Capítulo 35: Team Without a Team (1)
Today, Wednesday, is a holiday. In reality, it's just an extension of the college board's schedule. Everyone else is probably engrossed in their team projects.
I also came to the lake behind the old building to avoid feeling guilty about just playing around.
Surrounded by tall trees on all sides, this secluded natural spot within the Endex grounds is where I first acquired 'Embodiment.' I often come here.
I'm even considering buying a tent.
…Splash!
I entered the lake and started to swim.
Today's training is what's known as 'conscious Embodiment.'
Of course, my Magic Core, which has had the function of the heart transplanted into it, is still beating on its own. But why, just like how simply breathing becomes 'deep breathing' when done consciously and differs from normal breathing, I thought focusing consciously on the Mana Heart's pulse might be helpful.
It's just a guess so far.
From the beginning, Embodiment, according to the master, is a method 'used by beasts,' so there's no known information about it.
——.
I focused on the sensation in my abdomen, specifically the Mana Heart. So that the Mana Heart's pulse could become as large and strong as possible. So that it could pump as much mana as possible.
Simply put, I'm trying to increase the 'power' of the Mana Heart….
Gurgle——.
But I'm hungry. It's not just a little bit hungry, it's not at a level that can be ignored with the excuse of concentration.
Gurgle——!
I feel like I'm going to starve to death.
I opened my eyes.
"Ah."
These days, no matter how much I eat, as soon as I close and open my eyes, I feel hungry. Obviously, it's because of 'growth.'
"...Is there anything to eat here."
The lake is so large that there should be fish.
I put my face into the water. I narrowed my eyes and looked for fish. There were quite a few in the depths of the lake.
"Puhah."
I shook off the water-soaked hair. I came out of the water and picked up the Ascal sword that I had placed on my clothes.
Holding it, I went back into the lake, traced the traces of the fish under the clear lake, predicted their movements, and——
"Hup!"
I swung the sword.
Ascal style, it's still embarrassing to call it a style, but anyway.
Ascal style Severing Sword: First Stroke Unsheathing.
——Swoosh!
The sword cut through the lake in a curve. The water surface that swallowed the blade splashed sharply for a moment, but soon calmed down.
After a while, dead fish floated up. Their bones were split, their flesh was torn, and they were horribly disassembled into bone fragments, flesh, and intestines.
"I can't eat this."
I think I need to make the wound a little lighter. So that the body is not damaged, just enough to faint or die cleanly.
"This is surprisingly hard."
I held the sword. I was about to Unsheath again, but I hesitated.
"...No."
If you think about it, there's no need to use a sword, right? Where is the reason that I have to use a sword just because it's a severing sword? The sword is just a 'symbol.' It was Soliette who cut people with bare hands.
I threw my real sword into the thicket. Instead of steel, I gripped leather. A sheath, imbued with mana. I swung it in a trajectory similar to before.
Boom——!
A loud explosion echoed throughout the mountains, and a water column from the lake shot up high into the sky.
Soon, one, two, three, four, five, six, precisely seven fish floated up to the surface, unconscious. Most of them were in good enough condition to eat.
In addition to that.
[92 / 103 (-1)]
Capacity history within the last 24 hours: -1
The capacity consumed by Unsheathing had also significantly reduced. It wasn't explicitly displayed, but if we were to go by numbers, about 2?
"Let's catch about twenty more."
I smiled.
...
After wiping off the waste stuck to the fish, I first removed the scales. Then I cleanly sliced open the belly and meticulously removed the innards. After rinsing the stomach clean, I chopped off the head and removed the fins.
[...So, this is how you can easily clean a fish. It might be difficult at first, but just keep at it. I've been doing this for over 15 years, so-]
"Easy."
I turned off YouTV. I skewered the 13 cleaned fish and placed them over the campfire. I had replaced 15 years of an expert's experience with Look-See-Do.
By the way, I had already eaten about 10 as sashimi.
