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Published at 3rd of October 2022 07:29:58 AM


Chapter 33

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[Like I Said, This is Utopia]

“Nah~, Ao-chan.”

“What is it, Sakurai.”

“About the extra reward god Anubis mentioned, I can’t think of anything I want in particular. Ao-chan, do you have something you want?”

“Your life.”

“Can you stop answering while taking your eyes off?”

One month has passed since I was discharged from the hospital.

I – who have become able to move safely without any problems – took special ‘threads’ that could be obtained using alchemy (item creation), and is working hard on leveling in the ‘Tower’ today as well.

Higaki also accompanies me for training again, while Iris goes to see god Thoth of ‘Niflheim’ for counseling.

(Because of the loss of her accumulated memories, it seems that she is having an age regression in order to balance her memories and heart… or something like that, huh. So, the thing about memories form your personality is true, huh.)

Recalling what Iris’s doctor – Thoth said, I flip my wrist and manipulate the ‘threads’ that extend from it to slash a monster.

This is the power of my newly acquired combat skill, ‘Shishū (Lit. thread sewing)’.

‘Shishū’ is one of the skills that the ghosts I absorbed memorized; it is a skill that allow you to fight by manipulating thread.

While ‘Shishū’ doesn’t have that high of an attack power, it has various effects such as giving continuous damage to enemies and giving debuffs such as ‘restraint’ that slow down their speed, and conversely increasing your own speed; it is a very effective skill with various application.

As I learned from the battle with Babi, ‘Flame Sword’ is a very offensive oriented skill, so I want to have another hand to play, and ‘Shishū’ can be said to be a wonderful skill that seems be able to fulfill that demand.

(If I put a bundle of threads in my cuffs, I can even replace them in case of emergency. I need practice though.)

Thus, I’m effortlessly killing monsters by flinging threads at them in the lower layer of the ‘Tower’ where I can take a safety margin for certain, but no matter how I look at it, Higaki’s condition is strange.

If it’s the usual her, she would snap at me, saying, “You are ditching teacher’s Flame Sword!?”, and take a stance with the intention to rush on and attack me, but the current her is just continuing to tear through the monsters with her sword silently.

Don’t tell me, she has become a little amicable? – so with that thought in mind I brought up the topic about the extra prize of the event this time, but the response I got back was an extreme bloodthirst, and my faint expectation was shattered brilliantly.

Now, I’m completely stuck; Wonder what happened.

“Uhmm, Ao-chan? No, Higaki-san?”

“What is it, Sakurai.”

“If there’s anything bothering you or something, I would like it if you share it to me quickly, m’kay? If you bottle it up like that, I’m undoubtedly sure that you will point your blade at me when it explodes, so it’s hard for me to concentrate on leveling, you know.”

“You… haah.”

Ao-chan who is sighing while cutting down the monster coming at her from the side without giving it a glance gives a very dangerous impression, right? No, isn’t it already too late to question it at this late hour?

However, even though she is a little amazed, it seems she is going to talk to me about it, so I listen carefully for her words while keeping the monsters away with the trap I created by stretching the threads around.

For now, let’s have you guys (monsters) become dice steaks.

“Although we are able to return to the real world, the things that await me after returning get me down, see.”

“Really?”

“Unlike you, I have the position of chairman of the disciplinary committee. On top of using that position for my self-interest, I caused a personal fight with you, moreover, I ended up dying at the end… I wonder what kind of face should I make when I return.”

“People who have social life sure have it hard.”

“That’s rich coming from a guy who played hooky on the first day of school.”

“I couldn’t go even if I wanted to because you attacked me though?”

Although it’s too late to be worried about it now, I wanted to attend the promise of fantasy worlds – magic type classes, and I also wanted to attend the battle classes for the sake of entering the dungeon.

Well, I found the loophole before enrollment, so I had no reason to go to the latter, so it disappeared from my head.

There are many other attractive things such as skills, items, and events that can be obtained by advancing in school lessons. When I return to the real world, should I start on setting my hand there as well?

“Putting that aside, as you’ve running around to kill people because of jealousy, it’s probably already too late to start talking about embarrassment or the likes; that’s not something you have to worry about.”

“That might be true. Might as well abandon them, huh.”

“……Eh? Seriously, you’re gonna forfeit everything, just like that? You’re kidding me, right?”

Although she became a part of the orderly people only for a short while, she sure did well in becoming the chairman of the disciplinary committee.

If she’s gonna forfeit everything without hesitation like that, it would make me refreshed and feel good, on the contrary.

In the future, if something happens, let’s testify to the media that “I thought she would definitely do it someday”.

“Well, that makes me feel at ease a bit. So, while enduring embarrassment, I want ask for a favor from you.”

“A favor?”

“I want you to teach me Sensei’s slash.”

Higaki who cut down the last animal in the surroundings looks at me with serious eyes.

Uncle’s technique, ‘Fake ・ Sword Master’s Slash’.

I don’t know what kind of change of heart she had since that time when she killed me because she couldn’t forgive me for using it, but now she is no longer a stranger, and I had her cooperate with me several times in this time’s case, so I’m not unwilling to teach her that.

