"Hahahaha! I'm free!"
One of the pirates laughed maniacally, raising his axe in triumph. Moments earlier, he'd hacked a rookie to death.
The way this intelligence agency selected its agents… it was absolutely brutal.
Ryuuzaki had no time to dwell on it. His attention was fully locked on Kikusu.
"Heh, not making the first move?" Kikusu smirked, casually swinging his sword down with one hand.
In his eyes, this scrawny brat would fall with just a single swipe.
But, clang!
Ryuuzaki blocked the strike. Kikusu's expression stiffened. What the hell? The kid actually blocked that?
The impact left Ryuuzaki's hands numb, his sword nearly flew from his grasp.
Good thing he underestimated me, Ryuuzaki thought. If that had been a serious hit, I'd be dead by now.
But perhaps because he'd poured 99 full points into Basic Swordsmanship, Ryuuzaki's ability to sense and adapt to swordplay had become monstrous.
He adjusted his grip.
That first clash had shown him his grip was off. Trusting his instinct, he spaced his hands a little wider apart along the hilt.
Kikusu didn't notice. But Bark, watching from a distance, did.
"Not bad," Bark murmured, nodding in approval. "The kid's got potential."
To Bark, the fact that Ryuuzaki, who had never studied swordsmanship, could correct his grip after just one exchange showed tremendous aptitude.
Ryuuzaki, now readjusted, took the initiative and charged forward.
Clang, clang, clang, clang...!
Blades collided repeatedly. After a few quick strikes, Ryuuzaki backed off again to reposition.
Swordsmanship wasn't just about slashing.
It required flow, timing, coordination, just like boxing relied on core strength from the hips, swordplay depended on synchronized footwork and posture.
He was only going off feel. But Kikusu… Kikusu was starting to get serious.
This kid wasn't just strong, he was smart, too.
"Guess I'll end this quick."
Kikusu shifted to a two-handed grip. He didn't want to mess around anymore.
"Yujin-Ryū: Tiger Fang!"
A technique mimicking the attack of a tiger, a triple strike: smash–smash–bite!
The first two slashes were heavy and aimed to disrupt guard. The third was a lightning-fast thrust to the throat.
But to Kikusu's shock, the brat blocked the entire sequence!
He quickly stepped back three paces, eyes narrowing.
"Hey, kid. You trained in swordsmanship?"
"Nope!"
"Then how the hell did you block that combo?!"
"Felt it out."
"...Felt it out?!"
Kikusu sucked in a sharp breath. Holy crap. Did he just say he blocked my special move on instinct alone?!
He'd practiced for eight years. It had taken him six months just to master Tiger Fang, and this kid blocked it after one look?!
Kikusu's confidence cracked.
What the hell have I been doing with my life?!
"You little bastard!" Kikusu shouted, snapping. "I'll cut you down!"
"Yujin-Ryū: Leopard Hunt!"
"Yujin-Ryū: Landslide!"
Even as Kikusu unleashed one technique after another, now fighting seriously, he still couldn't bring Ryuuzaki down.
In fact, each exchange was only making Ryuuzaki more comfortable.
And then… something clicked.
While defending, Ryuuzaki tried mimicking Kikusu's movements. Suddenly:
[New Talent Acquired: Yujin-Ryū (8)]
His total talent points jumped from 99 to 107.
Wait, what?! Ryuuzaki blinked in disbelief. I can just copy a style mid-fight?!
But sure enough, it worked. His high sword talent must've been enabling this.
After holding his own through multiple exchanges, confidence surged in Ryuuzaki.
He didn't go for the kill just yet.
Instead, he used his stamina advantage to play the long game, kiting Kikusu around and studying every move.
He dumped all 107 talent points into Yujin-Ryū to deepen his mastery.
Bit by bit, his understanding of the style sharpened.
Observers quickly realized this was the longest duel of them all.
Out of all the rookies, only Kaku, Kalifa, and Ryuuzaki were still standing.
Everyone else… had been killed by their pirate opponents.
Kalifa had used her whip to trip her enemy, blinded him with a handful of dirt, then finished the job with a quick stab to the throat.
Kaku? He just overpowered his opponent in a head-on brawl. Pure brute force.
Now, everyone's attention was locked on Ryuuzaki.
The surviving rookies.
The senior trainees like Lucci.
Even the instructors.
All watching his fight.
"This guy's… incredible," Kaku murmured.
He hadn't expected Ryuuzaki to be such a freak in swordsmanship, to literally learn his opponent's style in real-time.
At this point, Ryuuzaki was fully engaged in a Yujin-Ryū vs. Yujin-Ryū match.
Kikusu was about to cough blood from frustration.
You little thief! It's bad enough that you copied my style, but how is your execution even better than mine?! What kind of joke is this?!
Kikusu wanted to scream at the heavens: WHAT THE HELL IS THIS, GOD?!
Anyone watching could tell, the match was already over.
But Ryuuzaki didn't end it.
Instead, he began shifting his talent points again:
From Basic Swordsmanship to Yujin-Ryū,
From Yujin-Ryū to One-Sword Style,
Then back again.
Each transfer sharpened his skills like a whetstone, polishing his technique at lightning speed.
By the end of the fight, the boy who'd never touched a sword until a few weeks ago had the following:
Basic Swordsmanship: LV7
One-Sword Style: LV6
Yujin-Ryū: LV5
The only thing left to improve now, was practice.
"Yujin-Ryū: Landslide!"
A brutal vertical strike from above, slamming down like a falling mountain. It was meant to crush everything in its path.
But this time… it wasn't Kikusu using the move.
It was Ryuuzaki.
Clang!
Kikusu blocked with all his strength, but the weight behind the blow was too much. His blade sank under the pressure…
And then, Ryuuzaki's sword came crashing down on his skull.
The entire field went silent.
At the moment of death… Kikusu smiled.
He hadn't died as a pirate.
He'd died as a swordsman.
As for Ryuuzaki, this was the first person he'd ever killed.
But inside, he felt oddly calm.
He didn't understand those other transmigrator stories, why did the protagonists always vomit after their first kill?
To him, that seemed weird.
It's not like he hadn't read news stories about gruesome murder cases.
You ever see a killer puke after chopping someone up?
Sure, shaking or freezing up might be natural, but throwing up?
Heh…
If ancient soldiers all puked during their first kill, wars would never get fought!
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter