This one, I almost dropped this at chapter 15.
The translation was rough, the pacing felt slow, and I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be excited about. The premise sounded interesting enough, an ancient sentient sword possesses the body of a despised prince, but the execution in those early chapters didn’t sell me on why I should care.
But see, I’m glad I didn’t quit. Because somewhere around chapter 40, this story transforms into something genuinely special.
The Opening Is Rough (Chapters 1-30)
I need to be upfront about this: the first 20-30 chapters are a slog. You will feel like should you continue this or not?
The translation quality in the opening is absolutely atrocious. Grammatical errors everywhere, awkward phrasing that makes you reread sentences multiple times, and occasional dialogue misattribution where you have to figure out from context who’s actually speaking. If you’re used to professionally translated light novels, this will drive you crazy.
Beyond the translation issues, the pacing is slow and predictable. The author is clearly laying groundwork, establishing characters, political dynamics, world details, but there’s no “pushing force” or exciting factor that makes you want to keep reading. It feels stagnant. I forced myself to continue until chapter 38 purely because multiple people told me it gets better.
They were right.
The point-of-view transitions don’t help. The story switches between first-person and third-person perspective irregularly, sometimes mid-scene without clear breaks. When you’re not familiar with characters yet, this makes it genuinely confusing to track whose perspective you’re reading. I got used to it eventually, but it’s a consistent structural weakness throughout.
What Makes the Premise Work (Once You Get Past Setup)
Gruhorn is an ancient magic sword who spent four hundred years as a weapon. He fought alongside his original master, a country boy from an unknown mountain village, to slay the White Dragon and establish a kingdom. When that master became king, on his deathbed, the king made Gruhorn swear a final vow: “Please take care of my descendants.”
For centuries, he kept that promise by mentoring generations of warriors. The Great Knight known as the Undefeated. The Dragon Slayer who felled the Mad Dragon. The Mercenary King. All of them trained by this legendary blade.
Then Prince Adrian, the kingdom’s despised First Prince, a spoiled violent failure who flipped tables daily, stabs himself with Gruhorn believing the legend would make him a hero.
The prince’s soul is destroyed. Gruhorn accidentally kills his friend’s descendant.
That guilt drives everything that follows. This isn’t a typical reincarnation story where the protagonist celebrates a second chance. Gruhorn carries genuine remorse for destroying one of the descendants he promised to protect. His desperate need to restore the kingdom becomes atonement rather than simple ambition.
That emotional weight makes the possession premise work in ways generic “experienced soul in young body” stories don’t.
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The Military Fantasy Delivers (Chapter 40+)
Once the groundwork pays off, the battles are genuinely epic.
The Northern Wall arc mirrors Game of Thrones’ Night’s Watch defending against overwhelming odds. Count Balahard commands Winter Castle, which has defended the kingdom against orc invasions for decades. Recently, the orcs breached the gate itself, a catastrophic failure that cost many lives.
Now nine distinct orc corps, totaling eighteen thousand warriors, mass in the mountains preparing for another assault.
The large-scale warfare feels weighty and consequential. The story details strategic planning including troop movements, supply logistics, defensive fortifications, and the psychological toll on soldiers. Combat descriptions are graphic and visceral, weapon impacts on specific body parts, the brutal reality of medieval warfare with cold weapons. This isn’t sanitized fantasy combat. People die. Named characters die permanently.
I cried multiple times reading this. The battle with the Warlord destroyed me emotionally. The fight with Sigrun was even worse. The story doesn’t shy away from showing the devastating cost of victory, and it conveys the struggles and pain of warfare effectively enough that it’s easy to sympathize with characters because the feelings come through clearly.
Gruhorn wins battles through superior tactics and troop training rather than overwhelming personal strength. He’s strong, but not invincible. Strategic thinking matters. That makes the military fantasy elements work better than stories where the protagonist just steamrolls everything through raw power.
The Poetry System Is… Divisive
Characters recite epic poems during battle that function as magical incantations to enhance abilities and weapons. It’s called “Dance Poetry.”
I’m going to be honest: I found the poems extremely weird at first. They rarely rhyme, so they don’t feel like traditional poetry. They read more like prose incantations that break narrative flow. I had to consciously remind myself they function like spell incantations in typical fantasy to accept their presence.
Many readers skip the poems entirely when characters recite them. It’s the biggest complaint people have about an otherwise excellent story.
But here’s the thing, by chapter 60 or 70, I stopped skipping them. The poems carry narrative weight. They reference historical events and legendary figures from the world’s mythology, creating layers of worldbuilding through the power system itself. The archaic, elevated language creates the feel of reading ancient legendary tales rather than typical web novel prose.
When new poems are recited during climactic moments, I found myself forming deeper connections with characters. The poems function both as power-ups and as storytelling devices. Some readers cite the poetry as what makes the story unique and emotionally resonant.
It’s purely a matter of taste. If you hate it, you’ll hate it. But give it a genuine chance before writing it off.
Character Development That Actually Feels Earned
Gruhorn starts arrogant. He glorifies old ways while barely acknowledging how the world changed during his centuries as a sword. He looks down on “new” methods and approaches.
Then he gradually recognizes his outdated thinking and adapts.
