Destruction Saga.
Before I entered this damn world, I was an ordinary person who could be found anywhere. Except for the fact that I was abandoned in front of an orphanage without even knowing my parents’ faces, I was just an average person.
‘Um… Since quitting my job, I’ve become a bit of a recluse, spending my days playing games at home. Maybe I’m not quite as ordinary as before.’
Anyway.
I’m a guy who hasn’t properly thrown a punch since middle school. And yet, here I was hitting people without any hesitation.
“Die!”
Swish—
A blood-stained bat narrowly missed my face as it passed by.
As I stepped back and swung my sword, there was a crunching sound, and one of the soldiers with broken teeth collapsed to the ground.
“So this is how it works.”
The reason I could overwhelm them, despite never having wielded a sword in my life, was simple: I had reached a grade of 1 star and unlocked the ability [Genius of Battle] .
‘So this is what it feels like in reality.’
But when this is implemented in reality, the body naturally moves as if it had known the optimal way to fight from the beginning.
Skillful dodges and attacks flow seamlessly as if I’ve been fighting on the battlefield all my life.
“You bastard!”
In the blink of an eye, two opponents fall. The bewildered rat, now fully alert, charges forward, his aggression fierce.
As the rat lunges, I sidestep, planting a foot in the assailant’s abdomen. The fallen figure crumples like a severed doll, revealing something inside its belly.
“Hey, isn’t that the Vice leader who used to be a mercenary?”
The other soldiers, who moments ago were confident, now hesitate. Fear creeps onto their faces.
“Is he using mana?”
“No. Look closely. His arm is adorned with a bracelet.”
“So he defeated the battalion commander without even using mana?”
“Who knows? Damn it… We might be screwed.”
The once-confident soldiers lose their composure, some even lowering their weapons.
“Retreat! That pig will kill us if it’s not Buta.”
The deputy leader, who had stayed out of combat until now, rises slowly, his massive frame reminiscent of a fortress gate. His protruding belly feels as solid as a rock.
“Why is he so huge?”
Despite merely standing up, the room seems to shrink around him. His height likely exceeds 2 meters.
“Back off. That pig is faster and stronger than you think. Without Buta, we can’t face him. Everyone, retreat!”
The soldiers step back as Buta, with a slight stutter, gestures for them to withdraw. Once they’ve all retreated, Buta takes a step forward.
But I’ve said everything I needed to say to Vulcan. I won’t cower or shrink at this level of threat.
“Who are you calling a piglet?”
“You are. Unlike you, who’s just a piglet, Buta isn’t fat but muscle.”
Buta stammers heavily.
The guy clutching the bat placed in a corner glares at me.
A tingling sensation runs through my body. A strange heat starts from my chest and spreads throughout my body.
“Are you the strongest one here?”
“Well, yeah. Not that it’ll ever happen, but if you defeat Buta, you’ll be the leader of a 5 trillion gang.”
“I don’t want to be a leader. Just come in.”
With a flick of his finger, Buta, who tightly holds the bat, walks past the frightened soldiers.
“Buta will kill you, you naughty pig.”
“The naughty ones are you guys. Why me…”
“Enough noise. Go.”
Buta abruptly interrupts me, and I smirk at him.
“Go ahead if you can.”
Wooong—
Instinctively, I parry the bat flying toward me, just as it enters the guy’s range.
Suddenly, a chill runs down my spine.
Beep beep beep—
The warning sound from my ability sharply pierces my ears.
“Damn it.”
Reflexively, I roll out of the way, and Buta’s bat slams into the spot where I was standing.
Kwaaaang!
The impact is so powerful that it feels like the entire building shakes.
Seeing the bat embedded in the floor, about a hand’s depth deep, I swallow nervously.
“He didn’t even use mana… Why are there ignorant idiots like this?”
If I hadn’t deflected that blow just now, my head would have been smashed along with the bat.
That’s innate courage.
But when it comes to sheer physical strength, I wouldn’t be significantly inferior to most senior knights.
“Buta is the strongest man in the village. Even without mana, Buta is stronger than a pig.”
“How hard has this pig been working for the past month, calling me a pig over and over again?”
“Whether it’s been a month or ten months, I don’t know. The fact remains that you’re a pig.”
