Shadow Farms

“Bandits Basically Just Bonus Stage walk”:v

It seems like about 10 years have passed.

Magic is amazing. With him, I can easily make movements that far surpass human limitations.

Crushing stones? that easy.

Running at twice the speed of a horse? like flipping a palm.

Jump higher than housing? Surely can.

But I'm scared because ‘taepodong’ still exceeds my limits. Magic may be able to increase my physical endurance, but ‘taepodong’ is a weapon from Earth.

Thought about “There is no ‘taepodong’ in this world, so it is not necessary in the issue?” it crossed my mind, but what does it mean if the ‘ forces behind the screen’ get their position by compromising?

No, of course not.

Thus, I kept fighting to get a body that could win against ‘taepodong’.

For that purpose, I had to spend my days in research and training. Lately, a possibility came to my mind, and I am currently experimenting with it.

Oh and by the way, the family I was born into seemed to be a noble family. Coming from a lineage that continues to produce knights who fight using magic to strengthen themselves – commonly referred to as ‘Magic Swordmen’. And I was made the heir of a family that was very much expected and respected. Hah, they just treat me like ‘apprentice swordman’.

‘The power behind the scenes’ only shows the true power in certain people and places. Until then comes…

Although I held back, training as ‘apprentice swordman’ was quite useful for me. I can find out how the fight uses magic in this world, and this is also an opportunity to review my fighting style.

Honestly speaking, the fighting techniques I had learned in my previous life were several times more polished and rational.

This can be seen easily, just by watching a match of modern martial arts. Unnecessary techniques and movements had all been eliminated, and different schools were adopting each other's best techniques. That's what brings all of those schools down a more perfect path.

Of course, modern martial arts has a restriction called ‘regulation’, but that doesn't change the fact that a wide variety of techniques are polished to opposites and undergo a selection process.

Compared to this world. First of all, there is no chance of a country adopting each other's techniques. There are also no techniques that can be adopted from other schools. Because it seems like the techniques learned by students should not be shown other than in the school environment. Even if a technique is demonstrated, no media spreads it. So, if simplified in two words, “not yet polished” is the right word.

But the fight in this world was clearly different from the fight in my previous world. Of course, the cause is magic.

Because of magic, the physical status benchmark of the people in this world was on a very different level.

For example, physical strength. One can easily raise another person by using only one hand. Because of that all grappling techniques become obsolete. Even when I lock someone in a sitting position, he can jump into the air just by stretching his abdominal muscles. Even though I was in a defensive position, they could easily make me fly just by using his feet. So well, grappling technique, forget it.

One fought using the way people fought, and goblins fought in the way of goblins. That's all it is.

What's more, the speed and distance of each step is different, so ‘maai’ is considered different. And actually, this is the most important thing.

(TN : ‘Maai’ \= Fighting Distance, the point is not only the distance of the enemy considered, but the time taken to reach the enemy, the angle and rhythm of the attack. The position in which the enemy can attack)

Martial arts, the point is ‘Maai’. Distance, angle, position, those are all important things in a fight.

It made me spend quite a long time to determine my ‘Maai’ in this world. I mean, ‘Maai’ in this world is quite wide. They started fighting at a distance of 5m. And of course, their every move was quite far and fast, so it wasn't that I didn't understand. When I first saw it, I was amazed by it “Ohh, so this fighting style in this world”... but hah, it turns out it was all because of the techniques to survive those who are still undeveloped.

I often see someone like that in this world – a bad person in defense so they just make distance from their enemy as far as possible.

What is a terrible enemy attack? is it in a place where the attack isn't until you'll be safe? That's why this fight becomes a repeated soft fight where the enemy runs to attack before running to return. What is ‘hit and run’? sorry, the simple and useless forward and backward movement is not counted as ‘hit and run’.

To me, 5m and 100m are just as meaningless. Because, a true attack cannot be ejected from that distance.6m, 7m, 10m, is also the same. It means nothing, so it's better to get close and get to him, right?

But, at a certain distance, it becomes important that is when it is about 1m away, because it is ‘maai’. Whether my attack will hit the enemy, or if my enemy can react in time, considering angles and various other things, getting or eliminating an opportunity just because it moves half a step to the side or just because it tilts a few degrees. Unlike just running to attack from a distance of 5m before jumping backwards 6m.

All the prejudices about the other world and magic, it all confused me for a while, but lately I was finally able to determine my ‘maai’, so everything was fine, I guess.

So well, that's how I practice everyday at home. There was only me, my sister, and my father – who trained me and my brother, and my brother who practiced fighting against me. My brother is 2 years older, and seems to have quite the talent, and may be able to become the heir of the family. In this world, where magic can be used, women can become very powerful, so women as the head of the family is not a foreign thing.

And because of that, I get beaten up by my sister almost every day. I mean, I can't win, right? because, to be the ‘ behind the scenes power’, I have to behave like a character figure A.

⊕⊗⊕

So, that's how my day is. During the day, I also learned the things that nobles needed, as well as various other tasks that I needed to play the character of figurant A, so I did not have much free time.

