Back at it again with another chapter, much sooner than before but I'm sorry to say that this chapter will be pretty short since its mostly meant to be set-up for a later arc. I did manage to include more than a few fight scenes in this chapter, so hopefully it makes up for it.
Big thank you to Qinlongfei for beta reading this chapter and providing important feedback.
Last chapter we had Itsuki and Naofumi, now this one we get Motoyasu and Ren. Enjoy !
Let's get it started !
Chapter 30: New Teachers
Ren had to admit, he honestly didn't think any of his 'game' tactics or skills would translate well to a real life combat situation. He had taken pride in being one of the top players in Brave Star Online, using a mix of clever game tactics and earning his position through skill instead of exploiting the system like a cheater would. Still he had enough sense to know back then, that all his game tactics weren't going to do shit for him in a real fight...
But they seemed to be working pretty well so far in this world.
For example, flying enemies were pains in the ass to deal with since they could strike from above and if you weren't a range class you were screwed. Which is why it was important to knock them out of the sky with ranged attacks or cut them when they came in for a swipe.
" Hundred Swords !" Ren pointed his sword up to the air and aimed at the pack of beasts that his party was hunting. Several ethereal blue swords appeared around him and launched at the beasts flying above them.
Some swords missed, but more than a few struck the beats flying overhead and caused them to crash to the ground.
The job was simple enough. A pack of draconid predators had been encroaching on a village's hunting ground and making it hard to hunt prey, so their job was to kill them before they became a problem.
Simple and straight to the point, he likes that.
The beasts they were hunting was apparently of the draconic kind- forktails he was told they were called. Smaller and less intelligent than more powerful dragons, and they got their name from their forked tails. Original.
There were three forktails and after being shot out of the air by Ren's Hundred Swords, they all looked very pissed off.
" Hit them hard now ! Don't give them the chance to take off again !" Ren ordered his team. He knew that they had to hit them hard and not give them the chance to recover.
Farrie and Welt leapt into action, striking at one of the forktails. Welt moving fast and stabbing his dagger into the forktails wings to cut off its ability to fly, while Farrie went aggressive and struck the forktail straight in the face with a fury of blows that disoriented it and didn't give it the time it needed to counterattack. The forktail did try to strike them with its wing in one big slash, but Farrie and Welt easily dodged it and kept wailing on the forktail.
" Zweit Sunbeam ! Zweit Fireball !" Geralt was going hard, shooting off light and fire spells at his forktail. This seemed to have little effect besides pissing off the forktail and blinding it-
To the point, where it didn't even notice Bakta attack its flank and slam his axe right into its neck. The attack didn't cut through all the way, but it was just enough that the forktail screeched and pushed Bakta back with its wing, bleeding profusely from its neck.
His team had no trouble doing their part, time for him to do his.
" Thunderbolt Slash !" Ren released a slash of lightning at the third forktail, the attack hit but the forktail blocked most of it with its wing. Its scales negating almost any damage.
Lightning and magic attacks aren't going to be too effective against its tough scales, need to get in up close and personal if I want to have any effect with my physical attacks.
Ren took a deep breath as he charged up to the forktail to try and land a hit on either its wings or the soft parts in its armor. Likely its heart. He hopes his game knowledge was at least consistent with that here.
The first attack was a fail, blocked by its wings and forced Ren to move back.
The second attack hit, a clean slash at its chest which left a bleeding flesh wound.
Third attack hit it in its wings, a stab right through leaving a hole that cut off its ability to take off.
Okay, this is looking good. Just need to keep a steady pace and-
" REN LOOK OUT !" Bakta screamed out and Ren saw the forktail try slash its tail at him.
Without a moment to hesitate, Ren didn't move back but instead moved towards the attack to the surprise of his team " Crimson Blade !"
Activating the skill, Ren delivered a clean cut through the tail, separating it from the forktails body and causing it to screech in pain. The fire attack cauterizing the wound but definitely causing a lot of pain.
Ren didn't waste a moment, capitalizing on the opportunity to stab the forktail straight into its heart. The forktail collapsed to the ground, dead after that.
