While flying at a speed faster than what I could react to, the demon extended its claws and attacked me.

“!!!”

Surprised by its quickness, it delivered a cut on my shoulder.

“[Firebolt]!”

Just as it flew into the sky out of my reach, Misha finished recited her spell.

The demon looped back and dived down, dodging the lightning infused flames while swooping back down for another attack.

“Damn!”

Just barely managing to dodge it the second time, it flew back into the air with the same pattern.

This damn thing is annoying!

On our sides, we were surrounding by buildings, and in front of us was a partially destroyed stone wall. Just beyond the wrecked stone wall, was the shining pillar of light.

The demon had flown higher than the buildings, so it was impossible to reach it even from atop a building.

My dagger wouldn’t be of much use here, so I placed it back into my bag and pulled out the rapier I found earlier. It was fast, so I needed a weapon that could strike equally as fast.

In Project Iris Online, I tried using the rapier weapons a few times, but because it required an agility based build in order to do significant damage, I eventually gave up mastering it.

“^##*& [email protected]^#[email protected]*!”

The demon spoke in a language unknown to me. It sounded like gibberish, but it was probably saying something about the weapon I had taken out.

Almost as if it knew that coming within my attack range would be bad, the demon opted to stay in the air. However, I could see distinct particles of energy swirl around it. Was it casting magic? It was the second time today that I’ve encountered these strange energy particles.

Sensing a disturbing amount of energy gather around it, I braced myself for whatever kind of magic it was going to cast.

“[#@$&!$!#]!”

“[Ice Bolt]!”

At the same time the demon had cast its own magic, Misha released her own.

Both of the spells were exactly the same.

Jagged chunks of ice, supercharged with electricity materialized in the air, flying towards each other. As Misha’s chunks of ice struck the demons, small explosions sounded off in the sky with sparks and a substance like snow flying in every direction.

The demon floated in the sky, covering its eyes from the bright flashes produced by its magic colliding against Misha’s.

Taking the opportunity while it was dazed, I took out my last two throwing daggers and threw them, aiming for its wings.

GRAWRRR!

The demon screamed in pain, as the two knives I threw created two holes in one of its wings.

“[Lightning Bolt]!”

Not missing her chance, Misha casted another spell hitting the demon as it cried out in pain.

Being struck by a bolt of lightning that flew out from Misha’s staff, the demon began plummeting towards the ground.

“[@*&!#*]!”

However, as it fell down, the sounds of multiple explosions came from behind me.

As I turned around, I caught sight of Misha being blown back several meters, after being engulfed by several small explosions.

“Misha!”

I quickly sprinted towards her.

“Hey, are you alright!?”

Laying down on the floor, Misha seemed to have been knocked unconscious. Her hair and been singed, parts of her robe had be blown apart, and there appeared to be various burn marks on her body.

“To cast [Chain Explosion] while plummeting towards the ground, quite a tenacious demon indeed”

Appearing next to me, the Sage looked over Misha.

“Go, your fight isn’t done yet. I’ll look after the girl”

With a breath of relief, I nodded in silence at the Sages words.

The demon that had fallen to the ground was still recovering. Now was probably the best time to finish it off while it was still too weak to get up.

I rushed towards the demon that was slowly getting back up.

Just as I closed in and thrust my rapier towards the demon, my sword stopped just a few inches from its body. An unknown force had stopped my attack.

“A barrier?”

The demon that got up quickly jumped back, and waved its arms outward in my direction. It threw out a wave of lightning while it gained some distance.

The wave of lightning that was shot out was impossible to escape. I clenched my teeth as the pain in my body receded.

As the pain passed, I looked at the demon standing upright. The demons wings were shredded, but besides its wings, it looked like it hardly received any damage at all from Misha’s [Lightning Bolt].

If its wings were ripped apart, then it wouldn’t be able to fly. However, it seemed like the fight had only just started.

Taking out my Mithril dagger, I placed it in my left hand, while holding the rapier in my right. Infusing magic into both weapons they began to faintly glow. If it can use magic barriers, then I’ll need to be able to brute force my way through.

“[#*%@%^]!”

A ball of fire formed in the air, and then began flying towards me. It was the [Fireball] spell I’d seen Misha use a few times. Dodging the ball of fire as it went past me, I ran forward. It seemed the demon was already casting another spell. Coming within range, the demons wings slightly moved up and down as it jumped into the sky. From above, another ball of fire was shot at me.

Dodging it again, I diligently watched as it came back down.

Although it didn’t seem to be able to fly, its tattered wings were still able to produce a little bit of lift. It was able to float down slower than normal after jumping up.

Falling down close enough to reach, I thrust the rapier at the demon that had become an easy target as it fell down.

However, swinging its arm, it used its claw to deflect the rapiers thrust. After brushing off my attack, it slashed back at me with its other arm. Using my Mithril dagger, I blocked it, and once again thrust the rapier at its body.

