Chapter 69: New Member (1)

…After leaving the principal’s office.

Step, step.

The sound of the Sword Master’s and my own footsteps filled the hallway of the main building. He walked ahead, as if guiding me, while I closely followed behind him.

A silence settled between us. A silence so oppressive that it almost took my breath away.

The reason for this uncomfortable atmosphere was, of course, the explosive announcement the Sword Master had made just moments before.

“I will pass on my position as one of the Seven-Star Heroes to Kang Geom-Ma.”

Upon hearing those words, I felt like my heart had sunk. Even now, a few minutes later, I still felt a tingling sensation at the back of my head. I frowned in confusion.

I lifted my gaze to look at the Sword Master’s back. His steps were so quick that he was increasing the distance between us rapidly. Still, his stride was filled with dignity and poise.

‘He must be taking some kind of tonic, no doubt.’

I simply licked my lips and moved my feet. I was cautious about how to start speaking. But I felt I would regret it forever if I didn’t push forward, so I hesitantly opened my mouth.

“Sword Master, could you stop for a moment?”

Only then did he slow down and looked over his shoulder at me. The lightheartedness he had shown in the principal’s office had vanished, and his eyes now reflected his usual sternness.

‘So he was acting to ease the principal’s worries.’

He observed me silently for a few moments. The sunlight filtering through the windows illuminated his golden pupils. After a few seconds of subtle tension, he spoke.

“Is it about inheriting the title of one of the Seven-Star Heroes?”

His voice, sharp and perceptive, whispered in my ear as if he had anticipated it. I shivered and nodded. Then, he came to a full stop and leaned against the wall.

“It must have been a shock for you. But, as I said before, it’s a decision I’ve thought about a lot. I’m sorry for not telling you earlier, but I wanted to announce it in front of Media once my decision was final.”

He let out a brief exhalation and, suddenly, asked me a question.

“Do you know why the Seven-Star Heroes have remained just four all this time?”

“Uh, that…”

I hesitated to answer. I had never asked myself that question, but thinking about it, something did seem odd.

The Seven-Star Heroes were supposed to be seven. However, after the battle with Basmon, where three heroes died, only four remained.

Even though fifty years had passed, those three positions remained vacant. I had always vaguely thought it was a way to honor the fallen heroes.

“…Isn’t it to honor the comrades who passed away?”

Hearing my answer, the Sword Master gave a slight smile and spoke again.

“Well, you could interpret it that way. Ah, of course, I don’t mean to belittle those friends who are gone. Thanks to their sacrifice, you and I can stand here today. But, leaving those positions vacant for that reason alone is an insufficient explanation.”

He shook his head and ran a hand through his silver hair, which showed the traces of time. Then, he added:

“To be honest, the reason is quite simple.”

“…?”

“It’s because no hero stronger than us has appeared until now.”

I blinked in surprise. The Sword Master let out a brief laugh. Then, he pushed away from the wall and looked at me with eyes full of determination.

“The strength of the demons is overwhelming. Although we humans are more numerous, if the demons unleashed their entire army, they would wipe us out in less than six months. Negotiations and agreements only work if both sides are equal in power. The only way to contain them is with strength.”

“And what does that have to do with keeping three positions vacant?”

The Sword Master shook his head emphatically.

“It’s better not to have half-measures. Think about it—if a Seven-Star Hero were defeated by a mere demon beast, do you think humanity would retain its faith in us?”

“I suppose not.”

“Being a Seven-Star Hero isn’t just a prestigious title. It’s a symbol to contain the demons and represent humanity. Isn’t there a famous saying that with great power comes great responsibility? Though this idea has faded over time.”

The Sword Master briefly frowned. I could guess who he was thinking about.

‘Saki Kojima, the Master of the Bow.*’

He had used his position as a Seven-Star Hero to rule Japan as a lifelong prime minister. He was also Saki Ryozo’s father, so I didn’t want to speak ill of him, but public opinion considered him practically a dictator.

‘…Now that I think about it, Ryozo never talked about her family.’

Even Chloe occasionally mentioned her family, but Ryozo always avoided the topic.