The Sword Hero took a breath, stabbing his sword into the forktail to confirm the kill. He turned back to his team, who had already finished off the other two forktails already.
" You guys okay ? " Ren calmly asked his group as they reconvened.
" We should be asking you that Sir Ren. That was an incredibly risky move " Bakta said with concern in his tone.
" Its alright, I could have dodged that...probably "
" It was still incredibly risky. A forktail's stinger is said to be extremely poisonous, you're lucky it didn't hit you "
" Indubitably " Geralt agreed.
Ren looked at the three dead forktails and shrugged " Well, they are dead and we're not. So what's the point in worrying about it ? "
" Fair point, I'm with the Sword Hero on this one " Welt agreed.
" Alright just...try to be more careful. We still need you to save this world " Bakta warned.
" Don't worry, I haven't forgotten " Ren said as he approached one of the dead forktail " Come on, let's chop some pieces off as proof of our kill "
His group had no arguments there, as each of them starting cutting off a piece of the forktail to take back.
Ren took one dead forktails and absorbed it, unlocking the Forktail Sword which gave him Medium Resistance to Poison and bonus poison damage against monsters. Decent stats too, pretty useful. The drops he received from the monsters were pretty good too, not worth equipping on himself or his party but should make for decent loot to sell in town.
And the best part was, this hunt managed to push him to level 51 at long last, unlocking the Portal Sword.
A successful hunt if he did say so himself.
After collecting the proof of the kills they returned to the village where Ren had to deal with the worst parts about a monster hunt.
It wasn't the actual hunting- it was after the job was done and the local lord wanted to throw a whole damn feast in his honor.
" Thank you so much Sword Hero ! You have saved our village, please stay the night and join us for dinner at the local inn, all on the house !" The lord offered him generously.
Ren didn't consider himself anti-social by any means, he knew how to hold a conversation and socialize at a minimum...but big parties were never really his scene. And he'd rather get a move on before they lose any further daylight.
" Thank you for the generous offer, but my party really should be going. We wouldn't want to infringe on your resources " Ren came up with a half-assed excuse.
" But Sword Hero, it is no-"
" Its fine. You already paid us anyway, no need to make a grand spectacle of it " Ren said as he and his party left the town council building.
He didn't want to be rude but he just wanted to get back to the capital to set up a waypoint there, so he could portal back if need be.
" Not a big fan of parties Sir Ren ? " Bakta commented.
" Not exactly. I think they're fine but I don't like attending them out of some misplaced obligation " Ren shrugged.
" Awwww~ But I wanted to party ! I saw some cute village girls and-" Welt's complaining was cut off when Farrie nudged him in the gut.
" We have much more important things to worry about than you spending all your money on the local whores " Farrie rolled her eyes.
It was just another day of grinding and hunting.
They made it a distance from the village in their carriage before deciding it was best to stop by the roadside and continue back towards the capital in the morning. Dinner had been finished a while ago and his party was in the middle of each doing their own thing. Geralt seemed content reading his books, Bakta was sharpening his axe, Welst seemed to be throwing knives at the local lizards and Farrie was practicing her kicks.
And Ren himself was left leaning next to a tree, looking up at the tree of swords he had.
I gained some decent mastery on some swords today and accumulated some energy, now I just need to decide which swords would be best suited for energy transference and awakening. The Chimera Lion Sword has some good stats and skills, so maybe that one ? I need to specialize in a select group of swords than trying to max upgrade every sword.
" No intention of sleeping soon, Sir Ren ? "
Ren's thought train was interrupted when he looked up to see Bakta standing over him.
" Not really feeling sleepy yet to be honest " Ren shrugged.
" Well, in that case how about I give you some sword lessons ? " Bakta suggested.
" Sword lessons ? "
" Yeah well...no offense to you Sir Ren, but while your swordplay is effective against monsters, I cannot help but find it a little..." Bakta struggled to form the proper words but Ren already knew what was coming.
" You don't need to sugarcoat it , my swordplay is ameteur hour right ? " Ren came flat out and said. He wasn't stupid enough to believe that his sword moves he learned in a video game were of any professional level.
