Chapters up to 125 are available on noveldex.io
2022.04.01.
"Family head, the continent's finest named sword is complete."
Bin, one-armed, knelt on one knee and held up the sword. The people surrounding him watched intently. They were all renowned figures across the continent. Among them stood out Helden Grander, the Guard Captain, right before Bin's eyes.
A long scar over one eye and a massive build. He looked like a giant bear standing upright.
Helden lifted the longsword Bin offered. He raised it effortlessly, making the enormous blade seem featherlight.
Frowning, Helden examined the sword closely.
"Splendid."
Admiration slipped from Helden's lips. The blade itself, the grip—every part was flawless, a supreme masterpiece.
Helden nodded with a pleased expression.
"To craft such a named sword despite being one-armed... Truly, the title of Gana Continent's greatest blacksmith suits you well."
Bin bowed his head toward Helden, a satisfied smile on his face.
"Thank you, family head. Next time, I shall present an even finer sword."
"Hahaha! An even finer sword, you say."
Helden laughed joyfully and approached Bin. But then...
Puke!
Bin spat blood and clutched his stomach. His expression turned dazed, the complete opposite of moments before. The named sword Luminare had pierced right through his gut.
The agony of torn flesh left him unable to even cry out.
"...!"
Blood trickled from his mouth as Bin forced out words.
"Wh-why...?"
Helden smirked at the question.
"Its performance is killer, wouldn't you say? If you made another sword like this, Luminare might get jealous. I'll make sure this one becomes widely known, so rest easy. Youngest son of the Bascon family."
In that instant, Bin felt like he'd been struck in the back of the head with a mace.
He knew my identity...?
Indeed. Bin was the youngest son of the Bascon family, sworn enemies of the Grander family. He'd offered the named sword to gain Helden's trust—and exact revenge for his mother's death at Helden's hands.
Bin's brow furrowed.
Damn it...!
The people around him lunged. The Gana Empire's elite Gana Guard.
In the blink of an eye, swords, axes, spears pierced Bin's body.
Puke! Puke! Puke...!
The sounds rang out in succession. Crimson blood sprayed like a fountain. Weapons studded his entire form, making him resemble a porcupine.
Bin's face flushed red, his pupils trembling. The guards spoke up.
"One-armed trash daring to stab us in the back! Serves you right."
"Being the youngest makes even your panic look cute. Hahaha!"
The guards grinned wickedly at Bin's plight. Some had even commissioned weapons from him before. But they showed no concern whatsoever.
"One-armed life was all you had anyway. Don't act so hard done by."
"Should've been reborn sooner. Be grateful we're ending it for you. Hahaha!"
The guards threw their heads back in laughter.
"...!"
Bin's eyes lost focus. The guards were certain he'd collapse soon.
But their expectations were wrong.
Bin gritted his teeth and stepped forward.
Crack. Crack.
The weapons in the guards' hands shook.
"...!"
Before they could widen their eyes, Bin drew the sword from his waist.
Shing!
It defied all reason. Pure willpower made it possible.
The guards gaped at Bin's sheer tenacity.
"H-how is that body even... moving?! With all that blood on the ground..."
Blood dripped from Bin's body, as he said. Drip. Drip. Drip... More than could fit in outstretched hands.
One guard's pupils shook in shock.
"S-so what? What can you do in that state?"
Bin lifted the corner of his mouth with cold eyes.
"A hole in the gut and some blood loss? What's the big deal? You think I can't lift a damn sword?"
"...!"
Gulp.
The guards swallowed at Bin's icy expression. His body was a wreck, no doubt. Yet his fighting spirit burned hotter than anyone's.
Bin raised the sword high.
Mother's revenge. At least that bastard...
But as the blade reached Helden Grander's eyes, it stopped.
After the commotion, everyone stared in stunned silence.
Then one guard eyeing Bin shouted.
"H-he died standing...?!"
"N-no way...!"
There stood Bin, bloodied from head to toe, frozen like a statue.
Bin's inner consciousness faded.
