CH 76

[……Phew.]

Somehow managing to handle the surprise attacks of the bats and the werewolf, knowing that I can really be relieved now, I breathed out a sigh.

Returning the Metallic King’s Sword in my right hand, I shake my empty left hand.

[Are you alright, Rex-san!?]

Thereupon, pushing aside Radd, who was dumbfoundedly standing around at the entrance of the room, Mana rushes over to me.

[It’s fine. I’m alright.]

As she approached with a twitching face, seemingly as if she was suppressing the urge to reprimand me, I gave her a composed smile.

Mana herself finally seemed to be relieved after seeing that.

[I- I’m glad. When I saw the monster attack Rex-san from behind those wood planks, I thought my heart was gonna stop……]

[Don’t worry. If it’s just opponents of that level, it’s still within my assumptions.]

I answered that way for appearance’s sake, but of course, that’s a lie.

I was so frightened when it suddenly appeared, and if Mana hadn’t warned me, I might have been killed.

(Moreover, I have used up much more than I thought……)

I reflexively protected Radd earlier, but I made up my mind not to do stuff like that again.

Battles of attritions aren’t my cup of tea.

I like to take a safer margin and enjoy a moderate thrill in situations I know I can definitely win.

I like those kinds of easy, leisurely games.

[T- That aside, Old man! What the heck was that strength!?]

Radd, who was still standing at the entrance with his mouth agape, came at me with all his might.

Thereupon, he rushed to me with great energy.

[Of course, I knew that Old man was strong! But I didn’t know you were that strong! I mean, your STR should be……]

[Lower than yours, right?]

I completed the words Radd hesitated to finish.

Seeing Radd looking awkward at that, I grinned.

[As to why I was able to fight that much, let’s see…… You can say it was the power of my Skills.]

※　※　※

I knew that, given Rex’s situation, it was hopeless for me to level him up and train.

However, that does not mean that I have given up on becoming stronger.

And so, what I looked for was the strength that did not depend on your basic ability values.

[First of all, I’m better equipped than you guys.]

Unlike Radd and the others, who have to wear weak training equipment to improve their aptitudes, since I have given up on leveling up, I can choose my equipment based on performance.

In particular, the ability ups of my Enchanted equips were allocated to STR, abandoning defense, so it compensates for my lack of ability, at least in terms of attack power to some extent.

Besides, I used the biggest prize at the casino, the <Metallic King’s Sword>.

Unlike <Goblin Slaughter>, even in this level range, this is clearly a strong late-game class offensive equipment.

But if it was just that, it wouldn’t be any different from before.

[————-What has changed is my Skills. To be more specific, it’s because of a “Passive Skill”.]

If neither leveling up nor training can be effective for me, then what else can I do?

I aimed for growth through “Skills”, which are learned by mastering a Class.

To become proficient in a Class, one should continue to use the Active Skills learned in that Class, but the higher the rank of the Class, the harder it is to become proficient in it.

Since Rex is a pervert who has mastered the Skills of all the lower-ranked Classes, I only need to learn the Skills of the Unique Classes such as <Treasure Hunter>, <Trickster> and <Sword Saint>.

However, the important thing to remember here is that you can improve your proficiency even if you just do it in your spare time.

An easy example of this would be Prana’s <Trickster> Skill.

The Initial Skill acquired by this Class is <Quick Swap>.

This is a simple technique that allows you to instantly swap a weapon in your inventory with your current weapon, but it’s very useful for raising your proficiency.

While many Offensive Skills require you to hit an enemy to increase your proficiency, this one allows you to gain it simply by swapping weapons.

You can just keep swapping weapons under the desk while listening to a long conversation, and in situations where you’re swapping a weapon of the same kind, most people wouldn’t even notice that you have changed weapons.

You can do this while doing your work, so improving your proficiency feels more like a side job.

What also demonstrated its unexpected power was the <Sword Saint>’s only questionable Skill: <Sword Saint’s Haki>.

This Skill allows you to “emit a wave that removes sleep and drowsiness from surrounding characters”, and of course, that Skill can be useful in certain situations, but it was regarded as a questionable Skill due to the lack of opportunities you can use it and the fact that such a Skill isn’t really something required by a <Sword Saint>.

However, the true value of this technique lies elsewhere.

It’s certainly questionable when considered in a combat scenario, but its low cost per use and short cooldown makes it easy to use repeatedly.

Above all, the increase in proficiency was determined by “the number of people affected” by the technique, so it had the hidden advantage of gaining more proficiency by using it in places where there were many people!

Even if that’s the case though, this advantage was rarely demonstrated in the game.

First of all, there weren’t that many places with that many people in the game, and secondly, in the game, it’s a Skill that can’t be activated if there were no sleeping characters around.