" I was going to say rough but...yeah..." Bakta admitted it " If you want, I can instruct you in some basic forms. I may use an axe, but I do know my fair share of swordplay "
" Sure, why not ? " Ren got up and faced against Bakta. Switching to his starting sword for its weak stats and light weight. He handed Bakta a weak iron sword that he got off a trash drop.
Their practice duel garnered the attention of the others, Farrie, Welt and even Geralt looked up from his book to observe the fight.
" This isn't going to be a fight to the death. First to land a hit on the other wins " Bakta confirmed.
" Sounds fair to me "
Ren took a deep breath-before charging straight at Bakta with supreme speed. Bakta had the weight and height advantage, he needed to overwhelm him with speed if he wants to land a hit.
Bakta raised his sword to defend, probably ready to counterattack, but Ren was smarter than that. Instead of attempting to parry, he moved to the side and attempted to land a hit on Bakta's side with the flat of his sword.
The big man was slightly caught off guard by this, but managed to block and parry the strike, throwing Ren off balance. He almost got hit by Bakta's sword if he didn't move back in time.
Ren reassessed his strategy, attempting to parry an attack and then go in for a strike wouldn't work because of Bakta's superior strength. No, he needed to find an opening and take it.
A feint to throw Bakta off guard and then strike when he's exposed.
Ren made another charge at Bakta, throwing a few slashes at him which he managed to parry, until he feinted a heavy slash which Bakta tried to move away from but failed. Ren stopped the attack and tried to hit Bakta's side with the flat of his sword-
What he didn't expect was Bakta delivering a sideways kick to his legs that knocked him to the ground.
Shit !
Ren cursed as he fell to the ground and before he could recover, Bakta stood over him with his sword pointed at him.
" Poke. And you're dead " Bakta said simply as he poked Ren gently in the chest.
I lost...fair enough, I suppose.
" Damn...but fair fight " Ren said as he got helped up by Bakta.
" You put up a good fight, better than most trainee knights do " Bakta tried to cheer up.
" And yet if it was a real fight, I would be dead right now " Ren countered.
" Well, you aren't and if you want we can have more sessions like this. We're all here to help you Sir Ren "
Ren considered it for about a minute, taking these lessons would mean putting in extra work...but despite being an average student, he didn't mind putting some extra hours to get stronger.
" Sure, I'll take those lessons and Bakta ? Just call me Ren "
" Of course sir- Ren " Bakta corrected.
Ren had learned one thing today: He could learn much from his companions to make him stronger.
And that is an opportunity he can't let pass.
When he opened his eyes, he was no longer the Sword Hero. He was no longer donned in his cool armor and wielding a fantasy sword.
When he opened his eyes, he was just Ren Amaki. Everyday nobody and future corporate slave like his parents. Walking amongst a sea of other nobodies just minding their business.
He was dressed in his usual school clothes and walking down the street-
Wait...he's been on this street before. But he wasn't alone, he was-
A scream pierced the air and Ren couldn't believe his eyes as he looked in front of him. The crowd having parted ways for him to gasp in horror.
A man dressed in a raincoat wielding a bloodied knife...standing over the body of his best friend, Mikoto.
" No...no...NOOOO !" Ren shouted as he ran forward, falling to his knees and propping up Mikoto's head. She was coughing up blood and had taken a stab to the heart.
" Ren...why didn't you save me...why didn't you...why did you get the live while I die in the rain ? "
" Mikoto I, I didn't want-"
It was too late for any further words...as Ren looked up to see the raincoat man plunge the knife towards him.
" MIKOTO !"
Ren shouted as he flew straight up, gasping for air looking around him in worry, clutching his sword.
He was still in his tent in somewhere in the middle of a fantasy world. His party was still asleep, most likely so deep asleep that they couldn't hear him shouting.
When he closed his eyes again, he was still the Sword Hero. He was still in a fantasy world. He was no longer a nobody.
But he was still the failure who couldn't stop his best friend from getting killed.
Motoyasu's POV
It came as no surprise that even with the efforts of all the heroes, their parties, and help from the local army cleaning up the remaining Wave monsters- there were still plenty of monster remnants from the Second Wave running around. Those that escaped the immediate clean-up after the wave, wandered the woods or established nests in the middle of wherever they could with their limited intellect.
