I Pulled Out the Excalibur

Najin silently watched the stars that had divided the shattered sky into their own territories. The sky, like a broken window, with the mingling of daytime blue and the deep black of night, was eerie yet mysterious.

Those stars adorned that sky.

If Najin had seen this view without knowing anything, he might have found it breathtaking. However, he could not purely appreciate this otherworldly sky because the stars felt like someone’s eyes.

Dozens, hundreds of eyes.

Hundreds of gazes were fixed on him.

These were nothing like the looks from city adventurers or passersby. The gaze of these enormous beings conveyed a pressure, a sensation of being pierced. An unsettling feeling crept up Najin’s spine.

Clench.

Najin bit the tip of his tongue, the sharp taste of blood swirling in his mouth. Only then did he calm his breathing and escape the confusion. He still felt those stares, but now he could bear them.

-It’s only their gaze for now since we’re near the Boundary.

Merlin spoke calmly.

-The deeper we go, the more they can do. They might write messages before your eyes, whisper in your ears, or lay trials upon you. Things like that.

Near Camlann, they might even come up from the ground and wander around. Muttering this, Merlin glanced at Najin. Her gaze was more composed than usual.

-You haven’t forgotten what I told you, right?

“With everything you’ve said, I can’t be sure what you’re referring to.”

-Be confident in yourself. Believe in yourself.

Merlin pressed her fingertip against Najin’s heart. Even though what Najin saw was just an illusion and her finger never actually touched his heart, he still felt a warmth.

-There are countless things you need to know, but the most important thing is this: establish your own principles and act on what you believe is right.

Merlin shrugged.

-Don’t let those constellations manipulate you. It’s not that dangerous yet, though.

Najin slowly nodded.

With the gaze of the stars upon him, he moved deeper into the Outer Land. A completely new stage, a world where everything he knew no longer applied. A world where everything was unfamiliar.

-You.

Merlin’s voice echoed in Najin’s ear.

When he turned his head slightly, she was staring at him with a puzzled look.

-Why are you smiling?

Najin touched the corner of his mouth and let out a chuckle. Why was he smiling? There wasn’t much of a reason.

“It’s the same.”

What’s the same, Merlin asked, and Najin answered:

It was just like when he first left the Underground City. A new landscape, strange things, an endless place he had never seen. Najin didn’t mind this sense of expansion.

Thud.

Najin stepped forward with force, leaving his mark in the Outland.

The Outside, the Outland.

A place where stars watched from above, strange beings wandered around, and extraordinary events occurred daily, yet people still lived there.

A nation built near the Boundary.

Demon hunters who hunted demons.

The army and knights who stopped the monsters and demons from crossing the Boundary into human lands.

People of various backgrounds and factions. Where people could reach, and where people lived, they naturally gathered. After walking for a while, Najin arrived at a tavern.

It was a tavern, supply depot, inn, and guild.

Najin understood it as more of a “base,” solving every type of need under the guise of being just a tavern. Supplies piled high in the tavern were transported across the Outland by coachmen.

“They’re not horses, but monsters.”

Ordinary horses couldn’t function here, so only improved breeds or monsters drew the carriages. Watching this, Najin stepped into the tavern.

Creeeak. As he pushed open the door, everyone inside turned to Najin, as if to see who had entered. He looked back at them. A wide variety of people gathered in the tavern.

Knights clad in armor,

Mercenaries in light gear,

Hunters pulling out tools to fix.

Najin met their gaze. Their initial scrutiny turned into curiosity since he was a new face to them.

“Who’s this? A rookie?”

“It’s been a while.”

“Maybe someone new to the ranks.”

“To the Eastern Front? Man, that’s a tough place.”

“Could be a knight.”

“Nah, can’t be. No armor. Knights live for their armor crests. If not armor, at least greaves or shoulder guards.”

Ignoring Najin, they chattered among themselves. Their voices droned on as he walked to the tavern keeper and handed him some gold coins.

“I want to hunt wyverns. Can you tell me where to go?”

