Ch.23: Body and Mind
Right after the battle, the 'Mountain Rabbits' confird there were no survivors and took everything they could carry.
They stripped armor and weapons from the corpses of Baron Caton and his soldiers, who had t such a miserable end, even roughly tearing out the neural accelerators from the backs of their necks.
After gathering everything that could fetch money, the weight of the wagon increased, leaving deep wheel tracks in its wake.
For the next week, they headed toward the Marquis Hoover territory in the southwest.
"Captain, don't we just need to hand over that Baron's body? Just selling the armor would be quite profitable."
"No. The nobles would consider that an insult. The flag of House Saitz and the Baron's corpse must be delivered intact."
"......Yes."
Captain Royce firmly rejected the greedy gleam in ordinary mber Hagen's eyes. It seed his eyes were turning at the sight of potential money, regardless of the consequences. He understood the rcenaries' greed, but this was sothing that shouldn't be touched.
At this, Hagen turned his scarred face to look toward the rear of the procession. It was an unsatisfactory answer, but he couldn't rebel against the captain. Therefore, he turned his head to find a target to vent his frustration on, and just then, an appropriate target caught his eye.
"That bastard looks quite pleased."
"Who? Ah, Calix?"
"What Calix. He's just a brat who doesn't know his place."
Ungcap, a veteran rcenary who had sworn brotherhood with Hagen, let out an awkward laugh.
"Still, he did his part in this battle. Look at that. All the rookies are clustering around him, wagging their tails. They say he's the one who killed the knight, too."
"So, you're taking that bastard's side now?"
"No, what I an is......"
"I don't like him. At the very least, he shouldn't have spouted nonsense like 'Little Captain.'"
"Ah, was it because of that?"
Only then did Ungcap burst into genuine laughter, flexing his thick forearms. Since his sworn brother was openly eyeing the next Vice-Captain position, the title of Little Captain must have grated on him. Hagen was greedy, but he was equally honest about it.
"Because of that? Doesn't it bother you at all?"
"Ah, I'm not as ambitious as you. Besides, if he's the Little Captain, that ans he's not the real captain, right? Why are you being so sensitive about kids' gas?"
"Is that so...... Anyway, I don't like him. Everything from his gait to his behavior. He's not even so noble brat, but I've been annoyed by him from before, and now he walks around like a knight. What rcenary in the world walks like that?"
"Haha, that's just temporary. Everyone goes through that phase. Don't worry about such things."
However, there was sothing these two n hadn't noticed: there was a reason behind the change in Calix's gait and posture.
***
That evening. The Mountain Rabbits set up a temporary camp on a hill overlooking the grassland. Like before, they arranged the wagons in a circle around the campfire, but there was a change. The rcenaries were clearly divided into two groups. One side consisted of veteran rcenaries led by Captain Royce, while the other was rookies centered around Calix.
"Damn bastards. I'm saying this now, but you guys can't live like that. Just clinging to soone based on their abilities."
"What about you?"
"I've been clinging from way back! I'm Volga, got it? Volga from Bamba village in Angalia!"
"Ah, you're... Kind of pathetic."
"Ugh......"
Volga's face reddened at this, and wahaha—laughter erupted. But it was brief, as the voices died down under the sharp glares of the veteran rcenaries. Subsequently, Gregor also offered a quiet warning.
"Cook comrade, it's not good to speak loudly. When the moon isn't bright, don't rely on numbers. If you beco the ones being ambushed, that ans nothing at all."
"Yes, Gregor. I'll keep that in mind. Everyone must have understood."
The one who had once been treated as a mad old man had co to be respected as 'Indomitable Gregor' after experiencing several battles. The one answering him was the leader of the rookies, and that was Calix. The rookies instinctively accepted this fact. Of course, even that leader had his shortcomings.
"Calix, where are you from?"
"......Huh?"
"What I an is, you use the sword too well. You give orders incredibly well, too. Nobody died this ti, right? Except for that idiot Wheatley stepping on a stone and twisting his ankle."
