A Hollow Sword
Through the relentless downpour, I followed close behind Libero. Though I wore a raincoat, my clothes underneath were already damp, likely from the sweat of our brief, intense clash earlier. Though I'm not sure if a one-sided beatdown even qualifies as a 'clash.'
We walked for what felt like hours. The clattering of trains and the hiss of escaping steam—noises unheard of in the peaceful town of Basil—mingled with the steady patter of the rain. Come to think of it, a city like this must have plenty of useful features... As expected of a metropolis, there were plenty of lucrative quests around here that would be perfect for farming Stigma Points. But now was not the time to lose focus. I concentrated on the man walking ahead of me. This has to come first.
Eventually, we arrived at a derelict building. It had been abandoned for so long that it was impossible to guess when it was last used. The roof had completely caved in, leaving us entirely exposed to the elements.
“Hmm...” Libero stroked his chin, scanning the interior. He spoke with a touch of suspicion in his voice. “There are signs of people coming and going. Frequently, and recently, too. Well, it has been a long time since I last left this place vacant.”
He walked over to a corner of the room and lifted a heavy steel plate resting on the floor. Beneath it lay not solid ground, but a staircase swallowed by pitch-black darkness.
“We might have some uninvited guests inside.” With those words, he stepped onto the stairs, and I followed him down into the gloom.
Drip, drip. Water droplets leaked from the ceiling, suggesting the place wasn't entirely waterproof. As we descended the damp, eerie staircase, Libero suddenly halted.
“Just as I thought. Someone is here.” He closed his eyes and muttered, “One, two... four of them. Just ordinary thugs.”
I had no idea how he could tell when we couldn't see a thing yet, but if Libero said so, it had to be true. Whoever they are, they have rotten luck. They were probably about to get pulverized by Libero. Or so I thought, until—
“Hey. You said you wanted to be my disciple, right?”
“Huh? Yes, that's right.” I had asked for power, but it amounted to the same thing. However, I immediately regretted my answer.
“If you're going to be my disciple, you should at least be able to kick out a few pests like them, shouldn't you?”
I'd been cornered. Ignoring my sudden wave of dismay, he calmly laid out the situation.
“They've noticed we entered. Because of that, two of them are waiting in ambush right next to the entrance.” Even without seeing them, he mapped out the situation inside with perfect accuracy. “One guy is standing in the center of the room to draw your attention, and the one sprawled in the corner is likely their leader. You can handle driving this lot out, right?”
He had no reason to lie to me. Instead of answering, I pulled my sword from my inventory. Fine, let's just get this over with. No matter how weak I might be, I wasn't about to lose to a bunch of local thugs. I could easily drive out four guys without killing them. ...Still, the two waiting in ambush by the door made me a bit uneasy. In that case... I reached into my inventory and pulled out Amyah as well. With this, slipping inside would be much easier.
“So that is Amyah.”
He recognized it? I knew its description mentioned it was unearthed near Sak, but I hadn't expected him to recognize a mere 2-Star Relic dagger. Still, since he didn't object, he didn't seem to mind me using it. Amyah. I activated the dagger's power to shroud myself in the darkness. Then, I slipped down the remaining steps and entered the room.
The room was already pitch-black, and with Amyah completely concealing my presence, they had no idea I was there.
“Do you think they left?”
“Maybe it was just a rat.”
I quietly slipped past the two whispering by the entrance.
“Shh, quiet.” The man standing in the center of the room hissed a warning to the two by the door. “I definitely heard voices. But now it's dead silent.”
He was surprisingly sharp. Unfortunately for him, I was already right behind him. Starting with this one. I adjusted the weight of the Gravitus Replicant to make it moderately heavy. Then, I slammed the pommel of the sword into the back of his head.
“Gah!”
When their companion suddenly collapsed from an invisible strike, the two guarding the door widened their eyes in shock. “W-What the hell?!”
I closed the distance without hesitation. Perhaps due to the dim light of the lamp in the room, Amyah's stealth effect didn't last very long.
“Huh?” I swept the legs of the guy on the left, sending him crashing down. At that exact moment, the stealth wore off. But I was already swinging the flat of the Gravitus Replicant into the face of the guy on the right.