“…”
That’s true.
Despite his appearance, the logical guy looks at me intently. As Buta pulls out the deeply embedded bat, he adjusts his posture.
“Enough. The wretched pig that came to torment our good soldiers should just die.”
“So, who’s tormenting whom…”
“Noisy. Pig.”
Buta, who casually disregards my words, tightens his grip on the bat. His eyes change. It seems he’s seriously considering killing me.
He may lack special techniques, but the difference in strength is so vast that deflecting his attack would be suicidal.
‘If I fully unleash my abilities, I might be able to kill him…‘
As I ponder, I raise my head.
Since the moment I inhabited Jin Aster’s body until now, I’ve been prepared to commit murder if necessary. This world, with demons and monsters, isn’t a place where you survive with a soft-hearted attitude of “never kill.”
‘But not now.‘
Killing a fellow comrade from the same group on the first day might complicate things later.
‘Besides, these guys—except for Moose and Buta—aren’t accustomed to killing.’
The hesitation in the soldiers’ movements when they were attacking me a little while ago wasn’t just because I’m significantly stronger than them. There’s another reason: fear of killing.
The innate fear that wielding their weapons could lead to someone’s death.
‘This place is probably where sinners gather… Buta and Moose aside, most of these guys haven’t killed anyone. Why do they keep calling me a bad guy? Is there something I don’t know?’
After deciding to subdue Buta for the time being and determine their fate later, I lowered the sword I held in my hand.
“Giving up already, pig?”
“As if.”
The reason I discarded the only weapon, the sword, was simple: I didn’t trust myself to use the blade without accidentally killing him.
‘At least I should disarm him of one arm. If he sustains that level of injury in this dire place… he’ll likely die.’
Although the difficulty would increase significantly, it wasn’t impossible. My newly unlocked ability, [Battle Genius], assured me of that.
Swish—
As I charged forward, fist clenched instead of the sword, Buta, taken aback by my sudden move, swung the bat wildly.
“What are you doing?”
“Well, consider it a favor. I saved your life today.”
Activating my ability, I slid into his range and simultaneously twisted his waist backward.
With a whoosh, the wind brushed past my nose as I deftly entered his personal space.
Even though I was the one executing the move, it felt like a cunning maneuver. Buta’s surprised expression seemed to play out in slow motion.
‘Originally, I should have ended it here. But with my current weakened body, it’ll be tough.’
As I reached into my pocket, the exposed area was Buta’s abdomen. With just my bare fist, I couldn’t penetrate the thick layer of fat.
‘That leaves only one vulnerable spot…’
Slightly exaggerating, the only remaining target was Buta’s head, positioned about as high as a basketball hoop.
In my mind, I silently apologized to Buta, even though we were both men.
‘Sorry, but… there seems to be no other option right now.’
As I completed my thought, my knee struck Buta’s groin with force.
Thunk!
A bone-chilling cracking sound echoed between his legs.
Buta, wincing in pain, bent over.
The agony from the low blow was evident, and he dropped the bat along with the intense discomfort.
Although I had achieved this, I knew it was a risky move. Buta’s expression showed both surprise and pain.
“Gotcha.”
Thud—
I grabbed Buta’s hair, which had dropped to eye level, and with all my strength, I struck his chin using the hard part of my palm.
This move was an imitation of the basic technique used by warriors, called “jangta” (掌打), which targets the vulnerable area of the jaw.
Although I hadn’t mastered the technique properly, its impact was significant.
“Cow… coward…”
Buta staggered, seemingly suffering from a mild concussion, unable to steady himself. It was a chance I couldn’t miss.
Turning behind the suffering Buta, I crossed my arms in an X shape and vigorously squeezed his neck.
It was what they called a rear naked choke.
“Grrrrrr…”
Shortly after, Buta, now frothing at the mouth, collapsed forward, defeated.
With Buta, their leader, now on the ground, the situation resolved surprisingly easily.
Despite the commotion, no one outside paid attention or tried to stop us.
‘Seems like a common occurrence.’
After setting Buta aside, unconscious, I turned to face the trembling rat, who was still on their knees.
“Speak up. Why did you suddenly try to kill me?”
“It’s our traditional initiation ceremony.”
