*Krrriiiii!!!*
The goblin snarled, showing its unbrushed teeth.
It then lunged forward with a rusted dagger.
Nero sidestepped smoothly.
His metal pipe came up in a defensive position.
"Come on, you green little gremlin,"
He muttered, adjusting his stance to match what he's been training for the past week.
Nero was determined to grow stronger 24/7.
And right now, in front of him is his test.
"Let's see if all that 'feel the blade as an extension of your soul' stuff actually works with a glorified plumbing fixture."
The goblin didn't appreciate his commentary.
*Krrrrrii–!*
It screamed and cut across his middle.
On his left foot, Nero turned, and brought the pipe down in an intentional arc that blocked the dagger's path.
*CLANG!*
The metals clashed.
It's not the perfect technique, but not terrible either.
For the past few days, he'd been treating every monster encounter like a sparring session rather than a life-or-death battle.
Sure, it was probably the stupidest training method in apocalypse history.
But hey, when your instructor is a divine warrior who can bisect giant monsters into meat slices…
*Pakkk!*
… You take whatever practice opportunities you can get.
The goblin stumbled from the parry, overextended and off-balance.
Nero stepped forward, rotating his hips just like Aurelia had drilled into him.
He thrust the pipe forward in a straight line.
The movement felt... right.
Not perfect.
Definitely still awkward in places.
But there was a flow to it that hadn't been there before.
The pipe's end caught the goblin in the solar plexus, sending it sprawling backward with a wheeze.
"Ha! Take that, you discount orc!"
He didn't kill it immediately.
Instead, he waited for it to get back up, using the opportunity to practice his footwork as the creature circled him warily.
Left foot forward, weight distributed, pipe held at a forty-five-degree angle.
The goblin charged again, this time trying a wild overhead swing.
Nero shifted his weight to his back foot.
Raised the pipe to catch the blow.
Then immediately countered with what would've been a pommel strike if his weapon had an actual pommel.
The pipe's base caught the goblin in the temple.
*Thuunk!*
It dropped like a sack of potatoes.
"And that," Nero said, slightly out of breath, "is how you turn a week of getting your ass kicked into actual combat technique."
He hadn't gained a single level during his recent training sessions.
But honestly?
It was worth it.
Because when he opened his status screen…
There was something new waiting for him.
Nero smiled a bit as he glanced at his status screen.
---
[Congratulations. Through dedicated training and divine instruction, you have acquired a new Passive Skill.]
[Valkyria Swordsmanship (SR), Lv: 1]: The ancient combat techniques of the Celestial Valkyries. This style emphasizes efficiency, and the seamless integration of weapon and wielder.
Effects: The muscle memory and fundamental principles of this style have been ingrained into your body through intensive training. +30% sword efficiency, +30% sword-related learning speed.]
---
"Holy shit," Nero blinked, staring at the notification.
An SR-ranked skill.
From a week of getting repeatedly humiliated by a divine warrior with the patience of a saint and the teaching methods of a drill sergeant.
The skill description made it sound like he'd inherited some legendary martial art.
I mean, don't get him wrong, it's more than welcome.
But what should he say…?
'As expected of our SR-tier divine blender?'
It is a swordsmanship worthy of the First Star Valkyrie.
But honestly, he still felt like a beginner who'd just learned to hold a sword without cutting himself.
Still, the basics were there now.
He could feel it in the way his muscles remembered each movements… How his body naturally corrected his form, maintaining its balance.
It's like having a "supporter wheel on a bike" type of thing.
He was getting there.
*Rustle…*
Three more goblins emerged from the nearby bushes.
Probably drawn by the sound of their fallen buddy meeting his maker.
Nero grinned, spinning the pipe in his hand.
"Perfect timing, guys. I was just getting warmed up."
The first goblin rushed him with a wild swing.
Nero stepped to the side.
Not quite the fluid motion Aurelia would make.
But smooth enough to not get hit.
He then brought his pipe up in a diagonal slash that caught the creature across the chest.
*Thuuk!*
It stumbled, and he immediately followed up with a thrust to the throat.
*Crack!*
One down.
