NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 17
Chapter 17: The Adventurer Takes on the Samurai
It was a refreshing morning, and Franz was stretching his body in the empty lot outside his house.
The morning sun was so bright it tickled the area between his eyebrows, and squinting, he stretched both arms, hearing the satisfying crack of his joints.
“………Huff…”
He took in a deep breath of the crisp air, calming his racing heart as he exhaled slowly.
With nothing much to do for the next few days until his equipment was repaired, Franz had arranged to train under Cross’s guidance today – but…
“Franz! Keep it up!”
“Cross, don’t kill him!”
“Lets not get seriously injured, alright?”
Instead of starting with fundamentals like practice swings and body mechanics, with one sentence —”Let’s see the extent of your strength first”— Cross abruptly proposed a mock battle.
Their cheering was well-meaning, but knowing he was being watched made Franz even more nervous, and he wished they’d stop.
“Are you ready?”
“Yeah, sorry to keep you waiting. Is it alright that you haven’t warmed up, Cross?”
While Franz meticulously prepared himself, Cross merely stared idly at him.
“Always ready for battle. No warm-up necessary in an encounter.”
“……I see.”
Franz didn’t feel belittled – the truth was, since meeting Cross, he had never once seen him part with his sword. Even inside the house, his blade was always beside him, brought even into the bath or the restroom. As a fellow swordsman, Franz could not help but respect this dedication.
Both holding wooden training swords, Franz also equipped himself with a wooden shield on his left arm.
“……”
Upon facing him directly, it became apparent that Cross’s skill was anything but ordinary. Even without having taken up his sword, his posture was utterly without flaw.
“I want to see the full extent of your power. Attack me with the intent to kill.”
Having witnessed Cross’s fight from the other day, Franz had no confidence in victory. Still, he had no intention of giving up before even beginning the fight. Resolving to borrow strength from his chest and charge ahead, he gripped his sword more firmly.
I’ll land a hit at least once…!
“Let’s go!”
Raising his left-arm shield, Franz charged straight forward.
Although he had anticipated this move, it seemed Cross only intended to observe, as he stood motionless with his hands loosely hanging by his sides. His expression betrayed nothing, and there was no sign of him making a move. Apparently, he was inviting Franz to make the first strike.
If that’s the case, I’ll take him on without hesitation. He mentioned never having used a shield before, so he probably doesn’t know this technique!
Approaching Cross, Franz feinted with a swing of his sword, instead delivering a powerful shield bash aimed at his face.
It was dodged with a graceful sidestep.
Still not having drawn his weapon, Cross merely stared intently from close range.
He reacts fast…!
Attempting to create some distance, Franz took a few backsteps. However, Cross maintained the same pace, closing in on him as Franz retreated.
It seems I can’t escape. Then, I will attack to force him to create distance!
Stopping his retreat, Franz lunged forward at Cross with great force.
An overhead slash.
Cross didn’t evade.
Their wooden swords clashed.
“——Guh!”
From the state of blade-to-blade collision, Franz was quickly shoved back, nearly losing his balance. Though his posture left him with a significant opening, Cross made no move to retaliate, continuing to observe him.
“Get up. Next bout.”
With words that seemed to read Franz’s hesitancy in the face of their skill gap, a challenge awaited.
……A single attack won’t do. I need to create an opening with combinations!
Despite this being only practice, Franz felt resistance attacking his companion with full force. However, the difference in strength was evident. Abandoning his gentler thoughts, Franz refocused his mindset.
A rising slash as a feint, following with a quick forward kick.
Dodged at the precise moment and countered with a sweeping slash.
Aiming low, but no success.
Attempting to flank with a wide turn for a diagonal slash from above.
It was easily deflected.
“……Damn it!”
Being evaded by such subtle movements left Franz unable to create distance. Comparing just their footwork and body movement, the disparity in skill was obvious.
Then suddenly, Cross’s movements changed. Stopping his close pursuit, Cross began to circle to the left.
……If he gets behind my shield side, I won’t be able to swing my sword well!
I need to focus on defense here…
While hesitating whether to give up the shield guard, Cross suddenly launched an attack.
KA-BAM!
With shield to block, and sword to deflect, Cross’s precise strikes were relentlessly targeting his vital points. Though the weight of the sword felt restrained, the speed was overwhelming. Under this relentless assault, he dared not lower his shield.
He doggedly defended against the cascade of relentless attacks, but it seemed the assault wouldn’t end.
It’s futile! This way, I’ll only exhaust myself…!
Abandoning wide sweeps, Franz sought opportunities to counter with thrusts. In a moment when he used the shield to strike Cross’s head while attempting to force him back, Cross slightly recoiled.
……This is it!
Franz thrust with full force aiming for the chest.
The attack missed the mark, and the stretched-out arm was struck, causing Franz to drop his sword. Hurrying to retrieve it, the blade was out of reach before he could grasp it — only to feel the tip of a sword at his throat.
“……I’ve lost.”
Frustrating as it was, it was a complete and utter defeat. He was powerless against Cross. Franz was utterly out of breath, while Cross hadn’t broken a sweat.
