Telekinesis

"So the bow's settled, then."

I set the claimed bow aside and opened the system window.

It felt like ages since I'd last looked at a main-quest window. Yesterday the headcount hadn't registered at all, but after the group spent a single night under my roof, the system seemed to have accepted them as companions. The quest was already complete.

A smile tugged at my mouth at the sight of my points nearly doubled.

"Hah..."

I'd expected as much, but the moment I learned that even the Level 3 shop demanded an investment of points before it would unlock, a sigh was all I had left.

"And five thousand points? When am I supposed to scrape that together..."

The demand was on a scale I'd never seen, and despair was the only honest response. The main quest that followed drove me even deeper into it.

I stared at the quest text and grabbed the back of my neck. The main quests had been one of my biggest sources of points, and now even that track wanted me to raise the shop level. The blow landed square on the back of my skull.

"Guess I'll have to live like a model citizen for a while."

For the time being, it looked like I'd be killing zombies in earnest and grinding daily quests with grim diligence until the points piled up.

"Hah... The headache can wait. First, I need to get outside."

I left the aching problem where it was, stepped out of the house, and headed for the yard to deal with whatever ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠came next. Even after I came down to the first floor there wasn't a stir of life, so the others were clearly still asleep.

"Hm. What should I try first?"

Two things waited for me in the yard: the Telekinesis I'd picked up last time, and the new ability Imperial Swordsmanship had gained when it rose to Level 2.

"Telekinesis first, then?"

I settled on testing Telekinesis and went looking for a suitable subject.

"This'll do."

I found a stone of a decent size, focused, and called on the skill.

"This... this is actually telekinesis?"

I muttered it like I couldn't believe my own eyes, but the scene in front of me was unmistakably real. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The stone drifted, slow and obedient, exactly as I willed — right, left, up, down.

"Whoa... holy shit. It actually works."

The curse slipped out before I could stop it. The shock broke my focus, and the stone dropped back to the dirt.

"All right. Let's try throwing it."

I lifted the stone again, this time meaning to send it farther. I gathered my will, focused, and hurled it — and the result was a letdown. The stone flopped through the air like something tossed by a toddler who'd only just learned to walk, and it thudded down a few meters ahead.

"Damn it. What is this..."

I clicked my tongue. The thrill I'd felt a moment ago died on the spot. Power like that wasn't going to do much to a zombie.

"Maybe the sword, then."

I changed targets and raised my curved sword. Its weight settled into my hand. Hoping for something ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stronger this time, I drew a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠deep breath.

Steel whispered free.

The moment I focused, a faint current wrapped my whole body, and the sword began to rise. It slid from the scabbard and hung in the empty air.

"Oh... this might actually be something."

I muttered it while trying to tamp down the excitement. At my will, the blade crept forward.

"Hahaha. So this is that art of driving a sword with qi."

I burst out laughing. For a second I felt like the hero of a martial-arts novel. Maybe because the sword was lighter than the stone, the feel of it was better this time.

"Come on. This one has to work."

I focused again and sent the blade flying. It picked up speed along the line of my finger.

I pointed at the ground, and the sword shot down and punched into the earth with a dull thunk.

"Hmm. Mediocre."

A lighter sword was certainly an improvement over a rock with no killing power at all, but the force still left me wanting. It would probably work on a Regular Zombie — but why bother? Swinging the thing in my own hand was simply more efficient, and an attack like this would never land on the variant I'd seen back at the store.

"Hah... There's got to be another way."

Telekinesis had landed in a useless middle ground, and I clutched my head, hunting for some way to make it earn its keep. I stared at the sword and sank into thought. The way I've been using it isn't enough. I need to try something else.

Ideas churned, and then one cut across the rest. Wait. What if I don't throw the sword at all — what if I put the force into the blade itself?

The notion hit hard enough to jolt me, and I started the experiment at once. I gripped the sword and poured Telekinesis into it, not to lift it this time, but to change its weight. First, make it light.

I drove my will into the steel, and something astonishing happened. The sword in my hand went light as a feather.

"This might actually be good."

Just like that, I triggered Imperial Swordsmanship and put the blade through its paces.

The blade hissed through the air, moving far faster than it ever had.

"Damn. This is incredible."

I couldn't hide the rush. I kept cutting, stroke after stroke, until it felt as if my hand and the sword had become the same thing. Then another idea surfaced. This time I would bring the blade down and increase its weight in the same instant. I drew a deep breath and focused.

"Hnnnngh—!"

Teeth clenched, I slammed the sword downward with everything I had. In that instant my will piled weight onto the steel.

The impact cracked like thunder. The blade bit into the ground, and I felt the shock race out in every direction.

"Hah... hah..."

I dragged in rough breaths and looked around. Spiderweb cracks had spread from the point where the sword was buried, as if a small bomb had gone off. Sweat ran down my forehead. While I strained to wrench the blade free, I was already running the numbers on what this could do. If I can actually use this properly...

An ability I'd written off as worthless had just become something I could work with.

"Hah... That's enough Telekinesis for now."

I ended the experiment and stood a while, catching my breath. Wiping the sweat from my brow, I glanced around. The others still hadn't woken. In the quiet, the only sound was my own ragged breathing.

"Next is Imperial Swordsmanship, then?"

Satisfied with what Telekinesis had given me, I decided to try the ability I'd gained by leveling Imperial Swordsmanship.

"Mm... How am I supposed to use this?"

I was still turning over how to trigger it when the world in front of my eyes went white and the scenery changed completely. I tried to shout and found I had no voice. What the hell is this?!

Panic took me. I groped desperately at my surroundings, but the only thing my hands found was my sword.

"Uh... what is this?"

My sight returned by degrees. I blinked and took in where I stood — the middle of a vast training ground. It felt like the interior of a medieval European fortress: high walls of dressed stone, towers with banners snapping in the wind. I understood, then, that I was standing in an entirely different world.