The Squishy Swordsman with Zero Attack Power ~Abandoned by His Childhood Friend Oracle, He Entered the Magic Academy, and Ended Up Looking After the Demon Lord~

Description

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Top student from the Imperial Military School, Eugene Saintfield.

He had a dream.

It is to be the Royal Sword of his childhood friend Airi Grandflare, who is aiming to become the Emperor, and bring even more prosperity to the Empire.

But that dream crumbled.

Due to his lacking talent.

Eugene had no talent and was easily abandoned by his childhood friend.

Having fallen into despair, he enrolled in the highest academic center of the Empire, the Lykeion Magic Academy, under the discretion of his father.

The life of Eugene will be moved heavily by the many encounters in the academy.

Eventually turning into a wave that will drag the whole continent…

Associated Names
One entry per line
Kougekiryoku Zero kara Hajimeru Ken Hijiri Tan: Osananajimi no Oujo ni Suterare Mahou Gakuen ni Nyuugaku Shitara, Maou to Keiyaku Suru Koto ni Natta
Kougekiryoku Zero kara Hajimeru Kenseitan
Kougekiryoku Zero no Yawaraka Kenshi
Tale of the Sword Saint Beginning with Zero Attack Power ~ Abandoned by His Childhood Friend Oracle, He Enrolled in the Magic Academy, and Ended Up Making a Contract With the Demon Lord ~
The Master Swordsman’s Story Starts with the Zero Ability to Attack, Tale of the Sword Saint beginning with Zero Attack Power
ZAP
Zero Attack Power
攻撃力ゼロから始める剣聖譚 ~幼馴染の皇女に捨てられ魔法学園に入学したら、魔王と契約することになった~
攻撃力ゼロのやわらか剣士 ~幼馴染の皇女に捨てられ魔法学園に留学したら、魔王を世話することになった~
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Clearing an Isekai with the Zero-Believers Goddess – The Weakest Mage among the Classmates (WN) (4)
Parallel World Pharmacy (1)
Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no “Kokoro”- (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. long ass titles
  2. Misunderstood, antihero, mob protagonist, just goo...
  3. Male Protags (THE RETAKE!)
  4. All the rest.~

Latest Release

Date Group Release
10/26/24 Reigokai: Isekai... c132-133
10/20/24 Reigokai: Isekai... c131
10/06/24 Reigokai: Isekai... c129-130
09/29/24 Reigokai: Isekai... c128
09/22/24 Reigokai: Isekai... c127
09/08/24 Reigokai: Isekai... c126 part1
09/01/24 Reigokai: Isekai... c124-125
08/25/24 Reigokai: Isekai... c122-123
08/12/24 Reigokai: Isekai... c121
08/04/24 Reigokai: Isekai... c119-120
07/27/24 Reigokai: Isekai... c118
07/27/24 Reigokai: Isekai... c117
07/11/24 Reigokai: Isekai... c116 part3
07/11/24 Reigokai: Isekai... c115 part2
07/03/24 Reigokai: Isekai... c114
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11 Reviews sorted by


BoredMonster
BoredMonster rated it
September 22, 2022
Status: 3-4
I was seduced by the rating.

Honestly, to me, this is just another cliché beta simp 'non main character' MC story, and a badly written one at that. Now, I just read till chapter 3 so take this review with a grain of salt.

Our boy got shafted by having no talent, (except we know that's not true because as a reader with meta knowledge, and how stories usually goes).

... more>>
Spoiler

He has only white magic, i.e barrier and healing so he literally can't attack someone. His, then sort of, princess gf who he had already confessed and dedicated himself to, decided to distance herself from him.

With how stories usually go, it's probably because she was 'protecting' him or she'll come to regret it and either they'll get together or he'll ignore her. Etc.

[collapse]

My problem with this is, besides the 4 lines of heartbreak where she tells him this, we are simply told how he feels instead of shown so I don't really have a connection to his sadness. It's basically 'I am sad so the tone is monotonous' (when I honestly think it was just bad writing).

I just wanted to get it over with since it's a pretty overused plot device that would have little to no relevance to the story. I simply didn't care.

Magic system seems pretty basic but no complains there.

Spoiler

There's also the fact that he is so obviously op that it hurts. Oh, flames that not even a Hero can withstand? Well, I'm ok since I'm just a humble barrier mage.

[collapse]

It makes me want to slap him so badly, especially because it's comes off as so badly written.