“Would you like to hear about your strengths or your weaknesses first?”
“I, uh, the strengths please…”
“Alright. The weight and speed of your sword strikes have enough power to be effective. If the opponent were human, a single hit would likely claim their life. With your build, there’s still room for improvement, though your upper body is well-trained. Additionally, your choice of targets was good: fingers, eyes, neck, heart. You were aiming for points that could reliably reduce the enemy’s combat strength. This shows that you weren’t swinging your sword aimlessly. A novice lacking in practical combat experience couldn’t have done that. Lastly, that shield attack at the start was a good move. I didn’t expect a strike with the shield to come first. As a surprise attack, it’s something that could be used effectively in actual combat.”
Wow, I thought I’d just be getting criticized, but it’s more praise than I expected.
Cross isn’t the type to flatter. This praise, then, is something I can genuinely take to heart.
“Next, your weak points. Your lower body training is lacking compared to your upper body. Sword fights, in simple terms, come down to controlling distance. How well can you position yourself advantageously, and how well can you manipulate the opponent into an disadvantageous position. You have a weak understanding of your footwork, hence responding too slowly. That is why you are forced into positions where you can’t wield your sword effectively, and are unable to escape. At the root of all your strikes and defensive actions lies your leg and lower body strength. If your legs are weak, the power and speed of your movements will be halved. In the final moment, you saw my slight recoil as a chance to strike. Do not fall for such obvious baits as that. …Let me show you.”
Cross crossed his arms in front of his chest and began leaning backward slowly.
……Jeez, is he joking?
He leaned his upper body nearly perpendicular to his feet, completely tipping his upper body backward, creating an illusory impression that he was suspended upside down by a string attached to his head.
“This is possible through leg training. You couldn’t perform this because you assumed your opponent couldn’t either. I can even swing my sword from this position.”
Indeed, Cross demonstrated by swinging his sword, the movements appearing almost superhuman. Even a beastman with high physical capabilities would it be able to replicate such a feat?
“Also, you’re using your weapon incorrectly. Your one-handed sword is meant for cutting, not thrusting. I don’t know if monsters have the sense to think about it, but had I been your opponent, I’d have allowed you to thrust, only to use that opening to kill you. Even if the thrust hit, it wouldn’t be fatal since mine wouldn’t be. Speaking of which, you’ve never killed a monster with a thrust before, right?”
Now that he mentioned it, Franz realized he had never slain a monster solely with a thrust—it was only used to feint.
Caught in Cross’s barrage this time, it seemed Franz had unknowingly been led into using thrusts.
What’s more, as Cross mentioned, even lesser foes like goblins will launch desperation attacks when realizing they’re near death. Such opponents wouldn’t hesitate to bite at his throat even with a sword piercing their body. Franz imagined this scenario in combat and shivered slightly.
“Remember this: use a weapon designed for cutting purely to cut. The thoughts of blocking, feinting, evading, or thrusting are unnecessary and prevent you from cutting effectively. These are merely preludes to cutting. You think separately about defense and offense, making your next move slow. Rather, focus on how to block to cut, how to evade to cut. These actions flow seamlessly together, referred to as a ‘form.’ The weakness of formless swordsmanship, or self-taught styles, lies right here.”
Indeed, Cross’s consecutive attacks left no gaps between strikes, offering no opportunity for Franz’s counterattacks.
Swordsmen at this level really deliberate this much in combat…?
“Franz, are there any rocky mountains in the vicinity?”
Lost in thought pondering his critique, Cross suddenly asked an unexpected question.
“Huh? We’re in a rather isolated area, but we’re inside the castle walls, so there aren’t any mountains, strictly speaking. Oh, though there is a hill. You can see that tall hill over there with the spring on top? The river behind my house flows down from that hill.”
Pointing was the hill several kilometers away. In the summertime, they used to hang out by the spring at the top. He remembered the circular staircase surrounding it, but it was exhausting to climb to the top, and he hadn’t gone since.
“It’s rather small, but it’ll do. Franz, starting today, you will run to the top of that hill every morning.”
“Every morning!? Right from today!?”
“Exactly. Running up mountain trails is the best way to train your legs. When your armor arrives, you’ll wear that while running as well. I’ll accompany you.”
“Um, Cross… Can’t we start tomorrow, at least?”
Franz had expended quite a lot of energy during the mock battle, and the idea of running right now was genuinely exhausting.
“Starting today. No one who can’t fight today has the right to talk about tomorrow. Do you wish to grow stronger?”
“……Yeah. Alright, I understand! I’ll do my best!”
That was true. He wanted to improve as an adventurer and asked Cross for training specifically for that purpose. During the fight with the giant, Franz, as the leader, was the first to fall out, feeling utterly disappointed. He had no desire to experience that again. There was no other option but to keep pushing forward.
“And after the running, you’ll proceed to practice footwork drills to enhance your mobility. After that will come sword swings. Gradually, I’ll teach you some forms for swordsmanship with the aim of moving reflexively without conscious thought. Lastly, a swordsman would benefit from learning some tricks. We’ll also practice with a concealed knife and a chain-sleeve weapon.”
──────Maybe this is still too much for me after all.
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