"Want to give me a sword?"
When Kurose Akira saw Loserine's follow-up character quest, a trace of confusion surfaced on his face.What did this mean?Loserine's new insight into swordsmanship… what did that have to do with him?
[Quest Description: Loserine has gained a new understanding of swordsmanship. To help her advance further, you must purchase one hundred iron swords of common quality and spend the entire night with her discussing the mysteries of swordsmanship.][Quest Objective: Discuss swordsmanship!][Quest Reward: Unknown.]
Kurose Akira frowned slightly. He couldn't quite understand why he needed to buy one hundred iron swords.
Still, despite the doubts swirling in his mind, he followed the quest instructions and purchased one hundred common-quality iron swords.
Each iron sword cost only fifty copper coins. One hundred of them added up to just fifty silver coins. If the reward turned out to be a super-tier sword technique, that would be far more cost-effective than spending nearly a hundred gold coins on a super-tier skill book.
Clang, clang, clang!
Kurose Akira stacked all one hundred iron swords inside the training room, then turned to Loserine and asked,"Alright. Tell me—what do you want me to do?"
Loserine watched him, then planted her Oathbound Sword into the ground and said,"Can you set up a few intermediate training dummies?"
"Of course."
As he spoke, Kurose Akira handed her an iron sword. Then, inside the training room, he summoned three intermediate training dummies.
Loserine casually swung the sword in her hand once, feeling its weight, then focused her gaze entirely on the intermediate training dummies.
The next instant, she burst forward like a hunting leopard—so fast it was almost impossible to follow with the naked eye.
In the blink of an eye, she was already in front of one of the dummies. The iron sword in her hand traced a light, fluid arc as she slashed forward.
Clang!
A crisp metallic ring echoed through the training room. Yet the moment Loserine's iron sword made contact with the dummy, the fragile blade snapped cleanly in two.
Kurose Akira stroked his chin in thought.
Clearly, the iron sword couldn't withstand the force of Loserine's strike, while the surface of the intermediate training dummy bore only a shallow mark.
After all, its material was harder than steel itself. With a common-quality iron sword, it was nearly impossible to inflict any significant damage on an intermediate training dummy.
Even Loserine's high-tier swordsmanship couldn't compensate for the inherent fragility of the weapon—unless her swordsmanship could transcend conventional limits.
"Again," Loserine said calmly.
Kurose Akira quickly handed her another iron sword.
She slashed once more at the intermediate training dummy.
Clang!
Another clear metallic sound rang out, and once again the iron sword broke apart.
This time, however, the wound on the dummy's surface was noticeably deeper.
At the same moment, numbers appeared in Kurose Akira's field of vision—500!
The previous strike had been 486.
And this was just a casual swing from Loserine. If she used a high-tier sword technique, the value would likely exceed 2000!
"Again!" Loserine said firmly.
...
In the blink of an eye, night had deepened.
Of the one hundred iron swords Kurose Akira had purchased, only a little over forty remained. The three intermediate training dummies were now covered in scars.
Moreover, the damage value of Loserine's ordinary sword strikes had climbed to 1000, a full fourfold increase compared to the beginning!
"Should we switch to advanced training dummies?" Kurose Akira asked her.
However, advanced training dummies might be too tough—their hardness rivaled that of diamonds. To leave even a sword mark on them would likely require a single strike value exceeding 2000, which would be no small challenge for Loserine.
"No need. Stationary training dummies can't help me improve any further." Loserine shook her head, then turned her gaze toward Kurose Akira.
That single look made his brows knit together.
If it were moving training dummies, those wouldn't be available until he reached a C-rank player evaluation and formally established the guild…
Wait.
Kurose Akira suddenly realized it.
She was planning to use him as practice.
This…
…Fine.
Kurose Akira took a deep breath. Since he'd already agreed to help Loserine, he might as well see it through to the end.
"Alright. I'll be your sparring partner," he said, silently praying to himself.
It was obvious that if Loserine wanted to improve her swordsmanship, she would go all out.
There didn't seem to be any other guild members proficient in close combat. Even the Spirit Puppet Doll dealt soul damage rather than engaging in technical exchanges. All things considered, only the guild leader himself could take on this role.
Kurose Akira pulled out the Thunderfire Staff from his inventory, preparing himself for a fierce battle.
"It's about to begin," Loserine said softly, giving her blade a light flick.
"Wait!"Kurose Akira immediately stopped her and quickly equipped the Flame Demon Armor.
Only after fully arming himself did he feel ready to face Loserine.
The intense light in her eyes made him realize that this sparring session was completely different from the previous knight training. If he didn't wear armor, he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to get out of bed tomorrow.
For his own safety, he had to protect himself properly.
"Alright," Kurose Akira said once he finished equipping the Flame Demon Armor.