The second goblin tried to flank him while he was occupied.
Nero caught the movement in his peripheral vision.
His Greater Instinct passive skill kicked in.
He then used the momentum to add power to his strike.
*Crack!*
The pipe connected with the goblin's skull with a wet crunch.
Two down.
The third goblin hesitated.
Seeing how its two buddies were smashed to death made it reconsider its life choices.
"Smart move." Nero wiped the sweat from his forehead. "But unfortunately for you, I need to practice."
This one was more cautious, circling him and looking for an opening.
Nero let it circle, using the time to recall Aurelia's lessons about patience and observation.
Watch your opponent.
Learn their patterns.
Strike when they overcommit.
The goblin finally lunged, aiming low for his legs.
Nero jumped back.
Then he immediately stepped forward as the creature's momentum carried past him.
*Pakk–!*
A downward strike to the back of its head ended the fight.
He stood there for a moment.
His breathing was a bit uneven but he felt oddly proud.
Sure, they were just goblins, basically the tutorial enemies of the monster world…
But he'd handled them with something approaching actual technique.
"Finally," he said to himself, "one step closer to being an MC!"
*Clap. Clap. Clap.*
Nero turned to see Aurelia approaching, her hands coming together in what he assumed was applause.
The effect was somewhat undermined by her expression that remained serious and stoic as ever.
It was like being congratulated by a statue.
'Nah. Nonsense. Who wouldn't be happy if they were cheered by their beautiful waifu?'
Because he sure did.
Though… she could use a bit of a smile, you know?
"Your form has improved, Lord Nero," she said, her tone carrying that same formal politeness that made even compliments sound like military reports.
"Thanks," Nero replied, trying not to let her unchanging expression weird him out.
"Though I have to say, you're kind of terrifying when you clap with the same neutral face. It's like watching a robot learn human emotions."
Aurelia tilted her head. She's probably confused
The big question mark was so obvious on her face.
"I do not understand. Was my praise not to Lord Nero's liking?"
"No, no, it's fine,"
Nero said quickly, but then added,
"Just... maybe try smiling next time? Just a little suggestion."
"Like… this?"
"..."
Nero didn't know if he should be amazed that a person could mess up a smile,
Or the fact that despite failing she still looks cute instead of terrifying due to her beauty…
"Let's just go…"
Aurelia nodded to his words.
As they walked back toward their temporary base, which was an abandoned office building they'd secured the night before.
Nero found himself in a surprisingly good mood.
From the outside, the office building wasn't particularly attractive.
However, it has several exits, safe entrances, but most importantly, a break room with a coffee maker that Haru had somehow figured out how to operate.
The group need their caffeine.
Needless to say how Aurelia's reaction went on the day she tried it.
"... W-What is this bitter stuff? Is this poison, Lord Nero?"
Nero recalled the guilt when Aurelia looked at him as if he had betrayed her.
Good thing that immediately changed that when he added a ton of sugar to the coffee.
'Our stern warrior, surprisingly, has a sweet tooth.' Nero laughed internally as they went back.
"Yo, look who's back!" Kaito called out as they entered the lobby. "How'd the monster hunting go?"
"Educational," Nero replied, setting his pipe aside.
"I'm officially no longer the world's worst pipe fighter."
"That's... progress, congrats." Haru said, looking up from the laptop he found somewhere.
Currently, he seems to be doing something that probably involves either hacking or extremely complicated spreadsheets.
Yui glanced up from her medical supplies with a gentle smile.
"Did you get hurt? I saw some blood on your clothes."
"Not mine," Nero said proudly. "Goblin blood. Me alone against three of them at the same time."
"Three whole goblins at the same time?" Kaito was a bit shocked. "Now, that's something I didn't expect."
The man had muscles and was athletic.
His abilities also were geared towards muscle power.
Kaito definitely could take more.
But that's under the assumption that they come individually.
But for Nero to take on three goblins at the same time…
"..."
The trio was genuinely surprised.
Just to let you know, even if goblins were individually weak, their coordination and playing dirty was their forte.
They might be stupid, but they're not brainless.
Yesterday, they even encountered a group of goblins.
