LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Prologue
The Lehatt Mountain Range, located in the north of the Cracian Continent.
A young man stood on the steep mountainside, gripping a sword.
At a glance, he was undeniably handsome.
His solid build, barely concealed by his clothing, along with thick eyebrows, sharp nose, and chiseled jawline, made him resemble a sculpture.
His black eyes, staring straight ahead, evoked images of obsidian, and his gaze was as striking as his appearance.
However, that was where it ended.
The young man’s complexion was poor, and his eyes were extremely dull.
His attire was in shambles—his clothes were torn, revealing bare skin in various places, with numerous large and small wounds etched across his body.
Moreover, his black hair, which barely reached his shoulders, was unkempt and greasy.
‘I won’t last much longer.’
The young man, Martin Adalbert could sense his impending demise.
For the past ten days, he had been fighting and fleeing repeatedly.
He had struggled desperately to survive, but in the end, he had reached his limit.
It was now difficult for him to even stand.
Yet, he forced himself to stay upright.
He didn’t want to show weakness, especially not in front of his enemy.
“You’ve got some guts, Kalain, to appear before me so confidently.”
“We were friends once, weren’t we? It’s only proper to witness your final moments.”
The red-haired young man, Kalain Gustin smiled.
It was a clear sneer.
Martin ground his teeth at the sight.
They had been close since childhood.
More than 20 years had passed, but Kalain had betrayed him without hesitation.
“And there’s something I must say to you. Really, thank you, Martin. Because of you, I was able to fulfill my family’s long-held wish.”
“…A wish?”
“Our family has pursued independence for a long time. We simply lacked the courage to act on it. After all, the Adalbert family is the strongest of the three great noble houses, right? Attempting independence recklessly would’ve led to the destruction of our family.”
“It would’ve been better if you’d left it as just a dream.”
“That was the plan, originally. But then, an unexpected opportunity arose.”
Kalain’s smile deepened.
On the other hand, Martin’s face grew even colder.
“The former head of the Adalbert family didn’t deserve the position. He lacked the most important quality—power. But the one who truly sealed the deal was you, Martin.”
“…”
“You, the only direct descendant of the Adalbert family, were defective. What better opportunity could we have asked for? Watching you fail to awaken your unique ability, we decided not just to become independent, but to take over the Adalbert family.”
“So that’s how it was… But why did you act so late? You could’ve moved when I was demoted to a commoner, like the other branch families.”
“Come on. Only amateurs act so obviously. Look at those who betrayed you first, like the other two great families. They lost all support and couldn’t rally anyone else. But we were different.”
As Kalain said, the Gustin family didn’t betray him immediately.
Though not as supportive as the Igreet family, who accepted Martin after his demotion, the Gustins treated him favorably.
Kalain himself had even stayed with the Igreet family, spending time with Martin.
And when Martin raised a new force, Kalain quickly joined and added his strength.
“You stayed with the Igreet family for two years just to monitor me.”
“That’s right. Sometimes, defects get fixed later in life, don’t they? We had to be prepared for that.”
“Thorough.”
“When the chance comes to fulfill a centuries-old wish, you have to move carefully. Thankfully, everything went our way. Now, all that’s left is to deal with you, who’s been labeled a traitor.”
“You sure can talk after framing me so easily. Though, I guess I’m pathetic for falling for it.”
“There’s no need to blame yourself, Martin. In fact, you should feel proud. Even after losing everything, you’ve come this far. That’s quite an achievement.”
Kalain snapped his fingers.
In that instant—
Flash!
A massive magic circle appeared in the sky.
The light pouring from the magic circle spread out, forming a cubic barrier.
Martin’s escape route was now completely blocked.
And that wasn’t all.
Rumble!
Another magic circle appeared on the ground, and as space began to split, dark cracks emerged everywhere.
From those cracks, knights clad in armor and mages in robes stepped out one after another.
The armor bore the symbol of a red dragon, and the robes were adorned with the mark of a red moon. Together, they numbered over 200.
