Chapter 6 I Named It 'Black Radiance'
――It's been 9 years since I quit the ≪Sword of Glory≫.
This year, I, myself, started making wooden swords.
I thought it would be easy, since all you have to do is carve a piece of wood into a sword shape.
If I can make my own wooden sword, I won't have to waste time and money buying a new one when it breaks.
So, while working as an explorer, I started down the path of becoming a wooden sword craftsman.
However, making wooden swords turned out to be much harder than I thought.
It wasn't just a matter of carving a piece of wood into a sword shape, like I had thought.
First and foremost, the right material.
If I don't choose a hard, sturdy wood, the sword will break easily. Even if I'm just swinging it around, it'll crack and break.
I can't just use any old wood.
Next, there's the center of gravity.
Since a sword has a specific shape, it needs to be balanced so it's easy to handle. It's hard for an amateur to achieve the perfect balance. I need skilled technique.
And then there's the grip.
The way the handle fits in my hand is crucial. If the grip is bad, the sword will slip out of my hand while I'm using it. No matter how good the material is, it's useless if the grip is bad.
When I combine all these elements and carve them just right, that's when I can call it a true wooden sword.
Usually, wooden swords are used for training, and not many people use them as actual weapons. But that's a misconception.
A wooden sword can be a powerful weapon.
If you're hit on the head with a well-made wooden sword, your skull will shatter, and you'll die.
Depending on how you use it, a wooden sword can be a deadly weapon.
I might not have fully understood that until now.
Aside from its practical uses, the art of wooden sword-making is deep.
A craftsman's wooden sword is a work of art.
The blade has intricate carvings, and even the scabbard is beautifully decorated, albeit simply.
Depending on the materials used, high-quality wooden swords can sell for a higher price than even mediocre metal swords, and wooden sword enthusiasts, known as "wooden sword maniacs," are said to number around 5,000 in the city of Necronia, which has a population of one million (according to the monthly magazine "Wooden Sword Way").
As I delved deeper into this world, I realized that it was much more profound than I had initially thought.
I, who had initially struggled to create wooden swords due to my shallow understanding, began to improve gradually as I changed my way of thinking.
It turned out that, although I didn't have any talent in Jobs, I was blessed with talent as a wooden sword craftsman.
I was able to effortlessly shape any wood into whatever form I desired, unlike other craftsmen who struggled with it.
――Why was that?
Are you curious about the answer?
Well, I'll tell you.
It's because I had [Slash].
By wrapping [Slash] around my fingertips, I could vibrate my aura at high speed and manipulate the wood to my heart's content.
I decided to call this technique [Hand of Meister].
With [Hand of Meister], I could shape even the hardest wood into whatever form I wanted, just like molding clay.
I could also carve intricate designs using [Hand of Meister]. By sharpening the tip of my aura like a needle, I could achieve carvings that other craftsmen couldn't.
As a craftsman, I quickly gained recognition in the world of wooden sword craftsmanship.
My masterpiece was a black wooden sword, "Black Radiance," which I created from the rare drop material "Elder Treant's Core Wood," left behind by the 15th-floor guardian Elder Treant.
I myself use this "Black Radiance" in the labyrinth.
Using "Black Radiance" doesn't necessarily increase my combat ability, but the "Black Radiance Series" I sold to others quickly became a hot topic among wooden sword enthusiasts.
After all, "Eldar Treant's Core Wood" is extremely hard, and ordinary tools can't even scratch it. Many wooden sword craftsmen take months, sometimes even years, to shape it, and they don't have the energy to add decorations to it.
But, as a craftsman who made the impossible possible, I attracted attention from all directions.
And then, a new nickname was given to me.
――"Wood Sword Meister"
As a wood sword craftsman, I had been steadily building my career....
If I was drinking cheap liquor at the tavern as usual, I would be approached by wood sword enthusiasts who noticed me.
"Master!? Aren't you Master Aaron!?"
"What? No way? Seriously? The Wood Sword Master himself!?"
"Wait, wait! This is too much! I'm seriously too excited!!"
"Uh, can I get your autograph too!?"
"Hmph... Fine. Just line up in order."
I smiled and nodded at the wood sword mania, or rather, the fans of this "Wood Sword Meister," and signed autographs for everyone.
However, as a wood sword craftsman, my face had become too well-known, and there were few people who knew me as an explorer, which was a rather unfortunate story.
* * *
Anyway.
This year, I broke through the desert layer that expanded from the 16th floor and challenged the guardian of the 20th floor.
The location was still the endless desert, with sand dunes that stretched out like waves as far as the eye could see. The temperature was extremely high, and just walking would drain your physical strength in this harsh environment.
My opponent was a massive creature with the body of a lion, the wings of a bat, and the tail of a scorpion, standing over 2 meters tall (≈6.6 feet) and more than twice that in length, over 4 meters long (≈13.1 feet).
It was a chimera-type monster, with multiple creatures merged together, and what stood out the most was its grotesque, wrinkled face like an old man's.
