Chapter 360: Checking Blades

———Meesi———

<1: 04 pm>

“W-What the hell are you!?” The previously cocky tall man said as he glared at the slim and shorter man in front of him.

“Wrong answer!” James loudly said before bringing the blade down.

*SLASH*

“Ah!?” The others looked on in horror as their leader was bisected vertically. James got on the wrong side of bed today and unfortunately they came at the wrong time, not that coming here was a great idea in the first place. “Spare us!”

“Shut up!” He yelled out as they were trying to run away.

*Dash* *Slash* *Slice* *Dice*

Before I could even say anything he has already killed anyone who hasn’t already retreated.

“Really no mercy today…” I remarked. Some did manage to run off, but that was because they left before he was seriously losing his patience.

“It's their fault for trying something stupid like that.” He said before sheathing his sword. “It’s a big wave today, so hopefully it will be still for a few days.”

“I hope for that as well.” I said while still feeling a bit shaken up about what he just did. He wasn’t this brutal the last time an invasion happened. While he still kills people, it wasn’t with this level of ferocity. “I guess we should head back now?”

“Yeah, we should.” He recomposed very quickly. “Hopefully someone comes to deal with the mess soon, it’s a sight for sore eyes.”

“That’s understating it.” I remarked as both of us made our way back to the guild.

Before we could even make the long trek back to the guild, someone appeared to stop us in our tracks. I didn’t even know when she showed up, but it was certainly sudden and unexpected.

“Why are you here?” James asked with a great deal of wariness in his tone.

I remember this person, it’s the woman that challenged James and someone else to a fight during that weird party over in Kara’s hometown. It’s honestly a shame that I didn’t manage to go there as well. I hope there is a second time, I have never been to a big lavish party like that.

“I was doing a patrol of my own. It has been a long while since I have done anything quite like this, you know?” The woman who doesn’t look any older than a young adult said, playing with her dark blue hair. “I saw that just now, you know?”

“What does that have to do with you?” He asked. I wonder if these two have conversed since then. When he recounts that story it sounds like they wouldn’t, but I can’t really know for sure.

“Nothing in particular. It just reminded me of the bad days everyone had back then.” She replied. “Reminds me of when a team member crashing out could end up causing the whole team to break into bloody pieces. A rather morbid history to think about.”

“...If you think I can slip that far, I am willing to demonstrate otherwise.” James calmly said.

“Oh, I don’t think you’re the type to fall that low, just to be clear.” She quickly cleared up that point. “But people I was acquainted with definitely don’t have the capability. They fold under the pressure and snap, it was quite the harrowing sight.”

“Are you just here to trauma dump?” James boldly asked despite the clear discrepancy in power.

“No.” She flatly answered. “That is still an important point. I want someone with a sturdy mind like you to reel in your companions before it’s too late.”

“How can you be so sure about that?” James asked.

“I’m not. I’m just trying to make you one with positive reinforcement.” She replied without a hint of irony or shame in her voice. “Back in my days we couldn't really talk about this so openly, you know?”

“...That can of worms aside, if you are out on patrol, then shouldn’t you go on your way?” James asked, adding how he probably shouldn’t try to inquire her age.

“I’m just doing this for old times' sake. It’s been a long while since the situation called for patrol like this, with everything happening for the past few days.” She answered. “I only plan to visit a few towns and cities anyway. This is only a small detour.”

“I see…” James remarked as he walked toward her. The distance between the two sides at the beginning did make it hard to hear each other clearly. We were so shocked at her sudden appearance that we didn’t think about moving at first. “So, is this little reunion over with? Or do you have something else that needs to be said?”

“A few things I want to check with you. While that other girl is in a secure location with plenty of resources available, the same couldn’t be said for you, can it?” She said, bringing up something about that other person that was roped into the fight. “How about a look at your blade first? I don’t think this particular type of weapon is common enough to get a replacement.”

James silently holds up the sword for her to inspect, to which a frown quickly forms on her face.

“It’s still in an okay condition, but still… You could do a lot better than a blade that will soon wear down. Even with your current strength it cannot prolong its usage for long.” She remarked upon inspecting it. “I’m not a weapon expert exactly, but I would recommend getting tougher stuff than this. I’d imagine you don’t have a blacksmith nearby?”

“It’d be a miracle to find that kind of hobbyist, so unfortunately not.” James answered. They are rumored to be extremely valuable nowadays since they can upgrade or make stuff that are better than the dungeon drops which are all bog standard. I do want to see one in action myself, it sounds interesting if nothing else.

“Naturally such a rare thing in this age. Not many could really afford to create things for passion, let alone anything using valuable materials.” She remarked before a similar blade suddenly formed in her hand. “I unfortunately do not know anyone like that, at least not personally.”

