Volume 6 Chapter 12 Ice And Fire
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Thanks to the hot spring’s special effects, I completely washed away not just muscle aches but also fatigue.
People say this hot spring is blessed by a divine warrior, but isn’t it just a weaker version of Exceneca’s Water of Life?
Just taking a bath makes food and sleep unnecessary, which is super convenient for training. Though I feel like I’m losing half the joy of living, it can’t be helped.
Mr. Gino the dwarf ended up staying without much resistance. Apparently, he often comes here to kill time.
Since a single day in the outside world becomes a year in this room, I guess I end up with even more free time. But since fun times fly by, it’s no big deal.
After the two old men argued amicably about making me their disciple, Mr. Escalion agreed to teach me swordsmanship first.
My wishes are ignored, huh. They’re a bit pushy as mentors, but oddly, I don’t mind this kind of vibe.
The drive to pass on skills to the next generation is both noble and selfish.
But isn’t that how civilization grows?
”Listen, those summoned Heroes usually have talents that seem almost fake. Normally, they’re even above me, who’s called a once-in-a-century genius. It’s frustrating, but it’s the truth, so there’s no choice.”
I wondered what they’d teach me, but then the old man started complaining.
It’s because of the summon bonus, I guess.
The summon bonus ranges from +1 to +20.
Mine was the worst at +1. Even that small boost brought me better luck.
Most summoned Heroes get +10 or more, so it’s not entirely random.
If your stats improve by +10, your life changes drastically. And since you only pay 1 point to assign to a skill, you can choose whatever ability you like.
Of course, you can make up for differences with effort, but even talented people work hard.
This isn’t very interesting. I get why Mr. Escalion complains. Still, even he’s more talented than most.
”And many of them have strong blessings from the start. It’s like cheating!”
There’s a lot of variation in summoning blessings.
Some, like me, get nothing.
The “Equivalent Exchange” I received from Uno is strong, but some Heroes have even stronger blessings like “Beloved by All Spirits” from the start.
If they have multiple strong blessings, they’re basically cheat Heroes. They’re treated differently from losers like me.
Some say loser Heroes are the true Heroes, but many who believed that never returned. The other world is harsh.
”Summoned Heroes grow insanely fast. Becoming an Advanced class in less than a year is absurd!”
Maybe it’s an experience point bonus? Some groups power level systematically, so it might not be a cheat but efficient leveling.
Gamers from Earth would find the optimal way to gain experience as easily as breathing.
They surpass the imagination of people in this world, who just work hard blindly, and reach the level cap incredibly fast.
Apparently, a summoned Hero discovered the maximum human level is 60. Gamers are amazing.
From this world’s perspective, it’s definitely cheating.
But Mr. Escalion uses a cheat-like training ground too.
It’s about what you consider cheating. In a game, if the luck operator deems it cheating, it’s banned. The luck operator here would be… God, maybe?
”If those strong summoned Heroes dealt with the Demon King, it’d make things easier. But as a real Hero, being compared to them is irritating. You get it, right?”
I can’t say I don’t understand. Does this relate to my training?
”Think of it as an old man’s rambling. Bear with me.”
”What do you mean, complaining? When I’m as big as you, I don’t bother with pretenses. Besides, I was about to get to the training.”
They’re such good friends, these old guys.
What does it mean Mr. Escalion is a real Hero? I guess it’s not okay to question my master, but the mood seems fine now.
”Um, what exactly is a Hero?”
”What? A Hero is… a Hero.”
That’s not an answer. Maybe it’s a Mind Communication skill issue? Or he’s just absent-minded.
”I wanted to know the difference between a summoned Hero and a real Hero.”
”Summoned Heroes are basically cheating competitors.”
The conversation isn’t meshing. Is my question bad? Or is he dodging it?
”A Hero is said to be an agent of the gods, a being who saves the world. Escalion received the blessing of Goddess Belzea and became a true Hero.”
Basically, it means someone chosen by a god. A common game pattern.
Mr. Escalion became a true Hero because he met the Goddess directly.
Did summoned Heroes meet a god during summoning? They say something about a white room.
I’ll ask Ms. Shirakaba next time.
”Goddess Belzea was exceptionally beautiful. I tried to flirt, and before I knew it, I received her blessing.”
I remembered. If it’s the Goddess of Fertility Belzea, I know about her.
The statue in the temple was a glamorous beauty with big chests and a large butt. Since she’s the Goddess of Fertility, it’s fitting.
Did he get dazzled by those big and try to flirt? His womanizing is serious.
Still, meeting a goddess directly… As expected of another world. Of course, it’s not easy to meet her just like that.
The goddess doesn’t casually punish with divine wrath. Those who offend the gods are dealt with by the Holy Templar Order as divine representatives.
If Mr. Escalion hadn’t received the goddess’s blessing, he would’ve been torn apart for disrespect.
”If the Holy Templar Order is that strong, shouldn’t they defeat the Demon King? If the divine agent is a Hero, it’s similar, right?”
”They are basically failed Heroes who didn’t receive divine protection. Oops, that was dangerous. Never talk about this in front of others. They’ll erase us.”
Mr. Escalion speaks seriously and jokingly. He’s hard to read.
Anyway, it’s better not to get involved with the Holy Templar Order. Let’s remember that.
