Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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The moment I stepped into the Swordsmanship Guild with a bold attitude, I had no choice but to stop.

Setting aside the dreadful smell of oil and metal, it was the size of the people walking around that forced me to shrink back.

Seeing the enormous shadows swaying left and right, I instinctively felt smaller.

On top of that, the sheer number of eyes staring at me was overwhelming; everyone had frozen in place, just watching me.

In such a pressure-filled atmosphere, how many people could move comfortably?

I took a calming breath and approached what seemed to be the reception desk.

The employee handling the reception here had a somewhat friendly appearance.

A woman with long hair tied back, wearing glasses.

A long scar was etched across her face.

Was there some unwritten rule that all swordsmen should bear scars on their faces?

Thinking about this, I stared at her face for quite a while.

She tilted her head and asked me, “What brings you here?”

“I, uh, want to become a swordsman.”

“Ah?”

She began to survey me up and down.

I swallowed hard, waiting for her next response.

The woman placed a piece of white paper on the table and picked up a pen.

And right after that, a barrage of questions started flying my way.

“Have you ever trained in swordsmanship?”

“Yes.”

“What style of swordsmanship?”

“St, style?”

“Don’t you know the name of the swordsmanship or the name of the master who taught you?”

I swallowed dryly and nodded. The swordsmanship I learned from the gatekeeper had no name.

Naturally, I didn’t know the master’s name either.

I thought if I realized it was important, I would at least remember the name.

“I see. Then how long did you train?”

“Uh, maybe around five months…?”

“What’s your name?”

Here, I hesitated for a moment. The name I originally used, Emily, was off-limits.

I needed to use a completely different name to evade my family’s pursuit.

“Se, Seris.”

“Your name is Seris… What’s your family name?”

“I don’t have one.”

She nodded at my answer while jotting something down.

She continued with her questions.

“Do you have any experience in hunting monsters?”

“One wolf…?”

“Oh…”

She inserted a strange interjection into my response.

Her gaze turned to the wolf pelt hood I was wearing.

She looked at the distinct wolf head that was still intact.

I nodded and slightly shook the wolf’s head.

“I see you caught it on your way here?”

“How did you know?”

“That pelt isn’t tanned.”

So, she could tell that much.

I nodded with the wolf’s head in my arms.

“A beginner swordsman of five months. Given your young age and small physique, you lose points… but the experience in hunting monsters gives you extra points…”

The woman began to score based on what she had written down.

There seemed to be a special scoring method unique to the Swordsmanship Guild.

Her hands moved seamlessly. I couldn’t see what she was checking since even on tiptoes I couldn’t see over the reception desk.

“Oh, do you happen to have the registration fee? I didn’t ask that.”

“How much is the registration fee?”

“Five silver coins minimum.”

Since I had heard about the registration fee from Mary, I wasn’t flustered.

I pulled five silver coins from my leather pouch and placed them on the reception desk.

Considering that the lodging fee at the inn with meals was two silver a day, the registration fee seemed quite pricey.

Then again, it recalled how I had paid one silver for dyeing.

“Here.”

The woman handed me a piece of paper cut in half.

Written on it was the rank I was to receive as a swordsman.

[Iron]

I didn’t know how many types of ranks could be recognized by the Swordsmanship Guild, but I guessed this was the lowest rank.

Well, what does it matter? The woman guided me to the second floor.

“Go up to the second floor and look for the examiner. You won’t get confused; he’s a bald, mean-looking guy.”

“Will I get my rank badge there?”

“Show your swordsmanship a few times.”

The woman’s voice was exceptionally kind. This kindness must have been due to my bright appearance.

The receptionists from other places had been treating their customers with remarkably sharp tones.

Following the woman’s directions to the second floor, I quickly spotted a man who seemed to be the examiner.

Who could mistake a shiny bald head sitting on a plush sofa?

I walked up to him.

“Huh?”

The man turned around with a puzzled expression as I approached.

He glanced at the sword on his back and the paper in my hand, then rose from his seat.

Yet, he was still looking down at me with a doubtful expression.

“Are you here for the rank badge issuance exam?”

The man asked as if he wanted to confirm his thoughts.

I nodded and handed him the paper.

Upon receiving the paper, the man raised his eyebrows and nodded.

Then he turned his body while gesturing with his hand.

It seemed to be a signal to follow, so I walked along behind him.

The structure of the second floor was truly fascinating.

It was designed to allow an overview of everything at once, an open space.

In the center stood a solid training arena made of marble.

“Come up.”

As I was examining the glossy marble floor, the bald man’s voice cut in.

I quickly nodded and stepped up on it.

“The rank you are to receive is Iron. If you think that judgment is unfair, say so now.”

