Bear School Astartes

”The true core knowledge of great sword techniques is actually the precise utilization of external pressure, right?”

Lann spoke as though seeking the opinion of the Sword Master, but his eyes weren’t focused on the Sword Master; instead, they seemed concentrated on some deeper, more ’inner’ aspect of himself, merely murmuring his understanding to himself.

”Continuous ordinary slashes, these actions are merely to activate [Combat Qi]. The most crucial factor that affects the so-called blade opening is actually the Air Blade Grand Spin following the series of qi slashes.”

”As long as the final step, Air Blade Grand Spin, does not hit, then the ordinary [Combat Qi] attached to the blade cannot form the unique [Qi Blade].”

”Because only when the Air Blade Grand Spin hits something does the reaction force from the hit object press against the blade, promoting the sublimation of the ordinary [Combat Qi].”

”And in the quick blade-opening technique you demonstrated earlier...”

”[Mikiri], that’s the name of the technique.”

The Sword Master’s heavy voice emerged from within his helmet, interrupting Lann’s speculation.

And Lann accepted it sensibly.

”And in the [Mikiri] you demonstrated earlier, it seemed that the essence lay in cleverly using footwork and keen insight to foresee the enemy’s attack, then dodging, connecting with Air Blade Grand Spin, and opening the blade. But in reality...”

”When you used [Mikiri] to dodge my attack just now, I vaguely heard a ’ding’ sound, but I’m quite sure we didn’t make any contact that could produce a sound.”

”Furthermore, that sound was indeed not produced by the collision of objects...”

Lann looked at the Sword Master confidently.

”That was the sound produced by your poised [Combat Qi] automatically sensing my attack and taking you away.”

”It’s like trying to grab a softly drifting dandelion, but the wind caused by your hand always pushes the dandelion away before your palm each time.”

”Your [Combat Qi] made the ’wind’ stirred up by my attack larger, at least in your perception, right?”

”As a result, not only did my attack fail to hit you, but it also accelerated the accumulation of [Combat Qi] activity for you, reaching the standard for using Air Blade Grand Spin, followed by the conventional Qi Blade upgrade.”

”Unexpectedly, it appears step-by-step pressing, inserting a slash wherever possible in the great sword techniques actually relies heavily on external pressure.”

Speaking of which, Lann even felt a bit amused.

”You group of great sword hunters... I bet you rarely accept Elu cats as hunting assistance, right?”

”Because Elu cats might divert the monster’s attention during the hunt, unless they’ve been paired to a level of utmost familiarity, otherwise, it’ll prevent the monsters from always focusing their pressure on you. And the less external pressure there is, the harder it is for the great sword to exert its level.”

By the end, there was actually a hint of sympathy in Lann’s eyes.

In a world where people and cats might communicate with each other, great sword hunters turn out to be those who reject cats, and simultaneously rejected by cats.

The Sword Master remained silent.

After a long while, he sheathed his great sword with a ’zing’ sound.

”Actually, my skills with the great sword are quite high. I came here this time to impart to you the knowledge of using the great sword. Are you ready, Lann? [Muddy Stream] is a good sword, don’t disappoint it!”

For some reason, the Sword Master seemed to have lost his memory.

He no longer mentioned a single word about great swords, as if it was his first meeting with Lann in the training area now.

For the prior period, his demonstration and explanation of great sword techniques seemed to have been edited out.

And he, a person carrying a great sword, came to teach great sword techniques...

For this purpose, he even acknowledged [Muddy Stream] as a great sword!

-----------------

When they came out of the training area, it was already noon.

Lann arranged his time tightly when learning new knowledge.

Like the techniques of hunting weapons, he would allocate two hours in the morning for learning.

And even just these mere two hours a day, he was already close to mastering fourteen types of hunting weapons.

Application level in actual combat, timing grasping, and situation judgment are not mentioned for the time being; anyway, he remembered these techniques.

Of course, this is also related to the hunters’ relatively straightforward techniques.

The hunters in this world, although not developing [Combat Qi] the way they do in Iwami Country, slashing out waterfall-like Qi Flow Blade with a wave of the hand.

However, giving up the extension of kill distance, turning instead to targeting monsters’ sturdy flesh and strong vitality, has made hunters well-prepared when facing large powerful creatures.

In Lann’s eyes as a traveler from outside, it’s the battlefield environment and tactical needs they faced in their world that became the soil for the birth of these techniques.

The very enemies these profound techniques were devised to confront shaped their development.

But Lann did not intend to absorb all hunters’ hunting skills.

He was already a warrior with a mature combat system; when facing novel and effective techniques, he preferred selective absorption rather than blindly replicating everything.

And this idea, the Sword Master probably noticed within the two hours of teaching Lann earlier.

Although he is not a warrior who fights against others, as a hunter fighting against nature, he somewhat understands the ’ambition’ a warrior has for power.

He did not stop Lann from absorbing hunters’ techniques and integrating them into his own system, merely offered some reminders, or dare say warnings.

”Fourteen types of hunting weapons, I imagine among them are several weapon techniques you might think are complementary.”

Once again Lann perceived the core technique of the great sword in less than an hour, the Sword Master stood his great sword upright in front of him, speaking calmly.

”Just like the ’enhanced defense and increased counterattack power upon successful defense’ possessed by long shield and gun, can be combined with the great sword’s ’use of external pressure’.”

”On the other hand, the core [Three-Staged Qi Charging] of the great sword, relying on [Iron Mountain Charge] to counter the enemy’s offensive and skip a stage of charging, seems it could align with ’enhanced defense’. Similar technique complementarities abound among the fourteen weapons.”

”But no, Lann...”

The Sword Master’s tone was serious and solemn at this point.

”Don’t rashly try to expand the technical scope of a single weapon, as many hunters have already failed in doing this.”

”Every application of [Combat Qi] involves internal pressure on the body. The current weapon techniques are the ’optimal parameters’ hunters have adjusted after exploring for a long time.”

”If you attempt to mix techniques, the internal compression from [Combat Qi] would surge to an unbearable level. Though hunters mostly wouldn’t die or be handicapped due to their constitution, they’d have to guzzle many bottles of restoring potions, or even secret medicines.”

”But just like punching too hard can damage the knuckle, such actions would instead lower combat capability, ending in a bad bargain.”

”The core of combat is ’suitability’, not the accumulation of techniques. I believe you, a person like this, can understand this philosophy, right?”