by Yuu Tanaka
Then I tried shooting Air Bullets to blast myself out of the ground.
That didn’t work, either.
I attempted to use fire magic to burn the surrounding ground away…
…but no luck.
Oh, come on…
I took a break from trying to escape and looked at my surroundings. It was a forest—nothing more, nothing less. I was now sure the reason for the lack of strong monsters in the forest was because of this mana-draining phenomenon. If a powerful monster walked around here, it wouldn’t take long before it would start feeling sluggish and unable to move like yours truly at the moment.
It’s a good thing I don’t get hungry…
In my attempts to escape, I confirmed that any magic which projected out of me didn’t work at all. Oddly enough, mana was drained from my blade only when I cast skills or magic and not throughout the entire time I was stuck in the ground. I didn’t have any problems with my vision (which was also maintained by the blade’s mana) either.
But I noticed something after a few hours of being stuck in the ground:
Oh god, my MP’s not recovering at all.
I still had more than half left over, but it meant I shouldn’t use any more of it carelessly. I didn’t think there was any way of escaping on my own now.
How did this happen…?
Three days had gone by and nothing had changed. On day one, I experimented with all the skills I had in an effort to escape but soon realized it was to no avail. I couldn’t project any magical objects out of me which meant my attack skills, magic, and Telekinesis were out of the question.
All that was left to do was wait for some sort of creature to pull me out out of curiosity or a miraculous natural disaster to blow me away. The best-case scenario would be for a human to come along and pull me out of course.
A month had gone by and no one had come to my rescue.
Please! I’m a really good sword! Top quality, in fact!
I was enchanted, and I could think and move for myself. You couldn’t get a better deal if you tried!
You ever seen a sword that can cook? Well, look no further. See, I’ll even max out the skill for it right now.
Cooking is now at Level 10. You have unlocked skill and status bonuses for Cooking.
You have unlocked a new option for evolving.
You want something demolished? I have that skill too. It’s super useful. It’s at Level 10 too, see!
Disassembly is now at Level 10. You have unlocked skill and status bonuses for Disassembly.
I have Identify too. I’ll even level it up for you right now. And I’m one hell of a fighter. My Sword Mastery and Sword Arts skills are at Level 7 you know. You want me to throw in some magic in there too? No problem! How’s Fire Magic 10 sound?
Fire Magic is now at Level 10. You have acquired a new fire spell.
Would you look at that! And I won’t stop there, here’s some stat bonuses to boot!
You have obtained Status+ (Medium).
Just equip me and you’ll be one hell of a fighter too! How’s that? I’m not some random piece of junk, and would you look at this skill right here—
“Help!”
I was getting delusional now; I could’ve sworn I heard someone talk. This might be the end of me.
“Help me!”
Wait, was I really hearing things?
I felt the slight vibrations of the ground through my blade. I wondered what was making that rattling noise.
“It’s—still on us—”
“Damn it!—no choice…”
They were human voices! Finally! Thank you, God!
Hey, I’m over here! See the sword that’s stuck in the ground that looks all legendary? Come on! Get me out of here! Please?
The rattling came from the wheels of a horse carriage. A wagon shot out of the forest like a bullet. It looked quite dangerous, what with how fast it was going, especially since it looked like it was going to make a sharp turn—which was how the carriage turned over in front of me.
Whoa, is everyone okay in there?!
I didn’t understand why they were in such a panic, though. It looked like they were being chased by something. I couldn’t use Telekinesis, so I had no choice but to watch with bated breath as the passengers crawled out of the cart.
It looks like everyone’s in one piece.
Were they merchants? They didn’t look like warriors, but they didn’t look like civilians either. Their heads were wrapped with bandannas and their clothes were ragged which showed signs of their long journey.
The small man, which I assumed to be a lackey, led out several men and women who, frankly, looked…terrible. Their clothes were in tatters with nothing more than pieces of string keeping it all together. Their hair was a ragged mess and heavy iron collars were placed around their necks.
I guess this is a world with slaves.
“Hey, get the slaves to carry the goods!”
“Yessir! You heard the man, hurry up, you subhumans!”
“Uugh…”
“Aargh…”
“Don’t just sit there!”
Oh, he’s human filth, isn’t he?
The sight of the small man cracking his whip at the slaves to make them carry the heavy-looking load was enough to make me sick.
“Come on! I-It’s coming!”
“It”? I wonder what’s chasing them.
The answer soon announced itself to me with a deafening roar.
“Oh my God, it’s here!”
It was a monstrous, two-headed bear.
Chapter 2:
Sword Meets Girl
The slave traders and their slaves were all in a panic. A two-headed bear was chasing them through the forest. The monster was after their caravan, to be precise. The slaver’s lackey ordered the slaves to save some of their goods before issuing the slaves another order.
“Slaves, slow that thing down while we get away!”
