After the start of a new day, I go through my daily morning routine before I have to head to the training grounds. As usual, I wake up at the crack of dawn and do my morning exercises. Just because I was studying magic doesn’t mean I can slack off with them. My morning routine is the only way for me to get rid of my excess energy for the day after all. I get antsy when I don’t do them, it makes my body too hyperactive for my tastes. Being too powerful has some drawbacks, too. Sometimes, I wish I weren’t so strong, but then I snap myself out of it because I love having so much power. Only the most powerful beings are truly free to do whatever they want, and I’m near the top of the food chain. It might be a little boring at times, but the assurance that nothing can truly hurt me is always a nice feeling to have. Then again, the feeling of a life or death battle is also exhilarating to feel. I only had one person who could match me in my life, and he’s back on Earth. My number one rival, how I miss you. I hope this world can provide me with a challenge that can match you.

My melodrama aside, once I finished my three-hour exercise and finished breakfast, I make my way to the training grounds. I’m wearing clothes that are actually practical for physical training that I got from the king a few weeks back. He’s really great about providing me with whatever I want. I’m pretty sure he would give us almost anything if we asked for it. He seems to really want to stay on our good sides. Are they really that desperate for [Hero]s? He sure is lucky though, considering everyone he summoned isn’t greedy at all. He still gives us expensive things anyways. My training clothes are made from black widow silk, which is honestly outrageous. Black widow silk is one of the strongest material that fabric can be made out of back on Earth, and it seems that way here, too. I wanted to know what material my special training clothes were made of, so I checked them with my [All-Seeing Eyes] a week back and the stats were off the charts. It’s good to know that the [System] also categorizes objects, but seriously. The status window that opened up was too much.

Training Clothes

Type: Clothing

Rarity: Super Rare

Armor Rating: 7

Weight: Light

Materials: Black Widow Silk, Cotton

Enchantments: None

Description: A light training outfit made from black widow silk and cotton. Extremely durable and can absorb major amounts of damage. Sharp objects will find it difficult to penetrate. The outfit is a pair of black fitting pants with a red short-sleeved tunic. It is highly fashionable for training clothes.

I remember looking up what armor ratings there are, and this was what was listed: 10, [DEF 901-1000]; 9, [DEF 801-900]; 8, [DEF 701-800]; 7, [DEF 601-700]; 6, [DEF 501-600]; 5, [DEF 401-500]; 4, [DEF 301-400]; 3, [DEF 201-300]; 2, [DEF 101-200]; and 1, [DEF 1-100]. [DEF] meaning defense of course. 7 is a crazy high ranking, but it’s to be expected. Spider silk shouldn’t be underestimated when it comes to durability and elasticity. With how durable this is, I’ll be wearing this outfit for years to come.

With that thought, I’ve been standing in front of the exit to the training grounds for a good while. My maid seems to be getting both worried and confused as to why I’m just standing there staring at the door. I’m sorry my maid, but I get lost in my thoughts easily and often. Please bear with me, I have a lot on my mind.

I finally exit to the training grounds, and I am easily able to spot Shady. He’s still wearing his all black get-up while standing under the hot sun. It’s summertime for this part of the world, and the days have been long. I should probably ask how time passes, but it’s similar enough to Earth’s time that I’ve since adjusted my internal clock. The days feel quite a bit longer, which means that the planet is bigger than Earth. It would be nice to know the specifics though. If it followed the same trends with the numbers so far, then the numbers are going to be nice and easy round numbers.

Shady has seen me by now and simply waits for me to come to him. Once I get to where he is, he starts walking away. I follow him to a secluded area away from the rest of the training grounds. There is a small forest to the west of the castle, an area I assume is where the [Ranger]s and [Scout]s conduct field training. He leads me straight into the forest to a small clearing that looks well used. The ground is cleared and has seen a lot of use. There’s a few racks of weapons on one side and some practice dummies on the other. He stops here and turns towards me while nodding his head at the weapon racks. Does he want me to pick up a weapon? Cutting straight to the chase then.

