Overprotection

A week had passed since then.

My swordsmanship training sessions with Rizmel were yielding explosive results with each passing day. Not only had my swordsmanship skill reached intermediate level, but the levels of my other weapon mastery skills had shot up dramatically too. That was because the 'sword-handling tips' she'd taught me applied to a certain extent to other bladed weapons as well. And swordsmanship doesn't mean wielding a sword exclusively. We'd also covered ways to draw out muscle coordination and regulate breathing.

Naturally, this fed into the growth of my bare-handed combat skill, while shield mastery and throwing skills inched up alongside it.

-Slash!

A light swing of the training sword felled the shadow puppet in one strike. Even though these puppets were more reinforced than before, every single one went down in a single hit without exception. The days when the training sword's blade would chip and break were long gone; now, the weapon's durability barely budged.

By completely overhauling how I used my body, even stat gains from bare-handed workouts had become a bit more efficient. Strength wasn't rising much anymore, but agility had climbed to a pretty significant level.

Helping out with the reconnaissance team's missions and using my skills in the process had bumped up the one-handed sword proficiency attached to my weapon mastery quite a bit too. It was an insane growth spurt reminiscent of my early days on Floor 1.

Very satisfying.

"Looks like swordsmanship's fully sunk into your body now. You could stand toe-to-toe with my squadmates, no problem."

Rizmel beamed like it was her own achievement, watching my progress. The prickly attitude from our first meeting had vanished completely.

"B-but don't get too cocky, okay? I just mean you're decent for a human…!"

Every now and then she'd pull that tsundere act like she was reminding herself of her character setting, but now it was just cute.

"Yeah, yeah, got it."

I smirked and sheathed the training sword. She'd said that passing today's test would move us to the advanced stage. And the shadow puppet I'd just taken down was the final trial.

In other words, we were heading straight into advanced training.

But I had no clue what 'advanced' actually entailed. I'd already learned the dark elf swordsmanship style, including all the application techniques, so there didn't seem to be anything left to pick up.

"That's 'cause what you've learned isn't everything. There are still a few moves left."

"Like what?"

"Techniques you can't use in your current state. First, you need to open your eyes."

Rizmel summoned the shadow puppets again as she spoke. They encircled her, weapons at the ready.

"Watch closely."

She drew her training sword to demonstrate, then closed her eyes.

-Whoosh!

The puppets swung at the blinded Rizmel. Yet she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dodged effortlessly. I wondered if she was peeking, but she evaded the attacks from behind just as smoothly. Sure, I could mimic it to some degree. I had my Instinct skill for sensing attacks. But even so, I couldn't match her level.

My Instinct only detected blind-spot attacks or warned me of distant incoming strikes. Rizmel, though, was evading assaults from every direction by a hair's breadth—and counterattacking in the midst of it.

-Slash!

The puppet, which required a precise sword path to fell, crumpled in one clean cut. I could probably pull off that level of evasion once my Instinct skill grew more. But what came next? That had nothing to do with levels.

Instinct was a skill for sensing crises, not for pinpointing enemy positions or attack trajectories.

"Damn, that's impressive."

So, that was what I'd be learning from here on out?

After demonstrating by felling the puppets blindfolded, Rizmel turned to me.

"You only look at your opponent with your eyes, right?"

Normally I'd have shot back, "Then what, should I use something else?" But her display had shut me up.

"But sensing the world isn't just about sight. You can perceive it with your ears or hands too."

I got it immediately. It was that cliché from all sorts of stories—mapping surroundings by sound or air currents. Stuff like that.

But was it actually possible in reality? In a world with the Tower of Trials, what wasn't possible?

"Quick on the uptake, good. But that's not all. It's about weaving all your senses into one."

Rizmel wasn't talking about crude dodges based on sound or tactile wind. It was integrating everything to eliminate blind spots entirely around you—building a biological radar.

"You can really do that?"

"Well, it'd be tough for a rookie."

