Chapter 32: The Aesthetics of Rage
Me with a wooden sword gripped in my hand, facing two minotaurs. For starters, the wooden sword I'm holding isn't just some random piece of timber. It's none other than the mana wood practice sword, a proper item. The description says it has high mana conductivity, is as tough as steel, and is sharp. The problem? I get the tough part, but sharp? Not so sure about that. If it were, Karak's body would've been shredded already, right? But when I beat on Karak, he didn't have a single wound. The bruising? Hard to tell with his skin color being so different from mine.
"Why isn't it sharp?"
I pondered that point briefly. Maybe because I hadn't sharpened the edge properly? That's what crossed my mind.
Why only briefly? Obviously. Because—
Thud! Boom!
The minotaurs were charging at me.
"At least it's tough, even if it's not sharp right now."
I focused my mana into the wooden sword, settling on about 20% output. And I'm not the same guy I used to be. I've learned swordsmanship now... though I kinda want to shout that dramatically, the reality is that my Level 3 Hertian Beginner Swordsmanship only covers slashing, thrusting, and blocking.
Thwack! Crack!
"Huh? Why's it blocking so well?"
The minotaur came at me with an axe that matched its massive build—a weapon the previous one hadn't carried. Back then, I'd sniped it from afar with Hoya's hook shot, so I hadn't really analyzed its combat prowess. But right now, I was holding my own against two minotaurs like it was nothing. Was this the power of swordsmanship?
But it was starting to get tougher.
"Damn it!"
As the two minotaurs began coordinating their attacks, my shallow skills hit their limit. The left one swung its axe at my head, while the right one aimed for my waist. And when I say swung, I mean those hits looked like they could cleave a full-grown tree in one go.
My evasion choice? Rolling sideways. Rolling forward would've sent me straight into a minotaur's maw.
After rolling, I poured more mana into my sword and slammed it down hard on the right minotaur's axe handle.
Thud! Crack.
The right minotaur's axe handle snapped clean off. Then I swung at the left one's handle with all my might.
Crack!
That one broke too. My mana wood practice sword might not have a proper edge, so it wasn't slicing, but it was tougher than steel. Plus, its high mana conductivity let me dump nearly half my mana into a solid, decisive strike.
The two minotaurs looked flustered, their faces screaming, This is cheating, right? Like blocking the axe head and countering was the proper way.
Whatever. How they fought among themselves wasn't my business. And I had no obligation to play along.
"Hey, assholes, isn't charging a wooden sword with axes the real cheat?"
They flinched at my words. These guys could understand me too. Should I try taming them? Nah, probably not. Karak worked because he was weaker and easier to handle, but these two? Without Hoya, no chance of control.
"Round two, you idiots."
The tables had turned. Two bare-handed minotaurs versus me with a ridiculously tough wooden sword. And I had swordsmanship skills—slashing (which really meant bashing) and thrusting.
The minotaurs started backing away slowly. But then—
Haaaak!
Hoya popped up, eyes wide and cute, scaring the minotaurs. Adorably deadly. It was cute to me, but terrifying to them, apparently.
Watching that, something hit me.
"Oh, you idiot. I have skills too."
I had the rare Fear (Active) at Level 1, which I'd totally forgotten about. I never had a reason to use it normally. So I decided to give it a shot.
I had about half my mana left. I used a fifth of that to activate Fear.
The left minotaur suddenly started trembling. The right one just looked confused. So it worked on the left, but not the right.
Anyway, I charged the one it didn't affect and unleashed the swordsmanship I'd drilled like crazy.
Why this one? The left was gripped by fear of me, while the right was still resisting. Not that the right was a pushover—it tanked hits with its muscled body.
Thwack!
But bone-cracking hits are tough to shrug off, right? National rule. I targeted its shin relentlessly. Hitting the legs risked me getting caught, but I struck on the pass-by. It went berserk trying to grab me, but while strength might be equal, my agility outclassed them.