After committing itself to attacking with its other arm, it wasn’t able to fend off my thrust. My sword easily pierced through its body, as it let out a deafening cry.

Was it unable to use its barrier simultaneously with its attacks?

Backing away from me, the demon put some distance between us.

A blueish liquid leaked from hole in its body. It was most likely blood. I ran forward again. I wouldn’t allow it to have any rest. However, just as I approached it, its body turned from a grayish color to light red.

The wings on its back shrunk in size, and the hole in its body closed up. I could feel its power and vitality surging. It was becoming stronger.

Was it transforming? I didn’t understand what was happening.

Right before I could thrust the rapier towards its body again, a whirlwind of power pushed me back.

“Human… I must thank thee… for allowing me… to evolve… past my… primitive form…”

Instead of the unknown language it was using earlier, the demon now spoke words I could understand.

“It can talk now?!!”

Surprised by the phenomenon, I blurted out my thoughts.

However, it said it evolved? So it was different from a transformation.

Other than the change in skin color, and the wings shrinking, the demon seemed to become more human-like.

“You will… make… for a good… meal…”

As I was stuck in my thoughts, the demon dashed towards me.

“[Enchant Lightning]”

It lifted its hand, and yellow sparks quickly wrapped around its arm.

A bad feeling rose up inside me, as it grabbed hold of my rapier. Being unable to move my rapier away in time, I decided to abandon it, and let go.

“[Load Lighting]”

Just as I let go of the sword and jumped away, the weapon was engulfed in electricity. The rapier rapidly turned black, and then burst into pieces.

“Damn…”

I cursed to myself.

It’s not as if I dislike daggers. But when I lose two swords in one day, that’s some really bad luck! I don’t know what happened to my sword back in the guild, but it’s most likely a lost cause by now. I haven’t had that rapier for more than an hour now and that’s gone as well!

I’ve used up all of my throwing daggers, and all I have left is a great sword that’s too heavy for me to fight properly with! God, if you can hear me out, please cut me some slack! I’d much prefer to use other weapons besides a dagger you know! What’s more, I don’t even have any proper dagger techniques!

While having an epiphany, the demon quickly closed in.

“Become… food… for… me… to… grow!”

Approaching me at an even faster speed, the demon threw out a random punch.

Its fist that seemed to discharge electricity connected on my shoulder as I tried to dodge in time.

“Ga—Nnn!”

Gritting my teeth from the pain of being shocked, my body became stiff as the lightning coursed through my body.

“This… is… the… end…!!!”

Pulling back his fist, he opened his hands. In the palm of his hands, a small orb of condensed plasma was forming.

Forcing my numb body, I immediately poured in as much magic power into the Mithril dagger as I could.

“[Shockwave Blast]”

The demon recited the spell in a low voice.

“Not yet!”

With the dagger in my right hand, I swung down the blade with as much force as I could towards the incoming plasma. I could feel an intense pain running through my arms, traveling through my body. I could hear the sounds of my equipment ripping apart, and for an instant, my surroundings turned completely white.

“haa… haa…”

When my vision returned to normal, I found myself kneeling down on one knee exhaling heavily.

My clothes were burned and shredded in various places. And in my hands, the Mithril dagger I had been using up until now had nearly become destroyed. The tip, down to the base of the dagger was charred black. The dagger itself had small bits of pieces missing from the edge. It was now a completely unusable weapon.

The demon looked at me quietly, and then jumped back.

What was it doing?

Bang!

As if to answer my question, a hissing noise from above had become audible. And In a single moment, an object wrapped in blue lightning struck the ground in front of me like thunder. A wave of static sparks circled around the object that was now stuck to the floor.

Was it a dream?

In my sight, was a weapon I was familiar with from Project Iris Online.

A mythic grade lightning element katana, [Ikazuchi Suzume].

The name of the weapon displayed itself as soon as I touched it.

What was it doing here at a time like this? I wondered. Without a second thought, I placed the roasted Mithril dagger into my bag and picked up the weapon in front of me.

As soon as I held onto the katana, a revitalizing wave of electricity overflowed into my body. Holding onto the sword, a feeling of nostalgia greeted me.

It was one of the first weapon types I had ever mastered in PIO.

Inside my mind, a message window opened.

[Please confirm the usage of all remaining points on , ]

With a smile on my face, I silently nodded to myself.

Ding!

[Katana Mastery 10/10] – > [Advanced Katana Mastery 2/5]

A message box opened with a ring, notifying me of the skill upgrade.

I would most likely lose if I simply waved around a katana without any techinques. So I decided to put my earlier idea into action.

The demon that jumped back quickly fired off a ball of fire in my direction. In haste, I took a quick draw stance, and infused the katana with what little magic I had left.

“[Third Form, Waning Moon]”

As I imagined the katana techniques from Project Iris Online in my mind, my body naturally moved as I wanted it to, mimicking the exact technique from the game. This was probably the effect of Katana Mastery.

