The exchange of blows continued, if I could describe Muramasa's style it would be a passive aggressive style, he excellently counterattacked my attacks, his blows were straight and firm, capable of putting C-rank hunters in trouble.
His attitude was the complete opposite according to the stories, his personality was almost neutral, cold and firm like metal, and his gray eyes had that fire that seemed like flames themselves.
-I'm sure you're asking, why do I fight with a Katana if I'm just a simple blacksmith?-
In the middle of the fight Muramasa began to speak calmly and coldly and then continued.
-The answer is simple because no samurai wanted to use my katanas because they always said they were cursed-
-What?-
-When Tokugawa Leyasu came to the shogunate, due to the misfortunes that my swords caused to his family, as a child he cut off a finger by one of my works, later his father was attacked with a sword forged by me, and his grandfather was killed by another of my creations and finally his son was executed with one of my swords-
After those words we continued attacking each other without ceasing, not one of us hesitated at that moment while the conversation continued
- From then on, Tokugawa forbade any Samurai to use my swords because he said: "These weapons are cursed, they are possessed by a cursed spirit, this only brings misfortune and unnecessary deaths" after that no one used them, I still had that dream... to create the most powerful blade in the world, since no one wanted to use it I had to learn fencing, it was not my swords' fault, in the first place I warned them that not everyone could carry them and if they have a weak heart it will always bring them misfortune and in the end they forgot the warning and decided to blame me for everything-
His words were very calm and at the same time they carried an intense rage so much that it seemed like poison.
With explosive force, he pushed me back, making me retreat, at the same time creating an opening that I took advantage of by attacking him, but his reflexes were too fast and I managed to block the attack with difficulty.
I'm barely keeping up with the fight, each of our attacks easily split the wind, our gazes never left each other, we were just exchanging blows with the sword.
But one of Muramasa's attacks cut my right thigh, causing a wound. He tried to finish me off, but I quickly blocked his attack.
Enduring the unbearable pain, I continued fighting. Muramasa kept blocking my attacks and counterattacking with force.
Due to the immense pain, some parts of me were starting to chafe until I fell to the ground, completely powerless.
-You were a tough opponent, I admit it, but it ends here...-
-No!! Nothing will end now...!-
Using the blood from my leg, I threw it at the blacksmith's face, managing to hit his right eye.
I quickly got up and began to attack. This time, the blacksmith found it difficult to counterattack with his vision blocked by the blood.
-D-Damn coward-
-Hey, I admit it. I'm a coward, but a stylish one!-
Now I had the advantage. My attacks were more effective, and I could even injure the blacksmith.
My opponent may have looked calm, but I could see in his eyes that he was boiling with pure rage inside, and he quickly began to adapt to the situation. When our swords clashed, we stepped back. Looking into each other's eyes, we knew this was the final attack.
I got into position, ready to stab his neck or stomach.
Muramasa got into an offensive stance, preparing for the next exchange.
With a murderous look, Muramasa gripped his katana tightly and leaped into the air.
I blocked the warrior's aerial attack, then kicked him in the stomach. I began to attack aggressively, not giving him time to recover.
First, I swept, breaking his balance, then cut off his right hand that held his katana. Then, I made multiple cuts to his legs and left arm to impede his movements. I approached his head only to point my sword at his forehead.
-That's it, I've won-
-…I admit it, you're a bit of a coward, but at least you're decent. But before you kill me, could I see your hands?-
Muramasa asked me. I didn't trust him, but the sincerity in his words was evident. I left the katana close to me in case he tried something and showed him my hands.
-…I see. Have you ever practiced blacksmithing?-
-No, I never have. I only studied the materials and the forging process through books-
-I recommend you dedicate yourself to blacksmithing; your hands are perfect for it-
-What?-
-Kid, I can recognize a blacksmith's talent when I see it, and yours is a talent with great potential... don't waste it, because it could be very useful to you in the future-
Muramasa's body suddenly began to shatter into fragments of light as sheets of pages emanating a golden light began to detach themselves from the blacksmith.
