Chapter 8.2 Hero, Once Again (4)
“Then, sir, you are saying that he is not normal?”
"Yes. My guess is that this friend must have been systematically trained by someone. After hard training, he must have come out to experience the outside world. That's probably why the level is so low."
“Sir, by being systematically trained, you mean…?”
At Rickel's questioning tone, Walter shrugged.
“If anyone could do such a thing, who could it be other than a knight?”
Knight.
A humanoid weapon that is raised by the virtue of all kinds of hard work and systematic training since childhood.
They do not depend on level.
They fill that level gap with absolute skill.
They are not bound by numbers.
And, they are overwhelmingly strong.
Rickel swallowed his saliva with a nervous expression at the word knight.
“Knight… Then, shouldn’t Mr. Cloud’s rank be increased?”
"It's all right, just leave it alone. Most probably, he wouldn't like that kind of perk. Just change the evaluation a bit. So that he can raise his rank any time he wants.”
"…Yeah, sir."
“Then go out and do the work. I'll sit down and think for a while."
After Rickel left the reception room, Walter recalled his first meeting with Cloud.
‘Somehow, even though he was young, his momentum was extraordinary.'
‘…He was playing in a whole different world than me, all the time.'
Walter smiled, but then he suddenly remembered what he had done.
Everything from preemption to using grip to pressuring tone of voice.
‘…Maybe, he wouldn't hold grudges, right?'
A drop of cold sweat ran down his back.
* * *
Killing the goblins allowed me to understand how the level system here works.
‘It severs the soul.'
It cleaves the soul of the dead by a little and get's absorbed into the body of the opponent. When more than a certain number of souls accumulate in the body, the body is strengthened.
So, mowing and absorbing the soul is what everyone calls experience, and accumulating them upto a certain extent to make the body stronger—is called leveling up.
So, what to do next was simple.
Just kill all kinds of monsters at random and level up. After I've leveled up to a certain extent, I can leave to farm for equipments.
But before that, there's something more to be done.
“Welcome. Are you here to join the swordsmanship guild?”
The place I was currently visiting was the Swordsmanship Guild, a place that taught swordsmanship by paying money, just like in the game.
“No, I’m just here to learn.”
‘Probably, the being that pulled me here—is very likely not to know who actually am I.'
If it had known, it wouldn't have thought of bringing him to his dimension.
Of course, unless it's really crazy.
‘So, that guy probably thinks of me as some kind of wasted game obsessed freak who has played a damn lot of games.'
Then shouldn't we act accordingly?
Well… one day I'll may be forced to use my skills from the old world.
But if that doesn't happen, there's no need to step forward and show my bottom line.
So that's why, I came to the Swordsmanship Guild to learn the skills of this world.
As for the skit against goblins—it was simply a matter of looking, dodging, and stabbing, but the next time I meet someone harder, it may lead up to showing some real skills.
“Learning is also good choice! Our swordsmanship guild is always open to anyone who wants to learn. However, learning, uhm, always costs money…”
I took out a money bag containing 2500 gold and showed it to him.
2000 gold is the money left over after giving Lina 3000 gold last time, and 500 gold is the money earned from the last goblin quest. Originally, 500 gold was to be divided among five people, but Samuel refused to take it, so, in the end I had all of it.
While looking at the heavy money bag in my hand, the person showed a happy expression.
“You are eligible to learn. Follow me. I will guide you to the master.”
I followed him as he guided me inside.
From inside the guild, the sound of metal bumping didn't stop, it seemed that the guild members were practicing with each other.
“Master, someone is here.”
He said as he opened the back door of the guild.
Passing through the back door, I saw the guild's hall enclosed by white walls. There, about six people were following the movements of a middle-aged man.
The man who guided me walked towards that middle-aged man.
“Master Riek.”
“What's going on, Jack? Can't you see I'm busy?"
“A visitor has come to learn.”
"Oh? Let's see. Are you the customer?”
The middle-aged man wiped his sweat and looked at me. I nodded, and the middle-aged looked at the six continuing their training and ordered:
“I'll be leaving for a while. Don't stop, keep repeating from style one to eight until I come back.”
-Yes!
"You. Follow me.”