I walk over and look at the selection that the racks offer. There’s some different length swords, axes, spears, daggers, and other similar piercing and slashing type weapons. I contemplate what to pick for a moment. I don’t really want to use an axe; it isn’t very elegant, and the reach of a hand axe is too small for my tastes. I wouldn’t want to use a dagger either, at least not as a primary weapon. It’s a good weapon to use if I actually wanted to attack from the shadows, but I don’t like hiding from my enemies before the last moment. I want them to know who is going to kill them, I want them to see my face when they take their last breathes. A bit bloodthirsty, but I’m a youkai, we’re made from negative emotions. I haven’t killed anyone in so long, it’s been a few centuries since I engaged myself in real battles. This world will give me the opportunity to let my violent side out, she’s been neglected for too long. That said, spears would be no good, too. I don’t want to be too far from them, I want to be able to see their fear closer than what a spear would allow. As I thought, swords are the way to go. The simple route is often the best answer. As for the length of the sword, I think I’d like to be more of a [Duelist]. If I only use one sword, then my free hand can cast spells. This means that I need a blade that can be comfortably be wielded with one hand, but I also want to be able to increase the power I put into my swings by using both hands. In this case, the bastard sword is the most versatile, it’s not called a hand-and-a-half sword for nothing.

When Shady sees that I’ve chosen my weapon, he takes out two short swords. So he’s a duel-wielder? It makes sense since he probably also duel-wields daggers. [Assassin] people tend to do that no matter what world I’m on. Of course, in the recent turn of the century, Earth assassins use silenced guns instead of daggers, but up until then, small blades were the go to murder weapon. Shady gets into a stance and motions for me to come at him. …He does know that I have no clue how to even hold a sword right? I’m completely clueless on sword-fighting, I just let the hired samurai do that for me. Why dirty your hands when someone else can do it for you? That thought process has been dead since I got here though. Everything is so new that I don’t want anyone to ruin the novelty of first-hand experience. I tell him I can’t use a sword, hoping that he gives me some instruction before going straight into sparring.

“…So you’re a complete beginner then?”

“I’ve never tried sword-fighting even once in my life.”

He sighs and sheathes his swords. “Alright, I’ll teach you the basics first.”

He comes over and shows me how to grip the handle. I copy it perfectly. He pauses for a moment and raises an eyebrow at me. I suppose most people can’t copy things like that, but I’m not most people. I can copy things if I’ve been shown it once, but it seems I have an easier time learning than before. As I thought, the [Fast Learner] title increased my memorization abilities. Shady starts showing me how to actually use the weapon, and shows me a few slashes. I copy them exactly, but something feels weird about it. I ponder on why the stances and attacks he shows me feel weird when I copy them. I notice how much shorter he is than me, and how he doesn’t put as much power into the slashes. Instead of power, he uses speed. The slashes aren’t mighty swings and are more like the beginnings of a combo… That’s the difference then! It’s not that the way he teaches me is wrong, it’s that it isn’t the right style! In that case, I can’t copy him. I’ll have to figure out how to make my own style. It’ll be like creating a new school of kenjutsu. When I achieve that, I’ll have to give it an appropriate name. I stop copying his attacks, making him look at me questioningly. This guy is the silent broody type hm?

“The attacks you’re showing me aren’t going to work. It doesn’t feel right. You’re using your own style of sword-fighting to show me, right?”

“So you noticed. I thought you wanted to learn how to fight like an [Assassin]. You just want basic sword training. I’m not the person to go to for that. Go find Ser Melisandre to teach you. Once you finish that training, you can come back.”

“…Ok. I’ll see you then.”

He nods. I go over and place the sword back into the rack it came from. Leaving the forest behind, I guess I should go find Mel. I haven’t seen John in a while either, so it would be interesting to see his progress. I head back to the training grounds and search for them. Two lone figures stand out from the group training of the [Soldier]s. I make my way over and appraise what I am witnessing. Both John and Mel are dressed in chainmail shirts and trousers. They’re exchanging blows in what looks like a sparring match. I can immediately tell the difference between their skills. Mel is aiming to kill or incapacitate with every attack while John can only defend. She’s striking near all of his vitals isn’t wasting a single movement. So this is what a master [Knight] can do… I’m in awe. John being able to keep up with her attacks is impressive in its own right. I don’t I can do much right now if I faced her with a sword. Instead of using it to try to block, I’d be forced to use my [Evasion] skill. And if that happens, I won’t really be learning anymore. I stay a moderate distance away as I wait for them to finish their bout.