Which was why Motoyasu and his team were in the forest fighting against undead foot soldiers, golems and pissed off giant bees.
" Rino, Elena take the soldiers ! Lesty, Gretel handle the bees ! I'll take the big ones !" Motoyasu ordered as they squared off against their foes.
" Zweit Tornado !"
" Zweit Aqua Shot !"
Gretel and Lesty effortlessly tore through the bees with a combination of wind and water spells. Some bushes and trees being almost blown over from being caught in the crossfire. Hope the nearby village won't mind a little destruction in their forest.
" Air Strike Javelin ! " Motoyasu threw his spear straight into the head of an undead golem, taking it clean off " Lightning Spear !" The second skill tears through the second golem's chest, leaving a big smoking hole in it.
" Aaah ! Shit !"
Motoyasu heard Rino cry out and turned to see an undead skeleton land a good slash on her arm, causing blood to spill.
" Rino !" Motoyasu shouted as he ran over.
" I'm fine ! Shit this hurts !" Rino cursed as she clutched her arm in pain.
" Elena cover her ! I got this !" Motoyasu ordered before thrusting his spear at the remaining undead repeatedly " Chaos Spear !"
The skill tore through the undead as if they were paper, Lesty and Gretel had always joined the fight and it was coming to a close.
Within a few minutes, they had managed to clean up what was left of the wave monsters.
Motoyasu let out a breath as he walked up to Rino with concern on his face " Rino, are you okay ? "
" I'm fine Sir Motoyasu...just a flesh wound " Rino tried to play tough but it was obvious it stung.
" Let me take a look at it " Motoyasu said as he took a closer look at the wound.
Clean cut. Didn't hit any arteries. Basic sew and sterilize job.
" Alright, sit down let me patch it up " Motoyasu sat Rino down by a tree as he took out some surgical equipment. A sterilized needle, thread, bandages and some potion to clean up the wound of any bacteria.
" This is going to sting a bit " Motoyasu warned as he doused a clean rag in some of the sterilizing potion and gently tapped it along Rino's wound, causing her to wince a little in pain " Sorry..."
" Its fine...what are you a doctor too, Sir Motoyasu ? " Rino asked with a smirk.
" I was studying to be one actually " Motoyasu explained " I went to Medical School back in my world "
" Medical school ? Like a place to learn...medicine ? " Lesty questioned.
" Yeah, like that...do you guys have like colleges here ? Places of higher learning after the age of 18 ? " Motoyasu asked as he got the needle and thread ready.
" We do. But only nobles, merchants and well-off commoners can really afford to send their children to academies. Those living in villages only get whatever education their village can provide if they even have a school " Elena explains " The only colleges typically around are those Magic Colleges that teaches advance forms of magic, though I do remember there are some academies that teach medicine "
" Well, its like that kinda " Motoyasu said as he got ready to do the sewing. Pushing the needle into the flesh and beginning to sew, Rino flinch a little in pain.
" What's your world like anyway Sir Motoyasu ? " Rino asked to distract from the pain.
" Well, there's no magic for one " Motoyasu listed off.
" No magic ? How does your world survive then ? " Gretel asked surprised.
" Well, we're really technologically advanced and we don't really have to worry about a world-ending catastrophe...most of the time " Motoyasu explained " We have all these kinds of machines to make our lives easier..."
" Oh ? What kind ? "
" Ask me another time. I need to focus on this and please stop moving Rino " Motoyasu said as he finished sewing up the wound. After bandaging it up, Rino was as good as new.
" A doctor, good looks and a gentleman...is there anything you do not have to keep the ladies off you ? " Rino said with a flirting smirk.
" What can I say ? I'm a man of many talents " Motoyasu responded right back with a smirk.
" Why didn't you just use magic to heal her ? " Elena asked with a raised eyebrow.
" Because I want to keep my skills sharp. I don't want to become too dependent on magic to solve every medical problem I come across and unless we're in a fight or if the situation is urgent, I'll try my best to use my skills as a doctor " Motoyasu defended.
" Well, you're a damn good doctor...wonder what else you're good at " Rino said flirtily.