Spoiler

Honestly, the author could've let him know about him being powerful but let him keep the same attitude because, 'There are many people who are more powerful', 'It's only this much', 'XXX could do finish this in a heartbeat, I must not get arrogant', 'Whats the point of being able to do this when I won't be able to be a Knight?' etc.

[collapse]

So much wasted potential.

Now for why I dropped.

Spoiler

Apparently there's a demon king, technically queen, sealed in the new school his father forced him to go to and can you guess what he has to do to keep her in control because the principal in charge of sealing her decided a literal child was going to be her sacrifice instead of getting the situation under control?

Hint: It is so cliché and basic that I thought it was only used in badly written Korean romance novels that forces the characters that have no chemistry to be together because 💫plot 💫.

That's right, he has to kiss her for a 'life-force exchange' where he gives his vitality and gets mana in return.... although he seems pretty nonchalant about that last part. And he just... goes along with it, seemingly blind to the fact that he could very well lose his life or just as well be selling his soul to her since he doesn't know her powers or what she can do but he should be wary of since she is Demon Lord Erinyes, who ruled the South Continent 1, 000 years ago (and y'know, he has been kissing her, which could constitute an agreement to a deal on his part, we don't know).

And in the true spirit of a badly written Korean romance novel, every 3rd or 4th line after she's introduced is how cutely she acts, or how beautiful and seductive she looks and how she's too cute to be the Demon king.

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That last part was the true deal breaker for me.

Spoiler

I didn't come here to read an emotionally stunted creep's description of what a woman trapped in a cell should look like.

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There were so many directions the story could've/should've gone.

Spoiler

The principal passing off the troublesome Demon king? Write him to be a strong, selfish or just plain forgetful character with seperate issues who could be part of a larger corruption wing or something. Worked in Harry Potter.

[collapse]

Spoiler

The Demon king acting cute? Trying to get the guard of the kid she's draining, down. And him being deeply terrified of the previous ruler of the Souther Continent, as he really should've been, and trying to get away from her, instead of 'Oh well, I also have a debt to pay'.

Like, bruh, don't pay it with your life.

[collapse]

But the constant 'cuteness' descriptions and the MC's over the top lack of reaction to a very big and exceedingly horrific reaction of

Spoiler

a walking Calamity waking up and deciding you need to... 'serve' yourself to it, for a lack of a better description

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just made me sigh.

I was really hoping to get a cliché 'Genius but not really' MC trope subverted in a, hopefully comedic way, something the ratings and other reviews helped reinforce, but I guess that I was asking for too much.

(And remember there are currently 3 good reviews to my one bad one, who knows, maybe you'll like this novel) <<less
35 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
half_f
half_f rated it
November 3, 2022
Status: c43
Overrated. Weakest Mage deliberate knockoff with identity crisis.

Comparing it with Weakest Mage.

MC

... more>> Makoto is a well-explained character. He has weaknesses and talents, we got to see him finding and developing his quirks. Simply put, he's a cool guy.

Ugene. He's good at swordsmanship? Surface level explanation, no training, no development, nothing. He got white magic thing? No quirks, no use, no development, just sits there virtually rotting.

Location

Weakest Mage travels here and there, This one had A dungeon.

oh, and that Airi girl, definitely copying Sofia, but Sofia's a quirky character herself, while Airi had the Author's induced brain glitch and being an ass for being an ass. <<less
16 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Chaosrune
Chaosrune rated it
March 30, 2023
Status: c62
I can't believe that the same author who wrote The Weakest Mage is also the author of this piece of shi*, this latest arc is just some of the worst writing I have seen; serious situations that should be the peak of the arc, like the reason why he is a white mana user, his mother, and other stuff, it was just been made a complete joke, but you can at least laugh at jokes.

And don't get me started on his childhood friend, the way the author is handling that... more>> is just insufferable <<less
11 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Randzky7
Randzky7 rated it
December 29, 2023
Status: v3
Ive had high expectations when this just came out, since previous novel of author is one of my favorites. But even when I lowered my expectations after realizing its not the same quality as Zero Believer Goddess, its still terrible. Like, really terrible, as if the author's writing skill not only didnt improve, it even became worse.

First, the characters. MC is so shallow. We dont really see his progress. The author just 'tells' us, not 'show' us, and thats an indication of terrible writing. The other characters? Well, theyre just... more>> copies of WM characters, except theyre just horrible copies. Hell, even the dialogues/banter between them are pretty much recycled from WM.