That's why, my special training ended at night, after everything fell asleep. It also meant reducing my sleep time, but by combining the effects of meditation and the power of recovery from magic, I managed to develop a unique method of sleep that was very short but very effective.

Alright, let's train seriously today as well. For today I have a special menu after the training run in the forest as usual.

Lately, there seems to be some delinquents occupying an abandoned village around here. After I investigated, it turned out that they were a pretty big bandit gang. Yup, they seem like the perfect target for ‘tameshikiri’.

(TN: tamesihikiri \= myth about swordsmen in the Edo period where he would test his new sword by slashing people in the streets randomly)

I did kill the robbers I randomly met, but something like the level of a gang of high-class bandits was a once-a-year opportunity for me, so I was quite excited. All year long I had a lack of commensurate training partners, so I liked the criminals. Aah, can local public order be eliminated?

In rural areas of the world, criminals will generally be killed immediately without going through court. And it seems, only in the big cities have judges, so rural people don't think much about this. Therefore, I will judge you all, Kekeke.

Today is to commemorate the weapon I just tried – which is ‘slime bodysuit’.

All right, I'll explain what ‘slime bodysuit’ is.

This world has magic. The inhabitants of this world fought using that magic to strengthen themselves and their respective weapons. However, there were always disadvantages when using magic. For example, an iron sword would only provide 10% efficiency when pouring 100 points of magic into it, and the effect gained only increased by 10 points. Which means 90% of the magic was lost in the process. Even for mitrile, which is praised for its high level of conductivity, it can only provide 50% efficiency already said to be ‘high grade item’. So in short, there is always a large amount of loss.

Then I started to consider slime. Slime, as can be seen, is a magical creature. They can change shape and move only by using magic. When I studied it further, I realized that the magic conductivity of the slime was truly extraordinary at 99%. Moreover, when in liquid form, they can change their shape freely. So I hunted slime, crushed ‘core’ it and experimented using the rest of the jelly from that slime. The number of ‘core’ slime I've destroyed has reached thousands. It had even reached the level where the surrounding area was suffering from a lack of slime, which eventually made me have to look for a place further away.

Jelly from this slime is very easy to process. After bracing and compacting it, I can even make a whole bodyfit‘ from it. Unlike armor, ‘bodysuit’ does not make a sound, is comfortable to wear, and can help with all the movements I do. And of course, his defensive ability was also assured.

(TN : Bodysuit \= Clothes that really fit the body, such as GANTZ clothes)

I currently use plain black ‘bodysuit’ made of slime jelly mixed with black dye. Unadorned, a suit that fits perfectly on my body, and doesn't interfere with my vision and breathing. I look exactly like a villain in a detective manga series.

Looks like I need to think of a more appropriate design in preparation for the day I'm going to be behind the scenes.

⊕⊗⊕

While thinking about that, I have arrived at the abandoned village. Even though it was late at night, they still lit torches around the place. It seemed like they had just managed to rob a merchant caravan, so they were partying. Yup, I'm very lucky. Bandits usually don't have a plan, so they usually spend whatever they get. They had just managed to rob, of course they were a lot of valuables.

What the bandits have, is mine. This is how I raise capital to be ‘strength behind the scenes’ in the future.

Eagerly, I barged into the party. I don't need to hide, because it can't count as practice.

“Hyaha~! Take out all your money and valuables!!”

I shouted that while standing right in the middle of them.

“What the fuck is this boy?”

I'm 10 years old, so ‘bocah’ is not entirely wrong.

“Oraa, I said take out all your money!”

After kicking the man who called me a boy, the other bandits started to pull out their weapons.

“Oi, if you take us too lightly, don't expect us to forgive you just because you're a b...!”

“Oraa!”

Due to her overly cliche words, I was unable to resist cutting off her head. Of course, my weapon is made of slime material; and it is an incredible weapon, so I will only use it in times of need.

Moreover, this slime sword still had some practical functions.

Practical Function 1: Can be elongated.

“Ora ora ora oraaaAAA!”

I extended the slime sword and swung it horizontally to finish off all the bandits around me.

“ORA ORA ORA ORAAA.. hmm?”

When I fell asleep and slashed everything without hesitation, I realized that my surroundings had become very quiet. Uh, only one person left?

“K-, you, who are you.?”.

“Huh, there seems to be no other choice. I'll try 2 Practical Functions on you.”

“Ap-, what are you saying..?”.

“It looks like you're a little stronger than the others, so maybe you're the boss or something, right? Unfortunately, you have no chance of winning against me, but if you become my training partner you might be able to live 2 minutes longer. So, fight your best, okay?”

“Fuck you, who takes me lightly! I'll show you, me.. !”.

“Haah, non-essential sentences are not required!”

“FUCKING KAUU!!!!”

Boss A attacked me in his anger. In the face of that boring slash, I chose not to dodge.

Then Boss A's sword hit my chest, and because of the impact it threw me and rolled on the ground.

