Chapter 116-2 Footprints
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Sorry, my offer to help got rejected too. I thought there was a chance they’d say yes.”
Kijima-senpai joined the conversation.
”It’s been three days since Kibakura-kun disappeared. They probably know we’re aware of it, so it wouldn’t be strange for him to ask for help no matter what’s going on. But maybe there’s still something he’s hiding.”
Something… I can’t quite imagine what it is. For now, we just have to keep searching.
On the fourth floor, there were lots of beast-type monsters, but thanks to Himeno’s preemptive attacks, we moved through without much trouble. Hano-san, who leveled up yesterday, listened carefully to Sogahara-senpai and the others’ advice.
I also found Sogahara-senpai’s practical tips really helpful. While sharing info and opinions, we ended up chatting during a break with the vanguard group.
”So, Tsuchimiya-kun, you’ve never done martial arts before? That’s surprising. You move pretty smoothly.”
”During the First Dive, I learned some spear techniques from a traditional school. I practiced the forms, but honestly, I’m still pretty bad.”
”Eh!? You picked that up during the First Dive? I’ve got sword skills from a school too, but mine came as a gift!”
Katsura-kun looked stunned. Skills from those traditional schools really seem valuable.
’Thanks to me. You should be grateful.’
Tina said with a proud smile, gliding past like a seal floating on water. If she hadn’t worked so hard back then, I might’ve been killed by the first white Hobgoblin.
”Mind if I see a bit of your form? I’ll show you mine too—the Hokushin Ittoryu style, or Northern Star Single Sword Style.”
”Sure. I want to see Sogahara-senpai’s style as well.”
Sogahara-senpai stood up from the circle where we were sitting, stepped back a little, and drew his sword gracefully. He began his form smoothly, without hesitation.
At first, his movements were slow and relaxed. The sword moved gently, like watching a beautiful dance. Then suddenly, a sharp “whoosh” sound of wind cutting through the air rang out. Following that came quick “whoosh! whoosh!” sounds, like a series of swift strikes slicing through the air.
His moves were simple but each strike was decisive. No hesitation, no wobbling. It was a style built over many years—I couldn’t manage something like this.
Suddenly, I felt embarrassed to show my own form.
”Time’s up. That’s about it.”
Sogahara-senpai sheathed his sword and smiled shyly. Applause broke out. Even though it lasted less than two minutes, everyone had been holding their breath, watching carefully.
Could it be my turn next? Oh no, I’m starting to get nervous.
I stood up and walked toward Sogahara-senpai, who was coming over.
”Automatic skill control can make your form clean, but what do you prefer?”
”In that case, both. After showing the skill, I want you to show your own form, Tsuchimiya-kun.”
Both, huh. After his example, I’d show my clumsy form. I ended up getting too cautious and making mistakes.
Can’t help it. I’ll just have to push through.
”Phoenix Temple Spear Technique (Hououin-ryu) spear style, Black Tortoise (Genbu) first form, White Tiger (Byakko) fourth form, Azure Dragon (Seiryu) second form.”
Not too complicated—I picked parts I’m somewhat confident with.
First, I completed the form smoothly with automatic control. Then I fixed my posture and switched to the self-driven form.
The tension here was nothing like performing in front of familiar friends or beginners. Even though my body was stronger, I still wavered, and the tip of my spear didn’t stop exactly where I wanted.
It lasted about four minutes. I was sweating oddly but somehow finished.
The applause, even if polite, made me feel a little relieved.
”That was amazing! You’re already at intermediate level. Practicing less than a month, that’s phenomenal!”
”Intermediate for sure. Can you really tell that well?”
”Even for me, an experienced fighter, I’m still beginner level…” Katsura-kun looked shocked.
”Embarrassing. Compared to Sogahara-senpai, I still have a long way to go.”
It was clear there was a big skill gap. Without magic, if I fought Sogahara-senpai, even with the spear’s reach, I’d be in trouble.
”I’ve been swinging swords for as long as I can remember, and I had a proper master. A form is like a musical score.”
”A musical score?”
