Eugene Santafield wanted to be an Imperial Swordsman, like his father. He was top of his class, but when God gifted him with magic, he received only pure white defensive mana. Unable to wield a sword, Eugene ends up at Lykeion Magic Academy with barrier magic and nothing else.

One day, a fire burns the fifth level of the Last Dungeon, and Eugene finds a girl in the center of the flames. With the Reincarnator Ifrit, Sumire's mana, Eugene discovers he can wield a sword once more. Even that won't be enough against a deity, but his contract with a Demon Queen might.

Zero Damage Sword Saint: I Enrolled in a Magic School and Wound Up in a Contract With a Demon Queen is written by Isle Osaki and illustrated by kodamazon. English translation by Stephanie Liu. Published by J-Novel Club. (September 25, 2025).

Erica Friedman
Rating:

This volume is packed with a lot of content. Eugene's story, his relationships with the people at the school, where he is teased, bullied, and treated with contempt by students, but favored by the headmaster, and his undeniable skills, which end up leading him and Sumire through many levels of a dungeon, all would have made a fine story on their own. But, no, none of that is what the story is actually about.

Every chapter layers on complications that are, to be frank, silly, but it's all still a pretty good, pretty compelling story. One hopes that the author plans on explaining all of the plot complications thrown into the mix; however, it's not really critical to enjoying the book. The story would be even better if almost every single girl Eugene encountered wasn't gaga over him. We get it, he's a nice guy. He's handsome, and we're told he's muscular from all his training, neither of which is supported by the art, but we'll pretend. After all, the Demon Queen is likewise described as being impossibly beautiful, and the art doesn't quite hold that end up either. The Eugene in my head doesn't look anything like a Kirito clone.

If you read past all the women who want Eugene, and the “aw shucks, my power isn't that great,” this book is busy enough, complicated enough, and interesting enough to hold one's attention and maybe even make you come back for more. I want to know what is going on with that dungeon.