Chapter 606: White Waves Undulate, Swirl, and Get Drunk on the Wind
Author's Preface
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Truth be told, I'm not actually that great with the Japanese Katana category. Compared to something like a longsword, they naturally suffer from durability issues, and because they fall under the curved sword category, you can't perform a backswing attack without completely flipping the blade around.
Bakumatsu is the exception because fights there are settled before you even have to worry about that... You just discard all worldly thoughts and execute a swift, decisive slash. That's the Bakumatsu-ism.
That being said, my complex is only to the extent of "If I had to choose between a straight sword and a katana, I'd probably pick the straight sword," so naturally, I can still wield one using my Bakumatsu-honed swordsmanship... Well, the fundamental problem is that I don't actually own a katana weapon I can use properly in the first place.
The katana mode for the Treasure Sword of Boundary Light is restricted entirely to nighttime, and Pale Sheen requires me to charge up both its gauge and Component Crystals before I can even use it, and even then, I can only perform a single sword-drawing technique.
Well, I figured I'd end up using the Treasure Sword of Boundary Light eventually, but since I ran away to Galaxy Traveler, that never came to pass either... I mean, that's 80% my own fault, but because of that, this Iron Katana【Swirling Vortex White Waves】 is the very first katana I've ever owned that I can just swing around freely like a normal katana...
"Then without further ado, its debut sword-draw... 'Hayakaze'!"
Accelerating from my initial step, a horizontal flash of light was drawn in the split second I passed by the quivering, jiggly blob of fat rushing towards me, the black blade adorned with a white wave pattern released from its scabbard in a single, fluid motion.
"Zanshin..."
Clink. The moment I struck a cool pose and sheathed the blade—mostly because my stamina had bottomed out to zero and I couldn't move anyway—a massive damage effect erupted from the blob of fat's body. Thinking about how the effect itself looked somewhat greasy, I straightened my posture as I watched the fat quiver and collapse onto the ground, confirming that my stamina had begun to recover. It's a good katana—honest, reliable, and above all else, tough.
Perhaps because it used the usual ores as materials, coupled with the fact that I helped operate the "furnace," this katana possesses abilities that score close to a perfect 100 as a practice weapon... Well, in reality, its durability is just absurdly high. It might essentially be a downgraded version of the Aspiring Blades of the Hero, but looking back at that thing, it was a massive pain in the ass to forge, so trying to make something similar wouldn't be finished in a day or two, so I scrapped that idea.
For now, it seems the vanguard consisted entirely of red meat and fat, and the battle concluded right as Survival landed the finishing blow by splitting the red meat right down the middle with his Sky Piercer—a move I honestly couldn't tell if it was meant to be heavy-handed or highly dexterous.
"What, did ya change jobs to a katana user?"
"Ah, it's more like I'm aiming for the skills, I guess."
"Katanas are tough, man. Iai-draws look flashy as hell, but they lack the firepower to back it up... Hm?"
"What's wrong?"
"...You just took that thing out in one hit, didn't you?"
"Just a lucky punch. Well, it's a bladed weapon, but whatever. Let's keep moving, onto the next one!"
"Ah, hold it right there ya bastard, don't tell me you've got some high-multiplier Iai skill!!"
......
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The monsters that appear in this layer are essentially all Meat modeled after livestock animals. Therefore, by combining a certain item purchasable in the safe zones of this layer with a certain monster... players can obtain powerful mobility.
"Hold on a minute you bassttttaaaaaaard!!"
"Oh, keep at it. Move those legs a little faster."
"Nuoohhhhhaaaaaahhhh!!!"
The monster I'm currently straddling is called a Horse Homage Thoroughbred Custom. As the name implies, it's one of the very few pieces of Meat meant for transportation in this Shell Layer primarily composed of livestock Meat.
Obtaining a rideable horse meat by equipping it with the "Action Interference Control Reins" purchasable in the safe zone could be considered the most crucial task for clearing this Shell Layer... Well, the fact that it has high mobility naturally means it's a massive pain to actually catch.
"Heeey, are you done yet? I'm getting pretty tired of waiting over here???"
"Guh... Shut up... My AGI isn't that high, damn it..."
I tried to hurry up Survival, who had completely run out of stamina and was glaring in frustration as the headless horse-shaped Meat galloped further away, but dragging this out any longer wouldn't do us any good.
"Can't be helped, I guess... Hey Survival, you can use this horse. Its name is Nitro Raw Meat."
"That's a completely garbage naming sense, hey! Wait, what're you gonna do then?"
Well, to begin with...
"I'm faster just running on my own."
"Ah, you did snag that Holder title, didn't ya..."
As long as I have this title, I can proudly declare myself the fastest in the world... That's a lie. There's no one in this world who can beat Loli Sensei, so I guess it's more accurate to say I'm the fastest player.
"So you're just gonna go on foot?"
"Save that worry for after you actually manage to get ahead of me."
"You're on! Let's go, Nitro Raw Meat!!"
The horse meat—which I still couldn't tell if it was cooked or raw—broke into a furious sprint under Survival's reign control. Watching Survival and the horse rapidly shrink into the distance across the plains... I equipped that accessory.
The reason it turned into that insane, physics-defying top-spin earlier was because I used it in conjunction with Levin Trigger: Hazard. You can't just blindly stack every buff you have together... That's why I just needed to change the combination.
Boosted by my skills, my body violently launched forward with blistering speed... I knew it. It didn't actually require the absolute maximum speed of Levin Trigger: Hazard to activate. The speed provided purely by my skills was more than enough to trigger the Scar of the Raging Storm Emperor・Extreme!!
"And so... I've already figured out the right 'running method'!!"
To put it simply, it's like ice skating while being pushed from behind. Before the clockwise rotation can cause my body to tilt, I neutralize it with a counter-clockwise rotation! It sounds a bit stupid when I say it out loud, but it's an incredibly simple principle!
"Survivaaaal!! Absolutely nothing has changed since our time on the isolated island!!"
Whether your avatar is a little girl or a hulking man, whether you have speed or not!
"I! Strike first!! I! Will take the initiative!!"
"Using that speed for long-distance travel has gotta be against the rules!!"
"Just go roll the Amber gacha yourself then, fuhahahaha!!!"
Get out of my way, you meats! Utilizing the rotation for Seiten Style "Tsumujikaze"!! Yahooo, five simultaneous kills!! Ora ora, what's wrong, bring it on, I'll job-change every single one of you into motionless meattttt!!!!
〜Five Minutes Later〜
"...So, you spun too much and completely wrecked your semicircular canals, huh."
"My real-life body feels like it's gonna throw up... Give me five minutes... I'll recover."
"Then I'm gonna go on ahead during those five minutes. Have fun puking your guts out there... Hi-ho, Nitro Raw Meat!!"
"Y-You bastard..."
I need to be careful... about spinning too much... Urp.
Author's Afterword
We're holding a popularity poll in the Activity Report section! (It's already crossed 1400 votes as of writing this) The details are written in the Activity Report as well, so (I've copy-pasted this like fourteen times now) for those of you who haven't voted yet, please cast your five pristine votes!! (Desperation) (The "I'm Gonna Push This as Far as It Can Go" Man)
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