Swordsman Deikone...
The story begins 700 years ago when the Flynns invaded Earth. As this strange species appeared on the planet, humanity fell into chaos, believing they were under alien attack.
In an effort to calm the masses, world leaders convened and agreed on one thing: to form a unified global army to prepare for war against this alien invasion.
However, contrary to their expectations, the Flynns were not hostile to humans. They committed no offenses. In fact, they were peaceful, living in uninhabited areas, specifically Antarctica, in isolation and harmony. They behaved as though humans did not exist.
(Author's Note: Antarctica refers to the southern polar continent.)
But humanity's fear of the unknown prevented them from perceiving the Flynns as peaceful. After nearly five years of the Flynns' quiet occupation of Antarctica and the formation of the unified "Deikonel Army," humanity launched 100 nuclear missiles at the continent to exterminate the Flynns.
Yet, contrary to expectations, the Flynns were hardly affected. Well, not entirely unaffected—the bombs caused some casualties and significantly damaged their environment.
Of course, the Flynns could not overlook such an unprovoked attack. This assault marked the beginning of the war between humans and the Flynns.
"As the saying goes: 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. The instigator is always at fault.'"
Unlike humans, who relied on technology, the Flynns were creatures wielding magic.
Thus began the war, which came to be known as the "700-Year War."
You might wonder: how did humanity survive this war, given that the Flynns were so much stronger? A good question!
About three years after the war began, humans began to "awaken." Over time, these awakened individuals came to be known as "Heroes" due to their extraordinary powers, setting them apart from ordinary humans. Since humans of that era were obsessed with the concept of "superheroes," they adopted the term "Heroes" for these awakened beings.
But that wasn't the only change. Gates and monsters began to appear suddenly and invade the planet.
Thus, humanity spent 700 years in chaos. Nations fell and rose, continents were destroyed, and new ones emerged. Everything changed, even the name of the planet, which shifted from "Earth" to "Deikonel"—a nod to the unified army's name.
Humanity wanted to remember the pivotal event that altered their lives forever, so "Deikonel" became the fitting choice.
However, 18 years ago, the first peace treaty between humans and the Flynns was established.
Finally, after 700 years of scattered wars and endless skirmishes, both sides—exhausted—agreed to create a temporary peace treaty, naming it the "700-Year Accord."
At this historic moment, both Emperor Theodore of the Inca Empire and Emperor Lorden of the Flynns declared that the 700-Year War was nothing more than a misunderstanding.
Emperor Theodore admitted that humanity at the time was ignorant and assumed the Flynns had come to invade Earth, prompting them to attack first.
Meanwhile, Emperor Lorden conceded that the Flynns overreacted. From the start, they had no intention of conquering Earth. They were merely refugees seeking a new home after their own planet was destroyed.
Both claims were true, but neither fully trusted the other. Despite this lack of trust, the two sides established the first peace treaty.
During this fragile peace, the first hybrid child between a human and a Flynn was born. The treaty stipulated that as long as this child lived, the peace between the two races would remain intact and unbroken.
This child was none other than Harold Wellington, the son of Count Wellington, an SS-rank hero who had slain thousands of Flynns, and Princess Natalia Argelin, the sole princess of the Flynn Empire.
Of course, he would grow to become the main antagonist of "Swordsman Deikonel" and nearly lead both races to destruction.
Given his unusual parentage, Harold's hatred for both humans and Flynns made sense. Even Raelin (or now Kasper) thought his lineage was bizarre and doubted his family was ever truly loving.
Naturally, amid this chaos, the protagonist of "Swordsman Deikonel" was born to an ordinary, happy family and began his journey to save the world... blah blah blah. Kasper couldn't care less about the naive protagonist's story!
You might be wondering: why is he suddenly narrating events that happened centuries ago?
The answer is simple.
This ancient tale is from the story "Swordsman Deikonel," the very novel Kasper had been transported into!
"And now I'm about to raid a dungeon as part of an academic exam… with my favorite villain!"
Or rather, who was supposed to be his favorite villain. Let's underline "supposed to be" a hundred times because, as it turned out, Kasper's favorite villain was a lunatic he never wanted to meet in real life!
"I mean, who said I wanted to meet my favorite villain?! Sure, he's my favorite, but there's a limit to people's insanity! Who would want to meet someone who held a grudge against the world and wanted to destroy it?"
It was absurd!
Who in their right mind would want to meet a man who carried a notebook everywhere, jotting down the names of people he hated so he could seek revenge later?
Raelin (or Kasper now) admitted he was reckless, but if he made even the slightest mistake in front of his favorite villain, what if his name ended up at the top of that revenge list?
The villain was a grudge-holder, and to ensure no one was forgotten, he meticulously recorded names alongside their offenses, planning his vengeance for later.
"Ugh... Damn it! Damn it all! I don't want to die here! I want to go back to my world!"
Standing in the weapons hall, Kasper ranted, venting his frustration at being trapped in this world. Thankfully, no one was around to hear his hysterical outburst, or they might've thought he was crazy.
Now, he had to choose a weapon to take with him into the "Virtual Dungeon Raid" or whatever it was called. All the other students had already selected their weapons and were waiting for him to start the test.
"Also, what do you mean by 'choose a weapon'?! The only weapon I've ever held is a kitchen knife! And even then, I nearly cut my finger off from not paying attention. Now you're telling me to wield a sword and fight a monster? I'd probably stab myself by mistake before the monster could!"
"And the only creatures I've killed in my life were cockroaches and insects, using bug spray! And now I'm supposed to slay a monster with my bare hands?!"
Suddenly, another wave of frustration surged through him. At that moment, Kasper wished for the insane potions of this world to suppress his storm of erratic emotions. He didn't care about the pain or side effects; he desperately needed one.
After five minutes of cursing everything and everyone, Kasper calmed down. An idea struck him.
"Um... wasn't there something called a 'Status Window' in this world? Like a game screen showing one's stats?"
"S-Status," he muttered awkwardly, feeling foolish.
"Ugh, this is so embarrassing! I feel like a crazy person talking to myself… Thank God no one's here but me!"
Suddenly, a screen appeared before him:
[Status]
Name: Kasper Allen
Rank: E-
Strength: F
Speed: E
Agility: E-
Endurance: F-
Intelligence: G
Health: 8/10
Luck: F-
Mana Capacity: E
Magic: G+
[Swordsmanship Lv. 4]:
Upon progressing to the next level of sword comprehension, the user will find it easier to grasp previously difficult concepts.
---
Kasper observed the status screen with satisfaction, even surprised at his swordsmanship level. Perhaps he had surpassed the protagonist at the same age! If he recalled correctly, the protagonist had reached Level 3 Swordsmanship at 16, earning the title "Genius."
This led Kasper to wonder:
"Who is this Kasper Allen, anyway? Why wasn't he mentioned in the story? Could it be that he died before the novel started, which is why he was never included? And if I've taken over his body, does that mean he was already dead?"
"If that's true, then the real question is: who wanted him dead?"
Kasper was so lost in thought that he failed to notice the black bird watching him from afar…