Mother...
Her face rose in his mind, and strength drained from his body. A dog's death.
Couldn't even avenge her—instead, handed the continent's greatest sword to my enemy...
His chest burned hot. Pain or resentment? He couldn't tell.
Even with two arms, would my life have been different? Or if I'd fought harder from childhood?
Called the Bascon family's dunce, scorned for being one-armed. Family, siblings—even his father dismissed him. All without knowing his talent for crafting.
I shouldn't have given up...
Regret changed nothing. His eyelids grew heavy.
No matter how I struggled, was I doomed to fail...?
Memories flashed like a panorama. Born the duke's youngest, trampled by siblings. His mother bleeding from Helden's sword. Hammering until his hands blistered, forging weapons.
As countless memories paraded before his eyes, darkness fell.
Is this the end...?
Closing his eyes now felt like it would answer that question.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
His darkened vision brightened moments ago. A familiar sight greeted him.
Mannequins armored like soldiers all around. The training ground from his childhood.
"...?!"
A familiar voice reached Bin's stunned ears.
"Collapsing after this much training? And you dare call yourself Bascon?"
A low voice. The Bascon family head—Moden's—from his youth.
Father? What the hell...!
Bin was bewildered. A sword had pierced his gut for sure. Yet here was the past, age four, training with a wooden sword. Bascon tradition: grip a sword from infancy to raise strong children.
Moden's voice cut through Bin's thoughts.
"Your bandages have come loose."
The hulking Moden bent down, peering at Bin. Bin looked down too—and froze.
My right arm?!
It felt like a dream. The right arm absent from his memories was there. A strange black one, different from others, but...
Bin stared blankly, lifting it. His hand trembled awkwardly.
Moden eyed the black arm and frowned.
"An arm infused with the power of the monster Bellatan..."
Bel...latan?
Bin had heard the name. A 1st-grade monster that threatened the entire Gana Continent before his birth. To avert continental doom, a Bascon woman sealed it within herself. Generations later, a child would inherit that power.
The monster's power is in my body...!
Dazed, Bin figured it was one of two: a dream, or an impossible return to the past. Somehow, the latter felt certain.
He glanced at his siblings training nearby. They glared down from afar with contempt.
Bin's face soured.
To see these bastards again...
The youngest of the three great combat families, Bascon—anyone else would envy it. Six siblings, assured of interest and fulfillment later.
But for Bin, only chilling memories. Born one-armed, tormented endlessly as the family dunce.
Moden handed a wooden sword to the distracted Bin.
"We'll resume training in thirty minutes. Pull yourself together."
Moden moved on with a cold glance at the other siblings.
Bin's eyes caught the wooden sword. As the once-greatest blacksmith, its dull edge offended him.
"This won't do..."
He scanned around, spotting a metal bin of weapons. He drew a dagger, eyes gleaming.
Moments later, Bin fixed the wooden sword to a rock and shaved it sharp with the dagger in his left hand.
Someone frowned at the sight—Moden.
"Bin Bascon, skipping training to fool around?"
His tone sharpened, displeased. Moden snatched the wooden sword.
He froze.
Staring at his hand with wide pupils.
"...!"
Incredibly, his finger was cut.
A 1st-class knight in the god-realm—cut by a mere wooden sword? He stood rigid in unfamiliar shock.
How...?
Moden examined it closely. The blade's surface was exquisitely finished, razor-sharp. Hard to believe it was the same as the ones he'd distributed.
He glanced at the dagger in Bin's hand and pieced it together.
Did Bin sharpen this wooden sword himself...?
Moden smirked at the cut on his hand.
Interesting.
He was convinced. With dwarves vanished from the world, if not coincidence, this child would reshape the continent...
Bin panicked outwardly but joy welled inside. The crafting sensation lingered in his hands.
Eyes shining, he recalled the Gana Guard that killed him.
If this isn't a dream... I'll repay them with the continent's greatest sword they've never seen.
Chapters up to 125 are available on noveldex.io