The black one has bat like wing for the hilt and a moon symbol in the middle of the sword that somehow looks like an eye. It calls to me, and I pick it up just like that. Something tells me that this is a good idea. The blade is clean, it gleans with silver and I have a feeling it is going to shine even more at night. I manage to grab its hilt and start swinging it around.
I tried to wield a sword one, when I was testing Goblin Punch with a knife and I have to say you have to know what you are doing when you are wielding a sword. You can hold it sure, but using it as an effective weapon is another matter. While I was swinging a sword with Nathan and Lutian watching, I dislocated my shoulder. The teacher yelled at us a lot, especially at that time I had not recovered from my other injuries yet.
But this sword is different. I can wield it. Even though I throw out a full strength blown, it does not dislocate my shoulder.
A deep gash in the earth is created with my full strength. So that is actually my full strength while swinging a sword. I don't actually know how strong I am before now, because if I even try to do something as extraneous as throwing a blow with my full strength, I would hurt myself in the process. A drawback of having too much strength and not enough stamina to withstand that strength.
But this sword help me with it. So with this sword I can use my full strength. Truly amazing.
Why would I want to put it down ever again?
Suddenly I have an urge to go hunting. How could a ranger be afraid of some animal enough that he does not hunt? If that thing appear I would just kill it, what else.
With that epiphany I take the sword into the wood to go hunting. I look back at teacher Arthur, tonight we are going to eat some meat.
There was not actually that many games within the forest. No birds or any other living thing for miles. I put my ear down low on the earth trying to hear nature.
It is because this is that beast's territory. It has slaughtered and chased out everything inside this territory. But of course that is not sustainable. It could not have eaten everything and slaughtered everything, or else it wouldn't be alive right now. It is the law of nature, it must have spared the species of its prey. Allowing them to grow and prosper before hunting them down.
Mother nature says it could have eaten everything, but through the bestial intelligence it recognizes that is a bad idea. A cunning and dangerous beast, but now its food is my food now.
I start taking the blade and crawl through the underbrush of the forest so not to disturb the elusive prey that have escaped me from the beginning. I brush on a layer of leaves as cameo and slowly crawl to my target. My ranger instinct zero in on the prey no matter where it is inside the forest. Mother nature says follow the sign if you don't want to return to her or go extinct. So I follow the track, from the smell of feces to the disturbance of the undergrowth.
Finally I found it.
It looks like a giant slug, but all of that is meat. A small head and a large body that is used to run quickly and escape. It has four tongues used to eat leaves and wood. Slowly it would eat all of the forest if it is not culled by the beast regularly mother nature says. The beast does not allow a predator to coexist with it, so only a herbivore through and through is allowed. Nothing else. And even then it is the most passive of herbivore, the one that fight back will be culled into extinction is what mother nature says. An unintelligent thing that only know how to eat and breed that was carefully herd into existence through many generation mother nature says. Herd into existence by the beast.
That revelation about the beast's intelligence and cruelty almost shocks me. But then I laugh quietly.
If it comes I will kill it. It is a smart beast but I am a man. The species at the top of the food chain. I am the king. I will just kill it, slaughter it, eat it if it comes. That is what will happen.
There are three preys that was cultivated into existence by the beast. Three dumb things that only know how to run.
Before they could run I jump out from my hiding spot. With a quick yell to bolster my strength, I chop down a prey with the black sword. Goblin Punch kills one other at the same time.
Their blood get all over me. Mother nature says it is bad. Blood can be used to locate me by other predator. But I am going to be the predator here.
The third one starts running, all of its muscles sprung up like one solid mass with the sole intention of running. Mother nature says it is wasteful. The two prey alone is enough meat for many days. The effort used to chase the third prey can be used to do other thing for survival. But the thing here is that I enjoy killing that thing. It is not useful for survival sure, but it is for my entertainment. I have failed so much while I'm here, it is time to do some stress relief.
I can actually use Goblin Punch again to barely catch its leg right now before it disappears from my vision. But why would I do that?
I let it run before I slowly take my breath and pursue it in silence again.
Wilderness is running when you encounter a superior predator. Running into safety mother nature says. So its herd is going to be there, mother nature says.
I slick toward the herds according to mother nature. What a large haul.
There is a secret cavern underground, according to mother nature it is the breeding ground of these creatures that the beast instilled in them. The third prey comes home running. It is unusual because the only one who is supposed to hunt them is the beast and the beast never sets its foot here. The herd is supposed to notice something wrong, but because they are all stupid here, the third prey just run into them and they just accept it.
Countless of the thing crawl all around the cavern. They don't have fur. They just lay around with no natural predator. They just stick to each other and breed and eat. That is what the beast instilled in them. Thousands or hundred thousands? It is hard to tell because all of them lay on each other, stick to each other like snake even though they are mammal. It is just what the beast instilled in them.
They should have gone extinct a long time ago, mother nature says. I laugh, roger that, cloud and clear.
"Flame thrower" I cast. I realize that normally I shouldn't be able to do this, but right now I'm feeling so good that it is like I can do anything.
Again Flame Thrower is not supposed to be a spell. A giant mechanical flame thrower appear after I finish casting. Yes Flame Thrower is not supposed to be a spell, but that is just how Blue Magic works.
I start directing the Flame Thrower at the direction of the herd. It is one of those gun that are used in defense of the flying city of Ronka, but currently because it is supposed to be a Flame Thrower spell, throwing flame is the only thing it could.
Normally in game Flame Thrower is only a single target spell. But real life does not work like that. I move the Flame Thrower right in the entrance of the underground cavern before going in myself. One Flame Thrower to stop them from running.