"...Sir Motoyasu, we all seem to have hit the level cap " Elena grumbled.
" Oh yeah right, you told me about that " Motoyasu saw at the top left corner that all his party members had hit the level cap.
Motoyasu had to admit that while this world-Medea, his companions told him was its name, had many resemblances in terms of the video game mechanics to Emerald Online there were still a few differences that he had noticed when it came to levelling mechanics and such.
One of them was the level cap. Apparently his companions were capped at level 40 until they got a special class-up at the Dragon Hourglass, which let them increase that cap to a 100 and let them choose a class. It wasn't like in Emerald Online where your level cap was a 100 and you could choose your class straight from the start. He was fortunate that Rino was already level 36, so they didn't have to do much grinding to get everybody's level up to 40. Much more time-efficient to just have everybody in his party class-up at the same time then having to come back later and do it all over again.
" Looks like we're heading back to the capital..." Motoyasu changed to the Dragon Hourglass Spear " Hold on girls, Portal Spear !"
In a flash of bright light, they were gone from the forest.
After teleporting back to the capital, Motoyasu and his team made their way to the Three Heroes Church cathedral, where his team was currently standing next to the Dragon Hourglass as it glowed brightly ashe stood on the sidelines watching his girls get their class-up.
The process took only a few seconds, by the end of it his girls stepped down from the Dragon Hourglass and toward him.
" Is it done ? " Motoyasu asked.
" Yes, Sir Motoyasu the class-up ritual went off without a hitch " Rino nodded.
" So what classes did you all take anyway ? "
" I took the Battlemage class " Gretel answered.
" Fencer obviously, gives boosts to speed and attack, and gives me abilities that let me land critical hits on enemies " Elena said monotonously.
" I went with the Death Dancer class, felt fitting and all " Lesty said with a smirk.
" And I chose the Swashbuckler class "
" Swashbuckler ? "
" Think of a kind of swordsman that hits fast and can retreat quickly when needed " Rino explained.
" Alright, let's head out then. I got my Portal skill unlocked so we can start talking about heading out and-"
" So my old ears haven't gone senile, the Spear Hero has really come to the cathedral " A voice interrupted him.
Motoyasu turned to a see man dressed in the white robes with gold threads, looking very much like a Pope hat and all. The old man was in his 60's maybe older than that and he had glasses on to go with the grandfatherly smile.
" Good afternoon, I take it you're the Pope ? " Motoyasu greeted politely.
" Yes, Biscas T. Balmus at your service Spear Hero " Pope said respectfully " From the looks of it, you're here to class-up your party ? "
" Yes, your eminence we are here to class-up " Rino spoke up with respect in her tone.
" I see...you know, I have heard much about your exploits from the Wave and witnessed your duel Spear Hero " The Pope smiled at him " And I must say that I am impressed by you heroes "
" You are ? "
" Yes, I witnessed it during your duel, you used a clever mix of tactics and skills despite your spearmanship being...subpar for the most part, it was still noteworthy "
" Well, thank you so much for saying that !" Motoyasu smiled back. Feeling a bit special of being complimented by such an important person.
" Now I have to admit that I didn't come here for a simple meet and greet...I wanted to talk to you about something important Sir Motoyasu, this is a matter that concerns the other 3 Heroes as well " The Pope explained.
" Oh ? What is it ? "
" Sir Motoyasu...would you perhaps like to be formally trained by the Church ? "
Well, that was not what he was expecting. He had plans to properly learn how to use his spear but hadn't quite figured out how to get access to the proper teachers. Getting an offer by the Church was not what he was expecting.
" What would being trained by the Church entail ? " Motoyasu asked, trying to get specifics.
" You would receive training from the best instructors we can provide, you would learn advanced techniques, weapon arts, strategies in combat, magic and so on...all free of charge of course " The Pope listed off.
" That is a very generous offer you make Pope...but what is the Church getting out of this ? " Elena questioned.