She held it up for both of us to see. While it looks like a sleek and thin sword like the one James likes to use, it also looks… demonic? Both of us can clearly tell that there is something off-putting about the sword.

“This thing I have can be considered a personal weapon of mine that will never deteriorate with time. It’s blessed to last, so I never had to look out for a new one.” She explained before putting that slightly unsettling sword away. “...Your best bet is to perhaps try to personally contact the owner of that dungeon equipment site. You remember Fei, right?”

“The person on KaraLei’s biggest stream?” James asked.

“That one. They have a lot of connections from what I know. I don’t know them personally but they seem to be a philanthropist of some kind. If you stretch the definition a bit. Their equipment might not be cheap, but the quality is a steal in every aspect.” I think I looked at that site once or twice? It’s relevant to a very specific group of people that it’s not worth talking about. I never even look into the product review. Is anyone even talking about it at this point aside from that group? It’s like very impressive or whatever, but the buzz on it died off insanely quickly. “Just contact them personally. I’m sure you two have seen each other at some point or another, so they should be willing to give a hand.”

“Are you sure? They seem to be a mysterious figure.” He asked, expressing his doubt. “...And what do you mean by that?”

“Just trust me on this one. It’s not as if you have a lot of options otherwise.” She said before her eyes darted towards her hands. “At least ones that don't have a lot of compromise.”

Both of us can clearly see that she is talking from experience. Probably something rather traumatic if her tone shifted like that. All the more reason to not pry into it.

“As for your current strength… Definitely solid, but not a particularly big leap.” She remarked.

“It hasn’t been that long. You were expecting too much.” James replied. It has been… four weeks since then? I think? It sure felt longer with how much stuff has been happening.

“A big power jump happens to everyone at some point, but I suppose it doesn’t happen that often.” She explained. “As for how you are currently… I don’t really know, you look healthy enough.”

James rolls his eyes at the comment. I don’t really see myself being able to act that casually in front of someone clearly many times stronger than I am. Especially in this age that sounds quite suicidal.

Everyone has gotten more violent and prone to killing and that hasn’t stopped. I think it happened even before the Eclipse, but now it has gotten extra bad.

“Anything else you need to add?” He asked, clearly starting to find the conversation a bit too drawn out.

“Hmm… I suppose that is all I needed to say. I might be seeing you later, or maybe not.” She said before walking past us before we could say anything back.

“...She is a scary woman.” I remarked once I am sure she is out of earshot. “Do you know anything about her?”

“Not really. She is certainly a mysterious figure, but I wouldn’t call her some sort of underground agent or anything conspiracy-related.” He replied. “I’d imagine she really is an old guard like she presented herself as, just looking out for the new blood.”

“...She’s not from around here, right?” I’m not going to argue about that, so let’s ask something else.

“Certainly not. Someone so eye-catching like that cannot hide for long.” He confidently answered. “Simply put, she is so strong that traveling across towns and cities are more like light jogs to her. Not many have reached that point, but it is not unheard of.”

“Can’t you also do that?” I pointed out. The gap between us isn’t small and I feel like going to the next town wouldn’t take that much out of me.

“Indeed I could, but I don’t have the confidence to move around so quickly and recklessly like she did. The more you travel the likelihood of danger greatly increases, and she clearly isn’t afraid.” He elaborated on what he meant with his earlier statement. “Not to mention that I really can’t be expending any energy on travels even if I’m in the mood. This is far from the best of times for such a journey.”

“Hmm… So are you going to check that store soon then?” I asked.

“Might as well. I don’t have many obligations at the moment, and she’s not wrong about needing a strong weapon.” He answered.

…Speaking of which, should I also be getting a fancy weapon of my own? I do think Idea can come up with something like that, but would they request something from me in return? I don’t think I can come up with a lot to offer.

I know that they supposedly wouldn’t ask for much, and so far that has been the case, but I feel like at some point they ought to charge us something even if it’s only a chump change…

…I guess it wouldn’t hurt to contact them first, just testing my luck like James is going to do with the owner of that site.

———Karra———

<1: 37 pm>

*Clash* *Crack*

“Ah!?” Qyunda called out with shock when one of her swords were broken upon impact. That was so sudden and unexpected that none of us could even raise a voice.

“Give it a moment.” Rico said as she took a few steps back.

Indeed, the broken sword quickly repaired itself after a few seconds.

“...I know it’s supposed to have this function, but it’s still surprising to me.” Qyunda remarked.

“It is a rare function. Not many could claim to be able to embed it into a weapon.” Rico said before tapping the floor with her bamboo sword to catch Qyunda’s attention, the one who is still staring at the blade. “Alright, time to continue.”

*Smack* *Crash*