Christian was thirty years old—an unremarkable man living an unremarkable life in the Philippines. Heavy eyebags clung beneath his tired eyes like shadows that refused to fade, and his hair had become dry and brittle from neglect. After all… he hadn't taken a bath in six days.
His life revolved around a single object.
His phone.
He used it almost 24/7, endlessly reading manhwa until the screen blurred and his eyes stung.
One night, after another marathon reading session, Christian felt his vision spin. The room twisted, his body swayed—
—and he collapsed.
When consciousness returned, cold stone pressed against his skin.
Christian's eyes snapped open. "W-Where… am I?"
He forced himself upright. His surroundings were nothing like his cluttered bedroom. This place was a cave, damp and dim, shaped by rough stone and echoing with distant drips of water.
This isn't my room. The last thing I remember… I was reading.
A soft chime echoed inside his head.
Ding.
[Welcome, Host. You have been reincarnated… as a Sword.]
Christian froze.
"…ha?"
"A sword?! Why not a human body like in normal manhwa?! That's the bare minimum!"
Before he could complain further, frantic footsteps echoed from the cave entrance.
A boy staggered in—around ten or twelve years old, chubby, barely five feet tall. His long black hair clung to his sweaty, wounded body. Cuts covered his arms and legs, and terror filled his eyes.
Behind him, a goblin burst into the cave, snarling as it raised a crude, jagged dagger.
The boy's gaze snapped to Christian—now a sword embedded in stone. Desperation fueled him as he grabbed the hilt and pulled.
Nothing.
The goblin lunged.
The boy screamed, pouring every ounce of strength into one final tug.
This time, the sword slid free.
Steel flashed. Metal clashed. Despite his young age and injuries, the child fought with everything he had.
In the end, the goblin let out a death cry and fell to the ground.
But victory did not belong to the boy.
The goblin's dagger had been smeared with poison. The child gasped for breath, knees buckling. His vision dimmed as he collapsed beside the sword's cold blade.
Christian was silent.
I… I thought I was meant to be his weapon. Why did he die?
A rumble echoed through the cave.
From Christian's stomach.
"…H-Huh? Why is a sword hungry?"
Before he could understand it, instinct overtook him. His blade twisted, glowing faintly— and the boy's corpse was dragged toward it.
Flesh.
Bone.
Soul.
All absorbed in a single horrifying instant.
"WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST—?!"
Light erupted from his blade. It swirled and pulsed, reshaping and molding like molten metal. The sword stretched, bent, expanded—
—and soon stood on two legs.
Human legs.
The light faded, revealing Christian in a new body.
Ding.
[Congratulations, Host. You have gained a physical form.]
[You have evolved into a Human Sword.]
--------
The child Christian devoured had been named Yuan Stoneheart.
In this world, Yuan was a talentless, overweight boy mocked for his lack of swordsmanship—an embarrassment to the proud Stoneheart family.
His older brother, Jakob Stoneheart, a prodigy and a newly ascended 1-Star Swordmaster, was celebrating his fifteenth birthday that night. Nobles from across the region gathered in the family manor.
Among them was a girl Yuan had admired since childhood—
Elara Moonvein, a beautiful, noble, and gifted 1-Star Swordmaster at only thirteen.
Yuan hadn't seen her in two years. The thought of seeing her again made his heart race with nervous hope. He practiced his greeting over and over, convinced that this night would be his chance.
When the music swelled, Yuan approached to invite her for a dance.
But what he saw stopped him cold.
Elara stood beside Jakob, smiling politely as they talked.
Jakob chuckled. "So, Elara… do you like my little brother now?"
Elara blinked, then let out a gentle laugh.
"Jakob, are you joking? Yuan is just a friend. I don't like chubby guys. And he's… well, a good-for-nothing."
The words sliced deeper than any sword.
Yuan froze. His breath caught. His heart shattered.
Elara finally noticed him. "Yuan? You're—"
But he didn't let her finish.
He ran.
Across the ballroom.
Out the doors.
Through the gardens.
Past the lamplights of the estate.
And into the cold, silent darkness of the forest.
Tears blurred his sight. His chest ached. His legs trembled.
He didn't stop.
Couldn't stop.
Until… he stumbled into a cave.
A cold, familiar cave.
The place where Christian—
and Yuan—
first became one.