Top-Class Adventurer (3)
Sharp killing intent poured from the blade trapped between my two fingers. It was not merely the cold edge of steel. This was an aura blade, dense mana condensed into form, carrying its own innate bloodlust.
Even I could not grab it carelessly relying on my body alone. It was that sharp.
A mere graze would slice skin open.
Yet even that aura blade fell short in cutting power compared to the bear’s claws I had found in the Forbidden Zone’s cave.
That alone showed how far the Forbidden Zone stood outside all reason. Even a monster whose claws surpassed a supreme adventurer’s aura blade had simply hidden in a cave there, waiting to die.
“…You’re catching it?”
Ren muttered blankly. He repeated it, still unable to believe it.
“Bare-handed…?”
He bit his lip hard and put strength into pulling the sword free. Power flooded both arms until his shoulders trembled, yet the blade did not budge.
Because I was holding it firm.
I kept the pressure on my fingers and almost spoke, then closed my mouth again.
“I don’t know much about swords, but… no. Never mind.”
Critiquing swordsmanship really wasn’t my place.
Ren flinched and stiffened.
“…What is it?”
“Nothing.”
“No. Speak.”
His face had gone stiff with unease, but I still shook my head.
“I’ve shown enough skill, haven’t I? Ready to make a deal?”
“No—not that…”
He hesitated a moment, then opened his mouth carefully.
“Can’t you tell me? What’s lacking in my sword?”
He asked so earnestly that I decided not to hide it any longer.
“Honestly, the direction of the movement you pursue is refined without a single wasted motion. That kind of sharpness only improves by polishing it further.”
In other words, the only way forward from there was to train alone and shatter his own limits.
But—
“Fundamentally, the will inside your sword… it’s missing. Or more precisely, it’s too rigid and formal.”
“Formal…?”
“I believe that beyond mere technique, projecting will is what elevates a realm to the next stage. Enlightenment, you could call it. What can lead the body beyond what it currently follows is ultimately the grain of the heart. But the way you draw and use mana—it feels like you’re only moving inside a given framework. I can’t tell whether your own ‘intent’ is in it.”
On one hand I wondered if that was simply how mana worked. Maybe that was why I couldn’t use it.
Looked at another way, by honing only the sharpness of technique I had grasped new skills and even brought the fifth wall—something I had never even glimpsed—right before my eyes. If mana was also a kind of “technique,” that could be another path.
Hmm. I thought polishing technique was the key to crossing the fifth wall, but at this rate… I really might need to learn mana.
Still, I didn’t think what I had told Ren was wrong. Putting will into martial arts—if that had been mistaken, I never would have crossed the third wall in the first place.
That was why I could say it to someone now.
“Put will into it…”
Ren seemed lost in deep thought; the strength left the hand gripping his sword. The blade began to slip downward until I had to hold it with two fingers again.
He kept his gaze lowered in silence for a long while before speaking once more.
“When I take up the sword I face the opponent with the resolve to kill. Especially against magic beasts. Are you saying even that mindset is insufficient?”
His eyes held genuine sincerity, so I answered just as earnestly.
“That mindset is also a kind of the will I spoke of. But… the impression I get is that the mindset itself is trapped inside form. That’s why it never becomes more intense.”
Ren’s gaze wavered slightly—a complex mix of doubt and drive.
In the end he has to find the answer himself.
I had shown enough skill; it was time to move to the next step. I had answered his questions seriously enough.
Yet Ren sank into thought again, then lifted his eyes after a long pause and asked another question.
“Is that form a habit I created? Or is it a structural—”
“Shaping mana itself is my own will. Similar ideas appear in the refining methods. But what you said…”
“If the refining method itself is the problem, then in your view…”
The questions never stopped. Every answer I gave only spawned the next.
Uh… uh…
I started backing away under the pressure; Ren kept closing the distance.