"Hey, that! That... That was just a mistake, okay?"
"Sure."
Calix's lips twitched at the question about his origins. Most of the rcenary band was from the Astria Kingdom. There was no need to ntion their hostility toward the Niboria Empire. Moreover, the sense of kinship was also a problem.
"Anyway, you were definitely a leader in your hotown, right? The local kids must have followed you around. Did you also do things like stone throwing when you were young?"
"......"
Before leaving House of Ashapel, he had never mingled with children his age, and after that, his life was entirely spent as a diver in the mines. The only thing he could call playing was reading storybooks. Though he wasn't sure if that could be classified as 'playing'. Anyway, when Calix responded with 'silence'. the optimal response strategy, the rookies continued the conversation on their own.
"From what I can see, he probably mainly played territory managent gas. You can tell just by looking at his posture. Calix never takes his hands off his body. He always keeps his hand on his sword hilt...... It totally gives off noble vibes, doesn't it?"
"Oh, I think you're right? His posture is definitely different from the start."
"......"
Actually, that was a habit from his diver days. When accidents happened, he had to grab the rope at his waist or quickly pull out a leather pouch to take a breath. His straight back and orderly posture were the sa. It was one of the ways to avoid being whipped by the overseer. So even if they made a fuss about him looking like a noble now, it would only appear as a facade to please himself.
'No, maybe it looks markedly different since I received the body enhancent potion.'
Calix's speculation had rit.
[Balder Valefor, N0]
Na: Calix
Age: 19
Biotric Indicators
Strength: 5/10 [Growing]
Agility: 6/10 [Growing]
Endurance: 5/10 [Recovering]
Reality Acceleration: 2.0x [Rated Output]
Maximum Oxygen Uptake (VO2 max): --/10
Vision: 12/20 [Growing]
Physical Recovery: 11/10 [Temporarily Exceeded]
[ntal State]
ntal Contamination: 58% [Stable]
Neural Network Status: 101% [Temporarily Exceeded]
[Physical Developnt]
Muscle Developnt: 64%
Bone Density: 81% [Mana Integration in Progress]
[Bloodline Abilities]
Lanita's Heart/Source of Mana[48%]
Ashapel's Instinct/Avatar of the Battlefield[13%]
The biotric indicators had risen by at least two levels each. Considering how much sweat had to be shed to raise a single number, the external changes could be sowhat understood. His muscles had developed in a short ti, his shoulders had straightened properly, and his seemingly gaunt body now gave a solid feeling.
[ntal State] and [Physical Developnt] were also full of positive indicators, perhaps thanks to the mana surging through his heart, with the bloodline ability—Lanita's Heart—standing out particularly. 48 percent from a single body enhancent potion.
'Even though I couldn't dissolve all the mana, it's this much.'
The small misunderstanding was quickly corrected by the neural accelerator's comnt.
[Repeated use of mana essence can lead to inefficient results]
[Please recognize that this is a special situation]
Calix was inwardly aware of this too. Twinge! The mana trapped in his heart was extrely unstable, causing chest pain from ti to ti. Greed was worse than not having it at all.
"Hey. Little Captain comrade, how's your body feeling?"
Just then, suddenly, dwarf Basim approached and drew attention with playful teasing.
"Basim. No particular problems."
"Here, take this."
He imdiately offered sothing from within his clothes. In place of the longsword whose blade had been damaged beyond repair and even cracked in the previous battle, he had brought a new weapon, and included was also a dagger to replace the broken spearhead.
"This longsword has impurities mixed in appropriately. Ignorant folks might assu it's poor quality, but actually, when appropriate foreign substances are included, the strength increases. The dagger is...... See if the length fits."
"It's exactly forearm length."
"Hmm, does it seem alright? Actually, it's closer to a dagger than a short sword."
"Is there a difference?"
"Short swords usually have only one edge sharpened, but daggers have both edges fully sharpened. Also, the handle part is relatively wider, making it easier to defend with."
"That's better."
