her. Given her meticulous character, she didn’t seem to be someone who’d stumble into a tough spot.

Lian then moved towards the bodies still attached with parts.

‘So these things can be turned into money?’

It seemed to be the metal used in the parts, rather than the parts themselves, that was valuable. The strength and material didn’t seem to be ordinary metal.

Lian twiddled with the blade in Diona’s left hand.

‘Should I try cutting differently this time?’

Earlier, he had just used brute force to cut. He wanted to test his physical strength limit.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Lian casually closed his eyes and steadied his breath. A palpable thump, the mysterious energy he had felt the day before, started to stir within him.

An intangible energy with no form or weight.

Something he had never experienced in his previous life. The power perhaps existed only in this world, a new law independent of science.

‘Is it the ki from martial arts novels?’

If not that, then mana perhaps. Lian erased the idle thoughts and focused on accumulating the energy again.

‘Definitely a peculiar energy.’

It felt as if a strong stream of water was flowing through his body. Then in the next moment, Lian realised this intangible energy wasn’t just inside him.

World.

In all the places where spirits touch, this intangible energy existed. As if it was a part of the atmosphere itself.

“…!”

The moment he came to realize that fact, a wild torrent rushed within Lian.

As if waiting for this exact moment from the beginning, the vibrant energies within his body surged in one direction, causing an explosive shock.

Crash!

With every breath that Lian took, the energy in the atmosphere was drawn in like crazy. Lian’s physical body seemed to yearn for energy without limits.

‘…Crazy.’

He could not understand the current situation, but one thing was sure. This was not normal.

Roar!

Cold sweat began to pour over his body, and his trembling hands and feet could not contain the wildly pulsating energy.

However, Lian did not fuss over such external situations. No, he couldn’t.

Magic power.

After all, it was overwhelming to adapt to the newly opened sixth sense.

He held onto the blade Diona handed to him. Crash! His consciousness expanded to the tip of the blade, and the sensation of becoming one with the sword was etched into Lian’s mind.

And then.

The boiling magic power from within flowed into the blade.

“…You…!”

Diona was horrified. The faint blue light wrapped around the blade in Lian’s hand. There was no doubt that it was the Sword Qi, which only swordsmen who have reached a certain level could use.

Diona knew better than anyone else how powerful that light was. A blade of magical power that could pierce anything it touched, whether it was iron or concrete. Diona had witnessed several times the sight of the originally playful mercenaries becoming meek sheep before the Sword Qi.

‘It’s unbelievable.’

Gulp.

“Did I really kill them?” Deona swallowed a dry gulp as she surveyed the bodies of the bloodhounds. According to the bar tales she had picked up in the back alley, it took even the most ordinary of people several decades of diligent training to manifest their energy through the sword. However, Lian appeared to be no older than her. It was impossible for him to have been training since birth, so giving him the benefit of doubt, if he started training from the age of seven… that’s just three years. This means that Lian is a genius who managed to manifest his energy through the sword in just three years. But when he confronted the bloodhounds, he didn’t have a sword…

“…he did it with just an iron pipe?”

Lian disregarded Deona’s stunned exclamation. With a deep breath, Lian swung down his blade. Swoosh! With a fierce sound, the jawbone of the bloodhound shattered like tofu. The heavy, metallic sound of the attached parts falling rang out. Lian steadied his breathing while looking at his blade replete with notches, appearing as if it could break at any moment.

‘A cheap sword then.’

It didn’t seem like a technique that could be used with just any weapon. Lian grimaced at Deona.

“Hey, this thing is broken.”

“No, no, it’s fine! It was cheap anyway!”

It was borrowed, so he should have respectfully returned it. Just as he was about to say this, Deona looked extremely terrified.

“For the damages-”

“One part is enough!”

Deona immediately responded. At this, Lian stopped the circulation of his power with a sly smile. As soon as the flow of power was interrupted, the shattered blade scattered like dust.

“…Huh!”

Deona gasped for breath. She swallowed the dry saliva, sizing Lian up and down. Seeing how he was able to manifest energy through the sword at such an age, she thought that he truly could be oblivious to world affairs. He must have been solely focused on his training, even forgoing sleep.

Soon enough, Lian proceeded to cut the remaining parts.

A total of 200,000 cells.

Only until a day ago, it seemed an unattainable and substantial amount, but for Lian, who had awoken to his past life, it was outrageously inadequate.

‘Considering even an average worthless identity card costs tens of millions, it should be similar here.’

Lian gathered the parts in a sack and turned to Deona.

“Where can I sell these?”