Chapter 10 Entangled With A Bad Explorer
For example, just because an explorer can reach the 36th floor of the labyrinth, it doesn't mean they always go to the 36th floor.
The labyrinth has various resources, such as magic stones and monster drops, and the demand for them is diverse.
Of course, the resources found in deeper floors are more valuable, but considering efficiency, sometimes the resources found in shallower floors are better, and this can change.
In short, if the explorer guild has a request for a specific material, even if it's from a shallower floor, it's better to deliver it because it'll earn more money.
As a solo explorer, I also take on such requests.
That's why, on that day, I made a rare appearance at the guild in the morning.
I carefully examined the request boards on the lobby walls, searching for the most lucrative requests.
However, the morning guild was like a battlefield.
A large crowd of explorers gathered in the spacious lobby, all vying for the best requests.
At first, I was part of that crowd, but soon I reached my limit and distanced myself from the request board.
I may look like this, but I'm actually not good with crowds. I'm a bit delicate.
I lost the energy to push through the crowd. Maybe coming in the morning was a mistake. Lion's been telling me to take on requests, so I came at this time, but next time I'll come later. Or maybe I shouldn't have listened to him in the first place. As I was thinking this, I got entangled with a bad explorer.
"Hey, you, lend me your face for a sec."
"......"
I gave her a sharp, annoyed glance.
"What's with that face?"
But she didn't seem to care at all. In fact, she looked like she was enjoying herself.
"What's with you, suddenly?"
"Don't call me 'you (omae)' ."
I said with a sigh, and she kicked my foot in response.
So, I had no choice but to respond politely.
"...Dear Sword Dance Maiden, do you need something?"
"Don't call me Sword Dance Maiden. And what's with that way of talking? It's really annoying."
What's with this girl...what am I supposed to do?
I asked her directly, feeling a bit irritated.
"What's up, Fiona? What do you want?"
The one standing there, looking displeased, was none other than Sword Dance Maiden Fiona Ackerman.
I let out a deep sigh and asked her what she wanted, but she just scowled at me with her beautiful face.
"I'm going to the training grounds, got it?"
"......"
Fiona pointed to the stairs at the edge of the lobby with her chin and walked away, her back to me.
I didn't understand what was going on, so I didn't follow her.
Then, she realized I wasn't following her and came back, her footsteps loud and angry.
"Why didn't you follow me?!"
I thought to myself, why would I follow her anyway?
"Hey, hey, spare me the drama so early in the morning...I was thinking of taking on a request today. Can't it wait till tomorrow?"
"It has to be today!!"
"Huh?"
"Ahh..."
I looked at Fiona, who was trying to hide her face, and she quickly turned away.
"Hey, what's going on? Is something wrong?"
"...No, nothing's wrong. Let's just go already!"
It was clear that something was up, but...
I stared at her, but she didn't seem like she was going to answer.
I knew what she was going to do. From the way she wasn't explaining, it seemed like it was going to be one of those things...like a mock battle or something.
There was no benefit for me to go along with her, but it was a fact that I would brag about her master (me) to the ladies at the tavern. I didn't mind going along with her sometimes, but today seemed different, and that was annoying.
"Hmph!"
"Ah, hey!"
But before I could say anything, Fiona grabbed my arm and started pulling me.
As a Basic Job, I couldn't match Unique Job Fiona's physical abilities. I had no choice but to be dragged to the training grounds beneath the guild.
* * *
Necronia Explorer Guild, Underground Training Arena.
The training arena beneath the guild, which was unexpectedly vast, was reinforced with magic tools to withstand even the strongest explorers with combat Jobs. The ceiling was also equipped with magical lighting, providing a bright and constant illumination, unaffected by time or weather.
In the center of this arena, Fiona and I faced each other.
At the edges of the arena, a crowd of explorers had gathered, placing bets and cheering.
Fiona, who had awakened to the Sword Dance Maiden Job, was an extremely eye-catching presence, both in terms of her appearance and abilities. It was only natural that people would gather to watch her engage in a mock battle.
As a result, this situation had become quite familiar to me. I had almost given up, you could say.
"Today, I'll finally take you down!"
"......"
Fiona, wielding 2 swords, declared with a fierce expression.
Although this was supposed to be a mock battle, Fiona was dead serious, while I was using a wooden sword. I had grown so used to this situation that I couldn't help but think something was wrong.
By the way, saying "I'll take you down" in a mock battle was a bit off, don't you think?
I let out a sigh and drew my wooden sword, Black Radiance, from its scabbard, holding it limply in my right hand.
Incidentally, Black Radiance looked like a black, glossy metal sword, and most people who didn't know it was a wooden sword wouldn't be able to tell. It was also incredibly durable, surpassing the strength of regular wood.
"Well, let's just get this over with."
It was just another routine battle, so I'd just go through the motions and end it quickly.
Fiona, however, was furious at my nonchalant attitude. She had a short temper.
"――!! You think you're always stronger than me, don't you?!"
But, as expected, she didn't lose her cool in battle.
If she had let her anger get the better of her and closed the distance, the mock battle would have ended quickly, but instead, she maintained her distance and circulated aura throughout her body.
Sword Technique――[Sword Dance]
The "Sword Dance Maiden" unique job skill allows her to increase the power of her sword attacks with every swing.
