Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: I'm Gonna Become a Parrying Master! (1)
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"Hmm."
I'd been purged.
The manager caught me stirring up trouble. She'd already figured out my pattern.
Was I posting too quickly? Or did the manager have some way to detect it?
'I can still see the vote results, so no big deal...'
From now on, I'd have to be even more meticulous and thorough.
"..."
I quietly turned to the newly posted thread.
It was just a post, but reading it filled me with shame.
The manager's sincerity hit hard, stirring up more guilt than I'd expected.
'I should avoid using throwaways as much as possible.'
...Starting today.
Swipe.
────
1. Swordsman - 685 votes
2. Mage - 406 votes
.
.
.
────
I stared at the manager's post for a bit before checking the vote results.
In just an hour, votes were nearing two thousand.
They'd selected about ten jobs, but the comments were flooded with even more obscure ones.
'Swordsman it is, huh.'
Swordsman and Mage took half the votes combined.
An obvious result, maybe. I'd expected it, but it still left a sour taste.
This was first and second place, but Swordsman dominated by a landslide.
'Population bias, really.'
Considering comments mentioning Espers, Necromancers, and jobs I'd never even heard of, vote counts didn't mean much.
I wasn't bound to follow the results, but browsing comments and new posts was swaying me.
There were plenty of earnest posts brimming with pride in their class.
'I figured it'd be more trash-talking circlejerks.'
They detailed why swords were superior, with all sorts of reasons attached.
Familiar nicks from mages posted too, but they didn't pull me in like the swordsmen's arguments.
'I do like ranged clicky-toys...'
If this were a game, I'd pick what I enjoyed. But sadly, it was reality.
To avoid death, to survive, I needed a cold, hard choice.
'Swordsman it is.'
Mage had higher peaks, but for a total beginner like me, it seemed too restrictive.
Chanting, mana... Spirit magic and concepts I'd never heard of—way too much.
Rare or niche classes seemed hard to learn and TP-heavy too.
Simply honing sword swings to the limit felt right for me now.
'No clue what'll pop out in the Tower of Trials anyway.'
Something familiar like swordsmanship made sense.
I posted something casual in the gallery, then checked Star Bang again.
Route decided. I'd try magic and other weapons later, but Swordsman first.
[Wooden Sword] - 1,000 TP
[Basic Swordsmanship Step by Step] - 2,500 TP
[Wooden Sword] - 1,000 TP
[Wooden Shield] - 1,000 TP
[『Rare』 Basic Parrying Technique Book] - 990 TP
"Hmm..."
I pondered the final choice.
I skipped inner energy manuals and such—they were too advanced.
'Sword & shield or greatsword.'
Truth be told, two-handers or greatswords had the edge in cool factor.
"Mountains... cleaved in two."
Definitely. But one-hand sword plus shield was OP in any game—national rule.
Buying the parrying book for sword & shield meant skimping on attacks, though...
'Whatever.'
I hit buy on the popup.
More thinking would just complicate things.
'Think rationally.'
A rice-for-brains shut-in like me reading a manual won't swing a sword like in a game.
Fancy flying swords or slashes? No time for training, no weapon specs, low-level manuals— all lacking.
For trash like me, shield up, tank hits, grit teeth and counter. That's the way.
Parrying well looks cool anyway!
Thump-thump.
"..."
Maybe 'cause I'm a guy, but my heart raced for no reason.
I didn't know exactly what this world was, but I'd been summoned to another one.
Met a reliable companion (Wiki), joined a guild (Gallery) to watch my back.
Now proper weapons for adventuring? My lips curled up in excitement.
The dungeon was life-or-death gambling, but any isekai exploration had that risk.
'Five minutes feels eternal.'
Even waiting for chicken yesterday wasn't this bad. Couldn't wait.
Sipping cola, leg bouncing, with one minute left I exited the hideout.
'Still appears like normal.'
Standing blankly in the commons, my order appeared in the center before I knew it.
Step.
