Chapter 11

With the tip of the blade pressed against Gaeos' throat, all movement comes to a stop.

The weapon being used is just a wooden sword, but in this position, with a hand on the hilt, it would be easy to pierce and crush the throat.

Confirming that the light from Gaeos' wooden sword, which he had readied, is slowly fading, I finally open my mouth.

"Let me just say this, I'm a player... what you call a foreigner."

"...So what?"

"We come to this land with some skills from the start. This *Seizoku no Ken* (Sword of Seizure) is one of the skills I obtained then. In other words, I didn't learn it from anyone... Do you understand?"

Upon hearing this, Gaeos slowly lowers the wooden sword he had held in an upper guard position. The hostile intent that had pierced my skin is now gone, and he lets out a deep sigh. It seems the misunderstanding has been cleared up.

"...Sorry, I jumped to conclusions."

"It's fine. I did make a rather rough entrance, so it's understandable to be seen negatively."

I also lower my blade and relax my combat stance. It was a good match, and I can say I'm satisfied. Being able to use the *Okuden*—one of the advanced techniques of my *Kuuzen Shintou-ryu*—in actual combat was a valuable experience.

"Well, I guess you can say I won, right?"

"Yeah, I lost. I never thought I'd be defeated by someone with such a level difference."

"By the way, I haven't used *Shikibetsu* (Identification) yet..."

I try to focus on the skill and observe Gaeos. The information displayed in my vision is as follows:

■Gaeos

Species: ???

Level: ???

Status: ???

Attribute: ???

Combat Position: ???

*Your *Shikibetsu* skill level has increased.*

The information is even less clear than when I saw Fushin before. Moreover, just using it once increased the skill level of *Shikibetsu*. This must mean there is a significant level difference. Being overwhelmed by strength is only natural.

"Since I lost the match, I'll follow your instructions. What do you intend to do with this dojo?"

"Huh? No, I don't have any plans to do anything. I just came here to fight strong opponents."

"...Is it like a martial arts pilgrimage or something? You're quite unusual."

"I get that a lot. Anyway, I have no intention of interfering with the dojo. My purpose is already achieved."

Upon hearing this, Gaeos lets out a slight sigh of relief. Despite his noble attitude, he probably found it hard to give up the dojo. The surrounding students also show obvious signs of relief. It seems he is a well-respected teacher. Satisfied with meeting a good swordsman, I ask a question that comes to mind.

"By the way, you reacted quite strongly when you saw the *Seizoku no Ken*... Is there something about this skill?"

"...Right, as a foreigner, you wouldn't know. This skill has a bit of a history. It's a bit of a long story, though."

"I don't mind. I came here to pass the time, so I have some time to spare."

"Treating a dojo challenge as just a way to pass time... That's a bit much... Anyway, you guys, get back to training! I need to talk to him!"

It seems he couldn't keep standing around talking while ignoring everyone else. Gaeos instructs the surrounding people to resume their training. Since I have no intention of interfering with the dojo's operations, and if I can hear the story, that's enough. We move to the side of the training area, which is starting to get noisy again, and resume our conversation.

"Then, to start again... I'm Gaeos. I'm the instructor of this dojo."

"I'm Quon. As I said, I'm a foreigner."

"Ah, nice to meet you. So, you wanted to talk about the *Seizoku no Ken*?"

Gaeos leans against the wall and folds his arms. Though his expression doesn't change much, it's clear he has a deep connection to this skill. His reaction was so strong, so it's probably not a pleasant story.

"*Seizoku no Ken* is one of the *Three Demon Swords* and a prerequisite for the *Dobouken* (Sword of Life-Stealing)."

"*Three Demon Swords*? So there are two others?"

"Indeed. *Dobouken*, *Soukonken* (Sword of Soul-Stealing)... and the *Renmeiken* (Sword of Life-Training) that I inherited. These three are very powerful skills, founded by a certain sword saint—my master."

I nod at Gaeos' words. Indeed, the *Renmeiken* that Gaeos tried to use earlier was undoubtedly a powerful skill. That's why I had to stop it before it started. If we had fought properly, I would have lost for sure. And the *Seizoku no Ken* I have can evolve into the *Dobouken*.

"So, you thought I was someone who learned the *Dobouken*?"

"...Yeah. But that shouldn't be possible."

"Shouldn't be possible? What do you mean?"

"Right now, the only one who can use *Dobouken* is our master. The disciple who inherited *Dobouken* is already dead."

I narrow my eyes at his words. I'm not surprised that a powerful skill user is dead. What I notice is the bitter emotion in his words.

"...What happened?"

"...That man went mad with the sword."

"—!"

As someone who lives by the sword, I can't fail to understand the meaning of his words. The fate of someone who is obsessed with the path of the sword and driven mad by battles and blood is clear from the current situation.

"*Dobouken*... *Seizoku no Ken* has the property of draining the opponent's life, which can be converted into vitality and self-healing, accompanied by a sense of pleasure. The higher the skill level, the more life it can drain. In other words—"

"It became a purpose to take lives with *Dobouken* rather than just fighting."

