NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23 – Lightning Katana Style!
[Chapter Size: 1592 Words.]
Lucius POV
Headquarters of the Takemikazuchi Family.
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"If I were in a fanfic, people would be asking me why I should be satisfied with a character like Mikoto training me? She's a level one adventurer, after all." I thought to myself as I observed the woman in front of me.
Despite the stats boosting her strength and speed by leaps and bounds of adventurers, they won't give her automatic fighting techniques. You might be a level 2 who's only used to killing monsters by swinging an axe and end up losing to a level 1 swordmaster, even with a slight advantage in stats. The Sword Princess is not known for just reaching level 6 (that happened a few days ago); she's known for being highly skilled in her sword style, as her nickname suggests.
Mikoto began teaching me as soon as I put on a kimono, another odd condition of hers.
There was no secret; it was grab the bamboo and start cutting through the air rhythmically.
"Lucius, improve your posture!" She shouted at me. I'm facing a big problem here; I fought for years without a fencing style, my muscle memory is concentrated on how I'm used to fighting, making it even more challenging to relearn and fight again, so I'm constantly reprimanded by Mikoto.
"Yes, Mikoto-Sempai!" I said, trying to focus.
"HEEE, HEEE, HEEE!" I heard the little voice of my small goblin.
"Are you laughing at me, little devil?" I wondered frustrated; it's the first time he sees me so submissive and in such an embarrassing situation; besides, this little devil was comfortable in Takemikazuchi's lap, watching us in the courtyard.
After spending the whole morning trying to maintain a new posture, by the afternoon, I started practicing sword strikes with my teacher.
"Keep your breathing controlled, Lucius!" Mikoto warned me on the side. It was very hard for me, but I wouldn't give up. With each sword strike, I tried to synchronize my breathing, even though I'm still quite lost.
I kept at it, performing various movements that Mikoto showed me until mid-afternoon, where we were going to start a little spar, or it was supposed to be. Because I took a beating with that bamboo.
I left Takemikazuchi's mansion limping on that day; my eyes were purple, and I cursed for not bringing healing potions with me.
We ended up agreeing on my training like this: Mikoto would teach me every morning, and I would go to the dungeon in the afternoon and evening to train my new style alone. I also exchanged my sword for a katana because Hestia's shops didn't have that type of weapon, not accessible for a poor man like me at the moment. However, there were blacksmiths in this eastern district, so I picked one up at a weapon shop.
I arrived at the church and started listening to sermons that Hestia was giving Bell for going out with Aiz for training. I didn't pay much attention and went to wait for some men to bring the three beds I ordered in the morning.
With the beds finally installed, I went to greet my family, finally.
"Hey! I heard you fought with Aiz!" Bell finally said; he was holding back while the beds were being installed.
"Well, that woman attacked Riekling; I didn't hold back with her when I got angry." I said.
"She talked about it; she seemed to regret it..." Bell tried to justify her, and I just nodded. Hestia stayed silent while listening.
"Well, if Riekling weren't a summon, he'd be dead! That crazy girl attacked him, even with a tamed monster record!" I protested.
It was a complicated situation; on one side, Bell had the person he admired the most; on the other, there was the goblin he met that same day, even though it was a summon.
"Well, anyway, this fight is between me and her; don't stress about it; you have nothing to do with it, and I won't judge you for your friendship with her." I reassured him.
"I know, but..." He started.
"As you can see, life is more complicated than it seems, Bell. Sometimes there's no right or wrong side, just two sides wanting to be right on top of each other; it doesn't apply in this case, but Aiz attacked a teammate, monster or not, I can't forgive that easily." I said.
"Lucius is right, Bell. I'm sure he and his new friend can come to an agreement, but don't let it affect the relationship between you two." Hestia tried to appease, even though she naturally didn't like Aiz.
After that, we returned to our normalcy; Lili had also arrived.
I handed over the crystals I hadn't exchanged yet to Hestia to do it the next day and went to sleep with a little less pain after taking a potion.
The next day, I set out with my goblin to train with Mikoto and went to the dungeon to fight. I still took a beating from Mikoto, no surprise, but at least I would train this style in the dungeon after taking some potions I bought.