However, in this world, that restriction is longer in place, and when I tried it, I was able to activate the Skill regardless of whether or not the people around me were awake.

And at the same time, I have acquired a stage where people can gather around me by themselves.

……Yes.

Lectures and guidance on Aptitude Appraisals and Manual Arts.

Aiming for those who swarm for those teachings, I used the <Sword Saint’s Haki> and blew away their sleepiness without permission.

[Old man…… Did you seriously do all that while giving such serious speeches…… Even though I was slightly moved by those speeches……]

[I- It’s fine, isn’t it? I’m just blowing away people’s sleepiness, no one’s hurt or anything.]

After silencing Radd, who was looking at me with flabbergasted eyes, I continued my explanation.

In any case, due to this “indiscriminate Haki terrorism”, my <Sword Saint> Class’ proficiency level, which was originally supposed to be difficult to raise, increase dramatically.

It would have taken me several months to gain proficiency if I just used it in a proper battle, but I was able to do it without any difficulty while in the city.

That’s an exploit I couldn’t stop myself from smiling at.

And so, I, of course, managed to learn <Twin Arts>, which is an essential Skill for Dual-Wielding, which “allows your off-hand to gain the effect of a technique performed with your main hand”.

Even that <Sword Saint Nirva> wouldn’t have learned this super-powerful Skill at this point in his career, and it would be much later when you can acquire the strongest Sword-related Passive Skill <Sword Extremity> that further accelerates the degree of destruction the <Sword Saint> Class brings.

[……Sword Extremity?]

As Radd parroted my words, as if I had been waiting for that reaction, I spun my words.

[It’s a Skill with a simple and clear effect. This Skill “doubles the damage of sword attacks”.]

[……Huh?]

Possessing late-game class combat power, <Sword Saint Nirva>.

By winning one-on-one against him, you would be able to gain the <Sword Saint> Class, and after fighting in that Class for dozens of hours, you should be able to obtain this Skill.

The strength of this Skill is truly outstanding.

It is, by all accounts, a broken OP Skill.

It has a performance that could break the game.

[Ah, incidentally, you can learn a lower-tiered version of this Skill from the <Swordmaster> Class, which gives you a “Sword damage increased by 30%”.]

[Eh? Really!?]

Unfortunately, Skills like this don’t stack.

Learning that Skill myself would be meaningless now, but it would obviously be useful for Radd in the future.

[That’s why, in this case, growth compensation isn’t all there is to a Class. You don’t have to be in a hurry. Little by little, you can strengthen yourself, one step at a time……]

As I patted Radd on the shoulder, telling him that, I thought this would conclude this matter but……

[—————-Please wait.]

Resilia spoke up.

""

Looking at me quizzically, she asked.

[Nii-san. What happened to that knife in your left hand?]

[……You know I learned <Quick Swap>, right? I put it away in my inventory, you know? Here.]

Saying this, a new <Goblin Slaughter> instantly appeared in my empty left hand.

However, Resilia’s gaze never wavered.

[To begin with, if you only use the sword in your right hand, then you should be able to attack more with Double-hand instead of holding another weapon in your left hand. In that case, why did you carry a weapon in your left hand that you didn’t even wield, Nii-san?]

[……It’s for support. I didn’t get a chance to use it earlier, but I might use it when I’m actually in a pinch.]

There was a short pause before I managed to think up an answer.

At my answer though, Resilia’s eyes became even sharper.

[Besides, isn’t it strange?]

[What is?]

In this atmosphere filled with tension, Resilia asked.

""

[The effect of that <Sword Extremity> certainly is powerful. However, is it really possible for you to defeat a Lv 40 monster so easily with just that effect?]

I was at a loss for words when she pointed this out.

Indeed, <Sword Extremity> is a powerful Skill, but it’s meaningless if you don’t have the base strength for it.

Since it only raises “Damage” and not “Attack Power”, it has no effect on strong enemies that you originally can’t damage.

In other words, if I didn’t have a way to deal damage to a Lv 40 monster even without <Sword Extremity>, I wouldn’t be able to defeat them with a single blow.

I thought I had somehow managed to deceive them by talking at length about how I learned the Skill and its effects but……

Resilia and I exchanged a look.

Our gazes exchanged a silent battle of some sort.

As we gazed at each other like that for a while……

[……Alright already. If all that much was already revealed, it can’t be helped.]

I looked away from the silent staring battle before Resilia did.

[W- What does that mean?]

At Radd’s confused question, I told him the truth.

[It wasn’t purely by my own strength that I defeated those monsters. It was the power of my weapon.]

[Your weapon……?]

As Radd tilted his head again, I sighed and resigned myself to talking about the “real reason” for my increased power.

※　※　※

It’s true that I had learned Skills to strengthen myself, but I never thought that I could fight monsters around Lv 40 with my current low Status.