Hoya wouldn't have brought these if she thought they'd assassinate me. She figured I could handle them, even if it was tough. Or maybe not. But if I was in real danger, she'd step in. We're soulmates, after all.
With that in mind, I glanced at Hoya while pounding the right minotaur. My cute Hoya was cheering me on with that adorable face... yeah, right. She was asleep. Flat on her back, snoozing on Baekya's belly. Like she'd dozed off during a boring soccer match.
Thanks to that, I vented my frustration on the right minotaur.
Crack! Thwack-thwack! Bam-bam-bam!
Mooo! Moo-moo!
The right minotaur wailed like crazy. Minotaurs might have cow heads, but hearing cow-moos from a monster was grotesque. Annoying too. So I beat it even harder.
Then the alerts popped up.
Hertian Beginner Swordsmanship (Active) level has risen to 5.
Berserk (Active) Level 1 skill acquired.
Two notifications. The swordsmanship level-up was whatever, but the other one surprised me. Berserk. I used Observation.
Got time for that mid-fight? Yeah. The right minotaur was down, and the left was paralyzed by even worse fear. Probably got hit by Fear initially, then freaked out more watching me demolish the right one.
Berserk (Active) Level 1
Fuels rage to amplify attack power. Defense weakens as a trade-off.
Exactly the skill I knew from games—the one warriors used. The so-called berserker mode. Boost attack, ditch defense. Not sure if it fits me, though. I'm not about overwhelming with offense; I prioritize safety.
Good thing it's active—I can just not use it. But will I? Hard to say.
Why'd I get it? Betrayal rage from trusting Hoya to have my back? Seems plausible. Part of her grand plan? I glanced at Hoya—still blissfully asleep. Even for a genius like her, that's a stretch.
"Whatever. Let's keep beating."
I maintained the berserker mode and totally wrecked the right minotaur.
Moooo!
It let out a final bellow and died. One left on the left.
I approached, raising my blood-smeared mana wood practice sword. But then—
Moo... mo.
The left one dropped dead.
"What the—"
Fear-induced heart attack. How do I know? Observation said so.
Level up.
It wasn't quite a deathmatch with the two minotaurs, but the fight ended and I leveled up. Now Level 26, with Strength and Agility at 50. From scavenging and all. Five times stronger and nimbler than a normal person. Not that comparing to normals means much.
"Huff... huff..."
Post-fight fatigue hit hard. I slumped down, and Karak approached cautiously. I eyed him, wondering if he'd attack while I was worn out. He flinched and started dragging the minotaur corpses aside. Then pulled out a small knife to butcher them.
"Hold up! Karak, come here."
Krak!
He scurried over.
"There should be a butchering knife over there. Use that. Wait, you were hiding a knife?"
He flattened himself, trembling.
"One more time you hide a weapon and get caught, that's what happens." I pointed at the right minotaur—the one I'd beaten to death. Karak nodded frantically.
"Butcher it."
He's way more expert at this than me. I considered lying down right there, but spotted Baekya. Thought about crashing on him, but I reeked of blood. So I just flopped down.
Lying there, I watched Karak work. His eyes gleamed maniacally as he dismantled the minotaur—almost grinning? Gave me chills. Like he was butchering an enemy. Maybe minotaurs ate his tribe? That'd explain it.
With that, I dozed off.
I woke feeling refreshed. Washed up, stripped off my bloody clothes—thought about washing them but decided to toss 'em. Stuffed them in a black bag. Didn't want to litter the place.
Karak stared.
"What?"
He pointed at the clothes I was ditching.
"You want 'em?"
Nod.
Not a bad idea. Gave them to him. Track pants had plenty of stretch. Karak took my tracksuit and put it on gleefully. Didn't know zippers, so I demoed—after a few tries, he got it. Smart enough for that, sure.
Dressed up... he was an orc in tracksuit. Plain and simple.
"Lemme see."
I checked the dismantled minotaurs. And was shocked.
"This thing's ridiculously useful?"
Perfect all around. Then Karak pulled something from the body and offered it to me.
"Huh? What's this?"