Chapter 1 - Everything Within Me
I was rejected from the Academy.
The legitimate son of the Granvelle family, one of the eight great Sword King families, couldn't even step foot inside the Academy.
In a world where the Sword King families and the Poison King families constantly fought and clashed, failing to get into the Academy essentially meant falling behind the curve.
This was because only at the Academy could one learn how to fight the enemy, and only Academy graduates could hold important positions in the Sword King families.
Why did this happen?
I couldn't control aura.
Aura is the ability to draw power from the earth's meridians, which flow beneath the ground.
It's the source that allows humans to wield greater power.
Strength.
Speed.
And even resistance to poison.
Ultimately, the problem was poison.
Our enemies wield poison.
Ordinary people are utterly defenseless against it.
To resist poison, one must be able to control aura.
Hundreds of years ago, the first Sword King, Dion, suppressed the Poison King's forces with his powerful aura and miraculous swordsmanship.
Since then, his descendants, who carry the Sword King's blood, have served as guardians protecting the world.
Blood doesn't lie.
Descendants of the Sword King families are generally born with powerful aura and great talent in swordsmanship.
And the Academy is an educational institution that trains warriors to fight the Poison King.
Some do it just to fight the enemy.
Some do it to gain honor and fame.
To reach a high position, one must absolutely enroll in the Academy at the age of 15.
But I failed to get in.
Even as a descendant of the Sword King.
If I had been able to control even the minimum level of power, just 1-star aura, I would have definitely been accepted based on my family name alone.
Because I had one other thing I could rely on...
The entire Academy Administration regrets to inform Young Master Ray and the Granvelle family.
Young Master Ray will not be able to join our Northern Academy.
The entrance test results showed that the Young Master's swordsmanship skill was at a genius level.
We were amazed by your outstanding skill, which, for a 14-year-old, surpassed the average level of even first-year and second-year Academy students.
That's right.
I was born with a talent for swordsmanship.
However, the examination results confirmed that the Young Master's meridian sensitivity was virtually nonexistent.
Without meridian sensitivity, one cannot control aura, and without aura, one cannot stand against the Poison King families.
It is impossible to admit someone who cannot fight the Poison King's forces to the Academy.
But swordsmanship alone couldn't get me into the Academy.
As a result, while all my siblings entered the Academy and lived in dorms, I, the youngest, received a rejection letter and was left behind at home.
It was my first taste of despair at the age of 14.
Of course, being a descendant of one of the eight great Sword King families doesn't automatically mean you have to go to the Academy.
It's entirely possible to pursue other paths depending on your aptitude.
You might not achieve a high position, but a high position isn't everything in life.
But I had made a promise.
"Wow! Ray! That's amazing!"
"Your sword handling is truly incredible, isn't it? That's so cool!"
"The Granvelle family is different after all. You're better than our master. I should learn swordsmanship from you."
"You have to teach me more later!"
"Let's definitely meet again at the Academy. Definitely, okay? It's a promise?"
The other person was a young lady from another family who had visited our mansion.
I really liked her.
But now, I couldn't keep my promise.
My youth ended on that summer day when I was fourteen.
My older brother and sister, who had returned home for vacation, tried to comfort me.
"I'm sorry, Ray. It's tough, but cheer up. You'll definitely find another path."
"Oh dear, what should we do? I'm sorry, Ray. It should have been you who got into the Academy instead of me."
Of course, it wasn't comforting.
I truly loved my brother and sister. But at least for today, I couldn't stand the sight of either of them.
Both of them were not only attending the Academy but were already making a name for themselves with excellent grades.
So I resented them.
I refused their offer to go out for some fresh air and cooped myself up in my room.
And that afternoon.
The Poison King's army suddenly attacked the village and the mansion.
It was unbelievable.
This was the main stronghold of the Granvelle family, one of the eight great Sword King families.
Powerful knights protected the mansion and the village, and especially, the elite guards personally trained by my father were stationed around the mansion 24 hours a day.
And most importantly, my father was here.
The head of the Granvelle family, Roah Granvelle.
Also known as Roah of the "United Sword."
He was known as the sixth strongest among all the hundreds of direct descendants of the Sword King families.
So the Poison King's army must have been strong.
They brought down all of this in an instant.
But I don't know how strong the enemies actually were.
The 14-year-old boy who couldn't control aura was already rolling on the floor before the attack.
"Ugh..."
A hazy purple smoke.
I was poisoned by an unknown potent venom.
"Gasp... cough..."
All I could do was clutch my throat and gasp for air.
Then the room door shattered.
CRASH!
A masked figure strode into the room.
"Ray Granvelle. 14 years old. Third son of the Granvelle family."
The masked figure dragged me outside.
Thanks to that, I could see the corpses scattered around the mansion.
The corpses of knights.
The corpses of the family guards.
The corpses of the mansion cook.
The corpses of maids.
And even my father's corpse.
My father was hanging from the chandelier in the reception room, like a butchered animal.
"Phew... I can't believe it was this much."
A monster with swollen, purple skin spoke.
"As expected of the head of one of the eight great Sword King family. The nickname 'United Sword' wasn't just for show."
The monster was covered in blood pouring from beneath the corpses.
