Survival Strategies of a Struggling Aristocrat

Dennis woke up from his sleep, feeling the sunlight on his face. Thoughts of the knowledge Masaya had acquired in Japan flooded his mind. 

“Using Ultrasonic waves with magic essence, huh? Well, mastering swordsmanship seems undoubtedly crucial to making full use of such power.” 

Dennis became curious about a style of sword in Miyasaka dojo, which Masaya had started learning. In this world, there were several sword styles that existed. The style his father, Egmont, had learned was called Kurtz Fine Swordsmanship.

Kurtz Fine Swordsmanship was a technique primarily focused on duels, employing moves aimed at the neck, thighs, wrists, and other vulnerable areas. On the other hand, Miyasaka sword style was built around diagonal and reverse diagonal slashes, and its strikes, fueled by one’s entire being, possessed an undeniable power that could not be easily evaded.

Dennis found the power of a single strike appealing, especially when it came to defeating monsters. By combining the technique of infusing magic essence into the tip of a stick with the vibrations of ultrasonic waves, he could unleash a formidable force.

Incidentally, Masaya referred to the technique of combining “Magic Essence” and “Ultrasonic Waves” as “Quaking Blade.” Dennis started practicing the Kenpo and swordsmanship that Masaya was learning.

Of course, since he didn’t have a training partner, he could only practice alone. In that regard, practicing wood striking was ideal. Dennis set up several logs on the nearby sandy beach and began practicing by striking them with a stick.

The sound of wood striking resonated loudly in a place like the sandy beach. The nearby residents quickly noticed Dennis’s peculiar training. Egmont watched Dennis strike the logs and remarked,

“Using a mere stick to strike with such brute force won’t defeat anyone.”

“I’m aiming to slay monsters, not human opponents. This level of practice is just right.”

Egmont shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Some of the residents came to observe, but no one showed any intention of participating.

After a month of practice, Dennis felt that his swinging motion with the stick was becoming more natural.

“I think it’s about time to venture into the third floor of the labyrinth.”

The reason Dennis hesitated to descend to the third floor was because he knew he would encounter formidable monsters there. The creatures on the third floor were Poisonous Bats and Red-Eyed Wolves.

The Red-Eyed Wolves were wolf-like creatures, about the size of large dogs. They were named so because they had red fur around their eyes. These dangerous monsters could easily bite through a human’s throat with their sharp fangs.

According to the books he read, the true name obtained from the Red-Eyed Wolves was “Sense of Smell”, It was said that one could gain a sense of smell comparable to that of a dog.

Dennis geared up for the journey to the Rock Mountain Labyrinth once again, wearing hunting attire and carrying a backpack with bread, a water bottle, a war hammer, and a sturdy wooden staff.

Upon arriving at the labyrinth, he descended to the first floor. Ignoring the slimes, he proceeded to the second floor. Since it was impossible to avoid the Poisonous Bats, he fended off the attackers by striking them with his staff.

Aiming accurately at the heads of the Poisonous Bats and striking them precisely with the staff proved to be challenging. The creatures darted around, evading direct hits to their heads and instead getting hit on their wings, causing them to fall. Dennis continued the process of finishing them off one by one.

Finally, Dennis reached the entrance to the third floor and proceeded to descend with caution. This floor, too, was a maze-like area made of stone walls.

Upon descending, he immediately encountered a three-way intersection. Dennis chose the left path.

To ensure he would be prepared for any encounter with Red-Eyed Wolves, Dennis decided to create the “Quaking Blade.” He gathered magic essence from his surroundings and infused it into the tip of his staff. Then, he applied vibrations of the ultrasonic range. And thus, the Quaking Blade was complete.

The weapon, equipped with the rapidly vibrating magic essence blade, was thus called the “Quaking Blade”. Only a small part was translated into English, but it served as an example of Masaya’s less-than-stellar naming sense. (Quaking is said in Japanese; blade is said in English.)

To maintain the Quaking Blade, Dennis had to control the magic essence. It would drain his spiritual energy, but there was no other choice. Dennis couldn’t help but think it would be great if he could instantly complete the Quaking Blade, without exerting any effort.

Currently, it took him approximately 30 seconds to complete the Quaking Blade. Being able to finish it instantly seemed a long way off.

While immersed in contemplation, Dennis became aware of a presence steadily advancing from the far end of the corridor. Sensing the approaching figure, he instinctively poised his Quaking Blade for action. 

A Red-Eyed Wolf sprinted towards Dennis like a black bullet, leaping at him. The sheer terror that washed over him surpassed anything he had experienced before, surpassing encounters with slimes and Poisonous Bats.

“….”

Suppressing his fear, Dennis swung down his Quaking Blade that he held high.

Right then, tblade connected with the Red-Eyed Wolf’s head, cleaving through its flesh and fracturing its skull in a fatal blow. A tingling sensation lingered in Dennis’s hand as the fallen wolf dissolved, almost as if it were melting away.

“Phew, I managed to take it down… Huh?”

In a momentary lapse of focus, Dennis inadvertently lost control over the magic essence, causing the Quaking Blade to vanish into thin air. 

“This is bad.”