“Even if it’s a ceremony, trying to kill someone during a simple initiation?”
“We were just trying to scare you; we never intended to kill you.”
“I saw you thrusting a knife where I was standing. Seriously?”
“That’s true.”
The rat hesitated, their mouth still stained with dirt.
“Hurry up and talk.”
As I raised my fist towards him, the rat, cowering like a reed, quickly opened his mouth.
“Actually, it’s a pig…”
“I’ll kill you if you call me a pig.”
“No, we thought you came to kill us too.”
“‘too’? Has this happened often?”
At the incomprehensible sound, the mouse, glancing at the fainted Buta, continued.
“Like you, our 5th team is all guys who have sinned against the nobility, unlike other teams.”
“Is that so?”
“But aren’t you one of us?”
“Well, now that I think about it, you’re right.”
Strictly speaking, not only nobles but almost everyone on the continent has committed some wrongdoing.
“Anyway, what does this have to do with the initiation ceremony? Wait, are those noble folks sending disguised assassins?”
“Not ‘folks,’ just one person.”
“Who is it?”
In response to my question, the rat lowered their voice, scanning the surroundings.
“It’s Jin Aster, the second son of the Meteor Sword Clan. Strangely, he shares the same name as you… Wait, could it be?”
The rat looked pale and scrutinized my face.
Then, with a relieved sigh, they wiped their chest.
“Never mind. I must have mistaken it because his name and appearance are somewhat similar to yours. He’s not as strong as you, sir.”
“Is that so?”
“Also, outwardly, while you’re a bit on the plump side, that demon guy looks hideous—his eyes are bloodshot. I’ve never seen someone so grotesque. He’s downright ugly. Compared to him, both Buta and I would look like angels… Ouch! Why did you hit me?”
After I punched them in frustration, the rat, holding their swollen lip, complained.
“…Enough about appearances. Tell me what happened.”
“Well, you see, Buta and I were childhood friends. He had a younger sister who was two years younger…”
And so the story went on.
Me in the past.
So, Jin Aster, a total loser, happened to visit a village and harbored ill feelings for Buta’s younger sister, but was rejected outright.
This hurt Jin Aster’s pride, and he tried to forcibly take Buta’s younger sister by ordering his soldiers.
“Ah shit…crazy bastard.”
“I think so too. Jin Aster is a real piece of trash. He tried to take away the only remaining family member of Buta, who had already lost his parents to monsters…”
Why is the embarrassment mine to bear?
As I was listening to the story, I unknowingly tore at my hair, and the rat, who had been quietly observing the reaction, started cursing excitedly.
“Are you angry too, brother? A bastard worse than a dog. A bastard who will fall into hell. A bastard who deserves to be eaten by the monsters of hell all day…Ugh! Why are you hitting me again?”
“Enough. So what did you do?”
The rat, who was holding his swollen head, continued the story with tears in his eyes.
“After breaking the head of the soldier who was trying to take Buta’s younger sister, we tried to escape to the Kingdom of Sung, where the hand of the Meteor Swordsmen could not reach. If we could cross the border, we thought we could live.”
“Looking at you here, it seems like you failed?”
“…You’re quicker than you look. Damn it. That’s why we ended up like this.”
Somehow, they managed to get Buta’s younger sister to safety, but Buta and the rat, who were luring the soldiers near the border, were eventually caught.
“The problem is that he seems to hold a grudge, and through his subordinates, he bribed the new soldiers assigned to the 5th unit and is trying to kill us. The ones left in the 5th unit are trustworthy guys who have nothing to do with that bastard.”
“Damn bastard.”
“How can someone wearing a human skin do such a thing…”
“He has no conscience. He will be punished!”
“Just let me meet him. Even though I’m old and sick, taking down a pig bastard like him is no big deal!”
When the rat’s story ended, criticisms towards me in the past erupted from all around.
‘…’
Apparently, the past me was more of a trash than I had expected.
‘Damn bastard.’
My face turned red for no reason.
Back then, I swore that if I ever met the original owner of this body, I’d beat them to a pulp until the brink of death, though such an event seemed unlikely.
Ding ding ding ding ding –
A loud bell ringing shook the entire building.
“It’s a demon! The barrier has been breached, a demon has appeared!”
