Chapter 34
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Swordsman Guild
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"Good, good. Very smooth. You've got a natural talent for being a killer."
After five exchanges of blows, I finally landed a successful attack, and Karin spoke with evident satisfaction. Of course, I'd gone all out, but she claimed she hadn't even used 1% of her strength. It was hard to gauge, but that was probably giving her a lot of credit.
But a killer?
"Isn't that phrasing a bit too rough? Calling someone a natural-born killer feels off. It makes me sound like some weirdo."
"It's a compliment, you punk. In this world, the better you are at killing people, the better you eat and live."
Thinking about it, she had a point. Knights with immense power were essentially murderous nobles who rose through the ranks solely on their killing prowess. Their wealth had been built by endlessly slaughtering people in repeated wars.
In this isekai fantasy world, the better you were at killing, the higher you climbed and the better you lived—it was an irrefutable truth. Professional mercenaries made a killing too, didn't they? Killing was a skill in this era.
"Somehow that rings true, and now this world suddenly feels incredibly depressing. Why can't people live without killing and taking from each other?"
"You've got a poetic side to you."
Karin sat on an oak barrel for a break and chugged water like it was nothing. How did such a slender neck produce that kind of power? It had to be that mysterious energy source called mana. Even Winia, the mage shorter than me, had the strength of a young bull.
"Talking to you like this, I get the feeling... Are you actually from some fallen noble family or something? The manners ingrained in you, the common sense you show in daily life—it makes you seem properly educated."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. Definitely."
It wasn't wrong.
I came from modern Earth, where culture and etiquette existed. Compared to the crude, rude, utterly common-sense-lacking people of this world, my personality ranked in the top 0.1%. Hell, I was probably better than most religious folk, right?
"Nah, no way. It's just that I'm ridiculously nice."
Above all, Karin was my superior. I had to show respect.
"Nice guys don't say that about themselves."
"But from my perspective, you seem to have more of that vibe, Guild Master."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
She could pick up on it—despite her occasional psycho-like remarks, Karin seemed to have some common sense too. Only those with common sense recognize it in others. The senseless can't spot it.
"Things like common sense."
"What kind of bootlicking nonsense is that?"
I said that, and Karin waved her hand dismissively. But she looked pleased. Women rarely disliked compliments. Mixing subtle praise into conversations with them generally yielded good results.
"No, it's not flattery... Come to think of it, you have a family name, right? Are you from nobility by any chance?"
"Well, sort of."
Karin Bestart—having a family name was a marker distinguishing nobles, the privileged class, from commoners. Flatly put, commoners didn't have surnames. My knowledge was limited, so I couldn't tell what kind of nobles the Bestarts were just from the name, but it at least explained her common sense.
Being noble meant she'd been taught culture and etiquette.
"I did serve in the kingdom's knight order, after all."
"No way, that kind of backstory?!"
I'd heard rumors of human weapons who could slice boulders with swords and sprint hundreds of meters in one go! I'd seen plenty of mages, but never knights with superhuman physiques.
Still, seeing Karin's strength firsthand, the rumors seemed at least partially true.
"Getting into the knight order was fine, but as you know, I'm mixed-blood. For some reason, they kept blocking my promotions. So I quit, rolled around as a mercenary for a few years, and eventually founded this guild."
"Huh? Your resume is more impressive than I thought..."
Commissioned into the kingdom's knight order, served long enough for multiple promotions, quit to mercenary for several more years, then founded this historic guild?
Suddenly, I felt a shock. Time is absolute—what you've achieved equals the time invested. It neither slows nor speeds; it flows steadily as spent.
Which meant...
How old was Karin, exactly?
"Excuse me, but if it's not too rude, how old are you...?"
"...You wanna die?"
Karin drew her sword at invisible speed and spoke. The shadow on her face made her lingering smile look razor-sharp, like she'd thrust it into my throat any second. Cold sweat dripped down my back.
"No no no! Put the sword down for a sec!"
"Asking a woman's age casually is the same as challenging her to a duel..."
"Wait! Just wait! Let me guess it!"
I had to change the subject! This sudden age question nearly cost me my life!