Dennis hastily reshaped the Quaking Blade, fully aware that if another Red-Eyed Wolf were to launch an attack at that very instant, it would be fatal.

After he formed his Quaking Blade, Dennis ventured deeper into the third floor. He encountered two Red-Eyed Wolves and managed to defeat them. After proceeding for about twenty minutes, he stumbled upon a small dome-shaped space.

Peering inside, his gaze met the eyes of three Red-Eyed Wolves. Choosing to confront them at the entrance, he reasoned that there would be no worry of being attacked from the sides or rear.

The forefront Red-Eyed Wolf lunged for Dennis’s throat. The latter swung his Quaking Blade frantically, inadvertently striking the wolf’s neck and delivering a fatal blow.

After dispatching one of them, Dennis regained his composure. He remained cautious not to lose control of the Quaking Blade as he faced the second wolf.

The second wolf, with a wary look in its eyes, snarled at Dennis. In response, Dennis shouted back, 

“Come at me!”

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Responding to Dennis’s battle cry, the Red-Eyed Wolf leaped to the right and lunged at him. Then, following his practiced technique, Dennis simultaneously unleashed a powerful downward swing of his Quaking Blade from above.

“Shhh!”

A hissing voice echoed out as the Quaking Blade carved through the face of the Red-Eyed Wolf. Just as he thought he had taken it down, the final wolf closed in on him. At that moment, Dennis attempted to create some distance by stepping back.

But it was a mistake. The agile Red-Eyed Wolf managed to close the gap swiftly. As a result, Dennis swung the staff wildly while attempting a diagonal strike. The center of the staff struck the wolf’s torso.

The impact almost sent the staff flying, but Dennis exerted strength in his fingers, deflecting the wolf’s charge. However, by the time he realized it, the Quaking Blade had already vanished. A chilling sensation ran through Dennis’s mind, as if blood was draining away from his body.

In this situation, he had no choice but to rely on the staff alone. The staff Dennis was using had been crafted from the branch of a resilient tree called the Mourning Willow. It was a wood so hard that lumberjacks would cry and complain loudly while working with it.

“If only I could use the Quaking Ball…”

When the Quaking Blade was successful, Dennis also came up with the idea of using Quaking Balls. It was a method of attacking by imbuing vibrations into the magic essence ball and launching it at the enemy, much like the vibrations of the Quaking Blade.

However, the Quaking Ball didn’t work out. He was able to maintain the magic essence in the form of a ball and induce vibrations of the ultrasonic range, but he couldn’t figure out how to make the ball rotate.

It seemed that he could manipulate up to two forms of magic essence simultaneously, but three was beyond his capability. Dennis held his staff high while glaring at the Red-Eyed Wolf.

It was an anxiety-inducing situation. He had been practicing the Miyasaka style for a month now. In exchange for severe muscle soreness, he had gained only a slight increase in muscle and skill, which he had to rely on at this moment.

The red-rimmed eyes of the wolf brimmed with hatred after having witnessed its comrades fall. Gazing into those eyes, Dennis felt uneasy about his high stance. It seemed as though his vulnerable torso was inviting an attack.

However, the ultimate technique of the Miyasaka style was the diagonal strike from above. If he succumbed to his unease and switched to a mid-level stance, he would lose the swiftness of his sword.

The Red-Eyed Wolf rushed in, aiming for Dennis’s legs. It seemed to be planning to sink its fangs into his shin and bring him down. Dennis unleashed the diagonal strike, just as he had practiced.

The staff sliced through the air, producing a sharp “whoosh” sound as it connected with the wolf’s head. A solid thud reverberated, providing a sense of impact. The Red-Eyed Wolf staggered, as if suffering from a concussion, and turned around, revealing its back.

Recognizing this as an opportunity, Dennis pursued relentlessly. He sprinted forward, releasing a battle cry, and swung the staff down. From that point on, he was consumed by fervor, repeatedly executing diagonal strikes and reverse diagonal strikes.

When Dennis finally came back to his senses, the Red-Eyed Wolf had vanished. Instead, something unusual had fallen to the ground. It was a fang of the Red-Eyed Wolf.

“Oh, a drop item,” 

Drop items were rare treasures. It was said that one had to defeat dozens, even hundreds, of Labyrinth monsters to obtain them. However, the chances of obtaining a drop item increased when battling long-lived creatures.

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“So, this is a Red-Eyed Wolf’s fang,” 

The fallen fang gleamed with a metallic luster. There was a theory that monsters were originally made of magic essence, and drop items were believed to be crystallizations of that essence.

Within this small dome-like space, there were no mineral deposits. Feeling weary, Dennis decided it was time to head back. On his way home, he would mine some tin on the second floor before returning.

Dennis sold the tin at Kasper’s general store. Moreover, he also showed Kasper the Red-Eyed Wolf’s fang, and the latter’s eyes lit up.

“Well, this is a monster’s drop item. How about one gold coin for it?” Kasper suggested.

“Ehh, that much?”

Dennis was surprised because the selling price was higher than he had anticipated.

Drop items like fangs and horns were said to be used for weapon enhancements. Weapons crafted using these materials, when melted down and incorporated, were known to possess greater durability and sharper edges than regular ones.