Chapter 18

**Skill Level of "Sword of Life" has increased.**

**Skill Level of "Sword of Seizure" has increased.**

The day after receiving Eleanor's request, I immediately set out to fulfill it.

While I could have done it right after, I had to adjust Eleanor's schedule and wait for Iori to finish making the armor, so it was postponed until today.

Indeed, one of the reasons I accepted Iori's request was to help her complete her quest.

If I had just moved on without addressing it, the effort to defeat that spider would have been meaningless.

In any case, with the new equipment ready, I headed to the northern plains with the production team.

"Hmm, good job."

"Um, Mr. Quon, if you defeat them in one hit, we won't be able to test the armor's performance, will we?"

"There's no element that would allow these things to damage us."

I shrugged in response to Iori's voice from behind me.

She seemed to have gotten a bit more used to handling the naginata and had managed to take down a wolf.

It seems that the more party members there are, the more enemies appear.

Dealing with five wolves at once is quite a challenge.

Fortunately, the members, including Eleanor, are fairly capable, so I could handle three while they took care of the rest.

"Still, you're even more reckless than I heard, Quon. Even top players would struggle with five wolves."

"If Hizama were in that state, I'd have to retrain him from scratch."

"Yeah, but not Hizama and the people around Altrius."

I shrugged at Kansuke's words.

I don't know who Altrius is, but it's a relief that Hizama isn't a pushover.

In reality, I don't know the exact performance of the armor, and it might be better to take some hits, but that goes against my principles.

Basically, I just need to face an opponent that I can't handle.

Until then, I'll take care of them properly.

Looking at the new equipment, I can understand why they want to test its performance.

**Armor: Body - Black Kimono made from Great Forest Spider Silk**

- Defense: 19 (+3)

- Magic Defense: 6 (+1)

- Weight: 3

- Durability: 100%

- Effects: Slight Defense Increase, Minimal Magic Defense Increase

- Crafter: Iori

**Armor: Waist - Black Hakama made from Great Forest Spider Silk**

- Defense: 14 (+3)

- Magic Defense: 3 (+1)

- Weight: 1

- Durability: 100%

- Effects: Slight Defense Increase, Minimal Magic Defense Increase

- Crafter: Iori

**Armor: Accessory - White Haori made from Great Forest Spider Silk**

- Defense: 10 (+3)

- Magic Defense: 4 (+1)

- Weight: 2

- Durability: 100%

- Effects: Slight Defense Increase, Minimal Magic Defense Increase

- Crafter: Iori

**Armor: Head - Steel Helmet**

- Defense: 9 (+3)

- Magic Defense: 2 (+1)

- Weight: 2

- Durability: 100%

- Effects: Slight Defense Increase, Minimal Magic Defense Increase

- Crafter: Iori

**Armor: Arms - Steel Gauntlets**

- Defense: 11 (+3)

- Magic Defense: 0 (+1)

- Weight: 5

- Durability: 100%

- Effects: Slight Defense Increase, Minimal Magic Defense Increase

- Crafter: Fino

**Armor: Legs - Steel Greaves**

- Defense: 10 (+3)

- Magic Defense: 2 (+1)

- Weight: 6

- Durability: 100%

- Effects: Slight Defense Increase, Minimal Magic Defense Increase

- Crafter: Fino

With the new gauntlets and greaves, I spent almost all the money I earned from selling the materials from the forest.

Well, it's just pocket change, and I don't regret spending it.

Still, I do need to think about how to earn more for the next set of equipment.

In any case, the new equipment is significantly better than what I had before.

The design is also quite understated, and Iori even added a family crest-like emblem with the character "Ku" on the back of the white haori.

I didn't tell her my real family crest, so she probably used the first character of my name, Quon. I like the custom feel of it.

Incidentally, when Kansuke saw me in all the new gear, he approached Iori with a half-smile, but unfortunately, he didn't tell me why.

"... Honestly, I thought the rumors about this guy were exaggerated... But seeing him in person, I can't say that anymore."

"Yakumo, didn't I tell you to watch the videos? Did you not watch them?"

"No, I did watch them, but I couldn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes."

The boy named Yakumo was stunned after watching my battle.

Well, he looks like a boy because he's a dwarf, but I don't know his actual age.

Dwarves look like children at any age, so it's hard to guess.

But in real life, he seems to be Eleanor's younger brother, probably in his early twenties.

Yakumo is a woodworker and one of the top producers in Plectran.

I might not need his services since I don't use bows or staves, but it's good to know him.

"I think Hizama does something similar."

"No, what you're doing is much harder than what the sword maiden does... Even what she does is beyond the average person, so what you're doing is in a different league."

"True, I do use some high-level techniques, but what I'm doing today shouldn't be that difficult."

Even Hizama, who is at the level of a master, doesn't use high-level techniques.

That's because she prioritizes techniques that are easier to use in combat.

I think they'll be able to transition to more efficient techniques for cutting down enemies once they gain more experience, but it will take some time.

"... Well, you don't need to worry too much about what I'm doing. I'm just someone who can only cut down opponents. Anyway—"

I nodded toward the front.

Ahead, the stone pillars were already in sight.

Our destination, the second town of Riblum, was beyond these pillars.

"We're about to face a boss. What do you want to do? Will you watch from the back?"

"Frankly, it feels bad to just rely on you for everything. Can we handle the minor enemies?"

"Hmm, those wolves, huh."

A few regular wolves led by a large one.

Eleanor and the others should be able to handle them.