The next moment I jump at them.
Preys that were breed to never fight back, only run. Not even a kick, they were breed to not fight back. But now that they cannot run, what can they do?
Die.
"""""""EEEEEggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!"""""""
The screams of the beast echo through the cavern.
I stop after blood cover my entire body and my arm is tired. Mother nature says this is stupid. I should have just smoked them all to death with Flame Thrower.
That didn't even dent their number. The preys don't even move from where they lay, just accepting their fate. So this is what the beast instilled into them.
I bite into one of the recently fallen beast to enjoy the raw taste of slaughter. The taste of blood is good.
I look back at the herd. Fuck it. If they are not going to move from their location, I am just going to do this. I went back to the opening of the cavern. If this whole thing is between predator and prey than this spell is the spell of an apex predator. Alone it butchers everything in its environment on a lonely desert. It is such a predator that even though its oppositions are all supposed to be stronger than it, it slaughters all of them. And its oppositions are supposed to be some of of strongest creatures living in a harsh environment. And once the Blue Mage copy its spell, the Blue Mage could too slaughter all of the supposed apex creatures that the thing usually hunts.
In my hand is the sword in black, I reach back with my head to prepare and the next moment I breathe out
"Aqua Breath"
Aqua Breath is the strongest spell to used on tough monsters in desert environment. And monsters in the desert are always stronger than monsters normally found in the wild. It is because the originator of this spell comes from a desert where it is the only thing living in that desert. It is because it has killed all the other things with this spell. Even though it is statistically speaking weaker than all the other beastie in the desert, it is the predator because it wins.
Aqua Breath is extremely costly. Even a mid game party can't just mindlessly spam it without burning MP.
But I don't care. I can do it right now.
I cast Aqua Breath countless time and surround all of the stupid beast with water and drowned them. I lost count after the hundred time.
But something is wrong. My skin starts cracking and becoming dry after the first hundred. It is slowly becoming black from my sword hand and is spreading to the rest of my body, but there is no way I'm letting go of the sword.
I am powerful like a king. Maybe like a king in black surrounded by his slain enemies and blood of his enemies on his blade. Yes, a king in black.
Now that I think about it, something is wrong. If anything the color blue fit me more. Yes, a king in blue. When I look back, the black on my hand turns into blue just as I wanted. Good.
I take back a few preys to teacher Arthur.
When I come back he is awake. He looks at my appearance and looks like something is wrong, why I don't even know, but-
"You- No. It's okay. It's not your fault. When we come back to the academy, we can solve it."
I look at him questionably but then shrug my shoulder and prepare the food.
"Flame Thrower." I hang the meat on the flame thrower. Then I share portion of my food with teacher Arthur.
It tastes like shit. Everything is charred. It was better when I eat the prey raw. I think I also take too long to take the food back causing it to go bad. Mother nature says it is stupid of me to not cut out the intestine to make sure they do not go bad.
That night, the eery sound the beast makes resounds over the entire forest.
"Did you know I choose mediocrity?" Teacher Arthur says.
"Listen Azul, right now I can't actually say anything to you, but I can give you advice. Once upon a time I choose mediocrity.
It was after a long streak of failures and failures. I lost a lot battle, lost a lot of friends, all because of my weakness. I fight yes, but I kept on losing. I was then given a choice, to grow stronger or to accept my fate and swallow myself in mediocrity. Do you think I was weak to choose the latter?"
It does not fit my image of Arthur, but I did not say it. It is counterproductive for a hero. The only thing I did was to say
"Why?"
That is the point he was leading up to. It makes sense. But is he trying to convey something to me?
"It was because my own ambition was one of my weakness. Do you know why I failed again and again? Because I didn't know when to pick my fight. I am strong, but there are people out there stronger, and I wanted to be the strongest. All I see was the glory ahead of me, that I did not see what I risk. And before I know it, all the faces I know either die, or left. New faces come, new faces left,...
That is why when I got my shit together, I retired. I am too old now to strive for glory. But what is the moral of this story?"
"That it is wrong to strive for glory?"
"No. It is not wrong to strive for glory, to strive to be better. That is what make a man. No, the moral of the story is that even though it is not wrong to strive for glory, don't let glory blind you. Don't let power get to your head. Lots of knights lost their life that way. Know yourself, know your allies, know what you may risk, then and only then should you make a decision."
By now teacher Arthur has started being able to move his left leg. He said that by this time tomorrow, we may go home. When he is healed enough, we could fly back and leave all of this behind us.
I chew on a charred piece of meat while looking at him.
"Then was the knight in white armor and the king in black someone you have failed in the past too?" It is unnecessarily harsh, but I feel it was appropriate to say.
"Where did you meet the king in black?! Don't list-" Suddenly something cuts him off and the man went back to being quiet.
While holding the sword, sometime I have a vision of a man in black. A king or a knight, carving a heart into stone. I know that the man has died. With the black sword in my hand, my mind kept having vision of that person. I know that something is wrong.
This is not like me.
Secondly, where is my AP?
I know that something is wrong a long time ago. After I killed the first prey, nothing pop up into my vision, no AP or EXP or anything. Let say it is because the preys are too weak, but what about thousand of them? I killed them all just to see if I could super charge my power, but where is AP?
I know that something is wrong. I know that somehow the sword is doing this. But I can't let it go just yet.
Let presume that this is in fact the sword doing, and my mind is in fact not in a right state of mind, but isn't it still in fact in my favor though?
Even though it is affecting me somehow, it is still giving me strength to protect myself and one other temporarily. Endless strength that I do not know where it comes from, but it is in fact in my favor while I'm in such a dangerous environment.
