Chapter 186 - The Way Back Home (IV) (1/2)
”Manato, treat the sword as an extension to your body. The whole sword is your arm and the tip of the blade is your hands. This is not just a normal discipline when handling a katana but the principle to use a sword in a fight. Because in a fight to the death with only a katana in your hands, the two of you must become one to survive.”
”No matter if the katana is inside the sheathe or outside the sheathe, it doesn't change the fact that it is a lethal weapon. Swing the katana if necessary only. Do not just blindly do it.”
The master in the dojo that taught me to fight using a katana is just an old man in my neighborhood when I was still 7 years old. Since I do kendo before, I am always practicing my swings every time. This caught the eyes of an old man with a dojo inside his home. He doesn't have any students because he doesn't accept any even though the dojo is meant for practice. I always see him carrying a small wooden sword in his waist. I even thought he was a real-life battousai when I meet him once in his dojo.
However, when he saw my form while practicing my kendo, he asked me if I want to learn a much-advanced form of swordplay aside from what I learned in my kendo lessons. Since I was still a kid during that time, I am intrigued and I wanted to earn a chance to gain much more knowledge with the sword so I accepted blindly.
That's the beginning of the old man training me with the way of the sword, the discipline of using one, and how to wield a real blade. He helped me practice with a real blade, allowing me to have knowledge in using swords and katanas. He also said that even though I practice the way of the katana, all bladed weapons work the same way as the katana, just a little alteration to the way I handle it and everything will work the same.
He died a few years after that. His family moved after his burial so I no longer have any news from his family. However, I didn't get to properly utilize it to the fullest in the past timeline. I mostly ignored the principle of using the discipline and just use the sword the way it was done. To think that I would have a chance to use the katana and its disciplines in a battle and use it to my advantage.
Right now, the blade of the katana just claimed a life. And although it was a virtual life, it is still a life I wasted. I flick my katana to the side and wipe the blade with my sleeves before returning it to the sheath. That's when I realized that I am too sloppy with my way of using the katana. I wasted a wide swing to fully decapitate the bastard demon. If I was back then, this would just be done in a single silent swipe without a spill of blood. It looks like I still needed some practice again.
-Congratulations on killing Rank #8 High Demon Lucas!
-Got 10,000 gold
-Got 105,000 EXP(Title Effects Activated, 105,000 bonus exp earned)
-Got 10 Samurai SP(Title Effects Activated, 10 additional Samurai SP earned)
[You are the first player to kill a High Demon! Would you like to display your achievement and share it with the world?]
Yes/No
”NO.”
-Received a Unique Title: The First Demon Slayer
[The First Demon Slayer]
Type: Unique Title
How to Obtain: Obtain the first kill against a High Demon.
Effect: Obtain a special buff that increases the damage done against demon-type enemies and decreases damage received from demon-type enemies. Certain demons will immediately become hostile while some demons will be in awe at you. Effects continue even if not equipped.
Note: Do you have a move like ”kaminari no kokyu” or ”mizu no kokyu”?
The body of the demon immediately disintegrated and everything returned to dust. However, his body left a black orb.
[Orb of the Demon]
Type: Item