Chapter 10: And you are still insisting on calling it Cane Arts?
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Translator: “Pink Tea” Editor: ”Ryunakama”
Day 10 – The Cave
My awakening is accompanied by pain. Since the bed was just soil fixed in a rectangular shape with Earth magic, it was no different from sleeping on the floor.
「Guua, it hurts!」
My whole body is aching. At this rate, it will eventually ruin my health.
Yesterday, there was Wood Magic among the skills that popped up on my status. Since it has wood in the name, it should have some kind of influence on wood.
There is also a possibility that it accelerates growth rate, but there is also a chance that I can manufacture something with it. It is worth a try.
Gathering gob clubs and lumber scraps I begin my experiment with Wood Magic.
Having said that, I don’t know what to do. Then, using the usual Packing Magic I wrap the wood and try to slowly bend it.
「Bend, beeeeend………!」
Answering to my weird chants, like those of a phony psychic, the wood began bending.
At this point, I’m not even sure what kind of magic did it, but it bent. Just like it was with Earth Magic, this just might work.
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How could this happen? In the middle of the room stood a big medieval-like table. From the tabletop shaped like a bit stretched square protruded gob clubs, turning into tapered table legs.
Around it stood 8 Eames chair-like shells, an ordinary four-legged stool, egg chair-like chair in the middle, and in the corner was a fully furnished ball chair.
Crap, I completely lost sight of my objective. Or rather, having so many chairs as a loner……… It’s not like I’m lonely or anything!
As for the main objective, the bed, I stack up wood in a rectangular shape, like a campfire, then, arranged thinned plank in a grid pattern, and got myself a wooden-spring bed. It lacked mat and couldn’t even compare to a real spring bed, but with the alternative being a stone bed, it was pretty good.
Near the wall, I fixed a pretty fashionable looking rack. Since I had nothing to place there, I put a wooden club.
……It doesn’t look as fancy anymore?
Somehow, judging by the appearance alone, isn’t it way cooler than a 6 tatami[1. TL Note: Room size in Japan is often measured in tatami(畳). A very common 6 tatami room is about 10 sq meters, plus-minus a bit depending on the region.] room from my previous world? Even though everything is made from stone and wood. The previous room was small, and there was no money to buy furniture.
As I was engrossed in this for a few hours, it was long past midday, so for now, I take lunch.
Though it’s a bit late, it’s time to decide on today’s course of action. Checking the map skill turns out that only exploration of the areas up the river (Forest Depths) and down (Downstream) is progressing. Left and right of the river are untouched. Not knowing what is on the right side, where the cave is located, makes me a bit uneasy, so let’s go there.
I move through the thick woodlands, though they aren’t as dense as in the deep of the forest.
「There is a lot of them.」
There are presences of gobs all over the place. There is no guarantee that they won’t come to the cave, and though they are weaklings, their number is huge. Were they to attack in a group, I’d have no chance of winning.
I have no other choice but to cull the numbers by eliminating them one by one.
To survive I have to raise Lv, obtain skills, and increase my battle experience. I have to brave danger in order to live safely.
Using 「Erase Presence」and 「Stealth」to avoid getting surrounded, I approach a group of 3 goblins. Their levels aren’t that high.
Taking a stance with the staff I move following the movements I thought up during my「Cane Arts」training. Calming my breath and erasing my presence, I approach the closest goblin, the one in the middle. Holding the staff with both hands I take a swing from left to right, imitating a sword slash.
As the gobs to my side, howling, charged at me holding their clubs overhead, I gripped the staff by the tip with my right hand and thrust it into the chest of the right gob. Pulling the staff back I change the hold to the left hand and take a huge swing. As the gob, panicking, tried to step back, I made a mass of fire, hurling it at the gob, and at the same time, thrust the spear into its neck.
Breathing a sigh, I survey the surroundings and notice that the right goblin is still breathing. Approaching it and dealing the finishing blow, I, cautious of my surroundings, erase my presence.
It went well? The result is splendid. The solo training in cane arts while going hard on my imagination was worth it…… Don’t call it cringy! For some reason, it hurts my heart.
However, should I say that it went too well? ……For some reason, the first gob got slashed. As a result, blood splattered everywhere.
Indeed, I wrapped the staff with mana and attacked with an image of cutting with a katana, but would it really cut? What is it? Is it that 「Slashing, a sword, thrusting a spear」? Holy crap, Shintō Musō-ryū, that’s amazing!
Well, no way that is actually the case, so it’s probably the effect of mana wrapping, I guess? Or maybe the effects became stronger due to the title of Mage? I’m not sure. But, the second goblin has a stabbing wound. Probably the one from attacking with the image of a spear in mind.
And the biggest question is the following attack with a naginata image, though it was dodged, but it extended? It did? Didn’t it?
Shintō Musō-ryū’s cane technique is amazing, it can stretch the weapon? Well, I never actually learned it though. Yeah, I only heard about it from the geeks.
As expected, if in my previous world it could allow to extend the reach of a weapon or to slash with it, the style would’ve been super famous. After all, it probably means that magic is amazing, I guess?
