Dedicated Weapons (1)
To hunt monsters, you needed weapons strong enough to carve through their flesh and bone. The academy provided us with so-called dedicated weapons that grew alongside their players up to a certain level. Unless you obtained a truly special item, these were the go-to choice for most people. Their performance was solid, and if you maxed out their growth, you could even unlock the skills sealed inside them.
“This is where you’ll find your partners. The Tomb of Souls.”
Later on, plenty of better items would appear and the dedicated weapons would lose a lot of their appeal. Even so, everyone strongly recommended using them at least until you unlocked their skills. They were considered an absolute must.
“A weapon from the academy, huh.”
“I’ve heard the stories, but this place is cleaner than I expected.”
“I don’t see any weapons?”
The place we reached following Garein looked exactly like the giant museum I remembered from the game. Information about the academy-issued weapons was so widespread that even ordinary people knew all about them. Naturally, every student’s eyes sparkled with anticipation as they began imagining what their own weapon would look like.
“From here, you will each obtain a partner you’ll fight alongside from now on. Don’t even think about asking to change it if you don’t like what appears. The weapon that manifests before you will be the one most compatible with your soul and the one whose wavelength matches yours perfectly.”
“Professor? Does that mean we can’t use any weapons other than the one we get here?”
When I raised my hand, Garein’s brow twitched. He turned his calm gaze toward me.
“We generally discourage the use of external weapons outside the academy… but you can submit a permit through your supervising professor’s discretion. If any of you need one, come see me anytime. Of course, you’ll need a proper justification to receive approval.”
“Understood.”
In the game you could just swap weapons whenever you wanted, but it looked like reality required actual paperwork.
“Then we’ll begin. Students whose names I call, step forward.”
We moved back a little. One by one, students walked up as Garein called their names. He had been checking the attendance sheet at first, but now he didn’t even glance at it. Had he really memorized the names of over twenty students in that short amount of time?
“This bloodstone has your name on it. Use the sharp end to draw blood, then place it on the magic circle.”
The first student’s name was… Jone, I think. He walked over to the indicated spot with a nervous expression. Standing in front of the white magic circle on the floor, he pricked his finger with the bloodstone, smeared the droplet onto it, and set it down.
Wooooong.
The magic circle reacted immediately, resonating with the bloodstone stained by Jone’s blood.
“That’s…”
“A sword?”
The bloodstone transformed in a burst of light, becoming a single blade. The faint currents of wind flowing around it suggested Jone’s class or power was probably wind-related.
“This… is my weapon?”
He gripped the sword with both hands, his face brightening. It seemed he was genuinely pleased.
“Next…”
As soon as Jone returned with his sword, Garein called the next name.
“What’s it like?”
“Hm?”
“Your weapon. The professor said it would be the one most suited to your soul. Is it true?”
All of us, myself included, waited for Jone’s answer. I was definitely curious.
“Well… I get what he meant by the soul wavelength thing. The moment I held it, I just instinctively knew. Like, ‘Ah, this one was made for me.’”
“What kind of answer is that?”
“I’m serious! You’ll probably feel the same when you grab yours.”
Flash.
While we were focused on Jone’s words, the second student received their weapon. It was a bow this time. The student’s face twisted into a strange, conflicted smile, as if they were disappointed it wasn’t what they wanted, yet had realized it really was prepared just for them.
Jone had been a success story. The second student was clearly the opposite. Seeing such polar reactions, the rest of the class instinctively prayed the same thing:
Please let mine be the weapon I actually want!
“Next, Kena Freya. Step forward.”
As Kena walked up, everyone held their breath, wondering what his dedicated weapon would be. The Freya family could cover both close and long range using the flames their bodies produced. They were hybrid fighters who could show their full power with any weapon, so most people figured anything would suit him perfectly.
Of course, I already knew what he would get, so I watched him with mild disinterest.
Wooooong.
Kena’s bloodstone and the magic circle glowed. Soon, a gauntlet brimming with fire and a single spear floated before him.
Kena’s dedicated weapons: the Fire Dragon’s Scale and the Fire Dragon’s Breath. The gauntlet was the Scale, the spear was the Breath.
“A throwing weapon,” Garein noted immediately.
Just as he said, it was a javelin-style spear paired with a gauntlet designed to make throwing easier.
“A throwing spear… Well, it’s not bad.”
