To Be a Power in the Shadows! Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Bandits Are Basically Just Walking Bonus Stages

I think about 10 years has gone by.

Magic is amazing. With it, I can easily make movents far beyond human limits.

Crushing rocks? Easy.

Running twice the speed of a horse? Totally.

Jumping higher than houses? You bet.

But I’m afraid a taepodong is still beyond . Magic can up my physical resistance, but mighty are Earth’s weapons.

The thought that “There is no taepodong in this world, so isn’t it fine to drop this?” did cross my mind, but what worth is there in a power in the shadows who attained his position by compromising?

None, absolutely zero.

Thus, I continue to strive towards attaining a body that can win over a taepodong.

To that aim, I have poured my days into research and training. Recently, a certain possibility has surfaced in my mind, and I’m currently experinting on it.

Oh and by the way, the family that I was born into is apparently a noble house. It’s a lineage that has continuously spat out knights that fight while using magic to strengthen themselves – so-called magic swordsn. And I was brought up as the family’s heir with sky high expectations and respect...... or not. Nah, they just treated like any other apprentice swordsman.

Powers in shadows reveal their true strength only to people and in places of their choosing. Up till that mont......

Though I am holding back, the training for apprentice swordsn is not completely useless to . I am able to learn how this world fights with magic, and it is also a chance for to review my own fighting style.

To be blunt, the fighting techniques that I had learned in my previous life are several folds more polished and rational.

This could be easily seen just by watching any modern martial arts match. Useless techniques and unnecessary movents have all been weeded out, and different schools have taken and adopted other schools’ very best. That lting pot effect was indeed bringing all those schools towards the path of being perfected.

Of course, modern martial arts have boundaries called ‘rules,’ but that does not change the fact that their various techniques are being polished against each other and undergoing the process of selection.

But this world, in comparison. Firstly, there is absolutely no way that a technique crosses between countries. Neither would a technique cross schools. There are techniques that apparently only disciples can learn and are forbidden from leaving the school grounds. Even if a technique gets publicized, there is no dia to spread it. In other words, there is no lting pot, no selection, no polishing. If I had to sum them up in a single word, it would be “crude.”

But this world’s fighting is indeed fundantally different from that of my previous world. Exactly, because of magic.

Due to magic, basic physical stats of this world’s people are on a totally different level.

For example, physical strength. People can lift soone else up with a single hand. Just because of that, all grappling techniques beco obsolete. Even if I mount soone, they can jump into the sky just by flexing their abdominal muscles. Even if I put soone into the guard position, they can send flying with just a single leg. So yea, grappling techniques, all out the window.

People fight the way that people fight, and goblins fight the way that goblins fight. That’s all there is to that.

Furthermore, the speed and distance of step ins are different, so maai are considered differently.And actually, this is the most important one.

(T/N: ‘Maai’ refers to the space between two opponents in combat; formally, the “engagent distance”. It is a complex concept, incorporating not just the distance between opponents, but also the ti it will take to cross the distance, angle and rhythm of attack. It is specifically the exact position from which one opponent can strike the other, after factoring in the above elents. For example, a faster opponent’s maai is farther away than a slower opponent. ~Wikipedia)

Martial arts are, in essence, a fight over maai. Distance, angle, positioning, these are all what the fights are all about.

It took quite so ti to determine my own maai in this world. I an, this world’s people’s maai are so far away. They start fights standing 5m away from each other. Sure, their step in is long, and their speed is fast, so it’s not like I don’t understand. At first, I was impressed with it and thought “ohh so this is this world’s fighting style”...... but nah, turns out that it’s only because their defense techniques are undeveloped.

We have this kind of people in our world too – people who suck at defense so they just aninglessly distance themselves from their opponent as much as possible.

The opponent’s attack is scary, isn’t it? Being in a place where their attacks can’t reach you is safer, isn’t it? So that’s why fights beco just blandless repetitions of opponents dashing in to make an attack before dashing right back out. Hit and run, is it? Sorry, useless and simple back and forth movents don’t count as hit and run.

