THWACK!!
THWACK!!
THWACK!!
…
As night fell in a small, seldom-visited park, a handsome young man was repeatedly launching attacks against the trunk of the park's thickest tree.
The weapon in his hands, though exquisitely beautiful like a toy or a collector's item, was unmistakably a sword, judging by its structure, shape, and features.
His swordsmanship was also quite standard. From his opening stance and footing to the detailed movements of his draw and the angle and skill of his swing, no fault could be found.
However…
Just as the resulting sound suggested—a crisp noise unlike that of a sharp blade cleaving through something… His attacks left no long, narrow cuts on the tree trunk.
Of course—this didn't mean his attacks lacked lethality.
With every swing, the volleyball-thick tree trembled noticeably, and the point of impact sent wood chips flying as large chunks of bark peeled off.
In fact, due to the repeated strikes on the same spot, a large, sunken dent of splintered wood had already appeared…
If such an attack were to land on a person, even one wearing armor, it would likely be unbearable.
Still, the situation was, ultimately, a bit hard to take seriously…
"Is this a katana, or an Insect Glaive?"
Fumiya Jin stopped his assault, looking down at the [A Very Cool Katana] in his hand.
Was it cool? It was definitely cool.
Fumiya Jin even discovered that every time he executed a Draw Slash, the katana would leave a trailing special effect of falling cherry blossoms as it cut through the air.
It was cool as hell.
But…
It also did no real damage.
Because this blade wasn't sharpened.
Its edge was no different from a child's toy sword; you'd have to forcefully crush pork on a cutting board to get through it.
What was worse—it was impossible to sharpen.
Just as the description said, it was incredibly durable.
On his way back, Fumiya Jin had bought a whetstone and sandpaper to try and put an edge on it.
But the katana's hardness was more absurd than diamond; it simply wouldn't be ground down!
So, physically sharpening it was probably not an option.
The only method he could think of was to utilize the golden trait he had obtained earlier: Unity of Mind and Action. By performing actions befitting his class and embodying the way of the swordsman, the blade in his hand would become sharper.
But what actions befitted his class?
It seemed he would have to skip class again tomorrow to properly test it out.
"But weapon aside, this Draw Slash skill is pretty useful, even if it's just a white-quality freebie…"
Fumiya Jin slowly returned the katana to its sheath.
No longer facing the tree trunk, he executed a Draw Slash into the air beside him.
"Swoosh—"
Almost instantly, the katana left its scabbard, swinging out like lightning and leaving a crimson streak in the air.
The speed was astonishing, and the force it contained already surpassed Fumiya Jin's own normal swinging strength.
He felt that this single strike could unleash at least 1.5 times his maximum power, yet the stamina consumed was not excessive. And this was just a white-tier skill.
It was clear that skills from the Samsara Game had a significant impact.
However… this skill was not without its flaws.
Because the strike was a wide, sweeping motion, his arm was fully extended after the slash. Continuing to attack from this position was difficult.
To maintain both offense and defense, it was best to pull back slightly, retracting the arm a bit.
In other words—the strike was extremely fast and had a high damage bonus, but its recovery lag was a bit long.
Furthermore, a precondition for this strike was that the weapon had to be sheathed. Using it consecutively was not very practi—
"Hm?" A spark of inspiration flashed through Fumiya Jin's mind.
The weapons and items from the Samsara Game were quite special; they could be summoned and stored away at any time in the real world. Weapons could be equipped and unequipped at will, all handled through a mental interface.
Fumiya Jin looked down at the katana in his hands.
He was currently holding the sheath in his left hand and the drawn blade in his right.
'Unequip [A Very Cool Katana].' — He issued the command in his mind.
The katana in his hand, along with its sheath, vanished instantly.
'Equip [A Very Cool Katana].'
The katana instantly returned to his hands.
And most critically—the blade was back in the sheath!
Fumiya Jin's eyes lit up.
It was all coming back to him.
Memories from his past life awakened.
His gaze sharpened instantly. He gripped the hilt and turned back towards the tree.
Draw Slash!
THWACK!!
Unequip weapon.
Equip weapon.
Draw Slash!
THWACK!!
Unequip weapon.
Equip weapon.
Draw Slash!
THWACK!!
…
The crisp thwacking sounds echoed relentlessly.
But in Fumiya Jin's mind, a different melody played.
"Nibanme no kioku… yumi ga shinari hajiketa homura, yozora o koorasete…"
…
After unleashing more than a dozen strikes like this, Fumiya Jin finally stopped.
Under the torrential assault, the dent in the tree trunk was now deep enough to fit a fist, and countless fallen leaves and splintered wood chips littered the ground beneath it…
Fumiya Jin's hand was numb from the vibrations, but his mood was excellent.
"To be able to deliver such a fierce strike every second or so... even if used as a blunt weapon, at this frequency and force, it's enough to beat someone bloody and send them running," Fumiya Jin was very satisfied with this.
"Hey… Big Brother, your big stick is so pretty!!" Just then, a tender voice came from not far behind him.