”Yes. If you play piano notes as written, it becomes a song. But that alone doesn’t show the feelings or meaning behind it. True musicians study the composer’s background, the time when the piece was made, even their life story to understand the emotions. Two players with the same skill can sound very different depending on their feelings. Forms are the same; just copying them doesn’t teach you the real meaning.”
”Essence, huh…”
”Maybe I didn’t explain well. The essence of martial arts is really about ‘how to kill’ and ‘how to survive.’ The movements aren’t just basic moves you train your body to do—they also hide their true meaning from outsiders. Every small move, even the angle, has a purpose. For example, this movement—”
Sogahara-senpai drew his sword and cut upward from a low stance. Then he kept the sword upright, turned his wrist twice, and lowered the sword to a middle guard.
”This move flows from attack to deflect the enemy’s counter. But if you know the whole form, you’ll see it’s unnatural. There’s a similar move elsewhere, so doing this again here isn’t necessary. The true meaning is a counterattack to finish the opponent. Like this!”
Sogahara-senpai repeated the same move: cutting upward, then immediately cutting downward.
The downward strike followed the same path as the upward one, but reversed. It was so fast, the wind’s slicing sound happened only once.
This is a two-step cut. By the time I try to move after barely dodging the first, I’d already be hit by the second. Since I use a spear, I’d move back while attacking to keep distance, but if the enemy steps forward, they’re faster.
”Let’s add the wrist twist from before.”
”Ah!”
It’s the same upward strike, but twisting the wrist at the downward cut changes the sword’s path.
The downward diagonal cut from left shoulder to right side changes to the opposite diagonal—from right shoulder to left side.
If it was my first time, I would have definitely taken the hit. Even after seeing it, it’s a two-choice attack. If Sogahara-senpai gets in range, I’d be cut down instantly.
”If you’re aware of this, just following the form is enough practice. This move is pretty easy to understand, but many meanings hide inside forms. As you find them, your understanding grows, and sometimes you discover your own techniques. That’s one joy of being a martial artist. I can tell Tsuchimiya-kun is starting to get the meaning behind the form.”
I knew just tracing the form wasn’t enough, but I didn’t realize some moves hide secret meanings.
”This was really educational.”
My party was doing practical training, wearing leather armor and actually hitting each other.
”Tsuchimiya-kun, want to join us? It’s good practice, especially for someone using a spear like you,” Sogahara-senpai asked.
”I’d love to!” I said eagerly.
”Ah! Me too!” Hano-san raised her hand right after I did.
”Of course, Hano-kun. You’re welcome to join us. We’re training in the dojo next to the Student Council building, and there’s leather armor available. I’ll ask Yanagi-kun to make sure you and Tsuchimiya-kun can use it. Feel free to bring others too,” Sogahara-senpai said kindly.
”Thank you so much!”
This was exactly what I needed. I lacked a lot of experience in real fights, and since I’d face strong players from other schools soon, this was a golden chance to improve. Training with someone as skilled as Sogahara-senpai was a rare opportunity.
Later, Katsura-kun showed me a short sword form from a style called “Demon-Cut Waterheart Style (Madansui Shinryu).” He said it was just the first level, but his core was strong, his movements sharp. Even when he pulled off flashy moves, he stayed calm and focused. Honestly, he seemed better than me.
”That’s about it,” Katsura-kun said, relaxing his stance with a shy smile. The tension in the room melted instantly.
Hano-san clapped and ran up to him.
”Not bad, Keitan! Alright, I’ll make you my sword master!”
”Eh!? M-Master!?” Katsura stuttered.
”Yes! You better take good care of me! Do your best!”
”Y-Yes…! Thank you…?”
Katsura-kun was definitely being underestimated.
He used to captain the kendo club in middle school, but at first glance, he looked like a delicate, fragile beauty—not exactly an athlete. As the only first-year in Sogahara-senpai’s party, everyone seemed to treasure him.
”Joining Katsura-kun as a disciple is smart. I’m learning kendo from him too,” someone said.
”Sogahara-senpai learns from him?” I asked, surprised.
Yeah, Sogahara-senpai’s family ran a dojo, and he mastered the Hokushin Ittoryu style. His father, originally English, became an adopted master of the dojo and later married Sogahara’s English mother.