" Preventing the destruction of the entire world to begin with ? " Pope said with a joking smirk " In all seriousness, as the Three Heroes Church it is obligation and duty to serve the Heroes and ensure that they are all trained and acting out of the best interest of the world "
" I see...but what can the Church really provide that others cannot ? " Lesty questioned this time " Apologies for sounding rude your Eminence, but my family could easily hire some instructors for Sir Motoyasu and teach him all those things you mentioned. What makes the Church special in this regard ? "
The Pope took a moment to think about it, as if pondering how to proceed with this discussion.
" Perhaps a hands-on demonstration would best illustrate what you would be getting by training with us " Pope said " If you would, please follow me to the courtyard "
Motoyasu looked from his team to the Pope, but decided to entertain the old man. Might as well see where this goes.
Following the Pope to the courtyard, Motoyasu can see a vast space allowing for combat. There were training dummies, target practice, practice wooden weapons and even a few paladins already there sparring between each other.
" Good day my children " Pope greeted the paladins
" Your Eminence !" The squad of paladins bowed their heads to their leader.
" At ease men...the Spear Hero is here to see why he should train with us " The Pope explained.
" Would like for us to spar for you sir ? " The paladin asked.
" No...I think something a bit more special is needed " The Pope said as he took off his mitre and handed it to Motoyasu surprising him " Please make sure it doesn't get wrinkled "
" Your Eminence, what are you-"
" For a proper demonstration, I want all of you to attack me. No need to hold back " The Pope said calmly as he walked into the arena, cracking his neck.
Motoyasu was surprised by this, the Pope seemed as old as his grandpa was...could he really take all these paladins in heavy armor ? There were 5 of them, two carrying swords, another with a spear and two more with bows.
" Your Eminence, are you sure ? "
" I appreciate your concern, but please no need to worry. I can handle myself " The Pope said as he finished stretching " Now...begin "
The paladins all looked at each other, before charging at the Pope. The ones that carried bows stayed in the backline to try and snipe him.
And the Pope smiled.
The first one tried to stab him with a spear pushing with speed, but the Pope was faster. Ducking under and grabbing the spear, pulling it upwards and slamming it into the face of the paladin. Delivering an elbow to the face of another that followed after him.
Disarming and taking the spear, the Pope used the back-end to whack the paladin off his feet.
The archers let out an arrow at the Pope but he did something that amazed Motoyasu-
Using the spear, he deflected both arrows making Motoyasu gasp. It was like watching an action movie.
" Holy shit..." Motoyasu said in amazement as the Pope tore through the sword wielding paladins, effortlessly deflecting and dodging their attacks. The paladins weren't slouches either, their movements were trained...but the Pope was better skilled.
Deflecting two sword slashes at once, the Pope held his spear horizontally before pulling it back, knocking it into the heads of the two paladins who fell to the ground.
That left just the two archers, who looked very nervous standing off against the Pope.
They shot arrows at him but like before, he deflected them as he got closer and closer-
At one point right as the arrow felt at him, Pope threw his spear like a javelin- and cut the arrow in half.
Okay, now the Pope was just showing off on purpose.
Picking up a fallen sword off the ground, Pope leapt into the and delivered a hard hit to the face of the two archers with the back of the sword.
The five beaten paladins lay on the ground groaning in pain, though not seriously hurt.
The Pope whistled a nice tune as he dropped the sword and approached Motoyasu, taking his mitre back.
" Thank you, Spear Hero...are you impressed by my demonstration ? "
" Y-Yes, how did you do that ? "
" Practice and skill my dear boy...sure, I'm certain you can find other qualified instructors to teach you on the ways of the Spear...but here at the Church, we can teach you many more things than just how to use your Spear " The Pope explained " So what do you say ? "
Motoyasu thought it over for a minute, on the one hand Itsuki stressed being careful around the King and it was very likely the Pope had close ties with him...but on the other, Biscas seemed like a real good guy, so maybe it was okay to trust him.
Plus it wouldn't hurt to get some training.
" Alright Pope, I'll agree to train with you. I'll set my portal waypoint here, so I can come here for training when I need it "
" Excellent..."
Biscas smiled for a moment before he grabbed Motoyasu by the shoulders and chuckling.