“Ah, come to think of it, it’s getting late. How about coming to the inn where I’m staying? We could talk more over a meal. It’s a top-class inn, so you won’t be uncomfortable. I can even provide a room if you want. The cost is entirely—”
“No need for that…”
“Hmm…”
Ren looked openly disappointed, but I pretended not to notice and steered the conversation back.
“The deal’s done, right?”
“Ah, of course. But going back to what we were discussing earlier…”
I shot a glance at Pria standing nearby, hoping she would stop him. She only stared blankly at Ren. Apparently she had never seen him like this either.
In the end Estelle, reading the room, tapped Ren’s arm and finally cut him off.
“Ah—sorry. But are you sure you won’t move to our inn?”
“No, I’m fine. I’ll head back for today. Contact me if you need help.”
The moment the words left my mouth I turned and put distance between us. If I didn’t leave now, escape would become impossible.
Pria waved belatedly with a regretful face.
“Come to our inn. That’s a bit of a shame. Though even if you did, the captain would’ve kept you all night and I wouldn’t have gotten any of my own business done. Too bad—see you next time!”
I raised a hand briefly in reply and set off toward the inn where Arnen and Elia were waiting.
At any rate, the matter I wanted had been settled without trouble.
Until Ren contacted me, what I needed to focus on was awakening to mana—and finally crossing the fifth wall that now stood right before me.
After helping Ren I would meet the emperor, talk, and hopefully learn the hidden truth of the Red Barrier.
While organizing the plan, thoughts of home flickered through my mind.
If the reclamation of the Forbidden Zone was still underway… what state was it in now?
Come to think of it, I wonder how Ger and Tol are doing.
The last time I saw Ger he had been assigned to the 1st squad of 3rd Class Warriors exploring the Contaminated Forest; Tol was continuing stable work with the village patrol.
By now both of them must have grown considerably.
If I brought them here, people would be so shocked they wouldn’t be able to close their mouths—they would be treated as powerhouses.
I knew they were living well on their own, yet I still wanted to see their faces at least once. After all, they were the first friends I made after opening my eyes in this place.
To do that I had to become strong enough to face the overwhelming existence that sat in the citadel deep inside the Forbidden Zone.
This was no longer the time to go around simply showing off my strength.
Once again I had to push through the uncertain road ahead and advance to the next stage.
A dark space. Outside light was completely shut out; only candles sparsely set into the walls cast a faint yellow glow.
In the corners the light never reached, uncleaned bloodstains and old blotches clung to the stone. In the center of it all sat a worn round table, alone.
The man seated before it suddenly slammed his palm down on the wood.
Bang.
“Those insolent bastards! They rejected our request again?”
His bloodshot eyes flashed with madness. The deep dark circles beneath them and his parched lips gave him a sinister, sharp impression.
Beside him a man in a black robe leaned casually against the back of his chair. The hood was pulled so low it swallowed his entire face, making identification impossible.
“No need to get so heated. Whether they follow our will or not, the prophecy’s fulfillment does not change. When that day comes, the price will be theirs to pay.”
The irritable man clicked his tongue sharply.
“You think words like that will cool my anger? I can’t do it that way.”
He leaned forward and spoke in a near-whisper.
“We extended our hand first. We gave them a chance and left the choice to them. And those bastards kicked it away. Supreme adventurers? Ha!”
A sneering breath escaped him; madness and an unreadable hatred intertwined in his eyes.
“In the end, before Him they are nothing but insects that will scatter as ash. There’s a limit to how much you can ignore someone…”
Then the third figure, who had been sitting quietly in the darkness to one side, spoke. He was the last person filling the room.
“Showing our power wouldn’t be bad either. Remaining crouched like this forever can’t be His will.”
“Right?”
The bloodshot-eyed man nodded, eyes gleaming.
“Yes. It’s about time we showed them. What kind of beings we are, and whom we follow.”
A brief silence fell, then the three voices overlapped.
“Everything…”
Their chant was quiet, yet deep sincerity ran through it.
“For the Lord of the Moon.”