A human-like face with a cruel grin peeked out from the lion's mane.
――Manticore.
That was the guardian's name.
"Hehehehe! It's rare for a human to come alone. Well, well! I'll eat your flesh then!"
While it's not rare for monsters to speak human language in the deep layers, this was the first time I saw it happen.
However, since my opponent was filled with killing intent, I didn't feel like we could have a conversation, even if we shared a language.
I drew my self-made wooden sword, Black Radiance, from its scabbard and took a slight stance, ready for battle.
The Manticore's robust body allowed it to excel in close combat, and its venomous stinger was a deadly threat. Even if one managed to survive the initial attack, the poison would be too potent for any ordinary antidote to cure. One'd need to return to the surface and receive treatment from a skilled healer, but by then, it would be too late. For most explorers, getting hit by the Manticore's stinger was a guaranteed death sentence.
However, the most dangerous thing about the Manticore wasn't its venomous stinger.
As a creature with a human-like face, the Manticore possessed high intelligence and was renowned for its mastery of diverse magic.
In particular, it excelled at a complex magic that combined wind and earth elements, known as Sand Dust magic.
"Bury yourself! Ku-ku-ku-ku-kekeke!"
The Manticore unleashed its magic.
From the very start, there was no room for complacency; its magic was overwhelmingly powerful.
The ground between us began to churn, and in the next instant, a massive wave of sand, like a giant tsunami, came crashing down on me.
Sand Dust magic――[Sand Flood]
A massive wall of sand, like a tidal wave, assaulted me from the front.
While it was possible to avoid it by jumping into the air, I chose not to.
Instead, I swung my wooden sword, its blade pointing downwards, with all my might.
A massive aura, like a blade, burst forth along the trajectory of my sword.
My unique sword technique, [Flying Blade], [Giant Blade]――combined technique, [Flying Giant Blade]
The massive blade flew forward, cutting through the wave of sand like a hot knife through butter.
I leaped into the resulting crevice, escaping the threat of the [Sand Flood].
As I emerged on the other side of the sand tsunami, however, the Manticore was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly, a shadow blocked out the sunlight.
Above.
The Manticore swooped down from above, its sharp claws swiping at me. Next, it used its massive body to conceal itself, and then struck with its venomous stinger from a blind spot.
I wrapped my wooden sword with [Aura Blade], deflecting and defending against the attacks.
"Heh-heh-heh! You think you can defend against my surprise attack? I'll give you credit for that! But, ah-ah-ah!"
The Manticore flapped its massive bat-like wings, soaring back into the air.
This was why I didn't try to jump away from the sand tsunami. The Manticore possessed the ability to fly freely, and the air was its territory.
If I had tried to jump away carelessly, I would have been caught off guard and become its prey in an instant.
But.
"As long as you're in the desert, you have no place to escape!"
Magical energy is released from Manticore.
The location is right beneath my feet. The released magical energy instantly converts into magic.
Sand Dust magic――[Sand Blast]
The sand beneath my feet explodes.
The force of the sandstorm is so intense that it turns each tiny particle into a deadly weapon, capable of reducing a human body to a bloody mist in an instant.
"Wha...? What's going on...?"
I can't see Manticore's figure from here.
However, I can faintly hear its bewildered voice.
The reason is that the amount of sand exploding from the ground is far more than I expected.
My unique sword technique――[Blast Blade]
The technique of exploding aura is something I've already mastered with [Instant Step] and [Air Step].
This is a technique that releases it in the shape of a blade.
I released [Blast Blade] from the wooden sword I thrust into the ground just before the sand exploded beneath my feet.
The blade released into the ground exploded, canceling out the power of [Sand Blast].
However, since it was an explosion beneath my feet, the force of the sandstorm actually increased around me.
And so, the massive amount of sand that exploded, far exceeding Manticore's expectations, covered my figure from its sight――in that instant, I jumped.
――[Instant Step]
I release aura from the soles of my feet and explode.
The recoil from that sends me flying high into the air, and Manticore notices me only after I've already closed in on it.
"――What the...!? When did you...?"
It was already too late.
"Then..."
I slash the wooden sword in mid-air.
This is a sword technique that boasts the highest power among those I can use, specializing in slashing enemies with an extremely fast and highly condensed aura blade.
My unique sword technique――[Flash Blade]
"No, way..."
Manticore, easily cut in 2, falls to the ground with a shocked expression.
I, too, fall to the ground, slowing down my descent with aura released from the soles of my feet, and land safely. As I sheathe my wooden sword, I mutter with a hint of embarrassment.
Naming it [Flash Blade] is nice and all, but to be honest, this is just...
"It's just a [Slash] after all."
Continuing to use [Slash] has made my [Slash] incredibly powerful.
I've become able to control my aura on my own, but thanks to my skill mastery, it turns out that using [Slash] is the most effective way to build up my aura's power.
In other words, it's like a [Slash] with a bit of spirit poured into it, which is what they call [Flash Blade].
Well, anyway.
This means I've broken through to the 20th floor.
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