Kena slipped on the gauntlet, spun the spear once, then looked straight at me with a satisfied grin. The fighting spirit burning in his eyes seemed to say, Just you wait. I’ll take you down with this soon.
“Next, Reglia Einstro.”
“Yes.”
Reglia stepped forward after Kena. She frowned slightly at the lingering heat, then released her magic to lower the surrounding temperature before dropping her bloodstone onto the circle.
Just like with Kena, the signature cold of the Einstro family chilled the air. What appeared with it was a massive greatsword that looked like a beautiful, sparkling work of art.
“……?”
Yes. A greatsword. An enormous blade so large an adult man would struggle to wield it properly. Reglia stared at the weapon in front of her, head tilted in blank confusion, as if her brain refused to process the situation.
The same stunned silence fell over everyone around her.
“A… greatsword?”
“Is that real?”
“No way…”
The greatsword’s design was undeniably beautiful and fitting for the Einstro family. The problem was its ridiculous size. Even Garein’s eyes widened in surprise, which pretty much said everything.
“Pfft—ahem.”
I nearly burst out laughing. Anyone would have. While I desperately held it in, Reglia reached out with a dazed expression and placed her hand on her dedicated weapon—the giant greatsword known as Oblivion of Snowfall.
“…It won’t move.”
Her physical stats were already near the bottom of the class. Even average heroes who specialized in body reinforcement would struggle with a blade this huge. There was no way she could swing it.
She still needed to pick it up and return to her spot for the next student. After frowning in thought for a moment, she seemed to reach a solution. She stretched her hand to the side and raised her magic.
“Come forth.”
Crrrrrrrrk.
[......]
At Reglia’s call, the Frost Knight appeared and bowed respectfully to his master.
Reglia Einstro’s ultimate trump card—the Frost Knight, Aaron.
“Aaron, pick up that sword.”
[...As my master commands.]
Aaron grasped Oblivion of Snowfall. The blade was enormous to a human, but it was the perfect size for him. With a body that surpassed human limits, he lifted it effortlessly and obeyed her order.
Amusingly, Reglia’s weapon had ended up in the hands of her knight rather than herself.
Garein watched Aaron for a moment, then nodded and called the next student.
“Summoning is allowed, but keep the cold air under control.”
“Understood. Aaron.”
[......]
At her words, Aaron pulled back the freezing air that had been spreading everywhere. The skin-crawling cold that had been giving me a headache finally eased a little. That passive was still terrifying, though. Fighting someone with that kind of chill in a war of attrition would be suicide. You had to end it quickly, or prepare some way to counter the freezing cold.
Hm? But why had this guy been staring at me since earlier? It wasn’t my imagination—the blue glow of his eyes kept turning in my direction. Whenever I shifted even slightly, his gaze followed. He was definitely aware of me.
“Next, Zeon.”
Of course, that gaze vanished when Reglia dismissed Aaron along with her weapon.
And now it was finally my turn.
I gripped the cold bloodstone and stood before the magic circle. Just like the others, I pricked my finger with the sharp end, smeared the blood on it, and prepared to place it on the circle.
‘Should I activate the Fiery Golden Eyes?’
Yesterday, while testing the limits of my Spiritualist abilities, I had realized the strange phenomena I’d been seeing were caused by the Fiery Golden Eyes and had stopped using them. Thanks to that, I no longer saw the mysterious girl floating above Garein.
But right now, my Spiritualist senses were screaming at me. Activate the Fiery Golden Eyes and look at your dedicated weapon.
‘...Fine. Let’s see what happens.’
The moment I trusted my instincts and activated the Fiery Golden Eyes, things I had never been able to see or hear before flooded my senses.
- What the hell, why is that guy just standing there?
- Is he nervous or something?
- So who’s getting picked this time?
- I hope it’s me.
- If it’s a bow, I get first pick, not you?
- Sword! Sword! Sword! Sword!
- Staff! Staff! Staff!
- Card! Card! Card!
- What the hell is a card?! Get lost!
‘...What is this?’
Was this why my senses had urged me to activate the ability? The moment the Fiery Golden Eyes opened, countless forms that had been invisible before appeared, and their voices rang clearly in my ears. They were clustered in front of the magic circle, staring not at me, but at the bloodstone in my hand—entities that looked almost human.
Listening to their chaotic conversation, it really was…
‘A complete mess if there ever was one.’