John glances over and sees me, distracting him from Mel’s next attack. She does a diagonal slash that John barely blocks with his sword, sending it flying. She holds her blade at his throat as a checkmate.

“Distractions are fatal on the battlefield. You must learn to focus on your battles and not allow anything to distract you.”

“Yes ma’am!”

He even does a silly salute; which Mel gives an exasperated sigh at. She looks over at me. She has a look of concentration, as if she’s trying to glean why I was here just by looking at me.

“Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be training with Malory?”

“Yeah! You’re training to be a [Mage] right? That’s really cool!” John interjects.

“I completed my training with her. If you recall, I wanted to unlock a unique class and to do that, I need to learn how to fight with a sword. I was with Shady earlier, but he was trying to teach me his fighting style when what I need to learn is the very basics.”

“So you want me to teach you the basics? What type of sword?”

“A bastard sword, unless you have a katana?” I ask jokingly.

“Oh? You mean the blades that the Kemono people use?”

“Who now?”

Kemono…? Does she mean 獣(けもの)? That means beasts or animals… Are they this world’s version of Beastmen? Ostea is very reminiscent of Earth in many fashions. For instance, what I’ve seen of this human kingdom so far seems like a mixture of ancient Roman and medieval European culture. It’s possible that the Kemono people have a similar culture to Japan. Though if my hunch is correct, it might also be a blend of two different cultures from Earth. I’m not sure what the other one is.

“The Kemono are people from the Earth Continent, Gaea. They have the features of animals and can completely shapeshift into them. There’s many different tribes of them, but they have interesting weapons. The katana is used primarily by the Toraneko Tribe.”

Toraneko… 虎貓(とらねこ) means feline so maybe a unified tribe of different types of cats? I’m assuming wild cats are including such as tigers and lions.

“The Toraneko are all cat shifters. From small cats to lions, tigers, and jaguars. They invented the usage of what they call kenjutsu, which is their form of sword-fighting specific to their tribe. There’s a specific class that uses katana and it’s called the [Kenshi] class. It utilizes the quick reflexes and agility of their tribe to its full effect. They are considered one of the best swordsman classes focused primarily in pure skill and speed.”

剣士(けんし) means swordsman so that makes sense. I thought she was going to say samurai for a second there, but I’m both glad and sad about being wrong. On one hand, samurai are a pain to deal with, but on the other hand, they have an interesting history and fighting style. I really want to fight with a katana, though. My country’s most famous weapon in my hands. I’ve never been particularly patriotic, but I do want to give that weapon some justice. I want to make that the famed weapon once I venture out to make my mark on this world.

“Can I learn how to use a katana then?”

“…Yes. I’ll have to get it out of storage, but we do have one. I’m hesitant to let you to use it, but I’m curious how you’ll be able to take to learning this particular sword-style. If you truly have already finished your training with Malory, then I look forward to seeing your progress.”

Mel calls over one of the soldiers to go get the sword out of storage. John looks like he wants to say something really bad, but he’s holding it in. Did Mel also teach him some restraint? He’ll turn out into a fine [Hero] if this keeps up.

“So John, how’s your training going?”

He perks up at being addressed. “It’s going great! I’m learning so much stuff and Ser even praised my learning speed! I’m advancing way faster than a regular [Soldier] and she thinks that I’ll be able to fight the [Demon King] in no time!”

I can’t help but ruffle his hair. “I don’t doubt it,” I say with a smile.

He beams up at me. This kid is growing on me a little. While our little interaction was happening, the soldier from before came back with a long rectangular box. He hands it over to Mel and salutes her before leaving. That looks suspiciously like the salute that John tried to do, except more crisp. He should really practice more if that’s how it’s supposed to look.