Second, We didnt see him train his sword, or learn his magic. No, the author just pull whatever skill/technique/magic is convenient in every situation out of his ass, without dropping any prior hint or info about it in earlier chapters. No, just BAM! He'll drop that new powerup or skill all of a sudden, out of nowhere. In short, yeah, so many asspulls..

Third, I dont know why. Even though theres some drama, I couldnt feel anything for the characters. And even though MC finally set a clear goal later, the story still feel.. Directionless? I dont know where its going, its pretty messed up imo. And overall, the writing style is plain ugly. No offense to aithor, but the descriptions and narrative feels like its written by a middle school student, most of the time. Its below average, really.

And fourth, the power scaling is irritating. Characters here are getting powerups faster, easier and earlier than their counterparts in WM. The power balance between this and previous novel is breaking, even though theyre supposed to be in the same world, with same physics and rules. I mean, whats the point of summoning a light hero from another world, when all along they have this OP swordsman, in the south continent? Hell, it even feels like this lame swordsman could beat the supposedly near invincible Light Hero right now (and its only at Volume 3😑) since author seems trigger happy in giving this guy powerups after powerups. It really irritates me that author does that to Eugene, while when it comes to Makoto, everytime he gets powerup there'll always be a price or a setback so he doesnt get too strong easily. As if his poor stats isnt already a big handicap..

So yeah, in terms of quality? WM is far better, in every aspect. And theres no tension or real sense of danger here so its frankly boring, because you know theyll win in the end with no casualty. The battles are conveniently easy for MC (because of his bullsh*t barriers), and the rewards/powerups he get for winning are, ofcourse, great. Yep, everything's pretty much easy for this MC. Thats why I dropped it several months ago. And after I checked the latest chapter recently, Im honestly glad I dropped it. Ive no regrets, because theres no improvement at all <<less
9 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
kyrios95
kyrios95 rated it
May 29, 2022
Status: c3-4
This is typical Japanese LN nowadays who is because you got shitty skill / talent/ stuff then your friend, fiance, even your family will despise you or leave you, and then by some funny scenario you'll find out that your skill isn't that bad and have potential to be greatest.

This is the same formula applied when author write zero believer goddess, and looking back at author works the MC gonna be similiar to makoto who is kind have a screw loose on his head and acting like he isn't the... more>> main protagonist and only act as "support" chara in the stories

5/5 for now because I very like zero believer goddess and found out that this story happens on same planet but different place. <<less
9 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
cheezieTrees
cheezieTrees rated it
December 16, 2023
Status: c71
I think the author knows this is absolute shit, because every 5th chapter or so is dense with either action or plot progression. Author gives readers just enough to fuel hope for the story actually being good, while churning out bland, boring, generic tr*sh 80% of the time. And the overarching drama with the "childhood friend" was handled so unbelievably poorly that I felt personally insulted, like the author was trolling and intentionally wasting my time while laughing about tricking people into reading for as long as they did. This... more>> is a BAD novel. <<less
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Sarael
Sarael rated it
October 18, 2022
Status: c46
A new novel from the same author of Shinja Zero and set in the same world, but this time its focus is on the Southern Continent.

The story itself is viewed mostly through the eyes of a resident of the Isekai world rather than eyes an Isekai protagonist, though there are times it switches to other characters like the isekai'd heroine. Like Shinja, it's a harem-based story, but it did some things better than it and it did some things worse than it.

... more>>
Spoiler

The character development seems to be better paced and I think the essence of it is a lot better compared to the previous work. In Shinja, Makoto just used that skill of his to control his emotions most of the time, which kind of dulled the development's pacing and opportunities for growth and made it look out of place from time to time. This time there's none of that and the inner conflict seems more serious compared to the previous protagonist and tackles the MC's past, his first love and his position.

[collapse]

As for the setting, currently it's lacking compared to the first one. The focus of story is stuck on the Tower, unlike Shinja, where Makoto managed to travel around the continent and expanded the setting. I hope the author rectifies this and change the focus elsewhere so we could get to see more places and see the expanding world.

All in all, I'm looking forward for more of this story and the author's other future works. It reminds me of the Kiseki universe, where the whole story and the world is told through different perspectives and slowly being weaved together. The continents were even already foreshadowed as early as Shinja Zero and here it's being expanded slowly towards the east.

Spoiler

The MC here even giving a bit of history of the Eastern Continent.

