Tutorial Boss Teaches Swordsmanship
The day after the Red Moon set. It had been ages since I'd pushed my body that hard, and now every muscle ached.
I plopped down in my usual corner spot on the first floor of the Adventurer's Guild—practically my designated seat by now—and crossed my arms. Jeina brought over a beer the second I sat.
"Thanks."
"...Pardon?"
Jeina's face stiffened like I was about to devour her, and she bolted. Couldn't be helped. That was the standard reaction to Eck.
I must've slipped up in my half-asleep daze.
I was still me, but I never forgot I was Eck now.
I gulped down the beer. The cheap swill slid down my throat, thick and bitter, soaking into my body. One swig quenched the raw thirst in my parched gullet from last night.
Alcoholism. Eck's body craved the stuff. Hands shaking and joints throbbing after just a day without it—what a joke.
Only after draining the second mug did my brain start firing properly.
What should I teach Elena?
I'd boasted about teaching her swordsmanship, but I hadn't decided on anything yet. Surprisingly, Eck was proficient in standard sword techniques—he'd stolen a tattered manual from some back alley and mastered it on his own. Never learned from anyone, let alone taught.
But I couldn't just wing it with anything.
"Haaah."
Still sleepy. Deep in thought.
Standard swordplay alone wouldn't cut it for Elena's training goals. Thinking in game terms, her growth needed a path that pierced straight to the ending. The first buttonhole was crucial.
What's the most efficient route?
In the game, Elena could be built in various ways: swordsmanship, magic, bare-handed martial arts, spirit arts, summoning, mercenary tactics—the adult game had implemented all sorts of systems, which had been a big talking point back then. For an eroge, anyway.
Elena’s growth paths boiled down to three main types.
First: burst damage. Insane momentary firepower that could drop even bosses in one or two hits. It relied on doping skills, spells, gear, and consumables available in-game, so it was less about skill and more about resources. From Eck's experience, it was suicidal madness that shaved years off your life.
Second: versatility. A hybrid of swordplay and magic. Great all-rounder for farming bosses and mobs alike. But it often left you mediocre at both, so not recommended unless it was your second playthrough.
And third: fundamentals. Built on footwork and evasion for rock-solid survivability.
Fundamentals it is, then?
But that was the best by my standards. For an average joe, more cards in hand just meant more ways to panic. But protagonists hit mid-game and conquered continents with swordplay alone. Elena was a genius. Lay a solid foundation, give her a bit of luck, and she'd shoot up on her own.
All I can do is keep nudging her to stay diligent.
But was that enough? Settling for that made me just another pit stop she'd breeze past.
A greedy whisper stirred from deep inside. Wasteful.
"Hm..."
It was still ultra-early game. With the pace, I had plenty of time to mull it over.
"Eck! Big bro!"
Irritation surged. Darko. The guild's C-rank sword instructor waved wildly from the entrance. On his way over, he groped Jeina, draping an arm around her waist like he owned her hip.
"Jeina, two beers."
"Wait over there."
He smacked her ass to shoo her off, dragged a chair from across, and flopped down.
"Eck, you still drinking alone here? Call me if you're boozing."
Jeina set down the beers, and Darko chugged one, smacking his lips and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He squinted with a grin.
"Let's hit up some girls today. New one just came in—young, slim waist. Right up your alley, bro."
"Pass."
"C'mon, why? You've been so standoffish lately. Just sitting here pounding drinks, spacing out more than ever. Back in the day, you'd drag me out before I even asked. Where's that Eck?"
I tilted my mug. No interest, no response.
Darko cocked his head. "Oh, wait. Is it that?"
"What."
"Don't play dumb. That chick you've been hanging with lately."
My hand paused mid-sip.
"The newbie in the robe. Word's out you bought her food, a sword, been dragging her around."
"Who said."
"Guild rats, and Borudo spilled too."
My movements were leaking everywhere. Darko smacked his lips, eyes gleaming sleazily.
"Be straight. You haven't tapped that yet, have you? First time I've seen you put in this much effort."
"..."
"No way, for real? Haha! Didn't peg you for a romantic."
I sipped my beer, letting his words flow past. But the guy had no off-switch.