And the first thing that comes to mind when I think of a way to fight that doesn’t depend on Status is to imitate the past.

[Well, to tell the truth, my attack power is no match for such a monster. However, there’s one technique that’s effective even against that <Sword Saint Nirva>, right?]

[Nirva…… Could it be, are you talking about <Final Break>!?]

The <Final Break> Skill allows you to unleash a powerful ranged attack in exchange for the destruction of your weapon.

Even if <Goblin Slaughter>’s offensive power, used as a projectile with <Throw>, there was a possibility that <Final Break>, which has a higher damage multiplier, could deal serious damage against them.

[H- However, wait right there! There’s no way you can just use a ranged attack in such a small space! Besides, for Old man to actually use such a technique……]

[Yeah. Until now, I couldn’t use <Final Break> there, and if I just used <Final Break> as it was, it wouldn’t have much meaning. But now, I have another option.]

As Radd looked at me with a questioning look on his face, I spoke.

[I told you that I’ve improved my proficiency in <Sword Saint> Class and learned <Twin Arts>, didn’t I? Do you remember what that Skill does?]

[E- Errr, it “allows your off-hand to gain the effect of a technique performed with your main hand”? Eh? Don’t tell me……]

As Radd’s eyes started widening, seemingly remembering something, I slammed the surprising fact to him.

[That’s right. The power of the <Final Break> that I used with my left hand also has the effects received by the weapon in my right hand!]

No, learning about this surprised me too.

I was wondering what kind of process led to that effect, but since it actually happened, it can’t be helped.

And one more thing.

If you match it with a small trick, where you interrupt <Final Break> by putting away the weapon while in the middle of activating <Final Break>, a mysterious combo is born.

By timing it correctly, the moment the sword in my right-hand hits the enemy, my left hand would unleash <Final Break>.

Immediately, I would use <Quick Swap> to retrieve the exploding knife and replace it with a new one.

In this way, without triggering the ranged attack, the power of the <Final Break> would instead be added to the sword in my right hand.

What is important here is that the attack power of the sword wouldn’t be the same as the power of the <Final Break>, but instead, the power of the <Final Break> would be added to the sword’s original attack power.

Moreover, in this case……

[Since it has now turned into a sword attack, the attack power of my <Final Break> is amplified by <Sword Extremity>.]

If the attack power of the Metallic King’s Sword has been increased by the high-powered <Final Break> and the attack power of the sword is doubled, it’s no wonder that I can easily defeat the bats with a single blow.

If there’s a problem, it would be that werewolf at the end……

[That thing wasn’t as fast as the bats. I’ve added Arts on top of that <Final Break>. By the way, monsters have this weakness that allows you to deal more damage when they’re attacked from the back. No matter how strong they are, they wouldn’t be able to put up any resistance when they’re attacked on their weak point.]

As I spoke in a matter-of-fact manner, Radd leaned forward, seemingly excited.

[That’s amazing! If you fight like that, even Old man can beat Lv 40 enemies, right? In that case……]

Radd speaks with glee.

However, he’s mistaken.

That isn’t the case.

If such power could be produced with no risk, I would have told them about this method from the beginning, and I would have bragged about it even more.

However, there’s no such thing as free power increase in this world.

[Sixteen……]

[Eh?]

[That’s how many <Goblin Slaughters> I lost in that battle.]

Even though I interrupted it, it doesn’t change the fact that you would sacrifice a weapon to use <Final Break>.

Of course, the <Goblin Slaughter> on my left hand will disappear. The same <Goblin Slaughter> which I could have sold for 5 million wen by alchemy.

In other words……

[————–Every single one of those attacks is equivalent to wasting 5 million wen!!!]

As expected, being in a pinch, I used it unsparingly, but I almost felt like screaming every time I swung my sword, and during the fight, I was mysteriously nervous and couldn’t stop sweating.

[I thought I would have 30 left that I could use in case of emergencies, but I ended up only having 27 left!]

I have cut down the last 2 bats once, so I was able to save some money, but even so, this brings me to a deficit of 80 million wen.

And that, too, in a battle that lasted less than 30 seconds.

(Aaaaaaahhhh! I shouldn’t have shown off and cooperated with Radd and the others at that time!)

But in this case, putting the bats aside, there’s a danger that someone might have been killed by the surprise attack from that werewolf, so well, I suppose I really had to do my best facing that situation on my own……

As I was anguishing about such things, I saw a small shadow standing in front of me.

[……Rex.]

My name was quietly called out.

The Elf girl, Prana, was staring at me with emotionless eyes.

As I waited, unknowingly gulping down my nervousness, she opened her tiny lips……

[I think I’ll name that technique <Spendthrift’s Sword>.]

[Stop!!!]

———-and confronted me with the ominous name of a technique that would likely take root hereafter.