Chapter 20

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At the suggestion of Jūzō, I looked around at the weapons lined up against the wall again. Honestly, I don't know which one is good. The only weapons I can name are katana.

Here, I shouldn't put on a false front and should rely on the wisdom of the experienced.

"…Excuse me. I don't really know which one is good, so do you have any recommendations?"

"？ What's wrong, Kukurino坊主? You can choose the one you like, you know?"

"Even if you say the one I like, I don't know the names or the purposes of these weapons, so I can't choose."

"Hmm, I see… What about Hime?"

"I'm the same as Kukurino-kun. Do you have any recommendations?"

When I conveyed my honest thoughts, Jūzō looked puzzled and asked Hime the same question. Hime seemed to agree with me and answered accordingly, making Jūzō smile.

"I see. You pass."

"Huh? Pass?"

Confused, Hime and I tilted our heads, and Jūzō explained.

"I knew you were amateurs, so I didn't expect you to choose a weapon that suits you from the beginning. Most importantly, weapons are deadly tools. They shouldn't be chosen out of mere interest. If you had chosen one immediately, I wouldn't have given you any of the weapons here."

It seems that Jūzō had been testing us without us realizing it. Yūji, who remained silent, seemed to have sensed Jūzō's plan.

"Amateurs choosing the wrong weapon will only end up hurting themselves or their companions. I'll choose the weapons that suit you."

Jūzō carefully observed our hands and appearance, then picked up a few weapons.

"These are my recommendations."

The weapons Jūzō brought were a katana about 90 cm long and a spear about 180 cm long.

"It's better to use weapons that are easy to imagine how to use, rather than unfamiliar ones."

I thought Jūzō's words made sense. I had swung a shinai in school, so I could imagine how to swing a katana, but I wouldn't know how to use a foreign weapon with a special shape. Hime seemed to agree and looked interested in the katana and spear Jūzō brought. Jūzō handed the katana to me and the spear to Hime.

"This katana is called a guntō."

"A guntō…?"

"Yes, it's a katana made in a munitions factory for military use. It's sturdy and won't break even if mishandled, though it lacks artistic or traditional value. It's better for practical use."

I removed the koi-guchi and cut the saya of the black-painted guntō. When I pulled it out slightly, a silver blade without a hamon appeared from the black-painted saya. My face was reflected in the mirror-like blade, and I felt a sense of being drawn in. The sharp edge of the guntō had a dangerous charm.

"Cut a few living things, and the edge will dull from the fat. You can buy anhydrous ethanol at a pharmacy and use it to wipe the blade with a cloth. It's a good emergency measure. Also…"

Jūzō's voice brought me back from being captivated by the guntō. I stared blankly at Jūzō, who calmly explained the after-use care. I remembered that I would be using this guntō to cut monsters. The thought made me shudder. I would be cutting living things with this.

At that moment, I remembered something I had forgotten by lumping monsters together. I had been so used to sprinkling salt on slimes and seeing them disappear in a burst of light that I had forgotten. The moment a monster disappeared was the moment I had killed it. Realizing this, I couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

Jūzō, Yūji, and Hime looked puzzled at my sudden bitter laugh. Indeed, it was odd to laugh at that moment. But this was the only moment to laugh at my own foolishness.

"…I see. Then, let's continue. Hime, about the spear you have…"

Jūzō explained the spear to Hime, but his words sounded distant to me. I sheathed the blade I had drawn and looked at the guntō again. The weight of the guntō in my hand felt several times heavier than when I first received it. The reality of dungeon exploration, which I hadn't deeply felt because slimes disappeared easily with salt, became clear to me. Holding this deadly weapon, I saw the clear form of dungeon exploration. It was just a series of killings. Explorers hunt monsters, and monsters hunt explorers. That's all it is.

"Kukurino坊主. From the look on your face, it seems you understand the meaning of holding this."

"…Jūzō-san."

Jūzō, who had finished explaining to Hime, looked at me with a sharp gaze. I responded listlessly, and Jūzō's gaze softened.

"Remember, it's just a tool. Whether you use it or not is up to you."

"…"

"Choosing a weapon is like this. Yūji, take these."

"Are these… okay?"

"Sure. You all, let's move to the dojo. I'll teach you how to use and maintain your weapons."

Jūzō pointed to two wakizashi hanging on the wall and gave Yūji permission to take them. Yūji, surprised, double-checked, but Jūzō's decision didn't change. Yūji closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and cautiously took the wakizashi.

