Scarecrow Slayer's First Block
The Scarecrow Slayer title was pretty damn meaningful. Things that used to take thousands of swings to break now shattered after just a few hundred. Of course, I couldn't tell if it was really the power of the Scarecrow Slayer or just my muscles getting stronger from beating the crap out of those straw dummies... but hey, good is good, right? Yeah, and honestly, since it's right there as an official title, it has to be giving some kind of buff. The problem is it doesn't tell me what the buff actually is.
"Master, all done."
Titles: Proud Son, Village's Greatest Handyman, Swordsmanship-Proficient Swordsman, Scarecrow Slayer, Scarecrow Smasher
Now we've got Smasher on top of Slayer—please, no more scarecrow titles... I don't want to see any more of this crap... Ugh, shit...
"Oh, you've definitely gotten faster. Looks like you've built a solid foundation. Hmm, let me see."
Squeeze—poke—
"Hey, Master, why are you groping me like that? If I were a girl, you'd be getting sued."
"I'm groping you 'cause you're not a girl."
"Gasp, that statement..."
"You wanna smash more scarecrows?"
The butcher uncle pulls a pissed-off face like he's seriously annoyed, and I clear my throat, wondering if he'll actually make it happen.
"Ah, no. C'mon, can't a guy joke around a bit?"
"Hmph, your muscles have definitely filled out. You're ready to move on to the next step."
At least I got a firm confirmation this time. I was seriously planning to protest if he made me chop more scarecrows.
But seriously, you can tell if muscles have grown just by groping someone?
"No body comp scan or anything?"
"Why would we do that? My hands are more accurate."
Figures, guy deals with meat all day... Eek, gives me chills. He didn't just treat my body like a slab of beef, did he?
"Now that you've finished slashes, it's time to learn thrusts and blocks."
Thrusts and blocks? He made it sound like some epic sword skill, and this is it? What the hell is with that Swordsmanship-Proficient Swordsman title...? Is this proficient? Learning thrusts and blocks is proficient, you asshole!
"Thrusts aren't much different from slashes, but they're great for close-range opponents. Blocks are the core of swordsmanship. Once you learn Aura later, it'll be amazing, but even without Aura, mastering blocks will let you protect yourself against anyone who isn't way stronger."
I listen intently to the boss, who's finally talking a lot for once. Yeah, whatever—so what if it's just thrusts and blocks? The point is to train hard and hit academy entrance exam level.
"For thrusts, we'll use moving targets instead of scarecrows. We'll mix in slashes too—slashing moving targets and thrusting at charging ones."
Oh, finally ditching the scarecrows. I was worried he'd make me thrust at dummies too.
"It won't be as easy as you think. Slashing stationary targets is simple, but moving ones won't cooperate."
"Got it, Master. So, what're we hunting?"
"Wild boars."
Wild boars out of nowhere...?
"Pardon...?"
No, isn't the difficulty spiking way too hard? Sure, I wanted moving targets, but boars can kill me with one hit, you lunatic...?! Run when you see a boar—that's what I learned in my past life, right?!
"Of course, we'll learn blocks first before facing real boars."
Phew, thank god. At least he's giving me a survival tool.
"Blocking with a sword isn't as hard as you think. Strike any pose—I'll attack now, so block it."
"Huh?! Suddenly against you, Master?!"
Mom, this guy's nuts...! He keeps yo-yoing the difficulty on a whim...!
"Obviously I'll go easy. Even a weakling like you won't get hurt, so don't freak out—block."
"Heh, you reading minds or something, Master?"
"Don't know that stuff. I'll give you prep time since it's your first go."
Since it's the first time, huh. So from now on, he'll strike without warning anytime. My head's gonna hurt for a while.
I take my time getting into stance. It's a blocking pose, but he hasn't taught me one, and my best defense is a good offense anyway. Plus, the most familiar stance is the one I used for slashing dummies.
"Ho, going with that, eh?"
"Yes, I think the most familiar stance works best for defense or offense."
"Kuhaha, smart kid! Here I come!"
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
He's charging like a maniac—or a boar—thundering toward me.
"Raaagh...!"
Slash!
It was just a thin, flimsy wooden sword, but the swing packed insane power. The wind whipped up from the sheer momentum and weight—
"...That was less than I expected, Master?"
There was a nick on my sword, but I blocked it perfectly. Well, maybe only I think it was perfect. Still, even if he telegraphed it, succeeding on my first block attempt was a win. The wooden sword didn't even graze me—it bounced right off.
Duncan, who now worked as a simple butcher but had once been a renowned swordsman, couldn't help but be shocked.
What just happened?
Theo had caught his eye before, with that insane persistence that even made Duncan, who never took disciples, accept him. But that wasn't important now.
He hadn't even taught proper blocking techniques yet, and the kid blocked his wooden sword. Sure, it wasn't full power, but no total beginner should've managed that.
Of course, in a real fight, I'd have won.
Duncan had more than one sword, but Theo's only blade was cracked from the block. In combat, Duncan would've won easily—but this was a training ground, not battle.
"...Impressive."
But Duncan wasn't one for praise or positivity. Even now, a single "impressive" summed it up.
"Haha, so? Does this mean I've made some progress, Master?"
Blissfully unaware of his monstrous feat, Theo grinned sheepishly, waiting for Duncan's verdict.
"Hmph, brat. In a real fight, you'd be dead."
"Yeah, yeah, you're not throwing me into one anyway."
Obviously. There was still so much to teach. Duncan felt his heart race, sensing the kid's latent talent might surpass his own someday.
How long has it been since my heart pounded like this?
Theo was no ordinary seedling—he belonged on bigger stages.
"You said you wanna enter the academy, right?"
"Yeah, planning to apply for the commoner swordsmanship track next year."
"No interest in magic?"
"Magic? My mana sensitivity's low, and I barely feel any mana."
It was true Theo's mana sensitivity was poor—but because his massive mana reservoir was mostly empty. Once filled, he'd sense it naturally and show talent there too. Duncan felt a pang of regret.
"Still, give it a try. For commoner tracks, the more skills, the better."
Even with a year of sword training, Theo would be a monster—but wasting that mana potential was a shame.
"Can't afford a mana academy."
"I know, kid. I got a buddy who's a mana whiz. I'll bring him over."
"Huh? You know someone in magic?"
"Yeah, back in my glory days, I was hot shit! Told ya!"
"Thought you were exaggerating."
"You little shit."
Duncan recalled a female mage from his swordmaster days.
She's around the kid's age, right?
A prodigy among prodigies, famed for wielding magic since childhood.
"Pfft! Who's talking about me?"
It was the blue-haired, blue-eyed genius with a starry mark on her forehead: Estelle Ingrid.