The slaves had no weapons with which to fight the bear monster. The only thing they could’ve done was stand there and be eaten. The slaves must have known this, and yet, they stopped in their tracks, turned around, and threw themselves at the beast.
“Nooo!”
“I don’t wanna die!”
They screamed in anguish as the bear tore them apart. It looked like they were unable to go against the slaver’s orders. Were they under some sort of spell? It must have had something to do with the collars that were fitted around their necks. I could feel magic coming from the collars, though my senses had been dulled by the magic sapping field. The mana drain only affected living bodies, which must have been why the collars maintained their effectiveness on the slaves. The field would’ve drained me dry of my mana if it was strong enough to drain the collars of their magic.
The beast roared as it swept through one of the slaves’ bodies. One ferocious claw swipe was enough to separate torso from limb as the man barely had enough time to let out a horrified cry. Even if the bear was one of the weaker monsters, facing it without any equipment was an awful idea. The slaves were helpless in the face of such a violent beast. It would only take a few minutes before the creature wiped out the lot of them. I felt sorry for them, but there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t call out to them even if I tried. I could only watch as the slaver made his escape. Damn it, if only there was someone who would pull me out of the ground!
The beast roared as it charged toward the slaver and tore him apart. Good job, bear! That piece of human trash deserved it! Still, was there no way of saving the rest of the slaves?
Then, a shadow approached me. It belonged to a little slave girl. She must have been free to move now that the slaver who ordered her to be a distraction was dead. Her face was covered with dirt, which made it difficult to discern her features. However, my attention was fixed not on her face or dirty hair or her ragged clothing; instead, I noticed something sticking out of her head.
They were ears—cat ears, in fact. They looked fluffy, too! This girl was a beas
tman, but I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I forgot all about the current situation. She had cute animal ears, after all. How could I not be touched by this turn of events?
Damn it, it’s so annoying that I can’t call out to her! Girl, I don’t know if you can hear me, but, if you can, you need to pull me out of the ground. Then, you must let me touch your fluffy ears! Wait, how would that work? I guess I could use the flat of my blade but—
The girl had gotten closer to me and wrapped her fingers around my hilt. She gripped it and began tugging. It was a desperate situation, but she wasn’t about to give up and accept death. I liked her already.
Come on…
The girl tugged harder now.
That’s it! Pull me out!
But it looked like I was stuck in the earth harder than I thought. The clay-infused ground had wrapped itself around my blade and was my greatest adversary yet; it wasn’t about to let go of me so easily. The girl looked to be about twelve or thirteen years of age, and her body was frail and malnourished. She didn’t look like she had the physical strength to yank me out of my prison.
Come on, you have to keep trying! Aaah, look out behind you!
The bear was fast approaching the girl now. The other slaves hadn’t made it, their remains scattered across the grass. The girl was the only one left.
You have to pull me out, girl!
“Who’s there?”
Oh, you can hear me?!
“Who are you?”
I’m the sword you’re trying to pull out.
“I’m shocked.”
You don’t look shocked…
“I am.”
Anyway, the bear’s coming in hot. You have to do it quick, girl!
It looked I was able to communicate with Telepathy since she was touching me. The girl also seemed to be the quiet and cool type. I didn’t dislike that. But never mind that, the bear is coming!
The girl grunted as she tugged harder.
I can feel movement!
“Nggh.”
You can do it!
More movement.
Just a little more!
“Hnngh.”
Extraction complete.
You did it!
“You’re a pretty sword.”
Why, thank you. But now’s not the time!
“You’re right.”
Can you fight?
“A little.”
I looked at the girl’s stats to be sure.
Name: None
Age: 12
Race: Beastman; Black Cat Tribe
Class: None
Status: Slave
LV: 1
HP: 19; Magic: 10; Strength: 9; Agility: 16
Skills: Sword Mastery 1; Night Vision; Expert Carver; Sense of Direction
She wasn’t kidding. But this wasn’t a problem.
You need to equip me!
“I already am.”
Equip me faster. You have to equip me like you mean it!
“Okay.”
Nameless has been registered as your User.
All right, my Skill Sharing skill should kick in now. Let’s see what it does.
Nameless has acquired several titles.
Huh, what’s that about?
I could use Identify on her…somehow. The girl had acquired the titles of Fire Mage, Master Chef, Disassembly Expert, and Skill Collector, all the skills I had leveled up to Level 10. This seemed to increase the effectiveness of each skill, with Skill Collector increasing the chances of skill acquisition. I could go into it later since they weren’t immediately useful.
You should be able to fight now. Go.
“Uh.”
You need to think about killing that thing. Then let your body tell you where to swing the blade!
Sword Mastery should kick in at that point. The skill was at Level 7 and the two-headed bear was a low-rank monster. Add to the fact that she was getting a status buff just by holding me and there was no way we could lose this fight.
“Okay… Got it.”
Good girl.
“Here I go!”