-Oh, I see I've reached my limit, it's a shame, I wanted to chat with you a little... I wanted my future opponent to be someone brave who didn't use cowardly strategies, well life is like that but at least you'll use my ability responsibly, that makes me satisfied-
The blacksmith displayed a broad, satisfied smile, only to disappear into particles of light, leaving no trace of the opponent I faced.
Suddenly, my body was enveloped in an intense blue glow that forced me to close my eyes. The last thing I could see was the mental realm beginning to collapse.
[You have passed the Muramasa trial]
[The Mythic section has been unlocked]
[You have acquired the Muramasa mythological skill]
*
"Alan… Alan… Alan… Wake up!"
A familiar voice repeated my name several times, echoing loudly in my ears.
It was Nameless, who was in the air, shouting my name multiple times.
-...Ah, Nameless! What happened to me?!-
I woke up and began to examine my body. I saw that the damage to the mental realm wasn't reflected in reality, which relieved me a little.
"When that red light enveloped us, you suddenly collapsed, and I was scared for a few moments, believing you had fallen under illusion magic or a powerful hypnosis."
-Hey, I see you're worried about me a little~-
"I have no choice. You're the only one who can see me. If you die, who am I going to talk to? I'd go crazy if I didn't talk to anyone."
-Well, that's true. Without me, you might go crazy... but leaving that aside-
I got up from the floor only to approach the chest and check the egg.
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[Egg of ?]
Type: [Spirit] [?]
Rank: Legendary
Inside the egg is a ?, make it drink two different bloods to hatch
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-The egg thing is weird to me, but I got a new skill… I think my luck is finally starting to activate~! ¡Ha~Ha~Ha~!-
I started dancing with joy after surviving the fight against Muramasa, while I began to sing
"What the heck... explain it to me, I don't understand you at all."
After calming down a bit, I spoke to Nameless about my battle against Muramasa.
"I understand a Mythic ability now... I never thought we'd find one here."
-Finally, my luck kicked in. I've always had bad luck this whole time, and now the world is rewarding me, Hahaha-
After leaving the dungeon along with the box containing the egg, I saw Aoki outside waiting for me.
"You took a long time in that dungeon."
"I'm sorry, sir, but what time is it?"
"You were there for three hours. It's almost six."
Staring up at the sky, I saw the sun setting and the darkness of night beginning to descend over the countryside.
«It seems like today's hunt will end with this»
I felt sorry for the huge waste of time, but at least I got a Mythic Skill and a Legendary Beast Egg.
In the end, I took all the monsters I killed inside the dungeon to Aoki, who was surprised by how many I managed to kill.
But I also had a small problem with the name of the egg. Normally, it never appears inside an object, unless it's a hidden object, which can only reveal its true name through an external factor or a random object.
**
[Friday]
Today is Friday, I opened my eyes while I was in bed, fortunately I returned to my dorm before curfew, I don't want to face a disciplinary punishment and have my points go down, but unlike a depressing morning, I became more anxious to see the mythical ability since it can grant you up to 4 abilities within a single one in addition to unlocking the Mythical section.
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=Skills=
Unique: [Duality]
Active: [Concentration] [Focus] [Fenceman] [Boost]
Passive: [Poison Resistance] [Magic Resistance] [Critical Point] [Physical Resistance] [Pain Resistance]
Mythic: [Muramasa]
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[The Demonic Blacksmith: Muramasa]
Rank: Mythical
Type: Mythical
Muramasa was a legendary blacksmith active in the Sengoku era, well known for his high-quality weapons. He founded the Muramasa School of Blacksmithing, which produced some of the most powerful and feared swords in all of Japan.
*Episode 1: Sword Master
Active: Muramasa was an absolute genius in the art of swordcrafting. The swords you create will have 150% damage, and it will also be easier for you to create any type of sword. This effect can only be used if you have one of the swords you created; if someone else uses it, it will not have the effect.
Passive: Your talent in blacksmithing will grow drastically if you put it to use.