She smirked, needling me. Oh ho, playing it like that, huh?

"Fine, then teach me quick. I'll pick it up in no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠time again."

Satisfied with my response, Rizmel grinned and tossed a small crystal from her pocket onto the shadows.

-Rumble!

This was on a whole different scale from the shadow magic she'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠used to summon puppets so far. Darkness swallowed the surroundings in an instant.

My vision cut out abruptly, throwing me off. I tried the skill I'd picked up recently.

Tiny light particles were supposed to gather in my hand to create illumination—the one from the crystal spider. But even though I'd activated the skill, no light gathered.

What the hell? Was it broken? My MP had decreased in the status window, so it wasn't a failed cast. Could it just eat MP without working?

I puzzled over it briefly before figuring it out. Light Gathering collected existing light; it didn't generate it. Meaning, in total darkness with zero light around, it was useless.

I was in pitch-black void.

"H-hey, rookie. Say something? Gotta be pretty freaked out in the sudden dark, right? Scared?"

She was spouting nonsense just because I'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gone quiet for a second. Her treatment of me was consistently infuriating.

"Who do you think I am? Explain what this is. I'm not scared."

"Oh, r-right. I wasn't actually worried or anything?"

I could hear her sigh of relief. Sure you weren't. She was getting weirder by the day. Probably blocking my sight to hone my other senses. The question was how.

"Alright, do your best from here on."

Just telling me to 'do my best' and leaving me hanging—what was I supposed to do?

I wondered if she'd really leave me like this, but apparently it was just time to adapt. The 'shururuk' sound effect of shadow puppets summoning rang out alongside the system alert.

By sound, there was probably just one. Fight blind to hone my senses, I guessed. Come to think of it, she'd mentioned advanced training could lead to injuries. But this puppet's attack power couldn't hurt me anyway.

-Shing.

The sound of a sword being drawn echoed in the pitch black. I gripped my training sword and slowly assumed a stance. I didn't know about other senses yet, so I'd rely on hearing to gauge the situation for now.

Just one enemy, plus Instinct to help—I'd manage somehow. It wasn't my first or second rodeo with these things.

-Tap tap tap.

The shadow puppet's footsteps approached. Straight ahead, slightly to the right—normal speed. I could roughly estimate how long until it closed in.

Problem was, I had no idea how it'd attack up close. Sword wielder, so somewhat predictable, but left or right swing? No clue.

-Whoosh.

The swing sound hit. Instinct pinged simultaneously—an overhead chop to my right shoulder.

-Clang!

I met it head-on, predicting the path. But the clash felt off. Ah, fuck, got it. This was a two-hander.

The moment I realized, the puppet twisted the angle of its locked blade. A familiar deflection move, but I didn't know the follow-up. Then a prickling Instinct warning on my left cheek.

I dropped low fast.

-Whish!

Wind-cutting whoosh, breeze grazing past. It had whistled right over my head.

If it fought like a brute lizardman, I'd have an edge, but the puppet's swordsmanship was high-level—tricky. Fine, then. Don't give it a chance to shine.

No defend-and-counter. Strike first.

-Thud!

I stepped in deep, gripped the training sword's blade for a half-swording stance. Two-handers have unavoidable gaps due to their nature. Using the position of its swing over my head to predict its posture, I forced the distance and attacked.

-Crack!

Accuracy issues halved the power, but fine. Twist and slash big—

Then something hard smashed my forehead.

-Thwack!

"Ugh."

Sword hilt? How in that position—no, had I misjudged its stance from the start? Another blade-whoosh rang out.

I blocked adequately via Instinct. But couldn't parry the full combo.

-Thwack! Thunk!

Neck and shoulder took hits in a flash. Then the darkness lifted.

"What do we do? Rookie, you okay?"

Rizmel rushed over, face full of worry. Of course I was fine. Just some blood from blade nicks—why stop the bullshit? Keep going.