Only I Am A Reader
Only I Am A Reader - Chapter 8: The Sword Master’s First Life

'Well, being born in peace still isn't as shocking as his 'Cheat'… tsk.'

Clicking his tongue once more, Leo shook his head, as a fellow special ability holder, he had no reason to feel jealous of this 'sibling' of his…

To be more precise, the main cheat of the protagonist wasn't precisely a special ability, it was just that his 'destination' for his second life was too compatible with him.

'His lucky aura is his biggest cheat…'

Leo wanted to click his tongue for the third time, but he held himself back. He felt that recalling the protagonist's plot points was quite similar to the legendary situation of being compared to the neighbor's son.

'He did have his own share of pain though.'

Unlike Leo who could be said to be a mix of a transmigrator and a reincarnator, the protagonist was a pure reincarnator, he managed to awaken his memories from earth as soon as he was born.

However, as a baby with the mind of an adult, the first thing he saw was none other than the sight of his parents abandoning him.

Having died a lonely death back on earth, the protagonist dreamed of a happy life as soon as he realized that he was given a second chance at living, but whoever gave him his second chance didn't seem to have the intent of allowing him to do so, or so he thought at first.

Luckily for him, the place he was abandoned at was an old Orphanage that was managed by an old woman, there seemed to be no other orphans in the Orphanage other than a young girl who had already stayed a few years with the old woman.

It was only then that the protagonist discovered that the life he thought lied there, and while living in poverty caused it to be simple, he appreciated the small loving 'family' he had. That was especially so as they started growing in number every year, he was only 3 years old when his first 'brother' arrived at the Orphanage in a similar manner to his.

Just like the old granny gave him a new name, she gave his first brother the name Arthur and took care of them both along with the young girl. It took even less time for the next 'sibling' to arrive.

'Just how didn't Arthur manage to rub off some of his lucky aura…?'

Leo wondered as he continued to recall the protagonist's life, Arthur's premature death was something that half the readership of the novel complained about back then.

'Maybe this protagonist's lucky aura sucks out other people's luck instead?'

Being greatly satisfied, the young protagonist decided to seal his memories of his first life deep within the layers of his mind and continue living in simple satisfaction. However, that didn't last for long. By the age of 10, he realized that he could no longer continue this life, the world seemed to be calling out for the real him, for he was earth's Sword Master!

In his first life, he was a true orphan that lived in the street, suffering a life of starvation and fighting coldness, but that only lasted till he met his teacher.

The old sword teacher felt that he had the quality of a stubborn hard worker, so he brought him back with him to his house and taught him how to use the sword.

The young orphan only took a few days to impress the old teacher, it was as if he was simply born for the sword, he already reached the standard of a soldier in the first week he started practicing!

In the old era of cold weapons, such a genius was meant to be at the very top, he could only truly grow through cold-blooded wars, but the old teacher who was a retired general knew how vicious the war was, deciding that it was better to keep the boy by his side.

However, death waits for no one, it only took a few years for the old teacher who had many old injuries to die, causing the young man to discover his background as well as the reason for his early death.

Feeling angry at the opposing country's army for causing the only person he cared for to leave the world, the young man enlisted in the army in hope of taking revenge and further honing his sword skills, the only legacy that his old teacher has left for him.

Just like the peak was meant for him, it only took 5 years for him to become a terrifying monster in the eyes of his country's enemy, earning himself the notorious nickname of the Cold-blooded Sword Master!

Having long forgotten about his original cause and only lusting after more blood to feed his sword, the world-known Sword Master ended up falling into a siege that consisted of both enemies and allies. He managed to slaughter every last one of them before his sword broke only for him to die due to the injuries he accumulated, allowing him to reincarnate in the world of swords.

'A typical protagonist story.'

After he finished recalling the main points of the protagonist's plot, Leo cringed thanks to the cliché plot, it was more or less the same as over 100 novels that he read before…

'That's why he can be considered extremely lucky…'

As a former world-acknowledged Sword Master, being sent to the world of this novel was similar to being thrown to his home ground, and that wasn't the end of it, his sword skills had evolved even further thanks to experiencing death once.

'Well, perhaps a little unlucky as well.'

However, that was also the reason why he couldn't live the easy life he wanted. In a world filled with 'sword breath', he couldn't resist the itch to wield a sword once more once he was young enough to hold it. In the end, he could only resign to fate, making a different resolve. He would change his bloody methods and become a person that his old teacher would be proud of instead.

'But that's exactly why the death flag was planted at his beloved Orphanage.'

Having finally reached the crucial point, Leo started outlining his plan towards surviving that event....