A dream where a Cyclops chased me to death.
Because of it, I clutched my still-pounding heart.
Holding my heart that was still thudding, I naturally looked out the window.
Of course, outside there was only the glow of the barrier and the faint electric lights of the city.
“…The habit’s still there.”
Being reminded first thing in the morning that there was no sun was not exactly pleasant.
Pushing aside the unpleasant feeling, I got up.
Creeeak.
The old hatch opened with a scream.
Now that I noticed it, sound carried quite loudly in the silent deep sea.
Thinking I’d have to fix it someday, I set foot on the sandy floor.
After all, a massacre had happened yesterday, so I figured I might as well explore the city.
Since the Cyclopes had clearly been slaughtered in droves, there should be nothing in the city—
Chirik.
…There was.
As if it had been there from the very beginning, a Cyclops was gnawing away at the city.
When the Cyclops laboriously gnawed at the nearest streetlamp, the light flickered.
As the city’s lights went out and darkness arrived, the glow surged back in once more.
The part of the streetlamp that had been shaved away had returned to normal.
It was something befitting a mysterious city, but I didn’t particularly care.
‘Not that I can afford to care…’
Apparently, it was right to assume that Cyclopes were always present in the city.
Unable to go into the city, I returned to the submersible and thought.
It was the same concern about survival that I’d had ever since coming here.
“The Cyclopes are too inconvenient. If I could just do something about the Cyclopes, my range of activity would expand all the way to the city…”
If food ran short, I would die no matter how strong I was.
Therefore, expanding the area I could operate in and obtaining more food and resources was an essential choice for my survival.
Then what should I do?
I already knew the answer.
“I have to get stronger. At least strong enough to beat a Cyclops.”
According to the scanner’s information, Cyclopes were considered on the weaker side in terms of martial strength.
Trying to survive without force was far too complacent a choice in the deep sea.
So, to receive instruction, I opened the Gallery.
…If it were the Gallery from my original world, far from being taught anything, I would have only been mocked. But here, there was someone I could trust.
As I started the broadcast, I spoke right away.
“Is Draw-Sword Saint-nim here?”
Draw-Sword Saint, the only fixed-nick user whose actual appearance had been revealed.
His identity was—
ㄴDraw-Sword Saint: I was just starting to grow terribly bored.
The Sword Saint, Heizen.
A man who had risen to the pinnacle of the Empire’s swordsmen through draw-sword technique.
I spoke bluntly to him as he entered the broadcast.
Very desperately, so that my feelings would get across.
“I want to become stronger! Please take me as your disciple!!”
ㄴDraw-Sword Saint: Do you truly wish to become my disciple?
A comment that might have been testing the waters, or might have been a question asked with pure intentions.
But Draw-Sword Saint was the only person I could trust.
In other words, I wasn’t in a position to be picky.
If I was picky now, I would starve to death in a few days.
“Yes!! Please take me as your discip—”
ㄴDraw-Sword Saint: Very well. But I have conditions.
I was about to cheer, but I tensed when I saw what followed.
What kind of conditions would the Sword Saint place on me?
Time passed as if one second were one minute.
After a brief silence, his comment appeared.
ㄴDraw-Sword Saint: You will use only draw-sword technique for your swordsmanship. You will infuse mana into your sword by the end of today. You will cut down the monstrous life-form you call a Cyclops within this week.
I slowly read the three conditions the Sword Saint had presented.
As I shifted my gaze and examined the conditions in detail, several more comments appeared.
ㄴScholar of Truth: Aren’t those goals too excessive?
ㄴKkukku: I don’t know about the others, but telling him to infuse mana into a sword in one day makes no sense.
ㄴEducation Master: That sounds like something an ordinary person would have to spend their whole life on…
ㄴHealing Is Violence: Isn’t that impossible?
To me, cutting down a Cyclops had seemed like the biggest hurdle.
But everyone else seemed to think infusing mana into the sword was the hardest part.
“Is transferring mana into a sword that difficult?”
To my question, asked out of pure curiosity, Scholar of Truth answered first.
ㄴScholar of Truth: It’ll feel alien. It’s not part of your body, and it’s even an inanimate object.
ㄴEducation Master: It’ll feel like moving a hand with no sensation.
The answer was that it would feel alien.
Certainly, when mana left my body, there was a strong sense of something catching.
The question of whether I could really do it settled in a corner of my mind, but—
I ignored it. No, I had no choice but to ignore it.
‘If I can’t even do this, I’m dead anyway.’
Even if I ran away with excuses like it was difficult or too hard, all that awaited at the end was the endless deep sea.
Whether I would move forward, or die where I stood.
Between those two choices, I wanted to move forward.
[Draw-Sword Saint has sent you a gift request.]
Blue text appeared, breaking my thoughts.
Between accept and decline, I immediately pressed accept.
Then—
Thud.
A black sword fell with a heavy sound.
It was a luxurious sword with golden decorations engraved on its scabbard.
The comments exploded.
ㄴScholar of Truth: Eh? Uh…??
ㄴEducation Master: …Uh???
ㄴHealing Is Violence: No, why would you give him that?