Crack! With a sickening thud, the man collapsed in a heap, his face battered.
Now, is he the only one left? The man who had been lying down earlier was now on his feet. He was a fairly large fellow. I glanced back to confirm that the guy I had tripped was still struggling to get up. Better wrap this up quickly to avoid any hassle. Making my decision, I channeled Wind Authority around my feet and dashed toward the big guy. Seeing me approach, the brute drew his own sword.
I tossed Amyah back into my inventory, gripped the Gravitus Replicant with both hands, and swung. I didn't release the sword's weight. If I did, I might lose control and accidentally kill him. Sure enough, the brute couldn't react at all to my rapid strike accelerated by Wind Authority.
“Get out of here,” I said, pressing the blade against his throat.
But the brute wasn't about to comply so easily. Ignoring the blade at his throat, he lunged at me. He must have realized I had no intention of killing him.
“Who do you think you're talking to?!”
I needed to correct his misconception. I never hesitate when dealing with someone trying to harm me. Gravitus Replicant.Thwack! I released the sword's weight and struck the brute's neck with the flat of the blade. Well, he probably didn't die. I only released enough weight to make it slightly heavier than a baseball bat.
Now... I turned around. The guy I had tripped earlier was standing there, frozen in sheer terror. I pointed at the unconscious brute and the other two.
“Take them and get out. As fast as you can.”
Fortunately, the first guy I knocked out regained consciousness just in time. The two conscious thugs dragged their unconscious companions out of the room. Once they left, Libero, who had been waiting outside, stepped into the room.
“That took you long enough.” Libero looked around as he entered. The room was quite spacious, but it was completely devoid of proper furniture. The only things inside were a few wooden crates that the thugs had likely brought in. “If they were going to squat in someone else's room, they could have at least kept it clean,” Libero muttered, clicking his tongue as he surveyed the space.
“By the way... how long has it been since you last used this room?” Moss practically carpeted the entire space. It looked less like a room and more like a miniature jungle.
“I do not recall clearly, but I believe the last time I visited this room was about forty years ago.” Given that timeframe, it was a miracle this poorly waterproofed basement was even standing. Someone must have cleaned it at some point over the years.
“Shall we do some light cleaning, then? I do not mind living in a place like this, but I suspect you might.” He raised both hands. He didn't manifest a sword this time. He simply lifted his hands, and yet, all the moss clinging to the walls and floor peeled away cleanly. “I assume you can handle the rest?”
Easily. I used Wind Authority to blow all the loose moss and dust out of the room. Only then did the room finally look like a proper living space again, though it remained dark and damp.
“Now that the room is somewhat presentable, shall we begin our discussion?”
“Pardon?”
“I am referring to that pathetic display of combat from earlier.”
Pathetic? It stung a bit, considering I thought I had handled it quite efficiently. But I couldn't bring myself to argue with him.
“Setting aside the fact that I would have targeted the leader first...” He pointed at my sword. “Your swordsmanship. I felt it when our blades clashed upstairs, but there is something deeply off about it.”
I had used Absolute Obedience to replicate Gwen's swordsmanship down to the finest detail. And yet, he called it off.
“Are you saying the swordsmanship of the Lidval family is flawed?”
“No, the Lidval family's swordsmanship itself is excellent. While it is not flawless, it is a fine style that cleverly highlights its unique strengths.”
Then what was the problem? Come to think of it, I had noticed something strange ever since I copied Gwen's swordsmanship and my rank only rose from B to B+. Even with the Precocious trait, my swordsmanship rank had refused to budge after that. There had to be a reason why it was stagnant. It could simply be a lack of innate talent, but I had sought out Libero precisely to find that reason and overcome it.
To find the cause, Libero gave me an order.
“Swing your sword.”
I complied, delivering a strike that blended Wind Authority with the effects of the Gravitus Replicant. But Libero shook his head. “There are too many distractions mixed in to make a proper judgment. Strip away those cheap tricks and just give me a simple, honest swing.”
I withdrew Wind Authority from the blade. I also returned the Gravitus Replicant to a comfortable, familiar weight. Then, I swung the sword once more.
“I see.” Watching the strike, Libero nodded as if everything had clicked. “Tell me... are you using some kind of self-suggestion?”