Chapter 136
“Hmm… this is a bit unexpected-ja no…”
A voice echoed through the darkness.
Even when I opened my eyes, the darkness didn’t clear. It stretched endlessly in every direction.
“Is this…not the Round Table?”
“No. This is a space for just me and Shizuma-ja yo.”
In the next moment, a tall old man appeared in front of me.
Long limbs, a posture so impeccable it didn’t feel like that of someone elderly…if anything, better than most young men. A neatly groomed combination of a slightly grown-out beard and short mustache.
His long hair was tied back like a ponytail, giving off a faint impression of a samurai.
His hair and beard were pure white, yet somehow he still looked youthful. That must be because his bearing was unmistakably that of a warrior.
“…My backbone is simply too overwhelming, you see. And on top of that, Shizuma, your own accumulated achievements have been added-ja yo. As a result, I have become the ‘Master of Martial Arts, the Sword Saint who remained undefeated even at colosseums during his travels, and mastered all martial disciplines.’ Originally, it seems I was a test character for game development. Meaning, I was a profession created using all kinds of data, documents, and videos as references for testing all animation motions-ja.” (Rue) “So…an overwhelming amount of information poured into my head, more than before, and my body couldn’t handle it…?” (Shizuma)
“Indeed. They even included every kind of martial arts, combat technique, and swordsmanship manga as reference material. The amount of information is absurd. You should rest for a while. Absorb the knowledge little by little here in this mental world-ja.” (Rue)
Handing over control of my body… Maybe that’s the best choice.
Right now, just trying to recall a small fragment of knowledge causes an enormous flood of information to fill my brain.
[Reading an opponent’s physical condition from their breathing frequency, reading their footwork habits from the wear on their shoes and their previous foot placement, incorporating that information to sense their muscle fiber movements and sealing their actions before they begin.]
[Predicting an opponent’s mental state and attack method from which finger moves first when they clench their hand.]
[Determining whether something is a feint by combining not only eye movement but changes in breathing.]
[Reading the shift in presence that spreads through the body when the intent to attack arises, and moving before the opponent does.]
[Instantly judging the direction and strength to redirect an attack upon receiving it so that the greatest opening is created.]
Even lightly touching the surface of this knowledge fills my head all at once with details like that.
Mastering all of it…is impossible.
“I shall make use of this body for a time. Do not worry, I will not act against the country or anything of the sort. I will protect Melt-chan properly as well.” (Rue)
“Yeah… I’m counting on you, Rue…” (Shizuma)
“Mm, leave it to me.” (Rue)
In terms of strength, there’s no problem… In terms of personality…there shouldn’t be any problem either.
With all this overwhelming knowledge of combat… If it is Rue who has mastered all of it…then I can rest easy.
—————–
I feel the weight of flesh.
When I raise an arm, I feel the weight clearly through the bones. Everything moves exactly according to knowledge, and when I try to push myself up from the floor where I collapsed, I can predict precisely which muscles will move, how they’ll move, and the image appears vividly in my mind.
So this is…the power of the accumulated knowledge of combat, of martial arts, housed within me.
Now I understand why everyone said I should manifest at least once.
Not all of it, but even a fragment of this lodged in Shizuma becomes a powerful weapon applicable in all his forms.
“Shizuma! Are you okay now!? Do you have medicine? I can mix something for you!” (Melt)
“Mmm… No, I am fine now-ja yo, Melt-chan. Sorry for worrying you.”
She leaned over, peering at me sitting on the floor with worry in her kind eyes.
What a lovely girl. If I had a granddaughter, would she worry for me like this?
“Uh…?” (Melt)
“The original personality, Shizuma, is resting deep inside right now-ja yo. It seems my vast amount of knowledge poured in all at once and pushed his body past its limits-ja. So for a while, I will be the one moving this body. Nice to meet you, Melt-chan.” (Rue)
“Y-You really turned into an old man!? O-Okay… Nice to meet you?” (Melt)
“It is Rue-ja yo. My name is Rue. Rue or Oji-chan , call me however you like.” (Rue)
“U-Um… Then…Oji-chan?” (Melt)
My heart thumped hard. Is there something this adorable in this world? Are grandchildren truly such precious beings?
…This may be inappropriate to do, but I have to thank you, Shizuma… For granting me even temporarily the blessing of a granddaughter.
“Yes yes, I am Oji-chan-ja yo. I shall go take a bath. I cannot go outside looking like this.” (Rue)
“That’s true, Oji-chan… Your face is covered in blood.” (Melt)
“Hoho, I look like an old man who choked while drinking tomato juice-ja na! I will go wash my face well.” (Rue)
Aah… Melt-chan is such a good girl. Shizuma is a good one too, but since I cannot interact with him directly in the real world…
Is there any way to summon me, give me my own body? To go traveling with a grandson and granddaughter… Perhaps this desire was born because here, in this vast world, I have obtained a body of flesh?
—————–
“Aah… splendid, splendid… Having an open-air bath at home is such luxury…” (Rue)
I check how to move this body one thing at a time while soaking in the water.
Without moving a muscle visibly, only adjusting the strength in each muscle, I confirm how the body pulses. Even the slightest movement sends faint vibrations into the water. I feel them on my skin and refine my bodily senses.