Mother nature can be a real bitch sometime, you have to defend yourself. At least until I get back to the academy can I let go.
No, the only problem with the current set up is that-
"No. It's not your fault. As long as you do not encounter another human being, this is still fine."
I nod at teacher Arthur, knowing what he is trying to get at even though he can't say it outright.
Let assume I am not in the right state of mind right now and may flip at a moment notice, it is still only animals who I'm slaughtering. But when it is another human being, it is a different matter. At that point, I think I would cross a metaphorical bridge that I can't never return from.
I laughed it off and went into the forest to try to kill the beast after teacher Arthur is asleep.
I failed.
The once proud beast is falling apart on the floor after I am done with it. I use a few "1000 Needles". However it actually takes 10 casting to reduce it to this state. As expected of a proud apex predator. Even in the first salvo where thousand of needle assault its body, it was immediately cripple. Real life is not a game where you just keep getting up and fight until you run out of HP, you will get wounded, even a crippling wound.
I keep casting 1000 Needles until it is dead, but it refuses to die. The muscles from its body keep contracting into a solid mass that heal extremely quickly, even though 1000 Needles still tore it back up easily.
I think it tries to harden its muscle in response to 1000 Needles, and I believe if it was just regular arrows or swords it would have worked, but 1000 Needles ignore thing like defense or magical defense.
So I keep casting and casting and casting, and when it could not get up anymore, I go closer and start chopping. Its muscles have soften after that much trauma. So I keep chopping until my arms are tired.
But it did not die, it just looks at me with its one eyes.
I think about stabbing into one of its vital organ or even its eye, but then I back away.
I remember that it lets me go when I was injured and dying. I went into its hunting ground and killed off all its preys that it has spent millennia to cultivate.
Just what is wrong with me? Do I choose to be this bloodthirsty?
I walk away, not finishing the job, letting nature sort itself out.
Later on mother nature says the beast looking at me in the eyes was just a tactic to gather sympathy and it succeeded. It has used that beastial intelligence to escape death, and has quickly recover from its wound and run away.
I laugh at the irony, but thank to that I have at least manage to sort out my mind. I keep talking with teacher Arthur after to try and keep myself stable. Just one more day and teacher Arthur can take us back. Whatever the hell that beast was, at least it helps me, and at least I'm not forced to kill it.
I try to stay positive, thinking that when I go back to the academy someone can lift this curse from me.
However, nothing ever go as planned.
On the morning of the fourth day I start checking out the track in the forest. From the moment I pick up the sword, I have started to be able to do something I have never been able to do before. But it is something I am theoretically capable of doing in the future.
Teacher Arthur is almost healed, the wound has almost disappeared. I can't tell if he is still wounded, but I will still try to keep him safe.
That morning I pick up track of human. One in armor and another in leather boot. If it was just coincidence, then sure, it is a happy coincidence, we can ask for some help. But this is too close. Have the knight and the scholar track us down? But the land is big, and in this case, I am better at them at doing the tracking.
I read the signs from the track, shouldn't they have some other people accompanying them? Even if the knight in white armor is superior to all of the assassins, they still have to have at least some right? At least as scout and tracker.
But then mother nature says mother nature is a bitch.
The signs say all of the other outside of the knight and the scholarly magician, the entire party who set foot into this land has already died. Actually they all died two or three days ago. I think I should check back to the scene of the crime.
It is easy to track the smell of blood and rotting corpses. There is no one single scene of crime, the first corpse I found belong to some unlucky scout.
Something tore his entrails out and eat it when he travels too far into the wood.
And then next, it seems their employer sent out a few more scouts, who were more well-equipped.
The party of four carried crossbow and scimitar, as well as a poison smoke bomb, because they had figured that something seriously wrong was happening.
But mother nature was a bitch. The poison they had was not effective on the beast they were hunting, because that thing does not even has functional organs somehow, let alone lungs, I don't think it even breathe. It is something wrong with nature, but seriously mother nature is a bitch.
The party of four found the beast, or more accurately it found them. Frightened by the appearance of the creature, they was slow to act, one of them was dragged away just like that into the wood.
The creature then used that captured scout as bait. He bit off the unlucky scout's leg and drop him off a few miles away. Leaving him to death.
At that point, the party still believed that they can kill the beast with arrows and weapons.
They run to rescue their member. It was a big mistake. The beast circled back to pick them off one by one. Because of their hurriedness in rescuing their comrade, they made mistakes, and because they were on the move, they were more vulnerable. The creature just dragged them off with those jagged teeth of its.
After the two scouting party failed to return, the large force started to move on into the forest using strength in numbers.
Instead of the usual tricks, the beast confronted them in the flat land, it trampled some to death, while biting off the other. It was invulnerable to normal weapon and arrows, but it was deterred by either the knight or the magician. At least five or ten died there.
The large party finally tried to pursue it, but it was a lost cause because the forest is its territory. They lost it in the wood, and also lost their lives.
I realize that the beast was strangely absent the day I hunted all of its preys, it was actually because it had other preys to hunt that day.
The beast was deliberate in taking them even further into the wood, slowly they died one by one. It feasted like a king, and the more it feasted, the more frightful the party became. It hanged back some of the entrails to destroy the party's morale thank to its bestial intelligence.
All of them actually died except for the knight and the magician who fucked off somewhere because of the beast. I remember the first day I entered the forest
Just this time.
Its eyes say to me. Everything about it screams death. I too would have been dead if I was not-
If I was not so in tune with nature. If I was not a ranger. I could communicate with animals. However the thing still stands on two legs proudly.