"Yeah... Because he was a man of considerable skill, no one could stop him... except our master."

"That man was killed by your master, then."

Well, it's a common fate for someone who goes mad with the sword. It's better that it happened before he surpassed his master. However, the master is quite impressive. To have developed such a powerful sword technique alone is no small feat.

"At first, he was a sporadic serial killer, and then, when the situation was discovered, he began to indiscriminately cut and drain people. Our master could stop him, but because he was his teacher, he resigned from his position as the royal sword instructor and went into seclusion... That's why *Seizoku no Ken* is recognized as a dangerous skill."

"Better not to use it in front of people, then."

"Yeah. Of course, foreigners like you wouldn't know, so it's only natural for us locals to be wary."

Gaeos chuckles. He and the man were probably fellow disciples under the same master, so they must have interacted. Given his bitter experience, it's understandable why he is wary of this skill.

"Anyway, that's the situation. Even though it happened a long time ago, I reacted too sensitively... I'm sorry."

"If there's a reason, I won't say anything. Besides, I enjoyed it quite a bit."

"...Please, don't go mad. Anyway, I caused you trouble. As an apology, I'll teach you something good."

With that, Gaeos steps away from the wall and readies his wooden sword at me. However, there's no sign of combat intent in his stance. It seems he just wants to show me something. Well, that's interesting, so I narrow my eyes and focus on what he's about to show.

"—*Seimei no Ken* (Sword of Life)"

With the declaration of the skill, Gaeos' wooden sword is enveloped in a faint golden light. The effect pattern is similar to when I used *Seizoku no Ken*. It seems this is—

"This is the prerequisite skill for *Renmeiken*, *Seimei no Ken*. In simple terms, it's a skill that increases attack power by consuming your own HP."

"Hmm. That sounds like it would work well with *Seizoku no Ken*."

"Indeed. Our master could use all three demon swords, so he could reduce his own HP and then heal himself. Honestly, I don't think I could ever defeat him."

Gaeos disperses the light with a shrug, and I can't help but chuckle. Reducing your own HP to amplify damage and then recovering it by attacking the opponent—though it's a nasty perpetual motion machine, it's indeed intriguing for me. After all, it's hard to reduce HP, making it difficult to train skills like *Seizoku no Ken* and *HP Auto Recovery*. With this, I can increase my attack power and skill levels. It's a win-win.

*You have met the requirements to learn the skill *Seimei no Ken*. It has been added to your learnable skills.*

"Hey, it looks like I can learn it now."

"I'm sorry if it's a trivial apology, but please try using it. I'm sure it will help you."

Indeed, this is enough. I grin and operate the menu to learn *Seimei no Ken*. The required skill points are 5—significantly more than the skills I've learned so far. This indicates that *Seimei no Ken* is a powerful skill. I immediately remove *Mining* from my skill slots and set *Seimei no Ken*.

"Alright, *Seimei no Ken*."

Instantly, I feel something being pulled out from inside my body, and the wooden sword is enveloped in a faint golden light. Checking my status, I see that about 10% of my HP has been consumed. It seems I've successfully used the skill.

"It looks like you used it well. If you have the time, you should also learn the skill *Seimei Chousa* (Life Force Control). It allows you to consciously control the amount of HP consumed."

"Wow, that sounds useful. You can save HP or increase power even more."

"Exactly. Use it well."

Well, I don't have any free skill slots right now, so I can learn it later. For now, I need to consciously use this skill and *Seizoku no Ken* to train and develop them. Honestly, it's easier to use than *Enhancement Magic*, so I expect it to become my main weapon. And with *Renmeiken* ahead, it's even more promising.

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

"It's an apology for the skills, don't worry about it. Oh, if you have the time, you should visit the dojo across the street. He's my junior disciple who learned *Soukonken* from our master. He might teach you related skills."

"Wow, that sounds like a good opportunity to learn."

I chuckle and bow to Gaeos. It was a productive time. Just coming here made me feel like the game was worth starting. Satisfied, I return the wooden sword to Gaeos and turn to leave.

"See you again if the opportunity arises."

"Yeah, I won't lose next time."

"Next time, I'll train to make it a proper match."

I wave and leave Gaeos' dojo. I received various complex gazes from the surroundings but ignored them and returned to my original state. Then—

"Let's do the same thing at the dojo across the street."

I entered the dojo across the street and learned another skill, *Zanma no Ken* (Sword of Demon Slaying).

■Avatar Name: Quon

■Gender: Male

■Race: Human

■Level: 8

■Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)

STR: 14

VIT: 12

INT: 14

MND: 12

AGI: 11

DEX: 11

■Skills

Weapon Skills: *Katana: Lv.8*

Magic Skills: *Enhancement Magic: Lv.5*

Set Skills: *Shiten Uchi: Lv.7*

*HP Auto Recovery: Lv.2*

*MP Auto Recovery: Lv.3*

*Seizoku no Ken: Lv.3*

*Shikibetsu: Lv.7*

*Seimei no Ken: Lv.1*

Sub Skills: *Mining: Lv.1*

*Zanma no Ken: Lv.1*

■Current SP: 2