[collapse]

It's a lot more light-hearted compared to the Kiseki series, but if you don't mind treating it as a more relaxing story/universe, you could probably enjoy it. Hopefully the author doesn't squander this opportunity to expand his own "universe" and the world-building surrounding it. <<less
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Ki11erChr0n0s007
Ki11erChr0n0s007 rated it
March 30, 2024
Status: --
So compared to the author's other work "Zero believers goddess" this just meh. MC is typical "Uber Beta" Japanese male, just has more s*x. Which he never initates, it's literally the women who force him to do it. Now his beta Japanese MCness might work if he was from Japan like the MC from his other work and had some sort of redeeming trait. But he doesn't, guy is a native to his world but is a carbon copy to 99.9% of other isekaied characters. Honestly, if it... more>> wasn't for the supporting characters, especially the former demon lord, I'd give this a 1 star.

The MC gets so dumb at one point that even the author's Asian readers were telling author off. The reason? He instantly forgives (and adds to growing harem) his childhood friend who never defended him and just kept quiet when he was forced to leave Empire because of how "worthless" he was viewed by EVERYONE (except his family) because of his magic element. Also the way she acts and talks, just aggravates people.

To make it worse, he's treated so poorly by his nation, but as soon as he shows his abilities (which he has shown with his swordmanship skills before) by "defeating" Cerberus they praise him and want to associate with him despite wanting nothing to do with him. And he just accepts it! Like all they said and did never happened. <<less
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
bloodyemperor
bloodyemperor rated it
July 6, 2024
Status: c114
Personally I kinda like the novel as compared to the rest. Especially if you have had read Zero Believers, this is a nice novel to pick up to dive into the same world. You kinda get snippets of additional lore here and there. Pacing wise, I find it strange sometimes as it can be fast paced or slow in story development at times, but since this is web novel, hopefullyits's fleshed out in the LN.

Character wise I do know why some don't like the MC, but for me am... more>> alright because of his past, his constitution as well as other factors. Maybe that's cause I have had similar experiences and mindset before I do think it's logical. Likewise I like the childhood friend too, wouldnt spoil it but to me its logical, as wellas remember most of the characters there are still teens and young, they do not have plenty of life experiences. On some saying why childhood friend don't help or use her influence since she's princess and all, just like irl be it country level, at work, management or b2b/b2c in the same industry, politics, strategies and influence are not easy and straight forward.

All in all I enjoyed the series and am looking forward to more of it. <<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Fincentcloudzt
Fincentcloudzt rated it
March 28, 2024
Status: c70
Typical beta author work targeting beta readers. Nothing has changed, just a good look at the beginning. Someone who was betrayed by his childhood friend but there is no development of his blunt beta Japanese nature. You might be interested in reading it because you want to know what the author will do to avenge or at least heal the protagonist's wounds? Relax, that's not going to happen. What we have is a clichéd story of a very impressionable beta male with no strong will who s*upidly forgets whatever mistreatment... more>> he received even to the point of helping them. It's really suitable for rental girlfriend lovers because he's similar type, and FYI the childhood friend who didn't help him at all in his hard times is in the harem because of this beta author. Let me know if you can read it all the way through. <<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
OGNoeli
OGNoeli rated it
June 19, 2022
Status: c14
I dont usually like to do a review when a serious is still premature but meh I'm still new to this review stuff and this is only my third one so I might as well

also before I begin I want to thank Reigokai for the continued quality translations

The author says that this serious can stand alone and while I agree it is more enjoyable and less confusing if you've read Weakest Mage (also translated by Reigokai) it's a solid story with a solid start it done nothing new but what... more>> it's done so far is good enough it hasn't exactly done anything to deserve a 5 star IMO but it hasn't done anything bad the MC still needs some development but that's obvious since only 14 chapters are out
Spoiler

also reading Weakest Mage will give you more insight into the situation with Sumire she's kinda like Aya in the fact she was reborn instead of transported also I'm still kinda mad that the author forgot about Aya's Revenge plot with her Elder Sister so maybe in like the 3rd series he will include it since right now the author has stated that none of the main cast will be making an appearance and at most a name drop like we did with Lucy's mom in the labyrinth rankings

[collapse]

so yeah right now the MC feels like we're following a rock we haven't gotten any insight into his emotional state besides the beginning but of course, I have to be lenient since this is only c14 ill either edit this one or make another review when we have like 100 chapters anyways a good read with plenty of potential and I think this author has plenty of room for growth, especially with his last series that felt rushed at the end
Spoiler

And Hopefully we get more Ira since she was a really fun character in the last series

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although I think my rating will stand unless the author shocks me with what he learned from writing Weakest Mage <<less
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