”My kendo focuses on real combat—it’s all about cutting down enemies. But kendo here also includes fighting monsters. We have to mix those styles,” Sogahara-senpai explained.
”Now that you mention it, my spear techniques have some crazy aerial moves that might be too flashy for normal fights,” I added.
I hadn’t really thought about it before, but in this world, “aerial techniques” sound weird if you’ve never seen a monster.
We moved smoothly north, and by noon, we reached a large circular room on the southeast side of the map—it looked like the boss room.
”I think the boss on the 4th floor is called the Giant Roper,” Sogahara-senpai said.
”The Giant Roper usually appears around the 10th floor. We might face several normal Ropers here. That path seems to have stagnant magical power—there could be trouble,” I added.
Before I could answer, Tina cut in,
’No, this area has special conditions. I think multiple Ropers will appear here instead of the Giant Roper.’
”Oh… so you’ve cleared a tough area already. Let’s not dig into that for now,” Sogahara-senpai said, avoiding the topic.
Good. If he pushed, I’d have to explain my gift and other complicated stuff.
”First, let’s break through the boss room and reach the 5th floor. If we make that our base, future explorations will be easier.”
”Got it,” we all agreed.
The safe zone on the 4th floor was a pain because the Doromi Uryuu Goushuu (Mudshade Rainflow Legion) was stationed there. Starting from the 5th floor next time would save us a lot of time. If they respawned, we’d have to fight the floor boss again before returning to the 4th floor, but that shouldn’t be a problem.
As I approached the boss room, Himeno stood quietly in front of a slightly open door.
”It’s open…” he murmured.
”Someone must’ve broken through in the last 24 hours,” I said quietly.
After Sogahara-senpai peeked inside, he stepped into the empty boss room.
”Is it Doromi Uryuu Goushuu?” he asked.
Those guys were the only ones nearby besides us.
”That’s fast. They should be exploring more, not just rushing the boss. Even if they aimed for this room first, I doubt they’re as skilled at exploration as Tsuchimiya-kun,” Sogahara-senpai said.
”I learned exploration magic for nearby terrain during yesterday’s level-up, but I can only scan within 40 meters. I’m not as efficient as Tsuchimiya-kun,” Kijima-senpai added, arms crossed, thinking.
If Doromi Uryuu Goushuu had exploration magic and started aiming here three days ago with an elite team, maybe this could make sense.
”Anyway, let’s head down to the 5th floor. If it’s them, someone should be there.”
Sogahara-senpai and I moved side by side while Himeno broke off and led the way. He carefully descended the stairs, then quickly popped his head back up and waved. No one was there.
We regrouped and moved to the 5th floor, where something strange caught my eye.
”What the hell is this…” Higashimura-senpai said, grimacing.
The safety zone was dimmer than before. The teleportation magic circle glowed pale blue.
In front of it, a two-meter iron rod was stuck straight into the cobblestone. A huge, tattered white shirt hung on the rod like a giant’s tombstone. At its base, a rugby ball rolled around carelessly.
Notes:
• Kijima-senpai – Kijima Shiori. Sogahara-senpai’s girlfriend. Currently working as a Student Council assistant.
• Kijima – Kijima Shiori. Sogahara-senpai’s girlfriend. Currently working as a Student Council assistant.
• Kibakura – Leader of Demiurge
• Sogahara-senpai – Student Council Vice President
• Sogahara – Student Council Vice President
• Hano-san – Hano Chikako. Brown-skinned, brown-haired gal, and free-spirited. Honest and straightforward. She joined Maekawa Party after being helped in the past.
• Himeno – MC’s first girlfriend
• Hano – Hano Chikako. Brown-skinned, brown-haired gal, and free-spirited. Honest and straightforward. She joined Maekawa Party after being helped in the past.
• Katsura-kun – First-year vanguard student in Sogahara-senpai’s party
• Keita – First-year vanguard student in Sogahara-senpai’s party
• Doromi Uryuu Goushuu – Doi’s unit from Demiurge—the one who was raped by Togamine of the Student Council Auditor and her team.
• Higashimura-senpai – Third-year scout in Sogahara-senpai’s party
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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