‘In the game “Miracle Blessing M,” while the other Seven Heroes, Jeolgung and Changseong, were mentioned, they never actually appeared. That’s why their character and actions remain a mystery.’

…Ah, this isn’t the important issue right now. I got carried away by the Sword Master’s words, but what I truly wanted to ask had nothing to do with why there were only four heroes. I shook off those thoughts and, in a quiet voice, asked.

“I understand your words, Sword Master, but that doesn’t answer my question. Why me?”

When I said that, the Sword Master looked at me with an expression of disbelief. He tilted his head several times while examining me.

“…Kang Geom-Ma, are you pretending to be clueless, or are you really that dense?”

“Huh?”

“I’m saying this because you seem not to understand. The reason I want to give you my position is because you’re stronger than me. And by a large margin. That’s a fact.”

“…Ah.”

I couldn’t respond. In a way, he was right. After all, I had defeated Agor, the Fifth Corps Commander.

However, my memories of that battle were so blurry that I couldn’t take full credit for it. As I got lost in my thoughts, the Sword Master stared at me and spoke.

“I’ve always been curious about one thing. But now I need to know.”

His voice was calm. Though it confused me for a moment, I nodded. After a brief silence, he spoke.

“Your power seems to have a time limit.”

“…!”

My heart pounded violently. I felt as though he had discovered my weakness.

It wasn’t something I tried to hide, but it also wasn’t information I wanted to disclose.

Thump, thump, thump.

Our eyes met. He studied me for a moment and then shrugged.

“Don’t worry too much. It was just a guess. It’s impossible for a human to use such immense power without restrictions. Even you, Kang Geom-Ma.”

“……”

“Ah, and the idea that the limitation is temporal was just speculation. In the assignment exam and on Avalon Island, you seemed to tire out after about a minute.”

I listened to his words silently, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of revealing my secret.

On one side were the benefits of telling him my limitations, and on the other side was the risk.

After a moment of reflection, I made a decision.

“Sword Master.”

His smile vanished as he saw my serious expression. I took a deep breath and spoke slowly.

“I have something to tell you about my power.”

***

A moment after I finished my explanation, the Sword Master nodded as if he understood.

“So, what you’re saying is… when you manifest the blessing, extreme pain comes as the price for the power, and you suppress it with another blessing, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I had explained the Blessing of the Sword God and the Blessing of Pain Insensitivity. Of course, I omitted specific details. No matter how trustworthy the Sword Master was, revealing my weaknesses always required caution.

I told him this with the intention of seeking his wisdom, not his sympathy or understanding.

I watched him silently. Feeling my gaze, the Sword Master patted my shoulder, as if to reassure me.

“Don’t worry, I don’t plan on telling anyone. And the idea of using one blessing to suppress another is quite innovative. You definitely have talent, no doubt.”

He touched his forehead with his index finger.

“But sometimes, it’s important to know how to manage your strength. You don’t want to always fight against the clock. For that, you need a master with experience and⎯”

He left the sentence hanging, a smile appearing on his aged face.

“⎯I needed a disciple with exceptional talent.”

I blinked in surprise. Then, the Sword Master stroked the empty sleeve of his right arm and let out a clear laugh.

“I’ve chosen you as my successor, so it’s my duty to pass everything on to you. Even though I decided to retire, thinking about it makes me restless. Anyway, when everything is ready, I’ll call you. In the meantime, enjoy life at the academy, ha ha ha!”

“M-Master of the Sword!”

But the Sword Master had already turned and begun walking with agile steps.

I reached out a hand to stop him.

However, he seemed not to hear me, and in an instant, he reached the end of the hallway. He was surprisingly fast for someone his age.

“……”

For a moment, I considered using the Blessing of the Sword God to catch up with him, but I quickly shook my head.

“Thinking of attacking someone who’s helped me…”

I must have hit my head on the island. Or maybe it was a side effect of Agor’s mental magic.

I sighed and pulled my hands out of my pockets.

* * *

After that incident, the weekend passed.