This "with every swing" doesn't require her to actually hit her enemy. Just swinging her sword is enough to gradually increase her attack power.
In other words, even if she's just performing a sword dance on the spot, the effects of [Sword Dance] will still stack up.
As I watched Fiona swing her swords left and right, performing a dance-like sword dance, I swung my sword and unleashed an aura blade.
My unique sword technique――[Flying Blade]
Fiona, who was also dancing while swinging her swords, unleashed an aura slash.
Sword Technique――[Flying Slash]
While my [Flying Blade] was a single attack, Fiona's [Flying Slash] was a rapid 4-hit combo.
But, to begin with, the amount and quality of aura I had, as well as my technique, were different. My [Flying Blade] could easily cut through [Flying Slash] and even reach Fiona herself, dealing massive damage. That's why, until now, she would always interrupt her dance to dodge...
"Oh!?"
[Flying Blade] was neutralized before it could reach Fiona.
The reason was clear. Fiona's [Flying Slash] technique had clearly improved.
"It's different from before!!"
"Looks like it."
Today's Fiona seemed to have a different aura about her. For some reason, I could sense a strong determination to take my life. ...Wait, wasn't this just a mock battle?
"――Shh!!"
Fiona didn't hesitate, swinging her sword and unleashing 4 more [Flying Slash] attacks.
"This is bad."
The effects of [Sword Dance] were also in play, making each of her attacks stronger than before. I probably wouldn't be able to counter it with [Flying Blade] anymore.
So, I poured a bit more magical energy into my sword and swung it horizontally.
My unique sword technique, [Heavy Blade], [Flying Blade]――combined technique [Heavy Flying Blade]
[Heavy Flying Blade] is far surpassed by the power of this single strike.
However, to my surprise, the 4 [Flying Slashes] cancelled out [Heavy Flying Blade].
"Whoa, is this for real?!"
The power boost from [Sword Dance] exceeded my expectations. Maybe [Sword Dance] becomes even more effective when mastered?
That would be ridiculously unfair. The skills of Unique Jobs are too overpowered.
[Sword Dance] is a skill that can't be imitated, no matter how hard I try.
"Don't be surprised yet!!"
Fiona seemed confident that she could cancel out [Heavy Flying Blade] and had already unleashed her next skill.
Sword Technique――[Dancing Aura Sword]
As she danced, the twin swords she wielded drew out a massive aura from the void, taking the shape of a sword and flying out one after another.
The aura swords that appeared numbered over several dozen. They seemed to have a will of their own, gliding through the air and surrounding me in a circular formation.
This skill is an upgraded version of [Aura Sword Rain], which I used as a reference to create [Continuous Blade].
[Aura Sword Rain] simply rains down countless aura swords from above, but [Dancing Aura Sword] is even more refined. The aura swords surrounding me are controlled by Fiona's will, attacking me from all directions at once.
If I wanted to dodge, I could use [Instant] to move at high speed and deflect some of them with [Aura Blade] to escape the encirclement.
But that would be too boring. It's the same old thing.
As Fiona's self-proclaimed master, I should do something worthy of a master here.
So, I decided to pour magical energy into my sword――without assuming a stance, I stood tall, ready to face her.
"Die!!"
"No, that line is all wrong."
Fiona shouted a provocative line, and countless aura swords came charging at me all at once.
Just before that, the aura I released from my sword took the shape of 2 swords and flew out into the air.
"――――!?"
The next instant, a flash of light darted through the countless aura swords.
Before they could pierce my body, all the aura swords shattered with a loud, glass-shattering sound. As Fiona's eyes widened in shock, the fragments of aura danced in the air, and the 2 aura swords reappeared, slowly returning to my side.
My unique sword technique――[Flying Control Sword]
"Wh-what the...!? ."
"What do you mean 'what'? I just did the same thing, didn't I?"
To put it simply, [Flying Control Sword] is an imitation of [Dancing Aura Sword]. It's a sword technique that creates swords out of aura and manipulates them. I used [Flying Control Sword] to cut down and shatter the aura swords Fiona released.
I only have 2, but the amount of aura packed into each one is greater, and since there are fewer, they're easier to control.
"If you increase the number, the complex movements will be impossible, and it'll only slow you down. Isn't it better to practice with just 2 or so at first?"
Even if you create a large number of aura swords, you're still the one controlling them. If you decide on a set movement from the start, that's fine, but you can't freely manipulate dozens of swords to create complex trajectories. As a result, the movement of the controlled swords will slow down.
Even if your skill level is low, the amount of magical energy you can pack into your sword determines how many aura swords you can create.
When I tried it out, it seemed that with just 2 swords, similar to my own arms, I could move them pretty quickly. Maybe if I get used to it, I can increase the number and still control them just as well. But that's a whole different story in the world of Talent.
Well, it's not my usual style, so I don't use it normally, but I decided to try it out to show her its weaknesses.
"Ku... don't get too cocky!! ."
Fiona said, even as she reactivated [Dancing Aura Sword] and created 2 new swords.
She floated them beside her, and this time, she charged straight at me.
"As usual, this girl's not honest at all."
Looks like she thinks she's got enough power-up from [Sword Dance] to boost her swordsmanship. From now on, she's probably looking for a close-quarters battle.
"No choice, I'll play along then."
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