"I'm serious. No ulterior motives, just judging by looks, okay? So calm down... There's this thing called 'apparent age.' Looking at you now..."
"Looking at me."
"Your age..."
"My age?"
Karin kept repeating my words with an expression I couldn't read—expectant or interrogating?
I scrutinized her face again. Light makeup. Probably a natural beauty. No matter how I looked, she appeared in her twenties. Her firm body, clear skin, glossy hair—she looked younger than me. And surprisingly, I was mid-twenties with this face. Two or three years in this world meant I was mid-twenties too.
So Karin was early twenties? Or late teens? Looks-wise, one of those.
But that didn't match her resume.
She had to be older than me, at least.
"No matter how I look, you seem five or six years younger than me? For reference, I'm mid-twenties."
"What?"
Karin, listening intently, made a baffled face.
"Pfft! Kahahaha!"
Then burst into cheerful laughter. Tears welled in her eyes from how hilarious it was. She even got excited again, slapping my back repeatedly with her palm. The superhuman force transmitted through her breastplate made my bones rattle.
"Ugh! Stop! Stop hitting!"
Oh god! My armor's denting!
"Please stop! I was wrong! Guild Master, you look late teens, not twenties!"
"Ahahaha!"
After laughing a while longer, Karin finally calmed and caught her breath.
"...Why are you laughing so hard?"
"Hoo!"
"My armor's dented. Does that make sense?"
The metal armor was crumpled. That required palm strength like an iron mace. Without it, my body would've been...
"Alright, up you get! We've rested long enough—time to start again."
"No, but your age..."
"Grab your sword quick! More than that, I'm shocked you look that young with that mug!"
What's wrong with my face..!
Wait.
Hold on.
Mid-twenties—the prime age for a full-on old man vibe—is 'young'?
Guild Master, are you perhaps in your thirties...? I swallowed that question. I'd learn eventually, but not now. Look at that smile. See how she realized she looked a dozen years younger than her real age? How could I douse that?
Now, let's summarize what I learned.
From barely knowing how to stab or swing clumsily—heck, I didn't even know the basics of swordsmanship—I'd acquired a structured style in under a month thanks to Karin's intensive training.
Exchanging blows in close combat, closing distance on foes, defending the body while attacking—techniques I'd never have known before were now ingrained in my hands and body.
Karin's skill was phenomenal. I always swung with full murderous intent, and she took it all. That seemed hugely effective. No specific name for the swordsmanship, she said—just 'how to use a sword' sufficed.
Conclusion: I now knew how to use a sword.
Primarily for human opponents, but precise slashes and thrusts would work on monsters too. Definitely different from my old wild swings and stabs.
Another factor: my dramatically improved strength and stamina in this short time. With bolstered physique backing the swordplay, I wouldn't kneel to same-level adventurers. Precise strikes plus solid lower body—with these specs, a few more high-difficulty quests and D-rank promotion would come quick.
Finally, learning vital points, basic close-quarters grappling, and strikes made the 5 silvers well worth it.
How much was 5 silvers? If I went full hobo mode and scrimped, it could sustain me jobless for months—a fortune.
Beyond that, I picked up skills like [Sand Throw], [Spit in Enemy's Eyes Mid-Fight], [Knee to the Balls], [Throw Rocks] (already knew), [Sudden Ambush], [Back of Head Strike], [Tumbling and Rolling]. I felt my combat power surge.
"Ahh, so this is 'strength'."
Today was an off-day from the weekly underground sewer patrol side gig, so after training, I stayed in the training yard to inspect my skills alone. Slash, thrust. The wind-cutting feel transmitted clearly from the hilt.
Even dozens more in succession, no shortness of breath.
Beginners hold their breath and tense when swinging, tiring fast and collapsing. Continuous breathing in combat was key. Tough one—still practicing.
"Good, satisfactory."
After perfectly reviewing my techniques, I left the guild.
With it being my weekly holiday, I roamed Isvant to learn the geography. Main goal: find the library. Even on days off, devouring books for isekai knowledge was routine, but since arriving in Isvant, I hadn't, and it itched. Turns out I'm a bit of a bookworm.
Anyway, bright sunny holiday—perfect for a stroll.