After confirming that we had chosen our weapons, Jūzō covered them with cloth again and urged us to move to the dojo, quickly descending the stairs. We looked at each other, then each carried our chosen weapon and followed Jūzō.

Upon arriving at the dojo, we sat in a row in seiza, placing our chosen weapons in front of us, while Jūzō sat cross-legged in front of us.

...Yeah, it feels like the kendo class in PE.

"Alright, now that you've chosen your weapons, let me teach you the basics of how to use and maintain them. Using real swords right away isn't a good idea. Yūji, bring the bokken."

Yūji stood up and brought the bokken from the wall, where a set of wooden swords, wakizashi, and spears were hung. Jūzō stood up, and I and Hime followed. The bokken Yūji handed me was a heavy piece of reddish wood. When I lightly hit it with my hand, it felt quite hard.

"Alright, let's start with Kukurino坊主. Yūji, teach Hime the basics of using a spear. Kukurino, hold the sword in front of you."

Following Jūzō's instructions, I recalled the shinai-holding technique from kendo class and held the bokken in front of Jūzō. I thought I was holding it decently for a beginner, but Jūzō's frown suggested otherwise.

"Hmm. Well, that's what I expected from an amateur. Let's start with the grip."

In other words, it was fundamentally wrong. Jūzō's instruction began. There were many things to learn, from how to grip the sword to how to move your feet and swing the sword. Jūzō warned that if you swing the sword without learning how to move your body, you'll hurt yourself. When I tried swinging the bokken continuously, I hit my left shin with the bokken on the 15th swing. It hurt, and I shuddered at the thought of what would have happened if it had been a real sword.

"Well, if you keep swinging the sword in the correct form, your body will eventually remember it. It's good to do suburi (sword swinging practice) lightly every day. If you swing incorrectly, you'll not only hurt yourself but also others."

I felt the truth of Jūzō's warning along with the pain in my shin. Indeed, if I swung incorrectly, I might end up cutting Yūji or Hime before I could cut a monster.

"When you swing a sword, imagine writing the character for 'rice.' The basic sword swinging paths are the 8 strokes of the 'rice' character plus a thrust, making 9 in total."

"...Rice."

I swung the bokken, imagining the strokes of the 'rice' character. The wobbly path of the sword gradually stabilized.

"Hmm. From the fact that you're not out of breath after swinging the bokken, it seems you have good stamina, Kukurino坊主. Do you do any sports?"

...Ah, crap! I got so absorbed in swinging the bokken that I forgot about my enhanced physical abilities. I had been checking my swings one by one, so the speed of my swings was within a normal range, but it still seemed to be at the level of a peer swinging the bokken with full effort. I had been swinging the bokken continuously for over ten minutes without getting out of breath, which would be an odd situation under normal circumstances.

"Um, yes. I do light jogging."

I blurted out a strained excuse to Jūzō. After saying it, I questioned myself whether light jogging would give me the stamina to swing a bokken for ten minutes without getting out of breath. If it were that easy, it wouldn't be a problem.

"...I see. Well, at least you can swing a sword decently. Try switching to the real sword now."

"Ah, yes."

Following Jūzō's instructions, I put the bokken on the wall and picked up the guntō from the floor. I cut the koi-guchi and drew the blade. The silver blade glinted under the lighting, emitting an eerie shine.

Noticing my tension, Jūzō gave me some advice.

"Just swing it like the bokken. Don't get too tense, or you'll use unnecessary force and it will be dangerous."

"Ah, yes. ...Phew."

I placed the saya on the floor and took a deep breath to calm myself. I slowly raised the guntō in front of my body and swung it straight down as I exhaled.

"Hmm. Not bad. The edge is straight, and for your first suburi with a real sword, it's a decent performance."

"Ah, thank you?"

Jūzō praised me. I responded half-heartedly and repositioned the guntō, swinging it in the path of the 'rice' character. One, two, three... As the number of swings increased, the speed of my swings gradually increased.

"Kukurino, that's enough for now."

"Ah, yes."

"You have good potential for an amateur. How about joining us seriously?"

Jūzō, with a look of having found a new toy, started to recruit me as a disciple. Well... I don't intend to dedicate myself to the way of the sword.

"Sorry. It's a great offer, but I'll have to decline."

"I see. Well, if you change your mind, just let me know. I'll train you thoroughly."

"H-Hai."

After that, Jūzō gave us detailed pointers, and Hime and I learned how to use our respective weapons. Yūji also