The Weight of the Blade

The body of the Vanguard Sorcerer collapsed onto the stone floor, completely neutralized by the sharp bite of the Moonlight Fox Spirit. The glowing magic circles vanished, leaving the dark cavern quiet once again.Eren stood at the center of the room, his vibrant blonde hair messy and his signature heavy gold chains catching the faint light of the crystals. With a smooth movement, he slid the Ancient Black Katana back into its scabbard with a crisp click.Ding.[Level Up Completed: Current Level: 3]Even though the system interface confirmed he had reached Level 3, Eren's physical body was under a terrible strain. There was a dark fact he had kept hidden from everyone: the legendary sword was taking a brutal toll on him. Because it was an ancient weapon built for high-tier gods, a Level 3 mortal body simply could not channel its weight without severe internal damage. Every single swing felt like his muscles were being crushed from the inside out.But Eren didn't let a single trace of pain show on his face. He refused to say anything to the princesses because he didn't want to make his reputation bad. To the whole empire, he was the invincible Sovereign Hero; if anyone found out he was breaking apart just by holding a sword, his entire leverage would be destroyed. So he forced his fingers to grip the hilt tightly, pretending everything was perfectly fine.They walked out of the deep cavern, navigating past the abandoned mining tracks. But as they neared the outer forest exit, Eren finally hit his absolute limit.The lingering internal pathway friction tore through his chest. His fingers went completely numb, his grip failed, and the black katana dropped straight out of his hand, clattering loudly against the stone floor. Eren stumbled forward, his knees buckled, and he barely caught himself against the cave wall, his chest heaving heavily."Eren!"Lady Marine rushed forward instantly, her noble composure vanishing as she reached his side. Her face was a bright, pouty red with deep worry. She looked down at the legendary weapon on the floor, then up at his pale face. "What happened? Your mana pathways are completely tangled! Why did you drop your weapon?"Eren looked up at her, forcing his signature, high-energy cocky gyaru smirk back onto his face despite the cold sweat on his forehead. He knew he couldn't hide it from her anymore.Slowly, using simple gaming logic, Eren told Marine each and everything happening to him. He explained the level reset, the loss of his 10x multiplier from the fraud god Alexus, and how this ancient 100,000 Mon katana was breaking his weak Level 3 body every time he forced a frame parry.Marine listened to his cocky explanation, her eyes widening in absolute shock. But as a secret S-Rank Adventurer, her tactical mind instantly understood the problem. He had the genius brain of a master gamer, but his physical vessel was completely empty.Marine's face flushed a deep crimson blush, her heart hammering against her ribs with a sudden, fierce possessiveness. She leaned close to him, her fingers firmly gripping his arm."You absolute idiot," Marine whispered, her voice tight but deeply determined. "If your body cannot handle the blade, then we will force it to grow. From this moment on, I am going to train you personally. I will show you how a real S-rank master builds a foundation that even the gods cannot break."Eren's golden eyes flashed with a sharp, thrilled grin. The training arc was officially locked in, his secret was shared, and his speedrun to Level Infinity just gained a max-tier mentor.