Chapter 2

Swordsmanship Genius Transcending Through a Covenant Episode 2

After finishing the first training.

My gaze naturally turned to the other weapons remaining in the training ground.

No, this isn't the place to stop.

Without hesitation, he walked toward the family's armory.

“Ian! Did you finally finish your training?”

"Yes, brother."

“I was worried you might be hallucinating from the excessive training. Go inside and rest.……”

“Brother, I’d like to try using a different sword. Would that be alright?”

At those words, Cain's expression changed.

“Are you planning to push yourself too hard again? Since you’re out after a year, you need to train even more carefully.……”

I have my coming-of-age ceremony coming up soon, and I've had enough rest. Since I'm starting late, shouldn't I work even harder?

"that……."

My older brother looked at me, seemingly speechless for a moment, and his eyes welled up with tears.

“I didn’t know you were thinking that. You’ve done well. Still, pushing yourself too hard puts a strain on your body, so make sure you get plenty of rest.”

No, I don't plan to train any more right now.

I felt awkward for no reason because of Cain, who was looking at me with such touched eyes.

I walked toward the family's armory and immediately grabbed a weapon.

[The Savior is not worthy to form a pact with this weapon.]

A message appears as I scan through the high-quality-looking weapons one by one.

'also.'

The phrase that one can form a covenant according to rank came to mind.

My current rank is trainee.

Then, next is… … .

[The Savior's current rank is 'Trainee'.]

[Trainee ▶ Sword Beginner ▶ Sword User ▶ Sword Expert ▶ Sword Master ▶ ???]

This is the standard for distinguishing warriors in Last Savior.

I thought the word "trainee" sounded quite familiar, and seeing it in person confirmed it.

Furthermore, there is even the fact that there is no set path after becoming a Sword Master.

"In effect, 'class' means my level itself."

That meant that, as a trainee, the only object I could make a pact with at best was a training wooden sword.

It's just a guess, though.

In any case, it seemed that for the time being, one had to become stronger through repetitive training rather than high-quality weapons.

And he was more confident about that than anyone else.

“Brother, I would like to devote myself to training for the time being.”

"Alright, tell me if you need anything. Please don't overexert yourself."

"Then, I would like to use various weapons. Would that be alright?"

“That’s obvious! Feel free to use it. If you want, even the sword Father left me…”

“No, no. This is enough for now.”

I moved on again and headed toward the training ground used by the soldiers.

As soon as my feet touched the ground, I heard the voices of weapons shouting at me.

Write for me, write for me too!

- Stabbing, the romance of a swordsman is stabbing!

Ugh, I'm so sad it hasn't been used for a long time...

Bundles of skills hoping to be used somehow.

Just looking at them made my mouth water.

How can I hold back with this right in front of my eyes?

Hehe, laughing, he began to grip the swords with trembling arms.

“M-Mr. Ian…….”

“I guess, somewhere…….”

Even amidst the voices of the soldiers chattering and making eye contact with one another, the smile on my lips showed no sign of fading.

I will definitely wake up.

I see the damn true ending.

And, you will definitely survive.

With that thought in mind, I gripped the sword once again.

* * *

After obtaining the pledge, I continued my training.

The first skill I acquired, Northern Swordsmanship, was actually quite simple.

[Northern Swordsmanship(F)]

[Rank : Normal]

[Description: Swordsmanship used by Northern warriors. It is a rough but heavy style of swordsmanship.]

Looking at this aspect, it is definitely like a game.

Simple and intuitive content.

However, Northern swordsmanship was the most solid of all the basic swordsmanships in the game.

It is currently F-class, but even at C-class, it is a swordsmanship that is difficult for a swordsman of equal standing to penetrate.

Of course, the premise is that it is that difficult to master, but… … .

Even that is a handicap that means nothing to me.

- The basics, and even the stamina, are far from sufficient.

- You need to build up your stamina!

[Running with a training wooden sword]

[0/100km]

The reason was simple.

This is because I realized a new fact while carrying out various covenants since then.

"Not all covenants grant skills."

Then again, items that aren't even properly graded wouldn't keep giving skills.

Grades divided into Common, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Mythical.

Among them, the '-' grade meant that it did not even reach the level of the general public.

However, if you complete the covenant, skill proficiency increases.

Even low-ranked skills gained various additional effects as their proficiency increased.