Perhaps due to wrapping the staff in mana, but I easily threw a ball of fire. I wonder if at this point I could just call it a fireball? Though it didn’t fly even two meters…… The fireball that doesn’t fly is just a fire ball, damn, that’s the same thing.
It would be better to go back and thoughtfully verify everything at home, but I already came here. And if I keep practicing stuck inside the cave it could lead to terrible results.
And by that, I mean leveling up in 「Hikikomori」, 「NEET」and 「Loner」. Well, it’s already too late anyway, let’s use Concealment.
Pulling myself together, I get back to action, Search, Search, found.
This time there are two. Slashing the first one diagonally from the shoulder, I then cut down the next one with the following motion. (It’s just a stick though.)
So it really can cut. In addition, I also made a sweeping slash at the second gob that was still coming at me, (It’s a stick though), and then stabbed another gob that just came out.
Yeah, no mistake here, it can cut and stab.
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Returning to my senses by the time it began to get darker, and what do I see. A scenery covered in slashed goblins, with an amazing splatter feel to it, oh my, could this be a work of a master? Sorry, I got carried away.
Perhaps due to stats from Lv 4, but my body is light, I can slash, stab, sweep, and it looks like midway I completely got carried away doing what I please to goblins that came at me one after another.
In this prolonged fight, I ended up even imagining a hammer, and applying 「Weight」to make it heavier, crushed goblins that attempted to block with their clubs. and when they tried to get away from me, used an image of a gun to shoot balls of fire.
Since there was nothing but goblins I managed to overpower them with the difference in stats, but if swift kobolds or orcs, that are said to be even more powerful, were here, I probably would’ve been the one on the ground.
This world is not a game. Though it is a game-like world, it is reality. If I’m not careful I might not have another chance. Gathering magic stones and clubs I throw them into Item Box. Today I got 32 of them, which means that the last battle was versus 25 gobs.
Let’s calm down and go home. But even so, if there is an adventurer job, isn’t treating me like a「NEET」after working so hard unreasonable? Well, since I have no Job that does make me unemployed.
And thinking this and that I get back to my sweet home. Before I even noticed, it fully turned into my home. A 30 tatami room[2. TL Note: About 49 sq meters], way more comfortable than my previous 6 tatami one, now was even equipped with kitchen, bath, and toilet. At this point, I have nothing to refute 「Hikikomori」.
Taking a late dinner I think back on my fights. Yeeah, that’s too much. A gun is too much. A gun.
Otherwordly self-styled Shintō Musō-ryū cane arts, now with magic.「Thrusting, a spear, sweeping a naginata, slashing, a long sword. And if you try to escape, a gun, defend it’ll crush, the staff is a flexible weapon and can be used in many ways. And if you call now, we will add a buff to magic power!!」……That’s too much…
With the gun image, the ball of fire became smaller, but in exchange, it goes for almost 10 meters. Probably due to the image used, the fire bullet was spinning and was now capable of penetrating the target. The shape also changed from a ball to a bullet. Using it with a firm image I have to decide if I should make it pierce or stop after hitting a target, if it should set targets on fire, or should I even insist on it actually being cane arts? There is a lot to think about.
I feel like eventually, this world’s cane art organization is going to file a complaint against me. But for now, I’m a loner, so it doesn’t matter.
NAME: Haruka
Race: Human
AGE １６
Lv ０５
Job —
HP ６５ （１５UP）
MP ６１ （１４UP）
ViT ６５ （１３UP）
PoW ６３ （１５UP）
SpE ５８ （１５UP）
DeX ５８ （１５UP）
MiN ６４ （１４UP）
InT ６９ （１４UP）
LuK Max (Limit Break)
SP ４０
Martial Arts:「Cane Arts Lv 5」(2Up)「Avoidance Lv 4」(Up)「Premonition Lv 3」(Up)「Mana Wrapping Lv 3」(Up)
Magic:「Temperature Lv 3」(Up)「Movement Lv 4」(Up)「Weight Lv 3」(Up)「Packing Lv 4」(Up)「Magic of Four Elements Lv 1」(New)「Wood Magic Lv 1」(New)
Skills:「Health Lv 2」「Sensitive Body Lv 2」「Gymnastics Lv 3」(Up)「Walking Lv 4」(Up)「Command Lv 1」「Appraisal Lv 3」「Farsight Lv 3」(Up)「Detect Presence Lv 3」(Up)「Search Lv 3」(Up)「Mana Control Lv 4」(2Up)「Erase Presence Lv 3」(Up) 「Stealth Lv 3」(2Up)「Concealment Lv 1」「Map Lv 2」(Up)「Concentration Lv 2」(Up) 「Physical Resistance Lv 2」(Up) 「MP Recovery Lv 1」(New)「HP Recovery Lv 1」(New)
Titles:「Hikikomori Lv 3」(Up)「NEET Lv 2」(Up)「Loner Lv 3」(Up) 「Mage Lv 1」(New)
Unknown:「Communication Lv 1」「Jack of All Trades Lv 1」「Muppet Lv 1」
Items:「Staff?」「Plain Clothes?」「Leather Gloves?」「Leather Boots?」「Cloak?」「Contacts?」「Soul Ring」「Item Bag」「Bracelet PoW＋１％」
10th Day – Over.
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