I knelt in the scorched clearing, the Einsworth Family Saber still clutched in my trembling hand. The weight of it felt both foreign and familiar, as though my body was still adjusting to the connection that had been forced upon it. Steam continued to rise from my skin, and every breath I took felt heavy, laden with residual energy that hadn't fully dissipated.
'What just happened?'
The question echoed in my mind, but I had no answer. Everything had moved so fast. The system. The curse. The talent. The physique. And now this blade that hummed with ancient power in my grip.
I tried to stand, and my legs protested immediately. Every muscle in my body ached like I'd just run a marathon while carrying a boulder. The soul binding process had taken more out of me than I'd realized.
The translucent blue screen flickered back into existence before my eyes, and I flinched instinctively. More messages. More changes. What now?
[Analysis complete.]
[Due to successfully bonding with a Legendary-tier soul-bound weapon, you have awakened an additional title.]
[Title Acquired: Blade Born]
The text expanded, revealing details that made my exhausted mind struggle to keep up.
[Title: Blade Born]
[Rarity: Unique]
[Description: You have been acknowledged by a legendary weapon and survived the soul binding process. Your existence is now intertwined with the blade you carry. Where you go, it follows. What you feel, it feels. This connection transcends the normal bounds between wielder and weapon, creating a symbiotic relationship that will grow stronger with time.]
[Effects:]
[- Weapon resonance: Your mana and the blade's energy flow in harmony. All attacks made with your soul-bound weapon deal fifteen percent increased damage.]
[- Instinctive mastery: Your body inherently understands how to wield your soul-bound weapon. While you still require practice to master advanced techniques, basic forms and movements come naturally.]
[- Unbreakable bond: Your soul-bound weapon cannot be permanently separated from you. If lost or stolen, it will return to you within twenty-four hours. If destroyed, it will reform over time, though this process may take months or years depending on the severity of the damage.]
[- Weapon evolution: As you grow stronger, your soul-bound weapon grows with you. It will adapt to your fighting style, develop new properties, and potentially unlock hidden abilities sealed within it.]
[- Burden of the bonded: Should your soul-bound weapon be damaged, you will feel phantom pain proportional to the severity. Should it be destroyed completely, you will suffer severe soul damage that may take years to heal.]
I stared at the description, my mind churning through the implications. The benefits were obvious. Increased damage, instinctive skill, and a weapon that would literally come back from the dead. But that last effect gave me pause.
'If the blade is destroyed, I suffer soul damage? So my life is permanently tied to this thing now?'
There was no going back. The bond had been formed, sealed in that explosive release of energy that had scoured the clearing clean. For better or worse, the Einsworth Family Saber was now part of me.
The screen flickered again.
[System optimization complete.]
[All acquired titles, talents, and physiques have been fully integrated into your status.]
[You may now access your complete information using the status command.]
[To view your status, simply think the word "Status" with clear intent.]
Status command. Like a game menu. The thought should have been absurd, but after everything I'd experienced in the last hour, it barely registered as strange.
'Might as well see what I'm working with.'
I took a deep breath, steadying myself, and focused my thoughts.
'Status.'
Ding.
The familiar sound chimed in my head, and the screen before me transformed. The previous messages vanished, replaced by a structured layout that reminded me of character sheets from video games I vaguely remembered playing in my previous life.
[Status]
[Name: Kaine Einsworth]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 16]
[Title: Cursed and Unfortunate | Blade Born]
[Rank: Unranked]
[Talent: Chaos Element (Mythical) - 0/9 Basic Elements Awakened]
[Physique: Primordial Chaos Physique (Mythical)]
[Attributes:]
[Strength: 12]
[Agility: 14]
[Endurance: 11]
[Intelligence: 16]
[Wisdom: 13]
[Mana: 20]
[Luck: -5]
[Skills:]
[- Saber Arts (Basic) - Level 1: Fundamental techniques for wielding a saber-type weapon. Includes basic slashes, thrusts, and defensive maneuvers.]
[- Mana Circulation (Basic) - Level 1: The ability to circulate mana through your body's pathways. Essential for all magical practices and physical enhancement.]
[Equipment:]
[- Einsworth Family Saber (Legendary, Soul-Bound): A legendary blade passed down through the Einsworth family. Its true capabilities remain sealed, waiting to be unlocked by a worthy wielder.]
I read through the information twice, trying to process everything. Most of it made sense in a straightforward way. My name, race, and age were self-explanatory. The titles were the ones I'd just acquired. But several things stood out immediately.
'Rank: Unranked. What does that mean?'
As if responding to my question, new text appeared below the status screen.
[Ranking System Explanation:]
[All individuals in this world are categorized by rank based on their overall power level, mana capacity, and combat capability. The ranking system is as follows:]
[Unranked: Individuals who have not yet established their foundation or have negligible combat ability. Most civilians remain unranked throughout their lives.]