"Lemme give you some hard-earned advice."
Darko leaned in, lowering his voice like he was sharing state secrets, hands forming a mock wall.
"Secret to keeping a girl glued to you. Just two things."
"..."
Honestly, it piqued my interest. But I didn't show it.
"First, jump her bones hard. Once you've mixed bodies, she gets attached, y'know? Virgin's even better. First time seals the deal—girls can't ditch the guy who popped their cherry."
Darko beamed, raising a second finger.
"Then use it as leverage. If she's a virgin, threaten to blab you deflowered her all over town. Chicks freak over that stuff. Boom—any girl turns putty in your hands."
Darko grinned slyly. "Try it on that newbie. If it's too tough, I'll do her first. You picking up my scraps? She'll cling to you harder, can't escape. Know why? Deeper dependency."
"..."
"Just say the word. I'll rip that bitch's heart to shreds for ya."
Thud. I set my mug down. Elena this, Elena that?
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"Time for you to eat fist."
"What? Why outta nowhere... Gah!"
My punch flew. I swung the hand still gripping my mug, uppercutting Darko's jaw.
Crash! The table toppled as my body shoved it. Darko's chair flipped back, slamming his back to the floor.
"Guh...!"
I staggered up. Booze weighed down my limbs, but I pounced on the fallen Darko, mounting him and yanking his collar.
Blood streamed from Darko's nose.
"Y-you psycho! Why the fuck...!"
"'Cause scum like you exist... She's mine. Who the hell you eyeing?"
Smack!
"Urk!"
My fist hammered his face. All eyes in the guild locked on us, but no one intervened.
Darko squirmed free of my mount. He grabbed a chair and swung, but I dodged easily and countered with a punch. I caught his arm as he blocked, wrenched it, and slammed him down.
Earth knowledge. Eck flawlessly reproduced pro grappling and restraint techniques.
"Darko's getting wrecked."
"A-rank lives up to the name."
"Dude's hammered and still owning. Darko ain't even close."
Darko gritted his teeth, then yelled, "I-I surrender!"
"Promise never to spout that shit again."
"Yeah, I promise."
"That girl's mine. Touch her and I won't hold back."
"O-okay, got it..!"
I released his arm. He clutched his twisted limb, face flushed with humiliation, and slunk out of the guild under everyone's gaze.
"Fuck."
I righted the toppled table and chairs.
"Sorry for the mess."
"N-no?"
"Jeina, take this."
I tossed her a silver coin.
"For your troubles so far."
"W-wait, why give me this."
"More troubles ahead."
"..."
I left the spilled beer to her and headed for the exit.
Screech.
Then the guild door swung open. Elena walked in. She glanced around, sensing the chill vibe.
"W-what happened?"
"None of your business. Let's go."
I grabbed her shoulder, spun her 180 degrees, and marched out.
"Where we headed?"
"Said I'd teach you swordsmanship, didn't I?"
The backyard of my lodging. Eck's place was a five-story building not far from the guild. The yard was an empty lot with just a clothesline—perfect for training since no one came around.
"We're doing it here?"
Elena looked around.
"Draw your sword first."
She unsheathed it. The straight blade caught the sunlight.
"We'll review the basics. Swordsmanship boils down to three pillars."
I folded fingers one by one.
"Slash, thrust, parry."
Elena nodded, focusing intently.
"But there's something even more fundamental. Guess what."
"..."
"No idea, right? Hard to notice without someone pointing it out."
I tapped the ground lightly with my foot, drawing her eyes with the sound.
"Footwork."
"Footwork?"
"Footwork's about leg movement. It supports your body, keeping perfect balance at all times—the foundation of every martial art. Without it, anything you learn is a castle on sand."
I spread my feet into stance. Elena mimicked me.
"Feel how sword swings come naturally based on foot placement?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Advance like this. Retreat too. Balance—that's footwork's core."
Elena repeated my demos. I lightly swung my sheathed sword vertically at her neck.
She flinched at the blade, twisted one foot, and brought them together—evading with minimal motion.
"Nice."
"You scared me! That would've left a lump on my head!"
"Knew you'd dodge."
Her learning aptitude was as good as expected—no, better.