Crackle, crackle-
As I waited for the fish to cook, stripped down like a primitive man, I looked over this team project assignment.
"...How does this become a key."
The magic formulas I had to decipher were two. One was a magic formula that revealed the location, the other was a key magic formula that allowed entry into the exploration area.
Fortunately, I managed to extract the exploration area from the Memory of 「Notepad」, but the problem was this key.
"Hmm...."
Still, I kept staring at it. Just in case my intuition might kick in.
"...Hmmm."
After a long while, I gave up.
"I'll know when I get there."
I'll just go and wait, surely another team will come, and I'll think about the rest then.
Crunch-!
I tore into the fully cooked grilled fish.
______________________________________________________________________
The next day, Thursday morning.
"Nice to see you. Today, everyone looks quite tired."
Swordsmanship instructor Jeoly looked around the class and said. Indeed, many students looked worn out. Even Elise and Soliette had slightly tired faces.
Probably because of the team project, but who knew that the magic formula would be so difficult?
"Don't worry. Today, we'll just do theory and finish. We'll go straight into 'basic forms'. Please open your textbooks."
As expected, Jeoly is a flexible instructor who considers his students.
"The most popular basic form in swordsmanship is the 'Five Basic Forms'. These are the five most basic forms, and these Five Basic Forms form the base of many sword techniques."
But just 5 minutes into the start of the lesson, my eyelids are heavy.
I'm sleepy.
"The explanation of the Five Basic Forms is in your textbook, right? For now, just mark the three with asterisks."
Jeoly picked up the chalk.
"You're not seriously planning to lecture, are you? Your voice mixed with the sound of chalk on a blackboard is no different from a natural sleeping pill."
"First, the triangular cut is literally a basic move with a triangular shape."
I looked at the textbook.
[Triangular Cut: Three strokes form a triangle.]
I almost fell asleep as I briefly bowed my head.
"The three strokes are continuous. However, there are advancing steps mixed between the strokes."
Jeoly drew his sword. As he stepped, he swiftly drew three straight lines.
"Now, this is the triangular cut. What do you think its characteristics are, Shion?"
Then he suddenly threw a question.
"Uh…."
I don't know. Honestly, I didn't even look properly.
"Answer as you feel."
"It's… slippery?"
"…."
Jeoly shook his head slowly. The other seniors chuckled a bit, but they didn't seem particularly interested. Even Kain and Aher. Perhaps the team project was too tough to pay attention to someone like me.
"Anyone else?"
"It's a sword technique optimized for offense."
Someone immediately answered. Of course, it was Elise.
"That's right. The triangular cut is optimized for offense. Since the advancing step and the sword stroke are almost simultaneous, it's a basic move that puhes the opponent. It's the most basic 'combo', and an important fundamental. If you master this triangular cut perfectly, it will be very powerful in actual combat. Next, does anyone know about the circular cut?"
"It's suitable for defense."
An immediate answer. But this time it wasn't Elise. It was a deep, low voice.
"It can also deflect the opponent's sword."
Gerkhen Kal Doon. He looked at Jeoly with deep sea-colored eyes. Jeoly seemed a bit taken aback, but soon he awkwardly smiled and continued.
"That's right. The circular cut is optimal for defending against or deflecting an enemy's attack…."
….
"I'll end today's class a bit early. You need to manage your condition for tomorrow."
Indeed, Jeoly is an educator who cares about his students.
He did lecture for a whopping 180 minutes without a single break, but he is a gentleman of Endex who ends the class an hour early.
"Those who want to take notes, do so, and those who want to take pictures, go ahead."
The chalkboard notes roughly looked like this:
[Triangular Cut: Three strokes form a triangle.
Circular Cut: One stroke is circular.
Z-Cut: Three strokes bend like a Z.
Rapid Strike: Multiple strokes are haphazard.
Slash: One stroke is extremely thick.]
In addition, I stored diagrams showing the sequence of strokes and Jeoly's theories in my 「Notepad」. The notes were quite conscientious, worth saving in Memory.