The character development happens so naturally that I didn’t notice it happening until I reflected on how much he’d changed from the beginning. He lacks common sense and compassion that normal humans possess because he lived as a weapon for over a century, creating both humorous misunderstandings and genuine character flaws he must overcome.
Supporting characters aren’t decorations. They have depth and agency. Their interactions with Gruhorn and each other feel precious and fulfilling. The story excels at showing how warriors bond through shared combat and sacrifice. Relationships between commanders and soldiers feel genuine rather than tropey.
Prince Maximilian, Adrian’s younger brother, travels with him to Winter Castle and witnesses the transformation firsthand. Jordan became my favorite character, though I can’t explain why without spoiling their arc.
The uncle, a powerful military commander who openly works to prevent Adrian’s succession, makes a wager: if Adrian can force him to acknowledge the prince’s worth within six months, the uncle will grant any wish and become Adrian’s guardian. If Adrian fails, he must obey the uncle’s every command without protest.
That political tension drives much of the early conflict and pays off beautifully.
The Weaknesses I Can’t Ignore
The translation never becomes professional quality. It improves significantly after chapter 20-30, but if you need polished prose, this isn’t it. You’re reading machine-translated web novel content. If that’s a dealbreaker, stop here.
The strategy elements are only adequate. For military fantasy, I expected more sophisticated tactical maneuvering. Most victories ultimately come down to the protagonist or other powerful champions fighting on the frontlines and wiping out enemies through superior individual combat ability. The battles in the North become somewhat repetitive following similar patterns. I’d rate the strategy around 3 out of 5, the action is great, but the strategic depth is merely adequate rather than exceptional.
The kingdom stabilization feels rushed. Gruhorn involves the kingdom in major wars and conflicts with the empire before fully stabilizing internal affairs or building adequate military strength. It would have made more sense to focus on internal reforms and thorough preparation before engaging in external conflicts. The premature warfare creates the impression of reactive crisis management rather than the calculated long-term planning you’d expect from a centuries-old strategic mind.
This might be intentional to maintain tension, but it frustrated me.
The Climax Delivers (Late Story Spoilers)
The final battle at the imperial capital features the Black Dragon emerging “from the darkness” a threat so powerful it requires divine intervention.
The founder king’s spirit descends by borrowing the body of his descendant (the current king), leading the Royal Knights who once fought the White Dragon to defeat this new draconic threat. He thanks Adrian/Gruhorn for protecting the kingdom before passing on.
It’s the kind of mythic, epic conclusion that justifies everything that came before. I won’t spoil the details, but if you make it to the end, you’ll understand why readers compare this to the Iliad.
Should You Read It?
Yes, but only if you can tolerate rough machine translation and slow starts.
If you need polished professional translation, this will frustrate you immediately. If you need gripping openings that hook you from chapter one, you’ll quit before experiencing what makes this special.
But if you can push through to chapter 40, you’ll find epic military fantasy with genuine emotional depth. Large-scale battles with real consequences. Character development that feels earned. A possession story where accumulated experience matters more than raw power. Poetry-based powers that create mythic atmosphere once you accept them.
The story has little to no romance, focusing instead on military campaigns, kingdom-building, and the bonds formed between soldiers in combat. If you want plot-focused fantasy without romantic subplots, this is explicitly one of the story’s strengths.
Multiple readers specifically told me: push through to chapter 40 before judging. They were right. What comes after is genuinely special and deserves far more recognition than it gets.
I finished reading around chapter 80+ and immediately went looking for more. That should tell you everything you need to know.
Series Overview
Author: Glump (also wrote Dragon Poor and Dungeon Experience)
Original title: 망나니 1왕자가 되었다
Novel status: Ongoing; author announced plans for official publication in four book volumes with revisions
Manhwa status: Actively serializing in 2026 (Chapter 21 released early February 2026)
Where to read: KakaoPage
Genre: Possession, military fantasy, kingdom building, medieval warfare, poetry-based powers
Things You’re Probably Wondering
When does it get good?
Multiple readers specifically say around chapter 38-40 after the groundwork is laid. The opening 30-40 chapters feel slow and predictable, but the payoff is worth pushing through.
Is the translation readable?
The first 20 chapters are absolutely atrocious with grammatical errors and awkward phrasing. It improves significantly after chapter 20-30 but never reaches professional quality. If you’re used to machine-translated web novels, you’ll tolerate it fine.
Is the protagonist overpowered?
No. Gruhorn’s greatest strengths are strategic brilliance from 400 years of warfare and his ability to identify and train talent. He wins through tactics and superior troop training. He’s strong but not invincible, strategic thinking is essential.
How brutal are the battles?
Very. Graphic descriptions of weapon impacts, the horrific cost of medieval warfare shown clearly, major characters die permanently without resurrection. Readers report crying during particularly tragic battles. This is closer to grimdark military fantasy than typical light novel combat.
What about the poetry system?
Extremely divisive. Many readers skip the poems entirely and find them weird. Others consider them the story’s best feature. The poems function like spell incantations that create mythic atmosphere and emotional weight, similar to how stories power characters in Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint.
Is there romance?
Little to no romance. The story focuses on military campaigns, kingdom-building, and bonds between soldiers. This is cited as a strength for readers who want plot-focused fantasy without romantic subplots.