ㄴAlcohol Is Life: You’re just giving that away? Are you out of your mind? Ah, your mind was already gone.
“…What is this?”
The place I was in was a fantasy world, so naturally, there was a lot I didn’t know.
But to the people here, that apparently wasn’t particularly important.
ㄴAlcohol Is Life: With that embroidery pattern, it’s an ancient relic! With just that, you could buy a building in the imperial capital!!
ㄴDraw-Sword Saint: I already have a sword I use, so it is not particularly important to me.
ㄴAlcohol Is Life: Does this bastard not know the value of that sword? That thing is part of dwarven history……
…Seeing a fixed-nick user who seemed like a dwarf have a fit, it seemed certain that the sword was reliable in terms of performance.
I picked up the black sword that had fallen to the floor and examined it closely.
A black grip and scabbard.
Over the scabbard, golden patterns added an air of luxury.
After looking over all of it, I lightly grasped the handle.
Shing.
The distinct sound of a sharply honed blade rang out.
The color of the blade was unmistakably that of the deep sea.
A sense of alienation.
Something caught in my heart.
As if infected by that unease, I looked around.
Then, something caught my eye.
The scanner.
I picked up the scanner and immediately pulled the trigger toward the sword.
Mana swept over the sword and slowly transformed into information.
-Sword of Immutability
-A sword focused on durability. Its blueprint was designed by ███.
It was an ancient object.
Seeing the censored part, I became certain of that.
The other fixed-nick users seemed to think the same as I did, because they began talking among themselves.
But I couldn’t shake the unpleasant feeling.
Still, I didn’t have enough time to resolve that uneasiness.
Shing.
I drew the Sword of Immutability from its scabbard.
Then, as if he had been waiting, Draw-Sword Saint’s comment appeared.
ㄴDraw-Sword Saint: A sword is an inanimate object, but it possesses a definite flow. Like with a human body, you can send mana along that path. This is the foundation of all swordsmanship: the mana blade.
“A flow…”
The mana circulating through my body.
My mana was not flowing irregularly, but steadily.
I had to align this flow with the flow of the sword.
Everyone had clearly said it was difficult.
But what was this sensation?
The sensation I’d had ever since coming here, as if information were being driven directly into my head.
Sometimes it came as anxiety, sometimes as fear—information flowing in like that.
That alien yet familiar sensation showed me the path.
I could clearly feel the flow of the sword.
It felt like looking at a map.
Slowly, I moved my mana starting from the grip.
ㄴDraw-Sword Saint: …Hah. You truly are a monster.
The flow of mana moved slowly, like a powerful current of mana carving away stone.
The sword’s flow and my flow gradually touched.
And then, in an instant—
The flows connected.
Tung.
Along with a sound like something opening, the deep-sea blade was dyed green.
For a brief moment, my gaze was stolen by that wondrous and astonishing sight.
Chiiiik.
“Aaagh!!”
An intense heat, like grabbing a boiling pot, surged through my palm.
When I hurriedly let go, the sword fell powerlessly to the floor.
Pain like my palm had been smashed with a hammer.
As I rolled around on the floor of the submersible in pain, comments from the fixed-nick users appeared.
ㄴHealing Is Violence: He made a mana blade right away? That’s insane.
ㄴScholar of Truth: Hmm, is having too much mana also a problem?
ㄴDraw-Sword Saint: Since you tried to put all your mana into the sword, the mana burst out. Next time, divide the mana and place it in your body as well.
I recalled a fact I had briefly forgotten.
The fact that if I infused mana into one place, it would damage my body.
Feeling unbearably embarrassed, I pointlessly nudged the sword with my foot.
The sword had done nothing wrong, but I was just in a bad mood.
In any case, I moved my mana once more.
Naturally, this time I didn’t pour it all into the sword, but divided it between my whole body and the sword, infusing a suitable amount.
Then the mana blade appeared once more.
This time, in a slightly paler green than before.
ㄴScholar of Truth: Wow, he can do everything he’s told? Then maybe some magic too…
ㄴDraw-Sword Saint: As expected, my eye was not mistaken. He is clearly a talent for draw-sword technique.
ㄴScholar of Truth: …I don’t think that’s it? Isn’t that closer to talent for magic?
ㄴDraw-Sword Saint: What? Insight like that belongs to swordsmanship rather than magic. You don’t even know that?
ㄴScholar of Truth: Ha, this is ridiculous. No matter how I look at it—
…Hmm. I had been focusing on mana manipulation, so I hadn’t looked closely at the comments, but they were making barbed remarks at each other.
Their words were wrapped nicely on the surface, but beneath them, they were sharp as thorns that could pierce anything.
‘Magic, huh…’
Seeing them fight like that made me interested in magic.
A hunch wrapped around me, telling me that my senses would surely work for magic as well.
But for now, I decided to focus on the proven path of swordsmanship.
After the mana blade came the fundamentals of swordsmanship.
Since Draw-Sword Saint’s swordsmanship was draw-sword technique, I naturally learned draw-sword technique.
And the next day, an incident occurred.
Chirik.
…I ended up swinging my sword at a Cyclops.