[How did you get that strength at your age, Miss? If itâs magic power, I know itâs a natural talent. But youâre used to fighting. Normally, people of your age would be afraid of monsters when they see them. But when you fought the worms and the scorpions, you looked like a seasoned adventurer. Could it be that youâre just faking your age?] Toya
[Iâm not faking my age, Iâm just more experienced at fighting than most people.] Yuna
In my gaming days, I would fight hundreds of thousands of battles a day to gain experience. It can go on for days without break. That is the familiarity and experience of fighting monsters.
Iâve also experienced thousands of matches against other people (PVP). More than Toya.
[So much experience, how long have you really been fighting?] Toya
[Thatâs a secret.] Yuna
[Iâm really anxious to know that secret.] Toya
[Itâs not nice to ask a woman about her secrets.] Senia
Senia-san hugged me from behind and protected me from Toya.
[But itâs okay if itâs between women.] Senia
[I wonât tell you either.] Yuna
[Iâm sad.] Senia
I canât talk about the game, where I fought, or anything like that.
[Miss, how about a match against me?] Toya
[Toya, stop it. Youâll just embarrass yourself.] Senia
[I donât expect to win, but I donât intend to lose easily either.] Toya
It was decided. Toya and I had a simple match. Of course, weâre using swords made of wood.
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A few minutes later, a figure of the depressed Toya can be seen.
[Iâm sorry. Iâm not very good at holding back. I should have made it more even.] Yuna
Toya is crouching with his back facing me.
Of course, I took it easy on him. Toya is not weak, but not strong either. I tried to take on as few attacks as possible. However, when his attacks were dodged, Toya started to attack unreasonably, creating a lot of openings for me to attack him.
[How are you moving so fast when youâre wearing something that looks uncomfortable? And what kind of power do you have, Miss?] Toya
It may look like a difficult outfit to move in, but on the contrary, I canât move fast without this outfit.
When Toya saw that his attack was not hitting me, he tried to overpower me instead. But I pushed him back with the power of my bear costume.
[Itâs because of experience. I almost died many times (in the game). And from that, I gained a lot of experience.] Yuna
[Almost died, she said.] Toya
[So Iâm not going to be defeated easily, because getting at my current level wasnât easy either.] Yuna
Well, I can, because my muscle strength and other things came from my bear gear. Without it, I wouldnât be able to swing my sword, step powerfully into the air, or take on Toyaâs sword.
But the ability to move, act, and make decisions is a power I have personally acquired.
[Iâm sure youâll easily pass old man Xeloâs test, Miss.] Toya
[Yuna borrowed Jadeâs sword and cleared it.] Senia
[How did you know that, Senia-san?] Yuna
Senia-san, you werenât here.
[Mel told me.] Senia
[You borrowed a sword from Jade? He rarely lends me one either.] Toya
Toya, who had been depressed, sunk even further.
[But, you see, Jade-sanâs sword is different from the one Toya used. Jade-sanâs sword is simply better, you know?] Yuna
[Yeah, I know.] Toya
Why do I have to console Toya? Thatâs the job of Senia-san, whoâs from the same party, right?
[Then, use the sword that Toya is using.] Senia
Senia-san! Why would you say such a thing? If I succeed, Toya will become even more depressed. Itâs not like Iâm going to fail on purpose.
[Toya. You can learn by watching Yunaâs movements and the tip of her sword. Of course, her physique and strength are different from Toyaâs. But you can learn from her. Iâm a knife user, so I canât teach you. And you donât want to rely on Jade too much either, donât you?] Senia
I was about to refuse, but Senia-san explained the benefits to Toya in a serious tone. Toya looked up with a serious expression at Senia-sanâs words.
[Watch and learn?...... I guess so. I donât even know if Iâll be able to do it at this point. Well then, Miss, can you do me a favor?] Toya
Toya stood up and held out his mithril sword to me.
I couldnât say no, so I accepted it. After stabbing the blunt sword into the ground, I borrowed the Mithril sword from Toya. Toya stood behind me and stared at the sword as if heâs concentrating.
I gripped the sword. It doesnât feel heavy thanks to my bear gear, but itâs a little large. I take a swing and check my spacing.
[Now then, here I go!] Yuna
I stood in front of the sword and swung at the sword stuck in the ground. The blunt sword was cut around the middle.
[............]
Toya stared at the sword I just slashed as if he was frozen. It seems that he is not in a daze though. It might be better to say that heâs examining it.