*Episode 2: Trial of the Sword
Active: A blacksmith must always check that their sword is in perfect condition. The swords you create will have a 120% damage increase for 30 minutes.
*Episode 3: Misfortune for Kings
Active: This ability is due to the fact that the katanas made by Muramasa and his school of blacksmithing brought misfortune to the Tokugawa family. If the opponent you're facing has the title of "ruler/monarch/king," your strength, resistance, and physical damage will increase by 120%.
*Episode 4: A Blacksmith's Dream (Locked)
Unlocked if you encounter the blacksmith Muramasa Juuchi Yosamu's masterpiece.
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Episode 4 was locked, and to unlock it, I had to find Muramasa's masterpiece, Juuchi Yosamu, but the only problem is I don't know where it is.
The iconic mythical weapons used by heroes, like Roland's Durandal, are unique, and the nameless mythical weapons of past heroes who were not as renowned are very diverse.
The iconic mythical weapons used by heroes, like Roland's Durandal, are unique, and the nameless mythical weapons of past heroes who were not as renowned are very diverse.
Muramasa created many swords in the past, and searching for each of his creations was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
-What a problem, but I'll follow old Muramasa's advice. I'll have to take up blacksmithing, but...-
"The materials are a bit expensive."
Nameless floated in the air as he stared up at the ceiling of the room.
[$1,040 has been deposited]
[$1,950 has been deposited]
[This is the payment for yesterday's monsters. I look forward to working with you again. Aoki Agency Chief Manager, Aoki Yukio]
Also, last night when I was asleep, it seems he deposited the money. If I remember correctly, exclusive contracts had monthly payments. Mine must have been very fast because it was a one-time deal, but for him to take care of them overnight... he was very fast with his work.
Money... Money... Thanks, Nameless, for recommending this guy to me.
After that, I decided to open a brokerage account and buy shares in a certain guild that John recommended, the Black Skull guild. About 2,300 isn't bad to start the day.
After showering, I put on my uniform and headed to class.
**
-No, please, don't study anything-
-Come on, this must be a joke-
-Hell is coming, hell is coming-
These were the words of my classmates.
The first class on Friday was "Dungeon Anomaly Analysis," better known as theory. This was the hardest class.
All the students were trembling, saying "there was a test today," but to me it was just a joke. I'd studied this topic multiple times, so much so that I know it by heart.
But everything has a reason, I study and train hard just to be the best, based on my current power it couldn't be said that I'm the strongest, that's why I decided to be the best in theory.
With all my study I can even take a math test without problems and get a perfect score, but with my intelligence it was a fact that I was going to win first place in the exam without a doubt since I didn't sleep for many nights just because of that.
-Everyone sit down-
While I was lost in my thoughts, the teacher came in
-As I mentioned before, there's a written exam today-
After that, all the students started wailing while I laughed at them all in my head.
-I didn't study at all! No!-
In front of me, Hanami muttered desperately. Hajime stared at the ceiling with a blank face.
-Haha, you deserve it for trying to humiliate me... this is called Karma!!-
"Silence!"
Professor Nishizono silenced all the students with a ruthless tone before handing out the exam. After a few clicks of pencils hitting the papers, I received a test sheet.
Problem 1: Describe the monster "Kypern"
Problem 2: What is the name of the phenomenon when the dungeon suddenly changes difficulty?
Problem 3...
I admit that the ambiguity of the problems was complicated; other students were sighing the moment they looked at the problems, but my effort wasn't in vain because now I know everything.
Kypern are ghosts whose intelligence slightly exceeds the average human. They can usually only be seen in cemeteries or in some undead dungeons.
After writing my answer on paper, I put on a smile that reflected my confidence.
"Are you that obsessed with being first at something?"
«If I can't be rank 1 in power, then I'll use my brain to become the strongest rank 1 in theory»
After that, I finished answering all my questions with a big, satisfied smile, while a small tear came out of my eye.
-I just hope all my efforts aren't in vain-