"Is that so? I hope it helps in any case. Our knight now has the responsibility of looking after brats whose blood hasn't even dried on their heads yet. Oh right, look at my mind. I almost forgot to give you the whistle. If you're an official mber, you have the right to send signals."
"Haha, yes...... You gave it to
at just the right ti. Thank you."
"Huh? The right ti?"
Dwarf Basim showed a puzzled expression, but Calix's eyes pierced through the gaps in the bushes shrouded in darkness. The strengthening of his bloodline trait, Lanita's Heart, ant he could see much farther. Unidentified attackers were approaching the 'Mountain Rabbits'.
***
How strong had Calix beco?
'The end of green...... Or the beginning of blue.'
Since he could now produce '2.0' output in normal tis without activating the combat acceleration function, he had truly reached the tail end of green. At the sa ti, since he could exceed the '2.1' output that was the baseline for blue, in terms of acceleration ability alone, it was like setting foot into interdiate knight territory.
'But it's not the sa level.'
Calix recalled the image of the mounted Baron. A monster with four legs and two hands. Though he had borrowed the power of equipnt, could he have fought on equal terms even if that man had dismounted?
'Not yet. But...... It's not that far off either.'
How should he put it, a feeling that he could reach it with a little more effort. Having realized what swordsmanship was and what it ant to occupy space, his body naturally itched for action.
"......Listen quietly. You don't hear any beast sounds, do you? This must be human presence."
"That's right, Calix is correct."
"I'm not even surprised anymore."
When Hadiya, who had gone scouting, confird the enemy's presence, Volga and the other rookies' eyes sparkled brightly. The reason was that Captain Royce's instructions had ignited fire in the youngsters' hearts. The first reconnaissance would be done by Hadiya, but depending on the enemy's level, sole operational authority would be given to the rookies, specifically to Calix. Would it be a fight for rookies only, or would they need the veterans' help? The result depended on Hadiya's judgnt.
"The enemy numbers roughly fourteen. They're probably not lost. Rather, they're closer to beasts wearing human skin. They were carrying human heads hanging from their waists."
"What's their armant level?"
"Crude. The fact that they're carrying torches openly in the middle of the night, and their armant state too—most of them carried wooden spears or sickles. Only a few had swords, and even those didn't seem properly maintained."
"......So Hadiya, what's your judgnt?"
"I think it's worth fighting. Of course, the final decision is yours to make, Calix. There probably aren't as many deserters as in the north, but if there are many with neural accelerators, the damage could be significant. What will you do?"
With the veteran rcenary's permission granted, the choice passed to Calix's hands. And. The forest was dark, but Calix's vision was bright. Among the attackers, only one possessed a neural accelerator. Even that one showed only a dim gray, indicating the level wasn't high.
"Good, let's fight."
"Mm."
"Still, we need to confirm what needs to be confird. Hadiya, can you pinpoint exactly where the enemies are?"
"50 steps forward. One of the detection campfires we set up at a distance just went out. Just to be sure, let
go check once more."
"Please do."
Even so, there was no complacency. Trust and confidence co from rational decision-making processes. As long as he wasn't fighting alone, taking this approach was right in the long run.
Rustle!
"Hadiya. How is it?"
"......The exact number is fourteen. Also, one of them seems to have a neural accelerator. He reacted quickly to sounds."
Soon, as Hadiya returned, everyone's gaze focused on one person's face.
"Good. I'll take that one. For the rest, let's surround and devour them with Volga and Romance at the center. Kotchap, I'll give you ten people separately, so wait for a mont and co in when you hear the whistle."
"Got it."
"Everyone, don't let your guard down. Above all, not getting hurt is important."
"Yeah."
With this, the operation comnced. While Volga and Romance each took ten people and advanced in two directions, Calix moved forward alone in a straight line, confirming his allies' positions. It would be impossible to perfectly ti the allies' attacks, but the risk of the balance tilting to one side...... could be resolved simply by him jumping in first.
[Reality Acceleration 2.0x]
Kwaak!