To , 5m and 100m is equally worthless. After all, proper attacks can’t be launched from either distance. 6m, 7m, 10m, it’s all the sa. There’s no point to it, so let’s just walk closer together and close the distance, shall we?

But at a certain distance, there is enormous aning between the difference of 1mm, which is maai. Whether my attacks will hit, whether my opponent can react in ti, considering the angle and various other things, gaining or losing advantage by moving half a step sideways or tilting a certain degree. By no ans is it just running 5m to make an attack before jumping backwards 6m.

All my preconceptions about another world and magic and all that confused for quite a while, but recently I was finally able to determine my own maai, so all’s good, I suppose.

So yea, that’s pretty much how my daily training at ho goes. There’s only , my older sister, and my dad – my dad teaches my older sister and , and my older sister and I spar. My older sister of 2 years above seems to have quite the talent, and will most likely beco the heir of the house. In this world where magic can be used, even girls can beco crazy strong, so girls becoming the heads of their families is not that uncommon.

And because of that, I get beaten up by my sister pretty much every day. I an, I can’t win, right? After all, to beco a power in the shadows, I have to act out my common life as an unremarkable Mob A.

Which is why I spend everyday going “fueee, onee-chan you’re so strong~” while getting beaten up.

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So, such is my daily life. During the dayti, I also have studies related to being a noble, as well as various other tasks that I need to carry out as Mob A, so I don’t have much free ti.

Therefore, my personal training naturally ends up having to be carried out at night, after everyone else has gone to sleep. Of course, that ans decreasing my sleeping hours, but by combining the effects of ditation and magic’s recovery powers, I was able to develop a unique sleeping style that is super short but super effective.

Well then, let’s work hard at training today as well. For today, I have a bit of a special nu after the usual running in the forest.

As of late, it seems that so ruffians have taken to occupying a nearby abandoned village. Upon investigation, they turned out to be a bandit gang of quite so size. Yep, they make for perfect tashikiri targets.

(T/N: A sort of urban legend is that there were swordsn in the Edo period who would test out new swords by cutting up random pedestrians on the streets, and this act was called tashikiri.)

I do kill random scattered brigands whenever I co across them, but sothing the level of a full-fledged bandit gang is like a once in a year event for , so I’m quite excited. All year long I’m in lack of a proper sparring partner, so I love these kinds of criminals. Aah, can the local public order go down please?

In the rural areas of this world, criminals can generally be killed without a trial. More like, only the large cities have judges, so those in the rural areas aren’t too fussed up about this kind of thing. Which is why I will judge you all, kekeke.

Today is to commorate a new weapon that I have recently been trying out – the sli bodysuit.

Allow to explain what the sli bodysuit is.

This world has magic. This world’s people fight by using that magic to strengthen themselves and their weapons. However, there is always so degree of loss when they use magic. For example, a normal iron sword would only have 10% efficiency – you pour in 100 points of magic, but the effect is only a boost of 10 points. Which ans that 90% of the magic is lost in the process. Even for mithril, a tal lauded for its high conductivity, a sword capable of 50% efficiency would already be considered to be a high grade item. So in short, there is always a huge amount of loss.

Then I ca to consider slis. Slis are, well, true to their appearances, magical beings. They change form and move around using only magic. When I studied them further, I realized that their magical conductivity is a mind-shattering 99%. Furthermore, as they are in liquid form, they can freely change form. So I hunted slis, crushed their cores, and experinted on the leftover sli jelly. The number of sli cores that I have crushed are easily in the thousands. It was to the degree where the local area began suffering from a sli deficiency, forcing to go on expeditions further afield.

The sli jelly was quite easy to process. After strengthening and compounding it, I was eventually able to make a full-body bodysuit out of it. Unlike armor, it does not make any sound, is comfortable, and actually even provides support to any movents I make. And of course, its defensive capabilities are also guaranteed.

At the mont, I’m wearing a completely black bodysuit made from sli jelly mixed with black pignts. There is no unnecessary adornnts, the suit fits my body perfectly, and my vision and breathing is unobstructed. I pretty much look exactly like the villains in a certain detective manga.