In a word, the girl’s movements were beautiful. She gracefully closed in on the beast like an experienced swordsman and pierced its heart with one thrust. My blade cut through its hide like tofu.
“Huh?”
You did it. What do you think?
“Was it thanks to you?”
Kinda. How do you feel?
“Grateful.”
With those parting words, the girl was about to stab me into the ground again. I practically screamed in order to stop her.
Wait! Don’t leave me in the ground, please!
“Huh?”
The ground here strips me of my power, I wouldn’t be able to do anything if you left me here. Could I bother you to carry me just a little further?
“Hmm?”
Please?
“He’s probably going to take you away from me.”
The slaver?
“Yeah.”
I wouldn’t want that, not after I found a cute, fluffy-eared girl. I wanted her to wield me! The slaver would probably sell me to a collector if he got his hands on me. It’d be even worse if he could steal my powers after discovering I was an enchanted sword.
Can’t you run away somehow?
“No. Not with this collar on me.”
So it really is enchanted then?
“It’s a slave collar. It makes it impossible for a slave to disobey its master’s commands. And I tried killing them a few times, too.”
The slavers?
“Yeah. I thought I’d kill them and run.”
Wow. This girl was more dangerous and hungrier than I thought. Again, I didn’t hate that.
But you couldn’t because of the collar.
“Yeah.”
A man came running to us from the other side of the forest: the slaver.
“Damn it, only one of you is left! What the hell were you doing?! Look at this pot, it’s cracked!”
He didn’t care that his lackey and the rest of the slaves had died, lamenting only over the broken pottery. This man was clearly human filth.
“Did you kill the Twin-Headed Bear?” he demanded.
“Yes.”
“How did you… Did you use that sword?”
“I found it.”
“Give me that.”
She didn’t say anything for a moment. “No.”
“What was that? Give it!”
“Aah, I’m sorry.”
The man slapped the girl with the back of his hand. “You think you animals have any right to look at me like that?!”
“Ow…”
He hit her again. He seemed used to it. The man wrenched me from the cowering girl.
“That’s a fine blade. I’ll be taking this as compensation for this little squabble.”
The man ignored the girl, who was squirming in pain, and began examining me.
“Mangy beast, take whatever goods you can salvage and carry it. We’ll be heading to the nearest town.”
The slave collar kicked in. Although the girl was in pain, she couldn’t disobey the slaver’s words and began staggering toward the remains of the caravan.
This guy was pissing me off. My intent to kill was rising and I was on the verge of hacking the scumbag’s head clean off. Damn it! If only this place didn’t suck my mana dry, I could kill him right here and now!
“Gurk?”
I cast Telekinesis out of spite, but it worked somehow. Whoops. I’d been out of the ground long enough that my mana had begun recovering. My natural mana recovery was outpacing the ground’s mana draining properties now that I was no longer inside it. I had used Telekinesis while thinking of slaughtering the slaver and I immediately swung into action, stabbing the scumbag’s face dead center and piercing right through his skull. His brains splattered across the ground.
Oddly enough, I felt less guilt than killing a goblin, despite the fact I had killed a human. Was it because the man was downright scum,
or because I was a sword?
Sooo, what now?
“Hm?”
Anyway, just calm down. I’ll figure something out.
“I am calm.”
You are much too calm, young lady.
The girl didn’t seem fazed by the gory death of her captor. She had the seeds of greatness in her.
You are now my User.
“Yes.”
I’m something of a magical sword…so I’m kinda strong.
“Okay.”
I want you to keep using me, as a sword. Although, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t put me away in storage. Are you interested? You’re also going to have to kill monsters of course.
I couldn’t force this little girl to go down this path. Even if she was my first User, I was ready to let the matter go if she refused.
“Yes. I do.”
The girl gave an instant reply. She looked dignified as she held me up to the sky.
“I need to get stronger. I must.”
She must have had her reasons for being so motivated.
Is there a goal you’re striving for?
“I have to break through a wall.”
A wall?
The girl explained that beastmen like her had the ability to evolve. There were different conditions for every tribe, but those who succeeded were greatly revered. However, most beastmen never lived to see the day of their evolution, a testament to how difficult a task it was. The Black Cat Tribe, the clan this girl belonged to, had never had a successful evolution to date, and they were looked down upon as the weakest of the beastmen.
The girl’s parents had tried to evolve themselves, but they met their end during their adventures and the girl was left to fend for herself. It didn’t take long after for the girl to be kidnapped by slavers. The girl was now intent on carrying out her parents’ wishes to evolve.
Oh, you’re such a good girl! All right, I’m in! I’ll help you evolve, don’t you worry!
“Thanks.”
Hey, don’t mention it! You’re my User after all! What’s your name, by the way?
It would’ve been silly to go on this adventure without knowing my precious User’s name. Still, the girl’s reply was about what I expected.
“I don’t have one.”
You really don’t have a name?
