Chapter 45 of the Academy's Weapon Replicator

Chapter 11: Dragon Heart (5)

Assuming you want to recruit archers during a war.

If you have one archer, you usually bring a swordsman instead.

But if you have a hundred archers, it's worth considering.

And if you have ten thousand archers, it's a no-brainer.

In this way, when it comes to bows, quantity is more important than quality.

Archers are only effective in large numbers, and arrows truly show their worth in large-scale battles.

'Indeed, if it's like this.'

Renjo thought calmly as he watched the arrows raining down on him.

A single arrow shot by one person split into countless fragments, forming a web of fire that descended upon him.

'At this level, one person can possess the power of a hundred.'

Literally, one person can be worth a hundred.

However, Renjo.

He effortlessly annihilates a mere hundred.

Great Sword Technique

Renjo Original

From left to right

Renjo lifted the massive greatsword he was holding with one hand and swung it from left to right.

A storm-like wind arose along the horizontal line of his swing.

Thud, thud, thud. The arrows, making weak sounds, were pushed away by the wind pressure Renjo created.

'No matter what kind of acrobatics, without a bow, arrows are only this much.'

Renjo's thoughts were cut off there.

As he deflected the arrows, Frondier had reached right in front of him.

'He used the arrows as a shield!'

Frondier, who had already drawn his spear, thrust it at Renjo.

Aiming for Renjo's exposed chest, which was left open by his greatsword swing.

A clever move, taking advantage of Renjo's momentary lapse.

However,

'Too late, kid.'

Renjo brought the greatsword he had used to deflect the arrows back in front of him.

The speed at which he retracted the sword was much faster than Frondier's.

Frondier's eyes widened in disbelief at the incredible sight.

And when the two blades clashed.

'...?'

Silence fell.

Renjo saw the strange phenomenon right before his eyes.

The two blades collided, yet no sound was heard.

'No, they didn't actually collide.'

At the moment their blades were about to clash, Frondier had removed the force from his spear and pressed it against Renjo's sword.

The two weapons stuck together.

Crack, a dry sound like burning firewood.

Immediately after.

"Huh!"

A smile appeared at the corner of Renjo's mouth.

It was infused with heat.

'I thought it would be fun much later.'

He glanced at his right hand for a moment.

The greatsword was flying through the air, out of his grasp.

Aji's technique.

It was the Falling Spear (落張).

* * *

'Ugh!'

My body screamed.

My grip felt like it was tearing, and the tremors started from my arm, traveled up my shoulder, and shook my entire body.

It was good that I lost Renjo's sword, but in the process, I also dropped my spear.

What a farce.

An incomplete Falling Spear.

I had seen the golems' Falling Spears many times using Vizagram, but it was of an absurdly high difficulty.

I understand why Aji said not to do it.

I almost destroyed my body.

Because it was incomplete, both Renjo and I dropped our weapons.

It doesn't seem to benefit either of us.

But I am faster than Renjo, who needs to pick up his weapon again.

Weaving (織造), Kurokawa (黒川)

Weapon Grade - Legendary

Gram

Black droplets gathered in my hands.

In an instant, they took shape and I held them in both hands.

I drew a diagonal line without hesitation, aiming at the unarmed Renjo!

Aji's Basic Spear Technique

Frondier-style Sword Technique Variation

Diagonal Slash

A technique that can cut through a steel golem.

No matter how strong Renjo is, he can't withstand Gram with his human body.

However.

I saw it.

Or rather, I felt it.

Perhaps because I was inside Menosorpo.

The无形的气附着在Renjo的手上.

'Aura──!'

Renjo unleashed an aura with his bare hands.

The realm that all battle students of Constel dream of.

And he did it so casually, deflecting my best strike with just one hand.

At this moment, I was the one who was defenseless.

"Ugh!"

Renjo's fist flew towards my exposed side.

'I need to weave a shield—'

Bang!

The sky seemed to flip, and I was sent flying through the air before crashing down.

The hastily woven shield was torn like paper.

Even after sliding across the ground a few times, I still felt nothing,

"Cough!"

I spat out blood, which was the result of the intense pain that turned my insides upside down.

Menosorpo was released.

"Ah, sorry, sorry."

Renjo approached me, who had fallen, with a leisurely pace.

"I can't control my strength when I use my fists."

'You probably didn't even try to control it, bastard.'

I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and stood up.

I stood up, but I was already in a near-death state.

My ribs felt broken, and the blood rushing back made me feel nauseous.

My whole body was trembling.

Even with a shield, it was this bad.

Moreover, I had used almost all my mana with Gram.

"Still, you have a strange feel. Your side is so hard."

Renjo said, shaking his hand.

It's 'strange' to feel the hardness after piercing through a shield.

I laughed bitterly at the absurd strength.

"You seemed quite interesting, but in the end, you're just a rookie. Using such an overpowered weapon, it's going to cry."

Cry my ass.

I want to cry.

'What do I do now?'

No mana, and serious injuries.

