[Heavy Slash] was a beginner’s Combat Art for swordsmen. Most swordsmen in the world learned this Art, but its strength varied from person to person.
Viewed through the lens of a Rank 6 adventurer, Eve’s [Heavy Slash] was about upper-mid tier.
(She has talent… if so, what did they mean when they said she was useless?)
While holding doubts about what the arrogant guy had said, I stepped back just a bit and brought my sheathed blade to my left flank. Rather than grabbing the sheath with my left hand, I just rested it there, imitating an Iai draw in form alone.
“Sei!”
Simultaneously with my footwork, I drew the blade.
…Or not, since I couldn’t, so I swung the blade through while still in its sheath.
The blade’s beginner Combat Art, [Iai Draw]. That strike landed directly on Eve’s stomach.
“Guh!”
Swinging through with raw power, Eve let out a voice of agony as her weight shifted forward. Eventually, she fell to her knees and dropped her sword.
Checking on Eve’s condition, I relaxed my stance and rested the blade on my shoulder. Tapping the blade playfully against my shoulder, I called out to my crouching student.
“That wasn’t half bad. You’ve got better aptitude than I thought. Your striking form with the sword looked the part, and your Combat Art packed decent power. For a Rank 6 adventurer, you did great. Acting alone often and avoiding injury… well, part of it might be good luck, but it’s also because you have a decent amount of real skill.”
“Haa… Haa… Thank… you very much… Fuuu…”
Exhaling deeply, Eve fixed her posture. She then sheathed her sword and bowed her head.
(…I hit her pretty hard, but she’s recovered already?)
That [Iai Draw] strike should have landed cleanly, but it seems her physical durability is pretty high as well.
Did I pull a really good jackpot here?
On the other hand, just as I was wondering about the gap—why she was evaluated as useless when she could fight this well…
“Um… may I ask a question?”
“Hm?”
“Sensei, you used a Combat Art at the very end. But um… it felt different from the ones I know…”
“Yeah, obviously. Also, stop shouting the name of your Combat Arts every single time. When you’re fighting, intelligent opponents will see right through you, and sometimes you have to ambush monsters. If you shout it out loud then, you’ll give yourself away, won’t you?”
More importantly, isn’t shouting the name of your moves a little lame? Personally, that’s what I think.
If it’s short, it’s manageable, but if it’s long, it totally ruins the vibe. I wouldn’t want to shout something like “[Super! Meteor Slash!]”. Well, not that a Combat Art like that exists anyway.
While I was thinking about such ridiculous things, Eve shook her head side to side.
“I-I’m sorry, I’ll be careful about that from now on. …B-But what I wanted to ask was about your Combat Art itself, Sensei. I’ve seen the [Iai Draw] Combat Art a few times before, but um… how do I say this, it was a little different.”
“Well, yeah, a normal [Iai Draw] is a Combat Art that includes pulling the blade out of its sheath, after all.”
“Ah… that’s right. Every blade user I’ve seen up until now drew from the sheath to slash. And yet, while your movements were exactly the same, Sensei, you didn’t draw from the sheath.”
“If I drew it, I’d slice you open, wouldn’t I… More importantly, for you to notice that after just one time, you’ve got good intuition too.”
“Thank… you?”
Since she didn’t understand why she was being praised, it seemed Eve herself hadn’t realized it, but between her body mechanics and her eyes, she was already displaying several talents you’d want in an adventurer.
“Oops, got off track. That sense of incongruity is because what I just did is a little different from the [Iai Draw] you’ve seen up to now.”
“Diffe…rent?”
At Eve, who tilted her head, I smiled fearlessly.
“Yeah. Then I’ll teach you right now. About Combat Arts.”
I pointed to the wooden bench set up behind the classroom, moved over, and sat down on it with Eve.
She seemed to have fully recovered from the [Iai Draw] strike, and her face looked completely fine as if nothing had happened.
“To begin with, you know what a Combat Art is, right?”
“…They are techniques that turn the tide of battle in your favor… right.”