Perhaps I should also think of a more appropriate design in preparation for the day when I shall intervene as a power from the shadows.

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So with that, I’ve arrived at the abandoned village. Despite the late hour, they’ve got torches lit up all over the place. Apparently, they’ve just successfully assaulted a rchant caravan, so now they’re having a feast. Yep, my luck is pretty good. Bandits generally have zero planning skills, so they have a strong tendency to imdiately use up whatever they get their hands on. It’s only right after an assault that they actually have things worth anything.

What belongs to the bandits, belongs to . This is how I’m saving up capital for becoming a power in the shadows in the future.

With max tension, I crash into the feast. I don’t play the stealth route, because then that wouldn’t count as practice.

“Hyaha~! Bring out all your money and valuables!!”

So I yelled standing smack dab in the middle of the camp.

“The fuck is with this little squirt?”

I’m 10 years old, so I guess the ‘little squirt’ comnt is not entirely undue.

“Oraa, I said to bring out all your money!”

After I kick away the rude guy who called a squirt, the other bandits finally take up their weapons.

“Oi, if you look down on us too much don’t think we’ll go easy on you just ‘cus you’re a......!”

“Oraa!”

That guy’s lines were just too cliche that I couldn’t help but to cut off his head first. Naturally, my weapon is made of sli material; it’s an exceptional weapon that I can take out only when needed. Furthermore, this sli sword still has several more handy functions.

Handy Function 1: it stretches.

“Ora ora ora ora oraaaAAA!”

I stretch the sli sword and swing it in a horizontal arc to take out all the nearby bandits.

The elasticity of mochi paired with the sharpness of an actual sword. It’s the first ti I’m using it in real combat so I had been slightly apprehensive, but turns out it performs quite well.

“ORA ORA ORA ORAAA...... hmm?”

After getting caught up in the mont and cutting every which way indiscriminately, I suddenly realize that the surroundings has beco really quiet. Eh, there’s only one guy left?

“Y-, you, who the hell are you......?”

“Sigh, no other choice. I’ll test Handy Function 2 on you then.”

“Wha-, what are you saying......!?”

“It seems that you’re a bit stronger than all those other guys, so you’re probably the boss or sothing, yea? Unfortunately, there is zero possibility for you to win against , but if you agree to be my practice partner than you can probably live for 2 more minutes. Try your best, alright?”

“Fuck you, making light of ! I’ll have you know, I’m......!”

“Unnecessary comnts are unnecessary, seriously.”

“FUCK YOU!!!!!!”

Boss A charges at in rage. In the face of that dull slash, I...... choose not to evade.

So Boss A’s sword smashes into my chest, the shock causing to roll onto the ground.

“Haha, this is what happens when you make light of ! I have completely mastered Royal Capital Bushin Style...... wha-, WHAT?!”

“Hmm, not even a scratch.”

I stand back up as if nothing had happened.

I am completely satisfied with the suit’s defense capabilities. Seems like it can completely negate at least sothing on the level of Boss A’s attacks.

“Ooo, Royal Capital Bushin Style? Isn’t it the school that has been pretty popular in the royal capital of late? Hey, show more!”

“Shit, you asked for it!”

Boss A attacks.

Er, um, yea, easy. He’s giving his very best in trying to cut , but I don’t even have to hold up my sword. Just with positioning and stepping alone, handling him is easy-peasy.

But this Bushin Style? I think I quite like it.

Uncommonly so for this world, I can see that this style is not one bound by idealism or trite traditions, but takes direct and rational ways to close in to the opponent. I can recognize that even from Boss A’s crappy swings. Instantaneous acceleration, pressing forward by half steps, and the variety of other thods to press towards the opponent resonates with .

But, well, Boss A is really just too crappy at it.

The mont when Boss A’s attacks let up, I easily step out of his maai.

“My, my sword...... why didn’t you get cut!”

