I Obtained Sword God Level Talent

1 – 001. Sword God (1)

They say humans are creatures of adaptation. Never has that felt so distant as it does today.

“Cough!”

“Hey, Frey. You alright?”

A dry cough escaped me.

The cause was obvious as day. A stench that pierced the nose, a vile environment.

The middle-aged man wore a worried expression.

I slowly shook my head.

“I’m fine.”

“Don’t push yourself.”

“…Yes.”

Hans, the middle-aged man I’d met in this filthy prison, sighed softly.

“It’s important not to lose hope. The rescue team will be here soon.”

Hans held out a rice ball. A rice ball with not an ounce of human consideration. Not even as a joke, did it look appetizing.

*Grumble!*

“Damn it.”

A bodily response contrary to my thoughts. Frustration surged, and I, who had been slumped down, buried my face in my knees.

Three days have passed since waking up in an unknown world, an unknown space.

From the first day till now, it’s been a string of incomprehensible events.

I’d woken up in a prison. The crude bars of the window and the inner walls made of woven wood and the like looked far from sturdy.

The problem is, I didn’t even have the strength to escape that shoddy prison. No, to be exact, I didn’t know how to use my strength, perhaps.

“Damn game.”

“What was that?”

“…It’s nothing, so you eat it, Hans-ajussi.”

At my meaningless mutterings, Hans immediately cast a worried glance my way.

Whether he did or not, I stayed face-planted, thinking.

‘I’m not crazy.’

I’d accurately grasped the situation over the past few days.

This isn’t modern Earth. I pictured the orcs who came to check the prison once a day. Anyone with a shred of sanity would realize this place isn’t modern Earth.

‘Silvering? One thing’s for sure, this is a world I don’t know.’

According to Hans, who explained why he was captured and what the orcs wanted…

‘This is a world within a game. I’m a newbie mercenary who was captured after going on a subjugation.’

Thump!

Still face down, I slammed my fist against the prison wall. Tearfully, the throbbing hand confirmed the current reality. What good is being the owner of a ranker’s symbol, the Conqueror title?

I can’t even get out of this damn prison.

Slowly, I lifted my head and scanned my surroundings.

Just three days ago, there were a few more guys in the prison. But those damn orcs took them away.

Thanks to that, only a few people remained in the prison, trembling with fear.

‘They said they were taken to the processing plant.’

The processing plant.

I recalled the words the guys I was imprisoned with had shared. I pieced the given information together.

“Meat processing plant.”

That brought a rather terrifying fact to mind.

As I remembered it, orcs ate meat. The problem was, they didn’t eat ordinary livestock, but the meat of all living, moving creatures.

Is that why…?

Orcs kidnapped other races. It’s their way of enjoying meat in its freshest form.

‘Absolutely not.’

My body instinctively shuddered.

I remembered one orc who’d scanned the prisoners with greedy eyes this morning. The b*stard seemed to like the looks of me, smacking his lips.

“Escape.”

The word felt foreign on my tongue.

Better to attempt an escape than to just be prey for the orcs here.

I racked my memory, going back to my actions in front of the computer.

Traits.

The character I created had countless traits added, all with overwhelming power.

Okay, here’s the translation, aiming to keep that raw and immersive feel:

Just then…

The game started and I immediately blacked out. Lucky or unlucky, I became that character. It was a judgment call I made, already benefiting from the “Calm” trait on day one.

And that meant, it could unleash a power even stronger than I’d anticipated.

‘Hand-to-hand combat is dangerous. For safety, I need a weapon, a sword.’

Faced with the threat, I decided to struggle for survival.

Most of the traits I’d added were mythic-grade, belonging to the powerful Silver Ring NPCs, the Transcendent Ones.

A prime example, ＜Sword Saint＞ – literally a trait that pushes sword talent to its absolute limit.

The problem: I didn’t have a sword. Most of my positive traits also leaned into the “late-game carry” concept for the build.

“Taking a gamble in this situation is too dangerous.”

It wasn’t that I hadn’t considered escaping with my bare hands. The problem was that my opponents were orcs.

Orcs were roughly around level 10 monsters. Though it wasn’t visible, I knew I probably had a level 1 over my head right now.

Orcs were strong.

Even as their relevance dwindled as levels and gear improved, they weren’t called the Grim Reapers of the early game for nothing.

Low-level players called them “Shit-Orcs” instead of just Orcs, that’s how bad they were.

‘Everyone needs to arm themselves, including me. That’s the only way.’

Orcs carry their weapons 24/7, 365 days a year. Which meant the most dangerous moment was also the easiest to escape.

*Thud!*

“Kghhh!”

While I was sorting through my thoughts, a loud scream ripped through the air.

Through a gap – too pathetic to call it a window – I peeked outside. It was a familiar face. The guy they’d dragged out earlier that morning.

“Kaaah!”

The man was naked and howling. His body was covered in blue bruises, probably from the orcs beating him.

“You fucking orc b*stards! You think I’m just gonna let you gobble me up?!”

The racket drew a crowd of orcs. Even on the verge of death, the man spat thick curses at them.

And then.

*Shkk!*

An orc appeared and, without hesitation, cleaved the man in half with an axe.

He was easily twice the size of the other orcs. The brute grinned a foul smile at the bisected corpse before disappearing back into the shadows.

“…Fuck.”

Watching that, my legs gave out and I slumped down onto the floor.

From the start, perhaps owing to my nature of composure and a mind like still water, no emotional turmoil arose.

Only a sticky unease relentlessly bound my entire body.

* * *

The next morning. Recalling the sight of another man being dragged away, I pondered.

Is the axe… a sword?