Eleanor, the archer; Yakumo, the dual short-sword user; Fino, the mace user; Iori, the naginata user; and Kansuke, the spear user.

I don't know their exact skill sets, but they should be able to fight stably in this field.

So, I can leave the minor enemies to them.

"First, Yakumo and Kansuke will control the wolves. Then, Fino and Iori will charge in. Quon, you'll head for the boss when Fino and Iori move."

"Hmm. Well, I'll follow your lead."

Indeed, if I charge in first, the wolves will focus on me.

If I leave the wolves to Eleanor and the others, that would be inconvenient.

I could handle them if I wanted to, but it would be a waste to use my skills on such minor enemies.

I'll observe Eleanor's leadership instead.

With a slight tension but a calm demeanor, Eleanor slowly moved toward the other side of the stone pillars.

And then—

**"Ooohhh—!"**

The same howl of a giant wolf echoed across the plains as before.

**Greater Step Wolf**

- Type: Animal, Monster

- Level: 8

- Status: Active

- Attribute: None

- Position: Ground

The identification result is the same as before. It's likely just as strong as it was.

This means I can clearly test the difference in the new sword's power.

I slightly raised the tip of my sword and smiled—unaware of my expression, Eleanor was giving instructions to the party members.

"Yakumo, Kansuke, focus the hate!"

"Provocation Attack, here I go!"

"Hey, wolves, 'look at me'!"

First, the agile Yakumo charged in, lightly attacking the Step Wolves with his short swords.

The skill he used was one that draws attacks from enemies.

Kansuke, in heavy armor, used a skill called "Loud Voice."

It has a similar effect to Yakumo's skill but doesn't deal damage and has a wider range.

He didn't announce the skill name—probably a shortcut, as Hizama explained.

While thinking about this, I waited for my turn, activating "Sharp Edge."

Then, the voice I was waiting for came.

"Hate focused!"

"Same here, all good, ma'am!"

"Fino, Iori, go! And Quon!"

"Got it!"

I charged with my sword at the ready, circling around the Step Wolves to reach the boss.

The wolves didn't even notice me passing by, already focused on their targets.

Then, I'll aim for the leader.

**"Ooohhh—!"**

Reacting to my approach, the large wolf lunged forward to bite me.

But that's naive. I'm not so foolish as to charge straight in.

**Step—Mirage.**

A sprint followed by a sudden stop. Controlling the movement of my muscles, I reduced my speed to a jog in an instant.

When observing an object, the brain predicts its movement and fills in the gaps.

By exploiting this, I can easily place myself outside the enemy's perception.

The wolf's teeth clashed with a *clack*, still seeing me charging forward.

In that moment of confusion, I accelerated back to my original speed.

"..."

**Cutting Technique—Hard Style, Bell Tower Collapse.**

Using my knee to kick up my gauntlet, I unleashed a lightning-fast upward slash, followed by a downward strike.

The upward slash gouged the large wolf's right eye, and the downward strike hit its shoulder as it reflexively moved its head in pain.

The strike, without using "Sword of Life," cleanly sliced through the Greater Step Wolf's flesh.

"Ha ha ha!"

Part of it is due to my level-up, but more importantly, this sword is incredibly sharp!

Yes, this is how it should be when cutting!

**"Grrr!"**

The large wolf tried to swipe me away with its left arm.

But that's naive. I had already read the movement from the shoulder muscles.

I took a half-step back, raised my sword to the upper guard position, and as the front paw passed by, I brought my sword down on the wolf's head.

**Cutting Technique—Hard Style, Helmet Resonance.**

This is not a cutting technique but a splitting technique.

Instead of cutting, it's a strike to split. It's considered a heretical technique in swordsmanship.

This technique involves striking the opponent's helmet from above to destroy it with the impact.

To avoid crushing the blade, I use the spine of the sword.

Splitting the skull from above is quite risky.

I'll do this with certainty.

**"Gah...!?"**

A human would have their brain crushed by that strike, but this is a boss monster. It didn't die, but it was dazed and stopped moving.

It's a bit anticlimactic, but it's a good state to test the skill-enhanced sharpness.

"**Sword of Life**"

My sword glowed. I raised it to the upper guard position and stood next to the fallen wolf.

Half-unconscious, the large wolf could only groan, unable to see me.

It was more enjoyable the last time, but I'll consider this growth.

"Shh!"

I brought down the sword in a single strike.

The blade, unobstructed, cleanly severed the wolf's head.

**Level has increased. Please allocate status points.**

**Skill Level of "Sword" has increased.**

**Skill Level of "Enhancement Magic" has increased.**

**Skill Level of "Dead Point Strike" has increased.**

The battle was a bit unsatisfying, but I thoroughly tested the sword's sharpness.

I'll be content with this.

**Avatar Name: Quon**

**Gender: Male**

**Race: Human**

**Level: 11**

**Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)**

- STR: 16

- VIT: 13

- INT: 16

- MND: 13

- AGI: 11

- DEX: 11

**Skills**

- Weapon Skill: **Sword: Lv.11**

- Magic Skill: **Enhancement Magic: Lv.8**

- Set Skill: **Dead Point Strike: Lv.9**

- **Auto HP Recovery: Lv.4**

- **Auto MP Recovery: Lv.3**

- **Sword of Seizure: Lv.6**

- **Identification: Lv.8**

- **Sword of Life: Lv.6**

- **Sword of Demon Slaying: Lv.1**

- Sub Skill: **Mining: Lv.1**

**Current SP: 8**