Chapter 1: Experts Don’t Blame Their Equipment (1)

It’s been almost a year since I was thrown into the game.

‘Miracle Blessing M.’

A mass-produced mobile game that doesn’t need much of an introduction.

A typical mobile game that can be summed up in one phrase: a standard pay-to-win model with an auto-hunting system. The kind of game you’d expect to be ranked somewhere between 5th and 10th on the app store.

There wasn’t much of a story.

So, why did I start playing this game? Simply because the design of one of the female characters appealed to me. I never expected to end up immersed in a game I had picked up just to kill some time.

It wasn’t as if I played it extensively or spent an obscene amount of money to get a special package, so why should I be stuck here? I complained for half a year. Now, I’ve somewhat adjusted and live a satisfying daily life.

I’ll say it again: I didn’t become a character in the game; I became someone inside the game.

A background character, worse than any NPC. That’s exactly where I stand.

In this world, my name is Kang Geom-Ma.

I know exactly where this peculiar name comes from. It automatically makes you think of the phrase, “How dare a woman talk back?”

I laughed when I first heard it.

They used the character “Geom” (검), meaning “sword,” and the character “Ma” (마), meaning “demon,” to form the name Kang Geom-Ma.
[1]

I wanted to get rid of the name immediately, like resetting a nickname. But in this world, my father spent a hefty sum of money at a naming house to get it. Here, there’s a strange belief that the lower your name’s status, the longer your life will be.

… I want to change my name, but there’s this pointless rule that minors need their guardian’s consent, so I have to live with this name until I become an adult.

Anyway, aside from this small flaw in my name, I could more or less live a bearable life.

We weren’t exactly middle-class, but we lived comfortably without any shortages. And, fortunately for me, *Miracle Blessing M* was set in Korea. That helped narrow the gap between the world I used to live in and this one. The names, locations, and geography were almost identical, with only slight differences in one or two characters.

Thanks to that, I could live the life of a teenager born with a mere spoon in his mouth.

Back on Earth, my family went bankrupt when I was in high school, so I spent my youth washing dishes and cleaning in a local Japanese restaurant. Just being able to eat hot stew and rice three times a day made me feel blessed.

A year went by like that. Just as I was starting to forget that this world was a game, an envelope arrived at my house, as if to remind me: “Hey, this isn’t real.”

It was an acceptance letter from Joaquín Academy.

== ==

Acceptance Letter

Exam Number: 4982-A

Full Name: Kang Geom-Ma

The individual mentioned above has been admitted to Joaquín Academy for the year 2034. Please report on the following day:

1. Date: April 17, 2034, at 09:00

2. Location: Joaquín Academy’s Main Auditorium

3. Items: Your own weapons and belongings

== ==

“Oh my God! Look at this, honey!”

“Ha, ha, ha! Geom-Ma, you’re the pride of the Kang family! Your name has brought you luck. We’re so proud of you, son!”

My parents congratulated me enthusiastically on my admission. I almost had to beg them not to go to our ancestral village to slaughter a pig in celebration. Also, did our lineage really come from thieves?

“…Huff.”

I let out a long sigh. As the enrollment day drew closer, my face was full of concern.

My modest plan to live a quiet life as part of a lower-middle-class family had been shattered. Damn it.

“How the hell did that bastard Kang Geom-Ma pass the exam?”

Here’s the situation: before I took his place, Kang Geom-Ma had manifested a blessing and passed Joaquín Academy’s entrance exam.

Blessings were typically hereditary. Families of renowned heroes arranged marriages to consolidate their power, and from these unions came Joaquín Academy—a school reserved only for the elite, where the children of these families evaluated each other and formed future alliances.

Naturally, many students from other academies entered already bearing blessings, and I wasn’t a remarkable exception.

Those who didn’t come from heroic families settled for entering as “merit” students.

Honestly, even at this point, while packing my things, I kept wondering how Kang Geom-Ma had gotten in.

Had he done well on the written exam? Thanks to him, I was now forced to live as a student, something I had never planned for.

“Blessing, huh…”

When I murmured “blessing” in my mind, a status window appeared in my vision.

== ==

[Blessing of Numbness]

All pain completely disappears.