Some were actually hiding, waiting to ambush them when they let their guard down.
It was a good thing, Nero and Aurelia detected them.
Nero had his Greater Instincts, while Aurelia…
Well, she's overpowered.
Needless to say, the goblins were butchered by our divine slicer.
"You could praise me more, you know?"
Nero was feeling proud.
But then,
*KRSSKSSS!*
Their conversation was interrupted by a scream from outside.
Not the kind of scream you ignore.
The kind that makes your blood freeze and your fight-or-flight response slam directly into fight mode.
"What the hell…?" Kaito started.
*KRSSSK!! … Crash!*
There was another scream, closer this time, and then there was the sound of concrete being crushed into pieces.
Nero realized right away why someone was screaming as the group hurried outside.
"I-Is that a death worm…?!" Yui exclaimed.
---
[New Entity Detected
Name: Burrowing Ravager
Rank: B
Threat Level: Medium
Known For: Highly aggressive, heavily armored, and possesses acidic saliva capable of dissolving most materials. Be careful, it's an earthworm!]
---
"No! it's a Ravager, it said!" Kaito shouted amidst the chaos.
A massive worm-like creature had erupted from the street.
Its segmented body was easily twenty feet long and covered in chitinous plates that gleamed like black armor.
Rows of spinning teeth lined what he assumed was its mouth.
Acid dripped from between the segments, hissing as it hit the pavement.
Standing in front of this nightmare fuel were two people…
A middle-aged man in a torn business suit and a teenage girl who couldn't be older than sixteen.
Both screaming for help.
Nero felt a weird sense of déjà vu as he looked at the scene.
Two helpless civilians.
A monster bearing down on them.
His group stood around looking like they were about to jump into action.
He glanced at Yui, Kaito, and Haru, who all suddenly found other things to look at.
"*Whistle…* Hey look, what nice weather we have here…"
"Wow! Isn't that a beautiful flower…?"
"Ugh… I remembered I have something to do."
"..."
Yeah, they remembered their first meeting too.
*Step…!*
Aurelia was already moving forward, her hand going to her sword.
But suddenly,
"Wait," Nero said, catching her arm.
She stopped, looking at him with surprised confusion.
"Lord Nero?"
"Let me handle this one,"
Nero had fortified himself to confront his first enemy.
He was sure that Aurelia would disagree, as he had been dealing with C-ranked monsters all this time…
"You can assist, but... let me take point."
But this time, he was adamant.
Aurelia's golden eyes studied his face for a moment.
"Lord Nero, that creature is significantly more dangerous than the goblins you faced earlier. I do not think—"
"I know,"
Nero interrupted.
"But I need to do this. I need to know if all that training actually means something when it matters."
"..."
Aurelia hesitated, clearly torn between her protective instincts and his request.
But finally, she relented.
"Very well,"
Aurelia then grabbed her secondary short sword and gave it to Nero.
"Thanks."
He said with a smile, but the Valkyrie was still worried.
"... But if Lord Nero is in danger, I will—"
"Yep," Nero said, unsheathing the cold blade and walking toward the monster.
"Please save me like a princess by then."
He could hear Aurelia's confused "I do not understand that reference" behind him.
But he was already focused on the Burrowing Ravager.
The creature had noticed him now.
*KRSSSKKK!*
Its eyeless head turned in his direction as it sensed his approach.
This was it.
His first REAL fight.
Time to find out if he was actually becoming stronger…
*Swishh…*
Or just getting better at beating up goblins.
***
STATUS UPDATE
---
Name: Nero Walker (Jobless Degenerate)
Race: Human
Level: 13
Stats:
STR: 1.35/10
DEX: 1.1/10
INT: 1.25/10
VIT: 1.35/10
LUCK: 1.005/10
CHA: 0.8/10 (oof.)
Active Skills:
– [Empty]
Passive Skills:
– [Greater Instinct (C), Lv: 1]
– [Valkyria Swordsmanship (SR), Lv: 1]
Unique Abilities:
– [Waifu Summoner (SSR)]
– [Copycat (A) (Flawed)]
---
***
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