I’m not unwilling… buuut.

“I’ll teach you if there’s something that can be taught, but… you see~.”

“Is there any problem?”

“No, just that, it’s only a technique of ‘slashing’ faithfully to the basic, so there’s nothing to teach about, you know.”

The true nature of ‘Sword Master’s Slash’ is the extremity of simple training; as a result of the act of slashing faithfully to the basic reaching an extremely high level, it has become a skill.

Speaking of its difference from an ordinary slash, it is at the that ‘it ignores all factors (defense power) and deliver the power it is packed with as it is without loss’, in other words, it is something that eliminate waste completely.

So even though she said she want to learn it, I can only say ‘just swing your sword’.

I have to say, even though I was taught how to swing a sword by uncle Bonus, and continued to do so for many years, and on top of that, kept on having it heaped upon my body while training with real swords to the point of dying, I was only barely be able to learn it as a ‘Fake (imitation)’.

There is no doubt that the amount of time I spent on training is different from that of Higaki, and even after learning it, it is still a skill with a high degree of difficulty that requires concentration and ‘reservoir’, so it is not something that you can learn overnight.

Uncle Bonus who continuously toss out such skill as normal attacks is really amazing after all, right! Let’s have him play with me again next time.

“Just swing your sword without any waste, if you don’t understand, grasp the sensation of being cut by it. From the sensation of being cut, imagine how the slash is and then swing your sword. This is all I can say.”

“I see… as expected of teacher. Ahh, gosh, I wonder how high of a place he is at. Even so, I——ngh!”

“It’s good that you’re fired up, but please go elsewhere.”

“Oops. I’m sorry. However, just realizing that if I keep swinging my sword, I’ll be able to reach him someday is a fortune.”

Higaki who said that loosen the strength in her shoulders, relaxing as though the evil spirit possessing her has been removed.

“I have always longed for teacher. I have been longing for that ‘stroke of sword’. However, because I have been longing for it, I keep swinging my sword without trying to understand even a fragment of it. The proof of that is I barely comprehends what that ‘stroke of sword’ is like from what you said just now.”

“……”

“I was just longing for it. You comprehended it and tried to make it your own. I just kept standing still on the farthest place from teacher… that’s just how stupid I am.”

Higaki looks back and slashes the monster approaching her from behind.

Then she turns her back to me and mutters with her face away from me.

“I was really, stupid.”

The shoulders that tremble slightly, and the voice that sounds as though she tries her best pretending to be calm.

I can neither understand nor guess the feelings that all jumbled together in her.

Even so, there is only one thing I can say as her acquaintance, as a fellow disciple, that is – the objective fact.

And precisely because I know that she is a ‘main character’, only I can say it with certainty.

“Even I could do it, so you can do it too, don’t fret over it.”

“……What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the difference in pure talent. Until I met you, I could only release up to three snakes with my own ‘Fire Snake’. In contrast, you displayed before my eyes 9 snakes, which are something I’ve never seen before. Despite the fact you and I have many times difference in the time spent on training. At least in terms of talent and competency, you are more superior than me.”

“But!”

“But? I’ve proved that if you keep doing it, you can reach it, right?”

Since I’ve proven it, that means it is a ‘technique (skill)’ that could be learnt as long as the conditions are met, no matter how misshapen and roundabout (inefficient) they are.

Unlike me, she has both qualities and talent, and she has a solid technique, it would be more strange if she can’t do it even though she has understood the theory.

Let alone this is a ‘game’ world.

Unlike reality, your effort continues to increase and accumulate as experience points, and the accumulated effort does not decrease no matter how much time passed.

Even if she has been leveling inefficiently until now, she is definitely approaching the skill acquisition line step by step.

‘Level up (efforts pay off)’.

That is the absolute law (system) of this world.

As long as she doesn’t lose sight of it, there isn’t even a shred of reason to grieve.

That view is arrogant, you say?

That’s natural; the majority of players play while looking down on the story (game) and evaluate it subjectively, so there’s no way they’re not arrogant.

Rather, if you are inside a game world, this much arrogance should be just right.

“I think it’s good to be aware of your current position, but you should quit comparing yourself to me (mob) and thinking that you (main character) can’t do it. If you look at it from the perspective of someone like me, you would think ‘what the heck is this girl doing?’, after all.”

“…………”

“If you’ve understood the theory of the technique, all you have to do is aim for it and continue training (leveling) until you learn it. If you do so, you will definitely be able to learn it.”

Higaki who turned around at my words is stunned by what I said.

And after casting down her eyes, she leaks out an exasperated dry laugh that I’ve heard so many times that I couldn’t count it.

“Ahh… un. You would naturally say so. Your stance is rather refreshing, really… I take off my hat to you.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“It is a compliment, you know. That’s why I will say it only once – thank you.”

After saying so, she mutters “I’m going back” and heads for the exit.

Not understanding what she was thankful for, I tilt my head and conclude “there’s no need to think it deeply, huh”, and continue leveling until just before the day change.




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