It was a tremendous advantage considering that usually, along with repetitive training and instruction, one must even attain enlightenment.

"therefore."

It was as if skill level increased just by doing manual labor.

Proficiency, proficiency is increasing!

As I continued to show my face at the training ground with that single thought, the reactions of those around me also kept changing.

You've been working really hard lately.

I didn't know you would grow so much already.

The biggest change was the way people looked at me.

I could see the soldiers and servants' gazes changing.

The soldiers, in particular, were like that.

We even used to secretly make bets on when I would quit.

Come to think of it, I would have done the same.

Even a baron of the northern frontier is a nobleman.

Besides, I had been stuck in my room until recently.

However, after seeing him consistently train for several days beyond just a day or two, I was now at the point where I could strike up a conversation.

“Young Master Ian, is it training again today?”

"Do you want to run together?"

Would that be alright?

In particular, I had become quite close with the soldiers I shared the training ground with.

Perhaps inspired by the hard work, there were also a few who showed a desire to improve.

“Phew…….”

And another thing that changed was the body.

Is being able to hold a sword for a long time the end of it?

You have to swing harder!

[Moving rocks while holding a cracked wooden sword(-)]

[0/1,000]

Basic running and strength training.

As I carried out the list of items in the covenant every day, I could feel my strength and stamina gradually increasing.

Before I knew it, my skinny body had filled with muscle, and even I could see that I had a pretty decent physique.

Your hand has gotten quite a bit better, too.

The hands that used to frequently crack when swinging the sword had also, before long, been covered in calluses.

“Ian, take a break while you do it.”

"older brother."

Cain, who had approached before I knew it, handed me a towel.

Seeing him with an exhausted expression from the continuous hard work, I was about to grip my sword again for a moment.

You’re quite manly now. It’s okay to look for a matchmaker again.

I will think about it once you get married, older brother.

“Ahem, I am married to this estate, so I am out of the question.”

I understand you are quite popular, so why don't you go first?

“…….”

Short bursts of laughter followed.

He continued to stare at me even after handing me the towel.

It was a look of pride, yet at the same time, it seemed as though they had something to say.

"Brother, you must be very tired."

“……No. It is a duty I ought to bear.”

After that, seeing the way he looked at me for a moment, I slowly lowered my sword.

Do you have something to say?

“No, it’s just… I was curious why you suddenly changed.”

Didn't I tell you last time?

“Yeah, I knew you suddenly matured. I’m just asking why you suddenly matured.”

Still not taking his eyes off it, he shrugged his shoulders at the sincere question.

I slowly retraced Ian Rashid's memories.

His experiences and memories had already become one with me.

“……There is something I need to see through to the end.”

“To say we must see this through to the end—did something happen? Why didn't you tell me...?”

“It’s not that. I was simply curious about your future, brother, and the future of the developing territory.”

Ian Rashid was young.

He lost both parents at a young age, and his older brother, with whom he was close, became the head of the household.

That’s why I didn’t show proper motivation.

Whatever I did, I didn't work hard.

I just lived a moderately ordinary life.

But I couldn't do that.

So, I thought it was better to try anything rather than despair, get frustrated, and give up.

Sitting here like this is practically the same as accepting death.

Because in this crappy game, there were as many as three destructions waiting besides the Great Northern Invasion.

Of course, the covenant also gave me more motivation.

Honestly, I could feel myself getting stronger day by day, so it was strange that I didn't have the motivation.

“Ian, you’ve changed.”

I looked at Cain for a moment at the serious words he had uttered.

While I was briefly worried, wondering if they had noticed the change.

“Haha! Right, training is better than just sitting around.”

The fatigue seemed to lift from Cain's face, and he nodded with a smile.

I was actually worried about that, so I’d like to assign you a swordsmanship instructor.

A swordsmanship instructor?

"Yeah, I heard he's quite a famous knight in the neighborhood."

A swordsmanship teacher... I couldn't help but worry.

A famous knight of the North.

Several people crossed my mind, but it was too early to make a definitive conclusion.

"thank you."

Honestly, it was the offer I had been hoping for.

Even in the game, training with a good teacher allowed proficiency to rise quickly.

I was thinking of asking Cain, but since he did it himself, I am actually grateful.

Aside from skill level, physically moving your body is a whole different story.

If anything, it was an opportunity to put what I learned in theory into practice.

At this level, he's good enough to shed the trainee label.

