Chapter 14

Lightly dealing with the wild boar, I proceeded through the forest.

Well, it’s more of a forest road than a forest. Since it’s been developed by human hands and even has a path, calling this a forest would be a bit of a misnomer.

Thanks to that, even a beginner swinging a long weapon doesn’t have much of a problem—

“...Don’t you think a bow would have been better?”

“Ugh... I’m ashamed...”

While kicking the wild boar that had charged from the side and finishing it off, I told Iori with a half-lidded gaze.

Iori, who looked somewhat dejected, was poking a spider that was trying to approach us with the tip of her naginata, still in a hunched-over stance.

■Forest Spider

Type: Insect Monster

Level: 2

Status: Active

Attribute: None

Battle Position: Ground, Tree

The name of the monster that appeared was the Forest Spider.

It looked like a slightly brownish spider. Raising its front legs, it was trying to approach us with its red eight eyes glaring, but it couldn’t move properly due to the tip of Iori’s naginata.

While it seemed to have taken some damage, it would take quite a while to defeat it with that method.

I had just stopped the wild boar that had charged from the side, targeting Iori, who was making such a leisurely attack.

One-on-one, she might have been able to defeat it, but if she had taken that charge, Iori would have been out.

“But it’s so creepy. Is this what a spider the size of a medium dog looks like?”

“I won’t deny it, but... can you... help me?”

“Try to take care of one.”

While saying that, I moved behind Iori.

I firmly grabbed the pommel of the naginata that was still thrust out and called out to Iori, who stiffened in surprise.

“First, fix that hunched-over stance. Push your hips forward.”

“But...”

“Just do it quickly.”

While saying that, I pushed her hips forward with my knee.

If I had touched her with my hands, it might have led to some complicated situations, but with my knee, it was more like a half-kick.

Her hips, which had been completely pulled back, were pushed forward, and she managed to stand upright.

I held the naginata to keep the tip from moving in front of the spider and gave further instructions.

“Stand with your body sideways, feet shoulder-width apart, and point your front foot towards the opponent.”

“Yes, yes!”

I corrected her body, which had been awkwardly angled.

That stance was like inviting the opponent to attack.

The reach of the naginata was also hidden, reducing its effectiveness.

“First, learn this basic stance. Hold the naginata with your back hand at the root of your thigh and your front hand about three fists away from your waist.”

“L-like this?”

“Well, you’re a bit too tense... but that’s fine for now.”

The basic middle stance of the naginata.

This is just a general stance, not specific to any school.

You can’t use a naginata properly without at least being able to do this.

“Now, what should I do?”

“First, remember this middle stance. But in the current situation, this stance is a bit too close for combat.”

“It’s not possible, right!”

“Well, it’s not impossible, but if you move the tip away from the opponent, it will attack immediately... so, the next stance.”

If she had the skill, it would be fine, but it would be too much to ask of Iori.

I wanted to say that she should use a thrust to create distance and then attack, but I felt she would revert to a hunched-over stance as soon as she thrust.

So, I lifted the naginata, still holding the pommel, to keep the tip in place.

“Hold the blade of the naginata upwards and place your back hand behind your ear. This is the lower stance. It’s a stance for targeting the opponent’s legs and groin.”

“Ah, I see... So, I should attack like this?”

“That’s right.”

While saying that, I released the pommel.

The naginata, now free, didn’t wobble as it had before.

It seemed she could at least maintain the stance. After confirming this, I gave further instructions.

“Aim for the ground under the opponent’s jaw. Don’t push the naginata with your arms; slide your front foot forward and push the naginata in!”

“Yes, yes!”

She suddenly raised her voice strongly.

Reacting to her voice, Iori instinctively followed the instructions.

The blade, thrust out as directed, pierced the ground under the spider’s jaw.

If the ground had been stone, her arm might have gone numb, but fortunately, it was soft soil.

With the blade stuck in the ground, the spider tried to retreat, as if on guard. At that moment, I shouted again.

“Lower your right hand and raise your left!”

“Yes!”

She no longer had the time to question the instructions, and Iori instinctively followed them, raising the naginata strongly.

The naginata’s strength lies in its ability to combine thrusts and sweeps. By changing the position of her arms, she could perform a sweep without losing her balance.

The raised blade of the naginata grazed the spider’s mouth, splattering green fluid.

However, it didn’t seem to have severed the head. The spider was reeling from the impact, but it wasn’t a fatal wound.

But the distance was enough.

“Return to the middle stance!”

“Yes!”

“Step forward with your right foot and sweep with the pommel!”

“—”

After a brief hesitation, Iori stepped forward as instructed and struck the spider with the pommel.

The spider, which had been knocked off balance by the previous attack, couldn’t react to this side attack and was slammed to the ground.

At that point, the blade of the naginata was raised.