“I an, you’re weaker than my dad. You’re probably stronger than my older sister at the mont, but she’ll probably overtake you in one more year or so I think?”

“YOU GODDAMN BRAT!!!!”

After parrying Boss A’s reckless swings, I lightly kick his shin. Light, but snappy, it was a kick from below the knee.

At which......

“Gu, aa, why......?”

Boss A crumples into a kneel, pressing down on his shin. Red blood gurgles through his fingers and makes a stain on the ground.

What happened was simple; there is an ice pick-like sword extending from my toes. Sli bodysuit Handy Function 2: able to to extend a sword whenever and wherever I want.

The way I thought to use this function is to kick the opponent’s leg with a sword extending from my toes. It is really hard to defend against an attack aid at the legs. Block the opponent’s sword with my own, seal their movents, then kick their leg. Bland, but effective.

“Guess there’s no point keeping up with this any longer.”

“W-, wait!”

“You didn’t even last the full 2 minutes, man.”

I kick upwards with the sword from my toes, skewering Boss A’s head from under his chin. Death by impalent.

Kicking away Boss A’s convulsing body, I search the camp for loot.

“I don’t know a fence who can handle these works of art...... eh, foodstuffs I don’t need either...... co on, where are you, cash and jewels and precious tals~”

There were several carts of loot. And also several corpses of rchants.

“I’ve already helped you guys take revenge, and your goods will be used for a good cause, so rest in peace, alright?”

I gathered the passable quality of loot and offered a mont of silence. If I convert all this to cash, I guess it’ll be about 5 million Zeny. Oh, 1 Zeny is about the sa value as 1 yen. All of this will beco the funding for my activities as a power in the shadows.

If only the entire world could have worse public order such that it would overflow with bandits. Maybe to the level in gas, where you can encounter one just by walking several steps on the road.

“Work harder in your next life and beco the bandit king, alright?”

So I say to the silent Boss A...... before noticing sothing further beyond.

“Cage......?”

It’s a pretty big and sturdy-looking one too.

“Slave? I can’t fence that, so pass~”

But maybe, just maybe, there’s sothing good in there. So just in case, I remove the tarp covering the cage.

“This...... I did not expect.”

Inside is, um, how to say...... a rotten lump of flesh? I can just barely make out the humanoid shape, but can’t discern the gender nor age nor anything else.

But well, it’s still living. Maybe it still even has consciousness. When I peered into the cage, I noticed the lump of at twitching.

I’ve heard of this before. It’s called demon possession, and the Church executes these monsters. They were originally born as normal humans, but one day their body suddenly begins to rot away. They would eventually die if left alone, but the Church proactively buys them and executes them in the na of purification. This purification of demons is pretty much just genocide of patients, but the Church gains acclamation from the populace for “protecting” the common populace from the “demons.” What can I say, it’s dieval Europe indeed.

If I sell this lump of at to the Church, it’ll fetch a price higher than the combined worth of everything I looted today. But again, I can’t actually go sell it, so there’s no aning to it.

Guess I’ll at least just put it to rest.

I slide the sli sword in between the bars of the cage...... but then suddenly realize sothing.

There is an enormous amount of magic inside this lump of at. Even though I’ve been training my magic ever since I was a baby, the amount I have still pales in comparison. What a monstrous amount of magic. And furthermore......

“This wave...... is it magic deviation......?”

Is it possibly the case that the reason why this lump of at beca like this is due to magic deviation? Previously, I had also suffered from magic deviation. If I hadn’t successfully brought my magic back under control that ti, would I have also beco like this?

Magic has an undeniable effect on the physical body. A certain day, I thought of a certain possibility. Would it be possible that through magic deviation, I can train my body to beco further accustod to magic, such that it can beco easier for to control magic? But purposely causing magic deviation is too dangerous, so in the end I had shelved the idea.

But if this lump of at is truly the product of magic deviation, and if I can perform my experints on this lump of at...... then I can get even closer to the strength of a power in the shadows with zero risk to myself.

“This at, can be of use......”

I reach out to the lump of at, and begin to pour magic into it.