" My boy, I'm going to turn you into a true blue hero !" Biscas said enthusiastically " Now come along now, we have much to discuss. Like how to get the Bow, Sword and Shield Hero on board with this "
Motoyasu smiled as he walked alongside the Pope, he felt like it was going to be a good day.
I did tell you this chapter would be short, but I still hope that it was enjoyable nonetheless for you all to read. Ren and Motoyasu starting to get into the groove of learning how to properly use their weapons is something I've been meaning to have happen for a good while now. Motoyasu getting trained by the Church specifically is also something that has been in the works for a while now and I am so happy it is finally here !
And yes, him being a medical student is something I've wanted to bring into play within the story for a long time. Partly for fun, but also for irony's sake where the canon ' comic relief' is probably the most academically accomplished of the trio. Apologies if this fic isn't medically accurate tho since I can only imagine going to medical school.
XD
The big secret that Ren didn't actually save his best friend is something I also wanted to reveal. I was planning on putting it off for later, but decided now would be a good time. What this means for his character remains to be seen.
Pope at last managing to make a proper appearance, showing off some cool fighting skills to help show that he is not a man you want to fuck with.
Next chapter we will be getting back to Naofumi and Mein.
Now let's answer some reviews shall we ?
To axel4ekruz:
I'm glad the slow chapters aren't boring to you and I'm glad that you like them ! While my story is a bit faster paced than Qin's story, I do want to take the proper time to add details and important world building within the story, its not all going to be cool fight scenes between characters and pointless rehashing of canon material.
As for Cattleya's knight...I've never read or watched Berserk but I do know what Gus looks like...you know, I was intentionally keeping what he looks like vague for I'll answer your question: Yes, your brain is wandering a bit too far from what the Knight looks like.
XD
To codywhite162:
Thank you so much ! I'm happy you're still enjoying the story.
To Allyexis:
Yes, I very much enjoyed writing Itsuki's badass fight scene. I do intend to make him MUCH more interesting than canon and you haven't even seen the beef of his character yet.
I'm a big fan of found-family trope, Altara and Alice are actually my favorites so far, and there's plenty more to go ! Naofumi and Malty's family is definitely dysfunctional, but it'll work...hopefully.
I think Malty has to wait until she's in her 30's to be classified as a milf.
XD
Malty is definitely slipping out of her mask bit by bit, as the story goes on due to Naofumi helping her tear down the walls she's built to protect herself. There are still plenty of trust issues, but only time will tell how they handle them.
I'd actually say that my Malty is pulling off a much more convincing act than Ambition Malty. Since she actually has the skills and knowledge required to pull off the 'adventurer' bit. Naofumi is suspicious of Malty's identity though the conclusion he comes to, may not be the one you expect.
With all that being said, please enjoy this lovely omake I made just for Motoyasu.
Omake: Are you serious !?
Naofumi: Hang on, hang on...you're telling me you went to medical school ?
Motoyasu: Yes, for three years. Full ride scholarship. I made the Dean's list multiple times and I got straight A's.
Naofumi: Oh come on author ! Now you're just bullying me on purpose by making every other hero better than me.
Angel: I totally am. But in all seriousness, I didn't really change much about Motoyasu's character.
Naofumi: What are you talking about ? You totally made him OOC !
Angel: Perhaps it may seem that way, but I didn't really change much about him on a character base level. I decided I wanted to do something legitimately interesting with his character, besides just making him relief and the butt of all jokes. I may have made Motoyasu a bit more mature, but I didn't really change much about him.
Angel: Motoyasu is book-smart, not street smart. There is a difference. He is naive in a sense and thus cannot always see the present danger even if its right in front of him.
Angel: Plus like stated before, I wanted to give you some ACTUAL competition to contend with than like in canon, where Alenko made all the three heroes mentally handicapped morons that its a wonder how they don't get killed getting dressed every morning to make you look better by comparison.
Naofumi: Okay fine, that's fair...I'm going to get stronger later right ?
Angel: Oh yeah, you will, no worry about that...but the Three Heroes are already leagues ahead of you in terms of power and skill.
Naofumi: Goddamnit !
The Shield Hero has some serious legwork to do if he wants to catch up with the other heroes, because this author isn't going to help him !