Cloth-wrapped wooden sword, forearm-sized round shield.
And—
'...Where's my guidebook?'
No sign of the 990 TP parrying manual anywhere.
Looked high and low. Blinked, checked behind the shield. Nothing.
Even checked back in the hideout. Empty room, yesterday's trash gone post-midnight.
'...Fucking scam item?'
Down to zero TP now.
Absolutely screwed.
Trembling hands pulled up Star Bang—no changes.
No refunds or exchanges, obviously.
I squeezed my eyes shut, then open, collapsing to the floor.
Swipe.
"...This right?"
I tilted my head at the [『Rare』 Basic Parrying Technique Book] in the Wiki.
Trying the stance, unsure if it was correct.
Wiki update added a 'Skillbook' category on the left.
My purchase was organized like an e-book, detailed for easy understanding.
'Heavier than expected.'
Catching my breath, I eyed the shield in my left and wooden sword in my right.
Not too heavy to carry, but awkwardness nagged.
Good thing the shield strapped to the arm for use.
[For defense, preemptively intervene in the enemy's attack prep phase for max efficiency.]
[However, if aiming to stagger the enemy with parry, time it just before the attack lands.]
[Slip into attack gaps, neutralize with minimal force—that's parrying mastery.]
Wiki summary, roughly.
Didn't expect much for 990 TP, but it was surprisingly thorough.
Didn't know if others matched this quality, but I was impressed.
'Stances illustrated nicely too.'
Two-hand sword, one-hand, sword & shield.
Even staffs, bows, daggers... Every weapon and armor for parrying.
Wouldn't complain at double the price.
"...Not the issue, though."
Tiny problem with this manual—
[Most important: 『Timing』]
No explanation of what that timing was.
'Timing matters, obviously...'
I knew timing was key in fighters or RPGs.
But how to read it? Fail, and you're eating a weapon to the face.
[Optimal 『Timing』: When the enemy's attack flashes and catches your eye.]
Flashes and catches eye? No clue.
Felt like online "You'll get it after getting hit ㅇㅇ".
But I die instantly—no revives!
'Practice stances then...'
Already bought. Only 500 TP left.
All I could do: master stances, build basic fitness.
[Day 1]
Picked up shield. Heavier than thought.
Swing wooden sword. Wrists hurt.
"...This really right?"
Following the book, but not hitting anything—yet my body ached.
[Day 3]
Something's off. No sense of improvement.
Posted photo to gallery out of desperation.
Me awkwardly holding sword and shield against imaginary foe.
"Fucking assholes..."
Can't they be nicer?
[Day 5]
Getting used to it. Sweat dripping, out of breath.
No real rewards, limbs screaming, but better than day one.
[Video]
"...Not really?"
Looks improved to me, but noobs disagree.
A week since buying sword, shield, manual.
No tower runs since purchase day—just solo training in the commons.
-1-
Day 10 in the tower.
Plenty of training time left, but body craved dopamine.
Survival instincts yelling "train" got shoved to second place.
'Just a light dip.'
Training good, but swinging at air—defense at that.
Blocking imaginary attacks? Embarrassingly dorky.
Got attack stance advice from gallery.
Embarrassing to post pics/videos, but survival first.
Cropped face perfectly—no biggie.
Aggro from days of posts stronger than body pics now.
'No one worried, fuck.'
Tsked at gallery, pocketed phone.
Manager sleeping. Left one comment in sleep chat, gone.
Normally she'd say "You can do it...! Be careful...!" amid the trash, but missed her today.
Not dead or anything.
Swipe.
Shield on left arm, sword in right.
Tried holding shield manually, but this weak body couldn't.
Parrying felt better with sword anyway.
'Only in imagination so far.'
Rumble—
Swallowed hard at the tower after a week.
No turning back. Door seals once entered.
'But I trained hard instead of other stuff.'
Should be fine somehow.
Wiki guides still there—not just relying on body, wooden sword, shield.
"...Huh?"
Mysterious alert before strategy guide—blinked blankly.