The enhanced body supported the neural accelerator's overwhelming output without damage. Just the first step caused the ground to cave in—
"Uh-uh......?"
Before the first discoverer could even raise his finger, he was right in front of him, cutting down with 'Dance of the Wasteland’ Chapter 2—Hawk's Descent. From the left chest to the right abdon, without stopping.
Chaaaaaaak!
'A bit too deep. My body has beco faster and...... Stronger than I thought.'
Kwaaaaak, paak!
The blade went deeper than expected and caught in the flesh, but only briefly. He extracted the blade without delay and rushed toward the next target. As Hadiya had said, the attackers had victims' heads hanging from their waists, so conversation wasn't even considered.
"You-ooooooo bastaaaaaaard......"
The montum was decent, but both reaction and speed were subpar.
Srrrreung—
As the opponent reached for his scabbard and then grasped the sword hilt to draw it about a third of the way out, Calix struck the enemy's hilt hard with his sword tip.
Taang! Cheok!
The originally rounded hilt designed for defense was forced back into the scabbard by physical interference. Then he finished with Chapter 1, Sand Snake's Fang. The blade that bounced from the elasticity aid for the enemy's nape and shot out straight.
Puuuuuk—chaaaaaaak!
He tried to block the blood spurting from his nape with his palm, but the forceful thrust left a wound large enough to expose the neck bone. The fading consciousness was surely due to that. But the predator had already moved on to the next target and was nowhere to be found.
In the environnt of little moonlight and thick undergrowth. Calix used his changed body as a foundation to once again reflect on the aning of swordsmanship's existence.
'Dance of the Wasteland' Chapters 1 through 8. Cutting and thrusting, turning away and retreating, and ways of advancing. But knowing it with his head alone wasn't enough. Only when precise posture and the body to support it were ready could he truly defend his own space with certainty.
'I must understand with my head and engrave it with my body. Constantly exploring and encroaching upon space. This is truly the essence of swordsmanship.'
Soon he used 'Pouch Rat's Leap' to penetrate the flank and slashed the enemy's thigh, while another enemy's wooden spear thrust was countered with 'Sand Dune's Whirlpool’. Rather than cutting the spear shaft, it would be better to deflect it with the back of his sword.
Tung!
Again, here he processed it with 'Hawk's Descent'—that is, by cutting—and when three rushed at him at once, he acknowledged that his space had been encroached upon and retreated with 'Wolf's Steps', but counterattacked when the enemies' spaces overlapped. The attack thod was Chapter 6, Red Sunset.
'Gregor said I should just know about it since I lacked strength. But now it seems possible. No, it absolutely works!'
Puuuk!
With the overwhelming speed difference, it wasn't difficult to thrust the sword tip into the abdon of the one standing on the far right. The key was what ca next. How to react to the blade flying at him. The answer ca from a movent combining thrust and slash.
Kwaak—
He twisted his wrist to change how he gripped the sword hilt, then added his left hand to firmly secure it with both hands.
[Combat Acceleration Activated]
[Reality Acceleration 2.2x]
[User enters swift speed]
To the side...... He slashed. Flesh and organs and bones, clothes and belts, and even the two humans rushing from beside, all of it.
Pu-aaaaaaak!
"Ugh...... Ughghghgh......"
"This...... Is Red Sunset."
At the sa ti, Calix redefined what it ant 'to beco strong'. Beyond simply making it a goal, there was fun in the process. There was exhilaration. There was a massive and pure pleasure that seed to penetrate from the tips of his fingers and toes to the top of his head.
Rustle! Paaaaak!
"You bastards—!"
It was right around then that Volga and Romance burst into the scene of slaughter.
"How dare these bastards look down on us! Co here! I'll kill them all—"
"Uh-waah, please spare us! Please spare our lives, sir! That monster over there, that monster—!"
"......Eh?"
The midnight ambush ended anticlimactically, leaving only enlightennt. In the scene covered with still-warm corpses and chunks of organs, and blood, there was no longer anyone left to resist.
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