"However, there is homework today. Learn all these basic moves."
Kielli said as he closed the textbook.
"Senior students will come to help with homework checks in the next class. Due to scheduling issues, next week's class will be from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m."
Fortunately, it's not a difficult assignment. Basic moves should be easy to learn by Look-See-Do.
"Now, it's time for last week's assignment, right? Please submit your swordsmanship reports."
The assignment was to research and observe someone else's swordsmanship and write a report.
Naturally, I chose Soliette. There were no downsides, so I only wrote praises. Twenty lines of praise, three thousand characters.
"Just leave it on the desk when you leave~"
The seniors began to submit their reports one by one. I also placed my neatly folded report on the desk.
"Team Leader Soliette. Shall we go together?"
But suddenly, a voice annoys me.
Kielli. Why does that bastard keep following Soliette around?
"Leader. You've worked hard, do you want to go to a restaurant together today? I've made a reservation at a really nice place."
I came out into the hallway, walking a step behind Kielli, who was walking a step behind Soliette, glaring at him.
Why is the back of that bastard's head so flat? And why does a man have long hair? Cut your hair, it's disgusting.
"Why not eat together? I also invited the team members."
Clang-
Something fell from his bag. It was an apartment key card. I quickly approached and picked it up.
"You know Dorcia, right? I barely got a reservation- Huh."
I grabbed Kielli's shoulder, who was babbling on his own, and stopped him.
"Ah, what the hell."
When the bastard turned to look at me with an annoyed face, Soliette didn't pay any attention and walked down the hallway.
"What. What is it?"
Kielli asked, his eyes fixed on the departing Soliette.
"...You dropped this."
I held out the key card.
"What..."
The bastard looked me up and down. Tsk- He clicked his tongue and grabbed the key card. His and my fingers slightly touched.
Such an accidental mistake pisses me off. I understand how Layla felt when she wanted to cut off my fingers, it's absolutely shitty, but suddenly.
In my head, there was a spark.
It's not some fate-like current, or a tingling sensation that goes through the heart.
—What. Weren't you in the same school as me? Your face looks familiar.
However, a certain voice pricked sharply. A glimpse of the past flashed before my eyes.
It was a 'Memory' from before my regression.
"What the hell are you doing, you bastard."
I quietly watched the back of the guy who snatched the key card nervously and ran towards Soliette.
"Memory is triggered."
Soliette asked me if I had received the patronage of the Arkne family, but in reality, there were a few in Endex who had received the patronage of the Arkne family. To be precise, 'families' that had received the patronage of the Arkne family.
Nobles of a country called Silmurd, not Edsilla.
─ Killian de Elrun. You know me, right? My name when I attended Endex… In Edsilla style, it would have been Kielli?
"Fucking Kielli. You're an idiot who can't even properly remember your own name."
I turned around, muttering with a sneer, and was taken aback. Elise was not far away.
"You really…"
Her eyes, nose, and mouth looked down on me as if I was the most insignificant thing in the world. As if it was laughable, absurd, unthinkable.
"Your way of being jealous is so crude. Well, you haven't learned anything, so what would you know, huh."
To Elise, who was speaking as she pleased and convincing herself, I raised my middle finger. Her eyebrows twitched.
"…Get lost."
"You get lost."
"Huh."
Elise turned around, shaking her head as if she found me contemptible, and Gerkhen Kal Doon approached, taking her place.
"Take this."
He held out a thick book.
"…Huh? Oh."
It was the 'Exploration Dictionary' we had promised at the library on Tuesday.
I plan to take notes on this in my 'Notepad'. The capacity is too insufficient to 'Memorize' it all at once, so I plan to just store it page by page.
"The chocolate, it was delicious."
Gerkhen Kal Doon seemed to be expecting something, but I coldly said,
"There's no more. Go away."
"…"
The guy left, looking like a disappointed wolf.
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