Mel comes over and tells me to open the box. The box itself is absolutely stunning. The wood that it’s made out of looks incredibly polished and has a faint red sheen to it. There is a beautiful design on the cover of tigers prowling in a forest. The detail is indescribable. Am I already getting some legendary weapon that is only supposed to appear at the endgame? I open the small latch in the middle of the box and prop it open. The sword resting inside is…a demonic blade? It gives off a strong demonic aura that I can almost taste in the air. What are some humans doing with it and how did they not notice? The amount of demonic energy coming off of the weapon is able to incite my bloodlust. This blade… I can’t let the humans keep it. The scabbard the katana is resting is black with a dark red rose design near the opening. Petals are shown falling down the length of the scabbard. I pick the sword out of the box and slowly draw the blade. It glints in the sunlight. The blade itself is a clear metallic color, one side is sharpened to an edge while the other is not. It is a katana after all. The hilt itself feels comfortable and I can’t help but admire the workmanship. It’s a beautiful blade. I check its stats to confirm my suspicions.

Muramasa

Type: One-Handed Weapon, Katana

Rarity: Ultra Rare

Weapon Rating: 1

Weight: Light

Materials: Titanium, Demon Blood, Demon Heart

Enchantments:

[Leech Life]-absorbs the life essence of enemies and increases attack power in proportion to the number of enemies killed.

[Proficiency Enhancement]-the user’s proficiency with [Kenjutsu] is increased.

[Bloodlust]-increases the user’s bloodlust every time it is used.

Description: A demonic sword created from the blood and heart of a high-level Demon. Crafted by a master swordsmith using titanium as the primary metal, this blade can withstand a lot of damage. Its curse increases its own strength through bathing in the blood of enemies. As a result, the user will experience increasing bloodlust until they lose their sanity. The proficiency enhancer allows the user to continue fighting even if they are a mindless husk.

Wow, this sword can be really powerful if in the right hands. So it increases strength through killing... That means that this sword hasn’t been bloodied yet with its weapon ranking of 1. Weapon ranks are similar to armor ranks except half of the numerical value. The ability to increase proficiency is also very interesting. The bloodlust will be troublesome, but I live with bloodlust every day. It shouldn’t be an issue. Its name is something is very familiar. Muramasa is the name of one of Japan’s most legendary blades alongside Masamune. On Earth, it also had a similar reputation of being a demonic blade because of how easily it can cut. When I said I wanted to bring a piece of Japan with me, I didn’t expect to have Muramasa dropped into my lap. Remembering where I am, I thank Mel for letting me use this sword. She waves it off and tells me to familiarize myself with it. She shows me how to grip the hilt and a few basic slashes to copy. She points to the training dummies a few meters away and tells me to practice there. She will check on my technique at the end of the day after she finishes her training session with John.

Eager to master this ability, I oblige willingly. Facing off against the training dummy, I copy Mel’s movements from before. They feel…wrong for some reason. Trusting that the sword will show me the way, I allow it to guide my instincts. I focus on the dummy and take a deep breath. I allow myself to empty my mind and only see the opponent in front of me. Then, I let myself go. Muramasa seems to take on a life of its own as it almost guides my hands through its forms. I remember them for future reference, but right now, the best thing I can do is see what the sword wants me to do.

The hours pass, and Mel finally comes over to check on me. Sensing her presence, I take back control of myself. She seems dully impressed at my speed of growth.

“I’ve never seen anyone able to show such good form after just one day of practice. They aren’t the same as the ones I showed you, but it seems they fit you better. If you keep this up, you’ll be able to start sparring in maybe a week’s time.”

“I’ll look forward to it,” I say with a grin.

I really am looking forward to it. I’m curious at her level of mastery in sword-fighting. While sparring against the dummy, I also gained two new skills.

Gained [Sword-Fighting lv1]! Gained [Kenjutsu lv1]!

Now all I have to do is practice until I can gain enough mastery to use it in a fight. After this, I can finally start thinking about how to incorporate magic into this style of fighting. Until then, training is all I can do.