Just this time I will let you go. I would not feast upon you, hunt you, slaughter you. You would not be slain as all that have trespassed upon my territory. But just this one. Even your wounded kin in the forest. But just this one. I will let you go.
However if you was to hunt upon my forest once again, I will feast on your flesh. I will tear out your intestine. I will use my legs, I will give you death.
Our eyes are in contact, the beast keeps looking at me on its two legs as I slowly back away, retreating back to where I come from. My eyes keep tracking back to the unnatural beast. I know I am not on Earth anymore, but that was still extremely unsettling.
It was not boasting. It would have butchered me. Raw and simple. Mother nature is a bitch, that is why she birth something like that.
The scene of the massacre is horrible. It is raw and unsettling. It was deliberately made this way. It aimed to injure instead of killing some of them to cause them to suffer and dragged down their party. It made the scene as messy as possible, heads were rolling.
A pit starts settling in my stomach.
All of the armed party that approached the forest died.
Was it a mistake to let a cunning predator like that go? Something as horrible as that. Did I make a mistake that would cause some other to die? Something with that horrible intelligence. Human fears nature because nature is too raw and horrible sometime. We have civilization to protect us from the savageness nature is capable of. But the thing that live in nature does not have thing call civilization or law or moral. It is the worst thing ever.
All of them die. Human. Dozens of them. Eaten and slaughtered like pigs
The white knight's name is Meldraut, and currently he is having a really bad day. It is bad enough that he failed to kill Arthur and got the sword of Charging taken away, but currently both him and his employer are in a life or death situation not even because of anything relating to Arthur or the academy or the authority.
It is a creature in the wilderness.
They have been hunted by a certain creature for days now, and currently his employer Rodriguez lost his left arm, it was eaten when they were careless.
That thing's body is like a dream. Everything about that thing, it is like a dream that has become real. The way everything in that thing's body being perfectly controlled, the unnatural build of its muscles. It can harden its muscles, causing all of them to be focused into one spot, mending every wounds just like that. The first time he managed to damage it with the sword of the Traitor, it cut as expected of the legendary, through that dense network of muscles, ignoring anything called defend. But it did nothing. He was too slow for that thing's muscle to merge and heal the deadly wound. Thinking back he could have tried crippling it for a time before joining force with the other to hack it to death, but it does not matter now. If he had crippled it, and kept on crippling it with the sword of the Traitor would they have won?
He does not know. But like a wise man said, the present is the present.
"Hurry up. Don't tell me you are going to die? Should I just kill you right here and now to spare me the effort?"
"My arm..."
Meldraut drags his employer with him to a cave, the only reason he keeps that guy with him right now is because he realizes as he is right now, he would not survive against the beast. He requires strong damaging spells instead of an unstoppable sword that cut anything. It may cut everything but it does not rend that wound, causing it not to heal. The only choice they have is to destroy the beast entirely, which requires Rodriguez the magician.
But that guy is in shock right now.
They were careless in pursuing the beast, and the magician with the widescale attack is the first thing the beast aimed for. That cunning intelligence is frightening.
It realized from the first time that Meldraut and Rodriguez were the most dangerous, and Meldraut was the toughest nut to crack, so it separated them with its tactic and attacked Rodriguez.
It was very lucky that Rodriguez survive.
The last few days... was a nightmare. What a beast.
"Remember Meldraut, if it is a battle you can't win. You can run away." Arthur says.
"Fuck you Arthur." Meldraut utters.
He prepares the fire and waits for the magician to get a hold of himself. The wound has already been seared shut by Meldraut, and the few magic healing salt Meldraut kept on him has been given to the guy.
"I will... I will be good."
Rodriguez finally utters causing Meldraut to lower his sword that has been pointing at the magician. Rodriguez is a wizard, by all facts he should be on top of society's food chain. He can live anywhere without worry, instead of being here, being hunted by a beast.
But that man has always been curious. The reason for his rise is also the reason for his fault.
By the time he was 40, he was an important member of the Magic Academy despite the opposition being centuries older than him. He was always in support of learning more, knowing more, doing more, and that is how he ended up at that position.
From curses to spells advancement, to healing magic, he dabbles in all. Lately he has been researching on curses, as always he pours all of his heart into the practice.
But curses as a subject is always more controversial than the other art, his rival Xandria has used that opportunity to harass him at every point, turning his intellectual peers against him. It is not just a rivalry between the two, that guy despises him as simple as that.
Xandria is 154 years old, he has been teaching at the Academy for well more than one hundred years, with the seniority, of course he would have known other teachers for a long time, and in some case be their actual teacher. That guy used that influence to harass him at every turn.
Even though Curse is a legitimate subject to research on.
From that point on, Rodriguez realizes that is just how society is and decides that he does not need to hold back anymore.
Even though he was researching a harmless subject he was harassed to the point of almost quitting his job, then what does it matter if he researched even more forbidden subjects? All of it is the same. No matter what he does, he will never get out from that guy's shadow of influence. Society will never look well upon him, so why does he have to care what society think?
All of it is for the advancement of the art.
Slowly but surely though question of ethic and moral start plaguing him more and more, he started doing more and more unethical research, but it plagued him night and day. All of it is just for the advancement of magic, he says to himself.
It was to the point of eliminating other teacher from the academy for his advancement of magic.
On one day, he heard of a student who with a single spell almost take down a dragon. It does not concern him with how powerful that is, or how much it may benefit him. In actually the academy profit a lot from that dragon hunt, because even though the dragon escaped, it has casted a transformation magic at least one that let it molted its skin to heal itself completely. That is the entire skin of a powerful dragon that has the rare properties of anti magic. No, Rodriguez did not concern himself at all with the benefits or the gold, what he concerned himself with was the magic.