The middle-aged man led me into a side room. Even though it was not as big as the guild's hall, there was enough space to swing around a sword, although not as freely as the hall.
“What do you want to learn?”
“What do you teach?”
“Double Sword Strike for three hundred gold. Parrying for five hundred gold. Wolf Buster for a thousand gold.”
It's the same as the game system.
“Then I will learn all of that.”
My words made the master's eyebrows twitch.
“You want to learn everything?”
"Yes. Don't worry, I have enough money. Then, please show the demonstration.”
I threw the money bag minus 700 gold to the instructor.
* * *
Riek.
By the time he approached the age of fifty, he was a wandering knight who had been wandering the continent from when he was young.
Nobles and official knights looked at him and still ignored him, saying that even with a horse—he was nothing more than a wandering knight or a rootless mercenary, but he has always been proud of his one possession—his swordsmanship.
He wasn't in a good mood right now.
It was because of the ballsy kid who came up earlier as a guest this time.
Just by looking at his thin figure with those twig like arms, you would know that he must have been born in a well-to-do rich family.
That's why he could issue such an arrogant declaration.
‘Are you going to learn everything? Ha ha..! You wankers think that all you need is money…'
That's why these privileged buggers could never make it.
They all thought that handling a sword was as easy as plucking flowers while lying on their big and soft beds.
The reality is that, to master it—you have to work hard enough until your hands are filled with calluses, and practice until you cannot move an inch of your body.
‘But… I still have to make money.'
Maintaining a guild costs money, it's a matter of course.
That was the reason why he, who held a strong pride in his sword, couldn't kick out such a cheeky bastard.
He smiled laboriously and handed the wooden sword to Cloud.
"Yes. It's good to learn everything. So, let’s start with the Double Sword Strike.”
Riek took a stance with a wooden sword. He immediately swung his sword with a little tilt.
"Ha!"
A wooden sword swung toward the top.
As he twisted his wrist, the wooden sword stretched in the opposite direction to the direction in which it was previously swung, coming right back at a greater velocity.
It used the movement of the wrist to attack twice at high speed. Of course, the power is slightly lower than normal, but the advantage of being able to attack twice in a short time is the focus of Double Sword Strike.
He looked at Cloud with a triumphant expression.
‘Perhaps he didn't even see it properly.'
For a beginner who doesn't know how it's done, it'll feel like something has come and gone in blink of an eye.
"Can I try it?”
"Of course."
Cloud took the exact same posture that Riek had taken earlier. Seeing that, Riek internally laughed by himself.
‘How's it possible to learn with just one look? I had to practice it for a whole week back then to…'
Shoo! Shoo!
—the sound of crackling of wind.
Riek's mouth fell wide open. Because Cloud followed Riek's movements in the same exact manner.
‘No… H, How at once, that…'
To Riek who was left bewildered, Cloud spoke calmly.
“Is it okay?”
"Uh? Uh-huh… well… well done.”
“Then show me the next technique.”
“Yeah, it should be.”
Riek raised his wooden sword.
Definitely, he is a guy who knows how to use a sword, no doubt.
But this one won't be easy.
“Parrying is letting the opponent's attack flow in the other direction. It is meaningful in that it not only cuts off the opponent's attack, but also creates a gap. Try swinging your sword at me once.”
Cloud swung his wooden sword towards Riek. Riek directed off Cloud's attack with his sword.
“This is called parrying."
"Well, parrying is something that can only be done if you are skilled, beginners are better off hitting sideways rather than parrying it.”
"I see."
“It would be better to try it yourself than to just see it. I will swing my sword at you. Take a good look at it and try to parry me.”
Riek slashed his wooden sword at Cloud, who had taken his stance. It contained power beyond what was needed to teach parrying.
‘Let's see if you can do it once again!'
It was because such a childish thought had taken hold in Riek's head.
Seeing Riek's sword attack, Cloud moved. When Riek felt something, his wooden sword was already hitting the ground.
‘Uh…?'
Without hesitation, Cloud continued.
“Teach me the next technique.”
“…”
In the end, Cloud learned all the three techniques in less than 10 minutes and went back the exact day.
After he returned, Riek had to receive the puzzled eyes of his disciples as to why he had returned so early.
—A hefty bonus on the already big crack on a certain someone's pride.
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