[※ Activation time: 30 seconds, cooldown: 12 hours]

== ==

Looking at the blessing Kang Geom-Ma had manifested, I felt a little depressed. The ability itself seemed like an appealing blessing.

The problem was that the activation time was only 30 seconds, and the cooldown was 12 hours. Exactly one minute of activation per day.

As I snorted and rolled my eyes, my gaze settled on the corner of the status window.

‘Oh, right, I almost forgot.’

It was the blessing I had received when I arrived here, not Kang Geom-Ma’s.

== ==

[Blessing of the Sword God]

If you cut, whatever you cut will be cut.

[※ Only activates with a blade shorter than 30 cm and no wider than 5 cm.]

== ==

My name is Geom-Ma, yet my blessing is from the Sword God. There couldn’t be a more absurd combination.

There’s no concept like this.

The ability’s description was so simple that it seemed ironic, given its grandiose name.

Among them, the conditions stood out the most.

A blade shorter than 30 cm and no wider than 5 cm. That’s a pretty pitiful size to even be called a sword.

It was exactly like the sashimi knife I’d used all my life, with perfect specifications. I thought they were telling me to slice raw fish even here.

Of course, it was something I was good at and enjoyed, but I had hoped to live my new life differently.

But what can I do? The system’s persuasive power is unavoidable. I was satisfied that the specifications weren’t excessive.

… Life doesn’t always go the way you want it to.

“Phew.”

With that, I let out a brief sigh and slowly finished packing.

“Oh, right. I still haven’t prepared my equipment.”

Come to think of it, I remembered the familiar weapons from the game’s characters.

Even the lowest-ranked weapon, an E-rank, cost millions of won, and a C-rank one was in the hundreds of millions. A-rank or S-rank weapons were treasures.

After thinking for a moment, I shook my head.

My family, which was barely middle-class, didn’t have the resources to buy me such an expensive weapon.

Even the academy tuition was already a huge financial burden for us, and since my enrollment wasn’t exactly planned, I didn’t want to increase our expenses.

Still, since the required materials were clearly listed, I feared I’d be singled out from the very first day if I didn’t bring something with me…

After thinking it over, I got up and grabbed my wallet.

“Let’s go to DAIXO.” [2]

“The expert doesn’t blame their equipment.”

That was the favorite phrase of my first mentor, who insisted on using million-won Japanese kitchen knives.

* * *

“…Admission student? Is this really a weapon?”

“Yes.”

On the day of the entrance ceremony,

During the entrance ceremony, the instructor glanced between the black-haired student and the weapon inspection table.

He wanted to shout, “Are you mocking me?!” but the student’s calm demeanor left him puzzled. He looked at the boy’s face and then back down.

On the inspection table lay an unopened package with a fluorescent label reading “30% discount” and the DAIXO logo prominently displayed. And it wasn’t just one knife, but a set of ten.

In his ten years as an instructor, he had never seen a weapon like this. Honestly, he wondered if it could even be considered a weapon.

The instructor swallowed his words, and his expression hardened.

“Student, do you think this academy is a joke? Do you really think it’s acceptable to bring kitchen knives to an entrance exam?”

If this were a prank, he was willing to let it slide for now. This academy was the best in the world, and most students came from wealthy families, so sometimes spoiled youths played immature pranks just to see if they could assert their will over the instructors—a typical teenage behavior.

Though it was shocking to see this kind of prank on the very first day, he knew he had to establish discipline right away. The most effective way to deal with such students was to assert dominance.

The instructor’s face grew even sterner, but the student merely tilted his head slightly, as if he didn’t understand.

“This really is my weapon.”

The respectful yet bold tone of the boy made the instructor’s frown soften unintentionally. Noticing the change, the student began to explain his situation clearly.

“Instructor, I come from a humble family. I’m a merit student, so I don’t have the means to bring an expensive weapon. Just paying the academy tuition must have been a significant burden on my parents, so how could I ask for something so costly just for my own benefit? It would be disobedient as their son.”

“…”

The instructor listened, seeing the determination shining in the boy’s eyes.