“What happens then?”

“You’ll be assessed for a higher rank.”

“I see…”

“So, what will you do?”

“I think Iron is correct.”

“Wise choice.”

The man nodded as if satisfied with my answer.

He brushed his bald head and drew a sword hanging from the wall of the arena.

Swish—

A sharp sound as he drew the vivid blade reverberated.

I felt a cold chill wash over me along with the blue light.

The man, who had appeared to be an ordinary neighborhood guy, completely transformed in an instant.

Just by drawing a sword, what an incredible change!

Is everyone like that when they start training with a sword?

As I stared with a look of surprise, he said, “Draw your sword.”

“Ah, yes.”

Following his words, I drew my sword.

-Swish

Despite its worn appearance, it was a solid, sharp iron sword.

A faint smell of oil and the scent of wolf blood slowly oozed out.

I thought I had cleaned it quite well, yet the smell of wolf blood lingered.

“Good sword.”

The examiner smiled faintly while looking at my sword.

I nodded and assumed my stance.

“I won’t attack; come at me however you like.”

Just like Philip said.

I wondered when I would be able to clash swords evenly with such people.

I slowly exhaled and attempted an approach.

And thus, the first strike began.

Thinking of the pale moonlight cascading down from the sky, I swung my sword down.

Shwing—! Clang—!

The sparkling moonlight scattered about. My attack was blocked so effortlessly it felt surreal.

But I didn’t feel disappointed. It was the expected outcome. I silently continued with my next attack.

In the roughly five months I had trained, I poured out everything I had learned.

As time passed, I felt my breath quicken, and the sword in my hand felt heavy.

In that moment, while I was swinging my sword in a daze, I felt an unusual aura rising from my opponent.

The sensation was like being sliced by a sharp blade.

Every hair on my body stood on end as my vision narrowed.

A single word naturally came to mind.

Death.

In that moment, my body moved as if it were in a spasm.

All the swordsmanship I had learned so far mushed together, leading to a blurry stance appearing before me.

It was around the time winter had just begun when the gatekeeper showed me a technique while drunk.

Why did that fleeting glimpse of swordsmanship suddenly come to mind?

Swish—

The sword in my hand was pulled back.

Right after that, the pale moonlight, which had started to emerge in a fuzzy manner.

The moment I instinctively realized that I was ready, a tiny surge of energy began to erupt within me.

However, that force was very faint.

The energy that reached out toward my arms and legs vanished in an instant.

But even now, that was enough.

A step!—

My planted foot pressed down hard, causing me to slip slightly on the marble floor.

Immediately, the sword I had drawn shot out like a beam of light.

Shooosh—!

Seeing the shining moonlight, I realized that this swordsmanship needed to flow like water.

The gatekeeper hadn’t shown me everything.

Insight came unbidden.

It was a moment of enlightenment.

Clang—!

The shot moonlight shattered as it collided with the sword.

There were more than ten forms of swordsmanship I had learned during this time.

Numerous sword techniques began to scatter along with the moonlight.

From that scattering, only two forms remained.

The vividly shining moonlight was etched into my mind.

“Pass!”

*

After passing the exam, I waited for my rank badge to be issued.

I looked down at my tingling hands.

That sensation was still vivid. My heart couldn’t stop racing at the thought of the white fragments of moonlight unfolding from my fingertips.

“Take it.”

At that moment, the examiner approached me and handed me a bronze badge.

The bronze badge was not the Iron badge.

[Bronze]

“This is bronze, isn’t it?”

“Yes. And it’s yours to keep.”

“… Is it higher than Iron?”

The examiner nodded knowingly at my question.

He placed the bronze badge into my hand and said, “Your swordsmanship was clean. No bad habits, and you possess at least one secret technique that can save your life. If you gain more experience, you should quickly rise to Silver rank.”

“But I took the exam for Iron rank.”

“Is that why you don’t want it?”

“Oh, no…”

I quickly shook my head at the examiner’s question.

If it was a higher rank than Iron, there would surely be more privileges.

It would be better to accept than to kick something good away.

I tied the badge around my waist.

It felt light and didn’t seem to hinder me at all.

The examiner also handed me a small booklet.

It outlined the benefits of each rank and also detailed the fees incurred for completing missions as an adventurer.

It seemed that such guilds took a portion of the income adventurers earned through completing their missions as fees for their operation.

I read the book as I returned to the inn.

The moment I returned to the inn, a small girl dashed toward me.

It was the inn girl, Mary.

She waved her hand cheerfully but then fell silent.

I then realized I had forgotten to tell her my name.

“Seris.”

From today onwards, my new name was Seris.