He has a theory that the magic the boy used to take down the dragon is something completely new. That was enough for him to start thinking. But then his proposal to study the student's magic was completely shut down again by his rival Xandria.
He hated it.
He hated that man.
At this point, Rodriguez was not unfamiliar with mask and dagger business, using the negotiation with the Saraven kingdom as distraction he planned on kidnapping the student for study later on, but somehow the boy got involved with the Saraven's negotiation itself. And then Arthur got involved and thing spiral out of control.
That was when he managed to get into contact with a legendary mercenary who had never failed a contract before, Meldraut. As someone who does not concern himself with money, but the advancement of magic, he did not have the money to hire him. But after Meldraut heard his situation and the involvement with Arthur, he agreed just like that.
He really should not be here.
Rodriguez looks down on the stump that used to be his left arm.
That beast... is a nightmare that come true. He...
He... wants to study it. His bad habit kicks up again, but he really really wants to know how that thing work.
That beast...
Its entire body is like a singular mass, perfectly controlled at all time except for the bone.
It does not have a vital organ like any normal creature, except for maybe the brain.
Its intelligence is more than any beast known.
But more importantly the way the beast caught Rodriguez by surprise. Just remembering that day sent strange emotion down Rodriguez's spine.
It just looked like any normal beast, but then its entire torso split into two. Its entire body is one giant mouth, no biology should allow anything like that to exist, but it does. Every muscles in that thing's body can be controlled, everything can be turned into a mouth if it has bone in that region.
That day Rodriguez's hand was not even anywhere near that thing's mouth. But he brushed over its body, which split into two and snatch his arm. It is a nightmare but he really wants to study it. He really wants to.
For two days, he has nothing to eat, while Meldraut keep the little food he found for himself. The cave they are staying at is cold, but Meldraut says it is a defensible location. The only thing he could do is trust that guy.
Suddenly Meldraut stirs from his location. There are noise from the opening of the cave. Rodriguez peers at the intruder.
It is the same student from days before but something is wrong. His entire body is covered in red, dry blood. In his hand is a sword that is also as red as blood. He stands at the opening of the cave with baleful eyes looking at Rodriguez and Meldraut.
"That sword, giv-" Meldraut suddenly says something, he recognizes that sword in the boy's hand.
"Nah, let's duel boy. I will get that sword off your corpse." Before Rodriguez could even object, the man and the boy lunge at each other. The red of the sword in the boy's hand gleams ominously.
That red sword used to be a black sword.
By the way, if it was not clear enough, the beast is completely fine even after the rain of 1000 needles and the MC. It just decides to fake weakness to gather sympathy from the MC to get away. Otherwise it has completely healed from its wound.
The condition for that beatdown the MC gave it despite its nature is:
1000 Needles ignore defense
The MC hits first
The MC managed to cripple one of its leg at the beginning
The MC managed to spam 1000 Needles after that
If any of that did not line up, he would have ended up fucking dead, and even then after everything the beast is still alive and well. If the MC hasn't continually spam 1000 Needles to waste away the beast's biomass and choose some other method to deal with that thing, he would die. 100 percent. It is a happy incident that make it looks easy. The beast then chose to get away than to stay and risk death, it could have also faked death to do that. As long as there are biomass remaining, it would live.
That morning Arthur wakes up with a horrible premonition. It is the same feeling right before everyone he once knew once upon a time died. It is the feeling that something is about to go wrong.
He takes his sword close to him and stands up. He has to go, something is happening. Maybe from the time the boy picked up that cursed sword, but he knows something is going to happen again. At that moment, a shadow descends on Arthur, causing him to look up in surprise.
He does not know about anything in the last four days, he does not know of any predator or enemies but if anything comes, he will deal with it.
Even though he is wounded, he manages to take a stance and raise the Sword of the Invincible at the sky.
However it turns out it is just the entire head teaching staff of the magical academy.
It is just the entire teaching of the academy...
"What the hell are you guy doing here?" Arthur yells.
All the familiar faces are there, staring back at him, except for a few people who stay behind and the head master who is too old for everything.
"What do you mean man? When you are missing, we mobilize everyone right away. How can we lose one of our dear friend and teacher of the academy?" Xavier says first. The buff man has healed from his wounds from the dragon. His limbs are back to where they are supposed to be.
In fact he was the most vocal about going to find Arthur, because the two men are great friends... well no, but at least the two have a great chemistry at work. Xavier considers Arthur a man among men and Arthur is polite.
Everyone is there, Araea, Xandria, Jasmine, Lucient, Magne, Lustia...
"Fucking fuck. I can't believe one of the teaching staff betray us like that. I'm going to fucking kill him after this." A rude teacher says as the opening word. In fact the man is actually really important and powerful among the teacher. But his personality is just like that. He likes to yell at people.
"Check his wounds Araea." Another teacher says.
"It is just being cut in half. I can easily reconnect two separated part." Araea says.
"'Just' being cut in half my ass. You are fucking amazing Arthur." Another teacher says.
"Yeah." Xavier says bitterly, the last time he tried a heroic last stand, he lost his limbs.
"I can't believe you didn't realize Rodriguez was evil when he came visit you and the prisoners all die the next day Araea."
"How could I know, I did not expect one of the teacher as the perpetrator." She says, offended.
"Where is the student who was supposed to be with you anyway Arthur? The witch from the Chaos magic class is bitching at us for delaying her go away party with the boy not presence. Though I think it is just an excuse for us to go rescue you two."
