ATTATTIN: Letâs get this out of the way, 3 chapters of Toyaâs desperation. So we can move on to the main story.
I wake up before Jade does. For the past few days, Iâve been going back to the drawing board and swinging my sword. Itâs been a long time since Iâve been this serious with my sword. This is one of the reasons why I sleep so well at night.
Jade wakes up as I get out of bed and get ready for the day.
[Youâre early.] Jade
[Oh, the Gate of Trials has begun. Moreover, I donât have much time before the deadline.] Toya
The deadline is until the end of the Gate of Trials. By then, I have to pass the test of old man Xelo.
[Can you do it?] Jade
[Itâs not, but .] Toya
[Thatâs right. Because if the adventurer gives up, thatâs where it ends.] Jade
[Itâs nothing compared to being surrounded by monsters and not being able to escape. If you want, I can take over your challenge of the Gate of Trials once I pass the test.] Toya
Jade was asked by the old man Xelo to challenge the Gate of Trials. He was also recognized by the blacksmith himself. I feel a little frustrated.
[Thatâs right. If Toya can pass Xelo-sanâs test, Iâll ask him for it. But youâll have to pass it by today or tomorrow.] Jade
Itâs rare for Jade to make a joke.
Or maybe heâs just saying that to motivate me.
[Are you sure you want to say that? Iâll play an active role and you wonât have your turn, Jade.] Toya
[That would make things a lot easier for me.] Jade
[Donât forget what you just said.] Toya
Damn it, Iâm definitely going to pass old man Xeloâs test and earn Jadeâs respect.
When I went downstairs, I saw Mel and Senia already eating breakfast.
[Good morning, both of you.] Jade
[Youâre already eating?] Toya
We sat down at the same table as Mel and Senia and ordered breakfast.
[Are you training today, Toya?] Mel
[Yeah, âcause I think I know a few things now, thanks to Missy. I want to swing my sword before I forget those things.] Toya
[Sheâs really are amazing, isnât she? That Yuna-chan, sheâs so good with magic and weapons for someone with such a small body.] Mel
[Sheâs incredible.] Senia
Mel and Senia were right, she is an incredible girl. Iâve met a lot of adventurers in my life. Even the best wizards need to practice their magic. Mel also said that she was still a beginner when she was at the Bear Missyâs age. At that age, she can use so much magic and is skilled with weapons. I can only say thatâs amazing. When I was her age, I donât remember practicing earnestly. But Iâve been wielding a sword since I decided to become an adventurer. Still, Iâm nowhere near the Bear Missy. If I could see the old me, Iâd tell him to practice diligently.
[Maybe sheâs just a genius of a girl.] Toya
[Itâs not just that. Yuna is accustomed to fighting real battles. From what Iâve seen of her fighting, sheâs had quite a few real battles.] Jade
Jade answers my little monologue.
]Thatâs right. Yuna-chan doesnât seem to be afraid of monsters, even when she fights them up close and personal. Generally, people get scared of monsters when they encounter them. When I was Yuna-chanâs age, I used to be afraid of monsters when I saw them.] Mel
[But itâs not that long since Yuna became an adventurer, right?] Senia
When we first met Missy, she had just become Rank D. A few days before that, she had come to town and slaughtered an adventurer who picked a fight with her, which led to rumors among the adventurers about the Bear Missy.
At first, I thought it was a joke and laughed about it. But then, I kept hearing rumors about the Bear Missy. Rumors of her slaying goblins, orcs, and tiger wolves even with her small figure.
And when I heard the story of how she finally defeated the Black Viper by herself, I couldnât believe it. But I passed it off as something like because she had a lot of magical power and talent. However, Missy, sheâs also excellent at handling knives and swords. And at her age, she was way better than me.
[Where and what did Yuna-chan do before she became an adventurer? She definitely had to learn how to handle magic and weapons somewhere at some point, right?] Mel
[Maybe sheâs from the land of the bears.] Senia
Senia said something stupid. Whatâs a land of the bears? When I thought of it, I imagined all of the people living there were dressed up as bears like Missy. I definitely donât want to go to such a place.
[So, Jade will be at Xero-sanâs place again today, right?] Mel
[Yeah, I have a few things to ask about the Gate of Trials.] Jade
After breakfast, Jade and Mel head to the old man Xeloâs place. While Senia and I went out of the city.
[You donât have to follow me, you know.] Toya
[Jade and Mel told me to keep an eye on Toya to make sure he doesnât do anything stupid.] Senia
Senia is foolishly following me due to the words of Jade and Mel.
[So, where are you going today?] Senia
[To the river in the nearby forest.] Toya
I asked the adventurerâs guild about the terrain in the area, hoping to find a good place to practice. Then I found out that there was an area with a small river.
Senia and I walked up to the river. There are trees and shade all around us. There are no people around, and itâs a good place to swing a sword.
I pulled the sword out of its scabbard and started swinging it. When I swung it as I want, the sword felt lighter. Itâs a subtle sensation, but itâs there. The sensation of swinging through is different. Before I forget the feeling, I picked up a couple of thick branches that has fallen nearby and stuck them between the stones. I prepare several of them. I took a deep breath, walked between the wooden sticks, and swung my sword.