I could tell, having spent well over five years on it.

Unlike in the past when I knew absolutely nothing about swordsmanship, I can now see the level of a sword beginner.

"May I ask you for a favor soon, Brother?"

“Right, anyway…….”

As I accepted the proposal so happily, I could see Cain's expression darkening.

Is something wrong?

“The evil beasts have been causing a lot of trouble lately.”

“Monsters?”

It was a sudden story.

"Yeah, it's not serious, but it's causing damage near the estate."

Shouldn't we be suppressing them?

“……Because winter is approaching.”

The winter in the north was harsh.

Considering that, it seems there isn't enough capacity to subdue it right now.

"okay."

"So don't go outside for no reason. It doesn't look like you have any intention of going out for training in the first place."

I nodded at the sight of him smirking and patting my shoulder.

Not yet.

It wasn't the right time.

After that, I continued my training.

* * *

A few days passed like that.

After acquiring Northern swordsmanship, the wooden sword and the covenant focused primarily on physical strength and muscle training.

Thanks to that, while naturally training my body… … .

[You have successfully completed the pact with the training wooden sword(-).]

[You have successfully completed the covenant with the cracked wooden sword(-).]

['Northern Swordsmanship (E)' proficiency grows!]

['Northern Swordsmanship(E)'▶'Northern Swordsmanship(D)']

It was even possible to improve proficiency.

With a small realization and increased proficiency, my posture became cleaner than before.

As I was experiencing that, a new message appeared before my eyes.

[The Savior's stature grows!]

['Trainee' ▶ 'Sword Beginner']

[You can make a pact with a normal grade sword.]

You've even risen to the level.

Sword Beginner.

It was literally the stage where I had just started using the sword.

It's still a long way to go.

Even now, I use a sword to some extent, but I cannot handle it properly.

I kept feeling a sense of regret.

That's a shame.

To grow, something more was needed.

When I was seriously contemplating how to develop.

One person watching me after I finished training caught my eye.

The swordsmanship teacher who came a few days ago following my older brother's suggestion.

It was the first knight from outside the family I had seen.

I didn't expect him to come.

Gray hair, and on top of that, a sharp impression even though he appeared expressionless.

The knight simply bowed briefly and continued to observe my swordsmanship.

However, since I knew who he was, I couldn't say anything.

Tarian.

Five years later, he was a knight recognized by everyone who had reached the brink of becoming a Sword Master, and was also quite a famous figure within the game.

First of all, while his skills were certainly a factor, he was also a wanderer who belonged nowhere.

However, the fact that it is famous in the North right now is… … .

It probably means they'll be in the North until the Great Invasion.

I had actually left some hints like that.

You must not go to the North.

Another hell unfolds in the North.

Because I've said the same thing many times.

Thanks to that, he was one of the characters commonly known in the community as a hater of the North.

That's good.

“……?”

After handling the pact with the wooden sword, which has now become a routine.

Tarian, who had been silent every day, spoke to me.

It is about time you started using a real sword instead of a wooden one.

"Real sword?"

As he said that and personally handed me the iron sword, I slowly took it and held it in my hand.

-Hoho, this guy. Quite decent.

You really laid a good foundation.

How about we get a taste of our own medicine for that guy?

[Successfully strike Tarian with Old Training Iron Sword (Normal)]

[0/1]

I can see it now.

Perhaps due to the rise in rank, the voice of the iron sword was heard, and the oath was seen.

And I realized that the content was also different from before.

The feeling of having to achieve a set goal, breaking away from simple repetition.

I guess it means you only need to succeed once.

The problem was that the opponent was Tarian.

They say to deliver a blow to the knight who has just reached Sword Expert level.

From a common-sense perspective, it was impossible.

This is a really dead game.

No, in times like this, should I call it a sword of misfortune?

I briefly looked down at the iron sword, which had fallen silent after saying only what it wanted to say without even answering.

I will melt you.

Once the covenant is over, I will turn you into a farming tool.

While I was thinking that, Tarian continued speaking.

Northern swordsmanship, it's good swordsmanship.

“…….”

However, Northern swordsmanship must be performed with a real sword. A wooden sword cannot fully capture that weight.

I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly at the sight of him opening his mouth while just looking at me.

"then?"

Tarian grips the training wooden sword without bothering to reply.

I understood the meaning of that appearance.

What… …

Anyone could tell it meant to come in.