“The Red Dragon Knights and the Red Moon Mage Battalion… Seems like an awful lot to bring for someone who’s terminally ill, don’t you think?”
The forces assembled were enough to raze a small city.
Such a powerful group had gathered to capture a single man.
“Who would dare consider one of the top ten swordsmen in the empire a mere patient? Even though your illness has flared up and you’re weakened by hunger and fatigue, no one will underestimate you, Martin.”
“You’re as persistent as ever.”
“Thanks for the compliment. Everyone, prepare to attack. The Sword Saint hunt begins now.”
Kalain gave the order.
The knights all pointed their weapons at Martin, and a dazzling array of auras lit up the air. The mages raised their staffs, ready to unleash their spells at a moment’s notice.
‘I may die, but at least I won’t be alone.’
The thought of taking others with him gave him some comfort.
Of course, Kalain would have to go first. That would soothe the souls of those who had died for him.
Humming.
Focusing on his enemies, Martin gathered his mana.
In that moment, a wave of excruciating pain crashed over him.
His organs felt like they were about to burst, his muscles and nerves shredded. The illness that had plagued him for 25 years had completely taken over his body.
“Now! Attack!”
Spotting an opening, Kalain immediately gave the command.
The mages launched their spells in response.
“Inferno!”
“Flame Cannon!”
A barrage of flame-based magic surged toward Martin.
Gritting his teeth, Martin swung his sword with all his strength.
Slash!
A brilliant golden light erupted, and a pitch-black fissure appeared in midair.
The fissure, with immense suction power, swallowed the oncoming firestorm whole.
And that wasn’t the end.
The fissure grew larger, greedily devouring everything in its path.
Kyaaaak!
Aaaah!
In the blink of an eye, more than ten people were sucked into the rift and perished without leaving a trace.
“You’re struggling just to stand, yet you still have this much strength left….”
“It’s true what they said, that you could have become the strongest in the empire if it weren’t for your illness.”
Fear appeared on the faces of both knights and mages alike.
Once again, they realized who they were up against.
“Martin Adalbert” the Sword Saint.
A man cursed with an illness that prevented him from manifesting his unique ability for a long time—a wretched soul, born weak and unable to fully utilize his overwhelming talent.
He overcame all those terrible odds and manifested his unique ability at the age of 20.
Even that alone was absurd, but he kept growing stronger, unsatisfied with just that.
By the time he was 23, he had become one of the top ten strongest individuals in the empire, and in terms of pure swordsmanship, he was regarded as the greatest genius, the strongest in the empire.
Now, the knights and mages were consumed by terror, knowing that such a man was burning the last remnants of his life to fight.
“Don’t be afraid! The Sword Saint is just a human!”
Kalain, frowning, shouted urgently.
But the morale that had fallen showed no signs of recovery.
“Have you forgotten what the Lord, my father, said? Whoever cuts down this traitor will be granted land and a title!”
Kalain’s shout changed the expressions of the knights and mages.
Greed suppressed their fear.
The knights reinforced their bodies with mana, while the mages began chanting spells, ready to launch them at any moment.
Whoosh!
The knights were the first to move.
More than 80 of them rushed at Martin with an overwhelming force, aiming to crush him.
However, without blinking an eye, Martin swung his sword horizontally, and a golden arc flew through the air like a whip.
Guh!
Aaaah!
With agonizing screams, the leading knights were all blown away.
Those who barely survived hurriedly swung their swords, releasing aura attacks or using their unique abilities.
The mages also unleashed a barrage of magic and attacks using their unique powers.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Though they tried to block him, it was impossible to defend against everything. So, Martin only focused on deflecting fatal attacks as he advanced.
In the process, his already severe wounds tore open further, and blood poured out, staining his entire body red.
Yet, Martin’s steps showed no signs of stopping. The enemies rushed at him, but they were the ones who kept collapsing.
‘I’ll admit, your mental strength is formidable, Martin. But this is your limit. No matter how amazing you are, you can’t last long with wounds like that.’
Even while watching Martin’s fierce battle, Kalain remained calm.
He could feel Martin’s strength weakening rapidly.