[Speed, angle, power.] Toya
Toyaâs thoughts leaked out of his mouth as he mumbled.
[Miss, can you please do it again.] Toya
Without waiting for my confirmation, Toya took out another blunt sword, tied something to it, and stabbed it in the ground. There were two red strings tied to the sword.
[Miss, can you slash between these strings? I couldnât figure out the moment when you cut the sword because your sword line is so fast. If I knew where youâre aiming, then I can see it.] Toya
Apparently, the red string is a marking. He wanted to concentrate on one point and check the moment of slicing.
There was only a gap of about 10cm between the strings. But if this is how Toya is going to be able to do it, Iâll give it a try, at least once.
[Alright, just once.] Yuna
[Yeah, just once.] Toya
[Then, Iâll slash diagonally from the top string to the bottom string, so watch closely.] Yuna
Fina and the others watched our exchange in silence. I took a deep breath, the bear puppet tightens its bite on the sword, I raised the sword up, then swung it down so that it will be diagonally cut from the upper string to the lower string.
It is divided into an upper part and a lower part with strings.
I hear a quiet exhale from around me.
When he looked at Toya, he did not blink for a moment but he kept staring at the sword I had cut. I silently held out the sword to Toya, who accepted it without a word.
[I hope that helps.] Yuna
[Oh, that was helpful enough. Itâs very helpful.] Toya
Toya tightened his grip on his sword and began to swing it.
We left Toya behind and moved away so as not to disturb him.
And I was surprised when Touya thanked me again at dinner that night.
He seemed to have gotten a feel for something.
Then, two days later. While shopping and strolling in the city, the streets became noisy.
[I wonder what happened?] Yuna
As I listen to the people around me, I hear a voice saying that the trial gate is open.
[Apparently, the gates of trials are open.] Yuna
[Yeah.] Ruimin
[Jade-san will participate, right?] Fina
I heard that Jade-san was visiting Xelo-san to participate in the gates of trials. I wanted to participate in it too.
[Letâs all go and support Jade-san.] Yuna
[Iâm looking forward to it.] Ruimin
[But we have to climb those stairs again, donât we?] Fina
Ruimin replied happily, but Fina mentioned the long staircase as a reminder. Itâs not easy to climb those stairs.
[Would you like me to give you a piggyback ride then?] Yuna
[U~u, itâs embarrassing, so Iâll do my best to climb.] Fina
Even though we are the same bears, they still prefer to ride on the back of the Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear, rather than on the back of my bear costume.
When we returned to the inn for lunch, we found Jade-san and Mel-san enjoying a leisurely cup of tea. We took a seat nearby and ordered lunch.
[Have you heard about it, Yuna-chan?] Mel
[I heard about the gates of trials being opened. I heard about it when we were walking through the town. Has it already started?] Yuna
[Not yet. Theyâre going to do some announcements and preparations today, and then start tomorrow morning.] Mel
It doesnât look like itâs going to start right away.
[When are you going to join, Jade-san? Weâre thinking of going to cheer on you.] Yuna
[Thank you. It seems that the first day is traditionally reserved for apprentice weaponsmiths, so Iâll be there the day after that. In the meantime, you should go there early, since youâll never know when the gates of trials will close.] Jade
[Close? When do the gates of trials close?] Yuna
Toyaâs test ends at the same time.
As the person who helped him with the sword, Iâm curious. If possible, Iâd like to see him pass the test before the gates of trials closes.
[I donât know the details, but according to Xelo-san, itâs different every year. In the past, it closed in just a day, but recently itâs been around five days.] Jade
Thatâs why apprentice blacksmiths are given priority on the first day to give the apprentices and new craftsmen experience before the gates of trials close. In this way, they are fostering the motivation of the craftsmen.
[But I heard some of them were quitting as weaponsmiths because of it.] Jade
Itâs the same in every profession. There are things you canât do even if you try. Only a handful of people can become professional athletes. Even weaponsmiths canât sell swords if they canât make a decent one. No one wants a sloppy sword.
But for what reason do the gates of trials close?
Authorâs Note:
Itâs difficult to write a story about Toya and the Gates of Trials at the same time. I had a lot of trouble adjusting the time axis. At any rate, Toya has made a step forward, and the gates of trials have opened.
â»I will be taking a week-long summer break after I post the next episode. Thank you for your understanding.