"...He is out looking for food I think. However we should find him now, I have a bad feeling about this." Not knowing what to say about the sudden presence of his friends, Arthur can only say that.
"...Who are teaching anyway?" Arthur asks suspiciously.
"It is a privilege of the top. Why do I have to work anyway?" The rude teacher says, causing Arthur to rub his brows.
"Let's go." Arthur urges. "Can you locate him?" He asks one of his colleague.
"In a cave, a mile away from here. But something is strange, there are two other person there with him, and something other... Is it a ghost?"
"Let's go now!" Arthur's voice turns serious.
"Why the rush? I can just teleport us all there." The rude teacher leading the party says.
In a moment all of them end up at the cave on the eve of the battle.
On the eve of the battle a strange scene is happening. A man is sword fighting a boy, and the boy is the one who is winning.
The knight has longer reach and better armor, but the boy is more agile and is just better. In everything from skill to fighting prowess and bravery. No the correct word to say is recklessness.
The boy may be winning but only one wrong move and everything will end. The knight is in armor, and can take hit better here and there, but the boy is only bare flesh and clothes. Any straight hit is the end for him. And more importantly he is not using any magic.
"Isn't that the boy from the Chaos magic class with that far hitting magic thing? Shouldn't it end with him using that?" The head teacher asks.
"...No" Arthur says gravely.
I imagine myself fighting the knight in white armor once. It was what I called a revenge fantasy. I wished violence upon him, and I can imagine a million way to harm him. It was immediately after I and teacher Arthur was done in by that guy, so I think a little grudge can be forgiven.
But of all the scenarios I think of, this is not it. I think the knight is manageable. But only if I use all of my advantages to fight him. I have 1000 Needles and all of my spells at my disposal now, if I could use them I think I can handle the guy, even if his armor is some kind of strange magical thing.
But this is not how I imagine doing it.
I am not supposed to be dueling him in melee like what I'm doing right now. I dodge in and out, of the edge of attack with my heart beating in my chest. I am going to fucking die.
My mind is extremely clear now. My mind is not muddled any more. I don't want to hold the sword anymore.
At the same time I am not the one in controlled of my body right now.
Even as I can see, and my nose can smell, and my ears can hear, and my skin can feel the air brushing against it, I am a prisoner to my own body. And what I can feel at this moment is extreme danger and pain.
My sword arm is starting to crack more and more, it is not even blue as I want anymore, but it is black mixed with red.
The final state of the sword, the wielder become prisoner in their own body being wielded by another force. It is accurately to say they who use the sword for power end with the sword using them.
The one who face the knight in white armor is not me anymore. Both of us in the duel can see the real person who is participating in the duel.
It is a knight completely bathed in blood, even his eyes are bloodshot. He is the king in black who was then completely bathed in the blood of the innocent. He takes a defensive stance and my body in the real world ended doing the same thing. Damn it damn it damn it damn it. Let go of me you ancient ghost! I try to scream, but no word come out.
During the duel, a commotion broke out causing Meldraut to look away for a moment, but the king in black didn't let up for even one minute and he charges at Meldraut. I almost scream You maniac, but I can't do anything. The only thing we can do now is to fight to the death.
I may not be able to see what the commotion is, but I can see the face of the partner in crime of Meldraut who is standing near us. And his face is extremely pale.
Soon enough Meldraut's face is extremely pale too like he has seen a ghost, even though he is actually fighting a ghost right now.
"Don't interfere Arthur if you value your student's immortal soul. You know there is only one way this is going to end. Let the duel finish and determine who will wield the sword. The ghost of the past should die." He says under extreme duress even though I am the one who just barely managed to dodge a sword at my torso. No more accurately the black king is the who dodge.
I have many questions. Like what the hell am I doing here? What was I doing in the last two days? I know two days have passed but the memory is just a hazy mess.And more importantly, what the fuck is happening right now?
The black king stabs straight forward with the sword of Nightfall at Meldraut. It is the proof of his superiority in swordsmanship that he has caught Meldraut completely off guard. The sword goes for the knight's neck, but at the last moment it stops. Completely. A barrier is in place, Meldraut's face is in complete concentration.
"Surprise huh? Only the dead stop improving."
And the his sword chops down into my shoulder. The king in black manages to draw back, but the damage is done.
I feel all of it.
MY shoulder is almost detached.
At this rate I am going to die.
That is the fate of all who wield this sword. I am going to die fighting.
Suddenly I hear the voice of teacher Arthur from afar.
"You said if it is detached limbs you can attach it right back right Araea?"
"Yeah?" And the next voice is the voice of teacher Araea. What is she doing here?
"I'm sorry Azul." That is the last thing I hear as the king in black is busy fending off an attack from Meldraut with my injured shoulder. He is really not going to back down until I am dead. He is going to fight with my body until I am dead. To fight to his heart content.
The next moment both of my arms are cut off from the elbow.
"The sword of Charging!" Meldraut curses. But it is drowned out by my scream.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!"
I keep screaming but no one answer me. My tears fall down into my mouth. It is extremely salty.
My entire body feels weak. My breathing start increasing in speed. My mouth starts feeling dry. I look at teacher Arthur. Why, was it really necessary? However I also realize something else. I can move on my own now. Even though it is sudden, I realize what he was doing.
Meldraut comes again, but teacher Arthur kicks him back with superior speed and strength, the other man does not have a chance at all. I know what I have to do. I start running, running away from the battle toward safety. I can see teacher Araea and Xavier and a few others. I run toward them, armless trying to get them to protect me.