“Right, right. Well, to put it simply, they’re like skills… ah, what should I call it, fixed moves? Something like that. If you consciously think in your head to use [Heavy Slash], the [Heavy Slash] Combat Art comes out. You with me so far?”
“Yes.”
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As I explained the Combat Arts unique to this world, Eve nodded, seemingly already knowing to some extent.
She’s been active as an adventurer for eight months, and if her aptitude is as a swordswoman, there’s no way she wouldn’t know.
“Like I said earlier, saying it out loud is a good method at first. Makes it easier to be conscious of it. Well, it’s better not to say it once you get used to it. …However, the true essence isn’t there.”
“It’s not there?”
“Hey, when you use [Heavy Slash], for example, your body moves on its own, right? Same goes for other Combat Arts.”
“Yes, of course. I thought Combat Arts were things anyone could use once they acquired them…”
What Eve had just recited was also written in the manual handed out to novices at the guild.
Combat Arts could be used by anyone who acquired them, activating automatically like skills in a game, moving your body on its own to attack. However, there is one question.
“Then, those Combat Art movements that anyone can do… whose movements are they in the first place?”
“…Eh? Whose…?”
Her eyes went wide in confusion, perhaps because it was something she had never even considered.
“I mean, think about it, right? If you use a Combat Art, your body moves on its own and performs the motions for [Heavy Slash] or [Iai Draw]. In that case, there must be an original person whose movements serve as the basis for that Combat Art. Who is it? Some strong warrior who existed in the distant past? Or maybe a god? Or maybe someone far, far away?”
Eve couldn’t answer my question, but that didn’t matter. What I wanted wasn’t an answer. It was a realization.
“It doesn’t matter who it is, but either way, it’s not us. Suppose I use the [Iai Draw] Combat Art; I’m not the one doing those movements, I’m just tracing… ah, copying the movements of some unknown someone.”
“I… see. I’ve never even thought about it. Now that you mention it, certainly…”
Of course she hadn’t. Even I wouldn’t have noticed if I didn’t have the goal of surpassing my limits.
Listening to my words, Eve made a face like scales had fallen from her eyes.
Her eyes as she looked at me seemed to change slightly.
The curious gaze she had when we met at the guild. An even stronger version of it poured onto me.
However, after nodding several times and saying “I understand,” Eve tilted her head and went, “Huh?”
“I understand about the Combat Arts, but… then what… happens next?”
“The problem with Combat Arts is just as I talked about. So, from here on, I’ll teach you another interesting thing about Combat Arts. Like I said earlier, if you mentally will yourself to use [Heavy Slash], the [Heavy Slash] Combat Art activates. But this… can work in reverse, too.”
“Reverse… you say?”
Hearing Eve’s unconvinced voice, I stood up from the bench and picked up a wooden practice sword.
I swung it up at an angle that was [suited to me].
“Yeah. You physically recreate the exact same movements as [Heavy Slash]. If you do that, it becomes [Heavy Slash]. You don’t consciously activate the Combat Art; you recreate the movement and turn it into a Combat Art. By doing this, it doesn’t become the [Heavy Slash] of some unknown person from who knows where, it becomes our [Heavy Slash].”
I swung it down with a degree of force, speed, and sharpness that was [suited to me].
Releasing a faint glow, the wooden sword cleaved through the air, and a gust of wind brushed past Eve’s side.
“This is a [Heavy Slash] optimized for me.”
“…………”
This must be what they call being left speechless.
Eve just sat there perfectly still, unable to tear her eyes away from the scene that just unfolded. The color of curiosity was definitely present in her eyes.
“Of course, the higher-tier the Combat Art is, the harder it is to recreate. But if you can use a Combat Art, you can absolutely recreate it with your own movements. It’s just the direction of the arrow that’s different. If the transmission can go from the Combat Art to your body, then it can also go from your body to the Combat Art.”
When I explained the mechanics of this world, Eve stared at me intently.
It wasn’t the kind of gaze she had up until now, trying to gauge my mood or behavior. It was the kind of gaze a child has when their eyes sparkle with wonder.
“…Amazing.”
Her voice of admiration reached my ears.
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