The keeper quietly looked at Najin, then took only two of the five coins and gave a brief reply.

“First time in the Outland?”

“Yes.”

“Hunting wild wyverns is easy, but finding them is the hard part. If you’re set on hunting wyverns, I could introduce you to a battlefield, but…”

The keeper scanned Najin up and down.

“I can’t recommend it.”

“May I ask why?”

“It’s a dangerous place, especially for a rookie like you. If you come back dead, it’d ruin my mood, and those guys will curse me.”

He smirked bitterly, pointing behind Najin. A group of men holding glasses walked up and set them down next to Najin.

“Keeper, you were going to suggest the Hodgkin Front, right? That’s where the wyvern squad frequently appears.”

“That’s right.”

“But he can’t go there. He’ll die for sure.”

“Hey, rookie. I don’t know what you’ve done inland, but starting on the battlefield isn’t a good idea. You don’t know the habits of the monsters here. It’s not easy.”

Their advice was genuine, not territorial. Listening carefully, Najin then pulled out a necklace from under his clothes and handed it to the keeper.

A White-rank badge.

Recognizing the badge, the keeper narrowed his eyes.

This badge indicated that Najin was a powerful Sword Seeker and highly experienced. Suspecting something, the keeper frowned and questioned Najin.

“Your name?”

“Najin.”

Upon hearing this, the keeper’s eyes widened, and one of the men who had joined in the conversation slowly tilted his head. He muttered “Najin” repeatedly before sighing.

“Najin… The youngest Sword Seeker?”

“Isn’t Sir Karan the youngest Sword Seeker?”

“You’re slow on the news. That record was broken a few weeks ago. Read the papers.”

“Broken? By how much?”

“Eighteen years old.”

“What?”

“Eighteen.”

The questioner fell silent.

The men who had joined in the conversation, along with the tavern patrons sipping their drinks, turned their gaze to Najin. Even if the Outer Land residents didn’t care about news from the continent, the youngest Sword Seeker was an exception.

It had been a major event that rocked the Empire, drawing the interest of all warriors.

“The Hodgkin Front. Can you introduce me?”

With an amused smile, the keeper brought out a few papers.

“So, you want to join our squad?”

The wyvern-hunting squad at the Hodgkin Front.

The squad leader, Gillet Reginfert, lit a cigarette as he studied the boy in front of him. Even though Sword Seekers maintained a youthful appearance, the boy still looked quite young.

“The youngest Sword Seeker, Najin.”

The keeper’s letter introduced this boy as the one who had stirred up the Empire recently. So, he didn’t just look young, he was young.

“What an honor. The Empire’s youngest Sword Seeker wants to join our squad. Why?”

“I want to experience hunting wyverns.”

“A clear reason. So, how many battles will you join?”

Najin nodded, and Gillet burst into laughter.

“An oddball. Coming to the Outer Land just to hunt wyverns and immediately signing up for the army.”

“I want to know how to bring down flying monsters, but there’s nothing suitable inland.”

“Nothing more thrilling than wyverns, that’s for sure.”

He muttered that he liked the clear purpose and signaled Najin to follow.

“If you’re not staying with us for years, I can’t teach you our techniques. You’ll probably head back in about ten days, right?”

Walking on, Gillet continued.

“This is a battlefield. It’s not the place to teach or babysit a rookie. I’ll show you, but don’t expect any special help.”

He flicked away his spent cigarette and glanced back at Najin.

“If you’re in the way, I’ll kick you out.”

He would only allow Najin to stand on the battlefield with them, but nothing more. At that moment, bells rang through the front. The wyvern squad had appeared. Gillet clicked his tongue.

“Great timing. Let’s go.”

The Demon King, ruler of demons.

Where there is a ruler, there is an army. The Wyvern Unit was one such force. And wherever an army appeared, it was, naturally, on the battlefield.

Clang, clang!

『Push forward!』

Crunch, crack.

『Aaaagh!』

『Push! Push them back!』

『Left wing, incoming from the left wing!』

The clashing of spears and swords. The loud roars echoed everywhere. The place Najin had reached with Gillet was nothing short of a battlefield. Soldiers maintained the frontline, while knights roamed between them.