After hearing the explanation, the instructor rubbed his face. Clearly, for merit students who didn’t come from wealthy families, academy fees were already a heavy burden.

As a member of an institution that was supposed to provide equal academic opportunities, he felt guilty for having judged the boy so quickly.

The 30% discount label was probably the boy’s way of easing his family’s financial burden. The instructor’s eyes reddened slightly.

The student, undeterred, added one final comment:

“Besides, I believe only amateurs blame their equipment.”

The instructor was left speechless, surprised. He hadn’t expected such wisdom from a teenager. It sounded like something from someone who had already mastered a craft—full of insight and experience.

“A true expert doesn’t blame their equipment.”

The instructor felt deeply intrigued by the phrase and decided to support the boy’s courage. He wanted to back this strong resolve.

“I’ll allow the student to use his weapon.”

“Thank you, instructor.”

The instructor couldn’t help but think he’d like to have a son like him.

“Student, what’s your name?”

“Kang Geom-Ma.”

Kang Geom-Ma bowed respectfully and started packing the knife set back into his bag.

Nearby, the other students began snickering at him. Seeing this, a vein bulged in the instructor’s temple.

“Students! Shut up and move along quickly!”

“…”

Ignoring the laughter, Kang Geom-Ma gathered the rest of his belongings and calmly walked toward his next destination.

“Depending on your behavior, this instructor can be an angel or a demon. Got it?”

“Yes…”

“That was too soft! Louder, understood?!”

“Yes!”

As the instructor yelled, the students’ smirks quickly disappeared.

“Kang Geom-Ma, huh…?”

The instructor muttered the boy’s name as he watched him walk away, now deeply etched in his memory, and cracked a small smile.

He had a feeling this kid would be excellent with a knife.

***

In the academy’s staff lounge.

“Huff…”

The visibly exhausted instructor opened the door after guiding the students. A short-haired woman greeted him with a bright smile.

“Good work, sunbae.”

“Thanks. Phew, thank goodness this only happens once a year, because even though I’m just in my early thirties, I already feel like I’m getting old.”

The instructor took off his black staff uniform and slumped heavily onto the sofa, gently massaging his tense shoulders.

“Don’t worry, sunbae. They say people who look older on the outside live younger on the inside.”

“What nonsense.”

“Hehe. By the way, did you check out the student list for this year? We’ve got a few that only come around once in a generation.”

“Yeah, I know.”

The instructor responded with little interest, prompting his colleague to look at him with curiosity.

“Sunbae, was there any student who caught your eye during the weapon inspection?” [3]

“Hmm, let me think.”

The instructor rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment. Suddenly, the image of a particular first-year student came to mind.

“Oh, there is one.”

“Oh, really? Who is it? The nephew of the Master of the Spear? Or the daughter of the Master of the Bow? Or maybe the granddaughter of the Master of the Sword? It’s got to be her, right?”

“No, no, I’m not talking about them. It’s a merit student. What stood out to me was his sharp, mature gaze.”

“Heh, I’ve never heard you talk like that about a student before. Now I’m really curious! Who is it?”

The woman looked at him eagerly. The instructor smiled and shrugged.

“I don’t want to spoil the surprise. You’ll see him soon enough—you’ll recognize him right away.”

“If he’s a merit student, his blessing must be modest… Does he have an A-rank weapon? Or maybe an S-rank! At least tell me what kind of weapon he uses so I can keep an eye on him during the entrance test.”

The instructor, glancing around, smirked and replied:

“A DAIXO kitchen knife.”

—

T/N:

1. Geom (검; 劍): This character refers to “sword” in Korean. In hanja (Chinese characters used in Korean), it’s written as 劍 and symbolizes bladed weapons, primarily swords. It represents strength, cutting, or combat.

Ma (마; 魔): This character means “demon” or “evil.” In hanja, it’s written as 魔 and is associated with negative connotations like evil spirits or dark forces. It can also refer to cursed or supernatural things.

2. DAIXO: A fictional store inspired by DAISO, a popular low-cost chain in Korea and Japan that sells a wide variety of affordable products, including kitchen utensils and household items.

3. Sunbae is a Korean term that refers to someone with more experience or seniority in a given environment, such as school or work.