With just one hit, and to the side, I'm in this state. If I get hit again, I'll probably die.

Did Aten run away?

I can't take my eyes off Renjo, but I assume she did.

She knows her own worth.

However,

"Stop it."

A voice came from behind.

"I want you to take me. This person doesn't matter."

"Sure, I have no complaints if you come quietly."

Aten stood next to me.

I said in a tired voice,

"I told you to run."

"No."

"You know what will happen if you're kidnapped. Have you forgotten who you are?"

"I have never forgotten, not for a moment."

Aten's voice was the same as always.

There was no tremor, no fear.

"I am a princess."

"..."

"The royal family exists to protect the people. If you stand above many, you must bear the responsibility."

"You becoming a hostage could hurt more people."

"No."

Aten smiled at me, a sad smile.

"I'm not that valuable."

"...Aten."

Aten took my hand.

A blue light emanated from her hand and transferred to me.

It was mana.

Aten gave me most of the mana she had.

"It's dangerous here. Use this mana to run. You can do that, right?"

Aten let go of my hand and slowly walked towards Renjo.

I bowed my head.

If things continue like this, Aten will almost certainly die.

It wasn't a wrong statement when she said she wasn't that valuable.

Emperor Terst would abandon Aten.

He's that kind of person, and from the royal family's perspective, it's the right decision.

But is Aten's death a big problem for me?

Of course, it makes clearing the game harder.

But the probability isn't zero.

There must be some way.

Even if I save Aten, what's the point if I die?

Moreover, I have no way to save her.

With my current state, I can't defeat Renjo.

I couldn't even scratch him with all the tricks I had.

I did my best.

To the point where my ribs broke.

I don't want to die like a dog.

I don't want to die.

I've only known Aten for a few days.

Aten is just a character in the game.

There must be other ways to clear this game.

So.

"Menosorpo."

I spoke again.

A magic circle unfolded, and Aten looked at me in surprise.

"Frondier! Stop it!"

Renjo grinned.

"Sure, I knew you'd do something like this. I could tell you were a promising one from our first encounter. Let's play a bit more."

What the hell are you talking about.

You're just a perverted bastard.

I spread my thumb, index finger, and middle finger.

I had an idea.

But to be honest, I've never done it before.

I don't know what will happen.

Nothing might happen, or something absurd might occur.

Either way,

No matter what excuse I give,

I thought of a thousand reasons why I could abandon Aten.

But I decided to save her.

In the end, my choice was always this.

But with my current state, I can't defeat Renjo.

It's not possible with my current self.

Weaving (織造)

Grade - Legendary

Dragon Heart

I used all the mana Aten gave me to weave a Dragon Heart.

It had a shape like a bent rod in a triangular form.

The shining crystal was held in the three fingers I had spread.

As I mentioned before, if you properly absorb a Dragon Heart, your total mana increases.

While this was the goal,

The problem is that this is a fake created by weaving.

It's not a real substance.

So, while the phenomenon of increasing mana might occur,

It's not actually granting real mana.

To resolve this contradiction, something inside me is turning into mana.

─I don't know what it is.

Blood, flesh, bones, or organs.

Whatever I need to sustain my human existence is being consumed in proportion to the amount of mana.

"Ah, ho!"

Renjo exclaimed in amazement.

It was the most vibrant face he had ever shown.

That guy hasn't liked anything since the start.

"Indeed, indeed! Doping, huh! Whatever you did, it's unbelievable mana!"

"Renjo! We already talked about this! Take me away!"

"Shut up, bitch!"

Renjo pushed Aten, who was holding his arm, forcefully.

Aten, overpowered by the force, slid and fell.

"I've changed my mind. You're much more interesting than I thought!"

Renjo said boldly, looking at my surging mana.

He faced me with an open stance.

"But, kid, do you know? Mana isn't just about quantity! No matter how much mana you have, if you don't have the proper spells and techniques, you're just a water tank. You might be able to shoot a lot of arrows like before, but that's all. You can't hurt me with that! I'll take it all in, just watch."

No matter what spell you use, if you input more mana than the spell requires, the excess mana will just scatter.

A spell doesn't become stronger just because you input more mana.

You need to use powerful spells.

This applies to everything that uses mana or aura.

However,

"...Take it?"

I said.

My voice was boiling due to the earthquake-like sensation inside my body.

Weaving (織造), Kurokawa (黒川)

Grade - Main Character Deity (主役神位)

Mjolnir

The hammer with a short handle and a metal head, Mjolnir, held in my hand.

Most of the mana that exploded after eating the Dragon Heart was used here.

Renjo's relaxed expression faded a bit.

Yeah, do you know what this is?

I held Mjolnir in my right hand and pulled it back.

The stance was almost identical to the dagger throwing stance I had practiced countless times in the training room.

"Try to catch this, madman."

With that, I launched Mjolnir using the throwing technique I had advanced to the intermediate level.

By the way, the intermediate throwing technique,

Never misses a stationary target.