The instant his words fell, Loserine stepped forward lightly and launched her attack!
"!"
(What follows is an exchange of sword techniques. The next thousand words are omitted…)
"Hah… huff…"
Kurose Akira removed his helmet, panting heavily.
During his fierce battle with Loserine, they had clashed for dozens of exchanges. Over forty swords had broken, and he'd finally earned a few minutes of rest.
Meanwhile, Loserine strolled unhurriedly toward an intermediate training dummy and casually slashed once.
Instantly, only a shallow mark appeared on the dummy's surface.
But in Kurose Akira's vision, a massive damage number popped up—1500!
Hiss—
Loserine's ordinary sword strike was already hitting for 1500. If she used an actual sword technique… it was almost unthinkable.
"Hoo—"
Loserine slowly exhaled a wisp of faint blue breath. As an undead, even her breath was different from that of the living.
She then looked at Kurose Akira and said softly,"Thank you."
As her words faded, another notification appeared in Kurose Akira's vision.
[Loserine's character quest has been completed!][Reward obtained: Swordsmanship Insight][Swordsmanship Insight: While this status is active, there is a chance to comprehend extraordinary sword techniques. (30 days)]
!
Seeing Loserine's quest reward, a smile couldn't help but spread across Kurose Akira's face.
This meant that for the next thirty days, every single second carried the possibility of Loserine comprehending an even more powerful sword technique!
A super-tier sword art?
Or perhaps… something even better?
Just as Kurose Akira was speculating, another prompt appeared in his vision.
[Loserine has upgraded the high-tier sword technique "Falling Moon" into the super-tier sword technique "Kite Moon"!]
!
A hint of delight flashed through Kurose Akira's eyes. Perfect—this saved him the cost of buying a super-tier skill book!
"Alright~ let's stop here. I'm going to rest," he said.
After helping Loserine complete her character quest, he glanced at the time. It was already two in the morning…
Wait.
Didn't that mean he was late for school?
…Whatever. He'd just ask for leave. The school's self-study periods were flexible anyway.
"Wait a moment!"
Just as Kurose Akira was about to leave, Loserine suddenly called out to him.
?
The moment he turned around, Loserine grabbed his hand.
"You're injured," she said softly.
Only then did Kurose Akira notice a cut on the back of his hand, bright red blood slowly seeping out.
"Must've gotten scratched earlier. It's fine," he said, not paying much attention.
But Loserine pulled his hand closer and pressed it into her body.
?
When his wound touched her slime-like soul body, Kurose Akira felt an immediate sense of relief. The pain vanished instantly.
Within Loserine's semi-transparent form, he could clearly see the wound on his hand slowly closing and healing.
So… was she using her soul power to heal him?Soul power could be used like this too?
"Any other injuries?" Loserine asked after confirming the wound had healed."If it's just superficial injuries, I can help you heal them."
"No," Kurose Akira said after carefully checking himself. "That's all."
"Then… go rest."
Loserine picked up her Oathbound Sword from the ground, as if preparing to continue practicing. Kurose Akira said nothing more and quietly turned to leave.
At the very instant he turned his back—
Brilliant moonlight suddenly flared behind him.
Then, an eye-catching number exploded into his vision—7777!
Hiss—
Kurose Akira sucked in a sharp breath. Loserine's sword technique damage had already reached seven thousand?
Looks like tonight's relentless training hadn't been in vain at all.
At this level, even enemies above level 50 would suffer devastating blows at Loserine's hands!
Kurose Akira logged out of the game, then used WeChat to request leave from his teacher.
After that, he collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep instantly, fully displaying the natural talent of youth.
The moment he entered his dream, a familiar silver-white figure appeared before him.
The Elf Queen leaned quietly against the doorway, waiting for his arrival. When Kurose Akira finally appeared, a faint glimmer passed through her beautiful eyes.
"Please, come in," she said softly.
She then turned gracefully and walked into the room.
Kurose Akira immediately followed her inside.
Tonight, the Elf Queen had a tear mole at the corner of her left eye—the original, initial version of the Elf Queen.
No sooner had he taken a seat than Kurose Akira asked with a hint of curiosity,"At dinner, you—"
Before he could finish, the Elf Queen's gaze turned cold, like a frozen lake.
Kurose Akira instantly realized how sensitive this topic was and wisely chose to shut his mouth.
Yet despite that, the Elf Queen couldn't help but feel a trace of curiosity about what Kurose Akira had done to that version of her—his wicked thoughts.
She asked softly,"You… what did you do to her?"
Kurose Akira replied quietly,"Nothing much. I just made her behave obediently."
"Oh?"The Elf Queen looked at him with gentle eyes and asked,"Then… can you make me behave obediently too?"