It was the last free day before returning to classes, and I planned to rest completely, but…

“Haa.”

I let out a short sigh. The words the Sword Master had left me as a task kept swirling in my mind, and I couldn’t rest well.

“…What’s supposed to happen now?”

I had planned to ignore small changes in the storyline, but at this rate, the whole plot might go completely off track.

As I suppressed the thoughts churning in my mind, I walked down the hallway of the teachers’ building.

The background noise of students chatting helped calm me down a bit.

“Complaining won’t change anything.”

As the Sword Master said, the succession process would take at least half a year. Until then, maybe I could convince him to change his mind.

Honestly, the benefits of being a Seven Star Hero were tempting, but when I thought about the Second War between Humans and Demons that would occur in three years, I wanted to refuse immediately.

Imagining myself wielding a sword on a battlefield covered with blood and corpses gave me chills. And, above all, it was a huge burden.

“Even so, returning to classes after so long doesn’t feel too bad.”

A small smile appeared on my face. I lifted my head and looked around. A group of students was gathered in a specific area of the hallway.

Driven by curiosity, I walked over.

It was the bulletin board, covered with posters.

“Did you see this? What kind of poster is this? God, it’s so tacky.”

“Yeah, even if the student council president were in that club, I wouldn’t join.”

“The background is annoying, but isn’t that blue hedgehog color strange?”

As I got closer, the murmurs of the students became clearer. I looked over their heads toward the board.

Since I was tall, I could see the tops of their heads perfectly.

‘Some of them are definitely going to go bald in the future.’

I ignored that thought and focused on the garishly colored poster that was causing such a stir.

“Wow, it’s horrible.”

The design was so bad that it left me speechless.

In my past life, I was a cook and businessman, so I understood perfectly the importance of good advertising. Even if it was just a club poster, this was terribly bad.

As I got a little closer, the students looked at me and stepped aside to let me through. When I looked at the poster up close, I froze.

“New members wanted for the ‘Exploration Club.’ Made by Speedweapon.”

My pupils widened, and my lips parted involuntarily.

“What the hell is this…?”

I couldn’t finish the sentence. Embarrassment suddenly hit me.

At the same time, during lunchtime in the academy courtyard.

The members of the travel club and I gathered again. Chloe cried while clinging to me, and Ryozo, indifferent, offered me a red bean cake. The atmosphere on the grass was full of relief and joy.

However, my attention was fixed on Speedweapon, who was smiling happily while congratulating me on my recovery.

“Hey! Do you know how worried we were while you were in the hospital? I’m glad to see you’re okay. Oh, by the way, we prepared everything for the club while you were gone.”

Speedweapon rubbed his nose, expecting a compliment. I held back my smile and spoke in a low voice.

“…I saw the poster.”

“Oh, yeah? I made sure it was eye-catching. There’s no way you didn’t see it.”

“……”

I didn’t know how to react. I appreciated his effort, but praising him would mean accepting that poster disaster.

My businessman instinct rejected that idea. So I just weakly nodded.

“Sorry, Kang Geom-Ma. I should have stopped him.”

Chloe muttered with frustration as she bit her lip. I turned my head and saw Saki rubbing her forehead, dark circles under her eyes.

“Sorry… Speedweapon is so stubborn. I tried to stop him, but I didn’t expect him to put up the posters at dawn.”

“…You did your best.”

The early summer sun filled the air with the scent of grass. Despite the pleasant weather, the mood among the club members was gloomy.

‘With this, we won’t get any more members.’

Creating this club was crucial for hunting demons in dungeons and strengthening Murasame with materials obtained. I couldn’t let a poster ruin our plans.

As I searched for a solution, a phone rang with a sharp tone.

Ring, ring, ring⎯!

Speedweapon took his phone out of his pocket and answered with a confused expression.

“Hello…?”

After exchanging a few words, he hung up. Ryozo looked at him curiously.

“What is it? Did they tell you to take down the poster? Makes sense, it’s an abomination.”

“…No.”

“Then what is it? Don’t be mysterious.”

“They said someone’s coming for the club interview.”

“What?!”