Was that the one who killed my father?
"I almost died. I poured an entire Hundred-Year Poison on him... The Church's century-long plan almost went to waste."
"Elder."
"Hmm, you're back?"
"The cleanup is done. We should withdraw now."
The masked figure spoke.
Then the purple monster nudged my head with its blood-stained foot.
"What's this?"
"A sacrifice. Didn't the Vice-Leader order us to bring all children under 18?"
"Hmm, we already secured enough sacrifices from the village. Of course, more wouldn't hurt. But is this also a Granvelle?"
"It's the third son, Ray Granvelle."
"This scrawny thing? Weak physique for a Sword King descendant. And his aura is pathetic."
No way.
My aura isn't pathetic; it simply doesn't exist.
Of course, even if it did, I wouldn't have been able to withstand the potent poison that even my father couldn't overcome.
"Can he even be used as a sacrifice like this? He looks half-dead already?"
"If he dies, we can just discard him. I'm just following orders."
"We all are. Hmm... This one would probably be better off dying now, but..."
The monster's voice grew fainter.
I felt my vision spin wildly and groaned.
"Ugh..."
My consciousness faded.
The suffocating purple poison filling the mansion choked me.
How I wished I had the power to feel the meridians!
If I could have drawn on the power of the meridians to withstand the poison for even a moment, then at least I could have swung my sword before dying.
But I truly couldn't do anything.
All I could do was weakly close my eyes.
Eyes that surely wouldn't open again...
But they did.
"Ugh..."
My stomach churned, and my head felt like it was splitting.
How much time had passed?
I woke up in a dark, damp cave.
I felt a suffocating stench, high humidity, and death.
From my own body.
My body smelled of decay.
My entire body was paralyzed, unable to move.
I was dying.
If I had known this, I would have preferred not to regain consciousness.
"...Ray? Are you awake, Ray?"
Then, a friend's face emerged from the darkness.
"Ti..."
Tiber.
The son of Mr. Eberley, the mansion cook.
My friend, the same age as me, who loved food and cooking.
"Yeah, it's me. You recognize me. Oh, thank goodness. I really thought you were going to die like this."
Tiber smiled brightly.
His usually plump face had become half its size.
He wasn't this thin before.
How many days had passed for him to shrink so severely?
And where was this place?
Did everyone in the mansion die after all?
My mind was full of questions.
But I couldn't ask any of them.
My voice wouldn't come out.
"Ah..."
"Ray?"
"Ugh..."
Instead, tears flowed.
I'm sorry, Tiber.
I saw your father's body in the mansion.
I'm so sorry.
This tragedy happened because the Granvelle family couldn't withstand the enemy.
I'll apologize on their behalf.
But my voice wouldn't come out, so I couldn't confess anything.
"Hey, why are you suddenly crying? Don't cry. I want to cry too. Can't you speak? Hmm, did your throat give out? And your body isn't moving? You feel paralyzed?"
Nod, nod.
"Gasp, was that twitch just now a nod? You mean yes?"
Nod, nod.
"It's serious. But at least you're not dead, right? You were unconscious for three days and didn't move an inch. No, if you count the time we were dragged here, it's been over 7 days."
7 days?
It was strange.
How could a person survive 7 days without eating anything?
"Anyway, it's good that you're alive. It was worth force-feeding you water while you were unconscious. There's no food in this cave, but there's some water."
Tiber was the answer.
My only friend saved me.
"Tha..."
"Thank you? Nah, it's nothing. I should be the one thanking you. Thanks to you, I was popular, you know? When I said I was friends with a Young Master from the Granvelle family, it worked wonders anywhere in the village."
It wasn't that it "worked wonders"; the problem was that he literally ate too much.
Though now he'd lost a lot of weight.
"Anyway, you know we've been kidnapped, right?"
"Ugh..."
"Yeah. And by those awful Poison King bastards, too. Oh man, I only heard about it, but I never thought something like this would actually happen. We don't know what they'll do to us here. You have to be strong."
"Whe..."
"Where are we? Hmm..."
Tiber turned his head and looked behind him for a while.
"Actually, I don't know either."
"..."
"They blindfolded us on the way here. It's definitely far beyond the border, way up north. They dragged us deep into some mountain and threw us into a cave. But it's not just any cave; it's a poison cave."
"Po..."
"Poison cave. Even kids who were fine would get sick and collapse here. You can't see it, but there must be some kind of poison mist hanging around. That's why I'm not feeling so good either..."
"Get up! You frog bastards! Get up now!"
Suddenly, someone shouted and walked by.
"Here! Food! You stupid frogs! Eat it if you don't want to die! Even if you die, eat before you do!"
"Ugh..."
"Shh. Quiet. It's a Poison King subordinate."
Tiber covered me with his body and put a finger to his lips.
"If you stand out, they'll just kick you. They've already killed a few kids. Those damn subordinates!"
"Sub..."
"Yeah, subordinates. The strong-looking ones all pulled out on the first day. You know, those 'poison-humans' and 'poison-demons'? They were all cackling before they left, saying they destroyed the Granvelle family... Oops, my bad."
Tiber covered his mouth with his hand.
But I didn't feel particularly offended.
Because it was the truth.