“…As imagined-ja na. I may need a real battle at some point though.” (Rue)
I check my status.
The power that once wreaked havoc in the game…now that it has become reality, to what extent can I use it?
First, I go through each skill, reviewing how to activate them with an actual body.
—————–
Move any distance without preliminary motions or shifting posture.
Removes attack startup and post-attack openings.
Must finely set direction and distance manually.
PvP-exclusive skill.
Can manually change attack direction during activation.
Parry an enemy attack by matching it exactly, breaking their posture.
Deal +40% damage to posture-broken enemies.
PvP-exclusive.
If you strike the opponent’s weapon precisely the moment before their skill activates…
Cancel their technique and force a recast.
Halve Max HP and boost all stats x1.2 for 60s.
Basic attacks gain HP drain (10% of damage) and MP drain (1%).
Activating the skill again right as the effect ends deals HPx20 damage.
After 10 seconds, force your HP to 1 no matter what.
All attacks become guaranteed criticals.
Incoming damage reduced to 1/10.
10 minute cooldown.
PvP-exclusive.
Forces the opponent into a downed state on your first two attacks of battle.
Down counts as broken posture and adds a -50% defense debuff.
Only when wielding a katana.
Fully draws out weapon potential.
Weapon stats x1.5 and elemental bonus damage.
PvP-exclusive.
Can activate only after 30 minutes of battle.
Forces both sides’ Max HP to 1/10.
Not a status ailment; cannot be removed except by specific skills.
—————–
To be honest, the effects are nothing special aside from the PvP-exclusive skills.
But…what is a “player” in this world?
People live, breathe, hold hopes, burn their lives. Even beasts live with their own will.
Isn’t everyone a “player”?
If I can use these fully…perhaps I may reclaim the seat ofthe strongest once more.
“…No no. Such burning ambition has nothing to do with me-ja. Oji-chan will do his best for his cute granddaughter, and for the grandchild yet to come. Haa… bibanonnon**.” (Rue)
What a good bath. A supreme bath that melts the body.
Being able to soak in this every day… Life will be enjoyable…
—————–
“Here, Oji-chan. Cola. It tastes better than tea after a bath.” (Melt)
“Ohh… Melt-chan really is a good girl-ja na… Here, take this as thanks.” (Rue)
After my bath, Melt-chan handed me a well-chilled cola.
Even in winter, the best thing for a warmed-up body is a cold drink.
And having a cute granddaughter prepare it for me…surely nothing in this world could taste better. No, nothing could possibly surpass this.
I handed her a bottle of [Smoked Beans] as thanks.
Soda goes with snacks, right? Sadly these are the only snacks I know that might fit.
“Wow, thank you Oji-chan. I’ll try one.” (Melt)
“Mmm, chew properly now-ja zo.” (Rue)
She munched on the smoked beans adorably.
Rather than “cute,” perhaps the right word is “menkoi”… Wherever the word is from, it feels right.
Yes, she is menkoi. Melt is my very menkoi granddaughter.
…This may make me hesitate to give the body back to Shizuma…
“Alright, Melt-chan. Shall we go out together? You just got back, and you must be curious about the city, right?” (Rue)
“That sounds great! There are still so many places I want to visit. Oji-chan, Lindblum is huge… You know, there are lots of streets I still don’t know.” (Melt)
“Hoho, that sounds fun indeed-ja no. Let us get dressed and head out.” (Rue)
My current outfit resembles a kimono-style coat unfamiliar to this world… Will it stand out?
Hmm… I’ll choose another. Fortunately, my personal storage is full of equipment.
Countermeasures are essential for PvP. In the old meta, whatever builds were dominant, I always had gear to counter them.
And…Shizuma combined that information with godlike reaction speed and precision… Until the devs nerfed the Sword Saint, he never lost even once.
Thus [undefeated] was added to my setting.
That backbone supports my strength. It strongly urges me to: “Remain the strongest.”
That wish I will carry always…for my master, and future grandson, Shizuma.
“How about this outfit-ja? I shouldn’t stand out too much.” (Rue)
“Oji-chan, you’re tall so coats look great on you! You look cool!” (Melt)
“Ain’t that right, ain’t that right?! Then let’s head to Lindblum-ja!” (Rue)
Mmm, thank you for making me tall, Shizuma.
Height made no difference to reach in the game.
But the visual effect could mislead opponents, so he made it that way.
I still retain my memories and knowledge from the game…and I know why.
All the game data has been reproduced here. That includes the “chat logs.”
Shizuma probably mostly communicated outside the game.
But I was a PvP arena specialized character, so I interacted with many players.
That’s why I understand: parts of Shizuma’s thoughts and knowledge back then have been shared with me.
Shizuma suffered under my overwhelming knowledge of combat.
But, from my perspective…you didn’t lose, even then.
With that vast knowledge and your information gathering, you kept extending your undefeated streak after all.
“Hoho… this will be fun.” (Rue)
“Right? I’m excited too, Oji-chan! Since it’s a new year, there might be new food stalls!” (Melt)
“Yes yes, indeed-ja na.” (Rue)
I’m excited.
For Shizuma’s growth from here on…and for the future of this menkoi girl who calls me Oji-chan.
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