Fumiya Jin turned to see a super adorable, pink-haired little girl standing near the park entrance, her big eyes filled with curiosity.
She looked to be about four or five years old. There was no adult with her; she stood there all alone but showed no signs of shyness. She seemed like a very lively child.
It was just that her choice of words was a little… unfortunate.
"Little one, this isn't a stick, it's a sword," Fumiya Jin said, holding up the katana to the little girl.
"You're lying, Big Brother," the little girl pouted. "If it was a sword, it should go 'swoosh swoosh swoosh,' why does it go 'thwack thwack thwack'? I bet you hurt Mr. Tree."
"…"
Fumiya Jin was speechless.
Yeah, why is that?
Fumiya Jin shot a contemptuous look at the useless katana in his hand and returned it to its sheath.
He then looked at the little girl and changed the subject, "Hey kid, what are you doing here all by yourself? Where are your parents?"
"I came out shopping with my big sister, but I think my dumb sister got lost," the little girl said with a shrug of her hands.
God, 'my sister got lost'...
Fumiya Jin broke into a slight sweat.
I'm just sayin', is it possible that you're the one who's lost?
"It's dangerous for you to be out here alone at night. How about I take you to find—"
Fumiya Jin was halfway through his sentence when he heard footsteps from around the corner outside the park.
Soon, a pink-haired girl carrying a convenience store bag appeared in his view.
"Hey! Futari, why did you run off here? You scared me to death!" The girl was clearly the sister the little one had mentioned. She ran over quickly, bag in hand, and hugged the little girl.
"It's because you were walking too slow, Sis. I turned around and you were gone, so I waited for you here," Futari said, quite calmly. "I was watching the big brother play with his stick. His big stick is really pretty."
Fumiya Jin: "…"
Fortunately, the pink-haired girl had a pure mind and didn't misunderstand.
She glanced at Fumiya Jin innocently. Seeing a clean, handsome guy with a calm and composed demeanor, she was instantly struck by the radiant aura of a popular guy.
In her meekness, she was instantly blinded and lowered her head. "Ah, I'm so sorry, my sister probably disturbed your peace. I'll take her home right now…"
Fumiya Jin was a bit taken aback by her strong reaction. "It's no disturbance at all, but… am I scary?"
"Eh?" The girl froze for a second, then frantically waved her hands. "No, no, no, it's my own problem. You… you're not scary at all, just a little…"
"A little what? Terrifying?" Fumiya Jin asked.
"No, no, that's not it, I… I…" The pink-haired girl curled in on herself, a flustered mess, as if she were about to melt into a puddle of pink ooze.
Fortunately, the little one at her side spoke up. "That's not it, Big Brother. My sister just thinks you're cool, so she's too nervous to talk to you. She's always like this. In her heart, she really wants to be friends with handsome guys, but she never dares to speak up. How about you do her a favor, Big Brother, and give her your phone number? She'll be so happy she'll toss and turn all night and won't be able to—mmph mmmph—"
"Futari you idiot, what are you saying?!" The pink-haired girl quickly picked up the little girl and clamped a hand over her mouth, her own cheeks flushing crimson. "I… I wasn't thinking that at all…"
Interestingly, it was during this flustered action that Fumiya Jin got the first clear look at her face under her bangs…
It was a very pretty face, with delicate and beautiful features, and her timid eyes were watery and very cute.
Logically, she should be a popular girl who is well-liked everywhere.
But she had developed such a timid and self-deprecating personality… it was a bit strange.
"You two live nearby, right?" Fumiya Jin said to the girl. "Then we're practically neighbors. If you'd like, there's no harm in exchanging numbers."
"Huh? E-e-e-e-eh? Is… is that okay?" The pink-haired girl's eyes widened. She looked at Fumiya Jin as if she were gazing upon the light of hope itself, her reaction absurdly over the top.
…
After seeing the pink-haired sisters off, Fumiya Jin started walking home.
At the same time, he began to plan his course of action for skipping class tomorrow.
Just then, his phone rang.
He took it out and looked at the caller ID: Teacher Hiratsuka.
Fumiya Jin's heart tightened slightly.
He answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Fumiya Jin! You skipped the entire day of class again today?" Shizuka Hiratsuka's sharp voice came through the phone. "You want another taste of my sandbag-sized fists, is that it?"
Fumiya Jin sweat-dropped. "I wasn't feeling well today, and I called in sick…"
"Cut the crap. You call in sick more often than you attend class!" Hiratsuka said irritably. "You've already used the 'not feeling well' excuse four times! How many more times do you plan to use it?"
"Ahem… about that," Fumiya Jin gave an awkward laugh. "Actually, Teacher, I was thinking of using it one more time tomorrow…"
BAM!
A loud crash erupted from the phone.
The sound carried an immense force, as if it could shatter mountains and split rocks.
"If you don't show up at school tomorrow, you're dead!"
Click— The call was disconnected.
Fumiya Jin: "…"
_____
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