『Wyverns! The Wyvern Unit is here!』

There, Najin also saw his target.

Shadows draped over the ground, the wyverns flying high above, ridden by demons. This was the Wyvern Unit, their military force.

Najin glanced to his side.

Alongside him stood the Wyvern Hunting Squad, led by Gillet. They were guerrilla fighters focused exclusively on handling the Wyvern Unit.

“We’re going.”

With a brief order, Gillet gestured.

In response, some members planted large ballistae into the ground, while others dragged chains with a metallic clink. Stakes were attached to the ends of the chains.

Najin watched them carefully.

After all, the reason he came was to learn how to hunt “flying targets,” and those who made a living hunting wyverns would make an excellent guide. Soon, the squad began moving one by one.

Thwump!

Najin didn’t focus on those starting to intercept with the ballistae. He focused instead on those with the chains. How would they hunt those flying targets in the distance without ranged weapons?

Unless a Sword Master, one couldn’t cut down a target dozens of meters away or bring down flying monsters. A swordsman who hadn’t transcended could only cut where the sword and sword aura could reach.

An insurmountable gap between them.

The gulf between the sky and the ground.

How could it be bridged?

Clink!

A soldier standing next to Gillet showed Najin the answer. He grabbed the chain and ran across the battlefield, twirling it. Then, he kicked off the ground with a mighty leap and hurled the chain high into the sky.

The stake flew swiftly and lodged itself into the wyvern’s hide, and he shot upward using the chain’s recoil. Wrapping the chain around him as he twisted in the air, the soldier ascended.

He wasn’t the only one.

Every soldier twirled their chains and started running across the battlefield. The unit’s mage focused not on the wyverns themselves, but on creating footholds for the soldiers to jump and leap from. Those manning the large ballistae anchored the chain-bound arrows into the cliffs.

They set up a web, like a net.

The soldiers began running along this web. Some dashed across the battlefield, while others raced across the chains firmly fixed to the cliffs. The only distinguishing feature among them was the stake and chain in their hands.

“Hey, rookie.”

Najin turned to see Gillet smirking at him, the commander of the Wyvern Hunting Squad. He tossed a chain stake to Najin.

“If you can’t unleash sword aura for dozens of meters, this chain stake is essential for hunting wyverns. You can borrow it.”

Gillet shrugged.

“But it takes at least a month of practice just to twirl the chain, so it’s not going to be—”

Before he could finish speaking, Najin brushed past him. Gillet bitterly smirked, thinking, “Charging in with all that enthusiasm, huh?”

‘It won’t be that easy.’

There was a reason the Wyvern Hunting Squad existed. Handling chain stakes wasn’t simple, and hitting a wyvern mid-flight was even harder.

Only soldiers who spent years mastering chain stakes could join this squad.

People said the youngest Sword Seeker had turned the Empire on its head, but a battlefield demanded not talent, but skill and quick decisions. Just charging in won’t cut it. Gillet was about to click his tongue when—

Clink, twirl.

Najin began spinning the chain stake. Gillet narrowed his eyes at that moment. He stopped spinning his own chain and stared intently at Najin.

The grip on the chain, the holding technique, the spinning speed, and the stake’s angle…

The more he examined these elements, the more he squinted. Something felt off. This boy was on the battlefield for the first time and had just received a chain stake, right?

So, what was that movement?

Every action was precise. Refined. Not like a rookie. The boy looked like a veteran who’d spent years with the Wyvern Squad. Was Gillet imagining things? But that thought quickly disappeared.

Thwack! Thwump!

Najin kicked off the ground and hurled the stake. It cut through the air and deeply pierced the wyvern’s belly. Najin then used the chain’s recoil to shoot upward. In the air, he twisted his body and wrapped the chain around himself, accelerating.

Every movement was flawless.

Even to Gillet, the commander, there was nothing wrong.

“Heh.”

Gillet Reginfert let out a hollow chuckle.

“Is he out of his mind?”