From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Disciples Are All Grown Up Now, and They Won't Leave Me Alone Volume 1

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman #1

by Shigeru Sagazaki, Tetsuhiro Nabeshima (Illustrator), Hikoki (Translator)

Beryl Gardinant, a self-proclaimed “humble old man,” is a sword instructor at his dojo in a rural, backwater village. In his younger years, he dreamed of glory as a master swordsman, but those days are long behind him. Out of the blue, he receives a visit from a famous former pupil who brings him world-shattering news—he’s been appointed as a special instructor for the knights of the Liberion Order! With his life now turned upside down, Beryl travels to the capital and reunites with some of his former elite knights, an ace wizard, and even an adventurer who’s attained the highest guild rank possible. But why do they all want his tutelage?! As far as he’s concerned, they clearly don’t need him anymore. Can Beryl live up to his new position? And will he ever get a moment’s peace away from his adoring students?!

Genres: Manga, Light Novel, Fantasy, Fiction

207 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2023

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stereotypical light novel where the ridiculously OP middle aged and incredibly clueless about his powers MMC has a harem of women about 20+ years younger than him hanging about, trying to get his attention, yet he is also oblivious to it trope. Nothing new here.

Maybe if you add the twist or his 60+ year old parents insisting he give them grandbabies and you realize they should have bugged him about it 20 years or so prior, as not many women in his age range are still fecund enough to have maybe more than one baby.

Also, not for nothing, if they wanted lots of grandchildren, maybe they should have had more kids so they had more chances of grandchildren? Not a guarantee, but maybe improve the odds and not have all of their eggs in one basket? And why wait to demand the grandkids? And what right do they have to DEMAND grandkids of anyone??

“You! Breed for me and my gratification!”

They even kicked him out of the dojo they had passed on to him to force him to leave their little village to meet people in the city. Granted, a little late in kicking out their fledgling, but better late than never I suppose?

Whatever. Not worth the time it took to read it, at least for me. Also, the women were drawn so sexed up it was almost embarrassing.

2, not my cup but might be yours, stars.

[Nicole Nieto · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and quick read. It’s always funny to have a main character who doesn’t quite understand just how strong they really are. The shenanigans they can get up to can be great. This story is a bit more grounded than that, which was a relaxing change of pace.

[Davis Emmanuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun enough story, but some of the character designs are just awful

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

I used to be a martial arts instructor and this story brought back so much memories. I love the main character and his old students. I can't wait to read more.

[Rianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on e-arc from Edelweiss

I like the concept of this and I did enjoy the story.
But I just wish all of his young disciples that he keeps running into weren’t all in love with him.

[Pravaris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple story — the crux of the book is in the title.
Rather than just describing the book, I'd like to try guessing who might enjoy reading it.

The story is told from the perspective of a middle-aged man who has diligently kept working in the same job his whole adult life. In the process, he has honed his skills to the best of his abilities and mastered the work. He has no ambitions, for he knows his limits. He is comfortable.

But that changes one day. One of his past students has recommended him for a prestigious job and made the necessary arrangements to start as soon as he can. Money for travel and accomodations are taken care of. He doesn't even need to move house, if he so wishes. He doubts the legitimacy of it, of course — how could someone of middling skill be deserving of it?

Eventually, he takes the job. He meets his past students, who assure him of his skill. He meets skeptics, who test his skill. All who meet him come away convinced of his supreme swordmanship. Only he, himself, remains unconvinced.

But he'll eventually see that he is better than he thinks he is. Probably.
I believe that this story is targetted at a specific type of person — those who believe they are average, but hold a little wish to be proven wrong. An unflattering accessment, I know, but I'm sure there are dozens of us.

I recommend this book, reservedly.
I don't want to upsell the book too much. The story is straightforward and predictable. The writing uses too many words to describe simple feelings and lingers on inane details. Even so, there seems to be an uplifting point to this book: 'Your everyday efforts matter more than you think.' I quite like seeing that manifest, even if it's through a fictional old man.
(Is 40 years old even *that* old? I'm almost 30 but I remember back when I used to think that 30 is old.)

[Nafbe · Rating 1 out of 5]

This one hurts because it’s such a disappointment. The core concept—a middle-aged hero setting out on an adventure past his prime—had so much potential. It could have delved into themes like midlife crisis, maturity, and a fresh take on classic fantasy tropes. Instead, the story seems more interested in parading a lineup of shallow, generic anime girls in front of the reader, hoping at least one will resonate. It’s honestly embarrassing at times.