“Haha, this is what will happen if you take me for granted! I've mastered ‘Royal Capital Bushin Style’... ap-, WHAT?”

“Hmm, not even scratched”.

I stood up like nothing happened.

I was completely satisfied with the survivability of this outfit. It seemed like this outfit could eliminate the impact of an attack at least level with a Boss A attack.

“Ooo, ‘Royal Capital Bushin Style’? isn't that a popular school in the royal capital right now? Hey, show me more!”

“Sial, you asked for it!”

Boss A attacked.

Er, um, yeah, easy. He had expended all his ability to attack me, but I didn't even need to use my sword. Only by setting the position by stepping can I very easily handle it.

So this is ‘Bushin Style? I seem to like it enough.

Unlike the usual things in this world, I can see this fighting style is not bound by idealism or tradition, but uses a rational way to approach the enemy. I can figure it out even from Boss A's extremely bad sword swing. Instantaneous acceleration, half-step forward, and various methods to deal with the enemy were perfectly suited to me.

But, Boss A is really bad.

When Boss A's attack stops, I can easily get out of ‘maai’ it.

“Pe-, My sword... Why don't you get hurt in the least!”

“You're weaker than my father, and you might be stronger than my brother right now, but I think he might surpass you in a year?”

“ASAR BOY SIALAAAAAANN!!”

After fending off Boss A's attack, I kicked his shin slowly. Slowly, but sharply, it was a kick below the knee.

Which…

“Gu, aa, what happened..?”.

Boss A fell down and knelt down, holding onto his shin. Blood flowed through his finger and cut into the ground.

What happened was easy; there was a sword coming out of my shoe. ‘Slime Bodysuit’ Practical Function 2: can pull out sword wherever and whenever I want.

The way I thought of using this function was to kick the enemy's foot using the sword coming out of my foot. It would be very difficult to defend against an attack targeting the legs. Holding down the enemy's sword using my sword, restricting its movement, and kicking its leg.

It's normal, but very effective.

“It looks like it's time to end all this.”

“Tu-, wait!”

“Haah, you don't even last up to 2 minutes.”

I kicked up with the sword coming out of my shoe, which pierced Boss A's head from under his chin. Death through impalement.

Kicking off Boss A's still moving body, I headed to the camp for loot.

“I don't know a container that can handle this artwork.... uh, I don't need food either. Come on, where are you, money, diamonds, and precious metals~”.

There were several carts that could be looted, as well as the corpses of the merchants.

“I've already avenged you, and your belongings will be used for a good thing, so rest in peace, okay?”

I collected a good amount of loot and kept quiet for a while. If everything is converted into cash, I estimate the price is about 5 Zeny as well. Oh, 1 Zeny might cost about 1 Yen. All this will be a source of funding activity ‘strength behind the scenes’.

If only the whole world had poor public order there would be many bandits. Maybe it will be like in the game, where we will find them just by walking a few steps on the road.

“Try harder to be the Bandit King in the next life, okay?”

That's what I said to Boss A who was already motionless before realizing there was something there.

“Kerangkeng..?”

With a size that is quite large and also looks strong.

“Slave? I cannot sell it, so pass~”

But maybe, maybe, there's something good in it. So just to be sure, I opened the tarp that wrapped the cage.

“This... I did not expect.”

In it is, um, how to say it.. a pile of rotting flesh? I could only tell that pile of flesh was shaped like a human, but I didn't know gender, age, and anything else.

But, it's still alive. Maybe even have consciousness. When I peeked into the cage, I saw the pile of meat moving.

I've heard this before. It is called ‘Demon Possession’, and the church executes them. At first they are born like humans in general, but one day their bodies begin to rot, and in the end they will die if left unchecked, but the church actively bought them and executed them as ‘purification’. The purification of ‘Demons’ is the same as mass killing of patients, but the church even received praise from the community for protecting the community from ‘demons’. All I can say is, it's really like medieval Europe.

If I were to sell this pile of meat to the church, I would probably get a higher price than all my loot today. But, I can't go sell it, so it's meaningless.

I think I should make him rest in peace.

I slipped the slime sword between the iron bars of the cage and realized something.

There was an enormous amount of magic within this pile of flesh. Even though I have always practiced my magic since I was a baby, the amount I have is still small in comparison. Really a huge amount of magic, and again…

“This wave... instead of this magic aberration..?”

Is it possible that the cause of this pile of flesh became like this due to the perversion of magic? Before, I had suffered from magic confinement. If I didn't manage to control my magic back then, would it be possible for me to become like this?

Magic has an undeniable effect on the physical body. Once, I thought of a possibility. Is it possible that through the perversion of magic, I can train my body to become more accustomed to magic, such as becoming easier to control magic? But causing magic irregularities on purpose was too dangerous, and in the end I kept the idea.

But if this pile of meat is really the result of a magic aberration, and if I can experiment on this pile of meat… surely I will be closer to ‘strength behind the scenes’ without risk to myself.

“This flesh, it looks like it could be useful..”.

I grabbed the pile of meat, and started pouring my magic into it.