In my old world, I use to look through a so called "Most shocking picture compilation". One of the picture in the compilation is a war picture, the notes at the bottom say 'surviving from a bombing run'. The woman in the picture lost both of her arms, it was a recent thing in the picture, and her entire body is burnt horribly, but she still has the strength to run to safety. So this is what it feels like to be in a situation like that.
I stumble, and fall, but a large strong hand catches me.
"It's alright young man. We are here." It was teacher Xavier who looks at me with those deep green eyes of his. I look at him extremely thankful, but the moment is broken by a bloodied object being thrown back to where we are at.
It is one of my arm. The second follows shortly after.
I look at it incredulous. And then I look back at teacher Arthur. Even though it is necessary, that is still more gory than needed.
"Araea I leave it to you." Teacher Arthur suddenly says causing teacher Araea to pick up the hands, causing my stomach to turn. From what I remember this is not the first time she holds a human hand like nothing has happened. The first time I couldn't believe teacher Araea would be used to scattered body part, but then this situation causes me to realize what her duty as a healer does to her.
"Alright, no more hostage. Shouldn't we wrap this up?" One of the teacher suddenly says. He looks young but his voice is old, his eyes are as red as blood and are almost positively gleaming at Meldraut and his accomplice. I agree. Now that I look at it, there are surprisingly a lot of teachers here. The conclusion is already forgone, the end is coming. But how will Meldraut accept this end?
Suddenly teacher Arthur drops the orange sword in his hand, the sword of Charging as I believe it is called and pull out the green and giant sword from his armor. The green sword of Dawn and the sword of the invincible as they are simply called. What is he doing?
"Stay out of this." Suddenly teacher Arthur says. He throws the green sword toward the injured Meldraut.
"And just what do you think you are doing?" The red eyed teacher says exasperated.
"Finishing what I started." He says.
"Are you fucking stupid?" The teacher says blatantly without holding back.
"Please, just this one Julius. This is what I have to do." Teacher Arthur says again.
The red eyed teacher just shakes his head in frustration.
"You are a teacher not a knight anymore. Just what do you think you are doing." He finishes shaking his head and raises his hand. I can feel the whole cave system shaking. The rock above Meldraut's head suddenly move.
"Heh." From the look in Meldraut's eyes he has already accepted his fate. A mercenary values his life above all, but losing one's own life is still a natural thing to a mercenary. It is only that this time he didn't even get pay, all he wanted was to pay a debt to someone he hates.
At the same time my concentration is broken by teacher Araea holding the arms and hover it over my elbow as if for measurement. The black sword has fall out of that dead arm a long time ago. I feel a gentle green light on my elbow, making it not hurt anymore, and it stops bleeding. Teacher Araea still hold the two separated arms in that situation as if nothing happened and continue to measure with her eyes.
I want to say this is not the time for that, but how can I complain. It is literally my arms on the line. Sprinkly cracked arms, but still my arms all the same.
The cave system continues to shake. Suddenly teacher Xavier puts a hand on the red eyed teacher shoulder. He looks at him for a moment.
"You too? I swear all of you are just like children." Suddenly the man says and the cave stops shaking.
"This is just a farce." Meldraut laughs.
"I will intervene whenever I want." The red eyed teacher says.
"But thank to this farce I get the chance to face you again, Arthur." Meldraut says.
"Heal your wounds and let finish this Meldraut." Teacher Arthur says.
The atmosphere is different. Even I could tell, no matter who win or lose, the result is still the same. But the spirit of the two men are as strong as ever. As if it is a battle that can determine everything even though it is not. No matter what happen, Meldraut is not walking out of this.
...But he laughs anyway, he lets go of the grey sword in his hand and takes the green sword. He is an orthodox fighter, even if he could use two swords when needed, he feels more confident with one sword. And in that situation, even if cutting through armor is a good trick, it is not good enough against someone with greater physic like Arthur who is especially on guard. He chooses to heal himself first. And there is one other unknown properties of the green sword of Dawn Meldraut knows of since he was a child.
Ever since he was a child, Arthur taught him swordsmanship with the black king as that time, Laundsallyn. Their mercenary party was collecting the legendary swords for Arthur and Laundsallyn. It is as much for their leaders as well as for fame and profit. Collecting all six legendary swords are a worthy task for the greatest mercenary in the world.
At that time Meldraut was a child, and when they found the Green sword of Dawn, Meldraut was the child who was found along with the sword. The party used the child to pull out the sword, in fact the sword is supposed to belong to Meldraut, not the sword of the Traitor or whatever. It was the kindest blade, but funny how that work. Here he is now, as the villain, holding the sword again, but it was given to him this time.
The green sword is perfect for his hand, just as the sword of the invincible is perfect for Arthur and the sword of Nightfall is perfect for the black king.
He tests the blade one, twice, three slashes. The air is cut, creating a large popping sound to everyone presence.
"Wait why is he suddenly bettter?" A teacher from that goddamn academy says. Of course a sword that fits him have to do this much. Meldraut was alone from the moment he was born, this sword is the most fitting for him. It is fitting for a sword that heal him from any disease or wound. Even if he injured himself by trying too much, the sword covers for him. No matter what happens, this is the perfect sword for him.
But that guy takes that away.
Arthur looks back at him with pity, at him like he was remembering a child playing with his blade once upon a time. Meldraut hates that. That guy should be filled with guilt. Be guilty for what happen to me, damn it. Is what in Meldraut's mind.
That year the black blade of Laundsallyn was not always a cursed sword, but it was still a quite demanding sword. It destroyed the body of its user in exchange for power. Arthur started arguing with Laundsallyn over his usage of the blade, how it may affect him. But Laundsallyn did not listen, and they started having a rift.