In one swift moment, I drew the katana in an upwards arc. Electric sparks flew everywhere right as I unsheathed it, and the incoming fireball was cleanly cut in two, splitting in half and exploding as it flew past me.

Looking closely at the blade as I sheathed it, a familiar name was etched onto the blade. In small letters, the familiar name ‘Liu Shien’ appeared.

Click!

The katana made a clicking noise as it slide into the scabbard.

“This will work”

In PIO, there were two different fighting styles. Kendo, and Iaido. Both systems had twelve different sword techniques. Kendo focused on a wide range of fighting techniques. However, it focus was on defensive skills for survival. Iaido was specifically for sword drawing techniques. It prioritized dodging over blocking, and burst damage over sustained damage.

My character was geared more towards a DPS build, so I always had low defense. Rather than waste effort on Kendo, I went for the obvious choice and mastered the Iaido skill set.

With a smirk on my face, I ran towards the demon who was readying another spell.

“[Chain Explosion]!”

In front of me, numerous orbs of fire had appeared and began detonating. It was the same magic that had left Misha in a sorry state.

Boom!

The explosions were detonating closer and closer towards me.

“[Sixth Form, Surging Tide]”

The katana became shrouded with electric sparks as the sword emitted a faint blue aura. Drawing the blade, a wave of violent energy swept the ground in front of me, carving a distinct pattern onto the floor, as it blew away the surrounding explosions. Under the cover of [Surging Tide], I was able to quickly approach the demon.

“[First Form, Calm Wind]”

I draw the katana in a horizontal arc as the sparks produced by the sword flew everywhere.

“Aggh!…”

The demon let out a muffled sound as he tried moving out of the way. However, his left arm was caught, and cut off.

The katana had cleanly sliced through one of its arms. Quickly sheathing the sword, I stepped in close again.

“Seventh Form, [Overflowing Cascade]”

In a series of five fast consecutive slashes, the demon that became slightly paralyzed by the katana’s electricity was unable to completely dodge all of five continuous attacks, and was cut into pieces.

“Human… you… cannot… escape… the… inevitable… death… so… why… do… you… fight…?”

Lying on the ground in a pool of blood, surrounded by its own various body parts, the demon gave its last words.

“Because dying is scary. As long as I’m alive, I’ll do my best just to live”

After coming to this world, I’ve experienced it many times. The close encounters with death. Right now, I’m still weak, and if it weren’t for this katana, and the people that helped me, I would have already died long ago.

Thinking about the katana, and what it was doing here, the name of its creator flashed back into my mind. Liu Shien. Could it have been possible that he was also pulled into this world?

But, in order to continue living, I need to gain even more strength. After all, if there’s a ton of guys as frighteningly strong as that guy from the run down guild, I don’t know how long I’d last without protection from people like Instructor Reinsfield.

Crack!

As the demons life energy went out, I heard a sound similar to glass shattering above me.

A web of jagged lines spread across the magic circle that was floating in the sky, and it slowly broke apart into particles of light. The final pillar of light that was supplying it with power had been shut off.

At that moment, feeling of sleepiness overwhelmed me. My eyes shut closed as I tumbled onto the ground with a plop. My consciousness was slowly leaving me. Did I overdo it? The only thing that kept me from collapsing so far, was the shock of adrenaline that came from the katana.

“Good work, kid. Sleep well. You’ve earned it”

The sound of Instructor Reinsfield’s voice came from nearby.

When I opened my eyes, he was standing above me with a smirk.

“Ah… thanks”

Without any energy to give a proper response, I closed my eyes again and quietly dozed off.

Ding!

[Tetsu Tagami]

[Lv 28 -> 29]

[Race : Human]

[HP : 144/530 -> 144/540] (+200 HP)

[MP : 3/250 -> 3/255]

[STR : 51 -> 59] (+5 Str)

[AGI : 57] (+15 Agi)

[MA : 50]

[LUK : ???]

[Available Skill Points : 0 -> 1]

[Sword Mastery : 4/10]

[Dagger Mastery : 10/10] (Additional Agi +10)

[Advanced Katana Mastery : 2/5 -> 3/5] (Additional Str & Agi +5)

[Muscle Mastery : 10/10] (Additional HP +200)

[Dual Wielding : 1/10 -> 3/10]

[Aiming : 6/10]

[Weapon Throwing Mastery : 9/10]

[ (NEW!) Chakra Control : 2/10]

[Magic Control : 5/10 -> 6/10]

[Magic Perception : 5/10]

[Light Magic Mastery : 5/10]

[Heavy Blow : 5/10]

[Magic Edge : 7/10]

[Analyze : 4/10]

||

[ (NEW!) First Form, Calm Wind : 1/10]

[ (NEW!) Third Form, Waning Moon : 1/10]

[ (NEW!) Sixth Form, Surging Tide : 1/10]

[ (NEW!) Seventh Form, Overflowing Cascade : 1/10]

[Living Zombie]

[Otherworldly Traveler]

[Slime Slayer]

[Fast Learner]

[Hard Worker]

[???]