Chapter 95

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That single swing was far too familiar to me.

How many times have I seen that majestic figure?

The color of the hilt and tsuba (guard) may differ from what I know.

However, the curve of the blade, the hamon (temper line), and the length of the blade... all of these were etched into my mind.

That was it—

"...Tengoro Maru Shigekuni. No way, that's ridiculous."

"The second growth weapon following the 'Holy Sword Colebrand'! I believe many of you are familiar with growth weapons, which gain experience by defeating enemies and strengthen alongside their user. This item is non-transferable and can only be equipped by the user."

My small mutterings were probably not heard by the GM who was explaining the reward.

During that time, I took a deep breath to calm myself. I was still very immature to be so shaken just by seeing that sword.

However, my questions did not end there. Why was this sword in the game?

"Then, let's proceed with the special reward. Quon, please come here."

"...Ah."

There were things I was curious about, but I couldn't start without receiving it.

Following Frauze's prompt, I moved to the front, and she extended her arms forward.

In the next moment, golden particles of light converged in her hands.

What appeared there was a katana with a black saya (scabbard), black tsuba, and black hilt.

I nodded to her and took the sword in my hand.

'You have obtained the growth weapon "Garo Maru." Help for growth weapons has been added.'

'You have obtained the title "Sword Demon Raksha."'

At the same time, two pieces of information reached my ears.

The title skill... it's similar to the "Scarlet Sword Maiden" that Hima has.

Getting a strange skill like that is a bit awkward, but now is not the time to worry about that.

What I need to confirm is the katana I saw just now. I told myself this as I gripped the hilt—and I was certain.

(No doubt, there's no way I could be wrong... This is Tengoro Maru Shigekuni.)

I could tell just by gripping the hilt; this was definitely that sword.

If I drew it out, the shining blade would be revealed.

A katana with a length of 2 shaku 6 sun 5 bu, a shallow curve, and a double-edged blade—its shape, weight, and balance of the center of gravity were all identical to that sword.

Yes, the old man's beloved sword, Tengoro Maru Shigekuni.

Tengoro Maru Shigekuni is a treasured sword passed down in the Kugenshin-to style, and for us, it is the supreme sword.

All the swords made by this swordsmith are optimized for use in the Kugenshin-to style, and the best among them is named Tengoro Maru Shigekuni.

In reality, there are multiple shadow swords, but the real one is still hidden in the back of our family's storage.

The old man had one of the shadow swords, which, while not the best, was still a renowned sword far superior to ordinary ones.

The old man never let me use that sword.

However, he once let me hold it as a 20th birthday gift.

Just gripping it, drawing it, and swinging it a few times—just that alone left an unforgettable memory in my mind.

To think there could be such a sword, and that a renowned sword could be so different.

"...GM, do you know the origin of this sword?"

"Uh? A, ah, yes! Uh, origin, you say?"

"This sword exists in reality. How did you get the data for it?"

"Is, is that so? I don't have information on the production side, so... it might have been recreated from the real data?"

"...I see."

There's no way the old man would let his sword be stolen.

If so, does that mean the old man is involved with the game's production team?

Since he disappeared, his whereabouts have been unknown, but why would he suddenly help with game production?

...I don't know what he's doing, but it seems he's not just enjoying hot springs.

(There are more things I need to question... but being able to handle this sword is wonderful.)

The black sword named Garo Maru.

Regardless of its origin, its construction is undoubtedly that of Tengoro Maru Shigekuni.

If I can handle a sword like that, there's nothing more I could ask for.

With this, I can cut down enemies more efficiently.

I sheathed Garo Maru and smiled slightly.

"Rewards will be sent individually to the winners from second place onward. Please check your emails later. Now, let's move on to the party category awards."

It was quite straightforward.

I thought it was related to the commotion about me, but it seems more like a measure to deal with issues if they arise.

The official website's statement is the official stance, I suppose.

"In the party category, we will announce the rankings by the party leader's name! Let's get through this quickly! Quon, please step aside a bit."

"Ah, understood."

I wanted to return quickly, but there's nothing I can do in this situation.

Or rather, was it intentional not to let me return?

With a slightly narrowed gaze, I looked at the screen that appeared in the center, where ten names were displayed in order, just like before.

■ Party Category Rankings

1st: Quon

2nd: Altrius

3rd: Satsuki Mori

4th: K

5th: Eleanora

6th: JADE

7th: Rizon

8th: Professor KMK

9th: Scarlet

10th: Suoh

I thought the party's performance would be a bit tricky, but it seems we hunted more than I expected.

For that, I should thank Altrius's leadership.

If we hadn't moved to the northern battlefield, Altrius's party would probably have performed better.

"Surprisingly, in the party category, Quon is in first place! Congratulations! Please bring your tamed monster to the stage as well!"

"---What!?"

Just like me earlier, Luminia suddenly appeared on the stage and was surprised, spreading her light wings.

It's understandable to be surprised when suddenly floating in the air, but her reaction was quite big.

As expected, the audience was amazed by Luminia's appearance with her light wings.

However, the reactions seemed mostly positive.

"Quon's party consists of Quon and the tamed monster Luminia. To think you two could achieve so much together!"

"I just hunted normally."

"I could barely keep up with Father..."

Luminia, floating and landing next to me, sighed and said this.

Even if she could barely keep up, it's something to be proud of.

In any case, getting first place is something to be happy about.

"The point is, the difference between second place Altrius was very small. It was surprising that a six-person party couldn't catch up, but looking at the number of kills, it makes sense."

"...Did I really kill that many enemies?"

"I stopped moving, and you finished them off. We managed to get a lot of kills, didn't we?"

For Luminia, it might be hard to consider those as her achievements.

However, the fact that she finished off those enemies is true.

Since they are counted as the party's kills, there's no problem.

"Now, about the special reward... the first-place party, Quon, will receive this item."

With a "bang," a silver orb-like object appeared on the screen.

It wasn't the same color, but it reminded me of the skill orb I got when I defeated Geryon—except the name written next to it was "Skill Orb."

However, the name of this one is slightly different.

"This is the 'Unnamed Platinum Skill Orb'!"

"Unnamed, what does that mean?"

"Yes, the Unnamed Platinum Skill Orb allows you to choose and learn one skill from a variety of skills. A regular skill orb only allows you to learn one predetermined skill, but with the Unnamed Platinum Skill Orb, you can choose from multiple skills."

Hmm, the skill orb I got before was for necromancy. If it had been unnamed, I could have chosen any attack or healing skill.

That's quite interesting. I might be able to add an interesting skill to the skill slot I increased with the ticket I just got.

As I imagined what skills might be available, GM Frauzeze looked slightly apologetic and lowered her gaze.

"I'm sorry, but tamed monsters cannot use skill orbs, so it will only be distributed to Quon."

"I don't mind..."

"No, I should give my share to Father!"

"Sorry, but the skill orb is a non-transferable item, and only one can be obtained per person. So, I can't allocate Luminia's share to Quon."

Honestly, I only have one open skill slot, so having two more skills wouldn't help.

Just then, another management avatar, who had been standing silently to the side, suddenly approached.

"A divine decree has been issued. Please accept this as a special reward for the tamed monster."

"Oh? What's this?"

"The 'Divine Seal.' It's a decorative item."

The item handed to me was a card-like object. Indeed, as a piece of equipment, Luminia can use it.

However, I was curious about its effects. As I took it with a question mark, the management avatar pointed to the large screen.

At that moment,