Regrettably, that was incorrect. The trait I had added was a Sword God, not an Axe God. The single trait I’d chosen from the weapon proficiency tree. My past as a sword enthusiast was holding me back.

And that meant the most effective weapon for survival in this hell was the sword.

‘Goddamn it.’

When creating my character, I hadn’t given the axe even a sliver of consideration.

Who knew that such an unthinking action would end like this? A sword, hailed by some as the king of all weapons, was nothing but a despised object to Orcs.

A prime example being, since my imprisonment here, I haven’t seen a single Orc wielding a sword.

That fact implied that finding a sword inside the Orc camp would require extraordinary measures. Killing hundreds of Orcs with bare hands was far too daunting.

‘To find a sword… I need to get out of this prison first.’

Currently, I’m lucky enough to still have all my limbs intact, but the problem is, tomorrow it could be my turn to be dragged out.

My heart naturally grew restless, but the restlessness didn’t last long.

Despite this Orc camp looking like a pit of hell, I am no ordinary beginner. Who am I but a man packed with powerful traits?

Furthermore, the Orcs had the habit of storing their stolen loot in their warehouse.

Which meant.

‘Warehouse, I need to find the warehouse.’

All my thoughts eventually converged into one.

The most effective way to overcome this situation.

The only hope for defeating the Orcs and escaping with the others.

‘If I don’t move, I’ll die.’

Making the decision didn’t take long.

Hans had said we were mercenaries hired by the northern expedition.

So, waiting for a rescue party might also be an option. But the crucial truth was that the more I hid in prison, relying on luck, the lower my chances of survival became.

The courage that suddenly sprouted in my sleeping heart wasn’t a sudden burst.

It was merely that upon a cold evaluation of the situation, I had finally found a reason to act.

‘Isn’t this too dangerous a gamble?’

I doubted myself countless times.

Was I just deluding myself? Would my plan end up killing even more people?

In this dank, humid environment, I pressed my face against a small hole resembling a window. It was suffocating. I did it because otherwise, my chest felt like it was about to burst.

“No.”

I pulled away and spoke aloud.

Even if I’d woken up inside a game, this wasn’t a game anymore. It was real.

If I died in this game-like situation, it wouldn’t be a character dying, but me. Surely, acting was better for my chances of survival than just staying still.

“Kiddo.”

“Huh?”

“Heh, just saw you making a face like you were wrestling with something heavy.”

“Ah, it’s nothing important.”

Hans gave a smile that didn’t quite fit the situation. Then he sat down beside me. After a moment of silence, Hans spoke, carefully choosing his words.

“I know you’re of noble birth, unlike us. Maybe you tried to hide it, but it’s obvious.”

“……”

“You must have your reasons. But one thing’s for sure: you’re the youngest of our Oak Mercenary Company, a brother, family.”

His voice was warm. What he was saying was difficult for me to understand. Noble birth? I was just a guy from Earth.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let you die.”

I was speechless at Hans’s blind assurance.

If I had to give my honest reaction, their camaraderie felt alien. It didn’t stir anything inside me.

*Creak! Thud!*

Just as I was about to answer Hans, the prison door was thrown open roughly, and a massive figure with red skin appeared.

“Orc…!”

Not just Hans, but every other man in the cell went pale.

They take one man a day from the prison. That’s why I didn’t think they’d be back so soon…

It was dark out. This visit didn’t seem like it was for any good purpose. And to top it off, this was the same Orc who had been eyeing me.

*Thump, thump!*

“Hsssh!”

With a terrible sound, the Orc immediately began moving.

“You, you can’t have the kid!”

Seeing the Orc’s obvious intention, Hans, eyes wide, stood in his way.

“Uncle!”

Hans, with only his frail human body as a means of resistance against the brute.

He was brave, but reckless.

*Thwack!*

“Guh-urgh!”

The orc’s massive fist smashed into Hans’s lower abdomen.

“Ugh-waaak!”

Was the impact more than he’d imagined?

Hans stumbled back several paces, wretchedly vomiting.

*Thud thud! Thwack!*

The orc’s follow-up kicks mercilessly pummeled Hans.

“You b*stard…!”

Hans, having blocked the orc with his bare body, soon slumped. He was still conscious, but his body was limp, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

He glared at the brute with burning eyes.

“Tsk tsk tsk.”

The orc, oblivious or not, sneered in response.

‘That?’

Regardless, in this tense situation, his eyes focused on the worn dagger hanging at the orc’s waist.

Opportunities never come often. For me, who was always preparing to escape, this wasn’t a crisis but a chance.

A trophy?

Even at a glance, it was absurdly small for an orc to use. Yes, that was an object for a human, not an orc.

‘A dagger, is it a sword?’

There was no time to ponder the answer.

*Whoosh!*

He immediately lowered his stance and charged at the orc.

The difference in strength was clear. It looked like a shoulder tackle, but his intention wasn’t to break the orc’s posture.

*Tap tap!*

“Tsk-eeek!”

Did it never expect such prey to attack it?

The orc’s eyes glowed red. And a huge axe swung high.

*Thud!*

It wasn’t the orc that initiated the action.

I knew it. Even if those orcs were born with innate strength, their agility didn’t measure up.

*Crack!*

Immediately tearing a small scabbard from his waist, I drew the dagger.

“Ah…”

[Trait: Blade Embodiment]

Rank: Mythic

Effect: All swordsmanship talents are ultimately awakened.

I could feel it once more.

This isn’t Earth, this is a different world.

Information about the dagger flooded my mind.

The power to deal with the abomination before me.

The moment I grasped the dagger, countless ways to deal with the monster surged forth.

The dagger, welcoming its new owner, danced in my hand without resistance.

*Shwaaack!*

And then, becoming a flash of light, it sliced through the orc’s shoulder blade.