The Price of Legend

The recruitment grounds inside the Duke's outer estate were packed with the empire's elite. Armored mercenaries, veteran B-rank adventurers, and private noble spellswords stood in disciplined rows, their polished weapons gleaming under the afternoon sun. Every single one of them was vying for the prestigious, high-paying job of guarding Duke Nileges, Marine's father, during the upcoming Imperial Diplomatic Summit.Eren stood at the edge of the courtyard under his silver-haired "Rean" identity. He wore his plain, unadorned traveler's cloak, looking entirely unremarkable compared to the heavily armored warriors around him. But tucked beneath his cloak was his new prize: the ancient black katana he had just bought from the Black Market for 100,000 Mon.No one in the modern capital recognized the weapon. They didn't know that centuries ago, Albert, the Legendary First Hero, had wielded this exact katana to carve his name into cosmic history. After Albert's mysterious disappearance, every high immortal, royal faction, and treasure hunter in the world had searched for it desperately, but the weapon had completely vanished into myth—until it ended up hidden in a dusty underground stall, waiting for Eren's gamer instincts to recognize it."Next!" a booming voice barked from the center of the yard.The recruitment officer was a massive, battle-scarred high knight named Commander Vane. He held a heavy wooden training greatsword, checking the applications with a critical eye. Eren stepped forward calmly, handing over his newly minted iron E-rank token.Vane looked at the iron token, then up at Eren's sharp silver hair and his unbothered, casual posture. "An E-rank rookie?" Vane scoffed. "Kid, we are guarding Duke Nileges himself from high-level political assassins. Draw a training sword. If you can survive one blow, I'll consider your application."Eren didn't draw the 100,000 Mon ancient black katana. He wanted to hide his identity. Instead, he picked up a basic, wooden training sword from the nearby rack, holding it loosely in his right hand."Come on," Eren smirked.With a roar, Vane lunged forward, his heavy wooden greatsword cutting through the air with terrifying velocity. He used a high-tier heavy military style, intending to shatter Eren's guard in a single hit.Eren moved to execute a perfect parry using his veteran gamer reflexes, but his Level 2 mortal body couldn't handle the massive physical pressure.CRACK!The impact was catastrophic. Eren's wooden sword shattered into a million flying splinters. The brutal shockwave traveled straight up his arms, forcing him back a step as a heavy, suffocating impact slammed into his mind.It broke... Eren thought, his breath catching in his throat as his golden eyes stared at the empty hilt in his hand.The emotional weight hit him like a physical blow. A cold, dark realization washed over his brain: how far he had truly fallen. Just days ago, he was a Demi-God who could destroy a dozen elite noble bloodlines with a single hit, make an ancient dragon crawl, and force a world-ending Demon King to propose to him. Now, stripped of his 10x cheat code by the cowardly low immortal Alexus, he couldn't even block a single baseline mortal knight without his weapon turning to dust. He was weak. He was a Level 2 nobody sitting at the bottom of the world.A collective roar of mocking laughter rippled through the gathered veteran mercenaries. "Look at the rookie! He's frozen stiff!" Vane laughed, raising his greatsword again. "Get out of here, kid, before I break your bones next!"Something inside Eren snapped. The psychological shock didn't break him—it turned into pure, unadulterated seriousness. A fierce, terrifying darkness clouded his expression as he bit his own lip in sheer frustration, forcing his dormant, level-reset internal mana pathways to violently ignite.Cough!A spray of crimson blood erupted from Eren's mouth, dripping down his chin, soaking through his plain traveler's cloak, and trailing all the way down to his boots. It was the brutal physical toll of a Level 2 mortal forcing high-tier internal circulation.Ignoring the blood spilling from his lips, Eren's gaze locked onto Vane. His expression was completely terrific—like a heavily injured, bleeding apex lion cornered by a herd of elephants, radiating an aura so primal and dangerous that the mocking laughter in the courtyard instantly died out.Slowly, Eren reached beneath his plain cloak and gripped the hilt of the Legendary First Hero's Katana.SHING!The unpolished black blade left its scabbard with a crisp, electric hum. Eren didn't have massive divine magic to rely on anymore, so he relied purely on animation frame logic. He moved with an agonizing, raw speed born of pure desperation and flawless gamer timing, sliding inside Vane's open guard. Because Albert's ancient katana possessed a natural, legendary attribute that completely bypassed physical defense parameters, Eren didn't need high stats to cut.Vane didn't even have time to raise his greatsword.FLASH!A single, clean, vertical arc of black iron sliced through the air. Before anyone could blink, Commander Vane's right hand was cleanly severed, his heavy training greatsword clattering to the ground alongside his hand. Blood splurted across the stone courtyard as the massive commander collapsed to his knees, screaming in pure shock.Eren stood past him, his body trembling slightly from the immense strain of forcing a Level 2 muscle group to move a legendary weapon. The black katana dripped with crimson, his silver hair casting a shadow over his bloody, stoic face. He had won through tactical precision and sheer grit, but his body paid the price.Up on the palace balcony, Lady Marine was looking down at the scene, her hands gripping the marble railing so tightly her knuckles went white. Her heart hammered violently against her ribs. Seeing the sheer, terrifying intensity on Eren's face, his bleeding lips, and his overwhelming, brutal mastery—she felt completely, helplessly captivated. A deep, burning crimson blush flooded her cheeks, her breath catching as she fell for his dangerous, injured look harder than ever before.Duke Nileges, Marine's father, leaned over the railing, his sharp eyes wide with absolute astonishment. He didn't even notice the screaming commander; his gaze was locked entirely on the unmistakable black katana in the silver-haired boy's hand."That blade... and that untamed ferocity," the Duke muttered, his voice trembling slightly with sudden recognition. "You are no ordinary E-rank novice, boy."Eren slowly sheathed the katana with a cold click, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, his golden eyes flashing with a terrifying promise. He was bleeding, his body was screaming, and he was strictly at Level 2, but the world was about to find out exactly what happens when an injured lion decides to hunt.