It was worse when the black king and Arthur starts fighting over one single woman, a flighty woman who said she loves them both, but what man can accept that. And then they fight, again and again, even though they were friends. Duels after duels, some Arthur won, some the black king won. And then duels escalate to full scale conflict, Arthur pushed the black king to use more and more power from the black blade, destroying his body.
The woman took pity on Laundsallyn and took care of him on his bed and then got into his bed too, the next time Arthur found them, he throw a fit causing a battle to initiate with the black king killing most of the people in the mercenary party. If the black sword sacrifice your body for power, then in that moment, the black king must have sacrificed something in his brain.
Meldraut's family, all that he know of died because two men's fight over a woman.
The woman was of high born, from a family with a tradition of looking over the legendary swords. It was rumored that the one who possessed her will possess the world. It was her that iniate the quest for the sword which the black king and Arthur undertake.
Because of her everything Meldraut know died. His family died. Arthur and the black king too, they are also at fault.
After that event, the black king was the one who won. Became the woman's husband and the king of the kingdom. He was still mad as always, but the woman took care of him while Arthur accepted his bitter defeat like the weakling that he is.
Come on, that man is the one who killed our family.
The young Meldraut screams at him.
He killed our family.
But Arthur was weak, so the young Meldraut took thing into his own hands. He was 14 then. If the woman is the cause of sin and the one who possessed her will possess the world, then he was the last one who possessed her. Meldraut took the woman while the black king was high upon his own madness, and then he took her. Again and again and again, and the last time he used his sword.
The black king was already mad, but that horrible scene was the tipping point. He couldn't take it anymore, and became a monster who kill everything in his sight. His kingdom, his citizen became cattles to the slaughter. It was easy to trap a mad man, and killed him, no matter how freakishly strong he was at the end.
That was it, the last remnant of his family died.
Before he died the black king had a moment of clarity, and he cursed him. The father figure Meldraut always relied on cursed him before he died.
His kingdom did not last after that horrible massacre.
That was the origin of the black sword as it is now.
After that Arthur became his enemy. The man started another mercenary band, but it was always at odd with Meldraut. Meldraut hated that man. And that man couldn't forgive him after what happened to the last kingdom. The man kept losing to Meldraut though, as Meldraut grow up. The man lost the sword of the Traitor, and then his most powerful sword, the sword of Charging itself. The man kept losing. And then next thing he knows, that old shitter gave up after all the blood on his hands. Retirement.
How could he retire?
The man responsible for the destruction of Meldraut's family.
Meldraut's last family member.
Everything ends today. No matter what happens, he will die. But he will show that old coward one last time, he is superior.
And his last family member will died.
This is the end of everything after all those years.
Two men fight, but the result remain the same no matter what happens.
I pick up the backpack I have prepared. Food, clothes and other necessities. A tooth brush too because I'm afraid of cavity.
On my head is a magical hat prepared for me to deal with my magic power problem. After the ordeal, it took weeks but teacher Arthur finally snapped back from his depressive mood and took me to the head master.
I did not expect the head master to not actually be the original head master in historical book, but actually a friend of the original founder. I also did not expect him to actually be Nora Ambrosia, the writer of Sin Nora. And he was a he, not a she likes in the book.
... Don't tell me that love triangle drama is the actual truth of how the academy was founded?
After that the homely old man crafted me a wizard hat.
...that give me magic power even though all the books I read and all the sources I asked said it is impossible. And the old man insists that it has to be a wizard hat and scuttle me off his nap time.
I don't understand but it works in kinda maybe way. I'm not sure.
After that I was ready. I waited until the day after sister Amedelia's going away party. I can still heard her said in my ears.
"I made it." She was so happy at that time.
...and then she started explaining that because with all the money it is dangerous for her as a single woman, so she is going to use the Saraven's king as protection for her interests and how she is going to get every dimes out of him. I kinda tune it out because I feel sister Amedelia has already corrupted me enough ha ha...
I am worry about sister Amedelia's marriage.
Then I said goodbye to each of my friends.
Every day after the dragon and the journey into the woods, I can feel my mortality. It's absurd, I'm a 17 young man, why am I accepting of the fact that I'm going to die one day?
But that is just how it is. I want to live a life that has no regrets. I want to go to the four corners of the world.
The current class president was waiting for me in front of the dorm of the Chaos Magic class. Matthias is a worry wart as always. I feel bad about drifting away from him during all of those events, though I know that Matthias as a person is going to live his life happily without being exposed to such turbulent event. The most traumatic event he experienced is probably going to be taking care of me while I was (temporarily) armless. Teacher Araea was a miracle worker to attach it right back. But the damage is done to poor Matthias though.
Gaben is also with Matthias when I walk out.
"So you really are going? First sister Amedelia and then you, the known weirdo of the class." Gaben jokes with me, though at that time Matthias is serious.
"Be careful when you travel. I have contacted a merchant guild that can be of service, when you get to the Magisery city, contact them."
"All of those events happening in that short amount of time, no wonder you change. I guess I can't call you the most sheltered student anymore."
"Who are you calling sheltered and weird huh? Huh huh?"
I fight the rascal for a bit before getting serious.
"I guess this is goodbye." I wave at them. It is not as if we are never going to meet again.
It is said that there are ocean of lavas and giant subterranean caves human has not explored around the world. There are man-eating wild beast and terrifying dragon immune to all magic. It is said that there are good and bad human. And that wizard reigns on top of the food chain.
It is a wide world out there for me.
Can me have book 1 split into chapters? My browser just crashed half way through it ):
I was wondering why my entire computer was lagging for a moment. It turns out to be the copy paste