”Since I said unnecessary things, I forgot how much I told you. Summoned Heroes use powerful techniques, so we need countermeasures. I’ll teach you my ultimate secret technique.”
It seems he’ll teach the ultimate secret technique suddenly.
Mr. Escalion wields a one-handed sword in his right hand and a dagger in his left. It’s dual wielding.
But the dagger in his left hand is just for defense, deflecting the opponent’s sword or acting as a shield.
If he waved his left hand around with nothing, it’d make a good target. In this world’s swordsmanship, you hide your left hand behind your back so it doesn’t get cut.
The way he channels mana into both swords is truly polished.
A flickering fire effect appears on the sword in his right hand. At the same time, the dagger in his left hand… ice?
”Aw yeah! Let’s gooo!”
Fire and ice, back-to-back—now that’s a combo.
Sparks fly, and fog billows.
The effects leave a trail of light, making it look very fantasy-like.
Is this a display technique?
”How about that! This flawless movement!”
As expected, there are no openings, but for a final secret move, the strength isn’t remarkable.
With this level of attack, I can even withstand it with a shield.
”Flame Dragon Strike is fast to release but has a long cooldown. Frostfang Slash is slow to activate but allows free movement afterward. Combining these, I created the Twin Dragon Combo.”
I see. He uses the time difference to activate both skills simultaneously. The timing is strict but easier than a decisive move combo.
Is this really the final secret technique…?
”Isn’t the naming of Twin Dragon Combo strange? I get Flame Dragon Strike, but Frostfang Slash has nothing to do with dragons.”
”Details don’t matter. As long as the skill name sounds strong, I don’t care.”
People here love attaching ‘dragon’ to weapon and skill names. They want to borrow dragon strength.
”Flame Dragon Strike is Intermediate, and Frostfang Slash is Novice. Connecting them takes skill, but someone with your dexterity should manage.”
I’m sure it’s dexterity. Maybe he peeked at it with an appraisal skill?
”Some skills counteract opponent techniques. Frostfang Slash is easy to use. The key is delivering counter techniques without pause.”
”So, Twin Dragon Combo is a defensive technique aimed at countering enemy attacks, right?”
”You’re sharp. Summoned Heroes use sneaky finishing moves. If you block those with Twin Dragon Combo, you can manage. Since they haven’t trained hard, they’re weak without techniques.”
I wonder if it’ll work, but Mr. Escalion survived using this, so it’s valuable advice.
Tactical-level magic has physical or magic immunity barriers, but at a personal level, it’s too powerful and not easy to use. Cooldowns are long, and many spellcasters must take turns.
Compared to that, Twin Dragon Combo seems more user-friendly. In one-on-one combat, you probably won’t be outnumbered in moves.
”Since you’ve become my disciple, let’s learn Twin Dragon Combo first.”
A skill that nullifies the opponent’s skill… Very useful, but unfortunately, both skills are swordsmanship.
”Sorry, but I can’t use swordsmanship skills.”
Mr. Escalion freezes. He didn’t expect I couldn’t use combat skills.
There’s a similar skill for hammers and staff techniques, but I can’t use them since I’m not a combat profession.
”No way. You should be able to do it. Just grit your teeth and try.”
I don’t dislike perseverance, but sometimes strength alone won’t cut it.
As a Stargazer with the Edit skill, I understand why skills are limited by profession. I don’t have the authority to use certain codes for swordsmanship skills.
Gods probably aren’t being malicious. The job change system prevents excessive burden.
For now, let’s look at the Frostfang Slash program.
I quickly understood why I can’t use it. The code has error- appearing in it.
In such cases, it’s faster to delete the problematic parts.
Since I can copy and paste, deleting the attack detection probably won’t cause danger. Probably.
Fortunately, the error disappeared after removing one spot. The attack strength was gone, but the skill cancel ability remained. Now I can use other weapons, and MP consumption dropped. It might be more convenient for canceling.
Flame Dragon Strike was similar. It shared many points with Frostfang Slash’s code, which helped.
Both techniques are old-fashioned, without recent attack motion support features. They’re simple and efficient. The creator might be a god.
Probably… the gods themselves are programmers.
Maybe this world is a VRMMO like Mr. Kondou said.
Well then, let’s try the Twin Dragon Combo.
Trying to dual-wield makes me worried I might cut my own arm off.
I nervously spread both hands wide and prepare.
Doing it out of fear makes it more dangerous, right? The most dangerous moment is when you start getting used to it and let your guard down.
Without trembling or relaxing… the balance is surprisingly difficult.
First, imagine mana gathering in your palms.
This feels familiar, like strengthening a hatchet with the Crafting skill.
The problem is the timing of activating the skills.
The slow-to-activate ice skill should go first, then the fire skill.
If the fire comes out first, that’s a success.
The key is covering the long cooldown of Flame Dragon Strike with Frostfang Slash.
So, maybe the ice should appear a little later… my head’s spinning, so I’ll just practice.
Gently channeling mana into the hatchet, I quickly ignite the mana in my right hand before Frostfang Slash completes, activating Flame Dragon Strike.
As the fire effect appears, the hatchet glows blue-white.
Well, that’s a success, right? I should make Flame Dragon Strike’s activation faster.
In other words, if ice and fire alternate continuously without interruption, it’s fine, right?
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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