From there, all she had to do was bring it down.

“Bring the blade down!”

“Yes!”

She instinctively followed the instructions, stepping forward and swinging the naginata.

The blade, brought down like a guillotine, caught the spider, which had stopped moving, and depleted its HP.

She had cleanly severed the head; even if it had any HP left, it would have been an instant kill.

“Good job. That’s about it.”

“Oh, oh... I, I didn’t know it could be defeated so easily.”

“Of course. Though it’s called a threefold reach, the naginata is a very effective weapon. If you fight at your own range, there’s no better weapon.”

The naginata can cover slashing, striking, and thrusting. If used properly, it’s an incredibly powerful weapon.

Even in the Kyūgen Shintō-ryū combat sword technique, there are several techniques specifically for fighting against the naginata, as it’s a difficult weapon to handle.

Well, having many techniques means it takes more time to master.

The old man who had mastered all the weapons had incredible skills—there’s no need to talk about it now.

“Basically, there are three more stances... but after an attack, it’s important to return to the nearest stance. A half-hearted stance is the worst.”

“Are there that many stances...”

“Yeah. Actually, you were holding one of them without really thinking about it earlier?”

“Eh? When was that?”

“When you turned your body with the pommel strike. You instinctively raised the blade, which is the Hachisō stance, used when attacking the opponent.”

At that point, her stance could have been off, but Iori had managed to take the Hachisō stance quite well.

Even if it had been a bit off, she could have finished the spider from that position, but because she had taken the stance properly, she didn’t lose her balance after finishing the spider.

I had thought she might not be suited for this at first, but it seemed her reflexes were good. The fact that she could instinctively take an efficient stance was proof of that.

“There are also the upper stance and the side stance. These are quite aggressive stances but are a bit difficult to handle. The upper stance involves holding the blade above your head with the edge facing backward.”

I made Iori stand up and hold the naginata.

The upper stance is a rather heroic stance, but—

“...It’s a stance for bringing the blade down, right? How do you differentiate it from the Hachisō stance?”

“This stance has more power. You’re transmitting the centrifugal force and the weight of the naginata. You can also counter an attack from above, but it’s difficult for beginners. As you can see, it leaves your torso open, so the risk is high. Use it when the opponent is showing a big opening and you want to land a powerful blow.”

This stance would be rarely used by Iori, a beginner.

It’s not easy to transition to the upper stance from the flow of movement.

“And the side stance. It’s similar to the middle stance, but the blade is held horizontally behind you. As you can see, it’s a stance for horizontal sweeps. It also hides the reach of the weapon, so you can use it depending on the situation.”

“I see...”

I nodded in satisfaction as Iori demonstrated the stance as instructed.

It was still a bit loose, but she had grasped the basics.

“Well, that’s the basics. Just be careful not to lose your stance. If you understand, let’s move on to the next practical training.”

“W-wait a moment! I haven’t fully memorized it yet—”

“I can wait, but the enemies won’t. They’ll attack from their side.”

“Ugh...”

I chuckled and started moving down the forest road again.

We were still in the middle of this field.

I wanted her to get used to the movements before we reached the boss.

“I’ll do my best... Thank you, Kuon.”

“I promised to teach you a bit. It would be troublesome if you couldn’t fight at all when we reach the boss.”

“I’m sorry...”

“No, it’s fine if you improve by the time we reach the boss.”

Waving my hand, I continued forward with Iori.

The enemies weren’t that strong, and so far, only wild boars and spiders had appeared.

Occasionally, I saw squirrels in the trees, but they were a type of monster that didn’t attack us.

When I used the “Identification” skill, they were displayed as monsters, but their status was always passive, making them more like ordinary animals.

“There are quite a few enemies, but they’re weak. Are there only wild boars and spiders here?”

“No, there’s one more type, but it’s a bit troublesome.”

“Troublesome? What do you mean—”

I was about to respond to Iori’s words when I sensed a killing intent and reflexively raised my sword.

The blade met a hard object and instantly cut through it.

This sensation... a tree branch?

Slightly surprised, I turned my attention to the source of the attack and saw—

■Trent

Type: Plant Monster

Level: 3

Status: Active

Attribute: None

Battle Position: Ground

It seemed the other type Iori mentioned was this.

Surprised by this new type of enemy, I smiled and charged at the Trent.

■Avatar Name: Kuon

■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 Skill: Katana: Lv.8

Magic Skill: Enhancement Magic: Lv.6

Set Skill: Death Point Strike: Lv.7

HP Auto Recovery: Lv.3

MP Auto Recovery: Lv.3

Plundering Sword: Lv.4

Identification: Lv.8

Life Sword: Lv.2

Sub Skills: Mining: Lv.1

Demon-Slaying Sword: Lv.1

■Current SP: 2