No matter how well he fought, the outcome was clear. Time would eventually wear him down, and he would crumble in defeat.
‘The moment he’s exhausted, I’ll kill him with my own hands.’
The Adalbert family once commanded five branch families, but now only the Gustin family remained strong.
If Martin died here, Kalain could claim everything the Adalbert family had once possessed—the most prestigious name in the empire.
And so, Kalain waited patiently.
Until Martin collapsed from exhaustion.
But Martin did not move as Kalain had expected. Despite his dying body, he fought like a madman, cutting down half of Kalain’s forces in just ten minutes.
Guh!
However, as a human, Martin eventually reached his limit.
Dizzy, Martin let out a groan. For a brief moment, he staggered.
“Now!”
One of the knights seized the opening and quickly closed the distance. With all his might, he swung his sword.
Slice!
Martin’s left arm was severed and fell to the ground.
Guh!
The excruciating pain overwhelmed him.
But without panicking, Martin flicked his severed arm.
Blood sprayed, blinding the knight who had struck him. Instinctively, the knight recoiled.
Martin seized the opportunity and swung his sword.
In an instant, the blade arced through the air and decapitated the knight. Ignoring the falling corpse, Martin turned his gaze toward Kalain.
“You’re still the same coward, Kalain. You’ve always been like that—pretending to be cautious but never stepping up at the crucial moment. That’s why, despite your power, your achievements are so pitiful.”
“Your taunts are weak.”
“I’m just stating the facts.”
Martin replied with a sneer.
“You’ve never once beaten me in swordsmanship, even when we were kids. You didn’t have a unique ability, and despite my illness, you couldn’t defeat me.”
“…”
“And look at you now. You call yourself a leader, but you stand there watching as your subordinates die. Can you really say I’m wrong? Let me be honest. You’re not fit to stand above others. You’re just a coward.”
Kalain’s eyebrow twitched.
He wasn’t falling for the provocation.
He hadn’t neglected his mental training enough to be swayed by cheap taunts like that.
The problem was the looks in his subordinates’ eyes.
Though they said nothing, they stared at him intently, their dissatisfaction written all over their faces.
‘Damn it!’
Clench.
Cursing inwardly, Kalain clenched his fists.
As the sole heir of the Gustin family, he couldn’t afford to show weakness to his subordinates.
‘He’s exhausted. He only has one arm left. There’s nothing to fear. I just need to finish him quickly.’
Having reached his conclusion, Kalain pushed off the ground.
With that simple movement, his figure vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Martin, his fist enveloped in a red flash.
It was a devastating strike.
Strong enough to tear through space itself.
Martin tried to block it, but his right arm wouldn’t move properly. His legs also gave out from the immense pain.
Crunch.
At last, Kalain’s fist pierced through Martin’s chest.
He could clearly feel his flesh and muscles tearing, his bones breaking.
‘Got him!’
Just as Kalain felt a thrill of victory—
“And that’s why you’re always treated like a fool, Kalain Gustin. You should have aimed for the heart or the neck. Like I did.”
Martin sneered.
“What…?”
Kalain couldn’t finish his sentence.
Because Martin’s sword had severed his neck.
As blood spurted from the wound, Kalain’s body collapsed to the ground.
“Wait for me on the other side. I’ll be following soon.”
Martin turned his body.
The remaining enemies were charging toward him.
But now, he truly had no strength left.
‘I’m not afraid of death itself, but….’
He had faced death ever since he could remember.
People around him were always preparing for his death, and every healer he met warned him that he wouldn’t live past 20, no matter how long he endured.
In that sense, he was fortunate.
Not only had he reached 20, but he’d managed to live five more years. In the process, he had earned the overblown title of Sword Saint.
But that wasn’t enough.
1,000 years.
The Adalbert family had been with the Altaria Empire since its inception.
How could he accept the miserable fact that such a prestigious house would meet its end during his time?
‘If I could have one more chance….’
Martin smiled bitterly.
He knew such wishes were pointless.
Still, what was the harm in making one final wish before he died?
A moment later, darkness engulfed him.