The protagonist’s constant self-doubt could’ve worked once or twice, but it quickly becomes pretty old (pun not intended). Meanwhile, the supporting cast lacks any real depth or development. In contrast, other fantasy light novels like Konosuba and Re:Zero give their characters distinctive personalities before introducing them all at once.

The accompanying illustrations are amateurish and generic—which, while somewhat forgivable, is made worse by the uninspired character designs. The protagonist is pretty decent, but the female characters range from forgettable to outright ridiculous. For example, Allusia Sitrus is supposedly the head of the knights' order, yet her outfit is more suited to that of a sex worker. Kinda makes you wonder what the brothels of this world look like. I’m all for sexy knight ladies, but this feels like too much.

Disclaimer: This review is based on the English translation. Maybe the original Japanese text flows better—but honestly, I doubt it would fix the core issues.

[Shiritaku · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hah, wie erfrischend! Und witzig! Gefällt mir richtig gut.
Das Artwork ist sehr schön und detailliert, es spiegelt wunderbar die Atmosphäre und Emotionen wider. Die Charakterdesigns sind sehr individuell und die Personen selbst sehr interessant. Sie haben viel Charme und man erkennt schon ein wenig, wie sie wohl ticken. Beryl nimmt sein eigenes Talent und Können nicht wirklich wahr, so fühlt er sich die ganze Zeit der Aufgabe als Lehrmeister nicht gewachsen. Doch als Außenstehender sieht man sehr deutlich, dass er richtig krass drauf ist und abgeht, haha 😂

Ich mag die Kombination aus Action und Witz, die hier aufeinander treffen. Sie sind sehr charmant und haben tolle Persönlichkeiten, zumindest von dem, was man bisher kennengelernt hat. Der Plot schreitet in einem sehr angenehmen Tempo voran und so werden die Charaktere passend vorgestellt und eingebunden. Es wirkt nicht gehetzt, aber ebenso wenig langatmig.

Hab Beryl schon sehr ins Herz geschlossen und freu mich einfach auf alles, was da noch so kommt. Hab das Gefühl, das wird noch so richtig richtig gut! 🔥

[Anatolij Grigorjev · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is intended for potential readers like myself, that may have seen a few episodes of the new anime adaptation for this story coming out and though to themselves - "ok i can kind of see how the story makes sense, but the pacing and dialogue is so choppy"
Personally, I attributed these characteristics to the limitations of adopting longer stories into shorter serial formats, and thought to myself that if I read the original light novel it will provide a smoother transition and fill in the blanks

I no longer think this.

All things considered, the anime does a stellar job of taking the story and turning into something much more animated and comprehensive.
The written version is not that, it is an average-quality light novel (not a compliment), easy to follow, but difficult to get absorbed in.
If you think the story looks OK onscreen - I would recommend sticking with that

[Chandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick and easy read with some fun, likable characters. The dynamic between the master swordsman and his now-grown disciples adds a lot of playful energy to the story. That said, it’s definitely a little weird how all the young girls are suddenly in love with him—it feels a bit much at times. Still, I’m curious to see where the story goes and how the relationships and plot develop in later volumes.

[Nischal · Rating 4 out of 5]

more like 3.5 because the manga does it much better. beryl's lack of self-awareness and self-deprecation become much more bearable when you're also seeing his sweet, downturned eyes and gentle smile. i also believe the zeno grable battle is more exciting in the manga with the changes and additions the adaptation made.

[Robert Woodrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like it

Weird that you have to Wright a set amount of words like in a high school report. I just wanted to say ,Good read. I enjoyed the story and give a rating.
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[Ryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a funny read and I’d definitely want to read more

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a man who undervalues himself, it's always a pleasant surprise.

[Wissall Homayun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

A story that has a lot of tenderness that you don't often see in this genre. Can't wait to see how the story unfolds!

[Love · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice, relaxing read. It’s different enough from your typical light novel to be enjoyed even for those of us who has read one to many isekai stories.

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

i wish this wasn't a harem read with his students because the actual plotline (backwater swordsman who's actually the best in the kingdom but has self-esteem issues???) gold. pure gold.

[Sheepy · Rating 5 out of 5]

yeah this is 100% my type of series

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haha this guy looks bland but kicks serious ass. Plus, I think it is funny how a whole harem is happening around him. Review to come.

[Eunsung · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fun read. The book has also been adopted into manga and anime series.