I went to Miach's pharmacy to buy more potions. I know his potions aren't of the highest quality, and the prices are quite exaggerated in that store, but he's another kind god and a friend of Hestia. I owed him that, so I bought some.
Not that it bothered me either, as I make 10 times more money in 12 hours than an ordinary adventurer in 8 hours now.
So the days kept passing, and I stayed in this rhythm until I accumulated and completed 50 thousand points in the system. It took me longer to earn points in the last few days because, first, I'm much slower to kill monsters with a katana than to keep shooting fireballs like aa ak47 machine gun. Second, I'm only staying in the dungeon for 6 hours, as the other 6 are spent taking a beating from Mikoto at the beginning of the day, I mean, training with Mikoto.
The only happy one in all of this is Riekling, who is always embraced by a beautiful girl like Mikoto every time I go to train. Despite his ugliness, by my standards, he is loved by women.
I also visited Demeter these days. Of course, I couldn't sleep in her family, but we went to a hotel in secret. Hestia wanted satisfaction for me sleeping out that night while I left Riekling with her.
My routine was satisfactory, except for the fact that I took quite a beating from Mikoto; my results were bearing fruit in my physical statistics.
After days, I finally had the screen in front of me like this. [System: Shop] [Lightning Spell/Lightning Weapon/Rank 2: 50,000] [Do you want to Buy This Grimoire? Yes/No] "YES" [Points: 50,334 - 50,000 = 334 Remaining Points.]
After reading and burning the grimoire, I cast the spell, and a new tab on the mission screen also appeared as I conjured it, but I was more interested in the spell's effect. [- Lightning Spell, Lightning Weapon!]
When I shouted, I was holding my katana on the eleventh floor; thin blue lightning began to circulate around my sword. It was beautiful to hear those lightning bolts run through the katana; there was a spell like this at rank 3, it would probably be like Sasuke's Chidori when he casts it on his sword. 'Hehehe!' I was internally laughing at this possibility; it would be a fire mage and a lightning swordsman!
I started running towards the enemies, a group of 4 giant orcs that I spotted, and I sliced them like cheese while my goblin was picking up the magic stones.
Unlike before, my sword easily cut through their clubs.
My attacks were much more lethal now with these lightning circling the sword; unfortunately, every minute I had to shout the spell since its duration is only 60 seconds, and it would take quite a while to get the spell reward without chanting.
[Lightning Weapon Rank 2 Mission: Cast 5000 Lightning Weapon Rank 2: | {Progress: 1/5000} (0%) | {Reward: User Can Use Chantless Spell.}]
My other missions were like this:
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[Strength Booster Mission: Cast 1000 Strength Booster! | {Progress: 212/1000} | (21%) {Reward: User Can Use Chantless Spell.}]
[Speed Booster Mission: Cast 1000 Speed Booster! | {Progress: 212/1000} (21%) | {Reward: User Can Use Chantless Spell.}]
[Intermediate Boss Mission: Defeat Goliath Alone on the Seventeenth Floor! | {Progress: 0/1} (0%) | {Reward: 100,000 Points.}]
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My statistics are like this after 30 hours fighting in the dungeon in 4 days:
• Level: 1.
---Status---
• Strength: G248 -> 368 (120 Points/Average 4/Hrs)
• Endurance: F314 -> 434 (120 Points/Average 4/Hrs)
• Dexterity: G255 -> 375 (120 Points/Average 4/Hrs)
• Agility: G295 -> 415 (120 Points/Average 4/Hrs)
• Magic: SSS1.302 -> 1.452 (150 Points/Average 5/Hrs)
---Abilities--- • Blessing of ?????? (Nullifies Any Mana Expenditure)
---Spells---
• Fire Spell/Firebolt/Rank 2.
• Ice Spell/Freeze/Rank 1.
• Support Spell/Strength Booster/Rank 2.
• Support Spell/Speed Booster/Rank 2.
• Summoning Spell/Goblin/Rank 2.
• Lightning Spell/Lightning Weapon/Rank 2
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The gain in my physical statistics practically doubled after I changed my fighting style from magic to swords; they evolved like this: Average per hour before and after with the sword style!
• Strength: 1.8 -> 4
• Endurance: 2.8 -> 4
• Dexterity: 2.1 -> 4
• Agility: 2
.4 -> 4 • Magic: 13.5 -> 5
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