[Novice Rank: The first true rank for combatants. Individuals who have begun formal training and can handle basic threats.]
[Apprentice Rank: Intermediate practitioners who have developed their skills and can face moderate dangers.]
[Expert Rank: Skilled warriors and mages who have mastered their chosen path. Capable of defeating powerful beasts and holding positions of authority.]
[Master Rank: Elite individuals who stand above common experts. They can single-handedly change the tide of battles.]
[Grandmaster Rank: Peak existences who approach the limits of mortal capability. Each grandmaster is a strategic asset to their nation.]
[Legendary Rank: Those who have transcended mortal limits and touched upon concepts beyond normal comprehension. Legendary figures appear once in a generation, if that.]
[Mythical Rank: ???]
[Requirements for ranking up vary by individual but generally require sufficient mana level, attribute thresholds, and overall combat prowess.]
The explanation faded, and I focused back on my status screen. I was unranked. Basically a nobody in terms of power. That made sense given that Kaine had abandoned his training months ago and had spent his time indulging in self-destructive behavior.
'But I have a mythical-tier talent and physique. That should count for something, right?'
Potential. That's what I had. Raw, unrealized potential. But potential meant nothing if I couldn't survive long enough to develop it.
My eyes drifted to one particular attribute that made my stomach sink.
'Luck: negative five. Is that because of the curse?'
It had to be. The Cursed and Unfortunate title was already affecting my stats. Negative luck. That would explain why monsters would be more aggressive, why people would instinctively dislike me. The universe itself was literally stacked against me.
'Perfect. Just perfect.'
I dismissed the status screen with a thought, and it vanished, leaving me alone with my thoughts in the ruined clearing. The adrenaline that had been sustaining me was fading fast, and exhaustion was creeping in to take its place.
I needed to think. Needed to plan. But first, I needed to deal with the immediate situation.
The golden fruit.
It lay in the grass several feet away, still glowing softly despite having fallen from the tree. The system had mentioned it was supposed to enhance mana capacity significantly. After everything that had happened, I'd almost forgotten about it.
I pushed myself to my feet, ignoring the protests from my aching muscles, and walked over to where the fruit had rolled. Up close, it was even more beautiful than I'd realized. Perfectly round, about the size of an apple, with skin that seemed to shimmer with inner light. It felt warm to the touch, and I could sense the mana contained within it.
'This is what the trial was supposed to be about. Retrieving this fruit. But the real prize was always the saber.'
I tucked the fruit into the inner pocket of my coat. It might come in handy later, though given everything else I'd gained tonight, it almost felt redundant.
A sound behind me made me turn sharply, my hand instinctively tightening on the saber's hilt.
The ground where Abel's body lay was moving.
Not shaking. Not trembling. Moving. The earth itself seemed to flow like water, rippling and shifting. I watched in horrified fascination as the soil rose up around Abel's corpse, forming tendrils that wrapped around his limbs, his torso, his head.
"What the—"
The tendrils pulled downward, and Abel's body sank into the earth as though being swallowed by quicksand. Within seconds, he'd disappeared completely, the ground closing over him like a wound sealing itself.
The clearing fell silent.
I stood frozen, my mind struggling to process what I'd just witnessed. The forest had taken him. The Saber Garden had claimed its sacrifice.
'Blood for blood. For blood sealed it, and blood shall unseal it.'
The system's message echoed in my memory. This place had wanted hero's blood. It had received it. And now it was... what? Absorbing Abel's remains? Using them to reseal whatever barrier had kept the saber hidden for over a century?
I didn't know. Couldn't know. And frankly, I wasn't sure I wanted to know.
All I knew was that the evidence of my crime had just vanished into the earth, leaving no trace that my brother had ever been here.
'Is that better or worse? If they find no body, will they assume he's still alive somewhere? Or will they blame me anyway?'
The questions swirled, but I had no answers. My exhausted mind couldn't handle much more analysis.
As if on cue, a wave of fatigue crashed over me so suddenly and completely that my knees buckled. I caught myself with the saber, using it like a cane to keep from falling flat on my face.
'So tired. Why am I so tired?'
The soul binding. The energy that had flooded my body. The transformation of my talent and physique. All of it had taken a toll that my body was only now making me aware of.
I needed to sleep. Needed to rest. But sleeping here, in this clearing, in this forest that had just demonstrated its ability to manipulate earth and consume corpses?
'Bad idea. Very bad idea.'
But my body wasn't listening to logic anymore. The exhaustion was overwhelming, dragging me down like an anchor tied to my ankles. My vision blurred at the edges. My thoughts became sluggish, disconnected.
I stumbled toward the edge of the clearing, making it about ten steps before my legs gave out entirely. I collapsed against the trunk of a large tree, the saber still clutched in my hand, and felt consciousness slipping away.
'Just... five minutes. Just need... five...'
Darkness claimed me.