The first stick was cut cleanly, and the second one was cut as well, but the third and fourth sticks bounced off each other. This is because I am not good at backswings. The angle of the blade is bad.
To do a proper slash, not only power but also speed and angle are important. In terms of power and speed, it could be compared to Jade and Senia. If thatâs the case, then the angle is bad? Itâs not a problem if I just want to cut one, but to cut all of it, Iâll need to figure it out.
And it should be done while actively moving. But itâs no good if I fail while moving. Jade, Senia, and Bear Missy can do that as normal as breathing. They can damage the opponent in any situation. If I canât do that much, then I canât handle a Mithril sword.
I wielded my sword in silence, I set up the wooden sticks and practiced slashing.
As I silently swinging my sword, Senia calls out to me.
[Toya, itâs lunchtime. Iâm hungry.] Senia
[Is it that time already?] Toya
[Itâs ready. Come and eat.] Senia
While I was swinging my sword, Senia was preparing lunch for us. I wet my towel in the river and wiped my face and body. The water was cool and refreshing. After wiping off the sweat, I head towards Senia. Then I saw Senia already eating a piece of bread by herself.
[And youâre already eating. You could have waited a bit.] Toya
[Youâre too slow, Iâll eat your portion if you donât hurry, Toya.] Senia
I sat down in front of Senia and grabbed a piece of bread. I am famished and it was delicious.
[Itâs not fun to watch, right? You can go back.] Toya
[Itâs okay, I was sleeping.] Senia
[You were sleeping?!] Toya
Iâve known Senia for a long time, but sometimes I donât know what sheâs thinking. However, the trees shade her from the sunâs rays. This might be the best place to take a nap while listening to the sound of the river.
After I finished my lunch, I resumed my practice. Then I heard the sound of happy childrenâs voices. The voices gradually get closer and closer. I heard the sound of stepping on a nearby branch, and three dwarven brats appeared from behind a tree.
[Hey, niichan, what are you doing here?] Dwarven Kid 1
[As you can see, Iâm practicing with my sword. What are you guys doing here?] Toya
[There are no monsters here, so itâs our playground. While we were playing, we heard someone over here, so we came to check it out and found you and neechan over there.] Dwarven Kid 1
[Niichan, are you an adventurer?] Dwarven Kid 2
[Yeah, I am an adventurer.] Toya
When I said that, the dwarven kids looked happy.
[Thatâs cool.] Dwarven Kid 3
[Have you ever defeated a monster before?] Dwarven Kid 2
[Yeah, of course.] Toya
[Wow.] Dwarven Kid 3
[Let me see your sword.] Dwarven Kid 1
[Me too.] Dwarven Kid 3
One of the kids tries to touch the sword Iâm holding. I quickly lift my sword.
[Itâs dangerous to try and touch it so suddenly.] Toya
[Iâm sorry.] Dwarven Kid 3
The kid apologized honestly. I lowered the sword that I had raised above my head and held it out to the kid, who looked like he wanted to see it.
[Can I?] Dwarven Kid 3
[Only for a bit. Itâs heavy, so be careful.] Toya
He grasped the sword that I presented to him with both hands.
[Oh, itâs so cool. Iâd like to make a sword like that someday.] Dwarven Kid 1
Thatâs a child of the dwarves for you. They desire to make, not use.
[Are you guys aiming to be blacksmiths?] Toya
[Yes! Thatâs right. Iâm going to become a great blacksmith and make a lot of cool swords.] Dwarven Kid 1
[Yeah, good luck with that.] Toya
[If I ever make a cool sword, niichan, buy one from me.] Dwarven Kid 2
[My sword, too!] Dwarven Kid 3
[Whatâs this? Is it because Iâm cool?] Toya
Apparently, to a kid, I look cool. A cool-looking guy deserves a cool-looking sword.
[No, itâs not. My father told me to take good care of my customers. He said a blacksmith who runs away from his customers is a third-rate blacksmith.] Dwarven Kid 2
[Oh, I see. Then Iâll have to become a good blacksmith so that my customers wonât run away.] Dwarven Kid 3
No adventurer wants to buy a weapon from a third-rate blacksmith. If youâre going to trust your life to them, then buy a weapon from a good blacksmith.
[Niichan, do you mind if I watch you practice?] Dwarven Kid 1
[Itâs okay, but itâs not interesting.] Toya
[Itâs fine.] Dwarven Kid 1
The kids went to Seniaâs side.
I made sure the kids were away, then I swung my sword. Over and over again. Each time, I hear the happy voices of the kids. And when I cut down a branch, they cheered for me.
[Niichan, thatâs awesome.] Dwarven Kid 1
[The weapon is good.] Dwarven Kid 2
[I think thatâs where you say my skill is good.] Toya
[Eh?~] Dwarven Kid 3
Damn it, I gave them permission to watch, but itâs hard to train like this.
But Iâm slowly getting a feel for it. I thrust the blunt sword, made by old man Xeloâs son, into the ground.
Taking a deep breath, I readied my Mithril sword.
At that moment, Senia shouts!
[Toya! Behind you!] Senia
I turned around and saw a large beast there.
Authorâs Note:
Funny, it didnât end in one episode.
But the next one should be the end of the Toya chapter, I think?
â»It`s great that my computer doesn`t freeze up. I miss the days when my computer used to freeze several times a day.
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